- Detroit Free Press: Deputy commissioner Bill Daly and NHLPA special counsel Steve Fehr have spoken informally, and might do so again today. Nothing official between Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr will happen until tomorrow. They haven’t had face-to-face meetings since last Wednesday.
- Michael Traikos of the National Post: Francois Allaire, who was the goalie coach for the last 3 years, has quit his post.
“To be honest, I don’t think the Leafs need a goalie coach,” Allaire, whose contract expired at the end of the season, said in a phone interview on Monday. “I think they have enough of them. They have two or three guys who were making decisions with the goalies. In the NHL, that’s not the way it works.
“If that’s the way they want to operate, then I’m not there.”
“I didn’t feel like I could do my job last year,” he said. “I wasn’t getting enough ice time. I wasn’t the only guy with . It’s not fair to the kids, not fair to me, not fair to anybody … I didn’t feel like I could work in this situation.”
“Maybe the numbers are not there with the Leafs. But it’s difficult to have the numbers when you’re not playing defensively.”
- The Goalie Guild via twitter: “Allaire is like the Brodeur of goalie coaches. A true legend, a master of the trade. But eventually time catches up, methods get out-dated.”
- Nick Kypreos via twitter: Kypreos bets that Curtis Joseph will be the next Maple Leafs goalie coach.
- James Mirtle via twitter: Mirtle was told that Rick St. Croix (with St. John’s in AHL) is the leading candidate to replace Allaire.
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Senators winger Milan Michalek suffered an abdominal injury while training last month that required surgery. It will be 4 to 6 weeks recovery. Michalek is officially the only Senator who is not locked out, and will get his NHL salary when the season starts if the lockout is still ongoing.
- L.A. Lariviere via twitter: The Canadiens assigned 21 players to the AHL.
- Kevin Kurz via twitter: 3 NHLers that play for different teams, have told Kurz they expect the lockout to last at least until December.
- Andy Strickland of True Hockey: Several high profile French Canadians NHLers and agents are looking at forming 2 teams to play games during the lockout. Included in those players are: Daniel Briere, Claude Giroux, Patrice Bergeron, David Perron, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Initial plan is to have one team based in Montreal, and another in Quebec City, playing 1 game a week. Proceeds could go to charity. Idea of adding Toronto and Ottawa has been mentioned.
- Michael Russo via twitter: If there is no hockey this year, the Wild will have to pay Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Mikko Koivu’s bonuses and Pierre-Marc Bourchards $4.3 million salary. That will be more than the teams 2005-06 $23 million payroll.