Carolina Hurricanes Canes' eye on the draft: Jonathan Huberdeau

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1 SPORT-SCAN Boston Bruins Silver, plated Recchi leaves lasting impression Up next, a little quiet time Bruins toast their success The true measure of devotion Keep that attitude, B s Hurtin Nathan Horton: Shoulder ailment preceded concussion Save some space in Thomas trophy case Scenes from the Cup experience Bruins have field day Fenway s Garden party Carolina Hurricanes Canes' eye on the draft: Jonathan Huberdeau Columbus Blue Jackets Reshaping the Jackets Jackets geared up for big offseason Minnesota Wild Wheeling, dealing a big part of draft week Yeo dives into new job on cross-country drive Wild's most notable draft day trades NHL 6/20/2011 Nashville Predators Assault steeled Nashville Predator's Pekka Rinne for NHL success Ottawa Senators Senators' new assistant coach is Melnyk's man Cameron Cameron poised to join Sens staff Philadelphia Flyers For Flyers, deal with Bryzgalov seems near, but tricky Recchi deserves plenty of honors after retirement Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Draft: Penguins expect to land 'decent' prospect St Louis Blues Blues weighing all options as draft approaches Toronto Maple Leafs Colin Campbell glad to be out of NHL firing line Winnipeg Hockey nuts/artists hard at work coming up with Winnipeg NHL team logos Cheveldayoff s life a gong show NHL players could find love in 'Peg Celebrity treatment in store for NHLers SPORT-SCAN, INC DAILY BRIEF

2 Boston Bruins Silver, plated By Fluto Shinzawa As Claude Julien made his way south on Interstate-93 toward TD Garden yesterday, traffic halted because of construction. However, any frustration Julien had regarding the jam quickly disappeared. Passengers in one car recognized Julien behind the wheel of his black SUV. Then another. Soon enough, drivers and passengers were spilling out their windows to offer congratulations and thanks to the Bruins coach. Felt like I was still in the middle of a parade, Julien said with a smile. Less than six months ago, even people within the organization president Cam Neely took several poorly disguised swipes during radio interviews were critical of Julien s approach, to say nothing of naysayers with fewer accomplishments on their hockey résumés. But in hindsight, it turned out there was no better man to lead the charge toward a Stanley Cup than Julien. I m very, very pleased with what he s done, owner Jeremy Jacobs said. I think one of the greatest terms in leadership is you have to be predictable. Claude is predictable. You know how he s going to work. You know he s going to work hard. You know he s going to want you to perform. That s important. He s very simple. He s very direct. But he sure gets the job done. Julien had plenty of help. He leaned on trusted assistants Geoff Ward, Doug Houda, Doug Jarvis, and Bob Essensa. He huddled regularly with general manager Peter Chiarelli. He often looked to captain Zdeno Chara and alternates Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron to gauge how the players were doing and the mood of the dressing room. The critical decisions during the playoffs pairing Chara with Dennis Seidenberg, mixing and matching Rich Peverley and Michael Ryder on the first line, dressing Shawn Thornton for Game 3 of the Cup Final to give the fourth line the identity it was missing weren t all because of Julien s brainstorming. But like all coaches, Julien had to make the final calls. More often than not, they were right. You make those adjustments, Julien said. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn t. It worked for us this year and gave us what we wanted. Among other things, Julien s critics called him stubborn. The wails were loudest when Julien rolled four lines and didn t shake up his power-play units. But Julien s actions reflected two things: confidence in his game plan and an open mind in what his accomplices had to say. The man believed of being bull-headed has, in reality, been quite accommodating to advice. Claude is a guy who is willing to take other people s opinions, Chara said. He s not an absolutely 100 percent hard-headed guy, where you can say something and he won t change. You can knock on his door and talk to him. Make decisions as a group instead of as an individual. If anything, Julien s attention to detail could be his weakness. He has always been committed to matchups. When opponents have certain players on the ice, Julien knows who he d like to roll over the boards in response. That can lead to ill-timed line changes, such as the one that took place prior to Raffi Torres s winning goal in Game 1 of the Cup Final. Or it can produce mismatched defensive pairings, such as the one that took the ice for the start of overtime in Game 2. Instead of sending out two familiar partners, Julien started overtime with Chara and Andrew Ference, which might be one reason why things broke down before Alex Burrows s winning strike. He s a thinker. He likes to think about things and make plans. He likes to think a few steps ahead, Chara said. Sometimes we all know he gets into the details too much. But even as funny as it sounds, over 90 percent, he s right. That s just a skill he has that not many coaches probably have. He s been really, really good as far as getting us ready for games mentally and physically. Finding that balance between practices and days off. Preparation for the whole playoffs and motivating us. Now, Julien is a champion. He celebrated on the Rogers Arena ice, in the dressing room, and on the plane ride back to Boston. Julien rode in the parade on Saturday. Sometime this summer, Julien will take the Cup to Ottawa to share with his family and friends. But Julien swore that had he only been able to walk out of the rink Friday, absent all the pomp and circumstance expected of a Cup victory, he would have been satisfied. Winning is all he needs. I ve always said I ll never change as a person, Julien said. I came up from a modest background. I ve always tried to remain modest. I m appreciative for everything that s happened to me in my career, more than I would have ever expected. I played hockey to become an NHL hockey player and played a few games in the NHL, but never became a regular. But I got a second chance at coaching. I don t take things for granted. When next year starts, I m going to put the Stanley Cup aside and work on another one. That s just the way I am. Boston Globe LOADED:

