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.

October 17, 2011

The Hockey News - Oct-17-11

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021457/9584893-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="483" height="439"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012150/9584900-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="95" height="95"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Less than 25 7%</p><p>25-30 27%</p><p><b>31-35 34%</b></p><p>36-40 22%</p><p>41-45 7%</p><p>More than 45 2%</p><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><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

POLLRESULTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOSEPH PHUNG</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here&rsquo;s</b>&nbsp;<b>always a lot</b> of excitement when EA Sports releases its latest hockey game, as fans know they&rsquo;re going to get a quality experience. With NHL 12, the development team at EA Canada has a winner with its best hockey game to date.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021664/9585121-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="319" height="426"></div><p>One of the main additions to NHL 12 is the Full Contact physics engine, which factors in players&rsquo; size and physicality whenever they go in for a hit. So, you won&rsquo;t see smaller players like Mike Cammalleri knocking down big guys such as Zdeno Chara anymore. Another realistic touch: bodychecks don&rsquo;t always cause players to fall, but may make them stumble or fall to their knees instead.</p><p>Net battles are another addition this year. Forwards will jostle with defensemen for position in front of the net to create screens and attempt to redirect shots from the point. Goalies can also be aggressive and may shove and slash opposing players who get in their crease. Agitate a net-minder enough and he might even drop his equipment and fight.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012280/9585114-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="1422" height="861"></div><p>The &ldquo;Be A Pro&rdquo; mode returns with some improvements. For those unfamiliar with this mode, it allows you to create your own player as a rookie in major junior and then work your way to achieving a successful NHL career.</p><p>As a rookie, your player will get limited ice time, but will earn more playing time and experience points if you successfully complete tasks assigned by the coach, such as blocking shots and scoring goals. Once enough points are accumulated, you can upgrade your player&rsquo;s attributes to improve his skills and rank.</p><p>When your player&rsquo;s rank rises, you&rsquo;ll also unlock nine legendary NHL players such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Chris Chelios and Patrick Roy for use in the new &ldquo;Be A Legend&rdquo; mode. In this mode, you&rsquo;ll select a legend and add him to any current team to see if he can still dominate in today&rsquo;s league.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a no-brainer, NHL 12 is absolutely worth getting. The gameplay provides a top-notch simulation experience. To top it off, there are plenty of modes here to keep any hockey fan busy until next season rolls around.</p><p><i>Joseph Phung is a freelance writer based in Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter @TheGamer2400.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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NHL 12 Got Game

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021442/9585083-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="600" height="513"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he Southern Pro League</b> will feature nine franchises this season &ndash; two of them called &ldquo;Mississippi.&rdquo; The Central League&rsquo;s former Memphis team has moved just over the Tennessee border to become the Mississippi RiverKings, challenging the reigning SPHL champion Mississippi Surge for state supremacy.</p><p>Economics has dictated a lot in the hockey world lately, particularly in the minors. This year&rsquo;s Southern Pro League roster now features nine franchises, up from just six in 2008-09. Geography was killing the RiverKings in the CHL. &ldquo;We were on the Eastern border of the league,&rdquo; said broadcasting and media relations co-ordinator Keenan Slusher. &ldquo;You can imagine the expenses of taking 30-hour bus rides to Arizona or two-day trips to South Dakota.&rdquo;</p><p>The Surge plays on the opposite end of the state, south in Biloxi, but Slusher anticipates an instant rivalry, especially since the Biloxi boys are SPHL champs. &ldquo;They have that feather in their cap and we have 20 years of great history on our side,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And with nine teams in the league, these guys will see each other quite a bit this season.&rdquo;</p><p>The only question now is what titles will be used when the RiverKings play the Surge. Slusher said his team usually goes by the short form MRK, leaving MIS for the Surge. But we suggest tapping the state&rsquo;s college fondness and going Mississippi versus Mississippi State.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Two Mississippi

<div class="byline">BY BRION O&#x2019;CONNOR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01789/9586772-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PAYING IT FORWARD</b></p><p><b>Michael and Carolyn Spengler and Scott Crowder are the powers behind Restore Hockey.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF MICHAEL SPENGLERD)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>iversity</b> in hockey is undoubtedly a good thing. For many, though, the obstacles to playing the greatest game on ice have less to do with the their skin color and more to do with the color of money. Or the amount of it.</p><p>The game&rsquo;s escalating costs &ndash; even at entry levels &ndash; are prohibitive for a growing number of prospective players and their families. &ldquo;Hockey is a very expensive sport,&rdquo; said former NHLer Bob Sweeney, now with the Boston Bruins Foundation. &ldquo;The one-piece sticks cost more than $100 apiece, let alone skates, helmet, gloves, pants and shoulder pads.&rdquo;</p><p>But a program developed by a Massachusetts couple is helping to address that issue. Carolyn and Michael Spengler are the driving force behind Restore Hockey, a non-profit designed to make hockey more accessible. The program collects used gear, has it sanitized and redistributes it to families and youth hockey programs in need. &ldquo;I grew up in a middle-class, blue-collar family and hockey was a sport that many kids with the same background could play,&rdquo; said Michael, the youngest of six kids. &ldquo;Unfortunately, today some middle-class families can&rsquo;t afford it.&rdquo;</p><p>Restore Sports got its approval as a non-profit in January 2010 and the Spenglers then teamed up with Sports Wash, a company specializing in sanitizing sports gear. The next challenge was getting the word out. &ldquo;I want to eliminate the mindset of parents where they immediately write off hockey because they&rsquo;ve heard it&rsquo;s too expensive,&rdquo; Michael said. &ldquo;We want to be able to provide them a way to actually participate.&rdquo;</p><p>The response was overwhelming. The garage of the couple&rsquo;s home is bursting with close to 1,000 pieces of hockey gear.</p><p>The Spenglers also brought in former UMass Minutemen forward Scott Crowder as Restore Hockey&rsquo;s executive director to expand the program. &ldquo;Pay it forward &ndash; that&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;Right now we&rsquo;re laying the foundation. But it&rsquo;s completely scalable.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Today some middle-class families can&rsquo;t afford to play hockey</b></blockquote><p>Crowder set about broadening Restore Hockey&rsquo;s reach, establishing relationships with the NCAA&rsquo;s Hockey East conference and the Boston Bruins Foundation, which earlier this year hosted two gear drop-off days and raised more than $9,000 through in-game raffles. &ldquo;By spreading the word, we&rsquo;re not only helping Restore Hockey gain credibility and notoriety, but more importantly we&rsquo;re helping the kids,&rdquo; Sweeney said.</p><p>Equally important, said Crowder, is that Restore Hockey isn&rsquo;t competing with manufacturers and retail shops. He&rsquo;s negotiating with several hockey gear companies to create affordable starter packs for the youth. &ldquo;If we can get kids in the equipment and get them to follow up with the game, not only are they going to learn a lot, but you&rsquo;ll create consumers for life,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Another key is finding the people who need the gear.</p><p>Restore Hockey&rsquo;s braintrust plans to establish relationships with youth hockey programs to identify those needs. For example, they&rsquo;ve teamed with SCORE Boston, an affiliate of the NHL&rsquo;s diversity program.</p><p>Restore Hockey grew out of the Spenglers&rsquo; appreciation for their own childhoods, when they had ample opportunity to play sports. &ldquo;Ultimately, we want to make the game available to kids who may not otherwise be able to afford it,&rdquo; Michael said. &ldquo;The game has given a lot to a lot of people and unfortunately, because of the cost, some people might not be able to experience it.&rdquo;</p><p>Michael, who played hockey in Billerica, Mass., before moving on to Arlington Catholic and Bentley University, admits he was blissfully unaware of any sacrifices his parents made.</p><p>Carolyn, who collected 12 varsity letters in high school, said sports were instrumental during her formative years. &ldquo;They teach so many lessons,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Girls, boys, regardless, playing a sport gives them confidence, it teaches them to work hard besides school. It teaches them teamwork and how to juggle different things in their lives.&rdquo;</p><p>Thanks to the group&rsquo;s website (<a href="http://restorehockey.org">restorehockey.org</a>), Restore Hockey has received and filled requests from as far as Wisconsin and Arizona. However, the Spenglers and Crowder want to establish a strong foothold in New England first and then create satellite &ldquo;hubs&rdquo; throughout the U.S. and Canada.</p><p>&ldquo;We could become the Salvation Army of hockey,&rdquo; Crowder said. &ldquo;Why does Salvation Army work? Because people support it. It&rsquo;s a lot of fun and we have a lot of work in front of us, but it&rsquo;s the perfect cause.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Restoring Hope For Hockey

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY JANA CHYTILOVA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012163/9584755-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Early Snow Shower</b></h2><p><b>Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson does his best to make a pre-season stop as the Bruins get in his kitchen.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012192/9584800-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="907" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he</b>&nbsp;<b>Winnipeg Jets</b> are already a success, with an asterisk. Season tickets sold out in hours, merchandise is hotter than Teemu Selanne&rsquo;s rookie campaign and rich broadcast deals have been consummated.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a made-in-Canada success story, an intense love affair guaranteed to last at least three, four, five years, and one our Winnipeg correspondent Tim Campbell lays out in our cover story, beginning on pg. 26. The question is, what happens when the honeymoon ends? When the joy of the new wears off, how do the Jets sustain the substantial momentum they&rsquo;ve built up?</p><p>To be sure, there are already pitfalls of which to be wary. For starters, the Jets will very likely qualify for revenue sharing at the end of this season &ndash; something the club is certainly counting on. In order to get a piece of that pie in years beyond, they&rsquo;ll need to meet certain criteria &ndash; pending, of course, the shape of the next collective bargaining agreement.</p><p>Then there&rsquo;s the economy, a situation over which the franchise has zero control. Sure, the Loonie is strong today, but there are fears of another economic downturn and also recent reports Canada could be among the first countries to experience a double-dip recession. When the previous Jets flew south to Phoenix in 1996, one of the biggest contributing factors was the 73-cent Canadian dollar. While the current CBA may provide some protection against a repeat scenario, the Jets aren&rsquo;t completely immune from small-market-Canada syndrome.</p><p>The most important factor will be their on-ice success. Winnipeg inherits a franchise that has never won a playoff game and the previous NHL inhabitants in Manitoba didn&rsquo;t fare much better. From 1979 through &rsquo;96, the original Jets failed to win so much as a division title and were victorious in just two playoff rounds. It&rsquo;s possible this year&rsquo;s crew will reverse fortunes and surprise us, but don&rsquo;t count on it. In The Hockey News Yearbook, we&rsquo;ve slotted the Jets 13th in the Eastern Conference. On the bright side, in our 2011 Future Watch ranking of NHL-drafted prospects, the former Thrashers ranked seventh of 30.</p><p>Still, the Jets face significant challenges and it will be several years until we know if we can remove that asterisk from their success label. For what it&rsquo;s worth, an asterisk on the team pages in the NHL Guide and Record Book also denotes a franchise that has relocated. Just sayin&rsquo;.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031500/9584793-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> OCTOBER 31, 2011</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></p><div class="sidebar"><h2><b>LISTEN UP!</b></h2><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW</b></p><p><b>FRIDAYS 3-4 EST XM 92</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021863/9584786-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="176" height="72"></div><p><b>SIRIUS 207 IN USA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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A Golden Jets Success*

<h2><b>HOME STAND</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he NHL has finally done it. I&rsquo;ve been priced out of going to games. I have travelled to see 28 NHL teams on their home ice and I live where I do largely because of the Hurricanes. A seat in the front row used to cost $50. That was 1998. Today at the RBC Center, $50 buys you top deck. I watch players filing out of practice in their Maseratis and I face a bankruptcy and foreclosure. How screwed up our priorities are. I love hockey as much as anyone, but these guys get millions for playing a game. It&rsquo;s now minor league baseball for me. It&rsquo;s all I can afford. I still say &ldquo;Go Canes,&rdquo; but now I do so from home on TV.</b></p><p><b><i>Scott Bagley, Wake Forest, N.C.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012419/9584862-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="986" height="1160"></div><h2><b>Appalling Peel</b></h2><p>I am completely disgusted by the London &ldquo;fan&rdquo; who threw a banana at Wayne Simmonds. What a ridiculous thing to do. Southern Ontario wants a second NHL team and this is what happens at an exhibition game? This is embarrassing for the people of Ontario and throughout Canada. It&rsquo;s too bad that an act of one person can sour the outlook on a whole area.</p><p><i>Paul Hamilton, White Fox, Sask.</i></p><h2><b>Ben Never Breaks</b></h2><p>I was quite happy to see Ben Fanelli get a &ldquo;plus&rdquo; in your Sept. 19 issue. It was heart-wrenching to be in attendance at the &lsquo;Aud&rsquo; the night he was hit from behind, but it was heartwarming to see him take to the ice again. Seeing Ben play again just speaks volumes about this young man&rsquo;s commitment to a sport he loves.</p><p><i>Gerry Hartman. Kitchener, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Great Expectations</b></h2><p>I couldn&rsquo;t disagree more with Adam Proteau over the too-high expectations in Buffalo (Proteau Type, Sept. 19). The issues he cited from last year&rsquo;s Philly series are now non-existent. Ryan Miller is fully recovered from his injury and will be ready, along with a fully capable backup in Jhonas Enroth to give him breaks throughout the season. Our &lsquo;D&rsquo; is as solid and deep as it gets, which will help goals-against and even-strength play. Sabres fans aren&rsquo;t overestimating things, Proteau is underestimating.</p><p><i>Brendan McIntyre, Reston, Va.</i></p><h2><b>Clint Kudos</b></h2><p>I just finished reading your Clint Malarchuk story (Off-ice Struggle, Sept. 19). I remember watching that infamous game back in 1989, when he burst from his goalie crease holding his neck after being cut by a skate. It is something I have not forgotten. It was all so surreal. Malarchuk is to be commended and respected in a big way for telling the story of the depression he has endured over the years. I wish him well in every way imaginable.</p><p><i>Brian Fillmore, Cloverdale, B.C.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021642/9584855-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="458" height="618"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRANT HALVERSON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Top 20? Bottom Job</b></h2><p>When I saw Roberto Luongo was rated eighth behind Carey Price and Cam Ward I was furious (Top 20 By Position, Oct. 3). Luongo is an obvious top-three goalie after posting the NHL&rsquo;s second-best GAA and fourth-best save percentage, never mind leading his team to the Cup final. I&rsquo;ve always had respect for your ratings, but to put Luongo in the eighth spot, that&rsquo;s a joke.</p><p><i>Bailey Broadbent, Richmond, B.C.</i></p><p>I disagree with your decision to rank Martin Brodeur as your No. 12 goalie. Sure, the guy is one of the best goaltenders ever &ndash; that&rsquo;s got to count for something &ndash; but he&rsquo;s in the twilight of his career and is no longer at the elite level he once was. If we&rsquo;re talking about the best goalies heading into the season, I wouldn&rsquo;t even have him in the top 20.</p><p><i>Adam Wyville, London, Ont.</i></p><p>I was very surprised neither Nicklas Backstrom nor Alexander Semin were in the top 20s. And something else that boggles my mind is that Mike Green was not included with the defensemen. Can this please be explained?</p><p><i>Charlie Morison, Vancouver</i></p><h2><b>Southern Uncomfort</b></h2><p>You recently ran a cover story on the growth of hockey in the U.S. and the American influence on the NHL (Sept. 19). However, we&rsquo;ve recently heard about the financial troubles in New Jersey and Dallas. Along with the issues in Phoenix and Florida, and the departure of Atlanta, is hockey in the U.S. really a boom or a bust?</p><p><i>Ryan Packer, Milton, Ont.</i></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>

