Hockey Today
No game scheduled. The Stanley Cup finals resume Saturday with Game 4 in Pittsburgh.
TRAGIC DEATH
Luc Bourdon, a promising rookie defenseman with Vancouver, was killed Thursday when his motorcycle struck a tractor-trailer in a crash near his hometown of Shippagan, New Brunswick. He was 21. Bourdon was the first-round draft pick of the Canucks in 2005, selected 10th overall. He split time this season with the Canucks and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. In 27 games with the Canucks, he scored twice and had no assists.
FOUR THOUGHT
Three of the last four teams to take a 2-1 series lead into a road Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals won, with the exception being New Jersey in 2003 against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who were coached by current Detroit bench boss Mike Babcock. The Devils won that series in seven games after leading 2-0. The Red Wings won the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals before falling to Pittsburgh in Game 3 on Wednesday night.
GM-TO-BE
Doug Armstrong, fired as Dallas' general manager in November, was hired on Thursday by the St. Louis Blues as their GM-in-waiting. Armstrong, 43, was named vice president of player personnel and will become general manager in 2010. The Blues extended the contract of current GM Larry Pleau, whose wife is battling cancer, through 2009-10.
BEING WATCHED
Pittsburgh's first victory over Detroit on NBC drew the best overnight rating for a third game of the Stanley Cup finals in six years. Pittsburgh's 3-2 win on Wednesday night earned a 2.8 national rating and an 18.2 rating in Detroit, beating out the 15.9 rating for the Pistons' matchup with the Boston Celtics. The combination of Games 1, 2 and 3 have made this the highest-rated and most-watched opening games of the Stanley Cup finals since Detroit faced Carolina in 2002.
SPEAKING
``You look at him after a goal or something, during the celebration, and you look in his eyes and you're kind of scared. You know, like, `Oh my God, that guy's intense.' And it's great.'' - Pittsburgh's Max Talbot on the play of veteran teammate Gary Roberts during the second and third games of the Stanley Cup finals after he was angry for being scratched in the opener.