The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

November 15, 2010

The Hockey News - Nov-15-10

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02407/9412300-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOP GUN</b></p><p><b>Sahir Gill came over to Boston from Jr. A in British Columbia and has immediately paid off.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>o much</b> of college hockey is taking a raw recruit and refining him into a player who can compete for an NHL roster spot. For Boston University freshman Sahir Gill, that refining came right from the get-go.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01652/9412307-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="123" height="122"></div><p>Gill, as well as four other highly touted freshmen, came to campus early in order to work out with BU strength guru Mike Boyle, who was featured in THN&rsquo;s Genius Issue last season. And while it&rsquo;s early, legendary Terriers coach Jack Parker is happy with Gill&rsquo;s off-ice progress. &ldquo;We knew he would be much better at that aspect,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;Because he had never had to work at it before.&rdquo;</p><p>Gill himself listed off-ice prep and skating as two items he&rsquo;d like to improve upon and Parker has already seen an improvement in the B.C. native&rsquo;s skating thanks to his strength training.</p><p>&ldquo;The summer set the tone for us freshmen,&rdquo; Gill said.</p><p>And the kids are making an impact. Gill led the way in scoring with six points in five games. Draft eligible in 2011, he has a couple buddies in the same boat in fellow frosh Matt Nieto and Adam Clendening, both of whom came from the U.S. national team development program.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting,&rdquo; Gill said. &ldquo;Matt and Adam were highly ranked coming in and it gives me someone to talk to. It&rsquo;s been nice for me to gauge where I am in comparison.&rdquo;</p><p>Parker, who called Gill a &ldquo;clever center&rdquo; who has surprised with his offensive prowess, had similar positive reviews for his other undrafted freshmen. Nieto was ranked 22nd overall by ISS in its first draft list of the season and the left winger dazzles with his skill and work ethic.</p><p>&ldquo;He was a big recruit for us,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;He plays every power play, kills every penalty &ndash; for a freshman, he sees a lot of ice time.&rdquo;</p><p>And what does Clendening (ISS No. 17) bring to the Terriers blueline?</p><p>&ldquo;He brings Kevin Shattenkirk,&rdquo; Parker said, referencing the Avs prospect who left for the pros after last season.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01557/9412293-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="848" height="1384"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02360/9412286-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="773" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TEEN USA</b></p><p><b>Adam Clendening (left) and Matt Nieto are first round draft prospects for 2011.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ALL: BROOKS CANADAY)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a terrific offensive defenseman and he&rsquo;s really shown poise from the blueline. And he&rsquo;s solid defensively. He&rsquo;s had a couple of ups and downs, but we&rsquo;re pleased with his overall play.&rdquo;</p><p>The key for Parker is keeping his trio of undrafted freshmen focused. The coach has a lot of experience with nervous newbies and the lure of the NHL can be a dangerous siren song.</p><p>&ldquo;They have the added distraction of &lsquo;I wonder how this will affect me in the draft,&rsquo;&rdquo; Parker said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s ridiculous, but it&rsquo;s human nature. What does it matter if you go 28th overall or 37th? The important thing is, when it&rsquo;s time to sign you, do they love you?</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had fifth-rounders become stars and first-rounders who never played a day in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Not only that, but when players are also in the running for a spot on the national junior team &ndash; as Nieto and Clendening are &ndash; it compounds the problem.</p><p>Parker mentioned Nashville power forward Colin Wilson as one of his latest examples. As a BU freshman three seasons ago, Wilson had the anxiety of Team USA in his first semester and the NHL draft in his second.</p><p>Tackling the issue of focus head-on is key for the coach.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already talked about it,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had that conversation a lot and it&rsquo;s never a good one.&rdquo;</p><p>Rounding out the Terriers&rsquo; Fab Five are two players already drafted; San Jose first-rounder Charlie Coyle (28th overall in 2010) and Atlanta pick Yasin Cisse (150th in &rsquo;10), who unfortunately will miss the rest of the season due to a ripped ankle tendon.</p><p>Parker empathized with Cisse&rsquo;s plight, but was also impressed with Coyle.</p><p>&ldquo;Smart player, strong, he sees things before they happen,&rdquo; the coach said. &ldquo;One of the best freshman we&rsquo;ve had in a while.&rdquo;</p><p>For Gill, it&rsquo;s already been a great ride in Boston, with upperclassmen giving advice on the ice and sophomores &ndash; whose dorms are a minute down the street from the frosh &ndash; helping out with study habits.</p><p>&ldquo;As the season started,&rdquo; Gill said, &ldquo;we just wanted to contribute and not make too many mistakes.&rdquo;</p><p>So far, so good.</p><h2><b>15</b></h2><p><b>Points by BU freshman through five games; Sahir Gill led all scorers with six</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

IN THIS ISSUE

Fab Freshman Off to Fast Start

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011219/9411357-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="788" height="503"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>AVERAGE ATTENDANCE</b></h2><p>(according to <a href="http://ESPN.com">ESPN.com</a>)</p><p>2005-06 <b>17,828</b></p><p>2006-07 <b>17,914</b></p><p>2007-08 <b>18,038</b></p><p>2008-09 <b>17,680</b></p><p>2009-10 <b>17,215</b></p><p>2010-11 <b>14,060*</b></p><p>*through four games</p><h2><b>OCTOBER SALARY CAP HIT/MAX</b></h2><p>Percentage of cap spent in parenthesis</p><p>2005-06 <b>$36.0/$39.0M</b> (92.3%)</p><p>2006-07 <b>$42.4/$44.0M</b> (96.4%)</p><p>2007-08 <b>$49.8/$50.3M</b> (99.0%)</p><p>2008-09 <b>$52.3/$56.7M</b> (92.2%)</p><p>2009-10 $<b>47.9/$56.8M</b> (84.3%)</p><p>2010-11 <b>$51.0/$59.4M</b> (85.9%)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-01

For Love and Money

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011609/9411188-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="264" height="209"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011803/9411181-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="2723" height="3308"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HIGHER GROUND</b></p><p><b>Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom are searching for the next level of success.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GREG FIUME/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>&ldquo;I firmly believe that any man&rsquo;s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle &ndash; victorious.&rdquo;</i></b><br>&ndash; Vince Lombardi</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>ruce Boudreau will probably never use the King&rsquo;s English the way Vince Lombardi did, but you have to give him marks for trying. For example, Boudreau recalls that Alex Ovechkin was &ldquo;disconsolate&rdquo; after his Washington Capitals&rsquo; Game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs last spring, and then says, &ldquo;Is that even a word?&rdquo;</p><p>Yes, it is. It means beyond consolation, deeply dispirited and discouraged, hopelessly unhappy &ndash; as in, &ldquo;The death of her dog made her disconsolate,&rdquo; or, &ldquo;Watching his team blow a 3-1 series lead against a team that finished 33 points behind them in the regular season standings made him disconsolate.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011557/9411174-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="2445" height="1466"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>X&rsquo;S AND NO&rsquo;S</b></p><p><b>Washington has not been able to come up with a winning formula in the playoffs.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Two years ago, THN declared the Capitals to be &ldquo;The most exciting team in the NHL.&rdquo; And they have done little to dispel that notion since then, even in defeat. Say what you will about the Capitals, but since Ovechkin came on the scene and rescued the franchise from oblivion after the lockout, their playoff flameouts have been nothing short of spectacular.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>The best way to describe it would be shock and awe</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Mike Knuble</i></b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;We thought (the series) was done,&rdquo; Ovechkin said.</p><p>You&rsquo;ll have to be a little more specific on that one, Alex, seeing as your team blew a 2-0 series lead to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and a 3-1 lead to the Montreal Halaks last spring.</p><p>In fact, think of a way to lose in the playoffs and the Caps have probably already come up with it. They&rsquo;ve lost when they should have lost and they&rsquo;ve lost when they should have won. They&rsquo;ve lost as a group of youthful upstarts, they&rsquo;ve lost when they&rsquo;ve been ahead, they&rsquo;ve lost to eventual Cup champions and they&rsquo;ve lost to teams that had no business beating them.</p><p>But the common thread is, well, common. They&rsquo;ve lost.</p><p>None was more demoralizing than last season, though. Not even the season before, when the Pittsburgh Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup after blowing the Capitals out in Game 7 of the second round. After their 2-1 loss to the Canadiens in Game 7, some of the players were so upset they wept openly, while others just sat and stared in complete disbelief. How does a team that good suddenly go 1-for-33 on the power play?</p><p>&ldquo;I guess the best way to describe it would be shock and awe,&rdquo; said veteran Caps winger Mike Knuble, &ldquo;and not in a good way.&rdquo;</p><p>Five seasons and $29.5 million into Ovechkin&rsquo;s career, the Capitals are no longer that cute and cuddly bunch of precocious kids. The colorful yarns about Boudreau&rsquo;s days in the backwaters of minor pro hockey have exceeded their shelf life. Being exciting and explosive and dynamic isn&rsquo;t enough anymore. We know Ovechkin can score 60 goals and wear funny glasses during the skills competition, but can he lead Washington through a two-month battle of attrition in the spring? We know Mike Green and Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom can score, but can they elevate their level of play when everyone else does, too?</p><p>It&rsquo;s time for the Capitals to win a Stanley Cup. There hasn&rsquo;t been a better opportunity for an elite team to romp through a decidedly mediocre Eastern Conference in years. There are no more built-in excuses for the Capitals. To paraphrase Herm Edwards, you play to win the Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve gone through enough now,&rdquo; Green said, &ldquo;that enough is enough.&rdquo;</p><p>The margin between winning and losing &ndash; advancing and going home &ndash; is razor-thin in the playoffs and nobody knows that better than Washington. Case in point: the Chicago Blackhawks were 14 seconds away from going down 3-2 to the Nashville Predators in the first round when Patrick Kane scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game. They won Game 5 in overtime, won the series and went on to take the Stanley Cup. Four nights later, in Game 7 of the Caps-Canadiens series, Ovechkin thought he had scored early in the third period to tie the game, but referee Brad Watson ruled Knuble had interfered with Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak and waved the goal off.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011447/9411167-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="2387" height="1893"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GREEN GHOSTS</b></p><p><b>Mike Green is one of the Caps whose game has dried up when the outcome matters most.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a consistent hockey team and you play hard, you get those bounces,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;I think we were a little naive and we would cheat a lot. You look at that series against Montreal and when we couldn&rsquo;t score goals, we couldn&rsquo;t figure it out. We always thought that if we could keep them down to three or four goals, we&rsquo;re usually going to score five or six and we&rsquo;ll be OK, but that&rsquo;s not the mentality you need to go far. And obviously, it didn&rsquo;t work for us.&rdquo;</p><p>The problem is the Capitals, throughout their long-term and recent histories, have choked in playoff series like a cat coughing up a hairball. Sooner or later, when you get that kind of reputation, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy &ndash; look at the Buffalo Bills. We&rsquo;ll give Washington a pass for 2008, when it lost Game 7 of its first round series with the Philadelphia Flyers on an overtime power play goal. The next year, the Caps won the first two games of the second round versus the Penguins and then choked so badly in Game 7 that they were down 5-0 just past the halfway point of the game. Last year, they had the Canadiens down and out, then forgot how to score and couldn&rsquo;t lock it down when they had to.</p><p>This is a franchise that is a pathetic 2-8 in go-on-if-you-win, go-home-if you-lose games in the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils &ndash; who came into the NHL the same season as the Capitals in the form of the Kansas City Scouts &ndash; are 6-7 in those games and they have three Stanley Cups. The Canadiens are just 17-14 in those games, but they&rsquo;re the Montreal Canadiens. Worse still, of the 23 times a team has trailed a series 3-1 and come back to win, four were done at the Capitals&rsquo; expense &ndash; that&rsquo;s the most of any franchise. It happened twice in the 1990s, both at the hands of the hated Penguins. In 1987, they were once again ahead 3-1 &ndash; this time to the New York Islanders &ndash; before losing Game 7 on a Pat LaFontaine goal in quadruple overtime.</p><p>Washington owner Ted Leonsis &ndash; who also owns the NBA&rsquo;s Washington Wizards &ndash; has a list of 101 things he&rsquo;d like to do before he dies and it&rsquo;s still very much uncertain whether he&rsquo;ll achieve No. 41 (Win a world championship) before he conquers No. 84 (Go into outer space) or No. 8 (Become a great-grandfather). Whether he does depends tremendously on whether his players will be able to rise to the occasion when it counts most and buy into the kind of hockey that needs to be played to win in the playoffs.</p><p>There are those who have their doubts about that, some of which were confirmed early this season. The Capitals have been saying all the right things about commitment to effort, but the top line of Backstrom between Ovechkin and Knuble was among the most scored-upon units at even strength in the league in the early part of the season, a situation that was exacerbated by various injuries to defensemen Green, Tom Poti and John Carlson.</p><p>&ldquo;I still think we have a lot of doubters,&rdquo; Knuble said. &ldquo;I think a lot of people think we&rsquo;re a smoke-and-mirrors show and it&rsquo;s up to us to prove those people wrong.&rdquo;</p><p>The problem the Capitals admittedly have is that for too long they&rsquo;ve relied almost solely on their mind-blowing talent to win games. Often, that&rsquo;s enough. Florida Panthers on a Tuesday night in February? No problem. But once the playoffs start, teams that score a lot and have a lethal power play have to find a way to win games when those things go dry. It would certainly help if the Capitals could find a way to put an opponent away. All four series they&rsquo;ve played in the Ovechkin era have gone seven games.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>If you&rsquo;re a consistent hockey team and you play hard, you get those bounces</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Mike Green</i></b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;All the little things talented teams do to win, they don&rsquo;t do,&rdquo; one veteran NHL observer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. &ldquo;Things like having a second man quick down low, getting into lanes and having sticks on the ice. You have to play a 200-foot game offensively and defensively and they have too many guys who play 100 feet. Maybe they can change that, but until they do, it will be 1-800-ADIOS.&rdquo;</p><p>If Boudreau&rsquo;s message isn&rsquo;t getting through to his players, it&rsquo;s not due to a lack of effort on his part. The Caps typically practice at home at 10:30 in the morning, but Boudreau can usually be found at his desk by 6:30 a.m., breaking down tape.</p><p>But while Boudreau can analyze every skate stride of every game, the sense is Washington will not win until its key players buy into the total on-ice commitment and stop thinking they simply have to touch their sticks to the ice before their top-heavy talent takes over. The last three playoffs have taught the club many hard lessons. The Caps were 32-0-4 in games in which they led after two periods last season, but some were a lot more adventurous than they had to be.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011393/9411160-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="2362" height="1925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PILING ON</b></p><p><b>Excitement has been the name of the game in Washington, but so has disappointment.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;Sometimes we play too loose,&rdquo; Boudreau said. &ldquo;Sometimes we have to score five goals to win when we can win 2-1. One of the things we&rsquo;re really focused on this year is if you get ahead 4-1 you want to win the game 4-1. You don&rsquo;t have to win it 6-4.&rdquo;</p><p>Since coming to the NHL after the lockout, Ovechkin has won one World Championship, which is hockey&rsquo;s equivalent of winning the NCAA basketball&rsquo;s NIT. In that time, he&rsquo;s had to watch Sidney Crosby win both a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. Countryman Evgeni Malkin not only won the Cup, he but also took the Conn Smythe as the most valuable player in the playoffs. Young stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have Cups and Olympic medals.</p><p>Ovechkin has nothing but his haul of individual awards &ndash; Hart, Rocket Richard, Art Ross and Ted Lindsay/Lester Pearson Trophies &ndash; to keep him warm at night. Even though he has scored 171 goals in the past three seasons and led the Capitals in playoff scoring in each of them, his leadership and playoff fortitude will continue to be questioned &ndash; the same way they were with superstars Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman in the past, the same way they are with Joe Thornton in San Jose today.</p><p>&ldquo;No, it is not all on my shoulders,&rdquo; Ovechkin said. &ldquo;We have 25 guys in the locker room and everybody can do what they can do. We just didn&rsquo;t play the last couple of playoffs well.&rdquo;</p><p>You could make the argument Ovechkin is the best player in the world. You could just as equally argue there wasn&rsquo;t much more Ovechkin could have done to prevent his team from going down to defeat &ndash; that his supporting cast has to be better. But as long as Ovechkin is the captain and has a 13-year contract, the focus will continue to be on him, just as it is from opposing checkers, many of whom have figured out Ovechkin often tries to do too much by himself and makes himself more predictable when his team gets into a hole. Those same checkers know that, despite the presence of an ultra-talented linemate in Backstrom, Ovechkin&rsquo;s almost always going to shoot &ndash; and if they clog that shooting lane, their chances of neutralizing him rise exponentially.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how he does it, how he handles it,&rdquo; Boudreau said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t handle the stuff he goes through on a daily basis, but he does and that&rsquo;s what separated Alex from ordinary men. I can watch him, but I can&rsquo;t begin to think how he does that because I would lose my mind, I think. The expectations people put on him are so high, they&rsquo;re unreasonable.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011407/9411153-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="2362" height="1639"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GET A GRIP</b></p><p><b>Backstrom and the Capitals couldn&rsquo;t get away from Mike Cammalleri&rsquo;s Habs last spring.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It may take time, but people around the Capitals are noticing a change in Ovechkin and some of his teammates. The days of watching the Caps whip around downtown D.C. on Segways are over. There&rsquo;s a far more businesslike attitude around the team and although Ovechkin hasn&rsquo;t actually become jaded, he&rsquo;s far less inclined to crack a joke. A rather critical unauthorized biography on Ovechkin, as well as the ascension of Crosby and others may have taken some of the bloom off the rose, too. Both Boudreau and Ovechkin have at times been portrayed as novelty acts, but that seems to be changing.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a much more businesslike atmosphere everywhere between (Ovechkin and Boudreau),&rdquo; Leonsis pointed out. &ldquo;They still enjoy themselves, but they know they have to meet expectations and I think Alex and Bruce have internalized that.&rdquo;</p><p>And it&rsquo;s not as if there&rsquo;s no sense of urgency in Washington, despite the fact the Capitals&rsquo; average age is just 26.4 years old and most of their core players are 25 or under. For starters, Knuble, Semin, Tomas Fleischmann, Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon and John Erskine are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the season.</p><p>It&rsquo;s almost impossible to keep a team top-heavy with elite players intact in the salary cap era. When that team wins a Stanley Cup, recent history has shown us that bodies pretty much have to start flying overboard right around the time the Stanley Cup parade makes its last turn &ndash; and even if they can keep the team together, every year they don&rsquo;t win is another season that slips away. And you&rsquo;d be surprised how quickly those seasons come and go.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>How long will the fans and front office put up with playoff disappointments?</b></blockquote><p>But more importantly, how long will the fans and front office put up with playoff disappointments? Unless the Capitals completely collapse during the season and need to make a desperation move, Boudreau&rsquo;s job is safe. But if he can&rsquo;t get the likes of Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Green to buy into a system that wins during the playoffs, you&rsquo;d have to think the Capitals would be at the end of the likeable-coach cycle and have to consider replacing him with a hard-ass in the Ken Hitchcock mold.</p><p>&ldquo;What happened to us last year slapped us right in the face,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to waste another year and we really don&rsquo;t want to waste another opportunity we have, especially with this group of guys. We have a talented team and a great coach. We have all the tools we need, but we have to put the puzzle together and we have to do it now.&rdquo;</p><p>Boudreau, meanwhile, has thought an awful lot about what he would say to his team if it were going into Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final and he&rsquo;s still struggling with that one. Among the 16 teams Boudreau played for as a professional was the 1984-85 Baltimore Skipjacks of the American League. They were in the Calder Cup final that spring and were down 3-2 to the Sherbrooke Canadiens going into Game 6 on the road. Gene Ubriaco was the coach of the Skipjacks and told the team before Game 6 that, no matter what happened in the game that night, he wanted the players to know how proud he was of them and how grateful he was to be associated with them.</p><p>The Skipjacks went out and lost Game 6.</p><p>&ldquo;Did he say that to show how he felt or because he thought we were going to lose?&rdquo; Boudreau said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve often fought with myself about using that before an elimination game.&rdquo;</p><p>Boudreau hopes he&rsquo;ll be in the position to make that gut-wrenching decision someday soon. And if the Capitals are paying more than lip service to their commitment, that day could come in about seven months.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-01