3 Boston Bruins Recchi leaves lasting impression By Kevin Paul Dupont Last call, Mark Recchi. The Bruins shook hands and went their separate ways yesterday, meeting one last time at the Garden after taking a curtain call on Fenway s emerald lawn. One by one, the Stanley Cup champs met with coach Claude Julien for the customary end-of-season handshake and summer training instructions. Recchi, who called it a career Wednesday night after winning the Stanley Cup for a third time, was the first to meet with Julien at 3:25 p.m. After 22 seasons and 1,841 games (including Game 7 in Vancouver), the 43-yearold Recchi for the first time since perhaps his preteens didn t leave the rink with a summer to-do list. Yeah, that was it, said Recchi, gently closing the door to Julien s office after the brief tete a tete. He said my shot s got to get a little better. Recchi will be universally missed in the dressing room, especially by his center, Patrice Bergeron. The two formed a close bond in Recchi s two-plus calendar years with the club, and now someone else will have to share the alternate captain s A that Bergeron and Recchi wore. It s going to be hard, said Bergeron, noting that he tried to cajole Recchi into returning next season in the minutes that followed Wednesday s win. I was saying to him, One more, buddy. Come on, one more year. But I wish him the best and I know we ll keep in touch. There is something about Recchi, most of all his youthful enthusiasm, that makes it all but impossible to believe that this is really it. Come October, when the summer sun again has surrendered to the call of winter s frozen rinks, won t the surefire Hall of Fame right winger be drawn back to it all? It would be nice, mused Bergeron, whose line with Brad Marchand will be auditioning Recchi replacements when training camp opens after Labor Day. I don t want to speak for him, but he seems very committed. All bodies were present and accounted for in a breakup day that officially came to an end with rookie Steven Kampfer s one-on-one with Julien that was scheduled for 6:07 p.m. Joy and celebration remained evident in the Bruins faces, though some 96 hours of hootin and hollerin was evident in their hoarse voices. It s been great, said defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, praised by Julien for his work ethic and how he so effectively matched with Zdeno Chara to form a formidable shutdown pairing. But it s time to get some sleep. No one looked more in need of sleep than Marchand, the opportunistic Little Ball of Hate. A Red Sox ballcap tugged down to below eyebrow level, he looked as if he hadn t slept since Wednesday s pregame nap. And as bad as he looked, he sounded worse. I m going to have to be softer on some guys, said Julien, aware it was not a day to provide much critique, because they did win... and some of them seem to be having a pretty good time. Hall of Fame representatives began booking the Cup s travel plans immediately following Game 7. Every player, as well as members of the coaching staff and management, will have at least one day with the Cup in the city of their choice. But specific plans had not been finalized as of late yesterday afternoon. Seidenberg, for one, isn t sure where he wants to have his day. Friends back home want me to bring it back to Germany, said Seidenberg, who grew up near Stuttgart. But I m not sure about that because I haven t been back there in five years. And honestly, I don t know if I want to go through the travel. Rich Peverley knows he wants to have it to his home in Guelph, Ontario. Bergeron, joined in Saturday s parade by his father, mother, and girlfriend, will play host to it in Quebec City. Shawn Thornton will have to take it for a tour at the steel mill outside Oshawa, Ontario, where summer employment helped build his NHL body. Milan Lucic sounded torn over the scope of the Cup tour he has planned in Vancouver. He wants to have it at his home, where his mother, father, and two brothers can enjoy it with extended family and friends. But he also wants to take it to his high school, the arena where he first played, and then up to the top of Grouse Mountain, which was still capped with snow last week. I want to get a picture of it up there, said Lucic, with the city down below. Jeremy Jacobs, prone to the verbal faux pas throughout his three-plus decades of ownership, grew nearly sullen when asked if finally winning the Cup offered any perspective on why his previous teams failed. Were those other editions too short on parts, on luck, on management? I don t want to..., said Jacobs, who previously lauded Peter Chiarelli, Cam Neely, and Jacobs s son, Charlie, for their roles,... we ve gained from our experience and that s great. Now we plan for tomorrow, that s our focus. Boston Globe LOADED:

4 Boston Bruins Up next, a little quiet time By Fluto Shinzawa Last Wednesday, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. On Saturday, they shared the Cup with their fans during a parade through Boston. Yesterday afternoon, they brought the Cup to Fenway Park. Then, finally, they returned the Cup to TD Garden for one last team picture. It was the final time the champions were together in their home rink. All good things have to come to an end, right? Today was the day when it comes to team picture and all that kind of stuff, Milan Lucic said. It s definitely been a crazy couple days with everyone being together and doing everything together. Mark Recchi has retired. Tomas Kaberle, Michael Ryder, and Shane Hnidy will be unrestricted free agents July 1. That same day, Brad Marchand will become a restricted free agent. All the other players, however, are under contract for And that has everybody excited for the future. Not every defending champion has such luck. Last year, Chicago beat Philadelphia in six games in the Cup Final. But soon after, the Blackhawks had to jettison Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Antti Niemi, Andrew Ladd, and Brent Sopel because of the cap crunch they were facing. The Bruins will be in far better cap shape. As