THE 2010 DOUBLE-A DRAFT (sign-up, roster post, picks, discussion, etc)

[seventieslord]

I don't think I am very impressed with Wayne Connelly. He managed to tie for 4th in goals in 1968. He was one of three players from the expansion division to crack the top-20 (only Bathgate cracked the top-20 in points) - 35 goals scored against mostly expansion competition is obviously not the same as 35 goals scored against balanced, or mostly established competition. What is it worth? How does one value it? Tough to say for sure. Intuitively, I'd take Ken Wharram's 27 goals for chicago, or Mahovlich's 26 for Toronto and Montreal. Duff, Goyette, and Hodge scoring 25 for O6 teams is probably more impressive as well.

There should be an objective way to look at this. I thought of one. It's likely that as the North Stars went, so did Connelly. So if we look at their offense vs. good teams compared to expansion teams we can see what it would have looked like if the tables were turned:

vs O6 teams: 24 GP, 49 goals, 2.04 GPG
vs expansion: 50 GP, 142 goals, 2.84 GPG
total: 74 GP, 191 goals, 2.58 GPG

So if it was reversed:

vs. O6 teams: 50 GP, 2.04 GPG = 102 goals
vs. expansion: 24 GP, 2.84 GPG = 68 goals
total: 78 GP, 170 goals = 2.18 GPG

With the opposite proportion of games played against O6 and expansion teams, Minnesota's total goals would have likely been at 84% of the levels that they were at. Therefore, a realistic guess for what Connelly's goals were worth for an O6 player in 1968, is 30, which would have been good for 9th in the NHL.

Which is still very good. But never topping 23 goals in the NHL again is troubling.

 

[VanIslander]

The Hockey News selected him the best player in the conference so that top-10 (whether you accept it as 4th or stat crunch it to 9th) in goals NHL season had to have been pretty impressive. He also had two 40 goal WHA seasons and had been the OHL's MVP - which goes to show offensive ABILITY. His performances, of course, are not significant enough for higher draft selection. He was the WHA Fighting Saints' career scoring leader in its four years of action, for what its worth.

(BTW, Bill Masterton passed to Connelly immediately before he hit the ice in his life-ending injury that led to a trophy in his name.)

Wayne Connelly, a winger with a wicked slap shot

http://milkeespress.com/risingnorthstars.html

Here is his wicked slapshot IN ACTION: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY17YCv1sE

 

[VanIslander]

DAY 2 set to begin:

 

[VanIslander]

Madison listpicks defenseman Yuri Shatalov

 

[VanIslander]

The Blue Jays select right winger Sergei Svetlov, who was twice top-5 in Soviet league scoring, recording 288 points in 372 career games. Svetlov's national team performances against the highest levels of competition internationally shows his world class skills. He contributed to gold medal wins in the world championships and olympics and was an impact player at two Canada Cups. He is also top-20 all-time in games played for forwards on the Soviet national team.

Svetlov was second in Soviet goal scoring in Canada Cup '84 with 4 goals, 7 points, including a powerplay goal and unassisted marker in the 3-2 win over tourney finalist Sweden in an early tourney game.

Svetlov's international resume also includes: 6 points in World Championships 1985; 4 points in World Championships 1986 GOLD; 5 goals, 6 points in World Championships 1987; 3 goals, 5 points in 5 games in Canada Cup 87; 5 points and a healthy +6 in 8 games in the gold-medal winning 1988 Olympics.

... a list of raw, unadjusted individual stats from the following international tournaments:

1972 and 1974 Canada-USSR Summit Series
1976, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1991 Canada Cups
1996 and 2004 World Cups
1998, 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics

While not all that useful in direct comparisons across eras, the list should at least give a you a basic idea of how players who debuted in a specific tournament compare to one another. It should be noted, however, that many of the players have missed tournaments during their primes for one reason or another.

The sample sizes are very small, but in case anyone’s interested, I also have slightly more detailed stats ( = broken down by tournament) for just about every skater who’s ever played in the aforementioned tournaments. For players representing the likes of Slovakia, Germany, Belarus and Kazakhstan I only counted the games in the actual tournaments and completely ignored the Olympic qualifying games.

The top 101 list here includes all the players with at least 10 points. Please let me know if there are any errors.