On the Clock

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02141/9412836-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="908" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHOENFELD: PORTNOY/HOCKEY HALL OF FAME)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0484/9412843-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="135" height="135"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Buffalo has gone back to its classic duds, modelled here in the mid-1970s by Jim Schoenfeld.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-02

Blast from the Past

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF VINNICK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012120/9410448-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Wild Scramble</b></p><p><b>Minnesota goalie Jose Theodore tries to pluck the puck from Canuck Daniel Sedin during his 2010-11 Wild debut.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0003-01

THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="byline">With JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012142/9410493-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="903" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>At the risk</b> of sounding immodest, we&rsquo;ve often thought The Hockey News shines most of the time. Now we know it does.</p><p>Welcome to the first issue of the all-glossy era of THN, one in which the photos will pop from the pages consistently, complementing a tweaked and vibrant lineup. It&rsquo;s our entry into the age of high-def, where the details in the layouts developed by art director Jamie Hodgson and designer Erika Vanderveer mirrors the depth in the articles.</p><p>The revamped content comes in response to a readers survey we conducted this past summer, one in which you told us overwhelmingly to focus on the NHL and its top-end prospects. So we are. Here&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;ll notice:</p><p><b>THE INBOX</b> Our updated Letters to the Editor section remains a fan forum, with your thoughts and opinions, the popular &ldquo;Ask Adam&rdquo; item, in which our columnist replies to your questions, and our online poll results.</p><p><b>INSIDE HOCKEY</b> The former &ldquo;Inside the NHL&rdquo; section widens the spectrum. While the majority of coverage will still be NHL-driven, the best and most compelling tales from elsewhere in our world will find a home here. We&rsquo;ve also moved up cartoonist Charlie Teljeur from the back pages. He&rsquo;s packing away his sock puppets in favor of a more biting, single-panel zinger.</p><p><b>NHL TEAM REPORTS</b> &ldquo;The Original 30&rdquo; each still has a voice, just some will speak louder than others in a given issue. Specifically, there are two full-page features <i>(one per conference)</i> accompanied by six spotlight players or teams <i>(one per division)</i>. These pieces are complemented by tidbits on every franchise, where we provide perspective to the news that affects your team. We&rsquo;ve also shifted the depth charts to accompany their corresponding team for easy reference and now include salary cap hits for each player on the roster.</p><p><b>PROSPECT REPORT</b> Get-to-know, analytical features replace our league notebook section, giving greater insight on the players destined for &ldquo;The Show.&rdquo;</p><p><b>OVERTIME</b> Senior writer Ken Campbell gets a new, anchored position at the back of the book, but don&rsquo;t expect him to take a back seat. He&rsquo;ll continue to get in people&rsquo;s grills, taking on all comers he deems worthy of calling out.</p><p>We hope you embrace the latest growth spurt of our 63-year evolution. If you&rsquo;d like to provide feedback, send a note to <i><a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a>.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021818/9410486-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>LISTEN UP!</b></p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW</b></p><p><b>FRIDAYS 3-4 EST XM 204</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031461/9410479-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="185" height="72"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> NOVEMBER 22, 2010</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-01

Our Gloss is Your Gain

<h2><b>Vegas a Bad Bet</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hy does Las Vegas keep popping up in conversations about relocation/expansion? This is not a knock on Vegas, but I lived there for years and when they had the IHL&rsquo;s Thunder, they didn&rsquo;t support them; they never sold out.</p><p>This was back in the 1990s when the Thunder had Curtis Joseph, Alexei Yashin, Ruslan Salei and Radek Bonk, all in their primes.</p><p>When the Thunder would make the playoffs, I could wait a week after tickets went on sale and buy a second row seat without issues.</p><p>Las Vegas could not support a star-studded minor league hockey team then, why now?</p><p>Hasn&rsquo;t the NHL learned its lesson yet that hockey does not work in warm weather/non-traditional markets?</p><p>A Las Vegas team may work for the first year, but the novelty is going to wear off. The NHL needs to put teams where there actually is a hockey fan base. Listen, I&rsquo;m an American, but I say this: Put teams where the love of hockey is, back in Canada.</p><p><i>Steve Clowers, Grand Terrace, Calif.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05476/9410576-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="445" height="608"></div><h2><b>Franchise Snub</b></h2><p>I just finished reading your special edition, Top 100 Players of All-Time by Position. It was a great read, but I can&rsquo;t help but feel Ron Francis deserves to be on your list.</p><p>He has the fourth-most points in history and ranks second in assists behind only Wayne Gretzky, yet Francis is left off the list in favor of someone like Sidney Crosby, who has only five seasons under his belt. I understand Francis does not have a lot of individual hardware, but Hart Trophies were hard to wrestle away from Gretzky.</p><p><i>Kenneth MacMillan, Halifax, N.B.</i></p><h2><b>Flame Out</b></h2><p>Calgary&rsquo;s goals-for has taken a dramatic drop in recent years. Having scored 251 goals in 2008-09, they dropped to just 201 last year and this year does not look much better.</p><p>Brent Sutter consistently focuses on a defense-style game even though they need goals to make the playoffs.</p><p>Playing defensive hockey does not win games; putting the puck in the net does.</p><p><i>Henry Smith, Invermere, B.C.</i></p><h2><b>Point of No Return</b></h2><p>Why does everyone with a solution to the NHL&rsquo;s points system want to hand out extra points left and right?</p><p>It&rsquo;s bad enough players like Martin Brodeur are padding their win totals with the shootout gimmick. NHL coaching is terrible as teams play not to lose instead of trying to win in this watered-down, over-expanded league.</p><p>If a team loses in regulation, overtime or a shootout they get zero points.</p><p>You lost. You don&rsquo;t deserve anything.</p><p><i>Jim Fix, Williamsville, N.Y.</i></p><h2><b>Shrink to Grow</b></h2><p>I think all NHL rosters should be set at 15 skaters and two goalies. Fans don&rsquo;t pay top dollar in order to watch the fourth line or fifth and sixth defenseman play.</p><p>With TV timeouts, 4-on-4 overtime and no substitutions on coincidental penalties, NHL teams do not need more than 15 skaters &ndash; any more is overkill.</p><p><i>Jeff Koopman, Campbell River, B.C.</i></p><h2><b>Monsters&rsquo; Mash</b></h2><p>I am shocked you guys picked the Lake Erie Monsters to finish sixth in your American League season preview.</p><p>The Monsters have plenty of talent like David Van der Gulik, Greg Mauldin, Jason Bacashihua and Patrick Bordeleau, just to name a few. With those players, they should finish in second place or third.</p><p><i>Kenny Callow, Madison, Ohio</i></p><h2><b>Death of NHL?</b></h2><p>There is talk the NHL will have another lockout in 2012. Give me a break. That&rsquo;s the year people say the world will end. It would also be the end of the hockey world.</p><p>The &rsquo;04-05 lockout hurt everyone: the players, the teams, the league and us fans. What can possibly be gained from another lost season? The answer is nothing.</p><p><i>Steven Ellis, Oakville, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>SOUNDING OFF</b></h2><p><b>Why does the NHL kick off the season in Europe? Where should I start? The buildings were full, which is more than I can say for Long Island, New Jersey, Atlanta, Colorado or Phoenix.</b></p><p><b>And check the scoring race every year because there are a lot of European players. Growing the game and giving a chance for people like myself, who, although weren&rsquo;t born in North America, still consider the Stanley Cup the Holy Grail of all sports, is a league gesture I appreciate.</b></p><p><b>Some of us love the NHL and the fact that we aren&rsquo;t able watch it day in and day out doesn&rsquo;t give North America exclusive rights to the NHL.</b></p><p><b><i>Mislav Jantoljak, Zagreb, Croatia</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012369/9410569-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="986" height="1160"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDREW FERENCE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FERENCE: BRIAN BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b><a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a> POLLRESULTS</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021602/9410562-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="78" height="78"></div><p>Who will win the Art Ross Trophy as the league&rsquo;s leading scorer in 2010-11?</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03946/9410555-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="474" height="514"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OVECHKIN: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04603/9410548-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="494" height="513"></div><p><b>Vote on polls from everything top to bottom in the world of hockey at <a href="http://thehockynews.com">thehockynews.com</a></b></p><p><b>Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-05

THN INBOX

<p><b>Hey Adam, do you think with Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury out with injuries the Rangers can contend for a playoff spot?</b></p><p><i>Noah Knopf, New York, N.Y.</i></p><p>Hey Noah: In today&rsquo;s NHL, you can never say a franchise doesn&rsquo;t have a chance to qualify for a post-season slot. But although the Rangers were off to a decent start to the season, I think the current injuries, along with the others that will surely occur as they do for every team during a season, will eventually reveal the lack of depth in New York&rsquo;s system.</p><p>They&rsquo;ll need significant help from all of their players &ndash; especially Henrik Lun-dqvist &ndash; to vie for a lower playoff seed.</p><p><b>Adam, please explain to me why a player who breaks his stick, instead of running around in his own end, doesn&rsquo;t immediately race to his bench, retrieve a new stick and within seconds be back in the play to help his teammates?</b></p><p><i>Bill Earle, Westminster, Colo.</i></p><p>Bill: If the player who has lost his stick is close enough, he normally does zip to the bench and grab a replacement. But if he isn&rsquo;t, or the play in his defensive end is controlled by the opposition, he has to keep his body on an opponent.</p><p>Otherwise, his return to the bench puts his team in a penalty-kill position &ndash; or, even worse, two men down.</p><p>No stick is worth that situation.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012120/9410607-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="768" height="798"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HENRIK LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Hey Adam, why does the NHL allow player contracts to be even partially front-loaded?</b></p><p><i>Mike Clark, Philadelphia</i></p><p>Hey Mike: The NHL allows front-loading because league owners did not include a specific rule against it in their CBA negotiations with the NHLPA.</p><p>There&rsquo;s much complaining &ndash; even in the wake of the new CBA provisions following the Ilya Kovalchuk fiasco this summer &ndash; now that certain GMs and owners have seen other GMs and owners exploit the loophole, but the primary focus of the owners at the time the CBA was agreed to was the implementation of a salary cap system and 46 percent of hockey-related revenues going into their coffers.</p><p>Submit your burning questions at <b><a href="http://THN.COM/ASKADAM">THN.com/askadam</a> |</b> Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021720/9410652-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="894" height="743"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXANDER SEMIN <span class="photo-credit">(SEMIN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04677/9410666-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="78" height="78"></div><p><b><a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></b></p><p><b>For a guy</b> who scored 408 goals in the NHL, Ray Ferraro didn&rsquo;t always have the best timing.</p><p>Ideally, a player&rsquo;s best output comes in a year when he&rsquo;s playing for a new contract. But motivation comes in different forms for different people and, in Ferraro&rsquo;s case, he performed better after receiving an endorsement rather than with the incentive of future negotiations. &ldquo;I just know from my own experience, I found it to be a great deal of stress,&rdquo; said Ferraro of playing in the final year of a contract. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know that I had any of my better years in those contract years. I know I had my two best years coming out of a year when I&rsquo;d just signed a contract.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div><p>&ldquo;For me, it even goes back to junior. I signed my NHL contract and then the next year I scored (a Western League-record) 108 goals. Bad timing.&rdquo;</p><p>Skating for scratch can be the impetus for a big year, but don&rsquo;t discount the anxiety players feel trying to prove their worth. New York Rangers goalie Martin Biron, who has signed free agent deals the past two summers, believes there is a correlation between how players handle a prove-it year and how they deal with post-season strain.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031212/9410645-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1032" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RICH MAN</b></p><p><b>Brad Richards is the most prominent player eligible to become a UFA next summer.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;ve got to just stop thinking about it, but it&rsquo;s hard,&rdquo; Biron said. &ldquo;Some guys can respond to it really well; it&rsquo;s like playoff performance.&rdquo;</p><p>The stakes are obviously not the same for every future free agent in the league. While some players are simply looking to land another gig, others want to make sure their full worth is revealed. &ldquo;Most players know who they are and what they are,&rdquo; Ferraro said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a year-to-year guy, the heat is always on and I think you probably grow accustomed to it. If you think you&rsquo;re a 35-goal scorer and then you score 22 goals in your UFA year, well then you&rsquo;re going to get nicked, it&rsquo;s not going to be what you want it to be.&rdquo;</p><p>Some intriguing names are once again set to hit the unrestricted free agent market on July 1, the most prominent belonging to Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars. A major bounce-back year in 2009-10 and productive start to this season mean the 30-year-old 2004 Conn Smythe winner will attract tons of attention, especially since the Stars&rsquo; murky ownership situations further thickens the plot in terms of his future with the club.</p><p>Good as Richards is, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine he won&rsquo;t still be in line for a pay cut due to the fact he averaged an annual salary of $7.8 million on his last pact.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to get a free agent offer, but he&rsquo;s not going to duplicate the money he&rsquo;s making,&rdquo; Ferraro said.</p><p>Other impact forwards eligible to become UFAs include St. Louis center David Backes and Washington sniper Alexander Semin. Ferraro believes the fact the Capitals already have so much money tied up in stars Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Back-strom and Mike Green makes it hard to imagine them bringing Semin back, meaning some GMs could be in for a sleepless night or two contemplating whether to invest in volatile stock.</p><p>&ldquo;Fantastic talent, but what are you getting day in and out?&rdquo; Ferraro said. &ldquo;With Alex Semin, it&rsquo;s going to be buyer beware.&rdquo;</p><p>As for other areas of the ice, Florida&rsquo;s Tomas Vokoun, the Leafs&rsquo; Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Colorado&rsquo;s Craig Anderson will all be trying to stiffen what&rsquo;s been a sagging UFA goalie market. Montreal&rsquo;s Andrei Markov will be the most enticing unrestricted defenseman, though he did sustain significant injuries in both the first and final games of last season. Other rearguards who could go to the highest bidder include Coyote Ed Jovanovski, Maple Leaf Tomas Kaberle and underrated Cane Joni Pitkanen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012260/9410638-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="291" height="293"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WILD: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>409</b> Consecutive sellouts by Minnesota, a streak that ended early this season<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

Contract Concerns

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM STEISS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012033/9410732-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="222" height="258"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Bobby Smith</b></h2><p><b>HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS,</b> QUEBEC LEAGUE</p><p><b>COACHING RECORD</b> 1-2-0</p><p><i>Taking over coaching duties from Cam Russell, the 15-year NHL veteran joins Patrick Roy as QMJHL coaches who also happen to be team owners.</i></p><h2><b>Hartsburg Surgery</b></h2><p>Craig Hartsburg has been diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm. The 51-year-old three-time NHL All-Star Game participant and NHL coach currently guides the Western League&rsquo;s Everett Silvertips. Hartsburg will undergo open-heart surgery this month.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021416/9410725-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="186" height="246"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARTSBURG: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It was determined the ex-defenseman needed surgery after his aorta showed signs of bulging, a condition that can be deadly if a rupture occurs. Associate coach Jay Varady will handle Hartsburg&rsquo;s duties along with Craig&rsquo;s son, Chris, a Silvertips assistant coach. Everett began the season 5-4-3.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04662/9410718-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="222" height="258"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROY: QUEBEC REMPARTS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Patrick Roy</b></h2><p><b>QUEBEC REMPARTS,</b> QUEBEC LEAGUE</p><p><b>COACHING RECORD</b> 230-109-22</p><p><i>Four-time Stanley Cup champion and NHL&rsquo;s all-time leader in playoff wins runs Remparts.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05496/9410711-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="222" height="258"></div><h2><b>Dale Hunter</b></h2><p><b>LONDON KNIGHTS,</b> ONTARIO LEAGUE</p><p><b>COACHING RECORD</b> 404-157-21-22</p><p><i>Coach-president guided Knights to a 59-7-2 record and a Memorial Cup in &rsquo;04-05.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06402/9410704-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="222" height="258"></div><h2><b>Doug Gilmour</b></h2><p><b>KINGSTON FRONTENACS,</b> ONTARIO LEAGUE</p><p><b>COACHING RECORD</b> 52-61-11</p><p><i>Hometown hero&rsquo;s first coaching stint saw him lead Kingston to the playoffs in 2009.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-07345/9410697-1-eng-US/f0009-072.jpg" title="f0009-07" width="222" height="258"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUNTER+GILMOUR+HAWERCHUK: AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Dale Hawerchuk</b></h2><p><b>BARRIE COLTS,</b> ONTARIO LEAGUE</p><p><b>COACHING RECORD</b> 2-8-1</p><p><i>One-time Memorial Cup MVP is one of 10 former NHLers coaching in the OHL this year.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

