Blake to wear Sharks' 'C'

Good move by the San Jose Sharks today, naming Rob Blake team captain.

"(Blake) has experience captaining a team and will give us everything he has,” coach Todd McLellan was quoted as saying on the Sharks web site http://sharks.nhl.com. "He will hold his teammates to the highest standard.”

Blake, who turns 40 in December, has been captain of the Los Angeles Kings and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. Perhaps he can show his teammates what it takes to win in the playoffs, something the Sharks haven't managed to do even after successful regular seasons.

Joe Thornton, the Sharks' best player, will wear an 'A' as an assistant captain, along with Dan Boyle.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Blake is entering his 20th NHL season and second with the Sharks. He's coming off a 10-goal, 45-point season and was a plus-15.

McLellan took the captainship away from Patrick Marleau in the offseason following the Sharks' first-round loss to the eighth-seeded Anaheim Ducks in the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy with the NHL's best regular-season record.

"When you're expected to go far in the playoffs and you don't, things change," Marleau said. "I don't think it's total blame. It's collectively. Everybody on the team knows we messed up."

The underachieving Sharks have won four Pacific Division titles in the past seven seasons, but they've never made it beyond the 2004 Western Conference finals.

Hejduk seals new deal

I spoke with Colorado Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk today about his decision to sign a one-year contract extension that will take him through the 2010-11 season.

Hejduk, 33, is about to embark on his 11th NHL season, all with the Avalanche, and is one of two remaining links to the team's 2001 Stanley Cup championship team, the other being defenseman and new captain Adam Foote.

"The team has changed big time since then," said Hejduk, who is coming off a 27-goal, 59-point campaign. He led the Avalanche in goals and tied Ryan Smyth, who was traded to Los Angeles over the summer, for the team lead in points.

Hejduk wasn't certain during last season if he wanted to play beyond this year, but he still feels he can play at a high level and believes the Avalanche is on the right track with its rebuilding program after last season's last-place finish in the Western Conference.

"I decided to go one more year and we started negotiating," said Hejduk, who will make $3.9 million this season and $3 million in 2010-11. His deal includes a no-movement clause.

"I wanted to get it done before the start of the year so I wouldn't have to deal with it during the year," he said. "With February and March and the (league trading) deadline coming, there's always tons of rumors and I didn't want to have to go through that. Definitely me and my family, we don't want to go anywhere else. I didn't want to do that five or six years ago and I don't want to do it now."

Eleven of the 23 players who will begin the season with the Avalanche are 25 or younger. The roster includes two 18-year-olds, first-round draft pick Matt Duchene and Ryan O'Reilly, the first of the team's two second-round picks.

"We've got some really good looking kids," Hejduk said. "It looks like we've got some really good young players in the organization, more depth than I saw at last year's camp."

One familiar name is missing.

The roster doesn't include longtime captain Joe Sakic, who retired in July. As of today, his corner locker remained empty as a tribute to the future Hockey Hall of Famer. His No. 19 jersey will be retired during ceremonies before the Avalanche meets San Jose on Thursday in the season opener at the Pepsi Center.

"Joe was the face of the franchise for such a long time," Hejduk said. "We'll be a younger team. Obviously everyone will miss Joe -- the fans, us -- in the locker room and off the ice. But what can you do? If it's time, it's time. We all have to retire at some point.

"It is a different feeling. The main guy, the key guy, is gone. But after a while, you'll get used to it. It'll be pretty exciting when Joe is honored. He's definitely earned it."

Fleury released, but he's still a winner

Well done, Theo Fleury.

No, the comeback kid's attempted comeback didn't pan out with the Calgary Flames, but he did himself proud nonetheless.

Fleury was released by the Flames today, but he performed a lot better than anyone could have anticipated with four points in four preseason games, along with a winning shootout goal.

Not bad for a guy who is 41, has been out of the NHL for six years and is a recovering alcoholic. He's been sober for some time and will continue to fight the good fight, so kudos to him.

