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.

March 5, 2012

The Hockey News - Mar-05-12

<div class="byline">WITH ALLAN WALSH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011270/9690968-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>NATHAN HORTON</p><p><b>NO MORE HEAD GAMES</b></p><p><b>Voices calling for greater vigilance by the NHL on concussion prevention are growing and getting louder.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM DAVIS/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02874/9690975-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>y cell phone buzzed and</b> I answered. I was growing concerned as I&rsquo;d left a few messages for my client over a two-to-three day period and hadn&rsquo;t heard back.</p><p>&ldquo;How are you doing?&rdquo; I asked hesitantly.</p><p>&ldquo;Not very good. I&rsquo;m feeling a bit dizzy and nauseous. I have pressure headaches that don&rsquo;t go away. I&rsquo;m so tired, all I want to do is sleep. I slept last night for 14 hours and woke up feeling tired. My eyelids are really heavy, I&rsquo;m having trouble keeping my eyes open, especially when I&rsquo;m outside during the day. I can&rsquo;t watch TV because it makes my headaches worse, I can&rsquo;t go on my computer or iPad, either. I have trouble concentrating on a conversation, I forget what I&rsquo;m talking about with my wife. It&rsquo;s like my whole mind goes blank.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m depressed,&rdquo; his voice lowered, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have a good feeling about this.&rdquo;</p><p>This conversation took place with an NHL client who suffered a concussion from an open-ice hit in the past two years.</p><p>I have argued for a while the concussion epidemic is the most urgent issue confronting the NHL today. At the 50-game mark, 72 players missed games with documented concussions. Extrapolating this over 82 games, we may have as many as 110 players &ndash; roughly 16 percent of the league &ndash; concussed in one season.</p><p>Before we can find solutions, all sides must acknowledge we have a problem. From the outset, the NHL dragged its collective feet through relative inaction in the face of several illegal hits that concussed several players. It wasn&rsquo;t until the 2010-11 season that the NHL turned its attention to this growing problem.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>We can&rsquo;t spin our way out of this problem</b></blockquote><p>However, as late as December 2011, after an onslaught of new concussions during a 10-day period, the NHL was still spinning there is no crisis or epidemic. While accepting that concussions were on the rise, the league&rsquo;s response had nothing to do with an increase in the frequency of concussions, but rather that better education, identification and protocols for the injury led to the increase in their diagnosis.</p><p>We&rsquo;re not discussing torn knee ligaments or shoulder separations. We&rsquo;re dealing with brain injuries. We&rsquo;re dealing with compelling scientific research indicating a causal connection between head blows and the development of an insidious brain disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that mirrors the symptoms of dementia in middle-aged athletes. We&rsquo;re talking about a reduced quality of life for players.</p><p>We can&rsquo;t spin our way out of this problem, ignore it, pretend it isn&rsquo;t happening or just roll in another group of players to replace the fallen. This isn&rsquo;t about pointing fingers. It is simply time to take a stand for players, their brains and hockey&rsquo;s future.</p><p>What must the NHL do to reduce the frequency and severity of brain injuries without altering the game&rsquo;s fabric? We must call the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association together immediately for an emergency concussion summit including players, GMs, coaches, on-ice officials, doctors, researchers and trainers. We need intensive concussion education and dialogue. We need to effect a culture change in the game where players and coaches think about what they&rsquo;re doing on the ice before they do it.</p><p>The NHL must strictly enforce a ban on all head hits. We can have a fast, exciting game without them. The league must reinstate the center-ice red line and slow down the game, especially in the neutral zone. The trapezoid must be eliminated and goalies allowed to play the puck in the corners to reduce gratuitous, violent collisions between 200-pound players skating at more than 30 miles per hour.</p><p>Equipment manufacturers should replace hard shell shoulder pads with foam. Players should again look like players and not amped-up Transformers from a Hollywood movie. Players must respect one another. Through concussion awareness, players will understand the consequences of their reckless actions and behavior will be modified.</p><p>Overall, we must bring sanity back into player safety. Those who know me will attest to the fact I passionately represent my clients. I am their agent, friend and advisor. I owe it to them as well as all current and retired NHLers to stand up. Hockey should be a game with body contact, not collisions resembling car wrecks. It is time to act.</p><p><i>Allan Walsh is a lawyer and player agent at Octagon Athlete Representation in Los Angeles. He has been a certified NHLPA agent since 1996.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Stop Dragging Feet On Head Injuries

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01411/9692097-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="913" height="913"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT</b> <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 Hockey&rsquo;s &lsquo;King&rsquo;</p><p>4 Stompin&rsquo; Tom Connors or Gord Downie</p><p>9 Beat badly</p><p>10 Chiclet</p><p>11 The WCHA&rsquo;s Nebraska-___ Mavericks</p><p>12 Mississauga was previously home of this junior team</p><p>13 Don Cherry&rsquo;s dog</p><p>15 Check an opponent, take the ___</p><p>18 He was Winnipeg&rsquo;s coach from 1981-83</p><p>21 A ___ penalty puts you out of the game</p><p>23 Goalies wear ___ protectors</p><p>24 Home of junior hockey&rsquo;s Rebels</p><p>25 Group of six, like a hockey team at full strength</p><p>26 Marcel Dionne was dubbed &lsquo;___ Beaver&rsquo;</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 &lsquo;Baldy&rsquo; ___ was a long-ago Leaf</p><p>2 Distinctive smell, like in a dressing room</p><p>3 According to Stompin&rsquo; Tom, &lsquo;The best game you ___ ___, ___ ___ ___ ___ hockey game&rsquo; (with 5 and 6 Down)</p><p>5 See 3 Down</p><p>6 See 3 Down</p><p>7 Deal with again</p><p>8 ___-pros get paid, but not much</p><p>14 &lsquo;Super Mario&rsquo;, pictured</p><p>15 ___ State is home of the Beavers</p><p>16 Some are composite, some are wooden</p><p>17 Run at an opponent</p><p>19 Coaching, ___ ___ helm</p><p>20 Fall inexplicably, blow a ___</p><p>22 Former Blackhawk coach ___ Yawney</p><p><b>LAST</b>&nbsp;<b>WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</b></p><p><b>ACROSS</b> 1. ROVING, 4. NEWELL, 9. LANGWAY, 10. MARUK, 11. SHERO, 12. NERVIER, 13. MARK, 15. SIGN, 18. MATTHEW, 21. AWARD, 23. ROOMS, 24. HATCHET, 25. SISTER, 26. REIMER</p><p><b>DOWN</b> 1. RELISH, 2. VINCE, 3. NEW YORK, 5. ELMER, 6. EARNING, 7. LAKERS, 8. RYAN, 14. ART ROSS, 15. SEATTLE, 16. SMARTS, 17. EDITOR, 19. HASTE, 20. WCHL, 22. ASHAM<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02907/9691406-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">TAYLOR HALL</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011309/9691413-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="228" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>ince Taylor Hall burst</b> onto the national scene as the back-to-back MVP of 2009 and &rsquo;10 Memorial Cups, the former Windsor Spitfire has been known for making plays at high speeds and his reckless abandon in pursuit of the puck. His rookie season with the Edmonton Oilers saw the No. 1 pick overall in 2010 go straight to the big league and amass 22 goals and 42 points in 65 games before an ill-advised fight with Columbus Blue Jackets tough guy Derek Dorsett ended in a sprained ankle.</p><p>It was a bad break for the potential Calder Trophy winner, but Hall looks back on the incident as a blessing in disguise. &ldquo;I had couple of long seasons in junior,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I tried to use my long offseason as an opportunity to build strength and really take time off from the game because sometimes that&rsquo;s what you need.</p><p>&ldquo;This summer was good to me. I used it well. I felt like a refreshed player coming back to camp and when you&rsquo;ve been away from hockey for so long, you get excited when you come back.&rdquo;</p><p>The fact he would have yet another young talent joining him up front on the Oilers in 2011 top pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins certainly helped. On a kid line with fellow sophomore Jordan Eberle, Hall started off hot and the Oilers were much better than expected. Not that the talented winger was surprised. &ldquo;As a sophomore you always want to come in with lofty expectations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You want to take that next step as a player and at some points in the season I&rsquo;ve done that. I still want to be a top-tier player in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Teammates are already beginning to see that in Hall, who was on nearly a point-per-game pace. The progress isn&rsquo;t surprising considering the commitment he demonstrated right from the get-go in Edmonton. &ldquo;He was a mature player when he came here,&rdquo; said right winger Ryan Jones. &ldquo;He was above and beyond what you would expect an 18-year-old coming into the league to be. You can see that he&rsquo;s starting to think the game a little bit faster and he&rsquo;s able to see plays. He&rsquo;s always had the dynamic ability to get on highlight reels and score crazy goals and now he has started to play better in his own zone.&rdquo;</p><p>With his speed, only misfortune can slow Hall down. And he&rsquo;s already had his share of adversity. His thirst for offense has seen him laid out an inordinate amount of times on the rush for someone who only recently played his 100th NHL game &ndash; the list of freight trains includes Drew Doughty, Luke Schenn, Alex Edler, Steve Staios, Ryan Wilson and Mark Giordano &ndash; but it was the freakiest of occurrences that was the most dangerous.</p><p>Hall was skating the warmup in Columbus when he tripped, helmetless, and was accidentally stepped on by defenseman Corey Potter. One rumormonger on Twitter claimed insider info that Hall was done for the year. &ldquo;Whoever that guy is, I don&rsquo;t know where he heard that,&rdquo; Hall said. &ldquo;I only missed two games and I was trying to come back that game, so I didn&rsquo;t really get that.&rdquo;</p><p>The scar above his left eye is still visible, but Hall did indeed make a valiant return to the lineup soon after. With Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder) out, Hall and Eberle rode shotgun with Sam Gagner for his famous eight-point night.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no question the Oilers have the guns up front to be deadly in the future. &ldquo;The opportunity around here is exciting,&rdquo; Hall said. &ldquo;We have a good nucleus of young players and some older guys to help us out along the way. Every young guy around here is excited to see what happens here in the coming years.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Precariously Precocious

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03733/9691444-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="291" height="395"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HALL+EBERLE: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SECOND-YEAR POINTS LEADERS</b></h2><p><b>J. Eberle</b></p><p>EDM</p><p><i>54</i></p><p><b>T. Seguin</b></p><p>BOS</p><p><i>44</i></p><p><b>L. Couture</b></p><p>SJ</p><p><i>41</i></p><p><b>T. Hall</b></p><p>EDM</p><p><i>40</i></p><p><b>B. Marchand</b></p><p>BOS</p><p><i>38</i></p><p><b>D. Desharnais</b></p><p>MTL</p><p><i>36</i></p><p><b>D. Stepan</b></p><p>NYR</p><p><i>33</i></p><p><b>M. Johansson</b></p><p>WSH</p><p><i>30</i></p><p><b>J. Skinner</b></p><p>CAR</p><p><i>29</i></p><p><b>J. Carlson</b></p><p>WSH</p><p>&nbsp;<i>25</i></p><h2><b>18</b></h2><p><b>Taylor Hall&rsquo;s career power play goals, nearly half his 40 NHL tallies over 108 games</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Good TWO

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDRE RINGUETTE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012179/9689618-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Chris-mas Comes Early</b></p><p><b>Ottawa Senators right winger Chris Neil had never seen so many pucks on his stick in a single night.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012216/9689663-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="907" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>id</b>&nbsp;<b>you know</b> the first Super Bowl half-time show, in 1967, consisted of two college marching bands and a popular trumpeter named Al &lsquo;The Round Mound of Sound&rsquo; Hirt? Period. In fact, it wasn&rsquo;t until 1993, when Michael Jackson took the field, that the entertainment at the big game truly became a spectacle unto itself.</p><p>What&rsquo;s the connection to sticks and pucks? The morning after the Giants squeezed by the Patriots to win the most recent NFL championship, the editorial members of your favorite hockey publication, during a story meeting session, found time to talk about the performance of Madonna and her sidekicks. Whether you loved it, hated it or fell somewhere in the middle, it was huge.</p><p>This may be my grumpy old man emerging, but compared to bygone decades, in 2012 everything is bigger, everything has escalated, everything is more. In hockey, the players are larger and the collisions are more violent (see pg. 33 for a column by NHL player agent Allan Walsh on this topic). And the onus we place on the games and the events surrounding them keeps growing. Our fanaticism has become epic and contagious. Every franchise now has its own &ldquo;nation.&rdquo; And the media in all its incarnations (including yours truly) feeds the beast.</p><p>We can remember a time when only select games were available on TV, when events such as the World Junior Championship were just something you read about, when the entry draft was conducted in a hotel. And then there&rsquo;s the trade deadline; what was once occasionally a footnote to a season is now a focal point. Networks in Canada will devote thousands of man hours trying to out-scoop and out-analyze each other in an effort to capture eyeballs. We&rsquo;re no different. Our website, mobile and tablet applications will be humming Feb. 27 as we try to bring readers the information we believe they crave as quickly as we can. And in this issue, we devote a fair chunk of real estate to the day when maybe, quite possibly, something significant will happen (pgs. 26-31).</p><p>This is our reality and we&rsquo;re not suggesting we go backwards. That would be foolhardy. We just believe there&rsquo;s something to be said for charm. Let&rsquo;s hope we don&rsquo;t see the day when, at an NHL showcase event, the intermission lengths are doubled to accommodate megastars trying to peddle new albums. Give us understated Round Mounds of Sound equivalents any day.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021881/9689656-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE MARCH 19, 2012</b></p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>LISTEN UP!</b></p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW</b></p><p><b>FRIDAYS 3-4 EST</b></p><p><b>XM 92</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031516/9689649-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="185" height="72"></div><p><b>SIRIUS 207 IN USA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Saturation Is Here To Stay

<p><b>Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b></p><h2><b>BUFFALO, SOLDIER ON</b></h2><p><b>I can&rsquo;t believe how quick everyone has been to suggest that Ryan Miller be traded and Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier be fired. The Sabres haven&rsquo;t performed up to par, but it takes time for NHLers who haven&rsquo;t played with each other to gel. This team has also suffered many injuries: Only one player (Jason Pominville), has played all their games and many times they&rsquo;ve had six or more minor-leaguers in the lineup. That is mind-boggling. Buffalo just needs to stay the course and everything will fall into place.</b></p><p><b><i>Daniel Crotteau, Paso Robles, Calif.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012444/9689725-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="987" height="1159"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN MILLER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MILLER: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>3-2-Fun!</b></h2><p>The clock &ldquo;malfunction&rdquo; in L.A. caused quite a stir, but nobody can deny the thrill when Drew Doughty netted the winner in the last second. If the NHL was to institute a system of three points for a regulation win, fans would get more of these late-game thrills. This system would motivate teams to play offensively in an attempt to get an extra point, rather than only two if they were to win in overtime or a shootout.</p><p><i>Will Milliken, London, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Point-less</b></h2><p>Edward Fraser points out the NHL is the only major league to use a system other than wins and losses and says the &ldquo;loser point&rdquo; makes the standings too confusing for new fans (Opinion, Feb. 13). I say, who cares? I am tired of the NHL constantly changing things to appeal to people who don&rsquo;t care about hockey, anyway. All they ever needed to do was enforce the rules the way they were written. That alone would have opened up the game. Many of the changes, especially the shootout, were needless gimmicks. And don&rsquo;t even get me started on the recent talk about making the nets bigger.</p><p><i>Mike Freeborn, London, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Kari It Forward</b></h2><p>I couldn&rsquo;t help but laugh at the experts pick of Kari Lehtonen as the NHL&rsquo;s sixth-best goalie (Goalie Rankings, Jan. 30). Lehtonen has a tendency to have great starts and after winning 11 of 12 this year he&rsquo;s gone back to his regular routine and is 8-10-2 since. If he&rsquo;s is going to be the sixth best netminder at any point during his career he&rsquo;s going to have to be more consistent.</p><p><i>Tyler Hobbs, Siler City, N.C.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021660/9689718-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="457" height="625"></div><h2><b>Royal Flush</b></h2><p>The Erik Karlsson cover story (King Karlsson, Feb. 13) was very good and the kid has a bright future, but to call him &lsquo;King&rsquo; is an insult to his fellow countryman, &lsquo;King Henrik.&rsquo; Lundqvist is simply the best goaltender in the world and even has his own clothing line known as the Crown Collection, acknowledging his royal status. Couldn&rsquo;t THN&rsquo;s editors come up with another nickname for Karlsson? How about &lsquo;Killer Karlsson,&rsquo; an homage to <i>Slap Shot</i>? Let &lsquo;King Henrik&rsquo; keep his crown.</p><p><i>Jamie Feigelson, Wallingford, Conn.</i></p><h2><b>Van Damned</b></h2><p>THN&rsquo;s continual propagation of the &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s all Hate the Canucks&rdquo; decree has hit a boiling point. You gave Cody Hodgson a 25-1 chance of winning the Calder Trophy, behind both Sean Couturier and Gabriel Landeskog (Handicapping The Calder, Feb. 13). Hodgson plays nearly six minutes less per game than Landeskog and has 10 more points than Couturier. You also failed to include Alex Edler among the list of Norris candidates in your Erik Karlsson feature, when Edler is second in &lsquo;D&rsquo; points. You can hate us, but to discount our collection of talent is foolhardy.</p><p><i>Josh Statham, Powell River, B.C.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THN INBOX

