HockeyVOX

David Ragan’s progress has been remarkable this season but, to continue his turnaround, he needs a strong run at Bristol this weekend. Ragan spun three times in both Bristol races as a rookie last year. He escaped without any problems in the spring race this season and heads into Saturday’s race challenging for a spot in the Chase.

For a driver better known for his on-track incidents last year, Ragan has put together a strong run lately. His third-place finish last weekend at Michigan was his fourth top-10 effort in the past six races. He has climbed into a tie with Clint Bowyer for 13th in the standings, 26 points behind Denny Hamlin for the final transfer spot to the Chase.

Three races remain, including Saturday’s event, before the Chase field is finalized. Any mistakes now will be difficult to overcome. Making it tougher is that the 22-year-old has not finished better than 21st in three Cup races at Bristol.

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Philadelphia Flyers coach John Stevens made quite a difference in only a year.
Last summer, he and the Flyers’ front office were trying to solve the myriad problems that had resulted in an NHL-low 56 points during the 2006-07 season.

This summer, the organization is basking in the glow of a season that included a trip to the Eastern Conference finals after posting 42 wins and 95 points during the regular season. Thursday, Stevens, 42, was rewarded with a 2-year contract extension that runs to the end of the 2010-11 season, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

"I’m very excited that I can continue with the organization and help the team keep moving in the direction we’re going," said Stevens, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach on Oct. 22, 2006, after Ken Hitchcock was fired. "It’s exciting to be a part of the team that is building towards the ultimate goal."

The team did not disclose financial terms.

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While no firm date has been set, future hall of famer Joe Sakic says he’s getting closer to making a decision on whether to play another season or retire.

"I needed some extra time this year," Sakic told Denver’s "FM Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan". "It’s been a very, very difficult decision to make. I’m hoping to have something here in the next couple of weeks, make my final decision and go forward with it."

Sakic said he’s been staying in contact with Colorado’s general manager Francois Giguere and new head coach Tony Granato.

"When I talked to Francois in June, we both understood that the team was going to go forward, regardless of what my decision was going to be, and that enabled me to take as much time as I could," Sakic said. "Right now, I know training camp’s approaching rapidly. Summer’s gone by pretty fast. I’m going to make my decision here pretty shortly."

Sakic missed 38 games in 2007-08 due to hernia surgery, but still recorded 40 points in 44 games.

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Nobody on the Minnesota Vikings staff knows Adrian Peterson better than running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who got to know the former Oklahoma Sooners star well while recruiting him for the University of Colorado and became close personal friends with the Vikings’ No. 1 draft choice last year.

Peterson didn’t run the ball even once Friday night in the Vikings’ preseason opener against Seattle, as coach Brad Childress wanted to show the many scouts at the Metrodome that quarterback Tarvaris Jackson could force the elimination of stacked-up defensive lines against Peterson. Jackson completed eight of 11 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown and had a outstanding passer rating of 137.7.

Peterson and Bieniemy spent a lot of time together during the offseason, and one of the things they worked on was how to overcome the eight-man defensive lines that had success in stopping Peterson late last season.

"That comes with the territory," Bieniemy said. "Obviously, we’re going to see some defensive fronts that are going to try to challenge us and put eight in the box so that we can’t force it down their throat like we would like."

What are some of the things Bieniemy and Peterson worked on during the offseason?

"Right now it’s all about the little things, and that’s what I’m harping on," Bieniemy said. "He’s light years ahead of where he was last season. He’s doing a great job of picking up blitzes. He’s understanding pass protection a lot better. He’s doing a better job of getting himself in great position to pick up blitzes. And on top of that, he’s conscious of all the little things that we discuss every day."

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The Philadelphia Flyers announced Thursday that Craig Berube has been named an assistant coach.

"Craig will bring new energy to the Flyers’ coaching staff," said general manager Paul Holmgren. "His knowledge of, and experience with many of our young players will be invaluable."

Berube, who spent part of the 2006-07 season as an assistant with Philadelphia, put together a 46-27-4-3 mark with the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League a season ago.

The 42-year-old Alberta native carved out a niche as an enforcer over a 17- year NHL career with five teams, including the Flyers. He enjoyed two stints with Philly (1986-91; 1998-2000), recording 20 goals and 54 points along with 1,138 penalty minutes in 323 games.

In 1,054 total contests, the burly winger nicknamed "Chief" racked up 61 goals, 159 points and 3,149 minutes in penalties.

Berube’s hiring fills the vacancy created when Terry Murray was hired as Los Angeles Kings head coach. He joins Joe Mullen, Jack McIlhargey and Reggie Lemelin as assistants to head coach John Stevens.

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The chances of seeing Mats Sundin back with an NHL team anytime soon remains remote as his agent JP Barry told TSN that his client "isn’t close" to making a decision on his playing future. Reports circulated that Sundin was set to make a decision on August 1st, however that deadline passed without a word from the Sundin camp.

It has been widely speculated that Sundin would play this season, it was just a matter of where, however Barry says Sundin is still strongly considering hanging up the skates for good.

"The longer it takes, who knows? He is deciding whether its time to retire or not," Barry told TSN.