All Time Top Scorers In Best-On-Best Tournaments

Rank | Player | Pos. | Nationality | Career | Tournaments | GP | G | A | Pts | Pim
1| Wayne Gretzky |C|CAN|1981-1998|6|45|20|48|68|12
2| Mats Sundin |C|SWE|1991-2006|6|30|18|20|38|38
3| Teemu Selänne |RW|FIN|1991-2006|6|33|18|17|35|20
4| Sergei Makarov |RW|SOV|1981-1987|3|22|16|15|31|12
5| Brett Hull |RW|USA|1991-2004|5|27|14|17|31|12
6| Mike Modano |C|USA|1991-2006|6|36|8|23|31|16
7| Paul Coffey |D|CAN|1984-1996|4|33|6|25|31|24
8| Vladimir Krutov |LW|SOV|1981-1987|3|22|14|16|30|18
9| Mario Lemieux |C|CAN|1987-2004|3|20|14|15|29|10
10| Saku Koivu |C|FIN|1996-2006|4|24|9|20|29|22
11| Daniel Alfredsson |RW|SWE|1996-2006|5|24|8|18|26|12
12| Mark Messier |C|CAN|1984-1996|4|32|6|20|26|36
13| Jere Lehtinen |LW/RW|FIN|1996-2006|5|28|11|14|25|6
14| Joe Sakic |C|CAN|1996-2006|5|30|12|11|23|12
15| Alexei Kasatonov |D|SOV|1981-1991|4|27|3|19|22|20
16| Jaromir Jagr |RW|CSK/CZE|1991-2006|6|31|8|13|21|16
17| Mike Bossy |RW|CAN|1981-1984|2|15|13|7|20|4
18| Phil Esposito |C|CAN|1972-1976|2|15|11|9|20|15
19| Sergei Fedorov |C|SOV/RUS|1991-2002|4|22|8|12|20|20
20| Nicklas Lidström |D|SWE|1991-2006|6|30|8|12|20|10
21| Ray Bourque |D|CAN|1981-1998|4|30|4|16|20|28
22| Alexander Yakushev |LW|SOV|1972-1974|2|15|12|7|19|6
23| Gilbert Perreault |C|CAN|1972-1981|3|13|8|11|19|4
25| Peter Forsberg |C|SWE|1996-2006|4|18|3|16|19|12
26| Brian Leetch |D|USA|1991-2004|5|29|2|17|19|12
27| John LeClair |LW|USA|1996-2002|3|17|12|6|18|10
28| Alexander Maltsev |C/RW|SOV|1972-1981|4|25|8|10|18|6
29| Igor Larionov |C|SOV/RUS|1981-2002|5|32|6|12|18|26
30| Bobby Hull |LW|CAN|1974-1976|2|15|12|5|17|2
31| Eric Lindros |C|CAN|1991-2002|4|28|9|8|17|28
32| Theoren Fleury |RW|CAN|1991-2002|4|27|6|11|17|28
33| Alexei Yashin |C|RUS|1996-2006|5|29|6|11|17|14
34| Chris Chelios |D|USA|1984-2006|8|47|4|13|17|32
35| Guy Lafleur |RW|CAN|1976-1981|2|14|3|14|17|12
36| Kent Nilsson |C|SWE|1981-1987|3|19|3|14|17|8
37| Viacheslav Fetisov |D|SOV/RUS|1981-1996|3|20|3|14|17|31
38| Keith Tkachuk |LW|USA|1996-2006|5|26|12|4|16|83
39| Alexei Kovalev |RW|RUS|1996-2006|4|23|11|5|16|20
40| Michel Goulet |LW|CAN|1984-1987|2|16|7|9|16|0
41| Bryan Trottier |C|CAN/USA|1981-1984|2|13|5|11|16|14
42| Doug Weight |C|USA|1996-2006|5|28|4|12|16|26
43| Denis Potvin |D|CAN|1976-1981|2|14|3|13|16|28
45| Olli Jokinen |C|FIN|2002-2006|3|18|10|4|14|6
46| Bill Guerin |RW|USA|1996-2006|5|28|7|7|14|31
47| Vladimir Vikulov |RW|SOV|1972-1976|3|14|6|8|14|0
48| Valeri Kharlamov |LW|SOV|1972-1974|2|15|5|9|14|20
49| Vladimir Petrov |C|SOV|1972-1974|2|15|4|10|14|14
50| Martin Straka |C|CZE|1996-2006|4|20|4|10|14|6
51| Paul Henderson |RW|CAN|1972-1974|2|15|9|4|13|4
52| Pat LaFontaine |C|USA|1987-1998|4|20|9|4|13|4
53| Kimmo Timonen |D|FIN|1996-2006|5|24|2|11|13|8
54| Pavel Bure |RW|RUS|1998-2002|2|12|11|1|12|10
55| Sergei Svetlov |RW|SOV|1984-1987|2|12|7|5|12|0
56| Joe Mullen |RW|USA|1984-1991|3|18|6|6|12|2
57| Brent Sutter |C|CAN|1984-1991|3|25|6|6|12|22
58| Sergei Kapustin |LW|SOV|1974-1981|3|16|5|7|12|12
59| Jeremy Roenick |C|USA|1991-2002|3|18|5|7|12|12
60| Vladimir Shadrin |C|SOV|1972-1974|2|16|4|8|12|11
61| Mats Näslund |LW|SWE|1984-1991|3|20|4|8|12|8
62| Tony Amonte |RW|USA|1996-2004|4|22|4|8|12|10
63| Pavel Datsyuk |C|RUS|2002-2006|3|18|3|9|12|10
64| Ed Olczyk |C|USA|1984-1991|3|19|2|10|12|12
65| Anders Hedberg |RW|SWE|1976-1981|2|10|7|4|11|4
66| Viktor Zhluktov |C|SOV|1976-1981|2|12|7|4|11|4
67| Boris Mikhailov |RW|SOV|1972-1974|2|15|7|4|11|9
68| Thomas Steen |C|SWE|1981-1991|3|17|7|4|11|17
69| Brendan Shanahan |LW|CAN|1991-2002|4|27|7|4|11|14
70| Steve Larmer |RW|CAN|1991|1|8|6|5|11|4
71| Marian Hossa |RW|SVK|2004-2006|2|10|6|5|11|6
72| Sergei Shepelev |C|SOV|1981-1984|2|11|6|5|11|4
73| Fredrik Modin |LW|SWE|2004-2006|2|12|6|5|11|8
74| Milan Novy |C|CSK|1976-1981|2|13|6|5|11|9
75| Dale Hawerchuk |C|CAN|1987-1991|2|17|6|5|11|0
76| Marcel Dionne |C|CAN|1972-1981|3|13|5|6|11|8
77| Rick Middleton |RW|CAN|1981-1984|2|14|5|6|11|0
78| Anatoli Semenov |C|SOV|1984-1987|2|15|5|6|11|4
79| Steve Yzerman |C|CAN|1984-2002|4|22|5|6|11|12
80| Jari Kurri |C/RW|FIN|1981-1998|5|26|5|6|11|13
81| Valeri Vasiliev |D|SOV|1972-1981|4|23|4|7|11|23
82| Teppo Numminen |D|FIN|1987-2006|7|36|4|7|11|8
83| Sergei Gonchar |D|RUS|1996-2006|5|28|3|8|11|18
84| Valeri Kamensky |LW|SOV/RUS|1987-1998|2|15|7|3|10|6
85| Jarome Iginla |RW|CAN|2002-2006|3|18|7|3|10|6