Big Bench Brains

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03873/9410763-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="566" height="630"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>FLASH FORWARD</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>eemu Selanne</b>&nbsp;<i>racks up goal No. 611 to pass the legendary Bobby Hull for 15th on the all-time list. Next up is former teammate Joe Sakic at 625.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>BAD BEHAVIOR</b></h3><p><i>Rick Rypien gets six games for grabbing a Minnesota Wild fan, adding to the early rash of suspensions for a variety of indiscretions.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>RED RUN HITS NEW HIGH</b></h3><p><i>Red Berenson, in his 27th season as coach at Michigan, wins his 700th game, becoming just the sixth NCAA coach to hit that plateau. No D-I bench boss reached the mark faster.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>SAGGING ATTENDANCE</b></h3><p><i>The sea of empty seats is growing in places like Atlanta, Dallas, Columbus and Phoenix.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012231/9410794-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

The Instigator

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANTHONY LOPOPOLO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021625/9410825-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="415" height="502"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHARRON: PAUL ANGERS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Craig Charron wasn&rsquo;t born in Rochester, but his life will be best remembered for the years he spent there.</p><p>&ldquo;He left a mark here in Rochester, more so as a person than a player &ndash; and he was a phenomenal player,&rdquo; said former teammate Jody Gage.</p><p>Charron, who died Oct. 19 of stomach cancer at age 42, was an active Rochesterian, donating his time to local charities and coaching youth hockey. He totaled 435 points in 490 games during nine American League seasons, including a career high 43 goals and 95 points for Rochester in 1995-96. He never played in the NHL.</p><p>The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder from North Easton Mass., earned a scholarship to UMass-Lowell and was inducted into the school&rsquo;s hall of fame Oct. 22., two years after the Amerks honored him.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

Craig Charron

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031035/9410856-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="990" height="530"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAMP: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>f it was any secret</b> GMs and power brokers were disenchanted with the rising role of the shootout in solving games, it wasn&rsquo;t after this summer&rsquo;s research & development camp the league organized to test out proposed changes to the structure.</p><p>Former Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock was behind the bench guiding 17-year-old draft prospects in that camp. When asked what he thought of the new proposal from Red Wings GM Ken Holland &ndash; an expansion of overtime to eight minutes: 4-on-4 play the first four minutes, then 3-on-3 for the remaining four &ndash; Hitchcock was unequivocal in his support for anything that leads to more team-based ends to games. &ldquo;For me, the focus should be letting your team decide the outcome,&rdquo; said Hitchcock, who works with Blue Jackets&rsquo; collegiate and Western Canadian-based prospects. &ldquo;When you can include more than one player from your team in deciding the game, I think that&rsquo;s a good idea.&rdquo;</p><p>San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson agrees. He understands the shootout was conceived for its entertainment value, but added that because of parity and the importance of tie-breakers in the standings, Holland&rsquo;s plan is &ldquo;absolutely&rdquo; something he supports</p><p>Hitchcock believes the long change tested at the R&D camp (the player bench at the far end of a team&rsquo;s defending zone) will significantly impact settling games before shootouts. &ldquo;The 4-on-4 really worked with the long change,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was pleasantly surprised at the number of scoring chances we had because of that; the goalies got involved and you had tired players on the ice who had trouble defending.</p><p>&ldquo;When we went to 3-on-3&hellip;that was wild. It ended up being just a series of 2-on-1s. Most times the game will end relatively quickly.&rdquo;</p><p>Hitchcock points to fans as a reason to de-emphasize &ndash; but not eliminate &ndash; the shootout. &ldquo;The shootout is definitely part of the game&hellip;and an exciting part of the game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s a different energy in the building if you decide the game in a sudden-death format. When you win in overtime and you&rsquo;re the home team, the building just erupts.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

Overhaul Overtime

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>wo of the NHL&rsquo;s</b> four oldest goalies, the others being Martin Brodeur and Chris Osgood, are linked not only by their ages, but by the fact one succeeded the other as Edmonton&rsquo;s top stopper.</p><p>Dwayne Roloson, 41, left the Oilers in 2009 and Nikolai Khabibulin, 37, was signed to replace him as the No. 1 man.</p><p>A season and some later, it&rsquo;s the Canadian, not the Russian, who&rsquo;s been better. Roloson and his Islanders were one of 2010-11&rsquo;s early surprises and the oldest netminder in the league was one of the main reasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012178/9410894-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="665" height="939"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DWAYNE ROLOSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ROLOSON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>Age</i></p><p><b>41 | 37</b></p><p><i>Games Played</i></p><p><b>4 | 7</b></p><p><i>Record</i></p><p><b>2-2-0 | 2-4-1</b></p><p><i>Goals-Against Average</i></p><p><b>2.23 | 3.28</b></p><p><i>Save Percentage</i></p><p><b>.925 | .900</b></p><p><i>Shutouts</i></p><p><b>0 | 1</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021706/9410887-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="549" height="860"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KHABIBULIN: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

VS. ROLOSON VS. KHABIBULIN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; Jonathan Davis</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031097/9410925-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="895" height="1593"></div><p>This year&rsquo;s NHL draft highlighted the growth of hockey in Southern California, a trend that doesn&rsquo;t look like its going to dry up.</p><p>At the home of the L.A. Kings practice facility, the squirt division all-star team looks powerful with the sons of Valeri Bure, Jamie Storr, Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson, Glen Murray and Pat Brisson all padding the roster.</p><p>The dads are involved in coaching, providing superb teaching skills not only for their kids, but the entire team; a decided advantage for sure.</p><p>Down in Anaheim, the Wildcats are coached by Scott Niedermayer and Craig Johnson.</p><p>Each spring, the two teams combine their top players for tournaments around North America. Youth hockey in SoCal has never been better.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-03

SoCal Hockey

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANDREW GOYENS</div><p><b>The Western League</b> is known for many things, including, er, interesting player names.</p><p>And none tops that of Brandon Wheat Kings left winger &ndash; get this &ndash; Wheaton King.</p><p>The 18-year-old grew up in Elgin, Man., just outside of &ndash; you guessed it &ndash; Brandon. He swears his parents didn&rsquo;t name him after the hometown team, but for the wheat farm he was raised on. The 6-foot-3, 182-pound rookie models his game after Joe Thornton and it&rsquo;s paying off &ndash; King&rsquo;s eight points in 14 games had him third on the team, behind only NHL draftees Mark Stone and Scott Glennie.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05459/9410956-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="664" height="669"><figcaption class="caption-body">WHEATON KING</figcaption></div><h2><b>Wacky Names From the &lsquo;Dub&rsquo;</b></h2><p><b>Steele Boomer</b> (Kootenay Ice)</p><p><b>Teal Burns</b> (Portland Winterhawks)</p><p><b>Jagger Dirk</b> (Kootenay Ice)</p><p><b>Bronson Maschmeyer</b> (Kamloops Blazers)</p><p><b>Boston Leier</b> (Medicine Hat Tigers)</p><p><b>Drydn Dow</b> (Tri-City Americans)<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-05

Brandon-ed for Life

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>Since its inception, the Kontinental Hockey League has strived to pay special attention to the health of its players</i></b></blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04653/9410987-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="287" height="267"></div><p><b>&ndash; PART OF A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE KHL TWO YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF ALEXEI CHEREPANOV, 19, WAS PARTLY ATTRIBUTED TO FAULTY MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND MISSING MEDICAL PERSONNEL, AND A YEAR AFTER MARTIN KARIYA WAS CARRIED OFF THE ICE ON A TARP AFTER SUSTAINING A CONCUSSION.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-04

WHAT THE What?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012153/9411032-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he mere fact</b> the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia (Jr. A) League employ a set of triplets on their roster is an interesting footnote, but when all three brothers scored in one game, history books were consulted.</p><p>The 17-year-old Fitzgerald brothers &ndash; Myles, Leo and Gerry &ndash; all tallied for the Clippers in a 10-2 drubbing of the Prince George Spruce Kings Oct. 8. Myles got the ball rolling midway through the first period on an admittedly fluky wrist shot that somehow found its way through the five-hole. One minute later, it was Leo&rsquo;s turn, this time on a penalty shot.</p><p>&ldquo;It really put an exclamation mark on his skill,&rdquo; said Nanaimo coach Bill Bestwick. &ldquo;He turned the goalie inside out. He didn&rsquo;t disappoint in the spotlight.&rdquo;</p><p>When Gerry tallied midway through the third, the triplets had made history, even if they didn&rsquo;t realize it at the time. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know,&rdquo; Myles said. &ldquo;But it was pretty awesome.&rdquo;</p><p>While the Fitzgerald brothers do sometimes play together &ndash; Miles on the right, Leo on the left and Gerry down the middle &ndash; they&rsquo;re not an ironclad unit. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not afraid to play all three together,&rdquo; Bestwick noted, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s not our first choice.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021616/9411025-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="1032" height="481"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031095/9411018-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="1032" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TRIPLE THREAT</b></p><p><b>Gerry, top, Leo, middle and Myles Fitzgerald are rookies with the Nanaimo Clippers.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(TRIPLETS: COURTESY OF NANAIMO CLIPPERS)</span></figcaption></div><p>In fact, the trio weren&rsquo;t even on the same team last season. A Hockey Canada rule regarding the number of 16-year-olds on one team meant Myles and Leo played for Nanaimo&rsquo;s Jr. B affiliate, while Gerry plied his trade in Victoria. The triplets even faced each other on the ice. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d battle against each other once in a while,&rdquo; Myles said.</p><p>But united once again this year in Nanaimo, the triplets are trying to make a name for themselves based on play, not DNA.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re all pretty similar,&rdquo; Bestwick said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re waterbugs; skilled and they see the ice well. Very good cerebral cognitive sense.&rdquo;</p><p>And that sense of awareness and vision on the ice is a necessity. Gerry is the biggest Fitzgerald at 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, with the other two either an inch or five pounds less. Because of the light frames, the triplets are often targets for opponents. &ldquo;Guys like to take runs at them,&rdquo; Bestwick said. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;re survivors.&rdquo;</p><p>They&rsquo;re also brothers, which means lots of competition and chirping within the family. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re really personable and really hard on each other,&rdquo; Bestwick said. &ldquo;They hold each other accountable.&rdquo;</p><p>The dream for the Fitzgeralds is a future in NCAA hockey and while they would love to play together, Myles noted it wouldn&rsquo;t be the end of the world if they split up. Bestwick has faith in his charges and has fielded interest from different college programs already.</p><p>&ldquo;I honestly believe they have the skill and skating capacity to compete at a higher level,&rdquo; Bestwick said.</p><p>As for all three tallying in a game again this season? &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to see it every game,&rdquo; he laughed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Triplet Time

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>The &lsquo;Chocaltier,&rsquo; yeah, he&rsquo;s a fan of the chocolate. Mark Streit&rsquo;s not too happy, though, he thinks he&rsquo;s the chocaltier.</i></b></blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04751/9411077-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="425" height="346"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05513/9411070-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="270" height="249"></div><p><b>&ndash;ISLANDERS CAPTAIN DOUG WEIGHT ON THE CULINARY BATTLE BETWEEN SWISS SKATERS NINO NIEDERREITER AND MARK STREIT <i>(RIGHT)</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06401/9411063-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="840" height="916"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ISLANDERS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-04

BATTLING Chocolatiers

<div class="byline">WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021478/9411115-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE HOME TEAM</b></p><p><b>Shea Weber (center) and his Preds can thank a local group for keeping them in Nashville.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011923/9411122-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen then</b>-AOL executive Ted Leonsis bought the Washington Capitals in 1999, he was asked by <i>USA Today</i> whether he would be involved in running the NHL team. &ldquo;No,&rdquo; Leonsis answered. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be the fat guy with the cigar in the owner&rsquo;s box yelling and screaming.&rdquo;</p><p>More than 11 years later, Leonsis is far more than that to the Capitals: he leaves the hockey decisions to his hockey people, but has become one of the most vibrant members of the NHL&rsquo;s ownership community &ndash; and through his blog, movie-making and charitable endeavors, certainly its most visible.</p><p>What makes a successful businessman such as Leonsis decide he wants to put his millions into a hockey team?</p><p>The investment is definitely not the gateway to gazillions, as we see in the hot-potato-esque example of the Phoenix Coyotes taking years, not months, to find a new owner, or when we look at the distinct lack of lineup forming to purchase the for-sale Dallas Stars.</p><p>So if ownership of a team isn&rsquo;t a license to print money, what provides these fantastically rich men with the impetus to purchase an NHL franchise?</p><p>&ldquo;First and foremost, I&rsquo;m a very competitive person,&rdquo; Leonsis said, &ldquo;and when you&rsquo;re in business, there&rsquo;s always a discussion or grey area about, &lsquo;is your company better than that company?&rsquo; &ndash; and the way you score that question is always very different.&rdquo;</p><p>The NHL, on the other hand, establishes a hierarchy that is as clear-cut as it gets. &ldquo;The unbelievably great thing &ndash; the sobering thing, but the exciting thing &ndash; about sports is that one team wins a championship and every other team in that league is a loser,&rdquo; Leonsis said. &ldquo;And there is such clarity in winning a championship; that really appealed to that part of my personality.&rdquo;</p><p>But there is a deeper, more meaningful aspect to life as a team owner. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just about success as defined by wins and losses, or revenues or sales,&rdquo; Leonsis said. &ldquo;We have an unbelievably compelling venture that, when you win a championship, you&rsquo;re honestly responsible for creating lifetime memories. And that&rsquo;s a very, very unique, almost one-of-a-kind business to enter.</p><p>&ldquo;No one remembers AOL Version 3.0, which probably generated $10 billion in revenues, but if you win a championship, it galvanizes your community and it&rsquo;s indelible, the memories that husbands and wives and fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and friends use as a reference point for their whole life.&rdquo;</p><p>By contrast, Nashville Predators co-owner and chairman Tom Cigarran bought into the league primarily because the Preds needed a number of local businessmen to pool their resources and save the franchise from possible relocation.</p><p>&ldquo;I did it originally because the city wanted to keep the team and it&rsquo;s just a great game, and it&rsquo;s good for Nashville,&rdquo; said Cigarran, who replaced David Freeman as the public face of the franchise earlier this year. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t want them to leave, but I didn&rsquo;t have any interest in getting actively involved. So I made the investment because I was asked to make it. And almost immediately, it was amazing &ndash; and it had nothing to do with the money &ndash; it became the highest stress component of my life.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no real explanation for it, but for some reason the intensity of interest just escalated.&rdquo;</p><p>Cigarran built his fortune creating and managing health industry companies for the past 45 years, yet was astonished by the complexities of an NHL franchise.</p><p>&ldquo;The health care business is not without its complications,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very complex business. But taking care of a hockey team and an arena is the most complex business I&rsquo;ve ever come across.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;re running an arena; you&rsquo;re booking acts; you have a hockey team with hockey operations, which is a world of its own; and then you have the business side. You have to know about selling radio ads and TV ads, all the different media, tickets, all different levels of tickets to all different kinds of people. The challenge is enormous.&rdquo;</p><p>Leonsis and Cigarran both believe the best approach an NHL team owner can take is to lay the groundwork for success and provide as much support as possible &ndash; and hire the appropriate people to make the hockey decisions.</p><p>&ldquo;When we thought about making the investment, we wanted to save the team for the city, but we were not on a kamikaze mission if it wasn&rsquo;t going to work,&rdquo; said Cigarran, who hired Jeff Cogen away from the Dallas Stars to be Nashville&rsquo;s CEO and convinced Sean Henry to leave the Tampa Bay Lightning to become the Preds&rsquo; president and COO. &ldquo;And the consistency of the management team that was already in place was a huge strength.&rdquo;</p><p>Part of the trick of leadership, Cigarran said, is in knowing your weaknesses.</p><p>&ldquo;We sat down and said there isn&rsquo;t anybody here who can take the role of CEO and run this team from day to day,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The model we&rsquo;re going to use is the more corporate model where there&rsquo;s a CEO and a COO and they run the team away from ownership&hellip;because, frankly, we are totally unequipped to do it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011689/9411108-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="1059" height="717"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREG FIUME/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I&rsquo;ll be the fat guy with the cigar in the owner&rsquo;s box yelling and screaming</b></blockquote><p>Adds Leonsis, who branched out into the sports ownership realm by purchasing the NBA&rsquo;s Washington Wizards this year: &ldquo;As an owner, your job is to set the strategy, articulate the vision, provide the resources, then to be very, very passionate and an advocate for your team, your product, your service. If you&rsquo;re obsessive about all the things that are in your control, you&rsquo;re creating a culture that will allow excellence and success to flourish.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel that&rsquo;s what I do mostly. I can&rsquo;t play, but I can make sure the players&rsquo; locker room is really clean and the water in their showers is hot.</p><p>&ldquo;And I believe that, culturally, that philosophy is now really coming across; players know we&rsquo;re committed to building something special in Washington &ndash; not only for the immediate future, but for good.&rdquo;</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU? READ ADAM&rsquo;S BLOG ONLY ON <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Money’s Great, Glory is Better

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011267/9411219-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="247" height="445"></div><p>2009-10: Washington Capitals (54-15-13) <b><i>Lost 1st round (MTL)</i></b></p><p>2008-09: San Jose Sharks (53-18-11) <b><i>Lost 1st round (ANA)</i></b></p><p>2007-08: Detroit Red Wings (54-21-7) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>2006-07: Buffalo Sabres (53-22-7) <b><i>Lost 3rd round (OTT)</i></b></p><p>2005-06: Detroit Red Wings (58-16-8) <b><i>Lost 1st round (EDM)</i></b></p><p>2003-04: Detroit Red Wings (48-21-11-2) <b><i>Lost 2nd round (CGY)</i></b></p><p>2002-03: Ottawa Senators (52-21-8-1) <b><i>Lost 3rd round (NJ)</i></b></p><p>2001-02: Detroit Red Wings (51-17-10-4) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>2000-01: Colorado Avalanche (52-16-10-4) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>1999-00: St. Louis Blues (51-19-11-1) <b><i>Lost 1st round (SJ)</i></b></p><p>1998-99: Dallas Stars (51-19-12) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>1997-98: Dallas Stars (49-22-11) <b><i>Lost 3rd round (DET)</i></b></p><p>1996-97: Colorado Avalanche (49-24-9) <b><i>Lost 3rd round (DET)</i></b></p><p>1995-96: Detroit Red Wings (62-13-7) <b><i>Lost 3rd round (COL)</i></b></p><p>1994-95: Detroit Red Wings (33-11-4) <b><i>Lost final (NJ)</i></b></p><p>1993-94: New York Rangers (52-24-8) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>1992-93: Pittsburgh Penguins (56-21-7) <b><i>Lost 2nd round (NYI)</i></b></p><p>1991-92: New York Rangers (50-25-5) <b><i>Lost 2nd round (PIT)</i></b></p><p>1990-91: Chicago Blackhawks (49-23-8) <b><i>Lost 1st round (MIN)</i></b></p><p>1989-90: Boston Bruins (46-25-9) <b><i>Lost final (EDM)</i></b></p><p>1988-89: Calgary Flames (54-17-9) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>1987-88: Calgary Flames (48-23-9) <b><i>Lost 2nd round (EDM)</i></b></p><p>1986-87: Edmonton Oilers (50-24-6) <b><i>Won Stanley Cup</i></b></p><p>1985-86: Edmonton Oilers (56-17-7) <b><i>Lost 2nd round (CGY)</i></b></p><p><b>Lost 1st round: 5 | Lost 2nd round: 5 | Lost 3rd round: 5 Lost final: 2 | Won Stanley Cup: 7</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

