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 31, 2011

The Hockey News - Oct-31-11

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012216/9552102-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t</b>&nbsp;<b>comes as no surprise</b> Fabian Brunnstrom is getting the chance to revive his career with the Detroit Red Wings. After all, the Wings have made an art of taking unknown talents and occupiers of the scrap heap and transforming them into impact players.</p><p>Four years ago, Brunnstrom came out of nowhere and prompted a bidding war for his services as a free agent. And after an initial burst that had the staying power of a supernova, Brunnstrom essentially dropped off the radar and toiled, not very productively, in the American League. In fact, he had precisely the same number of points in the AHL &ndash; just 40 in 81 games &ndash; that he had in 99 career NHL games.</p><p>But the 26-year-old winger is starting almost from scratch again with the Red Wings, who invited him to training camp and signed him to a two-way contract prior to the start of the season. It&rsquo;ll be the ultimate irony if Brunnstrom, who wasn&rsquo;t good enough to thrive with either the Dallas Stars or Toronto Maple Leafs, finds his niche with the powerhouse Red Wings. But then again, Detroit has an uncanny way of identifying untapped talent and placing players in situations where they can be successful.</p><p>The Red Wings invited Brunnstrom to camp on the recommendation of their European scout Hakan Andersson, who has a habit of finding stars in obscure outposts. He told coach Mike Babcock during camp that Brunnstrom possesses an elite level of hockey sense. Andersson has more sway with the Red Wings than most scouts do in their organization and his assessment prompted the Wings to take a closer look. They liked what they saw.</p><p>&ldquo;I see a guy who might be able to evolve one day into a top-six forward,&rdquo; Babcock said. &ldquo;We think he might eventually be Dan Cleary.&rdquo;</p><p>If that transpires, the Red Wings, and Brunnstrom, will be thrilled. Cleary has posted three 20-goal seasons with Detroit after spending  his first seven professional seasons frittering away his talent. Brunnstrom is still a work in progress &ndash; a hooking penalty he took toward the end of a pre-season game against the Toronto Maple Leafs looked like one of the laziest in the history of the game &ndash; but both the Wings and Brunnstrom are cautiously hopeful. &ldquo;I knew I wasn&rsquo;t quite ready when I first came over here, although all the papers in the world thought I was ready,&rdquo; Brunnstrom said. &ldquo;But I think I&rsquo;ve picked up a few things. It has been some tough years for me, but you can&rsquo;t just give up and lie down and die. You have to keep going.&rdquo;</p><p>The Red Wings are starting to see in Brunnstrom what all the scouts who beat a path to Sweden to watch him play saw four years ago. At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, he&rsquo;s a big body who has the ability to control the puck. Combine that with astute hockey sense and decent skating ability and you have a guy who, if he grasps the pro game, could emerge as an impact player.</p><p>&ldquo;I like him because he&rsquo;s always on the puck,&rdquo; Babcock said. &ldquo;We got Cleary a long time ago and suddenly he&rsquo;s a top-six forward. We think this kid can do the same.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Motown Alchemy

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03325/9554090-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg"></div><p><a href="http://THN.com">Thn.com</a></p><p><b>Subscribe to North America&rsquo;s No. 1 hockey magazine and receive:</b></p><p>&bull; <b>1 YEAR of The Hockey News including Future Watch, Draft Preview and the Yearbook</b></p><p>&bull; <b>Daily email newsletter FREE</b></p><p>&bull; <b>Full digital edition FREE</b></p><p>&bull; <b>NHL<sup>&reg;</sup> team swivel key chain of your choice FREE</b></p><p><b>VISIT <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a> TO SUBSCRIBE NOW!</b></p><p><b>NHL, the NHL Shield and the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. &copy; NHL 2010. All Rights Reserved.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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YOUR INSIDE EDGE

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01365/9554297-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="311" height="543"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>anadian actor Jay Baruchel</b> has a new movie out called <i>Goon</i> about a Jewish bouncer from Massachusetts who punches his way to glory in a semipro league in Nova Scotia. It actually sounds like it has some potential. While promoting the film, Baruchel was on TSN Radio recently talking about how the hockey enforcer is, &ldquo;the most maligned, least understood,&rdquo; job in professional sports.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s break that down, shall we?</p><p>Most maligned? Really? Colton Orr plays around six minutes a game and scores an average of 1.6 goals per season. He makes a million dollars a year and has career earnings of $6.5 million, despite the fact on the basis of skill he might be one of the worst players in the NHL. George Parros enjoys a cult following in Anaheim that rivals Teemu Selanne&rsquo;s and Paul Bissonnette has more than 140,000 followers on Twitter, almost as many as the Beastie Boys. Thousands of people get on their feet every time these guys fight and chant their names as they skate to the penalty box. Tie Domi received a fete worthy of a Hall of Famer when he played his 1,000th game and Dave Schultz&rsquo;s money still isn&rsquo;t any good at bars in Philly. Oh, to be so maligned.</p><p>You want unappreciated? Try being a tight end in the NFL. The poor schlep has to block for running backs, occasionally receive passes and does little more than take abuse while, on average, playing the lowest-paid position in football.</p><p>Least understood? No, really? Let&rsquo;s go over the job description then. Receive tap on the shoulder, skate out on to the ice and confront the opponent with the most facial hair and fewest teeth, tell him to perform an anatomically impossible act, throw your gloves in the air and punch him repeatedly in the face until the two of you fall to the ice. Repeat as often as necessary.</p><p>Going out on a limb here, but we&rsquo;re thinking Tom Brady&rsquo;s job running Bill Belichick&rsquo;s offensive scheme is just a tad more complex. Actually, taking care of Belichick&rsquo;s dry cleaning requires more mental capacity than it does to be a goon in the NHL.</p><p>You can&rsquo;t blame Baruchel. He&rsquo;s promoting a movie in which he stars, along with being a co-writer and producer, so he has a vested interest in perpetuating this kind of nonsense. But even if Baruchel &ndash; who sounds like he knows what he&rsquo;s talking about when he discusses the game &ndash; isn&rsquo;t the only one who thinks this way, that doesn&rsquo;t mean we have to believe it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02264/9554290-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="678" height="813"><figcaption class="caption-body">COLTON ORR <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;They had the option of turning down their deal with the devil</b></blockquote><p>Quite frankly, your trusty correspondent is growing a little weary of the hockey goon being portrayed as some kind of tragic hero. The devastating deaths this past summer of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak brought out a barrage of tales of woe from current and former NHL enforcers. We read about their tormented and conflicted existences, how they can&rsquo;t sleep at night because they&rsquo;re preoccupied with the unavoidable confrontation with the next opponent&rsquo;s enforcer, how they&rsquo;ve suffered concussions, how they walk around with their hands swelled like balloons and how many of them battle with alcohol problems. And lastly, how they get kicked to the curb once their usefulness as a punching bag has reached its date of expiry and how the league should do a better job of helping these guys transition to a normal existence once their careers end.</p><p>Those arguments, of course, ignore the fact the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association have a substance abuse and behavioral health program that is the gold standard, not only for sports but for any industry, and is available to any player who asks for it. It also glosses over the reality the league and NHLPA do have very credible programs that help former players transition into retirement, paid for by the fines many of those guys surrendered when they were getting suspended. And at the clip players were reprimanded during the preseason, that fund should have enough to send every former goon to graduate studies at Harvard.</p><p>There is no doubt being an enforcer in the NHL takes a tremendous amount of courage. And these guys are often the ones with the hearts of gold off the ice. They&rsquo;re the ones who most often visit kids in the hospital or deliver Christmas presents to the needy, partly because they&rsquo;re good chaps and partly because they know they have to leverage all the goodwill they can because they&rsquo;re so easily replaced.</p><p>And proponents of fighting will argue players often don&rsquo;t have a choice when they have their heads smashed into the boards, but they do have the choice over whether or not they will fight. And in many ways they&rsquo;re right. Every one of these players, at one point in his career, had the option of turning down his deal with the devil and instead of beating up people, going into a different line of work. They chose not to, so the torment and injury they endure was brought upon by nobody but themselves. So please spare us the portrayals of them being complex, unappreciated victims of a brutal game.</p><p>READ KEN CAMPBELL&rsquo;S WEB-EXCLUSIVE COLUMN MONDAYS & FRIDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THN.COM/CAMPBELL">THN.COM/CAMPBELL</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Getting What You Ask For

<div class="byline">Davio Guercio, Kelowna, B.C.</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012409/9551743-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="270" height="363"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>HN celebrates less-traditional markets and I always enjoy reading about such great progress. However, I was disappointed to see that in your 2011-12 Yearbook, in the For The Record spread, you felt the need to rub in Canada&rsquo;s declining number of selections in this year&rsquo;s NHL draft. If you want fans (in Canada, specifically) to embrace the international growth of the sport, why are you also suggesting we be wary of this progress since it is almost inevitable that other nations will eventually catch up to Canada? How about, instead, celebrate Canada for still being the world-leader in player development?</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021635/9551736-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1068" height="1263"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ADAM LARSSON DRAFTED 4TH OVERALL FROM SWEDEN, 2011</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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CANADA DRY?

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY GRAIG ABEL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012154/9551598-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Reimer Reason</b></h2><p><b>The Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off the campaign with a shutout from James Reimer over rival Montreal.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012182/9551643-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="991" height="630"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021853/9551636-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="300" height="374"></div><h2><b>LISTEN UP!</b></h2><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW</b></p><h2><b>FRIDAYS 3-4 EST</b></h2><p><b>XM 92</b></p><p><b>SIRIUS 207 IN USA</b></p><p><b>We interviewed job</b> candidates recently for a junior position on our editorial team. As part of the process, we asked them to complete a hockey knowledge quiz to help us gauge their level of expertise. One of the requirements on the test read as follows: &ldquo;Name three modern-day NHL dynasties.&rdquo;</p><p>The replies we received were varied &ndash; Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Jose, Washington, Toronto &ndash; but only one of eight applicants cited the three teams we were seeking: Montreal, Edmonton and the New York Islanders.</p><p>After we&rsquo;d seen a handful of the answers, it became clear the problem wasn&rsquo;t necessarily rookie mistakes, but more likely linked to our wording. For starters, what is &ldquo;modern-day&rdquo;? By <i>NHL Official Guide and Record Book</i> standards, it begins in 1943-44 with the introduction of the red line. Under that parameter Toronto would qualify. Others believe the modern era is post-1967, when the NHL expanded from six teams to 12. And quite clearly, some in the younger generation feel it&rsquo;s within the past couple decades.</p><p>Even thornier is the definition of &ldquo;dynasty.&rdquo; Our editorial panel viewed it as at least three or more championships in no more than four years. No exceptions. But in today&rsquo;s NHL, you either have to make an allowance, change the definition or be prepared to bid <i>adieu</i> to the dynasty.</p><p>With 30 teams, free agency, an unforgiving salary cap and the dreaded Cup hangover, the odds of a franchise winning back-to-back titles, let alone three or more, are Zdeno Chara-high. Take the big Slovak&rsquo;s Boston Bruins, who get the cover story treatment in this issue beginning on pg. 28. They&rsquo;ve got stellar goaltending, studs on defense, a maturing group of skilled and rugged forwards, young whiz kids on the way and most of their championship team intact. Yet precious few prognosticators are picking them to return to glory this year. We have them slotted third in the Eastern Conference, but out of the Cup picture.</p><p>With their back-to-back crowns in 1997 and 1998, and their four titles in 12 years, the Detroit Red Wings are the nearest thing we&rsquo;ve seen to a traditional dynasty the past couple decades. As such, our job candidates eventually got partial credit for naming them on their quizzes. Not everyone on our staff agreed, but as leader of the THN Dynasty, I got the last word.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031491/9551629-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="456" height="245"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> NOVEMBER 7, 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><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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‘Dynasty’ Such A Lonely Word

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03966/9551705-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>East Knows West</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>yan Kennedy, in your WHL power rankings (CHL Preview, Oct. 17) you have Kamloops out of the top 10. I wager a lobster and scallop dinner the Blazers will be inside that top 10 at the end of this season.</p><p><i>Gerry McGarry, Greenwood, N.S.</i></p><h2><b>Thanks, Clint</b></h2><p>Kudos to The Hockey News and former NHL keeper turned goalie coach Clint Malarchuk for continuing to be open about his battles with mental illness (Off-Ice Struggle, Sept. 19). Back in the early 1990s I was struggling with depression and not really understanding why. I happened to read a THN story about Malarchuk at that time and couldn&rsquo;t believe I had the same symptoms. I went for help and was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, just as he was. Thanks to Clint&rsquo;s bravery and going public with his personal struggle, I was able to understand why I was feeling like that and went to get the proper help for it.</p><p><i>Rich Mannarino, Staten Island, N.Y.</i></p><p>I have fought with depression for about half of my life and would like to thank Adam Proteau for being sensitive to the issue and congratulate Clint Malarchuk for his courage and determination. Thank you, Mr. Malarchuk for showing there is hope for a condition that often seems very hopeless and giving this Flames fan all that much more courage to face it head on.</p><p><i>Jesse Scott Reimer, Minneapolis, Minn.</i></p><h2><b>Mike Check</b></h2><p>The Hockey News All-Time USA Team in the Oct. 17 issue had one player overlooked. What about New York Rangers great Mike Richter in goal? No disrespect to Hall of Famer Frank Brimsek, I never saw him play and he certainly does have impressive numbers, but Richter&rsquo;s career is more then just about numbers. A Stanley Cup ring, a World Cup Championship and a silver medal in the 2002 Olympics. All of this on top of being one of the best clutch players I have ever seen play the game.</p><p><i>Thomas Hollywood, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.</i></p><h2><b>Where&rsquo;s Phil</b></h2><p>I was reading your Top 20 By Position ranking (Oct. 17) and I couldn&rsquo;t help but laugh. Why? Because Ryan Callahan, Drew Stafford and Devin Setoguchi, who have a combined two career 30-goal seasons, were all placed higher than Phil Kessel, one of only nine players in the league with three consecutive 30-goal seasons. Really, guys?</p><p><i>Eric Lawrie, Toronto</i></p><p>In the words of WWE wrestler The Miz, &ldquo;Really? Really? Really?&rdquo; How can you not have Phil Kessel ranked in your top 20 right wingers? This is a guy who recorded 64 points playing predominately with Tyler Bozak, Darryl Boyce and Joey Crabb. That&rsquo;s still more points than 12 players on this list. Oh, and don&rsquo;t get me started on why David Backes isn&rsquo;t on this list, either.</p><p><i>Ben Bruhm, Halifax, N.S.</i></p><h2><b>En Garde!</b></h2><p>I disagree with Adam Proteau&rsquo;s Sept. 19 Proteau Type column. I really think the Buffalo Sabres have got what it takes to be Stanley Cup champions. Up front they have a solid first line with Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy (all potential 80-point scorers). Their second line is great with the Drew Stafford, newly acquired Ville Leino and either Tyler Ennis or Nathan Gerbe. On defense they upgraded Chris Butler and Steve Montador for Christian Ehrhoff and Robyn Regehr. Their netminding is also rock solid. The Sabres have everything needed (snipers, power forwards, grinders, a great goalie, offensive and defensive defensemen) to win the coveted Cup.</p><p><i>J.P. Dominicis, Toronto</i></p><h2><b>Hull-mark Moment</b></h2><p>I was very excited to read the article written by Brett Hull about Mike Modano being the best American hockey player to have played the game (Simply The Best Ever, Oct. 17). It was truly meaningful considering that Hull himself is argued by some to be the best. Modano played the game with heart and sportsmanship until his very last shift. He is my, and my son&rsquo;s, favorite player and we look forward for him to be inducted in the Hall of Fame.</p><p><i>Cedric Spothelfer, Houston, Texas</i></p><p><b>Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012142/9551698-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="143" height="455"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>WRITE TO WIN!</b></h2><p><b>The author of our featured letter next issue receives a Philips Bodygroom Pro Razor!</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THN INBOX

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021453/9551774-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="523" height="574"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(AVERY: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If cap space wasn&rsquo;t an issue, would you want Sean Avery on your team?</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04580/9551781-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>No 85%</b></p><p>Yes 15%</p><p>Which of these coaches do you think will be the first to be fired?</p><p><b>Ron Wilson, Tor 33%</b></p><p>Bruce Boudreau, Wsh 17%</p><p>Joe Sacco, Col 14%</p><p>Pete DeBoer, NJ 10%</p><p>John Tortorella, NYR 9%</p><p>Scott Arniel, Clb 8%</p><p>Paul Maurice, Car 5%</p><p>Todd McLellan, SJ 4%</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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POLLRESULTS

