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 19, 2012

The Hockey News - Mar-19-12

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03734/9697818-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="220" height="406"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>1998-99 SEASON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(VINCENT LAFORET / ALLSPORT)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>2011-12</b></p><p>St. Louis</p><p><i>.713</i></p><p><b>1998-99</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>.695</i></p><p><b>1997-98</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>.665</i></p><p><b>2002-03</b></p><p>Philadelphia</p><p><i>.652</i></p><p><b>2000-01</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>.646</i></p><p><b>1996-97</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>.634</i></p><p><b>1999-00</b></p><p>Dallas</p><p><i>.622</i></p><p><b>2005-06</b></p><p>Philadelphia</p><p><i>.616</i></p><p><b>2003-04</b></p><p>Philadelphia</p><p><i>.616</i></p><p><b>2008-09</b></p><p>Columbus</p><p><i>.561</i></p><h2><b>21</b></h2><p><b>Blues record for consecutive home games with a point, set Dec. 3, 2011 to Feb. 22, 2012</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

HITCH Heros

<div class="byline">Compiled by Jamie Millage</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031143/9696601-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>S THE SINGLE POINT</b> gained for reaching overtime influencing how teams approach games against squads from other conferences? You be the judge. The chance of a game going to overtime is 12 percent higher when it&rsquo;s an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference showdown.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Playing For The Point

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01413/9698520-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="468" height="366"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAPTION: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WINNER</b></h2><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;The next guy who does the spin-o-rama on me gets his head blown clean off.&rdquo;</i><br><b>CLIVE ARCHER, BELLEVILLE, ONT.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Did you send President Obama a ticket? He&rsquo;s in the front row.&rdquo;</i><br><b>STU CONNELLY, FORT ERIE, ONT.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;The most beautiful girls in Ottawa are in this area.&rdquo;</i><br><b>JOCELYN DUMONT, TROIS-RIVIERES, QUE.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Wow, so you finally meet Gary Bettman at the Cup presentation and it turns out he&rsquo;s only this tall?&rdquo;</i><br><b>DAN LEE, OAKVILLE, ONT.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Next time that wascally wabbit Lucic crosses the blueline, I&rsquo;ll shoot him!&rdquo;</i><br><b>JIM DEMPSEY, INVERNESS, QUE.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Check out the hot chick in the second row.&rdquo;</i><br><b>ALEX PAPAS, LAVAL, QUE.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s limbo time, Tim!&rdquo; &ldquo;How low can you go?&rdquo;</i><br><b>MARK SHANNON, NORTH BAY, ONT.</b></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;Did you see that save? How can this guy behind me be sleeping?&rdquo;</i><br><b>JASON OAKES, SUDBURY, ONT.</b></blockquote><p><b>SEE THIS WEEK&rsquo;S CAPTION CONTEST PHOTO ON PAGE 14</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0698/9698513-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="133" height="23"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></div>

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Caption CONTEST

<div class="byline">WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021528/9696763-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="879" height="1111"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011998/9696770-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="187" height="222"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>e all should&rsquo;ve known</b> better than to think Lou Lamoriello would&rsquo;ve allowed the New Jersey Devils to miss the playoffs for more than one year. It&rsquo;s like expecting Hannibal Lecter to go vegan because everyone else seems to be choosing that dietary route. For both the Devils GM and the <i>Silence of the Lambs</i> villain, it simply isn&rsquo;t in their nature to be the hunted and not the hunter.</p><p>When Lamoriello&rsquo;s team missed the post-season last year &ndash; for the first time in 13 seasons &ndash; you&rsquo;d better believe his skin was crawling and he was dealing with fits of insomnia. But here we are, less than a full year after the Devils posted a 38-39-5 record, and New Jersey (after a stumbling start) has charged up the Eastern Conference standings, to the point it was ahead of Pittsburgh and Philly in the race for second in the Atlantic Division.</p><p>In fact, for my money (and granted, there&rsquo;s not a lot of it), the Devils were looking like the league&rsquo;s most dangerous squad as the playoff race bubbled to a boil. If that sounds like quite the reversal of fortune, it is. But when you consider the contributors to New Jersey&rsquo;s recent success, it doesn&rsquo;t seem all that much of a stretch at all.</p><p>Start with Martin Brodeur, arguably the greatest goaltender of his generation. Like a lot of the Devils in 2010-11, the 39-year-old future first-ballot Hall of Famer was not at his best, posting his worst save percentage (.903) since his sophomore season of 1994-95 (.902) and looking like he was ready for retirement. That&rsquo;s likely why his fellow NHLers didn&rsquo;t vote him as one of the league&rsquo;s Top 50 players in THN&rsquo;s current poll. But would you want to count out one of the greatest to ever tend net, especially when he understands his chances at more glory are increasingly limited? Would you put it past Brodeur to reel off a string of dominant showings, the way Dwayne Roloson did in Tampa Bay last spring? I wouldn&rsquo;t.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031113/9696756-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="920" height="900"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>OLD DOG, YOUNG PUP</b></p><p><b>Martin Brodeur and Adam Larsson have been key to the Devils&rsquo; resurgence.</b></p><span class="photo-credit">(BRODEUR: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; LARSSON: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>There&rsquo;s also a sense of desperation emanating from Lamoriello. He&rsquo;ll be 70 in October and if ever there was a lion in winter you didn&rsquo;t want to toy with, it&rsquo;s him. He&rsquo;ll likely be tied to the franchise as long as he lives, but the frenetic pace of a GM&rsquo;s life likely will weigh too heavily on his Hall of Fame-bound shoulders and he&rsquo;ll enter semi-retirement soon enough. He wants nothing more than to do so on the highest of high notes.</p><p>That desperation isn&rsquo;t limited to Brodeur and his long-time boss. Much as was the case with the salary cap-strapped Chicago Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup run of 2009-10, the Devils have the business side of the game hovering over them. For starters, the franchise has been hounded by rumors of bankruptcy most of the year. And during his All-Star Game press conference, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman admitted Devils co-owners Jeffrey Vanderbeek and Ray Chambers were at odds and needed mediation to settle their serious differences, news that&rsquo;s never a good sign for any team (see the Lightning under former owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie). The franchise&rsquo;s monetary difficulties threatened to hamstring Lamoriello&rsquo;s ability to re-sign soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Zach Parise, adding to the feeling this could well be the last year the 27-year-old plays alongside linemates Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>No one will want to face the Devils in the playoffs</b></blockquote><p>But New Jersey&rsquo;s resurgence isn&rsquo;t only about the urgency that has been created by the incessant, impatient foot-tapping of Father Time and tightening financial shackles. The Devils also were fortunate that, thanks to their dismal showing last year, they wound up selecting silky-smooth defenseman Adam Larsson with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 entry draft. To say the least, the franchise&rsquo;s blueline wasn&rsquo;t in great shape after the departures of Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski. However, Larsson has stepped in as a 19-year-old and although he probably won&rsquo;t get more rookie of the year votes than teammate Adam Henrique, the Swede has made a massive impact, leading all Devils defenseman in average time on ice (21:48).</p><p>The Devils still aren&rsquo;t the type of glamorous, overly entertaining group the NHL has in Pittsburgh or Chicago, but they&rsquo;ve never needed gushing gawkers or the hype industry to get to the promised land. They succeed with their dogged focus on &lsquo;D&rsquo; and a force of will that starts at the top. For all kinds of reasons, they&rsquo;re a team no other should want to face in any playoff round.</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>

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Desperate Devils

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY BRUCE BENNETT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012180/9696073-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Presidents Day</b></h2><p><b>Teddy Roosevelt led the pack as giant-headed American historical leaders skated before a Washington game.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0003-01

THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012218/9696118-1-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>efense may win championships,</b> but it gets trounced by offense when it comes to winning imaginations. Even among the warriors who have devoted their lives to winning championships.</p><p>That point was reinforced in our Top 50 Players in the NHL balloting, a vote conducted among 150 big-leaguers <i>(see pg. 18 for cover story)</i>. We asked five players from each of the 30 teams to cast ballots for the best in their business. The parameters were straightforward: pick the guys you&rsquo;d most like on your team, right here, right now, regardless of position. The only stipulation was they couldn&rsquo;t vote for teammates.</p><p>The results were telling, especially for the brave souls who earn their living by trying to prevent opponents from scoring. Of the top 50, 35 are forwards and 15 are goalies and defenseman. That&rsquo;s a 70/30 split in favor of the glam guys. And the first &rsquo;tender, Henrik Lundqvist, doesn&rsquo;t make an appearance until No. 13.</p><p>Drilling down deeper reveals four of the six netminders invited to the NHL All-Star Game &ndash; Carey Price, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Quick and Jimmy Howard &ndash; didn&rsquo;t make the final 50 cut. Ditto for Olympic-gold stoppers Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. And don&rsquo;t strain yourself looking for a classic defensive defenseman. Dan Girardi leads the NHL in time on ice, but he gets zero time on our players&rsquo; list. Other eyebrow-raising &ldquo;omissions&rdquo; include James Neal, John Tavares and Alex Edler.</p><p>It is important to bear in mind, as you peruse the players&rsquo; choices, the voting was conducted over a period of a couple months, stretching back to December. That explains why streaking scorers such as Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and Jason Spezza aren&rsquo;t a tad higher. It also sheds some light on why Alex Ovechkin is still holding firm in the top 10. And, naturally, you need to take that into account for the overwhelming response Sidney Crosby received; many of the votes were cast when it appeared he was back for the long haul or his return was up in the air.</p><p>We&rsquo;ve also included a &ldquo;demographics&rdquo; breakdown for your consideration. That&rsquo;s where we provide data on the Top 50 list by categories such as position, nationality, age and conference.</p><p>Perhaps my favorite result is where the Sedins settled in; Daniel is ninth and Henrik is 11th. And the dude at No. 10 separating them? Zdeno Chara, of course.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021882/9696111-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> APRIL 2, 2012</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><h2><b>LISTEN UP!</b></h2><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/f0004-031517/9696104-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="185" height="71"></div><p><b>SIRIUS 207 IN USA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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NHL Players Goal-Oriented

<h2><b>OVERTIME TO WASTE</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he penalty shot, once the most exciting play in hockey, has grown stale from the amount of shootouts we now see. We need more games ended with real goals and less &ldquo;hot-dogging.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s time to go 3-on-3 for another five minutes after the first overtime. The ice will really open up, speed and skill will take over and you&rsquo;ll have a product more exciting than the shootout. And since fewer games will get to the shootout we can go back to two points for a win and nothing for a loss. Rewarding the losers with a point was always a joke.</b></p><p><b><i>Marco Campanelli, Oceanside, N.Y.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012446/9696194-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="985" height="1156"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PENALTY SHOT: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Fehr Fear</b></h2><p>Why do I get the feeling after reading your Q&A with NHLPA executive director Don Fehr (In The Words of Don, Feb. 13) I will be seeing more hockey on my Xbox 360 than on TV next year?</p><p><i>Stephen Bochenenk, Springville, N.Y.</i></p><h2><b>&lsquo;Brod&rsquo; Assumption</b></h2><p>I was happy to see you pay tribute to the Unsung Heroes (Inside Hockey, March 5). <b>Kyle Brodziak</b> is one of my favorite players (we were both born in St. Paul, Alta.) and he does a lot of gritty hard work for the Minnesota Wild. I do have to point out, however, that the photo featured is not Kyle, but rather Nick Johnson. I hope this irony is not lost on your readers as it certainly wasn&rsquo;t on me.</p><p><i>Michelle Wong, Calgary</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03988/9696187-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="276" height="191"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRODZIAK: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Pointless Is More</b></h2><p>I couldn&rsquo;t agree more with the Feb. 13 Opinion Page. Why is a point awarded to a team that loses? What&rsquo;s next, do what they do in little league and give everyone a trophy just for playing? Geez&hellip;</p><p><i>Leslie Fogarty, St. Louis.</i></p><h2><b>Happy Retirement!</b></h2><p>Want to congratulate Owen Nolan on a fantastic career. Great hockey player and even better brother. Hope you stay involved in the league in some capacity&hellip;I do <i>not</i> want to have to start buying my own equipment now!</p><p><i>Ryan Nolan, Niagara Falls, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Go West, THN</b></h2><p>I just wanted to send a recommendation for this league I&rsquo;ve been watching: It&rsquo;s called&hellip; the Western Conference. Judging by your recent covers, you&rsquo;re not aware it exists.</p><p><i>Patrik Kussman, St. Louis</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021662/9696180-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="458" height="626"></div><h2><b>Spare The Change</b></h2><p>I love your magazine and devour every word, but there comes a point when enough is enough. Each edition you guys argue for ways to change the game, whether it be fighting, rink size and now shot-blocking (Proteau Type, Feb. 20). Why is a 4-2 game better than a 3-2 game? The game is beautiful. Leave it alone.</p><p><i>Michael Ballentine, Scottsdale, Ariz.</i></p><p>Why we are so demanding of hockey when it&rsquo;s already extremely entertaining. We criticize the sport for too many ties, too much defense, not enough scoring, etc. This always puzzles because soccer, supposedly the most popular game in the world, has an abundance of ties, many of them 0-0, and it&rsquo;s a game with crowded midfield play and very few scoring chances. Why are we so consistently hard on our game?</p><p><i>Ian L. Anderson, Cambridge, Ont.</i></p><p>There are few things more exciting than a Game 7, your team up a goal with seconds left and an empty net at the other end&hellip;and a blast by an opposition blueliner is blocked to have your team advance or win the Cup. Seems like a better and more gritty alternative than a penalty, no?</p><p><i>John MacPherson, Halifax, N.S.</i></p><h2><b>@thehockeynews: WHO IS THE NHL&rsquo;S MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER?</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04628/9696173-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="108" height="107"></div><p><b>@riotsurvivor:</b>&nbsp;Brooks Orpik. Anchor of Pens defense, hits like a freight train, but gets no recognition because he doesn&rsquo;t score points.</p><p><b>@clarkleafsfan5:</b>&nbsp;Radim Vrbata. A sniper in the desert with no one to watch him. He gets no credit and is having an excellent season.</p><p><b>@JHGetz:</b>&nbsp;Wayne Simmonds. Full tilt every single shift, a beast in front of the net and has the hands and skill to put up numbers.</p><p><b>@suisundan:</b>&nbsp;Marc Edouard-Vlasic. Consistent, durable (blocks pucks with his face), has a good plus/minus and is a solid defender.</p><p><b>Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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THN INBOX