Playoff Runs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; John Grigg</div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>uring the pre-season, THN talked to Versus analyst, Stanley Cup-winner and former NHL coach Ed Olczyk about the Washington Capitals and their chances of winning the Cup this season. Classify him as a hopeful doubter.</p><p>Olczyk was quick to point out the same questions that dogged the Caps in 2009-10 remained as this season neared. &ldquo;Can they defend well enough?&rdquo; he asked rhetorically. &ldquo;And their goaltending might even be a bigger question mark now, with (Jose Theodore) out of there and going with (Michal) Neuvirth and (Semyon) Varlamov.</p><p>&ldquo;They couldn&rsquo;t adapt when they needed to in the playoffs to change the momentum or win a game&hellip; Do they have the personnel to be able to adapt when the game goes to a station-to-station or to a dump-and-retreat type of game, or just a muck-and-grind type of game in the corners?</p><p>&ldquo;When you have world-class thoroughbreds,&rdquo; Olczyk said, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s hard to not allow them to play and showcase their ability.&rdquo;</p><p>Motivating players to change their style and making tactical changes falls under the auspices of Bruce Boudreau and his staff, and it will be their job this year to pound that into his players, but Olczyk is also right when he says: &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve been dealt a hand in the type of players you have and (it&rsquo;s tough) to take them out of their comfort zone. There&rsquo;s a way to play come playoff time and sometimes you get on those railroad tracks and you can&rsquo;t get off.&rdquo;</p><p>But, then, what to do? Simple answer: Make those changes during the regular season. It&rsquo;s a lot easier to adapt your style when you&rsquo;ve already done it. &ldquo;One thing I&rsquo;d like to see is for them to play a couple of different styles,&rdquo; Olczyk said, &ldquo;because, for the most part, it&rsquo;s one way and one way only.&rdquo;</p><p>Early this season, the stats have shown the Caps are making those adaptations. Their scoring had dropped by more than a goal per game and their goals-against was down by almost half a goal. Defensively, that doesn&rsquo;t sound like much at first blush, but it had them jumping from the middle of the pack to the top five in that category.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the big picture for the Washington Capitals is that they need to take the next step,&rdquo; Olczyk said. &ldquo;This is a gigantic year for a lot of different reasons.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

The 82-game acid test

<div class="byline">BY RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011385/9411295-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HAD IT BOTH WAYS</b></p><p><b>Jean-Sebastien Giguere has been the No. 1 man for leaky lineups and stingy squads.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ake 10 steps</b> in any touristy part of Thailand and you&rsquo;ll quickly discover somebody not from that country wearing a T-shirt that reads, &ldquo;same same, but different.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a reference to how local vendors try to peddle goods to visitors by assuring them a certain item is exactly what they&rsquo;re looking for, despite the trepidation of potential buyers. Looking for a pair of leather boots, but being shown a set of high-top Chuck Taylors? Don&rsquo;t worry, they&rsquo;ll say, &ldquo;same same, but different.&rdquo; Get it?</p><p>You have to wonder if that &ldquo;same same&rdquo; sentiment perfectly encapsulates how Jean-Sebastien Giguere felt tending goal in Anaheim in 2003 and 2007. And if, in those two seasons, he came to perfectly understand the distinction between being a goalie who&rsquo;s swatting shots away left, right and center, versus filling the role Ken Dryden made famous in the late 1970s by fighting through cold feet to make a big third-period save after being stationary for two thirds of the game. In &rsquo;03, Giguere was asked to make an average of 34.1 saves in 15 playoffs wins for the Mighty Ducks, which, of course, is one victory short of the magic championship number. Because he was able to do that playing behind a defense corps that featured Keith Carney, Sandis Ozolinsh and Ruslan Salei at the top, Giguere became one of five players in history to be named playoff MVP without wining the Cup. Four years later, Anaheim was less mighty in name only. With Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer and Francois Beauchemin anchoring the blueline, &lsquo;Jiggy&rsquo; &ndash; with a little help from Ilya Bryzgalov in the early rounds &ndash; led the Ducks to the Cup by turning aside 22.3 shots per game in his 13 wins.</p><p>A good portion of the workforce would be happy to arrive at a job where little is asked of them each morning, but that&rsquo;s not necessarily true of goalies because it&rsquo;s far easier to stay sharp when you&rsquo;re seeing lots of shots versus standing still for long stretches at a time. Being asked to make a few timely saves also indicates a puckstopper is on a strong club, meaning, in some ways, the stakes are often higher than they are for a guy who&rsquo;s fighting just to make his team look respectable. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different kind of challenge,&rdquo; Giguere said of playing on a team where the goalie is expected to stand tall at big moments interspersed throughout the contest. &ldquo;In the long run, it&rsquo;s better because if you find a way to deal with it you&rsquo;ll be a lot more rested and you have a better chance to win at the end of the game, because that means you&rsquo;ve out-shot the other team most of the time.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011226/9411288-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1401" height="1036"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE MIGHTIEST DUCK</b></p><p><b>Giguere was a Stanley Cup loser in &rsquo;03, but was named playoffs MVP with 34.1 saves per win.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ELSA/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>HIS PREPARATION WAS SECOND TO NONE.</b> HE WAS STRONG MENTALLY, HE WAS IN EVERY GAME. YOU NEVER HAD TO WORRY ABOUT HIM BEING UNPREPARED MENTALLY.<br><b>&ndash; KELLY HRUDEY</b></blockquote><p>Giguere isn&rsquo;t the first goalie to transition from show-stopping frontman to beat-keeping drummer. The aforementioned Dryden basically won the Canadiens the Cup in 1971 before claiming five more in a much different role.</p><p>Billy Smith has said he used to think Dryden was living the Life of Riley with the Habs when Smith was watching from afar and getting peppered nightly as a member of the lowly Islanders. Then his team turned a massive corner and Smith came to understand the challenges Dryden faced while being expected to make that handful of pivotal saves-per-game a dynasty team asks of its goalie.</p><p>Kelly Hrudey went to Long Island near the end of Smith&rsquo;s great tenure there and said &lsquo;Battlin&rsquo; Billy&rsquo; got in gear long before the game ever started, a trait crucial to succeeding in the less-is-more model.</p><p>&ldquo;His preparation was second to none,&rdquo; said Hrudey, the former NHL-goalie-turned-analyst for <i>Hockey Night in Canada</i>. &ldquo;He was strong mentally, he was in every game. You never had to worry about him being unprepared. So, for me, I was learning from the master, really, about that part of the game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011395/9411281-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1364" height="1881"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CHANGE OF HEART</b></p><p><b>Billy Smith thought seeing few shots was easy; that changed when his Islanders got good.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>But not every teammate Hrudey played alongside soaked things up at the same rate. So much of being ready for that sudden chance in the slot is about doing your homework as a goalie; knowing a shooter&rsquo;s tendency, understanding what opponents like to do with the puck.</p><p>Players at other positions, though, can get by on far less. &ldquo;With all due respect to the skaters, some of the more ordinary ones put very little preparation into their game,&rdquo; Hrudey said. &ldquo;All the great ones I ever played with, their preparation was similar to a top goaltender. But it never ceased to amaze me when there would be guys more in the position of a role player and they might even ask something like, after the first period, &lsquo;Who&rsquo;s playing goal for the other team?&rsquo; I&rsquo;m serious. It used to drive me crazy thinking, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s how much preparation you&rsquo;ve put into this so far?&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>The metamorphosis Giguere and others have undergone isn&rsquo;t one every goalie can successfully make. Curtis Joseph was the primary reason teams in St. Louis, Edmonton and Toronto consistently advanced a round or two in the playoffs, yet two years with a top-flight outfit in Detroit landed him a 4-8 playoff record and just one series victory. (In fairness to &lsquo;Cujo,&rsquo; his first year as a Wing was 2003, when the team was stunned by Giguere and the Ducks.) When Roberto Luongo was single-handedly keeping Florida afloat year after year, it was assumed any reasonably competent team that traded for him was in for a one-way ticket to the Promised Land. Ask Vancouver Canucks fans how that&rsquo;s worked out.</p><p>For his part, Hrudey doesn&rsquo;t believe either of those goalies were or are incapable of adjusting. It&rsquo;s just a matter of circumstance and making your game malleable to fit the new reality. &ldquo;I think everybody can be conditioned,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult and you&rsquo;ll have major growing pains, but I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of guys be in both situations and be able to adapt.&rdquo;</p><p>Which brings us to another Florida savior. Tomas Vokoun was traded to the Panthers in the summer of 2007. During his first year there, the Cats surrendered an average of 33.6 shots per game, the second-highest total in the league. The past two years, Florida has given up the most average shots per game, 34.7 in 2008-09 and 34.1 last season. Things were a little more manageable early this campaign with the Panthers holding teams to 27.6 shots each contest though seven games, but it still begs the question about how Vokoun will fare if he signs with a contender as an unrestricted free agent this summer, or is dealt to one before the Feb. 28 trade deadline, as some believe he will be.</p><p>Craig Anderson saw more rubber than any other NHL goalie last year, staring down 2,233 pucks while leading the Colorado Avalanche to a surprise playoff berth. As a former Panther, he witnessed first-hand what Vokoun does in the blue paint. &ldquo;Playing in Florida, we didn&rsquo;t have many nights where we gave up 20 or less shots, I mean it just didn&rsquo;t happen,&rdquo; said Anderson, also a potential UFA next summer. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s able to make that game-breaking save at any time. He&rsquo;s the reason Florida has had an opportunity to be where they&rsquo;ve been the last couple years, being on the borderline of being a playoff team. Without him they&rsquo;re definitely bottom of the basement every time.&rdquo;</p><p>Vokoun acknowledged getting constant action helps him stay in the groove, but isn&rsquo;t concerned with alternative scenarios. &ldquo;Obviously it&rsquo;s better for a goalie, just like everybody, to be part of the play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You get some shots, it keeps you in the game. You don&rsquo;t have to sit there and wait 10 minutes for a shot, then have to stop it. But some nights you get 15 shots, some nights you get 45. You just have to be able to deal with both.&rdquo;</p><p>Anderson doesn&rsquo;t see his old teammate having any trouble with that. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s got the leadership and maturity that if he did go to a team that only gave up 20 shots, he&rsquo;d thrive on that also,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a top-tier goaltender who could do pretty much anything asked of him.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011278/9411274-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1398" height="1133"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FIRED ON IN FLORIDA</b></p><p><b>Tomas Vokoun has played a lot for a team that has given up a lot of shots in recent seasons.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Some are quick to point out that scoring chances, not just total pucks flung on goal, are the true barometer of how difficult a goalie&rsquo;s job is. Hrudey isn&rsquo;t convinced.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I buy that as much as some other people,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The way the guys shoot the puck today, I don&rsquo;t see a lot of shots on goal that are just throwaways. There are definitely some, but everybody shoots the puck hard. I don&rsquo;t care where you&rsquo;re shooting from, a hard shot is still a hard shot.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s a bottom-line statement any goalie can relate to. Henrik Lundqvist, the always-busy masked man for the Rangers, made another when he summed up his feelings on the ideal working conditions. &ldquo;I like a lot of action, but it comes down to winning,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if it&rsquo;s 60 shots or 10 shots, as long as you&rsquo;re winning, I feel great.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

Top Stoppers Like Action, Prefer Wins

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011367/9411326-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SWEDE HANDS</b></p><p><b>The Stars are counting on a crop of young players to contribute, including sniper Loui Eriksson.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>They aren&rsquo;t</b> getting measured for Stanley Cup rings yet, but there is a quiet confidence building within the Dallas Stars organization.</p><p>When the Stars opened the season with four consecutive wins, it took the focus off the organization&rsquo;s very public financial woes and also hushed, at least temporarily, the many critics who felt Dallas would continue to spiral in the Western Conference standings. The Stars finished 20th last season and have missed the playoffs the past two years.</p><p>To be fair to those who counted the Stars among the teams that will miss the playoffs, there really wasn&rsquo;t much about this team to suggest otherwise. And yet, through eight games, Dallas was 5-4-0. Not bad for a team many experts selected to finish near the bottom.</p><p>&ldquo;I actually came in quite confident about our group,&rdquo; said second-year GM Joe Nieuwendyk, the playoff MVP when Dallas won the Stanley Cup in 1998-99. &ldquo;It is the second year with me&hellip;the second year with our coach, Marc Crawford. We have the addition of a great associate coach in Willie Desjardins and it&rsquo;s our first full year with Kari in goal.&rdquo;</p><p>Kari is Kari Lehtonen, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NHL draft by the Atlanta Thrashers who has mostly been an underachiever through five big league seasons. He has been injury prone and there was a feeling he never got himself into proper condition to reach his potential. And yet the Stars elected to roll the dice on Lehtonen and let Marty Turco, the club&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie the past seven years, walk.</p><p>&ldquo;We have a pretty good goaltender back there right now,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; captain Brendan Morrow. &ldquo;I love Marty and I would never say a bad word about him, but this guy just makes it look easy. Even in practice he gives you nothing. You just hope you ricochet something off him and it goes in&hellip;he&rsquo;s that good.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know much about him before he got here other than he was a high draft pick and a bit of a Band-Aid because he was never really healthy. A few weeks ago, we went to dinner and he told me in the past he thought he worked out hard in the summer, but he said to me, &lsquo;I really didn&rsquo;t.&rsquo; After he had back surgery, he hired a trainer and really did train this summer and that&rsquo;s when he realized he hadn&rsquo;t been putting the work in that he really needed.&rdquo;</p><p>The Stars were outshot in each of their first four games, a total of 146-90, but they won them all &ndash; one in overtime and two in shootouts. Lehtonen was brilliant in all four games.</p><p>The departure of Turco was not the only noteworthy lineup change.</p><p>The Stars joined the Edmonton Oilers and St. Louis Blues in weeding out older players to make room for their kids. Long-time leader Mike Modano was informed his services were no longer required and signed with Detroit. Veteran mainstain Jere Lehtinen, who had slowed considerably, is also gone.</p><p>Not surprisingly, Morrow and Loui Eriksson led the team out of the gate with five goals apiece in nine games.</p><p>&ldquo;We wanted our younger players to take on more significant roles,&rdquo; Nieuwen-dyk said. &ldquo;You face tough decisions every year, but you live with them. We changed the look of our team giving our younger players more responsibility.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>YOU FACE TOUGH DECISIONS EVERY YEAR, BUT YOU LIVE WITH THEM.</b> WE CHANGED THE LOOK OF OUR TEAM GIVING OUR YOUNGER PLAYERS MORE RESPONSIBILITY</blockquote><p>Nieuwendyk expects the likes of Jamie Benn, 21, James Neal, 23, Matt Niskanen, 23, Mark Fistric, 24, and Eriksson, 25, to continue their ascent toward being impact players and team leaders.</p><p>That&rsquo;s not to say the Stars will rely solely on their youth. Veterans Morrow, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, Stephane Robidas and Trevor Daley, among others, will help keep the kids in line.</p><p>In an effort to get everybody on the same page, Nieuwendyk arranged for the Stars to spend three days during the preseason on Canada&rsquo;s east coast in Prince Edward Island, the home province of Richards. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always nice to get out of the Texas heat that time of year and it was a chance for the players to connect as a group,&rdquo; Nieuwendyk said.</p><p>Still, the team&rsquo;s financial issues hang over the club like a little black cloud. When asked if the organization has taken money from the NHL, Nieuwendyk firmly stated, &ldquo;That is not true. We have not taken a penny.&rdquo; But he cautioned, &ldquo;That may change down the road.&rdquo;</p><p>Morrow said the majority of players should not be affected by the team&rsquo;s uncertain future.</p><p>&ldquo;It may be different for a guy like Brad Richards who can be an unrestricted free agent next summer not knowing what his future is, but for the rest of us it&rsquo;s a situation we can&rsquo;t control,&rdquo; Morrow said. &ldquo;You try to push it aside. Everyone realizes what the situation is and hopefully we can look at the Texas Rangers baseball team, a team that had ownership issues, and think that could be us. The Phoenix Coyotes had ownership issues last year and they were a playoff team.</p><p>&ldquo;Sometimes when there&rsquo;s all that other stuff it helps the team bond together.&rdquo;</p><p><i>Mike Brophy is an analyst for Rogers Sportsnet</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-01