 

[VanIslander]

Edmonton drafts Mike Cammalleri.

Shoots the puck with aplomb, has excellent offensive skills and a nose for the net. Plays with intelligence and is usually in the right place at the right time.

Goals
2008-09 NHL 39 (9)

Power Play Goals
2006-07 NHL 16 (9)
2008-09 NHL 19 (2)

 

[DaveG]

Middlebury selects defenseman Paul Martin

another case of a guy for Middlebury that's capable of eating a lot of minutes. Not as dynamic offensively as Pitkanen but more consistent overall. Has 3 30+ point seasons and 2 more 20+ point ones. All aside from his rookie season with 20+ assists. +78 goals on ice for/against ratio in his career to date.

Paul Martin was born March 5, 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The fifth choice, 62nd overall selection of the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Martin is a graduate of Elk River High School and of the University of Minnesota.

An offensive defenseman, Martin played three seasons at the University of Minnesota capturing numerous honours including; WCHA All-Rookie Team (2001), WCHA Second All-Star Team (2002, 2003), NCAA West Second Team All-American (2003 and NCAA All-Tournament Team (2003). The former Minnesota High School Player of the Year (1999) and US World Junior Team member in 2001, Martin made his NHL debut with New Jersey in 2003-04, tallying 24 points (6-18-24) in 70 games.

Aside from his appearance at the 2001 World Juniors, Martin has gone on to represent his homeland at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, the 2005 & 2008 World Championships, and the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Though named to represent the United States at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Martin was forced to withdraw due to a broken arm.

