CAROLINA HURRICANES. NEWS CLIPPINGS January 30, Canes goalie Khudobin makes most of his chance

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1 Canes goalie Khudobin makes most of his chance By Chip Alexander 29, 2015 RALEIGH Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin and goaltending coach David Marcoux had a long skull session Wednesday. The two watched the game video from the Canes 4-2 win Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They analyzed Khudobin s every movement in net, reviewed his 28 saves and looked for areas that might be improved. We replayed the whole game and discussed certain elements in his game, Marcoux said Thursday. It was, Keep this up, or You can try this. We had a conversation about pucks that are close to the post when he s still out at the top of his crease, and how he can squeeze the post behind him with his feet so the puck never trickles in and they can t bank it in. Marcoux smiled, noting in Thursday s practice that Khudobin properly squeezed the post and stopped a shot during the Canes power-play work. He s a student of the game, Marcoux said. You want him to get the wins, but in the meantime you re working on details and focusing on the process, not just the result. Khudobin, who will start Friday against the St. Louis Blues, has been getting good results of late. After making sporadic starts the first three months of the season as Cam Ward manned the nets, Khudobin will getting his fifth start in the past six games. Once 0-8-2, Khudobin has won six straight decisions. In his last loss, Dec. 21 against the New York Rangers, the Canes were beaten 1-0. He did a good job of keeping his head up and playing, Canes coach Bill Peters said. He deserved better. He s given us good goaltending for a long period of time. It has turned into another strong January for Khudobin. A year ago, he was named the NHL s first star of the month for January, tying a franchise record with 10 wins. Khudobin, 28, finished last season with a record, posting a 2.30 goals-against average and setting a franchise record with a.926 save percentage. He signed a two-year contract with Carolina late in the season and returned for preseason training camp believing he might be the team s No. 1 goalie. Neither Ward nor Khudobin was very sharp in the Canes start, and Peters soon turned to Ward. Khudobin started three games in November and four in December, taking the 1-0 loss to the Rangers but two nights later beating the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in a shootout for his first victory. It s always kind of hard, Khudobin said. I play one game, and I don t play for another four. I play another game and then (out) for another four. It s not easy, definitely. But at the same time, you always want the team to win, so that s what you care about. You treat practices like games. When it s your turn, you just have to go there and help your teammates get the W. The Canes ( ) jumped to a 2-0 lead Tuesday before the Lightning cranked up the offensive pressure late in the first period. Khudobin allowed a goal in the first but made some big stops, and the Canes then never trailed in beating a team that was leading the NHL in scoring. He s extremely competitive, Canes captain Eric Staal said. He wants to be in the net. You can tell when he does get that opportunity he s battling at a high level. He s an easygoing guy away from the rink, off the ice. But you get him out there, and he s a real competitor. Peters has jokingly called Khudobin the crazy Russian. It s just that goaltenders can be different, Peters said, and the guy known as Dobby is a free-spirited type. Peters, with a smile, said he would leave Khudobin and Ward to Marcoux, adding, I try not to micromanage. Marcoux said Khudobin has a lot of Evgeni Nabokov s goaltending style in his game. The two are close friends, Marcoux said, and Nabokov like Khudobin, born in Kazakhstan and now living in Russia influenced the younger Khudobin. Nabokov, a former Russian Olympian, spent much of his career with the San Jose Sharks and was a Vezina Trophy finalist in He s now with the Lightning and the backup to goalie Ben Bishop. Nabokov had a good seat Tuesday at PNC Arena. He had a good chance to see his friend get another win. Alexander: ;

2 Gameday: Blues vs. Hurricanes Friday, / 6:00 AM / Tracking the Storm By Michael Smith It s an All-American political bash: Red vs. Blue(s). This is the gameday hub, where you can find all the latest news and information related to tonight s cross-conference match-up between the St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes in one handy location. Make this a regular stop throughout the day, as we update it with notes, videos, photos and more as puck drop draws near. Important programming note: tonight s game will be broadcast on SportSouth. This channel isn t typically included in standard packages, but most carriers provide an overflow channel in order to broadcast the game. These channel numbers can vary on a game-to-game basis, so click here to locate your SportSouth channel numbers. A projected lineup and a preview of tonight s game can be found below. The Canes will be on the ice at PNC Arena for a 10:30 a.m. morning skate, which you can watch live via Storm Surge on CarolinaHurricanes.com or in the Canes official mobile app. Check back here for plenty more! Last updated: 6:00 a.m. CANES PROJECTED LINEUP 6:00 a.m. Head coach Bill Peters said after practice on Wednesday that he plans to continue rolling with what s working, and in practice on Thursday, the team utilized the same forward lines and defensive pairs as seen in Tuesday s win over Tampa Bay. E. Staal-J. Staal-Tlusty Gerbe-Rask-Lindholm Skinner-Nash-Terry Malone-McClement-Dwyer Sekera-Faulk Gleason-Murphy Hainsey-Bellemore Khudobin Ward CANES PUT BOW ON SEASON SERIES VS. BLUES 6:00 a.m. In a span of just 20 days, the Carolina Hurricanes will wrap up their season series against the St. Louis Blues. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Canes earned a point in a 5-4 shootout loss. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 3-1 first-period lead with goals from Victor Rask, Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. The Blues would even the game at three in the second period before Riley Nash tallied to make it a 4-3 game heading into the second intermission. Vladimir Tarasenko s goal at 6:46 of the third period again tied the score, and the Blues emerged victorious in the shootout. It was similar to last night, head coach Bill Peters said after Wednesday s practice, drawing parallels to the Canes 4-2 win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. The difference in that victory? When the Canes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and the Bolts predictably pushed back, the Hurricanes weathered the storm. I thought we did a good job getting our game back after they responded early in the second, Peters said. You know [St. Louis is] a good team, they re a deep team and they re quick in transition. We re going to have to learn from our game in St. Louis and be a little bit better. It will be a fun challenge. The Canes will be waiting for the Blues, who claimed a 5-4 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night in St. Louis. It s perfect, Peters said of the chance to watch the Blues. We get to watch them live. When you re a good team, not much changes, but it will just confirm a lot of what we know. We ll be able to use our head-to-head clips for our video tomorrow. What to expect? They re a good team. They re first in the National Hockey League in faceoffs, so they start with the puck a lot, Peters said. Their D is mobile, and they re deep up front. It s going to be a fun game. I know our guys are excited about it, and we re looking forward to the match-up. Winners of three in a row, the Hurricanes will roll with what s working and ice the same lineup they have in this winning stretch. That also means that Anton Khudobin will make his fourth consecutive start in net. He has won his last six starts, posting a 1.44 goals-against average and a.946 save percentage in that time. Jiri Tlusty was banged up a bit on Tuesday night and did not practice Wednesday, but he returned to the ice on Thursday and is probable for tonight s game.