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03987/9689756-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="114" height="111"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>@NewWaveOnMainST:</b></h2><p>Montreal&rsquo;s P.K. &lsquo;The Lightning Rod&rsquo; Subban. No matter what happens, the negative energy is attracted to him.</p><h2><b>@FlySkippyZudrak:</b></h2><p>Washington&rsquo;s Mike &lsquo;Obi-Wan&rsquo; Knuble. Old warrior, mentor, uses Jedi mind tricks (&ldquo;we&rsquo;re playing like a bunch of losers.&rdquo;).</p><h2><b>@ViktorAllvin:</b></h2><p>For Philadelphia rookie left winger Harry Zolnierczyk: &lsquo;Scrabbles&rsquo;. I think that speaks for itself.</p><h2><b>@WhiteOutNation:</b></h2><p>For Winnipeg Jets sophomore left winger (and Russian) Alexander Burmistrov: &lsquo;The Finesse Flash&rsquo;.</p><h2><b>@Letangelland58:</b></h2><p>After the trade Ray Shero made last year for the Pittsburgh Penguins, call him &lsquo;What a Steal&rsquo; James Neal.</p><h2><b>@petervigneux:</b></h2><p>For Boston Bruins super-pest Brad Marchand: Nose Face Killah (after the Wu-Tang Clan&rsquo;s Ghostface Killah).</p><h2><b>@kevinmore8:</b></h2><p>Andre Deveaux played a few games with the Rangers this year. I called him Andre &lsquo;Bell Biv&rsquo; Deveaux.</p><h2><b>@tealtown03:</b></h2><p>Douglas &lsquo;Crankshaft&rsquo; Murray, M-E &lsquo;Pickles&rsquo; Vlasic and Joe &lsquo;The Big Pavelski&rsquo; Pavelski. Crankshaft is the clear winner.</p><h2><b>@amato_mike:</b></h2><p>Corey &lsquo;Harry&rsquo; Potter from Edmonton, Buffalo&rsquo;s Jhonas &lsquo;David Lee&rsquo; Enroth and the Jackets&rsquo; Curtis Sanford &lsquo;& Son.&rsquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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GIVE AN NHLER A NICKNAME & TELL US WHY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012167/9689822-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="483" height="96"></div><p>Who is the frontrunner for the Hart Trophy?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021475/9689815-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="474" height="530"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MALKIN: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03923/9689808-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="503" height="331"></div><p>Should players be forced to wear helmets during the pre-game warmup?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04589/9689801-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="482" height="519"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TAYLOR HALL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HALL: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-05404/9689794-1-eng-US/f0007-052.jpg" title="f0007-05" width="503" height="114"></div><p>Will there be an NHL lockout this fall?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-06309/9689787-1-eng-US/f0007-062.jpg" title="f0007-06" width="503" height="114"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0007-01

POLL RESULTS

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>i Adam. Since it seems clear neither Ryan Suter nor Tim Gleason will be dealt and the Flyers need a D-man, why haven&rsquo;t other names like Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson or Zach Bogosian come up as possible trade targets? Am I just another dreaming fan?</b></p><p><i>Randy Lundy, Pense, Sask.</i></p><p>Hi Randy. First of all, I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s clear Suter stays in Nashville, as the Preds may still choose to move the impending UFA by Feb. 27. But the other three players you mentioned are important components to their teams and all are under contract. A good young blueliner isn&rsquo;t given up on quickly, if at all.</p><p><b>Adam, some believe Ilya Kovalchuk is a bad fit in New Jersey, but he seems to enjoy his new role. Do you think he&rsquo;s having fun?</b></p><p><i>Joe Connor, Pennsville, N.J.</i></p><p>Joe: So long as the Devils win, he&rsquo;s happy. Competitiveness is the driving factor for all NHLers.</p><p><b>Hi Adam. Should the NHL make a rule for helmets during warmup after what happened to Taylor Hall?</b></p><p><i>Kyle Benson, Calgary</i></p><p>Hi Kyle. Some maintain Hall had a freak accident that likely won&rsquo;t happen again, but I think the league should mandate helmets in warmup. When teams make multi-million dollar investments in players, they should want to protect players as much as possible.</p><p><b>Hey Adam. As Tim Connolly continues not to live up to his two-year, $9.5-million contract, playing on the third line and only posting 25 points, do you think he was a bad signing for the Leafs and they&rsquo;ll try to trade him?</b></p><p><i>Eric Duncan, Toronto</i></p><p>Hey Eric. The Leafs initially envisioned Connolly as a playmaker for Phil Kessel on the top line, but injuries and Tyler Bozak&rsquo;s chemistry with Kessel have bumped Connolly down the depth chart. To move him, GM Brian Burke likely would have to take a bad contract back, so I don&rsquo;t think it will happen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-07238/9689853-1-eng-US/f0007-072.jpg" title="f0007-07" width="870" height="1178"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN SUTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SUTER: LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Hi Adam! Who would you rather like to have on your team: Toronto&rsquo;s John-Michael Liles for four years at a cap hit of $3.9 million or Montreal&rsquo;s Josh Gorges for six seasons at the same price? Why is Pierre Gauthier is still GM of the Canadiens? I mean, come on!</b></p><p><i>Thomas Vidal-Lessard, Cookshire-Eaton, Que.</i></p><p>Hi Thomas! To be frank, I don&rsquo;t dislike either player or his new contract. Liles has been a dependable, crafty veteran on a young Leafs team and management loves his offensive instincts as well as his willingness to play in the physical areas of the rink. The Buds look even better by getting him to take a slight discount on the $4.2 million cap hit he has this year.</p><p>Gorges doesn&rsquo;t have Liles&rsquo; point-producing skills, but on a Canadiens blueline that isn&rsquo;t close to being one of the league&rsquo;s best, his steady play &ndash; he&rsquo;s Montreal&rsquo;s top plus/minus man at plus-11 &ndash; and leadership in the room make him worth the expenditure.</p><p>Regarding your second question, I don&rsquo;t expect Gauthier will be the Habs&rsquo; GM after this season. Fans&rsquo; anger needs to be addressed some-how and many hockey people believe Gauthier will be sacrificed as soon as summer arrives.</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>

f0007-07

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021783/9689919-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="359" height="100"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>o Ladislav Smid was</b> getting both barrels from fellow blueliners Ryan Whitney and Cam Barker. The stalwart Edmonton Oilers defenseman had kicked off the morning skate that day in Toronto by accidentally tipping a puck into the skull of coach Tom Renney, who left with an icepack on his noggin and turned over duties that night to associate coach Ralph Krueger. &ldquo;I feel terrible,&rdquo; Smid said. &ldquo;It was like slow motion.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031263/9689912-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="110" height="125"></div><p>The 6-foot-3, 226-pound Czech then gestured the arcing trajectory with a diving hand, like a catapult boulder over a castle wall. His teammates were less than understanding. &ldquo;Laddy!&rdquo; said a smirking and excited Whitney. &ldquo;If you had been in front of the net, that would have been bar-in!&rdquo;</p><p>Smid joked maybe he should see some power play time. In all honesty though, the blueliner is doing everything else for the Oilers this year. And wouldn&rsquo;t you know it, the one time he makes headlines is for plunking his boss with a puck. On a subpar Edmonton &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps, Smid has been a shining light. He has played more total minutes than anyone on the team and led the squad in hits (121), blocked shots (130) and shorthanded time on ice (3:34 per game) through 54 games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve accepted my role as a defensive defenseman,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s part of what you have to do &ndash; block a lot of shots. And it comes with experience. You predict where the puck is going and put yourself in that lane. It hurts for a bit but at the end of the day feels great.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04717/9689905-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="1002" height="799"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KYLE BRODZIAK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRODZIAK: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05511/9689898-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="1033" height="966"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GLAD TO HAVE &lsquo;LADDY&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>The Oilers appreciate gutsy D-man Ladislav Smid, but he&rsquo;s relatively unknown elsewhere.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(WARD+SMID: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Having said that, they don&rsquo;t all bounce off the front of the shin pads and on a team with little or no hope to make the playoffs, it&rsquo;s doubly admirable to see Smid sacrifice his body to make a play. &ldquo;I took a few on the inside of the knee,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I took one in the shoulder the other night that was pretty close to my face, but I don&rsquo;t really think about it when I see the open guy.&rdquo;</p><p>If Edmonton could clone Smid, they wouldn&rsquo;t find themselves in the Western Conference basement again, but his efforts have largely been unsung &ndash; until now. Along with Smid, here&rsquo;s a look at the starting lineups (three forwards each, regardless of position) for THN&rsquo;s 2011-12 All-Underrated Team. Players who have won individual trophies or been named to all-star teams were not considered.</p><h2><b>Joe Pavelski, C/RW &ndash; San Jose</b></h2><p>Not only is Pavelski leading the NHL in faceoff percentage at a sick 61.6-percent clip, he&rsquo;s winning the most important draws, too &ndash; 60 percent while shorthanded. The Wisconsin native already has a fourth straight 20-goal season in the bag and his ice time has increased in each of his full NHL campaigns. This season, he&rsquo;s playing more than any other Sharks forward and can line up at both center and wing.</p><h2><b>Kyle Brodziak, C &ndash; Minnesota</b></h2><p>When Minny was hot early, it was Brodziak providing the goals, not Dany Heatley or Devin Setoguchi. The Wild have fallen off a cliff since, but the burly pivot keeps on ticking. Brodziak is on pace for a career year in goals and points, while proving to be responsible with the puck: He has 46 steals to his name (top 15 in the league among forwards) and has only given it away 17 times.</p><h2><b>Radim Vrbata, RW &ndash; Phoenix</b></h2><p>Is there a more anonymous top-10 goal-scorer in the league this year than Vrbata? His 25 markers pace the Yotes, as do his four scores in the shootout (on just seven attempts). The Czech veteran kills penalties, rocks a solid plus-14 rating and has stolen the puck from the enemy far more often than he has given it up (23:14 ratio).</p><h2><b>Ladislav Smid, D &ndash; Edmonton</b></h2><p>The hockey world is just getting to know Smid, but his gritty play is nothing new. The 2004 Ducks first-rounder was among Edmonton&rsquo;s top three hitters and shot-blockers last year, too.</p><h2><b>Josh Gorges, D &ndash; Montreal</b></h2><p>As much as the Habs miss Andrei Markov, they were just as lost when Gorges went down last season. Now that he&rsquo;s back, the big, steady blueliner is doing what he does best, shutting down the opposition and bringing all sorts of intangibles such as character and leadership to the table. With 150 blocked shots through 54 games, he was leading the league by a wide margin in that category and his plus-11 rating was tops on the sad Habs.</p><h2><b>Josh Harding, G &ndash; Minnesota</b></h2><p>Cory Schneider and Tuukka Rask get all the publicity when it comes to backup netminders who could (should?) be NHL starters, but let&rsquo;s shine the spotlight on Harding for once. His .920 save percentage is nearly identical to starter Niklas Backstrom&rsquo;s .925 mark and the Wild actually garner more points in the standings percentage-wise when Harding&rsquo;s in net. Injuries held him back the past two seasons, but now he&rsquo;s healthy and contributing.</p><h2><b>SECOND TEAM</b></h2><h3><b>Mike Brown, RW &ndash; Toronto</b></h3><p>The ultimate energy guy, Brown is built like a fire hydrant and has excellent speed &ndash; bad news for opposing defensemen who go back to retrieve the puck when he&rsquo;s on the ice. Through an injury-shortened season, Brown had 69 hits and six fighting majors &ndash; three of which have come in a newly revived Battle of Ontario series with Ottawa&rsquo;s Zenon Konopka &ndash; in 32 games. And c&rsquo;mon, the mustache is pretty great.</p><h3><b>Matt Martin, LW &ndash; Islanders</b></h3><p>When the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Martin comes charging out the gates, opponents are likely to lose something, whether it be a helmet, their lunch or the puck. The tenacious left winger leads the NHL with 241 hits through 52 games and has 29 takeaways to just 12 giveaways in that span. The sophomore has also chipped in six goals and 13 points plus penalty-kill minutes.</p><h3><b>Boyd Gordon, C &ndash; Phoenix</b></h3><p>Like Pavelski, Gordon is one of the best faceoff men in the league this year (56.8 percent) and is also just as good when shorthanded on draws (56.7). With 19 points in 47 games, the former Washington Capital can provide some secondary scoring and his plus-12 ranks third on the Desert Dogs. Only one teammate &ndash; defenseman Rostislav Klesla &ndash; averages more minutes on the penalty kill.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012084/9689891-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="1024" height="793"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE &lsquo;OTHER&rsquo; MARTY</b></p><p><b>Martin Biron may be a backup, but he plays a crucial role for the Broadway Blueshirts.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BIRON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>Bryan Allen, D &ndash; Carolina</b></h3><p>He might not be a Hurricane much longer, but that&rsquo;s because the 6-foot-5, 226-pound blueliner is a tantalizing chip for teams looking to add at the trade deadline. Allen is one of Carolina&rsquo;s chief penalty-killers and his experience on the back end made him a perfect partner for 2011 first-rounder Ryan Murphy during training camp. His 117 blocked shots also lead the team by a considerable margin.</p><h3><b>Ryan McDonagh, D &ndash; Rangers</b></h3><p>The secret&rsquo;s out on Dan Girardi &ndash; he&rsquo;s no longer underrated &ndash; but his battery mate still has some eyebrows to raise out there. McDonagh has made huge strides in his short NHL career and his numbers this season are incredible. Girardi and he are 1-2 in blocked shots on the Blueshirts and the Minnesota native has a positive takeaway/giveaway ratio &ndash; no easy feat for a puck-moving defenseman. The sophomore is logging big ice time, including 3:14 per game shorthanded. That puts him right up there with, you guessed it, Girardi.</p><h3><b>Martin Biron, G &ndash; Rangers</b></h3><p>&lsquo;King&rsquo; Henrik is the man in Manhattan, but Biron plays a pivotal role as an expert understudy. When the veteran backup went down with a broken collarbone last season, it deep-sized New York&rsquo;s plans to give Lundqvist breaks down the stretch. Now it&rsquo;s obvious why they wanted Biron in net more: He&rsquo;s putting up fantastic numbers in the crease this year with a 1.95 goals-against average and .924 save percentage, meaning there&rsquo;s little drop-off when the Rangers play their backup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012334/9689884-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="349" height="270"></div><h2><b>7</b></h2><p>Birthdays Cam Ward has had on his actual date of birth: Feb. 29 (1984). Other leap year notables include Henri Richard (&rsquo;36) and Simon Gagne (&rsquo;80).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

Unsung Heroes

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012307/9689950-1-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/f0010-031087/9689981-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="235" height="321"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KIPRUSOFF: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>WIN ONE FOR THE KIPPER</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><i><span>C</span>algary&rsquo;s</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Miikka Kiprusoff</i></b>&nbsp;<i>nabs his 300th career win. The Flames scored nearly 600 goals in support for those victories (we kid, we kid).</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>NAIL GETS NAILED FOR DECLINING INVITATION</b></h3><p><i>The CHL suspends a recently injured Nail Yakupov two games for skipping the Top Prospects event, despite the fact he had a doctor&rsquo;s note.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>FLYING VEES</b></h3><p><i>The B.C. League&rsquo;s Penticton Vees break that Jr. A circuit&rsquo;s record for wins with 30 in a row.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>POKING THE BEAR</b></h3><p><i>Tim Thomas gets controversial on Facebook again; doesn&rsquo;t understand why reporters question him on it.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT STEPHEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021688/9690012-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="415" height="373"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MUG: THOMAS GIBSON STUDIO/WENDELL AUGUST)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>ENGUINS FANS</b> tore the roof off Civic Arena many times over the years, but with the team finding a new home at the Consol Energy Center, the lid has come off for the last time &ndash; literally. The &lsquo;Igloo&rsquo; was home to three Stanley Cups and was the first indoor arena with a retractable roof. That iconic 3,000-ton dome has now been demolished, but all that Pittsburgh steel isn&rsquo;t going to waste. Wendell August has forged a partnership with the Penguins Foundation to recycle it into collectable coasters, bookmarks, money clips, mugs and more. They&rsquo;ve already sold more than 80,000 pieces with all proceeds going to charity.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

STEEL SWAG

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04753/9690050-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="487" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AL MONTOYA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MONTOYA: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>OT</b>&nbsp;<b>MANY PLAYERS</b>&nbsp;<i>can say that in their first NHL game they also broke a league record, but that&rsquo;s the case for New York Islanders netminder Al Montoya, who is the only Cuban-American to play in the league&rsquo;s history. Montoya grew up in Chicago, Ill., but he closely relates to his Cuban heritage and it&rsquo;s something the goaltender wears proudly on his mask, which features a grinning crescent moon with an American flag bandana smoking a smoldering Cuban cigar. Montoya also has his nickname, &lsquo;Big Cubano,&rsquo; scrawled along the back of his helmet.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05548/9690043-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="171" height="159"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-04