In order for Fleury to crack the Flames' 23-man roster -- playing in the minors apparently wasn't an option -- he had to convince the coaching staff that he was one of the team's top six wingers, and his foot speed just isn't there anymore.

"It had nothing to do with his heart or his mind for the game," Flames coach Brent Sutter told Calgary reporters. "At the age he's at, the legs just aren't where they need to be. That's certainly not his fault. It happens. That's natural and it's happened. But I'm darned proud of Theo, I really am.

"This isn't just about hockey. It's about life, and where he's at in his life."

And for that, Fleury ought to be quite proud.

"I said in the beginning that no matter what the outcome, this would be a success story," Fleury said in a statement. "I intend to take the next few days to review this experience and make decisions with my family regarding next steps in my life."

Gretzky leaves Coyotes

Super athletes rarely develop into super coaches, as Wayne Gretzky discovered during his four seasons behind the Phoenix Coyotes bench.

The greatest player in NHL history? You won't get an argument from me.

I had the pleasure of covering Gretzky during his time with the Los Angeles Kings, following his blockbuster trade from the Edmonton Oilers in 1988, and he was as gracious and approachable off a sheet of ice as he was great on it.

But Gretzky, who owns virtually every league scoring mark imaginable, stepped down today as head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes after four seasons with a record of 143-161-24, with two fifth-place finishes in the Pacific Division, two fourth-place finishes, and no playoff appearances.

It's unfortunate, because the Coyotes could have the makings of a good, young team whose prospects have been overshadowed by the bankruptcy situation hanging over the franchise, one that has left the club's future location in doubt.

Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie wants to purchase the Coyotes and move it to Hamilton, Ontario, though he said he would keep it at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz., this season if he wins an auction for the club.

The NHL wants the Coyotes to remain in Arizona and has put up a bid to keep them there, hopeful that a local buyer could be found in the interim.

In the meantime, Gretzky had been absent from training camp, so the team was being run by interim coach Ulf Samuelsson.

Gretzky resigned, he said on his web site www.gretzky.com, because he no longer fit in the team's plans.

“We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected," Gretzky said. "Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don’t fit into their future plans, I approached general manager Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach. Don has worked hard and explored many options. I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it’s time for me to step aside."

And in another bit of Coyotes news, fans will be able to purchase all lower-bowl tickets for $25 for the Oct. 10 home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Upper-level seats are priced at $15 for the game.

Considering this team's shrinking fan base, it might be wise to keep those ticket prices for the remainder of the season, no matter which party winds up with the club.

Say it ain't so, Foppa

Brett Favre, and now Peter Forsberg?

The 36-year-old forward and former NHL most valuable player is attempting yet another comeback, this time with his hometown team Modo in the Swedish Elite League.

The oft-injured center has experienced problems with his right foot for several years and didn't play at all last season, except for three games with Modo, when the chronic foot ailment forced him to give up the comeback attempt.

A great one in his prime and one of hockey's most entertaining players, Foppa as he's affectionately known in Sweden and by his legion of fans (especially in Colorado, where he's still revered), has undergone several foot surgeries and experimented with various skates in an attempt to return to the ice.

But maybe, just maybe, it's time for Forsberg to give up the game for good and enjoy life away from the rink.

Easy for me to say, because his love for the sport is so obvious. But how much pain and frustration can a guy endure before reality finally sinks in?

Forsberg is on a one-week contract with Modo and is scheduled to play a minimum of three games, starting Thursday against Frolunda. He's been practicing with Modo since early August and played in two games in a preseason tournament in Switzerland.

Forsberg last played in the NHL with the Avalanche late in the 2007-08 season, when he was only able to play in nine of 18 regular-season games (he had one goal and 13 assists) and in seven of 10 playoff games (with one goal and four assists).

I don't know if Forsberg has any interest in playing in the NHL again, but the Avalanche is in a rebuilding mode and will be icing its youngest team since moving from Quebec to Denver in 1995. Realistically, a return to Colorado is likely out of the question.