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>i Adam. Do you have any information as to what is happening with broadcasting NHL games over here in Europe? Here we are with the season starting and there is no kind of television deal. You have a continent of desperate hockey fans here.</b></p><p><i>Charles Glasby, Worksop, U.K.</i></p><p>Hi Charles. I&rsquo;ve heard from more than a few European fans incensed by the lack of coverage of NHL games, but a representative with the league told me they were working diligently toward ending the issue. An NHL source said the league was negotiating with TV distributors in different European countries &ndash; and crafting initiatives that would allow fans to watch games streamed on the league&rsquo;s GameCenter Live Internet platform &ndash; to reach hockey fans outside North America. There was no resolution to the dilemma as of press time, but the longer fans are shut out the louder they&rsquo;re going to be. I&rsquo;m hoping for the best for you.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03904/9551812-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="523" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NHL IN EUROPE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Hey Adam, what do you think Sean Avery&rsquo;s NHL legacy will be? Worst person to ever play in the league or somebody who was just misunderstood?</b></p><p><i>Terry Prescott, Los Angeles</i></p><p>Hey Terry. I don&rsquo;t buy into the idea Avery was a demon on skates. He certainly was uncouth and insensitive, to say the least, but in some respects he was one of the few players to challenge the authoritarian culture of the game. That said, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll be sorely missed.</p><p>Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031236/9551864-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="803" height="913"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRANDON SAAD</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SAAD: JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-10149/9551878-1-eng-US/f0008-102.jpg" title="f0008-10" width="196" height="53"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s amazing what</b> a reshuffling of the deck can mean for a young player sometimes. In Chicago, the experiment that made Patrick Kane a center meant rookie Brandon Saad was starting the year on the Hawks&rsquo; top line alongside Jonathan Toews and PatrickSharp. Pretty heady company for a kid who slipped to the second round of the 2011 draft before Chicago scooped him up with the 43rd pick. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable,&rdquo; Saad said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re two of the best players in the league. I have a lot of space out there playing with those guys.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04695/9551871-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="122" height="139"></div><p>But Saad is also adept at making space, particularly when he needs to dig pucks out of the corners and along the boards for his linemates. With forwards Viktor Stalberg and Ben Smith starting the season on the shelf with injuries, the teenager will get a chance to shine for at least the beginning of the season.</p><p>Similarly, center Ryan Strome (fifth overall) made the New York Islanders on his first try, but knows he has a lot of work to do if he is to stay with the team full-time. &ldquo;Anything can happen on a day-to-day basis,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just feel privileged to be here.&rdquo;</p><p>Strome&rsquo;s last roommate during camp was Nino Niederreiter, who began the season on the injured list, a likely factor in Strome&rsquo;s ascension. The Swiss right winger was a great person to lean on since he played nine games for the Isles last year before being sent to junior, where he starred for the Western League&rsquo;s Portland Winterhawks. &ldquo;He felt it benefitted him a lot,&rdquo; Strome said of Niederreiter&rsquo;s brief NHL stint.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05490/9551857-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="1126" height="1008"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE MARK OF Z-BAD</b></p> <p><b>Ottawa&rsquo;s Mika Zibanejad is powerful for a teenager, which is why the Sens love him.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ZIBANEJAD: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>That magical nine-game number is an important one in NHL circles because once a player skates in his 10th contest of a season, his entry level contract is activated. That means he&rsquo;s one year closer to his second contract and those pacts have proven to be quite lucrative lately.</p><p>While Saad and Strome would return to the Ontario League (to Saginaw and Niagara, respectively), Ottawa&rsquo;s Mika Zibanejad would have a much further journey as per international agreement. The powerful Swedish center would return to his home country and Djurgarden if the Senators decide not to keep him on board. But with the team in rebuilding mode, his odds of staying in the Canadian capital for the long haul are better. &ldquo;For an 18-year-old kid, he&rsquo;s strong physically,&rdquo; said director of player personnel Pierre Dorion. &ldquo;His skating is a big asset and he&rsquo;s able to battle with older players.&rdquo;</p><p>&lsquo;Z-Bad&rsquo; also has the benefit of a living Swedish legend suiting up on his wing in Daniel Alfredsson. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve met a better person than Daniel,&rdquo; Dorion said. &ldquo;Being around him will make Mika a better player.&rdquo;</p><p>The 2011 draft class had been predicted to be lean, but the number of kids who made the final cut in the NHL is actually high. Florida&rsquo;s Jonathan Huberdeau (third overall) was the only top-eight pick not to start the year in the NHL, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog, Adam Larsson, Strome, Zibanejad, Mark Scheifele and Sean Couturier all cracking their squads. Joining them were Ryan Murphy, who went 11th to Carolina, and Saad.</p><p>As a comparison, only six players from the 2010 class made their opening night rosters, with Niederreiter the lone rookie to return to junior. This year, more players will likely be returned once they&rsquo;ve reached nine games, based on the fact injured players will return and the opportunity for more seasoning and world junior glory are such positives.</p><p>No matter what the decision, teams must get value from the player, but also consider his future. For someone like Zibanejad, the objective is clear. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s gotta help us,&rdquo; Dorion said, &ldquo;and we need to help his development.&rdquo;</p><p>After all, time is of the essence here.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012299/9551850-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="287" height="295"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(AVERY: LOU CAPOZZOLA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021750/9551843-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="330" height="293"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(REDDEN: JEFF ZELEVANSKY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>$10.4</b></p><p>Cap space, in millions, the New York Rangers have buried in the AHL with the contracts of Wade Redden and Sean Avery.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

Can’t Wait To Be Great

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012270/9551909-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021657/9551940-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="599" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS: STEPHEN DUNN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>WAY TO STAMP&rsquo;EM OUT NOW, WINNIPEG</b></h3><p><i>Local cops bust scalpers hawking Jets tickets for exorbitant amounts. Why doesn&rsquo;t this happen more around the league?</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>BUM RAP FOR EX-RANGER</b></h3><p><i>Sean Avery may be a divisive personality, but even he deserved a better look at New York&rsquo;s training camp before the Blueshirts waived him.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>EARLY ASCENT TO ROYALTY</b></h3><p><i>The Kings&rsquo;</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Mike Richards</i></b>&nbsp;<i>pays immediate dividends for L.A., setting up the overtime-winning goal in the season opener.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER LOSS</b></h3><p><i>Montreal just can&rsquo;t keep defensemen healthy. Chris Campoli leaves the Habs first tilt with a hammy and Andrei Markov&rsquo;s still not back.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031061/9551978-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="703" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TOM SESTITO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SESTITO: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>rendan Shanahan</b> brought the hammer down hard on a host of NHLers in the pre-season, dishing out several harsh suspensions. Some of those smacked down were fringe players or prospects willing to do anything to impress their coaches enough to stick in the big league.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04735/9551971-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="188" height="188"></div><p>Anaheim&rsquo;s Jean-Francois Jacques, Philly&rsquo;s Tom Sestito and Detroit&rsquo;s Brendan Smith were three such men who crossed the line and incurred the new sheriff&rsquo;s wrath. Jacques was suspended for leaving the bench to start a fight on a legal line change, Sestito for hitting Andre Deveaux from behind and Smith for a hit to the head of Ben Smith. They paid for their transgressions with the rest of their pre-season games and some in the regular season (Jacques and Smith five games, Sestito two), effectively throwing away any hope they had of cracking the NHL to start 2011-12.</p><p>The players were sent to the American League &ndash; Jacques to Syracuse, Sestito to Adirondack and Smith to Grand Rapids. But before the players could suit up in the minors, they had to undergo yet another review, this time by AHL president and CEO David Andrews.</p><p>According to the AHL&rsquo;s bylaws, players under suspension in the NHL or another league must first have their situations reviewed by Andrews before they&rsquo;re allowed to play. In the cases of Sestito, Jacques and Smith, Andrews ruled Sestito ineligible to play until Oct. 9, Jacques Oct. 15 and Smith Oct. 18.</p><p>Players cannot serve their NHL suspensions  in the AHL, so if Sestito, Jacques and Smith get called up to the NHL, they&rsquo;ll have to sit some more before they can suit up in the big time.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

Mixed Reviews

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DARYL REAUGH</div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.&rdquo;</i><br><i>&ndash; Betty Grable</i></blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he families</b> of the majority of players in the NHL made a decision when their young boys were barely in their mid-teens. They chose to allow their sons to leave home and pursue their dreams.</p><p>At 14, 15, 16 years old, they were entrusted to organizations &ndash; some better than others &ndash; and embedded with surrogate families in the cities where these junior hockey clubs rule. These households, or &ldquo;billets,&rdquo; are the networks of terrific people who welcome hungry, impressionable, hormone-wrestling players into their domiciles. The person who organizes and monitors the host families for the organization is arguably the most valuable asset connected to any junior franchise.</p><p>For 40 years Doris Rubel was that person for the Kamloops Blazers, Junior Oilers, Chiefs, Rockets and Braves, and she is easily the finest to ever hold such a position for any team, anywhere. Legendary hard-ass coaches from Bill LaForge to Ken Hitchcock to Don Hay &ndash; along with all the others who stood behind the Kamloops bench &ndash; took orders from Doris.</p><p>For those of us who played there &ndash; Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan, Darcy Tucker, Scott Niedermayer, Rob Brown, Tyson Nash, Greg Hawgood, Darryl Sydor, Len Barrie, Doug Bodger, Corey Hirsch, Dean Evason and many, many more &ndash; she was a kind, caring den mother.</p><p>She gave funds she didn&rsquo;t have and cooked meals for players she didn&rsquo;t have to make. (Former Jr. Oiler/Blazer beat writer Ben Kuzma quipped Doris&rsquo; fridge &ldquo;should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame.&rdquo;) And she provided a bed when things hit a rocky spell at a player&rsquo;s billet home while at the same time searching for answers or another household.</p><p>Doris knew when to look the other way and when to drop the hammer. Cripes, she had a police scanner in her living room &ndash; she always knew what was up. I just think she chose to turn it down on certain nights. She had a gentle way, but a firm conviction.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011909/9552009-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="724" height="597"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DORIS RUBEL</b></figcaption></div><p>She was extra large in stature, yet ethereal in her delivery. She had her favorites and her opinions. She loved to laugh. God, how Doris loved a good laugh.</p><p>And she always had time for &ldquo;her boys.&rdquo;</p><p>Doris, shown in this photo with Kamloops GM Craig Bonner, was awarded the first ever WHL distinguished service award in 2004 and helped teams like the Vancouver Giants, and Chilliwack Bruins start their billet programs.</p><p>This past week Doris&rsquo;s time on Earth ran out &ndash; her health battles finally getting the best of her at age 75 &ndash; but who she was, how much she gave and how deeply she impacted others will live on and be celebrated.</p><p>The Blazers, Western League, Canadian League and the community have lost a great woman.</p><p><i>Daryl Reaugh is a former NHL goaltender who played in Kamloops from 1983 to 1985. He currently works as an analyst for Dallas Stars games and on Hockey Night In Canada.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

A Great Lady Gone

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021385/9552040-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="704" height="522"></div><p><b>DAYS UNTIL EXPIRATION</b></p><p><b>THE</b>&nbsp;<b>2011-12 CAMPAIGN</b> is the final year of the NHL&rsquo;s current collective bargaining agreement. And while there isn&rsquo;t a sense of impending labor armaggedon as there was prior to the 2004-05 cancelled season, a number of important issues bear watching &ndash;and The Hockey News will do just that with regular coverage of the CBA and negotiations on a new deal between NHL team owners and the Players&rsquo; Association.</p><p>There already are some labor-related effects being felt in NHL circles. For example, teams no longer can take advantage of the so-called &ldquo;performance bonus cushion&rdquo; allowing them to roll over any bonus money that causes them to exceed the salary cap to the following season. Until a new collectively-bargained agreement is finalized, teams cannot spend a penny more than the $64.3 million upper limit.</p><p>As it stands, the league and NHLPA aren&rsquo;t likely to begin new CBA negotiations until the beginning of 2012. But make no mistake &ndash; agents, players and league officials will be keeping a close eye on new developments. We will, too.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-02

CBA WATCH

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03930/9552071-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASKS: DAVID ARRIGO)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE STORY</b> of former NFL safety Pat Tillman is well known, but his legacy with the U.S. military is such that tributes keep coming. Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera puts a hockey spin on the honors with his new mask, which also highlights the recent missions and sacrifices of the Canadian military.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-03

BEHIND the Paint

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN LIU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021739/9552161-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="322" height="322"></div><h2><b>LARRY MURPHY</b></h2><p><b>Defense</b></p><p class="dropcap"><i><span>M</span>urphy produced during his Leafs tenure, but was a scapegoat for team struggles. Traded to Motown at 35, he helped the Wings to back-to-back titles with 26 points in 42 playoff games.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031119/9552154-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="322" height="322"></div><h2><b>M. SAMUELSSON</b></h2><p><b>Right Wing</b></p><p><i>Samuelsson bounced around with the Sharks, Rangers, Penguins and Panthers before landing in Detroit, where he more than doubled his career-high with 23 goals in 2005-06.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04667/9552147-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="321" height="322"></div><h2><b>PATRICK EAVES</b></h2><p><b>Right Wing</b></p><p><i>Eaves was thought washed-up after only 11 goals in two seasons with the Hurricanes and Senators. Detroit scooped him up in &rsquo;09 and he chipped in with 12 goals and 22 points.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05467/9552140-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="321" height="322"></div><h2><b>DANNY MARKOV</b></h2><p><b>Defense</b></p><p><i>Markov&rsquo;s play had already declined by the time the Wings signed him in 2006, but the club squeezed one solid year (16 points, career-high plus-25) before he left for the KHL.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06381/9552133-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="321" height="322"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>DAN CLEARY</b></h2><p><b>Right Wing</b></p><p><i>Cleary was drafted 13th overall, but never had more than 14 goals in his first seven seasons. As a Wing, he&rsquo;s had three 20-goal campaigns, including a career-high 26 in 2010-11.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

TRICKS TO TREATS

<div class="byline">RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012189/9552199-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ONLY OPTION</b></p> <p><b>A veteran of 14 seasons, Steve Staios had to take the tryout route back to the NHL.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STAIOS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>ike a slew</b> of other seasoned NHLers, Steve Staios found himself without work as the calendar called on September. The veteran D-man waited all off-season for a deal, but nothing materialized&hellip; except tryout offers.</p><p>&ldquo;I never expected to find myself in that situation,&rdquo; Staios said. &ldquo;I thought if it ever came to the point where I only had a tryout then that would be it.&rdquo;</p><p>The Islanders had approached Staios earlier in the summer with an offer to come to camp, but the 38-year-old waited to see if anything else came up. Come the fall, and without a contract, his agent urged him to reconsider, as did Isles coach Jack Capuano. &ldquo;He said if I came in and played well, I&rsquo;d earn a spot,&rdquo; Staios said. &ldquo;He made no promises. He just said, &lsquo;We&rsquo;ll give you a good look.&rsquo; I liked his enthusiasm about the team, so I decided to come.&rdquo;</p><p>The Isles are glad he did. After a solid showing, they inked the Hamilton, Ont., native to a one-year deal worth $800,000 in base pay and another $800,000 in performance bonuses. He started the season paired with captain Mark Streit. &ldquo;This is a good fit for me,&rdquo; Staios said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do what I&rsquo;ve done the past (14) years, be a good teammate and give the young players a good example of how to handle themselves and be a professional.&rdquo;</p><p>While many vets struggle with the prospect of retirement, Staios had no such worry. &ldquo;I knew I could still contribute, but I wasn&rsquo;t worried in any way. If that in fact was it, the market I was fine with that as well&hellip;I would&rsquo;ve been proud of the effort I&rsquo;d given, how I&rsquo;d handled myself and sat back and said I had a great career.&rdquo;</p><p>As teams trend to playing their prospects more, expect there to be more invitation-only offers to vets. &ldquo;Teams want to get younger, let their prospects play&hellip;and I don&rsquo;t disagree with that,&rdquo; Staios said. &ldquo;But if you feel like you still have it in you, can do it mentally, go through the grind and keep your fitness up and compete, that&rsquo;s where guys should go in on a tryout.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021643/9552192-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="1148" height="786"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NIEMI: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JUSSI: KELLIE LANDIS/ALLSPORT)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-01