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012169/9696232-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="483" height="96"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021477/9696225-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="482" height="286"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Pavel Datsyuk 24 %</b></p><p>Sidney Crosby 23 %</p><p>Evgeni Malkin 15 %</p><p>Steven Stamkos 6 %</p><p>Jonathan Toews 5 %</p><p>Henrik Lundqvist 4 %</p><p>Claude Giroux 4 %</p><p>Nicklas Lidstrom 2 %</p><p>Phil Kessel 2 %</p><p>Erik Karlsson 2 %</p><p>Ilya Kovalchuk 2 %</p><p>Others 11%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

POLL RESULTS

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ey Adam. With Henrik Lundqvist being the backbone of the New York Rangers with his otherworldly play, is it possible he&rsquo;ll be a Hart Trophy finalist?</b></p><p><i>Donny Fuchs, Wesley Hills, N.Y.</i></p><p>Hey Donny. Possible? I&rsquo;d say probable. The Rangers have 13 one-goal wins and he had seven shutouts in 42 games. He makes a solid &lsquo;D&rsquo; look better. I&rsquo;d pick Evgeni Malkin right now, but Lundqvist deserves serious consideration.</p><p><b>Adam, what happened to Paul Ranger? He was becoming a good D-man for Tampa. He disappeared and he&rsquo;s only 27.</b></p><p><i>Sam Tiedemann, Waterloo, Ont.</i></p><p>Sam, Ranger&rsquo;s disappearance from hockey in 2009-10 remains a mystery. Lightning officials won&rsquo;t say what happened and though rumors abound as to what personal decision or event made him leave, he&rsquo;s not willing to go public with it. Hopefully he&rsquo;s happy wherever he is.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04591/9696263-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="870" height="807"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>HENRIK LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LUNDQVIST: DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Adam, why are shifts so short? It seems players are on and off every 30-60 seconds. I don&rsquo;t play or skate, so I don&rsquo;t know.</b></p><p><i>John Leach, Little Egg Harbor, N.J.</i></p><p>John, shifts are brief because coaches demand all-out effort at all times, ramping up a pace already quickened by the obstruction crackdown. If players skated at top speed for more than a minute, their performance would weaken drastically, so changes happen more often than ever.</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>

f0007-04

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05512/9696322-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="396" height="111"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>ll hockey players</b> dream of the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, so why is it no one in the East wants the final playoff spot? The Toronto Maple Leafs and several teams from the Southeast Division were all stumbling as the trade deadline approached, muddying the waters down the stretch and putting the key No. 3 seed in the conference &ndash; reserved for the division winner with the least amount of points in the standings &ndash; in play on a nightly basis.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04718/9696315-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="110" height="125"></div><p>For the past couple years, the Washington Capitals cruised to the Southeast title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. But with top center Nicklas Backstrom injured and goaltending flagging, the Caps found themselves in a battle with the resurgent Florida Panthers. &ldquo;As of right now, we know they&rsquo;re the team to be watching,&rdquo; said Caps defenseman Jeff Schultz. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big change. Usually we&rsquo;ve given ourselves a little breathing room. This year it&rsquo;s going to come down to the last 20 games. It&rsquo;s going to be a dogfight.&rdquo;</p><p>Especially since there&rsquo;s a distinct possibility only one team from the Southeast will make it into the dance. Complicating things further was the fact the Winnipeg Jets actually took over the division lead at one point as the Caps and Cats went in the tank. &ldquo;Once our game&rsquo;s over, everyone&rsquo;s checking the scores,&rdquo; Schultz said. &ldquo;Winning puts pressure on the other teams.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021785/9696308-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="642" height="721"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVID STECKEL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(STECKEL: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031265/9696301-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1032" height="923"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TIGHT QUARTERS</b></p><p><b>Jeff Schultz and Shawn Matthias know there&rsquo;s a lack of breathing space in the Southeast.</b></p><span class="photo-credit">(SCHULTZ/MATTHIAS: ELIOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, that&rsquo;s exactly what they weren&rsquo;t doing. For a while, they maintained the eighth seed largely out of the incompetence of their chasers, but the Buds knew that was a dangerous game to play. &ldquo;You have to view it as you&rsquo;re not going to dodge many more bullets that much longer,&rdquo; said Leafs center David Steckel. &ldquo;The season is full of ebbs and flows. The problem is not letting those lulls turn into really bad habits.&rdquo;</p><p>Steckel is one of the few Leafs with recent playoff experience and gained it, ironically, as a member of the Washington Capitals. Although the South-east has never sent more than two teams to the playoffs in any given season, his high-flying squad never took their automatic post-season spot for granted. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do it like that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We always wanted to be at the top of the conference. We wanted to make sure no team thought they could beat us.&rdquo;</p><p>Of course, someone always did beat the Caps in the post-season, often in the early rounds. It&rsquo;s fair to question whether a lack of competition in the Southeast hurts the eventual winner. Schultz disagrees with that and had a rather pragmatic view of the matter. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just as competitive as the other divisions,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Teams from the Southeast get bashed, but it&rsquo;s going to be a tight race and whoever&rsquo;s in is in.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, this has not been a fun season in Washington, where the locals were expected to challenge for a Stanley Cup (at THN, we made the Caps our pre-season pick to win it all), not potentially miss the playoffs altogether. Even a seemingly comical instance like Mathieu Perreault scoring a goal when the puck bounced off his face was dulled by the fact the team lost 5-2 to Ottawa that night. &ldquo;This year goals have been hard to come by,&rdquo; Schultz said. &ldquo;Guys will remember that for him going to the dirty areas.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s true the Sunbelt 5 have minted two Stanley Cup champions in the past decade (Tampa in &rsquo;04, Carolina in &rsquo;06), but the flameouts resonate just as much. Atlanta&rsquo;s only division title came in 2007, when the Thrashers were then swept by the sixth-seeded Rangers at Madison Square Garden. A few years later, defenseman Garnet Exelby recalled the ignonimous feeling: &ldquo;I just wanted to crawl into a hole.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012336/9696294-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="207" height="262"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KARLSSON: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>16</b></h2><p>Seasons since a defenseman finished in the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 in points. Paul Coffey did it in 1994-95. Ottawa&rsquo;s Erik Karlsson sat ninth through late February.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-05

Who Wants To Dance?

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012085/9696353-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021458/9696384-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="235" height="344"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BURROWS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><p><b>BEST ON BEST IN THE WEST</b></p><p><i>Vancouver&rsquo;s</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Alex Burrows</i></b>&nbsp;<i>ends Detroit&rsquo;s amazing 23-game home winning streak with a shootout goal in a clash of Western Conference titans.</i></p><h2><b>&minus;MINUS</b></h2><p><b>BLACK DAYS AT B.U.</b></p><p><i>Red Wings pick Max Nicastro pleads not guilty to rape. He&rsquo;s second the Boston U Terrier (Corey Trivino) arrested for sexual assault this year.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><p><b>CATS AND DOGS IN THE &lsquo;Q&rsquo;</b></p><p><i>Memorial Cup host Shawinigan and rival Saint John engaged in sizzling two-horse race in Quebec League; they meet once more in March.</i></p><h2><b>&minus;MINUS</b></h2><p><b>MONTREAL MARAUDERS</b></p><p><i>P.K. Subban scraps with another teammate in practice, the only place the Habs seem to show fight.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS/MINUS

<div class="byline">BY KEITH YANDLE </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH KEVIN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012309/9696415-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(YANDLE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021690/9696422-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="187" height="241"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he highlight of my</b> youth hockey experience was definitely playing in a tournament up in Canada. We played against a team called the Montreal Vipers that had a bunch of players who are in the NHL now, but we went in there, beat them and won the tournament. It was pretty special to me. I remember my dad telling us how big that was and I remember going back to school the next week and telling all my buddies. It was awesome.</p><p>My father coached me my whole life growing up and I definitely owe a lot to him. He has a great hockey mind, still loves the game and helps out with minor league teams back in Boston. My dad never let us play hockey in the summer. Whether it was baseball, football, lacrosse, whatever, we could play anything but hockey. He just didn&rsquo;t want us to burn out.</p><p>When hockey season came back around, I was hungry and wanted to play even more. I remember being really excited about getting back on the ice, but there was one rink I didn&rsquo;t look forward to playing at. It was called Milton Academy and it was half outdoors with trailers for dressing rooms. It was brutal.</p><p>During the off-season I head back to Massachusetts and play a ton of sports. In the summers I like to golf, play a little tennis and maybe shoot some hoops. As a kid I played a lot of road hockey and always said I was Ray Bourque. Growing up, I was friends with his son, Chris, and I always used to get Ray&rsquo;s old half-broken wooden sticks and use them for street hockey. I was a huge Bruins fan growing up.</p><p>As a kid, I always wanted to be a firefighter because my grandfather was a fireman. I looked up to him big-time. Whenever I was at my grandparents&rsquo; house, I always wore his helmet pretending to put out fires.</p><p>I grew up with an older brother and sister who both played hockey, so as the youngest I usually got stuck with hand-me-down equipment, until one summer when my dad rewarded me with something special. I remember me and my brother painted our house and for a gift my dad got me a new pair of Easton skates &ndash; that was the first time I&rsquo;d gotten a new pair. Money wasn&rsquo;t flying around. Getting that pair of skates was pretty special. I wore them for three or four years. Now I wear skates for three weeks and get rid of them, so it was pretty special.</p><p>I played my first NHL game in 2006-2007 when I was called up mid-season from San Antonio of the American League. My first game was in Detroit. I remember Pavel Datsyuk hopped over the boards on a line change and it wasn&rsquo;t long before he was coming down on me and I was like, &lsquo;Oh boy, here comes an ESPN top-10 goal,&rsquo; but he ended up cutting to the middle and nothing really happened.</p><p><i>Read more Before I Made It features from NHL stars at <a href="http://THN.com/BIMI">THN.com/BIMI</a>.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

