mitch albom

Stanley Cup Final Detroit Red Wings (2) versus Pittsburgh Penguins (4) Drew Sharp says that Chris Osgood was really the only Wing that came to play last night in Pittsburgh. Ted Kulfan disagrees and has some high praise for Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit played like a team that could lose yesterday, opines Mitch Albom. Bob Wojnowski agrees with Albom but says that the Penguins deserve credit for their performance last night. Helene St. James reminds readers that the Wings have only lost one game at home all playoffs. Game 7 will be the ultimate hockey game, explains Dave Dye. Marc-Andre Fleury made the biggest save of the series last night on Daniel Cleary. Jordan Staal is one of the main reasons there even is a Game 7, writes Shelly Anderson. Joe Starkey compares Game 6 to an NFL contest. Petr Sykora checked back into the lineup yesterday for Pittsburgh. Here are some notes about the Penguins. Teams that are not in the playoffs Gordie Howe was a tough character on the ice, but he is admittedly having a tough time since his wife passed away, writes Larry Lage. Some of the Thrashers players took batting practice yesterday with the Braves. In other Thrashers news, the team has agreed to terms with forward Andrew Kozek. The Columbus Blue Jackets are close to naming a new goalie coach, a coach who has a personal relationship with Steve Mason. In Dallas, Mike Heika tells us that this particular Stanley Cup Final is exactly what the NHL needs. A deal has been reached between Ray Emery and the Flyers, reports Ed Moran. "We think Emery's a better goalie than Marty," said an anonymous Flyers executive. Brent Sutter's resignation Brent Sutter endorses Paul MacLean as the next coach of the Devils. Steve Politi of the Newark Star-Ledger believes it is time for MacLean to lead the Devils too. Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner was disappointed to see Brent Sutter step-down. Sutter says his family is very happy about the decision he made to head back home. Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek was disappointed to see Sutter go. Sutter says he made his decision on Monday, after his first good sleep in a long time. With the decision made, Darry Sutter is now expected to contact Lou Lamoriello regarding Brent Sutter's availability. The Flames job does really seem tailor-made for the former Devils bench boss. "There’s no guarantee he would get more out of the team than Keenan did. It’s still up to the players," said an NHL insider to Alan Maki of the Globe and Mail. Dany Heatley's trade request Dany Heatley has apparently asked to be traded because he doesn't have a good relationship with Senators coach Cory Clouston. Ken Warren goes over possible destinations and returns for Heatley. Bruce Garrioch does the same. Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen has a very interesting piece on Heatley in this morning's paper. The Coyotes situation Paul Waldie says Gary Bettman gained the upper-hand with yesterday's news. Some may think it is a victory for Bettman, but Bruce Arthur of the National Post thinks that the extra $100 million fee is definitely worth it. The issue of relocation fees stole the spotlight at yesterday's hearing, writes Carrie Watters of the Arizona Republic. Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star runs down the possibile rulings that Judge Baum could hand down. Here is a video of Scott Morrison with the latest on the story. No wonder Judge Baum is stalling, explains Randy Turner of the Winnipeg Free Press. AHL Calder Cup Final Hershey played a strong game, but Cory Schneider shut the door, so the Moose and Bears are headed back to Winnipeg to play Game 6 on Friday. The Moose have one person to thank for forcing a Game 6 and that is Cory Schneider, after the young netminder stole the show in Hershey last night. Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun says that without Schneider, the Moose had no business being in yesterday's contest. **Tonight is the IllegalCurve.com Radio Show with guests James Mirtle (Globe & Mail and From The Rink) and Kelly Hrudey (former NHL netminder and current Hockey Night in Canada analyst for CBC). The show starts at 7pm Central Time and runs until 9pm Central Time. To read more about IllegalCurve Radio, click here.**

NHL Playoff Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition): Penguins come up big, relocation fee becomes issue in Coyotes situation and Dany Heatley wants out

NHL Playoff Morning Papers (Monday Edition): Marc-Andre Fleury says he needs to be better, Evgeni Malkin not suspended for Game 3 and television ratings in the U.S. are down from last year

NHL Playoff Morning Papers (Sunday Edition): Bad bounces cost Penguins, some public support for Hamilton and an exciting Game 1 of the Calder Cup

NHL Playoff Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition): Many people writing off the Blackhawks, Penguins need Kunitz to start scoring and Judge Baum orders mediation