PUB Trwia

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NATHAN WHITE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen the Fresno Falcons</b> of the ECHL folded, Dustin Sproat wasn&rsquo;t just worried about finding a place to play out the 2008-09 season. He also wanted to continue the work with local children he and some teammates had started in the community.</p><p>While Sproat found an ECHL home with the Cincinnati Cyclones and won a Kelly Cup the following year, his former Falcons teammates spread across the hockey globe, spawning a non-profit organization, Hockey Players 4 Kids (HP4K), made up of players contributing to the communities in which they play. &ldquo;We ended up in five different cities, put our heads together and said, &lsquo;Why don&rsquo;t we formalize this and bring a few more people on board,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Sproat, HP4K&rsquo;s executive director.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011930/9690088-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="358" height="142"></div><p>HP4K incorporated in March 2009 with 10 co-founders and now features 70 members of the pro hockey community in roughly 25 cities worldwide. Ten of those involved are in the NHL, including board member Jeff Halpern of the Washington Capitals, along with George Parros of the Anaheim Ducks and Darroll Powe of the Minnesota Wild.</p><p>In Ottawa, Colin Greening and Erik Condra of the Senators helped with a &ldquo;Holiday Hat Trick&rdquo; program. The players worked with local charities to buy gifts for kids and families in need and got team ownership on board as well. &ldquo;The organizers would pick certain families and make up a list of what the kids wanted,&rdquo; Greening said. &ldquo;Then we&rsquo;d go out and do our best within our budget to get them gifts.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021402/9690081-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="770" height="947"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GIVING BACK</b></p><p><b>Colin Greening is one of dozens of pros helping out with Hockey Players 4 Kids.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Ottawa initiative assisted 35 families and there are plans to get local companies on board to help even more next year.</p><p>Other programs, such as Stick to Reading, which encourages schoolchildren to read for a chance to play with pros, have been developed by players. That, Sproat said, is the most important part: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re giving guys the opportunity to initiate these things. &ldquo;When guys show up to a school they feel more ownership about it. They leave feeling really good about it and wanting to do more.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

Helping Hands

<div class="byline">By Dan Rankin</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03942/9690119-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="593" height="425"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LUPUL: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>WHO IS YOUR ROOMMATE?</b></p><p><i>Clarke MacArthur.</i></p><p><b>WHO&rsquo;S THE MESSY ONE?</b></p><p><i>I&rsquo;d say we&rsquo;re both about equal.</i></p><p><b>YOUR FAVORITE ARENA TO PLAY IN ON THE ROAD?</b></p><p><i>Madison Square Garden.</i></p><p><b>THE BEST CITY FOR HECKLERS?</b></p><p><i>I hear a lot in Buffalo. Nothing sticks out, but I have definitely heard a lot there.</i></p><p><b>CARDS, BOOKS OR VIDEO GAMES?</b></p><p><i>Usually TV for me, but I also like to read a book before bed.</i></p><p><b>WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR FIRST ROAD GAME AS A ROOKIE?</b></p><p><i>It was in Dallas. That&rsquo;s one game I remember. I was excited because I grew up a big Mike Modano fan, so it was great to play against him. The first shift I had against him was pretty cool.</i></p><p><i>(That was Oct. 8, 2003. Lupul notched his first career point, but Dallas beat the Ducks 4-1.)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-03

ROAD Warrior

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JACQUELINE SCHIFANO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ockey legends have plastered</b> our walls and lockers for decades, from posters and pictures to paper clippings and hockey cards. Lives have been built around the gathering and updating of stats of favorite players. As fans, we continually reminisce about the achievements of the game&rsquo;s greatest &ndash; Patrick Roy&rsquo;s four Stanley Cup wins, Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s 109 game-winning-goals, Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s&hellip;well&hellip;everything.</p><p>But what is it that made The Great One the greatest? Or Patrick Roy one of the best goaltenders in the history of the game? Was it the devout training regimens, the hours spent in practice, the sacrifices required by the game, or could it have been something else? Some of the NHL&rsquo;s best thought they needed help along the way and that&rsquo;s why they resorted to the tried, tested and true method of superstitions. And many of the league&rsquo;s players continue this mysterious tradition.</p><h2><b>WAYNE GRETZKY</b></h2><p>&#9656; Wayne Gretzky refused to get his hair cut while on the road.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012251/9690185-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="365" height="482"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRETZKY: MIKE POWELL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; He insisted on putting his equipment on in the same order every game: left shin pad, left sock, right shin pad, right sock, pants, left skate, right skate, shoulder pads, elbow pads (left first, of course), then the jersey tucked into the right side of the pants.</p><h2><b>VINNY LECAVALIER & ED BELFOUR</b></h2><p>&#9656; Both have refused to let anyone handle their equipment.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021770/9690178-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="365" height="313"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LECAVALIER: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; Lecavalier will not even permit his stick to touch the ground.</p><h2><b>PATRICK ROY</b></h2><p>&#9656; Patrick Roy never consciously stepped on the blue or red lines.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031141/9690171-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="365" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROY: DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI/VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; Before games, Roy would skate out towards the blueline and envision the net shrinking. He was also known to talk to the goal posts, claiming, &ldquo;they are my friends.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>BRENDAN SHANAHAN</b></h2><p>&#9656; While in Detroit, Shanahan reportedly wore his junior hockey shoulder pads.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04682/9690164-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="365" height="317"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SHANAHAN+KEITH: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; And he listened to Madonna on game days.</p><h2><b>SIDNEY CROSBY</b></h2><p>&#9656; After Crosby has taped his sticks, nobody can touch them. If a hand even comes near them, he will re-tape his sticks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05478/9690157-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="477" height="655"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CROSBY: GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; Crosby will not speak to his mother on game days. Every time he has, he&rsquo;s been injured.</p><h2><b>DANNY BRIERE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06388/9690150-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="454" height="408"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRIERE: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&#9656; Briere always has three sticks with him and whenever he has a good game, he rewards the stick with a night off.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

SUPERSTITIOUS ON SKATES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07318/9690216-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="677" height="759"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PUCKS: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;He&rsquo;d have a hard time handling traffic in front of an NHL net. He will have a hard time playing pro as a defenseman.&rdquo;</i><br>-<b>FROM THN&rsquo;S 2002 DRAFT PREVIEW</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-07

BOY, WERE WE Wrong!

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><p><b>&ldquo;What did they get for him?&rdquo;</b></p><p>&ldquo;A bag of pucks.&rdquo;</p><p>We trade mongers are highly familiar with that expression, but what does it really mean? What is a bag of pucks worth? A top manufacturer&rsquo;s puck bag retails for $24.99 and holds 60 biscuits. A standard-issue puck costs $0.99. Doing the math reveals a bag of pucks is worth $84.39 before tax. So we can&rsquo;t call any player &ldquo;a&rdquo; bag of pucks, can we?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-08267/9690254-1-eng-US/f0012-082.jpg" title="f0012-08" width="296" height="410"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CONNELLY: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Take Calgary&rsquo;s recent swap of Brendan Morrison for Chicago&rsquo;s <b>Brian Connelly</b>, for example. Not to knock Connelly&rsquo;s game at all, but he&rsquo;s a fine guinea pig because of his league-minimum $525,000 salary.</p><p>Divide Connelly&rsquo;s salary by our calculated price and you get a true(ish) answer to the famous question:</p><p>&ldquo;What did they get for Morrison?&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;6,221 bags of pucks.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-09215/9690247-1-eng-US/f0012-092.jpg" title="f0012-09" width="720" height="210"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-08

CLICHE CLEAR-UP

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; JEFF DONER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012226/9690285-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="875" height="792"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAY BOUWMEESTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOUWMEESTER: BRAD WATSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he last time defenseman</b> Jay Bouwmeester missed a game, the Toronto Maple Leafs were on their way to a franchise record 103-point season and the Pittsburgh Penguins were toiling at the bottom of the NHL standings. Having played 559 consecutive games since 2004, Bouwmeester finds himself with the 10th highest streak in NHL history and is the league&rsquo;s reigning active ironman. As amazing as it is, it&rsquo;s still a far cry from the mark set by Doug Jarvis, who played a stunning 964 consecutive games from 1975 through to 1988 with Montreal, Washington and Hartford.</p><p>Also making his way up the list is Canucks centerman Henrik Sedin. At 551 consecutive games, the Swede is one of the most durable players in the league. Steven Stamkos is also one to watch, as the 22-year-old fitness nut is the new Tampa Bay ironman (248) after linemate Martin St-Louis took a puck to the face in practice, ending his streak at 499 games.</p><p>Other notable streaks broken in 2011-12: R.J. Umberger 380 (Jan. 10), Brad Boyes 369 (Nov. 23), Chris Phillips 311 (Dec. 23), Jay McClement 275 (Nov. 8), Claude Giroux 230 (Dec. 10), Blake Wheeler 223 (Jan. 14), and Henrik Tallinder 217 (Dec. 13).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Iron Clad Idols

<p><b>1 JAY BOUWMEESTER</b></p><p>FLA/CGY <b>559</b></p><p><b>2 HENRIK SEDIN</b></p><p>VAN <b>551</b></p><p><b>3 JAROME IGINLA</b></p><p>CGY <b>381</b></p><p><b>4 ANDREW COGLIANO</b></p><p>EDM/ANA <b>380</b></p><p><b>5 COREY PERRY</b></p><p>ANA <b>254</b></p><p><b>6 STEVEN STAMKOS</b></p><p>TB <b>248</b></p><p><b>7 DUSTIN BROWN</b></p><p> LA <b>239</b></p><p><b>8 KIMMO TIMONEN</b></p><p>PHI <b>237</b></p><p><b>9 ANTOINE VERMETTE</b></p><p>CLB <b>233</b></p><p><b>10 KEITH YANDLE</b></p><p>PHX <b>226</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

TOP 10 IRONMEN

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021673/9690340-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOSEFSON: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JAKOBSEN: UND ATHLETICS/BRAD OLSON)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>BORN</b></h2><p>Stockholm, Sweden | Aalborg, Denmark</p><h2><b>TEAM</b></h2><p>New Jersey Devils | North Dakota</p><h2><b>EXPERIENCE</b></h2><p>NHL Sophomore | WCHA Rookie</p><h2><b>INTERNATIONAL</b></h2><p>Two-time WJC representative Played in three IIHF World Championships</p><h2><b>GAMES PLAYED</b></h2><p>42 | 29</p><h2><b>GOALS</b></h2><p>3 | 9</p><h2><b>ASSISTS</b></h2><p>9 | 18</p><h2><b>POINTS</b></h2><p>12 | 27<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

JACOB JOSEFSON VS. JOSEFINE JAKOBSEN

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>NJURIES</b>&nbsp;are part of life for every NHL team, as players pencilled into the lineup are quickly erased by big hits or errant sticks. Here&rsquo;s how many guys have played every game for each team and how many players they&rsquo;ve used to date.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031136/9690371-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="609" height="2371"></div><p><i>*includes Alexei Ponikarovsky traded from Carolina</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-03

REAL GAMERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>ttila Ambrus, the infamous</b>&nbsp;&lsquo;Whiskey Robber&rsquo; and former professional goaltender who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars during a string of thefts in the 1990s, has been released from a Hungarian jail and is plotting a future that he says is both crime- and alcohol-free.</p><p>Ambrus, who was given the nickname due to his penchant for appearing in bars and ordering a stiff one prior to committing his robberies, was released from a maximum security prison in Northern Hungary at dawn on March 31. He had served 12 years of a 17-year sentence for reportedly stealing more than $800,000 from 30 banks, post offices and travel agencies.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011996/9690409-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="277" height="417"></div><p>The 44-year-old Romanian national became a Hungarian folk hero for his crimes, which never resulted in bodily harm and often involved colorful tales. On at least one occasion, he gave flowers to a teller before his heist. He also delivered wine to police investigators trying to capture him. And he escaped jail once, using bedsheets, before being recaptured three months later. His life story &ndash; chronicled in the <i>Ballad of the Whiskey Robber</i> by Julian Rubinstein &ndash; has drawn multiple movie offers, including one by Johnny Depp.</p><p>But although he is a free man, Ambrus isn&rsquo;t in a position to cash in on his experiences. One of the conditions of his release was that he repay the money he stole. In addition, Hungary has a law, similar to the U.S.&rsquo;s &ldquo;Son of Sam&rdquo; statute, that prevents criminals from profiting from their crimes. He also must stay in Hungary for the next four years unless he gains permission from the legal system to travel.</p><p>Ambrus reportedly emerges from jail a different man than the one who was captured by police in 1999. He was engaged to a fan while he was in prison, but no longer has a fiancee. He says he has quit drinking and has taken up pottery. And although he had his first major media interview scheduled just after this issue went to press, there is no indication his life has a set course. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s just trying to wrap his head around everything,&rdquo; Rubinstein said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s still an enormous amount of public interest in him with the tabloids in Hungary and he wants to be very cautious about every step he takes.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021526/9690402-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="657" height="889"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NO LONGER ON ICE</b></p><p><b>Attila Ambrus had more success and popularity as a thief than he did as a goaltender.</b></p></figcaption></div><p>Before he was apprehended, Ambrus was also a master of disguise and deception. He worked his way onto a Hungarian pro hockey squad as a hapless backup goalie and the team&rsquo;s Zamboni driver and still has a current offer to play again, but, for now, he&rsquo;s playing it demure. <i>For more information on his unfolding story, visit Rubinstein&rsquo;s website on Ambrus: <a href="http://whiskeyrobber.com">whiskeyrobber.com</a></i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

Whiskey To Go-Go

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07420/9690440-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="630" height="210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031111/9690447-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="233" height="286"></div><p><b>DAYS UNTIL EXPIRATION</b></p><p><b>WHEN</b>&nbsp;<b>THE PURCHASE</b> of the St. Louis Blues by Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer fell apart in early January, the NHL&rsquo;s focus turned to a group of investors led by the team&rsquo;s minority owner, Tom Stillman, to pick up the pieces and buy them. But as is the case with the Phoenix Coyotes, don&rsquo;t be surprised if a purchase deal isn&rsquo;t finalized until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached.</p><p>As one observer noted, teams for sale now are like players finishing their contracts before becoming  unrestricted free agents. Where GMs and player agents have to wait to see the whole of the marketplace each off-season before deciding what to do, prospective owners are waiting until a new CBA is ratified before taking the financial plunge. &ldquo;Why would any businessman agree to lose money for the next handful of months &ndash; and potentially, through a lockout &ndash; when he can be patient, wait until the league has a new deal and reap the benefits?&rdquo; the insider said. &ldquo;These guys didn&rsquo;t get rich by being impatient.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-07

CBA WATCH

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>arey Price had a</b> grand ol&rsquo; time goofing around at the All-Star Game in Ottawa, but just what the heck is he saying to Tim Thomas here? Send us your funniest caption idea for a shot at some THN swag. We&rsquo;ll publish our favorites in the March 19 issue.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04826/9690485-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="737" height="577"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05591/9690478-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="183" height="156"></div><p><b>To win, submit your captions at <a href="http://www.thn.com/letters">www.thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-04

Caption CONTEST

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011873/9690516-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOEWS: GREGG FORWERCK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; CITYSCAPE: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KUBRAK78)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T SHOULD COME AS NO SURPRISE THAT, even as a kid, Chicago Blackhawks superstar Jonathan Toews was an old soul &ndash; and one with a competitive streak as long as the shorelines of Manitoba&rsquo;s lakes strung end-to-end. When he was running around as a kid playing pickup games on soccer pitches in his native Winnipeg, his father Bryan said, &ldquo;You would have thought they were playing for the World Cup.&rdquo; When he practised taekwondo, he eventually had to stop because his love for hockey didn&rsquo;t allow enough time to be as good as he wanted to be in that field.</b></p><p><b>Hell, as soon as Toews exited the womb April 29, 1988, he was probably lying in the hospital&rsquo;s new arrivals ward, staring down other newborns and mapping out his plan to be the first baby to go home with his parents.</b></p><p><b>Yes, after four-and-a-half NHL seasons, Toews has learned the value of giving himself a small amount of breathing room outside the game. But don&rsquo;t fool yourself into thinking his laurels are being rested upon in the slightest. Even now, at 23, after ascending to the pinnacle of the hockey world, he is as driven, as relentless, as consumed with competition as ever.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