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THN INBOX

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>i Adam. Why are people talking so much about Ryan Nugent-Hopkins&rsquo; weight? Tyler Ennis is listed on Buffalo&rsquo;s website at 157 pounds and Nathan Gerbe at 5-foot-5.</b></p><p><i>Joe Cordova, Burnaby, B.C.</i></p><p>Hi Joe. The discussions about Nugent-Hopkins are valid, given his slight frame (six-foot, 171 pounds) and the much bigger NHLers he&rsquo;ll face.</p><p>That said, your point is well made. As we&rsquo;ve seen countless times &ndash; most recently, with Tampa Bay star Martin St-Louis &ndash; size doesn&rsquo;t define the capability of any particular player.</p><p><b>Adam, we frequently hear the next two places to get a relocated NHL team are Quebec City and Southern Ontario. Can you name three U.S. cities with a good chance?</b></p><p><i>Ron Killian, Indianapolis, Ind.</i></p><p>Ron, tough question. I suppose it depends what you mean by &ldquo;good.&rdquo; In my experience, the American cities you hear mentioned most often in regard to relocation are Kansas City (which has a fairly new arena and no anchor tenant) and Las Vegas, which still is searching for its first big-league franchise. However, both those towns are anything but a lock to get a team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03907/9584931-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="917" height="772"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS</b><span class="photo-credit">(JETS: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; NUGENT-HOPKINS : MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Beyond that, you&rsquo;re looking at Seattle, which needs a new building before an NHL team could come in, and Houston as secondary candidates. (Sorry, I guess that was four.)</p><p>At this stage, the Canadian markets likely will be first to receive a relocated franchise.</p><p><b>|</b> Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a>&nbsp;<b>|</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012309/9584983-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="453" height="328"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021760/9584990-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="54" height="54"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>iscuss among</b> yourselves whether Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s first two suspension calls represent a new era in NHL discipline or more of the same old, same old. But Shanahan is presiding over a couple of makeovers, both figuratively and literally, that suggest at least a different approach to on-ice mayhem.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04702/9584976-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="112" height="126"></div><p>First, the literal. Throughout the pre-season, the NHL&rsquo;s Manhattan offices were buzzing with contractors as the league was installing a new video review room identical to the &lsquo;War Room&rsquo; at the Toronto offices. The aim, Shanahan said, would be to have staff from his department view each and every NHL game with the focus solely on player safety. The Toronto video crew will be largely responsible for goal/no goal calls and monitoring on-ice officials, while the New York observers will be charged with on-ice discipline and other player safety issues.</p><p>There will be a much sharper focus on video evidence with the Shanahan regime, as evidenced by the pre-season production the league distributed concerning the changes to the headshot (Rule 48) and boarding (Rule 41) provisions. And by providing video explaining his five-game ban to Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond of the Calgary Flames and his 10-game suspension to Jody Shelley of the Philadelphia Flyers, as he will with all suspensions (and some non-suspensions), Shanahan made it clear there will be more transparency behind his decisions.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031244/9584969-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="513" height="685"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05497/9584962-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="1032" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>IN YOUR FACE Brendan Shanahan, top, won&rsquo;t be shy about explaining his decisions on suspensions.</b><span class="photo-credit">(TOP: JOEL AUERBACH/GETTY IMAGES; SHANAHAN: GREGG FORWERCK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; MAIN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The thrust of the changes to both rules is players applying a hit will have to take more, but not all, responsibility for their actions, particularly when they hit players in vulnerable positions. Shanahan acknowledges it represents a culture change and a learning curve, even for him. &ldquo;When I see a player put himself in a vulnerable position, there&rsquo;s a part of me that still wants to say, &lsquo;What are you thinking? Don&rsquo;t do that,&rsquo; &ldquo; said Shanahan, the NHL&rsquo;s new senior vice-president, player safety and hockey operations. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something a lot of us grew up with. But the way the culture has changed and the game has evolved, we have to say, if a player makes an igno-rant play on the ice, that doesn&rsquo;t give others around him the green light to drive his head into the glass.&rdquo;</p><p>Now the figurative: Shanahan was joined in the pre-season video by Mathieu Schneider, who is the special assistant to NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Don Fehr. This is significant because the perception has always been that the NHLPA has traditionally sided with the offending player in disciplinary issues. At least publicly, though, the league and NHLPA are singing from the same songbook now.</p><p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t say it&rsquo;s a culture shift, but I would say that I think things have slowly gone off track,&rdquo; Schneider said. &ldquo;I always use the examples of Wendel Clark and Rick Tocchet, two of the greatest hitters in the game&hellip; They hit body-on-body and they didn&rsquo;t try to take a piece of the guy by throwing out an elbow or a shoulder. If the punishment is harsh enough, you&rsquo;re not inclined to do it. If you&rsquo;re going to get a $500 ticket for speeding, you&rsquo;re not going to do it. If the ticket is only 45 bucks, maybe you&rsquo;ll take a chance.&rdquo;</p><p>Shelley&rsquo;s suspension, although announced as a 10-game ban, was in reality five games, because the other five were pre-season games where Shelley wouldn&rsquo;t have been paid anyway, nor would he have played in them all. And given the fact he was a repeat offender &ndash; suspended twice last season &ndash; and the player he hit (Darryl Boyce of the Toronto Maple Leafs) was injured, was the suspension really that much more than would have been imposed in the past?</p><p>Perhaps not, but there wasn&rsquo;t the same mysterious reasoning for this one.</p><p><b>6:53</b> Time, in hours and minutes, it took the Panthers and Predators to play what is the first NHL double-header on record, Sept. 19 as part of &ldquo;Hockey Day in South Florida.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Sheriff Shanahan

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012066/9585021-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03887/9585052-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="611" height="662"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>SHANAHAN PROVES HE&rsquo;S FOR REAL</b></h3><p><i>Philly&rsquo;s</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Jody Shelley</i></b>&nbsp;<i>gets 10 games for illegal hit on Toronto&rsquo;s Darryl Boyce by new NHL sheriff Brendan Shanahan.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>STAY CLASSY, LONDON</b></h3><p><i>Fan throws banana at Flyers&rsquo; Wayne Simmonds, who is black, during preseason game in London, Ont. The peel hit the ice during a shootout try.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>HEROIC ACTIONS FOR REFORMER</b></h3><p><i>Convicted ex-NHLer Mike Danton saves a teammate&rsquo;s life in Swedish game when player goes into seizure on ice.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>WHAT&rsquo;S IN A NAME? NO, SERIOUSLY</b></h3><p><i>Canadian Women&rsquo;s League changes name to Continental League because of Boston team, further obscuring its own existence in the process.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

PLUS MINUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031068/9585152-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="325" height="347"></div><h2><b>YOUNGSTOWN PHANTOMS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ounded in 2003</b> as a North American League franchise, the Ohio-based Phantoms are named after the fireworks company run by owner Bruce Zoldan and share a logo. Phantom Fireworks proudly manufacture products such as Untamed Retribution, Whistling Pandemonium and Storm Over Swarm. Youngstown (known as Mahoning Valley for a short period) is now entering its third season as members of the United States League and has spawned talents such as Brandon Saad (Chicago, 43rd overall in 2011) and Scott Mayfield (NY Isles, 34th overall in 2011).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

BEHIND the Name!

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04742/9585183-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="332" height="446"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>He was just shovelling it in. You thought he was going to explode</i></b><br><b>&ndash; <i>COLORADO&rsquo;S PAUL STASTNY ON TEAMMATE T.J. GALIARDI, WHO PUT ON 20 POUNDS OF MUSCLE THIS OFF-SEASON WITH THE HELP OF A DIET CONSISTING OF 10,000 CALORIES A DAY.</i></b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-04

HE SAID what!?

<div class="byline">BY BEN CLYMER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012226/9585214-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="901" height="769"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>UP IN THE AIR</b></p><p><b>Ben Clymer, a veteran of 438 NHL games, played a year in the KHL before closing up his career with one season in Germany. He grew up flying with his dad but could never get used to skies in Russia.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDREY GOLUBEV/JANSONS MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen I was a young kid</b> my father, Richard, had his pilot&rsquo;s license, so I occasionally went up with him. When you&rsquo;re an eight-year-old flying around with your dad you feel safe and as you get older you grow to be comfortable in a plane. After all, you&rsquo;re more likely to get injured driving to the airport than on your flight.</p><p>That said, it&rsquo;s different in Russia. I&rsquo;ve travelled throughout Europe and I&rsquo;ve been to Japan, but Russia is the most unique place I&rsquo;ve seen &ndash; I saw a disconnect with the rest of the world. I played for Dynamo Minsk, in Belarus, of the Kontinental League in 2008-09 after talking with a friend and reading Dave King&rsquo;s book, <i>King of Russia,</i> for background research. But because I was so comfortable flying, I&rsquo;d never really considered how different that experience would be over there.</p><p>Our first trip of the season took us to Khabarovsk, which is the most eastern team in the league, near China. We puddle-jumped across Russia, stopping in Moscow then Novokuznetsk (in Siberia). We were on your standard 737, three seats on each side of the aisle and it was a plane you could have got on in North America and wouldn&rsquo;t have thought it was anything different.</p><p>But the next trip, to Moscow, we got on a plane that would be our transportation all year and there was a huge difference. I wouldn&rsquo;t have wanted to take the long flight across Russia on that old aircraft. Our plane, which was old and rickety, had a glass tip where the navigator would sit. Seeing that was an eye-opener.</p><p>A few weeks ago I was reading an article by Denis Gauthier about how he spent the first part of his career flying first-class airlines and staying in five-star hotels in the NHL and then ended up riding buses his last couple years in the minors. Reading what he said about the differences made me realize it&rsquo;s similar when comparing the NHL to Russia, except you&rsquo;re still flying. Outside of both being in the air there&rsquo;s very little the same.</p><p>Dan Boyle, who I played with in Tampa Bay, has a hard time flying. There&rsquo;s no way someone like Dan could handle flights in Russia. Any NHLer who has any degree of fear couldn&rsquo;t do a year of flying there. Even before the Lokomotiv tragedy it would be impossible unless you took medication. You&rsquo;d have to because you&rsquo;d be nervous &ndash; heck, nervous wouldn&rsquo;t cover it.</p><p>A question that&rsquo;s come up often after the tragedy is: Why don&rsquo;t owners pony up for decent planes? Well, decent is a relative term. What it means to them and to us can be very different. And that applies to some general things, too. For example, a Russian may ask why a North American family would need two SUVs; why we&rsquo;d need a large house? Their view of life can be dramatically differently than ours.</p><p>We never had any significant issues on our plane, but I didn&rsquo;t feel as safe as I do on North American flights. I&rsquo;m glad the guys in Minsk aren&rsquo;t still flying on the plane we did.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

A World Of Difference

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021749/9585245-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="242" height="263"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ith its team</b> wiped out in the horrific crash of a Yak-42 aircraft on Sept. 7, hockey fans in the Russian city of Yaroslavl will have only their junior club until December.</p><p>At that time, a new Lokomotiv team will appear, but not in the Kontinental League, the country&rsquo;s highest competition.</p><p>New coach Petr Vorobiev will have a pool to choose from of youth players, allowed to transfer to Lokomotiv from other clubs, plus the top junior players from Yaroslavl. The new Lokomotiv club will start playing games in the Major Hockey League, Russia&rsquo;s second highest league, near the end of the year. It has been guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. It is hoped Lokomotiv will be able to return to the KHL for 2012-13, once again with a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.</p><p>Meanwhile, Dynamo Minsk has announced it will use Boeing 737 aircraft for flights to games on the road. Russian airlines, which use outdated domestic aircraft, won&rsquo;t be given permission to conduct winter charter flights, officials with the Russian Ministry for Transport said.</p><p>Alexander Galimov, the only player to survive the crash, died five days later after suffering burns to 90 percent of his body. Galimov&rsquo;s first coach Nikolai Kazakevich told the <i>Sovietsky Sport</i> the player actually jumped back into the Volga River trying to save others before he was removed from the scene in a fishing boat and taken to hospital.</p><p>That leaves flight engineer Alexander Sizov as the only person still alive. Doctors say he&rsquo;s expected to pull through.</p><p>A preliminary investigation has suggested either mis-communication between the two pilots or an engine issue, potentially caused by poor-quality fuel, led to the crash.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

Rebuilding Lokomotiv

<div class="byline">BY BRETT HULL </div><div class="byline">&nbsp;</div><div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021651/9585276-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="610" height="755"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ONE MORE DEAL</b></p><p><b>Mike Modano signed a one-day contract with Dallas in order to retire as a Star.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012199/9585283-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="193" height="256"></div><p><b>Mike Modano is the greatest</b> American hockey player ever. There&rsquo;s no one better. He&rsquo;s by far No. 1.</p><p>When he broke into the league with the Minnesota North Stars, I was with the St. Louis Blues. I remember him the way my dad used to talk about Gilbert Perreault &ndash; he was just fun to watch and could do things at such a high level and pace.</p><p>Playing against him over the years, I was so focused on my own team that I didn&rsquo;t get an appreciation for all the things he did. But when I got to Dallas and when I played with him on Team USA, it was clear his physical gifts were off the charts &ndash; and so were his smarts about the game.</p><p>As fantastic as his career was, under different circumstances it could have been even better. I always said he was put in a defense-first position from his first day in the league with the North Stars, under Pierre Page, then again when they moved to Dallas, with Bob Gainey and Ken Hitchcock.</p><p>The defense-first reins were always on him. I can&rsquo;t fathom the numbers he would have put up if he were in a different organization that told him, &ldquo;Go do your thing, kid.&rdquo; But it was a tribute to him that he never complained about it.</p><p>If there&rsquo;s one guy you should&rsquo;ve been happiest to see win a Stanley Cup, it would be Mike. He started as the No. 1 pick with the organization, moved with the franchise to a place that never had pro hockey, put it on his back and made it successful.</p><p>And to be able to win a Cup after all that, it couldn&rsquo;t have happened to someone more deserving.</p><p>Mike has done so much for American hockey. When you think of the players who made USA Hockey what it is &ndash; Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick, Doug Weight, Brian Leetch, Keith Tkachuk, Tony Amonte &ndash; Mike is right at the top of the list. And just look at the elite young hockey players now coming out of Texas. It&rsquo;s another feather in his cap to have been such a premier player that kids there would want to emulate him. Without his star power, there isn&rsquo;t that kind of growth.</p><p>Mike was a phenomenal player in every aspect. From offense to defense, from killing penalties to running a power play, he could do it all. It was fun to be with him on a line, because we more or less thought the same way. And he made players around him better.</p><p>That&rsquo;s the hallmark of a truly great player.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