3 I think he s good to go. He s not 100 percent, but he s tough. He wants to play, Peters said. I fully expect him to play. NOTES: The first line is streaking. Eric Staal (3g, 1a), Jordan Staal (4a) and Jiri Tlusty (1g, 1a) each have points in two straight games. The Hurricanes are in January, and they have scored three or more goals in six of their last seven games (5-1-1). Players and GM s handcuffed by NHL CBA Posted on January 30, 2015 by Peter Koutroumpis RALEIGH, N.C. When the Carolina Hurricanes face off against the St. Louis Blues at PNC Arena on Friday, there will probably not be too much of a change, in any, in the lineup for the home side. Riding a current performance in the month of January that includes a three-game win streak, extended by a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, Carolina head coach Bill Peters is keeping it simple. If it ain t broke, don t fix it as the saying goes. It s expected that the Hurricanes will once again start Anton Khudobin in net, winner of six games in as many starts, while Alexander Semin, Andrej Nestrasil, and John-Michael Liles will likely sit and watch from press row again. That s how it s gone for Carolina recently, and has raised much attention considering that Semin, the seven million dollar man, has been a healthy scratch over that time and for other stretches of games this season peppered with stints of sitting out with injury. It s a situation that now has been validated by a decision from the Los Angeles Kings to waive two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Richards, a 5.75 million dollar player, who is expected to start in his first-ever American Hockey League (AHL) game on Friday. This is not an analysis of the reason(s) why Semin or Richards are both currently in the NHL version of pro hockey purgatory. No, this is more of thought piece on the mess that NHL owners and players have placed themselves as of two years ago when they renegotiated what eventually became the current National Hockey League (NHL) Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). A broad glance from a layperson s view shows that its major flaw has now been exposed. Before the league s lockout of the players took place, many teams, including Carolina, staked their long-term claim to the players they valued most, a top-five, six, or seven, by signing them to inflated, long-term contracts. As the eventual CBA was agreed upon, it looked like each side got pieces of what they needed. For the players, a higher average salary, more related qualityof-life areas addressed, along with a decent revenue sharing commitment, seemed reasonable to agree to without starving much longer past January For the owners, a salary cap that their general managers would have to work with and control according to how the league s finances and economy fluctuated, once again provided them the upper hand. However, all of this came with a glitch. With the new CBA in place, the league s GM s could go to work knowing that every team was committed to and in some cases, stuck with, inflated contracts with potential poor ROI possibilities. They never believed it would happen, but never say never. The skill players had gotten their pay days, committing to higher dollar, long-term contracts. Call it long-term security. However, with all that in place, the rest of the league s players have had to scramble to earn a spot on an NHL roster at lower market values and with short-term contracts that weren t guaranteed one-way deals. The big contracts removed the league s middle class, so to speak. It was talked about, and now they are all living in the reality of it. Many who were in the league three years ago, are no longer. There s not enough room for them. If you think the trend to find high-performing glue guys and a strong bottom six wasn t an immediate outcome from the CBA, you are mistaken. GM s and subsequently coaches now have no choice but to work with what they ve got and find those types of players. The challenge is that low-paid players don t mysteriously turn into high-end talent. There s a reason they have been at the lower-end of the salary scale.

