1. Art and Diseño

 Columbus Blue Jackets News Clips January 28, 2015 Columbus Blue Jackets PAGE 02 Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets notebook: Ovechkin, Capitals' power play bottled up PAGE 04 Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3: Atkinson ends scoring drought PAGE 06 FOXSportsOhio.com: Jackets take in All‐Star experience, recharge for rest of season PAGE 08 FOXSportsOhio.com: Blue Jackets earn valuable points against divisional foe PAGE 10 FOXSportsOhio.com: Three takeaways from the Blue Jackets 4‐3 victory over the Capitals PAGE 11 FOXSportsOhio.com: Blue Jackets return to the ice, without Bobrovsky PAGE 13 FOXSportsOhio.com: Atkinson, Tyutin lead Blue Jackets past Capitals 4‐3 Falcons/Prospects NHL/Websites PAGE 15 Columbus Dispatch: Around the NHL: Brodeur to retire to Blues’ front office PAGE 16 ESPN: Martin Brodeur decides to retire PAGE 18 Sportsnet.ca: Five things we learned Tuesday night in the NHL PAGE 19 USA Today: Martin Brodeur retiring with Blues, will always be Devil PAGE 21 Yahoo Sports: Martin Brodeur eases into retirement with Blues, but reunion with Devils not far away 1 http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/01/28/blue‐jackets‐notebook.html Blue Jackets notebook: Ovechkin, Capitals' power play bottled up By Shawn ‐ January 28, 2015 Scene: Washington Capitals power play, Alex Ovechkin standing alone in the left circle, no Blue Jacket within four stick lengths. Panic‐inducing? Not for the Blue Jackets. It was by design. “You have to give up something on that power play, and that just happens to be the shot,” Blue Jackets goalie Curtis McElhinney said. The Jackets have been content to allow one of the most feared and prolific shooters in the NHL take his cracks this season. It is a strategy that has mostly worked. The Blue Jackets have killed 15 of 17 penalties against the Capitals this season, including all three last night in a 4‐3 victory at Nationwide Arena. Ovechkin has unloaded 29 shots in four games against the Blue Jackets. He has scored twice, once on a power play. Ovechkin (27 goals) is tied for the NHL lead with 12 power‐play goals and leads the NHL with 225 shots. He draws a player who shadows him from most opposing penalty kills, yet it is the other Capitals who play on the NHL’s third‐ranked power play (23.9 percent entering last night) who have drawn the attention of Blue Jackets coach Todd Richards and his staff. Ovechkin is “a great, great player, but they’ve got other great players,” Richards said. “When you watch other teams take him away, specifically him, it opens up other things. You’re looking at (Mike) Green or (John) Carlson taking one‐timers from the tops of circles right in the middle of the ice.” Ugly numbers The Blue Jackets are up to 294 man‐games lost to injury after last night, surpassing the 292 man‐games they lost all of last season. This season’s total already ranks third on the franchise list. The Blue Jackets lost 411 man‐games in 2011‐12, when they finished with the worst record in the NHL. They lost 343 man‐games in 2008‐09 and made the playoffs. Growing influence Richards said in early December that new Washington coach Barry Trotz had yet put his stamp on the Capitals after spending 15 seasons with the Nashville Predators. As of yesterday, that had changed. “I’m a fan of their coach,” Richards said. “I think he’s come in and reshaped things, from the locker room to out on the ice.” The Capitals are 14‐4‐5 since a Dec. 2 loss to Vancouver. Under the weather Blue Jackets left wing Matt Calvert missed practice on Monday because of a lingering sinus infection but was in the lineup last night. Calvert has been sick for two weeks but has not missed a game. “I’ve never had it like this before,” he said. 2 Long time coming Blue Jackets left wing Corey Tropp had an assist on a Mark Letestu goal in the second period to end a streak of 28 games without a point. The assist was Tropp’s second point of the season and first since Oct. 26. He has not scored since Dec. 29, 2013, a span of 62 games. NEXT GAME Opponent: at Florida Panthers When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday TV: Fox Sports Ohio Radio: WWCD‐FM (102.5) 3 http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/01/28/0128‐blue‐jackets‐game.html Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3: Atkinson ends scoring drought By Aaron Portzline ‐ January 28, 2015 Cam Atkinson took the four‐day All‐Star break to rest his loins and clear his mind, which is no small feat for a player lugging around a 17‐game goal drought. When the right wing arrived at Nationwide Arena on Monday, his mood was lifted further by a note left on the wax board by coach Todd Richards. It began: “Lines: 71‐19‐13 …” That’s Nick Foligno on the left, Ryan Johansen at center and Atkinson on the right. “That’s two All‐Stars,” Atkinson said with a smile. The Blue Jackets roared into the second half of the season last night with a 4‐3 victory over the Washington Capitals in front of 16,514, and Atkinson scored the winning goal. So ended the longest slump in his four‐year career, dating to Dec. 4. “I was just trying to get guys going, trying to find the right combination to create more offense,” Richards said. “We got some of that tonight from Cam. It was great seeing