Yandle’s Yarn

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; MATT STEPHEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031089/9696453-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="679" height="603"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARK OWUYA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(OWUYA: MIKE IVALL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>oronto has a Swedish</b> goalie/rap star in its system standing tall at 6-foot-2. No, it&rsquo;s not Jonas Gustavsson. Mark Owuya is a 22-year-old netminder who shone in 16 games with the American League&rsquo;s Marlies (2.15 GAA, .924 SP), and a dozen with the ECHL&rsquo;s Reading Royals (2.78 GAA, .929 SP) earlier this season.</p><p>What a lot of people don&rsquo;t know about Owuya is when he was 16, he auditioned for <i>Swedish Idol</i>, a talent-seeking reality show much like its American counter-part. In Owuya&rsquo;s audition, he tried to sing Usher&rsquo;s <i>You Remind Me</i> and display some of his freestyle rap skills. When Owuya is in net, he wears No. 1, but when he takes the stage his moniker is &lsquo;Mark In Da Park.&rsquo; His single <i>The S Song,</i> in recognition of his speech impediment, has lyrics relevant to his hockey career: &ldquo;Many think I&rsquo;m no more than a goalie, told me to stick to the hockey stick, holy!&rdquo;</p><p>When he performed it in 2006, he may have told a different story than he does now. Owuya has transitioned from auditions to tryouts, judges to scouts and he&rsquo;s dropped the mic to strap on the pads. Now Owuya&rsquo;s coming close to an even bigger show: the NHL. He has put distractions behind him, shining in his call-ups to the Marlies and looking to become a full-time NHL goaltender down the road. &ldquo;Music is just a hobby for me now &ndash; hockey is my life,&rdquo; Owuya said. &ldquo;This year I&rsquo;ve just been working hard all the time and I&rsquo;ve learned a lot both mentally and physically.&rdquo;</p><p>In the dressing room, Owuya prefers the sound of silence over a tune to amp him up for the big game, but don&rsquo;t get the wrong idea &ndash; this is no goalie superstition. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about whether you tie your right or left skate first,&rdquo; Owuya said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about what you do on the ice.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

Trapping ‘n’ Rapping

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011931/9696484-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DANNY IN DEMAND</b></p><p><b>Detroit and Tampa Bay are among a long list of teams interested in Danny DeKeyser.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GS PHOTO)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ew Jersey Devils GM</b> Lou Lamoriello likes to tell a story about how he stumbled upon one of the greatest checking centers in franchise history. The way Lamoriello tells it, each time he went to the University of Michigan to check on the progress of Devils prospect Brendan Morrison, another player kept capturing his attention. &ldquo;The more we saw Brendan Morrison,&rdquo; Lamoriello once said, &ldquo;the more we liked John Madden.&rdquo;</p><p>The same phenomenon might be happening at Western Michigan University this season. All year, GMs and scouts have been beating a path to Kalamazoo to watch sophomore defenseman Danny DeKeyser, the crown jewel of the college free agents available. But as they&rsquo;ve been doing that, they&rsquo;ve also noticed the work of his teammate, junior defenseman Matt Tennyson, another free agent who will surely get signed by an NHL team this spring. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny because the two of us give it to each other about it,&rdquo; Tennyson said. &ldquo;After the games we&rsquo;ll joke about it. We&rsquo;ll say things like, &lsquo;So how many people talked to you tonight?&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>DeKeyser is undoubtedly the most sought after prospect among uncommitted collegians. Almost every GM in the league has seen him play and word is the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning will make strong pitches for him once the college season ends. DeKeyser is seen as a more all-around blueliner, while Tennyson has more of an offensive bent to his game.</p><p>The appeal of undrafted free agents is they can immediately deepen a team&rsquo;s prospect pool without costing a draft pick or a roster player in a trade. The success of these players is spotty at best, yet many teams are seduced by the fact they dominate, albeit as older players.</p><p>Take, for example, DeKeyser and Tennyson, who turn 22 in March and April. They&rsquo;re just a few months younger than Luke Schenn of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a player who will have played more than 300 NHL games by the end of this season. &ldquo;Sometimes the contracts these guys sign are the biggest impediment to their success,&rdquo; one scout said. &ldquo;They get so heavily recruited and they can&rsquo;t deliver once they get there.&rdquo;</p><p>But NHL GMs, being what they are, will continue to comb the college ranks looking for them.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

You Gotta Read This

Surprising Seconds

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>AM SCHILLING, D, Miami (CCHA), 30-1-9-10-12:</b> According to scouts, Schilling is a cut below DeKeyser and Tennyson, but the 23-year-old senior defenseman will still be able to help an NHL team because of his age. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s put it this way,&rdquo; a scout said, &ldquo;if you had drafted him and watched him for four years, you&rsquo;d probably want to sign him.&rdquo;</p><p><b>JEREMY</b>&nbsp;<b>WELSH, C, Union (ECAC), 29-19-8-27-39:</b> Welsh is a junior who can score goals and at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, he has the potential to be a decent power forward. &ldquo;I like him,&rdquo; one scout said, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;s not a very good skater.&rdquo;</p><p><b>ADAM MORRISON, G, Vancouver (WHL), 27-11-2, 2.58, .909:</b>&nbsp;Morrison is an early birthday overage player, meaning he turned 21 in February. After seeing limited action during his career with the Saskatoon Blades, he was traded to Vancouver this season and has thrived. He was a third round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009, but was not signed to a contract and is too old to go back into the draft.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

HIDDEN GEMS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JACQUELINE SCHIFANO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ith the passing of</b> Trent Frayne, the sportswriting community has some enormous shoes to fill. The legendary sportswriter succumbed to complications of pneumonia at 93 in his Toronto retirement home in mid-February.</p><p>Frayne helped create heroes of the sports world, manipulating words like sculptors work clay. He described hockey legend Elmer Lach as &ldquo;less polished than persistent, less artistic than artisan, less incomparable than inexorable&rdquo; and Gordie Howe as an advocate of &ldquo;what he called &lsquo;religious hockey&rsquo;; it&rsquo;s better to give than to receive.&rdquo;</p><p>And who else could define Conn Smythe as a &ldquo;bombastic, romantic, bigoted, inventive, intimidating, quixotic, terrible-tempered paradox of outlandish proportions&rdquo;?</p><p>Frayne was born Sept. 13, 1918 in Brandon, Man. His illustrious career spanned 60 years. He was given the Hall of Fame&rsquo;s Elmer Ferguson Award in 1984 and won the National Newspaper Award for sportswriting in 1975. Known as &lsquo;Bill&rsquo; to friends, Frayne always maintained sportswriting was about people and more than just scores or injuries.</p><p>Frayne, a self-proclaimed &ldquo;ink-stained wretch,&rdquo; left his tracks across the pages of the <i>Globe and Mail</i>, the Toronto <i>Telegram</i>, <i>Star</i> and <i>Sun</i>, <i>Sports Illustrated</i>, <i>Chatelaine</i>, and <i>Maclean&rsquo;s</i>. While working at the <i>Globe,</i>&nbsp;he met and fell in love with his wife of 63 years, June Callwood, an equally prolific writer. The two married in the newspaper&rsquo;s cafeteria in 1944 and had four children, Jill, Brant, Jesse and Casey.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012253/9696539-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="661" height="813"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CLASSIC STORYTELLER</b></p><p><b>Trent Frayne believed sportswriting was more about athletes than stats.</b></p><span class="photo-credit">(FRAYNE: THE CANADIAN PRESS/GLOBE AND MAIL/DENNIS ROBINSON)</span></figcaption></div><p>As Frayne said in his book, <i>Tales of an Athletic Supporter</i>, &ldquo;There is an axiom in sports that the legs go first. For sportswriters, it&rsquo;s the enthusiasm.&rdquo;</p><p>But his enthusiasm didn&rsquo;t waver. He adapted and stayed relevant as the times changed and televisions became common-place. &ldquo;He could make a sentence new,&rdquo; said his daughter Jesse, also a renowned author. &ldquo;I shake my head at how he could do that.&rdquo;</p><p>The death of Frayne marks the passing of an icon in sports journalism. As Jesse described her father, &ldquo;He was an ink-stained scribe on the tennis court, the one wearing a tie at the rink, on the football sidelines, slipping across the pool tiles, slouching in the bullpen. He had a lot of fun and he surely could turn a phrase.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Ink Icon Passes

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021772/9696570-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="219" height="262"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N</b>&nbsp;<b>THE 2004-05 LOCKOUT,</b> NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did a superb job of uniting the 30 team owners. If there&rsquo;s a labor war this off-season, doing so again won&rsquo;t be as easy.</p><p>With some small-market teams already feeling the CBA offers too many loopholes to big-market clubs aiming to circumvent the salary cap (via front-loaded contracts and demotions), there&rsquo;s a sense those owners won&rsquo;t accept additional wiggle room that would come, for example, in the form of an amnesty period in which players can be bought out without cap penalties. The gulf between the haves and have-nots will be exploited in negotiations by NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr, who could sell increased revenue sharing to the league&rsquo;s less-fortunate franchises. &ldquo;I see Don pushing revenue sharing extremely hard,&rdquo; said one player agent. &ldquo;Small markets would love that. But here&rsquo;s the catch &ndash; do you think the Maple Leafs and Rangers are wild about it? Not a hope. That could be a real wedge issue for Gary&rsquo;s group.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

CBA WATCH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEFF DONER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012228/9696632-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RAISING AWARENESS</b></p><p><b>Kerry Goulet, pictured here in the late 1990s, is a crusader for concussion prevention.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GOULET: BRUCE JESSOP/IHA)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>A legend in the</b> German pro leagues is lacing &rsquo;em up for one more time&hellip;at 52.</p><p>In an unlikely comeback, Winnipeg native Kerry Goulet will return to Germany to play one last game March 4 with his former club, the Timmendorfer Strand, in an effort to reach an impressive milestone, while creating awareness for concussion prevention in the process.</p><p>&lsquo;Gouche&rsquo; had a 12-year career (1988-2000) on seven pro teams in divisions just below the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest league in Germany. He racked up 1,991 points, including a season in which he scored 99 goals in 52 games, before retiring in 2000.</p><p>He returned again for brief stints in 2001 and 2005, tallying six more points, but that still left him three short of the coveted 2,000-point plateau.</p><p>The game is about much more than chasing a milestone for Goulet, however. Along with former NHLers Wayne and Keith Primeau, as well as a handful of other supporters, Goulet launched <a href="http://stopconcussions.com">stopconcussions.com</a>&nbsp;in May 2011 to serve as an educational and awareness hub for athletes to find information on concussions and neurotraumatic injuries. &ldquo;We just felt it was important that we collectively help make a change in the mindset and not necessarily to the sport,&rdquo; Goulet said. &ldquo;People talk about the fighting and hitting and all that, we just really want to really change the mindset.&rdquo;</p><p>The website offers information relating to ImPACT baseline testing, the same procedure used in the NHL, an iPhone concussion application and helps make referrals to medical doctors and specialist.</p><p>Goulet&rsquo;s game in Germany will be called &ldquo;Comeback for Charity.&rdquo; Having dealt with concussions himself, Goulet said he is playing for all those who have been affected by injury. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s for all the players that can&rsquo;t play or have lost their lives, have second-impact syndrome or have broken their neck in spinal cord injuries,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>His retired No. 29 jersey will be lowered from the rafters and then raised again at the end of what Goulet said will definitely be the final game of his pro career. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll play in some celebrity and all-star games, but it&rsquo;ll never happen again,&rdquo; Goulet said before joking: &ldquo;If I score four goals and six assists, maybe I&rsquo;ll get an offer.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Three In One?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05534/9696663-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="460" height="576"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAPTION: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>ood thing for visors,</b> but what could&rsquo;ve led Joey Crabb and Johnny Oduya to nearly pucker up before trying to punch each other out in a February tilt between the Leafs and Jets? Send us your funny caption ideas for a shot at some THN swag. We&rsquo;ll publish our favorites in the April 2 issue.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04778/9696670-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="183" height="156"></div><p><b>To win, submit your captions at <a href="http://www.thn.com/caption">www.thn.com/caption</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-05

Caption CONTEST

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021674/9696701-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="494" height="523"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAROME IGINLA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(IGINLA: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH HIS SCRAP</b> against Adam Henrique in January, Jarome Iginla pushed his Gordie Howe hat tricks total to nine to lead active NHLers. Ironically, the man with the eponymous stat for the number of games with a goal, an assist and a fight doesn&rsquo;t even crack the top five all-time list (courtesy of the Society for International Hockey Research), much less lead it.</p><p><b>STAN MIKITA</b>&nbsp;<i>(1958-80)</i>&nbsp;<b>22</b></p><p><b>TED LINDSAY</b>&nbsp;<i>(1944-65)</i>&nbsp;<b>19</b></p><p><b>B. SHANAHAN</b>&nbsp;<i>(1987-09)</i>&nbsp;<b>17</b></p><p><b>RICK TOCCHET</b>&nbsp;<i>(1984-02)</i>&nbsp;<b>15</b></p><p><b>BRIAN SUTTER</b>&nbsp;<i>(1976-88)</i>&nbsp;<b>12</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

HOWE TO HAT TRICK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JACQUELINE SCHIFANO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N 2004, RANGERS GM</b> Glen Sather cut deals with all six Canadian teams around the trade deadline. The swaps didn&rsquo;t raise any red (and white) flags individually, but as the dust settled some theorists started grumbling that Sather was trying to help his homeland&rsquo;s teams by sending stars such as Alexei Kovalev and Brian Leetch to Canada. In the first two weeks of March, &lsquo;Slats&rsquo; traded Leetch to Toronto, Kovalev to Montreal, Petr Nedved to Edmonton and Chris Simon to Calgary, before moving Greg de Vries to Ottawa and Martin Rucinsky to Vancouver on deadline day. Looking back, one can&rsquo;t help but wonder if there was some merit to the griping of the Rangers faithful: The players dealt and the players acquired posted similar totals for goals, assists, points and games played &ndash; but the Rangers took on 10 more players than they traded.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Canadian CONSPIRACY?

