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.

September 10, 2012

The Hockey News - Sep-10-12

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02196/9648000-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DEMOLITION MAN</b></p><p><b>Pat Sieloff, who idolizes Niklas Kronwall, impresses scouts with his punishing hits.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(USNTDP)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01315/9648007-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b>ituated on the border with Michigan, Windsor has become an NHL prospect factory thanks to an equal development of Canadians, Europeans and Americans. The latest prize comes from the same U.S. national team development program that saw Cam Fowler, Jack Campbell and Kenny Ryan don Spitfires jerseys. And proximity certainly mattered for Ann Arbor, Mich., defenseman Pat Sieloff. &ldquo;I grew up watching the OHL thanks to Plymouth,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Windsor, they put guys in the NHL. There isn&rsquo;t another team I would have gone to in the &lsquo;O.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-03132/9647993-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="191" height="117"></div><p>Which is probably cold comfort for Miami RedHawks fans. Sieloff was originally slated to go the NCAA route, but with the NHL draft approaching (Calgary selected him with the 42nd pick overall) he changed his mind and signed with Windsor, a team he was pretty familiar with already. &ldquo;I love the way they play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got a lot of &rsquo;94s (birth years) and I grew up with a couple of them.&rdquo;</p><p>That cohort included fellow draftees Brady Vail and Ben Johnson, while Sieloff also skates in the summer with Kerby Rychel, a 2013 prospect and son of Windsor co-owner/GM Warren Rychel. For the normally skill-based Spitfires, Sieloff rounds out the lineup for next season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big specimen,&rdquo; said co-owner/coach Bob Boughner. &ldquo;His physical presence on the ice is what we need &ndash; a shutdown defenseman who is going to be hard on opposing players. I like that he has a defense-first mentality and that you can put him out in any situation.&rdquo;</p><p>Scouts are also high on the youngster. &ldquo;Not flashy, but has a lot of substance,&rdquo; said one talent evaluator. &ldquo;You might not find him in a game, but if you watch for him you don&rsquo;t lose him. Coaches are really going to like him. Smart and competitive.&rdquo;</p><p>Look for highlights from Sieloff and you won&rsquo;t find many cannon shots or endto-end rushes. You will, however, see carnage &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s fearless shot-blocking or blowing up an opponent with a huge open-ice check. No surprise the Michigan native tabbed Red Wings blueliner Niklas Kronwall as an inspiration. &ldquo;I love the way he can change the momentum of a game with a hit,&rdquo; Sieloff said.</p><p>Boughner described his latest addition as a character kid and the six-foot, 198-pounder minces no words when it comes to his team&rsquo;s play. Sieloff won gold at the world under-18s in the Czech Republic with Team USA, a squad made up entirely of NTDPers with the exception of prep schooler Danny O&rsquo;Regan. But it was a previous bronze medal performance at the Five Nations that set the table. &ldquo;In Finland back in February, we were awful,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had to make changes and guys had to buy into their roles.&rdquo;</p><p>Sieloff has his role spelled out for him in Windsor and glory may soon follow there. On a team that attracts highend European imports plus local talent, the Spitfires are well positioned for next season and 2014, when the OHL once again hosts the Memorial Cup.</p><p>Windsor would be a perfect host based on its on-ice product and new arena, which opened in 2008, though a recent slew of recruiting violations cost the Spits five draft picks and could hurt their chances.</p><p>That 2014 squad would hypothetically include Sieloff, Rychel (who led the team in scoring this past year) and recent OHL draft pick Josh Ho-Sang, a dynamic offensive talent that harkens to the Taylor Hall era in Windsor.</p><p>The Spits always score goals. Now they have someone to punish those who attempt to light the lamp in the other direction.</p><p>42 <b>Overall NHL draft slot for Sieloff, chosen in the second round by Calgary in 2012</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Windsor’s Border Patrol

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04156/9647617-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="243" height="413"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN SUTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ryan Suter</b></p><p>2003</p><p>&nbsp;<i>7th overall</i></p><p><b>Ryan Ellis</b></p><p>2009</p><p>&nbsp;<i>11th overall</i></p><p><b>Dan Hamhuis</b></p><p>2001</p><p><i>12th overall</i></p><p><b>Ryan Parent</b></p><p>2005</p><p><i>18th overall</i></p><p><b>J. Blum</b></p><p>2007</p><p>&nbsp;<i>23rd overall</i></p><p><b>Kevin Klein</b></p><p>2003</p><p>&nbsp;<i>37th overall</i></p><p><b>Roman Josi</b></p><p>2008</p><p><i>38th overall</i></p><p><b>C-O Roussel</b></p><p>2009</p><p><i>42nd overall</i></p><p><b>Tomas Slovak</b></p><p>2001</p><p>&nbsp;<i>42nd overall</i></p><p><b>Shea Weber</b></p><p>2003</p><p><i>49th overall</i></p><p>-12 <b>Plus-minus of Nashville&rsquo;s nine D-men besides Weber and Suter (+36) in 2011-12</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-04

HOME Grown

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04773/9646840-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="589" height="675"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>COTT GOMEZ DIDN&rsquo;T HAVE MUCH LUCK</b> in 2011-12. But his off-season was a different story. Gomez aced the par-three sixth hole at Eagleglen Golf Course in Alaska during his own charity golf tournament, which scored him a $50,000 SUV. (No, he didn&rsquo;t keep it.)</p><p>According to <i>Golf Digest</i>, the odds of making a hole-in-one for a player with an average handicap are 12,000 to 1. Could the goalstarved Gomez translate his luck on the links to the rink?</p><p>In THN&rsquo;s 2012-13 Yearbook, the odds of the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup are listed at 40 to 1 (2.44%). Gomez scored two of the 207 (0.97%) Montreal goals this past season. Since the odds of a Habs player scoring the Cup-winning goal are the same as the team&rsquo;s Cup chances, the likelihood of Gomez scoring the magical goal that ends Montreal&rsquo;s 20-year drought is (2.44% x 0.97% = 0.00023668%) approximately 422,510 to 1.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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GOLDEN GOAL?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03119/9648273-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="990" height="1294"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NAT TURFOSKY/HHOF)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0560/9648266-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="150" height="150"></div><p><b>Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Hugh Bolton shops for something in his size during summer of 1949.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Blast from the Past

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF VINNICK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012434/9646253-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Fisherman&rsquo;s Friend</b></h2><p><b>Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell shows off a shiny new passenger, Lord Stanley, to fellow boaters in Telegraph Cove, B.C.</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/f0007-012161/9646322-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="907" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>f you&rsquo;ve seen</b> our 2012-13 Yearbook or stumbled across our predictions on the Internet, you know we aren&rsquo;t picking the New York Rangers to win the Stanley Cup. Even though they are the league&rsquo;s best team on paper. Or at least the only one without a nagging question mark.</p><p>With the acquisition of Rick Nash (see cover story on pg. 20), the Blueshirts filled the one major hole they had entering the off-season, inserting a big-bodied, super-skilled sniper into an attack that lacked punch. Blend in the expected continued growth of playoff sensation Chris Kreider and a healthy return by Marian Gaborik (hey, this year he&rsquo;s getting his obligatory time-on-shelf stint out of the way early) and suddenly the Rangers are dangerous on offense.</p><p>Elsewhere, their checklist is complete. True No. 1 center? Check. Respected leadership? Check. Valuable role players? Check. Strong and mobile defense corps? Check. All-world goaltending and sharp backup? Check and check. Entertaining coach? Check. None of the 29 other teams can boast such a solid coat of armor, including the other serious Cup contenders. Each has some proving to do.</p><p>In Pittsburgh, the conjecture about the cranial fragility of Sidney Crosby (physical) and Marc-Andre Fleury (mental) needs to be quieted.</p><p>In Boston, Tuukka Rask needs to step out of Tim Thomas&rsquo; shadow without being blinded by the intensity of the spotlight.</p><p>In Philadelphia, Ilya Bryzgalov needs to channel his inner-self circa 2010. And while he&rsquo;s at it, maybe he can find Chris Pronger, or a reasonable facsimile, from about the same era.</p><p>In St. Louis, the Blues need to their impressive depth up front to trump the fact they don&rsquo;t have a truly elite No. 1 line.</p><p>In Los Angeles, the killer Kings need to buck a well-established trend and prevent their Cup celebrations from running over into the subsequent season.</p><p>And in Vancouver, Cory Schneider needs to elevate from everybody&rsquo;s-favorite-backup status to &ldquo;The Man.&rdquo;</p><p>So why aren&rsquo;t we picking the ironclad Rangers if they&rsquo;re better prepared than their main rivals? Because we&rsquo;re banking one of the aforementioned question marks will be answered affirmatively and resoundingly. And if you&rsquo;re still wondering which one that is, see our Yearbook. Or the Internet.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03916/9646315-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> SEPTEMBER 17, 2012</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>LISTEN UP!</b></p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW FRIDAYS 3-4 EST XM 92</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021468/9646308-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="173" height="70"></div><p><b>SIRIUS 207 IN USA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Ironclad, Silver Bound?

<p><b>Submit your letter and see rules at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b></p><h2><b>Pay For Play</b></h2><p>The Instigator cartoon from Aug. 1 hit the nail on the head. Money is at the forefront of everything to do with hockey nowadays. And signing guys to 10-plus-year contracts only to trade them a few years down the road? Ridiculous. What happened to the days when players had to keep earning their jobs year after year? I wish I could sign a 15-year contract at my job knowing that I&rsquo;d still get paid no matter how I performed.</p><p><i>Blair Gannon, Belleville, Ont.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04711/9646353-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="503" height="679"></div><h2><b>Campbell&rsquo;s Clouds</b></h2><p>Hey Ken, how come whenever a non-traditional market such as Los Angeles (&ldquo;Fleeting Fame,&rdquo; July 1) or Nashville (&ldquo;More Honky than Hockey,&rdquo; May 30, 2011) rises to success, you find it necessary to rain on their parade?</p><p><i>Andrew Spilar, Markham, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>&lsquo;Mash&rsquo; Among Boys</b></h2><p>Thank you for the feature on Emerance Maschmeyer (&ldquo;A Woman Among Boys,&rdquo; Aug. 1). It is refreshing to see women recognized in the hockey community. Maschemeyer&rsquo;s journey through boys junior hockey and into college is inspiring and shows women can stand out in the game.</p><p><i>Leah Merrall, Scottsdale, Ariz.</i></p><h2><b>Habs Have Not</b></h2><p>As a lifelong Habs fan, I can&rsquo;t believe you gave the Canadiens a Future Watch grade of &lsquo;C&rsquo; in the Yearbook. There&rsquo;s no way they deserve better than a &lsquo;C&ndash;&rsquo;.</p><p><i>Jay Ketner, Brunswick, Maine</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THN INBOX

<div class="byline">Norm Misrok, Bellmore, N.Y.</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ith the current economic climate, the NHL and NHLPA would be committing suicide if there is another lockout. Three lockouts under commissioner Gary Bettman has to tell you something. After all these years, he is still not a hockey guy. If the owners are so concerned about contracts, why are Shea Weber, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter getting absurd deals? Bettman and union head Donald Fehr need to watch Rick Harrison of <i>Pawn Stars</i> to see how a deal gets done. The NHL is not the NFL or NBA. Fans may not come back. Think long term.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021775/9646398-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="703" height="1050"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SPILL FOR A DRILL!</b></h2><p><b>The author of our lead letter next issue wins a Premium</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-07270/9646391-1-eng-US/f0008-072.jpg" title="f0008-07" width="194" height="61"></div><p><b>DEWALT 20V MAX* Hammerdrill!</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012325/9646384-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="180" height="244"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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RICHES TO RAGS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06364/9646429-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="483" height="716"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05504/9646436-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="89" height="82"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Paul Henderson,</b>&nbsp;<b>1972 Summit Series 59 %</b></p><p>Sidney Crosby,</p><p>2010 Olympics 27%</p><p>Mario Lemieux,</p><p>1987 Canada Cup 15%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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POLLRESULTS

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031256/9646467-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="108" height="111"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>Charlie Arsenault @BigB0I96:</b></h2><p>UFA signing with the most impact this season will be Alex Semin because not having to play in Ovie&rsquo;s shadow will revamp his play.</p><h2><b>Pat Shafer @shafer1426:</b></h2><p>Alex Semin because he finally gives Eric Staal a true first line winger to play with.</p><h2><b>Dawn Malin @DawnCMW:</b></h2><p>Justin Schultz because &ndash; have you seen the #Oilers blueline?</p><h2><b>Geoff MacEwen @shrutebrute:</b></h2><p>Justin Schultz. If 26 NHL teams express interest in you before you even play one game, you must be good.</p><h2><b>Eric Renkema @OneofHisTools:</b></h2><p>Jason Garrison because GMs will FINALLY be scared to give one-year wonders long deals.</p><h2><b>Trevor Butler @4_trevorgmb:</b></h2><p>Nobody, the ones signed were overpaid.</p><h2><b>Ed Ironside @duurti:</b></h2><p>The signing with most impact would be the CBA. Face it, we want to see how the owners will try to undermine the new agreement.</p><h2><b>Marie @The_Mary23:</b></h2><p>UFA signing with the most impact this season will be nobody because Gary Bettman plots a lockout.</p><h2><b>Pierre Aubin @paubin81:</b></h2><p>Whatever team spent the least because there probably won&rsquo;t be a season. #thanksgary #wedontdeservethisagain</p><h2><b>Eric H @TeamFirstEric:</b></h2><p>Zach Parise because of the increase in scoring for the Wild and decrease for Devils. Just painful for this Devil fan.</p><h2><b>Doug Wragge @DougW113:</b></h2><p>John Scott because the Sabres&hellip; I can&rsquo;t finish with a straight face.</p><h2><b>TheNetminders @TheNetminders:</b></h2><p>None. The New York Rangers trade for Rick Nash was the best move this off-season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WHO WILL BE THE UFA SIGNING WITH THE MOST IMPACT IN ’12-13?

