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Bowman reiterates his stance on expanding his role--as in 'not interested'
Snapshots — ... that ye olde rumour mill has Chicago Blackhawks consultant and former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman succeeding Dale Tallon as the Blackhawks' general manager, but Bowman told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun that he's simply not interested in doing so: October 18, ESPN : One rumor making the rounds in the Windy City in the aftermath of Denis Savard's firing as coach this week is that GM Dale Tallon is next on the chopping block (I hope not, he's one of the good guys in this game) and that senior advisor Scotty Bowman would take over. "Absolutely no chance," Bowman told ESPN.com on ...

Olympic Yzermania, part two
Snapshots — ... and having the best players play their best. When we won in 2002, (Mario) Lemieux, Yzerman, (Joe) Sakic and (Jarome) Iginla were the best players. If your best players play at that level, you're going to be fine." Yzerman made sure to mention that Gretzky and Lowe's experience will help him along the learning curve. As ESPN's Pierre LeBrun notes, both know about winning (they guided Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2002 games in Salt Lake City) and losing (see: Torino, 2006): October 18, ESPN : "Absolutely. It's extremely important," Yzerman said on a conference call ...

Pass or Fail: Would new rule cause panic on delayed penalties?
Puck Daddy — Every puckhead's been there: Your team takes a dumb penalty in its defensive zone; their opponents pull the goalie and bring on another offensive weapon during the delayed call; and you insert your entire fist in your own mouth as the physically exhausted penalized team desperately tries to gain possession of the puck to earn a whistle. It's frantic, it's chaotic, it's nerve wracking; and if a new rule change submitted to the NHL this week is eventually approved, it could all get a hell of a lot worse. Pierre LeBrun of ESPN caught up with St. Louis Blues GM Larry Pleau, who plans on submitted this rule change idea at the GM meetings ...

BoG to meet Thursday, and LeBrun reveals their agenda
Snapshots — ESPN's Pierre LeBrun notes that the NHL's Board of Governors meet on Thursday in Chicago, Illinois, and he posted the first part of their agenda in his blog this past Saturday... October 18, ESPN : The league's 30 GMs meet Thursday in Chicago. Of the many agenda items, two things stand out for me: 1. GMs will discuss testing at NHL combines and whether it can be any more thorough in the wake of Cherepanov's death. Cherepanov got a clean bill of health at the NHL combines two years ago, even though he reportedly may have had a heart condition. But, on the other hand, the NHL ...

BoG meetings scuttlebutt
Snapshots — ... : The first is the Larry Pleau idea that I first detailed last weekend , essentially changing the delayed penalty rule to the penalized team having to fully clear the puck from their defensive zone to get a stoppage in play, as opposed to simply having puck possession. The St. Louis Blues GM believes, and he's probably right, it would create more offensive chances with the sixth attacker on the ice for a bit longer before a whistle goes. I like this one. The second has to do with hand passes and making them more consistent all over the ice. Right now, players are allowed hand ...