a coach, when you win the Cup and know that a big majority of your team is coming back, you have to be happy, said Claude Julien. If you ask Chicago last year, they would have loved to have kept their team together. They couldn t. But if they could, they would have. When you build a championship team, you like having those guys back. Game face Tim Thomas is the only Bruin not to have shorn, or at least trimmed, his playoff beard. Perhaps that s because mentally, he s still in the moment. My mind was trying to throw out any distractions and just focus on playing, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner said. I did that for so long throughout the season, but also for the two months in the playoffs, that my mind is still in that mode. Somehow, my mind feels like it s preparing for a game, tomorrow or the next day. That s where it s at right now. Thomas will travel to Las Vegas today or tomorrow for the NHL awards show. On Wednesday, Thomas likely will win his second Vezina Trophy in three years. Breath of fresh air Lucic will undergo sinus surgery in the upcoming days. He was slowed by a sinus infection at the end of the regular season that carried over into the first round of the playoffs. It prevented him from breathing properly out of one side of his nose. Lucic will not need surgery on his right big toe, which was broken when struck by a Tyler Seguin shot at practice during the Eastern Conference finals. Clear thoughts Nathan Horton will not require surgery on his separated right shoulder. He also said he has been headache-free for the last few days... The Bruins were free to get complimentary tattoos yesterday at the Garden. It was the fulfillment of a long-ago pledge from Andrew Ference s ink man in Calgary, who once promised his client he would fly to Boston and provide paint jobs if the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. Ference was planning on a spoked-b... Kaberle said he d like to remain with the Bruins. Agent Rick Curran will talk with general manager Peter Chiarelli in the next few days regarding an extension. Kaberle will need to take a hefty pay cut from the $4.25 million average annual salary he s been drawing... Rich Peverley s life inside the Cup bubble: The draft is next week? Peverley asked with disbelief of the PR staff. Peverley then held his head. The summer is short when you win the Cup. Boston Globe LOADED:

5 Boston Bruins Bruins toast their success By Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein At this rate, the Stanley Cup celebration may last right into next season. The world-beating Bruins have been on a nonstop binge since winning the franchise s first Cup in nearly 40 years, and the boys show no sign of slowing down. I ll sleep later, said Shawn Thornton, the team s de facto social secretary. Friday, the guys brought Lord Stanley s king-size stein to Gypsy Bar, and the crowd went wild each time players lifted hockey s holy grail over their heads. (No, in case you re wondering, hearing Queen s We Are the Champions does not get old.) Following Saturday s duck boat extravaganza, the B s boarded a bus and headed to Foxwoods for a noholds-barred evening of bowling, bubbly, and boogying. (Their wives and girlfriends didn t join them, dining together at the new Back Bay restaurant Red Lantern instead.) The Bruins began the night at High Rollers, the upscale bowling alley owned by Big Night Entertainment s Ed and Joe Kane and Randy Greenstein. As passersby pressed their noses against the glass to get a glimpse of the gleaming Cup it was sitting on a leather couch next to Milan Lucic the players swilled beer and bowled. Judging from the action we witnessed, Michael Ryder, one of the best golfers on the team, is also the B s most formidable bowler. From there, it was off to Shrine, where a section of the club was cordoned off for captain Zdeno Chara s crew. The Z-man, wearing jeans and an Ed Hardy T-shirt, can actually dance, but no one kicked it like Brad Marchand, who spent much of the night on top of the bar, shirtless and spritzing the crowd with champagne. He was occasionally joined by teammates, some of whom seemed to be using these postseason parties to perfect their Dougie, the dance made famous by Lil Wil. (Even the team s oldest player, 43-year-old Mark Recchi, jumped up on the bar and busted a move.) The highlight of all this hedonism, though, was a 30-liter bottle of Ace of Spades Midas champagne bought by the Kanes and Greenstein. Twice the size of the bottle bought by NBA owner Mark Cuban after the Mavericks won the NBA Finals, the crazy gold carafe cost more than $100,000. Before anyone could sample the sparkling wine, it had to be opened and that proved difficult. Chara tried, but the 6-foot-9 defenseman couldn t do it. Finally, after a few failed attempts, the cork was removed, and the champagne was poured into the Stanley Cup. (Cue We Are the Champions. ) Their thirst still not quenched, Chara, Thornton, and the rest of the Bruins then lifted the Cup to their mouths. Boston Globe LOADED:

6 Boston Bruins The true measure of devotion By Brian MacQuarrie The six Gurskis rose at 3 a.m. yesterday, climbed into a van before dawn, and motored three hours from Maine to Boston to bask in the wonder of a Stanley Cup victory parade. Lisa Gurski, a longtime Bruins fan from Waterville, Maine, joined her husband, 10-year-old daughter, and three other family members to savor what she called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Incurable lung cancer might give her only a few months to live, Gurski said, and she was not to be denied. I don t think I ll last long enough to see it again, said Gurski, 45, who wore a Rick Middleton sweater signed by the former Bruins captain. If I had the opportunity, I was going to take it. Such is the devotion of Bruins followers throughout New England. The Amtrak parking lot in Portland was nearly filled at 6 a.m. by Boston-bound faithful. Joyous fans saluted one another while scurrying for coffee at Maine Turnpike rest stops. And southbound drivers wearing Bruins garb flashed smiles and thumbs-up as they pressed toward the parade route. For Gurski; her husband, Paul; and brother-in-law, Peter, who lives in nearby Winslow, the Bruins never lost their appeal while legions of