WHY NOT SO SERIOUS?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011626/9690582-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SO MUCH SO SOON</b></p><p><b><i>Jonathan Toews has accomplished by age 23 what many players can only dream of in an NHL career.</i></b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N THE CURRENT PICTURE, IT</b> doesn&rsquo;t matter that he won a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy at 21, a World Championship at 19, two world junior gold medals and an Olympic gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Games. When you&rsquo;re Jonathan Toews, all that stuff is resume fodder &ndash; complimentary resume fodder that he&rsquo;s quite thankful for, mind you, but fodder nonetheless.</p><p>When you&rsquo;re Jonathan Toews, each sunrise is a boxing bell going off, signalling it&rsquo;s time to begin the next round of the fight. And Toews is in that fight for the long haul. He possesses none of the braggadocio of Muhammad Ali, but a similar ability to strike fear into the hearts and spines of opponents like &lsquo;The Greatest&rsquo; did. Like another Great One, Wayne Gretzky, Toews understands it&rsquo;s not about whether you&rsquo;ve done it all in hockey, but how many times you&rsquo;ve done it all.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why he&rsquo;s nonplussed by the increasing amount of praise coming his way. In fact, when a reporter tells him, with Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s health struggles and Alex Ovechkin failing to look like the wunderkind he did a few years back and Pavel Datsyuk approaching the back-nine of his Hall-of-Fame career, many believe he is the most complete player in the NHL today and the one most GMs would choose to build a franchise around, Toews shifts into &ldquo;aw-shucks&rdquo; mode and says all the right things as he always does. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always fun to hear things like that,&rdquo; Toews said. &ldquo;That gives you the incentive to keep working. It&rsquo;s a confidence-builder, but I still feel like I&rsquo;ve got a long ways to go before I start earning those comparisons if I want them to be true. As long as our team is doing well, that&rsquo;s the main thing.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>He reminds me of Derek Jeter. It&rsquo;s all about winning with him</i></b><br><b><i>&ndash; Sean O&rsquo;Donnell</i></b></blockquote><p>The Hawks&rsquo; collective effort will forever be more important to Toews than his stats or achievements. But just for shifts and giggles, let&rsquo;s examine where Chicago&rsquo;s captain is at as an individual. Last season, as many of his teammates struggled through a Cup hangover that left them tired and underperforming, Toews set new career bests in assists (44), points (76) and plus-minus (plus-25) and had 32 goals, two shy of the career high he set in his sophomore season of 2008-09. This year, he stampeded out of the gate and through the Hawks&rsquo; first 54 games, he led the team with 27 goals and his 52 points put him one point behind Marian Hossa as the team&rsquo;s leading scorer.</p><p>But Toews&rsquo; impact is far deeper than straight-ahead goals and assists. He leads the team in takeaways with 72 and is tied for second on the team in plus-minus (plus-16). He&rsquo;s Chicago&rsquo;s third-best game-winning goal-scorer with four. He&rsquo;s third in power play goals with five. He has a shorthanded goal that puts him in third place on the team. He averages 20:48 per game, the most of any Hawks forward. He averages the third-most power-play minutes (3:19) of any Chicago player and the third-most penalty kill minutes (1:52, just behind Hossa&rsquo;s 1:54 and Dave Bolland&rsquo;s 1:55) of any Hawks forward. And Toews&rsquo; 59.8 faceoff win percentage is the best in the entire NHL for any player with 1,000 or more draws (he&rsquo;s actually sixth in total faceoffs taken with 1,038).</p><p>If Toews were a basketball player, he&rsquo;d be Oscar Robertson &ndash; the type of guy who made an impact in virtually every facet of his sport. But he draws other extremely positive comparisons to different athletic icons from those who see him often. &ldquo;He reminds me of (New York Yankees legend) Derek Jeter,&rdquo; said Hawks defenseman Sean O&rsquo;Donnell of Toews. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all about winning with him.&rdquo;</p><p>Added Hawks president John Mc-Donough: &ldquo;Johnny reminds me of Ryne Sandberg,&rdquo; referring to the Cubs&rsquo; Hall of Fame second baseman he watched as a 24-year executive with that Major League Baseball team. &ldquo;Johnny is similar in style. Every day you&rsquo;re going to get the same effort and a really solid performance. He&rsquo;s a once-in-a-decade-type player. He&rsquo;s a throwback and he&rsquo;s old school. He&rsquo;s made being serious an art form.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011511/9690575-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="1398" height="1004"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CAPTAIN CORNERSTONE</b></p><p><b><i>Toews has evolved into the prototypical franchise player GMs covet to build around.</i></b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021111/9690568-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="681" height="1020"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>There&rsquo;s the word you hear all the time regarding Toews: serious. He&rsquo;s so good at keeping an even keel through good times and bad, so unwilling to display emotion or even ironically cock an eyebrow in front of reporters, the nickname &lsquo;Captain Serious&rsquo; has stuck with him whether he likes it or not. But that isn&rsquo;t an indication Toews had the humorous part of his brain surgically removed to hold his focus on winning hockey games. His teammates say on team charters or during a well-chosen night on the town, he can kid and exult with the best of them.</p><p>While it&rsquo;s a little bit difficult to picture Toews&rsquo; stone-cold serious face rocking out during the recent Jay-Z/Kanye West concert tour, he was indeed in attendance during the rappers&rsquo; Chicago stop. He would have liked to have been at mixed martial arts monolith UFC&rsquo;s pay-per-view event in January, but the upper-body injury that kept him out of the 2012 All-Star Game in Ottawa also precluded him from joining his teammates at that event.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>Johnny&rsquo;s very stealth. He has a lot of fun, I&rsquo;m sure, in the city of Chicago, but no one would know it</i></b><br><b><i>&ndash; John McDonough</i></b></blockquote><p>For Toews, finding time to take a break from hockey isn&rsquo;t easy, but it is necessary, unless he wants to wither under unrelenting pressure and devolve into Captain Yahoo Serious (Google it). &ldquo;We play so many games and you give so much every game you play, so it definitely can be &lsquo;all hockey, all the time,&rsquo;&rdquo; Toews said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s one of the things I&rsquo;ve really learned since I&rsquo;ve become an NHLer &ndash; you have to find ways to get away from hockey and enjoy yourself, whether it&rsquo;s going out to a restaurant or having a drink with your buddies. You just have to be smart about it. In Chicago, everyone seems to know who we are now. It&rsquo;s easy for anyone to get in trouble pretty quick, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean we don&rsquo;t like to have fun like anyone. We have a young team and we have to be kids every once in a while, too.&rdquo;</p><p>In the era of camera phones and social media, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible for any superstar of Toews&rsquo; stature to keep out of the public eye. But maybe because of the only blemish on Toews&rsquo; record &ndash; a small run-in with the law when he was caught as a minor in a North Dakota tavern during his days playing college hockey at Notre Dame &ndash; he has become extremely adept at staying off the public radar and getting his fun on in a place where nobody can see. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most high-profile athletes in Chicago &ndash; you&rsquo;d put him up there with Derek Rose, Jay Cutler, Patrick Kane,&rdquo; McDonough said of Toews. &ldquo;But Johnny&rsquo;s very stealth. He has a lot of fun, I&rsquo;m sure, in the city of Chicago, but no one would know it.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s all part of the plan with Toews. Nearly everything he does, he does with the goal of getting the opportunity to make a difference with his hockey skills. When he was attending high school at world-famous hockey factory Shattuck-St.-Mary&rsquo;s, he was mature enough to understand a solid two-way game would give him more on-ice opportunities at every level, so he worked feverishly on his defense at an age when most teens don&rsquo;t even like to say the word, let alone buy into the concept. And if he allowed fame and frivolity to take precedence over his employment duties, he knows he wouldn&rsquo;t be trusted fully and completely by coach Joel Quenneville and all members of Blackhawks management to lead the team.</p><p>And leadership is another area in which Toews excels. That serious approach, that willingness to do anything to make a difference in his team&rsquo;s favor, has elicited comparisons to two other famous NHLers who wore No. 19 &ndash; Red Wings all-time great Steve Yzerman and Avalanche captain Joe Sakic. Of course, there are differences among all three players: the 6-foot-2 Toews plays a more robust physical game than Sakic or Yzerman could at 5-foot-11. But in terms of their singular devotion to winning, their reluctance to be outspoken outside the dressing room walls and their ability to impose their will on their games and their teams, there are many similarities between the three.</p><p>Toews and Yzerman have briefly been part of the same organization &ndash; once when the latter was the architect of Team Canada at the 2007 World Championship with Toews on the roster and again in the same roles at the Vancouver Olympics. And although he didn&rsquo;t have much time to sit down and learn at the foot of one of hockey&rsquo;s greatest masters, Toews took something away from Yzerman&rsquo;s example nonetheless. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing to see what a down-to-earth guy he is after everything he&rsquo;s accomplished,&rdquo; Toews said of Yzerman. &ldquo;He gives everyone the time of day and doesn&rsquo;t treat anyone any different. So you learn those people skills and what it takes to get that respect on and off the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>The fastest way Toews has acquired that respect is with the aforementioned skill at picking up his team and carrying it on his back at the most crucial of times. Quenneville&rsquo;s favorite example of that ability came in the third period of Game 7 of the Hawks&rsquo; first-round playoff series against Vancouver last spring. Chicago was trailing 1-0 and was on the penalty kill with two minutes left in regulation when Toews pressured the puck out of the Canucks zone, took possession of it at center ice, split Vancouver&rsquo;s defensemen, passed the puck to Hossa as he was being dragged down, then fought his way back up and batted in the rebound from Hossa&rsquo;s shot to send the game to overtime.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021044/9690561-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="923" height="740"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>A good captain plays his best game when his team needs it the most</i></b><br><b><i>&ndash; Jonathan Toews</i></b></blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011453/9690554-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="1510" height="1127"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MR. EVERYTHING</b></p><p><b><i>Many in the hockey world are calling Toews the most complete player in the NHL today.</i></b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A similar scene occurred this past November during a Blackhawks road game in Anaheim. Chicago had lost three in a row heading into its showdown with the Ducks and trailed 4-2 after 40 minutes of play. That was apparently enough for Toews, who proceeded to notch two goals and two assists in the third period and almost singlehandedly willed the Hawks to a 6-5 win. &ldquo;Johnny just wouldn&rsquo;t let us lose that game,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Donnell said. &ldquo;He played as dominating a 20-minute period as anyone I&rsquo;ve seen in a long time.&rdquo;</p><p>Toews can be dominating even when the opposition expects it. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got that move that I know he&rsquo;s going to do when he fires the puck through that five-hole and I still can&rsquo;t catch up with it,&rdquo; said Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard with a laugh. &ldquo;One of these days I&rsquo;m going to, though. He just makes the players around him that much better. You can see the competitiveness in his eyes, the fire. He loves being out there.&rdquo;</p><p>Just as he does with every other aspect of his life, Toews aches to be the best captain he can possibly be. If that means he has to step out of the team structure from time to time and assert himself in a way that draws attention to him as an individual, he&rsquo;s fine with that. &ldquo;A good captain is the type of guy who&rsquo;s going to find a way to play his best game when maybe he can sense his team needs it the most,&rdquo; Toews said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s definitely the way I feel. It&rsquo;s not always an easy thing to do, but if I can contribute something somehow, some way, it doesn&rsquo;t matter where, you have to find a way to do something.&rdquo;</p><p>Toews always finds a way to do something for the Hawks organization and hockey in general. Sometimes, it will be an emotional outburst inside the dressing room or during a game. Sometimes, it will be one of his countless public appearances to help grow the business and the league. Sometimes, it will be boosting team morale and camaraderie by doing something like sitting down with veterans like O&rsquo;Donnell, watching a classic NHL game and learning how the league has evolved. And sometimes, it will be something the public never sees, like his unbreakable optimism that any problem can be solved with more willpower and hard work.</p><p>One of those problems arose in late January and early February, when the Hawks lost a season-high six straight and lost ground on Detroit in the Central Division. But there will be no angry or frustrated diatribes coming out of Toews&rsquo; mouth. He doesn&rsquo;t welcome tough times, but he does expect them and never shies away from diving at them with bared fangs and balled fists. &ldquo;You still have to remind yourself there are going to be some moments when you want to quit and you&rsquo;re not going to want to work through it, but once you do, things start looking better,&rdquo; Toews said. &ldquo;Everyone prepares for these kinds of things. This is how we put ourselves up for the test and see what we&rsquo;ve got.&rdquo;</p><p>What the Hawks have got is Jonathan Toews &ndash; and that&rsquo;s a whole lot. That&rsquo;s more than some teams ever will have in the same span and something each of the other 29 GMs would sell off a favorite body part to acquire. With Crosby&rsquo;s concussion issues and Datsyuk nearing his mid-30s, Toews is the surest bet you can make on any NHLer. Yeah, he&rsquo;s surrounded by a lot of talent that has factored into his success, but he would be succeeding no matter where he played. &ldquo;The best description I&rsquo;ve heard about Crosby is he&rsquo;s an elite player with a fourth-liner&rsquo;s mentality and I think the same can be said about Johnny,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Donnell said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a certain gene you can&rsquo;t teach and he has it. And when you get a combination of a player who has world-class ability, but also has that leadership and focus, he&rsquo;s not going to be stopped.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011280/9690547-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="1394" height="1213"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BLACKHAWK CLOWN</b></p><p><b><i>According to his teammates, &lsquo;Captain Serious&rsquo; can get seriously funny away from the rink.</i></b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b><i>59.8</i></b></h2><p><b>FACEOFF FREAK</b></p><p><b><i>Toews&rsquo; winning percentage on draws ranks first among players with 1,000 or more faceoffs</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

JONATHAN TOEWS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011463/9690613-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>omeone far wiser</b> than your trusty correspondent once said, &ldquo;Trade rumors are to hockey what statistics are to baseball.&rdquo; More accurate words have never been spoken. For whatever reason, hockey fans are obsessed with talk about player movement and as trade deadline day approaches, it reaches a crescendo.</p><p>We all rationally know that only one team can win the Stanley Cup and so do the guys who run the teams. But there&rsquo;s something about trade deadline that gives all of us wild visions about making moves that will put this team or that team over the top. Some moves at the deadline work out. Most of them don&rsquo;t.</p><p>For other teams, this is a time of year that inspires renewal and thoughts of the future. Players whose contracts are up or those who need a new address can be pedalled for future considerations in the form of young players, prospects or draft picks so the rebuilding &ndash; or in some cases, the building &ndash; can begin in earnest.</p><p>Yes, it&rsquo;s quite an interesting beast this trade deadline has become. And make no mistake, it&rsquo;s a beast. An enormous, sometimes out-of-control beast.</p><p>Rather than provide a scorecard on whom we predict will change teams, this year we thought we would bring you into the world of the people, on and off the ice, who figure to be prominent figures leading up to Feb. 27.</p><p><b>INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

You Gotta Read This

The Silver Trade

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011358/9690644-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SHEA WEBER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here are so many</b> moving parts for the Nashville Predators when it comes to this year&rsquo;s trade deadline that GM David Poile might be just as qualified to repair the Kremlin clock as he is to run a hockey team by the time it passes.</p><p>It sounds funny to say it, but Poile is armed with everything a GM needs to be a big-time buyer at the trade deadline. He has a very good team with the potential to go on a long playoff run, a ton of cap space, a stable of terrific young players and prospects and an ownership group willing to spend to the upper limits of the salary cap &ndash; or so it says.</p><p>But more than anything else, Poile has a real need to bolster his lineup to prove to both Ryan Suter and Shea Weber he&rsquo;s serious about making the Predators a viable Stanley Cup contender both for this season and the long-term. No pressure there.</p><p>Poile declined to talk to THN about the trade deadline, but his message has been consistent for some time. He intends to sign both Suter and Weber to long-term deals and has the latitude from ownership to do whatever it takes to make the Predators a dangerous team in the playoffs. Poile could do that by going after, say, a Jeff Carter or Bobby Ryan. Carter is a potential 40-goal man, but he has a contract that GMs such as Poile abhor &ndash; 10 more years with a cap hit of $5.3 million and salaries that range between $6.3 million and $7 million over the next six seasons. That&rsquo;s real money for a team that has never had the luxury of throwing it around.</p><p>Complicating matters is the fact three other contending teams in their own division &ndash; the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues &ndash; are flush with cap space. The Red Wings and the Blackhawks also have money and young players to dangle in trade talks.</p><p>Oh, to be a buyer in a seller&rsquo;s market&hellip;</p><p><b>ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a> INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

The Buyer

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011441/9690675-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TUOMO RUUTU</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RUUTU: PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>im Rutherford figures</b> to be answering his phone a record number of times between now and the trade deadline. The only problem is the last person you want to be is Mr. Popularity at this time of the year because it means your team is hopelessly out of the playoff picture.</p><p>But such is life for Rutherford, who looks to be in a position to parlay a couple of pending unrestricted free agents into some assets for his organization, but it won&rsquo;t fill the most glaring deficiency in his roster. &ldquo;What our team needs most is a really good player to play with Eric Staal,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need to tear our team apart to do that, but it&rsquo;s not an easy thing to do. Once we get that player, we&rsquo;ll be a in stronger position to contend.&rdquo;</p><p>Rutherford has a number of chips, the most prominent of whom is Tuomo Ruutu, a UFA who will almost certainly generate the most buzz. Defenseman Bryan Allen, another UFA, will be coveted by teams looking to bolster their defense corps and Jaroslav Spacek is another useful veteran with playoff experience.</p><p>Rutherford surprised a number of people by taking Tim Gleason off the market when he signed the defenseman to a four-year deal. That&rsquo;s because it&rsquo;s all well and good to be a seller and peddle off your assets at the deadline for picks or prospects, but you still have to fill those positions next season. Rutherford is wary of all of that as he wears the seller label.</p><p>The Hurricanes like some of the youth they&rsquo;ve assembled and feel they still have the core of a good team. It makes more sense to re-sign some of that veteran talent and have it help the growth process along, but there&rsquo;s some question as to whether he can actually do it. The Canes are a budget team and it should not be discounted that every dollar they save after the deadline means a dollar coming back to them in revenue sharing because they&rsquo;re under the mid-point of the salary cap. &ldquo;If you trade a Tim Gleason, then you go into the summer saying, &lsquo;We need a top-four defenseman like Tim Gleason,&rsquo;&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;It might take five years to find a guy like that.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

