08/14/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers reached an agreement with head coach John Stevens on a two-year contract extension on Thursday.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am very excited," Stevens said. "This is something that we talked about in the early part of the summer. We knew that it was just a matter of time before we got it done. I love being a part of this organization and the direction that the team is heading."
Stevens, who had agreed to a one-year contract extension worth a reported $650,000 in December, finished his first full season behind the bench with a 42-29-11 record, good enough for fourth place in the Atlantic Division and a sixth-seed in the postseason.
However, the 42-year-old led his club to a surprise berth the Eastern Conference finals, one season removed from having the worst record in the NHL.
"John is very deserving of this contract," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. "He is a very energetic coach who brings a lot of enthusiasm and passion to the game, and we look forward to working together over the next few years."
Since his hiring on October 22, 2006, Stevens has compiled a 63-71-22 mark in 156 games, his first foray into the NHL coaching ranks after a successful tenure in the American Hockey League.
Prior to his elevation with the big club, Stevens was the head coach for the Flyers' AHL affiliate -- the Philadelphia Phantoms -- for six seasons (2000-06), compiling a 230-181-33-25 record to go along with 29 playoff wins and a Calder Cup championship in 2005.
<< Saints DT Thomas out two months
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Hollis
Thomas suffered a right triceps injury in practice on Wednesday that will
sideline him about two months.
A starter for much of his two seasons with New Orlea
<< Blake ousts Federer from Olympics; Williams sisters out of singles
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Blake has finally slayed the dragon.
The eighth-seeded Blake had been 0-8 against Super Swiss Roger Federer going
into Thursday's tennis quarterfinal match at the Olympics, but the American
pulled out
<< Penguins break ground on new arena
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins broke ground on
their new arena Thursday.
The new multi-purpose facility, which is located beside Mellon Arena, is
slated to open in time for the 2010-11 season.
Among
<< Playoff hopefuls conclude set in South Beach
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have to be frustrated with the way
the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers have been playing lately. The Cardinals are four
games behind the Brewers in the NL Wild Card standings, but their Central
division riva
Coyotes ink Perreault >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes re-signed center Joel
Perreault to a two-year contract on Thursday.
The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Perreault appeared in 49 games for the Coyotes last
season and notched seven goals and 10
Proud Spell and Music Note highlight Alabama Stakes >>
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Proud Spell and Music Note, two of
this year's leading three-year-old fillies, top a field of six for Saturday's
128th running of the $600,000 Alabama at Saratoga Race Course. The 1 1/4-mile
race is
Padres' Young back on DL >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres placed pitcher Chris
Young on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to August 11, with a strained
right forearm on Thursday.
The righty suffered the injury on Sunday in the Padr
Nationals' top pick Crow signs with Fort Worth team >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed pitcher Aaron Crow, the
Washington Nationals' top pick, ninth overall, in this year's draft, has
signed a deal with the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association.
The Nationals
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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