When asked to compare Sundin’s indecision to that of Green Bay Packers‘ quarterback Brett Favre, who recently changed his mind about retirement and was reinstated by the NFL on Monday, Barry added, "He’s avoiding a Favre-like mistake by taking his time."

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If the smartest guy in the room is also wise and secure, he surrounds himself with equally bright people and gives them the resources they need to do their jobs. That seems to be the organizing principle behind Kevin Lowe kicking himself upstairs to be the Oilers president of hockey operations and installing longtime Vancouver Canucks hockey executive Steve Tambellini as his replacement as the club’s general manager.

So, new Oilers owner Daryl Katz has co-equal presidents reporting directly to him — Patrick LaForge on the business, sales and marketing side, and Lowe on the hockey side.

"(Katz) must have told me 100 times, ‘Go out and get who you need, go out and increase your management staff,’ " said Lowe, who didn’t need to be told 101 times.

In hiring the classy, well-respected Tambellini and adding "assistant GM" to Kevin Prendergast’s existing title of vice-president, hockey operations, Lowe has bolstered the hockey office that lost the capable Scott Howson, who left for the GM’s job in Columbus in June 2007. By design or not, the Oilers front office begins to resemble the gold standard, that of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.

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Good for Scotty. That’s how fans in Detroit should bid farewell to the greatest coach and one of the most-enduring sports figures this city has ever seen. Scotty Bowman left the Red Wings on Thursday after 15 years, the past six as a consultant following an amazing nine-year run as coach. He’s headed to Chicago to be a senior adviser for a rising team, but before anyone gets edgy about losing Hockey’s Best Mind to a rival, you should know Bowman wasn’t pushed there — he was pulled there for deep and important reasons.

His second-oldest son, Stan, is an assistant general manager for the Blackhawks and has been battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma for nearly two years. Bowman talked during the playoffs about the trials and travels, about the stem-cell transplant and the remission and the recurrence. And when he did, he got a wistful look, as if he wished he could do more. So in the final years of one of the most celebrated careers in pro sports history, Scotty Bowman, 74, is making the move he needed to make, to help support his family. If it also invigorates him and stirs passion in the expanding Wings-Blackhawks rivalry, that’s fine too.

"It’s always a tough decision when you leave an organization like Detroit," Bowman told reporters in Chicago. "It was a wonderful ride for 15 years. I spoke with all the people I worked with, including the ownership, and they understand the situation. I wanted to work with my son Stan. It’s a dream everyone has and it doesn’t happen very often."

Good for Scotty, who earned the right to pick his favorite ending, to be closer to his family, to take on one more big challenge. His departure is a little sad because he was such a fixture here, but it’s also understandable. He’s not leaving the Wings in a bind, although he will be missed. Bowman is a gigantic reason the Wings are the preeminent franchise in hockey, and you lose a mind like that, you lose something.

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The Green Bay Packers, driven to the brink of desperation in their ongoing spat with Brett Favre, have discussed internally the possibility of trading the quarterback within the NFC North Division. Once thought unimaginable, the Packers are now considering the possibility of making Brian Urlacher and Brett Favre teammates in Chicago.

A source close to the situation told the Journal Sentinel on Wednesday that the Packers were considering seeking a deal with one of their division rivals, most probably the Minnesota Vikings or Chicago Bears, if backed into a corner by the National Football League and public sentiment. On Monday, general manager Ted Thompson said flatly that the Packers would not trade Favre within the division.

But having no prospects of trading Favre anywhere else and under increasing pressure from Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Packers are considering doing almost the unthinkable: not only trading Favre, but also to the Vikings, a team that will be their opponent Sept. 8 on opening night at Lambeau Field.

An NFL source said he understood from the Packers that trading within the NFC North would be a last resort. They still hope to persuade Favre to be amenable to what the team regards as realistic trade possibilities with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.

Although it has appeared to be quiet on the trading front in the last week, a deal with either team is far from dead. The Packers have had ongoing talks with both teams as recently as this week.

However, Favre has frustrated the Packers by refusing to speak with officials from the Buccaneers or Jets. That makes it almost impossible for the deal to materialize.

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The Detroit Red Wings made a subtle move Wednesday that could prove to be a spectacular one if Valtteri Filppula lives up to his potential. Filppula signed a $15-million, five-year contract with the Red Wings that keeps a talented forward on the roster for a while.

"We love everything about him because he’s a complete player with great character, and we think he can get even better," Detroit general manager Ken Holland told The Associated Press. "He plays hard, he plays hurt. He’s got great speed and talent along with versatility because he can play left wing or center. The only thing no one knows is how good he can be. But even if he doesn’t become a 70-point scorer we think he might be, we’ll still love everything about him as a player and person."

The 24-year-old restricted free agent, who avoided salary arbitration with the deal, now is under contract through the 2012-13 season with a team set up for short- and long-term success.

"We’re really excited about locking in a player this young and this good that keeps him off the market as an unrestricted free agent for a couple of years," Holland said. "He’s the kind of player we can build around in the years to come."

Filppula had career highs with 19 goals and 36 points last season. Then despite a groin injury, he played in all 22 playoff games and scored in the Stanley Cup-clinching win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last month for his fifth goal and 11th point of the championship run.

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