him score a goal. It’s been a long time. He’s a guy who has a knack for the net. He just has that offensive ability, but it’s been dry for a while for him.” The Foligno‐Johansen‐Atkinson line combined for two goals, three assists, a plus‐8 rating and 12 shots on goal. Foligno and Johansen spent the weekend taking part in the All‐Star festivities. “I love playing with Fligs and Joey,” Atkinson said. “They seem to find me and vice versa. When all three of us are skating and generating havoc, we’re at our best. We definitely had a lot of grade‐A scoring chances. I felt like we could have had three or four more goals.” The Blue Jackets never trailed, but they had a hard time shaking off the Capitals. The Jackets’ fourth line got the scoring started at 3:45 of the second, when center Mark Letestu finished a rush off a nifty pass from left wing Corey Tropp. Johansen’s goal at 15:39 of the second pushed the lead to 2‐0, but the Capitals responded just 33 seconds later on a goal by Andre Burakovsky to make it 2‐
1. The Jackets pushed the lead to 3‐1 on Fedor Tyutin’s goal with 55.6 seconds left in the second, only to watch the Capitals respond with a Troy Brouwer goal with 19.7 seconds remaining. Atkinson’s goal made it 4‐2, and it was a lucky bounce that ended his skid. An errant puck off Tyutin’s stick smacked Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom in the face and fell right in front of Atkinson in the high slot. 4 He had come up empty on his previous 29 shots. “I was shocked,” Atkinson said. “I just shot it as hard as I could. I was pretty pumped to see it go in. I worked this summer on not letting stuff like that get to me, learning how to handle it better. But it does bother you. I just tried to keep focusing on getting chances and not getting frustrated.” The Capitals pulled to 4‐3 with 7:51 left, but the Blue Jackets did not settle into a defensive posture. Goalie Curtis McElhinney had 25 saves in the first of many starts for an injured Sergei Bobrovsky. Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3 Washington 0 2 1 — 3 Columbus 0 3 1 — 4 FIRST PERIOD: Penalties — Wilson, Was (boarding), 2:38; Niskanen, Was (holding), 12:03; Tyutin, Clm (high‐sticking), 17:56. SECOND: Scoring — 1, Columbus, Letestu 5 (Tropp, Johnson), 3:45. 2, Columbus, Johansen 18 (Connauton, Foligno), 15:39. 3, Washington, Burakovsky 7 (Niskanen, Backstrom), 16:12. 4, Columbus, Tyutin 2 (Atkinson, Prout), 19:04. 5, Washington, Brouwer 13 (Niskanen, Kuznetsov), 19:40. Penalty — Hillen, Was (hooking), 5:39. THIRD: Scoring — 6, Columbus, Atkinson 9 (Tyutin, Foligno), 5:20. 7, Washington, Kuznetsov 5 (Johansson, Carlson), 12:09. Penalties — Dubinsky, Clm (tripping), 1:13; Boll, Clm (hooking), 5:25; Wilson, Was (interference), 8:19; Backstrom, Was (holding), 17:15. Shots on goal: Washington 12‐11‐5—28. Columbus 6‐12‐12—30. Power plays: Washington 0 of 3; Columbus 0 of 5. Goalies: Washington, Holtby 22‐10‐8 (30 shots‐26 saves). Columbus, McElhinney 5‐6‐1 (28‐25). A: 16,514. T: 2:22. 5 http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/columbus‐blue‐jackets‐nhl‐all‐star‐weekend‐012715 Jackets take in All‐Star experience, recharge for rest of season By Alison Lukan – January 28, 2015 The snow slide at Winter Park was one of the fun activities available during Columbus' All‐Star Weekend. The Blue Jackets had three players named to the 2015 NHL All‐Star roster, but they weren't the only ones taking part in the festivities. A few of the Jackets stayed in town and took part in all the weekend had to offer. Jackets head coach Todd Richards was originally slated to head out of town for a few days, but his family decided to stay in town and take in some of the All‐Star activities. He went to Winter Park on Thursday, took in a youth hockey game Saturday morning, visited Fan Fair on Sunday and attended the All‐Star game Sunday night. It was the first time Richards has ever been in the concourse of Nationwide Arena during a game. "It was a different experience," Richards said. "You take it for granted ‐ how all these people get in their seats. Everything that was going on in the concourse, people having a good time, shopping in the team store, it was a great event." Richards has been part of All‐Star experiences before. He was a three time All‐Star playing at the University of Minnesota, a three time All‐Star in the IHL and, in 2007, as a coach for one of the squads at the AHL All‐Star Classic. He understands why the final event of the weekend, the game itself, is focused on offense and slower play, but that doesn't mean the coach in him stopped wanting to see some more back and forth. "I've been a part of those things," Richards said. "You understand what it's all about. It's about putting on a show, and entertaining people. But you don't want to get hurt and you don't want to hurt anybody else." Speaking of getting hurt, Richards hopes the short break was an opportunity for his players to enjoy a mental and physical reset heading into the final 37 games of the season. "Hopefully it was a break that we can use in a positive way," Richards said. "It's about guys getting away, clearing the mind and spending time with family and friends so when you come back you're reenergized and ready to go. But I guarantee there's 29 other teams that are saying the exact same things." Jackets goaltender Curtis McElhinney is one of the players who took advantage of the break to relax and enjoy some down time while staying around Columbus. McElhinney and his wife attended "The Crease" event that kicked off the All‐Star weekend, and they took their children skating on the outdoor rink earlier last week but otherwise they stayed close to home and enjoyed the opportunity to recharge. "I didn't want to get on a plane and travel for a few days," McElhinney said. "It was nice (to stay home). It was quiet and relaxing." 