VoV
– Hero List updated.
– G Kobe Bryant and the Lakers beat the Magic in Orlando to win Game 5 of the Finals by a score of 99-86 for a 4-1 series victory to win the 2008-09 NBA Championship. This marks the fourth trophy for Kobe, who was named Finals MVP, and gives him his first without the help of Shaquille O’Neal. He finished with 30 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocks as the Lakers easily beat the Magic for the trophy. Lakers coach Phil Jackson celebrates his NBA-best 10th Championship, passing Red Auerbach’s benchmark of nine rings. Meanwhile, Stan Van Gundy’s style and use of previously injured guard Jameer Nelson in the loss will likely be dissected for years to come.
NHL
– Leafs’ GM Brian Burke will be busy on Draft Day to say the least. A return for F Mats Sundin hasn’t been ruled out, but Burke will only look into it once his offseason to-do list is complete. The Leafs have many players on their offseason radar including the Sedins, D Mike Komisarek, and F Mike Cammaleri. It’s rumoured that D Tomas Kaberle is the most likely Leaf to be on the move. The Leafs and Lightning continue to talk in regards to their No. 2 draft selection, but if talks fall through, the Leafs could move up to fifth by dealing with the Kings, a team very interested in dealing their pick for some veteran defensive help.
– According to reports, there is mutual interest between Sens’ F Dany Heatley and the Sharks.The Sharks and Sens have already held talks regarding the sniper. Heatley and F Joe Thornton would be a dynamic duo, but can the Sharks get Heatley without dealing big Joe? Talk is the deal could be a big one, with San Jose looking to dump F Jonathan Cheechoo and F Ryan Clowe this summer. Don’t be surprised if the Sens first round pick gets thrown into this to make this deal a big one.
– The Canucks are still working hard to sign the Sedins, but nothing is close there as of yet. I’m hearing that if the Canucks lose the Sedins, they will use that money to lure F Marian Gaborik and one of either D Jay Bouwmeester or D Scott Niedermayer to Vancouver. At this point, J-Bo is choosing between the Canucks and Oilers.
– According to a reliable source, F Saku Koivu is likely to sign with the Wild to play with his brother, Mikko. I’ve also been told that F Alexei Kovalev and D Mike Komisarek are likely to re-sign with the Habs.
– The rumoured deal between the Ducks and Kings involving D Chris Pronger for D Jack Johnson and the No. 5 overall pick deal isn’t going to happen, as Johnson’s contract demands are just too high. The Ducks are rumoured to be heavily shopping G JS Giguere, and the Leafs, Oilers and Kings could be interested.
– We’re hoping for a decision by judge Baum today about the future of the Phoenix Coyetes. While I have no inside information on the matter, I believe Jim Balsillie will pay whatever it takes to complete his dream. He’s got corporate sponsors on board, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he offers some of the shares in the team for a little help at the start. Stay tuned.
– Devils’ F John Madden will not re-sign with the Devils and will test the free agent market on July 1.
– Penguins’ F Bill Guerin will not retire this offseason.
– G Ty Conklin is not expected to be back with Detroit next campaign. The 33-year-old netminder is scheduled to become an UFA on July 1 and it is unclear if the Wings want to retain his services. Goaltender of the future, Jimmy Howard, has toiled in the minors the greater part of four years and looks set to test his medal as an NHL backstop. GM Ken Holland also promised that Howard would make the team for the 2009-10 season.
– Speaking of the Wings, D Brian Rafalski played the majority of the playoffs with a herniated disc. Rafalski missed some action in the post-season, but turned in another solid effort for the Red Wings. Raffy recorded 12 points in 18 playoff contests. He should be ready for next year.
– Penguins’ F Sidney Crosby presented his side of the story, regarding the post-series handshake after Game 7 on Friday. Crosby was criticized by Red Wings’ F Kris Draper for not getting into the lineup faster and shaking hands with Wings’ captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Crosby said,“My intentions were to shake hands. That we didn’t wasn’t me trying to avoid it. That’s the last thing I’d want to do. By no means was I trying to avoid shaking the other team’s hands. I think it’s important to do that.”