4 So assuming your highly paid and apparently and hopefully high-performing stars are doing their job, and if a smart hockey exec has been able to shine some muddied gems they ve pick up as free agents or low-level trades, success has resulted. Or not. The problem arises when your top-paid and played players are suddenly not performing and executing to expectations. All efforts are exhausted to match the player up with different line mates, changing their position on the ice, and on the roster. However, if all of that doesn t work, eventually it has to come to a head that a GM has to decide to actually go there sit or even waive that player. Case in point are Semin and Richards. So, in the face of it all, who s really won in this situation, the owners or the players? Two top-level players, under-performing for whatever reason, are no good to their teams while eating up salary money that could be spread around to two or three others who would die for a spot to prove they can get the job done. On the other hand, teams have boxed themselves into a situation that has fans clamoring to make changes to their roster due to poor performance, but are unable to do so due to poor contract signings which are exacerbated by no-trade clauses to boot. Is this a short-term glitch or a long-term dilemma for the NHL? That won t be known until the Semin and Richards case studies play out. AHL to feature five California teams for Thursday, / 3:30 PM / News By NHL.com Staff There will be five American Hockey League franchises in California for the start of the season to form a new Pacific Division, league president David Andrews announced Thursday. The announcement was made in San Jose, where the Worchester Sharks will move to and play at SAP Center along with their parent club, the San Jose Sharks. "We are thrilled to bring the AHL to California, and continue the growth of the game on the West Coast," Andrews said. Affiliates for the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will join the Sharks in California. Anaheim's affiliate will be in San Diego. Calgary's affiliate will move to Stockton. Edmonton's affiliate will play in Bakersfield. Los Angeles' AHL and ECHL affiliates will effectively switch leagues, with Ontario joining the AHL and Manchester moving into the ECHL. For Anaheim, Calgary, Los Angeles and San Jose, this will give those teams a chance to have their affiliates much closer to home, an advantage many Eastern Conference teams have enjoyed when call-ups are needed. For Edmonton, it will mean having its AHL team in much closer proximity to other teams in the league to reduce costs and travel times. The only teams close to Oklahoma City, Edmonton's current affiliate, are in Austin, Texas, and San Antonio. "This is a wonderful growth opportunity for the game of hockey in the Western region and it will have a tremendous impact for years to come," Luc Robitaille, president of business operations for the Los Angeles Kings, said. "I want to commend each of the participating clubs, along with Dave Andrews, Bill Daly and Gary Bettman, for their commitment, patience and willingness to work through a very challenging but worthwhile process in order to get to this day." Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles and San Jose own their current affiliates. Anaheim will purchase the Norfolk Admirals and move them to San Diego. Andrews said the AHL Board of Governors will approve the full division format and schedule for at a later date. We know that the players are going to benefit from the proximity of the teams," Oilers president Kevin Lowe said. "This is going to enhance development.

5 Brodeur retires, named senior adviser to Blues GM Thursday, / 2:22 PM / News By Louie Korac - NHL.com Correspondent ST. LOUIS -- Goalie Martin Brodeur ended his playing career the same way he started it: with a big smile on his face. Brodeur, who established some of the greatest goaltending records in NHL history, including 691 wins and 125 shutouts, announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday after a 22-year career, which included a brief stint with the St. Louis Blues. Brodeur will immediately join their front office as senior adviser to general manager Doug Armstrong. When Brodeur, who spent the first 21 years of his career with the New Jersey Devils and won the Stanley Cup three times, signed a one-year, $700,000 contract in December that included incentives, he said he wasn't ready to let go of the game that meant so much to him. As he stood at the podium with a suit and tie inside the Bud Light Zone at Scottrade Center, it was evident he finally had closure, even though there was the sense Brodeur feels like he can still play if needed. "This is a great day for me," Brodeur said. " This is something I've been thinking about for a long time. This is a great opportunity that the St. Louis Blues organization, (owner) Tom Stillman and Doug Armstrong are giving me and trusting me in doing. This is going to be a great challenge for me." Brodeur, who took a two-week leave of absence recently to discuss his future with his family, came to the conclusion that after the Blues indicated they were going to move forward with Brian Elliott and Jake Allen as their goalies, he didn't want to be the No. 3. Brodeur was a healthy scratch his final eight games and decided to step away to get a broader perspective of what he wanted to do. His final game was Jan. 2 against the Anaheim Ducks, a 4-3 loss. His final victory was a 16-save, 3-0 shutout against the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 29. "That's what kind of pushed me to say, 'You know what, it looks like they're going to want to go with Jake and [Elliott],' and if [Elliott] didn't get hurt, I was never going to be here," Brodeur said. "It was a great opportunity and just to not be a part of it makes me think I want to help them as much as I can, but it's hard when you don't play and you're not around the guys. I stayed a little bit and after that, it was not going to change. We had conversations and that's the direction they wanted to take, but they want me to stay around. I'm 42 years old. I don't need to stay in the middle of the ice and try to avoid people." The Blues maintained they wanted Brodeur to stay in the organization in some capacity, and when it became clear they couldn't commit to him being more than a No. 3 goalie, a spot in the front office, something Brodeur has said in the past interested him, presented itself. "He's going to travel with our team on a daily basis; he's going to interact with our players and our coaches," Armstrong said. "Our goals are very simple here in St. Louis for this team, and it's to prepare and ultimately win