Creating a Sparkling Constellation

<div class="byline">BY BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011384/9411402-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LAST KICK AT THE CUP</b></p><p><b>Dino Ciccarelli&rsquo;s final chance at Stanley glory came during a 1995 loss to New Jersey.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>For eight years</b>, he&rsquo;d hoped for this moment. That&rsquo;s how long the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame eluded Dino Ciccarelli.</p><p>He kept the faith that the day would come &ndash; not so much for himself, but for those who made it all possible. &ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a fun time,&rdquo; said Ciccarelli, 50, of his impending induction. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to share it with so many people that had a lot to do with me along the ladder all the way up.&rdquo;</p><p>Everyone, except the two people who meant the most to him.</p><p>The call came too late for Victor and Celeste Ciccarelli to rejoice in the moment with their son. &ldquo;I lost my dad back in 2006 and that&rsquo;s probably the one year that I really kind of pushed to try and get in, just to have him see it,&rdquo; said Ciccarelli, a 608-goal scorer during 19 seasons with the Minnesota North Stars, Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Florida. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been my biggest supporter and now I&rsquo;ll never get a chance to celebrate with him.</p><p>&ldquo;Then I lost my mom a few months ago in February.&rdquo;</p><p>Mourning the loss of his mother, taking care of the business of death, Ciccarelli was granted an impromptu chance to once again live his lifetime in hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;Cleaning out the house to sell the house, well, my parents never threw anything away,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;Over the course of the last few months &ndash; it wasn&rsquo;t by design, I guess &ndash; but I took all the hockey stuff that was in boxes and I&rsquo;ve been able to go through things by myself and kind of relive my whole life in front of me, both with my parents and hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;Finally getting into the Hall of Fame, it&rsquo;s ironic how it all worked out. I got to see things and pictures and really reflect on the people who helped me along the way.&rdquo; Those are the ones Ciccarelli, a native of Sarnia, Ont., intends to acknowledge in his speech during the Nov. 8 induction ceremony in Toronto.</p><p>&ldquo;That was probably the first thing I thought of when I first got the call,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You get excited thinking about wanting to share it with people who supported you, people that a lot of people don&rsquo;t know, who were there for you behind the scenes.&rdquo;</p><p>As with any hockey star, it&rsquo;s a lengthy list. &ldquo;The Sarnia Minor Hockey Association, the volunteers involved, to coaches, the trainer in London (Don Brankley) &ndash; the guy who everybody hates, other than those guys who played for him,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said, listing off just a few of the many who impacted on his life and hockey career.</p><p>Ciccarelli, who today operates a nightclub in Shelby Township, Mich., was a junior playing for the London Knights in 1978 when he shattered the midshaft of his right femur, an injury that derailed a season and threatened his hockey future.</p><p>That&rsquo;s when Brankley and Ciccarelli&rsquo;s billets stepped up their game to ensure he would continue.</p><p>&ldquo;In my case, (Brankley) and the people I lived with (in London), when I broke my leg, those were the people who drove me back and forth for a year to rehab at the University of Western Ontario, convincing me to not give up,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;It was a long road. Even coming back the year after, the leg wasn&rsquo;t the same. It took a good two years to get the leg back to where it had to be.&rdquo;</p><p>The damage caused NHL teams to pass on Ciccarelli through two drafts. But in the fall of 1979, the Minnesota North Stars GM rolled the dice, signing Ciccarelli to a free agent contract, a move that Ciccarelli is thankful for to this day.</p><p>&ldquo;Lou Nanne gave me the first &ndash; really he was the only guy &ndash; who gave me the (NHL) opportunity,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;My dad&rsquo;s approach was kind of like Lou Nanne&rsquo;s: You could score goals before you broke your leg, so you can still score goals. We&rsquo;ll show them that you can still do it.</p><p>&ldquo;I think they both kind of had the same philosophy.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011291/9411395-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="1398" height="1133"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>YOUNG SNIPER</b></p><p><b>Ciccarelli scored 30 or more goals seven times in eight full seasons with Minnesota.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MILES NADAL/HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Nanne&rsquo;s gamble paid immediate dividends. During the 1981 playoffs, Ciccarelli set still-standing Stanley Cup records for goals (14) and points (21) by a rookie, helping Minnesota to the final against the New York Islanders. He was a 55-goal scorer for the North Stars in 1983-84, one of his two 50-goal seasons; he topped 40 goals four other times.</p><p>It isn&rsquo;t numbers that Ciccarelli is remembered for as much as it is his drive and determination. He tallied many of his goals from the slot, enduring endless punishment despite his diminutive 5-foot-10, 185-pound stature.</p><p>&ldquo;The fans loved how hard he worked, his tenacity in front of the goalie,&rdquo; said Detroit netminder Chris Osgood, who knew Ciccarelli as a teammate and an opponent. &ldquo;He wouldn&rsquo;t back down from anybody, no matter how big they were.&rdquo;</p><p>Off-ice incidents tarnished Ciccarelli&rsquo;s image, likely delaying his Hall pass. In 1987, he pled guilty to indecent exposure and received probation. He later served a day in jail for an assault conviction following a stick attack on Toronto defenseman Luke Richardson during a Jan. 6, 1988 game. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how it was selected, but I was told I should have been in ahead of some of those guys,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said of some who preceded him to the Hall, declining to name names.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02912/9411388-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="250" height="334"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I was told I should have been in ahead of some guys</b></blockquote><p>The one bauble that eluded him was Lord Stanley&rsquo;s mug. Ciccarelli lost in that 1981 final and again in 1995 with the Wings. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s probably the one thing about hockey,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t celebrate (winning) the division, you don&rsquo;t celebrate (winning) the conference. I dreamed of being able to drink out of that mug and be able to share it with my family. I wasn&rsquo;t one of the lucky ones as far as that goes, so I wanted to share the Hall (with my dad) and, unfortunately, cancer got the better of him.&rdquo;</p><p>On induction night, Ciccarelli will be where he spent the majority of his NHL career, in the middle of the action. It gives him pause to hope that somewhere, his parents will be watching and smiling.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-01

Long Wait Finally Over

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03754/9411454-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="244" height="307"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07407/9411461-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="224" height="224"></div><h2><b>Cammi Granato</b></h2><h3><b>Player &ndash; Team USA</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>ranato played on all-boys teams until she was 16, but joined Providence women&rsquo;s squad in &rsquo;89 and led the school to two league titles. She was a founding member and on-ice leader of the U.S. national women&rsquo;s team that won a world title, Olympic gold and nine silvers. Now 39, she&rsquo;s involved in a variety of hockey projects and reports for NBC.</p><h2><b>Angela James</b></h2><h3><b>Player &ndash; Team Canada</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04616/9411447-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="243" height="307"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMES+GRANATO: MATTHEW MANOR/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>James was a pioneer for the Canadian women&rsquo;s team at the first World Championship in 1990. Feisty and the game&rsquo;s top offensive player, she led Canada to a gold medal, then won three more titles in the &rsquo;90s. Now 45, she&rsquo;s the sports coordinator at Seneca College (Toronto) and coach of Brampton in the Canadian Women&rsquo;s League.</p><h2><b>Jim Devellano</b></h2><h3><b>Builder &ndash; Detroit Red Wings</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05523/9411440-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="243" height="307"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Devellano, 67, was a government worker who coached youth hockey when he finessed his way into a scouting job with St. Louis in 1967. He later became a scout with the Islanders (three Cups), then was named GM of the Red Wings in 1982. He welcomed European players and staff and has been in Detroit&rsquo;s front office for four more Cups.</p><h2><b>Daryl &lsquo;Doc&rsquo; Seaman</b></h2><h3><b>Builder &ndash; Calgary Flames</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06471/9411433-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="235" height="299"></div><p>A well-decorated fighter pilot from the Second World War, Seaman earned his wealth in the Alberta oil industry and was an original Calgary Flames owner when the franchise moved from Atlanta. Seaman was also a junior hockey visionary and a strong supporter of Hockey Canada&rsquo;s grassroots development programs. He died in 2009 at age 86.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-03

Hall of Farmers

<div class="byline">BY MICHAEL TRAIKOS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02858/9411499-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">FRANCOIS ALLAIRE <span class="photo-credit">(ALLAIRE: JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011284/9411506-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="228" height="168"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hether moving around in the crease or moving to another city, Jean-Sebastien Giguere never makes a decision before weighing the pros and cons.</p><p>So when the Anaheim Ducks asked him if he would waive his no-trade clause and play for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, the veteran goaltender pulled out a pad of paper and literally drew a line down the middle.</p><p>On one side, he listed all the negatives: Anaheim, where his family had lived for the past nine years, was home; he had won a Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks; Toronto was cold; and, the Leafs were rebuilding</p><p>When it came time to list the positives, Giguere just had to write one word: Allaire.</p><p>Ask Jonas Gustavsson or minor league newcomers Jussi Rynnas and Ben Scrivens, why they signed with the Maple Leafs and the answer is the same: to work with Francois Allaire. The legendary goaltending coach is the Gordon Ramsay of the hockey world, a master of the crease who is able to turn netminding nightmares into Vezina Trophy winners.</p><p>Allaire, who was the first goalie coach to be employed by an NHL team, made a name for himself while mentoring a young Patrick Roy with the Montreal Canadiens. Since then, he has been a part of four Stanley Cup-winning teams and taught a host of NHL stalwarts such as Ilya Bryzgalov and Roberto Luongo.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been honest,&rdquo; said Giguere, who won the 2003 Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the Ducks squad that lost to the Devils in the final. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I could have achieved everything I did without Frankie.&rdquo;</p><p>Giguere had not yet hit puberty when he first met Allaire at a summer camp in Quebec. Gustavsson and Rynnas were teenagers when they went to Allaire&rsquo;s Swedish camp. And Scrivens attended Allaire&rsquo;s camp in Switzerland.</p><p>What stood out for all of them was that Allaire made stopping the puck seem as simple a task as lying down on the ice.</p><p>But, as Vesa Toskala found out last season, Allaire does not tolerate a lack of effort or loafing. &ldquo;He likes goalies who work hard,&rdquo; Giguere said. &ldquo;I think his system is very simple. But it demands a lot of hard work. You have to make sure you have strong legs. And you have to make sure you&rsquo;re able to go from A to B and B to C in a heartbeat, because it&rsquo;s all about positioning with him. So you have to be willing to work hard. If you&rsquo;re unable to work hard, then you can&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;</p><p>Allaire developed his butterfly technique through his own failings in net. At the time, goaltenders were treated like every other player. And the only instruction they received was to stop the puck and stay off their butts. For Allaire, it was like telling a forward to try and score without lifting the puck off the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;If you got scored on standing up, that was OK,&rdquo; the 55-year-old said. &ldquo;But if you went down and got scored on, that was a bad goal. That made no sense to me. My plan was that there had to be a way to coach goaltenders.&rdquo;</p><p>Preaching a sumo style to goaltending, Allaire believes the bigger the goalie the smaller net. It&rsquo;s not surprising, then, that all of Toronto&rsquo;s goaltenders are 6-foot-1 or taller. Of course, when it comes to reputation, Allaire is even bigger.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Frankie is a guru,&rdquo; said Leafs (and former Anaheim) GM Brian Burke. &ldquo;He is the best. That&rsquo;s why we went after him.&rdquo;</p><p>Added Giguere: &ldquo;When everything is said and done in his career, he should be a shoo-in to the Hall of Fame; there&rsquo;s no doubt about it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SHOT Blockers</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03707/9411492-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="235" height="489"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JONAS GUSTAVSSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GUSTAVSSON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>TORONTO GOALIES POST-LOCKOUT</b></h3><p><i>V. Toskala</i></p><p><b>145 GP, 62 W</b></p><p><i>A. Raycroft</i></p><p><b>91 GP, 39 W</b></p><p><i>E. Belfour</i></p><p><b>49 GP, 22 W</b></p><p><i>J. Gustavsson</i></p><p><b>44 GP, 17 W</b></p><p><i>J-S Aubin</i></p><p><b>31 GP, 12 W</b></p><p><i>M. Tellqvist</i></p><p><b>26 GP, 10 W</b></p><p><i>J-S Giguere</i></p><p><b>21 GP, 10 W</b></p><p><i>M. Gerber</i></p><p><b>12 GP, 6 W</b></p><p><i>C. Joseph</i></p><p><b>21 GP, 5 W</b></p><p><i>J. Pogge</i></p><p><b>7 GP, 1 W</b></p><p><i>J. MacDonald</i></p><p><b>6 GP, 1 W</b></p><p><i>S. Clemmensen</i></p><p><b>3 GP, 1 W</b></p><p><b>2.38</b>&nbsp;<b>Toronto&rsquo;s team goals-against average through eight games this season</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

Master of Masked Men

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011146/9411621-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02797/9411614-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="597" height="742"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BLAKE COMEAU</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he way Blake Comeau sees it, when a Hall of Famer is willing to impart some advice on scoring goals, it&rsquo;s probably a pretty good idea to listen.</p><p>Comeau, 24, has set a goal of getting at least four shots per game this season. The more he shoots, of course, the better chance he has of scoring. But more shots also means he&rsquo;s going to the areas you have to go in order to get scoring chances.</p><p>And it&rsquo;s paying off. Comeau was averaging nearly a point per game early on and was one of only two Isles forwards to average at least 20 minutes of ice time. &ldquo;When Bryan Trottier was working with the Islanders, he said Mike Bossy would try to get eight shots on goal and with some being blocked and missing the net, he&rsquo;d end up with four or five shots a night,&rdquo; Comeau said. &ldquo;It shows you&rsquo;re involved in the game.&rdquo;</p><p>With 11 goals and 20 points in his final 18 games, Comeau was the Islanders&rsquo; best forward down the stretch last season. The goal in his fifth pro year is to produce with more consistency after watching his point-per-game average increase with each new NHL campaign. He has always been maddeningly streaky and had just six points on the road last season. &ldquo;My expectations have risen a ton since last year,&rdquo; Comeau said. &ldquo;I want to be a guy who contributes all season long. I want to be a guy who&rsquo;s not just in the lineup for 82 games. I want to be a guy who they look to to contribute in key situations.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03639/9411607-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04545/9411600-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="323" height="519"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACLEAN: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Devils&rsquo; 2-7-1 start to the season under new coach <b>John MacLean</b> represented their worst beginning in 27 years. In 1983-84 &ndash; the franchise&rsquo;s second year in New Jersey after relocating from Colorado &ndash; the Devils began the season 1-12-0. That same season, MacLean played 23 games for them as a rookie right winger.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05491/9411593-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06433/9411586-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Despite missing two games to suspension, defenseman <b>James Wisniewski</b> led all Islanders with 11 points through nine games. If he maintains that lead, he&rsquo;d be the third Islanders blueliner to top the team in scoring. Mark Streit did so in 2008-09, while Hall-of-Famer Denis Potvin was New York&rsquo;s top scorer from 1973 to 1977.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07373/9411579-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08288/9411572-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="304" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COMEAU+ WISNIEWSKI+GABORIK: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Marian Gaborik&rsquo;s</b> separated shoulder &ndash; which sidelined the star right winger early in the season &ndash; threatened to continue a troubling pattern for the Slovakian native. Since the 2004-05 lockout, he has twice played more than 60 games in a season, only to play less than 50 the following year. Last season, he played 76 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09232/9411565-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10194/9411558-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEINO: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After amassing six points in only nine games, left winger <b>Ville Leino</b> was more than halfway toward matching his best NHL totals (six goals, 11 points), set last year in 55 games with the Red Wings and Flyers. His top pro season came in 2007-08, when he had 28 goals and 77 points for Jokerit of the Finnish League.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11158/9411551-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12135/9411544-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FLEURY: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With a save percentage of .861 through five games, incumbent No. 1 goalie <b>Marc-Andre Fleury</b> was being heavily outplayed by backup Brent Johnson (.951) early in the season. Fleury&rsquo;s save percentage has dropped in each of the past two years &ndash; from .921 in 2007-08 to .912 in &rsquo;08-09, then to .905 last year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Shoot to Thrill

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011242/9411736-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02848/9411729-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="716" height="732"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KOSTITSYN: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen the Canadiens traded Sergei Kostitsyn to Nashville for Dustin Boyd, little did they know they&rsquo;d also be receiving Andrei Kostitsyn in return.</p><p>We&rsquo;ll never know how much Kostitsyn&rsquo;s baby brother &ndash; the guy who walked out on the team at training camp last season &ndash; was a distraction. Or how much babysitting was required. What we do know is that the 25-year-old winger has been a revelation through the early part of Montreal&rsquo;s season, displaying the potential that prompted the Habs to select him 10th overall in 2003. Through eight games, Kostitsyn led the team with five goals and eight points. He had only 15 goals last season, when he missed 20 games following knee surgery.</p><p>The six-foot, 214-pound Belarusian was driving to the net and shooting more. Playing on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Mike Cammalleri, Kostitsyn&rsquo;s was more engaged in the game and revelling in the confidence coach Jacques Martin had been displaying in him.</p><p>And, coincidentally, Kostitsyn&rsquo;s in the final season of his contract. And, as happens with many players, there are few greater motivations than a new deal. &ldquo;When (Kostitsyn) is going, he&rsquo;s a tough guy to stop,&rdquo; said Montreal captain Brian Gionta. &ldquo;He has a lot of tools. He can beat you with his speed, his shot, his strength.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a great overall game. When he&rsquo;s going like he is now, he and (Plekanec) are feeding off each other nice.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03683/9411722-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04555/9411715-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="305" height="508"></div><p><b>David Krejci&rsquo;s</b> 52-point campaign last year was a disappointment. But in the final 29 games of 2009-10 &ndash; including playoffs &ndash; and the first six of this year, Krejci had 36 points in 35 contests. Most of those points coincided with Marc Savard being out of the lineup, offering a glimpse at Krejci&rsquo;s potential as a No. 1 pivot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05448/9411708-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06381/9411701-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RUFF: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Lindy Ruff</b> was named coach of the Sabres on July 21, 1997 and was set to coach his 1,000th game with the team on Nov. 10. Since Ruff took over behind the Buffalo bench there have been 155 coaching changes in the NHL. It&rsquo;s amazing what goalies such as Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller will do for a coach&rsquo;s longevity.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07325/9411694-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-08264/9411687-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="323" height="519"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SOURAY: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Canadiens&rsquo; power play sputtered to start the year. Maybe that&rsquo;s because four of the five guys to lead or tie for the team high in PP goals since the end of the lockout are gone. Then again, are any Habs fans really crying over the loss of Michael Ryder, <b>Sheldon Souray</b>, Alex Kovalev or Glen Metropolit? Probably not.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-09226/9411680-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-10190/9411673-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GONCHAR: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The number 1,000 was wild for the Sens. Captain Daniel Alfredsson notched his 1,000th point with a hat trick versus Buffalo, while Alex Kovalev was closing in on the same mark. <b>Sergei Gonchar</b> played his 1,000th game in the NHL Oct. 26 and agitator Jarkko Ruutu picked up his 1,000th career penalty minute two nights later.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-11166/9411666-1-eng-US/f0038-112.jpg" title="f0038-11" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-12153/9411659-1-eng-US/f0038-122.jpg" title="f0038-12" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KREJCI+MACARTHUR: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Clarke MacArthur</b> set a franchise record with goals in his first four games as a Maple Leaf. Fast starts are the norm for MacArthur, who had five goals in his first 10 games with Buffalo in 2008-09, then one in 20. Last year he had five goals by Game 9, but only 11 in the final 72 contests with the Sabres and Thrashers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