Invitation Only For NHL Vets

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>any vets got invitations to tryout for the big dance. Some made it, some didn&rsquo;t. Here&rsquo;s a list of notables, the teams they tried out for and career games played.</b></p><p><b>OWEN NOLAN</b> VAN <b>1,200</b></p><p><b>STEVE STAIOS</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> NYI <b>936</b></p><p><b>PETR SYKORA</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> NJ <b>935</b></p><p><b>MICHAEL NYLANDER</b> PHI <b>920</b></p><p><b>JAY PANDOLFO</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> NYI <b>819</b></p><p><b>RYAN JOHNSON</b> DET <b>701</b></p><p><b>ADAM MAIR</b> PHI <b>615</b></p><p><b>CHRIS CLARK</b> BOS <b>607</b></p><p><b>ANDERS ERIKSSON</b> VAN <b>572</b></p><p><b>TODD FEDORUK</b> VAN <b>545</b></p><p><b>STEVE BEGIN</b> VAN <b>488</b></p><p><b>TRENT HUNTER</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> LA <b>459</b></p><p><b>STEVE BERNIER</b> NJ <b>385</b></p><p><b>MANNY LEGACE</b> VAN <b>365</b></p><p><b>BRAD WINCHESTER</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> SJ <b>323</b></p><p><b>RYAN HOLLWEG</b> PHX <b>228</b></p><p><b>DAVID AEBISCHER</b> WPG <b>214</b></p><p><b>ANTON STRALMAN</b> NJ <b>212</b></p><p><b>RAY EMERY</b><sup><i>*</i></sup> CHI <b>173</b></p><p><b>DAVID KOCI</b> WPG <b>142</b></p><p><b>JORDAN HENDRY</b> MIN <b>129</b></p><p><sup><i>*</i></sup><i>made NHL team</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Where Da Party At?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031111/9552254-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="347" height="347"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>OSTON&rsquo;S NHL TEAM</b> came to be the &ldquo;Bruins&rdquo; thanks to businessman Charles Adams, the franchise&rsquo;s first owner. Adams hired Art Ross as the team&rsquo;s first GM in 1924 and asked him to select a name that exuded qualities of size, strength, agility, cunning and ferocity &ndash; and related to an untamed animal. Ross&rsquo; secretary submitted the name &ldquo;Bruins,&rdquo; derived from the Old English term for &ldquo;brown bears.&rdquo; The name also fit the team&rsquo;s colors (brown and yellow), which Adams used in his chain of department stores.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-03

BEHIND the Name!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021502/9552285-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BOOM OR BUST?</b></p> <p><b>Matt Duchene leads a young Avs squad that pundits just can&rsquo;t seem to agree on.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011959/9552292-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here once was</b> a time when pundits who questioned the direction of the Colorado Avalanche essentially were placing their reputations inside a dunk tank and triggering the release lever themselves. Two Stanley Cups and six appearances in the Western Conference final in their first seven seasons built the franchise a fairly unassailable reputation. But in missing the playoffs three of the past five seasons, Colorado has ensured those days are over and the assailing has commenced in earnest.</p><p>Rather than being a post-season staple, the Avalanche are now a team with as many, if not more, questions than answers. And although the era of NHL parity has made the line between contender and pretender thinner than ever, Colorado as presently constituted are the NHL&rsquo;s most polarizing team.</p><p>When The Hockey News editorial department convened to put together its regular season predictions, there was much debate over the placement of teams. There always is. But the discrepancy between staffers as it pertained to Colorado was striking. A number of guys liked the Avs enough to put them into the playoffs. But there was an equal number of dissenters &ndash; including myself &ndash; who were incredulous.</p><p>I don&rsquo;t disregard the prodigious talents of Matt Duchene or the potential held by youngsters Erik Johnson, Paul Stastny and 2011 first round draft pick Gabriel Landeskog. (In fact, I like Landeskog for the Calder Trophy.) But I can&rsquo;t shake the memory of the awful 2010-11 Avalanche team and didn&rsquo;t see nearly enough roster improvement to suggest they&rsquo;d come close to a post-season spot.</p><p>Colorado didn&rsquo;t finish 29th overall last year by accident. They went 4-17-1 to end the season and won just 10 of 44 games in the 2011 calendar year &ndash; a .227 win percentage that was the NHL&rsquo;s worst. Their goals-against average (3.50) and penalty kill (76.1 percent) ranked dead last.</p><p>What did GM Greg Sherman do this summer to address a clear problem with his defense? He booted the entire goaltending contingent to the curb, traded for former Capitals starter Semyon Varlamov, signed veteran free agent Jean-Sebastien Giguere as Varlamov&rsquo;s backup, and acquired free agent blueliners Jan Hejda and Shane O&rsquo;Brien.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;The Avs didn&rsquo;t finish 29th by accident</b></blockquote><p>There&rsquo;s no doubt Varlamov showed stretches of brilliance, as was evident in his numbers (2.23 GAA, .924 save percentage) last season, but those digits came on a drastically better team. That, along with his injury battles, makes the pricey trade (a 2012 first round pick and an a conditional second-rounder) a pronounced gamble that could backfire bigtime. If they have to lean on Giguere (2.87 GAA, .900 SP with Toronto last season) for any significant stretch of time, Colorado is a good bet to plummet to the bottom of the standings again and hand Washington a very high (if not the highest) draft pick this summer.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why, with apologies to Ron Wilson, Bruce Boudreau and perhaps Brent Sutter, there&rsquo;s no coach with more pressure to win than third-year Colorado bench boss Joe Sacco. But Sacco must do so (a) without the veteran savvy of Avs John-Michael Liles, Tomas Fleischmann and Adam Foote; (b) with a 35-year-old Milan Hejduk and a youngster in Peter Mueller, who has dealt with a terrible concussion; and (c) with an ownership group that won&rsquo;t help him by spending anywhere near the salary cap maximum (According to <a href="http://capgeek.com">capgeek.com</a>, the Avs had the third-lowest payroll to start 2011-12.)</p><p>Does this sound to you like a group that should be picked ahead of a veteran Calgary team, a restocked Blue Jackets squad and a Minnesota roster whose goalie is better than any Avalanche netminder since Patrick Roy patrolled Colorado&rsquo;s pipes? It sure doesn&rsquo;t to me, but that&rsquo;s how we ended up predicting them to finish.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s get real here. You can make a case for the Avalanche, as you can with any almost team, but if you overlook the case against them, you&rsquo;ve been inhaling too much of that thin Denver air.</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU? READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN THURSDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THN.COM/PROTEAU">THN.COM/PROTEAU</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Desperate In Denver

<div class="byline">BY AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03992/9552386-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011838/9552379-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="417" height="636"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021376/9552372-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="400" height="572"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011624/9552365-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1460" height="1221"><figcaption class="caption-body">RICK NASH GOT HIS WISH: MORE STAR POWER IN COLUMBUS. <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OLUMBUS, OHIO</b> In his last few end-of-season meetings with Blue Jackets management, captain Rick Nash made a private, earnest plea: acquire another player or two with star talent so making the Stanley Cup playoffs in Columbus is more than a once-in-a-generation occurrence.</p><p>The worst part of these meetings &ndash; aside from the fact they took place early in April, when other clubs were gearing up for the post-season &ndash; was the difficulty management found in fulfilling Nash&rsquo;s wishes. Rarely do stars become available in trades and rarely do those kind of difference-making free agents sign with clubs who, like the Blue Jackets, have a history of chronic losing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021218/9552358-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="266" height="230"></div><p>But to the delight of Nash and the fanbase, this summer was different.</p><p>Not only was GM Scott Howson more willing than ever to crack eggs to make an omelet, but Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren was ready to detonate his roster just one year after playing in the Stanley Cup final. Exit No. 1 center Jeff Carter, a bona fide 40-goal scorer, who joined the Blue Jackets in a blockbuster trade on the eve of the NHL draft. &ldquo;You need a lot of things to fall in place for a trade like that to happen,&rdquo; Howson said. &ldquo;Players like Jeff Carter don&rsquo;t get traded very often. Who was the last No. 1 center to get moved before (Holmgren) traded Carter and (Mike) Richards (to Los Angeles) this summer? It was Brad Richards three years ago.</p><p>&ldquo;As excited as our fans were with the trade and as excited as I was being able to make it, you can guess who the most excited person was: Rick Nash.&rdquo;</p><p>With Carter and Nash, the Blue Jackets believe they can finally run with the big dogs in not only the Central Division, but the Western Conference. Chicago has Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, Detroit has Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, Anaheim has Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, and Vancouver has the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel. &ldquo;If you look around the league, every good team has that 1-2,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get me wrong for a second &ndash; we&rsquo;ve had some great players here in Columbus. But I think there&rsquo;s just a 1-2 punch now that every good team in the league has and it&rsquo;s exciting.&rdquo;</p><p>If Carter and Nash don&rsquo;t quite seem on the same plateau as the other combinations, they should.</p><p>Consider this: since the beginning of 2007-08, Carter (144) and Nash (143) are fifth and sixth in the NHL in goals. Only Alex Ovechkin (203), Ilya Kovalchuk (167), Jarome Iginla (160) and Dany Heatley (145) have more.</p><p>Early signs are veteran winger Vinny Prospal will play left wing with Columbus&rsquo; big pair. Carter and Nash, who switches to right wing, played together four times in the pre-season &ndash; once with Prospal &ndash; and, after a slow start, they started putting on a show. &ldquo;When you see those big guys making plays,&rdquo; said Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel, &ldquo;you find yourself just sort of staring.&rdquo;</p><p>The worry among many is Carter and Nash &ndash; both regarded as shooters and finishers more than playmakers &ndash; will need more than one puck to find happiness or they&rsquo;ll require a pure playmaker to help them thrive as linemates. While Prospal can make plays and possess the puck, there are times when his job will simply be to get out of the way.</p><p>Nash is a crasher and banger, a guy who leans on defenders down low, powers around them and pounces on rebounds &ndash; often his own &ndash; to score many of his goals. He&rsquo;s a better passer than most realize, however, and his assist total stands to increase sharply this season playing alongside a finisher.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>"IF HE GETS" THE PUCK ANYWHERE AROUND THE NET, IT'S' GOING UPSTAIRS' BEFORE ANYBODY REALIZES' IT"</b><br><b><i>-Rick nash on Jeff Carter</i></b></blockquote><p>That&rsquo;s Carter, a tightspace sniper. His release is frighteningly quick, rivaled only by Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Steven Stamkos or Calgary&rsquo;s Iginla. Where Carter most often makes plays is on the rush. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve both been in situations where we&rsquo;ve needed to score goals, so that&rsquo;s how our games have evolved,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve watched him in practice and in some of the exhibition games&hellip;we were finding each other pretty good. But with a shot like that, I don&rsquo;t think anybody wants him passing up shots to see if something else is going to develop. If he gets the puck anywhere around the net, it&rsquo;s going upstairs before anybody realizes it.&rdquo;</p><p>Carter and Nash have combined a handful of &ldquo;pop&rdquo; plays. That&rsquo;s how they term the scoring chances that seem to explode out of nothing and they require vision and playmaking to make them pop. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know Jeff&rsquo;s game quite as well as Rick&rsquo;s yet,&rdquo; Arniel said. &ldquo;But I said it many times last year: Rick has great vision. He&rsquo;s done a lot of shooting here in the past, maybe out of necessity. But both of those guys can move the puck and if you put two world-class players together, they tend to figure things out pretty quickly.&rdquo;</p><p>Arniel was asked to name two &ldquo;scorers&rdquo; who have clicked on a line together, as opposed to a scorer-playmaker. &ldquo;Perry and Getzlaf in Anaheim,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Those are two big guys who are regarded primarily as scorers. But I&rsquo;d say that line has worked pretty well &ndash; really well &ndash; the last few seasons.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011590/9552351-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="1127" height="1606"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEFF CARTER SAYS HE HAS MOVED ON FROM THE HARD FEELINGS HE HAD AFTER BEING DEALT FROM PHILLY.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LEFT+RIGHT: JOHN GRIESHOP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Off the ice, there are similarities between Carter and Nash, too. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re both laid-back, low-key guys,&rdquo; said teammate R.J. Umberger. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been hanging around each other a lot since the summer and they&rsquo;re hitting it off pretty good.&rdquo;</p><p>Carter and Nash have gone to two Ohio State football games already and watched others together on TV, as well as going to Nash&rsquo;s home in the Columbus suburbs at least twice for dinner. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re actually pretty similar people,&rdquo; Carter said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re two guys who just go about our business.&rdquo;</p><p>Carter came from Philadelphia with a reputation for being standoffish with the media, a malcontent. When he was traded in June, he said he felt &ldquo;betrayed&rdquo; by the Flyers after they promised him he wouldn&rsquo;t be traded only a few days earlier. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve moved on,&rdquo; is all Carter will say about the trade these days.</p><p>Nash and Umberger have helped ease him into the fold in Columbus, as has winger Jared Boll, who let Carter stay in his apartment for two weeks while he looked for a permanent spot. But Carter&rsquo;s agent, Rick Curran, said being comfortable in the city won&rsquo;t be an issue for his client.</p><p>&ldquo;The big challenge there is not wondering whether he&rsquo;ll find comfort,&rdquo; Curran said. &ldquo;The question is, can you be in a position there to win enough games, to have success? If the Blue Jackets do everything they can to win and compete for championships, you won&rsquo;t have any problems with Jeff Carter.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blue Jackets&rsquo; summer makeover didn&rsquo;t stop with the addition of Carter. In line with Nash&rsquo;s request for bold moves came Howson&rsquo;s trade of a draft pick to Montreal for the rights to defenseman James Wisniewski, a pending free agent. The Jackets had never traded for a pending free agent&rsquo;s rights before and never had one of Wisniewski&rsquo;s profile considering  signing a deal. Wisniewski, who finished tied for fifth among NHL defensemen last season with 51 points (10-41-51), signed a six-year, $33-million contract.</p><p>Then when left winger Kristian Huselius went down with a torn pectoral muscle, the Blue Jackets signed Prospal to fill the void. In the past, they may have tried to get by without Huselius for the first couple months of the season.</p><p>The Jackets also signed veteran defenseman Radek Martinek to play on their second pair.</p><p>All the summer activity has pushed the Blue Jackets&rsquo; payroll well over $60 million, a franchise high. It was done, with Nash&rsquo;s urging, in the hope next summer won&rsquo;t start so soon. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s obvious that ownership and management are committed to winning,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s great to see. It makes it exciting, not just in the room but among the fans.</p><p>&ldquo;Now we have to take the next step, which is the big step &ndash; winning on the ice, taking how good we think we are on paper and proving it on the ice.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011283/9552344-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="210" height="301"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE BEST WAY FOR CARTER TO FEEL HAPPY AND AT HOME IN COLUMBUS IS BY WINNING.</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>OTHER DYNAMIC DUOS</b></h2><p>NASH AND CARTER have totalled 383 (201/181) tallies since the lockout, but that&rsquo;s only good for fourth. Ovechkin has the highest single total at 301.</p><p>COMBINED GOALS SINCE LOCKOUT &gt;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021147/9552337-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="203" height="126"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEX OVECHKIN</b> ALEX SEMIN</figcaption></div><p>467</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03818/9552330-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="171" height="172"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ILYA KOVALCHUK</b> ZACH PARISE</figcaption></div><p>424</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04562/9552323-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="172" height="160"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>V. LECAVALIER</b> MARTIN ST-LOUIS</figcaption></div><p>394<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-03

COLUMBUS' NEW (err……only) DYNAMIC DUO

<div class="byline">STEVE NOBLE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f022-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f022-02/9552424-1-eng-US/f022-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF WINSPORT CANADA;)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011479/9552431-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="183" height="170"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>OBODY</b>&nbsp;<b>LIKES MOVING DAY,</b> unless it&rsquo;s long overdue. And that exactly the case for Hockey Canada as it prepares to move into its new $220-million Athletic and Ice Complex from their understated, red brick, single-rink home at Father David Bauer Olympic Arena. &ldquo;It represents the evolution of hockey in this country,&rdquo; Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser said of the 500,000 square-foot Calgary facility. &ldquo;Now there&rsquo;s a physical place that Canadian fans and players can identify with and call home.&rdquo;</p><p>Wickenheiser recalls walking into Hockey Canada&rsquo;s vintage headquarters for the first time. She was a wide-eyed, 15-year-old prairie girl, preparing to try out for the Canadian women&rsquo;s national team. The rest of Wickenheiser&rsquo;s story is now famed history, but the AIC is all about the future. She believes it will help hockey culture in Canada remain a stride ahead of the competition.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021088/9552417-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="882" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STEVE NOBLE)</span></figcaption></div><p>The AIC provides players a place to train, play, learn and seek help. Whether someone needs an MRI or a concussion baseline test, it&rsquo;ll all be available. There&rsquo;s even the 150-student National Sport School on the premises for elite high school athletes.</p><p>&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s about time,&rdquo; Wickenheiser said. &ldquo;To have a fitness facility, weight room, research center, medical clinic, physio clinic and four ice rinks in the same building is something we&rsquo;ve never had before.&rdquo;</p><p>Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said board members knew if they were going to make a move, it had to be something &ldquo;world class.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s why they partnered with WinSport Canada, one of the top amateur athletic training and promotion organizations in the world (21 of 26 Canadian medalists at the 2010 Olympics trained at Win-Sport&rsquo;s Canada Olympic Park grounds, where the AIC is located).</p><p>&ldquo;I worked on the approval process for the Montreal  Canadiens&rsquo; new training center back when they were transitioning from the Forum to the Bell Centre,&rdquo; said WinSport president and Hockey Canada board member Dan O&rsquo;Neill. &ldquo;At the time, it was one of the most modern around and the (AIC) blows that away.&rdquo;</p><p>Steve Palmer, who co-ordinated the project from groundbreak onward, has made a hobby recounting its many unique features. &ldquo;We gave the architects creative license to make something visually captivating,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But we wanted something that would speak to everyone who visits the center, no matter where they&rsquo;re from.&rdquo;</p><p>The international-sized arena has fresh water piped straight to the benches and each rink is fitted with HDTV cameras so between periods, even for a youth hockey tournament, teams can go into their dressing room and pull up game footage. Other features are the leg press machines that emails a player&rsquo;s performance data to his trainer&rsquo;s, the underwater treadmill and the sports science laboratory where athlete and equipment testing will be ongoing.</p><p>The world will get its first look at the AIC this December when Calgary and Edmonton co-host the World Junior Championship. There won&rsquo;t be any official games at the AIC, but all 10 teams competing in the tournament will call it home. &ldquo;This year will be the first time ever at a World Junior Championship that all the teams will practise out of one facility,&rdquo; Nicholson said. &ldquo;Usually you need three or four arenas.&rdquo;</p><p>Short-term accommodations will be great for visitors, but, says Wickenheiser, it&rsquo;ll be Canada&rsquo;s home teams who benefit most: &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll really help players on the national teams generate more of a family bond with spending so much time in the same place, which is critical when preparing for short tournaments.&rdquo;</p><p>Tonnes of concrete</p><p><b>36,000</b></p><p>Tonnes of steel</p><p><b>1,900</b></p><p>Tonnes of glulam wooden beams</p><p><b>1,139</b></p><p>Tonnes of rebar</p><p><b>2,500</b></p><p>Approximate concrete piles, from six to 14 metres deep, to create foundation</p><p><b>1,500</b></p><p>Length, in kilometers, of concrete piles if stretched in a row</p><p><b>9</b></p><p>Length of building in football-field lengths</p><p><b>2</b></p><p>Yearly savings in utility costs thanks to environmentally friendly design</p><p><b>$400,000</b></p><p>Number of ads on the boards of the international rink</p><p><b>0</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f022-02

