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.

April 16, 2012

The Hockey News - Apr-16-12

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>ilers blueliner Ryan Whitney</b>&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t helping the weary in this curious photograph. Even the fans in Edmonton look dumbstruck. Send us your funniest caption for a shot at some swag from The Hockey News. We&rsquo;ll publish our favorites in the May 14 issue.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05528/9637272-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="827" height="559"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAPTION: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04770/9637265-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="194" height="171"></div><p><b>To win, submit your entry at <a href="http://www.thn.com/caption">www.thn.com/caption</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Caption COTEST

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012073/9636771-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="521" height="679"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EVGENI MALKIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(POLL: JOE SARGENT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Pittsburgh Penguins 31%</b></p><p>St. Louis Blues 9%</p><p>New York Rangers 8%</p><p>Vancouver Canucks 7%</p><p>Detroit Red Wings 7%</p><p>Philadelphia Flyers 6%</p><p>Boston Bruins 6%</p><p>Nashville Predators 5% Chicago Blackhawks 4%</p><p>New Jersey Devils 3%</p><p>Others 14%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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POLLRESULTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06384/9637030-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="699" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMES: THE CANADIAN PRESS/BILL BECKER)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><i><span>I</span>n our Jan. 16 issue</i></b>&nbsp;<i>THN senior writer Ken Campbell wrote a column asking Graham James to return the Man of the Year Award THN gave him in 1989. Much to our surprise, we received it in early March after James had read Campbell&rsquo;s column and reached out to New York Rangers scout Tom Thompson, asking him to send back the award to our Toronto office.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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OVERTIME FOLLOW-UP

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02300/9638690-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="890" height="130"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01399/9638683-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="144" height="163"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03232/9638676-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="652" height="776"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>P-A PARENTEAU</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span></b>ot long ago, P-A Parenteau was weighing the pros and cons of taking his talents to Europe, wondering whether his NHL opportunity would ever come.</p><p>Drafted by Anaheim in the ninth round (264th overall) in 2001, he was wedged in the American League, unable to convert solid production into full-time NHL employment. But he stuck it out and has now found success as the worker bee on the Isles&rsquo; top line alongside John Tavares and Matt Moulson. And as an unrestricted free agent this summer, the right winger is on the verge of signing his first multi-year contract.</p><p>Turns out staying was the right decision. &ldquo;Europe was something I thought about in the minors when I turned 25 or so,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old Parenteau, who spent parts of seven seasons in the AHL &ndash; the last three in the Rangers system &ndash; and even a couple games in the ECHL in 2005-06. &ldquo;I was having some good years and producing and I still wasn&rsquo;t getting my shot. But what helped was the Rangers kept giving me one-way contracts. That made the decision easier. I always knew I had the talent.&rdquo;</p><p>Parenteau, who had already set career highs in points (64) and assists (48) after his 20-goal, 53-point breakout year in 2010-11, is proud of his growth, especially in one key area. &ldquo;My decision making and the speed of my game has gotten better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That was the knock on me my first years in the minors. It&rsquo;s something I worked on and it&rsquo;s really helped my game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04213/9638669-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="651" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05166/9638662-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="753" height="588"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0937/9638655-1-eng-US/f0049-092.jpg" title="f0049-09" width="327" height="548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARKOV: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Andrei Markov</b> played just 12 games the past two seasons due to right knee woes before returning to action in mid-March. That&rsquo;s sweet news for the Habs&rsquo; dreadful power play, second-worst in the NHL at 14.7 percent. In the five seasons between 2005-10, when Markov averaged 70 games per year, Montreal was top-five on the man advantage four times.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0692/9638648-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1032/9638641-1-eng-US/f0049-102.jpg" title="f0049-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARENTEAU+ASHTON+NABOKOV: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Last year <b>Evgeni Nabokov</b> couldn&rsquo;t bring himself to stay on Long Island for even a few months after being claimed off waivers. Now, after a year tending the twine for the Islanders, the 36-year-old signed to stay another year at $2.8-million. Nabokov is the first bona fide No. 1 goalie the Isles have had since Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s bad karma kicked in after 2007-08.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0767/9638634-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1123/9638627-1-eng-US/f0049-112.jpg" title="f0049-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CONNOLLY: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Rookie and 2010 sixth overall pick <b>Brett Connolly</b> had an up-and-down campaign and, upon further review, may not have been ready for the NHL. His ice time ranged from 18 minutes a game to as little as five, he was labelled a defensive liability, he was scratched three times and he struggled through a goal-scoring drought that spanned half a season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0845/9638620-1-eng-US/f0049-082.jpg" title="f0049-08" width="753" height="591"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1220/9638613-1-eng-US/f0049-122.jpg" title="f0049-12" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Acquired in the trade deadline deal for Keith Aulie, <b>Carter Ashton</b> made his NHL debut with the Leafs and was held scoreless in his first eight games. He&rsquo;s got a great hockey pedigree, as his father, Brent, played 14 NHL seasons and amassed 629 points in 998 games. Carter was born in Winnipeg &ndash; one of nine NHL cities Brent played for.</p><h2><b>Fail for Nail?</b></h2><p><b>There&rsquo;s a bright</b> light at the end of the tunnel for the bottom five teams in the standings: the opportunity to win the draft lottery and select consensus No. 1 prospect Nail Yakupov June 22. Here is each spot&rsquo;s chances of getting that plum pick.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1317/9638606-1-eng-US/f0049-132.jpg" title="f0049-13" width="1033" height="514"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Patience Pays for P-A

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY LEN REDKOLES</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012205/9636609-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Ah Yes, I Like This One</b></h2><p><b>Jaromir Jagr sorts through his lumber before settling upon his weapon of choice to torment the opposition.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012432/9636654-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="991" height="630"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021651/9636647-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="276" height="363"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he</b>&nbsp;<b>Detroit Red Wings</b> are the NHL&rsquo;s model franchise, the one every other organization most envies and would love to replicate. The problem is, how do you mirror greatness?</p><p>The simple answer, one that is commonly espoused, is to install good management. But how can you be sure you&rsquo;re getting expert decision-makers, or ones who will consistently make winning choices? Do you think Detroit knew Ken Holland would become &ldquo;the legendary Ken Holland&rdquo; when they made him GM in 1997? And for all the fantastic work the Wings&rsquo; scouts have done in the ensuing years, do you not think there&rsquo;s an element of luck involved in some of their transactions? If they knew Nicklas Lidstrom (drafted 53rd overall), Pavel Datsyuk (171st) and Henrik Zetterberg (210th) would evolve into the stars they are today, why did they wait so long to pick them?</p><p>Scott Howson was viewed as a shrewd up-and-coming executive when Columbus hired him to build a solid foundation in 2007. When Toronto inked Brian Burke in 2008, the move was lauded in the hockey-mad mecca. The point is, even sharp men can fail, or stub their toes, in this business. &ldquo;Geniuses&rdquo; who have won in one location bring no guarantees they&rsquo;ll repeat the pattern elsewhere. And in this salary cap era, where a big contract can swing around a GM&rsquo;s neck like an albatross on steroids, errors in judgment can be brutally unforgiving.</p><p>Consider the NHL&rsquo;s playoff history since the lockout ended. In those six years, there have been 84 non-playoff teams (14 per year). Nearly two-thirds of those slots have been occupied by about one-third of the league&rsquo;s teams. Toronto, Columbus, Florida, Edmonton, the Islanders and former Thrashers are among 11 clubs who&rsquo;ve been on the outside a combined 53 times in that span, stuck in CBA quicksand. We believe that should change in the next agreement, at least to a degree. Franchises should be allowed a mulligan or two to right a wrong or two in order to help stem the demoralization that erodes fanbases of chronic losers. We&rsquo;re not advocating a return to a non-cap world, just one that allows slightly more bad-deal flexibility.</p><p>By the way, did you notice that if San Jose fails to make the playoffs, that will leave Detroit as the only club to qualify for the post-season every year since the lockout? Good luck, copycats.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03979/9636640-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="456" height="245"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> APRIL 30, 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><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Stuck In The Cellar With You

<h2><b>Clear As Mud</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hy doesn&rsquo;t the NHL make their standings easier to interpret? Just call a loss a loss and a win a win. Ottawa is 3-1-2 against Buffalo and Buffalo is 3-1-2 against Ottawa. Talk about confusing. Through my non-rose-shaded glasses, both teams are 3-3. Distribute points however you want, I don&rsquo;t really care, I just want to look at the standings and know if they are a winning club or not.</p><p><i>Matt Wallace, Smiths Falls, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Topsy Turvy Top 50</b></h2><p>I cannot understand why Evgeni Malkin was No. 6 in your NHL&rsquo;s Top 50 As Selected By The Players issue (March 19). He is on pace to win the Art Ross and finish second for the Rocket Richard. It boggles the mind how a player that good can be ranked lower than a player who had played in a grand total of eight games.</p><p><i>Ryan Dunn, San Jose</i></p><p>How can a player be the first star of a game he did not even play? Simple: be Sidney Crosby. He is so good, says THN&rsquo;s survey, he does not have to play to be the best. Not even Wayne Gretzky could do that.</p><p><i>Louis-Pierre Smith Lacroix, Quebec City, Quebec</i></p><p>Am I missing a page? Where is John Tavares in the poll of the top 50 players?</p><p><i>Felton Atkinson, Stoney Island, N.S.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021772/9636709-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="503" height="683"></div><p>I was shocked to see Miikka Kiprusoff 46th. The man they call &lsquo;Kipper&rsquo; should easily be top five. Were it not for his heroics, the Flames would be battling for a lottery pick, not a playoff spot.</p><p><i>Dave Linn, Hanna, Alta.</i></p><h2><b>&lsquo;O&rsquo; Orr &lsquo;D&rsquo;</b></h2><p>Isn&rsquo;t about time to add an award for offensive defensemen? I keep hearing Erik Karlsson shouldn&rsquo;t win the Norris because he can&rsquo;t play &lsquo;D.&rsquo; Why not end the debate and create the Bobby Orr Trophy? The Norris can go to the best defensive defenseman or the best all-around D-man.</p><p><i>Barry Dunham, London, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Seeds Of Sorrow</b></h2><p>I&rsquo;m sick of teams being rewarded for playing in a lousy division. Winning your division should guarantee you a playoff spot, but not a top three seed. I hope this gets fixed when re-alignment takes place.</p><p><i>Will dePeuter, Sundridge, Ont.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THN INBOX

<div class="byline">Pierre Kugler, Kitchener, Ont.</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012322/9636740-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BACKES: JULIA NOACK PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>s a dog lover and long suffering Maple Leafs fan, I was again pondering my annual conun-drum of who to cheer for in the playoffs when I came across your April 2 cover story on David Backes and the tireless efforts he and his wife put into rescuing dogs across Missouri and the rest of the United States. It seems my question of who to pull for has been answered, not just this year but for subsequent years as well: Go Blues!</b></p><p><b>Submit your letter at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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BLUES CLUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021448/9636802-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MAPLE LEAF GARDENS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MLG: GRAPHIC ARTISTS/HOCKEY HALL OF FAME)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>What&rsquo;s keeping you up at night, hockey fans?</i></p><p><i>If you&rsquo;ve got a question about the game, send it to columnist Adam Proteau at <a href="http://THN.COM/ASKADAM">THN.com/askadam</a></i></p><p><b>Hey Adam. Just wondering about the history of announcing the &ldquo;last minute of play.&rdquo; How long has that been done?</b></p><p><i>Jerry Plante, Pembroke, Ont.</i></p><p>Jerry, neither the Society for International Hockey Research nor the Hockey Hall of Fame know for certain. The SIHR had heard the &ldquo;last minute of play&rdquo; announcement began in the early part of the 20th century in the old Pacific Coast League, when teams announced the final minute to alert concession stand workers crowds would soon come. Meanwhile, the HHOF heard the announcement was made to give a heads-up to the people working on the pre-digitized scoreboards. No clear answer, I&rsquo;m afraid.</p><p><b>Well, Adam, a few years ago I asked you about a possible work stoppage when the current collective bargaining agreement expired. You invited me to remove my aluminum foil hat. What say you now?</b></p><p><i>Billy Cawthorn, Vernon, B.C.</i></p><p>Well, Dan, you don&rsquo;t have to put that hat back on anytime soon, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean the NHL is headed for the full-on labor war we saw in 2004-05. I think the worst we&rsquo;ll see is the type of scenario the NBA experienced, where the players were locked out for training camp and the early part of the regular season before a deal was struck. But a full year lost? No. I don&rsquo;t think the players or the owners are prepared to find out whether fans would be as forgiving after a second whitewashed season.</p><p>Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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ASK ADAM