Rejuvenated Canadien

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011143/9411851-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02748/9411844-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="597" height="740"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OLESZ: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>For a team that hasn&rsquo;t made the post-season in more than a decade, the Panthers haven&rsquo;t done themselves any favors at the draft.</p><p>From 1997 to 2005, Florida had 10 first round draft picks with only three of them (Jay Bouwmeester, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton) becoming bona fide NHLers. The seventh overall pick in 2004, Rostislav Olesz, is still trying to join that list.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got something to prove,&rdquo; said coach Peter DeBoer. &ldquo;He had an off-year last year and signed a long-term contract two years ago (worth $18.75 million over six seasons) and I think he&rsquo;s out to prove to everybody we made the right decision in giving him that and he&rsquo;s done that so far.&rdquo;</p><p>Entering the year, the Czech left winger&rsquo;s best campaign was a 30 point effort in 2006-07, far from what was expected. While THN&rsquo;s 2004 Draft Preview ranked him No. 5, one scout had some concerns at the time. &ldquo;He is smart with the puck and plays a simple game,&rdquo; the scout said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what you like to see. But I still want to see more.&rdquo;</p><p>With five points through seven games, Olesz was finally starting to show more &ndash; and look like he was worth his $3.1-million cap hit. While he has always had the raw offensive skills of a high pick, Olesz historically hasn&rsquo;t shown the willingness to battle in the corners or pay the price for his points. This summer, he focused on long-track running to at least be more energized. &ldquo;I want to get more speed,&rdquo; Olesz said. &ldquo;Be more explosive in the corner.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03586/9411837-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04490/9411830-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ENSTROM: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Defenseman <b>Tobias Enstrom</b> broke Slava Kozlov&rsquo;s franchise record for consecutive games played with his 253rd Oct. 22. In his fourth season with Atlanta, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound 26-year-old has never missed a game and has led Thrashers blueliners in scoring two of the past three seasons, including a 50-point performance last year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05410/9411823-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06337/9411816-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAAL: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A European excursion that included two regular season games and five away games to begin the North American sked kept the Canes on the road from Oct. 1 to Oct. 27. The team traveled more than 15,000 miles through four countries and across 11 time zones. <b>Eric Staal</b> led the road-weary squad with six points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07298/9411809-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08250/9411802-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TORREY: ELIOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Florida retired its first number, 93, in honor of original team president and former GM <b>Bill Torrey</b>. The number paid homage to 1993, the year the Panthers franchise was born. Torrey was elected to the Hall of Fame in &rsquo;95 as a builder; he was the architect of the &rsquo;80s Islanders Cup dynasty and the &rsquo;96 Cats Cup-final team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09199/9411795-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="685" height="548"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10168/9411788-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Lightning&rsquo;s <b>Mike Smith</b> was one of four goalies to begin the year 4-0-0, but Smith&rsquo;s 3.11 goal-against average and .884 save percentage ranked 28th and 36th overall. None of the other perfect starters had a GAA above 2.39 or an SP below .925; Boston&rsquo;s Tim Thomas led both categories at 0.75 and .978.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11145/9411781-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12129/9411774-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SEMIN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Capitals began the season a perfect 25-for-25 killing penalties through six games before allowing four goals on their next 10 man disadvantages. They finished 25th in the league killing penalties last season. <b>Alexander Semin</b> led the team with two shorthanded goals in &rsquo;09-10; the Caps scored four total, tied for 23rd.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

Growing Claws

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02519/9411896-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(THORNTON: BRAD WATSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01837/9411903-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="228" height="168"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he news came quietly and without much fanfare. A handful of games into the 2010-11 season and long before anybody had a chance to seriously speculate about his future, the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; Joe Thornton re-upped for another three-year hitch with the team. Thornton took a slight but insubstantial pay cut ($200,000) to stay on in San Jose, and will earn $7 million per year &ndash; about right for a player of his skill set. What made the signing noteworthy was how Thornton didn&rsquo;t insist on the monster, extended term that so many of his 30-something peers seem to need or want these days.</p><p>With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire in 2012, security is the players&rsquo; new watchword &ndash; and the players with the most leverage now are the ones who, like Thornton, perennially finish in the top-10 among NHL scorers and could theoretically hit a home run if they ever went on the open market.</p><p>With Thornton in the fold, the Sharks are uniquely positioned for whatever happens next on the labor front. They have just nine players signed beyond the 2011-12 season and only their top five (Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Dany Heatley and Dan Boyle) are inked beyond 2012-13. The Sharks inherited the Heatley and Boyle pacts through trades.</p><p>Internally, the Sharks don&rsquo;t sign any of their own players beyond four years, according to GM Doug Wilson. The fact they get so many of their players to stay anyway means that, philosophically, they are on the same page in terms of what they are trying to accomplish &ndash; which is to be successful year in and year out. Once established in San Jose, players rarely want to move elsewhere. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a team, we&rsquo;ve never front-loaded contracts, we&rsquo;ve never done any of the long-term deals and we&rsquo;ve never bought a player out,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We have the discipline to do what we need to do, but it also ties into meeting the players&rsquo; needs &ndash; of being a place where you have a chance to win ever year.</p><p>&ldquo;Players have choices under this system and we&rsquo;ve tried to be very consistent with how we&rsquo;ve treated them. We feel our approach works under this system and it will work with whatever system comes in the future.&rdquo;</p><p>Thornton joined the Sharks early in the first post-lockout season, coming over from the Boston Bruins and playing so well for San Jose that he became the first player in NHL history to win the Hart Trophy after being traded mid-season. He has averaged more than a point a game every year with the Sharks and three times led the NHL in assists. Following Rob Blake&rsquo;s retirement, the Sharks appointed Thornton the eighth full-time captain in franchise history.</p><p>Thornton&rsquo;s choice to stay was largely for lifestyle reasons: &ldquo;I love the city, I love the fan base there, my family loves it, so it was really a no-brainer for me to sign,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never been interested in a seven-or a 10-or a 15-year deal. Except for one year, I&rsquo;ve always signed three-year deals and it seems to work, so signing a long, long-term deal never comes to mind.&rdquo; It works for Thornton, but also for the club, which has not been backed into a cap corner the way many other teams have while trying to keep their cores intact.</p><p>&ldquo;When a guy like Joe Thornton steps up and does what&rsquo;s right for the organization, as far as being able to keep the team together, it&rsquo;s a teammate-to-teammate thing because he&rsquo;s helping his teammates also,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;This is the second time Joe has done this. Patty Marleau did it, as did Joe Pavelski. The credit for that has to go to the players.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>BIG Shot</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03399/9411889-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="225" height="607"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANY HEATLEY <span class="photo-credit">(HEATLEY: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>TOP POINT SCORERS SINCE 2002?03</b></h3><p><i>J. Thornton</i></p><p><b>684 pts.</b></p><p><i>I. Kovalchuk</i></p><p><b>591 pts.</b></p><p><i>M. St-Louis</i></p><p><b>584 pts.</b></p><p><i>D. Alfredsson</i></p><p><b>582 pts.</b></p><p><i>D. Heatley</i></p><p><b>558 pts.</b></p><p><i>P. Datsyuk</i></p><p><b>557 pts.</b></p><p><i>J. Iginla</i></p><p><b>557 pts.</b></p><p><i>V. Lecavalier</i></p><p><b>556 pts.</b></p><p><i>M. Hossa</i></p><p><b>542 pts.</b></p><p><i>A. Ovechkin</i></p><p><b>529 pts.</b></p><h2><b>0.71</b></h2><p><b>Happy helper Joe Thornton&rsquo;s career assists-per-game average is top shelf</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

West Coast State of Mind

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01725/9412018-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02461/9412011-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="672" height="726"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KOPECKY: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Life is good for Hawks forward Tomas Kopecky.</p><p>Why wouldn&rsquo;t it be, playing with the likes of Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews?</p><p>Kopecky had a goal and eight points in 10 games, skating primarily at left wing on a line with the two stars, and also seeing some time at center. &ldquo;I know what I need to do,&rdquo; Kopecky said. &ldquo;I just go in front, stop in front and look for rebounds. Those two guys they just make things happen. Toews is so good in the corners and Hossa is a great shooter.&rdquo;</p><p>Kopecky finished the Stanley Cup final playing well with Toews and Hossa after being a healthy scratch five times earlier in the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought the way he trended all last year, I thought he progressed,&rdquo; said coach Joel Quenneville. &ldquo;I thought he had an ordinary-to-slow start, but approaching the playoffs and coming out of the Olympics with a big Olympics, he continued that trend and had a good playoffs for us.</p><p>&ldquo;This year he was really good in camp and that line has been very dangerous.&rdquo;</p><p>Kopecky, 28, is in his fifth NHL season and second with Chicago. Last season, he had 11 goals and 21 points in 74 games, the best output of his career.</p><p>Hossa was off to one of the best starts of his career with 11 points through 11 games before being sidetracked by an upper-body injury in late October that was expected to keep him out of the lineup for two weeks.</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03376/9412004-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04327/9411997-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="305" height="508"></div><p>The team with the shortest summer had the busiest October, playing a league-high 13 games in the month. Boston, by comparison, played eight. The pace ate into Chicago&rsquo;s practice time, but not <b>Duncan Keith&rsquo;s</b> ice time. He led the NHL at more than 29 minutes a night while helping to cover for the injured Brian Campbell.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05295/9411990-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06257/9411983-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="305" height="509"></div><p>The Jackets are working hard to woo back a fan base eroded by years of mediocrity. On Friday nights, for $30, attendees can get a ticket to a game, $10 food voucher, team cap, travel mug, coffee and donuts. Of course, if <b>Rick Nash</b> and the boys start winning it&rsquo;ll best help avoid a repeat of the franchise-low 9,802 crowd of Oct. 20.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07223/9411976-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08170/9411969-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KEITH+BERTUZZI: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Are we seeing the return of <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> as a force? The Wings are thrilled with the 35-year-old so far this season &ndash; he&rsquo;s playing hard and smart and was averaging a point a game. Skating on a dangerous second line with Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula, Bertuzzi&rsquo;s looking to best his top post-lockout production of 44 points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09122/9411962-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1094/9411955-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="305" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RINNE: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Finns and Swedes may be arch rivals, but <b>Pekka Rinne</b> and rookie <b>Anders Lindback</b> formed an awesome pair during the Predators&rsquo; hot start. Nashville secured points in eight consecutive games, seven of which were one-goal affairs, on the backs of their stoppers. Lindback&rsquo;s first NHL game was a win, in Chicago.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1174/9411948-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="685" height="546"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1260/9411941-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NASH+STEEN: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blues are getting the recipe right this season &ndash; they stood second in shots taken and had the fewest allowed, giving them a league-best plus-9 per game differential. In one contest against Anaheim, the Blues had 39 more shots than they surrendered. <b>Alex Steen</b> and Andy McDonald lead the way with nearly four per game.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Lovin’ life at the top

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01762/9412133-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02485/9412126-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="605" height="675"></div><p>Youth must be contagious, because all it took were a few rookies to make Ales Hemsky feel like a kid again.</p><p>Well, that and a chance to play hockey again after spending almost one full year on the shelf. &ldquo;By the way he&rsquo;s been moving,&rdquo; said GM Steve Tambellini. &ldquo;he looks excited.&rdquo;</p><p>Excited? Hemsky started the season with more jump than a room full of crickets, darting and dashing around like he was the teenage prodigy, not the 27-year-old veteran. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play hockey again, it was a long summer for me,&rdquo; said Hemsky, who hadn&rsquo;t played since last November, when shoulder surgery put an end to his season. &ldquo;And we have lots of skill, lots of good young guys coming up, so it&rsquo;s just fun to be part of it.&rdquo;</p><p>After being surrounded in the past by ham-handed teammates who turned missing the playoffs into an annual rite of spring, this is the most talented cast he&rsquo;s ever played with. And while it will take time for Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi to find their NHL stride, the potential alone is enough to put spring in Hemsky&rsquo;s stride. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a skill player, you know when players can think with you and match that type of creativity,&rdquo; Tambellini said. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s seeing the future is those type of players and that some of those players are coming right now.&rdquo;</p><p>Hemsky agrees: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really good for me. We can&rsquo;t rely on one guy, two guys or one line. We need everybody. And if we get everybody going it&rsquo;s going to be fun.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03380/9412119-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04308/9412112-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MORRISON: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brendan Morrison</b> came along at the right time and price. With playmaker Day-mond Langkow out long term with a vertebra injury, Morrison&rsquo;s release from Vancouver camp was a blessing for cap-strapped Calgary. Morrison, 35, makes $725,000 and is uber-versatile compared to Langkow&rsquo;s $4.5 million.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05266/9412105-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="685" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06236/9412098-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LILES: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Must be the hair. Sporting flowing locks he hasn&rsquo;t cut since last season, <b>J-M Liles</b> broke an NHL record for consecutive games with an assist by a defenseman to start a season. Nine games (11 assists) broke Filip Kuba&rsquo;s mark from 2008-09. After a career-low 31 points last year, Liles says he&rsquo;s playing with new confidence.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07202/9412091-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08155/9412084-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HEMSKY+WHITNEY: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When <b>Ryan Whitney</b> fell out of favor on the Anaheim blueline, the Oilers gladly took him and his $4 million on in exchange for $5.6 million man Lubomir Visnovsky. Since the March 2010 deal, Whitney has been the team leader in time on ice and his 26:20 was ranked fourth in the NHL. He also led the team in scoring early on.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-09124/9412077-1-eng-US/f0042-092.jpg" title="f0042-09" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1099/9412070-1-eng-US/f0042-102.jpg" title="f0042-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOUCHARD: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Lest we forget <b>P-M Bouchard</b>. The center is back practising after playing just one game in 19 months because of a severe concussion. Bouchard had missed just six games in four seasons before the March 25, 2009 setback. The last player to return from such a lengthy layoff was 2009 Masterton winner Steve Sullivan of Nashville.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1174/9412063-1-eng-US/f0042-112.jpg" title="f0042-11" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1261/9412056-1-eng-US/f0042-122.jpg" title="f0042-12" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYPIEN: NICK DIDLICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Rick Rypien&rsquo;s</b> six-game suspension for an altercation with a fan in Minnesota was two games longer than a similar incident involving Matthew Barnaby in 2000 and the same length as Mike Milbury&rsquo;s ban for hitting a fan with his own shoe in 1979. Oddsmaker Bodog had placed the over-under on Rypien&rsquo;s suspension at 15.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

Next Wave Aids Hemsky

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01750/9412248-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02515/9412241-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="597" height="763"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAMES NEAL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NEAL: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>ary Roberts feared his NHL career was over at age 30 after two neck surgeries forced him to miss the 1996-97 season. But he discovered a love for physical training and played until he was 42. Now Roberts is helping young players embrace the benefits of the gym.</p><p>&ldquo;I got a second chance then and I learned how much training and nutrition can make a difference in your life,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;I am truly thankful for all of that time. Now, if I can help other players have careers that long, I want to do that.&rdquo;</p><p>Roberts has been training athletes at his Ontario gym for a couple of summers, with NHL Steven Stamkos his star pupil. Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk was so impressed with the improvements in James Neal&rsquo;s physique after one summer he decided to hire his old teammate and buddy as the Stars&rsquo; new player development consultant. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a natural fit,&rdquo; Nieuwendyk said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll travel around and work with our younger players and help create a routine for them. I definitely think he can make a big difference in getting them off on the right foot.&rdquo;</p><p>Neal said just a couple of days with Roberts will convince a player how much he can help. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s great about him is he understands how an exercise can help you on the ice and he shows you how it can help you on the ice. That sells itself right from the start.&rdquo; Neal, above, said. &ldquo;All you have to do is look at him to know it works. He&rsquo;s stronger and more built than any of the younger guys.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03431/9412234-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04331/9412227-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="305" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PERRY: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Ducks&rsquo; season got off to a rough start and a parade to the penalty box didn&rsquo;t help. Through 10 games, four of the top 15 most penalized players in the NHL played for Anaheim, led by offensive stars <b>Corey Perry</b> and Bobby Ryan. Tough guys and usual suspects Sheldon Brookbank and George Parros rounded out the lot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05286/9412220-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="684" height="546"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06235/9412213-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="305" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BURISH: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When a Dallas fan wrote the team to complain that the video game version of <b>Adam Burish</b> cost him a match of NHL11 with his buddy, the Stars did what any respectful team would do: they had Burish apologize. In a video, the grinder said he was sorry, but also cheekily told the fan to get his players moving faster in the future.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07203/9412206-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08157/9412199-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="305" height="508"></div><p>If you thought the Kings were young last season, check out the 2010-11 edition: Los Angeles had six rookies make the team out of camp. Joining the Kings were Jonathan Bernier, Jake Muzzin, Brayden Schenn, Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis and <b>Andrei Loktionov,</b> who made his first NHL goal a game-winner Oct. 20 versus Carolina.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09116/9412192-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10102/9412185-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BISSONNETTE: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After nearly selling out their home opener against Detroit, the Coyotes played in front of just 6,706 fans five nights later, a win over the Kings. Enforcer/social media celeb <b>Paul Bissonnette</b> spelled out the disappointment on Twitter: &ldquo;Thanks to the 5,000 fans who showed up. Did people think it was an 11 o&rsquo;clock start?&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1188/9412178-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="684" height="547"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1277/9412171-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LOKTIONOV+NIITTYMAKI: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Goalie Thomas Greiss started the summer as San Jose&rsquo;s backup and just kept moving east. After Antti Niemi joined <b>Antero Niittymaki</b> in the crease, Greiss was bound for the AHL, but the Sharks have two kids in Worcester in need of work, so the German goalie was instead loaned to Brynas of the Swedish Elite League.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

New Sheriffin Town

<p><b>1. SAHIR GILL, C, 18</b></p><p>Boston U. Terriers</p><p><i>Playmaking pivot already turning heads</i></p><p><b>2. JADEN SCHWARTZ, C, 18</b></p><p>Colorado College Tigers</p><p><i>Early point-per-game pace for speedy, savvy St. Louis first-rounder</i></p><p><b>3. SAM BRITTAIN, G, 18</b></p><p>Denver Pioneers</p><p><i>Great numbers had the 6-foot-3 netminder in the starter&rsquo;s role already</i></p><p><b>4. ANDERS LEE, C, 20</b></p><p>Notre Dame Fighting Irish</p><p><i>Big kid who wins battles lighting it up</i></p><p><b>5. CHARLIE COYLE, RW, 18</b></p><p>Boston U. Terriers</p><p><i>Strong with vision, Coyle a point-per-gamer early</i></p><p><b>6. JON MERRILL, D, 18</b></p><p>Michigan Wolverines</p><p><i>Puckmover with good size paying immediate dividends</i></p><p><b>7. CHAD RUHWEDEL, D, 20</b></p><p>UMass-Lowell RiverHawks</p><p><i>Playmaker leads conference in scoring by D-man</i></p><p><b>8. ERIK HAULA, LW, 19</b></p><p>Minnesota Golden Gophers</p><p><i>Finnish national has goal, six assists in six games</i></p><p><b>9. JOSH JOORIS, RW, 20</b></p><p>Union Dutchmen</p><p><i>Jr. A star busts out with eight points in six games</i></p><p><b>10. KEVIN LIND, D, 18</b></p><p>Notre Dame Fighting Irish</p><p><i>Big kid on back end showing offensive side</i></p><p>Read more of <b>&lsquo;The Hot List&rsquo;</b> every Tuesday at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Gill Power