MOVING DAY!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021021/9552462-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DISHING IT OUT</b></p> <p><b>Nothing pleases a hockey fan&rsquo;s palate like a good ol&rsquo; helping of hockey scraps.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CHRISTOPHER PASATIERI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011422/9552469-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>hark</b>&nbsp;<b>fin soup</b> is a popular dish in Chinese culture. Well, it was a popular dish until recently, when a lot of people turned onto the fact that cutting off the fin of a shark and hucking the doomed fish back into the ocean isn&rsquo;t cool. I&rsquo;ve been served the offending broth at a Chinese wedding and personally, the fin doesn&rsquo;t add anything. It just tasted like regular soup to me. But there are intractable groups of folks out there who swear you need to have shark fin soup at such an event. It just won&rsquo;t do to skip that course.</p><p>When I think about fighting in hockey, I think of shark fin soup. But unlike the soup, I find fighting delicious. I love it. And I&rsquo;m not alone.</p><p>Fisticuffs are unique to hockey among the four major sports and while I&rsquo;ve heard many convincing arguments about why it has no place in hockey, I just can&rsquo;t be swayed. Deep down, in a visceral pocket of my innards, I get pumped when a couple of willing participants drop the gloves.</p><p>Hockey is great theater and when the tension is high and your team is playing its biggest rival, can you think of anything better (other than a goal, of course) than a fight breaking out?</p><p>All that energy boiling over, the snap in the moment like a downpour from pregnant dark clouds is the reason we choose sides and put on team colors in the first place.</p><p>There&rsquo;s a certain sense of justice in a lot of scraps. Talk to NHLers these days and many of them will tell you it&rsquo;s the guys who don&rsquo;t have to fight that enrage them the most. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Matt Cooke, for example, only dropped the gloves three times last season and only once against an experienced fighter (Mike Richards).</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>"I find fighting delicious. I love it. And I&rsquo;m not alone</b></blockquote><p>As a quick comparison, Cooke was suspended twice last year for egregious acts of bodily harm on unsuspecting opponents. Back in 2009-10, Cooke did challenge Atlanta rookie Evander Kane to a tilt after Kane had been pestering Sidney Crosby and the Thrashers freshman famously dropped the Penguin with one big punch. If your favorite team had been diminished by one of Cooke&rsquo;s line-crossing acts over the years, that had to feel pretty sweet, didn&rsquo;t it?</p><p>One of the enduring images of the 2004 Stanley Cup came when Tampa&rsquo;s Vincent Lecavalier threw down with Calgary captain Jarome Iginla. The fact two of the most talented individuals in that series decided to scrap really put into perspective how much they wanted to win. Now, I can understand the anti-fighting crowd&rsquo;s argument that having your best player off the ice for five minutes &ndash; possibly more if he gets injured &ndash; is stupid. But at least in this case it was an even trade in the penalty box. And frankly, it was a memory that has stood the test of time. Do you remember what the winning goal looked like in that series?</p><p>Of course fighting in hockey is irrational, but so is diving in soccer and they seem to accept it. There are a lot of things we do in life that can&rsquo;t be explained in a cold, deadening manner and that&rsquo;s OK.</p><p>It&rsquo;s tough to say if fighting will endure in the NHL of the future. Head injury awareness is certainly important, but if there&rsquo;s one saving grace for those who like scraps, it&rsquo;s that fights only produce a fraction of concussions in the NHL at eight percent &ndash; a much smaller number than you would expect.</p><p>One persistent debate point is what an NHL without fighting would mean to the fan base. Does it get larger? Does it shrink? Fans who would prefer no fights can often be heard talking up Olympic hockey as a gold standard. But it&rsquo;s a little unfair to compare a team that can trot out a top line of Ovechkin-Malkin-Kovalchuk to an injury-riddled New York Islanders squad or an Ottawa Senators roster in full rebuild mode.</p><p>Scrappers are often fan favorites &ndash; think George Parros in Anaheim or Jordin Tootoo in Nashville &ndash; and the vast majority of folks rise from their stadium seats every time a couple of players square off.</p><p>So whether those 18,000-plus people can explain what they like about fisticuffs or not, they&rsquo;re voting with their butts. Irrational? Maybe. But it&rsquo;s been that way for a very long time and a love of fighting is something I just can&rsquo;t shake. And it doesn&rsquo;t leave a bad taste in my mouth.</p><p>RYAN KENNEDY&rsquo;S WEB-EXCLUSIVE COLUMN APPEARS WEDNESDAYS AT <a href="HTTP://THN.COM/KENNEDY">THN.COM/KENNEDY</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

Fighting Is Full Of Flavor

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AP</div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s the NHL debates how to realign its divisions, there is an option out there that is particularly appealing: doing away with divisons altogether and going with conference play.</p><p>Such a plan wouldn&rsquo;t mean the end of divisional rivalries. The league still could mandate that traditional division rivals play each other six times a season as they do at present. Canadiens fans still would hate Toronto as much as they ever did.</p><p>But let&rsquo;s be honest &ndash; does intra-divisional play really mean anything in and of itself anymore? Most fans, players and hockey people check the standings strictly to see if their team is in a playoff position. A divisional title banner is a nice way to take up space in an arena&rsquo;s rafters, but if that title isn&rsquo;t followed up with a Stanley Cup championship, it isn&rsquo;t worth much at all.</p><p>By and large, divisions are a product of a bygone, heavily regionalized NHL era. They don&rsquo;t add anything to a fan&rsquo;s experience. Instead, they represent a diversion, a cluster of trees that block interested observers from seeing the forest.</p><p>By acknowledging that fact and switching to a conferenceonly format, the NHL would present a much clearer picture for all of us to focus on.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Divisions? No Thanks

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011435/9552542-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE ILITCH <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen</b>&nbsp;<b>the Atlanta Thrashers</b> became the Winnipeg Jets this summer, the relocated franchise presented a number of logistical issues for the NHL to deal with. Chief among them was Winnipeg&rsquo;s awkward placement in the league&rsquo;s Southeast Division. But commissioner Gary Bettman and league brass acknowledge the situation as only temporary and made clear their effort to: (a) move the Jets into the Western Conference; and (b) send a Western team to the east to maintain 15-teamper-division balance.</p><p>The opportunity for realignment caused some hockey observers to envision drastic change &ndash; an all-Canadian division, for example &ndash; but NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly all but shot that down. &ldquo;The consensus of the Board of Governors as expressed at our recent board meeting seems to be to try to effectuate a realignment that produces the least amount of change possible from our current structure,&rdquo; Daly said in an email, adding that the next board of governors meeting in December likely would finalize Winnipeg&rsquo;s move west for the 2012-13 campaign.</p><p>With that in mind, here are the current Western Conference teams who are interested in moving from their present divisional location and why they&rsquo;d love to make a switch:</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021030/9552535-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="141" height="74"></div><p><b>DETROIT:</b>&nbsp;Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch recently revealed that Bettman &ldquo;promised&rdquo; his franchise would be the first team to move east when the opportunity arose. Given Detroit&rsquo;s standing as a model citizen within the league and its close proximity to the grand majority of Eastern teams, the Wings have to be considered the odds-on favorite.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03810/9552528-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="140" height="73"></div><p><b>COLUMBUS:</b>&nbsp;The Blue Jackets are geographically situated farther east than Detroit and also would welcome a respite from the onerous travel schedule and late-starting road games for a still-developing fan base. The comparatively easier competition in the East also would be a boon for a franchise that has made the playoffs just once in its 10 years of existence.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04608/9552521-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="139" height="73"></div><p><b>DALLAS:</b>&nbsp;The Stars realize they won&rsquo;t be at the top of anyone&rsquo;s list to move to the East, but they would prefer to be moved out of the Pacific Division and to the more time-friendly Central. They have bigger fish to fry &ndash; finding a new team owner, for one thing &ndash; but a move might make the franchise more attractive to a potential buyer.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05465/9552514-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="139" height="72"></div><p><b>NASHVILLE:</b>&nbsp;The Predators see themselves as a natural replacement for Atlanta in the Southeast &ndash; and an easy swap that would put the Jets in the Central. If that came to pass, Nashville would be the only team in the Southeast not in the same time zone, but the idea of playing against teams closer geographically is very appealing to Preds ownership and fans.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06387/9552507-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="139" height="73"></div><p><b>MINNESOTA:</b>&nbsp;Currently situated in the Northwest, the Wild would love little more than to turn back the clocks and find themselves in more of a Central setting, as the North Stars had with the Norris Division before the franchise left for Dallas. Wild owner Craig Leipold envisions a revamped Central, including the Jets, Blues, Predators and Hawks. Given Daly&rsquo;s statement, that seems like a longshot.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011336/9552500-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="2216" height="1829"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MAP QUEST</b> With Winnipeg playing in the Southeast Division, the league&rsquo;s physical landscape is askew. That&rsquo;s sure to change next season, but here&rsquo;s how things look now. The NHL&rsquo;s six divisions are color coded and a line traces the longest distance between two foes.</figcaption></div><h2><b>NEW EASTERN DIVISIONAL FORMAT?</b></h2><p>Assuming Detroit and Winnipeg switch conferences, here is THN&rsquo;s suggestion as to how the East should look for 2012-13. The biggest point of contention would be moving Pittsburgh to the Southeast, but imagine the Sid-Ovie rivalry amped up and the increased tickets sales in the Sun Belt.</p><h2><b>NORTHEAST</b></h2><p>BUFFALO</p><p>DETROIT</p><p>MONTREAL</p><p>OTTAWA</p><p>TORONTO</p><h2><b>ATLANTIC</b></h2><p>BOSTON</p><p>NEW JERSEY</p><p>ISLANDERS</p><p>RANGERS</p><p>PHILADELPHIA</p><h2><b>SOUTHEAST</b></h2><p>CAROLINA</p><p>FLORIDA</p><p>PITTSBURGH</p><p>TAMPA BAY</p><p>WASHINGTON<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