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03890/9636833-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="116" height="116"></div><p><b>@Awsum_Man:</b> Capitals play Bruins. Tim Thomas refuses to play, citing political differences with Washington.</p><p><b>@2teamsonecup:</b> Marc-Andre Fleury gets injured in last game of season. Sidney Crosby plays goal leading Penguins to fourth Stanley Cup.</p><p><b>@HockeyJC:</b> The Toronto Maple Leafs run the table. Go 16-0 in the playoffs, sweeping the Red Wings in the final.</p><p><b>@1967NHLtweets:</b> Kyle Wellwood wins Conn Smythe Trophy, leading Winnipeg Jets to Cinderella Stanley Cup #THNInbox<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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WACKY AND WILD NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05542/9636885-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="598" height="766"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ZDENO CHARA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CHARA: BRIAN BABINEAU/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>s playoff hockey</b> really a different beast from the regular season, complete with a stingier style of play and looser officiating? In a word, no. The numbers confirm some commonly held beliefs, but expose most others as bunk.</p><p>The notion fighting drops off significantly during the post-season is verified in statistics from the regular season  and playoffs from the first post-lockout season in 2005-06 through the 1,081-game mark of the current campaign (see chart above). The average number of fighting majors falls by more than two-thirds. In addition, the game becomes significantly more physical in the playoffs, as the average of number of hits per game leaps by more than 15 and blocked shots by more than three.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031076/9636892-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="125" height="147"></div><p>However, in the majority of the nine areas we looked at, there is less change between the regular and post-seasons than many would suspect.</p><p>For example, the difference in goals per game between the playoffs and regular season is a dip of just 0.15. As well, the collective average power play efficiency rate is nearly identical from the regular season to the playoffs. And teams&rsquo; home winning percentage was the same in the seven post-lockout seasons as it was during the six playoffs.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021676/9636878-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="866" height="513"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04746/9636871-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="1127" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LET&rsquo;S GET PHYSICAL</b></p><p><b>A major spike in hitting is one of the only noteworthy changes to the game when April arrives.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HITTING: BILL SMITH/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>For many league executives, evidence of relatively minor differences in the two seasons shows how competitive teams must be from the first puck drop of the year until the day they&rsquo;re eliminated from contention. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if it&rsquo;s November or February, everybody does it: You have a collapse and you lose a point or two and you say, &lsquo;I hope that doesn&rsquo;t come back to bite us at the end of the year and be the difference between making the playoffs and missing them,&rsquo; &rdquo; said Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so ingrained in us now to think that way from the first game of the year and it goes to show how much parity we have and how tight things are right from the get-go.&rdquo;</p><p>Added Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford: &ldquo;If you looked just at the games in the second half of the season and compared them to the playoffs, the differences might be even smaller. The playoff intensity is there for a very large part of the regular season now.&rdquo;</p><p>Another widely held belief is referees swallow their whistles once the regular season ends and call fewer penalties in the post-season. But to the contrary, the data &ndash; compiled by Nicholas Chabot, chief statistician with The Sports Forecaster &ndash; shows a slight increase in average penalty minutes per game.</p><p>For Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill, that is an indication of the continuity the league wanted out of its officiating department. &ldquo;When we came out with the new rules after the lockout, everybody&rsquo;s worry was whether the regular season officiating standard would be any different than the playoffs. The league made it clear we were going to stick with that mandate,&rdquo; Nill said. &ldquo;Your data backs that up.&rdquo;</p><p>That said, there will always be some degree of variance from official to official. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve always had certain referees who would call the game a certain way,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;Some would call more and some would let more go. It&rsquo;s always been that way going back decades. But I don&rsquo;t believe there&rsquo;s any intention to do that on the part of the officials. It&rsquo;s not an exact science.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012293/9636864-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="356" height="207"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MONEY: SXC.HU/MISTERHYUN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>$13K</b> Pay docked from Edmonton&rsquo;s Ben Eager for destroying a camera in the penalty box at Vancouver&rsquo;s Rogers Arena Dec. 26, pending an NHLPA grievance.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-05

Game Is The Same

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012239/9636923-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021758/9636954-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="523" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KOVALCHUK: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><p><b>KOVY&rsquo;S CANONICAL CANNON SHOT</b></p><p><i>New Jersey Devils star</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Ilya Kovalchuk</i></b>&nbsp;<i>pots his 400th career goal in style &ndash; a game-winning slapper against Ottawa.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><p><b>EVERYTHING</b></p><p><i>Blue Jackets goaltender Steve Mason admits he had been wearing pads too small for his frame the past two disappointing seasons.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><p><b>LEAPIN&rsquo; FOLIGNOS! THE KID IS HOT</b></p><p><i>Buffalo rookie Marcus Foligno scores five times in first six games. Only other active players to do that: Malkin and Selanne.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><p><b>BLUESHIRTS, MEET BLACK POT</b></p><p><i>Rangers coach John Tortorella blasts Devils peer Pete DeBoer for starting fighters in eventual line brawl, but it takes two to tango, Torts.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031130/9636999-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="305" height="520"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GLENN HALL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HALL: BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04674/9636992-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="303" height="534"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAROSLAV HALAK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HALAK: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b><i>&ldquo;St. Louis, which had struggled through the formative weeks of the</i></b>&nbsp;<i>early season seeking to find some scor</i><i>ing combinations, appeared to have come up with the necessary detonators to set off some explosions&hellip;&rdquo;</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05472/9636985-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="137" height="156"></div><p><i>&ldquo;There is no denying that this club, forged from scraps and bits, gathered through barter, draft and in a few cases, by persuasion, has been built&hellip;into one of the most exciting hockey clubs in the NHL. They can forecheck and backcheck with the best. They have goaltending&hellip;that can make forwards weep with frustration.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>&ndash; THE HOCKEY NEWS, feb. 17, 1968</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-03

BLUES ROLL LOSING ONLY 6 OF LAST 26

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n 1993-94,</b> the NHL went to its current playoff format, seeding teams Nos. 1-8 in both the Eastern and Western conferences. There have been 17 seasons since the switch, so with two conferences that means there have been 34 No. 1 seeds, 34 No. 2 seeds and so on. The charts to the right show how many times each seed has advanced in each round of the post-season.</p><p>For example, 25 No. 1 seeds have made it through the first round (73%), 17 through the second round (50%) and nine through the third round (27%). Six have won the Stanley Cup (35% &ndash; the percentage is higher for the final because only one team can capture the Cup each season, whereas both No. 1 seeds can advance through the first three rounds.)</p><p>As much as fans love upsets, the odds heavily favor the top four seeds in each conference. Only one team among the bottom four seeds has ever won a championship: the 1995 New Jersey Devils who swept the first overall Detroit Red Wings in four games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011960/9637082-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="756" height="728"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021370/9637075-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="757" height="729"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03993/9637068-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="756" height="724"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04805/9637061-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="757" height="724"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-01

WATCH HOW SEEDS CAN GROW

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-06515/9637113-1-eng-US/f0013-062.jpg" title="f0013-06" width="851" height="1176"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARTIN BRODEUR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRODEUR: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ew Jersey</b> had a devilish points percentage since the All-Star Game, garnering 32 of a possible 48 points. Through their own will or Faustian pact, the Devils climbed into sixth (of course) in the Eastern conference and should prove to be hellish to play against in the first round.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-05624/9637120-1-eng-US/f0013-052.jpg" title="f0013-05" width="187" height="194"></div><p>Even more ominous for their opponents is that the &lsquo;Demons&rsquo; thrive when sinning: New Jersey had an 89.2 PK percentage and an NHL-best 14 short-handed goals with a man in the sin bin. Carried by the beastly play of $6.66-million man Ilya Kovalchuk, it&rsquo;s time to give these Devils their due.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-06

.666

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-07467/9637165-1-eng-US/f0013-072.jpg" title="f0013-07" width="496" height="210"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N THE 1950</b>&nbsp;<i>Stanley Cup final against the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Rangers were forced to use Toronto&rsquo;s Maple Leaf Gardens as their home rink in Games 2 and 3 due to a circus that occupied Madison Square Garden.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-08429/9637158-1-eng-US/f0013-082.jpg" title="f0013-08" width="586" height="803"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ELEPHANT: &copy;ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BRIANT)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-09397/9637151-1-eng-US/f0013-092.jpg" title="f0013-09" width="886" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MADISON SQUARE GARDEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MSG: HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-07

PUB Trivia

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012212/9637203-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021662/9637196-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="456" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LUCKY NUMBER</b></p><p><b>Grant Besse wears a No. 13 patch for teammate Jack Jablonski.</b></p><span class="photo-credit">(BESSE: PHOTO DONATED FOR USE BY KYLE OEN AND VINTAGEMNHOCKEY.COM, JABLONSKI: HENNEPIN COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>The Disney ending may</b> not surprise anybody, but it sure is nice to see one happen in real life.</p><p>And while the Benilde-St. Margaret&rsquo;s Red Knights were no pushovers in the Minnesota State High School tournament, they also weren&rsquo;t the favorites. But thanks in part to a fallen teammate, the Red Knights won the whole darn thing.</p><p>On Dec. 30, sophomore Jack Jablonski was racing for a puck when he was hit from behind into the boards. His spinal cord was severed in the fall and he has been paralyzed ever since. The outpouring of support around the young man has been incredible, with Brent Burns of the Sharks and retired star Jeremy Roenick making visits and practically the whole state of Minnesota pitching in for fundraising efforts.</p><p>An offensively explosive team, the Red Knights beat rival and No. 1 seed Minnetonka in the sectional final before heading to the state tourney, where they beat two teams en route to the final against Hill-Murray. Jablonski was in attendance. &ldquo;We knew he was there,&rdquo; said right winger Grant Besse. &ldquo;This championship was what he wanted most. It gave us a little more edge.&rdquo;</p><p>For Besse in particular. The University of Wisconsin commit scored every BSM goal in a 5-1 victory. Jablonski, in a wheelchair, wasn&rsquo;t allowed to come on the ice, so the team decamped to the dressing room in order to celebrate as a full squad. &ldquo;It was very quiet,&rdquo; said coach Ken Pauly. &ldquo;Everyone was happy, but it was as if they were sitting in the afterglow with Jack.&rdquo;</p><p>That calmness came to a quick halt when Roenick, who watched the game on the Internet, was put on speakerphone in the dressing room to offer his congratulations &ndash; both the broadcaster and team went nuts.</p><p>When the season began, Pauly gave his players a Bible verse from the book of Job (39:21) to remember as motivation (BSM is a Catholic school). It sets the scene of a horse going into battle: <i>He paws fiercely, rejoicing in his strength, and charges into the fray.</i> &ldquo;We had to retreat back and get our friend,&rdquo; Pauly said. &ldquo;Then go back into the fray.&rdquo;</p><p>Jablonski has shed the steel halo that steadied his neck after the fall and while he may never walk again, he has experienced twinges in his legs. Though he had just two points this season, the Knights couldn&rsquo;t have won the title without him.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Knights Of Passion