6 McElhinney, who is taking on the starting goaltender role with All‐Star Sergei Bobrovsky out with a groin injury, said that any time you can give your body a few extra days rest in an 82‐game season it's good to take advantage of that. "It's nice to give your body a few extra days," McElhinney said. "I think, if anything, [I'm] excited to get back at it today." Fedor Tyutin also stayed in town. The All‐Star experience seeped into his weekend plans a little bit more. Tyutin was another player who attended The Crease event, and through the weekend he took advantage of the opportunity to hang out with some of the visiting All‐Star players including former Jacket Jakub Voracek. "We took the kids one day and went around the Arena District," Tyutin said. "We went on the slide and walked around, it was great. I bet it was one of the best All‐Star weekends." Tyutin agrees that a small break can be good for players. Last year's mid‐season break was scheduled around the Olympics in Sochi in which Tyutin participated so he didn't get to take advantage of the extra days off. "I can't complain about the break at all," Tyutin said. "You get to reboot and spend some time with the family. My kids don't get a chance to see me too much during the season so I got to spend some time with them." But now the break is over. Richards led an up‐tempo practice yesterday focused on re‐engaging the players after their time off. "You want to get the pace going," Richards said. "You want to get the mind and the legs back into it but you also know that you're playing a game tomorrow so you're mindful of that." 7 http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/blue‐jackets‐earn‐valuable‐points‐against‐divisional‐foe‐012815 Blue Jackets earn valuable points against divisional foe By Rick Gethin ‐ January 28, 2015 Columbus, Ohio ‐ Coming out of the All‐Star break, it came down to a question of which team would get their legs moving first. Sloppy, sluggish play by both teams through the first movement of the dance left the outcome in doubt. "I made the comment to the (broadcast) guys," said bench boss Todd Richards, "it looked like both teams had four or five days off. It started that way and there wasn't a lot of emotion or engagement in the game from either side." That all changed in second frame, as the fourth line came prepared to play and provide energy against the Washington Capitals. Right winger Corey Tropp, coming into the Capitals zone along the boards with speed, made a nice pass to center Mark Letestu in the slot. Letestu didn't miss and gave the hometown boys a lead they would never relinquish. "As the game got going," said Tropp," we found our legs and had great opportunities. Curtis (McElhinney) made a lot of great saves, also. For the fans, those are good hockey games to watch." Ryan Johansen (1‐0‐1, +3), Fedor Tyutin (1‐1‐2, +2) and Cam Atkinson (1‐1‐2, +2) all scored for the Blue Jackets in the 4‐3 win. As the game wore on, they became a much stronger team, able to control possession and the flow of the game. "I like the way we played the third period," Richards said. "We had great opportunities, generated some chances offensively and we did a lot of good things." They were a more disciplined lot, taking only three penalties to Washington's five. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalize on those opportunities and scored all of their goals at even strength. Their consistency after scoring needs some work, as they gave up two goals immediately after scoring two separate times Tuesday night. "Our response after goals is one thing," said Richards, "we score a goal, give up a goal the next shift. We score goal, give up a goal the next shift. And then we score a goal and give up a penalty. That's one thing we have to get batter at." Another milestone was reached last night when left wing Nick Foligno (0‐2‐2, +3) earned his second assist of the evening on Atkinson's goal. This marked his 250th career point in the NHL, although he wasn't aware of it after the game. "Really?" said Foligno. "Cool. That's awesome." But more importantly, getting the victory after the break to start the stretch run of the season was paramount to the team. "It's huge," he said. "We talked about it. We needed to get off on the right foot if we're going to do any kind of push for the post‐season. I'm proud of the guys. We found a way to win against a very good team, and keep them at bay." 8 They make a quick trip to Florida to take on the Panthers (Thursday) and the Lightning (Saturday), with both teams above them in the standings. While it may be a long shot, they have not given up hope that they can make a push for post‐season play. You have to admire their gumption in the face of adversity.
