In a recent interview with the AP Henrik Lundqvist onceagainexpressedhisfeelingson the lockout by saying, “we just have to figure it out here with the owners and come to a solution. Everybody is suffering, from the fans, the players, people working with the game. It’s not necessary. The game is strong enough that we should be able to figure it out.”
He added that he feels for the fans and has many of the same emotions, “I have some anger, disappointment, some embarrassment, too. I understand that the fans are disappointed, and it’s hard to explain the whole situation. I don’t think a lot of people know all the details and how much we really sacrificed to try to come closer to the owners. It doesn’t really matter. They deserve the game out there to be played right now. I definitely feel a little embarrassment that we can’t figure it out sooner.”
In the latest issue of The Hockey News, with Sidney Crosby on the cover, Ken Campbell writes about North American players and the expectation that they could just come into the European leagues and instantly become scoring leaders.
He says that expecting players to put forth the same kind of effort that they do in the NHL when when they are paid so little and run the risk of getting seriously injured.
Campbell also says that some players don’t understand that while the talent level in Europe may not be the same, the competition level is still very high.
He spoke with former NHLer and current GM of Jokerit (Finnish league) Jarmo Kekalainen who said, “this isn’t the the type of league where a guy can come and tear it up. It’s not NHL caliber but it’s very competitive. A big problem for guys is they come here and we’ve already played 25 games and they’re not in game shape. Psychologically, some of the guys think it’s going to be easy.”
Kekalainen also adds that the players love to play against the NHLers and prove they can play on the same level.
Of the three remaining Rangers playing in Europe:
Rick Nash has 10 goals and six assists in 15 games.
Derek Stepan has two goals and one assist in seven games
Michael Del Zotto has 1 goal and 3 assists in six games
Bruce Garrioch writes in the Ottawa Sun that Michael Del Zotto could get invited to play for Team Canada in the upcoming Spengler Cup which starts after Christmas.
The Spengler Cup is a six team tournament held in Davos, Switzerland every year. Rick Nash and Joe Thornton will play for Davos in the tournament.
Garrioch says that the Canadian team is usually comprised of Canadian players who are playing in Switzerland and could include players like Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, John Tavares, Logan Couture and Brooks Laich who are already playing in Switzerland.
Del Zotto is playing for the Lakers in Switzerland.
Following his 56 save performance in a charity game on Saturday night, Henrik Lundqvist was the main topic of conversation as his game looked to be in top shop even as Hank hadn’t played in a game since May.
Simon Gagne, who was stopped many times by Lundqvist told the Daily News that the Rangers may want to think about trying to put an end to the lockout.
“The Rangers should call the league and tell them we should start playing pretty soon, because he’s (throwing) away a lot of talent right now. Even in a game for fun, we’re taking real shots, (making) real plays, and he was very tough to beat.”
Many fans of the Lakers have not been happy with how Del Zotto has been playing for them and claim he has made countless defensive mistakes. Many want Del Zotto replaced with Derrick Walser.
Some fans say that Del Zotto just needs more time to get used to the bigger ice surface.
At 7:48 of the first period today, Derek Stepan opened the scoring in the 4-2 KalPa win.
Stepan received a pass just inside the blue line and had a step on his defender. Stepan was heading towards the net when the defender swung his stick and took out his feet. As Stepan was going down, he fired a shot through the goalies five-hole for the goal. Stepan popped up immediately and had a big smile on his face as he pointed to his teammate who gave him the pass.
In a recent interview with the AP Henrik Lundqvist once again expressed his feelings on the lockout by saying, “we just have to figure it out here with the owners and come to a solution. Everybody is suffering, from the fans, the players, people working with the game. It’s not necessary. The game is strong enough that we should be able to figure it out.”
Bruce Garrioch writes in the 