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031127/9637234-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="640" height="575"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DUBINSKY: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>YOUR FAVORITE CITY TO VISIT?</b></p><p><i>Montreal&rsquo;s a lot of fun to play in and it&rsquo;s always nice to go down to Tampa Bay with the warm weather, so that&rsquo;s another great city that I like to play in.</i></p><p><b>YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT?</b></p><p><i>I always go to a place in Boston called Mooo &ndash; it&rsquo;s a steak house. They&rsquo;ve got really good steaks and it&rsquo;s a great pre-game meal.</i></p><p><b>MUST-HAVE ITEM ON THE ROAD?</b></p><p><i>Cell phone charger. It&rsquo;s an important piece.</i></p><p><b>CARDS, MOVIES, OR BOOKS?</b></p><p><i>Set up the card table and play a game called Schnarples, a trump game between four or five of us. It makes the plane rides go quick.</i></p><p><b>ANY MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM HECKLERS?</b></p><p><i>Nothing of any substance. The opposing fans aren&rsquo;t humorous enough. Just the same old &ldquo;you suck!&rdquo; Nothing too clever or worth getting a chuckle over.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-03

ROAD Warrior

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE WYMAN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>erbert H. Carnegie had</b> accumulated no small numbers of honors over his lifetime, but was blocked from achieving the one that would have meant the most to him: suiting up for an NHL team.</p><p>Carnegie was a standout junior player with the Toronto Young Rangers in the late 1930s and Conn Smythe reportedly declared he&rsquo;d sign the young center in a flash &ndash; if only he were white. Carnegie pressed on, hoping another organization would decide to integrate the NHL. It never happened, though he did receive an offer to join the Rangers&rsquo; farm system in 1948, one he turned down because it paid less than he had made in semi-pro.</p><p>Carnegie played out his career in the minors, centering an all-black line that featured brother, Ossie, and Manny McIntyre on the wings. Filling arenas and thrilling fans for the better part of a decade, &lsquo;The Colored Line&rsquo; climbed the hockey ladder from industrial loops in Timmins, Ont., to Shawinigan, Que., and then Sherbrooke of the Quebec Senior League. All three players were talented, but Carnegie was indisputably the best of the trio.</p><p>Willie O&rsquo;Ree never got to see him play, but Carnegie helped pave the way for O&rsquo;Ree to become the first black NHLer in 1958. &ldquo;From all the reports from other players,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Ree said, &ldquo;he was an excellent hockey player &ndash; NHL material.&rdquo;</p><p>Carnegie retired in the mid-1950s, finishing with the Quebec Aces alongside a young Jean Beliveau who has since stated that Carnegie was denied a real shot at the NHL due to his skin color.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011982/9637303-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="817" height="1149"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DREAM DENIED, BUT NOT LEGACY</b></p><p><b>Herb Carnegie created the Future Aces Foundation in 1956 to support youth.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CARNEGIE: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Carnegie died March 9 at 92.</p><p>He established himself as a success in the financial planning field after hanging up his skates and devoted himself to golf, capturing two amateur Canadian Senior Championships, but his greatest legacy is the Future Aces Foundation.</p><p>The non-profit organization created by Carnegie in 1956 helps youth develop self-knowledge and self-confidence by promoting academic achievement, along with sportsmanship. It has distributed almost $500,000 in $1,000 awards to deserving high school graduates over the past 25 years. &ldquo;Not only was he a fine hockey player, he was a fine human  being,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Ree said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad that I got to meet him and be in his presence&hellip;He was fun to be with and certainly will be missed.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

Blazing A Trail

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021518/9637341-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="474" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(AGOSTA: BRANDON TAYLOR/CWHL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>M</span>eghan Agosta set a new standard in women&rsquo;s hockey &ndash; and she did it in style. Needing two points in the final weekend of the regular season, Agosta smashed the CWHL&rsquo;s single-season points record with nine points in two games.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031106/9637334-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="102" height="102"></div><p><b>Single-Season Points Leader</b></p><p>2012 <b>Meghan Agosta</b></p><p><i>Montreal Stars</i>&nbsp;<b>80 pts</b></p><p>2011 <b>Caroline Ouellette</b></p><p><i>Montreal Stars</i>&nbsp;<b>71 pts</b></p><p>2010 <b>Sabrina Harbec</b></p><p><i>Montreal Stars</i>&nbsp;<b>55 pts</b></p><p>2009 <b>Jayna Hefford</b></p><p><i>Brampton HC</i>&nbsp;<b>69 pts</b></p><p>2008 <b>Jennifer Botterill</b></p><p><i>Mississauga Chiefs</i>&nbsp;<b>61 pts</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0016-02

BROKEN RECORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011723/9637379-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GOODIE-GOODIES</b></p><p><b>Each Admiral complied with a 10 p.m. curfew the eve of the club&rsquo;s 18th straight win.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(NORFOLK: JOHN WRIGHT/COURTESY OF NORFOLK ADMIRALS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>ight above the urinal</b> in the wash-room of the Norfolk Admirals dressing room. That&rsquo;s where coach Jon Cooper placed THN&rsquo;s American League predictions from our Oct. 17 issue before the start of 2011-12. We had Norfolk finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference. &ldquo;Everybody has to stand and stare at it every single day, so you can thank yourselves for being part of the motivation for our streak,&rdquo; Cooper joked. &ldquo;As soon as I saw it, I brought it in and said, &lsquo;Look at where the biggest hockey magazine has put you guys.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021318/9637372-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="133" height="136"></div><p>Fast-forward to March 16 and the first-overall Admirals had just tied the AHL record for the longest winning streak at 17 in the opener of a two-game set in Charlotte against the Checkers. The players might have done a little celebrating that Friday night, Cooper said, but Saturday was St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day and the team was in a hotel in downtown Charlotte, which boasts the world&rsquo;s largest pub crawl. For the first and only time, Cooper decided to give the players a curfew (10 p.m.). &ldquo;Everyone was in the hotel,&rdquo; said captain Mike Angelidis, who missed the games due to injury, but was brought along by the team to share in making history. &ldquo;No one thought about missing curfew. Everyone was there ready to go and preparing for the next game. You could see the confidence in the guys and their will to want to win&hellip; You could see in the way the team was playing that the guys wanted the record. The score of the outcomes show how hard the guys worked.&rdquo;</p><p>Norfolk defeated Charlotte 7-2 to tie the record and 5-0 to break the mark held by the 2004-05 Philadelphia Phantoms. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why they call these things &lsquo;history,&rsquo; &rdquo; Cooper said. &ldquo;You look back, digest and say, &lsquo;Wow, look at what we just did.&rsquo; Seventy-six years this league&rsquo;s been around and we just did what nobody else has done.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re a team possessed. It&rsquo;s almost out of our control, because these guys are so focused.&rdquo;</p><p>Remarkably, only eight Admirals played all 18 games during the streak. They had 21 skaters with points and 14 earned game-winning goals. Dustin Tokarski started the streak with eight wins, a 1.75 goals-against average and .927 save percentage before Jaroslav Janus won 10 straight with a 1.49 GAA and .942 SP. Norfolk outscored opponents 76-29. The Admirals were set to extend the streak with a seven-game homestand following their record-breaking weekend. Plenty of time for the players to re-read The Hockey News.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0017-01

Admirable Admirals

<p class="dropcap"><i><span>P</span>ost-season championship glory is what all pros play for and every team wants. But making history in the regular season and carving out a place in the record books is good for franchise pride. Here are the longest winning streaks in each of the North American pro leagues.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03938/9637438-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="144" height="163"></div><p><b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b></p><p>1992-93 <b>17</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04687/9637431-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="151" height="151"></div><p><b>Norfolk Admirals</b></p><p>2011-12 <b>18</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08250/9637424-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="146" height="143"></div><p><b>Cincinnati Cyclones</b></p><p>2007-08 <b>17</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05482/9637417-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="188" height="146"></div><p><b>Richmond Renegades</b></p><p>2007-08 <b>12</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06371/9637410-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="200" height="142"></div><p><b>Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs</b></p><p>2007-08 12 <b>15</b></p><p><b>Colorado Eagles</b></p><p>2006-07 <b>15</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0017-04

Super Streaks

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011860/9637476-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here</b>&nbsp;<b>was a time not too long ago</b> when Jason Spezza and his high-flying buddies on the Ottawa Senators would just have to show up and there was a good chance they&rsquo;d win games on the basis of sheer talent. Those were good times, they were. But so are these.</p><p>There are moments when Spezza misses the days when the Senators would reel off 100 points and win play-off series in five games, barely breaking a sweat. But there&rsquo;s a certain amount of satisfaction in the way both he and the Senators have transformed themselves. Ottawa has become a team that has forged its identity on the strength of its work ethic and <i>esprit de corps</i>, while Spezza has become a player much more willing to go to areas of the ice he rarely did previously &ndash; places such as deep in his own end and the dirty areas of the ice.</p><p>Both of those developments are part of a remarkable transformation for the Senators, one that has made them a likely playoff team in the Eastern Conference in a season when most were picking them (including us) to finish at or near the bottom of the league. Many things have gone right for Ottawa, including Spezza buying in on coach Paul MacLean&rsquo;s scheme to make him a more complete player in all areas of the ice. &ldquo;A lot of my game is still setting the play up on the outside, but Paul has done a really good job of teaching me to stay through the middle,&rdquo; Spezza said. &ldquo;He uses guys like (Pavel) Datsyuk an example of a guy who creates offense through the middle of the rink. He&rsquo;s done a good job of explaining to me why he wanted to change some of the ways that I play. There was a little bit of resistance at first, but not a lot. It took a lot of time to believe it, but Paul really sold me on it.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; AS YOU MATURE YOU WORRY LESS ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE TEAM &rdquo;</blockquote><p>Spezza has noticed a couple of things. When he plays a robust game at both ends of the ice, he gets a lot more takeaways and he ends up drawing the assignment of playing against the other teams&rsquo; top lines. There was a time when his teammates would refer  to a Spezza blocked shot as a &lsquo;Nessy&rsquo; since it came with the same frequency as a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster, but this season he was on pace to have more than 25 for the first time in his career. While that won&rsquo;t cause anyone to confuse him with Craig Ludwig, it is a telling number. But rather than compromise his ability to create offense, the change in philosophy has enhanced it. After two injury-plagued and disappointing seasons, Spezza was on pace for 84 points, which is not far from his production in the halcyon post-lockout days.</p><p>There was a time for both Spezza and the Senators that when they ran into scoring droughts they would, in Spezza&rsquo;s words, &ldquo;get rattled a little bit too easily.&rdquo; With an approach to the game Spezza says is more work-ethic-based, the Senators can now rely on more than just pure talent to get them through the rough patches.</p><p>It&rsquo;s all part of a maturation process for Spezza as a player, one that includes a far more intense focus on team success over individual accolades than earlier in his career. No longer faced with the pressure of making his mark as an offensive force in the league, Spezza is much more comfortable taking on the leadership mantle by showing the way rather than following. &ldquo;You want to establish yourself as a top player in this league and an offensive guy,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old. &ldquo;I realize I&rsquo;ve done that and now it&rsquo;s just figuring out how I&rsquo;m going to win. Basically my focus has shifted to, &lsquo;How can I make our team better and how can I get myself in a position to win a championship or be part of contending team?&rsquo; As you mature, you worry less and less about yourself and more about the team.&rdquo;</p><p>As productive as he has been and as well as things have gone for Spezza, he does enter these playoffs with a heavy heart. In mid-March, Spezza lost someone he called his best friend outside hockey when Canadian skicross racer Nik Zoricic died of head injuries suffered in a high-speed crash during a World Cup event in Switzerland. Spezza met Zoricic eight years ago when they were training at Gary Roberts&rsquo; gym in Toronto and were inseparable during the summer when their sports were in the off-season. Spezza said he and Zoricic exchanged texts regularly and he saw his friend for the last time when the Senators were in Toronto in mid-January and the two were able to catch up because the team stayed an extra night instead of chartering out after their game.</p><p>Spezza found a kindred spirit in Zoricic, but also someone with whom he could retreat from his game. It was a great relationship because he and Zoricic shared a common bond of being elite athletes, but were able to escape their own worlds and open each other up to new ones. But on March 10, just hours before Spezza played a Saturday night game against Buffalo, he learned of his friend&rsquo;s death. Days later, Spezza was a pallbearer at Zoricic&rsquo;s funeral. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been tough,&rdquo; Spezza said, &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s only going to get tougher to have him gone. I&rsquo;m past the point of trying to make any sense of it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011638/9637469-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1255" height="1130"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GAME CHANGE</b></p><p><b>Jason Spezza used to be a perimeter player, but uses the middle much more now.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-01