On July 1, 2010, Martin was one of the most sought after unrestricted free agents. In the end he inked a 5 year, 5 million dollar contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

[MadArcand]

Jeff Carter, C/RW

- 2nd in goals in 2008-09, 1st in GWG, 4th in SHG, 12th in pts
- 13th in goals in 2009-10
- 0.91 adjusted PPG
- career adjusted +/- of +54
- saw significant time on great PP and PK
- 11th in Hart, 18th in Selke, 6th in All-star Team voting (center) in 2008-09

 

[BillyShoe1721]

Jeff Carter, C/RW

- 2nd in goals in 2008-09, 1st in GWG, 4th in SHG, 12th in pts
- 13th in goals in 2009-10
- 0.91 adjusted PPG
- career adjusted +/- of +54
- saw significant time on great PP and PK
- 11th in Hart, 18th in Selke, 6th in All-star Team voting (center) in 2008-09

Had I participated in this, he would have been my first round pick. A big center with a wicked wrist shot that is very good defensively.

 

[MadArcand]

Had I participated in this, he would have been my first round pick. A big center with a wicked wrist shot that is very good defensively.

I wonder, how much C did he really play and how much RW? I distinctly remember him being RW to Richards on C a lot, and the stats seems to support that, but is it correct?

 

[Hedberg]

D Yuri Shatalov

The 1972 Summit Series:

Yuri Shatalov was a defensive defenseman who is one of the few Soviet players during the "robotic" era who could have his style of play described as "full of heart." He was often used against the other team's top players because of his defensive play and his first-step quickness.

Shatalov was captain of the Soviet club team Krylja Sovetov, but never became a regular on the national team.

Perhaps he never became a regular on the national team following an unusual event in Soviet hockey that occurred in 1973. Shatalov attacked an opponent on the ice. It was a routine thing in Canadian hockey, but very much frowned upon in Soviet hockey. In the same game Vyacheslav Anisin struck the referee with his stick.

Chidlovski:

Yuri Shatalov was a steady defenseman that went from a hockey apprenticeship school with CSKA to become an essential player with Krylya Sovetov Moscow. In terms of his individual skills, Shatalov was known as a fearless shot-blocker and a fast skater with distinct talent to play impressive physical hockey. He was often assigned by the coaches to neutralize the best players of the opposing team. Shatalov was a captain of Krylya Sovetov led by coach Boris Kulagin to the national championship in 1974. He always appeared on ice in the key moments of the game.

 

[BillyShoe1721]

I wonder, how much C did he really play and how much RW? I distinctly remember him being RW to Richards on C a lot, and the stats seems to support that, but is it correct?

Up until last playoffs and this year, he was strictly a center. He was switched to wing last year in the playoffs because he had a broken foot and couldn't handle the defensive responsibilities on a bum foot. This year, he's played mostly wing and a little center because of the emergence of Briere as a center and an undrafted player's performance.

 

[seventieslord]

The Hockey News selected him the best player in the conference so that top-10 (whether you accept it as 4th or stat crunch it to 9th) in goals NHL season had to have been pretty impressive. He also had two 40 goal WHA seasons and had been the OHL's MVP - which goes to show offensive ABILITY. His performances, of course, are not significant enough for higher draft selection. He was the WHA Fighting Saints' career scoring leader in its four years of action, for what its worth.

(BTW, Bill Masterton passed to Connelly immediately before he hit the ice in his life-ending injury that led to a trophy in his name.)


http://milkeespress.com/risingnorthstars.html

Here is his wicked slapshot IN ACTION: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhY17YCv1sE

That was quite the blast!

Look, I don't question his ability, I do question his results though, and even you seem to acknowledge there is some disconnect existing between the two.

Results are what I look for. Whether I crunch it down to 30 or not, Connelly did have an impressive goalscoring season. (really surprised to hear he was named the top player in the west, with Bathgate & Berenson in the division, as well as Bill White, Barclay Plager and Al Arbour patrolling the bluelines of the division and Hall in net. But then, he did lead the division in goals and was 2nd in points...)

It's what happened beyond that season that is concerning. 23, 19, and 18 goals are his highs after that. He did score 38+ three times in the WHA but he was 33 when he went there and it's hard to believe he was better there than he was in the NHL, it's much more likely it was a symptom of being in an easier league.

There is definitely something to be said for being in the top-5 in anything in the NHL, even for one season. But at this point in the draft, the only guys left who did that, are guys like Connelly who did it once and never came close again. I'd much rather have a player with no top-10s, who was solid and consistent throughout, and had a number of good seasons, even if no elite ones.