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>dam, in THN&rsquo;s 2012 Yearbook. Carolina was ranked ninth in the East, but do you think a full year of Kirk Muller as coach and the off-season changes (adding Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin) get them back to the playoffs?</b></p><p><i>Tyler Hobbs, Siler City, N.C.</i></p><p>Tyler, as was the case with many teams we discussed, Carolina was polarizing for THN staffers. I was squarely in the camp of those who saw a playoff team, even before Semin signed.</p><p>They are hardly a defensive juggernaut, but the Canes have enough firepower and goaltending to secure a playoff berth in the East. Obviously, however, they still have a few more people to convince.</p><p><b>Hello Adam. Do you think it&rsquo;s smart Bryan Murray traded Nick Foligno for Marc Methot? Who wins the deal?</b></p><p><i>Michael Summerson, Creston, B.C.</i></p><p>Hello Michael. I like that trade for the Senators, who weren&rsquo;t willing to meet Filip Kuba&rsquo;s contract demands and needed a replacement for the minutes he ate up. Methot is a solid blueliner who won&rsquo;t replace the offense of Foligno or Kuba, but he&rsquo;s signed for three seasons at a reasonable $3-million cap hit and Ottawa still has nearly $20 million in projected cap space with which to address any offensive woes during the season.</p><p>Columbus gets grittier and finds more offense in Foligno, who still is just 24 and recently signed a three-year contract almost identical to Methot&rsquo;s. His 47 points and 196 hits this past season flashed a nice blend of scoring touch and sandpaper. If he can grow into a bigger role with the Jackets, maybe they look more like the winners of this deal down the road. But for now, considering where both teams are in their competitive cycles, Ottawa gets more out of it immediately.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012075/9646498-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="940" height="1358"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JORDAN STAAL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>|</b> Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a>&nbsp;<b>|</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012296/9646557-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="255" height="280"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021679/9646550-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="87" height="84"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031078/9646543-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="623" height="719"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DONALD FEHR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>uring the prolonged</b>and bitter labor negotiations of 2004-05, team owners and the league&rsquo;s players wore their contempt for each other like bibs around their necks. Boiling the other side lobster-style was likely contemplated more than once. The owners detested then-NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Bob Goodenow and he wasn&rsquo;t enamored with them.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04748/9646536-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="111" height="126"></div><p>However, the opening salvo in the present-day collective bargaining talks had a markedly different feel. Under the direction of new PA boss Donald Fehr, the players absorbed the league&rsquo;s initial CBA offer and answered it by &ndash; surprise! &ndash; agreeing, at least to some degree, to address the owners&rsquo; chief concern of the overall split of hockey-related revenue (HRR) by taking less money. &ldquo;In 2004, the salary cap was a non-starter for players,&rdquo; said a source close to the negotiations. &ldquo;Owners huffed and puffed, but Bob wasn&rsquo;t going to have any of it as long as he was around. But Don is approaching the negotiation without painting himself and the players into a philosophical corner as Bob did. That might not mean the season begins on time, but any sign they&rsquo;re at least within the same conceptual range of each other is a good sign we won&rsquo;t lose a full year of hockey again.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05543/9646529-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="1032" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MORE TALK, LESS LOCK</b></p><p><b>Each side put forth a proposal, but the league and NHLPA remained far apart in CBA talks.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>That&rsquo;s the positive news. Here&rsquo;s the negative: as noted, the players&rsquo; first offer (delivered in mid-August) accepted the owners&rsquo; request that players take a smaller percentage of HRR via a drag on salary growth, but Fehr&rsquo;s proposal tied that negotiating carrot to an increase in revenue sharing (from the current pool of $190-200 million that goes to small-market teams to $250 million) and otherwise keeps the bulk of the current CBA intact. In addition, the PA&rsquo;s version of a new CBA would last for just three seasons with a player option for a fourth, something that&rsquo;s highly unlikely to be embraced by the league.</p><p>Meanwhile, the owners&rsquo; initial proposal, delivered to the players in July, asked for a flip-flop of owner/player HRR split (the players now receive 57 percent and the owners 43 percent), as well as significant new restrictions on many areas of player contracts: a five-year limit on all contracts, the elimination of salary arbitration, an extension of entry level contracts from the current three years to five years, and unrestricted free agency only after 10 seasons of service (up from the current seven years).</p><p>And therein lies the huge gulf that continues to separate the two sides from striking a deal. On one side, players are willing to give back a percentage of their share of revenue, but they&rsquo;re not willing to give up so much so soon after accepting a hard cap and 24 percent pay cut (among numerous other concessions) back in 2005. On the other, owners maintain player costs make it impossible for some teams to be profitable and the cuts are necessary. And neither side was willing to move beyond those stances.</p><p>Commissioner Gary Bettman and Fehr spoke publicly the day after the NHLPA presented its offer with a degree of pessimism a deal could be reached to avoid a lockout.</p><p>The key pressure point in the labor war isn&rsquo;t likely to be the start of the season, but rather the marquee Winter Classic game, at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs, on New Year&rsquo;s Day. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when everybody  shows their cards,&rdquo; an NHL agent said. &ldquo;Nobody is in a hurry now because the stakes aren&rsquo;t high enough for the owners. But the Winter Classic is a huge event for the league and (league U.S. broadcasting rights-holder) NBC. We&rsquo;re not likely to know the league&rsquo;s real resolve until they&rsquo;ve got something major like that to lose.&rdquo;</p><p><b>9</b> Winners of the Art Ross Trophy, given to NHL&rsquo;s leader in points, over the past 10 seasons. Evgeni Malkin (2009, 2012) is the only one to win it twice.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

No End In Sight

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011922/9646588-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021396/9646619-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="243" height="329"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MALHOTRA: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>VAN CITY PRIDE</b></h3><p><i>Canucks</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Manny Malhotra</i></b>&nbsp;<i>marches in Vancouver&rsquo;s Pride Parade for You Can Play.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>DUMBO JETS</b></h3><p>&nbsp;<i>Goalie Ondrej Pavelec (impaired driving, suspended six-month prison sentence) and D-man Dustin Byfuglien (careless boating, one-year probation) learn their punishments.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>J-BO KEEPS PERSPECTIVE</b></h3><p><i>Amid trade rumors, Flames&rsquo; Jay Bouwmeester heads to Ghana as an ambassador for Right To Play.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>DOUBLE DOUBLE-DEALINGS</b></h3><p>&nbsp;<i>Windsor Spitfires spanked ($400,000 fine; five draft picks) for breaching recruitment rules, but OHL fails to divulge violations.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012242/9646657-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AGENT IGOR</b></p><p><b>Former NHL star Igor Larionov received his agent&rsquo;s certification three years ago and now represents more than 20 players.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GENE DUNCAN/DISNEY PARKS VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen Nail Yakupov</b> and Alex Galchenyuk found themselves at the top of scouting lists for the 2012 draft, Igor Larionov&rsquo;s inbox exploded. The Hall of Famer-turned-player agent was inundated with emails from young play-ers overseas who wanted to move to North America for the chance to make it to the big time. &ldquo;Many players want to get everything right now &ndash; the cars, big contracts in NHL or Kontinental League and so on,&rdquo; said Larionov, who represents Yakupov (drafted first overall) and Galchenyuk (third overall). &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not interested in that. Hockey is all about hard work, which you get compensated for once you&rsquo;ve achieved your goal. It&rsquo;s important for me and I let everyone know about it right away.&rdquo;</p><p>As a player, Larionov&rsquo;s achievements include scoring 169 goals and 644 points in 921 NHL games with the Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. He won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings and captured two Olympic gold medals and four World Ch ampionships with the Soviet national team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021761/9646650-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="700" height="679"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>EVGENY MOLOTILOV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Now an agent, something former players of his pedigree rarely become, Larionov has taken to helping young players pursue their dreams of making it to the pros. When junior defenseman Evgeny Molotilov was almost forced to give up hockey at 16 because he couldn&rsquo;t afford to buy a stick, Larionov provided him with a whole batch and found a team for him in the Guelph Storm of the Ontario League. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve helped a lot of people like that,&rdquo; Larionov said. &ldquo;I helped Evgeni Malkin to get over here. I also helped Pavel Datsyuk and Mikhail Grabovski. I helped a lot of people as a favor to their agents.</p><p>&ldquo;When you see a kid who wants to achieve something, you have to help him. If I see a kid with a goal, a kid who wants to be somebody, and I know that I can help him somehow, I do. I always keep my word. I can&rsquo;t promise something and then don&rsquo;t do it. Every player needs time to develop. You have to help them do it.&rdquo;</p><p>Larionov received his certification three years ago and now represents more than 20 players in North America, Europe and Russia. But unlike agents who don&rsquo;t have an NHL background, he isn&rsquo;t only concerned about a player&rsquo;s potential. As a former player, Larionov  knows what goes on behind the scenes in a player&rsquo;s life. That&rsquo;s why he does extra research when scouting players to determine if they have the support to help them realize their dreams. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the kind of guy who does everything straight,&rsquo;&rdquo; Larionov said. &ldquo;I go straight to player&rsquo;s parents and ask them if they want to work together. We don&rsquo;t sign any documents. We have a verbal agreement. If they are decent people, I&rsquo;m happy to work with them. It&rsquo;s important to get to know players&rsquo; families. You have to make sure he&rsquo;s not only a good hockey player, but a good person as well.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Helping Hand

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ashville&rsquo;s Mike Fisher and</b> wife Carrie Underwood try to stop Disney from signing Shea Weber to an offer sheet. Send us your funniest caption idea for a shot at some THN swag. We&rsquo;ll publish our favorites in the Oct. 1 edition. (See the July 1 issue&rsquo;s best on pg. 57.)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04677/9646695-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="758" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031133/9646688-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="179" height="152"></div><p><b>To win, submit your captions at <a href="http://www.thn.com/caption">www.thn.com/caption</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-04

Caption CONTEST

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRYAN MCWILLIAM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011962/9646733-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>COLBY ARMSTRONG</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>e all make mistakes in</b>&nbsp;life. NHL teams&rsquo; brass are no exception, often doling out foolish amounts of money. But errors can be corrected with a buyout.</p><p>Teams can buy out the remainder of a player&rsquo;s contract to save money and free up a roster spot. This also allows a player to seek employment elsewhere. As per the collective bargaining agreement, teams can buy out players for two-thirds of what remains on their contract over double the number of years left. &ldquo;If one year is remaining on the contract, then it equals double the payment term,&rdquo; said Rand Simon of Newport Sports Management. &ldquo;Take Colby Armstrong, he has a oneyear period, so he&rsquo;ll be paid ($1 million per year) over two years.&rdquo;</p><p>Armstrong, like many other players bought out of their contracts (see chart), will collect dollars from former employers while on different teams. But do their old teams drop a bag of money on their front doorstep and say &ldquo;good riddance&rdquo; or do they get paid like regular nine-to-fivers? &ldquo;Regular pay periods are from October through April and there are 13 pay periods in total per season,&rdquo; Simon said. &ldquo;Players get a paycheque every two weeks.&rdquo;</p><p>So just like active players, the bought-out boys get paid every two weeks &ndash; some without even playing in the NHL. Toronto will pay Darcy Tucker, who retired after 2009-10, $1 million each of the next two seasons &ndash; that&rsquo;s 13 cheques of $76,923.08 (before tax) each. And the Islanders pay Alexei Yashin $2.2 million per for another three years after buying out his 10-year contract before 2007-08. That&rsquo;s a $169,230.76 stipend every two weeks to be as far away from Long Island as possible.</p><h2><b>PLAYERS & BUYOUTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021372/9646726-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="1675" height="1254"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-01

Show Me The Money

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03994/9646764-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="510" height="714"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>124 MILLION</p><p class="dropcap"><i><span>A</span>mount allocated to buyout players since the option came into effect after the lockout.</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Alexei Yashin</i></b>&nbsp;<i>with his $17.6-million buyout bonanza from the Isles is tops.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-03

NUMBER Crunch

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DEBRA RUGHOO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012215/9646809-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="403" height="385"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>&lsquo;CRAZY GUY&rsquo;</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021665/9646802-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="399" height="382"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>&lsquo;SEA BASS&rsquo;</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031130/9646795-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="386" height="376"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>&lsquo;WAYNE&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>BRIGHT LIGHTS</b></p><p><b>Look closely and you&rsquo;ll catch NHLers in films such as <i>Ted</i>, <i>Dumb & Dumber</i> and <i>Con Air</i>.</b></p></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>here are many</b> examples of hockey players&rsquo; acting skills on the ice: the overdramatic fall to incite a tripping call, the clenched face when a high-stick doesn&rsquo;t even graze them and the look of disbelief when penalized for an obvious infraction. So it&rsquo;s no surprise to see players translate their on-ice acting abilities to the big screen. While it&rsquo;s only natural to see players popping up in hockey movies, like Vincent Lecavalier in <i>The Rocket: The Legend of Rocket Richard</i> and Mike Modano in <i>The Mighty Ducks</i>, it catches us off-guard when they appear in other types of films and TV shows.</p><p>Getting hit in the face is just part of the job description for Boston Bruins enforcer Shawn Thornton, but who knew that would happen off the ice, too? In director Seth MacFarlane&rsquo;s newest movie <i>Ted</i>, Thornton charges the stage to snatch the microphone from lovelorn John (Mark Wahlberg), who hijacks a concert to declare his love for Lori (Mila Kunis), only to get socked in the face by a microphone stand. Thornton doesn&rsquo;t see the most ice time among his teammates, but he certainly has a leg up in screen time after his cameo, credited as &lsquo;Crazy Guy.&rsquo;</p><p>In a 2008 episode of Chris Rock&rsquo;s sitcom <i>Everybody Hates Chris</i>, Rock and his brother Drew skip school and go to Long Island, N.Y. to see Drew&rsquo;s idol Wayne Gretzky. Instead, they end up in Coney Island. As the boys argue about who&rsquo;s to blame for getting lost, their fight is broken up by hockey trailblazer Willie O&rsquo;Ree &ndash; the first black player in the NHL. O&rsquo;Ree then asks a man reading the paper nearby for directions &ndash; who turns out to be goalie Kevin Weekes. The brothers eventually get to Long Island, but never get to meet The Great One.</p><p>Gretzky didn&rsquo;t make a cameo on Rock&rsquo;s sitcom, but decades earlier he appeared on the soap opera <i>The Young and the Restless</i>. In 1981, a 20-year-old Gretzky played a mafia goon named &lsquo;Wayne.&rsquo; His one line in the show was: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m Wayne from the Edmonton operation.&rdquo; Sadly for Oilers fans, he didn&rsquo;t stay with that operation.</p><p>Jeremy Roenick is no stranger to the small screen, appearing twice as a desk sergeant on the detective show <i>Hack</i> and a security guard on the drama <i>Leverage</i>. Boston Bruins great Cam Neely famously played the trucker &lsquo;Sea Bass&rsquo; in <i>Dumb & Dumber</i> and <i>Me, Myself & Irene</i>. Tough guy Marty McSorley appeared in &rsquo;90s action blockbusters <i>Bad Boys</i> and <i>Con Air.</i></p><p>So, can players act? Let&rsquo;s just say we&rsquo;re happy they kept their night jobs. Especially a mobster named Wayne.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

From Hockey To Hollywood

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JASON CHEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05530/9646871-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="347" height="316"></div><p><b>WANT TO KNOW HOW</b>&nbsp;to tame a tiger? Call it a &lsquo;Sound Tiger&rsquo; as Bridgeport of the American League did more than a decade ago.</p><p>Googling the nickname only gets you sites linking to a collection of tiger roars, so what exactly is a Sound Tiger? Established in 2001, the name is actually a reference to Long Island Sound, an estuary between New York and Connecticut, along which Bridgeport is located.</p><p>The team&rsquo;s moniker was the product of a contest even though Sound Tigers wasn&rsquo;t originally on the list. Fans were given four choices: Scrappers, Shore Dogs, Corsairs or Beach Tigers. The latter two are references to the area. The Vought F4U Corsair was a fighter aircraft built in the area that was used in the Second World War and the Korean War. It was named Connecticut&rsquo;s official aircraft in 2005. The beach tiger beetle once populated the Atlantic Coast from New England to Virginia, but is now extinct in certain areas, including the state of New York.</p><p>Although the four names ended up not being used, fans were partial to Beach Tigers and the team&rsquo;s proximity to Long Island Sound, so a compromise was made. A heavily stylized tiger head was introduced as the club&rsquo;s logo, with five drops of water surrounding the head, an obvious reference to the city&rsquo;s proximity to water.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-05