JASON SPEZZA

<div class="byline">BY DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011612/9637507-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>It</b>&nbsp;<b>is tough to argue</b> that Alexander Radulov is not selfish.</p><p>His decision to walk out on the Nashville Predators four years ago &ndash; while still under contract &ndash; to assume a starring role in the start-up Kontinental League was an exercise in hubris.</p><p>Now that he&rsquo;s returned, the Predators eagerly accept him for that and his other unique personality traits. They also plan to take advantage of his quest for personal satisfaction. &ldquo;Knowing him, you knew how good he wanted to be,&rdquo; said captain Shea Weber. &ldquo;He wanted to be one of the best players in the world. He&rsquo;s got the talent to do so. Now that he&rsquo;s back in the NHL he&rsquo;s got a chance to show people how good he is against the best players in the world.&rdquo;</p><p>The opportunity might be a limited one. He came back to the Predators with just nine games remaining on their schedule. Still, in the eyes of the franchise and &ndash; more importantly &ndash; the NHL, that was enough to satisfy the remaining season on his entry level contract.</p><p>The 25-year-old, high-scoring forward disputed reports that he planned to return to the KHL for 2012-13. Yet he also made no commitment to Nashville beyond the 2012 post-season. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t promise anything to anybody,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just left and I&rsquo;ve got options to move from Russia this summer. That&rsquo;s about it. I&rsquo;ll decide then, or&hellip;I don&rsquo;t know how we&rsquo;re going to discuss my future here.</p><p>&ldquo;I had a contract with Nashville. I have to finish it.&rdquo;</p><p>For now, though, the Preds have the player who set their franchise record for goals by a rookie (18) in &rsquo;06-07 and came back with 26 the next year. The last time he participated in the NHL playoffs (2008), he tied for the team lead in scoring.</p><p>Radulov&rsquo;s return came after Nashville already had been one of the most aggressive teams adding talent at the trade deadline. This latest addition might be the best and most productive for a team already considered a legitimate contender to come out of the highly competitive Western Conference. &ldquo;In Rads&rsquo; case, he&rsquo;s a player who&rsquo;s played here before,&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;That is really helpful at this point in the year. He&rsquo;s part of a group and we&rsquo;ll move forward.</p><p>&ldquo;When your core group is excited about someone, that&rsquo;s a good add. To me that was the most exciting thing. He&rsquo;s brought excitement to that core group.&rdquo;</p><p>Weber and defense partner Ryan Suter, whose own long-term futures with the Predators are anything but guaranteed, lead that core group. When they think back on the past regarding Radulov, it is not in terms of his departure. Instead, they focus on their two seasons as teammates with him when all three were young, single and hung out together. &ldquo;Before, I didn&rsquo;t have a kid and he&rsquo;s giving me a hard time about that, telling me to babysit, little things like that,&rdquo; Suter said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s neat to have a guy like that back around. He&rsquo;s a superstar. He plays hard and has a great shot.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to be out there with him again.&rdquo;</p><p>No one pretends he will forget his dis-appearance, but they also insist there is nothing to forgive. &ldquo;It was his decision to go back,&rdquo; Weber said. &ldquo;Obviously, it was tough for us to take because he was one of our best players as a 20-, 21-year-old. He&rsquo;s gifted and for a guy to leave like that, it&rsquo;s tough. But it&rsquo;s his decision. Now that he&rsquo;s back, we&rsquo;re excited he&rsquo;s here.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; IT&rsquo;S NEAT TO HAVE HIM BACK. HE&rsquo;S A SUPERSTAR</b><br><b><i>- RYAN SUTER</i></b></blockquote><p>The only way to keep him here is to stay in the playoffs as long as possible. Nashville has won just one post-season series in its history, but has much higher expectations this time. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to be back here,&rdquo; Radulov said. &ldquo;I feel good and I am just looking forward to helping the team be better, doing whatever it takes.&rdquo;</p><p>The best thing he can do is convince people he is the best player in the world &ndash; just like he always wanted.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

SECOND COMING

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011297/9637573-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="912" height="1062"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>KESLER</b><span class="photo-credit">(THE WARRIORS &copy; PARAMOUNT PICTURES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED WITH PERMISSION, KESLER: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N THE PLAYOFFS,</b> DANGER LURKS IN EVERY CORNER. EACH ADVERSARY HAS A CHANCE TO END YOUR DREAM AND NO ONE TAKES A NIGHT OFF. IN THE FOLLOWING PAGES, WE LOOK AT THE MEN, THE SOLDIERS, WHO ARE CRUCIAL TO THE SUCCESS OF ANY STANLEY CUP-WINNING TEAM. THEY ARE ARCHETYPES, BUT THEY ARE ALSO REAL AND PRESENT. IN THE POST-SEASON, YOUR FAVORITE TEAM BECOMES A GANG, WHICH IS WHY OUR PLAYOFF COVERAGE IS INSPIRED BY THE CULT CLASSIC FILM &lsquo;THE WARRIORS.&rsquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011499/9637580-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="144" height="163"></div><p>ALL THE NHL&rsquo;S CHARACTERS ARE COMING OUT TO PLAY. THEIR MISSION IS TO GET BACK TO THEIR HOME TURF WITH THE STANLEY CUP. CAAAAN YOOOU DIG IIIIIIIIIIT?</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>PLAYS HURT</b></h2><p><b>IT&rsquo;S</b>&nbsp;<b>NOT AS IF RYAN KESLER</b>could float around the perimeter when he wasn&rsquo;t feeling up to snuff. That&rsquo;s just not how the Vancouver Canucks center operates and it wasn&rsquo;t going to be how he competed in his first Stanley Cup final appearance last year. The fact the American pivot had torn his groin muscle like the meat on a North Carolina rack of ribs? Inconsequential. Kesler would barely even acknowledge the injury after the Canucks succumbed to Boston in seven games. &ldquo;I would say he was at 60-70 percent,&rdquo; said Vancouver-based TV analyst John Garrett. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have that speed, that acceleration he had in the Nashville series. That Nashville series, he dominated.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, Kesler had 11 points in six games in that triumph over the Predators, which came on the heels of an exciting tilt against the rival Chicago Blackhawks. In that opening showdown, Kesler held former Conn Smythe-winner Jonathan Toews to four points and a minus-4 rating in seven games. &ldquo;He was even more valuable to the Canucks last year than he has been this year,&rdquo; Garrett said. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t have a Sammy Pahlsson. &lsquo;Kes&rsquo; was counted on to be the shutdown guy, too.&rdquo;</p><p>A lot of the Canucks got banged up on the way to and during the final and Garrett notes the Vancouver players already had great respect for Kesler. But as a former NHLer himself, the analyst recognized the significance of a star skater toughing it out. &ldquo;You admire the guy and say he&rsquo;s a fierce competitor,&rdquo; Garrett said. &ldquo;The play-offs bring out the best.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>STEPS IT UP</b></h2><p><b>WITH SUCH A COMPETITIVE</b> nature, you&rsquo;d think every player would want to be The Man when his team needs a goal, but it&rsquo;s a pressure-packed role and not every-one can handle it. Brad Richards, on the other hand, has been there and done that. The New York Rangers center already has a Conn Smythe Trophy under his belt from his days in Tampa when he led the Lightning to their first and only Stanley Cup in 2004. &ldquo;It took all of us to win,&rdquo; said Dave Andreychuk, the captain of that team and now part of the Tampa brass. &ldquo;But our key guy who rose to the occasion when we needed a goal was Brad Richards. He got the game-winning goals.&rdquo;</p><p>Andreychuk recalls speaking with Richards about being that guy as the Lightning began the fateful run and, despite the center being just 24 at the time, Richards was ready. &ldquo;It was pretty obvious,&rdquo; Andreychuk said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the difference between superstars and the rest of the league &ndash; they want to be the difference-makers.&rdquo;</p><p>Richards led the playoffs in scoring that year with 12 goals and 26 points in 23 games. Seven of his markers were game-winners and though the late round heroics were more noticeable, Andreychuk points to an overtime goal in Game 3 of the opening series against Montreal as one of the more crucial. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when he started,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We ended up winning that series 4-0, but that&rsquo;s a huge goal. It&rsquo;s either 2-1 or 3-0. That&rsquo;s when he got the confidence that he could do it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02934/9637566-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="805" height="1259"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRAD <b>RICHARDS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS: STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03702/9637559-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="885" height="920"><figcaption class="caption-body">TIM <b>THOMAS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(THOMAS: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>PROTECTS THE CREASE AT ALL COSTS</b></h2><p><b>STYLE</b>&nbsp;<b>POINTS ARE NOT</b>a factor in winning it all; just ask Dominik Hasek. For a battling goaltender, the only thing that matters is stopping the puck. In that regard, Tim Thomas is the perfect playoff netminder.</p><p>Truth be told, Thomas stopped a litany of breakaways in the 2011 post-season by staying square to the shooter and making a difficult save look rudimentary, but it&rsquo;s those freelancing moves when a play goes pear-shaped that the veteran netminder is often associated with. &ldquo;Having him in the back gave us a whole lot of confidence,&rdquo; said Bruins defenseman Dennis Seiden-berg. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a certain feeling of safety. When we screwed up, he was there.&rdquo;</p><p>And the Bruins did hang Thomas out to dry a surprising amount of times in their march to glory. But when that happened, the hardscrabble Michigan native was consistently there to fling his body across the crease, fall back on himself to block the goal line or even deck a Sedin who popped up unattended with the puck on the doorstep.</p><p>Thomas somehow improved on his record-setting, Vezina Trophy-winning numbers from the regular season, throwing up a ridiculous 1.98 goals-against average and .940 save percentage en route to the Conn Smythe Trophy. And he did it in his own inimitable style. &ldquo;You see him bouncing around in the net, it&rsquo;s funny to watch sometimes,&rdquo; Seidenberg said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing headstands, anything &ndash; it&rsquo;s effective, so you can&rsquo;t say anything.&rdquo;</p><p>Can&rsquo;t say anything other than: <i>there goes Tim Thomas, the best goalie in the world who somehow gets better in the playoffs.</i></p><h2><b>LOGS HUGE MINUTES</b></h2><p><b>IF</b>&nbsp;<b>YOU WANT TO GET</b>your game up in the post-season like Duncan Keith, bring a bib. The stalwart Blackhawks D-man upped his already impressive ice time clip during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs to a mind-bending 28:11 per game (up nearly two minutes from the regular season) and thrived thanks to proper rest and keeping the furnace properly  fuelled. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s eating a lot and forcing the food down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You gotta replenish.&rdquo; Keith would eat as much as he could on off-days &ndash; big breakfast, big lunch, big dinner and another meal before bed &ndash; and go heavy on pasta, rice, chicken and fish.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011441/9637552-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="758" height="865"><figcaption class="caption-body">DUNCAN <b>KEITH</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KEITH: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Sleep is another key, even if the defensive linchpin admitted that getting shuteye after any game can be tough due to the adrenaline. But it must be done, because there are no easy shifts when the Cup is in sight. &ldquo;You have to be mentally strong, right down to the last minute of play,&rdquo; Keith said. &ldquo;Hockey is hockey, but there&rsquo;s more at stake. One goal can change a series.&rdquo;</p><p>Even though the games can be a roller coaster of elation and heartache, some of Keith&rsquo;s fondest off-ice memories came from the post-season road trips leading to that title win. Team hotels always have a lounge for the players to hang out in and the Hawks make sure card games, movies or ping-pong are available for winding down. During the Cup run in 2010, video game tournaments featuring Mario Kart were the big draw, with Patrick Sharp and Colin Fraser among the best drivers.</p><h2><b>SACRIFICES THE BODY</b></h2><p><b>EN</b>&nbsp;<b>ROUTE TO HIS FIRST</b>Stanley Cup, Dennis Seidenberg was a shot-blocking machine last season. The German&rsquo;s 74 sacrifices were 14 better than his closest competitor, Vancouver&rsquo;s Alex Edler, in the same amount of games (25). If you ask him, it&rsquo;s just part of the job. &ldquo;To be honest, I don&rsquo;t think about it much,&rdquo; Seidenberg said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much to analyze already. When the shooter is rushed, I gotta step up. If he&rsquo;s already winding up, I need to take the man in front.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021037/9637545-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="725" height="791"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENNIS <b>SEIDENBERG</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SEIDENBERG: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>While the 30-year-old was no shrinking violet in the regular season, he blocked nearly an entire shot more per game during the post-season stretch. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a little more reckless in the playoffs,&rdquo; Seidenberg said. &ldquo;You hit harder, try to block every shot&hellip;you do more to win games.&rdquo;</p><p>While pain is an unavoidable part of the game when a championship is on the line, Seidenberg still tries to put himself in the right position when the puck is barrelling toward him at high speeds. According to the Bruins blueliner, the key is to stay square to the shooter, much like a goaltender does.</p><p>Escaping a post-season series (or even game) without some bumps and bruises is next to impossible, so maximizing rest is crucial. It&rsquo;s rare for deep playoff teams to practise during a Cup run. There&rsquo;s also a little luck in staying healthy, which is partly why he&rsquo;s missed just one game in the past two seasons. &ldquo;Knock on wood,&rdquo; he said.</p><h2><b>OFF-ICE WARRIORS</b></h2><p><b>THEY DON&rsquo;T CARRY LUMBER,</b> but scouts are a dangerous weapon for an organization with its eye on the Stanley Cup. Bird-dogs usually cover a conference each at the pro level, which involves watching an assortment of teams throughout the campaign. But come playoff time, the scouts set their sights on specific teams and, more importantly, specific players. Mark Howe is the director of pro scouting for Detroit and has served at the will of two great coaching minds &ndash; Scotty Bowman and Mike Babcock. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re totally different,&rdquo; Howe said. &ldquo;Bab-cock wants a feel for players, while Bowman wanted feedback on systems and team tendencies. His teams tended to match or roll lines, so it was a little more specific.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03725/9637538-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="402" height="535"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE <b>BABCOCK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BABCOCK: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Figuring out which teams to tail can be tough, especially since playoff races are so tight now. Ten days before the regular season ends, Howe and his cohorts narrow down the Red Wings&rsquo; potential opponents and reassess as the post-season nears. As for latter-round opponents, those are easier to handicap, but the travel and pressure also ramp up. &ldquo;Once your series begins,&rdquo; Howe said, &ldquo;you&rsquo;re done watching your team.&rdquo;</p><p>While the scouts are doing their jobs in the field, it&rsquo;s the coach that helms his army toward the Promised Land. The playoffs are where the greats distinguish themselves and Detroit&rsquo;s Babcock is at the head of the modern class. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very confident behind the bench and he&rsquo;s aggressive in his style,&rdquo; Howe said. &ldquo;His teams mirror that confidence and are always ready to play. That passion rubs off on the players.&rdquo;</p><p>Babcock comes about his confidence earnestly. Howe recalls one meeting when he informed the coach that according to his scouting, Detroit was an underdog to win that particular series. &ldquo;Mike looked at me like I had four eyes,&rdquo; Howe said. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t know what that means.&rsquo; He thinks he can win every game and every series.&rdquo;</p><p>With a career post-season record of 70-43 and a Cup ring to his name, Babcock is usually right.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

