- Darren Dreger via twitter: The NHL and NHLPA talked yesterday. There are no CBA meetings scheduled for today or tomorrow. Both sides are off to Edmonton for the Alberta Labour Board hearing that is scheduled for Friday morning.
- David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: The Tohono O’Odhan Nation is in a battle with the City of Glendale to build a casino resort beside the community, is also the major investor for Greg Jamison’s bid to buy the Coyotes according to a source. It’s not known if they are a partner or an investor, and could hold up to 50% interest. Glendale has already spent $2.5 million in legal costs fighting the tribe’s bid to build a casino.
- CSN Washington via twitter: Alex Ovechkin: “If our $ get slashed, I’ll have to think about return to NHL, Won’t rule out staying in Russia past this season”
- Chris Johnston via twitter: Rick Nash said he thinks the lockout will last the entire season.
- Tony Amrogio via twitter: OHL commissioner David Branch confirms the introduction of a fighting rule. “Fights #11-15 = 2 game susp each, fights #16-20 = 2 games plus $1,000 team fine “
- Michael Russo via twitter: Russo clarifies that the Wild have not laid off any employees.
- Damien Cox of the Toronto Star: Francois Allaire said he quit the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs said they weren’t going to invite him back. There was a riff between Allaire and the Leafs coaching staff. Here is what is known:
• In late fall, with the team trying to improve its penalty killing, assistant coach Greg Cronin wanted to have Allaire and the goalies sit in on penalty-killing meetings. Allaire didn’t want that. Cronin said he’d already talked to James Reimer.
Allaire warned Cronin not to speak to his goalies. Cronin responded in a most unfriendly way, and unrest within the staff was born.
• Ron Wilson, dismayed with how Jonas Gustavsson and Reimer were playing so passively deep in the crease, asked Allaire in early February to get them to play more aggressively. Allaire said he had no intention of altering the way his goalies were playing.
Wilson, out of sheer frustration, finally went directly to the goalies, bypassing the celebrated goalie guru. Soon, Allaire and the other coaches weren’t even on speaking terms.
• Randy Carlyle, who had worked with Allaire in Anaheim, gave the goalie coach a list of three conditions he would have to meet if he wanted to return for the 2012-13 season. The list included: working a maximum 17 days a month, including six with the Marlies, rather than being around the team every day; apologizing to the coaches on staff he had offended; and a commitment to teaching a more aggressive goaltending style.
Allaire refused to agree to any of the three conditions.