9 http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/three‐takeaways‐from‐the‐blue‐jackets‐4‐3‐victory‐over‐the‐
capitals‐012715 Three takeaways from the Blue Jackets 4‐3 victory over the Capitals By Rick Gethin – January 28, 2015 Blue Jackets center Ryan Johansen carries the puck as Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik trails the play. One: They did a much better job with their transitions out of their zone and had the legs moving. They needed to do this in order to combat Washington's aggressive forecheck. It was easily discernable that this was the first game back for both teams after an extended break. Two: The middle stanza saw them take control, possessing the puck better while getting the cycle going. It also saw their lack of consistency show‐up, with them scoring a goal and then allowing the Capitals to score right away. This happened twice in the second period. Three: They showed energy that started to feed upon itself as the game wore on allowing them to put Washington on their heels for extended periods of play. They played a much better game with the lead than they have in the past. All‐in‐all, this was a good way to come out of the extended All‐Star break.
10 http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/columbus‐blue‐jackets‐sergei‐bobrovsky‐curtis‐mcelhinney‐and‐
forsberg‐012715 Blue Jackets return to the ice, without Bobrovsky By AP – January 28, 2015 While there was no shortage of goals in Columbus over the weekend, the same certainly can't be said for the rest of the season. After hosting the highest scoring All‐Star game in league history, the Blue Jackets will look to finally grab a home victory Tuesday night when they pit their struggling offense against the Washington Capitals. Columbus (20‐22‐3), which failed to score more than two goals while losing its last three at Nationwide Arena, ranks near the bottom of the NHL with just 2.39 goals per home game. Those struggles were also on display on the road in a 4‐0 loss Jan. 21 at Winnipeg. All‐Stars Nick Foligno (18 goals) and Ryan Johansen (17) lead the Blue Jackets in scoring, but their production has dipped of late ‐ especially with Foligno, who has only one goal in his last 11 games. "Obviously I'm very proud of everything that's going on personally, but we play this game to win the Stanley Cup," Foligno told the team's official website. "It's unfortunate that we've had some injuries that have caused our core guys to be out and a lot of guys have missed time." The loss to the Jets may have been the most critical yet after goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was lost to a groin injury. Bobrovsky, who owns a 2.85 goals‐against average, was placed on injured reserve Monday and is expected to miss four to six weeks. With the former Vezina Trophy winner out, goaltending duties will fall to Curtis McElhinney and Anton Forsberg, who was recalled from AHL Springfield on Monday. McElhinney had a 3.49 GAA through his first 10 games, but has won each of his last three starts. Washington (24‐13‐9) could take advantage of the Blue Jackets' uncertainty in net, especially with star winger Alex Ovechkin heating up. The Capitals rank near the top of the league with 2.96 goals per game and Ovechkin has five in his last three games. Ovechkin surely would like to come out of the midseason layoff the way he did after the Olympic hiatus last year, when he picked up five points in the first two games to spark two Washington victories during an otherwise disappointing campaign. "Before the season, I said, it's a very important year for us, for me, for the whole group of guys on the team," Ovechkin said. "We all wanted to come back and show last year was maybe a little bit of no luck." The recent production, however, has not translated to success. Washington has fallen in each of its last three contests despite averaging 3.67 goals, dropping the Capitals into a tie with Boston for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. "These guys have been playing pretty well, but we're not securing the puck," coach Barry Trotz said. "I said to the guys, 'Maybe we don't make the playoffs.' There are some good teams out there." 11 Washington has surrendered four or more goals 15 times this season but ranks in the upper half of the league with 2.52 allowed per game. That trend has followed the up‐and‐down season of Braden Holtby, who owns a 2.26 GAA with a career‐high four shutouts, yet has allowed eight goals in his last two starts. Holtby and the Capitals are 2‐0‐1 against the Blue Jackets this season and took the most recent meeting 5‐4 on Dec. 18 in Columbus. Foligno has scored twice in each of the last two contests with Washington. 12 http://www.foxsports.com/ohio/story/atkinson‐tyutin‐lead‐blue‐jackets‐past‐capitals‐4‐3‐012715 Atkinson, Tyutin lead Blue Jackets past Capitals 4‐3 By AP – January 28, 2015 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ‐‐ Cam Atkinson and Fedor Tyutin each had a goal and an assist, and Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4‐3 win over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night. Mark Letestu and Ryan Johansen also scored, and Nick Foligno, captain of one of the teams in Sunday's NHL All‐Star game played on the Blue Jackets' home ice, had two assists. Johansen was the All‐Star MVP. McElhinney, starting in place of top goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who will miss four to six weeks with a groin injury, made several big saves down the stretch. Evgeny Kuznetsov had a goal and an assist, and Andre Burakovsky and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who have lost four in a row (0‐3‐1). Braden Holtby made 26 saves and Matt Niskanen had two assists. With the Blue Jackets up 3‐2 heading into the third period, Atkinson ended up with a loose puck in the high slot and wristed a hard shot past