As talented a player he is, he a better person, Diaco said, adding that his star defender is full of life. A day where maybe as a coach you might be feeling a little down or maybe slightly distracted with the world problems, Manti is easy to see, look at and see his face and immediately be energized, Diaco said. That just the kind of guy that he is.Conn Smythe allegedly said that he'd give $10,000 to the man who could "turn Herb Carnegie white" but Smythe did not turn Carnegie into an NHLer and he could easily have, had he been braver. He was the most powerful hockey man in one of the two most powerful markets in the game. The other one, Montreal, had Carnegie playing in their backyard and even bought the Aces to get Beliveau.

"I wouldn't say I'm rooting for him to get it, but I want him to do the best that he can do," said Johnson, who developed a bit of a rivalry with Peterson a few years back when both laid claim to the title of the best running back