The Seller

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021013/9690706-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEFF CARTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CARTER: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he biggest question</b> with the two crown jewels of this year&rsquo;s trade deadline is: Exactly what player are you getting? Are you trading for the Jeff Carter or Bobby Ryan who earned their big-money, long-term contracts or the players who have done so little to live up to them?</p><p>After all, if things were going swimmingly for either player, their names wouldn&rsquo;t be floating around as trade deadline targets in the first place. The possibility of acquiring either player is fraught with peril, but so is the possibility of trading them away. It should be noted that Carter turned 27 Jan. 1 and Ryan will be just 25 in March. It&rsquo;s safe to say both are better players than they&rsquo;re showing this season.</p><p>And both present interesting possibilities and challenges when it comes to doing a deal. One GM said the first thing Columbus GM Scott Howson has to do when it comes to dealing Carter is realize he&rsquo;s not going to get equal value back in any deal, despite the fact he dealt away promising young forward Jakub Voracek and the Blue Jackets first-(Sean Couturier) and third-rounders (Nick Cousins) to get him.</p><p>What you get in return for trading Jeff Carter is out from under a contract that isn&rsquo;t terribly onerous in terms of salary, but is in term. Carter has 10 years remaining on a pact with a cap hit of $5.3 million, but the next six years are front-loaded. Anything you might actually get in return would be a bonus. Ryan, on the other hand, has four years left on his deal with a cap hit of $5.1 million and a salary of $5.5 million. That likely makes Ryan much more coveted, but the price will be significantly higher for him than it would be for Carter. That will make Carter the consolation prize for a lot of teams that find the bidding for Ryan a little too high for their liking. &ldquo;People might think you can trade a bad contract because (Philadelphia Flyers GM) Paul Holmgren did it and got a lot in return,&rdquo; one GM said with respect to Carter. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s harder to trade a bad contract twice.&rdquo;</p><p><b>INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-02

The Star

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011273/9690737-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRENDAN SMITH</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>rendan Smith just turned 23</b> and has spent the better part of the past two seasons developing in the American League under the watchful eye of the Detroit Red Wings, who seem to have some kind of elixir for drafting and developing very good NHL players.</p><p>What&rsquo;s not to like? That&rsquo;s how a lot of teams, including the Red Wings themselves, feel about Smith. Whenever his contemporaries talk trade with Red Wings GM Ken Holland, Smith&rsquo;s name is bound to come up. Holland vows he will not trade Smith, but what if the Anaheim Ducks shop Bobby Ryan and Smith is a deal-breaker? Holland would have to at least think about it.</p><p>That&rsquo;s why Smith, who is ranked as Detroit&rsquo;s top prospect and 16th in the NHL&rsquo;s top 50 in THN&rsquo;s upcoming Future Watch edition, will be in play as the deadline approaches. Teams are well aware he&rsquo;s an NHL-ready defenseman who has apprenticed in the right place.</p><p>Smith brings pretty much everything to the table, including youthful exuberance. He skates well, is adept at moving the puck and he has a rocket for a shot. He can play with an edge, as evidenced by his 124 penalty minutes last season in the AHL and his five-game NHL suspension during the pre-season for his head hit on Ben Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks.</p><p>One executive described Smith as &ldquo;a poor man&rsquo;s Keith Yandle&rdquo; and the Red Wings see him as being a solid top-four blueliner. He still has to learn to pick his spots when it comes to rushing the puck and leaving himself vulnerable and is prone to mistakes in the defensive zone, but that awareness will likely come as his career develops.</p><p>Smith won&rsquo;t be the only prospect who will generate some interest as the deadline approaches. In fact, he won&rsquo;t even be the only prospect in his own family who will be coveted. Smith&rsquo;s younger brother Reilly, a right winger at Miami-Ohio, is a prospect in the Dallas Stars&rsquo; system, one with whom they might have to part if they want to augment their roster with a veteran for a playoff run. Chris Kreider of Boston College and J.T. Miller of the Plymouth Whalers are two New York Rangers prospects teams will seek if they make a deal with Glen Sather.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-01

The Prospect

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02873/9690768-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EVGENI NABOKOV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NABOKOV: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ypically,</b> the demand for players exceeds the supply at the trade deadline and this year will be no exception. After all, that&rsquo;s part of what makes the process so fascinating. But if there&rsquo;s one area where those market forces don&rsquo;t apply, it&rsquo;s goaltending.</p><p>Teams historically haven&rsquo;t gone aggressively after goaltenders at the deadline. Usually the ones who do go are acquired as backup insurance for contending teams that need some depth at that position. It&rsquo;s a strategy at least one GM of a contending team finds curious. &ldquo;Look back and tell me how many No. 1 goalies over the past 10 years have been hurt and been out for any significant time in the playoffs,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not very many.&rdquo;</p><p>There are times, though, when a trade for a goalie turns out to be a game changer. In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers gave up first and third round picks for Dwayne Roloson from the Minnesota Wild. Roloson turned out to be an integral part of the Oilers&rsquo; march through the playoffs and might have led them to the Stanley Cup had he not been injured in Game 1 of the final.</p><p>One goalie who will garner some interest is 36-year-old reluctant New York Islander Evgeni Nabokov, if GM Garth Snow puts him on the market. The Isles were still within striking distance of a playoff spot by mid-February in large part because of Nabokov&rsquo;s play, so he wouldn&rsquo;t be moved as long as that was the case. In any event, the asking price would be high, which would scare some teams off. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m Chicago, I can probably justify making that move,&rdquo; one GM said. &ldquo;But with Nabokov, what kind of asset do you tie to him? There&rsquo;s no way I&rsquo;d give up a pick and a prospect for him.&rdquo;</p><p><b>ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a> INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-02

The Goalie

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011451/9690799-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PAUL GAUSTAD</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GAUSTAD: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>ost GMs looking</b> to upgrade their teams at the trade deadline aren&rsquo;t swinging for the fences and they shouldn&rsquo;t because, the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins excluded, history tells us blockbuster trades on deadline day rarely lead to a Stanley Cup parade.</p><p>The far more successful deals are the ones that tweak the roster, fill a particular niche or give a team a battle-tested role player who makes them a more challenging playoff opponent. That&rsquo;s why players such as Travis Moen of the Montreal Canadiens, Paul Gaustad of the Buffalo Sabres and Dominic Moore of the Tampa Bay Lightning are getting so much attention.</p><p>They are the kinds of players &ndash; almost always ones facing unrestricted free agency &ndash; who can be acquired without surrendering any significant assets currently on your NHL roster. Better still, they can either serve as a rental player with no obligation on either side, or if things work out well, a player who could be convinced to stick around and re-sign for an amount that isn&rsquo;t going to be onerous.</p><p>In reality, these guys are the real game changers, the real gold nuggets of the trade deadline.</p><p>Take Gaustad, for example. He&rsquo;s a big, physical guy who can win faceoffs and come in and anchor the fourth line of an elite team without disrupting chemistry. (Look for the Detroit Red Wings to go hard for him.) At the age of 30, he would welcome the opportunity to play for a team that&rsquo;s projected to go deep in the playoffs and would be rejuvenated by the prospect.</p><p>Defenseman Hal Gill of the Canadiens is coveted because of his penalty-killing abilities and his long reach in the defensive zone. In fact, you could argue the Pittsburgh Penguins don&rsquo;t win the Stanley Cup in 2009 without him in the lineup. The same goes for the 2007 Anaheim Ducks, who had a marvelous shutdown center in Sami Pahlsson. There was even a time during the Cup final that year when Pahlsson was seriously being mentioned as a Conn Smythe candidate.</p><p>Early in his career, former NHLer Jimmy Roberts was described by Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe as &ldquo;a hewer of wood and hauler of water.&rdquo; It was a perfect description. That&rsquo;s what these guys are and while they won&rsquo;t lead the way, no team can win a Stanley Cup without them.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

The Role Player

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021000/9690830-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEXANDER RADULOV</b><span class="photo-credit">(RADULOV: YULIYA DMITRIEVA/KHL PHOTO AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>ne GM referred to AWOL</b> NHLer Alexander Radulov as &ldquo;David Poile&rsquo;s grand slam,&rdquo; the one player he can use as a means to convince both Ryan Suter and Shea Weber that he&rsquo;s intent on building a winner.</p><p>But does he do it by luring Radulov &ndash; the player recently identified by THN as the best player outside the NHL &ndash; back to Nashville next season or by trading him and getting equal value in return? Radulov&rsquo;s name has come up repeatedly in talks with the Predators, but GMs who have mentioned him report Poile is insistent on hanging onto Radulov&rsquo;s rights.</p><p>As you may recall, Radulov bolted Nashville for Salavat Ufa of the Kontinental League back in 2008 &ndash; my, how time flies &ndash; skipping out of the final season of his entry level contract with the Predators. If and when Radulov decides to return to the NHL, he&rsquo;ll be contractually obliged to fulfill that final season at a salary of $984,000, a pittance compared to what he&rsquo;s making in the KHL, before he can negotiate a new deal.</p><p>Poile wants to hang onto Radulov and intends on pushing hard to get him back in Nashville next season. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean teams looking for a potentially elite scoring winger won&rsquo;t be trying to pry him away. Whenever Radulov does return, it would be best for who-ever coaches him to steer clear of him on the bench, judging by the YouTube video making the rounds of Radulov accidentally-on-purpose clubbing his KHL coach with his stick.</p><p>Failing Radulov, the biggest wildcard is the injury-plagued Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers, a UFA who has experienced a brutal season. Teams looking to upgrade their skill level could be willing to take a chance on him. Doesn&rsquo;t Hemsky strike you as the kind of guy who would be invisible during a playoff series, then score the game-winning goal in overtime of Game 7?</p><p><b>INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-02

The Wild Card

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011324/9690868-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOSH HARDING</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Y</span>ou might be</b> surprised to hear this, but most of the time, agents aren&rsquo;t much more plugged in than fans and the media when it comes to which players will be dealt on deadline day. That&rsquo;s because unless the player has a no-trade or no-movement clause in his contract, they&rsquo;re not privy to the discussions involving their clients. &ldquo;Just like everyone else, 99 percent of what we hear turns out not to be true,&rdquo; said Craig Oster of Newport Sports Management. Oster was expecting to hear a lot about three of his clients &ndash; Travis Moen of the Canadiens, Josh Harding of the Wild and Kristian Huselius of the Blue Jackets &ndash; all UFAs whose names have been floating around as potential targets to move.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02892/9690861-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="195" height="266"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CRAIG OSTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In fact, Oster said he has met with all three to discuss what to expect as the deadline approaches because even as prepared as players are for the possibility, a trade still represents a significant life change. &ldquo;For Josh it would certainly be a different feeling because he has been with Minnesota his entire career,&rdquo; Oster said. &ldquo;Whereas Travis and Kristian have played for a couple teams and have been through the process of being traded.&rdquo;</p><p>Moen, in fact, was dealt to the San Jose Sharks from the Anaheim Ducks at the deadline three years ago and will be a sought-after commodity this year because of his playoff experience and the fact he will make any team he joins that much more difficult to play against. There seemed to be mixed signals as to whether or not the Canadiens would be willing to deal him. Complicating matters is the Canadiens don&rsquo;t generally negotiate contract extensions during the season, so his long-term status is uncertain.</p><p>Whether Oster finds out about his client&rsquo;s fate the same way everyone else does or beforehand, much more will be clear that day. And if Moen or any of his other UFA clients gets traded, Oster will be ready to spring into action. There are some benefits afforded them through the collective bargaining agreement and while teams acquiring pending UFAs usually aren&rsquo;t interested in negotiating right away, there is a getting-to-know-you process. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re here largely for an orderly transfer of their lives to a new situation,&rdquo; Oster said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

The Agent

<p><b>BRYAN ALLEN, D, CAROLINA</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$2.9 million (UFA)</p><p><b>JEFF CARTER, C, COLUMBUS</b></p><p>Contract: 10 more years @$5.3 million</p><p><b>PAUL GAUSTAD, C, BUFFALO</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$2.3 million (UFA)</p><p>&nbsp;<b>HAL GILL, D, MONTREAL</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$2.3 million (UFA)</p><p><b>JOSH HARDING, G, MINNESOTA</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$750,000 (UFA)</p><p><b>ALES HEMSKY, RW, EDMONTON</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$4.1 million (UFA)</p><p><b>KRISTIAN HUSELIUS, LW, COLUMBUS</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$4.8 million (UFA)</p><p><b>TRAVIS MOEN, LW, MONTREAL</b></p><p> Contract: Final year @$1.5 million (UFA)</p><p><b>DOMINIC MOORE, RW, TAMPA BAY</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$1.1 million (UFA)</p><p><b>EVGENI NABOKOV, G, ISLANDERS</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$570,000 (UFA)*</p><p><b>SAMUEL PAHLSSON, LW, COLUMBUS</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$2.7 million (UFA)</p><p><b>TUOMO RUUTU, RW, CAROLINA</b></p><p> Contract: Final year @$3.8 million (UFA)</p><p><b>JAROSLAV SPACEK, D, CAROLINA</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$3.8 million (UFA)</p><p><b>RYAN SUTER, D, NASHVILLE</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$3.5 million (UFA)</p><p><b>SHEA WEBER, D, NASHVILLE</b></p><p>Contract: Final year @$7.5 million (RFA)</p><p><i>* No-movement clause</i></p><p><b>ALL FEB. 27 @ <a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a> INSTANT TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Pack Your Bags

<div class="byline">WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02965/9690930-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="903" height="1431"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF</b> <span class="photo-credit">(EHRHOFF: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011428/9690937-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>ne of the more intriguing</b> teams to keep an eye on at this year&rsquo;s trade deadline is the Buffalo Sabres, who began the year with high hopes, only to have them all but completely snuffed out by a brutal combination of injuries and underachievement. Because of that, GM Darcy Regier, in concert with new(ish) owner Terry Pegula, theoretically could be at a philosophical crossroads come Feb. 27. Do they (a) chalk up this season&rsquo;s failures to misfortune and what could be one-off, subpar on-ice performances and leave the roster more or less alone; or (b) swear off their combination of core players as one would for bargain-rate booze after a weekend at Burning Man and make wide-ranging, future-shaping alterations?</p><p>If he looks within his division at the Ottawa Senators, Regier almost assuredly will stick with what he&rsquo;s got. If Ottawa tells us anything, it&rsquo;s that the hockey architects who follow through on constant calls to pull out the TNT and blow up a team instead wind up dynamiting their own GM career. Sometimes it&rsquo;s best to effect a sliver of change instead of busting out the sledgehammer and leaving a legacy of rubble.</p><p>That was the dilemma faced by Sens GM Bryan Murray last spring. His team had visions of playoffs dancing in their heads before 2010-11 began. But that dancing went from top-notch choreography in theory to sloppy and awkward white man breakdancing in practice. Their entire defense corps was a place where even Bobby Orr&rsquo;s exemplary plus-124 plus-minus rating would have died a grisly death, their goaltending wasn&rsquo;t good and injuries to captain Daniel Alfredsson and top-line forwards Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek gave them no chance of beating teams with their offense.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03704/9690923-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="788" height="591"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JASON SPEZZA</b></p><p><b>LET&rsquo;S MAKE A DEAL?</b></p><p><b>The Sabres could dynamite their core or keep it intact and hope to rebound next year like Ottawa did.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SPEZZA: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Sometimes just a sliver of change is best</b></blockquote><p>Murray could have traded Spezza, who was foundering under then-coach Cory Clouston, but certainly not for market value. He could have moved veteran blueliner Chris Phillips, but not for much more than a mid-round pick. He could have sent Chris Neil to a team that needed toughness, but not for a very fruitful return, either. He kept each of those players.</p><p>Sure, he did a fair bit of renovating when he dealt centers Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly and agitator Jarkko Ruutu, but Murray resisted total demolition and the Sens are a playoff contender today because of it. Murray counted on the pride of those veterans to turn things around. He knew he&rsquo;d have been dealing his best players from a place of weakness and couldn&rsquo;t accept change for change&rsquo;s sake. And as Spezza told The Hockey News Radio Show in January, it was a wise choice. &ldquo;Seeing guys you&rsquo;ve played with for a long time (be traded), that was tough on us,&rdquo; said Spezza, who had 50 points in 55 games after posting 57 in 62 games last season and 57 in 60 in 2009-10. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re real competitive guys and we felt like we had a terrible season last year and we didn&rsquo;t want to be there again this year. But it helped that Bryan coached the team and knew the room.</p><p>&ldquo;He felt like he had to make changes because we had to get younger and he maybe traded some guys he didn&rsquo;t want to trade, but he quietly believed we had a pretty good nucleus.&rdquo;</p><p>I&rsquo;m not suggesting there aren&rsquo;t circumstances under which a GM should break up his team&rsquo;s core and start from scratch. As I&rsquo;ve argued more than once, I think Calgary has been there for some time with Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff, and Columbus now is there with Rick Nash and&hellip;uh&hellip;well, just Rick Nash.</p><p>But the Sabres don&rsquo;t strike me as that type of team. They&rsquo;ve got a splendid drafting and development system, an owner in Pegula who won&rsquo;t make money an obstacle and enough skill at all positions to be back in the hunt next season. They don&rsquo;t need a full-on, head-to-toe makeover.</p><p>The wrecking ball isn&rsquo;t always about fresh starts. Sometimes it can just leave your roster a wreck.</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU?</p><p>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>