Crosby, now the youngest captain in NHL history at only 22, said he joined the line after about “3 or 4 minutes” of celebrating and there were “7-to-10″ Red Wings left, with “5 or 6″ that were exiting the ice surface. Crosby also added that “[he] didn’t feel like waiting around, either” after losing the Stanley Cup, so he questioned how long Lidstrom actually stood around waiting.
It doesn’t matter to be honest, shaking hands afterwards is a must. Yeah, he’s young, but he’s also “mature”, so it shouldn’t have been an issue.
– Penguins’ D Sergei Gonchar revealed that he has been played the final two rounds on a torn MCL.
– The Hurricanes have signed head coach Paul Maurice to a three-year contract extension. GM Jim Rutherford said, “When Paul came in, he did a really good job of bringing the coaching staff together. They had good chemistry, and the delegation of certain areas where everybody felt they had an important role in the staff worked well.” Ron Francis will serve as the team’s associate head coach and director of player personnel. Tom Barrasso will work as the Carolina’s assistant coach and will continue to help out the goaltenders. Tom Rowe and Kevin McCarthy were retained as the club’s other assistant coaches.
– F Ian Laperriere will likely not be a member of the Avalanche next season, as he is poised to test the open market as a free agent. The Avalanche did not handle the Lapperriere situation very well. They had several offers at the trade deadline to deal him to contending teams for at least a draft pick, but chose to keep him. Then they offered him a one-year deal worth less than the $1.15M he made this past season. Lapperriere is a heart-and-soul player and a good locker-room presence that should attract attention from other clubs. He posted 19 points and 163 penalty minutes in 74 games with Colorado last campaign.
– Wild’ F Andrew Brunette has been working hard in his efforts to recover from off-season knee surgery.
He has been put through the wringer with Minnesota’s strength and conditioning coach Kirk Olson since the procedure. Brunette suffered a completely torn ACL on January 17 and still played the remainder of the regular season. He underwent reconstructive surgery about seven weeks ago and will need four-to-six months of recovery time. Brunette registered 22 goals (second on the team) and 50 points (second on the team) in 80 games despite the injury.
– F Vernon Fiddler would like to remain a member of the Predators. He is a potential UFA this summer, and could end up on the market if the Predators choose to go a different direction. Fiddler has spent the past seven years with the organization and wants to stay put. Nashville has made him a contract offer, but nothing much has come of it.
WWE
– Japan’s Mainichi Daily News is reporting that wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa died on Saturday night after suffering spinal damage during a match in Hiroshima, Japan. He was 46.
Misawa was fighting in a tag team match at Hiroshima Green Arena in front of around 2,300 spectators. During the match, opponent Akitoshi Saito used a back suplex on him, causing him to strike his head and leaving him unable to move. His heart stopped shortly after.
A doctor in the audience reportedly used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to try and start his heart again, but to no avail. He was rushed to hospital where he was declared dead at 10:10 p.m. It later turned out that the cause of his death was damage to his cervical spinal cord.
– Chris Masters was indeed hired back by World Wrestling Entertainment this past week.
“The Masterpiece” had a meeting with Vince McMahon at the Los Angeles tapings a few weeks ago and was recommended by Randy Orton to be brought back. Many in WWE are curious as to how he will look like when he returns as it was noted that it will send a message.
WWE released Masters from his contract on November 8, 2007 six days after he had been suspended for 60 days for having violated the company’s drug testing policy on a second occasion. The suspension was for 60 days because he had been previously suspended on August 30, 2007 when the Signature Pharmacy scandal broke out. Shortly after his return to the ring, he was suspended for failing a drug test.
Contrary to his Wikipedia bio, Masters was not suspended when he quietly taken off the road in May 2006. Masters entered a drug rehabilitation due to an issue with prescription painkillers, but it did not count as a strike against because there was no drug test failure associated with him being sent to rehab.
He returned to WWE four months later with much less muscle mass, leading Jerry “The King” Lawler to refer to him as “leaner and meaner” Chris Masters.