Simply The Best Ever

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he retirement</b> of Mike Modano marked the end of the career of an American hockey legend. Which players deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Modano as one of the best U.S. players ever? Here is The Hockey News&rsquo; all-time American team.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-09224/9585356-1-eng-US/f0014-092.jpg" title="f0014-09" width="136" height="73"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031117/9585349-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="193" height="256"></div><h2><b>Brett Hull*</b></h2><p><b>Forward</b></p><p><i>741 career goals put slick sniper third in NHL history</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04762/9585342-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="202" height="263"></div><h2><b>Pat LaFontaine</b></h2><p><b>Forward</b></p><p><i>Among top 20 in points-per-game. Injury-shortened career.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05522/9585335-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="193" height="256"></div><h2><b>Mike Modano</b></h2><p><b>Forward</b>&nbsp;<i>1,374 career points the most of any American-born player</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06405/9585328-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="193" height="256"></div><h2><b>Chris Chelios</b></h2><p><b>Defense</b></p><p><i>Played 26 NHL seasons, won three Stanley Cups</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07314/9585321-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="193" height="256"></div><h2><b>Brian Leetch</b></h2><p><b>Defense</b></p><p>&nbsp;<i>Two-time Norris winner first Yank to win Conn Smythe</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08258/9585314-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="194" height="256"></div><h2><b>Frank Brimsek</b></h2><p><b>Goalie</b></p><p><i>1940s-era star won two Cups, two Vezina Trophies</i></p><p>*Born in Canada, but played for Team USA throughout career and also U.S. citizen<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-03

All-Time USA Team

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021508/9585394-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TYLER ENNIS</b></p><p><b>MARC-ANDRE GRAGNANI</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/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/f0016-011969/9585401-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="82" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen resident billionaire and Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula purchased the Rochester Americans in June, he didn&rsquo;t ride into town and declare, &ldquo;Starting today, the Rochester Americans&rsquo; reason for existence will be to win a Calder Cup.&rdquo; That had something to do with the fact the Americans have done that six times already.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031100/9585387-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="203" height="203"></div><p>But that doesn&rsquo;t mean Pegula &ndash; who could singlehandedly solve all the NHL&rsquo;s ownership woes if he could only find a way to clone himself seven or eight times &ndash; was tapped out of bold declarations. He immediately declared the Americans to be &ldquo;the University of Sabres&rdquo; and his ownership group&rsquo;s intention &ldquo;to make this franchise a shining star.&rdquo;</p><p>After spending years as one of the NHL&rsquo;s truly star-crossed franchises, the Sabres are finally benefitting from some good karma. Not that they needed it when it came to developing players. Out of necessity, the Sabres had to do an outstanding job of drafting and nurturing future talent. Now they&rsquo;ll have a good chance of keeping them.</p><p>And just because the Sabres are now flush with cash, don&rsquo;t expect them to abandon their approach to developing their young players at the American League level. Not only have the Sabres put more boots on the ground with their scouting staff, they&rsquo;re devoting more resources to their minor league affiliate. &ldquo;One of the things that will not change is that we will still be largely dependent on our draft to be the core of our team,&rdquo; said Sabres GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve pretty consistently been two-thirds draft picks and the draft will still be at the foundation of the success we can have.&rdquo;</p><p>The Sabres are on quite a roll when it comes to their prospects. For what it&rsquo;s worth, the Sabres won the championship of the eight-team NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich. in September. More importantly, though, their farm system has been a factory for NHLers. In fact, the Sabres became the first team in history to have three consecutive outright winners of the AHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year award when, playing as Portland Pirates, Nathan Gerbe took the Dudley &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Garrett Memorial Award in 2009, Tyler Ennis did it in &rsquo;10 and Luke Adam in &rsquo;11. Add to that the fact Marc-Andre Gragnani was defenseman of the year in the AHL last year and Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year two years ago and you have an impressive array of developing talent.</p><p>Quite impressive considering the previously cash-strapped Sabres were chided around the league for cutting their scouting budget and relying heavily on video to identify players. It didn&rsquo;t stop Buffalo from producing top prospects for the NHL. And that trend should continue. Adam, Zach Kassian and Marcus Foligno were the Sabres&rsquo; top line at the rookie tournament and if Adam fails to make the Sabres this fall, the trio will almost certainly form the Americans&rsquo; No. 1 forward unit. All three are seen as future NHLers, but the Sabres have the luxury of not having to rush them.</p><p>Off the ice, former Amerk Chris Taylor was recently hired as Buffalo&rsquo;s development coach and will work alongside the coaching staff of Ron Rolston and assistants Chadd Cassidy and Jay McKee. None of them has any professional coaching experience, but Rolston and Cassidy have spent the past five years with the U.S. national team development program. Mindful that it&rsquo;s a big jump from junior or college to the AHL, Regier is putting a premium on his coaches&rsquo; ability to teach the game.</p><p>&ldquo;In our business, we don&rsquo;t spend enough time at the minor league level teaching,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;We treat it too much like the National Hockey League. We play games and we travel, but the reality is at the American League level, if you&rsquo;re going to move the players to the NHL, you have to spend more time with the players on a 1-on-1 basis and have more people teaching and having the players spend more time learning.&rdquo;</p><p>Pegula paid $5 million for the Americans and another six figures to get the Sabres out of their affiliation agreement with the Pirates, bringing the Americans and Sabres back together after a rancorous split in 2008. Both the Sabres and Americans were struggling financially then &ndash; one reason for the split was the Amerks had fallen so far behind in their affiliation payments &ndash; and straining to be relevant in their own markets.</p><p>Thanks to Pegula, all that has changed on both fronts. The remarriage of the Sabres and Rochester brought back two teams that should have never split in the first place, but it was also one of convenience. With the teams so close geographically, the Americans will be able to tap into the Sabres&rsquo; management team and allow them to split the use of both a skating coach and mental skills coach. &ldquo;Now that we have the additional resources, we have to take the things we&rsquo;ve learned and make it even better,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to be the challenge for us.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Back Together Again

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><h2><b>EAST</b></h2><h3><b>1. HERSHEY BEARS* (WSH)</b></h3><p><i>Braden Holtby just needs an NHL opportunity; rookie C Mattias Sjogren will get his soon.</i></p><h3><b>2. W-B/SCRANTON PENGUINS (PIT)</b></h3><p><i>All-star G Brad Thiessen gets scoring help from Richard Park and Ryan Craig.</i></p><h3><b>3. PORTLAND PIRATES* (PHO)</b></h3><p><i>Hobey Baker winner Andy Miele and gritty center Brett Hextall complement strong veteran core.</i></p><h3><b>4. SPRINGFIELD FALCONS* (CLB)</b></h3><p><i>G Curtis Sanford and stars Alexandre Giroux and Martin St-Pierre up front translates into wins.</i></p><h3><b>5. MANCHESTER MONARCHS (LA)</b></h3><p><i>&lsquo;D&rsquo; Viatcheslav Voynov and Jake Muzzin, plus G Martin Jones and Jeff Zatkoff mean low GAA.</i></p><h3><b>6. SYRACUSE CRUNCH (ANA)</b></h3><p><i>Rookie C Peter Holland and C Rick Schofield join a good group of Anaheim&rsquo;s depth forwards.</i></p><h3><b>7. WORCESTER SHARKS (SJ)</b></h3><p><i>Coming-of-age time for blueliners Nick Petrecki and Justin Braun.</i></p><h3><b>8. CONNECTICUT WHALE (NYR)</b></h3><p><i>D Tim Erixon an all-rookie team favorite; C Ryan Bourque loves to score.</i></p><h3><b>9. BINGHAMTON SENATORS (OTT)</b></h3><p><i>Reigning AHL MVP Corey Locke could tutor rookie C Stephane Da Costa.</i></p><h3><b>10. BRIDGEPORT SOUND TIGERS (NYI)</b></h3><p><i>RW Rhett Rakhshani combines skill and speed, rookie D Calvin De Haan is a puck wizard.</i></p><h3><b>11. ST. JOHN&rsquo;S ICECAPS (WPG)</b></h3><p><i>LW Carl Klingberg could shine alongside veterans Tim Stapleton and Jason King.</i></p><h3><b>12. ALBANY DEVILS (NJ)</b></h3><p><i>Is this G Jeff Frazee&rsquo;s final AHL season?</i></p><h3><b>13. NORFOLK ADMIRALS (TB)</b></h3><p><i>Pint-sized Cory Conacher (5-8, 180) has big, bookend wingers in Carter Ashton (6-3, 215) and Richard Panik (6-2, 203).</i></p><h3><b>14. PROVIDENCE BRUINS (BOS)</b></h3><p><i>G Anton Khudobin is a proven stopper and RW Jordan Caron may prove he&rsquo;s ready for NHL.</i></p><h3><b>15. ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS (PHI)</b></h3><p><i>D Erik Gustafsson has a bright future, rookie RW Matt Read best Bemidji St. alum since Joel Otto.</i></p><h2><b>WEST</b></h2><h3><b>1. CHARLOTTE CHECKERS* (CAR)</b></h3><p><i>Good PP with rookie D Justin Faulk and forwards Zach Boychuk, Jerome Samson and Jon Matsumoto up front.</i></p><h3><b>2. PEORIA RIVERMEN (STL)</b></h3><p><i>Good net tandem in Jake Allen and Ben Bishop.</i></p><h3><b>3. CHICAGO WOLVES (VAN)</b></h3><p><i>G Eddie Lack will prove great &rsquo;10-11 wasn&rsquo;t a fluke; RW Mark Mancari is an MVP candidate.</i></p><h3><b>4. ROCHESTER AMERICANS* (BUF)</b></h3><p><i>C Luke Adam and rookies LW Marcus Foligno and RW Zack Kassian could be a Sabres line.</i></p><h3><b>5. TORONTO MARLIES (TOR)</b></h3><p><i>C Joe Colborne quick and creative (and on the big-club bubble) as is rookie D Jake Gardiner.</i></p><h3><b>6. HOUSTON AEROS* (MIN)</b></h3><p><i>G Matt Hackett will better terrific rookie season.</i></p><h3><b>7. HAMILTON BULLDOGS (MTL)</b></h3><p><i>Rookie C Louis Leblanc should excel and RW Alexander Avtsin will improve even more.</i></p><h3><b>8. LAKE ERIE MONSTERS (COL)</b></h3><p><i>C Mark Olver a hidden star, rookie D-men Stefan Elliott and Tyson Barrie could be, too.</i></p><h3><b>9. TEXAS STARS (DAL)</b></h3><p><i>RW Scott Glennie and LW Matt Fraser are two rookies who should score.</i></p><h3><b>10. SAN ANTONIO RAMPAGE (FLA)</b></h3><p><i>G Jacob Markstrom and D Colby Robak must validate all the promise.</i></p><h3><b>11. ROCKFORD ICEHOGS (CHI)</b></h3><p><i>LWs Jeremy Morin and Kyle Beach aren&rsquo;t far from Chicago, C Brandon Pirri is further away but skilled.</i></p><h3><b>12. GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS (DET)</b></h3><p><i>D Brendan Smith is close to graduation; C Tomas Tatar a very complete player.</i></p><h3><b>13. ABBOTSFORD HEAT (CGY)</b></h3><p><i>LW Ryan Howse and C Roman Horak should put on a show; reunited from junior.</i></p><h3><b>14. OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS (EDM)</b></h3><p><i>Great core of veterans with RW Ryan Keller, LW Josh Green and G Yann Danis.</i></p><h3><b>15. MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS (NAS)</b></h3><p><i>Rookie Ryan Ellis the next in Nashville&rsquo;s never-ending defenseman pipeline.</i></p><p><i>*denotes division leaders</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

PREDICTED STANDINGS

<div class="byline">BY RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021381/9585456-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="703" height="887"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TAYLOR BECK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT PAULUS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011847/9585463-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="82" height="82"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>aylor Beck</b> and Michael Latta sat dejected in the dressing room. Their Guelph Storm had just been eliminated in the first round of the Ontario League playoffs and their junior days were now done. But the two had little time to reflect on their three seasons together. &ldquo;It was pretty emotional for us,&rdquo; said Latta, who had a hat trick in the 6-5 loss to the Saginaw Spirit in the series finale. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d just lost out and finished our junior careers. We were heartbroken and then all of sudden we both got a text from (Nashville Predators assistant GM) Paul Fenton saying, &lsquo;Tough season, boys. Give me a call.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Soon after, the two Preds prospects were off to the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville&rsquo;s American League affiliate. And it was a hasty turnaround. After the Storm were eliminated on Sunday, April 3, Beck and Latta flew out together and played four games in five nights. &ldquo;It was definitely a quick transition,&rdquo; said Beck, a native of St. Catharines, Ont. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have much time to practise with the team. We just got thrown into the games&hellip;It seems like wherever we go we&rsquo;re together.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re great friends off the ice. It was nice having him there (in Milwaukee).&rdquo;</p><p>In Beck, the Preds have a left wing power forward with a scoring touch. With Latta, they have an edgy, play-making center. The pair&rsquo;s road to the pros has mirrored each other since Latta joined Beck and the Storm in a mid-season trade with Ottawa in 2008-09. That year, Beck finished with 58 points, Latta with 57. They were put on a line together and Beck&rsquo;s progress took off the following season, leading the team with 39 goals and 93 points, 20 ahead of Latta, who was third. But Latta bridged most of that gap last season with 89 points, six behind Beck, who led the Storm again with 42 goals and 95 points.</p><p>The similarities don&rsquo;t end there. Both are right-handed shots and similar in size (Beck is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and Latta six-foot, 213). The two were selected by Nashville just two picks apart in the third round of the 2009 draft &ndash; Beck 70th, Latta 72nd. And they&rsquo;re even just 12 days apart in age, both being born in May, 1991. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve joked that we&rsquo;re almost twins,&rdquo; said Latta, a St. Clements, Ont., native. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re really close on and off the ice. It&rsquo;s unheard of to get drafted two picks apart and hopefully we can play together the rest of our lives.</p><p>&ldquo;We have good chemistry and talk a lot on the ice. Over our last three years we&rsquo;ve gotten to know exactly what type of player each of us is&hellip;It&rsquo;s more of a friendship on the ice than anything.&rdquo;</p><p>Beck is Nashville&rsquo;s No. 5 ranked prospect in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2011. Latta didn&rsquo;t make the top 10.</p><p>The pair spent five weeks with the Admirals until they were eliminated in the second round by Houston. Latta had gotten a game in with Milwaukee at the end of 2009-10, but for Beck it was his first taste of the pros after an impressive camp with the Predators last season.</p><p>&ldquo;When he came into camp last year, he was really good and he opened up the eyes of our coaches,&rdquo; said Fenton, who also serves as the Admirals GM. &ldquo;When he came into Milwaukee it seemed like he&rsquo;d just said, &lsquo;OK, now I&rsquo;m really in pro hockey,&rsquo; and it&rsquo;s taken him a while to adjust&hellip;but if he has that adjustment period quick then hopefully his progression to the NHL is that much quicker.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with top prospect Ryan Ellis, Beck and Latta will get a shot to make the big club, but they both know the road to Music City usually goes through Milwaukee. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re great prospects,&rdquo; Fenton said. &ldquo;They all have the mentality and the talent to play (in the NHL). But the time frame for them is going to both be up to them and ourselves as to how they adjust to pro hockey.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-02