Itch To Switch

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011414/9552646-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02996/9552639-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="2511" height="1695"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011247/9552632-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1128" height="1697"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>My cup runneth over. Psalms 23:5 Pride goeth before destruction, d a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18</i></b></blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>or just $2,999, you too can now own a pimped-up piece of Boston Bruins history. The Ultimate Fan Ring</b><sup><b>TM</b></sup>&nbsp;<b>is made of 10-karat gold and features the Bruins logo on top surrounded by diamonds, with the team&rsquo;s bear emblem on one side of the ring and the Stanley Cup on the other. For those who, let&rsquo;s say, haven&rsquo;t taken leave of their senses and realize they didn&rsquo;t actually do anything to earn the ring, the same bauble made instead of lustrium encrusted with cubic zirconias will set you back only $299.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011424/9552625-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1473" height="1217"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BABINEAU/BOSTON BRUINS)</span></figcaption></div><p>That, however, is corner store costume jewelry compared to the 505 Stanley Cup rings that were forged for the team&rsquo;s players, coaches, front office and personnel. Yes, 505. And considering the Chicago Blackhawks paid about $30,000 a ring when they won last season, a purchase like that is bound to put in serious jeopardy owner Jeremy Jacob&rsquo;s reputation as the NHL&rsquo;s most prominent skinflint. You know, the kind of guy whose wallet is like an onion. Every time he opens it, he starts crying.</p><p>The Bruins ring is encrusted with a total of 302 diamonds and is made of 14-karat gold. The top features diamond set images of the Bruins logo superimposed over the Stanley Cup. One side has another diamond Stanley Cup with 2011, 1972, 1970, 1941, 1939 and 1929 signifying the organization&rsquo;s six championships. The other side has the player&rsquo;s name and number and the inside of the ring is inscribed with &ldquo;FULL 60+ TO HISTORY&rdquo; and the logos of the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks, the four teams the Bruins vanquished in the playoffs en route to their first Stanley Cup championship in 39 years.</p><p>What, they couldn&rsquo;t think of anything else to put on it? Probably a good thing since it already looks heavy enough to cause a hernia. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re big,&rdquo; acknowledged Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli, who was part of the group that conceived the design, &ldquo;but they&rsquo;re no bigger than Chicago&rsquo;s or Detroit&rsquo;s from the last few victories. We kind of patterned them after those.&rdquo;</p><p>But the real question is which team will the Bruins pattern themselves after in a season that has, at least in recent history, become something of a black hole for Stanley Cup champions? Will they be the Red Wings, the last team to win back-to-back championships and the franchise that won the Cup in 2008 and lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final in 2009? Or will they be the Blackhawks, who won their first Cup in 49 years in 2010 and followed that up with a season so underwhelming they backed into the playoffs and lost in the first round? Or will they be somewhere in between? (By the way, things did not start well. The Bruins lost their first game of the season 2-1 to the Flyers, the same night they raised the banner at the TD Garden.)</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02978/9552618-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="1103" height="1014"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BRUINS BLING</b></p><p><b>Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron flash two of the 505 Stanley Cup rings the Bruins had made for their extended family.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BARRY CHIN/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>One thing we can say with almost total certainty, the Boston Bruins will not win the Stanley Cup in 2012. That&rsquo;s because: (a) the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in sports to win even once; and (b) the Stanley Cup is almost impossible to win twice in today&rsquo;s NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like you&rsquo;ve climbed Mount Everest,&rdquo; said Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, who knows more about what it takes to repeat than any GM in the league, &ldquo;and you wake up two months later and somebody puts you down at the base of the mountain and they want you to do it all over again.&rdquo;</p><p>Piece of cake for Super Sherpa Apa, the guy who has climbed Everest a record 21 times, not so easy for guys in the NHL. It&rsquo;s almost as though teams don&rsquo;t even defend the Cup anymore. That&rsquo;s because at no time in the league&rsquo;s history has the label of &ldquo;defending Stanley Cup champion&rdquo; carried less cache and more baggage. There was once a time when coming into the next season as champion was an advantage, but now it feels like a liability. For better or worse, the league has never had more parity in its history. The difference between winning and losing has never been so razor-thin. Consider the fact the Bruins and Canucks, the two teams that met in the Stanley Cup final, were one shot away from being sent home in the first round. Then consider the fact the difference between the second seed and the 10th seed in the Western Conference last year was just 11 points. &ldquo;We play hockey for six months,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one win a month.&rdquo;</p><p>For the next half year, the Bruins will constantly be reminded they won the Cup. Every time the Bruins go into an opposing rink, they&rsquo;ll do so as the team to beat. After a summer of hometown celebrations, ring ceremonies and banner raisings, it was almost impossible for the Bruins to decompress and get away from it all even if they wanted to. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve patted each other on the back enough,&rdquo; said defenseman Andrew Ference, &ldquo;and had enough dinners and celebrations to last for a while.&rdquo;</p><p>Now the real work begins for the Bruins&hellip;again. The road to repeating is laced with a minefield of pitfalls and whether or not the Bruins get swallowed up by them will depend upon how well they are equipped to deal with them. One thing we can count on is that we could know the Bruins&rsquo; fate long before the regular season comes to a close. That&rsquo;s because since the NHL adopted its current playoff format in 1994, only once has a team won the Stanley Cup after finishing lower than fourth in total points in their conference. (That would be the 1994-95 New Jersey Devils during a lockout-shortened season.)</p><p>Contrary to the popular belief anything can happen in the playoffs, anything never does. It&rsquo;s remarkable actually how consistently good the ultimate winners have been during the regular season, which quashes the notion teams that struggle and muddle their way through the season can somehow flip a switch in the playoffs and go on to win a Stanley Cup. Sometimes  they&rsquo;re good for a round or two and occasionally they even make it to the final. But they never, ever win.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011304/9552611-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1096" height="1559"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CREASE CONTROL</b></p><p><b>Don&rsquo;t expect Tim Thomas to suffer from fatigue this season. He understands he plays better when he&rsquo;s not overworked.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As it turns out, the Bruins are actually pretty well equipped. Probably not well enough to win the Stanley Cup in 2012, but there&rsquo;s no reason to think they&rsquo;ll bumble their way through the season, either.</p><h2><b>THE HANGOVER&hellip;PART III</b></h2><p>Even if some lightweight did order an Amstel Light at the post-Cup bash at a Boston nightclub, there is absolutely no way the Bruins will be able to avoid the Stanley Cup hangover, a very real malady that can be lethal if not treated quickly and properly. The Blackhawks obviously didn&rsquo;t get the patient in time last year, as evidenced by Duncan Keith&rsquo;s comments during the first round of the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I felt like (the season) had really good stretches and then there (were) times I would just, I don&rsquo;t want to say lose focus, but just was not really interested for whatever reason,&rdquo; Keith said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not making any excuses, but I didn&rsquo;t feel excited coming back to start a season. That&rsquo;s just being honest.&rdquo;</p><p>That same sense of malaise will unavoidably hit the Bruins at some point this season. How could it not? You go from the passion, intensity and elation of winning hockey&rsquo;s biggest prize in June and by the next February you&rsquo;re slogging through a sixgame road trip that includes a stop in Winnipeg in the middle of the winter, plus visits to Minnesota, St. Louis, Buffalo and Ottawa. There is no way of predicting how the Bruins will deal with the doldrums when they hit, because the only guy on the roster who had won a Stanley Cup before last season was Shawn Thornton. But the Bruins have done their homework. Both Chiarelli and coach Claude Julien have discussed the hangover issue with other coaches and managers around the league and Chiarelli has put both himself and Julien on high alert to keep their antennae up.</p><p>Chiarelli said a number of players told him leading into the season they felt as though they just finished playing. He chose to interpret that in a good way, meaning his players haven&rsquo;t lost anything and their gameshape is already at its peak. But he knows that euphoria will wear off at some point. &ldquo;There will be a letdown in some form,&rdquo; Chiarelli said, &ldquo;and you just have to deal with it proactively.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>There will be a letdown in some form and you just have to deal with it proactively</i></b><br><b><i>&ndash; Peter Chiarelli</i></b></blockquote><p>Milan Lucic, who led the Bruins with 30 goals last season and would be one of the last guys you&rsquo;d expect to get complacent, said he and his teammates are doing everything they can to guard against losing their edge. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m interested to see what it&rsquo;s going to be like around Game 25, Game 35, Game 45,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When you get into the dog days of January, even when you didn&rsquo;t win the Stanley Cup, you get to that point. It&rsquo;s tough.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>THE SALARY CAP, A.K.A. THE GREAT EQUALIZER</b></h2><p>The Blackhawks&rsquo; cap crisis last season was well-documented, but the Bruins thinned the herd far less dramatically, losing only Mark Recchi to retirement and Michael Ryder and Tomas Kaberle to free agency. Kaberle, a trade deadline acquisition whose contribution to the Cup victory was negligible, is ably replaced by Joe Corvo. And with all due respect to Recchi and Ryder, they only contributed 32 goals last season between them. Sophomores Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand, who will take on more prominent roles this season, should take care of much of that slack. And even though the Bruins finished fifth in goals scored last season and outscored the Canucks 23-8 in the final, they managed to win last year despite their leading scorer getting only 62 points.</p><p>To that end, if David Krejci resembles more the player who led the playoffs in goals and points and not the guy who scored just 13 times last season, that will also help close the gap. In fact, only three teams in the NHL&rsquo;s modern history have won the Stanley Cup with their leading scorer averaging fewer than the 0.83 points per game Krejci scored last season.</p><h2><b>GOALTENDING, SHMOALTENDING</b></h2><p>Cam Ward posted a .920 save percentage during the playoffs to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup in 2006 and followed that up with an .897 mark the next season. Ray Emery fell apart in Ottawa after leading his team to the Stanley Cup final and Chicago and Philadelphia struggled through parts of last season trying to find a goalie they could trust.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011400/9552604-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="1213" height="1380"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TYLER SEGUIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NICK LAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>That&rsquo;s the least of the Bruins&rsquo; worries with Vezina and Conn Smythe winner Tim Thomas as the No. 1 and Tuukka Rask as the backup. Thomas is 37, but he has several factors working in his favor. Because his NHL career started relatively late, he&rsquo;s not an old 37 and the Bruins have been mindful of giving him adequate rest. Thomas is many things, a workhorse isn&rsquo;t one of them. He&rsquo;s only played more than 60 games once (66 in 2006-07). &ldquo;He recognizes he&rsquo;s stronger when he doesn&rsquo;t play as much and that&rsquo;s proven itself by us winning a Cup,&rdquo; Chiarelli said, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;re going to try to do it again.&rdquo;</p><p>And whenever Thomas needs a rest or should he falter, the Bruins know they have a No. 1-caliber goalie they can trust in Rask. After all, it was only two seasons ago the roles were reversed and Rask was the Bruins No. 1 goaltender. As far as depth of talent, there probably isn&rsquo;t a better, more compatible tandem in the league.</p><h2><b>THAT NAGGING HISTORY</b></h2><p>No team has managed to repeat as Stanley Cup champion since the Red Wings won their second straight 13 years ago, but it&rsquo;s not as though it can&rsquo;t be done. The Dallas Stars got to the final the year after winning in 1999 and the Red Wings lost Game 7 of the final in 2009 after winning it all in 2008. And you might forget just how close the Red Wings came to actually making it three in a row in 1999.</p><p>After getting Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios at the deadline, the Red Wings went 9-2-1 down the stretch and swept the first round of the playoffs. In the second round against the Colorado Avalanche, they won the first two games and looked be on their way until Steve Yzerman hit a crossbar seven minutes into Game 3 with the Red Wings already up 1-0. The Avalanche stormed back and Patrick Roy put up a wall the rest of the series.</p><p>So while there have been some spectacular flameouts, there have also been a number of teams that have bucked the curse of going to the final in recent years. What makes it so difficult is the fact it&rsquo;s so unlikely things are going to fall into place the same way two years in a row. Are the Bruins as likely to be as unaffected by injury as they were last season? Can they possibly expect to get down 2-0 in not one, but two playoff series and come back to win them both again? Can they lose two of their top-six forwards (Nathan Horton and Patrice Bergeron) to concussions at different times during the playoffs and still prevail? &ldquo;People look back and they think the team that won it won a whole bunch of games 6-1,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;What really happened was they won a whole bunch of games 3-2 and they probably won a few games in overtime. Those 3-2 wins become 3-2 losses and those overtime wins become overtime losses.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>THE SWAGGER FACTOR</b></h2><p>A lot of the championship teams that fail fall into the same trap as some people who run a marathon. The fact you&rsquo;ve successfully completed a marathon means you can run 26.2 miles, nothing more. And teams that win championships sometimes fail to realize all that means is you were the best team in the league the year before, nothing more. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t get the rights on it this year,&rdquo; Ference said. &ldquo;There are no bonus calls or more lucky bounces because you did well last year. It&rsquo;s a fresh slate. Nobody gets lucky or gets a free pass. You have to earn it.&rdquo;</p><p>Perhaps it&rsquo;s the fact they don&rsquo;t have a ton of star power in their lineup, but it&rsquo;s difficult to imagine this group feeling much of a sense of entitlement just because everything fell into place for them last spring. And if it can be considered a good thing, the core players in this group felt the pain of losing in Game 7 against Carolina three seasons ago and were part of the historical collapse against the Flyers in 2010, losing in seven games after taking a 3-0 lead and holding a 3-0 lead in Game 7.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011247/9552597-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="1100" height="775"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RAISED EXPECTATIONS</b></p><p><b>The Bruins hope to see the David Krejci who led the playoffs in goals re-emerge during the 2011-12 season.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very humble group,&rdquo; Julien said on the eve of the season. &ldquo;I like where we are right now.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

LATHER RINSE REPEAT

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02982/9552684-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="244" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011417/9552691-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03782/9552677-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1297" height="1048"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN MILLER <span class="photo-credit">(MILLER: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>The way last season</b>&nbsp;ended, it&rsquo;s no surprise Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller is rarin&rsquo; to go this fall.</p><p>The last time we saw the 2010 Vezina Trophy winner, he was on the wrong end of a Philadelphia Flyers barrage that saw the lanky Michigan State product give up four goals in slightly more than 40 minutes of play en route to the Sabres bowing out of the first round of the playoffs in seven games. &ldquo;I want to get our team off to a good start,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;Do whatever we can to get ourselves into a position where we can take advantage and win a championship.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s that &lsquo;C&rsquo; word again. Buffalo&rsquo;s tremendous off-season has elevated hopes in Western New York and on top of the additions of Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff on defense, to go with Ville Leino up front, the Sabres can count on their all-world goaltender seeking revenge for a merely mortal 2010-11. &ldquo;The point throughout it all is Ryan wants to have a better year,&rdquo; said coach Lindy Ruff, &ldquo;as does every player on this club.&rdquo;</p><p>But Miller knows he can improve statistically. Since becoming the full-blown starter in 2006-07 (he played 48 games the year prior), the photography buff and clotheshorse had dropped his goals-against average in each successive season. Until last year. That&rsquo;s when the stat jumped to 2.59 from 2.22 in the season he won the Vezina.</p><p>With Jhonas Enroth proving himself a capable backup last year (9-2-2 record, 2.73 GAA), the Sabres don&rsquo;t have to run Miller into the ground when it comes to starts. But the team does need to keep communicating with its star netminder to make sure he&rsquo;s comfortable when the puck is in Buffalo territory.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had conversations on the way we want to play certain situations, how we want to use him,&rdquo; Ruff said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had lighter conversations on number of games, but I think it comes back to situations in our own end, how he&rsquo;d like us to play it, how we&rsquo;d like to play it, if our system matches up with what he&rsquo;s thinking.&rdquo;</p><p>As one of the brighter players in the NHL, Miller is never short on opinions, particularly when it comes to the present and future state of the game. He was a member of the NHL&rsquo;s competition committee and always shares his views, most famously in that same series against Philadelphia last year after then-Flyers captain Mike Richards drilled center Tim Connolly from behind. Miller pointed out Richards had been accusing the Sabres of getting away with murder all series and pointedly asked if the Philly center&rsquo;s hit should be considered &ldquo;mass murder,&rdquo; to continue the analogy.</p><p>This year, Miller has a stronger defense in front of him (a Murderers&rsquo; Row, perhaps?), though the blueliners are just as happy to see him between the pipes. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely great,&rdquo; said Ehrhoff, who knows a thing or two about elite goalies from his time in Vancouver with Roberto Luongo. &ldquo;In your mind you know you can make a mistake and have a good goalie to back you up.&rdquo;</p><p>The Sabres kicked off the year in Europe where, it should be noted, the past two Stanley Cup champs began their campaigns. In a neat bit of history, Buffalo also went across the pond to start the 1998-99 pre-season &ndash; the last time the franchise battled its way to the Cup final. For now, though, Miller wants to focus on the initial 82 games.</p><p>&ldquo;It ends up being a long season and there are a lot of things you have to do along the way,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully we&rsquo;re talking about this later, about what we need to do in the post-season.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

Miller Making Plans For May

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04633/9552722-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="285" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARTIN BRODEUR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRODEUR: PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>M. Brodeur</b></h2><p><b>New Jersey</b></p><p><i>18</i></p><h2><b>R. DiPietro</b></h2><p><b>N.Y. Islanders</b></p><p><i>9</i></p><h2><b>R. Miller</b></h2><p><b>Buffalo</b></p><p><i>8</i></p><h2><b>M-A Fleury</b></h2><p><b>Pittsburgh</b></p><p><i>7</i></p><h2><b>M. Kiprusoff</b></h2><p><b>Calgary</b></p><p><i>7</i></p><h2><b>T. Thomas</b></h2><p><b>Boston</b></p><p><i>7</i></p><h2><b>C. Ward</b></h2><p><b>Carolina</b></p><p><i>6</i></p><h2><b>H. Lundqvist</b></h2><p><b>N.Y. Rangers</b></p><p><i>6</i></p><h2><b>N. Backstrom</b></h2><p><b>Minnesota</b></p><p><i>5</i></p><h2><b>R. Luongo</b></h2><p><b>Vancouver</b></p><p><i>5</i></p><p>2.57</p><p><b>Miller&rsquo;s career GAA in 399 games, which have all come with the Sabres</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-04

TENURED Tenders

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN WOODLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011318/9552865-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02935/9552858-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03775/9552851-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KRIS LETANG</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LETANG: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>K</span></b>ris Letang weaves easily through Pittsburgh&rsquo;s dressing room, carefully making his way through crowds of media in front of his teammates, to his stall.</p><p>All around him reporters line up to talk to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury. &ldquo;You just come in, get undressed, take a shower and you are done and out of the rink,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty easy to do when you have those kinds of guys all around you.&rdquo;</p><p>Letang won&rsquo;t be able to enjoy his solitude for long. That he remains relatively anonymous even now is surprising given his status and statistics: Letang emerged as Pittsburgh&rsquo;s No. 1 blueliner with eight goals and 50 points, top 10 among NHL defenders last season. The only thing missing was consistency.</p><p>After a sizzling first half, Letang only had a goal and nine assists his final 37 games. Some of that was the absence of Crosby and Malkin as passing options, particularly on a power play that produced 24 of his points, but Letang directs the blame at himself for that. &ldquo;I tried to do things on my own,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I should have played the same way.&rdquo;</p><p>If he can, there are few limits on the potential for the 24-year-old. &ldquo;There aren&rsquo;t many better skaters than him,&rdquo; said teammate Zbynek Michalek. &ldquo;He can be a real dominating force in this league &ndash; it&rsquo;s scary &ndash; a candidate for the Norris Trophy.&rdquo;</p><p>The only catch is he won&rsquo;t be able to sneak through the locker room unnoticed anymore.</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-14146/9552844-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-15128/9552837-1-eng-US/f0035-152.jpg" title="f0035-15" width="25" height="26"></span><p> INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-16115/9552830-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-1792/9552823-1-eng-US/f0035-172.jpg" title="f0035-17" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04636/9552816-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05542/9552809-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SYKORA+ERIXON+READ: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Devils are going back to the future with <b>Petr Sykora</b>, who signed to a one-year contract after an impressive camp. He was a sniper with New Jersey from 1995 to 2002, potting 110 goals his final four years there. The Devils had the worst offense last season and hope Sykora, who spent last year in Europe, has some snipe left.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06490/9552802-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07420/9552795-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="327" height="550"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PANDOLFO: CH RISTOPH ER PASATIERI/GETTY IMAGES FOR NEW YORK ISLANDERS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jay Pandolfo</b> will don a new NHL sweater after 13 seasons with the Devils. He had a short stint in the AHL last season when New Jersey cut ties with him after 2009-10. He was invited to Isles camp and caught on using his trademark grittiness and PK skills. He&rsquo;ll shore up the fourth line with Marty Reasoner and Matt Martin.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08362/9552788-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09313/9552781-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="327" height="550"></div><p>While in Europe, the Rangers cut newcomer <b>Tim Erixon</b> and sent him to North America, only to bring him right back when injured Marc Staal couldn&rsquo;t start the season. They gave the 20-year-old out of Skelleftea a second chance to catch on as the team started the season in his native Sweden. Hope he banked those air miles.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10270/9552774-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11229/9552767-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Flyers have a lot of young blood circulating their system. But one player they didn&rsquo;t expect to jump out in camp and grab a spot was <b>Matt Read</b>, an undrafted free agent out of Bemidji State. Read, 25, had the second-most points (seven) among rookies in the pre-season, one behind Mark Scheifele of the Jets.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12198/9552760-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13170/9552753-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VITALE: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After 139 games in the AHL over three seasons (and a nine game NHL audition in 2010-11), <b>Joe Vitale</b> quietly impressed this autumn with his speed and physical play. The Pens gave him every chance, playing the 26-year-old in five of six games. He snagged a spot on the fourth line and will see time on the PK.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Sneaky Good