a Stanley Cup. When you look up here and see the number of Stanley Cups on this stage (included were Blues alumni Brett Hull, Al MacInnis and Bernie Federko), all these people we can tap into as we learn and move forward. We're very excited to have Marty join our organization in a different capacity." Brodeur is already learning on the fly. "For me, it's been a good transition because I'll be able to still have that adrenaline going because you care so much about the players," he said. "You want them to be good and I'm going to learn at the same time. This is what I'm going to want to do in the future, is try to manage a team. It's just a great opportunity, but traveling with the team, for me, keeps me kind of in the game at the same time and not behind the desk and looking at stats on the computer." There were questions why Brodeur would announce his retirement in St. Louis rather than in New Jersey, with the organization that drafted him, groomed him, and has left the door open for him to come back in a similar capacity. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and Brodeur have kept a line of communication for his return, one which Brodeur said is sure to happen, but when is the question. "It would have been awkward to retire in New Jersey and take the job in St. Louis," Brodeur said. "That's kind of the way we went by it. For me, my hockey career's all about the Devils. Nobody's going to associate me with the Blues as a hockey player. Retirement arrangements will be made for New Jersey in the future. It could be this year, it could be next year; I don't know what's Lou's plan. I'm so appreciative of all the fans, the organization, and what they did for me. "This is coming out of left field a little bit for everyone and it's hard to understand, but at the end of the day, it's what I wanted to do. I'm excited about the new challenge. The retirement part of it, that's why I didn't make a big speech thanking everybody because nobody's here. They're all going to be there (in New Jersey) when it's time." Brodeur made a huge impact during his short time with the Blues. "I've never learned so much in two months from a single guy," defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "The knowledge of the game he has on the offensive side, the defensive side, just in general, it's pretty impressive. "It's tough to see him retire, a guy of that stature who's had a lot of success in his career. We're glad to have him." Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk, who grew up watching Brodeur, agreed. "To have the opportunity to really see him at a young age and see him walk in the locker room for me was a cool experience," said Shattenkirk, a New Rochelle, N.Y. native. "He's the

6 greatest goalie that's ever played, and really just to say you've been able to play with him and get to know him as a person is a fun experience. He brought a lot of knowledge to our locker room and the short time that we had him is still going to be beneficial for us. " He's a guy that's accomplished everything, and that's not something that many people can say they've done." Brodeur is committed to the Blues through the remainder of the season. Anything beyond that is uncertain. "I didn't give any guarantee," Brodeur said. "I signed up to be here until the end of this season and help them out as much as I can. They might not want me either, we'll see. "I'll be learning every facet of what a general manager needs to know. I'll be with [Armstrong] on the road. I'm sure when it's time for trades or whatever, we'll have some input and talk. I'll just touch on everything. I'm excited about that because I never wanted to be a coach, but who knows, after I see them go, maybe I'm going to say, 'You know what, maybe that's for me.'" Letting go is the toughest part, but one Brodeur said he knew would come at some point. He said if not for Elliott's injury and Armstrong's subsequent phone call, a retirement press conference might have happened Jan. 1. "The thing about hockey for me, I'm really competitive," Brodeur said. "I love to have fun. I'm leaving the game with a big smile on my face. I don't think if I would have done that last year, it would be the case. "Three years ago, I was ready to retire and I had this great run in the playoffs (in with the Devils that ended in a Stanley Cup Final loss to the Los Angeles Kings) and that kind of jolted my career back up and I was able to get a two-year contract. But that last two years have been hard. I didn't enjoy it as much, and I wanted just one more place to go and enjoy the game and I was going to leave the game when I was happy. I found that here in St. Louis. I'm happy with it, my decision." Checkers Look to Maintain Momentum Post All-Star Break Created: January 29, :11 pm Written by Paul Branecky It might sound strange to say about a team that spent most of the season s first half near the bottom of the conference standings, but for the most part, the Checkers return from the All-Star break feeling as though they re on the right path. As they depart to play a pair of road games against San Antonio and Texas starting this Friday, the Checkers can look at their last set of games and see a record that, while not exactly lighting the world on fire, is better than any other 10- game segment of their season despite tough travel and tough opposition. There s certainly still plenty of work to do with the team still sitting in 13th and eight points out of eighth. Rather than set specific goals or benchmarks for where they want to be at a particular point in time, the Checkers regroup from their various vacation destinations focusing on the task at hand. Just chip away, said coach Jeff Daniels. I think we ve been doing that for the last month or so where we ve had some good stretches. It s a cliché, but the focus is on tomorrow night and finding a way to get it done. We re doing that right now with finding ways to win games and get points. We ve got to climb up that ladder. In order to do, the team will have to put together the kind of streak it s struggled to produce all season, having won consecutive games on only one occasion back on Nov. 29 and 30. Much of their schedule consists of consecutive games against the same opponents, with most of them resulting in splits rather than the sweeps they ll need moving forward. What might help them achieve that goal? First is a kinder setup in terms of their schedule. This weekend will mark the final time they ll have to travel between back-to-back games and last week was the last time they ll have to play three games in three nights. Although the team has never made excuses for it, two of their last three regulation losses came during such stretches.