What’s THAT SOUND?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DON LAIBLE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021363/9646902-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="666" height="1023"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MR. KING&rsquo;S OPUS</b></p><p><b>Radio play-by-play man Chris King works with Hofstra students on Isles broadcasts.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>THE</b>&nbsp;<b>SHOW MUST GO ON.</b> And where the New York Islanders are concerned &ndash; it must be heard, too.</p><p>The 2012-13 season will mark the third consecutive campaign that all 82 Islanders games will be broadcast on Long Island&rsquo;s oldest non-commercial radio station, Hofstra University&rsquo;s WRHU 88.7 FM in Nassau County, which airs Islanders games produced solely by students. The Islanders remain the only professional team to have their flagship radio station operated by an academic partner.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011926/9646909-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="157" height="155"></div><p>As 2009-10 concluded, management decided to do away with a separate radio duo in favor of simulcasting their television signal. The attempt to reduce expenses in getting the team&rsquo;s product to the masses failed. &ldquo;The simulcast decision was a difficult time for me,&rdquo; said Chris King, then color commentator for the Islanders. &ldquo;Since the university and Islanders became partners, it has been nothing but positive in getting to work with the students and watch them grow.&rdquo;</p><p>King, now the play-by-play voice of Islanders radio, has no shortage of analysts, studio hosts or in-game reporters. Hofstra offers more than 50 communications students contributing to Islanders broadcasts. &ldquo;Chris is absolutely amazing to work with,&rdquo; said Kevin Dexter, WRHU sports director and a senior in school, who will be returning this coming season as a color commentator. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good sport about reaching out to us students and lets us have our say.&rdquo;</p><p>WRHU general manager Bruce Avery is proud to be part of an agreement that&rsquo;s rare in the history of professional sports. &ldquo;It all began with a call from the Islanders,&rdquo; Avery said. &ldquo;We had a conversation and it all worked out well.&rdquo;</p><p>WRHU has operated for 53 years and director  of operations John Mullen is excited to boast about the facilities used for Islanders broadcasts. &ldquo;We are equal to New York City studios,&rdquo; Mullen said. &ldquo;Our signal reaches a 30-35-mile radius, into Brooklyn, Queens, along with Nassau County for a potential 10 million listeners.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-02

On An Isle With Millions

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011985/9646968-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">HOCKEYMADE HISTORYIN 1972. TWO TEAMS, TWO COUNTRIES, ONE GOAL: WIN AT ALL COSTS. CANADA TRIUMPHED. RUSSIA ANNOUNCED ITSELF AS A POWERT</blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he 1972 Summit Series &ndash; an eight-game tournament between a Canadian team of NHLers against one from the former Soviet Union, with games played across Canada and in Moscow &ndash; remains a seminal moment not only in hockey history, but also the national histories of Canada and Russia. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Summit Series, THN spoke to several members of the Canadian squad for an oral history of the event&rsquo;s on-and-off-ice details.</p><h2><b>PROLOGUE</b></h2><p><i>Led by manager Alan Eagleson, coach Harry Sinden and assistant John Ferguson, Team Canada invites 35 elite NHL players (excluding WHA superstars) to training camp in Toronto in mid-August of 1972.</i></p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: We were called Team Canada, which I didn&rsquo;t agree with. I said it at the very first meeting. I thought we should be called Team NHL, because they didn&rsquo;t let Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe play.</p><p>RON ELLIS: It was very cumbersome there were that many players in camp, but that was so we had competitive intra-squad games. The little carrot they dangled for players was that if you came to camp, everyone would play at least one game in the series. They assumed, like everyone else in Canada, we&rsquo;d win the majority of the games, if not all, and it would be very easy to move people in and out of the lineup. That proved to be a mistake, because the Russians were that good.</p><p>SERGE SAVARD: I remember (legendary Montreal columnist) Red Fisher wrote a column saying we weren&rsquo;t going to lose a game. And we had our scouts telling us they didn&rsquo;t have a chance against us and we started believing them.</p><p>RON ELLIS: (Former NHLer) Billy Harris, after his career and just prior to that series, coached the Swedish national team. He was the only guy who said the Soviets had a chance to win this. He knew how good they were and nobody listened to him.</p><h3><b>GAME 1 (Montreal, Sept. 2)</b></h3><p><i>Team Canada scores the first two goals of the game, but is overwhelmed by the determined and highly skilled USSR squad and loses 7-3 before a shocked crowd at the Forum.</i></p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: That first game, we weren&rsquo;t even close to being prepared.</p><p>ROD GILBERT: The first time I went on the ice at the Forum, Jean Ratelle, Vic Hadfield and I were on the ice for a minute-and-a-half, two minutes. When we were back on the bench, we looked at each other and I said, &lsquo;Jean, did you touch the puck once?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;No, did you?&rsquo; And I hadn&rsquo;t touched it either. None of the three of us had the puck &ndash; they wouldn&rsquo;t let us near it. When we were kids we used to do that, but now they were doing it to us.</p><p>PAT STAPLETON: The players who didn&rsquo;t dress were sitting in the stands and the people recognized who we were. They were trying to ask us what happened out there, what was going on. I didn&rsquo;t have any more clue than they did.</p><p>ROD GILBERT: I&rsquo;d invited my family and my brother, John, to the game. He came to me after it ended and said, &lsquo;What happened?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;Didn&rsquo;t you see the game? They&rsquo;re really good.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;No, no. I want you to know you&rsquo;re all a bunch of bums. And furthermore, you&rsquo;re a disgrace to your country, all of you.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;John, take it easy, we&rsquo;ve got more games and we&rsquo;ll get to it.&rsquo; People were upset.</p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: The arrogance wasn&rsquo;t from the Canadian people &ndash; it came from ourselves. Sinden warned us, but we didn&rsquo;t prepare enough. Guys were moaning and groaning about training camp in the summer, but then we got our asses kicked and we were scared. We were angry at ourselves and scared to death.</p><h3><b>GAME 2 (Toronto, Sept. 4)</b></h3><p><i>The Canadians avenge their opening-game loss with a 4-1 win, but the Soviets are still giving them all they can handle.</i></p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: In Toronto, our conditioning still wasn&rsquo;t great, but our emotion was so high that it won us the game. The Toronto win was just emotion.</p><p><i>Although the series is tied, the Soviets, led by star left winger Valeri Kharlamov, quickly make huge impressions on the Canadian players.</i></p><p>BRAD PARK: Kharlamov wasn&rsquo;t taking s*** from anybody. He gave what he took and wasn&rsquo;t backing down from anyone. If you were going to hit him, he made sure he&rsquo;d get your ass first.</p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: Their best player was Alexander Yakushev. I played head-to-head against Alexander Maltsev through a lot of that series, and he was a tough son-of-a-bitch to play against. When it was all over, I thought, &lsquo;Man, that&rsquo;s a hockey player.&rsquo;</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: The best player on that team without a doubt was Yakushev, not Kharlamov, not (goalie) Vladislav Tretiak. Yakushev was 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, could skate like the wind. He scared us. He reminded me of Bobby Hull, only he was bigger than Bobby.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011724/9646961-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="320" height="342"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">OUR SCOUTS TOLD USTHEY DIDN'T HAVEA CHANCE. ANDWE BELIEVED THEM<br>- SERGE SAVARD</blockquote><p>SERGE SAVARD: I thought Kharlamov was the best Russian. And Yakushev was a great player. For me, he was a lot like Jean Beliveau. Big, tall guy, skilled player, but not a dirty player.</p><h3><b>GAME 3 (Winnipeg, Sept. 6)</b></h3><p><i>The Canadians build on their momentum from Toronto and take a 2-1 lead after one period at the Winnipeg Arena, only to see the Soviets reassert themselves and eke out a 4-4 tie.</i></p><p>TONY ESPOSITO: Our biggest thing was misjudging the opposition. I was always in very good shape. However, I don&rsquo;t think I was mentally prepared for a playoff series in the middle of summer.</p><p>RON ELLIS: For me, the most critical game for the whole series was the Winnipeg game. We had a 4-2 lead with two minutes left in the second period and the Russians scored a couple of quick goals to tie it. If we&rsquo;d won that game, we&rsquo;d have gone into Vancouver with a whole different mindset. Because it ended up in a tie, the Russians felt strongly they could beat us in Vancouver and they&rsquo;d have the series won.</p><h3><b>GAME 4 (Vancouver, Sept. 8)</b></h3><p><i>The frustrated crowd at the Pacific Coliseum boos the Canadians relentlessly and it only gets worse from there as the Soviets dominate and win the game 5-3.</i></p><p>PETE MAHOVLICH: I was in the stands that game. It was 10 minutes in and the booing started. I said to myself, &lsquo;These people don&rsquo;t get it and the rest of Canada doesn&rsquo;t get it either.&rsquo; They don&rsquo;t realize how good the Soviets are. They think they&rsquo;re amateurs. They were more professional about the game than we ever were.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021319/9646954-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="1109" height="1729"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MELCHIOR DIGIACOMO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>BOBBY CLARKE: Vancouver was by far the low point. We had no energy and were totally undisciplined. We were just a s*** hockey team for that particular game.</p><p>J-P PARISE: That was the game I thought, &lsquo;Oh my god, I don&rsquo;t know if we&rsquo;ve got it or if we have enough time to recover.&rsquo; Everything got a lot more important after that.</p><p><i>The incensed fans in Vancouver boo the home side off the ice following the loss. And in a post-game TV interview, Phil Esposito gives his now-famous speech chastising Canadians for not supporting their own team.</i></p><p>BRAD PARK: We never heard Phil&rsquo;s speech at the time. But I&rsquo;m glad he did it. It brought some reality to the Canadian public.</p><p>STAN MIKITA: That speech couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time. I&rsquo;ve never applauded Esposito except for that one time in my life (laughs). It was the greatest thing I&rsquo;d ever heard.</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: A guy told me one time that the British people have Winston Churchill&rsquo;s famous speech, the Americans have Lincoln&rsquo;s address at Gettysburg and in Canada our most famous speech was made by a hockey player. I said, &lsquo;Wow, imagine how s***ty our politicians are&rsquo;. (laughs)</p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: Most of us didn&rsquo;t hear what Phil did until the next day. But what he did wasn&rsquo;t good just for the team, but for him. We needed leadership and when he did that he basically took over the leadership of the hockey club.</p><h2><b>THE SWEDISH EFFECT</b></h2><p><i>The two-week break between Games 4 and 5 gives the reeling Canadians time to rest mentally and improve their conditioning while playing a pair of games against the Swedish national team. It also gives them time to bond as a team and get accustomed to the larger European ice surface.</i></p><p>ROD GILBERT: In Sweden, we really united as a team. The two games we played against a very strong Swedish team &ndash; they were as good as the Russians &ndash; were great competition and really opened our eyes.</p><p>BRAD PARK: We left Canada with no confidence. When we got to Sweden, we had no distractions. All we had was each other. The Swedes were trying to win, but we just wanted to get into condition.</p><p><i>Meanwhile, the pressure on the Canadian team builds and the players begin to realize more and more this series has become bigger than hockey and is a de facto referendum on freedom vs. communism.</i></p><p>RON ELLIS: When we were flying out of Toronto to go to Sweden, there was literally no one &ndash; no fans, no press &ndash; to see us off at the airport. We felt it was us against the world at that point. No one wanted to be associated with us. Everyone jumped off the bandwagon, because they felt at that point we were going to lose. We were hated by our own fans and ridiculed in the papers. Then I knew, wow, we&rsquo;ve got ourselves into something here much bigger than just a hockey series.</p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: Going into Russia, we were at what I think is the point Canadians shine the most: we were down and we had f***-all to lose. When you have nothing to lose, Canadian teams rise to the occasion.</p><h3><b>GAME 5 (Moscow, Sept. 22)</b></h3><p><i>The first of four games at the Luzhniki Ice Palace begins with great promise for the Canadians, who lead 3-0 after two periods. The Soviets roar back with five goals in the third period to win the game 5-4 and force the Canadians to the brink of defeat in the</i>&nbsp;<i>series. No longer can they afford to lose or even tie one of the remaining three games. But, even then, there are some positive signs for Team Canada.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011863/9646947-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="320" height="342"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">GOING INTO RUSSIA, WEWERE DOWNAND HAD F***-ALL TO LOSE. WE ROSE TOTHE OCCASION - BOBBY CLARKE</blockquote><p>BRAD PARK: We were stunned, naturally. But that was the first time in the series we controlled large portions of periods. We were being proactive and not reactive, and our conditioning was starting to kick in.</p><p><i>The Canadians get their first glimpse of life inside the Soviet Union and are less than impressed.</i></p><p>TONY ESPOSITO: At the time, I was worried about them being such a powerful country, but when I saw how everything was, they were more like a third-world country. A lady was cleaning with a broom on the street and the broom was just tree branches tied to a stick.</p><p>ROD GILBERT: I&rsquo;ve never seen people so serious and depressed-looking. Everyone wore grey or black. People who walked on the streets never made eye contact. People looked over their shoulder all the time and never smiled.</p><p><i>The Soviets continue playing psychological games with the Canadians. Players receive prank calls at their Moscow hotel and practice times are shortened, but that isn&rsquo;t all.</i></p><p>BRAD PARK: We had brought our own food, New York sirloins and things like that, but when the meal arrived we&rsquo;d only get half of the steak. A lot of our stuff was missing. Our beer went missing and was that upsetting? You bet it was.</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: Most of the guys weren&rsquo;t pissed off at the food &ndash; it was because they had taken our beer. We had 350 cases that were supposed to be there and half were gone.</p><h3><b>GAME 6 (Moscow, Sept. 24)</b></h3><p><i>Controversial officiating starts to play a key role in the series beginning in Game 6. German referees Josef Kompalla and Franz Baader assess 31 minutes in penalties to the Canadians and only four to the Soviets. But Canada&rsquo;s penalty killing and goaltending are masterful and the visitors hold on for a 3-2 win.</i></p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: It was not good, the officiating. We criticize NHL officiating, but it&rsquo;s far superior to what you get over there and it still is.</p><p>J-P PARISE: The penalty discrepancy against us was just unbelievable. We escaped in that game and I don&rsquo;t know how, but we did. Nothing fazed us.</p><p><i>Meanwhile, the animosity between the two teams was approaching full boil.</i></p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: I used to call Boris Kulagin, their assistant coach, &lsquo;Chuckles&rsquo;. I&rsquo;d skate by the bench and yell &lsquo;Hey Chuckles!&rsquo; and (Soviet players) Mikhailov and (Vladimir) Petrov and Yakushev would smile because they&rsquo;d know I was being sarcastic. And he&rsquo;d just look at me. He understood, that big fat son-of-a-bitch. He knew I didn&rsquo;t care. We had to be strong and that&rsquo;s what I told the guys in the dressing room.</p><h3><b>GAME 7 (Moscow, Sept. 26)</b></h3><p><i>With their backs still to the wall, the Canadians pull out a 4-3 win in part thanks to Esposito&rsquo;s two goals. Canada also benefits from the 3,000 Canadian fans who make the trip, as well as hundreds of cards, letters and telegrams sent from home.</i></p><p>PETE MAHOVLICH: We started to get messages from thousands of people from all these wonderful Canadian communities. And we&rsquo;d put them on the walls in our dressing room and the hallways of the arena. It was like wallpaper.</p><p>J-P PARISE: I still have some of those telegrams. They were wonderful for us to read.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011640/9646940-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="2136" height="1384"><figcaption class="caption-body">TEAM CANADAWAS DOWN 5-3 IN GAME 8 AFTER TWO PERIODS BEFORE PAUL HENDERSON&rsquo;S LEGENDARYWINNER. <span class="photo-credit">(MELCHIOR DIGIACOMO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: Those fans have no idea how much they mean to us. It made us feel like they were behind us no matter what. I can&rsquo;t tell you how many of those telegrams I read &ndash; as many as I could.</p><h3><b>GAME 8 (Moscow, Sept. 28)</b></h3><p><i>The Canadians, already suspicious of the officiating, are incensed when a number of questionable calls are made by the officials (including Kompalla, a last-minute replacement for a Swedish official.) Parise is ejected early in the first period after nearly coming to blows with Kompalla following an interference call.</i></p><p>J-P PARISE: Kompalla comes to me and says, &lsquo;Two minutes, interference. I said, &lsquo;(The Soviet player) is carrying the puck!&rsquo; He says, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got 10&rsquo; (for a misconduct). I had never gotten a misconduct in my life prior to that, never mind being ejected from a game, and I snapped. After, I was just sick, not just for myself but for the team.</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: What they did to Parise was a disgrace. <i>The Soviets lead the game 5-3 after two periods, but after Esposito and Yvan Cournoyer score to tie it up, Paul Henderson pots his legendary goal on Tretiak with 34 seconds left in regulation time to lead Canada to the game and series victory.</i></p><p>BRAD PARK: The elation was above and beyond anything I&rsquo;ve ever experienced. Walt Disney couldn&rsquo;t make a movie that good.</p><p>RON ELLIS: When the goal was scored, I was one of the first players who jumped off our bench and jumped on top of Paul. There was almost like a chant: &lsquo;We did it, we did it, we did it!&rsquo;</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: I didn&rsquo;t reach that pinnacle I reached as a player in that series before or after it. We weren&rsquo;t mentally ready for that series at the beginning, but they couldn&rsquo;t match our intensity, our passion. And therein lies why we won.</p><h2><b>EPILOGUE</b></h2><p><i>It doesn&rsquo;t get much recognition, but the Canadians have another game still to play against the Czechoslovakian national team in Prague. They nearly lose it, but Serge Savard scores in the last moments of regulation to give Canada a 3-3 tie.</i></p><p>J-P PARISE: On the flight from Russia to Prague, one of our players says to me, &lsquo;You won&rsquo;t believe who is on this flight: Kompalla.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve gotta be s***ting me.&rsquo; He was sitting near the front of the plane, so I went behind him and grabbed his cheek and squeezed it. He turns white and I said, &lsquo;I just want you to know I&rsquo;m here, you stupid communist so-and-so.&rsquo; We threw a couple cucumbers slices at him, too. Just a couple (laughs). It&rsquo;s one of those things you regret for the rest of your life, but it was emotional.</p><p>PHIL ESPOSITO: Most of us went because of Mikita, because that was his homeland before he came to Canada. It was important to Stan. And for me, it was reason enough to go there.</p><p>STAN MIKITA: That was a highlight of my hockey life. I was on the big ice against tough opposition. Harry could&rsquo;ve sat out the major players, but he said, &lsquo;Boys, let&rsquo;s go out there and show Stan&rsquo;s family and friends what we&rsquo;re made of.&rsquo; What more could you ask for?</p><p>SERGE SAVARD: The moment that will stay in my mind forever was when we left for the airport after the game: Mikita&rsquo;s mother and brother were crying at the door of the bus. I have a lot of respect for Stan. He was probably never going to see his mother again, so it was a terribly sad moment.</p><h2><b>THE LEGACY</b></h2><p>PETE MAHOVLICH: It was much more than a hockey series. It was a political assertion that our way of life was better than theirs. We were playing for an ideal.</p><p>PAT STAPLETON: It ended up being the most important series in hockey history, because it brought in the idea we weren&rsquo;t the only ones who could play. It opened the doors to other countries and that was wonderful for the game &ndash; not just for different players, but for different styles.</p><p>BOBBY CLARKE: The interest in the series doesn&rsquo;t surprise me anymore, but it did for a lot of years. It was only a hockey series, but it meant so much to Canada. It was a high point in all of our lives.</p><p><b>READ MANY MORE STORIES FROM THE TEAM CANADA MEMBERS AT <a href="http://THN.COM/72AT40">THN.COM/72AT40</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

