New York, NY

The lockout has NHL coaches looking for other ways to do hockey-related stuff.

This is necessary, according to New York Islanders coach Jack Capuano, in order to keep their 'sanity'.

Capuano has been holding hockey clinics, while Calgary Flames' coach Bob Hartley conducts a meeting with his staff each morning, attends the training camp of an affiliate team and just took his staff and the Heat coaches to a retreat in Victoria, B.C.

Hartley said he and his group are trying to "create a chemistry between ourselves."

They are not about to use the lockout as an excuse to take a vacation.

"There's nobody out on vacation," said Lou Lamoriello, the Devils' general manager, about the league's head coaches.

That may be true, except for Darryl Sutter of the champion Los Angeles Kings, who is at his family's farm in Alberta.

With the NHL announcing that it has cancelled all games through November, they will have to keep looking for ways to keep busy.

"I have access to the Internet," Capuano said. "I watch what I can watch. I've watched a lot of hockey."

Capuano plans to watch a lot of college hockey on the East Coast and check out their draft picks and free agents. He has spent little time at home in Maine, preparing as if there will be a season.

But Capuano's clinic participants are prepared to see the sessions end as soon as the NHL resumes its games.

The application form for the clinic stated, "All sessions subject to cancellation due to the N.H.L. lockout."

 

Champs for Charity generates $300K thanks to NHL stars

Chicago, IL

The Champs for Charity game that featured locked out NHL stars reportedly generated $323,500 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, the event organizers announced Sunday.

Originally conceptualized by San Jose Sharks forward Adam Burish, the Hockey exhibition drew 11,649 fans to AllState Arena.

The World Team, which was composed of foreign NHL players, beat the Chicago natives 16-15 in an entertaining shootout affair.

"It's amazing for the fans here in Chicago, the Ronald McDonald House, all the sponsors. They did a great job putting this on. To be able to raise that kind of money, it's something that's pretty special," Washington Capitals right wing Troy Brouwer told the Washington Times.

The charity game featured a play fight between Dan Carcillo and Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster.

"This is a pretty cool event for all of us. We don't get the chance to play in the NHL right now," Burish said. "This is the closest thing any of us will [have]. We'll get to that in the next few weeks, and hopefully the games come back. But in the mean time this is pretty darn cool that you guys all showed up."

 

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