7 Things are much more spread out immediately coming out of the break. After playing six games in 11 days before, they now begin a stretch of six in 17. Every team goes through it, but now the schedule s lightened up a bit, said Daniels. We get some practice time where we can keep harping on the conditioning and harping on special teams and that kind of stuff that might get us big points down the stretch. There s also a recent boost in personnel, with reigning AHL goals champion Zach Boychuk and captain Michal Jordan returning from long stints in Carolina and Brody Sutter healing from injury. That, along with the successful experiment of using Justin Shugg on the point, has immediately helped a power play that followed up a 1-for-41 slide with four goals in its last 12 opportunities. As bad as our power play has been, the movement has been good when we do get set up and right now we ve scored a couple of goals, said Daniels. Despite the confidence that comes with beating the leagueleading Oklahoma City Barons while playing for the third time in three nights in their most recent game, the Checkers will now be wary of the kind of slow start the experienced upon returning from a holiday break of similar length one that saw them go in their first four games. We ve learned that we can t kind of test the waters, said Daniels. We ve got to jump in and be ready to play. Hopefully the guys are refreshed and ready to go. Daniels said that forward Brendan Woods, the team s thirdhighest scorer with 18 points, would travel with the team this weekend and is considered day-to-day. Woods suffered an upper-body injury on a late hit from Oklahoma City s Travis Ewanyk on Jan. 23, one that the AHL saw worthy of a onegame suspension. If Woods, who was a limited participant in Thursday s practice, is unable to play, one option would be to use Jared Staal, who has played the vast majority of his five full professional seasons on the wing, at the center position. It s something we ll look at, said Daniels. (Staal) played a few shifts there last year, he s a big body down the middle and he knows how we want to play down low. Daniels also said that forward Kyle Hagel, who missed the team s last game, and defenseman Beau Schmitz would be available this weekend. The Checkers gave Schmitz clearance to play prior to the break but had the luxury of being able to ease him back into the lineup due to extra defensemen on the roster. Just the way the schedule s been set up with us being on the road and then the All-Star break, he hadn t got a chance to get a lot of practice time, said Daniels of Schmitz. The week before was a lot of conditioning, now he s got a lot of practices under his belt and he s an option to play. Carolina Hurricanes Riding Dominant Jordan Staal to January Turnaround By Mark Jones, Featured Columnist Jan 29, 2015 Since Jordan Staal returned to the Carolina Hurricanes' lineup on Dec. 29, only five other NHL teams have won more games than the surging 'Canes. After missing the season's first 35 games with a broken fibula, Staal returned a month ahead of schedule and has registered eight points in his first 11 appearances. He's jump-started brother Eric Staal's impressive scoring streak and helped Carolina erupt on a surprising streak, including five wins in its last six games at home. Now a month later, he's poised for a productive second half that could generate some much-needed optimism for The portfolio of strong statistics that No. 11 has already quickly compiled is striking. Jordan has a goal and a whopping seven assists in his 11 games to date, averaging over 17 minutes and 30 seconds per game (including 2:05 on the power play) and winning 52.9 percent of his faceoffs. Even more impressive has been his physical presence, providing the big body planted in the crease that the 'Canes so desperately lacked for the campaign's first three months and establishing himself as a strong force in board battles as well.

8 The 6'4", 237-pound center's presence is having a clear impact on the Hurricanes' scoring: Carolina Hurricanes: With and Without Jordan Staal Statistic Without With Record Goals per Game Shots per Game Although he has just 18 shots on goal so far, the younger Staal's 19.1-foot average distance on those shots is currently the shortest on the team by far, per Sporting Charts. Meanwhile, brother Eric's average shot-on-goal distance has dropped from 26.8 feet prior to Jan. 6 to just 25.3 feet since. The difference is having an astonishing effect on Eric's efficiency. After scoring merely once in the 16 games directly prior to Jordan's return, No. 12 has found the back of the net nine times in 11 games since. The uptick in his shooting percentage, likely due somewhat to regression and luck but largely to better opportunities, is more than a little noticeable. With Jordan on the ice, the 'Canes' entire offensive unit is better able to penetrate toward the goal, create scoring chances and most importantly produce and reach rebound opportunities. "You can put him in every situation imaginable," said 'Canes coach Bill Peters about Jordan Staal to the News & Observer's Chip Alexander earlier this month. "He s a very intelligent hockey player and a very competitive hockey player." Staal's versatility has allowed Peters to employ him as the team's first-line center essentially since Dec. 29, creating a deadly duo alongside Eric Staal that has crushed many an opponent in the month since. Friday, he and the rest of the 'Canes will rematch the St. Louis Blues, who dominated Carolina for the majority of a 5-4 shootout win earlier this month and burned Jordan Staal for a minus-three rating on the night. The game is one of few flaws in Carolina's past month of work and easily Jordan's worst game of the season. The Hurricanes, riding their most home momentum in some time, will be out for revenge. And a large portion of the responsibility for revenge will ride on the brotherly duo that has carried the team to a sterling mark so far this month. TODAY S LINKS CAR home