Here’s a picture of Masters during his first stint with WWE:
And this is a recent picture of him. Did someone poke him with a pin?
– One source within WWE feels that the company does respectfully consider TNA as competition, although doesn‘t really entertain the idea that they will ever be a serious threat. One member of upper management says that even if TNA did increase in popularity, Vince would never take them as serious as he did WCW during the 90′s unless they did something to deliberately hurt his business.
– Rey Mysterio competed at last night’s SmackDown/ECW live event in Binghamton, New York, working a Triple Threat Match against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. Punk came out on top to retain his title. This proves, once and for all, that Mysterio has not handed in his 2-weeks notice.
– WWE has hired the producer from the hit TV series, Prison Break.
MLB
– According to the Boston Globe, major league sources indicated the Sox have fielded multiple calls and some offers for RHP Brad Penny, who today became eligible to be traded. Because Penny was signed as a free agent, he could not be traded until June 15. At this point, there have been no significant offers.
– Speaking of the Red Sox, they and the have had trade talks regarding SS Jack Wilson, but no move in that direction seems imminent or even likely based on how talks have gone to this point. Wilson has an $8.4M club option for 2010 on his contract, but management has indicated it is highly unlikely to exercise it. That being the case, Wilson could become a free agent this offseason. The team and player also have broached the idea of a multiyear extension at a lower rate, though that was early in the spring and has not been followed up.”
– Athletics’ 3B Eric Chavez will undergo a second microdiscectomy on his back, this time on a different spot. The A’s confirmed that he’d miss the rest of the season. Chavez told The San Francisco Chronicle last month that another surgery would end his career, but that no longer appears to be the case. Chavez underwent his original microdiscectomy back on October 9.
– Rockies’ RHP Taylor Buchholz will undergo Tommy John surgery for the damaged ligament in his right elbow. Buchholz tried to rehab after initially being diagnosed with a sprained ligament on March 5, and the extra damage incurred will likely cost him half of 2010. Buchholz said, “I was hoping this could be avoided. That’s why we waited this long. Looking back, I guess you could say I could have had this done three months ago. But we were hopeful.’’
– Angels’ RHP Scot Shields (knee) is out for the remainder of the season.
– The Rays have placed RHP Jason Isringhausen (shoulder) on the 60-day DL.
– The Royals have placed OF Coco Crisp (rotator cuff) on the 15-day DL.
– The Brewers have transferred 2B Rickie Weeks to the 60-day DL.
– The Rangers have placed RHP Frank Francisco (shoulder tendinitis) on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to June 4. Francisco could return as soon as Friday, but the Rangers won’t rush him back again.
– The Twins will likely send OF Denard Span (ear) to the 15-day DL.
NBA
– The agent for Magic’ F Hedo Turkoglu told the Sentinel on Monday that Turk will opt out of his contract and become a free agent in two weeks. Turkoglu is scheduled to make $7.3M next season in the final year of a 6-year/$36M deal. F Marcin Gortat is also testing the free-agent waters.
NFL
– WR Plaxico Burress’ gun case was adjourned to September 23rd. Plax was late to the court date. With a possible trial not seeming likely until 2010, Burress’ support team is hoping he’s allowed to play football this year. It’s uncertain if the NFL will suspend Burress before the case is heard, so the chance of Burress playing this season is inching up, if a team is willing to take the gamble.
– The Broncos are not yet considering the possibility of dealing RB Brandon Marshall. Marshall held out of Denver’s recent minicamp and faces fines if the Broncos want to levy them. Marshall’s holdout could extend into training camp, which may cause Denver to reconsider, although we doubt it. Marshall is also coming off of hip surgery.
TNA
– It was reported in The Sun and Wrestling Observer last week that former TNA wrestler Nicole Raczynski (aka Roxxi/Roxxi Laveaux/Nikki Roxx) had recently sent her resume to WWE and the AAA promotion out of Mexico.
Raczynski denied the report in a statement on her Twitter account: “Morning! Just found out a bunch of places reported I sent my resume to Triple A and WWE. I so don’t remember doing or saying this. Lol.”