SUMMIT SERIES AT 40 IT

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011615/9647020-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JENNIFER POTTHEISER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>Make your mark in New York and you are a made man.</i><br>&nbsp;<b>&ndash; Mark Twain</b></blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n the days following</b> the blockbuster deal that finally freed Rick Nash from the Columbus Blue Jackets, John Tortorella spoke with him just once. Nash&rsquo;s new coach didn&rsquo;t figure on having many more conversations before training camp. When he wants to, Tortorella can be a man of few words. And Nash, in part because of his years sequestered in Columbus and in part because he&rsquo;s not terribly outgoing, will never be confused with Jeremy Roenick.</p><p>Nothing to see here, folks. If you&rsquo;re looking for the circus, go see Rex Ryan and Tim Tebow at the Fighter Jets camp. If one of Tortorella&rsquo;s players is going to break his hand, it will be blocking a shot and not cracking it on the side of a teammates&rsquo; helmet.</p><p>The Rangers are the glamor destination in the NHL these days, but that doesn&rsquo;t make them glamorous. With the exception of a one-shot deal in 1994 when they assembled a murderers&rsquo; row of Hall of Famers and combined that with some outrageously talented homegrown players, the Rangers have almost never equalled the sum of their parts. Attracting Hall of Fame talent to the team that plays in The World&rsquo;s Most Famous Arena<sup>TM</sup> has always been easy enough. Having it actually win something? Not so much.</p><p>Guys like Marcel Dionne, Pavel Bure and Eric Lindros never realized their Stanley Cup dreams playing for the Rangers. They cut a homesick Gordie Howe when he was 15. Wayne Gretzky, Doug Harvey, &lsquo;Boom-Boom&rsquo; Geoffrion, Phil Esposito, Jacques Plante, Howie Morenz, Terry Sawchuk, Tim Horton, Jaromir Jagr, Guy Lafleur and Brendan Shanahan had a combined 46 Stanley Cups to their credit before com-</p><p>ing to the Rangers, but won a grand total of diddly-squat in Manhattan. It&rsquo;s not exactly the place where high-profile Stanley Cup dreams go to die, but with just four Cups in 85 years, you get the picture.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>New York is a city where you could be frozen to death in the midst of a busy street and nobody would notice.</i><br>&nbsp;<b>&ndash; Bob Dylan</b></blockquote><p>It comes as no surprise the Rangers landed the off-season&rsquo;s biggest catch. They do that a lot. Last year, Brad Richards sat in his agent&rsquo;s suburban Toronto office and was courted by more suitors than a homecoming queen. He not only settled on the Rangers, but had his heart set on playing in New York so much that only an offer far more ridiculous than theirs would have even been considered. The Los Angeles Kings were locked out of the office for a short time and one of their executives said that for all it was worth, they might as well have remained locked out. Players want to go to this place and Nash was no exception. The Rangers were one of six teams to which he would accept a trade when he demanded to be dealt and they were always the frontrunner.</p><p>But this one is different. It&rsquo;s an interesting turn of events that the team seen as the &ldquo;glamor destination&rdquo; has become a serious Stanley Cup contender by taking a firm grip of its lunch pail. There&rsquo;s no doubt, going into the third full season of his tenure, this is Tortorella&rsquo;s team in every way, shape and form. The buyin to what Tortorella is selling has been complete and absolute and it generally involves absorbing pucks, playing a strict system and working with a common purpose that would make Karl Marx proud.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s where Nash comes in. Tortorella sees Nash as a player who will fit into his system without much of an adjustment. More than anything, Tortorella demands his guys be 200-foot players &ndash; with an extra-special emphasis on the 100 feet that make up the Rangers&rsquo; half of the ice. But most of all, he wants players who share his vision and attitude. For a guy who can be prickly at times, Tortorella has no shortage of players lining up to play for him. He has benched Marian Gaborik and feuded with Vincent Lecavalier, so it&rsquo;s not wise to make predictions about his relationship with Nash once the honeymoon ends, but Tortorella doesn&rsquo;t see any problem with Nash conforming to his ways. &ldquo;I like the way he carries himself,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s a lot of flash and I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s going to be a lot of maintenance with this guy. He just goes out and plays and he&rsquo;s a hell of a player. And that fits in with the mindset of our team and how we go about our business.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>He just goes out and plays. He&rsquo;s a hell of a player. And that fits in with the mindset of our team</i></b><br>- JOHN TORTORELLA</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011502/9647013-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="1398" height="1134"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GREAT EXPECTATIONS</b></p><p><b>John Tortorella&rsquo;s Rangers hope getting Rick Nash is the final step to winning a Cup.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Yes, the Rangers had a decidedly defensive bent about them and, yes, they had trouble scoring goals at times. But they weren&rsquo;t as offense-starved as you think. During the regular season, they were 11th in the league in scoring, but seventh in producing offense from their opportunities. When you add the Rangers shots on goal to their missed shots and divide it by the number of goals they scored this past season (not including shootouts), you&rsquo;ll find the Rangers scored once every 14.5 shots. (This statistic is not without its flaws. The Nashville Predators had the best mark at 13.2 and the Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings pulled up</p><p>the rear at 19.5). But in the playoffs, the Rangers finished 10th of the 16 teams, scoring a goal on just one of 18.9 shots. That, and their penchant for collapsing in front of their goalie and blocking shots, led to the notion this is a team that has to work very, very hard to score a goal.</p><p>And this is where the Nash acquisition is so important. The Rangers already have an all-world goaltender in Henrik Lundqvist, a defense corps that has exceeded expectations under Tortorella and a group of forwards with a good mixture of NHL talent and potential. The only void in the mix was a guy who could score timely goals, the ones that turn one-goal deficits into ties and ties into victories. In fact, you could argue if Rangers GM Glen Sather had succumbed to Columbus GM Scott Howson&rsquo;s demand at the trade deadline this past season and acquired Nash for Ryan McDonagh or Michael Del Zotto and Derek Stepan or Carl Hagelin, as well as Chris Kreider, they and not the New Jersey Devils would have been playing in the Stanley Cup final.</p><p>Because not only did the Rangers have trouble scoring in the playoffs, they had all kinds of problems putting inferior teams away. The Rangers went the distance in the first round against the Ottawa Senators and in the second against the Washington Capitals before losing in six to the</p><p>Devils. Had Nash been in the lineup, they would have played fewer games in the first two rounds and received a couple of big goals from him when they needed them most against the Devils. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to look at it that way now,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a fresh start and that&rsquo;s behind everyone. The one thing I&rsquo;m going to try to bring in is consistent play and try to bring offense and be a solid defensive player.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>I played for Ken hitchcock for four years. I learned the defensive game then and I love it</i></b><br>-RICK NASH</blockquote><p>It&rsquo;s difficult to predict how much better the Rangers will be with Nash in the lineup, but the move undoubtedly accelerates a building program &ndash; haven&rsquo;t heard that in reference to the Rangers in quite a while, have you? &ndash; that was fasttracked last season when the Rangers finished first in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the conference final. He gives them more power and talent and it&rsquo;s a good omen that Nash has been his best when (a) he plays with elite players and (b) plays in important games. Not that we&rsquo;ve seen that much of him in those situations over the years. &ldquo;He was absolutely dominant when Columbus was chasing a playoff spot (in 2008-09),&rdquo; said St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who was Nash&rsquo;s bench boss with the Blue Jackets that season. &ldquo;He bought in like never before. He was a dominant player even when he wasn&rsquo;t getting points. I would watch him that season and he reminded me of what (Mike) Modano did with me in Dallas with his complete game.&rdquo;</p><p>For all the hype, though, Nash has never had an 80-point season. He&rsquo;s never led his team to a playoff victory, never been a first- or second-team all-star and has endured declining point totals each of the past three seasons. So Nash isn&rsquo;t the carry-his-teammates-on-his-back leader of men many projected he would be when he was drafted first overall by the Blue Jackets in 2002. But with the Rangers, he won&rsquo;t have to be that. And who knows what Nash will bring when he&rsquo;s playing for a contender? A lot of coaches refer to what Nash went through in Columbus as &ldquo;settling in.&rdquo; Players who lose so much for so long in the same organization often become comfortable with losing, particularly when there isn&rsquo;t the pressure of a big market. It&rsquo;s possible Nash became a little too comfy being a 30-goal, 60-point guy on a team that was perennially hopelessly out of the playoffs.</p><p>One thing is certain: Nash has more to give. Otherwise the Rangers wouldn&rsquo;t have taken on the final six years of his contract at a $7.8-million cap hit. They&rsquo;re counting on him being a rejuvenated player, particularly since he&rsquo;ll be playing with an elite playmaking center in Brad Richards for the first time in his career.</p><p>The Blue Jackets thought Jeff Carter would bring out the best in Nash, but it turned out to be a disaster. Carter was miserable in Columbus from the day he was dealt there and playing with Nash gave the Blue Jackets two finishers on the same line.</p><p>&ldquo;I do know that from playing in Atlanta, that after a certain period of time, while you&rsquo;re working as hard as you can, you&rsquo;re just worn down by the losing,&rdquo; said former NHLer Ray Ferraro, an analyst with TSN. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know Rick Nash, but I would suspect that after years of getting kicked in the face, he&rsquo;s been worn down.&rdquo;</p><p>That will change with the Rangers and so will the expectations. Nash will no longer have the burden of carrying a franchise on his back. He will be in a situation where presumably he&rsquo;ll be much happier coming to the rink every day. He&rsquo;ll be in a market that he hand-chose, one boasting a host of good players with leadership qualities and strength at every position. In short, every excuse for the shortcomings has been taken away from Nash. Just as the hopes and expectations will heighten, so will the standard. Nash will be expected to play more, play hard, play both sides of the puck and be in the kind of physical shape required of a go-to player. He&rsquo;ll be asked to produce offense in pressure situations. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be tested &ndash; we&rsquo;re going to ask him to do more, I&rsquo;ll tell you that right now,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already talked to him about our camp. We&rsquo;ve talked to him about how much emphasis we put on our conditioning. We&rsquo;re going to sink our teeth into him and try to push him the best way we know how.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011299/9647006-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="1267" height="2543"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>&lsquo;C&rsquo; FOR COMPLACENCY?</b></p><p><b>Nash made the playoffs once in his first nine seasons. Has Columbus&rsquo; losing culture dulled his desire to win?</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MICHAEL MARTIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Tortorella has already basically decided to use Nash as a right winger and play him with Richards. It makes the most sense and that&rsquo;s what people want to see happen. If it works, there&rsquo;s no reason why Nash can&rsquo;t return to his 40-goal form. Playing in Columbus with relatively little talent around him, Nash became accustomed to lugging the puck up the ice, but that will have to change with Richards, a clever player who can get the puck to him in prime scoring spots.</p><p>With Richards and Nash playing on a line with Hagelin or Kreider on the left side, that will likely move Marian Gaborik to the second line when he returns from injury in November. The Rangers will conceivably ice two lines that can score, but what chemistry they have &ndash; or don&rsquo;t have &ndash; is still to be determined. Tortorella has to look no further than last season to know line matchups on paper don&rsquo;t always translate into results on the ice. &ldquo;At times, &lsquo;Gabby&rsquo; and &lsquo;Richie&rsquo; played well together and at times they were brutal together,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure that will ever work, but with &lsquo;Richie,&rsquo; it&rsquo;s always about the team and he has a savviness to keep a puck and draw people to him. That may open up in a split second and you have this big animal coming down the side.&rdquo;</p><p>So how much better does Nash make the Rangers? Well, they&rsquo;ve already established their identity as a team that works like fiends. There is an <i>esprit de corps</i> in that organization that is unrivalled in the league. Even before they acquired Nash, it would be difficult to find a handful of teams better than the Rangers. With Nash, they won&rsquo;t have to work as hard to score goals. He is big and talented enough to make creative plays out of ones that previously would have been snuffed out. It&rsquo;s unlikely the Rangers&rsquo; defensive style will allow him to be a 50-goal scorer, but he should produce 40 consistently. He&rsquo;s an underrated penalty killer, not that the Rangers were terribly deficient in that department, and he should have almost no trouble fitting in with Tortorella&rsquo;s system of sacrifice and defensive play. &ldquo;Hey, I played for &lsquo;Hitch&rsquo; for four years,&rdquo; Nash said. &ldquo;I learned the defensive game then and I love it. You gain all your offense from solid defensive play. &lsquo;Hitch&rsquo; taught that to me at a young age and I really believe it.&rdquo;</p><p>Another wild card in all of this: nobody knows how Nash will respond to playing in a market where there is pressure to succeed.  It was interesting to note he didn&rsquo;t have his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on his list of desired destinations, a struggling team in a market where every move is dissected. A player can undoubtedly have his anonymity in New York because it&rsquo;s such a huge market, but even though the Rangers are not No. 1 on the minds of most New York sports fans, they&rsquo;re relevant and they&rsquo;re scrutinized. And the 18,200 fans that show up at Madison Square Garden for every game can be vicious. Much will be expected of Nash and for the first time in his career, he will face the pressure to meet those expectations. The crutches have been kicked away.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011443/9646999-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="1398" height="1075"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES</p><p><b>NASH STRIKES IT &lsquo;RICHIE&rsquo;</b></p><p><b>Brad Richards gives Nash the elite setup man he&rsquo;s never had centering him.</b></p></figcaption></div><p>While there&rsquo;s nothing in Nash&rsquo;s nature to suggest he&rsquo;ll shrink playing under the spotlight in New York, it will be a completely unfamiliar dynamic for him. The Rangers have always had to deal with distractions and there will be some solid veteran talent to usher him through, but it&rsquo;s also important to note the Rangers won&rsquo;t be the scrappy group of up-and-coming overachievers anymore. The combination of last year&rsquo;s success and getting Nash has moved that needle ahead considerably. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve watched players in Toronto and New York who just simply couldn&rsquo;t handle the pressure of playing there and they were a shell of the player they were when they went to another team,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;But with his makeup and the situation and the age he is right now, it&rsquo;s just a good match. I&rsquo;m looking for big things out of him.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