9 St Louis Blues Brodeur has new role with Blues 6 hours ago By Jeremy P. Rutherford Martin Brodeur realized that he could have retired from the NHL after last season and been immortalized as a lifetime New Jersey Devil. The goaltender, though, still felt like he had a few saves left in him, even if it meant putting on another uniform. This week, as Brodeur contemplated retirement again after playing seven games with the Blues, he realized that he could have returned to New Jersey. But much like the future Hall of Famer wrote the story of his career, he s now penning his new path as well. It may have been odd to see Brodeur announce his retirement as a Blue on Thursday at Scottrade Center and receive the title of senior adviser to general manager Doug Armstrong, but a certain set of circumstances allowed that, and however long it lasts, the arrangement appears to be one that will benefit both sides. This is a great day for me, said Brodeur, who dropped the puck before the Blues game and received a raucous ovation. I m excited to start a new chapter in my hockey career. This is something I ve been thinking about for a long time, and this is a great opportunity that the St. Louis Blues organization (owner) Tom Stillman and Doug Armstrong are giving me. It s going to be a great challenge for me. Brodeur, 42, said that he answered the question of whether he could still play by winning three games with the Blues, including a shutout against Colorado on Dec. 29. But when Brian Elliott became healthy, and the club was committed to Jake Allen as the backup, Brodeur said he saw the need for him shrink, leading to his leave of absence to contemplate his future. At one point, I just felt in the way a little bit... it was almost dangerous for me to practice, and not get run over by line rushes, Brodeur said. I was just in the way as the third goalie. So that s what made me kind of say, Well, let s move away from the game a little bit. They gave me that space and I talked to my family my wife, my mom and all the people around me. In case Brodeur chose to retire, the Blues made him an offer to work in the front office, but knew they would be battling New Jersey for his services. Brodeur s agent, Pat Brisson, said the club still made a solid pitch. It made a lot of sense based on how Doug Armstrong approached it, Brisson said. He gave him not only a title, but a job description, and he was able to visualize what he was going to be doing. It made it easier on Marty to make a decision at that point. In describing the role Thursday, Armstrong said that Brodeur will be traveling with our team on a daily basis and he s going to interact with our players and our coaches. Brodeur, who called the Blues offer a surprise, acknowledged that the Devils weren t able to offer the same type of role. Whenever they gave me that opportunity, I had conversation with (New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello), Brodeur said. He agreed with me that this was probably the best opportunity. Al MacInnis, another former Blue who has the same title of senior adviser to Armstrong, said he could understand why Brodeur would stay in St. Louis. He got a taste of it as a player here, MacInnis said. He recognizes obviously the quality of the team we have. He sees this team can potentially go on a long run in the playoffs. If that is the case, he can certainly be a big part of it, even though he s not on the ice. That experience of a guy that s won three Stanley Cups, two gold medals, numerous personal awards, that knowledge of the game is so valuable. He sees something good here and, you know what, for the next few months, he could play a huge part of it, and we all feel the same way. Brodeur is committed to staying with the Blues through , but he doesn t know his future beyond that. I didn t give any guarantees, he said. I signed up to be here till the end of this season, and help them out as much as I can. They might not want me either, we ll see. But Brodeur knows one thing his playing career now has closure. I m leaving the game with a big smile on my face, he said. I don t think if I would have done that last year, it would have been the case. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: St Louis Blues Preview: Blues at Hurricanes 6 hours ago By Tom Timmermann When 6 p.m. Friday Where PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C. TV, radio Fox Sports Midwest, KMOX (1120 AM) Blues The Blues are 4-3 in the second half of back-to-back games, 1-1 when the second game is a road game after a home game. The Blues are against the Eastern Conference, the best record of any team in the West. The Blues beat Carolina 5-4 in a shootout at Scottrade Center on Jan. 10. In that game, Brian Elliott started but was lifted after allowing three goals. Jake Allen finished the game and got the win. Allen will be in goal Friday. Hurricanes Carolina has won three straight and is in its past 10 games as the team has finally gotten healthy, but it still has the second fewest points in the Eastern Conference. Carolina has the third-best penalty-killing in the league at 87.3 percent. It has allowed just six powerplay goals at home, the fewest in the league. Eric Staal leads the team in scoring with 16 goals and 14 assists.... Only two players on the team are positive in plus-minus.... Carolina won its only game since the All-Star break, beating Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Injuries Blues F Chris Porter (ankle) is out. Hurricanes none. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: St Louis Blues Blues edge Predators in shootout

10 6 hours ago By Jeremy P. Rutherford A celebration erupted on the ice when the Blues capped a 5-4 shootout victory over Nashville Thursday, but it paled in comparison to the party in Suite 247 inside Scottrade Center. A majority of the Blues players had their fathers in attendance Thursday, as they prepared for a dad s trip beginning Friday night in Carolina. Seventeen of them rose to their feet, including Bill Elliott, who pumped his fist when his son Brian thwarted a final attempt by the Predators James Neal, sealing the victory. Another proud papa was Pat Shattenkirk, whose son Kevin, on his 26th birthday, scored the clinching shootout goal seconds earlier. It was a nice little present, and I m happy because we have the fathers here, Kevin Shattenkirk said, and my dad was able to see it. In front of a crowd of 19,477, it was a nice little sendoff for the Blues, who improved to in their last nine games and shaved one point off Nashville s lead in the Central Division, where the Predators have a edge. The Blues now begin a stretch of five straight games against the Eastern Conference, and they ll do so without forwards Patrik Berglund and Jori Lehtera, who both left Thursday s game with upper-body injuries and will not play Friday. Jake Allen will be in net for the Blues against Carolina, following Elliott s 33- save victory Thursday, closing out his January with a record of He allowed four goals for the first time since November 2013, but did enough to help his club win for the second time in five meetings with Nashville this season, all five of which were decided by one goal. The Blues were less than three minutes away from winning by a goal in regulation, but the Neal tied the score, 4-4, with his 16th goal of the season with 2 minutes, 38 seconds to play. It looked like we ran out of gas in the third there, and obviously they kept ragging it, ragging it, ragging it until they got that shot to score the fourth goal, Elliott said. But we held in there... We definitely wanted the two points, but that s why it s tough gaining ground. But this is big for us, especially coming off a big break. On the day that Martin Brodeur announced his retirement, there was still a game to play, the Blues first in 10 days following the All-Star break. The chief concern going in was whether the club could pick up where it left off. The Blues weren t