Notebook: Wild sign Lemaire, Ramsey, Tremblay to extensions
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Coach Jacques Lemaire and two of his assistants were given contract extensions Thursday, rewards for the Minnesota Wild's unexpectedly fast rise to contention.
Terms of the deals were not disclosed, and Lemaire was noncommittal when asked about his new contract.
"If I sign, I guess I'm happy," he said.
The assistants getting extensions are Mario Tremblay and Mike Ramsey, a Minneapolis native and former Minnesota Golden Gopher.
"I think it was a great opportunity for me to work with a good bunch of guys," Lemaire said. "I think things have been going really well, so why change?"
Lemaire, the only coach in the Wild's three-year history, also has coached Montreal and New Jersey, where he won a Stanley Cup in 1995.
He was a consultant for the Canadiens when Wild general manager Doug Risebrough, a close friend and former Montreal teammate, lured him to Minnesota to coach the expansion franchise.
Lemaire has compiled a 77-92-33-15 record with Minnesota. Under his guidance, the Wild have ascended from expansion team to playoff contender considerably faster than most expected.
Sabres seek OK to pay players' bonuses, $15 million credit line
Along with asking for an additional $15-million line of credit to cover operating expenses, the bankrupt Buffalo Sabres are seeking court approval to pay four players their deferred signing bonuses.
Sabres' attorney William Thomas is scheduled to make both requests in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Buffalo today.
The request for an additional line of credit was not unexpected. Judge Michael J. Kaplan granted the Sabres up to $25 million in debtors-in-possession financing when he approved an initial $10 million line of credit after the team filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.
The Sabres, in jeopardy of folding or moving after the end of this season, owe their 40 largest creditors more than $206 million.
The list of creditors includes four current players — forward Curtis Brown, goaltender Ryan Miller and defensemen Jay McKee and Brian Campbell. They are owed a combined $541,666 in deferred signing bonus money due last month.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Sabres forward Chris Gratton will play today against the Vancouver Canucks after missing the last two games with a mild concussion. … New Jersey Devils forward Sergei Brylin had surgery on his broken right wrist and is expected to be sidelined 2-3 months. … Philadelphia Flyers forward Simon Gagne will be out at least three weeks with another groin injury.