PLAYOFF WaRRIORS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011453/9637632-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="403" height="539"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he</b>&nbsp;<b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b> had just posted their fourth eight-spot of the season and Sidney Crosby was trying to come up with an apt description for his team&rsquo;s 8-4 beatdown of the Winnipeg Jets. He couldn&rsquo;t, really.</p><p>&ldquo;We just kept scoring,&rdquo; Crosby said.</p><p>We&rsquo;re fully aware of the perils of judging a team by its play late in the season and so are the Penguins. Or at least they should be.</p><p>Back in 1993 when you could actually see the mesh behind goaltenders and the hottest new trends were Big Berthas and Timberlands, the Penguins reeled off an NHL-record 17 straight wins before tying their last game of the season. They quickly dispatched the New Jersey Devils in the first round before running into a determined bunch of New York Islanders. The Isles got 42 saves from Glenn Healy and an overtime goal from David Volek to win Game 7 of their second round series, ending Pittsburgh&rsquo;s pursuit of a third straight Stanley Cup.</p><p>That was the greatest Penguins team of all-time, after all, led by Hall of Famers Mario Lemieux, Larry Murphy, Joe Mullen and Jaromir Jagr (yes, he&rsquo;s getting in) with another Hall of Famer behind the bench in Scotty Bowman.</p><p>But with all due respect to that team and the rosters that won Stanley Cups the two years previous, they were not as good as the 2011-12 Penguins. This is, quite simply, the best all-around team this franchise has ever produced. And that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re picking Pittsburgh to win its fourth Stanley Cup sometime in June.</p><p>Try to find a weakness in this lineup, aside from the fact that it has a penchant for occasionally giving up shorthanded goals. The guy behind the bench doesn&rsquo;t stick his chin out or keep every player on the roster on edge, but Dan Bylsma is proving to be a coach that is every bit as good as Bowman. But the most intriguing thing about this year&rsquo;s edition of the Penguins is they can play the game any way you want to play it.</p><p>Want to turn it into a cross between a track meet and a pond hockey game? Good luck with that &ndash; the Penguins have the man who is currently the best player in the world on their roster. We&rsquo;re not sure whether that&rsquo;s Evgeni Malkin or Crosby, but it doesn&rsquo;t matter because they can take turns. The fact the Penguins played as well as they did for as long as they did without Crosby in the lineup made them a legitimate Cup contender even before Crosby returned from his concussion problems. With him, they have a group of top-six forwards that makes them unstoppable offensively.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021046/9637625-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="1346" height="2339"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE MALKIN SHOW</b></p><p><b>Evgeni Malkin reigned supreme when Sidney Crosby was out of the lineup.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Which brings us to our next point. The Penguins got Crosby and Malkin, among others, as a reward for being the dregs of the NHL five years running. But they built a powerhouse because they&rsquo;ve augmented their stars with some of the best support players going.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; TRY TO FIND A WEAKNESS IN THIS LINEUP</b></blockquote><p>When the Penguins won the Cup in 2009, they had a secondary offensive cast that consisted of Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Petr Sykora (a player who was a healthy scratch several times during the final) and Chris Kunitz, who scored all of one goal in 24 playoff games. This year, the supporting cast is led by James Neal and complemented by Pascal Dupuis, Steve Sullivan and Matt Cooke, a guy whose transformation from miscreant to positive contributor has been so astounding he&rsquo;s the Penguins nominee for the Masterton Trophy.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s not forget, too, this is basically the first time since the Penguins won the Cup in 2009 that Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal have all been healthy and contributing. That gives the Penguins not only the best center-ice corps, but also all kinds of options. The fact Staal is willing to take a back seat to Crosby and Malkin and still excel as one of the best two-way pivots in the NHL should not be minimized.</p><p>You want to play the game ugly? Well, the Penguins would prefer not to do that, but they&rsquo;re totally capable of keeping up with teams that want to make a chess match out of things. During their 11-game winning streak in February and March, they gave up just 17 goals and surrendered more than two only once.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011348/9637618-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="1248" height="1112"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Are you kid-ding?</b></p><p><b>With Sidney Crosby, the Penguins boast a ridiculous trio up the middle.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>You want to get down and dirty? All right, then. With Derek Engelland, Arron Asham, Brooks Orpik and Cooke in the lineup, the Penguins aren&rsquo;t afraid of anyone. But what&rsquo;s more important is they don&rsquo;t even really need those guys to protect them. Both Crosby and Malkin have proved time and again they can go to the dirty areas of the ice and take care of themselves and even though Kris Letang is on the small side as a defenseman, you might want to watch what kinds of liberties you take against him when the referees&rsquo; backs are turned.</p><p>Basically, the Penguins are better offensively and defensively than they were three years ago. Their power play and penalty kill is decidedly improved and their play 5-on-5 is among the best. Going into the stretch run, their penalty kill was third with an 89 percent success rate (compared to 20th in 2008-09) and their power play was fifth at 19.5. When you add those two numbers together, you get 108.5, which is the highest mark in the NHL. The Penguins have five 20-goal scorers with a slight possibility of Cooke being the sixth. Going down the stretch, that was also the NHL&rsquo;s high-water mark.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011432/9637611-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="1080" height="1311"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>&lsquo;FLOWER&rsquo; POWER</b></p><p><b>Marc-Andre Fleury is the unsung hero of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s cadre of superstars.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>And the Penguins will have the benefit of a rather mediocre Eastern Conference to deal with for the early rounds of the playoffs. Unlike the Penguins, every other team in the East has some major flaws in its game. No team not named the New Jersey Devils has scored as little as the New York Rangers do and won a Stanley Cup in a generation. Ilya Bryzgalov appears to have re-entered Earth&rsquo;s orbit and has the Philadelphia Flyers back on track thanks to his hot streak, but who would you rather have in goal for a seven-game series: Bryzgalov or Marc-Andre Fleury? The Florida Panthers haven&rsquo;t been in the playoffs for so long, they&rsquo;ll just be happy to be there. The Devils are top-heavy with talent, but don&rsquo;t have anywhere near the depth at forward or defense to match the Penguins. Do the Boston Bruins have another long championship run in them with their goaltending being as erratic as it has been of late?</p><p>And as far as the Western Conference is concerned, its superiority over the East does not extend to the Penguins. Pittsburgh is every bit as good as any team in the Western Conference and has an Eastern Conference-best 12-2-3 mark against teams in the West. Only the St. Louis Blues have a better record against non-conference opponents.</p><p>Pittsburgh has recent experience, the depth of talent, the coaching and the team toughness it takes to get through the toughest post-season challenge in professional sports. And that&rsquo;s why Crosby and Malkin will be flanking Mario Lemieux in the back of a convertible during the Stanley Cup parade in less than three months.</p><p>And they will do it as the greatest Pittsburgh Penguins team of all-time.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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PRIMAL PENGUINS