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02886/9553001-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011318/9553008-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03731/9552994-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="658" height="767"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOSH GORGES</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GORGES: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>ll Josh Gorges got on Boxing Day was a knee injury &ndash; and it meant he wouldn&rsquo;t return for the rest of the 2010-11 season. But the Habs blueliner is back and ecstatic to be playing in games again. &ldquo;It was frustrating,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;More mentally than physically. It wears on you over time.&rdquo;</p><p>That top blueliner Andrei Markov also missed most of the season with a knee injury allowed for a less-than-ideal kinship between the two. &ldquo;We built a relationship,&rdquo; Gorges said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pretty reserved guy, a quiet guy, but spending time with him 1-on-1, we got to know each other a lot better and our relationship has grown since then.&rdquo;</p><p>In his four-plus seasons with Montreal (after beginning his career in San Jose), Gorges has evolved into a key part of the Canadiens&rsquo; back end, providing solid defensive work and calmness. The captaincy of the venerable franchise had also been attached to his name in some circles before right winger Brian Gionta was awarded the &lsquo;C&rsquo; instead.</p><p>Nevertheless, that team-first attitude showed in the pre-season when Gorges jumped Tampa Bay winger Ryan Malone after a borderline hit laid out new defense partner Chris Campoli. &ldquo;It means a lot,&rdquo; Campoli said. &ldquo;To know guys have your back out there and especially as defense partners, we rely on each other so much in a number of different ways through the game. It&rsquo;s special and hopefully we can continue to develop that chemistry.&rdquo;</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-14172/9552987-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-15167/9552980-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="25" height="26"></span><p>INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-16161/9552973-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-17152/9552966-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04583/9552959-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05497/9552952-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BARTKOWSKI+DIAZ: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>An injury to Steven Kampfer opened up the seventh &lsquo;D&rsquo; slot for <b>Matt Bartkowski,</b> who had a six-game stint with the Bruins last season. Getting the job that way was bitter-sweet for Bartkowski, who was Kampfer&rsquo;s roommate at AHL Providence, but the 23-year-old has enough all-around skill to make a solid impression.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06439/9552945-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07370/9552938-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ADAM: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>He may play in the AHL at some point this year, but a strong camp allowed <b>Luke Adam</b> to begin the season with the Sabres. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound 21-year-old New-foundlander brings a physical edge, but as demonstrated by his 29 goals for Portland in 2010-11, he&rsquo;s also able to contribute on offense.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08315/9552931-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09270/9552924-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Raphael Diaz</b> isn&rsquo;t a household name to even the most diehard Montreal fan, but his stellar pre-season play (combined with injuries to Andrei Markov and Chris Campoli) helped him land a blueline spot. The 25-year-old Diaz &ndash; the top D-man in the Swiss league last year &ndash; is solid positionally and can contribute on offense.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10239/9552917-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11219/9552910-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DA COSTA: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Stephane Da Costa</b> was far down the Sens&rsquo; depth chart last year. However, thanks to injuries, he began this season on Ottawa&rsquo;s roster. The Merrimack product &ndash; who earned a shot based on his playmaking skills and speed &ndash; was born and raised in Paris, France and is the sixth player from that nation to play in the NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12203/9552903-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13188/9552896-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GARDINER: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Defenseman <b>Jake Gardiner</b> was expected to start the season in the AHL, but convinced management to keep him up with the big club on the strength of the smart, speedy offensive game he showed in camp. Just 21, Gardiner will begin the year with Mike Komisarek as part of Toronto&rsquo;s third defensive pairing.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

Gorgeous Gorges

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011176/9553151-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02822/9553144-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03659/9553137-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="657" height="795"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TEDDY PURCELL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PURCELL: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>late-blooming, undrafted college free agent when he was signed by Los Angeles in 2007, Teddy Purcell has always had an attractive skill set. The reason why he flew under the radar until his early-20s is quite simple: He didn&rsquo;t have the requisite size for NHL play.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I was 130 pounds in my draft year,&rdquo; Purcell said. &ldquo;It took me a little longer to grow into my body and realize I could actually play.&rdquo;</p><p>Fresh off a 51-point season and a spectacular playoff performance, confidence comes easily to Purcell, now listed at 6-foot-2, 201 pounds. Finding a home alongside Vincent Lecavalier on Tampa&rsquo;s second line, Purcell acknowledges the challenge that&rsquo;s been presented to him with the loss of a couple scoring forwards this past summer.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity for someone to step up and fill the void (Simon) Gagne and (Sean) Bergenheim are leaving,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I put a lot of, not pressure, but expectations on myself to take some of those voids away.&rdquo;</p><p>And the Lightning are confident the 26-year-old can do just that.</p><p>&ldquo;He knows now the things he (possesses) is big-time offensive skill,&rdquo; said Lightning assistant GM Tom Kurvers. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be a better player than we&rsquo;ve seen to this point.&rdquo;</p><p>Make no mistake, Purcell isn&rsquo;t a flash in the pan. He&rsquo;s been a point-per-game or better scorer at each prior level he&rsquo;s played and with his body all caught up to his game, it&rsquo;s clear he&rsquo;s trending in the right direction.</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-14117/9553130-1-eng-US/f0037-142.jpg" title="f0037-14" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-15101/9553123-1-eng-US/f0037-152.jpg" title="f0037-15" width="25" height="26"></span><p>INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1688/9553116-1-eng-US/f0037-162.jpg" title="f0037-16" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1780/9553109-1-eng-US/f0037-172.jpg" title="f0037-17" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04564/9553102-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05510/9553095-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FAULK: FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>That 2011 first-rounder Ryan Murphy made the opening night roster wasn&rsquo;t a shocker, but how about the accolades 2010 second-rounder <b>Justin Faulk</b> received from GM Jim Rutherford? When asked if he considered the U.S. NTDP product among his team&rsquo;s top six, Rutherford replied &ldquo;No, in the top four.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06452/9553088-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07387/9553081-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARKSTROM: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Florida&rsquo;s lineup was all but set by the spending spree GM Dale Tallon went on in the summer to get his team to the salary floor, but if there is one surprise name on the opening night roster, it&rsquo;s goalie of the future <b>Jacob Markstrom</b>. He&rsquo;s only expected to be up until Scott Clemmensen returns, but it&rsquo;s a golden opportunity.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08301/9553074-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09244/9553067-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CONNOLLY: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After playing with Steven Stamkos and Martin St-Louis in the pre-season, <b>Brett Connolly</b> is moving down the depth chart for the regular season. But it has nothing to do with his performance. Coach Guy Boucher believes it puts Connolly in a position where he can thrive, rather than having the rookie face top defenders each night.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10206/9553060-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11170/9553053-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PERREAULT: MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Diminutive <b>Mathieu Perreault</b> has been a Hershey Bear since 2008, but made significant inroads with the Caps in 35 NHL games last season. Now, after leading Washington in pre-season scoring, the 2006 sixth-rounder out of Acadie-Bathurst in the Quebec League has made his first opening night NHL roster.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12147/9553046-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13131/9553039-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHEIFELE: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When <b>Mark Scheifele</b> was chosen seventh overall by the Jets this summer, a hush hit the THN staffers in attendance. After all, the power forward went before a similar player in Sean Couturier, who at one point was the favorite to go No. 1. Fast-forward three months and the decision is proving to be very astute.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Purcell Looms Large

<div class="byline">BY JEREMY RUTHERFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02878/9553189-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="242" height="171"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011278/9553196-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03707/9553182-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1297" height="1056"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID BACKES <span class="photo-credit">(BACKES: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>On</b>&nbsp;<b>a roster</b> with 10 first round draft picks, Blues center David Backes doesn&rsquo;t hold that distinction.</p><p>A member of the U.S. squad at the 2010 Olympics, Backes still isn&rsquo;t a household name in the hockey world. Even in St. Louis, he&rsquo;s not the most popular player. That title goes to T.J. Oshie.</p><p>But when the Blues were picking the 17th player to captain the team in franchise history, the 27-year-old Backes more than fit the profile. He was crowned on Sept. 9, joining Bernie Federko, Al MacInnis, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky and Chris Pronger among those who have had the &lsquo;C&rsquo; sewn on their Blues sweater. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big honor and it&rsquo;s a big responsibility, too,&rdquo; said Federko, now an analyst on the Blues TV broadcasts. &ldquo;Dave has been here. He&rsquo;s done all the things he&rsquo;s been asked. He comes to play hard every night, he&rsquo;s vocal in the locker room. It&rsquo;s all those things.&rdquo;</p><p>The club selected Backes out of Minnesota State-Mankato (WCHA) in the second round of the 2003 draft. In 364 games, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound power forward has 102 goals, 218 points and more than 900 hits. In 2010-11, he matched his career highs in goals (31) and set a new bar in points (62), both of which led the team. His plus-32 rating was the best of any forward in the league. &ldquo;Whether it&rsquo;s setting up a goal, scoring a goal or being a physical presence out there,&rdquo; said MacInnis, now the Blues VP of hockey operations, &ldquo;he can provide leadership in different ways, which not a lot of guys can do in the game today. I think he&rsquo;s a nice fit and definitely the right choice.&rdquo;</p><p>A decade ago, Blues fans believed Barret Jackman, the Calder Trophy winner who played alongside MacInnis, would one day wear the &lsquo;C&rsquo;. While Jackman has grown into a capable leader and wears an &lsquo;A&rsquo; for the team, he also endorsed Backes&rsquo; candidacy. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s respected by everybody,&rdquo; Jackman said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who could sit down and talk with a 40-year-old and have something in common with him, or he could talk with an 18-year-old and really get along. It&rsquo;s one of those dynamics that a captain has to have &ndash; a relationship with everybody in the room.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blues had plenty of other options, too, including newly signed forwards Jamie Langenbrunner and Jason Arnott. Both have been captains in the NHL and, in fact, Langenbrunner wore the &lsquo;C&rsquo; for Team USA at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. That&rsquo;s where he got to know Backes. &ldquo;I saw a lot of that (captain material) in him,&rdquo; Langenbrunner said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know the rest of the guys in the dressing room real well, but from what I&rsquo;ve seen from him, definitely, he has that makeup and he definitely plays like a captain, leading by example.&rdquo;</p><p>Backes, who will begin a new five-year, $22.5-million contract with the Blues this season, is appreciative of the club believing he has what it takes to be captain. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s typically a guy who does all the right things on and off the ice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a guy who sweats the details, a guy you can talk to or a guy who you can watch as a great example. I guess the club sees some of that in me and hopefully I can provide it. It&rsquo;s something I thought I&rsquo;d always be proud to do and hopefully do a good job.&rdquo;</p><p>Playing in the Central Division, he&rsquo;s also in some heady company. &ldquo;What a great honor and challenge to face, especially in our division,&rdquo; Backes said. &ldquo;You look at Nicklas Lidstrom, Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber, Rick Nash&hellip;guys that are all world-class players. To be seen in the same light as them and to lead my troops against their troops, what a great challenge, what a great opportunity.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

Climbing Up To ‘C’ Level

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04574/9553227-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="289" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ALFREDSSON: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Daniel Alfredsson</b></h2><p><i>(1999-00)</i></p><h2><b>Jarome Iginla</b></h2><p><i>(2003-04)</i></p><h2><b>Shane Doan</b></h2><p><i>(2003-04)</i></p><h2><b>Brenden Morrow</b></h2><p><i>(2006-07)</i></p><h2><b>Nicklas Lidstrom</b></h2><p><i>(2006-07)</i></p><h2><b>Zdeno Chara</b></h2><p><i>(2006-07)</i></p><h2><b>Sidney Crosby</b></h2><p><i>(2007-08)</i></p><h2><b>Dustin Brown</b></h2><p><i>(2008-09)</i></p><h2><b>Rick Nash</b></h2><p><i>(2008-09)</i></p><h2><b>Jonathan Toews</b></h2><p><i>(2008-09)</i></p><p>6</p><p><b>Teams have named new captains this season (STL, BUF, NJ, NYR, NYI, PHI)</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-04

CAPTION Crunch

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011171/9553370-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02772/9553363-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03606/9553356-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NIKLAS KRONWALL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KRONWALL: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>D</b>etroit Red Wings defensemen Jonathan Ericsson and Niklas Kronwall both made big scores during the summer.</p><p>Ericsson, an unrestricted free agent, landed a three-year, $9.8-million deal to remain with the Wings. Kronwall recorded the first ace of his golfing career, at Turnberry in Scotland, a course that&rsquo;s played host to four British Opens.</p><p>Both Ericsson and Kronwall figure to play significant roles as Detroit looks to fill a gaping hole on defense.</p><p>With the retirement of 38-year-old Brian Rafalski, Wings coach Mike Babcock intends to start seven-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom with newcomer Ian White on the top pair, while reuniting Kronwall with former partner Brad Stuart on the second unit.</p><p>Kronwall scored a career-high 11 goals in 2010-11, but believes he can improve even more this season. &ldquo;I want to get to another level,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Ericsson, second-year man Jakub Kindl and newcomer Mike Commodore will battle for playing time on the third pairing. The Wings are counting on more from 27-year-old Ericsson, entering his third full season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just coming into his prime,&rdquo; said Wings GM Ken Holland.</p><p>Ericsson jumped from minus-15 in 2009-10 to plus-eight last season, and wants to continue to grow. &ldquo;I felt way more consistent last year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But now Rafi&rsquo;s gone and more opportunity is going to be there for all the players. I&rsquo;m hoping to step up my game this year.&rdquo;</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04507/9553349-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05425/9553342-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="25" height="26"></span><p>INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06351/9553335-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07307/9553328-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08259/9553321-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09208/9553314-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="327" height="545"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EMERY: JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ray Emery</b> won the backup job over Alex Salak despite being outperformed in camp. It raises speculation whether the choice was pre-determined. Either way, the Hawks are on the hook for $10.2 million in goalie pay this season when you factor in Emery, Salak, Corey Crawford and Cristobal Huet (one-way salaries, bonuses).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10177/9553307-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11154/9553300-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="327" height="548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ATKINSON: G FIUME/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Despite his 5-foot-7 frame, it won&rsquo;t be tough to spot right winger <b>Cam Atkinson</b> on the ice. Just look for the speedy, skilled kid wearing No. 13. Atkinson, 22, is a Boston College grad and Hobey Baker finalist who twice led Hockey East in goals. He impressed so much at camp, he&rsquo;ll get some top-six minutes. And Calder attention?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12138/9553293-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13122/9553286-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EMMERTON: GREGORY SH AMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A confluence of events led to center <b>Cory Emmerton</b>, 23, winning a job. One, Jan Mursak broke an ankle, diminishing the competition. Two, Emmerton would have had to clear waivers to be demoted &ndash; a risky bet. Three, the Wings believe in his promise. And four, he outright earned it after three years toiling in Grand Rapids.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-14110/9553279-1-eng-US/f0039-142.jpg" title="f0039-14" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-15101/9553272-1-eng-US/f0039-152.jpg" title="f0039-15" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Under-the-radar right winger <b>Craig Smith</b> is an ideal Barry Trotz type, blending talent with tenacity. The 22-year-old Wisconsin product can also play center, a sore spot for the Preds. Smith helped his cause with a strong camp on the heels of a breakout performance for the U.S. at the 2011 World Championship.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-1689/9553265-1-eng-US/f0039-162.jpg" title="f0039-16" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-1785/9553258-1-eng-US/f0039-172.jpg" title="f0039-17" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRACHEV: DILIP VISHWANAT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blues will at least audition left winger <b>Evgeny Grachev</b> at some point early on. The 21-year-old, acquired from the Rangers in the summer for a third round pick, made a statement at camp with a team-high three goals and an inspired compete level. He&rsquo;ll battle Ryan Reaves and Chris Porter for ice time.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

Filling The Void

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02549/9553506-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01872/9553513-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03424/9553499-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="658" height="807"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOAKIM LINDSTROM</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LINDSTROM+LANDESKOG: DOUG PENSINGER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b>eft winger Joakim Lindstrom didn&rsquo;t want to leave the NHL for Russia back in 2009, but the financial realities of the business forced his hand.</p><p>The Phoenix Coyotes, his employer at the time, were in dire enough financial straits to ask him to sign a two-way contract &ndash; this, despite a career-best year of nine goals and 20 points in 44 games. And the offer from the Torpedo Novgorod team was far more lucrative and locked-in, so he left for the Kontinental League.</p><p>Now Lindstrom is back after two seasons out of the NHL and the renewed sense of confidence in his game is apparent. After 30 points in the KHL in 2009-10, he returned home and led the Swedish league in scoring (28 goals and 60 points in 54 games with his hometown Skelleftea team). His prowess didn&rsquo;t go unnoticed, as the Avalanche offered him a one-year one-way $600,000 deal which the 27-year-old accepted without hesitation.</p><p>&ldquo;The NHL was always the place I wanted to be,&rdquo; said Lindstrom, who was property of Columbus, Anaheim and Chicago before he became a Coyote. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t work out in Phoenix, but since I left, I feel my game has gotten better in all areas.&rdquo;</p><p>Lindstrom began the regular season on a line with Paul Stastny and David Jones, which should afford him opportunity to flourish.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really excited to have another opportunity to show what I can do,&rdquo; Lindstrom said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to be back where I want to play.&rdquo;</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04339/9553492-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05290/9553485-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="25" height="26"></span><p>INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06253/9553478-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07218/9553471-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08187/9553464-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09138/9553457-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HORAK: MIKE RIDEWOOD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When the Flames were forced to trade top prospect Tim Erixon, the best they could do were two drafts picks and a 20-year-old prospect named <b>Roman Horak</b>. The Czech center shone in camp, playing with speed, finesse, two-way smarts and competitiveness. He made the team even before Mikael Backlund got injured.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10124/9553450-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11109/9553443-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="327" height="551"></div><p>After a dreadful second half to in 2010-11, the Avs did little to shake up their roster. The most notable addition was adding 18-year-old draftee <b>Gabriel Landeskog</b>. The Swedish power forward had a strong pre-season, hitting the stats sheet most notably in hits and shots. Don&rsquo;t look for big scoring numbers right away.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1298/9553436-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1391/9553429-1-eng-US/f0040-132.jpg" title="f0040-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PETRELL: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is getting the headlines, but Scandinavian newcomers <b>Lennart Petrell</b> and Anton Lander also made the team. Petrell, 27, is a feisty Finn who spent the past seven seasons with Helsinki and dropped the gloves in the pre-season. Lander is a ballyhooed skilled Swede ranked 63rd overall in Future Watch.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1476/9553422-1-eng-US/f0040-142.jpg" title="f0040-14" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1574/9553415-1-eng-US/f0040-152.jpg" title="f0040-15" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BULMER: HANNAH FOSLIEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>At 19, <b>Brett Bulmer</b> still has junior eligibility remaining (Kelowna), but a strong camp put that assignment on hold. The lanky 2010 second-rounder had a goal, assist and fight in six pre-season games. He earned a job on the fourth line when Cody Almond got hurt. It&rsquo;s a virtual certainty Bulmer will wind up back in the WHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1665/9553408-1-eng-US/f0040-162.jpg" title="f0040-16" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1757/9553401-1-eng-US/f0040-172.jpg" title="f0040-17" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VOLPATTI: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Rugged <b>Aaron Volpatti</b> got a 15-game taste of NHL action last year and earned a spot on the fourth line with willing, determined play in the pre-season. The tipping point was a four-hit, four blocked shots effort against San Jose in which he had a one-sided fight win against Brad Winchester. His skating has also improved.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