sluggish at the start; they just struggled to beat Nashville goalie Carter Hutton, who has played admirably in place of injured starter Pekka Rinne. The offense fired 12 shots at Hutton, but he turned each aside, including one from Shattenkirk on a 3-on-1 for the Blues. I thought we showed signs of being excited, said Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who earned his 154th victory with the Blues, passing Brian Sutter for No. 2 on the franchise s all-time list. The first period was really terrific. We had eight scoring to one or two, (but) couldn t finish. Nashville held a 1-0 lead after the first period on the first of Mike Fisher s two goals, a fluky power-play goal with 7:11 remaining. The Predators Roman Josi teed up a blast from the point and the puck grazed off Fisher on the way to the glass behind the net. It came straight back, ricocheting off Elliott s back and into the net before he knew what happened. By the early part of the second period, the Blues had three power-play opportunities under their belt, but still no offense. And it was 2-0 before the Blues knew what hit them. Filip Forsberg netted his 17th of the year just 5:36 into the middle period. Craig Smith whiffed on a shot and the puck ended up at Forsberg s skates. He was too quick for Lehtera, who was in front of the net, and Elliott. The goal was Forsberg s fourth and the point was his eighth against the Blues in five games this season. But in a period that saw a combined six goals between the squads, the Blues charged back, starting with Jaden Schwartz s 17th goal of the season. A hustle play by Vladimir Tarasenko allowed the winger to get a shot off. Hutton made the initial save, but Schwartz buried the rebound for a 2-1 score with 11:38 left in the second period. The Blues scored a couple of times when Hutton kicked rebounds into the slot. Oshie scored his 14th of the season on one, after a shot by Paul Stastny, with 7:24 left in the second period, tying the score at 2-2. Then 26 seconds later, Steve Ott netted his second goal of the season, after a Shattenkirk shot, for the Blues first lead of the game, 3-2. We were getting pucks to the net and guys were getting a second and third wave in there, Oshie said. I think the third wave on two of them scored the goal. That s good to see, especially first game after a break. Fisher tied the score 3-3 on a short-handed goal with 4:28 left in the second period. But then Ryan Reaves scored his fourth of the season, matching a career high when he unleashed a 38-foot rocket for a 4-3 lead with 1:45 left in the period. I ve been telling people that I heat up after the All-Star break, said Reaves, whose goal came in front of his father, Willard, who also was in attendance for his son s last goal Nov. 23 in Winnipeg. I m going to have to have him come to all my games. St Louis Post Dispatch LOADED: St Louis Blues Brodeur will be 'senior advisor' to Armstrong 17 hours ago By Jeremy P. Rutherford Calling it a 22-year career that will certainly land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, Martin Brodeur announced his retirement from the NHL Thursday in a short and sweet ceremony at Scottrade Center. "I'm retired now," Brodeur responded when asked if he would strap on the pads again, even with the Blues in even the event of emergency. So Brodeur is retired, but he's not leaving St. Louis. In a development that was confirmed with a press release from the club Tuesday, Brodeur will remain with the organization in a management role. That position, and job description, was made clearer Thursday when general manager Doug Armstrong announced that Brodeur has been appointed "Senior Advisor to the GM. For more on that, and any other unanswered questions regarding Brodeur's future with the franchise, here is the entire transcription from his 17-minute press conference and a side session with reporters: Opening remarks from Brodeur: "Welcome everyone. Thank you so much for being here. I just want to take the opportunity to thank everybody that sent me messages in the last 48 hours. A lot of people, I didn't respond back to you guys, but there's a reason for it. But all my friends, my exteammates, my present teammates, I really appreciate the kind words. This is a great day for me, I'm excited to start a new chapter in my hockey career. This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, and this is a great opportunity that the St. Louis Blues' organization, Tom Stillman and Doug Armstrong are giving me and trusting me. In the same token, this is going to be something as close as a hockey player (as he can be). I'm going to be involved with the hockey operation and being close with the guys, and the coaches and the managers. It's going to be a great challenge for me. "I know you want to hear about my career a little bit. It was a good decision for me to make, something that throughout the year, you know July 1 came

11 and didn't get really many opportunities. I was a little selective on the teams that I wanted to play for. Time went by and I was really thinking about retirement. It came November, I wanted to play, but I knew the opportunity would have been a little harder. Finally, I got a call from one of the teams at the top of my list was the St. Louis Blues. I jumped in right away, had blast. For the month and a half I was here, I was treated with as much respect as anybody else. They really took me in in their family and for me, that meant a lot. When the goalie situation got healthy, and I think everybody has understand that there was no promises from the organization towards me, they have two solid goaltenders and so for me to come in and help them out was a great opportunity to get back in the game and see if I still like it and still can play the game. Both questions were answered. I know can play and I know I still can have fun with this game. For me, just the fact that they got healthy was harder for me to stay around. I'm a competitive guy, it was hard to stay on the sideline, and that's why I decided to take my retirement. Anyway, thank you for being here. I'd love to answer some questions. I'm sure a couple New Jersey questions will be out there." Question: When you took the leave of absence, what eventually made up your mind that it was time to retire? Martin Brodeur: "Well, just because of the goalie situation. We had conversation, with Army and I, we had a lot of discussions about what was going to happen in future. They were going to go with the two goalies, and they wanted me to be around, and they welcomed me to stay around. At one point, I just felt in the way a little bit. I was (joking), it was almost dangerous for me to practice, and not get run over by line rushes. I was just in the way as the third goalie. So that's what made me kind of say, 'Well, let's take a step back, let's move away from the game a little bit.' They gave me that space and I talked to my family my wife, my mom and all the people around me and we came to the conclusion, 'This is