Hockey Hearsay shines a light on stories of interest from around the hockey world and runs weekdays, year-round. <\/i><\/p>\n
NHL Line Combo Central<\/a> | Nichols on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n LUONGO QUIETLY EXCELS FOR CANUCKS<\/b><\/p>\n The Vancouver Province<\/a> illustrates how Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo has, quite happily, been thriving in the shadows this season and has easily been the team\u2019s MVP.<\/p>\n Two turning points are described.<\/p>\n The first was being able to work with Francois Allaire for six weeks during the lockout, which Luongo credits for improving the technical side of his game.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where it started,\u201d Luongo said. \u201cIt was a good foundation for me to build off of.\u201d<\/p>\n Clearly, the past few years of battling Cory Schneider for playing time changed Luongo as well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt helped me mentally more than technically,\u201d Luongo said. \u201cIt refreshed my mind and put things in perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you take things a little bit for granted when you\u2019ve been starting all those years.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t realize what a privilege it is.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, I\u2019m just enjoying the game.\u201d<\/p>\n ROY EXPLAINS VARLAMOV\u2019S TRANFORMATION<\/b><\/p>\n Speaking of Francois Allaire…<\/p>\n Great insights from Avalanche coach Patrick Roy, via The Denver Post<\/a>, on the transformation of goaltender Semyon Varlamov. This dates back to a dinner the pair had in Montreal over the summer, which led to private summer tutoring sessions with Allaire in Switzerland.<\/p>\n “I called Francois to ask how it was going, and he told me the first couple days were tough,” Roy recalled. “So I said, ‘Did he work hard?’ And Francois told me, ‘Oh, yeah.’ That was the first sign. Somebody who wants to work hard and is dedicated has a chance to be better. … He was very receptive to make changes. And he was open to trust us.”<\/p>\n The success is not because Varlamov was awed by the aura of a Hall of Famer whispering in his ear.<\/p>\n “That,” Roy said, “lasts for two, maybe three days. If you’re full of (baloney) and say things that make no sense, a player doesn’t care how many games I won as a goalie. If a player thinks, ‘What the heck is he talking about,’ it’s not going to work. You have to give a player reason for confidence.”<\/p>\n WILD\u2019S KOIVU WILL BE READY FOR OLYMPICS<\/b><\/p>\n Wild captain Mikko Koivu tells The Pioneer Press<\/a> there’s no doubt that he’ll be ready to represent Team Finland in the Winter Olympics in February and that he’s “progressing ahead of schedule” from ankle surgery.<\/p>\n “I think we’re in a good spot,” Koivu said. “I don’t want to set any dates (of) when I’ll be playing. I have a goal where I want to play.”<\/p>\n Also: “It always matters (to play before the Olympics, but if not so be it. I think in my situation being off right now, not playing any games, it’s going to be good for me to play some games and practice with the team first off. To play in high-level hockey is going to be good for me after the tournament even if I don’t play any games here. I think it’s good for all of us.”<\/p>\n JAGR NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE CRITICS<\/b><\/p>\n The Star-Ledger<\/a> recalls New Jersey Devils winger Jaromir Jagr\u2019s recent slump, through which he recently broke. Doubters figured he had finally hit the wall.<\/p>\n \u201cCritics. I don\u2019t worry about that. They wanted me to retire 10 years ago. I\u2019m still hanging,\u201d Jagr said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I had a lot more chances and shots than before. So I didn\u2019t really worry about it. I never did. I told you before, I\u2019m not a goal-scorer. I\u2019m more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer. I don\u2019t really (see) myself scoring a lot of goals. I like to set up goals and create plays. If I score it\u2019s an extra bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n POST-TRADE TWEETS<\/b><\/p>\n The New York Rangers finally pulled the trigger on the long-awaited Michael Del Zotto trade<\/a>, dealing him to the Nashville Predators straight up for Kevin Klein in a swap of defencemen.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/Realkevinklein8\/status\/426075965257961472<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikefisher1212\/status\/426173639550320641<\/p>\n