Holtby high on the stick side for his ninth at the 5:20 mark. As they had done the last three times the Blue Jackets scored, the Capitals countered with a goal of their own. Marcus Johansson's shot from the left wing was blocked by McElhinney, but Kuznetsov was there in the slot, going down to one knee to fire in the rebound. It was his fifth of the season and came with 7:51 remaining in regulation. Only 2 minutes later, Atkinson stole a pass and ripped a hard shot that hit the post. Holtby made two terrific saves ‐‐ one against Johansen point blank in the crease and the other on James Wisniewski on a late power play ‐‐ to keep Washington within a goal. Letestu got his fifth goal from between the hashmarks after a feed from Corey Tropp at 3:45 of the second after a scoreless first period. Johansen made it 2‐0 with a wicked one‐timer off a no‐look, cross‐ice pass from Kevin Connauton. It was Johansen's 18th of the season. But Washington responded 33 seconds later when Burakovsky tipped Niskanen's shot from the blue line to cut the lead in half. In the final minute of the period, Tyutin pushed the lead back to two with a hard slap shot just inside the offensive zone after his defensive partner, Dalton Prout, got a stick on the puck to keep the play alive before it crossed the blue line. Just 36 seconds later, however, Brouwer redirected another shot by Niskanen to cut the lead to 3‐2 heading into the third. Alex Ovechkin squeezed off four shots in the opening period, although it seemed like more. He was continually wide open on a late power play, missing wide with a somewhat open net and also having a shot blocked and another getting through to McElhinney, who made the save. NOTES: Ovechkin spent six days in a row in Columbus, sticking around after Sunday's All‐Star game to meet the rest of the Capitals when they arrived on Monday. ... Like a lot of snowbirds, the Blue Jackets 13 are heading to Florida. They'll play the Panthers and Lightning on Thursday and Saturday before returning home. ... Washington's Nicklas Backstrom got his 400th career assist on Burakovsky's goal. He hurt his hand in the third and went to the dressing room, but returned after missing a couple of shifts. ... The Capitals host Pittsburgh on Wednesday night. ... Johansen has points in his last nine home games. His two assists gave him 250 points in his NHL career. 14 http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/01/28/brodeur‐to‐retire‐to‐blues‐front‐
office.html Around the NHL: Brodeur to retire to Blues’ front office By Tom Mihalek ‐ January 28, 2015 St. Louis Blues goalie Martin Brodeur is retiring to take a front‐office job with the team. The New Jersey Devils have a spot waiting for one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history whenever he is ready to come back home. “Absolutely. He is aware of that and has always been aware of that,” Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said yesterday. “He could have come back even now if he wanted to.” Brodeur, a 10‐time All‐Star and four‐time Vezina Cup Trophy winner, finished his career with St. Louis after a standout, two‐decade run with New Jersey. A news conference was set for Thursday morning before the Blues return from the All‐Star break to play Nashville. Brodeur, a three‐time Stanley Cup champion with the Devils, was 691‐397‐176 with a 2.24 goals‐against average, .912 save percentage and 125 shutouts in 1,266 career appearances. He holds regular‐season NHL records for victories, shutouts, games and minutes. LAST NIGHT’S GAMES Penguins 5, Jets 3: David Perron and Brandon Sutter had power‐play goals less than 4 minutes apart in the third period and Kris Letang had a career‐high four assists to help host Pittsburgh end a four‐game losing streak. Red Wings 5, Panthers 4: Luke Glendening scored twice and Stephen Weiss had a goal and two assists against his former team to help visiting Detroit win its sixth straight game. Islanders 4, Rangers 1: Jaroslav Halak stopped 40 shots, helping the host Islanders improve to 3‐0 this season against the Rangers. Flames 4, Sabres 1: Johnny Gaudreau scored twice to help host Calgary hand Buffalo its 12th straight loss. Flyers 4, Coyotes 3, SO: Wayne Simmonds scored in regulation and got the winning goal in the shootout for host Philadelphia. Hurricanes 4, Lightning 2: Eric Staal and Justin Faulk each had a goal and an assist to help host Carolina win its third straight game. Canadiens 3, Stars 2: Carey Price made 40 saves for his 25th victory of the season to lift host Montreal. Predators 4, Avalanche 3, OT: Craig Smith scored on a breakaway at 2:46 of overtime and Nashville improved the NHL’s best home record to 19‐2‐1. Wild 2, Oilers 1: Charlie Coyle scored with 4:23 remaining to lift visiting Minnesota, which improved to 16‐3‐1 in its past 20 games against Edmonton. 15 http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/12236801/martin‐brodeur‐retires‐join‐st‐louis‐blues‐front‐office Martin Brodeur decides to retire By Pierre LeBrun – January 28, 2015 The NHL's all‐time winningest netminder, Martin Brodeur, has decided to retire and will join the St. Louis Blues' front office, the team announced Tuesday. Brodeur played for the Blues this season after an injury to Brian Elliott spurred the Blues to sign the veteran goalie, who was an unrestricted free agent after sitting out the first few months of the season. Once Elliott returned earlier this month, however, it dropped Brodeur to a No. 3 role. He left the club two weeks ago to think about his future. The Blues will hold a news conference Thursday to officially announce the retirement, but team president and general manager Doug Armstrong said Tuesday that Brodeur will stay with the organization in a management role. The 42‐year‐old Brodeur, a future first‐ballot Hall of Famer, also has an open invitation from New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello for a front‐office position with the Devils, with whom he spent the previous 21 seasons. Brodeur won 688 of his 691 career victories with New Jersey, and hoisted the Stanley Cup on three occasions, in 1995, 2000 and 2003. "Marty and I have been talking certainly quite a bit. We stayed close even during the season in St. Louis," Lamoriello told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "Today's announcement ends one of the greatest careers that you can imagine, in so many different ways. Just look at his statistics, they will tell you about his career.