One Like The Other

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p><b>NEW IS OFTEN</b> a good thing. And there is plenty of good in the American League this season.</p><p>Division alignment underwent a major overhaul and the league now mirrors the NHL with six five-team divisions and the same playoff alignment. The league&rsquo;s mid-season showcase, the All-Star Classic, will venture out of the AHL map for a visit to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. And the league will hold an outdoor game between the Toronto Marlies and host Hamilton Bulldogs at Ivor Wynne Stadium Jan. 21. There&rsquo;s also a brand new parent team for the Portland Pirates (Phoenix Coyotes) as well as a newold parent team for the San Antonio Rampage (the Florida Panthers return after a six-year absence).</p><p>Of course, old sometimes isn&rsquo;t so bad either. Rochester Americans fans are ecstatic to have the Buffalo Sabres &ndash; and Terry Pegula&rsquo;s billions &ndash; as franchise owner and parent team. The Sabres stocked the Amerks for 29 years, from 1979-80 through 2007-08, before setting up shop in Portland.</p><p>Then there are times when the same-old status quo works quite well. AHL president Dave Andrews&rsquo; goal of 30/30 vision &ndash; one AHL city for each NHL team &ndash; was achieved in 2010-11 and continues this year. &ldquo;I think it is going to be sustainable,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;There will be challenges, as there always are, because of the viability of some markets, affiliation relationships and the economy of the day. But I&rsquo;m confident we can maintain it.&rdquo;</p><p>The league lost one market, though not because it failed. The Manitoba Moose had to leave Winnipeg when the NHL&rsquo;s Atlanta Thrashers relocated. The franchise was reborn in St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., as the IceCaps and will be affiliated with the Jets. Toronto Maple Leafs prospects called St. John&rsquo;s home from 1991 through 2005. There are more than 4,500 season-ticket holders. &ldquo;Losing Winnipeg was a jolt, but St. John&rsquo;s is about as positive as we could expect,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a terrific market.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NEED TO KNOW

<div class="byline">BY ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021151/9585532-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NAIL YAKUPOV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011599/9585539-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="119" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hile the Canadian League is primarily for developing top North American talent, there is a decidedly Russian bent to this year&rsquo;s best draft-eligible prospects. The Ontario League&rsquo;s Sarnia Sting boast a sick 1-2 punch up front, while the Quebec League&rsquo;s Remparts have their own top prospect to boast about. Here&rsquo;s a look at all three.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03821/9585525-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="220" height="118"></div><h2><b>NAIL YAKUPOV</b></h2><h3><b>SARNIA STING (OHL)</b></h3><p>As a Russian rookie in Canada last season, Nail Yakupov had more than one opponent attempt to engage him in fisticuffs. The talented winger&rsquo;s response was always &ldquo;no,&rdquo; since scoring is his job, though he was tempted by one offer. &ldquo;Before the game against the London Knights, I got a message from Vladislav Namestnikov &ndash; &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s drop &rsquo;em tomorrow right at center ice,&rsquo; &rdquo; Yakupov said. &ldquo;I answered: &lsquo;Vlady, are you serious?&rsquo; And he goes, &lsquo;Absolutely.&rsquo; I was shocked. I told him: &lsquo;OK, we&rsquo;ll see about that.&rsquo; The game turned out to be very close, so we didn&rsquo;t fight. A few days afterwards, he fought in Sudbury. I think he did well.&rdquo;</p><p>Yakupov was born in the small, but hockey-mad Russian town of Nizhnekamsk. Interestingly enough, he didn&rsquo;t move to Kazan to play for a bigger club as many of his peers did. He stayed in his hometown where his father worked at a local hockey school.</p><p>Training hard under his father&rsquo;s supervision, Yakupov developed at a young age and was given a spot on the third line of Reaktor &ndash; Neftekhimik&rsquo;s junior team &ndash; when he was 15.</p><p>In the Minor League, which is the Russian juniors, the age limit is 22, though there is no rule concerning how many older players should be on the team. Thus, many teams tend to use more experienced players, leaving little room for young players like Yakupov.</p><p>To get more ice time, Yakupov decided to move to Canada where he debuted for Sarnia last season. In 65 games with the Sting, he scored 49 goals with 101 points, beating the franchise record for most points as a rookie. The former titleholder was some guy named Steven Stamkos.</p><h2><b>ALEXANDER GALCHENYUK</b></h2><h3><b>SARNIA STING (OHL)</b></h3><p>Galchenyuk&rsquo;s father (also named Alexander) played for Belarus at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. His son, however, has never played for the land of his ancestors. Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee &ndash; where his dad was playing for the International League&rsquo;s Admirals &ndash; and has dual citizenship, American and Russian.</p><p>Galchenyuk decided to play for the U.S. and suited up for the stars and stripes at this summer&rsquo;s Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament.</p><p>&ldquo;I always wanted to play for the USA,&rdquo; Galchenyuk said (in perfect Russian). &ldquo;I had my doubts only once, when I thought how great it&rsquo;d be if I played with my buddy Nail Yakupov for the same national team.&rdquo;</p><p>Most likely, Galchenyuk will continue to play on the same line with Yakupov. It wouldn&rsquo;t be a long shot to expect both of them to significantly improve over the season given the fact Galchenyuk&rsquo;s father, who is now an assistant coach with the Sting, has always pushed them.</p><p>&ldquo;We mainly focus on shots at the practices with my father,&rdquo; Galchenyuk said. &ldquo;We work a lot on technique as well. We try to do everything at high speed because that&rsquo;s exactly what you need to do in an actual game.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO</b></h2><h3><b>QUEBEC REMPARTS (QMJHL)</b></h3><p>Born in one of the most hockey-obsessed Russian cities, Khabarovsk, Grigorenko had to move across the country to Moscow because his older brother Yuri was invited to play for the legendary Central Army team.</p><p>Mikhail left his mark two seasons ago when he made the Russian under-18 team at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, even though he was just 15.</p><p>He picked up four goals and 18 points in seven games at the recent under-18s  in Germany. It was at this tournament where he really flashed his skills, playing side-by-side with his Central Army (CSKA&rsquo;s junior team) linemate, Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04565/9585518-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="666" height="967"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEXANDER-GALCHENYUK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Most of the goals Kucherov scored were from Grigorenko&rsquo;s terrific assists. When asked if he considers himself a playmaker, Grigorenko timidly smiled and said, &ldquo;I guess so.&rdquo;</p><p>CSKA tried to convince Grigorenko not to go overseas and stay in the local MHL instead, promising to increase his ice time.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what would have happened if I stayed in CSKA,&rdquo; Grigorenko said. &ldquo;I made up my mind. I wanted to go to Canada to learn something new. I want to learn how to play a different type of hockey.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-02

Russian Invasion

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05353/9585570-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="630" height="795"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATT DUMBA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE BRUNNER PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05457/9585577-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="220" height="118"></div><h2><b>1. NAIL YAKUPOV, LW</b></h2><p>Sarnia Sting (OHL)</p><p><i>Broke Steven Stamkos&rsquo; club record for points by a rookie (101) last season. Explosive offensive talent.</i></p><h2><b>2. MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO, LW</b></h2><p>Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)</p><p><i>Big, strong phenom had his coming-out party at the under-18s where he dominated with playmaking skills.</i></p><h2><b>3. RYAN MURRAY, D</b></h2><p>Everett Silvertips (WHL)</p><p><i>Smooth-skating, offensively gifted and surprisingly physical. Everett&rsquo;s youngest captain ever last season.</i></p><h2><b>4. MATT DUMBA, D</b></h2><p>Red Deer Rebels (WHL)</p><p><i>Flashy, fast blueliner throws big hits, but also commands the puck from the point and dishes off well.</i></p><h2><b>5. ALEX GALCHENYUK, C</b></h2><p>Sarnia Sting (OHL)</p><p><i>Incredible hands and offensive talent; suited for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka and looked incredible.</i></p><h2><b>6. MORGAN RIELLY, D</b></h2><p>Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)</p><p><i>Handles the puck with ease and comfort. Playmaking and skating are two of his strong suits.</i></p><h2><b>7. OLLI MAATTA, D</b></h2><p>London Knights (OHL)</p><p><i>Underager got a taste of the world juniors last year with Finland and now brings his big frame to London.</i></p><h2><b>8. NICK EBERT, D</b></h2><p>Windsor Spitfires (OHL)</p><p><i>Solidly built and tenacious, Ebert can put up numbers, but also brings a good deal of snarl to the back end.</i></p><h2><b>9. GRIFFIN REINHART, D</b></h2><p>Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)</p><p><i>The hulking middle Reinhart brother put up great numbers last year before a wrist injury derailed his campaign.</i></p><h2><b>10. MATIA MARCANTUONI, C</b></h2><p>Kitchener Rangers (OHL)</p><p><i>Demonic speed is his calling card, which the Ranger uses on offense and to stifle rival puck carriers.</i></p><p><b>Read more of Ryan Kennedy&rsquo;s &lsquo;Hot List&rsquo; Tuesdays at <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-05

Early Start

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011488/9585608-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JONATHAN RACINE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04600/9585615-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="220" height="118"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen the Canadian League announced the Shawinigan Cataractes would host the 2012 Memorial Cup, there was a good deal of outrage from the Maritimes. After all, the Saint John Sea Dogs, who also put in a bid, were putting the touches on one of the best seasons in Quebec League history en route to winning the 2011 tournament. And they did it thanks to a group of younger players, meaning this year would be just as good.</p><p>But Cataractes GM Martin Mondou has faith in his troops, even if Shawinigan doesn&rsquo;t boast the big names and first round draft picks that Saint John has in Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips and Jonathan Huberdeau (assuming he doesn&rsquo;t join the Florida Panthers). &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a bigger team than last year,&rdquo; Mondou said. &ldquo;High skill, we&rsquo;ve got some good skaters, lots of character.&rdquo;</p><p>But much like host team Mississauga last season, there aren&rsquo;t a lot of marquee names outside of Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Bournival. In fact, while three Cataractes were drafted in 2011 &ndash; defenseman Jonathan Racine (87th overall, Florida), left winger Yannick Veilleux (102nd overall, St. Louis) and blueliner Dillon Donnelly (183rd overall, Colorado) &ndash; two good prospects went undrafted. Power forward Maximilien Le Sieur even participated in the NHL draft combine, generally reserved for players expected to go in the first four rounds. &ldquo;That happens a lot,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;I had him listed&hellip;everyone had him listed. When it got to the sixth or seventh round, maybe teams went with a European or a kid from the OHL or WHL. You never know. He&rsquo;s a good, hardworking kid, skates well. Maybe lacked offense. He&rsquo;s not a great finisher, but a good support player.&rdquo;</p><p>The other snub was Russian left winger Anton Zlobin, who took a while to adjust to the QMJHL last season, but started off this campaign with seven goals in four games. &ldquo;Some games he looked like a million dollars, other times he didn&rsquo;t look so steady,&rdquo; said the scout. &ldquo;Now he&rsquo;s getting more confidence. He&rsquo;s on the power play and playing with Bournival.&rdquo;</p><p>Joining Zlobin from the other side of the Atlantic this year is Latvian blueliner Nikita Kolesnikovs, who comes in at more than 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds. Mondou likes the kid&rsquo;s skill set for having such a big frame and believes the Latvian will be one of Shawinigan&rsquo;s better defenders once he gets used to the pace of the major junior game.</p><p>But will this collection be enough to challenge for the Memorial Cup? A variety of trades will be made around Christmas, though the magnitude won&rsquo;t be known until the season is months old. &ldquo;Right now I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;re a contender,&rdquo; said the scout. &ldquo;But I know they&rsquo;re going to do something.&rdquo;</p><p>With the Sea Dogs itching for both a repeat and revenge over the hosting bid, the Cataractes would be well advised to do just that. Ironically, Racine and Huberdeau were together at Florida&rsquo;s rookie camp this summer. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good friend outside of hockey,&rdquo; Racine said. &ldquo;But on the ice, you have no friends.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

Memorial Coup

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021095/9585646-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="483" height="515"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SEAN COUTURIER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL 2011)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>emorial Cup hosts always stock up on talent in order to give the home fans a good show and one option that has been floated to super-size Shawinigan is for the Cataractes to snag superstar center Sean Couturier from Drummondville. The Voltigeurs aren&rsquo;t considered a major threat this season, though Couturier and linemate Ondrej Palat would help the cause tremendously.</p><p>Based on his pedigree, Couturier would command a big package of players and draft picks in return, much like new Philly teammate Brayden Schenn did last year when he was traded to Saskatoon from Brandon. &ldquo;That could happen very easily,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;Sean might be the guy if he comes back.&rdquo;</p><p>One fly in the ointment would be if Couturier stuck with the Philadelphia Flyers, who selected the big center eighth overall this summer. The 6-foot-3, 197 pound pivot looked good early at camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-02

