Willie Desjardins is in demand.
James Winchester Jersey . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie reports that both the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins have asked the Dallas Stars for permission to speak to the Calder Cup-winning coach of their AHL-affiliate Texas Stars. Desjardins, 58, just wrapped a 4-1 series win over the St. Johns IceCaps to capture the Calder Cup. He has served as the Stars had coach for the past two seasons, following a three-year stint as an assitant coach with Dallas. The native of Climax, Saskatchewan also won a WHL championship in 2004 as coach of the Medicine Hat Tigers. Both the Canucks and Penguins are in the midst of a management overhaul. The Canucks fired both general manager Mike Gillis and head coach John Tortorella at the end of last season. Canucks great Trevor Linden was named President of Hockey Operations in April and Jim Benning was hired as general manager last month. In Pittsburgh, general manager Ray Shero was fired in May. Earlier this month, Jim Rutherford was hired to replace him and subsequently dismissed head coach Dan Bylsma.
Willie Roaf Jersey . -- Theres been so much talk about Mike Moustakas at the plate that the third baseman ignored the conversation Wednesday -- even after doing something positive.
Jan Stenerud Jersey .C. -- Only two Syracuse teams have won their first 20 games, and C.Tucson, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - The sixth-ranked Arizona Wildcats put a lengthy homecourt winning streak on the line on Wednesday evening, as they take on the Oregon Ducks in a Pac-12 tilt at the McKale Center. Sean Millers Wildcats are sporting the second-longest active homecourt winning streak in the nation, now sitting at 32 games. Arizona has won four straight games overall and six of its last seven to move to 18-2 on the season. With Saturdays 73-50 rout of California in Berkeley, the Wildcats moved to 6-1 in conference play, good for a first-place tie with Utah. Dana Altmans Ducks enter this contest off one of their best performances of the season, as lethal shooting led to a rather easy 82-64 whipping of UCLA over the weekend. The victory was the second straight for Oregon, which is now 14-6 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-12. These two teams met just a couple of weeks ago in Eugene, with the visiting Wildcats making light work of the Ducks in a lopsided 80-62 decision. With the win, Arizona improved to 47-26 all-time against Oregon. The Cats are a solid 27-8 against the Ducks in Tucson. The Ducks could do no wrong in their showdown with the Bruins over the weekend, as they set a Matthew Knight Arena record for 3-point accuracy (.692), while converting a scorching .623 from the floor overall (season- best). Almost everyone got involved in the scoring onslaught, including five Ducks who finished in double figures. Joseph Young led the charge with 16 points, followed closely by Dwayne Benjamin and his 15. Elgin Cook tacked on 11 points, while Ahmaad Rorie and Jalil Abdul-Bassit checked in with 10 points apiece. While the teams efficiency was a little out of the ordinary, Oregon has been an offensive force by nature. The Ducks come in as the Pac-12s top scoring team at a hefty 77.8 ppg. Randle is the go-to-guy at the offensive end, ranking second in the Pac-12 in scoring at an impressive 19.
Blake Bell Jersey. 3 ppg. Young leads the conference in 3-pointers made (2.7 per game), and is responsible for over a third of Oregons 3-pointers to date (54-of-155). Far more than a one-trick pony, Young is also tops on the team in assists (70), while finding time to grab just under five boards per game (4.8). Scoring help comes in the form of Dillon Brooks and Cook, who chime in with 13.2 and 11.9 ppg, respectively. Arizona has the ability to win games at either end of the floor, as evidenced by the teams +15.5 scoring margin (second in the Pac-12). The Wildcats arent far behind the Ducks in terms of scoring potential, ranking second in the league at 75.1 ppg. However, the defensive effort has been strong as well, with UA ranking third in scoring defense (59.5 ppg) and first in rebounding margin (+7.1). Freshman forward Stanley Johnson has made an immediate impact in Tucson and currently leads the team in both scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg). Frontcourt depth comes in the form of Brandon Ashley (11.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (10.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Point guard T.J. McConnell (9.0 ppg) can score, but is at his best when doling out to his teammates (third in the conference at 5.9 apg). The Wildcats held a 10-point lead in the first half and that ballooned to 24 points in the second half, as Arizona cruised to victory over the helpless Golden Bears. Arizona shot 49 percent from the floor and outscored California 23-1 at the free-throw line in the game. Johnson led the way again and just missed a double-double, finishing with 18 points and nine rebounds. Dusan Ristic came off the bench to tally 12 points, while center Kaleb Tarczewski finished with 10. ' ' '