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011875/9696808-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>o you&rsquo;re an NHL defenseman</b> and No. 13 for the Detroit Red Wings is carrying the puck and closing the gap on you. Well, that&rsquo;s just dandy, isn&rsquo;t it? Lots of things are going through your mind. Most of them are fear-based. For the most part, you&rsquo;re pondering about you&rsquo;re going to keep your body between him and your own net. And if you&rsquo;re the San Jose Sharks Brent Burns, you think the following: &ldquo;TSN Top 10,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be on it.&rdquo;</p><p>Pavel Datsyuk has never won a Hart Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player. Never even come close, really. He finished a distant third in 2009 and ninth in voting in 2008 and has never finished in the top 20 in any other season. He has never been a first-team all-star, has not posted a 50-goal or 100-point season. In fact, he didn&rsquo;t even make the all-rookie team in 2001-02. Kristian Huselius did, though. How messed up is that?</p><p>But ask anyone who really knows the game &ndash; players, coaches and GMs &ndash; and almost every one of them will say if Datsyuk is not the best player in the world right now, he&rsquo;s most certainly in the top three. That&rsquo;s consistent with the THN 2011-12 player poll, which placed Datsyuk second in the league behind Sidney Crosby. We polled 150 NHLers, five from each team, using a weighted system and the proviso they couldn&rsquo;t vote for teammates. Crosby was the runaway winner, garnering nearly 23 percent of the overall voting points. But Datsyuk was a runaway second, at 13.3 percent, almost double that of No. 3, Claude Giroux. It&rsquo;s also consistent with a poll of 275 players commissioned by the NHL Players&rsquo; Association and <i>Hockey Night in Canada</i>, in which Datsyuk finished first in six categories: smartest player (in a landslide over Crosby and Nicklas Lidstrom); most difficult to play against (even more than Zdeno Chara, impressively); most difficult to take the puck from (47 percent &ndash; next best was Evgeni Malkin at 10 percent); most difficult for goalies to stop (surprising, since he&rsquo;s never scored more than 32 goals in a season); cleanest player (four Lady Byng Trophies, duh); and toughest forward to play against (even whumped Milan Lucic on that one).</p><p>But the most telling of them all came at the All-Star Game when Chara selected Datsyuk with the first overall pick, but not before clearing the transaction with his own Boston Bruins teammate, Tim Thomas. When you have a chance to get Datsyuk on your team, allegiances and loyalties go out the window.</p><p>Perhaps it has something to do with his 1-on-1 abilities on both sides of the puck. Or the highlight-reel goals. Or the low center of gravity that makes it almost impossible to knock him off the puck. Or his attention to detail. Or his defensive play. Or his sick moves. That&rsquo;s the thing with Datsyuk. Ask his peers about him and invariably they get to the point in the conversation when they start just throwing their hands up and shaking their heads. After all, how many different ways can you say a guy is great? &ldquo;The biggest thing about him is that he makes everyone around him better, whether it&rsquo;s the guys on his line or next to him in the room,&rdquo; said Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Mike Komisarek. &ldquo;Everyone around him is a better player. I know our coaches have put him up on video and used him as an example for our young guys.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011650/9696801-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1315" height="1125"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SILLY SKILLS</b></p><p><b>Pavel Datsyuk has the sick moves to make even the best opponents look helpless.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Sharks coach Todd McLellan thinks he has an idea of what makes Datsyuk tick. When he was an assistant with the Red Wings, McLellan marvelled at how hard Datsyuk worked at his game. For Datsyuk, the games are fun and practice is when he goes to work. McLellan remembers spending time after practice rimming pucks around the boards about two feet off the ice, where Datsyuk would knock them down and roll out. &ldquo;And you see him do it all the time in a game,&rdquo; McLellan said. &ldquo;The puck is coming along the boards, he knocks it down, he rolls out and there&rsquo;s two defenders left on the wall. A lot of guys line up pucks and shoot them or they make passes, but we were doing things after practice that nobody else in the league was doing.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, McLellan believes that if Datsyuk were willing to cheat a little on the defensive side of the game and cut corners, there&rsquo;s no doubt he could win a scoring title. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s no cheat in his game,&rdquo; McLellan said.</p><p>No cheat indeed. Despite an array of moves that can make defensemen look silly, Datsyuk has never put up enormous numbers. He once had back-to-back seasons of 97 points, but has never been considered an elite scorer. Which is strange because when you watch the moves he makes 1-on-1, you wonder why he doesn&rsquo;t regularly put up monster offensive seasons. There are probably a couple reasons for that. First, when he&rsquo;s not playing against the best shutdown forwards and defensemen in the game, he&rsquo;s the one doing the shutting down. His game in all three zones is impeccable and he plays the hard minutes that tax the body so much. He also plays in a team-first system where anybody not named Nicklas Lidstrom simply blends in with a bunch of really good players who are adept at winning games and Stanley Cups.</p><p>But perhaps his greatest personal triumph is the fact he&rsquo;s the only player in NHL history to win the Selke and Lady Byng Trophies in the same season. Twice. Think about that for a minute. Not only does he shut people down, he does it really hard and tenaciously without taking penalties.</p><p>Yes, it&rsquo;s clear Datsyuk has put the sexy personal accolades aside to make those around him look better. Which begs the question: Would he be an even bigger star if he played for another team and had the stage all to himself? &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy to say,&rdquo; said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, &ldquo;that&rsquo;s one question where we&rsquo;re never going to know the answer.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

‘Dats’ As Good As It Gets

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021232/9696839-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="645" height="676"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N HIS INITIAL TIME</b> with the Red Wings, Mathieu Schneider experienced Pavel Datsyuk as a youngster slowly being groomed (along with Henrik Zetterberg) into one of the game&rsquo;s top talents. When Datsyuk blossomed over the course of Schneider&rsquo;s three-and-a-half years in Detroit, the current special assistant to NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Donald Fehr was like everybody else in his surprise that such a relatively small and unassuming person could cut such a large shadow during games. &ldquo;The thing that takes people by surprise playing against Pavel is how strong he is on the puck,&rdquo; said Schneider, who joined the NHLPA after retiring in 2010. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t look like a big man, but plays like one. Not only is he shifty, but if you do manage to get a piece of him, he&rsquo;s solid. It&rsquo;s just uncanny, his sense of where opponents are around him. If he feels pressure on one side, he automatically spins in the opposite direction. There aren&rsquo;t many people I&rsquo;ve ever seen in this game try to do some of the things he tries.&rdquo;</p><p>Some have compared Datsyuk&rsquo;s brilliance with the puck to the skills of fellow Russian star and former NHLer Alexei Kovalev. However, for Schneider &ndash; who said Datsyuk&rsquo;s chemistry with Zetterberg made the duo as close to being the Sedin twins as a pair of non-twins could be &ndash; there is a crucial difference. &ldquo;Kovy was a much different player by the time he got to Montreal,&rdquo; said Schneider, who played with Kovalev as a New York Ranger and later as a Montreal Canadien. &ldquo;He was one of the toughest players to play against 1-on-1, but didn&rsquo;t use his teammates very well at all until he went to Pittsburgh and learned they could help him open up ice for himself. But right from the beginning, one of Pavel&rsquo;s greatest gifts has been knowing when to pass the puck and when to hang on to it. In my eyes, if you want to start a hockey club, Pavel is definitely in my top five of guys you&rsquo;d want to do it with.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-02

Pavel’s Power

f0020-01

TOP 50

<p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>f you want to be voted among the top 50 players in the NHL by your peers, be under-30, be a forward and wear a visor. Oh, and if possible, be Canadian. That&rsquo;s how our list skews, according to the accompanying &ldquo;demographic&rdquo; data gleaned from the results. Interestingly, the split between Eastern and Western players is virtually 50/50.</p><h2><b>AGE</b></h2><p><b>29</b>&nbsp;(YEARS OR YOUNGER)</p><p><i>31 (62%)</i></p><p><b>30</b>&nbsp;(YEARS OR OLDER)</p><p><i>19 (38%)</i></p><h2><b>POSITION</b></h2><p><b>CENTERS</b></p><p><i>18 (36%)</i></p><p>&nbsp;<b>RIGHT WING</b></p><p><i>12 (24%)</i></p><p><b>DEFENSEMEN</b></p><p><i>8 (16%)</i></p><p><b>GOALIES</b></p><p>&nbsp;<i>7 (14%)</i></p><p>&nbsp;<b>LEFT WING</b></p><p><i>5 (10%)</i></p><h2><b>CONFREENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02894/9697314-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="329" height="237"></div><p><b>26 (52%)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03681/9697307-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="329" height="233"></div><p><b>24 (48%)</b></p><h2><b>NATIONALITY</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04531/9697300-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="109" height="72"></div><p><b>CANADA</b></p><p><i>23 (46%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05424/9697293-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="108" height="71"></div><p><b>SWEDEN</b></p><p><i>7 (14%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06358/9697286-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="109" height="71"></div><p><b>USA</b></p><p><i>6 (12%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07295/9697279-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="108" height="71"></div><p><b>RUSSIA</b></p><p><i>4 (8%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-08238/9697272-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="108" height="71"></div><p><b>FINLAND</b></p><p><i>4 (8%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-09200/9697265-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="108" height="71"></div><p><b>SLOVAKIA</b></p><p><i>3 (6%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-10161/9697258-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="108" height="71"></div><p><b>CZECH REP.</b></p><p><i>2 (4%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-11128/9697251-1-eng-US/f0031-112.jpg" title="f0031-11" width="110" height="71"></div><p><b>SLOVENIA</b></p><p><i>1 (2%)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>VISORS</b></h2><p><i>Stars like to protect their eyes. Nearly 70 percent of all NHLers wear shields.</i></p><p><b>YES</b></p><p><b>38 (88.4%)</b></p><p><b>NO</b></p><p><b>5 (11.6%)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1298/9697244-1-eng-US/f0031-122.jpg" title="f0031-12" width="440" height="533"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRAD RICHARDS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0031-02

