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November 22, 2010
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.
The Raiders’ Prince of Power
Based on all the talent that has flowed out of the circuit, it’s a shocking fact that the Western League has only produced two first overall picks since 1988 – Chris Phillips and Mike Modano. Coincidentally, both those players came from the Prince Albert Raiders. While he’s not projected to break the Dub’s skid, center Mark McNeill does play for the Raiders and has the skills to join the long list of WHLers who didn’t go No. 1, but who went on to have a big impact in the NHL. A 6-foot-2, 210-pound power forward, ranked 32nd overall by International Scouting Services for the 2011 draft, McNeill has been a point-per-game player this season and credits his summer routine with putting him in a position to be successful. “It was a huge off-season…
GLOBAL Glimpse
ITALY IIHF MEMBER SINCE 1924 TOTAL POPULATION 58,090,681 MEN’S RANKING 16th WOMEN’S RANKING 17th MALE PLAYERS 1,776 FEMALE PLAYERS 490 INDOOR RINKS 44 OUTDOOR RINKS 24…
A Swede With Swagger
When Linus Klasen was called up to the Nashville Predators for a one-game audition in October and crossed paths with Steve Sullivan, you’d think the conversation might have come around to what it takes for small players to make it in the NHL. You’d think, wouldn’t you? After all, both are generously listed at 5-foot-8 and ridiculously talented. If you need proof, punch Klasen’s name into YouTube. Sullivan, meanwhile, was an impact NHLer long before the league became small-and-talented-player friendly post-lockout. In fact, Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton called Klasen “a magician with the puck,” and said his skill level is “frightening.” So Sullivan must have offered Klasen some words of encouragement, right? “No, we talked about plane crashes after the game and that was pretty much it,” Klasen said. “A couple…
The Best of the Best
It might be difficult to believe, but the Montreal Canadiens actually had a losing record against the Boston Bruins in 1976-77. After one of those losses superstar Guy Lafleur said, “I will never accept losing. Never. The law of averages is bound to catch up with us, but that’s no excuse for a bad performance.” And, that, in a nutshell, is what made the ’76-77 Canadiens the greatest collection of talent in the history of the game. The rest of the NHL provided Montreal such feeble competition that they had to fabricate it from within by challenging themselves to be better and more dominating with every game. Practices, for the most part, were even more demanding than the games. “When we scrimmaged, you were playing against the best players in the world,”…