f0032-02

To Tweak Or Turn Over

<div class="byline">BY MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021008/9691006-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICE BERGERON <span class="photo-credit">(BERGERON: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04648/9691020-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="69" height="80"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011447/9691013-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="228" height="169"></div><p><b>If they weren&rsquo;t called to</b>&nbsp;Ottawa for all-star weekend, players invariably sought warm sun and sand during their five-day break.</p><p>Not all of them, though. Patrice Bergeron hit a winter wonderland &ndash; Lake Placid, N.Y. &ndash; and, no, he didn&rsquo;t venture inside Herb Brooks Arena for stretch-run inspiration. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t go in there this time,&rdquo; said the 26-year-old center, who practiced with the Bruins at Lake Placid during a break in last year&rsquo;s first playoff round against the Montreal Canadiens. &ldquo;I wanted more time to take advantage of what&rsquo;s going on there &ndash; some pond skating, some winter activities you don&rsquo;t get a chance to do when you&rsquo;re playing hockey every other day.&rdquo;</p><p>Some would argue that no matter where Bergeron spent the all-star break, he&rsquo;d been left out in the cold by not getting an invitation. He was, after all, scoring at nearly a point a game pace, tied for the scoring lead on the defending Stanley Cup champs and his coleader, second-year NHLer Tyler Seguin, got an invite. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t bother me,&rdquo; Bergeron said. &ldquo;Last year was the ultimate reward, because I got the trophy that everyone wants to get.&rdquo;</p><p>The Bruins&rsquo; first Cup in 39 years wouldn&rsquo;t have been possible without Bergeron&rsquo;s contributions. Although he centered the line assigned to control each opponent&rsquo;s most productive units and missed two games in the East final against Tampa Bay with a minor concussion, Bergeron was second on Boston&rsquo;s post-season scoring list behind David Krejci with six goals and 14 assists (a team high) for 20 points in 23 games.</p><p>He saved his best for the final against Vancouver. He and wingers Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi scored 10 goals and 19 points while limiting the Canucks&rsquo; No. 1 group of Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Alex Burrows to a combined 4-4-8. Bergeron scored two goals in Game 7, including the winner, as the Bruins shut out the Canucks 4-0. &ldquo;He was obviously one of the big reasons we won,&rdquo; Marchand said. &ldquo;Everyone saw it. He really stepped up in the final, especially in Game 7 &ndash; just really took control and led our team.&rdquo;</p><p>Bergeron is doing it again this year. With 46 points through 51 games he was on a 73-point pace, which would be his best offensive output since scoring 73 and 70 in the first two seasons after the lockout.</p><p>His on-ice role hasn&rsquo;t changed, though personnel and situations have. Recchi&rsquo;s retirement meant Bergeron and Marchand had to break in a new right winger in Seguin, who&rsquo;s thrived in the assignment. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said it all year long &ndash; Bergie&rsquo;s the best, most complete player,&rdquo; said Seguin, the NHL&rsquo;s plus-minus leader for much of the campaign. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s definitely a big role model for a young guy, a guy like me.&rdquo;</p><p>Bergeron, who centers a power play unit, kills penalties with Marchand and wins a team-leading 57 percent of his faceoffs, is busy off the ice, too. An alternate captain since 2005-06 (he was only 20 at the time), he has tried to fill some of the leadership void created by Recchi&rsquo;s retirement. &ldquo;He learned a lot from &lsquo;Rex&rsquo; about how to read different aspects of the game and how to be a leader,&rdquo; Marchand said. &ldquo;Bergie&rsquo;s one of the guys you want to follow, because you can count on him every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The Bruins are counting on Bergeron getting overdue Selke Trophy recognition, but like the All-Star Game, that&rsquo;s of little concern to him, too. &ldquo;If things go unnoticed in some ways outside here, it doesn&rsquo;t really bother me &ndash; as long as we continue to get results like we did last year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;With me, it&rsquo;s always team first.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

Busy ‘B’ Takes a Break

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03797/9691051-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="272" height="392"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOE PAVELSKI</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PAVELSKI: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NHL FACEOFF PERCENTAGE LEADERS</b></h2><p><b>J. Pavelski</b></p><p>San Jose</p><p><i>60.8%</i></p><p><b>J. Toews</b></p><p>Chicago</p><p><i>60.3%</i></p><p><b>J. Halpern</b></p><p>Washington</p><p><i>59.7%</i></p><p><b>D. Steckel</b></p><p>Toronto</p><p><i>58.0%</i></p><p><b>M. Malhotra</b></p><p>Vancouver</p><p><i>57.8%</i></p><p><b>P. Bergeron</b></p><p>Boston</p><p><i>57.3%</i></p><p><b>A. Vermette</b></p><p>Columbus</p><p><i>57.1%</i></p><p><b>B. Gordon</b></p><p>Phoenix</p><p><i>56.8%</i></p><p><b>S. Ott</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>56.8%</i></p><p><b>E. Belanger</b></p><p>Edmonton</p><p><i>56.6%</i></p><h2><b>65</b></h2><p><b>Bergeron&rsquo;s career plus-minus, excluding a minus&ndash;28 in 2006-07</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-03

Dot DOMINATORS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011344/9691159-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02956/9691152-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="597" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVID CLARKSON</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>o one expected Devils right winger David Clarkson to turn into Milan Lucic. But that&rsquo;s the comparison being made with Clarkson, who&rsquo;s on pace for 32 goals after scoring just 12 in 2010-11, while playing his familiar style of in-your-face hockey. &ldquo;I felt he could be a better player than how he played last year,&rdquo; said coach Pete DeBoer. &ldquo;He needed to go out and prove it. I provided him an opportunity to do that and, to his credit, he&rsquo;s done it.&rdquo;</p><p>Clarkson admits scoring 20 goals in the NHL for the first time is satisfying. He credits DeBoer, who coached him in junior with Kitchener, as well as a different view of life, as two keys. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing a lot more,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been through quite a bit with him over the years and I have a lot of respect for him.&rdquo;</p><p>He also credits his 11-month-old daughter, McKinnley Madison. &ldquo;In a funny way that does help,&rdquo; Clarkson said. &ldquo;When you have a bad game you go home and hold her and nothing else matters. She&rsquo;s laughing no matter what happens.&rdquo;</p><p>One measure of the Toronto native&rsquo;s rise in value is that DeBoer has spoken to him about staying out of meaningless fights. &ldquo;He knows that line has moved from where it was early in his career,&rdquo; DeBoer said. &ldquo;You look at the Lucics of the world &ndash; and that&rsquo;s probably the best comparable, or Todd Bertuzzi&hellip;Those guys that combine the physical power forward game with the fact that they&rsquo;ll drop the gloves and fight with anybody are hard to find.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03793/9691145-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04652/9691138-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CLARKSON+KOVALCHUK+TORTORELLA+MALKIN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s no surprise that <b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> handled Brayden Schenn of the Flyers so easily when the two squared off in early February, tossing Schenn around before dropping him with a right hand. According to <a href="http://hockeyfights.com">hockeyfights.com</a>, Kovalchuk has been in nine fights during his NHL career and hasn&rsquo;t lost one of them, recording six victories and three draws.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05555/9691131-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06501/9691124-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NIELSEN: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Center <b>Frans Nielsen</b> came off the trade market and earned an enormous raise when he signed a four-year extension worth $11 million on the on the $525,000 he earning this season. But with a new average salary of $2.75 million he has a long way to go to be Denmark&rsquo;s highest paid athlete. Soccer player Daniel Agger of Liverpool earns $4.5 million a year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07429/9691117-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08370/9691110-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Don&rsquo;t look now, but <b>John Tortorella&rsquo;s</b> Rangers were on pace to break the franchise record for points in a season. With 31 games remaining, the Rangers were on target for 114 points, two more than the franchise-best 112 they earned when they won the Stanley Cup in 1994. As a point of reference, the Rangers played 84 games that season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09320/9691103-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10277/9691096-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="306" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PRONGER: TRAVIS GOLBY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Despite <b>Chris Pronger</b> having seen his last hockey for the remainder of the season, and possibly his career, due to concussion issues, the Flyers don&rsquo;t feel any need to replace him as captain. Philadelphia is comfortable with their leadership group that consists of alternate captains Daniel Briere, Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11236/9691089-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12205/9691082-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="305" height="507"></div><p>If <b>Evgeni Malkin</b> does come out ahead in the Hart Trophy race, which he is currently leading, it will be due in part to the vast improvement he has made in shootouts. His spin-o-rama goal against Carey Price of Montreal in early February gave him seven goals on nine shots. That matched the total he had for his career on 29 shots coming into 2011-12.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Clarkson’s Comparable

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011348/9691267-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02915/9691260-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="597" height="685"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI</b><span class="photo-credit">(GRABOVSKI+PAILLE+SCHENN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>o take a wild guess, Mikhail Grabovski has never seen <i>Groundhog Day</i>. If he had, he&rsquo;d appreciate the parallel between his hot streaks and Bill Murray&rsquo;s misery: They repeat themselves again and again nearing the time of year when a famously agoraphobic rodent may or may not show his face. But whereas Murray lived the same thing every day, Grabovski experiences it every year. He starts slowly, but the colder it gets outside, the hotter he gets inside NHL arenas.</p><p>Grabovski had no goals in October before exploding for 15 goals in 25 games in December and January last season. It&rsquo;s the same story in 2011-12. He had one point in his first five games and 11 in his first 20, but 26 points in his next 26 games through early February. &ldquo;He struggled for a bit early in the season,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s been playing really well for months now.&rdquo;</p><p>So what changes for Grabovski partway through a season? &ldquo;I just keep everything simple and work hard like I usually work,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I do what I do best on the ice &ndash; I use my speed and concentrate more around the goal.&rdquo;</p><p>Linemates help, too. His wingers, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur, came to life in the New Year. &ldquo;My partners are playing really well and that helps me score goals,&rdquo; Grabovski said. &ldquo;And having more experience now helps. I know in the start it&rsquo;s harder to score all the time, but in the middle of the season everything&rsquo;s working.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03756/9691253-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04603/9691246-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Boston&rsquo;s fourth line of <b>Daniel Paille</b>, Gregory Campbell and Shawn Thornton are all UFAs this summer and could be in line for similar paydays, as their stats mirror each other. The trio had five to seven assists and 10-13 points each through early February. Paille (27) and Campbell (28) are fewer than four months apart in age. Thornton is 34.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05510/9691239-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06451/9691232-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="306" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RUFF: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Coach <b>Lindy Ruff</b> collided with D-man Jordan Leopold in practice Feb. 6 and broke three ribs. When the 52-year-old was an NHLer, he was no ironman: in 12 seasons, he played more than 65 games only twice. The most he ever played was 81 &ndash; and that came in his final season as a player (1992-93) and his lone year with the IHL&rsquo;s San Diego Gulls.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07380/9691225-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08324/9691218-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="305" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GOMEZ: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When <b>Scott Gomez</b> scored Feb. 9 it had been more than a calendar year since his last tally (Feb. 5, 2010). A big reason: he&rsquo;s had far fewer scoring chances. After netting 16 goals on 271 shots in his last year as a Ranger, Gomez had 12 on 180 shots his first year in Montreal. Last year he had seven on 157 shots. This season, he had just 44 shots in 25 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09277/9691211-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10246/9691204-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TURRIS: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Since his trade from Phoenix in December, <b>Kyle Turris</b> has shown the Sens were wise to gamble on him. The 22-year-old had nine assists and 14 points in 20 games, putting him on track for 26 points in 54 games. He had a career-best 25 points last season in 65 games. He was plus-9 with Ottawa after going minus-22 in 137 games as a Coyote.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11225/9691197-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12209/9691190-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="305" height="508"></div><p>The Leafs&rsquo; penalty kill, the NHL&rsquo;s worst early in the season, was perfect through 16 games in 2012, killing all 24 opposition power plays. One reason might be the reduced role for <b>Luke Schenn</b>. Last year, he led all Leafs with 2:44 shorthanded minutes per game. This year, he&rsquo;s ninth on the team at 1:26. Carl Gunnarsson (2:46) is the top workhorse.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

Grabbo The Groundhog

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011202/9691375-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02845/9691368-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="598" height="682"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRETT CONNOLLY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CONNOLLY: MITCHELL LAYTON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ife in the NHL has had its share of ups and downs for Brett Connolly. Since returning from the world juniors, Tampa&rsquo;s rookie right winger has seen his minutes plummet. He also has found his on-ice mistakes front-and-center in coach Guy Boucher&rsquo;s video sessions.</p><p>And as the Feb. 27 trade deadline approached, which also is the deadline for sending players back to junior, there were discussions whether Connolly, who played fewer than 10 minutes in nine of 10 games after the WJC, would be better served in the Western League. &ldquo;We said as a staff that if we&rsquo;re going to take him back after Team Canada, that he&rsquo;d fit wherever he deserved to fit at that moment,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a young kid anymore.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve taken a lot of time with him, probably more than any other guy. It&rsquo;s a question, now, of his willingness to focus on the small details to become a complete professional.&rdquo;</p><p>Connolly, 19, had four goals and eight points through 38 games and averaged 11:20 of ice time. But he was pointless in his last 16 games and played a season-low 5:40 Jan. 31 against the Capitals.</p><p>No surprise, then, that Connolly, who Boucher said can be &ldquo;surprised&rdquo; defensively, has shown up so much on video. &ldquo;He let me off the hook a little bit at the start of the year,&rdquo; Connolly said. &ldquo;But I found out when I got back that&rsquo;s not going to be the case anymore. It&rsquo;s a teaching tool. You&rsquo;ve got to watch what you&rsquo;re doing on the ice.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03680/9691361-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04583/9691354-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FAULK+OVECHKIN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s a long shot, but <b>Justin Faulk</b> is making a case for back-to-back Carolina Calder winners. The NHL rookie leader in ice time, Faulk&rsquo;s game has been budding with confidence. He only has 12 points and a minus-9 rating in 38 games, but Faulk, who won an NCAA title with Minnesota-Duluth in 2011, has earned the confidence of coach Kirk Muller.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05527/9691347-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06468/9691340-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERGENHEIM+NOEL: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Remember Fernando Pisani&rsquo;s great playoff with Edmonton in 2005-06? <b>Sean Bergen</b><b>heim</b> is proving his nine-goal, 11-point post-season run with Tampa Bay last season may be a similar flash in the pan. It took Bergenheim twice as many games to reach those totals this year. The Finn&rsquo;s 20-point pace has him on track for his worst full-season NHL total.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07401/9691333-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08313/9691326-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LECAVALIER: LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Superstitions are common in the sporting world and the Tampa Bay Lightning have their own fair share of traditions. <b>Vincent Lecavalier</b> eats two chicken breasts with beans and rice on game day, Bruno Gervais listens to The Offspring, while Martin St-Louis puts four pieces of gum in his locker and always wears the same blue shirt under his equipment.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09257/9691319-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10217/9691312-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="305" height="500"></div><p>Much has been made of <b>Alex Ovechkin&rsquo;s</b> subpar season, but amidst all the disappointment came a milestone. In a 4-3 OT loss to Pittsburgh Jan. 22, Ovechkin scored his 20th goal. With the marker he became the 43rd player all-time to reach the mark in each of his first seven seasons. Only three others are active: Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne and Ilya Kovalchuk.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11181/9691305-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12157/9691298-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Coach <b>Claude Noel</b> commonly refers to the turnovers offered up by his defensemen as &ldquo;free pizzas,&rdquo; so it was ironic to see his wife, Lynda, involved in a certain marketing promotion during a home game. She was caught by the video scoreboard passing out free slices to lucky fans seated in her section. Better her doing it than D-man free pizza leader Zach Bogosian.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Less Rope For Connolly