fans jumped off the bandwagon over the last few decades. Ed Gurski, the brothers father, bought a Terry O Reilly sweater for the boys at the old Boston Garden. Lisa later wore the same top while on a Bruins date with Paul. And yesterday, the hand-me-down treasure was draped over the shoulders of Trevor Gurski, Peter s 12-year-old son. I ve heard their stories for years, the same stories, time and time again, Lisa said of Paul and Peter s rollicking tales of Bruins lore. They get better every time. On Wednesday night, when the Bruins won the Cup for the first time in 39 years, Lisa cried as she watched the television. Paul also became emotional, thanked his late father, popped open a bottle of champagne, and sat in front of the TV long after his wife had gone to bed, watching replays of the victory and interviews with the winners. Peter, 42, had secured a seat at the Pointe Afta, a sports bar in Winslow, Maine, three hours before face-off. I kept telling myself that I hope the alarm clock doesn t go off and this is all a dream, Paul, 45, said yesterday while handling the wheel of a big van. In the rear, three children, 9, 10, and 12, huddled in Bruins clothing as they caught cat naps, sang songs, and repeatedly asked how much longer the drive would take. They can sleep on the way home, just like we did, Paul said. For us, the rule was, You can t miss school. We d go down and back the same night. In the front two rows, the brothers and Lisa reminisced about the razed Boston Garden, legendary hockey fights, and how O Reilly, the Bruins legend, once let the boys sit on the team bench before a game. The crew arrived in Boston at 7:50 a.m., parked a few blocks from TD Garden, and mingled with the growing, boisterous crowd that awaited the start of the parade three hours later. Lisa walked slower than the others. The heat, humidity, and labored breathing took a toll as she struggled to keep up. We ll carry you if we have to, Peter Gurski had said on the drive. Lisa, who smiled slightly at the time, showed the kind of determination that her husband has seen since her latest diagnosis two years ago. The bout with lung cancer has been double jeopardy for Lisa, who said its origins have been traced to radiation she received 29 years ago for Hodgkin s lymphoma. A couple of months ago, when Paul found her stacking two cords of wood, he questioned the wisdom of such work. If I m alive, she replied, I m going to live. And yesterday, Lisa was living, waving her Middleton sweater from a second-floor hotel window that overlooked the start of the parade. Sitting on a pillow atop a dresser, Lisa took in all the color, emotion, community, and joy that spilled out below her as team captain Zdeno Chara hoisted the Cup. Middleton, who has met the family, said later that he saw his sweater while watching television. Such loyalty does not surprise him. Even though they re called the Boston Bruins, there are fans from all over, and they travel for hours to come down and not just once a year, said Middleton, who played 12 seasons for the team. Peter Gurski grabbed a bedsheet, scrawled Let Vancouver Hear the Party on the linen, and hung the banner out the window. His brother bellowed, Let s get ready to make some noise, and hundreds of fans thundered their approval. After the last duck boat passed and the excitement began to ebb, the Gurskis had more work to do. The time had come for pictures. This will make a hell of a memory bank, Paul said. The children were photographed; the brothers were, too; and then a poignant moment was captured to last a lifetime and longer. Lisa and Randi, her 10-year-old girl, stood side by side. The daughter, smiling broadly, laid her head on Lisa s shoulder. The mother curled her arm around Randi s waist. I could sleep my life away, but I won t do it, Lisa had said earlier. There are days I could sit here and cry, but I don t want to. I m not going to get down and bring my family down. Neither happened yesterday, a day of triumph for the Bruins and also for the Gurskis. The parade I thought it was awesome, Lisa said had been worth the trip. Boston Globe LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Keep that attitude, B s By Stephen Harris / The failures of the past two years made the Bruins stronger this year. Now they have to guard against success making them weaker. Next year is a brand new challenge, coach Claude Julien said at the Garden yesterday. And when next year starts I m going to put the Stanley Cup aside and work on another one. Only twice in the last two decades has a team successfully defended its Stanley Cup. Detroit won in 1997 and 1998, and Pittsburgh in 1991 and Several teams have struggled to find their footing in the season after a Cup win. For the Bruins to stay on top next season, they must somehow retain the attitude and compete level that made them winners this season, an attitude born from defeat. Again and again in the euphoric afterglow of hoisting the Stanley Cup on Wednesday in Vancouver, Bruins players, coaches and managers looked back to the last two springs, when the club squandered opportunities to reach the third round of the playoffs, if not the finals. Those experiences, painful as they were, helped prepare this team to take on, and beat, all challenges. Losing badly was ultimately what it took to make them so resilient, so hardened, so good at winning. Even after last year s devastating loss to Philadelphia, it was expressed in some quarters, including here, that the B s were going to bounce back and win the Stanley Cup this season. There were two basic reasons for such a forecast: 1. The ongoing growth and development of young players who comprised much of the team s core; 2. The motivation the club would take from the stunning Philly defeat, in which it could not close out a 3-0 series lead. The B s, it was predicted, would have a chip on their shoulder this season, with something to prove, and work hard night after night to accomplish that. Well, the Bruins didn t necessarily take the ice in an all-out frenzy of energy and effort every night; that s not possible for any team over 82 games. But they did it regularly enough, particularly when it mattered most during the postseason. It is that energy and effort, joined with the strict adherence to Julien s defense-first system, that led to Saturday s joyous Stanley Cup parade. The Bruins had good talent this season, not exceptional, and are positioned well to upgrade for next year. But the key to success isn t going to change. Even if the team is loaded with All-Stars, the road to a repeat has to follow the same route: hard work, energy, defense, system, team play. There may be a temptation, fed both by egos inside the team and opinions from outside, that the Bruins now have to evolve into something different, something better, more offensive, more entertaining. Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense! Therein lies a potential trap. Players could come back with the idea, We re really good. I m really good. We dominated Vancouver; we re just going to show up and cruise through the season. By forgetting what got them to the pinnacle of the hockey world, the B s could tumble back very quickly. It doesn t help that this summer will be many weeks shorter than usual, which will cut into preparation time. And the banquets, dinners, cocktail parties, nightlife, etc., awaiting the champions won t necessarily help, either. There is not much time, said Julien yesterday. I think the guys really need to have a mental break, a physical break. And when we do come back, we have to be ready to go, know the (importance) of, at the start of a season, making sure you re in playoff position. So we really have to work on that part of it. We have a couple of months to think about how we want to approach that. But I think that s going to be a really important part of next year. The advantage the Bruins will have, in stark contrast to last year s champion, Chicago, is that this team will remain largely intact, perhaps with some tinkering here and there to improve one area or another. As a coach, when you win the Cup and you know that a big majority of your team is coming back, you have to be happy, said Julien. If you ask Chicago, last year they would have loved to have kept their team together. They couldn t (because of a salary cap squeeze), but if they could they would have. When you build a championship team, you like having those guys back. Indeed, the hope is that the Bruins will be as hungry to win a second Cup as they were the first one. Fans should hope that they can recapture the same kind of attitude that fed last offseason. And also try to pretend this Cup never happened, and you ve still got something to prove. Boston Herald LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Hurtin Nathan Horton: Shoulder ailment preceded concussion By Rich Thompson Nathan Horton was hurt before he got injured. The Bruins right winger had shoulder problems before the start of the playoffs, but the worst of his pain was inflicted during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay. Horton took a vicious hit from Lightning center Nate Thompson near the Bruins bench with 10 minutes to play in the first period. Horton exited the ice for treatment but returned to take his regular shifts on the first line with Milan Lucic and David Krejci. Horton ignored the pain and scored the game s only goal at 12:27 of the third to put the Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since It was mostly the whole playoffs he was playing with a pretty severe shoulder separation, Bruins coach Claude Julien said prior to the team s exit interviews yesterday at the Garden. Guys knew not to hit him (in practice) and that kind of stuff, but we weren t going to hold him back. He didn t care; he was going to play through anything. Not only did you people learn a lot about Nathan because of that, but so did we as a organization. Before being traded to the Bruins last June, Horton played six seasons with the Florida Panthers without ever competing in a playoff game. He was living a fantasy when he finally got his chance. He scored the game-winner in overtime in Game 5 of the Bruins first-round series with the Montreal Canadiens, as well as the series-winning OT tally in Game 7. It was definitely nice, but obviously when you are a kid you dream about scoring an overtime winner, Horton said. It was an unbelievable feeling to do that and just to know you helped the team win and contribute. Just to be part of that, and looking back it was an amazing time. Horton s first playoff run ended while leading a rush into the Vancouver end in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Canucks at the Garden. While initiating a give-and-go with Lucic at 5:07 of the first, Horton was drilled in the head by Canucks defenseman Aaron Rome. He was knocked unconscious and taken to Mass. General Hospital with a concussion. Horton finished his postseason with eight goals and nine assists in 21 games. I don t remember anything. I didn t know I had my arm up (after hitting the ice), said Horton. It just happens. It was bad timing, but hockey is physical and I hope it doesn t happen again. Horton wanted to come back for Games 6 and 7, but was not cleared to play. He was in attendance, however, when the Bruins clinched their first Stanley Cup in 39 years with a 4-0 win in Game 7 at Rogers Arena. Horton enjoyed all the trappings of victory. He was warmly cheered by the fans during Saturday s rolling rally through the streets of Boston and again yesterday at a Fenway Park [map] ceremony. More importantly, he no longer experiences headaches, and his shoulder will not require offseason surgery. Right now I need to take some time off. It was a long year and a long playoff, Horton said. I m going to take some time off and get ready for another long one. Boston Herald LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Save some space in Thomas trophy case By Rich Thompson Goalie Tim Thomas is not done collecting accolades after leading the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup victory in 39 years. Thomas will likely accept his second Vezina Trophy at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. Thomas would not comment on the Vezina, which goes to the game s top netminder, because it hasn t been made official. But he probably sealed the deal by leading the league in both goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.938, the best since the NHL began recording the stat in ) during the regular