TOP 50 STATS

<div class="byline">BY LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021010/9697345-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERIC STAAL <span class="photo-credit">(STAAL: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04650/9697359-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011449/9697352-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="228" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>ric Staal had</b> Montreal&rsquo;s Tomas Kaberle lined up in his sights and Kaberle never had a chance. Staal blew past his former teammate on the right wing, cut to the slot and buried a shorthanded goal. It was one of three unanswered Hurricane tallies, keying a third-period rally for a 5-3 win Feb. 13, and it was the kind of virtuoso individual play Staal has regularly produced in recent weeks.</p><p>The Hurricanes&rsquo; first visit to the Bell Centre was a disaster for the team and for Staal, a 4-0 loss that hastened coach Paul Maurice&rsquo;s firing and extended a skid that saw Staal score once in 18 games. Staal took the team&rsquo;s return in February as a chance to atone &ndash; and show his progress since. &ldquo;When you play in Montreal, especially with what happened the last time we were there, that was definitely on my mind,&rdquo; said Staal, who had two goals and an assist. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t play well as a team, I&rsquo;m a leader of the team, there were a lot of negative things that went on after that game &ndash; it just never was a good feeling.</p><p>&ldquo;For me, I remembered that feeling and I wanted to make sure that feeling didn&rsquo;t occur the next time we were there.&rdquo;</p><p>What Staal, 27, once called the most frustrating season of his career is considerably less frustrating than it was two months ago. Since 2011 turned into 2012, Staal has started to produce offensively in the manner expected of a four-time All-Star Game participant, one who wasn&rsquo;t invited this year.</p><p>The Hurricanes got off to a dismal start, with Maurice axed after opening 8-13-4. The day Maurice was replaced by Kirk Muller, Staal had only five goals and 11 points. He was an NHL-worst minus-17. It was hard to separate the Hurricanes&rsquo; struggles from those of their captain. &ldquo;When you have a tough start, the negatives just build,&rdquo; Staal said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the type of person and player where I put a lot of pressure on myself. For me personally, there were a lot of negatives that were hard for me to shake off. I felt like I was working harder and it didn&rsquo;t get any better. That can get frustrating. As a team, we weren&rsquo;t playing well, either. They made the change and it was kind of a refresh for everybody, a restart.&rdquo;</p><p>In the new year, Staal has played at a 35-goal, 98-point pace and he&rsquo;s plus-7 over that span. So what&rsquo;s changed? &ldquo;Other than, &lsquo;Yeah, he&rsquo;s starting to score and put up numbers?&rsquo;&rdquo; said Eric&rsquo;s father Henry. &ldquo;This may sound dumb, but I think he&rsquo;s just thinking less and playing more. He started out the season trying to understand how the other guys on his line play. Now he&rsquo;s just going.&rdquo;</p><p>Eric can&rsquo;t put a finger on a specific reason for his struggles or his turnaround, but two possible explanations stand out. First, his offensive explosion coincides with his brother, Marc, being cleared for contact Dec. 29 for the first time since sustaining a concussion on a hit by Eric last spring. In the 22 games after that, Eric had 11 goals and 29 points. There may not be any direct connection between Marc&rsquo;s injury and Eric&rsquo;s struggles, but it certainly added to the pressure Eric felt.</p><p>Second, the Hurricanes have flourished under Muller &ndash; and so has Staal. The big night in Montreal, with the Hurricanes running their record to 9-3-4 in their past 16, drove that point home. &ldquo;It was an opportunity for him to show, in a market where, let&rsquo;s face it, there&rsquo;s a lot of people watching for different reasons,&rdquo; Muller said. &ldquo;I think he enjoyed the fact it&rsquo;s a game where he could show how well he&rsquo;s playing. His year hasn&rsquo;t gone the way he wanted it to, but he&rsquo;s been playing like this for a while &ndash; I think quietly. Not many people know about it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

Staal No Longer In Neutral

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03799/9697390-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="272" height="392"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ZACH PARISE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: TRAVIS GOLBY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Zach Parise</b></p><p>New Jersey</p><p><i>7</i></p><p><b>A. Henrique</b></p><p>New Jersey</p><p><i>7</i></p><p><b>I. Kovalchuk</b></p><p>New Jersey</p><p><i>5</i></p><p><b>M. Darche</b></p><p>Montreal</p><p><i>4</i></p><p><b>C. Clutterbuck</b></p><p>Minnesota</p><p><i>4</i></p><p><b>Eric Staal</b></p><p>Carolina</p><p><i>4</i></p><p><b>Matt Cooke</b></p><p>Pittsburgh</p><p><i>4</i></p><p><b>Mikko Koivu</b></p><p>Minnesota</p><p><i>4</i></p><p><b>Dave Bolland</b></p><p>Chicago</p><p><i>3</i></p><p><b>L. Korpikoski</b></p><p>Phoenix</p><p><i>3</i></p><p><b>Brandon Sutter</b></p><p>Carolina</p><p><i>3</i></p><h2><b>12</b></h2><p><b>Shorthanded goals in Eric Staal&rsquo;s career, the most in Hurricanes history</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-03

GO Shorty

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JACQUELINE SCHIFANO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011346/9697498-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13175/9697505-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02958/9697491-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="597" height="698"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARK FAYNE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FAYNE: PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ew people outside New Jersey &ndash; and few inside state lines &ndash; could pick Mark Fayne out of a lineup. But after scoring a fluky overtime-winner on a shot going wide in media-frenzied Toronto in late February, the second-year Devil found his name splashed across sports pages and became the newest member of the <a href="http://NHL.com">NHL.com</a> pun club: &ldquo;House of Fayne.&rdquo;</p><p>If you&rsquo;re a hockey fan in Massachusetts, where Fayne grew up after being born in Nashua, N.H., you&rsquo;re a Boston Bruins fan or you&rsquo;re nothing. He grew up idolizing Boston legend Ray Bourque, but secretly admired long-time Devil Scott Stevens.</p><p>Though he&rsquo;s similar in size (Fayne is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds to Stevens&rsquo; 6-foot-2, 215 pounds), Fayne&rsquo;s game is drastically different from the aggressive, body-slamming play of the former New Jersey captain: The 24-year-old uses positioning to keep rushers honest. Fayne is, however, developing the offensive bent Stevens displayed early in his career. The 2005 fifth round pick (155th overall) is one point away from matching last season&rsquo;s total and is tied with Kurtis Foster for the lead in shots on goal among Devils D-men.</p><p>More eyes will focus on the starstruck youngster if he reaches his potential, but for now Fayne will relish his 15 minutes and time with the Devils. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been amazing playing here with Marty (Brodeur) and &lsquo;Kovy&rsquo; (Ilya Kovalchuk),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d say we have five of the top players in the league.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03795/9697484-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05557/9697477-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="623" height="522"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07430/9697470-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="623" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09321/9697463-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11237/9697456-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04654/9697449-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRODEUR: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Devils&rsquo; ascent up the Eastern Conference standings has everything to do with <b>Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s</b> mid-season resurgence. His overall stats (2.54 GAA, .904 SP) are still middling, but after a 6-8-0 start, the future Hall of Famer put together a 16-5-2 stretch in which his GAA was 2.14 and his SP .920. He&rsquo;s closing in on his 14th 30-win season</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06503/9697442-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="355" height="504"></div><p>After missing all of 2010-11 with a shoulder injury, <b>Mark Streit</b> has bounced back nicely &ndash; at least offensively. The Isles captain was on pace for 44 points following the 56 and 49 he posted his first two years in New York after signing a five-year, $20.5-million contract in 2008. But at minus-23, he still needs to get the &lsquo;D&rsquo; back in his game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08371/9697435-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="356" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CALLAHAN: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Brad Richards hasn&rsquo;t lit up the scoresheet in Manhattan like he did in Dallas, but his arrival has taken heat off other Rangers players. Captain <b>Ryan Callahan</b> had already matched a career high with 23 goals and center Derek Stepan, who was on pace for 52 points to best his rookie total by seven, had avoided any semblance of a sophomore slide.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10278/9697428-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="356" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STREIT+SIMMONDS: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Thanks to the star power of Philadelphia&rsquo;s attack, <b>Wayne Simmonds</b> has become the NHL&rsquo;s quietest 20-goal scorer. His 22 tallies through late February were a career high, buoyed in part by his power play prowess. Simmonds was tied for ninth in the league with nine PP goals. He had just three in three seasons (as an L.A. King) entering 2011-12.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12206/9697421-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="356" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAAL: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s the second consecutive season <b>Jordan Staal</b> has been plagued by injuries, but he&rsquo;s been money when in Pittsburgh&rsquo;s lineup. He was on pace to tie his career-high 29 goals despite being shelved four times totalling 20 games (mainly because of a knee injury). The Pens had a .600 points percentage without Staal, but it jumped to .663 with him.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Mark Fayne Gains Fame

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011350/9697620-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-14173/9697627-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" 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/f0036-02916/9697613-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="597" height="758"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVID DESHARNAIS</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s become so common now that it shouldn&rsquo;t be surprising when a player listed at less than 5-foot-10 succeeds in the NHL, but here we are. Call it the Martin St-Louis effect, or the Brian Gionta corollary. Either works for David Desharnais, who figuratively looked up to both as he reached for his NHL dream. Now the 5-foot-7 wunderkind is playing a key role on a Canadiens team in need of a future. He and linemates Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty were 1-2-3 in team scoring and clicking. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re able to get up and down the wings and use our speed and size to skate on defenders and Davey puts the puck in good areas for us,&rdquo; Cole said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s made for a good combination.&rdquo;</p><p>Undrafted even after two 100-point seasons in the Quebec League, Desharnais then went to the ECHL, where he won the scoring title in 2007-08. Vision and work ethic drive his production and it&rsquo;s that same push that has the Chicoutimi grad working on his draws. Right now, Tomas Plekanec takes a bigger portion of faceoffs for his team than anyone else in the NHL. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been a guy who has taken a lot of faceoffs,&rdquo; Desharnais said. &ldquo;This year, sometimes I&rsquo;ve stayed on the bench while Plekky takes the faceoff so it&rsquo;s something I need to work on.&rdquo;</p><p>Desharnais has already improved over last year. Proving folks wrong is kinda his thing.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03757/9697606-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="141" height="141"></div><p><b>For more on David Desharnais&rsquo; development, check out the feature at <a href="http://thn.com/desharnais">thn.com/desharnais</a></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04604/9697599-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06452/9697592-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08325/9697585-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10247/9697578-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12210/9697571-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05511/9697564-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="356" height="508"></div><p>Captain <b>Zdeno Chara</b>, who missed two games in December due to a leg injury, has been remarkably durable for a such a physical force. He&rsquo;s played at least 71 games each of his past 10 seasons and missed only five games total the past three years. That&rsquo;s why, at 35, he&rsquo;ll celebrate his 1,000th career NHL game before the end of the season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07381/9697557-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="356" height="505"></div><p>As captain <b>Jason Pominville</b> continued his strong play through an otherwise miserable Sabres season, he showed tremendous discipline. With just 10 penalty minutes in 60 games, he was on course to break his career low in PIMs set last year when he had just 15 in 73 games. His career high was 30 PIMs, set in 2006-07.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09278/9697550-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="356" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DESHARNAIS+CHARA+POMINVILLE+KOSTITSYN: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Andrei Kostitsyn</b> had nine points in his first 13 games, but the pending unrestricted free agent has been far less effective since a lower body injury forced him to the sidelines for 10 games. In the 38 games he played after returning, Kostitsyn had just 15 points and was on pace for only 32, which would be a career NHL low for the enigmatic Russian.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11226/9697543-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACLEAN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Sens&rsquo; rebound from an early-Feburary slump has coach <b>Paul MacLean&rsquo;s</b> name back in the mix as the NHL&rsquo;s coach of the year. Like a lot of hockey lifers, MacLean has involved most of his family within the game. His son, A.J., plays for the Dundee Stars of the U.K. league while his other son David is a pro scout for the Phoenix Coyotes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13192/9697536-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FRANSON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After a tough start as a Leaf, <b>Cody Franson</b> is earning the trust of coach Ron Wilson. After playing more than 17 minutes a night just six times in his first 20 games with Toronto, the defenseman did so 13 times in his next 25. The 24-year-old averaged 14:11 with Nashville in his rookie year of 2009-10 and 15:10 with the Predators last season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

Davey Does It For Habs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MCNALLY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011203/9697735-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13138/9697742-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02846/9697728-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="597" height="716"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE GREEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GREEN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>or seven games, all was right with Capitals defenseman Mike Green. The concussion symptoms that knocked him out of the final two months last regular season were gone. He had six points through his first seven games and his team was unbeaten. Life was good. But in a flash, his season derailed.</p><p>An awkward fall during a game against the Detroit Red Wings in late October caused an ankle injury. Green was at his brilliant best during that 7-1 Washington victory, scoring two goals and adding two assists. Now, he only hopes that wasn&rsquo;t the high point of his campaign.</p><p>Green missed six games due to the ankle, then returned mid-November against the New Jersey Devils only to immediately suffer a groin injury. Weeks of rest and rehabilitation followed. He lasted a game and a half in his return Jan. 3 before opting for surgery to repair a sports hernia. The Caps would just have to get by without him.</p><p>Green hopes his Feb. 18 return wasn&rsquo;t too late to help with the playoff push, but the surgery had to happen for him to again be the dynamic presence Washington needs. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t stride before,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;My leg was dead and that was the most frustrating part about it. Not only that, it was painful. Usually you can play with the pain, but when your leg&rsquo;s dead and you don&rsquo;t have the movement you&rsquo;re used to and the strength, it&rsquo;s frustrating. But I have all of that right now and it feels good.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03681/9697721-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05528/9697714-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07402/9697707-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="623" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09258/9697700-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11182/9697693-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04584/9697686-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RUUTU: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A pair of Hurricanes were heavily rumored as trade candidates leading up to the deadline, but due to a shift in policy from GM Jim Rutherford both stayed on. Before this season, Rutherford had never negotiated a new deal with a player during the year, which made the signings of Tim Gleason and <b>Tuomo Ruutu</b> in February all the more surprising.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06469/9697679-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MATTHIAS: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Aside from their top line, the Panthers&rsquo; forwards have struggled to score. That&rsquo;s never a good thing, but it&rsquo;s even worse when you consider the team was 21-2-4 when scoring at least three goals and 6-18-7 when scoring fewer. The top line was 1-2-3 in team scoring, with the next highest forward being <b>Shawn Matthias,</b> who was seventh with 22 points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08314/9697672-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAMKOS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It didn&rsquo;t take <b>Steven Stamkos</b> long to enter the Lightning&rsquo;s top five all-time scorers. On Feb. 21, Stamkos reached 300 career points, moving past Brian Bradley. The four still ahead of Stamkos &ndash; Vinny Prospal (371), Brad Richards (489), Martin St-Louis (810) and Vincent Lecavalier (839) &ndash; the latter three all won the Cup with the Lightning in 2004.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10218/9697665-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="356" height="508"></div><p>Washington has a great draft record when it comes to high-end players, but their success goes beyond the Alex Ovechkins and Nicklas Backstroms. In Cody Eakin, <b>Dmitry Orlov</b> and Marcus Johansson, the Caps are one of two teams (Colorado) to feature three players drafted in 2009 who have appeared in at least 25 games this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12158/9697658-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ORLV+STAPLETON: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Most people do a double take when they see <b>Tim Staple</b><b>ton&rsquo;s</b> name on the Jets&rsquo; power play lineup, but he&rsquo;s been effective on the point. In a Feb. 21 overtime loss to Philadelphia, Stapleton notched three power play assists, setting a career single-game high. Not known as a scorer, Stapleton nevertheless has five multipoint games this campaign.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Taking It All In Stride