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PLAYOFF PREVIEW TEAM REPORTS

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STAY CONNECTED ANYTIME, ANYWHERE

f0038-03

NHL TEAM REPORTS PLAYOFF PREVIEW

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02275/9638568-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01428/9638575-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="144" height="163"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03189/9638561-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="658" height="779"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DEVIN SETOGUCHI</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SETOGUCHI: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b>ast July, when Devin Setoguchi was introduced to Wild fans &ndash; a few weeks after being blind-sided by his trade from San Jose to Minnesota &ndash; the streaky goal-scorer said his career was at a &ldquo;crossroads.&rdquo;</p><p>Just 24, but with four NHL seasons already under his belt, Setoguchi said it was time to &ldquo;turn into that man you&rsquo;ve got to be in order to play in this league.&rdquo;</p><p>Nearing the end to his first year in Minnesota, Setoguchi calls it a disappointment, not only because the Wild will miss a fourth straight post-season, but also because he only has 18 goals and is minus-15 in 59 games. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a frustrating year,&rdquo; said Setoguchi, now 25. &ldquo;A lot of highs and a lot of lows, which is what basically is considered inconsistent. So on a personal level, it&rsquo;s always tough when you&rsquo;re struggling, especially when the problem is we&rsquo;re having trouble putting pucks in the net.&rdquo;</p><p>After consecutive deep playoff runs with San Jose, Setoguchi is looking forward to a long off-season to prepare for a big rebound in 2012-13. &ldquo;You get May, June, July and August, an extra two months of training  as opposed to playing &rsquo;til June and playing those three rounds in the playoffs,&rdquo; Setoguchi said. &ldquo;It takes a toll on your body after a while. This is a big summer to get in shape and get where I want to be as far as conditioning level and strength and coming back with a positive attitude. We want to win here so bad. We&rsquo;ve just struggled this year in terms of stringing it together.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04154/9638554-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="640" height="30"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-05112/9638547-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="753" height="594"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1033/9638540-1-eng-US/f0048-102.jpg" title="f0048-10" width="326" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It was a trying year for <b>Bobby Ryan</b>, as it was for most Ducks. The winger dealt with rampant trade rumors, publicly noted he might be better off on a line without stars Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, then lashed out at what he deemed to be inconsistent officiating as the season was winding down. Nevertheless, he was still one of the team&rsquo;s top goal-scorers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0692/9638533-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="753" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1125/9638526-1-eng-US/f0048-112.jpg" title="f0048-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MULLER: PHIL ELLSWORTH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When the Canes look back on this season, their record against one quintet will come into sharp focus. Carolina managed only three wins against the Atlantic Division and the Canes&rsquo; 16 losses against the group were the most of any team against any division. Under coach <b>Kirk Muller,</b> Carolina only won one of these games and went 0-2-2 against the lowly Islanders.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0776/9638519-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1220/9638512-1-eng-US/f0048-122.jpg" title="f0048-12" width="326" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NASH: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Columbus&rsquo; 5-1 loss to the Hawks March 20 sealed its season record against them at 0-6, marking the first time a team has swept the Jackets in a six-game series. Captain <b>Rick Nash</b> posted a minus-11 rating over those six contests and didn&rsquo;t score until the final game. In doing so, however, he secured his eighth straight season of 25 goals or more.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0852/9638505-1-eng-US/f0048-082.jpg" title="f0048-08" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1317/9638498-1-eng-US/f0048-132.jpg" title="f0048-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EBERLE: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jordan</b>&nbsp;<b>Eberle</b> found himself among the league&rsquo;s top 10 scorers at times, but he&rsquo;d be even higher if there was a breakdown for points per shift. Eberle was averaging 17:26 of ice time (which is less than his rookie season). Everyone else in the league&rsquo;s top 10 is at least two minutes higher and some are even six and seven minutes per game more.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0939/9638491-1-eng-US/f0048-092.jpg" title="f0048-09" width="753" height="593"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1416/9638484-1-eng-US/f0048-142.jpg" title="f0048-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(POWE: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Wild have used an NHL-high 44 players, with Dany Heatley, Kyle Brodziak and <b>Darroll Powe</b> the only ones not to miss action. That was still a far cry from the NHL&rsquo;s modern-era one season high of 55 players for Boston in 1991-92. Sixteen of Minnesota&rsquo;s 41 skaters wore numbers greater than 29, at one time forbidden territory in the old NHL.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-02

Summer Mission

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02283/9638721-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WORKAHOLICS</b></p><p><b>Boston has played a ton of games the past two years and could feel the effects.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01385/9638728-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here was a lot to admire</b> about the Boston Bruins&rsquo; championship run last season: the persistence and resilience, the transcendent performance of Tim Thomas and, of course, three Game 7 victories, a feat no NHL team in history had achieved before they did.</p><p>For a while this season (after a 3-7 stumble out of the gate in October), Boston looked even better. Unfortunately, not all that glitters stays golden in the sports world &ndash; at least, not over the long term. In fact, in the current scheme of things, a team in hockey&rsquo;s best league has little to no chance at group-kissing the gleam off a freshly polished Stanley Cup for two consecutive seasons, let alone dream of being the sort of dynasty we last saw in the days of Mike Bossy&rsquo;s New York Islanders and Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s Edmonton Oilers. And with due respect to the many talents in Boston, the Bruins aren&rsquo;t the team to buck that trend.</p><p>Parity, injuries and the ever-present shadow cast by the salary cap all but guarantee a different champion from year to year. But there are other reasons why we won&rsquo;t see the Bruins re-hoisting the Cup this June.</p><p>Start with their goaltending, which earlier this season was the envy of the league, but has become somewhat of a house of horrors. Thomas followed his controversial White House no-show with more than a few no-shows in net. Meanwhile, backup extraordinaire/goalie of the future Tuukka Rask sustained a groin injury in early March, leaving GM Peter Chiarelli little choice but to sign Marty Turco out of the Austrian League just to help them limp to the post-season starting line. Rask was expected back before the playoffs began, but, while leaning so much on Thomas, the Bruins have wilted since the all-star break, posting an underwhelming 11-13-1 mark and falling out of first place in the Northeast for a spell.</p><p>While Boston has at times been the league&rsquo;s most dangerous team, itching to defend their title, their hyper-aggressive style is almost as taxing on their own bodies as it is on their opponents&rsquo;. It&rsquo;s difficult enough to repeat as champions when you&rsquo;re a high-skill, high-hockey-IQ team like the Red Wings. But the willingness of the Bruins, despite having talent comparable to Detroit, to throw their bodies with reckless abandon results in an even larger degree of exhaustion and/or injury. So it made sense when Boston struggled as key veterans Andrew Ference, Rich Peverley and Nathan Horton missed large segments of 2011-12 due to various ailments.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; Don&rsquo;t be shocked if Boston makes an early exit</b></blockquote><p>The last thing working against back-to-back Cups in Boston is the team&rsquo;s status as champs. The league&rsquo;s top team is always its most studied. In this case, as one former NHL defenseman observed, opponents are having success when they learn not to out-bully (or even equally bully) the Bruins. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t say teams have figured out the Bruins, but they have figured out the best style of play you can use against them,&rdquo; the retired NHLer said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re doing what Carolina (4-0 against the B&rsquo;s) has done to them this year, which is to never try to beat them at their game, nor to even acknowledge it in the course of the game. They feed off an opponent who gets caught up in their actions, so you don&rsquo;t let them feel they&rsquo;ve got the upper hand. You play patient and you try and frustrate them with good, solid defense.&rdquo;</p><p>Of course, as a long-time disciple of the &ldquo;my words will be in print forever, so I&rsquo;d better hedge my bets&rdquo; school of hockey writing, I&rsquo;d be remiss not to recognize the possibility Boston shakes off its late-season troubles and enjoys another lengthy playoff run. Nevertheless, it is no coincidence the NHL hasn&rsquo;t had a repeat champion since Detroit pulled off the feat in 1997 and 1998. Players get this. They know the off-season after a Cup win becomes about celebrating and shortens your training window. They know you play more hockey than 28 other teams did, leading to wear-and-tear injuries and exhaustion that reveals itself in mental lapses as often as physical wear-down. They know you become the hunted when you once had the luxury of lurking before making your move.</p><p>So don&rsquo;t be shocked to see the Bruins make an unceremonious exit this post-season. It won&rsquo;t be because they don&rsquo;t have all the tools to win it all again. It will be yet another underscoring of how rarely the stars align for any modern-era NHL franchise.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

Boston Repeat No Easy Feat

<div class="byline">BY ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02194/9638766-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE ARTIST</b></p><p><b>Nikita Gusev&rsquo;s creative passing and stickhandling has earned him the nickname &lsquo;Picasso.&rsquo;</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(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/f0052-01313/9638773-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="144" height="163"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>kill is one thing</b> that can&rsquo;t be overlooked. It has nothing to do with how tall or heavy you are. If you have it in abundance, people notice. The next step is to prove you have so much skill you can make a career out of it in spite of other, shall we say, short-comings.  This has been the story of Nikita Gusev.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-03130/9638759-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="122" height="132"></div><p>At 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds, he&rsquo;s had a tough time convincing the Kontinental League&rsquo;s CSKA Moscow to give him decent ice time. However, he was a leader on Russia&rsquo;s 2012 national junior team, where he played on a line with Tampa Bay draftee Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Grigorenko, one of 2012&rsquo;s top NHL draft prospects.</p><p>It&rsquo;s the final year for the 19-year-old Gusev to get drafted and he hopes the dream will finally come true. &ldquo;I want to get picked and at the very least visit the rookie camp,&rdquo; Gusev said.</p><p>Before this season, he played two years in the Russian major junior league, scoring 39 goals and 116 points in 86 games. He also starred in the 2011 playoffs notching 27 points (17 goals, 10 assists) in 16 games and leading the Red Army juniors to the championship. This season, he&rsquo;s set the junior league on fire with 30 goals and 76 points in 34 games.</p><p>Maybe it&rsquo;s even better for him to go undrafted. Who wouldn&rsquo;t want to try out a guy like that? &ldquo;I thought about that when they didn&rsquo;t pick me in my first eligible year even though I was rated 19th in Europe,&rdquo; Gusev said. &ldquo;Last year I thought about it in the same way. Back then, I was projected to get drafted in the late rounds. I thought, &lsquo;Well, OK, I wasn&rsquo;t picked. No big deal. Maybe it&rsquo;s even better for me.&rsquo; This year I don&rsquo;t know what to think.&rdquo;</p><p>International Scouting Services has him ranked 46th for the 2012 draft, though conventional wisdom says it would be a stretch for an NHL team to take a chance on an older, smaller prospect who&rsquo;s playing in Russia in the first two rounds.</p><p>A reunion in the NHL could be in store for Gusev and Kucherov, who have played together since they were kids. &ldquo;I do have a preference at the draft,&rdquo; Gusev said with a smile. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to tell you, though. Did I talk to the scouts at the world juniors? I did have a chat with (Lightning GM) Steve Yzerman at the Subway Super Series. He asked me how was I doing, what was my contract situation, what are my plans for the future, would I like to move to North America&hellip;that sort of stuff.&rdquo;</p><p>Gusev played 33 games for CSKA&rsquo;s big club the past two seasons, but rarely got more than 10 minutes of ice time. He managed three goals and an assist.</p><p>Was it difficult for a guy of his stature to play in a men&rsquo;s league? &ldquo;Well, did you see any clip on YouTube titled &lsquo;Amazing hit on Nikita Gusev?&rsquo; &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the answer to your question. Sure, every now and then some guys bump into me, but none of them &lsquo;killed&rsquo; me.&rdquo;</p><p>With Gusev&rsquo;s skating, it&rsquo;s not surprising. His other strength is passing. At the WJC, fans nicknamed him &lsquo;Picasso&rsquo; for his puck artistry.</p><p>Gusev had three goals and nine points in seven games in Calgary, but the loss in the final ruined it for him. Silver is not a color celebrated in Russia. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s still in my hockey bag,&rdquo; Gusev said of his medal. &ldquo;I walked off the ice holding it in my hand and threw it in my bag along with some tape. I haven&rsquo;t taken it out since. I wanted to take it home, but kept forgetting. In the bag there&rsquo;s also a gold medal from a tournament in Slovakia we won last summer.&rdquo;</p><p>CSKA has lukewarm feelings about bringing teenagers like the Gusev on board. However, being simply too good for the Russian juniors, he may try his chances elsewhere.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">21 <b>Points in seven games for the Gusev-Grigorenko-Kucherov line at the &rsquo;12 WJC</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0052-02