Stalking A Star

<div class="byline">By Ryan Kennedy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03698/9585691-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="302" height="102"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06306/9585698-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="220" height="118"></div><h2><b>1. NIAGARA ICEDOGS</b></h2><p><i>Solid &lsquo;D&rsquo; plus Mark Visentin back between pipes</i></p><h2><b>2. PLYMOUTH WHALERS</b></h2><p><i>Rakell, Noesen and Miller all 2011 first-rounders</i></p><h2><b>3. SARNIA STING</b></h2><p><i>Yakupov and Galchenyuk lead loaded squad</i></p><h2><b>4. OSHAWA GENERALS</b></h2><p><i>Jenner, Lessio and Jensen all coming back</i></p><h2><b>5. LONDON KNIGHTS</b></h2><p><i>Top import Maatta joins improved blueline</i></p><h2><b>6. SAGINAW SPIRIT</b></h2><p><i>Hulking D-man Oleksiak added to deep squad</i></p><h2><b>7. OTTAWA 67&rsquo;S</b></h2><p><i>Watch for youngsters Monahan and Ceci</i></p><h2><b>8. OWEN SOUND ATTACK</b></h2><p><i>Maidens will step up for defending OHL champs</i></p><h2><b>9. SUDBURY WOLVES</b></h2><p><i>Playoff Cinderella back with more weapons</i></p><h2><b>10. KITCHENER RANGERS</b></h2><p><i>NTDP&rsquo;s John Gibson takes over in net</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04518/9585684-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="208" height="159"></div><h2><b>1. PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS</b></h2><p><i>Loaded defense plus Baertschi and Rattie up front</i></p><h2><b>2.</b>&nbsp;<b>KELOWNA ROCKETS</b></h2><p><i>Watch out for rookie blueliner Madison Bowey</i></p><h2><b>3.</b>&nbsp;<b>RED DEER REBELS</b></h2><p><i>RNH may not return, but Dumba&rsquo;s in the house</i></p><h2><b>4. MOOSE JAW WARRIORS</b></h2><p><i>Sick &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps with McIlrath, Edmundson, Rielly</i></p><h2><b>5. EDMONTON OIL KINGS</b></h2><p><i>All their high picks will finally be on one squad</i></p><h2><b>6. KOOTENAY ICE</b></h2><p><i>Sam Reinhart joins bro Max on returning champs</i></p><h2><b>7. MEDICINE HAT TIGERS</b></h2><p><i>Tyler Bunz will hold down the fort in goal</i></p><h2><b>8. TRI-CITY AMERICANS</b></h2><p><i>Always solid team welcomes Eric Comrie in net</i></p><h2><b>9. PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS</b></h2><p><i>Connolly and Marincin return to lead the attack</i></p><h2><b>10.</b>&nbsp;<b>PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS</b></h2><p><i>McNeill comes back; Josh Morrissey a top rookie</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05379/9585677-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="181" height="167"></div><h2><b>1. SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS</b></h2><p><i>With or without Huberdeau, they&rsquo;ll be stacked</i></p><h2><b>2. SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES</b></h2><p><i>Memorial Cup hosts have something to prove</i></p><h2><b>3. QUEBEC REMPARTS</b></h2><p><i>Top draft prospect Grigorenko adjusting easily</i></p><h2><b>4. VICTORIAVILLE TIGRES</b></h2><p><i>Honzik in net and Danault up front a good combo</i></p><h2><b>5. MONCTON WILDCATS</b></h2><p><i>Saulnier twins will lead offense once again</i></p><h2><b>6. CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS</b></h2><p><i>Watch for draft-eligible Hudon to light it up</i></p><h2><b>7. GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES</b></h2><p><i>Tomas Hyka looking like an under-the-radar find</i></p><h2><b>8. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS</b></h2><p><i>MacKinnon leads youth revolt with Frk, Ciampini</i></p><h2><b>9. ACADIE-BATHURST TITAN</b></h2><p><i>Vets O&rsquo;Brien and Bissonnette feasting early</i></p><h2><b>10. DRUMMONDVILLE VOLTIGEURS</b></h2><p><i>Fate lies in return of Couturier and Palat</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-03

POWER RANKINGS

<div class="byline">WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021029/9585736-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ON THE DOCKET</b></p><p><b>Todd Bertuzzi is scheduled to be back in court next fall to defend against a lawsuit.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011429/9585743-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="194" height="229"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03721/9585729-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="311" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERTUZZI: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>teve Moore&rsquo;s</b> multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi, Marc Crawford and the Vancouver Canucks will be heard in an courtroom in the fall of 2012, putting center stage the issue of the law&rsquo;s role in professional hockey. But this isn&rsquo;t the first time the sport&rsquo;s establishment has had its tectonic plate push up against the stones of the legal world. By charging six NHLers in three separate incidents in the mid-1970s, the province of Ontario served notice to the league it shouldn&rsquo;t consider its product above the law.</p><p>The man representing the legal system at that time, former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry, still follows the debate regarding the place of violence in hockey. Although he is encouraged by the steps the sport has made in curbing some of the atrocities seen in the 1970s, McMurtry says the administrators of hockey&rsquo;s highest levels have much to atone for over the tacit endorsement of fighting.</p><p>&ldquo;It has become so absurd,&rdquo; McMurtry said. &ldquo;The NHL could clean it up so easily. Fighting will disappear eventually and when it does, people will say, why did we ever allow it to go on?&rdquo;</p><p>McMurtry became attorney general in late 1975 and spent just a fraction of his decade on the job dealing with hockey violence, but the issue garnered massive attention. He heard from outraged parents of amateur players whose kids received boxing lessons during practices. He saw star Bobby Hull protest against &ldquo;mindless violence&rdquo; in the sport. And McMurtry&rsquo;s brother, Bill, penned a report about on-ice violence for the Ontario government chiding hockey for its aggression fetish.</p><p>Roy McMurtry wasn&rsquo;t an outsider to hockey. He played in university and into his 50s. (In a nice bit of symmetry, the night he was sworn in as attorney general was the opening night of the NHL&rsquo;s regular season.) He couldn&rsquo;t direct police to lay charges, but stressed to then-NHL president Clarence Campbell and WHA officials that pro games played in Ontario would be more closely monitored by Toronto police.</p><p>He wasn&rsquo;t making small talk. First charged was Detroit&rsquo;s Dan Maloney, who attacked Leafs D-man Brian Glennie and drove his head into the ice in November, 1975. (More on Glennie on pg. 42.) Maloney was acquitted of assault, but in a letter to the judge the jurors said they didn&rsquo;t want their verdict viewed as an endorsement of his actions. More importantly, the jury said, the entire NHL ought to be on trial, not a player scapegoated by a culture that encouraged him to be so aggressive. Remember that when Bertuzzi is vilified in the Moore trial.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I wanted to send a message to the NHL </b><br><b><i>&ndash; Roy McMurtry</i></b></blockquote><p>Toronto&rsquo;s Tiger Williams also was charged after attacking Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Dennis Owchar with his stick. But the most sensational charges of McMurtry&rsquo;s time were laid on April 21, a day after the Leafs hosted the notoriously savage Flyers in a playoff game. Many Flyers were hyperaggressive and the next day McMurtry heard from Toronto police who feared the team&rsquo;s &ldquo;hooliganism&rdquo; could have triggered a full-on riot.</p><p>Once the police charged four Flyers (Mel Bridgman, Bob Kelly, Don Saleski and Joe Watson), McMurtry suggested a way to relay the seriousness with which the issue was being approached: Rather than sending them a court summons, the four were arrested, photographed and fingerprinted before they could leave Toronto. &ldquo;I wanted to send a message to the NHL and the public that this wasn&rsquo;t acceptable behavior,&rdquo; McMurtry said. &ldquo;We did &ndash; and the league changed for the better.&rdquo;</p><p>There was pushback, of course. Campbell defended fighting, while Leafs owner Harold Ballard told McMurtry to &ldquo;keep his nose out of hockey and worry about other things like crime in the streets.&rdquo;</p><p>McMurtry didn&rsquo;t cower. Then and now, he sees hockey at a crossroads. With Sidney Crosby the most notable of a slew of concussion victims and the Moore/Bertuzzi case, he sees another opportunity to do the right thing &ndash; if not for NHLers, then for kids who emulate them.</p><p>&ldquo;If the NHL played in isolation, it wouldn&rsquo;t matter,&rdquo; said McMurtry, now 79 and still practising law in Toronto. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re losing so many kids who don&rsquo;t enroll anymore or who get terribly hurt. There is no rational argument for this to continue any longer. There never was.&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>

f0024-02

The Fight Hasn’t Finished

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021037/9585823-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="586" height="586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011441/9585816-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="832" height="880"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03816/9585809-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="2260" height="2201"></div><p>TWINNIPEG &ndash; he NHL&rsquo;s return to Winnipeg has been a blend of jubilation, hype and genuine nuttiness.</p><p>Decide for yourself which of the above is more prevalent based on this scene from Sept. 2: Watching paint dry became an official media event.</p><p>The Jets invited reporters and cameras to the MTS Centre to witness the team&rsquo;s new logo and lines being brushed on the ice. And yet another star was born. The arena&rsquo;s ice caretaker, Derek King (not the ex-NHLer), was the interview &ldquo;get&rdquo; of the day.</p><p>The table had been set for 2011&rsquo;s summer of mayhem in the &rsquo;Peg.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021002/9585802-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="1301" height="1293"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NON-STOP NUTTINESS</b></p><p><b>Before the first puck even dropped, the Jets had solidified a hockey-crazed fan base.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>There have been graduating levels of local anticipation and emotional investment in the NHL&rsquo;s return to the city, starting sometime after True North Sports and Entertainment (now co-partners Mark Chipman and David Thomson) opened the 15,004-seat MTS Centre in 2004 and before the league adopted a salary cap. Hype increased when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman went from frowning at any mention of a franchise in Winnipeg to calling the possibility &ldquo;intriguing&rdquo; in 2007. It bumped another notch when the Phoenix Coyotes went into bankruptcy in 2009 and Bettman, as revealed in a court affidavit, said if the league ever got to the point of having to move the franchise, it owed Winnipeg the first crack.</p><p>And on it went over the summer, with rumors, guesswork and both irrepressible and irresponsible speculation regarding the Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg, until it was the Atlanta Thrashers that actually dropped through the trap door.</p><p>True North&rsquo;s May 31 deal to buy the forlorn franchise sent fans into the streets, especially at the city&rsquo;s famous intersection of Portage and Main, in no less than a gale of a driving rain. The miserable day mattered not. Ending 15 years of missing the NHL was the driest, happiest feeling ever. And not all that dry in many corners, if you know what we mean.</p><p>The wackiness exploded that day and led to five months of fervor few could have conceived.</p><p>It included an all-consuming wait for the name &ldquo;Jets,&rdquo; which took nearly four weeks until Chipman announced it during the first round of the NHL draft; a short coaching derby involving polarized opinions on former Thrashers coach Craig Ramsay and then ultimately a change to Claude Noel; an absolute clamoring for the new logo, merchandise and jerseys; a furious debate about retired numbers of the former Jets franchise now in Arizona; and even the sale of captain Andrew Ladd&rsquo;s wedding pictures to the city&rsquo;s daily tabloid, the Winnipeg <i>Sun (See sidebar for extensive summer details).</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011253/9585795-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="971" height="1266"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>EXTRA-LARGE LOVE FOR &lsquo;BIG BUFF&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>It was a rough off-season for Dustin Byfuglien, but fans couldn&rsquo;t wait to see him don a Jets uniform for the first time.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02984/9585788-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="2011" height="1257"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PRETTY PLEASE, MR. HULL? Blossoming young star Evander Kane got the Golden Jet&rsquo;s blessing to wear his hallowed No. 9 for the new Jets.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ladd spoke for many of his teammates in saying the new Jets are amazed and still adjusting on the fly to this kind of voracious hockey appetite. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s such a different situation that all the guys have been in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In a place like Atlanta, and even Chicago, you can get away from stuff, have things not come out in the media and have people not recognize you.</p><p>&ldquo;But here, the magnifying glass is on pretty much everything you do. I came in the other week for an autograph signing and it turned into a big thing. I&rsquo;m kind of a private guy and don&rsquo;t really search for the limelight, so to have it this way is a</p><p>little different, but something I&rsquo;ll have to get used to.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;HERE, THE MAGNIFYING GLASS IS ON PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING YOU DO&rdquo;</i><br>&ndash; ANDREW LADD</blockquote><p>The adjustment will be no small feat. Ladd was married in mid-July, not long after signing his new five-year, $22-million contract. Within two weeks, his wedding pictures were in newsprint. The team thought privacy lines had been crossed, but in the end it was no harm, no foul. &ldquo;My wife was OK with it &ndash; that was the main thing, right?&rdquo; Ladd laughed. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t even know why someone would want to see it. They did a good job with it and it was exciting for our photographers to be able to do it, so we didn&rsquo;t really mind.&rdquo;</p><p>Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff knows he&rsquo;s in the most ideal honeymoon period imaginable with the adoring public having been re-wed to its Jets and he has soaked some of that up before the haranguing and harping begins over a roster that he has changed little since being hired June 8.</p><p>The fans will undoubtedly get around to inspecting and dissecting every miniscule aspect of the personnel when the party mood subsides. This is a Canadian market, after all. But for now, Winnipeggers are just happy to have their Jets back. For three or four years prior to the Atlanta transaction, any small rumor of any team being for sale or relocated caused frantic pushing and jumping off the bandwagon of a team Winnipeg fans didn&rsquo;t even have yet. The name debate, for instance, was a talk-radio leader as long as a year before the actual May 31 press conference, as the public went to and fro over Jets, Moose, Falcons or even Polar Bears.</p><p>It was simply the long, pent-up desire of a city, with a pinch of wishful thinking, which eventually came true. That genuine wishful thinking now involves being an NHL-team fan in a real NHL market, with 15 years of catching-up to do.</p><p>And that led straight to an off-season with a Jets roster that was eye-catching for its inertness, surprisingly for some given the former Thrashers&rsquo; dubious standing as 29th in the league in goals against and 27th in penalty killing for 2010-11. Combined with the large, bold question marks over who exactly will score, these sad-sack defensive rankings were neither the building blocks of a winner nor evidence for bringing back both goaltenders and all top-six defensemen, which is essentially what Cheveldayoff has done. It&rsquo;s a young team that has talent and upside. But all together in 2011-12?</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011309/9585781-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1167" height="1322"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ZACH BOGOSIAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The madness and mayhem surrounding the Jets will push a few more points for them in the standings, and there are a lot worse things than 41 sellouts in a season, so knowing the fans are still in extended euphoria has given the team&rsquo;s hockey department license to take stock before taking major action. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t gotten to know the players and their personalities,&rdquo; said assistant GM Craig Heisinger. &ldquo;And we don&rsquo;t know what makes them or their families tick.&rdquo;</p><p>Some expectations for the club are high, including the predictable stated goals from the players. Others are nonexistent because the relocation celebration matters more at present. Nonetheless, Chipman professes his key True North people are aware of expectations and have their own as well, but says they have no illusions about the new challenges ahead. &ldquo;In the end, our focus is entirely on winning hockey games,&rdquo; Chipman said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s our purpose. With that comes lots of responsibility, but we feel very good about our organization&hellip;and feel very, very good about the people we&rsquo;ve brought on into our hockey department.&rdquo;</p><p>Most of the True North executives insist they&rsquo;ve been so busy trying to relocate two teams in three and a half months &ndash; the American League&rsquo;s Manitoba Moose have moved to St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., to become the IceCaps and the Jets farm team &ndash; they&rsquo;ve had little time for the mayhem or euphoria. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been running at a very high pace not only since May 31, but long before that,&rdquo; Chipman said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been exciting on the one hand, but on the other hand, it&rsquo;s just been a lot of work for a lot of people in order to put on that (first regular season) game on Oct. 9. Nobody here is complaining about that. We&rsquo;re all very honored to be part of an NHL organization, but it&rsquo;s not as though the work stops on Oct. 10. I don&rsquo;t think anybody fears it &ndash; it&rsquo;s just the reality. Our organization is very popular at the moment, but we haven&rsquo;t lost a game yet.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo; WE&rsquo;VE BEEN RUNNING AT A VERY HIGH PACE NOT ONLY SINCE MAY 31, BUT LONG BEFORE THAT&rdquo;</i><br>&ndash; MARK CHIPMAN</blockquote><p>The stability and the continuity of the hockey organization since its inception in 1996, and especially since the MTS Centre opened, is not to be underestimated, Chipman said.</p><p>&ldquo;The people I place a high degree of trust in &ndash; you can&rsquo;t manufacture those conditions in a short period of time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They take years to develop. The fact we&rsquo;ve had almost seven years operating in this building and have had the same senior leadership throughout that time frame gave us a chance to be successful. If we could do it all over again, 15 years may seem like a long learning curve. But I wouldn&rsquo;t give back any one of those years.&rdquo;</p><p>The escalating demand for everything Jets continued right through to the opener against Montreal. Team merchandise was available at more and more retailers and the gear, especially flags, could be seen throughout the city. The story long ago expanded from local to national, with fans in and out of Manitoba hanging on every word uttered by the franchise.</p><p>Even more than three months after Chipman and Bettman revealed the deal for the Thrashers, two national networks were broadcasting the jersey-rollout event live and the city&rsquo;s largest newspaper saw dazzling numbers by live-streaming in a live chat while it was going on,&rdquo; said John White, deputy it on its website. &ldquo;More than 2,500 viewers, and 8,400 people editor, online, for the Winnipeg <i>Free Press</i>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s second all-time only to that Glendale (home of the Phoenix Coyotes) council meeting. Each time I think it&rsquo;s going to hit a certain number, it&rsquo;s exceeded. We&rsquo;re pretty keenly aware of the popularity of the team coming back and its importance, but even I&rsquo;m getting surprised by these numbers.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011409/9585774-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="1301" height="1777"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MEMORIES TO MAKE</b></p><p><b>The Jets had a lot of anticipation built up behind them as the regular season began.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t imagine what it&rsquo;s going to be like for milestone games, the first game and when certain teams come to town. It&rsquo;s going to be a circus for each of those.&rdquo;</p><p>Like it hasn&rsquo;t been going 24/7 in the big top, all three rings already.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

