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Isles' Milbury reaches boiling point
If New York Islanders general manager Mike Milbury is going down, at least he'll go down with gums blazing. Milbury gave the slumping Islanders a tongue lashing after no-show efforts last weekend against Atlanta and Philadelphia, one of the rare times Milbury has been moved to address his team. Milbury, who acknowledged his job was on the line, also has coach Butch Goring on a short leash following a stretch of two wins in 16 games. But Goring isn't the only coach in trouble. Florida's Terry Murray is in the midst of a four-game road trip that will determine his future. Alpo Suhonen, however, appears safe in Chicago given general manager Mike Smith's unwavering support in the face of grumbling from upper management.
Is Clarke losing his vise grip on Flyers?The Philadelphia Flyers have been playing with more bite under new coach Bill Barber although in the daily lunacy of Flyerland, it's too early to tell if the attitude adjustment is permanent or merely the standard bounce expected from any new coach. The firing of Craig Ramsay -- who took over from cancer patient Roger Neilson, played his youngsters and nursed a dysfunctional team to within one game of the Stanley Cup final last spring -- was only slightly more shocking than Barber actually getting the job. President Bob Clarke, on his fifth coach since 1997, could have brought in his old Flyers teammate, with whom he never has been especially close, at any time. Clarke never did, keeping Barber in the minors before promoting him to assistant coach this year. Barber's ascension has team chairman Ed Snider's fingerprints all over it.
Play of Sedin twins slipping someDaniel and Henrik Sedin have hit a bump in the road in Vancouver, nothing unexpected for the rookie twins who project to be solid NHL players -- or better. Daniel, the more gifted twin, was mildly reproved last week by coach Marc Crawford for taking his time returning to the lineup after being medically cleared following a shoulder injury. Crawford explained to the Swedish teen that playing with pain is an NHL job requirement. Henrik, a center, looked lost in his brother's absence. While clicking together on the power play, the third liners have yet to find much open ice in five-on-five-situations.Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Farber covers the NHL beat for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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