But I'm sure that Foppa would love to play for Sweden again in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver. Perhaps that's what this latest comeback is all about.

An Avalanche of teens

It's beginning to look like the Colorado Avalanche could have a couple of teen-age phenoms on the roster for its Oct. 1 season opener against San Jose.

First-round pick Matt Duchene, 18, should be a lock to start the year in Denver, even if new head coach Joe Sacco is reluctant to say as much. The final 23-man roster, he's said, won't be determined until after the Avalanche plays its final three exhibition games.

Matt Duchene (left) and Ryan O'Reilly have been impressive in Avalanche camp.

"I think he's made some progress every day, and that's what you're looking for," Sacco said of Duchene, who was taken third overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft after collecting 31 goals and 48 assists in 57 games last season for the Brampton Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League.

"It takes a little bit of time to get comfortable with the surroundings, your new teammates, your new league, playing against better competition," Sacco said. "I'm pleased with the way he's developing."

But perhaps the biggest Avalanche surprise is that O'Reilly, also 18 and the first of Colorado's two second-round selections (33rd overall), has already signed a three-year, entry-level contract, is still in camp and apparently has a good chance to make the opening-night roster.

"He's had a solid camp and we're very excited about his future," general manager Greg Sherman said of O'Reilly, who had 16 goals and 50 assists in 68 games last season with the Erie Otters in the OHL.

Remember when the Avalanche made a habit of trading draft picks and prospects for marquee names in an attempt to make a run at the Stanley Cup?

Those days are over following last year's nightmare season, when the Avalanche fell into the Western Conference basement and missed the playoffs for the second year in a row.

"Now you have to look at it as a new positive beginning where you have to be excited about our youth," said Adam Foote, who has replaced the retired Joe Sakic as team captain. "That's what we're going to do."

Give Senators edge in Heatley swap

OK, I've had a week to digest the first blockbuster trade of the NHL season, which involved two underachieving teams -- the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks.

At first glance, I'm tempted to say the Senators, who lacked scoring depth behind the Big Three of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, the latter of whom was shipped to the Sharks (along with a fifth-round draft pick) in exchange for forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek, and a second-round pick.

Heatley, for reasons he has yet to explain -- maybe he never will -- wanted out of Ottawa, and it's never a good thing to keep an unhappy player around, no matter how talented.

Heatley is definitely a highly-skilled forward, having averaged 45 goals in each of the past four seasons. But he slipped to 72 points last season, his lowest total in Ottawa, and later complained about a diminshing role under coach Cory Clouston, even though the Senators finished 19-11-4 and showed a lot more life after Clouston replaced Craig Hartsburg.

Will Heatley score a ton with the Sharks? Probably, especially if he skates on a line with Joe Thornton. And maybe, just maybe, the Sharks won't underachieve again in the playoffs.

Of course, the Senators also have been busts since advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006-07. They were eliminated in the first round the following season and missed the playoffs last year.

Michalek is a very underrated player. He totaled 90 goals over the past four seasons and, at age 24, is four years younger than Heatley. Michalek and Cheechoo, 29, will make a combined $7 million this season, $1 million less than Heatley, who still has five years remaining on a six-year, $45 million extension. That's significant in the salary cap era.

Michalek is also a lot more responsible defensively. He was a plus-11 a year ago, while Heatley was a minus-11. And, unlike Heatley, Cheechoo's work ethic has never been questioned. The Senators won't be quite so soft with Cheechoo in the lineup.

It's true that Cheechoo's production, in part because of injuries, has slipped considerably since he scored an NHL-leading 56 goals in 2005-06. He had only 12 goals last season in 66 games, but that total should rise by a substantial margin if he can stay healthy.

For now, at least, I give a slight edge to the Senators for getting a productive deal done after they essentially were forced into making it by a disgruntled star.