Broadway’s Newest Star

<p>1. <b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b></p><p><b>377</b>&nbsp;<i>(714 games)</i></p><p>2. <b>Jarome Iginla</b></p><p><b>342</b>&nbsp;<i>(718 games)</i></p><p>3. <b>Alex Ovechkin</b></p><p><b>339</b>&nbsp;<i>(553 games)</i></p><p>4. <b>Dany Heatley</b></p><p><b>323</b>&nbsp;<i>(669 games)</i></p><p>5. <b>Marian Hossa</b></p><p><b>310</b>&nbsp;<i>(672 games)</i></p><p>6. <b>Vincent Lecavalier</b></p><p><b>292</b>&nbsp;<i>(692 games)</i></p><p>7. <b>Patrick Marleau</b></p><p><b>290</b>&nbsp;<i>(721 games)</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021038/9647051-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="103" height="126"></div><p>8. <b>Rick Nash</b></p><p><b>289</b>&nbsp;<i>(674 games)</i></p><p>9. <b>Martin St-Louis</b></p><p><b>285</b>&nbsp;<i>(731 games)</i></p><p>10. <b>Marian Gaborik</b></p><p><b>259</b>&nbsp;<i>(573 games)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0024-02

LEADERS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02894/9647082-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WINDS OF CHANGE</b></p><p><b>Flyers GM Paul Holmgren isn&rsquo;t afraid to shake things up. But is it too much?</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011271/9647089-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n every NHL season</b> since 1974-75, the phrase &ldquo;always the bridesmaid, never the bride&rdquo; has applied to the Philadelphia Flyers. Sure, they&rsquo;ve been close a slew of times &ndash; they&rsquo;ve made six final appearances (including their most recent in 2010) since their last Stanley Cup win &ndash; but never have been able to scale the last leg of hockey&rsquo;s greatest peak.</p><p>There are veteran hockey observers, this one included, who think they know exactly why that keeps happening. If we&rsquo;re still using the aforementioned analogy, the Flyers are the bridesmaid who rushes back from somebody else&rsquo;s nuptials and reflexively books an appointment with her plastic surgeon to get into prime bride position. Anything Philadelphia perceives to be an organizational weakness is in effect a bodily deficiency to be severed, sutured, swapped, plucked, extracted, implanted or supplanted in favor of the standards of the moment.</p><p>And so what you inevitably wind up with is an Orange and Black Broad Street Bridenstein, a monster of a carousel that never stops spinning, a foundation comprised of quicksand and quicker changes of heart that needs constant and significant upkeep.</p><p>Everybody knows what happened to Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, former Flyer cornerstones who were jettisoned in separate trades in the summer of 2011. They apparently weren&rsquo;t the answer in Philly &ndash; only a handful of years after signing massive contract extensions &ndash; yet once reunited in Los Angeles in early 2012, they were a large part of the Kings&rsquo; answer on that franchise&rsquo;s route to becoming Cup champs.</p><p>If it were only those two who they had given up on, the Flyers could escape blame and chalk it up to a bad call. But the inconsistency occurs consistently. Look at what&rsquo;s happened this summer: winger James van Riemsdyk, once thought to be an untouchable, was touched and then some when he was traded to Toronto for Luke Schenn; and veteran star Jaromir Jagr (upon whom the Flyers couldn&rsquo;t heap enough effusive praise last year) was permitted to take his services to the Dallas Stars as an unrestricted free agent.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>What you end up with is an Orange & Black Broad Street Bridenstein</b></blockquote><p>Then there&rsquo;s the Flyers&rsquo; world-renowned inability to settle on a starting goaltender and stick with him over the long term. You would think that was a thing of the past after GM Paul Holmgren signed Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year, $51-million contract in the summer of 2011, but as soon as the colorful Russian began to take on water in his first season in Philadelphia, there were plaintive wails calling for him to be decommissioned or, at the very least, pushed for the No. 1 job by a backup more capable than Sergei Bobrovsky (who, surprise-surprise, was dealt to Columbus this summer).</p><p>Bryzgalov is 32 and has eight years remaining on his deal. If you&rsquo;d like to bet me some cold, hard cash he&rsquo;ll finish it as a Flyer, my only advice is to make your cheque payable to A. Proteau and write &ldquo;very regrettable wagering decision&rdquo; on the memo line.</p><p>Contrast Philadelphia&rsquo;s perpetually changing lineup with that of the talent core in a place such as Detroit. You&rsquo;d have a better chance of convincing Wings GM Ken Holland he should restart his playing career than you would of getting him to so easily part with so many key components. Structural stability is the norm for most successful franchises, which is why we see so few trades of true consequence in today&rsquo;s NHL.</p><p>Unfortunately for Philadelphia fans, the winds of change never stop blowing in their city. Nearconstant flux makes for a lot of fun for local media and the impatient, but in the bigger picture, it&rsquo;s nothing more than organizational restless leg syndrome.</p><p>The longer Philadelphia management and ownership stare into the mirror and engage in radical self-surgery, the more grotesque their Bridenstein of a team becomes.</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU? READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN THURSDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THN.COM/PROTEAU">THN.COM/PROTEAU</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-02

Flyers Failure Rooted In Flux

<div class="byline">BY ERIC ZWEIG</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01801/9647120-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PRIDE ON THE LINE</b></p><p><b>After the &rsquo;17 Cup final, Seattle and Montreal played a rematch series in San Francisco.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HOCKEY HALL OF FAME)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>atives of the</b> Golden State got their first glimpse of championship teams long before the Los Angeles Kings or the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup. &ldquo;For the first time in history,&rdquo; reported the San Francisco <i>Chronicle</i> March 30, 1917, &ldquo;world series hockey championships will be played in California.&rdquo;</p><p>With the formation of the NHL still eight months away, San Francisco hosted the National Hockey Association champion Montreal Canadiens and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association champion Seattle Metropolitans. Just days earlier in Seattle, the Mets had become the first American-based team to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Canadiens three games to one in a best-of-five series.</p><p>After a final exhibition game in Seattle, the two teams headed south for a three-game exhibition series. (The Seattle <i>Times</i> reported both teams were onboard a Great Northern train, but later said they arrived by boat.) At stake was a $5,000 purse, with 60 percent to be shared by the players on the winning team and 40 percent going to the losers. It was this cash guarantee, the <i>Chronicle</i> reported, that had allowed San Francisco&rsquo;s Winter Garden to outbid New York&rsquo;s St. Nicholas Arena to host the games. (Eastern-based Canadian teams had been visiting New York since the 1890s.)</p><p>The Winter Garden &ndash; located on Pierce Street between Sutter and Post streets in what is today the Lower Pacific Heights district &ndash; opened Oct. 16, 1916. It was essentially for pleasure skating and ice carnivals. However, local amateur teams took advantage of its 210-by-90-foot ice surface to play hockey there.</p><p>Stanford University made its hockey debut Dec. 8, 1916, in a game against San Francisco&rsquo;s Olympic Club at the Winter Garden. Stanford took on the University of California there Feb. 16, 1917, in the state&rsquo;s first competitive collegiate game. The appearance of the Canadiens and Seattle marked California&rsquo;s first professional hockey games. Tickets ranged from 50 cents to $1.50 and the public was invited to skate on the ice when the games finished.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Frisco fans were swept off their feet <i>&ndash; George Kennedy</i></b></blockquote><p>All three games of the series were played under PCHA rules, which meant sevenman hockey including a rover. The Canadiens were allowed to use Reg Noble, who had been declared ineligible for the Stanley Cup series because he had been acquired by Montreal too late in the season. The Canadiens won the opener 5-4 in overtime, powered by three goals from their star Newsy Lalonde. The match &ldquo;was witnessed by a capacity crowd,&rdquo; read a report in the Ottawa <i>Citizen</i>. &ldquo;San Francisco people appeared tickled over the play of both teams.&rdquo;</p><p>Seattle evened the series with a 5-2 win in Game 2 April 2. Bernie Morris had a hat trick and assisted on one of two goals by Cully Wilson. Game 3 on April 4 was a 6-2 romp by the Canadiens. Despite the Stanley Cup loss, owner George Kennedy felt the series proved his Canadiens were kings. &ldquo;We finished in a blaze of glory,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have the better team &ndash; the finest aggregation playing hockey today.&rdquo;</p><p>The <i>Citizen</i> reported on the possibility of San Francisco joining the PCHA, though Kennedy felt otherwise. &ldquo;Frisco fans were swept off their feet,&rdquo; he told the Vancouver <i>Sun</i>. &ldquo;The rink there is an excellent one, but it only holds 1,800 people.&rdquo;</p><p>Kennedy envisioned a different hockey future for the state. He spoke of a four-team circuit with teams in San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento and California. There was just one problem. &ldquo;I see no reason why other California towns shouldn&rsquo;t relish the fastest sport on Earth also,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It would take an outlay of several hundred thousand dollars to build four rinks and get the game started. The question is &ndash; who is going to take the gamble? It might be a highly paying one at that.&rdquo;</p><p><i>Eric Zweig is a managing editor with Dan Diamond and Associates, consulting publishers to the NHL. His newest book, Stanley Cup: 120 Years of Hockey Supremacy (Firefly Books) comes out this fall.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

California Dreamin’