GEARED UP FOR TAKE OFF

<p><b>WITH TICKETS SOLD</b> and waiting lists full, the Jets just kept on filling every waking hour of a Winnipeg summer like no other.</p><p>After the full complement of 13,000 were gone, folks got in a snit over the potential for scalpers scooping up tickets. They were already a little unsettled because nobody failed to notice at the May 31 press conference that the new name for the Thrashers hadn&rsquo;t been revealed. True North had long been suspected of preferring something else, but the hue and cry and entitlement about using the &ldquo;Jets&rdquo; began in earnest and carried on until the draft in Minnesota, when chairman Mark Chipman was finally won over.</p><p>That day, the organization hired its first NHL coach, Claude Noel, revealed its moniker and then went somewhat off the board to choose Mark Scheifele as its first round draft pick. It was witnessed by a few hundred Winnipeg faithful, who got into Xcel Energy Center and congregated in the upper deck despite having been warned no tickets were left for the event. They put on quite a show, mostly &ldquo;Go Jets Go,&rdquo; every other minute. Another 4,000 congregated at the MTS Centre to watch it on the big screens at center ice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011421/9585861-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="446" height="446"></div><p>A quiet summer month or two ahead, then? Not a chance. Fans had been on the sidelines for 15 years and they weren&rsquo;t taking any vacations from the Jets story. The demand for a look, a jersey, a logo &ndash; anything &ndash; was relentless. Fans were as hot as Winnipeg&rsquo;s sizzling (bug-free, too) summer for an identity.</p><p>In mid-July, the team had spirited some Reebok-designed Jets merchandise into the city in order to be prepared for a logo launch on July 25. But a box of goodies was opened without authorization just before delivery. A sloppy camera phone snapped a photo of a T-shirt that made it to Twitter and Jets mania peaked again.</p><p>The team and NHL swiftly moved the logo unveiling up three days to just hours after the leak. Within minutes of word it was going to be revealed on the Jets&rsquo; website at 4 p.m. that afternoon, there was a lineup around the corner and down a block outside the merchandise store at the MTS Centre.</p><p>Suggested jersey designs were all the rage for a few weeks. All the early designs were shot down as fakes. Some were even made: about 40 were confiscated by customs officers from an unlicensed opportunist at the Manitoba-North Dakota border. Also percolating with the jersey story was who would wear what.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02861/9585854-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="964" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>It was &ldquo;Go Jets Go!&rdquo; all summer long in Winnipeg.</b><span class="photo-credit">(OPENER+BYFUGLIEN: LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BELOW: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Since Winnipeg didn&rsquo;t own old Jets history &ndash; with the first incarnation having flown off to Phoenix &ndash; the team let it be known former retired Winnipeg numbers wouldn&rsquo;t carry forward. Brash youngster Evander Kane decided he&rsquo;d go for Bobby Hull&rsquo;s No. 9, with the Golden Jet&rsquo;s blessing, of course, while center Bryan Little decided the respectful thing to do would be to move away from Dale Hawerchuk&rsquo;s No. 10 and go back to his old junior number, 18.</p><p>From there, when goalie Chris Mason became one of the first relocated Thrashers to take up residence in Winnipeg, his new Iron Maiden mask design became front-page news.</p><p>As players started to filter into town and work out informally at their practice rink, the MTS Iceplex, the daily media horde grew, having found its new feeding pool.</p><p>From there, it was onto watching the paint dry, then four days later to the high-security jersey roll-out at 17 Wing, the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Winnipeg.</p><p>When Jets rookies arrived a week early to prepare for September&rsquo;s Young Stars tournament in Penticton, B.C., 1,000 people descended on the Iceplex to watch their first skate. A week later, 1,500 chanting faithful filled the practice rink by 9 a.m. to watch the team&rsquo;s first official training camp practice.</p><p>But that was nothing compared to the buzz for the team&rsquo;s first NHL pre-season game, Sept. 20, which the Jets won 6-1 over the Columbus Blue Jackets. There was one report that scalpers were asking $400 for an upperdeck ticket.</p><p>Now imagine the madness that was building up in the city, leading up to opening night, when the NHL officially came back to the &rsquo;Peg.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

Summertime Insanity

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03787/9585892-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI YEMELIN</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011426/9585906-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02991/9585899-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="177" height="119"></div><p>This brings a new meaning to the phrase &ldquo;seven-year itch.&rdquo;</p><p>For seven long and agonizing years, the Montreal Canadiens waited for Alexei Yemelin, demonstrating remarkable patience and resolve, yet never wavering, convinced the talented Russian defenseman would eventually find his way to North America.</p><p>Drafted 84th overall in 2004, the 6-foot-2, 223-pounder finally signed a one-year contract last May. It&rsquo;s a two-way deal calling for $984,200, including a signing bonus, should Yemelin play in the NHL. If not, rather than reporting to Montreal&rsquo;s American League affiliate in Hamilton, the deal stipulates he can return to Russia.</p><p>But that&rsquo;s not anticipated. Yemelin is regarded by the organization as NHL-ready and is expected to be among the Canadiens&rsquo; top-six defensemen, especially following the departures of Roman Hamrlik and James Wisniewski to free agency. &ldquo;He plays a physical style and skates well,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;He can bring an interesting dimension to our defense.&rdquo;</p><p>Yemelin made his presence felt in the opening training camp scrimmage when the Russian tank rolled over or through, among others, Max Pacioretty. He&rsquo;s exactly the type of defenseman the Canadiens require: big, strong, hardhitting and tough. He has the ability to agitate and clears men out from in front of the net. He&rsquo;s not considered dirty, but will play with an edge and already has drawn comparisons to the retired Darius Kasparaitis, the former Pittsburgh Penguins bruiser.</p><p>Not only does Yemelin excel in the physical side of the game, his offensive production has risen dramatically. He produced career highs last season, scoring 11 goals (seven on the power play) and 26 points in 52 games with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental League, while averaging more than 21 minutes per game.</p><p>The 25-year-old spent four seasons with the team and has been a pro for seven years. His experience and style of play augers well for his future. &ldquo;Alexei is a steady, physical defenseman with strong skating ability,&rdquo; said GM Pierre Gauthier. &ldquo;The experience he has acquired in the KHL over the past few years will make for a smooth transition to the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Gauthier travelled to Bratislava, Slovakia, last May for the World Championship, making one more attempt to get Yemelin signed. Over the years, it&rsquo;s been a never-ending process thanks to endless dramas with agents, the Russian league and mystery contracts.</p><p>As early as 2007, Yemelin negotiated a deal with agent Don Meehan after his Russian club, Lada Togliatti, ran into financial problems. Hours later, however, Yemelin&rsquo;s Russian agent agreed to a two-year deal with Ak Bars Kazan, a Russian powerhouse.</p><p>In September 2008, Yemelin expressed a desire to play for Montreal and the organization believed he was going to be part of its AHL franchise on his ascension to the NHL. The Canadiens made another run at him in 2009, but Yemelin decided to remain in Russia.</p><p>Now, seven years after the Habs drafted him, their plans are finally coming to fruition.</p><p>There undoubtedly will be growing pains as Yemelin adapts to the North American style. He has been prone to temporary lapses in judgment and has meted out many questionable boarding and cross-checking infractions. The Canadiens already spent a league-high 546 minutes killing penalties last season. But once Yemelin adapts his play, provided he can make that transition, he&rsquo;ll be a solid addition to the Canadiens&rsquo; blueline.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-03

Well Worth The Wait

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04638/9585937-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="238" height="410"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(YEMELIN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES; TYUTIN: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>FEDOR TYUTIN</b> 2005-06</p><p><b>Fedor Tyutin</b>&nbsp;<i>(2005-06) 25 pts</i></p><p><b>Andrei Markov</b>&nbsp;<i>(2000-01) 23 pts</i></p><p><b>Dmitri Kalinin</b>&nbsp;<i>(2001-01) 22 pts</i></p><p><b>Dmitry Kulikov</b>&nbsp;<i>(2009-10) 16 pts</i></p><p><b>Anton Volchenkov</b>&nbsp;<i>(2002-03) 16 pts</i></p><p><b>Andrei Zyuzin</b>&nbsp;<i>(1997-98)</i></p><p><b>Danny Markov</b>&nbsp;<i>(1998-99) 12 pts</i></p><p><b>101</b>&nbsp;<b>Combined points of all Russian defensemen (seven) in the NHL in 2010-11</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-04

RUSHIN’ Russans

<div class="byline">&#x2013; STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011325/9586045-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13171/9586052-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02941/9586038-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARIAN GABORIK</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he day after he returned from Slovakia, where he spoke at the memorial service for his close friend Pavol Demitra, Marian Gaborik was restless to return to some sense of normalcy.</p><p>Two Zambonis were still rolling at the Rangers&rsquo; training center in Tarrytown, N.Y., but Gaborik was loosening up alone on a patch that had already been cleaned. Gaborik, trying to shake off jet lag and sorrow, revealed he had brought his gear to Europe to work out with other NHLers. &ldquo;I skated three times with the guys to get my mind off things,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;(It was) a crazy off-season to see &lsquo;Boogey&rsquo; go and then Pavol. I&rsquo;m never going to forget these guys; I&rsquo;m always going to have them in my heart. I have to turn the page, for camp and the season. It&rsquo;s not going to be easy right from the get-go, but I have to do the best I can to focus and be 100 percent out there.&rdquo;</p><p>And it looks like he&rsquo;s ready. Gaborik, 29, scored twice and added an assist in his first scrimmage with center Brad Richards, who was acquired in July to help the sniper rebound from a season hampered by a concussion and groin injuries. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a natural playmaker,&rdquo; said Gaborik, who had 22 goals and 48 points last season. &ldquo;You know you&rsquo;re going to get the puck on your tape.&rdquo;</p><p>Richards also sees the potential: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy Gabby&rsquo;s a right winger, left shot. I&rsquo;ve played with a lot of players like that on my right side. We&rsquo;ve got that going for us and I feel comfortable with that.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03781/9586031-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04641/9586024-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> was a definite disappointment after signing his 15-year, $100-million deal. His 31 goals and 60 points in 2010-11 were the lowest per-game totals of his nine-year NHL tenure to go along with a career-worst minus-26. Still, Kovy proved he&rsquo;s a money player when needed &ndash; his nine winners were his best to date.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05546/9586017-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06494/9586010-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>After missing all of 2010-11, <b>Mark Streit</b> leads a no-name &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps that had just five PP goals combined last season. Streit had 10 and then nine in his first two seasons on Long Island. The Isles&rsquo; PP improved to 17th last season, so look for the man advantage to get even better this year with the Swiss defender anchoring it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07423/9586003-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08364/9585996-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Like many young defensemen, <b>Michael Del Zotto</b> fell victim to the sophomore slump with just 11 points in 47 games in 2010-11. As a rookie, he had 12 points in his first 12 games en route to a 37-point, 80-game season. The Rangers are hoping he regains the form that saw him make the NHL&rsquo;s all-rookie team in 2009-10.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09315/9585989-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10272/9585982-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The wild card in Philly is <b>Jaromir Jagr</b>. He averaged nearly a point per game over three KHL seasons and looked impressive in the past three world championships with the Czech Republic. The KHL is a softer league with an easier schedule, so expect the Czech to be fresher than the 40 years old he&rsquo;ll turn in February.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11231/9585975-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12200/9585968-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GABORIK: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; KOVALCHUK+DEL ZOTTO+NEAL: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; STREIT: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JAGR : HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>James Neal</b> was on pace for a career-high 29 goals in Dallas in 2010-11. Then he was dealt to Pittsburgh before the trade deadline and slowed significantly with just a single tally in 20 games. The Pens are counting on him clicking with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, so Neal will look to bring back the scoring touch he left in Big D.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Brighter Days Ahead

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011327/9586160-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13189/9586167-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02895/9586153-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="658" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DEREK ROY</b></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s got to be more a coincidence than anything, doesn&rsquo;t it? Buffalo&rsquo;s Derek Roy is certainly hoping that&rsquo;s the case.</p><p>When Roy went down with a torn quadricep muscle in December, the Sabres were 14-17-4 and sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Without their leading scorer in the lineup, they went 29-12-6 the rest of the way and climbed five spots in the conference standings.</p><p>Then Roy missed all but one playoff game. The only one he played was the Sabres last, a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 7 of their first round series.</p><p>The Sabres turnaround had far more to do with the positive vibes that new owner Terry Pegula brought to the organization. After all, when was the last time you saw a team be better after losing a guy who scores a point per game and plays a ton of minutes?</p><p>Roy will have every opportunity to re-establish himself as the Sabres&rsquo; top scorer. It appears he&rsquo;ll start the campaign on the first line with Thomas Vanek on the left side and Jason Pominville on the right.</p><p>Roy has always had an exemplary work ethic, so working his way back from the injury was never going to be an issue. &ldquo;I noticed a pretty determined guy throughout the summer that put a lot of time in,&rdquo; Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told the Buffalo <i>News</i> during training camp. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s put the work in and hopefully we can see the same Derek that started last year.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03740/9586146-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04591/9586139-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p>On a Cup-winning team, it&rsquo;s tough to find a guy in need of a bounce-back season. Goalie <b>Tuukka Rask</b> comes closest. He had solid numbers last year (.918 SP, 2.67 GAA), but they fell from his .931 SP and 1.97 GAA in 2009-10. Rask, 24, will be an RFA next summer, so an improved season will do wonders for his wallet.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05502/9586132-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06444/9586125-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>With 22 goals last season, <b>Jason Pominville</b> made it five straight years with at least 20 goals. But his 52 points in 2010-11 were his lowest total since he posted 30 in 2005-06. With the right winger making north of $5 million this season, the Sabres will be looking for more from the 28-year-old sniper.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07374/9586118-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08318/9586111-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Lost amid the focus on the questions surrounding Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges was another defenseman, <b>Jaroslav Spacek</b>. The 37-year-old missed 23 games last year with a knee injury and has fallen down Montreal&rsquo;s depth chart. He arrived in camp in very good shape and could be more effective in limited minutes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09273/9586104-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10242/9586097-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Many Sens need to have a better season, but none more than <b>Sergei Gonchar</b>. The veteran D-man&rsquo;s first year in Ottawa was an unmitigated disaster (27 points and a minus-15 in 67 games). If Ottawa has any hope of playoff contention, the team needs Gonchar to be more productive on offense and at least decent in his zone.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11222/9586090-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12206/9586083-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BALLARD+RASK: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; ROY: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES; SPACEK: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; GONCHAR: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; LOMBARDI: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; POMINVILLE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Center <b>Matthew Lombardi</b> played just two games last year with Nashville because of post-concussion symptoms. He is symptom-free and if he can supply Toronto with the 19 goals and 53 points he posted in 2009-10 with Phoenix, the Leafs&rsquo; need for secondary scoring won&rsquo;t be as pronounced as it was last season.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