a great opportunity that I have to start something new,' and I'm really excited." Question: You said when you arrived in St. Louis that you didn't have closure with your career in New Jersey. Do you have closure now? Martin Brodeur: "You know what, the thing about hockey for me, I'm really competitive but I love to have fun. And I'm leaving the game with a big smile on my face. I don't think if I would have done that last year, it would have been the case." (After a question asked in French and replied to by Brodeur in French, he turned to the rest of the English-speaking audience and joked: "You guys got that?") Question: What do you hope to achieve in your new position, as far as moving your post-hockey career forward? And secondly, do you have a sense of what time frame you wish to commit, knowing that New Jersey has made it clear they have a position waiting for you? Martin Brodeur: "For me, it's all about learning. I think I've been on the players' side for so long, I know that side pretty well. But the management part is something that I'm going to learn and I'm excited that I'm going to have solid people around this organization that have been around the management part for a long time. Having Ken Hitchcock as a coach, who I know real well, I think the line of communication with the people is going to be great and for me it's a valuable thing to do in my first year outside of hockey, to really try to flourish and see if I'm going to like this. And the second part, I'm committed to stay here through the end of the season, hopefully as long as we can, that's for sure. There's no commitment one way or the other that I'll go back to New Jersey or stay in St. Louis. I just want to make sure I enjoy what I'm going to do and I'll make a decision when it's time." Question: How do you envision your role with the Blues? Martin Brodeur: "For me, I want to make sure I help the team. What I did when I came in a month and a half ago, I wanted to be a leader on the team. It's hard to do when brand-new guy. All the players were really open not just the players but the coaches too about my input. So you know I felt right away there was value in the locker room, and I don't think it will be no different in the (management) job. For sure I'm not dressing and taking shots in the head anymore; that's the positive of it. But I'm here to help, I'm here to learn, and I'm excited about it." Question: There was a sentiment, even within the Blues' organization, that if you decided not to play that you would go back to New Jersey. Why did you elect to stay in St. Louis? Martin Brodeur: "I think for me, the decision to come here, again I didn't know what to expect when I came here... I see this organization going a long way. They're an exciting team to watch, they're extremely talented, and I was happy to be part of it. So whenever they gave me that opportunity, I had conversation with Lou (Lamoriello)... and for anybody that thinks me and Lou are not on the same page, everybody is wrong because we stayed in contact before I signed in St. Louis, while I was playing, and while I was hanging out in Florida (during the leave of absence). That conversation, (Lamoriell) agreed with me that this was probably the best opportunity. It was something that he was not able to give me at this time. I'm really excited to be here and we'll see where that brings that." Question: During the leave of absence, did you think about playing somewhere else to further your career? Martin Brodeur: "I played 21 years in one organization and a month and a half somewhere else and I didn't want to moving around. So it's something that I didn't really look at... interests outside of what the St. Louis Blues offered me. So for me, it was not really a question to go somewhere else. Like I said, I'm leaving the game really, really happy. I had a blast here in St. Louis and I didn't want that experience to be overshadow because I made a different move. To be in the same situation somewhere else did not really attract me that much." Question: What are your thoughts on falling just short of 700 wins? Martin Brodeur: "Oh, 691, it's not too bad (laughter). It would have been nice. I would have been nice to be at 700. But again, it is what it is. I wish I could have played more games. It's all these lockouts. I got killed on it." Question: In case of an emergency, could you play? Martin Brodeur: "I'm retired now. I don't know what the rules, or whatever, what would happen, that's not the plan at all.... I've got my alumni jersey there. I've got a locker here, my pads will be here all the time." Question: Will it be difficult to be around the guys and not on the ice? Martin Brodeur: "I think for me it's been a good transition. I've still got the adrenaline going because y ou care so much ab out the players, and you want them to be good and I'm going to learn at the same time. This is what I want to do in the future, try to manage a team. It's just a great opportunity. Traveling with the team, for me keeps me in the game at the same time and not just behind a desk and looking at stats on the computer." Question: Would you go back to New Jersey sometime? Martin Brodeur: "We (he and Lou Lamoriello) talked and he knows that eventually wer'ree going to cross paths again, if it's next year or two years or three years, I can't answer. I'm doing this now with the St. Louis Blues. I want to learn as much as I can and we'll see where that leads. I may not like this. I might just go and say, playing golf every day looks a whole lot better than doing this. I'll make a decision on my future whenever it comes around. Right now I'm going to go all in with this and, not that I needed the blessing of Lou but he understands." Question: Was it tough being a healthy scratch at the end? Martin Brodeur: "That's what kind of pushed me to say, it looks like they're going to go with Jake (Allen) and (Brian Elliott). If Els didn't get hurt, I was never going to be here. It was a great opportunity, to not be part of it, that's one of those things, I wanted to help them as much as I can but it's hard when you don't play or you're not around the guys. I stayed a little bit, after a while said, it's not going to change, we had conversations, that's the direction they wanted to take but they wanted me to stay around. I'm 42 years old, I don't need to be in the middle of the ice and avoid people." Question: Would you play in an emergency? Martin Brodeur: "I don't think so. There's waivers, there's things, it's complicated for me to come back. That's not the plan. Come back for one game? Nah." Question: Will it be tough to let go? Martin Brodeur: "Three years ago I was ready to retire and had a great run in the playoffs. That kind of jolted my career back up. I was able to get a two-year contract. The last two years have been hard, I didn't enjoy it as much. I wanted to go to just one more real good place and enjoy the game, and I was going to leave the game when I was happy and I found that here