Article about Niinimaa

Fatherhab · Senior Member

Article about Niinimaa

JohnM · Guru

Looks good, let's hope it holds true.

Fatherhab · Senior Member

Interview with Niinimaa:

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20061002/CPSPORTS01/61002108/1006/CP SPORTS01

Niinimaa: "I am Staved"

François Lemenu

Presse Canadienne

Mont-Tremblant

Janne Niinimaa isn't coming to Montreal in order to complete the defensive team. The Finnish player, who the Habs got from Dallas in a trade for Ribeiro, expects to play an important role with his new team.

" I want to contribute to the success of the team" he said on Monday. I play both ends of the ice, I can play on the powerplay and I can kill penalties. I have always played 20-25 minutes per game for the last 10 years."

"I am very motivated, I am starved" he added. I am sure that I have a place here. But I don't want to talk, I want to show".

The CBC internet site is very severe towards the new Montreal Defenseman during its analysis of this trade.

«Niinimaa, it reads, suffers from brain cramps in the defensive zone. He never realized his potenetial offensively. He is a player who is on the decline in all categories of his play."

Niinimaa, who is 6'1 et 220 lbs, shpuld form a duo with Mathieu Dandenault. He says he is in excellent shape after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left ankle.

"Last season was difficult in Dallas" he said. " I was always in pain and could not give a full effort". In 63 games, he scored 3 goals and 13 assists for a total of 16 points, his weakest performance in the NHL.

"I am in good health today. I had a good camp in Dallas where I returned to form." He scored 2 goals in four exhibition games.

A Reputation

Niinimaa, who is 31, has a réputation that he is a hard player to coach. He took the opportunity in his first meeting with the media to set the record straight.

" It was said that I had a dispute with my old Islander coach Steve Stirling. It was nothing. We exchanged some big words when he thought I said something. That was not the case, and we quickly reconciled. I swear I always got along with him."

Niinimaa admits that he had problems with the Finnish National Team coach at the World Championships. "That coach lost it totally. He was insulting and scornful towards the players, secretaries and trainers. It was something that I found intolerable, and I could not accept that from him. That is why I left the team."

A Flyers Draft Choice

Niinimaa was the first pick of the Flyers and the 36th overall pick of the 1993 Draft. He played there for 2 years before being traded to Edmonton. "I had good seasons in Edmonton."

Niinimaa was then traded to the Islanders and then last January to Dallas.

"I did not expect to leave the Stars. I had a good meeting with the coach (Dave Tippett) and the General Manager (Doug Armstrong) before training camp. Everything was positive. But the team had 8 defensemen, and I lost out because of my salary.

Niinimaa only has two training sessions with the Habs to get familiarized with their system.

"I would have prefered to have played at least one exhibition game. "But I learn quick" he said.

Fatherhab · Senior Member

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/hockey/stars/stories/092106dnspostarslede.2ab1e30.html

His ankle is strong again, but he's amid a glut of defensemen

01:09 AM CDT on Thursday, September 21, 2006

By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News

Janne Niinimaa knows his standing with the Stars is shaky. But he also knows he's standing on two strong ankles for once.

The veteran defenseman is one of eight blueliners on the Stars' roster with an NHL contract. That's one more than most teams will carry during the regular season. Niinimaa is well aware one defenseman could be traded before the season begins Oct. 4.

"I think we're all aware of the situation," said Niinimaa, 31, "but we all also know that there's not much that we can do about it other than play our best."

Niinimaa said he believes he can play his best this year, as his surgically repaired right ankle is finally starting to feel better. The ankle bothered him much of last season. It was clear after a Jan. 10 trade from the New York Islanders that he wasn't the same player who tallied 46 and 44 points in consecutive seasons with Edmonton in the early 2000s.

"This is a game that's played with agility, and a big part of his game is agility," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "I think we'll get a true read on him now."

Niinimaa became a whipping boy among Stars fans not only for his play (only six points and a minus-5 rating in 22 games) but for his apparent bad luck around the team. After acquiring Niinimaa, the Stars were 10-11-1 with him in the lineup and 13-1-2 when he was hurt or a healthy scratch. Niinimaa started the playoffs as a healthy scratch and played the final four games.

"It was just a season to forget," he said. "I'm feeling much better now, and I feel like I can play my game."

Stars general manager Doug Armstrong isn't tipping his hand and said he might enter the season with all eight defensemen. But that would allow for only one extra forward under the NHL's maximum roster of 23. That would probably prevent the team from carrying 22 players, as it did much of last season to save salary cap space.

Still, Tippett said he is looking at using all eight defensemen and is evaluating all players with the assumption they are staying. It's the only smart way to do things, he said.

Niinimaa is following a similar line of thought. He plays hard and well and either stays or is traded.

"If I'm healthy and play well, things will work out for the best," he said.

Backup goalies split time: Dan Ellis and Mike Smith, fighting for the backup goalie spot, shared time in Wednesday night's 3-2 loss to Phoenix. Ellis, who gave way to Smith at 12:25 of the second period, allowed two goals to Owen Nolan. A third-period goal by Jaroslav Modry tied the score at 2, but the Coyotes got the clincher from Michael Zigomanis with 9:44 left.

"We'll keep plugging along with them," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "We have a couple more [preseason] games, and we'll see where it goes."

Lindros scores: Former MVP and six-time All-Star Eric Lindros started the game and scored a goal at 18:38 of the first period to tie the score at 1-1. Tippett said the main goal is to put Lindros, who hasn't played much the past two seasons, "in position to get his feet moving. He was much better tonight."

Short-handed success: The Stars held the Coyotes scoreless in nine short-handed situations. Modry's goal gave Dallas a 1-for-8 power-play night.