Roy Ready For Winning

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MCNALLY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011182/9586275-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13133/9586282-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02828/9586268-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="657" height="785"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE GREEN</b></figcaption></div><p>The question inevitably comes up when debating the Washington Capitals&rsquo; outlook for 2011-12: Will Mike Green rebound this year?</p><p>That&rsquo;s difficult for Green to answer because he wouldn&rsquo;t use the term &ldquo;rebound&rdquo; at all. Injuries are what limited the offensive defenseman to just 24 points and 49 games last season and he thought his two-way play was some of the best of his career.</p><p>The Caps&rsquo; perplexing scoring woes and a renewed focus on defense had put a dent in Green&rsquo;s numbers &ndash; his 0.49 points-per-game average was half his pace from the previous two years &ndash; but a head injury sustained in a Feb. 6 game against Pittsburgh crushed them.</p><p>He missed almost the entire final two months of the regular season. &ldquo;It was terrible,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;The worst thing I&rsquo;ve ever been through.&rdquo;</p><p>He did rebound with six points in eight playoff games.</p><p>Green changed little over the summer save for a one-month mental break after the season where his most taxing activity was fly-fishing.</p><p>Healthy again and not limited during training camp, Green is expected to partner with new teammate Roman Hamrlik, a free agent signee.</p><p>While Green&rsquo;s minutes will drop given Washington&rsquo;s deep blueline, his role won&rsquo;t change. &ldquo;Mike has been in the league a long time,&rdquo; said coach Bruce Boudreau. &ldquo;He knows when to jump (into the rush), when not to, when to play defense&hellip;He&rsquo;s committed to winning.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03666/9586261-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04570/9586254-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Alexei Ponikarovsky</b> is penciled in on the depth lines for Carolina, but he got time alongside Eric Staal in preseason. If Ponikarovsky hopes to earn and hold a spot on the top line, though, he has to greatly improve on the moribund 15-point season he had with the Kings in 2010-11 and score at least that many goals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05516/9586247-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06458/9586240-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Cats committed four years to <b>Tomas Fleischmann</b> and as their new highest-paid forward ($4.5 million) he has to produce. Fleischmann didn&rsquo;t have a bad season, scoring 21 points in 22 games after being traded to Colorado, but he did miss 36 games with a blood clot. Can he bounce back from the injury and ensuing time off?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07392/9586233-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08305/9586226-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Lightning got stellar performances from a number of players last season, but <b>Marc-Andre Bergeron,</b> a January signing, didn&rsquo;t bring his patented power play presence. After scoring at least seven PP goals in five straight seasons, Bergeron was shut out in 23 games last year. Improvement in this area is expected.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09248/9586219-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10210/9586212-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="327" height="551"></div><p>When a player has 100-point potential, plays with one of the league&rsquo;s top superstars and watches his production dip by an astounding 36 points, a bounce-back year is crucial for team success. <b>Nicklas Backstrom</b> falls into that category, but if Alex Ovechkin recovers from an off year the Swede won&rsquo;t be far behind.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11174/9586205-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12150/9586198-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREEN: GREG FIUME/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; PONIKAROVSKY: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES; FLEISCH MANN: MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BERGERON: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BACKSTROM: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; ANTROPOV: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When the organization acquired <b>Nik Antropov</b> two years ago, they salivated over his big-body presence and potential for offense. At first it paid off, as Antropov notched 67 points in 76 games, but he slipped by 26 points in 2010-11, which isn&rsquo;t good enough for a $4 million-plus player on an offense-starved team.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Not Easy Being Green

<div class="byline">BY MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02887/9586320-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DANY HEATLEY</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-13147/9586334-1-eng-US/f0038-132.jpg" title="f0038-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011287/9586327-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="195" height="131"></div><p><b>So</b>&nbsp;<b>far Dany Heatley</b> likes Minnesota and plans to stay awhile.</p><p>OK, so he hasn&rsquo;t exactly spent a lot of time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but when you&rsquo;ve asked off two teams and evaded a third, this is headline material inside the Twin Cities.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03716/9586313-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="167" height="107"></div><p>The veteran sniper is used to being under the microscope and knows full well that after a self-described &ldquo;down year&rdquo; in San Jose and a tumultuous past few years, he&rsquo;ll be picked, prodded and dissected during his first year with Minnesota.</p><p>Heatley sounds motivated to resurrect his career and reputation, like a man hungry to score goals at a star&rsquo;s pace again, and a man happy for a fresh start in Minnesota. &ldquo;You know what? I&rsquo;m excited,&rdquo; Heatley said. &ldquo;I was excited after the trade, I&rsquo;m excited now. This is a good situation to come into.&rdquo;</p><p>After scoring just 26 goals last year (his lowest goals-per-game average since his rookie year) and only three in the post-season, Heatley says he&rsquo;s jacked to be the Wild&rsquo;s &ldquo;go-to&rdquo; guy. This is a franchise that has longed for a true gamebreaker since Marian Gaborik left in 2009.</p><p>The Heatley bashers will tell you his goal totals have decreased since he scored 50 goals in consecutive years with the Ottawa Senators from 2005-07. The Heatley supporters will point out he&rsquo;s only a year removed from scoring 39 goals and is only 30 years old. &ldquo;You get 100 points or whatever and people expect that every year. I think they should,&rdquo; Heatley said. &ldquo;I think you should expect that from yourself and try to get better every year. I never like to set number goals. I never like that. But people have put out the 50 goals and 100 points. That seems like a target.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s music to Wild fans&rsquo; ears when you consider Martin Havlat led the team&rsquo;s anemic offense with 22 goals and 62 points last year and Gaborik&rsquo;s single-season record in Minnesota stands at 42 goals and 83 points.</p><p>The Wild are starved for goals. In his end-of-the-year analysis, GM Chuck Fletcher felt Minnesota had too many pass-first players. The Wild ranked 26th in goals and 30th in shots last season. &ldquo;(Heatley&rsquo;s) track record speaks for itself,&rdquo;said Fletcher, who also acquired goal-scorer Devin Setoguchi from San Jose in a separate trade in June. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a proven goal-scorer. Our lack of goal scoring is well documented.&rdquo;</p><p> Since entering the NHL, Heatley&rsquo;s 2,126 shots rank 10th and his 325 goals rank third. His 128 power play goals rank first. But the naysayers will say the second he&rsquo;s not happy, Heatley will cause a ruckus and ultimately a problem. After all, even he admits the way he departed Ottawa &ldquo;didn&rsquo;t do myself any favors&rdquo; in terms of reputation. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s misunderstood,&rdquo; Setoguchi said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most genuine, honest people I&rsquo;ve ever met in my entire life. Trust me, he&rsquo;s a good guy and his teammates love him.&rdquo;</p><p>Wild rookie coach Mike Yeo is young at 38, but he&rsquo;s had his share of experience working with stars. As an assistant for five years in Pittsburgh, he worked hand in hand with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Yeo believes when talents are challenged, they usually rise to the occasion. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what makes them great,&rdquo; Yeo said. &ldquo;They love the opportunity to be great. They love a challenge. They love to have people try to bring the best out of them.</p><p>&ldquo;I think deep down they want to be pushed and challenged, whether that&rsquo;s from somebody on the inside or somebody on the outside. There&rsquo;s an awful lot of pride within these guys and situations like this give them a chance to reveal it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

Forecast Calls For Heat Wave

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04582/9586365-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="492" height="652"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARIAN GABORIK</b><span class="photo-credit">(HEATLEY: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES; GABORIK: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>2010-11 2.48</b>&nbsp;<i>26th overall</i></p><p><b>2009-10 2.61</b>&nbsp;<i>T-20th</i></p><p><b>2008-09 2.61</b>&nbsp;<i>22nd</i></p><p><b>2007-08 2.68</b>&nbsp;<i>T-17th</i></p><p><b>2006-07 2.74</b>&nbsp;<i>19th</i></p><p><b>2005-06 2.76</b>&nbsp;<i>25th</i></p><p><b>2003-04 2.29</b>&nbsp;<i>T-23rd</i></p><p><b>2002-03 2.42</b>&nbsp;<i>24th</i></p><p><b>2001-02 2.38</b>&nbsp;<i>25th</i></p><p><b>2000-01 2.05</b>&nbsp;<i>30th</i></p><p><b>39.6 Average goals per season (prorated to 82 games) for Heatley</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-04

TAME Wild

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011177/9586473-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13124/9586480-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02778/9586466-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JIRI HUDLER</b></figcaption></div><p>A season away from UFA status, Jiri Hudler figured the best way to get his game back was with a little help from the UFC.</p><p>Following a disappointing 10-goal 2010-11 season for the Detroit Red Wings, on the advice of his agent Petr Svoboda, Hudler worked out for two-and-a-half months this summer in Montreal with Jonathan Chambers, personal trainer of UFC welter-weight champion Georges St-Pierre. &ldquo;Those (UFC) guys are in unbelievable shape,&rdquo; said the 5-foot-10, 182-pound Hudler, whose objective was to increase his strength. &ldquo;The way they work was unbelievable. There&rsquo;s no talking, just sweating.&rdquo;</p><p>Following a 23-goal season with the Wings in 2008-09, the thenre-stricted free agent walked away from an arbitration settlement and signed with Moscow Dynamo of the Kontinental League. The winger returned to Detroit last season, but his hiatus from the NHL took its toll. &ldquo;He wasn&rsquo;t on top of his game, he was way off,&rdquo; said Red Wings GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;In the NHL, it&rsquo;s a quicker tempo, you&rsquo;ve got to work hard every shift. You don&rsquo;t get off to a good start, you lose ice time.</p><p>&ldquo;In the second half he played much better. We&rsquo;ve seen the potential, seen him perform.&rdquo;</p><p>Hudler knows his off-year has left his status with Detroit uncertain. &ldquo;There are certain guys who have a spot for sure,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Other than that, there are a lot of guys that have to fight for a spot.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m one of them.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03612/9586459-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04513/9586452-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p>When he plays, <b>Dave Bolland</b> is an effective third-liner who is a royal pain in the chuff to opponents and chips in with timely goals in big games. But over the past two seasons, injuries have limited him to just 100 games. Bolland gives the Blackhawks much of their identity, but they have to be able to count on him being healthy.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05431/9586445-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06357/9586438-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>It might not be fair to pick on a guy who missed more than 40 games with an injury last season, but the problem was <b>Kristian Huselius</b> wasn&rsquo;t so great in the games he played, posting a very ugly minus-17 in just 39 games. He&rsquo;ll miss the start of this season too, but it&rsquo;s imperative he gets back to form when he returns.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07312/9586431-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08263/9586424-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>After scoring five goals in a game against Ottawa in February, <b>Johan Franzen</b> scored just two more in his final 27 games of the season and had only a pair in the playoffs. He was slowed by groin and ankle injuries, but Franzen is paid quite handsomely to score goals. Had he not slumped late, he easily would have hit 40.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09212/9586417-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10181/9586410-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="327" height="551"></div><p>After scoring 30 goals in 2009-10, <b>Patric Hornqvist</b> had just 21 last season and more importantly, connected for only two in 12 playoff games. The Predators are consistently in the bottom third of the league in offense and that probably won&rsquo;t change, but they could use more from both Hornqvist and Mike Fisher.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11158/9586403-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12142/9586396-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUDLER+FRANZEN: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY MAGES; BOLLAND+HORNQVIST+HALAK: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; HUSELIUS: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After coming to the Blues in a trade from Montreal, goalie <b>Jaroslav Halak</b> was anointed the crease savior in St. Louis and while he certainly played well enough, he also displayed a penchant for giving up bad goals at crucial times. Talent is not the question with Halak, but consistency and focus is a concern.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

Fight Club For Hudler

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN WOODLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01879/9586588-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1392/9586595-1-eng-US/f0040-132.jpg" title="f0040-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02556/9586581-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="658" height="791"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KEITH BALLARD</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>K</span>eith Ballard arrived in Vancouver last season with his reputation writing checks his body couldn&rsquo;t cash. And by the end he was little more than a pricey spare part.</p><p>Ballard was billed as a top-four defender after being acquired in a 2010 draft-day deal with Florida, but summer hip surgery left him on crutches for months and trying to play catch-up. He never did.</p><p>Ballard was a healthy scratch in 15 of 25 playoff games, sitting out behind Aaron Rome, Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev, a rookie two years removed from Jr. A. Ballard watched Game 7 of the Cup final as Alex Edler, barely able to hold a stick with two broken fingers, played ahead of him.</p><p>At exit meetings a few days later, management and the coaching staff that showed so little faith in him, told Ballard not to dwell on the past. &ldquo;The message was &lsquo;next year is a clean slate,&rsquo; &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think one year is going to derail my career.&rdquo;</p><p>Ballard spent the summer working hard to ensure it wouldn&rsquo;t. The Canucks are counting on him flying up the ice and depth chart, filling some of the 24 minutes per game Christian Ehrhoff left behind.</p><p>Ballard wants his minutes up from last year&rsquo;s sub-16 mark, closer to the 22-per he played earlier in his career, and knows steadiness may have to replace the swashbuckling that de-fined him pre-Canucks. &ldquo;Consistency is the most important thing,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>With that, a regular role with Canucks &ndash; on the ice, not in the press box &ndash; will follow.</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03432/9586574-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04347/9586567-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p>After averaging 25 goals the previous three seasons as a second-liner, <b>Niklas Hagman</b> fell out of the lineup and landed on the waiver wire last year. The hard-working 31-year-old was snakebitten around the net and scored just 11 times in 71 games. In a healthy Calgary lineup, Hagman sits no higher than 13th among forwards.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05295/9586560-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06257/9586553-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Peter Mueller</b> is taking an optimistic approach to the season because for the 23-year-old, it&rsquo;ll be 18 months between games. Mueller missed all of last season with a concussion, but was on skates when camp opened. The team loved his form in 2009-10 when he had 20 points in 15 games after coming over from Phoenix.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07223/9586546-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08191/9586539-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Shawn</b>&nbsp;<b>Horcoff</b> will never live up to his $5.5 million stipend, but it&rsquo;s imperative the Oilers get a modicum of first-line minutes and production from the beleaguered 33-year-old. His goal totals have dropped each of the past three seasons, as has his time on ice. He&rsquo;s the de facto No. 1 center right now with plenty of youth behind him.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09141/9586532-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10127/9586525-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="327" height="540"></div><p><b>Marek</b>&nbsp;<b>Zidlicky</b> had five multiple-game stints where he was out of the lineup, including a shoulder injury and hamstring woes. As a result, he played just 46 games and his point-per-game production was the second-lowest of his seven seasons. With Brent Burns traded, the Wild are counting on Zidlicky to shine offensively.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11112/9586518-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12101/9586511-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HAGMAN: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; MUELLER: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES; HORCOFF: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; ZIDLICKY: DYLAN LYNCH/GETTY IMAGES; SAMUELSSON: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>They don&rsquo;t come much streakier than <b>Mikael Samuelsson</b>, but sadly for the Canucks last season most of them were cold ones rather than hot. After connecting for 30 goals in 2009-10, Samuelsson slipped to just 18. His point production was about the same, but the big Swede didn&rsquo;t have as much success on the power play.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