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02444/9647158-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="250" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01698/9647165-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03334/9647151-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="1297" height="1056"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANDERS LINDBACK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he squeaky wheel</b> doesn&rsquo;t always get the grease. Like all backups, Anders Lindback wanted more minutes, but instead of speaking out he proved the best way to get what you want is to let your results do the talking.</p><p>The stoic Swede was the picture of patience during his two seasons behind Pekka Rinne in Nashville and he was rewarded when Lightning GM Steve Yzerman swung a deal in June for him to be the new No. 1.</p><p>To complain about playing time in Music City wouldn&rsquo;t have been Lindback&rsquo;s style. This is a guy who, after signing a two-year, $3.6-million deal with Tampa, celebrated not by zooming around Sweden in a new sports car, but by visiting Grandma and spending time at a remote cabin, fishing and shooting the breeze with family and friends.</p><p>Whether Lindback, 24, knew it or not, his attitude as a Predator was always appreciated. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough &ndash; you&rsquo;re playing one start every 30 days,&rdquo; said former teammate Shea Weber. &ldquo;He never had a bad thing to say when he didn&rsquo;t play a month or two. Always a good teammate.&rdquo;</p><p>And it must&rsquo;ve been hard to bite his tongue. It&rsquo;s not like Lindback got shelled every 30 days. He posted a 2.53 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and two shutouts over 38 NHL appearances. But the Gavle native kept his head down. &ldquo;I know Pekka was just like me,&rdquo; Lindback said. &ldquo;He wanted to play every game and win every game. I can&rsquo;t blame them for playing him that much. I would do the same if I was the coach. I just focused to try and get better every day. I knew sooner or later I would get a chance.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;ll get more than a chance in Tampa, where the No. 1 job is his to lose. No team allowed more goals than the Lightning this past season, so it&rsquo;s no wonder Lindback got elated phone calls from Yzerman, coach Guy Boucher, captain Vincent Lecavalier and young blueliner Victor Hedman, an old friend, following the trade. The Lightning can&rsquo;t wait to see him in their crease and the feeling is mutual. &ldquo;The fact it was Tampa, I was really excited,&rdquo; Lindback said. &ldquo;I heard a lot of good things about the team and the city. It&rsquo;s a great team. It&rsquo;s an important thing to come to a team that always goes for the Cup. Tampa Bay always has great offensive players and now, this summer, they added some good defensemen. So hopefully we&rsquo;re going to have a really good team this winter, too.&rdquo;</p><p>But before the Bolts declare themselves Eastern Conference champs: what exactly are they getting in Lindback, a talented yet untested goalie? &ldquo;A lot of people will be surprised,&rdquo; Weber said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very athletic guy. He&rsquo;s huge. He obviously covers a lot of net. He&rsquo;s a good kid as well. He works hard.&rdquo;</p><p>Lindback knows his 6-foot-6 frame is an asset, but also considers himself a mobile goaltender who blends styles. There&rsquo;s no escaping comparisons to Rinne, another Scandinavian behemoth, and Lindback is fine with that. &ldquo;I learned a lot of things from him watching him play and practice,&rdquo; Lindback said. &ldquo;He never gives up on a puck. Doesn&rsquo;t matter if it&rsquo;s practice or a game. He&rsquo;s fantastic with rebound control, the way he stickhandles all the time.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been a great guy to me and we&rsquo;ve become really good friends. He&rsquo;s had a huge impact since I came over to the U.S. He helped me with small tips and such. I owe a lot of thanks to him.&rdquo;</p><p>Lindback&rsquo;s apprenticeship is over and Rinne can&rsquo;t wait to see his friend in action. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re getting a great goalie and an even better guy,&rdquo; Rinne said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be missed in Nashville. He&rsquo;s young, he&rsquo;s a great team player and he&rsquo;s still improving every year.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

The Wait Was Worth It

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04268/9647196-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="266" height="453"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BEN BISHOP</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ben Bishop</b>&nbsp;Ottawa</p><p><i>6-foot-7</i></p><p><b>H. Karlsson</b>&nbsp;Calgary</p><p><i>6-foot-6</i></p><p><b>A. Lindback</b>&nbsp;Tampa Bay</p><p><i>6-foot-6</i></p><p><b>J. Markstrom</b>&nbsp;Florida</p><p><i>6-foot-6</i></p><p>&nbsp;<b>Devan Dubnyk</b> Edmonton</p><p><i>6-foot-5</i></p><p><b>A. Nilsson</b>&nbsp;NY Islanders</p><p><i>6-foot-5</i></p><p><b>Pekka Rinne</b> Nashville</p><p>&nbsp;<i>6-foot-5</i></p><p><b>Jussi Rynnas</b>&nbsp;Toronto</p><p>&nbsp;<i>6-foot-5</i></p><p><b>Kari Lehtonen</b> Dallas</p><p><i>6-foot-4</i></p><p><b>Mike Smith</b> Phoenix</p><p>&nbsp;<i>6-foot-4</i></p><p>4 <b>Players drafted after Lindback in 2008, when he went 207th out of 211 players selected</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-04

Behemoth BACKSTOPPERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01609/9647311-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02406/9647304-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03342/9647297-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ADAM LARSSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>A</b>s he fished in the mountains of northern Sweden this summer, Adam Larsson pondered his next step toward stardom.</p><p>A whopper of a catch for the Devils as the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft, Larsson showed promise in his rookie season. As a teenage defenseman, no one could have expected him to be an immediate impact player. &ldquo;I know I have to be better,&rdquo; Larsson said. &ldquo;My first year was pretty hard. It&rsquo;s hard to come from Europe and play in the NHL right away. I knew there would be ups and downs. I wasn&rsquo;t used to the hard schedule. Playing one season in the NHL is like playing two seasons in Sweden.&rdquo;</p><p>In fact, Larsson felt as if he did have two seasons. He became an immediate workhorse for coach Pete DeBoer, ranking among the league leaders in minutes until slumping in early December.</p><p>Then he hit a wall when Montreal&rsquo;s P.K. Subban delivered an open-ice hit in early February that sent Larsson crashing into the boards. He missed the next 10 games with a lower back injury and never regained his form.</p><p>Larsson played 65 regular season games, but only five of the team&rsquo;s 24 in the playoffs. &ldquo;Of course I was disappointed,&rdquo; Larsson said. &ldquo;But I had to realize I was 19 years old and couldn&rsquo;t expect to be in the lineup every day.&rdquo;</p><p>Larsson is slowly climbing the mountain to becoming an elite NHL D-man. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he needs to do anything other than take the normal course,&rdquo; said GM Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;Nothing can be rushed.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04297/9647290-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="836" height="666"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05259/9647283-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="327" height="551"></div><p>New Jersey took a stab at another castoff, signing right winger <b>Bobby Butler</b> to a one-year, two-way deal. The former Ottawa Senator had a promising rookie season in 2010-11, but succumbed to a sophomore slump and was bought out. The undrafted free agent is just 25 and will look to resurrect his game in a fourthline role with the Devils.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06224/9647276-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07197/9647269-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Rick DiPietro</b> is off the injured list, but Islanders fans shouldn&rsquo;t read much into the move. If CBA negotiations go sour and the NHL proceeds with a lockout, players on IR will receive their full salaries, so the transaction was made with money in mind by the budget-conscious Isles. The oft-injured DiPietro has played just 47 games the past four years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08126/9647262-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0991/9647255-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Rangers&rsquo; depth chart is thinner with Tim Erixon in Columbus and <b>Michael Sauer&rsquo;s</b> concussion a question mark. That leaves Anton Stralman, Stu Bickel and Dylan McIlrath to fill the &lsquo;D.&rsquo; On the farm, Sean Collins and Michael Vernace have only 43 NHL games between them, though New York could conjure the ghost of deposed Wade Redden.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1074/9647248-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1160/9647241-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Michael Leighton</b> is a model of patience. After his coming-out campaign in the 2010 playoffs, he languished in the AHL the past two seasons. He played only three games with the big club during that time while putting up good numbers on a bad Adirondack Phantoms team. At 31, he returns to the NHL to back up Ilya Bryzgalov, whose No. 1 status is shaky.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1250/9647234-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1344/9647227-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Gone but not forgotten, ex-Pen Jordan Staal joined former teammates <b>Matt Cooke</b> and Joe Vitale on a humanitarian mission to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The trio went in support of Penguins chaplain Brad Henderson&rsquo;s Pittsburgh Kids Foundation for the opening of a recycling store that will donate its funds to a pair of orphanages the charity built in 2010.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

Devil Of A Climb

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02402/9647419-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01616/9647426-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="73" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03276/9647412-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="686" height="798"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JOHN-MICHAEL LILES</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b>or a team that must improve significantly to even sniff the playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs added few new pieces through mid-August. Maybe it couldn&rsquo;t be helped. Many NHLers won&rsquo;t touch T.O. with a 10-foot-pole. They don&rsquo;t often want the spotlight and nowhere is it more glaring than Toronto.</p><p>But not everyone feels that way. Take eternal optimist John-Michael Liles, acquired from Colorado last summer after seven seasons with the Avs. The 31-year-old U.S.-born defenseman&rsquo;s first campaign in blue and white was marred by a concussion and the team&rsquo;s late-season collapse, yet he relished every second. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the center of the hockey universe,&rdquo; Liles said. &ldquo;For me, it was a big change, but I&rsquo;ve really enjoyed it. The fans are fantastic. Everybody makes a big deal about how Toronto fans react when you lose, but most fans are like that. It&rsquo;s just under a big microscope when it happens. &rdquo;</p><p>Liles took a break from hockey this summer to indulge his other passion: golf. Fellow Leaf Mike Komisarek got married in the summer and Liles, ranked 12th in <i>Golf Digest&rsquo;s</i> Top 150 Athlete Golfers in 2009, hit the links with him and center Matthew Lombardi at Bandon Dunes in Oregon to celebrate. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of my favorite courses,&rdquo; Liles said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing place, middle of nowhere, a Scotland or Ireland feel. It&rsquo;s just pure golf.&rdquo;</p><p>Now, Liles leaves the course for hockey&rsquo;s Mecca, where he hopes he&rsquo;ll soon face the best kind of pressure cooker: the playoffs.</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04228/9647405-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="753" height="637"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05182/9647398-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Nathan Horton&rsquo;s</b> concussion troubles appear a thing of the past, as he was cleared for contact in late July and is expected to be ready for the start of camp. The 27-year-old missed the last 36 games of 2011-12 plus playoffs and has played more than 67 games in a season just once since 2007-08. Horton is set to be a UFA next summer.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06159/9647391-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-07132/9647384-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="327" height="551"></div><p><b>Patrick</b>&nbsp;<b>Kaleta</b> earned a three-year, $3.8-million deal primarily for his skills as a top-notch agitator. Now the 26-year-old has to stay healthy. In four seasons as an NHLer, Kaleta&rsquo;s career high in games was the 63 he played this past season. In the three prior years, he averaged 52 games. His average ice time increased from 10:11 in 2010-11 to 13:09 this past season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0893/9647377-1-eng-US/f0046-082.jpg" title="f0046-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0975/9647370-1-eng-US/f0046-092.jpg" title="f0046-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Max</b>&nbsp;<b>Pacioretty&rsquo;s</b> six-year, $27-million contract extension was another feather in his cap after his comeback from a 2011 head-and-spine injury. The 23-year-old led the Habs in points (65) this past season and showed confidence in getting the puck on net. His 286 shots tied him for 10th in the NHL and was more than he had in 123 prior games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1057/9647363-1-eng-US/f0046-102.jpg" title="f0046-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1152/9647356-1-eng-US/f0046-112.jpg" title="f0046-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Mika</b>&nbsp;<b>Zibanejad</b> made the Sens out of training camp this past season, but was returned to Sweden after nine NHL games. Regardless of what happens to him this coming campaign, he&rsquo;ll stay on the west side of the Atlantic Ocean. Ottawa GM Bryan Murray confirmed the 19-year-old will be a Senator or play for their AHL affiliate.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1244/9647349-1-eng-US/f0046-122.jpg" title="f0046-12" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1338/9647342-1-eng-US/f0046-132.jpg" title="f0046-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jay</b>&nbsp;<b>McClement</b> isn&rsquo;t the marquee off-season acquisition Leafs fans clamored for. However, he assuredly will help Toronto&rsquo;s abysmal penalty kill (28th this past season at 77.3 percent). The 29-year-old averaged more PK ice time than any NHL forward except Philadelphia&rsquo;s Maxime Talbot and Montreal&rsquo;s Tomas Plekanec in 2011-12.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

Pressure For Breakfast

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-13" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1335/9647541-1-eng-US/f0047-132.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1239/9647534-1-eng-US/f0047-122.jpg" title="f0047-12" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01556/9647527-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="658" height="772"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JEFF SKINNER</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>t didn&rsquo;t register the same type of headlines as did Carolina&rsquo;s acquisitions of Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin, but the contract extension the Hurricanes gave young sniper Jeff Skinner was as important to the team&rsquo;s future &ndash; and present &ndash; as any move it made this off-season.</p><p>Skinner signed a six-year, $34.4-million deal that kicks in after this coming season and though he has just two NHL campaigns under his belt, he&rsquo;s endured enough losing and is thrilled by the improvements the franchise has made. &ldquo;There have been a lot of big moves from our organization this summer,&rdquo; Skinner said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting and hopefully it&rsquo;s a sign we can step up next season.&rdquo;</p><p>Those moves will create some intriguing lineup decisions. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be fun to see the Staal brothers play together, but Jordan Staal&hellip;I&rsquo;d like to see the chemistry between him and Skinner and see Eric with Semin,&rdquo; said coach Kirk Muller.</p><p>After a Calder Trophy-winning rookie season in 2010-11, Skinner was hampered this past year by a concussion that cost him 16 games. He finished with 20 goals and 44 points in 64 games, yet the slight dip in his otherwise remarkable progression didn&rsquo;t keep the club from signing him to a deal with a cap hit of $5.7 million that could keep him in Carolina until 2019. &ldquo;It all went pretty fast and pretty smoothly from my perspective,&rdquo; Skinner said. &ldquo;I love living there and playing there. The fans are amazing. I don&rsquo;t know of any players who don&rsquo;t love it.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02363/9647520-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="753" height="637"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03289/9647513-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="327" height="551"></div><p>What do Daniel Sedin, Rick Nash and Bobby Ryan have in common? They all average fewer goals per game than <b>Alexander Semin</b> since the 2004-05 lockout. Only nine NHLers lit the lamp at a higher rate than the enigmatic Russian&rsquo;s 0.45 over that span. While pricey at $7 million per, he&rsquo;s low-risk, high-reward on a one-year pact with Carolina.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04222/9647506-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05170/9647499-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Whether you love fighting or hate it, the Panthers believe <b>George Parros&rsquo;</b> fists can help them. Their 31 fighting majors ranked 19th in the league in 2011-12. Nine came from Krystofer Barch, who left in free agency. Parros threw down 11 times this past season. The mustachioed Princeton grad will surely become a favorite among Cats fans in Florida.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06140/9647492-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-07110/9647485-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Signing blueliners Matt Carle and Sami Salo came at the perfect time for the Lightning, as grizzled vet <b>Mattias Ohlund</b> may never suit up for them &ndash; or any team &ndash; again. He had surgery to place a titanium implant in his knee over the winter. While he&rsquo;s still optimistic about a comeback, no pro athlete has ever returned to action after having that procedure.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0881/9647478-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0963/9647471-1-eng-US/f0047-092.jpg" title="f0047-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After two seasons with a power-house power play at more than 25 percent, the Caps slipped to 17.5 in 2010-11 and 16.7 this past season. They also lost Dennis Wideman, whose 20 PP points ranked 10th among NHL D-men in &rsquo;11-12. They hope new coach <b>Adam Oates,</b> a master passer as a player, makes them deadly with the man advantage again.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1054/9647464-1-eng-US/f0047-102.jpg" title="f0047-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1145/9647457-1-eng-US/f0047-112.jpg" title="f0047-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Dan Girardi became a folk hero in New York City for his gritty play in the 2011-12 playoffs. If the Jets reach the big dance this coming season, tough-as-nails <b>Mark Stuart</b> will become a household name for the same reason. The 28-year-old joined Girardi as the only other player to rank in the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 in hits and blocks among defensemen this past season.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-13