I have a dozen RWs shortlisted and Connelly wasn't near my list at all. This is what you mean by "judgments vary", apparently. I admit part of this is due to him being overlooked by my scouting, but having reviewed now, I think it's mostly because he didn't merit shortlisting.

(as for junior stuff, didn't anyone who made the NHL get there by first excelling at lower levels? I'm not sure what that proves.)

 

[seventieslord]

anyone know why Connelly was 15th in all-star voting for defensemen in 1970? Bizarre.

 

[VanIslander]

anyone know why Connelly was 15th in all-star voting for defensemen in 1970? Bizarre.

He was a centreman who had to change position due to depth up the middle. But the position he changed to was right wing. Could he have played defense one season? It is possible.

He did score 38+ three times in the WHA but he was 33 when he went there and it's hard to believe he was better there than he was in the NHL, it's much more likely it was a symptom of being in an easier league.

Or,... maybe his game suited the style of the WHA team he played for. Let's not dismiss the WHA so easily.

Let's re-visit this after the "dozen" right wingers you think are better for a scoring top-6 role are drafted. Clearly, by that claim, you believe he doesn't belong in this draft (except maybe as an extra skater).

Now we await your day 2 pick.

 

[seventieslord]

Regina selects a first line center who can do a little bit of everything. This guy played 955 NHL games, scoring 606 points. He had 6 50-point seasons, four with 23+ goals. He was hugely relied upon by his teams, being on the ice for 40% of their PP goals and 34% of their PP goals against. He's described as, a good faceoff man, uses his size (6'2", 195) effectively, a hard but clean hitter, fast skater, good playmaker, and can dig the puck from the corners.

What's the downside? Why hasn't a guy like that been selected yet? Well, as relied upon as he was, it was by some awful teams. He got into just 15 playoff games as a result, though he did score 12 points. The scouting reports note that he is a guy many stronger teams would like to have. But it never happened. Take his career -107 with a grain of salt: Overpass' adjusted +/- says an average player would have been -153 over the same time for these teams, making him an adjusted +45.

Walt McKechnie, C

McKechnie was 35 when he retired, a rarity in 1983. The only players in the league older than him, were Tony Esposito, Vaclav Nedomansky, Carol Vadnais, Serge Savard, and Wayne Cashman. He had 43 points that year in just 65 games - more than any of the 11 skaters in the league 34 and older.

"Walt was a great centreman and one of the best puckhandlers in the league at the time. He was doing things then - like passing the puck between the feet or off of skates - that guys wouldn't do for years. He had a dry sense of humour and was a good team guy."...McKechnie led the 1972 seals with a +2 rating - one of the few times a Seals player had a positive rating in the teams history... One of McKechnie's roles on the Seals was killing penalties. Carol Vadnais remembered McKechnie as a "good team player. He was good with the puck and a good penalty killer."... Perhaps McKechnie's greatest asset was his stickhandling. He had a long reach and handled the puck very well. "This guy could stickhandle through everybody. He had a lot of one-liners and was a real prankster."

He was big and strong in front of the net, like a Phil Esposito...

"He hated losing", said Reggie Leach. "He tried so hard... he got mad when we didn't play well..."

"he made soft flip passes and was also great on faceoffs."

 

[seventieslord]

He was a centreman who had to change position due to depth up the middle. But the position he changed to was right wing. Could he have played defense one season? It is possible.

Yeah, but that season was his career high for points with 59, it simply doesn't make sense that he would play on the blueline and score more points. In fact, that many points would make him the league's 2nd-highest scoring blueliner, with 15 more than Vadnais.

It says he got 5 voting points, I'm guessing it was an accidental first place vote.

Or,... maybe his game suited the style of the WHA team he played for. Let's not dismiss the WHA so easily.

Let's re-visit this after the "dozen" right wingers you think are better for a scoring top-6 role are drafted. Clearly, by that claim, you believe he doesn't belong in this draft (except maybe as an extra skater).

Now we await your day 2 pick.

I don't dismiss the WHA easily, but, practically everyone did better in the WHA, to varying degrees. There's a goal champion we likely won't even pick because his NHL days indicate he's a scrub. At 33, it is tough to believe he got better, especially in the mid-1970s.

My goal's not to smear the guy, but if you want me to name a dozen RWs after this draft is through, I can do that.