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02908/9697773-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEN HITCHCOCK <span class="photo-credit">(MARK BUCKNER/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/f0038-04595/9697787-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011311/9697780-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="228" height="169"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen coach Ken</b> Hitchcock arrived in St. Louis in early November to take over for the fired Davis Payne, some observers imagined the Stanley Cup-winning bench boss would pull a slew of all-nighters to familiarize himself with a new group of players.</p><p>There&rsquo;s little doubt Hitchcock dreams about the game when asleep, but he didn&rsquo;t burn the midnight oil poring over the Blues roster to get up to speed. All he did was turn to one of his countless and varied experiences. &ldquo;The Olympics and World Championships really helped me,&rdquo; said Hitchcock, who has made himself an odds-on favorite to be coach of the year after guiding the Blues to a dominating resurgence. &ldquo;From those experiences, I knew it was about concepts, then turning the players loose and letting them play. All we did at first was put names to the things players were doing well. It was limited changing for the first three to four weeks until we got practices going and we just tried to take advantage of their enthusiasm to play.</p><p>&ldquo;You go through things with a young core, but for me, as long as we were willing to play the right way, you&rsquo;re willing to live with the mistakes.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blues haven&rsquo;t made many mistakes since Hitchcock&rsquo;s arrival. The 60-year-old turned a team that was 6-7-0 under Payne into arguably the league&rsquo;s stingiest. They went 30-10-7 after the coaching change, leapfrogging Nashville and Chicago in the exceedingly competitive Central Division. As of late February, their home record of 26-4-4 was, percentage-wise, second in the NHL behind Detroit.</p><p>The marriage between Hitch-cock and the Blues might not have happened were it not for his familiarity and comfort with GM Doug Armstrong (with whom he won a Stanley Cup in Dallas in 1999) and team president John Davidson. Hitchcock was consulting for a Blue Jackets team in utter disarray, but when Armstrong contacted him with the offer, he didn&rsquo;t hesitate. And once he settled into his new position, Hitchcock went to work on an area Armstrong had identified before the season as a priority: the emotional consistency of players, regardless of the team&rsquo;s record. &ldquo;One of my strengths is getting a team grounded quickly, either after a big win or loss,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;I pride myself in not living in the past &ndash; even when it&rsquo;s only 24 hours ago.&rdquo;</p><p>You don&rsquo;t effect positive change as an NHL coach without full buy-in from your veteran players. There, too, Hitchcock had good fortune. Off-season free agent signee Jamie Langenbrunner had extensive experience with Hitchcock and other veterans (Scott Nichol and Barret Jackman) were exactly the type of all-business old hands he needed to get the team&rsquo;s youngsters on a more even keel.</p><p>When Langenbrunner saw this version of Hitchcock, he knew the bench boss had changed since their time together in Dallas. His rapport with Hitchcock makes him a sounding board for St. Louis&rsquo; young players, who aren&rsquo;t accustomed to the coach&rsquo;s occasionally forceful methods. &ldquo;Having been through it with Hitch as a younger player, I know he&rsquo;ll say some things to the younger guys that he won&rsquo;t to an older player,&rdquo; Langenbrunner said. &ldquo;But Hitch has changed a bit. He&rsquo;s definitely a mellower version, and that comes with experience and going through some tough situations in Columbus and Philly.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s adapted his personality a bit, but he&rsquo;s still going to drive and push the envelope and demand the best. Guys may not like it, but you look back on it and realize he was saying the right thing.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

The Great ‘Hitch’ Fix

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011200/9697926-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13130/9697933-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02801/9697919-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="597" height="709"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FEDOR TYUTIN</b></figcaption></div><p>Fedor Tyutin&rsquo;s name barely registers across the NHL, in part because Columbus rarely pokes its heads up on a national stage.</p><p>But in the halls of Nationwide Arena &ndash; and among the players who have faced Tyutin &ndash; he&rsquo;s seen as one of the league&rsquo;s best-kept secrets. &ldquo;Fedor can play any kind of game you want to play,&rdquo; said GM Scott Howson. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s (a prototype), in my eyes. I&rsquo;ve always felt we were lucky to get him and fortunate to keep him.&rdquo;</p><p>Tyutin, 28, was born and raised in Izhevsk, Russia, where the AK-47, among other munitions, are manufactured in the center of town. It is a closed city and Tyutin is a relatively closed man &ndash; friendly and well spoken, but not known to trumpet his own abilities or personality. &ldquo;I just, you know, play,&rdquo; Tyutin said with a smile. &ldquo;All that other stuff is for other people to say.&rdquo;</p><p>His play does the talking for him. Tyutin has averaged seven goals and 31 points the past three seasons, tops among Jackets defensemen. He&rsquo;s on pace for similar numbers in 2011-12 and his 1,788 shifts ranked fourth in the NHL.</p><p>Since Columbus acquired him from the Rangers in a four-player trade in 2008, Tyutin has dressed for 302 of 306 games. &ldquo;What you love about &lsquo;Toots&rsquo; is you know he&rsquo;s going to be there,&rdquo; said St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who coached Tyutin when he was with the Blue Jackets. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re always OK with him on the ice or going over the boards. He can play in any situation.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03632/9697912-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05447/9697905-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07324/9697898-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="623" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09223/9697891-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11169/9697884-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04530/9697877-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TYUTIN+FROLIK: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>First-rounders generally improve year by year, but the opposite is true for <b>Michael Frolik</b>. The big Czech, taken 10th overall by Florida in 2006, has seen his points-per-game average slip every season, sliding from 0.57 in 2008-09 to 0.25 in &rsquo;11-12. The Hawks need him to rebound, as he&rsquo;s under contract at $2.3 million per season through &rsquo;13-14.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06372/9697870-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="353" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WISNIEWSKI: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>James Wisniewski</b> has become Columbus&rsquo; poster boy for misery. After missing eight games with a suspension then 17 more later with a fractured ankle, he rejoined the lineup Feb. 11 &ndash; and lasted only four games (amassing four points) before sustaining a groin injury. At least his latest malady was minor and not expected to sideline him for long.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08275/9697863-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACDONALD: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Journeyman netminder <b>Joey MacDonald</b> will never top a depth chart, but he staked a claim to Detroit&rsquo;s No. 2 job while starter Jimmy Howard healed a broken finger, going 6-1-1 with a 1.66 GAA and .934 SP in eight February appearances. MacDonald impressed the Wings enough that they waived backup Ty Conklin upon Howard&rsquo;s return.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10192/9697856-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="356" height="507"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GILL: RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Predators&rsquo; penalty kill slipped to the league&rsquo;s bottom half by late February after ranking fifth last season, but trading for <b>Hal Gill</b> will remedy the problem. The 6-foot-7, 244-pound behemoth is a shorthanded horse. His 3:56 of penalty kill time per game was third in the NHL and his 3:47 was tops among qualified leaders last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12153/9697849-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ELLIOTT: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brian Elliott</b> and Jaroslav Halak give new meaning to the 1A/1B goalie concept. Elliott needed only 13 saves to blank Minnesota Feb. 18, but the feat was enough to make St. Louis the first NHL team ever to have two puck-stoppers record six shutouts in a season. Elliott had at least one donut every month, while five of Halak&rsquo;s shutouts came in the new year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

Classified In Columbus

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01904/9698041-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1478/9698048-1-eng-US/f0040-142.jpg" title="f0040-14" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02578/9698034-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="613" height="710"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GABRIEL LANDESKOG</b></figcaption></div><p>As the calendar turned toward March, the case for Gabriel Landeskog as the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year turned more compelling.</p><p>While the No. 2 pick in last year&rsquo;s draft was not the points leader among first-year players, he was only seven points back of New Jersey&rsquo;s Adam Henrique. In other statistical categories, however, Landeskog showed no peer. The 19-year-old Swede, who played junior with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers, led by a wide margin in shots on goal (194 through 61 games), was first in average ice time among forwards (18:24), second in plus-minus (plus-15) to the Rangers&rsquo; Carl Hagelin, first among forwards in hits (158) and tops overall in takeaways (48).</p><p>While Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was the front-runner for the Calder early on, his shoulder injuries opened the door for Landeskog, Henrique and others. It figures to be a close race down to the wire for the trophy. If Landeskog wins it, he would become the first Avalanche player to do so since Chris Drury in 1999. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who plays 200 feet of the ice and I can use him in so many situations,&rdquo; said Colorado coach Joe Sacco. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s learning and getting better as the season goes along.&rdquo;</p><p>Landing the Calder would be nice, but Landeskog would prefer a taste of the post-season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been fun, going through my first year &ndash; lots of great new experiences,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But my main goal right now is just to try and do everything I can to help us get a playoff spot.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03447/9698027-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05305/9698020-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07232/9698013-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="623" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09149/9698006-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11119/9697999-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04360/9697992-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KOLANOS: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It was 37 months between NHL points for <b>Krys Kolanos</b>, Calgary&rsquo;s comeback kid. The 19th overall pick by Phoenix in 2000 missed half of 2009-10 and last year with a bad hip. He got off to a hot start in AHL Abbotsford before signing with the Flames in February. Kolanos debuted with Phoenix in 2001, but had concussion issues most of the next four seasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06267/9697985-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="356" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DOWNIE: MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>One thing that has eluded <b>Steve Downie</b> since he became a top prospect in 2004 has been tenure. The 24-year-old dervish was dealt twice during a four-year OHL career and is now on his third NHL team in five seasons. The 29th overall pick in 2005 also played for two teams in the AHL &ndash; meaning eight teams in eight seasons in the spotlight.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08200/9697978-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="357" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANDESKOG+KRUEGER: DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Associate coach <b>Ralph Krue</b><b>ger</b> got his first win in six starts over two seasons running the Oilers bench. With Tom Renney sidelined by a concussion after taking a puck to the head in mid-February, Krueger lost three straight before a 6-1 win in Calgary. The 52-year-old Winnipeg native filled in for two games last year after Renney&rsquo;s father passed away.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10135/9697971-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="356" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HEATLEY: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Even the addition of marksmen <b>Dany Heatley</b> and Devin Setoguchi and new coach Mike Yeo haven&rsquo;t stopped the Wild&rsquo;s offense from falling off a cliff. Since the lockout, Minnesota&rsquo;s goals per game has dropped or stayed flat six consecutive years: from 2.76 in 2005-06 to GPGs in successive seasons of 2.74, 2.68, 2.61, 2.61, 2.48, to a lowly 2.14 in &rsquo;11-12.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12108/9697964-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="356" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SALO: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Despite missing 10 games with a concussion and a groin injury, 37-year-old <b>Sami Salo</b> is on pace for his most durable season in eight years. The injury-prone defender &ndash; some reports have him at more than 40 career ailments &ndash; has missed more than 250 NHL games since 1998. Salo will reach 850 career regular season and playoff games this spring.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