This Cane’s A Keeper

<div class="byline">BY DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02277/9647579-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="250" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01430/9647586-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03191/9647572-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="1297" height="1056"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SHEA WEBER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGE)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>There&rsquo;s always</b> a moment of hesitation.</p><p>The message is the same whether coach Barry Trotz, GM David Poile or any other Nashville Predators official delivers it. Inevitably, though, it includes the pause as if to suggest they can&rsquo;t believe they&rsquo;re about to say it. Yet they do so anyway.</p><p>Ever since July 4, when Ryan Suter made it known he intended to sign a free agent deal with the Minnesota Wild, the company line has been that 22-year-old Roman Josi is as good &ndash; if not better &ndash; at this point in his career than Suter was at the same point in his. &ldquo;You could argue that he&rsquo;s right there or maybe a little ahead of the curve,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;We still have to see what his growth rate will be the next couple of years.&rdquo;</p><p>Josi is first in line to fill the hole created by Suter&rsquo;s high-profile departure, but he&rsquo;s not the only one. From 2007-2010, Nashville drafted six defensemen in the top four rounds of the draft, including Josi (second round, 38th overall, 2008), first-rounders Jonathon Blum (23rd overall, 2007) and Ryan Ellis (11th overall, 2009) and Mattias Ekholm (fourth round, 102nd overall, 2009), an offenseminded Swede who&rsquo;s set for his first full season in North America.</p><p>Rather than focus on whether Josi or anyone else in that group eventually will be as good as Suter, though, the more immediate concern is whether Shea Weber will be as good as he was with Suter as his defense partner.</p><p>When Suter missed 12 games with various injuries in 2010-11, Weber had just one goal, two assists and was minus-10. In 70 games with Suter, he had 15 goals, 30 assists and was plus-17 en route to finishing as the Norris Trophy runner-up for the first time. Things were better in a smaller sample this past season as Weber managed one goal and a plus-3 rating during Suter&rsquo;s three-game absence in mid-January. &ldquo;Nowit&rsquo;suptosomeoneon the back end, someone young, to step up and play more minutes,&rdquo; Weber said. &ldquo;We have guys that are capable of doing that. It&rsquo;s an exciting time. We&rsquo;re a young team, but we&rsquo;re very talented.&rdquo;</p><p>Weber, as Trotz has said on occasion, plays a loud game, one that attracts attention in the form of three straight All-Star Game invitations and two straight first-team all-star nods.</p><p>Suter plays with more subtlety that doesn&rsquo;t always bring immediate recognition. He finally earned his first All-Star Game invitation this past season, but long before that he did most of the little things that allowed Weber to pump up the volume in the form of big hits and regular use of his 100-plus mph slapshot.</p><p>Even when Suter negotiated a groundbreaking 13-year, $98-million pact with the Wild, Weber quickly trumped him with the 14-year, $110-million offer sheet he signed with Philadelphia, which Nashville eventually matched. &ldquo;People always talk about who was Bobby Orr&rsquo;s partner or who was Al MacInnis&rsquo; partner or Ray Bourque&rsquo;s partner, any of the great defensemen,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;They had multiple partners, but no one remembers the partners. They just remember the great player. This was a situation where you could remember maybe the greatest pair of defensemen &ndash; if they would have finished their career together &ndash; that ever played the game. That would have been really special.&rdquo;</p><p>Now it&rsquo;s up to Weber to make a name for himself.</p><p>His contract guarantees he&rsquo;ll have plenty of time to do so. Plus, the Predators are confident they have one or more early candidates to help him do so.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-02

A New ‘D’ Day In Music City

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01402/9647732-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02303/9647725-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03235/9647718-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="657" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRIAN ELLIOTT & JAROSLAV HALAK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>O</b>n paper, St. Louis goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott harmonize like Simon and Garfunkel.</p><p>In 2011-12, they became the first teammates in NHL history to each get six or more shutouts. Both put up stellar stats, with Halak posting a 1.97 goals-against average and .926 save percentage and Elliott a 1.56 GAA and .940 SP, both modern-day records.</p><p>Yet stats are about the only things in sync between the pair, both 27. &ldquo;Sometimes I work myself up a little too much and he plays really calm,&rdquo; Elliott said. &ldquo;So maybe he needs to get a little more pumped up and maybe I need to calm down a bit.&rdquo;</p><p>Off the ice, Halak likes a variety flashy cars, while Elliott drives the same make of SUV he bought with his first contract. The two netminders help to improve each other by being so different and competing for playing time every day. &ldquo;And at one end, if one guy&rsquo;s trying so hard, the other guy wants to do the same,&rdquo; Elliott said. &ldquo;It helps pushing back and forth and you play how you practice.&rdquo;</p><p>Regardless of whether the competition creates friction, their teammates are thrilled with the result. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great when you&rsquo;ve got two guys working and the other guy doesn&rsquo;t just go away, he&rsquo;s still there, pushing,&rdquo; said Blues captain David Backes. &ldquo;Then each guy knows, &lsquo;If I have an off night or I need a day off and the coach puts the other guy in, our team&rsquo;s not at a disadvantage, because the other guy is just as capable and just as proven.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04216/9647711-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="753" height="637"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05169/9647704-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>So far, so good in <b>Marian Hossa&rsquo;s</b> recovery from a concussion sustained in the 2011-12 playoffs. His season ended on a stretcher after a devastating hit from Phoenix&rsquo;s Raffi Torres, which resulted in a 21-game suspension. Through early August, Hossa hadn&rsquo;t resumed contact drills with the Hawks, but was running, weightlifting and biking.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0695/9647697-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0769/9647690-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="327" height="546"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Opportunities abound for <b>Brandon Dubinsky,</b> acquired from the Rangers in the Rick Nash trade. He was sad to leave Manhattan, but excited for the responsibility he&rsquo;ll get in Columbus. Dubinsky played left wing on Broadway, but could be the Jackets&rsquo; No. 1 center. His average ice time dropped in 2011-12 to 16:16 from 20:13. That trend will reverse.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0847/9647683-1-eng-US/f0049-082.jpg" title="f0049-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0939/9647676-1-eng-US/f0049-092.jpg" title="f0049-09" width="328" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PONTUS LUNDAHL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>One of the summer&rsquo;s least hyped, yet most intriguing signings was that of <b>Damien Brunner.</b> The 26-year-old right winger led the Swiss League in scoring this past season and impressed Detroit GM Ken Holland at the World Championship. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound speedster has silky-smooth hands and will replace the departed Jiri Hudler nicely.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1034/9647669-1-eng-US/f0049-102.jpg" title="f0049-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1125/9647662-1-eng-US/f0049-112.jpg" title="f0049-11" width="328" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>No one can replace Ryan Suter in Nashville, but <b>Kevin Klein</b> will partially fill the void if he maintains his pace from the 2011-12 post-season. The no-frills D-man had four goals in 66 regular season games, but two in 10 playoff contests, one a game-winner. Including the playoffs, the minute-muncher also had just six penalty minutes in 76 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1222/9647655-1-eng-US/f0049-122.jpg" title="f0049-12" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1319/9647648-1-eng-US/f0049-132.jpg" title="f0049-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blues must score more to become true Cup contenders and they want help from within. It needs to start with <b>Chris Stewart,</b> who scored just 15 goals after consecutive 28-goal campaigns. His new one-year deal will help. After inking his last contract in 2010, Stewart exploded for nine goals and 16 points in 11 October games with Colorado.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

The Odd Couple

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02286/9647840-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01388/9647847-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="73" height="81"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03156/9647833-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="658" height="793"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MATT DUCHENE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DALE MACMILLAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span></b>att Duchene has led a charmed life. Still just 21, he has three years of NHL experience after being drafted third overall in 2009 and already has $10 million in career earnings with another $7 million guaranteed over the next two years.</p><p>With that in perspective, the Colorado Avalanche center is coming off what he called &ldquo;the worst year of my life.&rdquo; Duchene was limited to 58 games because of knee and ankle injuries, with a career-low 14 goals and 28 points. While he wants to forget his injury-plagued, statistically challenged 2011-12 season, the native of Haliburton, Ont., is smart enough to want to use it to his future advantage. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always said that the times you most learn from aren&rsquo;t from success, but from failure,&rdquo; Duchene said. &ldquo;I learned so much after what I went through. I&rsquo;m going to use it to be better.&rdquo;</p><p>With the help of a new trainer, Andy O&rsquo;Brien, who also trains Sidney Crosby, Duchene said his fitness level is better than ever. He has worked much harder on the core parts of the body (abdominals, hips, etc.) and can&rsquo;t wait for training camp, assuming it starts on time.</p><p>Duchene also is thrilled at the addition of right winger P&ndash;A Parenteau, who worked well with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, John Tavares, on Long Island. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see where the coach puts guys,&rdquo; said Duchene. &ldquo;But adding him can only help our team and I&rsquo;m excited to have him as a teammate.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-04124/9647826-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="776" height="666"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0584/9647819-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Flames believe <b>Dennis Wideman</b> has all the right stuff. The 29-year-old journeyman was signed largely to aid the power play, but also because he&rsquo;s a right-handed shot. Calgary sometimes went with six lefties on the blueline this past season when Cory Sarich and Anton Babchuk were scratched. Wideman ranked 24th in the NHL in time on ice in &rsquo;11-12.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0670/9647812-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0750/9647805-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="327" height="551"></div><p>The Avs will get good bang for their buck from <b>Jamie McGinn</b> after the 24-year-old restricted free agent signed a two-year deal at $1.8 million per. McGinn had great success in a Colorado jersey, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 17 games after coming over from San Jose. As a Shark, McGinn was a fourth-liner with just 27 goals in 204 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0838/9647798-1-eng-US/f0050-082.jpg" title="f0050-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0927/9647791-1-eng-US/f0050-092.jpg" title="f0050-09" width="324" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Oilers blueline is a lightning rod for criticism, but there will be a big battle. With <b>Ryan Whitney</b> healthy and Justin Schultz a key signing, training camp competition will be fierce for the two spots behind Ladislav Smid and Nick Schultz. Seven candidates: Jeff Petry, Corey Potter, Theo Peckham, Andy Sutton, Colten Teubert, Alex Plante and Taylor Fedun.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-1023/9647784-1-eng-US/f0050-102.jpg" title="f0050-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-1119/9647777-1-eng-US/f0050-112.jpg" title="f0050-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Wild are sure to be more offensive with the likes of <b>Zach Parise</b>, Mikael Granlund and Ryan Suter in the lineup. And they&rsquo;ll absolutely be more offensive to play against with the addition of niche guys such as rugged Zenon Konopka, gritty Jake Dowell and antagonistic Torrey Mitchell. The new role players will boost the fourth line and wear down the opposition.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-1217/9647770-1-eng-US/f0050-122.jpg" title="f0050-12" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-1314/9647763-1-eng-US/f0050-132.jpg" title="f0050-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In another time and place, <b>Guillaume Desbiens</b> would be perceived as a double agent, moving from Vancouver to archrival Calgary a year ago and now back with the Canucks. But it&rsquo;s all about opportunity. Desbiens views himself as a depth player who can muck and fight. He dropped the gloves five times in 10 Flames games in 2011-12.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

Year Not To Remember

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SARAH MCLELLAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01320/9647962-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02231/9647955-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03162/9647948-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="657" height="774"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE SULLIVAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRAD WHITE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n his two-year stint with the Phoenix Coyotes, Ray Whitney carried a lengthy job description: top-line winger, power play performer, veteran presence.</p><p>When he left for the Dallas Stars via free agency July 1, filling those responsibilities seemed like a challenge for the Coyotes. But they believe they found a quality replacement in Steve Sullivan, 38, who signed a one-year deal July 4. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very similar player to Ray Whitney,&rdquo; said Coyotes GM Don Maloney. &ldquo;A little smaller player but very good skill &ndash; good power play skill. So when we lost Ray, there were only a couple names we really could fill a skill position with and he was one of them.&rdquo;</p><p>Phoenix&rsquo;s 2011-12 Western Conference final run, coach Dave Tippett&rsquo;s steady work and Sullivan&rsquo;s desire for a one-year deal trumped any potential misgivings about signing with a team lacking an owner.</p><p>The Coyotes anticipate Sullivan jumping onto the first line alongside Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata, assuming Whitney&rsquo;s former position. &ldquo;Ideally he&rsquo;ll slide right into that spot and develop some chemistry and we don&rsquo;t miss a beat,&rdquo; Maloney said.</p><p>But Sullivan&rsquo;s main draw was as a power play specialist. This past season with Pittsburgh, he scored 21 of his 48 points on the man advantage.</p><p>Sullivan, who has 71 career power play goals in 969 games, thinks the team will utilize him in a variety of roles: &ldquo;I can play the point, I can carry the puck in or play the halfwall or down low.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-04130/9647941-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="753" height="636"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0594/9647934-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="328" height="551"></div><p><b>Sheldon Souray</b> kept a low profile this summer while hanging out with some Hollywood heavyweights. Anaheim&rsquo;s newest power play bomber played shinny in El Segundo, Calif., with big names such as film producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Academy award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. during the off-season, just as he has the past decade.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0678/9647927-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0755/9647920-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TRAVIS GOLBY/CONTRIBUTOR)</span></figcaption></div><p>All the talk in Dallas was about the additions of greybeards Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney. But look for 21-year-old <b>Cody Eakin</b> to make his mark on a well-blended Stars squad. With Steve Ott gone and replacement Derek Roy injured to start the season, Eakin will get plenty of chances to prove he can be a full-time NHLer, something he couldn&rsquo;t do in D.C.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0839/9647913-1-eng-US/f0051-082.jpg" title="f0051-08" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0933/9647906-1-eng-US/f0051-092.jpg" title="f0051-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The black &rsquo;n&rsquo; silver machine sputtered during the regular season, but purred beautifully through the playoffs, so there was nothing broken for GM <b>Dean Lombardi</b> to fix besides backup goalie Jonathan Bernier&rsquo;s trade demand. Fans can&rsquo;t wait for their Kings, with more than 15,000 season tickets already sold &ndash; the most in franchise history &ndash; for 2012-13.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-1028/9647899-1-eng-US/f0051-102.jpg" title="f0051-10" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-1122/9647892-1-eng-US/f0051-112.jpg" title="f0051-11" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Among the numerous unanswered questions in Phoenix is whether <b>Mike Smith</b> can shine again in goal. Avoiding burnout will be key. Smith played a career-high 83 games (regular season and playoffs) in 2011-12, almost double his previous NHL high of 42. He&rsquo;ll be helped by the re-signing of goalie coach Sean Burke, who he credited for his resurgence.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-1218/9647885-1-eng-US/f0051-122.jpg" title="f0051-12" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-1317/9647878-1-eng-US/f0051-132.jpg" title="f0051-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Different season, same Sharks core with <b>Joe Thornton</b> and Co. back for yet another championship run. San Jose is a good bet to make the playoffs, but a better bet to get knocked out of them. But who will kill the Sharks this time? San Jose has been bounced from the post-season by seven different teams in the seven seasons since the 2004-05 lockout.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-01