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011198/9691552-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02799/9691545-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="597" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HENRIK ZETTERBERG</b><span class="photo-credit">(ZETTERBERG+MORRISON+PROSPAL+STEEN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>enrik Zetterberg is the first to admit things haven&rsquo;t gone his way in 2011-12. &ldquo;I will say the start was bad,&rdquo; said the Red Wings center, who had three goals and seven points in his first 18 games.</p><p>Zetterberg, 31, is headed for his worst season in terms of scoring since before the lockout. At the all-star break, he was on pace for just 15 goals and 57 points, well short of his career-high 43 goals and 92 points in 2007-08. He&rsquo;d garnered at least 23 goals each of his previous six seasons and last year led the team with 80 points in 80 games.</p><p>Especially disconcerting is Zetterberg&rsquo;s performance on the power play, where he&rsquo;s tallied a single goal. Even he&rsquo;s puzzled by that development. &ldquo;Of course you wish it would go a little better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing you can do about it except just work a little harder and hopefully it will turn around.&rdquo;</p><p>Injuries, including a chronic back problem, have hindered Zetterberg at times during recent seasons, though he&rsquo;s generally played through the discomfort. Wings coach Mike Babcock believes people shouldn&rsquo;t judge Zetterberg solely on offensive numbers and doesn&rsquo;t think his overall game is slipping. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s actually played really competitively,&rdquo; Babcock said, &ldquo;especially this last while.&rdquo;</p><p>As for his offensive struggles, Zetterberg is convinced he&rsquo;s turned that corner. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been better the last 20 games, so hopefully, I can have a good finish here and a good playoffs,&rdquo; he said.</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03630/9691538-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04528/9691531-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Chicago&rsquo;s losing streak hit six games in early February and its struggling offense was partly to blame. Center <b>Brendan Morrison</b> was acquired from Calgary Jan. 27 to boost secondary scoring, but went pointless over his first four games. Maybe coach Joel Quenneville wasn&rsquo;t using him enough: Morrison&rsquo;s ice time declined in each successive game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05445/9691524-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06370/9691517-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="306" height="508"></div><p>Not everyone wants out of Columbus. <b>Vinny Prospal</b> signed a one-year, $2.5-million extension with a no-trade clause, happy he and his family didn&rsquo;t have to move anywhere. He just turned 37 and has played for seven NHL teams during his 1,000-plus-game career. He reportedly has a gentleman&rsquo;s agreement to stay with the organization after he retires.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07323/9691510-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08274/9691503-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HOLMSTROM: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Tomas Holmstrom&rsquo;s</b> career is winding down and various nicks have knocked him from Detroit&rsquo;s lineup, but the 39-year-old still does what he does best. Of his eight goals, seven came on the PP. Johan Franzen (11) was the only Wing to score more with the man advantage. Holmstrom&rsquo;s 119 career PP goals ranks 12th among active NHLers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09222/9691496-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10191/9691489-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(YIP: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brandon Yip</b> didn&rsquo;t fit in with the Avs, who waived him after he went pointless in 10 games, but he made a quick impact in Music City. He fought Chicago&rsquo;s Steve Montador in his second game as a Pred, had two points versus Minnesota in his third and threw four hits against St. Louis in his fourth. Nashville was 4-0-1 in five games with Yip on board.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11168/9691482-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12152/9691475-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="305" height="508"></div><p>Two of the best possible upgrades for the offense-starved Blues leading up to the trade deadline had already played for them. <b>Alex Steen</b> and Andy McDonald (concussions) were skating again, but neither was cleared to play. Steen and Mc-Donald were respectively third and fourth in Blues scoring last season, combining for 40 goals and 101 points.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

This Wing’s Not Wheelin’

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02576/9691660-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01902/9691653-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="597" height="688"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE CAMMALLERI</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CAMMALLERI+GAGNER: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>ichael Cammalleri receives the big reminder every time he looks at his daughter Chloe: Hockey is important, but not as much as his six-month-old daughter. It&rsquo;s that sight that helps the Flames winger through the tough days that come amongst the highs and lows of a NHL season.</p><p>Of course, Cammalleri also believes his daughter provides some extra on-ice motivation. &ldquo;Sure, she doesn&rsquo;t care if I don&rsquo;t score a goal or win a game, but at the same time, you want your children to be proud of you,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not that it means scoring or winning, but you want to set an example for your children as well to reach their potential. It adds responsibility for me to do my job in a way that&rsquo;s exemplary for her.&rdquo;</p><p>Cammalleri has seen big changes recently, both on and off the ice. Season 3 of his five-year, $30-million contract with the Montreal Canadiens started with high hopes and expectations he&rsquo;d continue to be the offensive standout he was during the 2010 and 2011 playoffs. Instead, while the Habs floundered, Cammalleri struggled and he wondered aloud about the team&rsquo;s losing attitude.</p><p>After the trade to Calgary, where he set career highs with 39 goals and 82 points in &rsquo;08-09 (the last time the Flames made the playoffs), he&rsquo;s feeling  rejuvenated and looking to regain the form he had in the city he didn&rsquo;t want to leave in the first place. &ldquo;When I got here, I never thought I&rsquo;d leave,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My family enjoys it here and I love being here.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03446/9691646-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04359/9691639-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="305" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: BRAD WATSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Derek Smith&rsquo;s</b> new two-year one-way contract will surely take away the &ldquo;journeyman&rdquo; label that comes before his defenseman designation. The 27-year-old career minor-leaguer was a hit in 32 games with the Flames before an ankle sprain sidelined him until late February. Smith was second in scoring among D-men on the team at the time he got injured.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05304/9691632-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06266/9691625-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="305" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(O&rsquo;REILLY+LUONGO: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It will be a turtle race of a finish to see who wins Colorado&rsquo;s scoring derby. With one third of the season left, <b>Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly</b> led with 14 goals followed by Paul Stastny at 13 and Milan Hejduk, Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones at 12 apiece. It&rsquo;s bound to be a franchise low whoever wins. The lowest leader was Joe Sakic with 26 in 2001-02.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07231/9691618-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08199/9691611-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="305" height="506"></div><p>A stir was caused following <b>Sam Gagner&rsquo;s</b> eight-point game when, in a <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> column, Ken Campbell correctly pointed out Gagner didn&rsquo;t deserve an assist on one goal when two Blackhawks touched the puck prior to Ryan Whitney scoring. The official scorer had an opportunity to correct the phantom point in the game report, but didn&rsquo;t, so it stands.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09148/9691604-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10134/9691597-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHRISTENSEN: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Badly in need of skill with three offensive forwards sidelined, the Wild picked up <b>Erik Chris</b><b>tensen</b> from the Rangers for Casey Wellman. Christensen is at his best as a second or third-line center, but has good faceoff skills and excellent credentials in the shootout. His 24 career shootout goals are ninth in NHL history. The Wild had lost five of six shootouts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11118/9691590-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12107/9691583-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="306" height="508"></div><p><b>Roberto</b>&nbsp;<b>Luongo</b> is on pace to play 53 games, his fewest in one season since he was a rookie with Florida in 2000-01. And that includes the 2008-09 season when he missed seven weeks with a groin injury. Luongo has played well and boasts solid stats, but the play of counterpart Cory Schneider has prompted a reduced workload.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

Cammy’s Cradle

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ERIC STEPHENS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01781/9691768-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02510/9691761-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="597" height="712"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LUCA SBISA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SBISA+BELESKEY+SOURAY+PENNER: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>uca Sbisa is a key part of the Anaheim Ducks&rsquo; present and future. And a four-year contract extension worth $8.7 million, signed last spring, is Exhibit A of the club&rsquo;s commitment to him.</p><p>Only 22, Sbisa is developing into a well-rounded defenseman who has already put up career-best numbers in his fourth NHL season. He has also been a critical piece for Switzerland in international play, including the 2010 Winter Olympics.</p><p>But when it comes to Swiss athletic stars, Sbisa is no match for his favorite athlete outside of hockey, Roger Federer. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had the chance to meet him, which I would love to do someday,&rdquo; said Sbisa, who is Swiss but was born in Italy. &ldquo;It kind of sounds cheesy to be on the bandwagon. Obviously he&rsquo;s Swiss and I&rsquo;m Swiss, so you root for him.&rdquo;</p><p>Switzerland is starting to produce its share of talented NHL players and Sbisa is one of them, along with Ducks teammate Jonas Hiller and New York Islanders defenseman Mark Streit. But the small country is only now starting to make a real impact in hockey, at least on an international scale. Federer is still the standard when it comes to popularity and marketing appeal in his homeland.</p><p>A tennis aficionado who plays some in the summer, Sbisa wants to attend one of Federer&rsquo;s matches and meet him. &ldquo;In Switzerland, every thing is quiet and conservative,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But he is the only one. He&rsquo;s big. He&rsquo;s everywhere.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03415/9691754-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="684" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04359/9691747-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="305" height="508"></div><p>No player benefitted more from the installation of Bruce Boudreau behind the bench than <b>Matt Beleskey.</b> The third-year winger had no points in 19 games under Randy Carlyle and was even waived, but he has flourished since. Beleskey, 23, went on a three-game points streak right after Boudreau&rsquo;s hiring and had 12 points in 26 matches.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05325/9691740-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06282/9691733-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="305" height="509"></div><p>With his big shot and veteran presence, <b>Sheldon Souray</b> brought a good deal to Dallas and now he&rsquo;s adding to the pot. T-shirts featuring the 6-foot-4, 237-pounder&rsquo;s nickname, &lsquo;Studly Wonderbomb&rsquo; are now for sale online, with proceeds going in part to the Stollery&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Hospital in Souray&rsquo;s home province of Alberta. Nice assist.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07242/9691726-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08188/9691719-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="305" height="508"></div><p>There have been many good jokes revolving around <b>Dustin Penner</b> in recent years, but at least he&rsquo;s in on the latest one. After the big winger revealed he had tweaked his back while sitting down to eat some of his wife&rsquo;s pancakes, the story went viral. But Penner made the best of it: He put together a fundraiser for the Kings Care Foundation at a local IHOP.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09139/9691712-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10112/9691705-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROENICK: JACOB ANDRZEJCZAK/GETTY IMAGES FOR NHL)</span></figcaption></div><p>With his recent induction to the Coyotes&rsquo; ring of honor, <b>Jeremy Roenick</b> will be a permanent part of the fan experience in Phoenix. But there&rsquo;s a chance the affable ex-right winger will double down in the desert, as reports are surfacing that the outspoken American is in talks to join a potential ownership group led by Greg Jamison, the ex-Sharks executive.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1192/9691698-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1277/9691691-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="305" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HANDZUS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Talk about depth down the middle. The Sharks had four players with faceoff win percentages greater than 51 percent in <b>Michal Handzus</b>, Joe Thornton, Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski, who also plays wing. On top of the acumen on draws, the four had been remarkably healthy through 51 games. Handzus had missed one and that was it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Sbisa Stargazes

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01829/9691806-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LIKE &lsquo;LOOCH&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>Buffalo hopes Zack Kassian turns out like a certain big-bodied Bruin.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(KASSIAN: MICHELINE VELUVOLU/ROCHESTER AMERICANS)</span></figcaption></div><p>A<b>s Zack Kassian</b> overpowered opponents in the Ontario League, scouts saw a lot of Milan Lucic in his game.</p><p>He was big, strong and sometimes played right on the edge of recklessness.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02534/9691799-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="155" height="106"></div><p>The Buffalo Sabres needed a power forward who could dominate on the wall, so those characteristics appealed to them. They drafted him 13th overall in 2009.</p><p>Kassian, however, hasn&rsquo;t been that runaway locomotive on the ice with the Rochester Americans. But that&rsquo;s not necessarily a bad thing for the rookie right winger. The organization wants to see him establish a physical presence on the boards and a willingness to bull his way to the net, but they don&rsquo;t want an out-of-control ogre. Nor is that the way the 6-foot-3, 228-pound Kassian wants to play. &ldquo;I learned my lesson in junior hockey by taking a 20-game suspension and a 10-game suspension,&rdquo; Kassian said. &ldquo;When you have 10 or so fighting majors you get labelled as aggressive or as someone who looks for it. Buffalo doesn&rsquo;t want to see me going around fighting all the time. I have to be physical with hits, but I can&rsquo;t go looking for it.&rdquo;</p><p>In 19 games with Buffalo, Kassian had three goals and six points, though he had just one assist over his last 13. In the AHL, he&rsquo;s been entrenched as top-six forward for the Americans and much more a scorer than bruiser. He had 13 goals and 24 points in 29 games. Only AHL vet Derek Whitmore had scored more goals for the Amerks (17 in 47 games). Kassian&rsquo;s performance earned him a spot at the AHL All-Star Classic as the replacement for recalled defenseman Brayden McNabb.</p><p>To become a full-time NHLer, there can&rsquo;t be peaks and valleys in his game. The Sabres want to see the same player night after night &ndash; a beast in the corners and in front of the net, but also someone who is efficient in his own end.</p><p>They don&rsquo;t care if he fights, but they do want to see him banging defensemen off pucks or dissuading them from engaging him on the wall. He knows the Sabres want him to making a living in the &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; areas of the ice and to find or create loose pucks in front of the net. &ldquo;Overall he has to be more assertive,&rdquo; said Americans coach Ron Rolston. &ldquo;He turns it on and off. His last game in Buffalo (Feb. 1 vs. the New York Rangers) he played real physical. He has the ability to do it game-in and game-out and that is the challenge.&rdquo;</p><p>One way Kassian differs from Lucic is his puck skills. He has good hands, his skating has improved and he has produced offense in the AHL, so Rolston can understand if there is a bit of confusion. He can forgive Kassian if the rookie is thinking his scoring is helping the team. Maybe this is the way he should be playing. &ldquo;He had so much success early here, but as he moves up to Buffalo it won&rsquo;t be as easy to score,&rdquo; Rolston said. &ldquo;Which is the challenge. If you&rsquo;re able to have success playing a certain way, it&rsquo;s not easy to want to change. That&rsquo;s really a challenge for all the players.&rdquo;</p><p>Considering how the season began, Kassian is OK with his progress. In 2010, there was little doubt he would return to the OHL&rsquo;s Windsor Spitfires, but he was very impressive in training camp.</p><p>This year, as he turned pro, he was mostly ineffective trying make the big club. &ldquo;In training camp I wasn&rsquo;t the player I could be,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I put a lot of pressure on myself to make an impact and it started to effect me.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a lot of what this game is. Who can mentally be the strongest night after night.&rdquo;</p><p>In Kassian&rsquo;s case, it&rsquo;s also who can be the strongest in the power areas of the ice.</p><h2><b>13</b></h2><p><b>Zack Kassian&rsquo;s overall rank in the upcoming THN Future Watch. In 2011 he was No. 14</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