Undersized, Underrated

<div class="byline">BY JOHN MATISZ</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-03139/9638804-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RAZZLE DAZZLE</b></p><p><b>Andreas Athanasiou went viral on the Internet thanks to his eye-popping stickhandling.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01293/9638818-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="144" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>veryone and</b> his uncle knows London Knights winger Andreas Athanasiou as the kid who can dance with the puck. A few months after a video of his trick-shot breakaway deke at the NHL research, development and orientation camp went viral, Athanasiou was featured on <a href="http://NHL.com">NHL.com</a>. His whipping and twirling of a puck in front of cameras at March&rsquo;s Canadian League Top Prospects Game garnered Internet attention yet again.</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/f0053-02200/9638811-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="124" height="142"></div><p>&lsquo;Double-A&rsquo; &ndash; as team-mates call him &ndash; is one of the most explosive players eligible for June&rsquo;s NHL draft. Almost nightly, his ability to effortlessly carve around defenders at the blueline lifts patrons out of their seats at London&rsquo;s John Labatt Centre.</p><p>But his Knights comrades are also noticing exponential development in another facet of his game. &ldquo;Some of the stuff we see in practice every day is fun to watch &ndash; it&rsquo;s pretty tricky,&rdquo; said Knights goaltender Michael Houser. &ldquo;But, more importantly, he&rsquo;s rounded off his game. When you compare now to the start of year, he&rsquo;s a lot more responsible in his own end.&rdquo;</p><p>Pegged by many as a potential late-first to early-second round pick, the Ontario League sophomore hasn&rsquo;t exactly  torn up the scoresheet as you might expect. Through 63 games, Athanasiou had 22 goals and his 37 points placed him a pedestrian seventh in team scoring.</p><p>The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder pumped out a four-goal game on the road versus the Owen Sound Attack back in December. &ldquo;I think it shows what I am capable of if I get the opportunity,&rdquo; the 17-year-old said of the career highlight.</p><p>At the Ivan Hlinka Tournament last summer, the Woodbridge, Ont., native was given top-line minutes. The trust Team Canada coach Steve Spott showed in him, Athanasiou said, was a confidence builder coming into the OHL season.</p><p>&ldquo;Coach Spott made me the No. 1 center there and said I was one of the best in all three zones, not just the offensive zone,&rdquo; Athanasiou said.</p><p>Premium ice time has been scarce since, with the Knights boasting a dominant forward group including four NHL prospects (Greg McKegg of Toronto; Vlad Namestnikov of Tampa Bay; Austin Watson of Nashville; and Jared Knight of Boston), real-deal 17-year-old rookie Max Domi and sharpshooter Seth Griffith.</p><p>To boot, Athanasiou has endured adversity in 2011-12. First, there was a distracting on-ice altercation with Guelph Storm defenseman Andrey Pedan in December (Athanasiou, who is of Greek descent, claims Pedan used a racial slur, but the league did not find enough evidence to warrant a suspension). Then, in February, Tony Mazzuca, father of one of his best friends, died following a snowmobiling accident.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>While a sticker with the initials &ldquo;TM&rdquo; adorns Athanasiou&rsquo;s helmet in honor of Mazzuca, two other deaths over the past few years have hit him equally hard. A former coach and mentor, Stu Davison, passed away, as did a past linemate, Chase McEachern, who died of heart problems. &ldquo;It has opened up my eyes, let me see what this world is like,&rdquo; Athanasiou said. &ldquo;I have to take advantage of every opportunity I have.&rdquo;</p><p>With the Knights heading into the playoffs fully armed for a legitimate Memorial Cup run, the speedster hopes to contribute in any way possible. Also aware the draft is on the horizon, Athanasiou is mindful of what needs to be achieved on his end to up his stock. &ldquo;Putting a Memorial Cup on the resume would be big,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>In the summer, like most of his peers, Athanasiou plans on beefing up, but not too much. He believes about 10 more pounds will maximize his strengths. After all, slick skating and nifty stick-handling are his bread and butter. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a dynamic player off the rush,&rdquo; said Knights assistant GM and assistant coach Misha Donskov. &ldquo;I think what really separates him from other elite skaters is not only his ability to skate, but ability to skate with the puck on his stick.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-03

Big Name, Big Potential

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02182/9638863-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE &lsquo;O&rsquo; IN DOUGIE</b></p><p><b>Dougie Hamilton proved he was more than just a big body by leading OHL D-men in scoring.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HAMILTON: CHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01305/9638870-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="144" height="163"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ot a lot can slow</b> down Dougie Hamilton at this point. OK, there was that 10-game suspension for a hit to the head on Sudbury&rsquo;s Michael MacDonald, but on the ice Hamilton has had few peers this season. The Niagara IceDogs star cruised to the defensemen scoring title in the Ontario League and already has a bronze medal from the world juniors to show for a campaign that also has Memorial Cup potential. Even though Canada always shoots for gold at the WJC, Hamilton took away some great memories from Alberta, especially since brother and IceDogs teammate Freddie was along for the ride. &ldquo;Probably my favorite hockey moment so far,&rdquo; Dougie said. &ldquo;To do it with my brother was pretty special.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-03117/9638856-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="141" height="152"></div><p>Though the 6-foot-4, 193-pound powerhouse appeared a shoo-in for duty, the 18-year-old took nothing for granted and noted that during the final tryout camp, nervousness was inevitable. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know if you&rsquo;re going home in a couple days or leaving for a month,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Hamilton ended up leaving for a month and having a big impact for Canada. In particular, the offensively gifted blueliner kick-started the Canucks&rsquo; near-comeback against Russia in the exhilarating semifinal eventually won 6-5 by the visitors. With Canada down 6-1 but on the power play, Hamilton sneaked in from the point and banged a puck past netminder Andrei Vasilevski. It was a pretty good signal the Boston Bruins first-rounder wasn&rsquo;t going to roll over.</p><p>&ldquo;Definitely one of the craziest games I&rsquo;ve been in,&rdquo; Hamilton said. &ldquo;We saw our gold medal dream slipping away. We got frustrated, but then the goals started coming our way and it felt like we were winning.&rdquo;</p><p>Hamilton, ranked the No. 4 prospect in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2012, impressed with his determination. &ldquo;The Russian game, I thought that was his best game,&rdquo; said Jim Benning, an assistant GM with the Bruins. &ldquo;He got a lot of good experience there and a lot of ice time.&rdquo;</p><p>Before the season started, Hamilton had another career eye-opener when he attended his first NHL training camp. The 2011 ninth overall pick actually had to look up for once when his defense partner was revealed to be 6-foot-9 Norris Trophy winner and team captain Zdeno Chara. The pair practised together for a week and the rookie soaked up the lessons. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the smartest guys on the ice,&rdquo; Hamilton said. &ldquo;Really vocal. You could tell he was one of the leaders. A lot of attention to detail &ndash; you have to put the puck right on the tape.&rdquo;</p><p>Benning, who noted Boston was able to get Hamilton so low in the draft because teams ahead of the B&rsquo;s were looking for goal-scoring, saw the Chara matchup as a way for the kid to gain confidence right away. Not that Hamilton is without skill himself. &ldquo;Every day at camp he got better,&rdquo; Benning said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great skater for his size and he can handle the puck, but he also plays physical.&rdquo;</p><p>With Chara, Adam Mc-Quaid and Johnny Boychuk, there&rsquo;s lots of beef on Boston&rsquo;s back end and Hamilton really adds to the spoils.</p><p>But before he gets to his next NHL training camp, Hamilton has a chance to do some damage in the OHL playoffs. Despite a choppy start, Niagara is well-positioned as a post-season contender. Adding 6-foot-7, 252-pound Dallas first-rounder Jamie Oleksiak from Saginaw made the IceDogs that much more formidable, with Ryan Strome (New York Islanders, fifth overall in 2011) and Mark Visentin (Phoenix, 27th overall in &rsquo;10) piling on the talent.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>KID DYNAMITE</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0490/9638849-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="523" height="450"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CONNOR MCDAVID</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MCDAVID: KEN CAMPBELL)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Connor&rsquo;s Honor</b></h2><p>For the second straight year, a player has qualified for exceptional status in the Ontario League. Toronto&rsquo;s Connor McDavid follows current Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was the first since John Tavares (of whom the rule is nicknamed) to be granted permission to enter the OHL a year early.</p><p>McDavid is a sublime play-maker who can help out in all situations and also bury the puck. He led the minor midget OHL Cup tournament in scoring with 11 goals and 19 points in seven games, earning MVP honors.</p><p>The 15-year-old&rsquo;s likely destination is Erie. The Otters own the No. 1 pick in the draft and though that means not only leaving home but also Canada, McDavid is excited to get going after all the interviews, essays and assessments required to earn the pass. &ldquo;Definitely an exciting process,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If the season could start tomorrow, I&rsquo;d be thrilled.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

