Ken Campbell's Column Page 15

Ken Campbell's Column

Canadiens trade for a declining Tomas Kaberle

by Ken Campbell - December 9, 2011 4:42 PM EST

The Canadiens added another flawed contract in hopes the player will rise again, but that plan didn't work out with Scott Gomez, so why would it work with Kaberle?
A couple of indications that Montreal Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier got fleeced, at least in the eyes of the public, when he dealt Jaroslav Spacek to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Tomas Kaberle: • Spacek hasn’t played a game in three weeks and most people still think the Hurricanes won the deal.

New Maple Leafs ownership won't spark on-ice change

by Ken Campbell - December 9, 2011 4:15 PM EST

If you expect a momentous change in the on-ice product in Toronto because the Leafs were bought by Bell and Rogers, think again.
When it comes to the sale of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment from a teachers’ pension plan to two behemoth communications conglomerates, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs should take to heart the words of The Who in their legendary hit Won’t Get Fooled Again.

Realignment plan promising, but unfinished

by Ken Campbell - December 6, 2011 12:40 AM EST

The approved four-conference format is a good step, but why leave an important unanswered question?
There will be those who will be applauding the NHL over its radical realignment scheme. Some will note that for perhaps the first time in history, the men who run the league looked beyond their own selfish interests and actually did something for the good of the collective.

Acquiring Bruce Boudreau better than trading Bobby Ryan

by Ken Campbell - December 2, 2011 11:32 AM EST

Something had to be done to shake things up in Anaheim, but if the team traded Bobby Ryan, it would have been a big mistake.
When you think about it, Alex Ovechkin just might have saved Anaheim Ducks GM Bob Murray from making one of the biggest blunders of his managerial career.

NHL should move the Coyotes temporarily to Hamilton

by Ken Campbell - November 29, 2011 3:09 PM EST

Hamilton is the perfect stop-gap for eventually moving the Coyotes to Toronto.
If the group that hopes to build a 20,000-seat arena in suburban Toronto can get its shovels in the ground by this spring, it would provide the NHL a lifeline to get out of Phoenix and into a viable hockey market.

Five days on the road with Boudreau and Capitals sheds light on firing

by Ken Campbell - November 28, 2011 10:05 PM EST

This author didn't see a team that playing to get it's coached fired. Washington's players simply couldn't figure out how to win on their own.
When George McPhee fired his coach and replaced him with an inexperienced NHL commodity three years ago around American Thanksgiving, it turned the fortunes of the Washington Capitals around.

Can the Maple Leafs prevent a team from moving to Southern Ontario?

by Ken Campbell - November 23, 2011 5:15 PM EST

The Maple Leafs believe they have the ability to block any team from moving into their area, but the NHL says otherwise.
If NHL owner-in-waiting Graeme Roustan gets his 20,000-seat rink built in suburban Toronto (which he will) and the league someday sees fit to put a team there through relocation or expansion (which it will), you can bet there will be howls of protest from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Construction of NHL-sized arena to be proposed in Southern Ontario

by Ken Campbell - November 22, 2011 11:08 PM EST

A 20,000-seat arena is being proposed in Markham, Ont., but the man behind the project says he's not actively pursuing an NHL franchise.
The man who hopes to build a 20,000-seat arena in suburban Toronto has been an NHL owner-in-waiting for a number of years and is on a first-name basis with many members of the league’s board of governors, but Graeme Roustan insists he does not plan to pursue an existing or expansion franchise for the proposed rink.

Expect Sidney Crosby to be in top form

by Ken Campbell - November 21, 2011 12:15 PM EST

Will Sidney Crosby be timid in his return? If you believe that you're kidding yourself, writes Ken Campbell.
Whether you love or loathe Sidney Crosby – and there are a surprising number of haters out there – Monday marks the day NHL hockey gets a whole lot more interesting again.

The struggles of Alex Ovechkin

by Ken Campbell - November 18, 2011 3:55 PM EST

Is there anything wrong with the Capitals superstar or is the rest of the league catching on to him?
The Washington Capitals touched down at about 3 a.m. Friday morning for their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, only to discover there was a new national sport in Canada.

Jets' honeymoon in Winnipeg is over

by Ken Campbell - November 17, 2011 6:50 PM EST

Fans finally let the team have it for their subpar performance. But just how long will it take for the players to get settled in.
WINNIPEG – It’s not often a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers serves as a demarcation point for a franchise, but that’s exactly what happened to the Winnipeg Jets a week ago.