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01556/9412376-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GRAND BEGINNING</b></p><p><b>Brendan Smith will learn the pro game in the AHL after a standout NCAA career.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: DAVE REGINEK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Many</b> organizations, out of need or greed, welcome a blue-chip draft pick like defenseman Brendan Smith by pushing him into the deep end.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="196" height="195"></div><p>The Detroit Red Wings? They believe Smith will be a strong swimmer, but prefer he first builds confidence in the shallow end. Smith, 21, is a 6-foot-2 offensive force with a strong stride and an eagerness to stand his ground in all areas of the ice. Detroit assistant GM Jim Nill compared his game to that of Niklas Kronwall, strong on his skates and on a fast track.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Brendan&rsquo;s going to play in the NHL for a long time, but we work strictly on the fact that you&rsquo;ve got to earn it,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>A perennially strong team can afford such a philosophy and Nill wants to keep it that way. &ldquo;Our feeling is that it&rsquo;s a men&rsquo;s league and if you&rsquo;re not ready, we don&rsquo;t want you in the press box,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Nill admitted the temptation will be strong with Smith, the 27th pick of the 2007 draft and a Hobey Baker nominee with Wisconsin last season. &ldquo;He had a great camp and if he can keep it going and if he&rsquo;s the best defenseman in Grand Rapids and we get an injury, he&rsquo;s coming up,&rdquo; Nill said.</p><p>Griffins GM Bob McNamara was even more specific about what he sees in the rookie pro&rsquo;s future. &ldquo;This is a progression and it&rsquo;s not happening overnight, but if you ask me, he&rsquo;s a top-four guy and he&rsquo;s going to run an NHL power play,&rdquo; McNamara said.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got such nice hands and patience with the puck. He doesn&rsquo;t panic. If somebody&rsquo;s coming at him, he can look or fake them off. You can&rsquo;t teach that.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings were impressed by Smith&rsquo;s presence at prospects&rsquo; camp, the rookie tourney and main camp.</p><p>&ldquo;In college games, he&rsquo;s a high point producer, a run-and-gun guy,&rdquo; said Griffins coach Curt Fraser. &ldquo;Now he has to learn he&rsquo;s playing against men and he doesn&rsquo;t have as much time as he had before. Everybody looks at the American League and thinks it&rsquo;s just playing in the minors. Are you kidding me? Every team has first round picks and world championship players, all high-end guys. This league is hard to play in. This is just what Brendan Smith needs, a year of this and it&rsquo;ll get him prepared to play for the Wings.&rdquo;</p><p>Progress doesn&rsquo;t scare Smith. The Mimico, Ont., native, already drafted, stayed at Wisconsin after freshman and sophomore years when injuries cut into his season.</p><p>But after Year 3 he felt ready to move on. &ldquo;I talked to coach (Mike) Eaves a lot about it &ndash; I think three or four meetings &ndash; and he agreed that I had to be pushed maybe more than the college route,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Not that I&rsquo;d mastered it, but I had kind of gotten to know that game and that style.&rdquo;</p><p>One of the 2010-11 perks of being in the Wings&rsquo; fold is working with Chris Chelios, who has finally retired and rejoined the organization, in part in a mentoring role.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve hired him to help out and he&rsquo;s a great guy and he&rsquo;s been there to help me,&rdquo; Smith said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just pretty cool having a guy like Chris Chelios tell me what to do. Normally I just hear my dad tell me.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

Griffins Rookie on the Curve

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02349/9412414-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="453" height="743"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TOMAS TATAR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(TATAR: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>1. TOMAS TATAR, C, 19</b></p><p><i>The Slovakian national first came to the fore at the 2009 World Junior Championship when his 11 points in seven games helped his team to a surprise berth in the bronze medal game. Undrafted as an 18-year-old, Detroit snapped him up with the 60th pick overall that summer. Built like a bulldog, Tatar has great offensive instincts and is expected to challenge for an NHL roster spot soon.</i></p><p><b>2. JAN MURSAK, RW, 22</b></p><p><i>Fast, gritty and creative, the Slovenian lead the Griffins in scoring with seven points through seven games. He was drafted 182nd overall by the Wings in 2006.</i></p><p><b>3. THOMAS McCOLLUM, G, 20</b></p><p><i>Big goaltender still learning the pro ropes after a fantastic junior career with OHL Brampton. Wings made him their first round pick (30th overall) in 2008.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

Griffins to watch

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01513/9412452-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOP PICK PRESSURE</b></p><p><b>Daniel Catenacci had a lot of expectations for himself last season &ndash; maybe too many.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s looking</b> like a long season for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, but at least fans of the Ontario League team have a couple reasons to cheer.</p><p>The rebuilding Hounds are flush with youth and while that sometimes means short-term pain on the scoreboard, it also means reaping the benefits of that harvest in the future.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03267/9412445-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="188" height="64"></div><p>Center Daniel Catenacci, ranked 24th overall by International Scouting Services for the 2011 draft, and defenseman Gianluca Curcuruto, eligible in 2012, lead the charge. And as a happy coincidence, both players boast Italian heritage. For Sault Ste. Marie, which features a prominent Italian community and can take credit for raising Hall of Famers Phil and Tony Esposito, it&rsquo;s a match made in heaven. &ldquo;Every time we draft Italian players, they love them and remember them for a long time,&rdquo; said Soo coach Denny Lambert.</p><p>Both Catenacci and Curcuruto come from the Toronto suburbs, so having a built-in support network has been a nice bonus. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a home away from home,&rdquo; Catenacci said. &ldquo;The fans really love us and the Italians sure joke around with us. It&rsquo;s a lot of fun.&rdquo;</p><p>For Curcuruto, who is pretty far from home for a 16-year-old, it&rsquo;s also been a great way to get comfortable in the next stage of his career.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of Italian restaurants in the Soo,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t gone to all of them yet, but eventually I will, so I&rsquo;m very happy about that.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s also happy to have Catenacci as a roommate. The pair not only share a common background, but also a billet. The two are fast friends, which has allowed Catenacci, a speedy playmaker, to impart some wisdom on his younger teammate.</p><p>As the top pick in the 2009 OHL draft, Catenacci came to town with a lot of weight on his slim 5-foot-10, 180-pound shoulders and underwhelmed his own rookie expectations with 10 goals and 30 points in 65 games. (He had 15 points through 13 games this season.)</p><p>&ldquo;I put a lot of pressure on myself last year to perform well and I think it messed up my head a bit mentally,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I let the pressure get to me. This year I&rsquo;m not thinking about it and I&rsquo;m looking forward to the next draft.</p><p>&ldquo;(Curcuruto is) putting a lot of pressure on himself to perform, like I did last year, so I&rsquo;m trying to take him under my wing.&rdquo;</p><p>And while Catenacci had a harsh assessment of his own performance, his coach was a little more forgiving.</p><p>&ldquo;I know point-wise everybody wanted to see more, but I thought he did a great job,&rdquo; Lambert said. &ldquo;At the end of the season, we put him head-to-head with Tyler Seguin and I thought he handled the pressure well.&rdquo;</p><p>As for Curcuruto, the coach envisions big things for the young defenseman. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great speed, great vision on the ice and he can play a physical game too,&rdquo; Lambert said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be an all-around defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>And with the Greyhounds adding 19-year-old goaltender Chris Perugini to the roster in an early-season trade with Ottawa, the boys have yet another Italian kid from the Greater Toronto Area to hang out with. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to show him just how many Italians there are in the Soo,&rdquo; said a smiling Curcuruto.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

Home Away From Home

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02333/9412490-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="483" height="616"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN MURPHY</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>aniel Catenacci was a No. 1 pick in the OHL draft thanks to his work in midget, playing for the York-Simcoe Express, but he wasn&rsquo;t the only hot prospect.</p><p>Located just outside Toronto, the 2008-09 Express squad was a prospect breeding ground. Catenacci&rsquo;s linemate, left winger Brandon Francisco, was chosen in the third round by Sarnia and has become a strong offensive player for the Sting thanks to his hands and vision. Had Francisco not expressed serious NCAA interest (he had an early commitment to Maine) he surely would have gone higher. Also on that York-Simcoe team was puck-rushing defenseman Ryan Murphy, listed by ISS as the No. 4 prospect available for the NHL draft next summer. The high-scoring Murphy was chosen third overall in the OHL draft that year and has been a revelation for Kitchener early on this season.</p><p>Rounding out the Express contingent in the first round was power forward Barclay Goodrow, who has put up solid numbers for the Brampton Battalion.</p><p>Six members of that York-Simcoe squad were taken in the first three rounds of the OHL draft.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-02

Express Success

<div class="byline">BY RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01390/9412528-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FLASH POINT</b></p><p><b>Joel Armia has been compared to Teemu Selanne in Finland.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ARMIA: COURTESY OF ESA KYYRÖ/HC ÄSSÄT)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="105" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>inland is</b> famous for and proud of its goaltenders, but a high-scoring young forward has the nation going crazy. Pori Assat&rsquo;s Joel Armia is only 17, but he&rsquo;s already being compared to Finnish legends of the game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02244/9412521-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="167" height="85"></div><p>For a boy growing up in Pori, a town of 80,000 on Finland&rsquo;s west coast, there&rsquo;s one sure-fire way to become famous overnight: score two goals, including the overtime winner, against Rauma Lukko, Assat&rsquo;s nearby nemesis.</p><p>That&rsquo;s exactly what Armia, International Scouting Service&rsquo;s 15th-ranked 2011 draft prospect, did recently. His first goal was an end-to-end rush, his second a top-corner slapshot from the point.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a great, easy-going guy and a rare type of player,&rdquo; said one Finnish hockey personality. &ldquo;Joel&rsquo;s played hockey on the roads, in the driveway, on the ponds; just played so much that everything looks natural now. He creates something special every shift.&rdquo;</p><p>The 6-foot-3, 185-pound left winger spent last season in the Assat junior system, playing with both the under-20 and under-18 teams.</p><p>He missed about a month of action due to a persistent flu, but scored 15 goals and 21 points in 27 games with the under-20 team and seven goals and 16 points in nine under-18 games.</p><p>At the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, Armia tallied five goals in five games.</p><p>&ldquo;His stickhandling is excellent and his defensive play is fine,&rdquo; said Assat coach Pekka Rautakallio. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy to get past a guy that big.&rdquo;</p><p>This season, Armia was given a chance to play with the big club in Finland&rsquo;s top league, the SM-liiga. Even with his potential, he wasn&rsquo;t expected to stick, but he&rsquo;s now the team&rsquo;s top-line left winger and had six goals and 10 points in 12 games, good for fourth among players under 20 and first among undrafted skaters &ndash; in fewer games than most.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a faster game up here and everybody&rsquo;s stronger than in the junior leagues, of course, but I think I&rsquo;ve done OK,&rdquo; Armia said. &ldquo;I need to get stronger and improve my skating and defensive game.&rdquo;</p><p>He understands the challenges he faces, but he&rsquo;s a confident player, even competing against men twice his age or more. Rautakallio said the youngster is one of the team&rsquo;s best shooters and it shows. Armia had fired 66 shots in 12 games, including 14 in 17 minutes of playing time against Helsinki Jokerit.</p><p>A few big goals, lots of good moves and a local boy doing well is an irresistible story. Besides the local Pori papers running big stories about him, the national media has also covered Armia. An evening paper he was on the cover of sold out in Pori.</p><p>The media attention has reached the point of hysteria in Finland and Armia&rsquo;s agent &ndash; Mika Rautakallio, Pekka&rsquo;s son &ndash; decided against further interviews, for now. &ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s happened so fast,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He just wants to play.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>17</b></h2><p><b>Armia&rsquo;s point total in 14 international games with Finland the past two years.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

Army of One Takes Finland

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03168/9412566-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="445" height="663"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RAJALA: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>oni Rajala scored 26 goals and 63 points in 60 games with the Western League&rsquo;s Brandon Wheat Kings last season, then added 14 points in the post-season, including two goals and seven points in five Memorial Cup games.</p><p>But the 19-year-old Finnish sniper, drafted 101st overall by Edmonton in 2009, decided to return to Finland in part to fulfill his military service, which will start in January. The minimum service is six months.</p><p>Rajala had two goals and six points in 10 SM-liiga games this season with Tampere Ilves, his club in Finland.</p><p>&ldquo;He missed a couple of games early on, but is improving now,&rdquo; said Ilves GM Seppo Hiitela. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t been quite as good as we expected, but the trend is upward.&rdquo;</p><p>Ilves coach Juha Pajuoja believes the return to Finland was a good move for Rajala.</p><p>&ldquo;I think he took a step backward in North America, where there&rsquo;s a lot of dump and chase,&rdquo; Pajuoja said recently. &ldquo;He was close to cracking the Team Finland roster before he left.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a lot of potential, and he&rsquo;s ready to work hard. Let&rsquo;s wait until New Year&rsquo;s and see what he can do.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-03

Where’d Toni Go?

<div class="byline">BY MIKE ZEISBERGER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02239/9412611-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CENTRAL FIGURE</b></p><p><b>Red Wings ultra-tough guy Bob Probert kept other teams in his division on their toes.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>John Brophy</b> snapped.</p><p>Admittedly, such emotional outbursts were common for the ornery white-haired, battle-scarred coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. But on the night of Feb. 22, 1988, deep in the bowels of the Met Center in Bloomington, Minn., Brophy unleashed a rant for the ages, one that certainly deserves a spot in the all-time Tirade Hall of Fame.</p><p>Minutes after Brophy&rsquo;s Leafs had dropped a 4-2 decision to the division-rival Minnesota North Stars, the Buds&rsquo; bench boss, still seething at his team&rsquo;s moribund effort, hunted down beat writers Lance Hornby of the Toronto <i>Sun</i>, Mark Harding of the Toronto <i>Star</i> and Gary Loewen of the <i>Globe & Mail</i> in order to unleash his venom. The rest, as they say, is history.</p><p>In the course of ripping his team to reporters, Brophy used the F-bomb a whopping 72 times. Recorded at the time by Hornby, the rant has found its way to the Internet, where it has become one of the most popular items among hockey fans on the web.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a disgrace,&rdquo; Brophy spewed that night. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sick and (bleepin&rsquo;) tired of making excuses for all these (bleepin&rsquo;) guys that&rsquo;s getting paid on this (bleepin&rsquo;) hockey club, blaming it on someone else all the (bleepin&rsquo;) time.</p><p>&ldquo;Who are all these (bleepin&rsquo;) people who drag that (bleepin&rsquo;) uniform through the (bleepin&rsquo;) mud? For Christ&rsquo;s sake, there have been great players play in the thing and then (they) act like this here. Who are they?&rdquo;</p><p>Tough words. Tough coach. Tough division.</p><p>When looking back at the Norris Division, perhaps the poster child for the decade would be Brophy.</p><p>During one playoff year, the Leaf coach dressed up in a pinstripe suit and a 1930s-type chapeau, causing marketing geniuses to sell replicas of the hat with the words &ldquo;Brophy&rsquo;s Boys&rdquo; on the front.</p><p>When decked out in that garb, Brophy resembled a gangster from the Al Capone era.</p><p>Welcome to the Norris Division of the 1980s, where fierce rivalries and bitter hatred festered. Against division rivals. Against the officials. And, in Brophy&rsquo;s case, sometimes against his own team.</p><p>Indeed, whenever the Leafs, North Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings faced off over that 10-year span, life was never boring. Especially for referees.</p><p>While the offensively-gifted New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers dominated the decade thanks to the likes of superstars Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy, Denis Potvin, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, the prominent names in the Norris Division often belonged to those whose pugilistic skills sometimes outweighed their puck talents: Bob Probert. Shane Churla. Joey Kocur. Paul Holmgren. Basil McRae. John Kordic. Dwight Schofield. Behn Wilson. Even Wendel Clark.</p><p>The list goes on and on and on.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a reason they called it the Chuck Norris Division,&rdquo; Clark explained with a laugh. &ldquo;Some of the other divisions were known for their fast skaters and offensive flair. But in the Chuck Norris Division, you had to be ready to play physical every night.&rdquo;</p><p>Even if that meant dropping the gloves with family members.</p><p>Clark remembers a particular night during his rookie season of 1985-86 when that very thing happened. It was a game between his Leafs and the Red Wings, which featured Barry Melrose &ndash; Wendel&rsquo;s cousin &ndash; and Joey Kocur, related to Clark through a family marriage.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the last bench-clearing brawl I can recollect and it started when I hit Barry behind the net,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;Soon Joey was part of it, too. I mean, three guys from Kelvington, Saskatchewan &ndash; who would have thought?&rdquo;</p><p>Part of that same brouhaha involved a scrap between Probert and the Maple Leafs&rsquo; Bob McGill.</p><p>&ldquo;We must have fought for five minutes before Probert head-butted me,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;He got suspended seven games for that.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I must have fought Probert six times. He was the toughest guy to go up against. He was so much bigger than me. I doubt there has ever been a better 1-2 punch in terms of fighters on the same team than Bob Probert and Joey Kocur.&rdquo;</p><p>Having played for both the Leafs and the Hawks during the 1980s, McGill experienced first-hand just how rugged the Norris Division was.</p><p>&ldquo;Every team in the division was your bitter rival &ndash; none more than another,&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;Every night you knew you were in for a dust-up or two. It made for some sleepless times before games.&rdquo;</p><p>One of McGill&rsquo;s lasting memories involves a huge fracas at the end of a game between his Leafs and the Blues at Maple Leaf Gardens early in 1984. At one point, Schofield pulled his Blues jersey off and started skating around the ice waving his arms, causing McGill to wing his helmet at the St. Louis tough guy.</p><p>&ldquo;The crowd was going nuts, as if we&rsquo;d just won the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; McGill chuckled. McGill wasn&rsquo;t laughing two weeks later when the teams locked horns again, this time in St. Louis.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01291/9412604-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="1031" height="1420"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FAMILY AFFAIR</b></p><p><b>Wendal Clark found himself squaring off against relatives during some Norris showdowns.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>There&rsquo;s a reason they called it the Chuck Norris Division</b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;It was Valentine&rsquo;s Day and the headline in the St. Louis paper on game day blared: &lsquo;Welcome to the St. Louis St. Valentine&rsquo;s Day Massacre,&rsquo;&rdquo; McGill said. &ldquo;It was all because we were in town. Obviously I didn&rsquo;t get much sleep that afternoon.&rdquo;</p><p>The bitterness between Norris Division foes extended off the ice as well. In fact, some of the off-ice shenanigans were just as colorful as the on-ice activities.</p><p>Having just broken in with the Blues, Doug Gilmour, a checking-line center at the beginning of his career, learned that lesson during one of his first games against the Blackhawks.</p><p>&ldquo;It was at the old St. Louis Arena,&rdquo; Gilmour said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re ready to get going and the Chicago coaches haven&rsquo;t come out yet.&rdquo;</p><p>The reason? According to Gilmour, a forklift had been parked directly in front of the coach&rsquo;s office, leaving Hawks bench boss Orval Tessier and his staff stuck inside.</p><p>Needless to say, the Hawks accused the Blues of foul play.</p><p>&ldquo;They were pissed,&rdquo; Gilmour said.</p><p>Then there was volatile Blues GM Ron Caron. The mere mention of his name makes Gilmour chuckle.</p><p>Just like John Brophy, Ron Caron could be just as bitter at his own team as he was against Norris Division rivals.</p><p>And, just like Brophy, he was not shy about letting his own players know about it when he wasn&rsquo;t happy.</p><p>&ldquo;We had a guy on our team, Jorgen Pettersson, who would drive Caron nuts,&rdquo; Gilmour said. &ldquo;(Caron) would be sitting in the press box and throw pens down at Jorgen, who would be on the bench. Jorgen wouldn&rsquo;t pay any attention to it, which drove (Caron) even (crazier).&rdquo;</p><p>On the ice. On the bench. In the press box. Was there nowhere in the Chuck Norris Division where a guy could be safe?</p><p>According to currently NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, a defenseman with the Red Wings from 1982 to 1985, well, not really.</p><p>&ldquo;There was one particular game in that old barn in St. Louis when Danny Gare and I both got booted out as part of some melee,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;On our way to the dressing room, we saw some fans beating up a cop. We had to come to his rescue.&rdquo;</p><p>Tough crowds. Tough division.</p><p>&ldquo;That division was as nasty as it could be,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;Back at that time, if I was doing the job I have today, I&rsquo;d be working every night.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01337/9412597-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="352" height="528"></div><p><i>This chapter, and a plethora of others, appear in</i>&nbsp;<b>Blood Feuds: Hockey&rsquo;s Best-Ever Rivalries.</b>&nbsp;<i>In stores now.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