season. Thomas was also presented with the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable performer in the playoffs. He started 25 games (16-9) and finished with a 1.98 GAA, a.940 save percentage and four shutouts. While another individual award will likely complete the most successful season of Thomas career, the only trophy he cared about was the one his team captured Wednesday night. Everyone always said (the Stanley Cup) is one of the most difficult trophies to win and my experience backs that up 100 percent, Thomas said following his exit meeting with Bruins coach Claude Julien. We played for the Stanley Cup, but we played to win it and not so much for a piece of hardware. But it is awesome. It s cool to know you were the best team, you won the last game, you were the last man standing. Toeing the line Remember back when left winger Milan Lucic was struggling offensively in the Bruins seven-game series against Montreal and Tampa Bay? Lucic insisted everything was fine, but in fact, it wasn t in either series. He said yesterday he was dealing with a debilitating sinus problem against the Canadiens that eventually cleared in time for the Bruins sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers. Over the last five games of the (regular) season and into that first round I had a sinus infection, and it always felt like I had a cloud in my head, Lucic said. That goes with my nose getting broken. Lucic s problems against the Lightning were the result of friendly fire. We were at a power-play practice before Game 2 and Tyler Seguin hit me (with) a one-timer right in the toe, Lucic said. I was playing the last 13 games with a broken toe. Lucic was the only player in the Bruins locker room who was looking forward to flying back to Vancouver, his hometown. Rask in waiting Bruins backup goalie Tuukka Rask was as awed by Thomas work in the playoffs as anybody on the team. Rask enjoyed the victory celebrations and is excited about his name appearing on the Stanley Cup. With both himself and Thomas under contract for next year, Rask hopes to begin training camp with a clean slate. It s a new experience when you are not playing, and it s a mental growing point in your career. You learn from these things, Rask said. I want to be the guy and he wants to be the guy; everybody wants to be the guy. It is a friendly competition between us and hopefully we can both get playing time. Boston Herald LOADED:

10 Boston Bruins Scenes from the Cup experience By Steve Buckley Closing the books on one of the greatest postseason runs in Bruins history.?.?. Now that the rolling rally is over, and after the speeches, parties and testimonials are complete, the Bruins could use a few days off. How s this for a grind: Their first Stanley Cup playoff game was April 14 against the Montreal Canadiens, and they finished off the Canucks on June 15. That s two months of grueling playoff hockey. It s hard to explain, or understand, the sports scene in Vancouver. We are talking here about one of the most spectacularly beautiful cities in North America, and the people are polite, pleasant and engaging. Yet when Game 7 of the Cup finals ended Wednesday, the streets were teeming with drunken, over-aged frat boys who seemed intent on burning down the city. Don t get it. One Vancouver fan wore two Canucks sweaters to Game 7 a current job featuring Daniel Sedin on the back, and a throwback from honoring Pavel Bure. When asked if it might be bad karma to sport a sweater from the season, given that the Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, he said, Nah, I don t believe in that stuff. That was a great season, and I wanted to bring a little bit of it with me tonight. Thought that was kind of cool.?nice to see that the Canucks retired the No. 1 of onetime netminder Kirk McLean, who honed his skills back in the day with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League.?Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette, trying to put perfume on the pig that was the awful 2001 season, famously said that the Sox had spent more days in first place than the pennant-winning Yankees. In that spirit, we present the winner of the First Annual More Days in First Place Award to The Vancouver Sun. The paper ran a nifty, inspiring editorial on the morning of Game 7, headlined, The most important game in Canucks history, which is fine, but they went a little, well, crazy. Trying to see the sunny side of their team s 8-1 loss to the Bruins in Game 3, they added this: It s worth noting that even then the Canucks outshot the Bruins, So there. Mark me down as the world s biggest Mike Milbury fan. His hockey analysis is insightful, informed and certainly entertaining. But sorry, he tripped over his shoelaces when he referred to the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, as Thelma and Louise. Beyond being sexist, and therefore offensive, it was juvenile and lame. He s better than that. What a thrill to see longtime NHL coach Tommy McVie on the ice Wednesday night celebrating with the Bruins. McVie, who coached the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils, was an assistant on the Bruins during the Brian Sutter era, and should have been Sutter s replacement. Instead, Harry Sinden went with Steve Kasper, a big mistake. McVie stayed on as a west coast scout with the Bruins, which is why he landed a chance Wednesday night to hoist the Cup. A few years back, Tommy lost his wife, Arlene, whom he lovingly addressed as the Duke. He s getting remarried later this year, and on Wednesday night his fiance, Susan, was at Rogers Arena with him. Talk about Tommy points. Once again, hope the people who run our four big league teams can find a way to set up a photo opp in which fans can pose with the Stanley Cup, the Pats three Lombardi trophies, the Red Sox two Commissioner s trophies and the Celtics O Brien trophy. People would line up for miles for pictures. Boston Herald LOADED:

11 Boston Bruins Bruins have field day By Herald Staff A day after their landmark Hub parade, the Bruins brigade swept into Fenway Park [map] yesterday where the Red Sox paid tribute to the Stanley Cup champions. In a 15-minute on-field ceremony before the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Bruins draped in their trademark black and gold rode out in four duck boats, taking time to hurl soft baseballs and pucks to ecstatic fans. The Bruins also threw balls to the Sox players, who later won the game The Cup itself received a warm welcome as Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, in a now familiar pose, hoisted it proudly over his head. Boston Herald LOADED:

12 Boston Bruins Fenway s Garden party By Adam Kurkjian The Red Sox did everything in their power to make the Bruins feel right at home for yesterday s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers. One didn t need to see the duck boat procession around the field or the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy sitting on the mound or the Bruins players tossing out game balls as evidence. No, it wasn t just the pregame festivities that drove home that theme. Every time the Red Sox crossed the plate, the PA system blared the signature foghorn and techno-thumping sounds of Kernkraft 400 s Zombie Nation played after every Bruins goal that made Fenway Park [map] feel a lot more like the Garden. That little touch drew about as much of a frenzied reaction from the crowd as any single Bruins player introduction in the pregame ceremony. It didn t quite resonate with every Red Sox player, however. I don t know. What was that about? said Adrian Gonzalez when asked about the horn. Oh, Bruins. Oh, OK, that was cool. That was nice. I was like, What s going on here? But now that you tell me, that s pretty cool. Its significance wasn t lost on the first person to set it off. Yeah, when I crossed the plate, it put a smile on my face hearing that foghorn, said Jacoby Ellsbury, who scored the first of six runs in the first inning. The Bruins, who arrived before the game in three duck boats, first took to the locker room and passed the Cup around to various members of the Red Sox, who seemed to relish in the vicarious celebration. At one point, Zdeno Chara handed the Cup over to David Ortiz, who hoisted it high above his head, superstitions be damned. I was a little kid, said Ellsbury. I took a picture with the trophy. The duck boats soon emerged from center field as the players were introduced one-by-one, throwing toy baseballs into the crowd as Images of the team s playoff run were shown above the bleachers. When the players exited the duck boats, Tim Thomas and Chara placed the Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup on the mound, respectively, before each of the Bruins simultaneously threw out a game ball to a corresponding Red Sox player to raucous applause. The teams then met at the mound and commiserated one last time before the Sox took the field. It s great, said Jason Varitek, who noted that Chara threw him a strike. It s great to see the pure joy on their faces. It s pretty awesome. (I) respect the athletes that hockey players are and the conditioning and the things they have to go through. They ve been building themselves for years and put themselves in the opportunity. They really won it with heart. With the Sox already ahead, 8-2, after starter Tim Wakefield retired the side in the fifth, a Let s go, Bruins! chant could be heard in the grandstand along the first-base line. It was, like nearly everything yesterday, positively Garden-like. Boston Herald LOADED:

13 Carolina Hurricanes Canes' eye on the draft: Jonathan Huberdeau By Chip Alexander - Staff writer The Hurricanes have the 12th overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft on Friday and say their approach will be to take the "best player available." Each day, CanesNow will look at potential first-round picks, with analysis from Tony MacDonald, the Canes' director of amateur scouting. Granted, getting a shot at Jonathan Huberdeau likely is a big reach for the Canes and he coud go in the top five picks, but drafts can be unpredictable -- witness Cam Fowler going 12th last year. Huberdeau, listed at 6-1 and 170 pounds, had 43 goals and 105 points in 67 games for the St. John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL and was a league-best plus-59. He then was the 2011 Memorial Cup MVP, scoring 11 goals. He is ranked third among North American skaters. MacDonald: "He's a very dynamic player, one of those quick-strike attackers. He makes things happen with his speed, skill and hard work. Despite the fact he's not a big guy and there's not a lot of mass there right now, he's going to get bigger and stronger. He's a very physically engaged and involved player, and through that a lot of good things happen for him. "He's now one of the premier players in this draft. He's probably one of the under-the-radar players coming into the season who wasn't projected to be what he turned out to be. He has established himself as one of the top prospects in the draft through the success he had in the season and then in the playoffs. Sean Couturier was the highest player coming out of the Quebec league, but coming into the draft (Huberdeau) probably has surpassed Couturier." Pros: Great hands, toughness. Cons: Needs to fill out physically. News Observer LOADED:

14 Columbus Blue Jackets Reshaping the Jackets The Columbus Dispatch Rather than give up on Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets have hired a fulltime goaltending coach to straighten out his game. Neal C. Lauron DISPATCH Rather than give up on Steve Mason, the Blue Jackets have hired a fulltime goaltending coach to straighten out his game. The Stanley Cup Finals just ended, but the biggest two weeks of the NHL offseason are upon us. The NHL draft, set for Friday and Saturday in St. Paul, Minn., and the beginning of free agency on July 1 give general managers the opportunity to make major moves and reshape their rosters. No general manager is more desperate or determined to light up the draft floor in the Xcel Energy Center than the Blue Jackets' Scott Howson. The Jackets' No.8 overall pick is available for trade. With a slew of money coming off the books thanks to departing free agents, the Blue Jackets also will be looking to spend in free agency. Here are the scenarios as the fortnight dawns: Goaltender The Blue Jackets could have traded Steve Mason by now. The Philadelphia Flyers have sniffed around at least two times, and other clubs have expressed