Organized Chaos

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01810/9691844-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOM WILSON&rsquo;S WAR</b></p><p><b>The Plymouth power forward led the team with 122 PIM through 41 games.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(WILSON: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span><b>he Canadian</b> League&rsquo;s Top Prospects Game always seemed to have at least one pivotal fight in recent seasons, from Dylan McIlrath&rsquo;s big statement in 2010 to the Duncan Siemens-David Musil showdown last season. This year, one of the big scraps came between Saskatoon&rsquo;s Dalton Thrower and Plymouth power forward Tom Wilson.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02562/9691837-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="155" height="130"></div><p>The two had a spirited tilt and compared war wounds in the penalty box. Wilson held up his hand and mouthed &ldquo;ow,&rdquo; while Thrower pointed to a bump on his head. Wilson later found out he had broken a knuckle on &ldquo;the hard part&rdquo; of Thrower&rsquo;s head, but there were no hard feelings afterwards. &ldquo;He seems like a nice guy,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We shooks hands after the game and said &lsquo;good one.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Wherever Don Cherry is right now, he&rsquo;s getting a little misty-eyed.</p><p>A prototypical power forward for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Whalers, Wilson is a rarity these days in that he grew up in Toronto proper, at the midtown epicenter of Yonge and Eglinton. &ldquo;The local rink was two minutes away,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was great to have the whole city there for you, plus the competition of the (Greater Toronto League).&rdquo;</p><p>And lest you think the big city is a corruptible force, the Whalers couldn&rsquo;t be happier with their Hogtown import. &ldquo;Character is the No. 1 thing about Tom Wilson,&rdquo; said coach-GM Mike Vellucci. &ldquo;I think he has a 3.8, 3.9 GPA in high school and the way he conducts himself&hellip;He&rsquo;s someone I&rsquo;d be proud to call my son. He&rsquo;s just a very mature individual.&rdquo;</p><p>Limited to 28 games last year due to a wrist injury sustained at the under-17s, Wilson was going full-bore and contributing in many different facets of the game until the disintegrated knuckle put him on the shelf for a couple weeks. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most unselfish players I&rsquo;ve had,&rdquo; Vellucci said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not worried about points, he&rsquo;s worried about wins and losses. It might be a big hit, it might be a fight or a blocked shot, but he wants to win.&rdquo;</p><p>Playing on a line with New York Rangers first-rounder J.T. Miller, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Wilson has a perfect role model for his burgeoning game. &ldquo;In practice I watch him a lot,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the best at puck protection and he&rsquo;s given me pointers on how to shake guys off.&rdquo;</p><p>Mitchell Heard, who got a tryout with the Maple Leafs in the summer, centers the pair and the trio has been gold for Plymouth. &ldquo;All three are great players,&rdquo; Vellucci said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve carried us at times this year.&rdquo;</p><p>Wilson, who got to see the draft live last summer in Minnesota when he visited with fellow Newport Sports clients such as Gianluca Curcuruto of the Soo Greyhounds, will definitely be in the mix this year in Pittsburgh. International Scouting Services had him pegged at 28th overall in January, but it will be interesting to see if he goes higher. Two Whalers went earlier than expected last year (Stefan Noesen and Rickard Rakell were surprise first-rounders) and the team&rsquo;s success means scouts get to see more of the prospects thanks to playoff runs.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an interesting player,&rdquo; said a scout. &ldquo;He has all the attributes of an NHL power forward and his hands and ability to make plays are underrated at this point.&rdquo;</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>

f0043-01

Crosstown Traffic

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03466/9691875-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="457" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRIGORENKO: QUEBEC REMPARTS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO, RW</b></h2><p>Quebec (QMJHL)</p><p><i>Remparts star boasts 6-foot-2, 191-pound frame and great playmaking skill.</i></p><h2><b>2. FILIP FORSBERG, RW</b></h2><p>Leksand (Swe.)</p><p><i>Complete player has usurped Grigorenko on some GMs&rsquo; draft charts.</i></p><h2><b>3. BRENDAN GAUNCE, C</b></h2><p>Belleville (OHL)</p><p><i>Big, intense and skilled, Gaunce is driving to the net more this season.</i></p><h2><b>4. RADEK FAKSA, LW</b></h2><p>Kitchener (OHL)</p><p><i>Still learning how to use his 6-foot-3, 202 pound frame, but scoring lots.</i></p><h2><b>5. TOMAS HERTL, LW</b></h2><p>Slavia Praha (Cze.)</p><p><i>Great hockey mind was a breakout player for Czechs at world juniors</i></p><h2><b>6. NIC KERDILES, C</b></h2><p>U.S. NTDP (USHL)</p><p><i>Cali product has speed and excellent puck protection ability.</i></p><h2><b>7. ZEMGUS GIRGENSONS, C</b></h2><p>Dubuque (USHL)</p><p><i>Latvian leveller was a workhorse at WJC and puts up points locally.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-03

Big Moves

<div class="byline">BY ROBIN SHORT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01707/9691906-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AIR JORDAN</b></p><p><b>Jordan Caron has been recalled to Boston from Providence six times this season alone.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CARON: PROVIDENCE BRUINS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span><b>e spent only</b> a year or two working the family farm before heading out West to play hockey, but it appears the farming mentality &ndash; good, honest, hard-working &ndash; has been ingrained in Boston Bruins prospect Jordan Caron. &ldquo;I was only 12 or 13 when he bought the farm,&rdquo; recalls the Bruins&rsquo; 21-year-old right winger of his father, Raymond, &ldquo;and I was gone to Saskatchewan (to the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) at 14. But my sisters and I, we were put to work. I suppose I&rsquo;ve always been big and strong.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02451/9691913-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="125" height="125"></div><p>Caron, from little Sayabec, Que., about three-and-a-half hours northeast of Quebec City, has parlayed that size and strength &ndash; not to mention an exceptional work ethic &ndash; into a burgeoning NHL career. Selected 25th overall in the 2009 NHL draft, Caron has already punched in more than 40 NHL games with the Bruins while appearing in close to 70 American League contests with the Providence Bruins, where he&rsquo;s learned the pro ropes.</p><p>The strapping 6-foot-3, 205-pound Caron won&rsquo;t be mistaken for Boston teammate Tyler Seguin when it comes to scoring stats. Rather, Caron is a player who will earn his living like his dad &ndash; the reliable, hard-working way. &ldquo;Hockey&rsquo;s a man&rsquo;s game,&rdquo; said Providence coach Bruce Cassidy. &ldquo;In junior, you&rsquo;re a bunch of boys. Being harder on the puck is an overused term, but that&rsquo;s hockey. You have to have the strength to win battles in tight spaces and have the explosiveness to get out of those areas and make something happen.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been coaching for a while and I find with the younger guys, they just don&rsquo;t understand how strong you have to be on the puck. It&rsquo;s not about finishing a 2-on-1, or whatever. Everybody has talent or they wouldn&rsquo;t be here. It&rsquo;s about how strong you are on pucks that separates guys.</p><p>The way Cassidy sees it, it&rsquo;s Caron&rsquo;s responsible all-around play that earned him multiple promotions. &ldquo;Jordan will be a guy who makes his living protecting pucks,&rdquo; Cassidy said. &ldquo;He does a good job on the wall and he&rsquo;ll finish his checks. He&rsquo;s a very reliable two-way player, and I think that&rsquo;s what enamored him to Claude (Julien) up in Boston at such a young age.&rdquo;</p><p>A 2010 silver medalist on Canada&rsquo;s world junior team, Caron played four years in the Quebec League with the Rimouski Oceanic, splitting his final season between Rimouski and the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He was limited to 43 games that season after breaking his collarbone at Canada&rsquo;s summer evaluation camp when Edmonton Oilers prospect Colten Teubert hammered him at center ice with a clean hit.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Despite missing most of the first half of the season, Caron showed enough to junior officials to win a roster spot on Canada. &ldquo;I suppose everybody who plays pro hockey is tough &ndash; able to take a pounding,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Being able to play hard, play through pain is something I pride myself on.&rdquo;</p><p>When Caron turned pro last season, Cassidy acknowledged Caron had some confidence issues &ndash; not uncommon with first-year pros. It didn&rsquo;t help that the team he was trying to make happened to be the reigning Stanley Cup champions. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s young and young guys trying to work their way into a championship lineup are probably going to be looking around instead of just playing,&rdquo; Cassidy said. &ldquo;But he is the type of player who is a student of the game. When he makes a mistake, he wants to know about it and he wants to get better, wants to learn. That&rsquo;s part of his personality.&rdquo;</p><p>Caron sees ups and downs about trying to get a foot in the door with the Bruins. &ldquo;To be in Boston right now is very exciting, but this is also a very good team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I think I can play in the NHL. It&rsquo;s a tough lineup to crack, but the more I play, the more I feel I belong.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

Fresh Off The Farm

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1534/9692035-1-eng-US/f0045-152.jpg" title="f0045-15" width="483" height="96"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1346/9692028-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="426" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01619/9692021-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="415" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02413/9692014-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="426" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03348/9692007-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="426" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04303/9692000-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="426" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05263/9691993-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="426" height="576"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06228/9691986-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="426" height="582"></div><p><b>1 YEAR of The Hockey News including Future Watch, Draft Preview and the Yearbook</b></p><p><b>Daily email newsletter FREE</b></p><p><b>Full digital edition FREE</b></p><p><b>NHL team swivel key chain of your choice FREE</b></p><h2><b><i>BONUS:</i></b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07201/9691979-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="334" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08130/9691972-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="334" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0994/9691965-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="334" height="448"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1077/9691958-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="142" height="129"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Find us on Facebook <a href="http://facebook.com/TheHockeyNews">facebook.com/TheHockeyNews</a></b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1163/9691951-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="142" height="129"></div><p><b>Follow us on Twitter @TheHockeyNews</b></p><p><b>VISIT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a> TO SUBSCRIBE NOW!</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1253/9691944-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="158" height="283"></div><p><b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> is now available as a FREE download on mobile devices</b></p><p><b>Download the application today at <a href="http://thn.mobi">thn.mobi</a></b></p><p><b>NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League.</b></p><p><b>NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. &copy;NHL 2011. All Rights Reserved.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-15

YOUR INSIDE EDGE

<div class="byline">BY ALAN BASS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01625/9692066-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HARLEM ICETROTTERS</b></p><p><b>After retiring, Pat Hickey formed a nonprofit program to introduce Harlem to hockey.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(THN ARCHIVES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span><b>hen Pat Hickey</b> was first drafted by the New York Rangers in 1973, he had a choice to make like many other upcoming stars at the time: Take your chances attempting to make an NHL squad at the risk of being sent to the minors, or pocket the easy bucks in the WHA. Hickey chose the latter, mainly due to the fact his employers, the Toronto Toros, were bringing in Frank Mahovlich that year. &ldquo;I thought, &lsquo;If I spent each morning playing with Frank Mahovlich, I&rsquo;ll be a better player,&rsquo;&rdquo; Hickey said. &ldquo;I was fortunate to have some tutors like him.&rdquo;</p><p>Once Hickey decided to make the foray into the NHL, Rangers GM Emile Francis gladly signed him to a deal in 1975. After he drove a U-Haul into Long Beach to settle down, he sauntered over the arena in hopes of making a splash on his first day in camp. When he arrived, Rangers great Rod Gilbert was standing at the door waiting for him. &ldquo;Mr. Hickey, welcome!&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They tell me you&rsquo;re fast.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what they tell me, too,&rdquo; Hickey replied, &ldquo;But I just like to play.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Well how would you like to race me down the ice, from one end down to the other for 100 bucks?&rdquo;</p><p>Hickey quickly accepted, so as not to cause trouble. When they got onto the ice, Hickey blew Gilbert away, beating him pro-foundly down the ice. But when Hickey reached for the $100 bill that the referee was holding, he quickly pulled it away and gave it to Gilbert, who simply said, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s for the privilege of racing me down the ice.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>All you need in life to succeed is a will to try</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Pat Hickey</i></b></blockquote><p>The eventual roommates became very close friends, with Gilbert being a mentor to Hickey in helping him learn the ropes of the NHL and New York.</p><p>After his career ended in 1985 with 404 points in 644 games, Hickey helped found a nonprofit organization, Ice Hockey in Harlem, which introduces inner-city children to hockey to help teach them about academics through the sport.</p><p>After the first year of successful programming, one of their sponsors held a luncheon honoring Hickey and his co-founders. During a bathroom break, an executive entered the washroom and began chatting with Hickey. Just before he left, he said, &ldquo;Hickey, it&rsquo;s guys like you that I just can&rsquo;t stand.&rdquo; When Hickey responded with a puzzled look, the man continued, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s all kinds of guys like you. They come in here to Harlem, pick these kids up and put them on Cloud Nine and then just desert them and they come crashing down to Earth again.&rdquo;</p><p>The man walked out, leaving Hickey alone with his thoughts. &ldquo;I walked back into the lunchroom, got up there and I said, &lsquo;As long as I&rsquo;m alive, I&rsquo;m going to make sure that this program lives on forever,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Hickey, now 59. &ldquo;And it was thanks to that executive who enlightened me. We&rsquo;re now going into our 25th year.</p><p>&ldquo;My message in life was and always has been, &lsquo;All you need in life to succeed is a will to try.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>In addition to his work with IHIH, Hickey serves on the board of the Rangers alumni and works at the Royal Bank of Canada. And although his NHL days are long gone, the former fleet-of-footer has ideas on how to improve today&rsquo;s game, especially when it comes to speed and skating. &ldquo;The one lesson my dad always taught me was, &lsquo;Never turn your back to the puck or to the man. When you go into the boards to the puck, make sure you&rsquo;re accelerating around the bend, like a racecar that goes around the bend at Indianapolis.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Today&rsquo;s game is speed and skating, and you don&rsquo;t go into the boards and stop. When you&rsquo;re driving a car, you break before the curve and you actually accelerate through the curve. Those little techniques could save a lot of injuries and a lot of concussions, while keeping the game the fastest in the world.&rdquo;</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

Bright Lights To Inner City

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04224/9692142-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="614" height="641"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRIAN SUTTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: HHOF)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Blues have one of the most venerable jerseys in the NHL thanks to a fairly consistent color scheme (the red in the 1990s never happened, right?) and logo. What&rsquo;s nice about the Note is little tweaks have kept it modern as time passes.</p><p>The early 1980s incarnation featured some of the most bold striping in Blues history, with gold running down most of the shoulder and arm, only breaking for the number. This sweater also reveals how, curiously, as time has gone on the Blues have gone to ever-darker shades of blue. Now they&rsquo;re nearly navy.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02311/9692135-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="907" height="1171"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BLAST: IMPERIAL OIL-TUROFSKY/HHOF)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03243/9692128-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="136" height="136"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Blast</b> from the <b>Past</b></h2><p>from The Hockey Hall <i>of</i> Fame</p><p><b>Chicago Black Hawks coach Rudy Pilous keeps a vigilant watch during the Original Six era.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

Jersey Hound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01398/9692180-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="282" height="499"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ere&rsquo;s</b>&nbsp;<b>a little something</b> to digest, but it will go down like a swig of cod liver oil if you&rsquo;re a fan of the Edmonton Oilers: There&rsquo;s not a single 20-year-old alive who&rsquo;s seen the Oilers enter a playoff series as the favorite.</p><p>Yup, last time that happened was 1991, when they took on the Minnesota North Stars in the Western Conference final&hellip;and lost. There have been intermittent moments of brilliance from Curtis Joseph and Chris Pronger, but aside from that, it&rsquo;s been a whole lot of mediocrity since then. Actually, describing the Oilers as mediocre would be an extreme case of gilding the lily. In reality, they&rsquo;ve stunk for the better part of the past two decades.</p><p>This season will mark the 12th time in the past 20 years the Oilers will have failed to make the playoffs. Not that they&rsquo;re in any kind of exclusive club, however. The Carolina Hurricanes will turn that particular trick for SHAWN HORCOFF the 14th time, as will the New York Islanders. The Tampa Bay Lightning will have missed 13 since their inauguration in 1992-93, while the Florida Panthers will make it 16 since their first campaign in 1993-94 if they fail to qualify. (How&rsquo;s that salary cap as a means of enforcing parity thing working out, anyway? Oh, never mind.)</p><p>But with the Oilers hoarding wildly talented young players through the draft, it&rsquo;s only a matter of time before this embarrassment of riches puts the team on the goldbrick path to playoff glory, right? (Make sound of needle scratching across record here.) Uh, well, no actually. Years and years (and years) after it began, the Edmonton Oilers rebuild remains very much a long-term project. Don&rsquo;t shoot the messenger, but we&rsquo;re thinking probably another half decade here. It&rsquo;s true Rome wasn&rsquo;t built in a day and Rome didn&rsquo;t even sign Shawn Horcoff to a six-year, $33-million deal.</p><p>The problem with the Oilers is they have one of the most talented and dynamic first lines in the league and part of a second line. After that, it&rsquo;s pretty much table scraps. The key to becoming a consistently contending team in the NHL isn&rsquo;t all that difficult to figure out. You basically need to have depth and talent at all three major positions and the Oilers have major deficiencies in two of them. And as long and painful as it has been for Edmonton, there is simply no quick fix on the horizon.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02294/9692173-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="436" height="723"><figcaption class="caption-body">SHAWN HORCOFF <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>The Oilers have stunk for the better part of two decades</b></blockquote><p>And there are basically two reasons why this is true. The first is the Oilers are woeful on defense as a group. They&rsquo;re pretty soft (with the exception of occasional healthy scratch Andy Sutton), fairly easy to play against and don&rsquo;t create much in the way of offense. They have some decent prospects in the likes of Oscar Klefbom, Martin Marincin, David Musil, Colten Teubert and Alex Plante. History tells us if three of those six turn out to be fulltime, long-term NHLers, the Oilers will be doing well. But even if three or four of them turn out to be studs, the problem is that defensemen develop slower, oftentimes far slower, than forwards do. And it&rsquo;s certainly not uncommon for young defensemen who show promise early to take a step backward. Look at Drew Doughty and Cam Fowler for evidence of that.</p><p>The second reason is harsh, but reality. And that is the Oilers simply cannot surround their young players with quality veterans because, given the choice, unrestricted free agents with simply refuse to sign there. Ryan Smyth came back to the Oilers, but that was an aberration. And the Oilers&rsquo; inability to attract quality veterans ends up hindering them in a couple of ways. It prevents them from filling holes in their roster and augmenting their team and it hurts the development of their young players, who aren&rsquo;t being taught how to win. It&rsquo;s always a concern that prospects who learn how to lose early in their careers grow to accept it too easily as they become veterans.</p><p>The three most recent examples of what the Oilers are trying to accomplish are the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. All three teams parlayed years of consistently finishing near the bottom of the league into young superstar players who carried them to Stanley Cup championships. But the difference between those teams and the Oilers was they were able to fill out their rosters with quality vets who took the heat off the youngsters and also showed them the way. If the Oilers think they&rsquo;re going to get that from the likes of Cam Barker and Eric Belanger, they&rsquo;re kidding themselves.</p><p>So what do they do? Well, they wait and continue to draft high and hope they can keep their group together with a new building and billionaire owner willing to spend to the cap.</p><p>Until then, don&rsquo;t expect things to change appreciably in Oil Country.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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