“ He has a position here whenever he wants it. He's been with the Blues this year, he's established a relationship. ... He'll be back here, in my opinion, as long as he wants. ”‐ Lou Lamoriello, Devils GM, on Martin Broduer staying with the Blues after his retirement "What more can you say? He's been an ambassador for the game and will continue to be. He's had tremendous success both in the National Hockey League and internationally. He's going to go down, if not as the [best], one of the greatest goaltenders ever." He won 113 career playoff games with New Jersey, second only to Patrick Roy (151). "Marty and I spoke. He has a position here whenever he wants it," said Lamoriello, who also said that he talked with Armstrong. "He's been with the Blues this year, he's established a relationship. They asked him to stay with them and work with them and I certainly understand that. "He wanted to make sure it wasn't anything that anybody was uncomfortable with here. But it's as close to finishing the year as a player by being part of them the rest of the year. That's Marty. He's going to do that for the rest of the year. He'll be back here, in my opinion, as long as he wants." Brodeur appeared in seven games for the Blues, going 3‐3‐0 with a 2.87 goals‐against average and .899 save percentage. He also had one shutout to increase his NHL record to 125. 16 And he never once worried about how others would view his legacy by continuing to play this season. "I don't really care," Brodeur said before his first game with the Blues. "It's all about me. ... People will judge me for whatever they want to judge me on, if it's me coming back and trying something here in St. Louis and trying to have fun and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup or [thinking he] should have retired five years ago. "A lot of people thought I wasn't going to make the NHL, so I'm living this dream, and when you are living this dream ... you really enjoy what you do. It's hard to let it go sometimes." The 10‐time All‐Star finishes with a 691‐397‐176 record ‐‐ 140 more wins than Roy, who is No. 2 all time. Brodeur also captured the Vezina Trophy ‐‐ given to the league's top goaltender ‐‐ four times. He also is a two‐time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada in 2002 and 2010. Brodeur has played 1,266 career games ‐‐ also first all time among goaltenders ‐‐ and finishes with a .912 save percentage and a 2.24 goals‐against average. 17 http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/five‐things‐we‐learned‐tuesday‐night‐in‐the‐nhl/ Five things we learned Tuesday night in the NHL By Jeff Simmons – January 28, 2015 The NHL certainly didn’t ease back into action following the All‐Star break. It was an eventful night with 11 games on the schedule. Here are five things we learned during Tuesday’s NHL action: Night to remember for Letang: The Pittsburgh Penguins were without Sidney Crosby (or should we say Sindey?) and Evgeni Malkin, but that didn’t slow down their offence against the Winnipeg Jets. The star for Pittsburgh was Kris Letang, who assisted on all five goals to become the first defenceman since Dion Phaneuf (December, 2007) to record five assists in a game. Despite the offensive explosion, the game came with some considerable downside for Letang. Just a week after taking a nasty hit from Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo that led to an eight‐game suspension, the Penguins defenceman was again checked from behind. This time it came from Jets defenceman Ben Chiarot, whose hit sparked a fight between the two clubs. The offensive production is great, but Letang needs to better protect himself. Will Emelin hear from the league office? Alexei Emelin could be in some hot water with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. The Montreal Canadiens defenceman was given a five‐minute major for boarding along with a game misconduct after he hit Dallas Stars forward Jason Spezza face first into the boards. Spezza was visibly shaken up after the hit and was down on the ice with a bloody nose. After the game, Spezza told reporters that his nose was broken on the hit. Emelin should expect a phone call on Wednesday. Islanders fall short of milestone: All in all, it was a great night for the New York Islanders. They beat their in‐state rival for the third time this season, but they did come up short in one area: According to Sportsnet’s stats department, the Islanders have never shut out the Rangers in back‐to‐back meetings. They came oh‐so‐close Tuesday night. The Islanders were literally seconds away from accomplishing the feat before Carl Hagelin broke Jaroslav Halak’s shutout with 10 seconds remaining in the third period. You can’t win ‘em all. Hurricanes trending upwards: It won’t get much publicity, but the Carolina Hurricanes have been quietly improving over the last month. Bill Peters’ team is 7‐2‐1 in their last 10 games and goaltender Anton Khudobin has recorded six straight wins. Beating Tampa Bay has not been easy for Carolina lately either. But with Tuesday’s win, the Hurricanes ended a six‐game losing skid against their division rivals. The win is further evidence of Carolina’s improved play. They have won three straight, but looking deeper, it’s worth wondering whether the improvement has been a result of sitting down Alex Semin. Semin has been a healthy scratch in eight of Carolina’s last 12 games and Peters didn’t have great things to say about the struggling forward before Tuesday’s game. The octopus is back! Much has been made of the jersey‐throwing escapades going on at Air Canada Centre lately, but an old Detroit tradition was resurrected in Florida Tuesday night. During the Panthers‐