Back Where He Belongs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01755/9553656-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02486/9553649-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03394/9553642-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="657" height="772"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(EKMAN-LARSSON: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b>or a highly touted draft pick, Oliver Ekman-Larsson saw a lot more of the American Southwest than he would have preferred last season. Taken sixth overall by the Coyotes in 2009, the puck-moving defenseman registered one goal in 48 games with Phoenix, but also did time in San Antonio with the American League&rsquo;s Rampage. &ldquo;It was so far from home and the rink is smaller,&rdquo; said Ekman-Larsson, 20. &ldquo;It was a big step for me.&rdquo;</p><p>The Coyotes want to make sure those steps didn&rsquo;t become a tumble, hence last year&rsquo;s demotions and healthy scratches. Practice habits were in need of development and this season the youngster will be paired with veteran Adrian Aucoin. &ldquo;As a young defenseman it takes a lot of focus and dedication,&rdquo; said associate coach Jim Playfair. &ldquo;Adrian has a very good understanding of the position and a great temperament.&rdquo;</p><p>And while the Desert Dogs don&rsquo;t want to rush their Swedish prodigy, there is more urgency with former stalwart Ed Jovanovski lost to Florida via free agency. The opportunity for Ekman-Larsson to use his vision and skating to carry the puck out of trouble will be especially important with another key member of last year&rsquo;s squad, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, not there to bail the team out.</p><p>Luckily, Ekman-Larsson is game for the challenge. &ldquo;I want to play big minutes, top four,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to play simple and make good plays. I know what I need to do to play in The Show.&rdquo;</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04340/9553635-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="25" height="26"></span><p>SPARE |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05307/9553628-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="25" height="26"></span><p>INJURED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06267/9553621-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="20" height="22"></span><p>SUSPENDED |</p><span class="image-inline"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07228/9553614-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="21" height="22"></span><p>AHL</p><h2><b>SURPRISE, SURPRISE!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08175/9553607-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09127/9553600-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH-PELLY: NOAH GRAHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With the Ducks starting the season in Europe, several new faces made the roster out of camp, including <b>Devante Smith-Pelly</b> and Maxime Macenauer. Smith-Pelly, 19, is coming off an appearance in the Memorial Cup final with Mississauga and uses his thick six-foot, 215-pound frame to create scoring opportunities.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1099/9553593-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1179/9553586-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LARSEN: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With the Stars adding a pair of blueliners over the summer, a spot on the big club was no guarantee for <b>Philip Larsen</b>. The 21-year-old Dane grabbed a spot in the top seven after an injury to newcomer Adam Pardy. Dallas loves Larsen&rsquo;s hockey sense and puck-handling, though his strength is an ongoing process.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1265/9553579-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1355/9553572-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUNTER: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Some guys just need a chance. When Jason Williams went out with the flu, veteran <b>Trent Hunter</b> was brought in to take a shot at a top-six role. The longtime Islander made the most of his audition and landed a one-year $600,000 contract. Hunter, 31, can play up and down the lineup, but streakiness keeps him mostly down.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1446/9553565-1-eng-US/f0041-142.jpg" title="f0041-14" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1544/9553558-1-eng-US/f0041-152.jpg" title="f0041-15" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHIPCHURA: ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Inking a two-way contract in the summer, <b>Kyle Chipchura</b> was given no guarantees with Phoenix. But an impressive camp earned him a roster spot. The big-bodied Chipchura (along with Patrick O&rsquo;Sullivan) was helped by the bizarre news that Brett MacLean asked to be waived after no trade could be found. Winnipeg claimed him.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1638/9553551-1-eng-US/f0041-162.jpg" title="f0041-16" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1732/9553544-1-eng-US/f0041-172.jpg" title="f0041-17" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WINCHESTER: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Injuries gave Thomas Greiss a spot in net, but grit and determination earned <b>Brad Winchester</b> his one-year deal. The 30-year-old journeyman (four teams, 323 games) brings a huge 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame to the fourth line, not to mention enforcer capabilities. His rugged play landed him a contract off a camp tryout.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Welcome To The Show

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02510/9553708-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="273" height="272"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01798/9553715-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="80" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03399/9553701-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="1530" height="1284"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KENNY POWER</b></p><p><b>Yale&rsquo;s Kenny Agostino enters his second season with an eye on big things.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF YALE SPORTS PUBLICITY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he</b>&nbsp;<b>school was founded</b> in 1701 and has iced a hockey team since 1896, but national glory has long eluded the Yale Bulldogs. To their credit, however,  they&rsquo;re getting closer. &ldquo;Two years in a row we&rsquo;ve lost to the eventual champion,&rdquo; said coach Keith Allain. &ldquo;Being a non-scholarship team, it&rsquo;s about convincing the guys they belong on that national stage.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04321/9553694-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="139" height="136"></div><p>As an Ivy League school, Yale doesn&rsquo;t offer athletic scholarships, meaning prospective Bulldogs either pay tuition themselves or receive needs-based financial aid. Other ECAC schools such as Harvard, Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown are in the same situation, meaning attracting top-end talent isn&rsquo;t as easy as it is for powerhouse hockey programs that offer full rides. But Yale has still managed to attract quality talent recently, including left winger Kenny Agostino, drafted 140th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really an unbelievable place,&rdquo; Agostino said. &ldquo;You look at all the important people and great minds who have gone here.&rdquo;</p><p>U.S. presidents and CEOs to be sure, though NHLers have been in shorter supply. This season, the Bulldogs were chosen by both the coaches and media in the annual pre-season poll to finish first in the ECAC, even though the team will look different from the squad that ran into superior Bulldogs &ndash; the ones from Minnesota-Duluth &ndash; in last year&rsquo;s Frozen Four tournament. &ldquo;Nine players graduated, so we&rsquo;re going to have a lot of new players,&rdquo; Allain said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to see a different personality to our hockey team. They&rsquo;re very driven.&rdquo;</p><p>For Agostino, it all comes down to leadership. &ldquo;Last year, it really was a privilege for us freshmen to have the seniors we had,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just wanted to be a sponge and learn as much as I could.&rdquo;</p><p>Agostino got off to a great start to his college career, posting 11 goals and 25 points in 30 games. Coming out of the New Jersey high school system, the playmaking left winger admitted his first half was an adjustment, but eventually he adapted to the speed of the college game. What&rsquo;s more, he&rsquo;ll be joined this year by a fellow alum of Delbarton, defenseman Matt Killian. &ldquo;In high school, he was a great puck-moving defenseman and pretty steady on &lsquo;D,&rsquo; &ldquo;Agostino said.&rdquo; &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve told him about some of the things to expect, but I&rsquo;ll let him discover some things on his own.&rdquo;</p><p>Allain believes Killian has the potential to be a great two-way defender and contributor to the power play by the end of his Yale career and though the big blueliner went undrafted this summer, he does hold the incredible distinction of winning four New Jersey state hockey titles from his time with Delbarton. Agostino &ldquo;only&rdquo; has three.</p><p>But the left winger also has a year of experience on his fellow Green Wave alum and that means a bigger role this season for the sophomore. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s most important is his personality and his desire,&rdquo; Allain said. &ldquo;Of course there&rsquo;s the hand skills, but we think he has a knack for coming up in big moments.&rdquo;</p><p>If the Bulldogs, reigning ECAC tournament champs, hope to return to that lofty perch, they&rsquo;ll have to be on their toes. Not only are there sturdy programs such as Union and RPI in the mix, but other schools are starting to bring in NHL-caliber recruits earlier. The recent trend has been for the conference to be a producer of free agent signings once a player has gone through four years (Cam MacIntyre and Ben Scrivens being two examples), but this year proves to be different.</p><p>Cornell, for example, will have three freshmen coming in straight from the NHL draft in Philippe Hudon, Brian Ferlin and Joel Lowry.</p><p>Harvard, Yale&rsquo;s bitter all-time rival, will trot out 2011 draftees Max Everson, Petr Placek and Stephen Michalek. Placek, a native of the Czech Republic who went to the Flyers 176th overall, missed most of last season due to knee and ankle injuries, though scouts were still high on the 6-foot-4, 210-pound right winger. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s fast, he&rsquo;s big and he&rsquo;s strong,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He showed me some sniping ability and he must be a smart kid to be going to Harvard.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02536/9553687-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="725" height="918"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MAX EVERSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NICK LAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Michalek, a goaltender who has played internationally for Team USA, will also be one to watch, especially since the Crimson isn&rsquo;t projected to be a world-beater this season.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s gonna get thrown into the fire there,&rdquo; said another scout.</p><p>Back at Yale, there will be pressure to make another deep run into the Frozen Four tourney, but it is a good kind of heat, since expectations only come with success. &ldquo;In recent years we&rsquo;ve changed the culture of Yale hockey,&rdquo; Agostino said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a buzz around campus.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>16 Players have been drafted out of Yale. Randy Wood leads in NHL games played (741)</b></blockquote><p>And though Broc Little&rsquo;s 43 points are gone from last year&rsquo;s lineup, the team&rsquo;s top two scorers from 2010-11 return to the fold in Brian O&rsquo;Neill and Andrew Miller. A solid upper-class rank gives their coach a lot to be confident in. &ldquo;O&rsquo;Neill, Chad Zeigler, Charles Brockett&hellip; these guys have been through it,&rdquo; Allain said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve won (ECAC) championships and had disappointments. There&rsquo;s a belief and a hunger and I think that&rsquo;s important for us.&rdquo;</p><p>If New Haven wants to see its favorite sons as top dogs, the smart kids will have to pull out all the stops this year.</p><p><b>For more on the future, check out: <a href="http://thn.com/prospects">thn.com/prospects</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

Bulldog Front

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01780/9553921-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="80" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03447/9553914-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1. DENVER</b></h2><p><i>Potential Hobey Baker candidate Jason Zucker and the Shore brothers lead the Pios attack, while Scott Mayfield adds size on the blueline.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04343/9553907-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>2. BOSTON COLLEGE</b></h2><p><i>Speedy and dangerous Chris Kreider returns with an eye on a second Frozen Four title in three years; John Gaudreau is a late bonus recruit.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05297/9553900-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>3. NORTH DAKOTA</b></h2><p><i>Dillon Simpson gets a bigger role on defense as a sophomore, with Derek Forbort also looming large. Look for Brock Nelson to step up as a soph.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06245/9553893-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="139" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>4. NOTRE DAME</b></h2><p><i>The Anders Lee&ndash;T.J. Tynan combo will once again spell doom for opponents of the sturdy Fighting Irish, who also boast two-way threat Riley Sheahan.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07208/9553886-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="139" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>5. MIAMI</b></h2><p><i>The RedHawks lost a lot of scoring to the pros, but Reilly Smith and rookie Tyler Biggs will be forces.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08161/9553879-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>6. COLORADO COLLEGE</b></h2><p><i>Sophomore Jaden Schwartz has the inside track on the nation&rsquo;s scoring title and a real shot at the Hobey Baker.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09120/9553872-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>7. YALE</b></h2><p><i>The Bulldogs return a lot of scoring from last year&rsquo;s squad and expectations are high in New Haven.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10105/9553865-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>8. MICHIGAN</b></h2><p><i>Lost another goalie recruit to the OHL, but still boast depth. Suspension of Jon Merrill will hurt early on.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1191/9553858-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="139" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>9. BOSTON U.</b></h2><p><i>That sick freshman class of 2010 is now seasoned; look for Charlie Coyle and Matt Nieto to break out big.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1280/9553851-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>10. MINN.-DULUTH</b></h2><p><i>The reigning champs will be in tough to repeat with attrition to pros, but Jack Connolly&rsquo;s still in the house.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1370/9553844-1-eng-US/f0043-132.jpg" title="f0043-13" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>11. NEBRASKA-OMAHA</b></h2><p><i>Very nice recruiting class includes Penguins pick Josh Archibald.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1467/9553837-1-eng-US/f0043-142.jpg" title="f0043-14" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>12. WESTERN MICHIGAN</b></h2><p><i>Ex-St. Louis Blues coach Andy Murray takes over intriguing Broncs lineup.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1561/9553830-1-eng-US/f0043-152.jpg" title="f0043-15" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>13. UNION</b></h2><p><i>Pundits are bullish on a Dutchmen squad heading in the right direction.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1656/9553823-1-eng-US/f0043-162.jpg" title="f0043-16" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>14. MINNESOTA</b></h2><p><i>Pressure&rsquo;s always on Gophers, but they need to produce this year.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1751/9553816-1-eng-US/f0043-172.jpg" title="f0043-17" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>15. NEW HAMPSHIRE</b></h2><p><i>Trevor van Riemsdyk continues brother James&rsquo; legacy for the Wildcats.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1844/9553809-1-eng-US/f0043-182.jpg" title="f0043-18" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>16. CORNELL</b></h2><p><i>Hudon, Ferlin and Lowry headline an excellent freshman class for Big Red.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1940/9553802-1-eng-US/f0043-192.jpg" title="f0043-19" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>17. WISCONSIN</b></h2><p><i>Ramage and Schultz lead &lsquo;D,&rsquo; but this is a young Badgers squad overall.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2032/9553795-1-eng-US/f0043-202.jpg" title="f0043-20" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>18. RENSSELAER</b></h2><p><i>Big blueliner Pat Koudys will look to improve his numbers as a sophomore.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2124/9553788-1-eng-US/f0043-212.jpg" title="f0043-21" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>19. OHIO STATE</b></h2><p><i>Senior netminder Cal Heeter is back after a sparkling junior campaign.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2222/9553781-1-eng-US/f0043-222.jpg" title="f0043-22" width="139" height="116"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>20. MERRIMACK</b></h2><p><i>Top scorer Stephane Da Costa is gone, but goalie Joe Cannata returns.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2320/9553774-1-eng-US/f0043-232.jpg" title="f0043-23" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>21. ST. CLOUD STATE</b></h2><p><i>Sophomore blueliner Nick Jensen excelled for the Huskies in Year 1.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2416/9553767-1-eng-US/f0043-242.jpg" title="f0043-24" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>22. MAINE</b></h2><p><i>Black Bears must replace offense lost with Gustav Nyquist out the door.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2515/9553760-1-eng-US/f0043-252.jpg" title="f0043-25" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>23. DARTMOUTH</b></h2><p><i>With losses on offense, goalie James Mello must once again shine.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2611/9553753-1-eng-US/f0043-262.jpg" title="f0043-26" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>24. RIT</b></h2><p><i>Atlantic Hockey champs will once again rule the conference.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2710/9553746-1-eng-US/f0043-272.jpg" title="f0043-27" width="139" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>25. ALASKA-FAIRBANKS</b></h2><p><i>Dallas Ferguson will push his troops.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-03

