Adam Proteau's Column

One-on-one with NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr

One-on-one with NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr

by Adam Proteau - January 25, 2012 2:47 PM EST

Adam Proteau sat down with Donald Fehr for a story in a recent issue of THN and we present the interview in its entirety.
After a year on the job as executive director of the NHL Players’ Association, Donald Fehr is as calm as he ever was during his 26 years running Major League Baseball’s players union.


Combine All-Star Game with Winter Classic

Combine All-Star Game with Winter Classic

by Adam Proteau - January 19, 2012 1:30 PM EST

Putting the All-Star Game outdoors would create a new buzz around the event that currently doesn't mean much to most hockey fans.
There’s a lot to like about the NHL’s massively successful Winter Classic experiment. There’s not as much to like about the NHL’s All-Star Game weekend.


Why is Scott Howson still employed by Columbus?

Why is Scott Howson still employed by Columbus?

by Adam Proteau - January 12, 2012 1:45 PM EST

While a coach has many hockey people over his head that determine his fate, the GM is in more control.
When Scott Arniel was made to walk the Blue Jackets’ plank Monday, some felt it was unfair GM Scott Howson didn’t join his now-former coach wearing the latest in sandwich board couture on the unemployment lines.


Scott Arniel wasn't given chance to succeed in Columbus

Scott Arniel wasn't given chance to succeed in Columbus

by Adam Proteau - January 9, 2012 4:30 PM EST

With injuries, suspensions and many other problems getting in the way, the Blue Jackets, and their coach, never stood a chance.
It’s hard for him to see at the moment, but Scott Arniel’s luck got a lot better with his dismissal as Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Monday.


NHL supplemental discipline ineffective as ever

NHL supplemental discipline ineffective as ever

by Adam Proteau - January 5, 2012 2:35 PM EST

Brendan Shanahan was supposed to usher in a new era of justice, but as the season has moved along, it has proven to be the same as it ever was.
When the NHL replaced chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell with Brendan Shanahan last spring and gave him the reassuring title of senior vice-president, player safety, I really wanted to believe things were going to change.


2011 Top 5 NHLers, issues, interviews...

2011 Top 5 NHLers, issues, interviews...

by Adam Proteau - December 28, 2011 10:19 AM EST

It's been a year to remember with plenty of eye-opening moments. Here's a handful of them, ranked into convenient top fives for your reading pleasure!
The end of the calendar year always brings with it the temptation to write best-of type lists and this year I’m offering no defense when facing that temptation.


Blackhawks take over as Stanley Cup favorite

Blackhawks take over as Stanley Cup favorite

by Adam Proteau - December 22, 2011 12:59 PM EST

After hopping on Washington's wagon in the summer, this writer thinks a new team has taken charge of the NHL.
When The Hockey News editorial team gathered last summer and picked the Washington Capitals as our choice for this season’s Stanley Cup winner, I was fully on board with the selection.


Kings would be wise to hire Dallas Eakins as head coach

Kings would be wise to hire Dallas Eakins as head coach

by Adam Proteau - December 15, 2011 2:01 PM EST

Instead of going back to the old coaching well, teams in search of help should explore the Marlies coach as an option.
Seventeen years ago, the Quebec Nordiques, a year away from becoming the Colorado Avalanche, had a tough decision to make. The organization, which was chock-full of emerging young stars, had just fired veteran coach Pierre Page and very easily could have replaced him with any number of experienced bench bosses.


Young guns under the gun

Young guns under the gun

by Adam Proteau - December 8, 2011 11:17 AM EST

Before the lockout, rookies and sophomores faced reasonable expectations. Now they enter the pro ranks with unprecedented security.
When the Sedin twins arrived in the NHL in 2000, they were hailed as the future of Vancouver’s Stanley Cup hopes. However, it took many years, many more defeats and countless stalls and sideway lurches for them to ascend to the pinnacle of the hockey world (and even then, they and their teammates fell one game short of a championship last season).


Bruce Boudreau hiring no surprise

Bruce Boudreau hiring no surprise

by Adam Proteau - December 1, 2011 12:54 PM EST

When you have the coaching resume the new Ducks boss has, it doesn't usually take long to find another job.
In approximately 67 hours, Bruce Boudreau went from being a dead duck in Washington to the head Duck in Anaheim. Boudreau’s transition from team-to-team is the quickest in NHL history and proves that if you do solid work behind a bench in the league and haven’t been riding the coaching carousel for decades, some team will be in sufficiently dire straights to snap you up quickly enough.


Will the real Ovechkin return after Boudreau's firing?

Will the real Ovechkin return after Boudreau's firing?

by Adam Proteau - November 28, 2011 2:40 PM EST

Stanley Cup hopes are heavy in Washington and recent struggles meant something had to give. That something was Bruce Boudreau.
Alex Ovechkin made a commercial last year that involved his disconnected head in various locations, including the top of a high school gym locker and the inside of a bowling ball bag.


NHLPA raising awareness about concussions

NHLPA raising awareness about concussions

by Adam Proteau - November 24, 2011 12:35 PM EST

The players' union recently sent doctors to speak to all 30 NHL teams about the seriousness of concussions and the importance of reporting them.
While it’s debatable whether hockey is doing enough to pin down and overcome the scourge of concussions, you can’t say the NHL Players’ Association isn’t doing more to bring NHLers up to speed on the dangers of head injuries.


All things considered, how would you rate this NHL season?












“I think when you’re at home the first two games, sometimes you get a little bit too comfortable at home. Then you come on the road, maybe it’s like a rude awakening…We’ve had three series to figure that out, learn it. We definitely want to be better (Monday), especially in the first game on the road.”

- Chicago's Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks are 0-3 in Game 3s this playoff.
 

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