Morning Hits: Highest Paid Coaches, Ashton, Jersey Sponsors and More
Joel Quenneville's next stop may be the Florida Panthers?
  • TSN: (TV graphic) Highest paid coaches: Joel Quenneville $2.75 million, Claude Julien, $2.5 million, Darryl Sutter $2.25 million … Randy Carlyle, Michel Therrien, Mike Babcock, Alain Vigneault, Lindy Ruff, Peter Laviolette and John Tortorella all at $2 million.
  • Pat Leonard: Maple Leafs Carter Ashton’s 20 games suspension will cost him $169,185.
  • Allan Walsh: NHL COO John Colins said that jersey sponsorship is “coming and happening.” (Dreger said on TSN that it’s still a few years away)
  • Allan Walsh: “In 2004, about 5% of NHL revenues came from national business, 95% from teams. Now, roughly 25% of NHL revenue come from national business.”
  • Darren Dreger: AHL rule change for a goalie purposely knocking the net off like Leggio did: game misconduct, replacement goalie faces the penalty shot taken by anyone on the ice.
  • Craig Morgan: Mike Smith will start in net for the Coyotes.
  • Rich Chere: Cory Schneider will start in net for the Devils tonight.
  • Hope Smoke: Bob McKenzie: “In Toronto you’ve seen it happen before, it doesn’t have to even be young D. Toronto ran Larry Murphy out of town” … “For the most part I think when the fans looked at the Gardiner-Carlyle thing, they came down on Gardiner’s side” … “I think that switches a little bit when you start making $4 million a year.” … “Thing you worry about is does his confidence get shattered. He starts to become the poster boy for what is wrong with the team” … “Gardiner’s going to have to be mentally tough between the ears, suck it up & be better. He can be better. Leaf fans have seen it” … “Keep in mind that even though Gardiner is on a $4 mill deal. He’s still a young D & there are peaks/valleys that come with that”