Thrashers goaltending on a roll

Why are the Thrashers doing so well? Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution attributes recent success to Atlanta's netminders.

PuckAgency client Johan Hedberg, as well as Ondrej Pavelec of the Atlanta Thrashers are on a three-game winning streak with two shutouts. "Hedberg, who earned his 12th career shutout Saturday against Philadelphia, is tied for second in the league with a .932 save percentage."

Make that six games!

Another win last night for Pekka Rinne against the Detroit Red Wings, making it 6 in a row for the Predators with Rinne in goal. The Red Wings suffered a 3-1 loss Monday in Nashville. For details, read the Free Press article by Helene St. James. For the NHL.com version, click here.

Canucks TV Interview with Mikael Samuelsson

Part II of an interview with Mikael Samuelsson was posted November 24th on Canucks Today. Be sure to check it out!

Part I and II can be found here.

Pekka wins fourth straight game in goal

The Predators won their fourth straight game with Pekka starting in goal. Last night's game resulted in a 3-2 shootout victory over the Devils. To read game details, visit WKRN.com.

AIK Stockholm possibly joining KHL for 2010-11 season

AIK Stockholm has accepted an invitation to join the KHL, pending approval by the club's members. Check out Jeff Klein's article on New York Times' Slap Shot. If accepted, this would mark a major step towards the KHL becoming a pan-European league.

Kovalchuk one of NHL's 3 Stars

After a stint off the ice with a broken foot, PuckAgency client Ilya Kovalchuk came back and impressed the league. Kovy was chosen as one of the week's 3 Stars.

Welcome back, Kovy

Ilya Kovalchuk was back on the ice Thursday evening, playing the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Kovy had missed the previous 6 games with a fracture in his foot and was expected to be out for at least four weeks. Instead he came back last night with a goal and two assists! The Thrashers won the game 5-3.

To read Jeff Klein's full article on Kovalchuk's return to the Thrashers, please visit the New York Times website.

Brian Leetch inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame!

Monday night, Brian Leetch was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Watch his speech at the ceremony in Toronto here.

Michael Obernauer of the Daily News wrote an article today about Brian's love for the game, surprise at his success in the NHL and his history with the Rangers.

Also, watch videos of current New York Rangers talk about Brian and his career on the NYR website.

Brian Leetch, Sergei Zubov and the 1994 Rangers

Jeff Klein of the New York Times calls the '94 partnership of Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov "one of the most offensively dangerous blue-line partnerships in N.H.L. history."

The article details the Leetch-Zubov pairing, featuring an interview with Sergei Zubov, and also includes Leetch's long list of career highlights. The Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Toronto begins Monday evening at 7:00 pm and will be broadcast on TSN and NHL Network.

For more information about the ceremony, visit the HHoF website.

Morozov scores overtime winning goal in Karjala Cup

Russia beat the Czech Republic Sunday, thanks to Alexei Morozov's overtime goal. The final score was 4-3. AP article here.

Khabibulin added to 2010 Olympic team list

Nik Khabibulin is now on the list of names being considered for the Russian hockey Olympic team. The list currently consists of 50 players, and will be finalized by the end of the year.

Among the 50 players are the following PuckAgency clients:
Sergei Zubov
Anton Volchenkov
Alexander Radulov
Alexei Morozov
Denis Kulyash
Ilya Kovalchuk
Vasily Koshechkin
Nikolai Khabibulin
Dmitri Kalinin

Full list of players and article available here.

PuckAgency's Pekka Rinne back to the #1 spot

As Bryan Mullen of The Tennessean puts it, in recent games Rinne "has been stellar...3-0-0 with a 0.76 goals-against average and a .968 save percentage." Rinne looks relaxed and confident in goal.

The full article features Coaches Barry Trotz's and Mitch Korn's, as well as Pekka's commentary on his goaltending.

Samuelsson scores 2 goals vs Rangers

The Canucks faced off against the Rangers on Tuesday night, beating them 4-1 in Vancouver. PuckAgency client Mikael Samuelsson scored 2 goals in the game. He is currently at 14 points in 16 games for the Canucks' 2009-10 season.

Find the full article here.

"Leetch always calm, cool and collected"

"Leetch was incredibly hard on himself. The pressure he put on himself to perform at a peak level every night was intense. He had to be a difference maker. There was no other way."

A few days before Brian Leetch's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Dan Rosen of NHL.com writes about Brian Leetch's calm attitude in stressful situations both on and off the ice. The article includes some of Richter's and Messier's stories about Brian.

Also on NHL.com, read John McGourty's article on Leetch's accomplishments.

Lindgren: 1 goal, 2 assists against Chicago Wolves

The Texas stars hosted the Chicago Wolves on Saturday night, beating them 4-1. Lindgren scored a goal and had 2 assists in the game. Read Mark Stepneski's full writeup and statistics on Saturday's game here.