Blood and Frozen Water

<div class="byline">BY JAMES SHEA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01287/9412642-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ONE-STOP SCHOOLING</b></p><p><b>The Canadian International Hockey Academy boasts a school, rinks and residences.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF CIHA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he shovels</b> have hit the ground and soon students will be able to hit the books &ndash; or the ice. Thanks in part to the guidance from a Stanley Cup-winning coach and the backing of Hockey Canada, construction is underway on the campus of the Canadian International Hockey Academy, the premier hockey prep school in the eastern half of Canada and the only not-for-profit institution of it&rsquo;s kind in the entire country.</p><p>The Academy was conceived of by businessman Robert Bourdeau and is the fruit of nearly eight years of labor. The vision was simple: create a place where kids (grades 9-12) can get a high school education while playing hockey. A place where the school, student residences and arena are all within walking distance of one another, not unlike Saskatchewan&rsquo;s famed Notre Dame College, whose alumni includes Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of times parents and children will spend three, four hours traveling to and from hockey games and tournaments,&rdquo; Bourdeau said. &ldquo;But what happens to their homework? Since our hockey arena is on the same premises as the school, we will give those three or fours right back to the child.</p><p>&ldquo;I get satisfaction from seeing an individual see their full potential, to see them blossom. No one should ever underestimate themselves and I hope I can deliver this to the kids.</p><p>Bourdeau drummed up support for his plan and, after dealing with some political hurdles surrounding location, work began. The school and its $20.4-million twin arena and training center will be open for business September 2011 in Rockland, Ont., nestled next to the picturesque Ottawa River on the Quebec-Ontario border.</p><p>Stanley Cup-winning coach Bob Hartley is the Academy&rsquo;s senior hockey advisor. He likened the realization of the Academy opening to his own Cup victory with Colorado in 2001: One with lots of ups and downs, but in the end a job well done. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d get great news, then not so great news,&rdquo; said Hartley, who will help with scouting, the makeup of the program and coaching when needed. &ldquo;Then we&rsquo;d hear promises that would backfire in our faces and we&rsquo;d have to go back to square one. It sometimes felt like we were leading 3-1 in the series and other times felt like we were down 3-1, facing elimination.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s Robert&rsquo;s longtime dream coming true and it&rsquo;s a pretty neat feeling.&rdquo;</p><p>Bourdeau gives a lot of credit to Hartley for his help in getting the Academy off the ground. &ldquo;There was major interest from Bob,&rdquo; Bourdeau said. &ldquo;And to this day, he has not asked me for one dime. Non-believers should believe in Bob Hartley.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I hope corporate Canada will buy into what I&rsquo;m doing</b></blockquote><p>Bourdeau isn&rsquo;t interested in making a buck on this venture; he&rsquo;s already done that with his excavation business. For this one, it&rsquo;s all about the kids. With tuition upwards of $25,000, however, Bourdeau and the Academy also intend to create an endowment fund so youth from less financially able homes can attend. &ldquo;I hope corporate Canada will buy into what I&rsquo;m doing and support kids in coming here,&rdquo; Bourdeau said.</p><p>Hockey Canada certainly bought in. It inked a 10-year agreement with the Academy and will hold annual training camps for Canadian national teams, including the national sledge hockey team, at the arena.</p><p>While Bourdeau is the Academy&rsquo;s president and founder, his involvement once it opens will take place behind the scenes. But he will be at the rink occasionally and his presence will be felt. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my baby,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I want to take care of it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0052-01

Vision Accomplished

<div class="byline">BY NICOLAS CHABOT</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>AYBE DUNCAN KEITH</b> should change his name to Duncan Kill. The reigning Norris Trophy winner had spent 36:42 of his season in shorthanded situations and opponents had yet to bury a power play marker against his Blackhawks in that span.</p><p>Washington&rsquo;s Mike Green is definitely known more for his offensive leanings, but he, too, hasn&rsquo;t been on the ice for a man-advantage goal against. But more surprising than that, Green has played 28:37 of power play time &ndash; nearly half a game&rsquo;s worth of minutes &ndash; without the Caps being able to push a goal across. At the other end of the spectrum, if Jonas Holos is on the ice for about three minutes of power play time, the Colorado Avalanche score.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02159/9412743-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="599" height="901"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-03104/9412736-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="164" height="212"></div><h2><b>3.26</b></h2><p><b>Best power play performances</b></p><p>Ratio of PP minutes per PP goals scored by his team while on the ice (player did not necessarily register a point on the goal)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0480/9412729-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="809" height="594"></div><p><i>Among players who averaged two-plus minutes per game on the PP and have played four games.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0561/9412722-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="164" height="212"></div><h2><b>36:42</b></h2><p><b>Best PK performances</b></p><p>Opponents did not register a single PP goal while on the ice</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0644/9412715-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="494" height="768"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0725/9412708-1-eng-US/f0054-072.jpg" title="f0054-07" width="164" height="214"></div><h2><b>2:10</b></h2><p><b>Worst PK performances</b></p><p>Ratio of PK minutes per PP goals against</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0817/9412701-1-eng-US/f0054-082.jpg" title="f0054-08" width="494" height="768"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0912/9412694-1-eng-US/f0054-092.jpg" title="f0054-09" width="164" height="212"></div><h2><b>28:37</b></h2><p><b>Worst PP performances</b></p><p>Player&rsquo;s team did not register a single PP goal while on the ice</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-1010/9412687-1-eng-US/f0054-102.jpg" title="f0054-10" width="494" height="768"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-1110/9412680-1-eng-US/f0054-112.jpg" title="f0054-11" width="164" height="211"></div><h2><b>12</b></h2><p><b>On ice, but no points</b></p><p>Number of times a player was on the ice when his team scored a goal, but did not register a point (with total Pts)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-128/9412673-1-eng-US/f0054-122.jpg" title="f0054-12" width="494" height="770"></div><p><i>Among players who averaged one-plus minute per game on the PK and have played four games.</i></p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH NUMBERS? VISIT OUR ONLINE <b>&lsquo;STATS&rsquo;</b> SECTION EVERY DAY AT <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

SPECIAL GUYS, SPECIAL TEAMS

<div class="byline">BY SABINA LAM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01214/9412774-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LEARNING TO FLY</b></p><p><b>Jim Kyte used all sorts of tricks on the ice to overcome his hearing impairment.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(EVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jim Kyte</b> was like any other tough guy in the NHL &ndash; big, tough and intimidating &ndash; except for one thing; he was legally deaf.</p><p>When Kyte entered the league in 1982-83, he became the first legally deaf player to suit up in the NHL. He was also the first player to wear hearing aids while playing and required a special helmet to protect them.</p><p>Kyte was born with perfect hearing, but when he was three, it was discovered he had a hereditary condition causing his audio nerve to degenerate.</p><p>&ldquo;My dad always said, &lsquo;It may be a handicap, but it&rsquo;s not a disability,&rsquo;&rdquo; Kyte said. &ldquo;You should be able to do anything you want to if you work hard enough at it and have the passion for it.&rdquo;</p><p>Living by his father&rsquo;s words, Kyte said he learned to adapt his game to succeed without the ability to hear well. He went on to play 598 games in the NHL, scoring 66 points and collecting 1,342 penalty minutes.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>It may be a handicap, but it&rsquo;s not a disability</b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;I was a student of the game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I knew the systems inside and out. I knew them just as well as the coaches did because I had to.</p><p>&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t depend on players yelling my name, saying, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m open!&rsquo; as I understand some players can do, so I played a very positional game.&rdquo;</p><p>Kyte said he also depended on his sight to know what was going on around him. &ldquo;I did a lot of lip reading,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Sometimes when I went back into my own corner to retrieve a puck and didn&rsquo;t have time to look over my shoulder, I would use the glass. Instead of looking through the glass to the fans, I looked at the (reflection) to see who was behind me.&rdquo;</p><p>Kyte was a tough, physical defenseman and a force to be reckoned with on the blueline. He was drafted 12th overall by Winnipeg in 1982 and spent six seasons with the Jets before moving on to play for the Penguins, Flames, Senators and Sharks.</p><p>Throughout his career, Kyte was active in charitable causes involving hearing impairment and ran a summer hockey camp for hearing-impaired children aged seven to 17 from 1988 to 1996.</p><p>&ldquo;Sport is a great vehicle for building confidence, particularly in children,&rdquo; he said. Kyte said a lot of the kids who arrived at the camp had never played hockey before because they didn&rsquo;t think they could or were discouraged from doing so.</p><p>&ldquo;The kids are shy and introverted at the beginning, but then they realize they&rsquo;re with kids who have the same skill caliber and share certain social frustrations, too,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They have a lot in common on and off the ice. Their confidence improves throughout the week and, hopefully, that overflowed to when they got home.&rdquo;</p><p>He said a lot of the players on the Deaflympics Team Canada squad attended his camp as youngsters. The Deaflympics are an International Olympic Committee-sanctioned event for hearing impaired athletes in both summer and winter sports.</p><p>Kyte said he would&rsquo;ve liked to continue with the camp, but funding dried up and his interests began to go in other directions. Shortly after pulling the plug on his hockey camp, Kyte was forced into retirement in 1997 after an auto accident left him with severe post-concussion syndrome.</p><p>Today he keeps busy as the chair of marketing and management studies at Algonquin College in Ottawa, his hometown, and does speaking engagements at part of the National Speakers Bureau. Before landing the Algonquin gig, Kyte was a columnist for the Ottawa <i>Citizen</i> for four years until the NHL lockout.</p><p>Kyte said after his accident, he put away any reminders of his NHL days, which eased his transition to life after hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;Hockey had served me very well, but I had to make a clean break from the game and being an NHLer, mentally,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t live in the past and I couldn&rsquo;t use hockey to identify myself for too long and had to move on.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0056-01

No Hearing? No Problem

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01201/9412805-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="913" height="913"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 The ___ Centre was in Landover</p><p>4 Jacques and Johnny were among the first to wear them</p><p>7 Thrash</p><p>8 Cory ___ is a Panther, pictured</p><p>10 Shelving</p><p>12 Tight</p><p>13 Merge</p><p>14 The B in CBA</p><p>18 The 1967 Smythe Trophy winner</p><p>19 ___ Ciccarelli is now a Hall of Famer</p><p>20 Charge: two words</p><p>21 Teemu ___ is back for another season</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 ___ Pronger is a much-feared blueliner</p><p>2 Striking with the fists</p><p>3 Allow to enter: two words</p><p>4 Boston winger who hails from Vancouver</p><p>5 The ___-final is the next-to-last playoff round</p><p>6 Where the Sharks cavort</p><p>9 Rick Nash is one</p><p>11 The Habs and Nords were in the Adams ___</p><p>12 Niagara Falls had the ___</p><p>15 Thugs</p><p>16 A ___ save may be extra spectacular</p><p>17 Tied</p><h2><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</b></h2><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1. PATRICK, 1. PHANEUF, 4. NOTRE, 7. COLE, 8. JENNINGS, 10. SMOTHERING, 12. JANNE, 13. ELDON, 14. EDDIE SHORE, 18. ROGATIEN, 19. ATOM, 20. THREE, 21. TRAINER</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>1. PUCKS, 2. ALL-ROUND, 3. FLEER, 4. NO-NONSENSE, 5. TONY, 6. EASTERN, 9. THREADS THE, 11. EDMONTON, 12. JOKERIT, 15. INEPT, 16. ELMER, 17. IGOR<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-01

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03103/9412874-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="622" height="633"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NASH: JAMIE SABAU/COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s always nice when charity and cool gear go hand in hand.</p><p>To support the Blue Jackets Foundation and Hockey Fights Cancer, Columbus players donned special purple sweaters for their warmup before an Oct. 20 game against Anaheim. The jerseys were signed and then auctioned off two days later.</p><p>Though teams often wear practice jerseys featuring their logo on a variety of different colored sweaters, it&rsquo;s cool to see the variation in a warmup.</p><p>The grey accents are a nice finishing touch as well.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-03

JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02140/9412912-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="282" height="499"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen the salary</b> cap became a reality five years ago, it seemed a lot of teams were stumbling around in the dark trying to find their way in the new world.</p><p>That was to be expected. What was also to be reasonably expected was that as teams got more accustomed to the idea of fixed labor costs, they would get a little better at managing them. The fact that the spending power for those fixed costs went up by more than 50 percent in the next five years should have made the adjustment even easier.</p><p>But guess what? Here we are in 2010 and there are some teams still bumping into things looking for the darned light switch. And it can be safely said that as a league, the NHL has gotten worse, not better, at managing itself during the post-lockout era.</p><p>There are some mitigating circumstances. The cap of $39 million in the first post-lockout season was artificially low and the increases in the years after made things a little easier to manage. Plus, the initial 24 percent rollback on existing salaries and resetting of the market were key factors. But in the past couple of years the increases have been less dramatic and teams have begun to sign their stars to long-term, burdensome deals.</p><p>But the whole thing defies logic. The more you work at something, the better you&rsquo;re supposed to get at it. Instead, in many cases, the opposite has been the norm.</p><p>According to <a href="http://capgeek.com">capgeek.com</a> &ndash; and we must take a moment to thank the Lord for Matthew Wuest, the site&rsquo;s creator &ndash; the Senators, Flyers, Canucks, Bruins, Flames and Devils have zero cap space and a full one-third of the league has less than $1 million in room.</p><p>The Blackhawks fall into the No. 11 spot with just more than $1 million in space, but that&rsquo;s only because they made Cristobal Huet&rsquo;s $5.6 million cap hit go to Europe for the next two seasons and purged their Cup-winning roster in a way that made Richard Nixon&rsquo;s Saturday Night Massacre look like a church picnic.</p><p>Of the 15 teams with the least cap space, only the Ducks could be considered to not be among the large-market, high-revenue teams. Of the 15 teams with the most cap space, the only large-market, high-revenue teams in the group are the Maple Leafs and Oilers. It helps them, of course, that the Maple Leafs have buried Jeff Finger&rsquo;s $3.5 million hit in the minors, while the Oilers have done the same with Sheldon Souray&rsquo;s $5.4 million cap figure.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01212/9412905-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="743" height="876"><figcaption class="caption-body">ILYA KOVALCHUK <span class="photo-credit">(LOU CAPOZZOLA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Too many teams are seduced into thinking they&rsquo;re better than they are</b></blockquote><p><i>(The Finger debacle, by the way, is nothing more than a nuisance to the Leafs &ndash; the cost of doing business. They know that under the old system they&rsquo;d be paying north of $80 million in salaries.)</i></p><p>Why is it that more teams are finding themselves in Salary Cap Hell than was the case when the cap was $39 million? Well, for starters, almost all the problems have been of their own making. But here are a couple of theories:</p><p>&bull; Too many teams continue to pour too much cap space into goaltending. It is by far the one position in the NHL where the theory of supply and demand goes directly out the window.</p><p>Now the Canucks couldn&rsquo;t have possibly envisioned the goalie market would bottom out this summer, but how wise was it to tie Roberto Luongo in for 12 years at $5.3 million per, particularly when they had one of the best young goaltending prospects in Cory Schneider?</p><p>&bull; Many executives still haven&rsquo;t fully grasped the concept of cap space as an asset, one that&rsquo;s every bit as important as good players. For that reason, teams are still unwilling to allow top players to walk and are still too willing to overpay them.</p><p>&bull; Generally speaking, teams still follow a market that is dictated by bad signings. Why on earth would the Boston Bruins sign 33-year-old Zdeno Chara to a contract with a cap hit of almost $7 million for six years and $4 million for the seventh for what is clearly a declining asset? Just because he made $7.5 million on the last deal doesn&rsquo;t mean he deserved almost as much on the next one.</p><p>&bull; Too many teams are seduced into thinking they&rsquo;re better than they are and closer to winning the Stanley Cup than they are.</p><p><i>Exhibit A:</i> The New Jersey Devils and their pursuit and signing of Ilya Kovalchuk. The most discouraging thing about it is they were handed a mulligan by the NHL when it rejected the original contract, yet the owner insisted on getting a long, expensive deal done for a player who had few options beyond going to Russia.</p><p>The biggest problem, perhaps, is that teams don&rsquo;t seem to be learning from the mistakes of others. And until they do, they&rsquo;ll continue to have all kinds of trouble navigating their way through a system that was originally designed to help them.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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November 15, 2010

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