Red Wings game, a Detroit fan brought back old memories when he threw an octopus on the ice surface, causing a brief delay in the game. At least they didn’t bring back the Panthers fans’ fascination of throwing plastic rats on the ice. 18 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2015/01/27/martin‐brodeur‐retire‐st‐louis‐blues‐new‐
jersey‐devils/22413675/ Martin Brodeur retiring with Blues, will always be Devil By Kevin Allen – January 28, 2015 Martin Brodeur will retire as a St. Louis Blues player and join their management team Thursday, but he will always be a New Jersey Devil. He will be a Devil like Steve Yzerman was a Detroit Red Wing and Rocket Richard was a Montreal Canadien. When you remember the Devils' three Stanley Cup titles, you recall the contributions of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and others, but you see Brodeur as the face of the franchise. For two decades, the Devils were fueled by Brodeur's talent and composure. He was an unflappable presence, a man who always seemed to have the same relaxed demeanor whether he was playing a preseason contest or a Game 7 playoff game. Former NHL goalie Chico Resch always said Brodeur had the late "Terry Sawchuk's competitiveness and Glenn Hall's positive personality." Brodeur, 42, has an engaging presence, quick with a quip and forever interested in what everyone has to say. Teammates wanted to be at their best in front of Brodeur because he always tried to make their life easier. He shared the glory and didn't point fingers when things went wrong. It is acceptable in the NHL for goalies to be moody and intense, but Brodeur was as easy‐going and likable as a first grade teacher. "He never once put blame on anyone in front of him," Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello told USA TODAY Sports. "He would never say someone should have had this or should have had that. In fact, it was just the opposite ‐ when we weren't playing well. He would alter how he played to try to anticipate and cover up. He would try to do too much. The team and logo was always more important to him than anything and winning was what it was about." Debate over who is the greatest goalie in NHL history will rage into the next millennium, but Brodeur is in the conversation with Sawchuk and Patrick Roy. If winning is the criteria by which goalies should be judged, Brodeur leaves his playing days as the most accomplished goalie in NHL history. In 22 seasons, Brodeur had an NHL‐record 691 win and 125 shutouts in the regular season, plus 113 playoff wins, three Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup. He won four Vezina Trophies, and was named first‐ or second‐team All‐Star seven times. "He's been an integral part of winning, and he has such charisma and he's been an ambassador for the game," Lamoriello said. "What else can you say about someone?" He also will be remembered as one of the best puck‐handling goalies to play the game. He gave the Devils a distinct advantage for two decades because he could clear the puck out of danger or trigger rushes with sharp outlet passes. The trapezoid rule was put in partly to counter the impact that Brodeur, and others like him, had with the puck. "The best thing you can say about that ability is that they changed the rule because of him," Lamoriello said. 19 In this era of butterfly goalies who primarily play on their knees, Brodeur was a hybrid goalie. He went down only when there was a reason to go down. He challenged shooters aggressively. No one teaches that hybrid style anymore. But that style will make Brodeur a slam‐dunk first ballot Hall of Famer. When Brodeur retires Thursday, he should probably thank older brother Claude for an in‐your‐face lecture he gave his younger brother three decades ago. At 12, Marty was angered that he had been benched for three games because he missed a game after the death of his grandmother. He told the family he was quitting hockey to concentrate on skiing. Claude set him straight, thereby changing Marty's life forever. The only unusual aspect of Brodeur's retirement is that he is joining the Blues as an assistant general manager and not the Devils. It has long been assumed that when Brodeur retired he would join Lamoriello's staff. They have always been very close. But the Blues were impressed with how Brodeur's aura positively impacted the team in his short tenure in St. Louis. General manager Doug Armstrong convinced him that his input could be beneficial for the Blues in their march toward the playoffs. Taking the Blues job makes perfect sense for Brodeur. The Blues could be headed on a Stanley Cup run, and this season, the Devils are going nowhere. Instead of learning the managerial ropes under Lamoriello, a man he knows all too well, he will now study under a different maestro. Armstrong is a respected administrator, and studying under a different GM can only help Brodeur. This is a smart play by Brodeur. He can take all he learns under Armstrong back to the Devils when he eventually joins that management team. Count on that happening at some point. "He's a Devil ‐ he knows that," Lamoriello said. "We've talked a lot. I understand this decision. I'm sure the (St. Louis) players love him and I know (coach Ken Hitchcock) loves him and Army is such a quality person. Marty has gotten attached to this team. He is going to work with the players, talk to the players. This fits his personality." With Lamoriello's retirement approaching, Brodeur might be starting to position himself as his successor. He's a Devil at heart. 20 http://sports.yahoo.com/news/martin‐brodeur‐eases‐into‐retirement‐with‐blues‐‐but‐reunion‐with‐