Higher Learning

<div class="byline">BY DAN RANKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01265/9638901-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SWEET 16</b></p><p><b>Brian Bellows led the 16th-seeded North Stars to the Stanley Cup final in 1991.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brian</b>&nbsp;<b>Bellows starred with Minnesota,</b> the state he now calls home, but his heart still lies with Montreal.</p><p>Bellows was drafted second overall by Minnesota in 1982 and he quickly became a key component for the North Stars. Over the next 10 seasons he and the Stars reached the post-season eight times and they came tantalizingly close to a Stanley Cup in 1990-91, losing in Game 6 to the Penguins. &ldquo;Against Pittsburgh, I thought we had a solid chance,&rdquo; Bellows said. &ldquo;The difference there, honestly, was Mario Lemieux. He was so good. Whenever we had a chance and it was close, he just pulled it away.&rdquo;</p><p>Even though the Stars &ndash; the 16th seed &ndash; upset the regular season-champion Chicago Blackhawks, the second-place St. Louis Blues and the defending Stanley Cup-champion Oilers on the way to final, Bellows was not satisfied. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no consolation,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;NHL playoffs are all win or all lose.&rdquo;</p><p>Two seasons later, he was back in the final as a member of the &rsquo;92-93 Canadiens. This time it felt different. &ldquo;When you have a guy like Guy Carbonneau or Patrick Roy in the room, that really kind of settles and balances you out,&rdquo; Bellows said. &ldquo;We won so many games in overtime (10) that we just had this expectation we were going to do well. We won the first round and it just kept building and building and building. You could sense it.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; The NHL playoffs are all win or all lose</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Brian Bellows</i></b></blockquote><p>He still calls hoisting the Cup in Montreal, after defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games, his greatest hockey memory, one savored more for how close he&rsquo;d come with Minnesota. &ldquo;I appreciated it more, but any time is really, really sweet because it&rsquo;s such a grind,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was a great group of guys.&rdquo;</p><p>Between 1982 and 1994, Bellows posted 12 straight seasons of 50 points or more, ranking as one of the top three scorers on his team nine times and putting him on some noteworthy all-time top 50 lists: 46th in career goals (485), 47th in career playoff points (122) and 29th in playoff points in a single year (29 in 1991).</p><p>In between seasons, while still staying active to keep in shape and volunteering as a speaker at elementary schools, Bellows took summer classes to acquire a finance degree. He&rsquo;s now a broker in Minneapolis, Minn. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to take care of yourself in the summer,&rdquo; said Bellows, 47. &ldquo;That got me out of the &lsquo;hanging out, doing nothing&rsquo; mode.&rdquo;</p><p>These days, his spare time is dedicated to being a father of three hockey-playing kids, as well as the coach of his 13-year-old son Kieffer and his bantam A squad. &ldquo;My job is pretty involved,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to keep track of stocks, what&rsquo;s going on. And I&rsquo;m continuing to coach. The thing about Bantams is, it&rsquo;s six days a week.&rdquo;</p><p>As dedicated as he is behind the bench today, the St. Catharines, Ont., native actually reached the pinnacle of his coaching career more than 30 years ago.</p><p>In November, 1981, Bellows was playing for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers. While sidelined with a shoulder injury early in the season, the 17-year-old was surprised to get the call to be interim bench boss when coach Joe Crozier was out serving a suspension. &ldquo;Back then you only had one coach and one trainer and no assistants,&rdquo; Bellows said. &ldquo;So, when Crozier got suspended, he just figured a player would know the lines better than anyone on the board of directors. So he just told me, &lsquo;Go ahead and take care of it.&rsquo; I remember being a little bit nervous and thinking the toughest thing would be to make sure I didn&rsquo;t hurt anyone&rsquo;s feelings.&rdquo;</p><p>Bellows went 1-1 during his brief stint and still holds the record as the youngest coach in OHL history.</p><p>Now, almost 20 years after winning the Cup with Montreal, Bellows is back in Minnesota, living in the middle of Wild country. But does he root for the state he starred in? &ldquo;I still cheer for the Habs,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-01

Two Teams, One Dream

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01221/9638981-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="567" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DISNEY&rsquo;S JOHN CARTER</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>TAYLORKITSCH <i>vs.</i></b>&nbsp;<b>JOHN CARTER</b></h2><p>Former British Columbia League junior player Taylor Kitsch plays John Carter in Disney epic.</p><h3><b>TEAM</b></h3><p><i>Langley Hornets (2001-02)</i></p><p><i>Thark Army (2012)</i></p><h3><b>POSITION</b></h3><p><i>Forward</i></p><p><i>American Civil War Army Captain</i></p><h3><b>LOCATION</b></h3><p><i>British Columbia</i></p><p><i>Mars</i></p><h3><b>OPPONENTS</b></h3><p><i>Salmon Arm SilverBacks</i></p><p><i>Two oversized apes</i></p><h3><b>BOX</b></h3><p><i>Spent 36 minutes in penalty box</i></p><p><i>$30-million opening at box office</i></p><h3><b>FATE</b></h3><p><i>Career-ending knee injury</i></p><p><i>Defeats the Zondangian Army</i></p><h2><b>THEY&rsquo;RE FROM Where?</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02159/9638974-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="157" height="103"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03118/9638967-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="176" height="161"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JAN MURSAK</b></p><p><b>MARIBOR, SLOVENIA</b></p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0559/9638960-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="175" height="161"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ANZE KOPITAR</b></p><p><b>JESENICE, SLOVENIA</b></p></figcaption></div><p><i>The matchup between the L.A. Kings and Detroit Red Wings March 9 marked the first time two Slovenians played against each other in an NHL game. Mursak&rsquo;s Wings won 4-3.</i></p><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><p>By Larry Humber</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0639/9638953-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="1012" height="1012"></div><p><b>Answers available in the next issue and at</b> <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/<b>xword</b></a></p><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Where the Panthers prowl</p><p>4 St. ___ State has NCAA hockey</p><p>7 ___-inflammatory medications are used by ailing players</p><p>8 Site of the 2003 Heritage Classic</p><p>10 Islander forward from St. Paul</p><p>12 Ryan ___ is an Oiler once again</p><p>13 Courage</p><p>14 Rene Robert was a &lsquo;French ___&rsquo; member</p><p>18 Flounder, like the Leafs have in recent seasons</p><p>19 A flashing red light indicates one</p><p>20 What Cup winners wear</p><p>21 The OHL&rsquo;s ___ IceDogs</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>1 A Mahovlich</p><p>2 Performs better than</p><p>3 Total: two words</p><p>4 Illegal hit with the stick</p><p>5 Joel ___ helped the Flames to their only Cup</p><p>6 He&rsquo;s there to help if you lose a &lsquo;Chiclet&rsquo;</p><p>9 Canadien who eats too much? (he&rsquo;s often paired with P.K.), pictured</p><p>11 Province that has NHL hockey once more</p><p>12 bridgestone was the main ___ of the 2012 Winter Classic</p><p>15 Chris ___ was dubbed &lsquo;Knuckles&rsquo;</p><p>16 Donald Fehr is ___ head</p><p>17 Garry Unger was once hockey&rsquo;s &lsquo;___ Man&rsquo;</p><p><b>LAST</b>&nbsp;<b>WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. ClassIC, 4. BRUCE, 7. EDDY, 8. BANK Park, 10. NORTH STARS, 12. FLOOR, 13. Wales, 14. FRUstrates, 18. PlayOFFS, 19. RENE, 20. RIFLE, 21. ROLOSON <b>DOWN</b> 1. CLEAN, 2. anDersON, 3. COast, 4. baker AWarD, 5. UtaH, 6. eskIMOS, 9. SHerbrOOke, 11. Flattens, 12. FLOPPer, 15. SAFer, 16. STEIN, 17. CALF</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0720/9638946-1-eng-US/f0057-072.jpg" title="f0057-07" width="990" height="1291"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bill Mosienko celebrates his feat of scoring the fastest hat trick (21 seconds) 60 years ago in March.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BLAST: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0814/9638939-1-eng-US/f0057-082.jpg" title="f0057-08" width="151" height="149"></div><h2><b>Blast from the Past</b></h2><p>from The Hockey Hall <i>of</i> Fame</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0911/9638932-1-eng-US/f0057-092.jpg" title="f0057-09" width="676" height="716"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARCUS WALDEHAGEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: BJORKLOVEN)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>BJORKLOVEN IK | 2010-11</b></h3><h2><b>JerseyHound</b></h2><p>Bjorkloven means &ldquo;birch leaf,&rdquo; so it&rsquo;s no surprise the Swedish squad (based in Umea, the City of Birches) uses a foliage-based logo to encapsulate its name, but using the framing for the numbers on the arms is also pretty sweet.</p><p>What sets this edition of the jersey apart from the current incarnation is the yellow base, something the team got away from this season. Yellow and green work so well together and really should be done more. Also of note &ndash; the team&rsquo;s supporters club calls itself the &ldquo;Green Devils,&rdquo; which is awesome.</p><p><b>&ndash; RYAN KENNEDY</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-01

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01238/9639019-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="337" height="543"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>lmost</b>&nbsp;<b>12 years into</b> their ignominious existence, the Columbus Blue Jackets are running out of places to find players. Right now, they&rsquo;re reduced to whatever street Rick Nash grew up on in Brampton, Ont.</p><p>Conventional wisdom seems to be that the Blue Jackets, who have all but clinched the No. 1 seed in the draft lottery, cannot possibly choose a Russian in the draft because they were so badly burned by Nikolai Zherdev and Nikita Filatov. They&rsquo;ll pick no lower than second, where the top two prospects are Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko, players who were required to show their Russian passports when they landed in Canada to play major junior.</p><p>There is speculation the Blue Jackets will be forced to deal the No. 1 pick &ndash; not the worst idea in the world given their draft history &ndash; because they can&rsquo;t afford to take a gamble on another Russian player. And if that&rsquo;s the case, God help them because that means they won&rsquo;t be able to draft players from a whole lot of other places, too.</p><p>In addition to Russia being off-limits, they&rsquo;ll definitely want to stay away from Quebec and/or players with French Canadian surnames after failing quite spectacularly by using their first picks on Alexandre Picard, Gilbert Brule and Derick Brassard in three successive drafts. Oh yeah, with draft positions that added up to 20. Ouch. In drafts where they could have had Cory Schneider, Anze Kopitar and Claude Giroux instead. Ouch, ouch.</p><p>And the Czech Republic is out, too, because Rostislav Klesla and Jakub Voracek failed to deliver the Blue Jackets from their self-imposed exile among the bottom feeders before being traded. They did have some moderate success, however, with Norwegian-born defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, so like they&rsquo;ve got that going for them, eh?</p><p>Just checking &ndash; this is 2012, isn&rsquo;t it? And this is still something hockey people view as an issue? The fact is Zherdev and Filatov flamed out because they didn&rsquo;t have the intestinal fortitude to pay the price required to play in the best league in the world. It had nothing to do with where they were born. To suggest the Blue Jackets should stay away from Russians is so narrow minded it borders on xenophobia. For years, Russian players have had to battle against stereotypes that say they can&rsquo;t grasp the concept of what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Oh yeah, that really prevented the Russian Five (Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Slava Kozlov) from experiencing success in Detroit. Sergei Brylin was one of the most respected and hard-working playoff performers the New Jersey Devils have ever had. Sergei Gonchar and Sergei Zubov were enormous contributors for their championship teams and we&rsquo;re willing to bet that nobody in his right mind would question Pavel Datsyuk&rsquo;s willingness or ability to carry his team to a Cup these days.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02159/9639012-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="716" height="782"><figcaption class="caption-body">NAIL YAKUPOV <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; To suggest Columbus avoid Russians borders on xenophobia</b></blockquote><p>Yes, there have been concerns about Russian players using the option of playing in the Kontinental League. With both Yakupov and Grigorenko, you&rsquo;re talking about players who could be making very good money in the KHL, but have chosen to come to the Canadian League to make certain they&rsquo;re as prepared as they can be to play in the NHL. So did Alexandre Volchkov and Pavel Brendl, who had 320 points in three seasons with the Calgary Hitmen, yet did nothing as an NHL player.</p><p>So what does that tell us? Well, that where you play and where you&rsquo;re from have a lot less to do with whether you&rsquo;re going to succeed than your mental makeup. And that&rsquo;s why teams employ scouts. That&rsquo;s why they have a scouting combine to interview players and their billets and put draft prospects through psychological testing. That&rsquo;s why they watch them play dozens of times every season.</p><p>For Columbus to either trade its pick or settle for a player who doesn&rsquo;t have the same star potential as Yakupov or Grigorenko is an absurd proposition. There&rsquo;s a good chance the Blue Jackets will deal away the only franchise player they&rsquo;ve ever had at this year&rsquo;s draft in Pittsburgh when they grant Nash his trade request. Could they possibly trade the No. 1 overall pick or select a player who is less capable of replacing him just because they don&rsquo;t like Russians?</p><p>Of course not. And don&rsquo;t forget Craig Patrick is an advisor with Columbus these days. He&rsquo;s the same guy who went into the 1990 draft as GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins when the prevailing wisdom suggested you couldn&rsquo;t win with Europeans in your lineup and shouldn&rsquo;t waste a high draft pick on them. Jaromir Jagr then tumbled to fifth and fell in his lap.</p><p>We&rsquo;d say things have turned out pretty well for Jagr. You know, for being a Czech and all.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL?</p><p>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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April 16, 2012

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OVERTIME FOLLOW-UP

Patience Pays for P-A