interest. But indications suggest that the Blue Jackets remain committed to Mason, who has struggled the past two seasons. "We're always looking for ways to improve the team, so we're open to any discussion," Howson said. "But I never thought Steve wasn't going to be the guy. "We have to get better in a lot of areas, and goaltending is one of them. It's not a secret. We've seen what a great goaltender can do for a team. Tim Thomas just did it for two months for Boston (which won the Stanley Cup). He was a difference-maker." The Blue Jackets will look for a capable backup in free agency, but it won't be a player who is perceived - at least initially - to be a threat to Mason's No.1 status. Think Mathieu Garon. He served as Mason's backup the past two seasons but will be allowed to test free agency. The player the Jackets sign will be of Garon's ilk. And don't rule out Garon's return. Ideally, though, the Blue Jackets will sign a left-catching goaltender to offset the right-catching Mason. The Blue Jackets think the hiring of full-time goaltending coach Ian Clark can help get Mason out of a two-year funk. Clark and Mason met last week in Toronto, and they will get together several more times before preseason camp. "Ian thought the initial meeting went well," Howson said. "They went over a few things that Ian thinks can really help Steve, and I'm told that Steve was really excited by it." Clark has resisted breaking down Mason's game publicly until he gets an up-close look. But goaltending analysts believe Mason's problems are rooted in a loss of confidence and patience, which, in the world of stopping pucks, are close cousins. During his rookie season, Mason was a sturdy figure in goal, seeming to barely move some nights; the past two seasons, he has tried to make too many athletic saves rather than simply get in the way of pucks. The Blue Jackets expect Allen York, a sixth-round pick in 2007, to spend his first full season in the American Hockey League. They will sign a backup to challenge York for playing time with Springfield, as well as another goalie who can bounce between the ECHL and AHL. Defense Fixing the shortcomings on defense, an issue since the dawn of the franchise, again has been labeled the No.1 priority. Have the Blue Jackets ever had a defenseman who would play on the top pairing of a good club? Inside Nationwide Arena last season, it was whispered more than a few times by Jackets officials that the group of defensemen playing for minor-league Springfield was, on some nights, more capable than the group in Columbus. That's probably an exaggeration born of frustration, but it shows the need to add a player (or two) at the top of the depth chart, not the bottom. "We're talking to a lot of teams about defensemen," Howson said. "Certainly we're going to get to free agency and see what's there, too, but there are a number of avenues we might take. We've made it clear that we want to change our back end, but you can only do so much. If you don't have a willing trade partner, and if the free agents aren't what you thought they'd be, there's not much you can do." Fedor Tyutin, Kris Russell and Grant Clitsome are the only surefire NHL defensemen under contract, but Jan Hejda (a pending unrestricted free agent) and Marc Methot (a restricted free agent) are expected back in the fold. Hejda could sign as early as this week. That's five defensemen, a pretty good collection as long as they are headed for the Nos.3-7 spots. The once-held hope that Russell would emerge as a Scott Niedermayertype has faded, and the arrival of potential difference-makers John Moore and David Savard is probably another year or two away after more seasoning in the minors. So the Blue Jackets must open their wallets or look for trades. The ideal candidates will be able to run a power play and play on the right side of the ice. Clitsome showed prowess on the power play this past season - his low, hard shot befuddled goalies - and Tyutin is a decent contributor to the second unit. But that's not nearly enough. As for even-strength play, Hejda, Russell and Tyutin feel more comfortable on the left side. Methot has said he doesn't care which side he plays, but coach Scott Arniel raved about his performance on the left side during the world championships this spring in Slovakia and wants him to stay there. The only returnee at home on the right side is Clitsome. The good news is that some big names could hit the free-agent market: Christian Ehrhoff, Andrei Markov, Ed Jovanovski, Tomas Kaberle, Kevin Bieksa and James Wisniewski all would be significant upgrades. A slew of other players would be marginal upgrades. The bad news is that several clubs, including Detroit, are looking for skilled defensemen, too. July 1 should be a frenzy, and the Jackets could end up paying $20 for a $10 steak. If the Blue Jackets are unable to make a trade or sign a free agent, they could bring back restricted free agents Anton Stralman and Sami Lepisto, though such moves would make fans groan. The Jackets are still considering maintaining their rights with qualifying offers by the end of this month. The contract of Mike Commodore is expected to be bought out, allowing him to sign elsewhere. Forwards Unless the Blue Jackets can trade for a top-six center - and Howson has been trying - the most noticeable changes will occur among the bottom six forwards. Howson has pursued Philadelphia's Jeff Carter, to no avail. On July 1, Howson will hand a pen and majority owner John H. McConnell's checkbook to free agent Brad Richards, but that will be a tough sell. Richards is said to prefer a large market and a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Many think he will sign with the New York Rangers, filling at least the first of his criteria. Should the Blue Jackets swing and miss on Richards, keep Tim Connolly in mind. He's likely to leave Buffalo as a free agent. Otherwise, the top two lines will be filled with familiar names: centers Antoine Vermette and Derick Brassard, left wingers Rick Nash and Kristian Huselius, and right wingers Jake Voracek and R.J. Umberger are under contract. If Howson does land Richards, Connolly or another top-six center, Vermette is a prime candidate to move to a wing, where he played with his previous club, Ottawa.