NCAA TOP 25

<div class="byline">BY PATRICK CWIKLINSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02425/9553959-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LIKE FATHER, UNLIKE SON</b></p><p><b>Mark Alt, despite having a football background, has a true passion for the ice.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MINNESOTA ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01678/9553966-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="80" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here&rsquo;s an old adage</b> &ldquo;like father, like son.&rdquo; But had Mark Alt decided to embrace the cliche and follow in his father&rsquo;s footsteps, life would have turned out quite a bit differently for the St. Paul, Minn., native.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03319/9553952-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="190" height="112"></div><p>Alt is in his second season at the University of Minnesota, where he is on scholarship after wowing scouts with stellar play for Cretin-Derham Hall High School.</p><p>In his first season with the Golden Gophers, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound defenseman was an imposing figure on the Minnesota blueline, leading his team in blocked shots three times and finishing  the season with an 11-game streak without a minus-rating.</p><p>In June, the Carolina Hurricanes drafted Alt in the second round, 53rd overall. It was a dream come true for the emerging defender. &ldquo;I was ecstatic,&rdquo; Alt said. &ldquo;For Carolina to take that chance to pick me as high as they did, I wasn&rsquo;t expecting to go that high.&rdquo;</p><p>Scouts weren&rsquo;t sure they&rsquo;d have the opportunity to take him at all as Mark was still considering multiple offers to play college football before he fully committed to the U of M&rsquo;s hockey program in the late spring of 2010.</p><p>But it wasn&rsquo;t lightly-made decision. Alt had an exceptional football career at Cretin-Derham Hall, leading his team to the 2009 state championship despite nursing a broken collarbone. Phil Simms, eat your heart out. &ldquo;That was a great experience,&rdquo; Alt said. &ldquo;I had worked for a very long time and to not only get the spot as the starting quarterback, but to walk away as a senior with a state championship was an unbelievable feeling.&rdquo;</p><p>But Alt&rsquo;s football skills didn&rsquo;t materialize out of nowhere. They have something to do with the fact his dad is retired offensive lineman John Alt, who played his college years at the University of Iowa before spending 13 seasons with the NFL&rsquo;s Kansas City Chiefs from 1984-96.</p><p>John said there was a time when a career in football was a distinct possibility for his kid. &ldquo;He had an excellent junior year in football and interest really started to pick up,&rdquo; said John, 6-foot-8 and 307 pounds during his playing days with the Chiefs. &ldquo;After an outstanding senior year, he had to make a decision between football and hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>But by the time offers to play college football started coming around, Alt&rsquo;s mind was already made up. &ldquo;I started to realize where I might fall in the (NHL) draft and talking to different teams, it excited me a lot and deep down I knew hockey was my one love, my passion &ndash; so that&rsquo;s what I went with,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>And, like all good fathers, John supported his son even if he hoped he had chosen another route. &ldquo;Would I like to see him playing football for the University of Iowa?&rdquo; John said. &ldquo;Of course, I&rsquo;m a football guy &ndash; but that was my life.</p><p>&ldquo;University of Kansas, Notre Dame, wherever he would have went, I&rsquo;m much more accustomed to Saturday afternoons and Sunday afternoons playing football, but for him it just seemed to be destiny to play hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>The question now becomes: Is Mark Alt destined to play in the NHL?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

Destination Destiny

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04257/9553997-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="522" height="542"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DENNIS ROBERTSON</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>eafs draft pick Dennis Robertson and five of his Brown teammates had an interesting off-season &ndash; and luckily for three teenagers, a heroic one.</p><p>In late August, the six players &ndash; Robertson, Jeff Ryan, Mike Wolff, Bobby Farnham, David Brownschidle and Mike Borge &ndash; were walking along the beach in Little Compton, R.I., when they came across two girls caught in a strong rip current about 30 yards into the water.</p><p>Wolff and Ryan quickly swam into the ocean and brought the girls back to shore &ndash; only to find out one of their boyfriends was trapped farther out. That&rsquo;s when all six players jumped in to save the boy, who was close to going under. Robertson, who worked as a lifeguard in B.C., and Borge grabbed the teen and put him on a surfboard. The six then struggled against the current, before they all made it to shore, tired but alive.</p><p>Five of the players have returned to Brown for this season. Brownschidle is in the AHL.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-04

Beach Bravery

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02386/9554028-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="354" height="215"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01586/9554035-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="80" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Frozen Four won&rsquo;t be so frozen this year, but the folks in charge don&rsquo;t think their peers from the Midwest or Northeast will mind. The University of Alabama-Huntsville is the NCAA host of record, while Tampa will actually house the games for college hockey&rsquo;s ultimate showdown. &ldquo;I say this affectionately,&rdquo; noted UAH athletic director Dr. E.J. Brophy. &ldquo;Every time I turn around, somebody in the north wants to come down to the south and get warm. Why not come see some elite hockey at the same time?&rdquo;</p><p>Though Dr. Brophy admits that Alabama is still football country, he&rsquo;s seen a lot of growth in hockey over the years, particularly in Huntsville. The city&rsquo;s engineering and space industries have brought many new faces to town, some of which come from hockey backgrounds. &ldquo;They brought their kids and they brought their skates and sticks,&rdquo; Dr. Brophy said.</p><p>As the only Division 1 hockey team south of the Mason-Dixon line, the UAH Chargers are also the closest to Tampa, which is why they will be official hosts of this year&rsquo;s Frozen Four, to be held on April 5-7 at the St. Pete Times Forum.</p><p>The Lightning, along with the city&rsquo;s sports commission, secured the tourney in part because of the venue&rsquo;s proximity to hotels and other amenities. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re right along the water,&rdquo; said Bolts executive VP of communications Bill Wickett. &ldquo;That creates some very unique experiences for the student-athletes.&rdquo;</p><p>The chances of the host team making it are pretty remote, however. The Chargers are the only independent team in Division 1 hockey right now and therefore have no channel for an automatic bid. There&rsquo;s already a website dedicated to saving the program, so the exposure of even hosting can&rsquo;t hurt.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-02

’Bama’s Big Show

<h2><b>1. ROCCO GRIMALDI, C</b></h2><p>North Dakota Fighting Sioux (WCHA)</p><p><i>Pint-sized terror can put up points; Florida took him 33rd in 2011.</i></p><h2><b>2. TYLER BIGGS, RW</b></h2><p>Miami RedHawks (CCHA)</p><p><i>Maple Leafs pick is big, nasty and poised for power forward greatness.</i></p><h2><b>3. SCOTT MAYFIELD, D</b></h2><p>Denver (WCHA)</p><p><i>Isles selection boasts excellent size and will play on deep Pios team.</i></p><h2><b>4. JOHN GAUDREAU, LW</b></h2><p>Boston College Eagles (Hockey East)</p><p><i>Flames pick with scoring touch spurned rival Northeastern.</i></p><h2><b>5. MICHAEL PALIOTTA, D</b></h2><p>Vermont Catamounts (Hockey East)</p><p><i>Big, strong, physical D-man went to the Blackhawks 70th overall.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Frosh Five

<div class="byline">BY STEVE LEPORE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he NHL recently</b>&nbsp;broke the bank in the United States with its 10-year, $2 billion broadcast rights agreement with NBC. It was hailed as a victory for the league and will go down as one of commissioner Gary Bettman&rsquo;s greatest achievements. Why? Just go back three decades to see how far the league has come.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01591/9554128-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="516" height="516"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PILSON: MARC SEROTA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;We had only three or four days to sell ads</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Neal Pilson</i></b></blockquote><p>The NHL had no network TV deal when CBS broadcast Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final between the Islanders and Flyers, the last game on the &ldquo;big three&rdquo;(ABC, CBS and NBC) for many years. Amazingly, the network only agreed to air it a few days in advance, thanks to lobbying by a bunch of loyal Islanders fans at CBS Sports.</p><p>Back then, regular season and playoff games were airing on the now-defunct Hughes Television Network as well as the USA Network and had been off the big three since 1975. Neal Pilson &ndash; then the VP of business affairs at CBS Sports &ndash; had staff members who saw a broadcast opportunity that had more to do with their hearts than any business desires. &ldquo;A number of our people were from Long Island, they lived out there and were Islanders fans,&rdquo; Pilson said. &ldquo;As a matter of fact, they were season ticket holders. They came into my office and said, &lsquo;Hey, the sixth game is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Nassau Coliseum.&rsquo;</p><p>They all wanted to be a part of what would eventually be the Isles&rsquo; first title, so Pilson contacted the league, including president John Ziegler, and made a deal. &ldquo;I think we paid a very modest rights fee,&rdquo; Pilson said.</p><p>CBS had the daunting task of putting together a network-caliber hockey production on a network that hadn&rsquo;t produced hockey, aside from one exhibition, in eight years. It would be tough to do in just a few days, both technically and when it came to selling advertising. &ldquo;We went into the New York market and we had only three or four days to sell,&rdquo; Pilson said. &ldquo;We basically sold it to all the hockey fans up and down Madison Avenue. I think we had access to a few tickets.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02379/9554121-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="1127" height="1331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THOSE WERE THE DAYS</b></p><p><b>The Islanders&rsquo; championship in 1980 was the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STANLEY CUP: B BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>On the technical side, CBS put together a mix of people, many of whom had worked NHL telecasts back in the late &rsquo;60s. Dan Kelly and Tim Ryan alternated calling the play-by-play, with Minnesota North Stars GM Lou Nanne on color.</p><p>The thrilling game did well with a 4.4 rating. The NHL wouldn&rsquo;t have ratings that high again until 1994. &ldquo;At the time, for hockey, it was a pretty good number,&rdquo; Pilson said. &ldquo;We were getting sevens for boxing at the time, but we were happy with (a 4.4). We came out fine, were happy with the game, happy with the result and we got it sold. It didn&rsquo;t mean hockey got back on network television.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, that game would be the last until the 1990 All-Star Game. Since there were no teams in the south once the Flames had moved to Calgary, no southern affiliates wanted to air games on the networks.</p><p>At one point, CBS even discussed a radical arrangement that would get the NHL back on screens, but out of the south completely. &ldquo;We looked at the possibility,&rdquo; Pilson said, &ldquo;of splitting our broadcast on a Sunday afternoon, showing hockey in the north and central states and NASCAR in the south and west.&rdquo;</p><p>But a deal never made enough financial sense to try out. CBS stayed in business with NASCAR, but not the NHL. That said, Pilson still remembers the day at the Coliseum fondly, not just because of the Islanders victory, but for a bit of immortality he and his son achieved.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a picture in <i>Sports Illustrated</i> of (Bobby) Nystrom scoring the OT goal,&rdquo; Pilson said. &ldquo;There are whole bunch of people standing up behind the end boards and my son and I are seen standing in our seats with our arms in the air.&rdquo;</p><p>In the sports media world, where so much of it is about dollars and cents, you can&rsquo;t beat a moment like that.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

For Love…And A Little Money

<div class="byline">BY CONNIE JENSEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01538/9554159-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TAKING FLIGHT</b></p><p><b>Laurie Boschman&rsquo;s career took off after he was traded to the original Winnipeg Jets in 1983.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>eing drafted by an Original Six</b> team is a hockey player&rsquo;s dream. For Laurie Boschman, that became reality when the Toronto Maple Leafs selected the Major, Sask., native ninth overall in 1979. &ldquo;The fact I was drafted by the Leafs is something I certainly will never forget,&rdquo; Boschman said.</p><p>Although he landed in his ideal destination, Boschman&rsquo;s three seasons with the Buds weren&rsquo;t all he&rsquo;d imagined. In his rookie year he had a respectable 48 points, but the following campaign he got mononucleosis and blood poisoning and his production declined. &ldquo;At the start of my third year, I really wasn&rsquo;t playing well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As a first-rounder and someone in Year 3, they expect big things from you and I didn&rsquo;t start off fast.&rdquo;</p><p>A born-again Christian, Boschman was called-out by Maple Leafs&rsquo; owner Harold Ballard, who called the youngster soft and claimed religion was restraining him from playing a more physical style. That&rsquo;s when Boschman asked to be traded. &ldquo;I would have loved to have played for the Leafs my whole career, but it just made it a very difficult time and period for me to stay and play there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;(Ballard) had thought my poor play was somehow directly related to my faith in Christ, where there was no correlation at all.</p><p>Boschman was sent to the Edmonton Oilers in 1982, but his stay was brief; he was traded at the 1983 deadline to a third Canadian team, the Winnipeg Jets. It was there he lived up to his first-round status. He was accepted right away by John Ferguson, the Jets GM. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Laurie, I don&rsquo;t care about your faith, I know that&rsquo;s an important part of your life and I&rsquo;m OK with that,&rsquo; &ldquo;Boschman said&rdquo;. &lsquo;I just want you to concentrate on playing hockey.&rsquo; And that&rsquo;s what I did&rdquo;.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;I absolutely loved my time in Winnipeg<br>-<i>Laurie Boschman</i></blockquote><p>In his first season with the Jets, Boschman amassed 74 points in 61 games and disproved Ballard&rsquo;s theory that he was too soft by compiling 234 penalty minutes. The next two seasons, he hovered around the 70-point mark and became a dependable NHLer, playing eight seasons in the &rsquo;Peg.</p><p>Boschman&rsquo;s family life also flourished in Winnipeg, where he and his late wife Nancy had two of their three boys. &ldquo;I absolutely loved our time there, it&rsquo;s a great community,&rdquo; Boschman said. &ldquo;They love NHL hockey and I&rsquo;m so happy after 15 years that hockey is back this winter.&rdquo;</p><p>At 30, Boschman was traded to New Jersey where he played two full seasons. Then, in 1992, Ottawa took him in the expansion draft and Boschman played with his fourth Canadian team, captaining the Senators for their inaugural campaign and his final one.</p><p>After that season, Boschman decided to hang up his skates having played 1,009 games, scored 229 goals and collected an eye-opening 2,260 PIM. Today, he&rsquo;s the director of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario for Hockey Ministries, which provides chapel services to teams in major junior all the way through to the NHL. &ldquo;Nowadays you have Mike Fisher, David Booth and Eric Fehr who have talked about their faith,&rdquo; Boschman said. &ldquo;People in the game recognize there are more and more players who play at the NHL level whose faith is a very important component of their lives and they are much more comfortable now with that than they used to be.&rdquo;</p><p>Away from the workplace, Boschman, 51, enjoys the family life. Since the passing of his wife Nancy in 2006, Boschman remarried and when he&rsquo;s not spending time with Andrea, or on the job, he likes to hunt and fish.</p><p>Through all the ups and downs in Boschman&rsquo;s 14 seasons, it&rsquo;s the people he shared experiences with who impacted his life. &ldquo;Some of the personalities, the teams I had, those are the things I recall and think of fondly when I remember my career.&rdquo;</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS , CLICK ON <a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

Playing By Faith

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01381/9554190-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 First name of hockey&rsquo;s &lsquo;Golden Jet&rsquo;</p><p>8 Ex-Sabre Tim ___ is now a Maple Leaf</p><p>9 St. ___ State</p><p>10 He steered the Isles to four straight Stanley Cups</p><p>11 Smythe winner ___ Smith</p><p>14 The A in UFA</p><p>15 Five-minute penalty</p><p>20 Nickname of ex-Bruin Wayne Carleton</p><p>21 He&rsquo;s between the pipes in Ottawa</p><p>22 A ___-___ is a deflected goal</p><p>23 The Rangers are also known as the &lsquo;___ Blueshirts&rsquo;</p><p>24 Mike ___ won his third Cup with Dallas</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>2 Edmonton team that won the Memorial Cup</p><p>3 Each ______ is 75 feet from the end boards</p><p>4 &lsquo;Gretz&rsquo; got 92 in 1981-82</p><p>5 Marc-___ Fleury, pictured</p><p>6 Joint that might get you in trouble</p><p>7 Shrek&rsquo;s Mike ___ is a huge Leafs fan</p><p>12 Defenseman now with Detroit</p><p>13 Zach ___ is a Jet</p><p>16 Bruce Boudreau&rsquo;s nickname</p><p>17 Rick ___ had a stint as Pittsburgh coach</p><p>18 Anaheim coach ___ Carlyle</p><p>19 Shoot the puck away from one&rsquo;s goal</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. LEMAIRE, 4. RIGHT, 7. CONN, 8. WINNIPEG, 10. COREY PERRY, 12. SHAWN, 13. BROWN, 14. LETHBRIDGE, 18. HUSELIUS, 19. UNIT, 20. RYDER, 21. THROW IN <b>DOWN</b> 1. LUCIC, 2. MONTREAL, 3. ELITE, 4. RENE ROBERT, 5. GAPS, 6. TIGHTEN, 9. RYAN KESLER, 11. GOODENOW, 12. SMOTHER, 15. HAUNT, 16. EATON, 17. USED<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

CROSSWORD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02281/9554221-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="991" height="1293"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BLAST: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03216/9554228-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="150" height="150"></div><p><b>Detroit&rsquo;s Red Berenson (now coaching Michigan) faces off against Pierre Plante of the Blues.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-02

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/f0049-04197/9554259-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="676" height="689"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: ANDRE RINGUETTE/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/OSHC)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith the Senators hosting the All-Star Game this year, the team had to put its best skate forward and changing up the third jersey was a good move.</p><p>Out is the much-maligned &ldquo;Super Nintendo&rdquo; sweater (SENS = SNES) and in comes a throwback to the glory days when the Stanley Cup had intimate knowledge of the Rideau Canal&rsquo;s cold water. There was talk the team didn&rsquo;t want a big &lsquo;O&rsquo; as a logo, since it could also mean zero, but the vintage font and barber pole stripes are pure Ottawa hockey and this is very classy sweater.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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October 31, 2011

Motown Alchemy

YOUR INSIDE EDGE

Getting What You Ask For

CANADA DRY?