 

[VanIslander]

Walt McKechnie was on my team's shortlist for a Bottom-6 role. I'm surprised to see him as the first center drafted: for the first line? How many minutes did he average? He seems more a 2/3 line guy. Of course, it's possible to draft non-top line guys first.

 

[seventieslord]

Walt McKechnie was on my team's shortlist for a Bottom-6 role. I'm surprised to see him as the first center drafted: for the first line? How many minutes did he average? He seems more a 2/3 line guy. Of course, it's possible to draft non-top line guys first.

I will check my sheets later, I am now cozy in bed with the laptop. But it will be a lot. He had a ton of GF and GA, these bad teams used him an awful lot in all situations. Would not be surprised if he was top-2 on his team five times.

The plan is to have him on the 1st but I reserve the right to decide on someone else too.

 

[VanIslander]

He seems a lot like Steve Rucchin. Get him a couple of playmaking wingers and all is fine (on the top line of a basement team ).

 

[tony d]

Middlebury selects a guy that will probably be traded even in this draft...LOL. Still he was a solid player throughout his NHL career compiling 284 Goals and 345 Assists for 629 points in 998 games. We select Left Winger Brent Ashton

More on Ashton can be found here:

http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10039

 

[VanIslander]

Saskatoon listpicks right winger John Anderson

 

[VanIslander]

The Blue Jays select center Viktor Yakushev, the three-time Soviet league all-star (1st team 1964, 1st team 1965, 3rd team 1966) who was an IIHF all-star and Best Scorer at the 1964 world championships, scored 7 goals and 10 points at the 1964 Olympic Games in Innsbruck (2nd only to Mayorov in points; Yakushev chosen on the media tourney all-star team). In fact, for two years Yakushev was on one of the greatest lines in Soviet hockey history, a troika with Firsov on his wing. Yakushev played with Firsov on the line together for 25 games in 1964 and 1965 and they scored 14 and 17 goals respectively, the line as a whole recording two-goals-per-game average, and the Soviet team sweeping both the '64 Olympics and '65 Worlds. The only loss over that 25 game stretch was to the Czechoslovakians in an exhibition match in Colorado Springs on Dec 29th 1964, just three days following a shellacking of the Czechoslovakians by the Soviets 8-2 at the very same venue, and two other Soviet wins over them in tourney play over those two years.

Viktor Yakushev, the only Lokomotiv Moscow player to ever don the Soviet sweater at a Winter Olympic Games, was on the Soviet national team from 1959-1968, forced into mandatory retirement by the age rule for the national team, continuing to play for Lokomotiv in the Soviet league for another decade, from 1955-77 in all. He had been a significant part of five consecutive world championship golds 1963-1967 as well as his all-star Olympics in 1964 and earlier medals in the 1961, 60 and 1959 world championships and 1960 Olympics.

http://www.chidlovski.net/1954/54_troyka_info.asp?tr_id=12

Hockey Legend Dies

MOSCOW (AP) - Viktor Yakushev, a champion Soviet hockey player, died from injuries after a beating on a Moscow street, news reports said Saturday. He was 64.

Yakushev was on his way home from a party earlier in the week when he was attacked by a gang of youths, the Kommersant newspaper reported. He died Thursday night from the injuries, the report said.

Yakushev played for Moscow Lokomotiv from 1955 to 1977, taking part in 400 games and scoring 161 goals. He was a member of the Soviet national team that won world championships from 1963 to 1967, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

He played in the 1960 Olympics, when his team won the bronze medal, and in the 1964 Olympics, when the Soviets captured the gold medal.

Yakushev was to be buried Monday.

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=100&story_id=4697

 

[MadArcand]

The Whalers select Mikko Koivu, C

- saw lot of PP (48%) and PK (34%) time on above-average PP and exceptional PK
- 25th in points and 16th in assists last season
- 0.88 adjusted PPG, 0.61 adjusted APG
- adjusted +/- of +30
- a leader

 

[VanIslander]

Edmonton drafts Mike Ribeiro.

Has exceptional vision and creativity on the ice. His offensive instincts are off the charts and he also likes to agitate.

NHL all-star game (2008)

Assists 2007-08 NHL 56 (10)
Assists 2008-09 NHL 56 (9)

* 233 assists over 5-season span (03-04 to 08-09)
* Dallas Stars leader: assists (14) & points (17) in 18 games to the 2008 Western Conference Finals
* NHL leader in shot percentage (25.2%) in 2007-08
* 5-year $25 million contract