To The Front Of The Class

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1363/9698163-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="426" height="582"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1452/9698170-1-eng-US/f0041-142.jpg" title="f0041-14" width="78" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01783/9698156-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="415" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02511/9698149-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="426" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03416/9698142-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="426" height="571"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04360/9698135-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="426" height="582"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05326/9698128-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="426" height="576"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06283/9698121-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" 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&reg; 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/f0041-07243/9698114-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="334" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08189/9698107-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="334" height="456"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09140/9698100-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="334" height="448"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10113/9698093-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="142" height="129"></div><p><b>Find us on Facebook</b></p><p><b><a href="http://facebook.com/TheHockeyNews">facebook.com/TheHockeyNews</a></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1193/9698086-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="142" height="129"></div><p><b>Follow us on Twitter</b></p><p><b>@TheHockeyNews</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1278/9698079-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="158" height="283"></div><p><b>VISIT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a> TO SUBSCRIBE NOW!</b></p><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>

f0041-13

YOUR INSIDE EDGE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01831/9698278-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1358/9698285-1-eng-US/f0042-132.jpg" title="f0042-13" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02536/9698271-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="597" height="727"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATT GREENE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GREENE: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s been a trying season for the Kings. Thought of as a Stanley Cup contender, Los Angeles has instead slipped and skidded throughout the campaign and a playoff spot was on the bubble as the trade deadline approached.</p><p>But through it all, at least the Kings knew they had a character guy to settle things down during storms. That would be veteran defenseman Matt Greene, whose voice carries a lot of weight in the room. &ldquo;You want to lead by example,&rdquo; the 28-year-old said. &ldquo;If you do say something, make sure to back it up. Keep yourself to a high standard and hope the other guys do, too.&rdquo;</p><p>While Greene wears the &lsquo;A,&rsquo; not the &lsquo;C,&rsquo; in Los Angeles, he is part of a dynamic leadership group including top point-getter Anze Kopitar and the true captain, Dustin Brown. Needless to say, it&rsquo;s more of a democracy than a dictatorship. &ldquo;I bounce a lot of ideas off him,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a vocal guy, probably the most vocal guy we have in here. Greener&rsquo;s definitely my No. 1 guy if I have concerns about something.&rdquo;</p><p>With penalty killing, hitting, shot-blocking and shutdown duty his calling cards, it is no surprise who Greene looked up to as a young player with Edmonton for three seasons after the lockout. &ldquo;Jason Smith was awesome,&rdquo; Greene said. &ldquo;He would do anything to help the team win on and off the ice. Just an awesome dude, awesome player.&rdquo;</p><p>And clearly an effective role model, at that.</p><h2><b>STRETCH DRIVE STATS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03420/9698264-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05287/9698257-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="623" height="521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07217/9698250-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="623" height="520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-09134/9698243-1-eng-US/f0042-092.jpg" title="f0042-09" width="623" height="519"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1183/9698236-1-eng-US/f0042-112.jpg" title="f0042-11" width="623" height="520"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04335/9698229-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="356" height="508"></div><p>Since the new year, <b>Jonas Hiller</b> has been money in the bank for the Ducks. The 30-year-old Swiss netminder, whose 2010-11 campaign was marred by a bout of vertigo, had lost only four of 21 games, allowing more than two goals just five times and earning two shutouts in 2012. Hiller was the NHL&rsquo;s first star of the week in mid-February.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06255/9698222-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="356" height="509"></div><p>If your team gets down early to Dallas, may as well just give up. Since Halloween of 2009, the Stars had not lost a game in regulation after leading through 40 minutes (59-0-6). <b>Loui Eriksson</b> has done his share to help the Stars&rsquo; cause this season: He scored the first goal of the game seven times through 60 contests, tops on the team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08166/9698215-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="356" height="508"></div><p>Captain <b>Dustin Brown</b> knows the Kings have a great young talent in Drew Doughty, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean the kid gets off lightly. Doughty and Brown are roommates on the road and while they split some duties &ndash; the veteran handles the blinds, the rushing D-man mans the thermostat &ndash; Doughty is still charged with grabbing the morning coffee.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-10109/9698208-1-eng-US/f0042-102.jpg" title="f0042-10" width="356" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HILLER+ERIKSSON+BROWN+VRBATA: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Phoenix employs one of the more creative marketing departments in the NHL and on Feb. 18 they said &ldquo;No More Mr. Nice Guy&rdquo; to Dallas: It was Alice Cooper bobblehead night at <a href="http://Jobing.com">Jobing.com</a> Arena. <b>Radim Vrbata</b> provided the OT heroics for the Desert Dogs as the legendary rocker came out to support both the Yotes and military personnel.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1270/9698201-1-eng-US/f0042-122.jpg" title="f0042-12" width="356" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WINGELS: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s been an eventful, albeit brief season for rookie <b>Tommy Wingels.</b> Injuries and demotions had limited his action, but the 23-year-old Miami Red-Hawks alum still found time in his first 14 games to record his first assist, goal and fight. The dust-up was with Columbus&rsquo; R.J. Umberger, who earned a Gordie Howe hat trick that night with the tilt.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-01

Greene In Name Only

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01709/9698323-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE BEST &lsquo;O&rsquo; AMONG &lsquo;D&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>Jerome Gauthier-Leduc led QMJHL defensemen in scoring by a wide margin.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GAUTHIER-LEDUC: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03341/9698330-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here was a time</b> when the Buffalo Sabres would have never even thought of signing a player like Jerome Gauthier-Leduc this early, never mind giving him a $90,000 signing bonus. No, their modus operandi with many of their draft picks was to play chicken with them and sign them to last-minute deals that saved the team as much money as possible.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02453/9698316-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="133" height="142"></div><p>Like so many things when it comes to finances, that changed with new owner Terry Pegula. &ldquo;Now we have the leverage to go out and sign those kids we knew we were going to sign anyway,&rdquo; said Sabres director of amateur scouting Kevin Devine, &ldquo;and we don&rsquo;t have to nickel and dime them anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>One thing that has not changed with the suddenly-flush-with-money Sabres, though, is their approach to drafting and developing players and that&rsquo;s where a prospect such as Gauthier-Leduc comes in. He has proved beyond all doubt this season in the Quebec League he&rsquo;s an offensive force by leading the entire Canadian League in scoring among defenseman. But he will be brought along slowly with the Sabres, who have a history of producing top players in the minors.</p><p>The Sabres think Gauthier-Leduc could develop into another Marc-Andre Gragnani type of player. Gragnani was the American League&rsquo;s top defenseman last season before cracking the Sabres lineup last fall.</p><p>Gauthier-Leduc certainly has the offensive pedigree of a player such as Gragnani. With 24-41-65 totals through 54 games for the Rimouski Oceanic, Gauthier-Leduc has been a top performer in the league. He started the season by breaking a 31-year-old &lsquo;Q&rsquo; record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman when he scored nine goals and 18 points in eight games.</p><p>Devine said when the Sabres went to Europe to start the regular season, they sent most of their junior prospects back early and that helped Gauthier-Leduc. Despite his offensive numbers, Gauthier-Leduc was an early cut from Canada&rsquo;s national junior team. He didn&rsquo;t have a great camp and was disappointed with the result, but didn&rsquo;t let it affect his game when he returned to Rimouski.</p><p>There was a lot of speculation as to whether Gauthier-Leduc would be traded at the QMJHL deadline, which would have been fitting since he&rsquo;s been involved in two blockbuster trades in his career. After going 18th overall to the Drummondville Voltigeurs as a 16-year-old in 2008, he was traded to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for overager Yannick Riendeau, who went on to win the league scoring title. In 2010, he was traded to Rimouski from Rouyn-Noranda in a deal that involved Patrice Cormier and Jordan Caron.</p><p>He&rsquo;s always been an offensive player dating back to his days as a forward, a position he played until peewee. It was only after his coach in Quebec City suggested he move to defense that Gauthier-Leduc found his niche. &ldquo;He said I was too slow,&rdquo; Gauthier-Leduc recalled. &ldquo;But he said, &lsquo;You have pretty good vision and there&rsquo;s a spot for you on defense,&rsquo; so I took it.&rdquo;</p><p>Gauthier-Leduc&rsquo;s foot speed has improved over the years to the point where it&rsquo;s not a deficiency or barrier to him playing pro. He acknowledges, though, that he has a fair bit of physical maturing to do and needs to add muscle to his 6-foot-1, 192-pound frame.</p><p>Gauthier-Leduc came in as the No. 6 prospect on the Sabres top 10 list in Future Watch 2012. His defensive game still needs refinement. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a bit slight for that height, but I think he&rsquo;ll be OK in that area,&rdquo; Devine said. &ldquo;Once those kids get out of junior, that&rsquo;s when they start to make a move in the physical learning curve.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>18</b></h2><p><b>Points for Gauthier-Leduc during his eight-game goal-scoring streak</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

Jerome Finds A Home

<div class="byline">BY UFFE BODIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01621/9698368-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>OSCAR-DANSK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DANSK: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04304/9698375-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Y</span>ou tend to listen</b> when Per-Erik Alcen talks about goaltending. For the past several years, the 52-year-old has been the goalie coach for Brynas of the Swedish League. During that time he has worked with and refined talented netminders such as Jacob Markstrom, Anders Lindback, Eddie Lack and Thomas Greiss, who all receive their paychecks in North America.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02414/9698361-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="126" height="83"></div><p>Next in line from Alcen&rsquo;s school of puck-plucking is Oscar Dansk, a draft eligible 18-year-old who according to his mentor shares a lot of positive qualities with his predecessors. &ldquo;He is big, mobile and has the same fire in his eyes that Markstrom and Lindback share,&rdquo; Alcen said. &ldquo;If you have that special stare, it means you&rsquo;ve got what it takes to go far.&rdquo;</p><p>Dansk laughed when he heard the goalie guru&rsquo;s comments. &ldquo;I guess he means I like to compete and hate to lose,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true. Before every practice and every game, my goal is always to stop every single puck.&rdquo;</p><p>Although Dansk plays in Sweden nowadays, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound netminder is to some extent a product of American hockey. At 13, he left home and moved to Faribault, Minn., to attend the renowned Shattuck St-Mary&rsquo;s program, where the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews and Zach Parise did their groundwork in their early teens. &ldquo;I used to go to hockey camps in Canada when I was really young, but it was actually my older brother who was supposed to move to the U.S.,&rdquo; Dansk said. &ldquo;Then he was in a situation where he was really content with his life in Sweden, so when he decided to stay I got the question if I wanted to go. I had really enjoyed my time abroad before, so I never hesitated.&rdquo;</p><p>What was supposed to be one year in the United States turned to three. Today, Dansk is really pleased that he chose a road less travelled. &ldquo;It was tough in the beginning, but as soon as I got involved with the hockey, I got settled in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The culture at Shattuck St-Mary&rsquo;s really helped me grow and mature as a player and as a person. Everything there is so structured and professional. I have never for one second regretted my decision.&rdquo;</p><p>Dansk moved back to Sweden in 2010 to continue his development in Brynas&rsquo; highly regarded youth system and has made some really nice strides since then. This season, he has been spectacular, especially playing for the Swedish U-18 national team, where he posted a 1.97 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage in seven games. He got rave reviews from several NHL scouts after a 44-save shutout against the Americans in Sweden&rsquo;s first game of the World Junior A Challenge in Langley, B.C., last November.</p><p>&ldquo;All the tournaments I&rsquo;ve been to with the national team have been really fun, but of course that game sticks out,&rdquo; Dansk said. &ldquo;It was one of those games I really enjoy, where there&rsquo;s a lot of pressure and where everything just goes your way. It was one of the best games of my career, no doubt.&rdquo;</p><p>When asked what NHL goalie he thinks he resembles, Dansk came up with an unexpected answer. For most young Swedish goalies it would be blasphemy to saying anything other than Henrik Lundqvist, but this young man pointed his finger to Slovakia. &ldquo;I would actually say Jaroslav Halak of the St. Louis Blues,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like his style and I think we have the same kind of composure in our game.&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></div>

f0045-01

Dansk Looks To The Big Dance

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03349/9698406-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="435" height="458"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDREI VASILEVSKI</b> <span class="photo-credit">(VASILEVSKI: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. ANDREI VASILEVSKI</b></h2><p>Tolpar Ufa (Rus.)</p><p><i>Big boy was a revelation at the world juniors and will be front and center at under-18s in April. His .935 SP among best in Russian juniors.</i></p><h2><b>2. MALCOLM SUBBAN</b></h2><p><i>Athletic keeper with wide stance has battled injuries, but when healthy he has posted some of the best numbers in a shooter&rsquo;s league.</i></p><h2><b>3. JOONAS KORPISALO</b></h2><p>Jokerit Jr. (Fin.)</p><p><i>Quick down low and has great feet. Competitive &rsquo;tender challenges shooters and protects his crease with a vengeance.</i></p><h2><b>4. ANDREI MAKAROV</b></h2><p>Saskatoon Blades (WHL)</p><p><i>The other half of Russia&rsquo;s dynamic WJC duo was incredible in gold medal game. Scouts want to see more consistency.</i></p><h2><b>5. CHRIS DRIEDGER</b></h2><p>Calgary Hitmen (WHL)</p><p><i>Square to the puck and wastes little movement when he&rsquo;s on the ball.</i></p><h2><b>6. JON GILLIES</b></h2><p>Indiana Ice (USHL)</p><p><i>Trendy 6-foot-5 frame and the best save percentage in league at .921.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-03