devils‐not‐far‐away‐224825268.html Martin Brodeur eases into retirement with Blues, but reunion with Devils not far away By Nicholas J. Cotsonika – January 28, 2015 The end wasn’t pretty for Martin Brodeur. Seven more games with the St. Louis Blues. Three more wins, three more losses. One last shutout. An .899 save percentage. A two‐week leave of absence. And finally Tuesday, the decision to retire and join the Blues’ front office for the rest of the season. But at least now Brodeur knows what most everyone else did already: He’s done. Hopefully this helps him accept it and ease into the next phase of his life, and hopefully others keep this in perspective. This was nothing more than a footnote to 1,464 games with the New Jersey Devils in the regular season and playoffs. Brodeur won the Calder Trophy, four Vezina trophies and three Stanley Cups with the Devils. He set the NHL records for wins and shutouts with the Devils. In short, he will go down as one of the greatest goaltenders of all time and enter the Hockey Hall of Fame on the first ballot because of what he did with the Devils. This job with the Blues is expected to lead to one with the Devils, too. “There are a lot of things going through his mind right now,” Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello told the Newark Star‐Ledger. “He’ll be back with the Devils.” Of course it would have been special had Brodeur retired as a Devil and transitioned seamlessly into the Devils’ front office. A good time would have been after the Devils’ run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. He wouldn’t have gone out on top, but he would have been damn close. Brodeur posted a .901 save percentage in 2012‐13. He matched it last season. He just wasn’t what he once was. Yet he talked often last season about being open to a trade because he didn’t like his reduced role, and when the Devils declined to re‐sign him and handed the No. 1 job to Cory Schneider, he tried to find work elsewhere. In a sense it was sad when Brodeur came to the Hockey Hall of Fame induction Nov. 17 and said: “I’m here if somebody needs me.” He was 42 years old. He should have been scouting out the stage and preparing his speech. But great athletes often are the last to know when they’re done. Part of what made them great was a stubborn belief in themselves, a refusal to listen to naysayers and a love of the game. And it’s easy to tell someone else what he should do with his life. Brodeur wasn’t afraid of hanging on too long; he was afraid of not hanging on long enough. He wasn’t worried he would regret leaving the Devils; he was worried he would regret leaving the game. In March, he said he didn’t want to sit there and say to himself someday: “I should have done something.” “That’s what I’m scared of the most – not living to the fullest in the NHL,” Brodeur said then. “If they let you play, you might as well play.” 21 Brodeur doesn’t have to be scared now. Someone finally gave him a chance to play, and he gave it everything he had. He just wasn’t good enough. He ended up a healthy scratch. It’s okay. It’s time. It happens to everyone. This didn’t hurt the Blues. People in and around the NHL wondered what they were doing signing Brodeur, not just because of his ability at this stage of his career, but because of the potential effect on Brian Elliott and Jake Allen. Well, Elliott had a knee injury, Allen was inexperienced and the Blues didn’t trust their depth in the minors. General manager Doug Armstrong made it clear to Elliott and Allen they were still the Blues’ goaltenders, and when Elliott came back, they were. Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said Friday “the Martin Brodeur thing” pushed Elliott but Elliott handled it the right way. Elliott ended up going to the All‐Star Game as an injury replacement and didn’t seem irked by the Brodeur thing at all Saturday. “When you get a guy like that that’s been around the league that has those stories, those stats, those records, you just try to soak it in as much as possible,” he said. Now Brodeur will be traveling with the team. He can be a mentor to Elliott and Allen without anyone worrying he’s trying to take someone’s job. This didn’t hurt the Devils, either. Remember when the Dallas Stars declined to bring back Mike Modano and he spent one last fateful season with the Detroit Red Wings, marred by a skate cut in the regular season and a healthy scratch in the playoffs? Remember when the Ottawa Senators had an ugly divorce with Daniel Alfredsson and he spent a final season in Detroit? Remember what happened after that? The Stars gave Modano a job in the front office and retired his No. 9. The Senators held a retirement celebration for Alfredsson, who even warmed up in an Ottawa uniform one last time. Owner Eugene Melnyk said the door was open for him to join the front office in the future. Eventually, they will retire his No. 11. Based on what Lamoriello has said publicly, Armstrong and Brodeur have reached out to him. It sounds like Brodeur feels an obligation to finish the season with the Blues even if he isn’t playing – after all, they were the ones who gave him a shot this season, and he signed a contract with them – but he will return to the Devils in some capacity someday. If that happens, the Blues will have gotten their stopgap goaltender. Brodeur will have gotten a reality check and some closure, and he will have gotten some experience in the front office – and another perspective with another team – before he takes a job with the Devils. One day his No. 30 will be raised to the rafters at the Prudential Center, and the cheers will be like he never left. 22