Ballard: On The Clock

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01761/9586703-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1358/9586710-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="70" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02492/9586696-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="657" height="791"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JACK JOHNSON</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>os Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi isn&rsquo;t so sure Jack Johnson needs a bounce-back year as much as the blueliner just needs more time to mature.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost like quarterbacks &ndash; the reality is it&rsquo;s a hard position to play,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t just flip a switch. Quite frankly, year in and year out he has been arguably our most improved player.&rdquo;</p><p>Johnson is a physical specimen. He has an outstanding work ethic, plays the game with an edge and his offensive skills are off the charts. But he has been a minus player in each of his five seasons and his career mark of minus-78, including a career-worst minus-21 in 2010-11, should have the Kings concerned.</p><p>Now, the last thing you want to do is turn a talent such as Johnson into a robot who chips the puck off the glass, but it&rsquo;s all about balance with him. The Kings could stand a little less of Johnson trying to win the game on every shift with a big hit or a rush up the ice and more of him having an eye on the scoreboard and in front of his own net.</p><p>And if the Drew Doughty contract impasse lasts into the regular season, the Kings will need even more measured play from Johnson.</p><p>&ldquo;The extreme example is a guy like (Nicklas) Lidstrom who simplifies the game where less is more,&rdquo; Lombardi  said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the issue with Jack sometimes. When do I put it in full throttle and when do I pull back and play like Lidstrom? It&rsquo;s a process and he&rsquo;s learning.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOMETHING TO PROVE</b></h2><p><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVAL</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03400/9586689-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04346/9586682-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="327" height="551"></div><p>In a rather inauspicious start, new Duck <b>Kurtis Foster</b> will begin the season on the shelf with knee surgery, but once he&rsquo;s back, he&rsquo;ll have a lot to show. After a 42-point effort with the Lightning two seasons ago, Foster saw his production nearly halved with the Oilers last year. The blueliner will try to reverse course in Anaheim.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05313/9586675-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06272/9586668-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Dallas&rsquo; power play was OK last year (18 percent, 14th in NHL), but that was in part to Brad Richards on the point. With him gone, <b>Stephane Robidas</b> will need to plunk in more than one PP goal this time around. He has a good running mate in Alex Goligoski, but Robidas must increase his totals (or Sheldon Souray must step up).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07234/9586661-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08180/9586654-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The spotlight will shine intensely on <b>Dustin Penner</b> this season. A disappointment since coming over from Edmonton at the trade deadline last year, the big winger has been widely criticized for his drive and fitness level. With Ryan Smyth gone, Penner will get his chance alongside top center Anze Kopitar.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09131/9586647-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10104/9586640-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Yotes severely needed a top-line center and though <b>Daymond Langkow</b> is coming off a serious neck injury, he does have the pedigree. But in his past three full seasons with Calgary, the pivot&rsquo;s points have declined, so an about-face is needed, even if the price for Phoenix was only the streaky Lee Stempniak.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1184/9586633-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1269/9586626-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOHNSON+FOSTER: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; ROBIDAS+WHITE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; PENNER: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; LANGKOW: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The pain of being bought out by the only NHL team he ever knew &ndash; New Jersey &ndash; will have to wear off quickly for <b>Colin White</b> because he has a roster spot to sew up. Brought in to provide toughness and character to the Sharks, White must show he can still contribute after a subpar season with a disappointing Devils squad.</p><p>+ INDICATES INJURED PLAYER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Work In Progress

<div class="byline">BY CHRIS LUND</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>ver the course</b> of his career, Brian Glennie&rsquo;s fearless approach to the game made him revered by fans and feared by opponents. During his nine seasons with the Maple Leafs alongside stars such as Darryl Sittler, Ron Ellis and Borje Salming, a banner could often be seen across the rafters of Maple Leaf Gardens that reminded those who entered, &ldquo;This is Glennie Country.&rdquo;</p><p>Glennie&rsquo;s career took flight while captaining the powerhouse Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey Association, the Leafs&rsquo; major junior affiliate at the time. As one of their many stars, he captured the Memorial Cup championship in 1967.</p><p>That season, an injury to Leafs defenseman Marcel Pronovost almost dashed Glennie&rsquo;s Memorial Cup hopes. When Punch Imlach promoted Glennie as a replacement, the Marlies captain and Olympic hopeful was reluctant to take the call. Not many teenagers ever declined Leafs brass and Glennie quickly found out why.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Mr. Imlach almost went through the roof</b></blockquote><p>&ldquo; &lsquo;Mr. Imlach, I&rsquo;m not going to Detroit,&rsquo; &rdquo; Glennie said to the Leafs legend as the team was at the train station bound for Motor City. &ldquo;Well, he blew and almost went through the roof yelling and screaming at me. I was just shaking.&rdquo;</p><p>Immediately afterward, Glennie went looking for his equipment on the baggage cart. He found his skates and leaped off the train only to land directly beside Imlach. He then took off to return to the Marlies. &ldquo;Dave Keon said to me a couple days later I had the Canadian indoor train platform 100-meter dash record,&rdquo; Glennie said.</p><p>With Leafs management bitter over his daring train escape, Glennie&rsquo;s NHL debut was delayed another year. In 1968 he was recruited to Canada&rsquo;s Olympic squad by Hall of Fame coach and manager Fr. David Bauer. Glennie reflects on the experience as &ldquo;a huge honor and a huge disappointment&rdquo; after playing for his country, but missing a chance at gold and settling for bronze.</p><p>In 1969, Glennie finally debuted with the Leafs, beginning his 10-year NHL career in which he had 14 goals, 114 points and 621 PIM in 572 games. He spent his whole career with Toronto, except for an 18-game stint with Los Angeles in his final season after being traded to the Kings in the summer of 1978.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01806/9586741-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="916" height="1318"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GLENNIE&rsquo;S HOUSE</b></p><p><b>Maple Leaf Gardens was called &ldquo;Glennie Country&rdquo; because of the blueliner&rsquo;s bruising play.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I was shocked the day I was traded because I had just had my best season ever.&rdquo; Glennie said. &ldquo;I figured I&rsquo;d start and end my career in Toronto, but it was a great run.&rdquo;</p><p>The big, bruising defenseman has since retired to Brace-bridge, Ont., and lives in the shadow of the South Muskoka Curling and Golf Club. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got golf balls with a little Maple Leaf outline and a 24 in the middle,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If I lose them on the course the people who find them just throw them in my backyard.&rdquo;</p><p>While golf is a big part of his retirement, Glennie has been hampered by the injuries he sustained playing his brand of hockey. &ldquo;The last while has been tough because I&rsquo;ve been told I need to get both knees replaced,&rdquo; Glennie said. &ldquo;That would have been my seventh and eighth surgeries because of hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, even with his health problems, Glennie said he&rsquo;d do it all again: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like everything else. You have to live in the moment.&rdquo;</p><p>Glennie was known for throwing around his 6-foot-1, 200 pound-frame and for being a master of the hip check. If there was ever a moment that validated the years of pushing his body past its limits, it came on Feb. 13, 1999 at the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens where he began his Marlie career in 1964. &ldquo;They gave me a standing ovation,&rdquo; Glennie said. &ldquo;The place went crazy and I cried. I was just a journeyman. I liked to hit and play with my heart. I guess maybe they saw that.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never forget that night. I truly felt humbled. It really, really touched me and I will forever thank them for that.&rdquo;</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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He Dared To Drill ’n’ Defy

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01595/9586803-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT</b> <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/<b>xword</b></a></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 Jacques ___ steered the Devils to their first Cup</p><p>4 A wing</p><p>7 ___ Smythe Trophy</p><p>8 Home of the Jets</p><p>10 Duck recently named NHL MVP, pictured</p><p>12 Edmonton&rsquo;s ___ Horcoff</p><p>13 Dustin ___ is captain in L.A.</p><p>14 Where the Sutters played as juniors</p><p>18 Blue Jackets winger Kristian ___</p><p>19 Forward line</p><p>20 Dallas&rsquo; Michael ___ is from Newfoundland</p><p>21 Quit, ___ ___ the towel</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 Milan ___ is another Bruin</p><p>2 Where 20 across played before Boston</p><p>3 In Europe, some top circuits are called ___ leagues</p><p>4 &lsquo;French Connection&rsquo; member</p><p>5 Openings</p><p>6 Put more emphasis on defense, ___ up</p><p>9 He centers Vancouver&rsquo;s second line</p><p>11 Bob ___ was NHLPA head</p><p>12 Fall on the puck, stopping play</p><p>15 A traded player may come back to ___ his former team</p><p>16 Mark ___ is on defense on Long Island</p><p>17 Given only a few shifts, ___ sparingly</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. ST-LOUIS, 4. SCOTT, 7. EMMS, 8. CAROLINA, 10. FREE AGENTS, 12. GREAT, 13. UPEND, 14. TRIPLE TEAM, 18. STEVE OTT, 19. BARN, 20. NANNE, 21. ROLOSON <b>DOWN</b> 1. SHELF, 2. LIMBERED, 3. SNAKE, 4. SHORT FUSES, 5. OHIO, 6. TRAILED, 9. MATT GREENE, 11. VETERANS, 12. GLEASON, 15. PETER, 16. MANON, 17. JEAN<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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CROSSWORD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02395/9586834-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="991" height="1294"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart, two-thirds of the &lsquo;Kraut Line,&rsquo; are posed and poised for action in 1951.</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04290/9586841-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="150" height="150"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Blast from the Past

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03333/9586872-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="676" height="689"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: COURTESY OF IDAHO STEELHEADS; BLAST: NAT TUROFSKY/HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hough this particular baby blue rendition was worn as a special sweater a few seasons ago, the Steelheads are now using this fish logo as their primary one, swapping it off their shoulder in place of their old mountainscape emblem.</p><p>While the peaks were nice, the actual Steelhead trout is an upgrade and the font that goes along with it looks pretty market fresh as well. Idaho has come a long way since its days wearing a goalie mask with a puck deflected off it and this new incarnation is both original and bold-looking.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-03

JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02389/9586910-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="311" height="545"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>eneral</b>&nbsp;<b>managers</b> in the NHL must sometimes feel like captains of an archaic ship &ndash; just when they patch up a hole, another one springs open somewhere else.</p><p>That&rsquo;s not to say some of the leaks aren&rsquo;t their own doing. After all, nobody held a gun to their heads and forced them to circumvent the salary cap by signing veteran players to long-term, front-loaded deals that will likely never be honored to their completion. Yup, they really ran into an iceberg with that one.</p><p>Another ablation giving them no end of consternation is what to do about the proliferation of enormous second contracts. Young players used to come into the league and spend a couple of years establishing themselves with their first contract. That led to a second deal that was better, but one that was reasonable by relative standards. That second deal was seen as a stepping stone to the more lucrative deals later on.</p><p>But what you have now are NHLers who are playing out the first three years of their entry-level contracts, then skipping right over the stepping-stone pact and negotiating ridiculous money and long-term deals. This is happening despite the fact the threat of losing them to another team with an offer sheet is miniscule and despite the fact the kids have no arbitration rights. The only real leverage they have is to not report to training camp, the way Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty did this fall when the Kings refused to meet his contract demands.</p><p>Just this off-season, Tyler Myers went from making $1.3 million (with performance bonuses) to a deal at an average of $5.5 million a year for the next seven years, starting in 2012-13. Luke Schenn&rsquo;s yearly stipend went from $1.5 million last season ($875,000 in base salary and $637,500 in performance bonuses) to $3.6 million. Previously, Bobby Ryan went from making $1.9 million to $5.1 million. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards jumped from $942,000 to deals that paid them in excess of $5 million a season. The list goes on and on.</p><p>This is a phenomenon some GMs think needs to be addressed in the next round of collective bargaining agreement talks. Once again, those who sign the checks in the NHL need to be saved from themselves. But how to do it? Some are advocating a longer entry-level period than three years, which is interesting because out of the other side of their mouths they&rsquo;re talking about limiting the term of other contracts to keep teams from negotiating the aforementioned retirement deals. Imagine that.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01601/9586903-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="705" height="933"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LUKE SCHENN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Players are ready for stardom at a younger age than ever</b></blockquote><p>Here&rsquo;s a radical idea: Why not adjust your thinking to reflect the fact these guys are now the face of the league, not to mention its best players, and should be paid for their potential rather than for what they&rsquo;ve already done?</p><p>Young players are more prepared for the NHL than they&rsquo;ve ever been and most have been in high-pressure situations at the world juniors, so they don&rsquo;t come into the league as shrinking violets. Thanks to events such as the WJC, they&rsquo;ve either played under the pressure of trying to win a gold medal at home in Canada (or a U.S. border city) or they&rsquo;ve had to try to do it in a building full of 18,000 hostile fans. They are fit, confident and enormously talented after hundreds of hours working with skill coaches and nutritionists. So it would only stand to reason that if they&rsquo;re this good when they&rsquo;re just 18, they&rsquo;re going to be monsters at 21.</p><p>There was a time when players came into the NHL and had no clue about the demands of playing in the NHL. When Gary Roberts showed up at his first training camp in Calgary, he had trouble doing three chin-ups. Now he sequesters about half of the league in his basement over the summer, feeding them nothing but quinoa and forcing them to work out like lunatics.</p><p>The result is these players are now more ready for NHL stardom at a younger age than they ever have. That means it&rsquo;s time to adjust the NHL&rsquo;s body clock to reflect that. As wonderful a player as Brad Richards is, does anyone really think he&rsquo;s going to be playing at this high a level in eight years when he&rsquo;s pushing 40 and still carrying a cap hit of $6.7 million? That&rsquo;s right around the time Myers will be in the last year of his deal with the Sabres and he&rsquo;ll be just 29 years old.</p><p>The rules of the game have changed and so has the evolution of today&rsquo;s hockey player. It&rsquo;s time those who run NHL teams come to that realization and put their resources and cap money into their young stars over their veterans, instead of trying to find ways to avoid paying them.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? CLICK ON <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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October 17, 2011

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Restoring Hope For Hockey