Net Stars

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01626/9698444-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FAKSA MACHINE</b></p><p><b>Center Radek Faksa has been a big contributor for the OHL&rsquo;s Rangers as a rookie.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04231/9698451-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="102" height="118"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>aybe it&rsquo;s the</b> city&rsquo;s Germanic roots, maybe it&rsquo;s because so many NHLers have graduated from the program, but the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers have done quite well when it comes to attracting talent from Europe lately.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02409/9698437-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="125" height="123"></div><p>The newest addition is Czech center Radek Faksa, whose stock has blossomed ahead of the 2012 draft. He is poised to become a top-10 pick according to some camps. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been fun here because of all the people that come to games,&rdquo; Faksa said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been amazing. In Czech juniors, there are no fans. And here the hockey is faster and harder. It&rsquo;s a bigger chance for an NHL future.&rdquo;</p><p>In the past few years, the Rangers have welcomed Mikkel Boedker, Yannick Weber and Gabriel Landeskog to the town formerly known as New Berlin and Faksa&rsquo;s signing actually came out of the rapid ascension of Landeskog. When it became apparent in the summer the Swede was headed straight to the NHL, Kitchener gave up his rights in order to fill that second import slot.</p><p>Landeskog and Tobias Rieder (an Edmonton pick from Germany) are both with Octagon, the same firm that reps Faksa, so there was an established trust. The fact the 6-foot-3, 202-pound pivot has posted more points than any other OHL rookie (23 goals and 52 points through 50 games) has confirmed that faith. &ldquo;Radek has come in and gone up and above the curve for import players,&rdquo; said coach Steve Spott. &ldquo;He has handled the transition seamlessly and I think the most pleasant surprise for us is that he&rsquo;s a complete player. Very much like Gabriel was for us last year.&rdquo;</p><p>With his big frame, Faksa is adept at swooping in to create offensive chances and he often creates space for linemates thanks to all the attention he garners. He&rsquo;s been playing the point on the power play alongside Carolina first-rounder Ryan Murphy the past month and that personnel change coincided with the Rangers&rsquo; special teams improving greatly. &ldquo;He has great passing ability and more importantly, if we do turn the puck over, I trust him coming back to our end,&rdquo; Spott said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got that 200-foot presence. But once he has that puck on the offensive blueline, it&rsquo;s going to back teams off because he&rsquo;s pretty gifted.&rdquo;</p><p>Talent-watchers are high on Faksa for all those reasons and NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 4 among North American-based skaters in its mid-term ranking. &ldquo;He is one of the better forwards in the draft,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He has size, skill and he can skate, He uses his size and reach very well.&rdquo;</p><p>Faksa would still like to improve on his faceoffs and his skating, but there&rsquo;s time for that as he learns the North American game. He already got a dose of an NHL rink when he took part in the world juniors this year in Alberta. That&rsquo;s where his Czech Republic team nearly stunned the Russians in the quarterfinal. &ldquo;I was the youngest on the team so it was more important to me,&rdquo; Faksa said. &ldquo;And it was big because it was in Canada. I hope we will do better next year. I think the &rsquo;93s and &rsquo;94s (birth years) are a better group, so I hope we medal.&rdquo;</p><p>As the kid on the squad, Faksa registered just two goals in six games for the Czech Republic, but he figures to be more integral to the attack in Russia next year, where the city of Ufa will host the holiday classic.</p><p>The Rangers love that they have another import doing big things in Kitchener. Now they must hope he doesn&rsquo;t follow Landeskog&rsquo;s lead <i>too</i> closely in his draft year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0046-01

Radek-al Beginning

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03280/9698482-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="474" height="413"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MAX IAFRATE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: AARON BELL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s a rookie with the Plymouth Whalers, defenseman Max Iafrate was buried on a deep, veteran squad. But an off-season trade with Kitchener has his 2012 draft status looking a lot rosier.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously I&rsquo;m playing close to 25 minutes a night and last year the most I played was 15 minutes when guys were hurt,&rdquo; Isfrate said. &ldquo;So I have a lot of responsibility.&rdquo;</p><p>The son of former NHLer Al Iafrate has brought a nice dimension to the Rangers and the team is happy to have him on board. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great shutdown guy,&rdquo; said coach Steve Spott. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a good stick and he&rsquo;s hard to play against. There&rsquo;s a ton of upside with Max Iafrate.&rdquo;</p><p>The youngster&rsquo;s dad has come out to Rangers practices frequently to teach the &lsquo;D&rsquo; how to get pucks to the net and Max said he talks to his father after every game. &ldquo;His knowledge is endless,&rdquo; Max said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-03

Maxed-out Potential

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02312/9698551-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="913" height="913"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>AST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. CLANCY, 4. SINGER, 9. TROUNCE, 10. TOOTH, 11. OMAHA, 12. ICEDOGS, 13. BLUE, 15. BODY, 18. TOM WATT, 21. MATCH, 23. CHEST, 24. RED DEER, 25. SEXTET, 26. LITTLE <b>DOWN</b> 1. COTTON, 2. AROMA, 3. CAN NAME, 5. IS THE, 6. GOOD OLD, 7. REHASH, 8. SEMI, 14. LEMIEUX, 15. BEMIDJI, 16. STICKS, 17. CHARGE, 19. AT THE, 20. TIRE, 22. TRENT</p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 George ___ is a rugged Duck</p><p>4 Jordan ___ is a sniper with the Oilers</p><p>9 Become eligible for the draft again</p><p>10 A wing</p><p>11 Take a series 4-0</p><p>12 The &lsquo;W&rsquo; in WHL</p><p>13 Both Sedins have won the Art ___ Trophy</p><p>15 Wayne Cashman&rsquo;s obvious nickname</p><p>18 O-___-___ was a Canadian hockey card maker</p><p>21 Nationwide is Columbus&rsquo;s</p><p>23 One of the Stastnys</p><p>24 The Rangers retired his No. 7</p><p>25 Increase the tempo, ___ ___ up</p><p>26 &lsquo;Toe&rsquo; Blake&rsquo;s real first name</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 Zach ___ is a Devil, pictured</p><p>2 Jeff ___ is goalie coach in Philly</p><p>3 Something once tossed on the ice in Detroit</p><p>5 The late Pat ___ steered the Devils to a Cup</p><p>6 Go backward</p><p>7 Force another game, ___ a series</p><p>8 Faceoff</p><p>14 The 1967 Leafs were dubbed the &lsquo;___-___- Hill Gang&rsquo;</p><p>15 Ex-King sniper ___ Simmer</p><p>16 Jabs with one&rsquo;s stick blade</p><p>17 Jeff ___ is now with Columbus</p><p>19 Maurice Richard&rsquo;s brother</p><p>20 Sharpened portion of the skate blade</p><p>22 Throw out</p><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-02

CROSSWORD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03244/9698582-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="896" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bobby Orr wore black and gold, but his blue-and-white gloves called to mind his Ontario roots.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BLAST: LEWIS PORTNOY/HHOF)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04225/9698589-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="136" height="136"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></div>

f0049-03

Blast from the Past from The Hockey Hall of Fame

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05174/9698620-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="614" height="677"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JONATHAN BRUNELLE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: MIKE SULLIVAN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>rey is an underrated jersey color. Sure, it&rsquo;s bad if everyone does it (see the NHL and the color black in the 1990s), but bust it out occasionally and it looks great.</p><p>Case in point: the Screaming Eagles&rsquo; third sweater, which features a nice script logo on the front and the team&rsquo;s traditional emblem on the shoulder. The grey represents steel, while the black invokes coal &ndash; two important industries in Nova Scotia. The fact Cape Breton designers were able to wring out some social significance on a sweet-looking sweater is pretty impressive.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01400/9698658-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="282" height="499"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n the debate sparked by</b> Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman concerning whether or not junior-aged players should be eligible to be dispatched to the American League, we haven&rsquo;t heard much from either side about what would be best for the players involved.</p><p>Yzerman, who is taking a bullet for a lot of GMs on this one, has come up with a reasonable proposal that players who have played three years in one of the Ontario, Western or Quebec Leagues be allowed to be sent to the minors instead of being dispatched back to junior.</p><p>Yzerman and the GMs want more control over the development of their players and want to amend the NHL-CHL agreement this summer to accomplish that goal. That, they feel, will make their drafted prospects better players quicker and more valuable assets to the organization. They&rsquo;re not wrong.</p><p>But that&rsquo;s not something the CHL wants to hear. Anything that threatens its near monopoly over the best teenaged players in the world is bound to garner a ton of opposition. After all, these guys are its star players, the ones people pay to see and who contribute to a healthier bottom line. They want these players all to themselves for as long as possible.</p><p>But if I&rsquo;m the NHL, here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;d say to the CHL (perhaps a little more diplomatically than this): &ldquo;Hey guys, we&rsquo;re the NHL and you are our feeder system. We provide you with $10 million each year in developmental money that we really don&rsquo;t have to give you. We&rsquo;re going to take these three-year juniors and put them in the AHL if that&rsquo;s what is best for their development. Let us know when you want to sign the agreement.&rdquo;</p><p>What exactly is the CHL going to do? Close its business? It has almost no leverage in negotiations with the NHL. Players who play in the CHL are still going to aspire to play in the NHL as much as ever and unless the CHL is going to start signing binding contracts with their players and paying them a competitive wage, there&rsquo;s really not a lot it can do.</p><p>(By the way, neither the league nor the NHL Players&rsquo; Association should be accepting any pats on the back for wholeheartedly looking out for the best interests of young players. After all, the two sides have been more than happy to bargain away their rights with a cap on rookie salaries, despite the fact these men are neither NHL players nor members of the NHLPA when they negotiate their first contracts.)</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Yzerman is taking a bullet for a lot of GMs on this proposal</b></blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02295/9698651-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="517" height="801"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE YZERMAN <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The player eligibility debate isn&rsquo;t limited to the NHL. There is a 15-year-old named Connor McDavid playing up with the Toronto Marlboros midget team. In order to play in the OHL &ndash; or any level of junior hockey &ndash; next season, he would have to be deemed an &ldquo;exceptional player&rdquo; by Hockey Canada.</p><p>That McDavid&rsquo;s immediate future as a player at any level of junior is up to some panel of handpicked Hockey Canada experts is absurd. The kid can play. If he were automatically eligible for the OHL draft, there&rsquo;s a chance he&rsquo;d go first overall.</p><p>And how many other 15-year-olds are being prohibited from playing junior hockey &ndash; not just major junior, but any level of junior from A down to D &ndash; because of this rule? There are a lot of 15-year-olds who are too good for major midget and not good enough yet for the CHL who should be playing Jr. A or B, but can&rsquo;t because Hockey Canada says they can&rsquo;t.</p><p>That was not always the case. There was a time when 15-year-olds could play Jr. A or Jr. B. But instead of having their sons playing some level of junior hockey for free, parents have to spend thousands of dollars for them to play another year in minor hockey.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not surprising that 15-year-olds are treated this way. But what is surprising is the NHL isn&rsquo;t willing to flex its muscles and change the parameters of its agreement with the CHL. A change would not affect the true superstars of the CHL because those guys go directly to the NHL as 18-year-olds, anyway. And those players who would start their pro careers in the AHL one year earlier would also burn up one year of their entry level contracts and be on the road to unrestricted free agency a year sooner. It&rsquo;s a win for them, too.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no reason for a change not to be made. The only question is why has it taken so long for it to be done?</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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March 19, 2012

HITCH Heros

Playing For The Point

Caption CONTEST

Desperate Devils