Old Tricks, New Dog

<div class="byline">BY ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02202/9648038-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HOMEBODY</b></p><p><b>Alexander Khokhlachev is off to the KHL for more seasoning after two solid OHL campaigns.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGESW)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01295/9648052-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="77" height="89"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>hen Alexander Khokhlachev left Spartak Moscow of the MHL, Russia&rsquo;s top junior league, for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Windsor Spitfires in 2010, many fans back home scoffed. At 5-foot-10 and 187 pounds, it&rsquo;s not easy to make a career overseas.</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/f0053-03141/9648045-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="113" height="118"></div><p>Khokhlachev scored 34 goals and 76 points in his OHL rookie season of 2010-11, shocking his ill-wishers. He also notched nine goals and 20 points in 18 games during the Spitfires&rsquo; run to the Western Conference final. Khokhlachev&rsquo;s successful first season in North America was capped off when the Boston Bruins drafted him 40th overall in the 2011 NHL draft. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand people who&rsquo;ve been saying I have size issues,&rdquo; Khokhlachev said. &ldquo;I feel comfortable with my body. Sure, I&rsquo;m no (Zdeno) Chara, but it&rsquo;s OK.&rdquo;</p><p>Debatable frame issues aside, one still has to wonder how playing in North America transformed Khokhlachev as a player and a person. &ldquo;I have changed a lot over these two years,&rdquo; said Khokhlachev, who the fans in Windsor grew used to calling &lsquo;Koko.&rsquo; &ldquo;Here, I&rsquo;ve got a whole other life. I&rsquo;m on my own. I have an excellent billet family, but still it&rsquo;s not that easy. It&rsquo;s a different country, a different language &ndash; everything is different. Last season it was</p><p>really difficult for me during the first two months, but now I feel fine. I wouldn&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;ve changed my game in any way. Although, I&rsquo;ve learned a lot of stuff and I keep learning.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite being drafted by a legendary NHL organization, Khokhlachev doesn&rsquo;t yet bleed the B&rsquo;s colors. He doesn&rsquo;t even hate the Vancouver Canucks. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel like a Bruin so far,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had a taste of that in training camp. However, I played there just one game and was sent down. After I&rsquo;ve played some more games up there, I will hate anybody they tell me to.&rdquo;</p><p>That isn&rsquo;t going to happen for at least another year. This summer, Khokhlachev decided to return to Spartak&rsquo;s big club in the Kontinental League for a season rather than play a third year in the OHL. &ldquo;If I could play in the American League, maybe I would have stayed in North America,&rdquo; Khokhlachev said. &ldquo;Technically, I never left. The Bruins still own my rights. They just let me go to the KHL for a season. The KHL is a strong league. It&rsquo;s not easy to play there. You have to prove you can play in every shift. I will prove I can play there. I&rsquo;m still just a young player. I have to prove myself I can play day in and day out.&rdquo;</p><p>Khokhlachev can&rsquo;t play in the AHL until he turns 20 because he was drafted as an import from the Canadian Hockey League. He won&rsquo;t be 20 until Sept. 9, 2013.</p><p>He does play for the Bruins</p><p>on his Xbox 360, though, along with the Spitfires and a number of other teams. If you&rsquo;re the video game type and play EA Sports&rsquo; <i>NHL</i> series, Khokhlachev suggests you take a look at what he can offer your team. &ldquo;I recommend going for the trade,&rdquo; he said with a laugh. &ldquo;The kid&rsquo;s going to win you the Stanley Cup. Who do you have to put him on a line with? It doesn&rsquo;t really matter.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>In 56 games this past season, Khokhlachev scored 25 goals and 69 points. Despite the solid numbers, his minus-19 rating was gruesome and his Spitfires missed the playoffs. Throughout the season, Khokhlachev kept in touch with Boston representatives, who tracked his development. &ldquo;An assistant GM came to our game against the Erie Otters,&rdquo; Khokhlachev said. &ldquo;We had a talk. He congratulated me for a medal at the world juniors. Sure, we won just silver, but it feels good he acknowledged that.&rdquo;</p><p>Should they be worried about him staying in Russia for good? &ldquo;No, why should they?&rdquo; Khokhlachev asked, surprised. &ldquo;This is exactly why I signed with the Bruins first. After this season, they have to decide where I&rsquo;m going to play.&rdquo;</p><p>It doesn&rsquo;t look like Boston will need him in the next few years. Could it be better for him to get some pro experience in Russia? &ldquo;I came back to the KHL for a year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So far I&rsquo;m with Spartak. We&rsquo;ll see what happens next. My dream, and the dream of every kid, I think, is to play in the NHL. It&rsquo;s the best league. I hope to crack the Bruins next season (2013-14). We&rsquo;ll see how this season goes, how much I&rsquo;m going to develop. The Bruins will then decide whether I can play in the NHL, KHL or AHL.&rdquo;</p><p><b>For more on the future, check out: <a href="http://thn.com/prospects">thn.com/prospects</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-02

Beware Of ‘Koko’

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02184/9648090-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GREYHOUND TO TEXAS</b></p><p><b>Jack Campbell is expected to play significant minutes with Dallas&rsquo; AHL affiliate in &rsquo;12-13.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01307/9648097-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span></b>ack Campbell is un-flappable. It&rsquo;s kinda his thing. He recently attended his third Dallas Stars development camp and despite the fact he and fellow goaltenders Tyler Beskorowany and Christopher Nihlstorp had a different regimen from the rest of the skaters, he was more than happy to bring some leadership to the newbies.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0492/9648083-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="154" height="117"></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to know what to expect,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can show them how hard they need to work and what the organization expects out of us.&rdquo;</p><p>The plot arc starts with a comet trail for Campbell, the 11th pick overall in 2010. At the world juniors that year, he famously came into the net for Team USA in the third period of a crushingly tense battle with Canada and shut the door, allowing future Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson to score in overtime to clinch the gold medal. Campbell was the consensus No. 1 netminder in the draft and going so high added pressure.</p><p>He turned down the University of Michigan and suited up across the border for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Windsor Spitfires, where the post-Taylor Hall crew maintained its elite status, even if Campbell&rsquo;s 3.80 goals-against average was a full goal or two more than most expected.</p><p>The next season, the reloading Spits dealt him to Sault Ste. Marie, which gave up an incredible six draft picks plus Mackenzie Braid and the rights to Patrick Sieloff. But the Greyhounds missed the playoffs and Campbell&rsquo;s GAA was only slightly better at 3.58. &ldquo;It was a frustrating couple years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But that doesn&rsquo;t discredit my teammates. I have unrealistic expectations for myself. I wanted to go out and get a shutout every night and obviously that wasn&rsquo;t going to happen.&rdquo;</p><p>On the international stage, however, he continued to shine. He followed up his 2010 WJC gold with a bronze the next year and wasn&rsquo;t in net when the 2012 edition of Team USA fell apart (Anaheim prospect John Gibson suffered that fate in a loss to Finland that sent the team into a death spiral).</p><p>That Sault Ste. Marie missed the post-season was actually a blessing in disguise, as Campbell decamped for the American League&rsquo;s Texas Stars and got in 12 games of service, posting a respectable .912 save percentage. &ldquo;It was awesome,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had been waiting for that day for two years.&rdquo;</p><p>This coming season, he&rsquo;ll battle Beskorowany and Nihlstorp for the starter&rsquo;s job in Austin, where his coach will be former Dallas assistant Willie Desjardins. Campbell&rsquo;s new boss got a sneak peak this past season and likes what he saw in the 20-year-old. &ldquo;You can see how competitive he is,&rdquo; Desjardins said. &ldquo;Jack wants it so bad.&rdquo;</p><p>Now the key is hammering down the technique. Fortunately, Campbell is not averse to doing his homework in the video suite. He&rsquo;s a much different stopper than the young lion who emerged at the WJC in 2010. &ldquo;I was really scrambly then,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-2 Port Huron, Mich., native. &ldquo;I played off my athletic ability. Now I&rsquo;m under control. I use my size more to my advantage. If you watch film of when Marc-Andre Fleury first came up, he was so quick, he actually had to slow it down to become a great goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Fleury, Campbell has been following a more recent Stanley Cup winner, the Kings&rsquo; Jonathan Quick. In Kari Lehtonen, he also has a big-bodied role model to look up to at the Dallas main camp. &ldquo;Kari&rsquo;s an unbelievable goalie and so much fun to watch,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m anxious to get back on the ice with him.&rdquo;</p><p>Fans in Texas are surely saying the same thing about seeing Campbell.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Quick

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-03119/9648128-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="523" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DMITRY SINITSYN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF DALLAS STARS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>allas Stars seventh-rounder Dmitry Sinitsyn has taken many odd turns in his young career, going from CSKA Moscow&rsquo;s youth program to the Dallas Jr. Stars under-16 team on the advice of a friend already playing there. Then, import limits and visa problems clogged up his United States League aspirations in Green Bay and Sioux Falls. &ldquo;From April 2011 until January 2012, I was sitting around in Moscow doing nothing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The only way I could get to the United States was on a student visa.&rdquo;</p><p>So the 6-foot-2, 200-pound D-man hooked up with Hockey East&rsquo;s UMass-Lowell. &ldquo;He has some size and offensive flair,&rdquo; said coach Norm Bazin.</p><p>Arriving at Lowell with 12 games remaining, Sinitsyn, 18, wasn&rsquo;t an active roster player to avoid burning a year of eligibility. He did attend practices though. In 2012-13, it&rsquo;s game time for the globetrotter.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-03

Go West, Young Man

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01237/9648166-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FEELING GENEROUS</b></p><p><b>A gifted playmaker, Andrew Cassels amassed 40-plus assists seven times in his NHL days.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ROBERT LABERGE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>early a quarter-century ago</b>, Andrew Cassels was the leading scorer and MVP of the Ontario League and a young man about to embark on a 16-year, 1,015-game NHL career. And now, while Cassels creates a new career for himself in the coaching world, his 16-year-old son, Cole, is the one blazing a trail in the OHL.</p><p>As it happens, coaching his son as a pre-teen on his way to the Oshawa Generals, who drafted him 16th overall, is what pushed Cassels toward the bench boss profession. After he retired from the NHL in 2006, Cassels gave himself a couple years to discover his next passion in life. But as he coached Cole at the AAA level in Columbus, where he settled, he realized being behind a bench and working with young players was the next greatest thing to playing. And once his son was ready to move on, Cassels knew he wanted to coach at a higher level.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s not often that pro coaches start in the NHL. So Cassels knew he would have to be patient and wait for a job to open up. He worked with Cincinnati Cyclones coach Jarrod Skalde at the ECHL team&rsquo;s 2010 training camp and asked he be kept in mind</p><p>if a position was available. Cassels reconnected with Skalde this summer and became the team&rsquo;s assistant coach. He is a rookie again at 42 and learning the coaching and front-office side of the game in a way he never did when he was amassing 528 assists and 732 points (that included four 20-goal campaigns) for Montreal, Hartford, Calgary, Vancouver, Columbus and Washington.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Now I know what my parents experienced <i>&ndash; Andrew Cassels</i></b></blockquote><p>Coming from a workingclass family in Bramalea, Ont., he has no qualms about going from five-star hotels and chartered team flights in the NHL back to the long bus trips and late nights he knew as a player for the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not like you grow up used to having the glamorous NHL lifestyle,&rdquo; said Cassels, who represented Canada at the 1989 world juniors and won silver at the 1996 World Championship. &ldquo;I stayed pretty humble throughout my career and I have no problem unloading the bus at 5 a.m. or dropping guys off at the hotel, then going back to the rink with trainers and unloading the bus. That&rsquo;s part of the job in Cincinnati. You have to wear a lot of different hats and I&rsquo;m learning a lot about the business side of the ECHL. It&rsquo;s different, but it&rsquo;s still hockey and I&rsquo;m happy to have the opportunity.&rdquo;</p><p>Cassels watches Cole in action as often as he can on his computer. And he isn&rsquo;t worried about Cole&rsquo;s decision to carve out his own hockey identity in the same league his father had so much success in. Cole had three goals and 11 points in 64 games with the Generals in 2011-12 as a 16-year-old. &ldquo;I hope he doesn&rsquo;t feel pressure,&rdquo; Cassels said. &ldquo;There was a school option for him, but he wanted to try and follow the same path. It&rsquo;s always a tough decision, school or the OHL, but he was drafted in the first round, so it made sense because he got a good school package and it&rsquo;s the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the OHL.</p><p>&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s tough when your son leaves from home. Now I know what my parents went through.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02156/9648159-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg" title="f0056-02" width="1366" height="1197"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>COLE CASSELS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><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>

f0056-01

Coming Full Circle

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01223/9648204-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="565" height="574"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(B BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>WINNER</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;No, son, I said &lsquo;sit in the Cup!&rsquo; &rdquo;</i></p><p><b>TAK IATROU, BEDFORD, N.S.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Despite his contract with the Sabres, Nathan Gerbe still managed to have his day with the Cup.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>CORY WATTS, DES MOINES, IOWA</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Daddy, your team is Number One, but I just did a Number Two.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>JARI KIRJAVAINEN, LOMITA, CALIF.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;I want my sippy cup, not Stanley Cup!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>JOE POLITO, NORTH CHILI, N.Y.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Stay right here buddy while Daddy talks to the media.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>STEVE MANZO, NORTH ARLINGTON, N.J.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;No, Daddy, if I touch the Cup I&rsquo;ll never win it!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>WARREN KOZIRESKI, SPENCERPORT, N.Y.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Stop rubbing it in, Dustin! You know I&rsquo;m a Devils fan!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>NOAH BURNETT, CORMACK, NFLD.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Ouch, Dad! Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s pool thermometer is still in the Cup!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>DENIS VACHON, NORTH BAY, ONT.</b></p><p><b>SEE THIS WEEK&rsquo;S CAPTION CONTEST PHOTO ON PAGE 12</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0640/9648197-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="89" height="82"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b><a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-01

Caption CONTEST

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0057-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02161/9648235-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT</b> <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/<b>xword</b></a></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 &lsquo;Stevie Y&rsquo; is now this team&rsquo;s GM</p><p>8 Notre Dame is home of the &lsquo;Fighting ___&rsquo;</p><p>9 The 2012 ___-___ Game was held in Ottawa</p><p>10 Max Bentley was dubbed &lsquo;Dipsy ___ Dandy&rsquo;</p><p>11 Tim Thomas is the most recent ___ to win the Conn Smythe</p><p>12 __-____ help determine if bones are broken</p><p>14 Quebec&rsquo;s former NHL team went by this abbreviated nickname</p><p>17 Netminder&rsquo;s area</p><p>19 ___ considerations</p><p>20 Afternoon game</p><p>21 ___ Loob won a Cup with Calgary</p><p>22 He&rsquo;s GM with the Islanders</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p> 2 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s old building was known as &lsquo;The ___&rsquo;</p><p>3 Skate hard</p><p>4 Harry ___ coached several WHA and NHL teams, including the Canucks</p><p>5 Philly&rsquo;s Claude ___, pictured</p><p>6 &lsquo;Terrible Ted&rsquo;</p><p>7 Trio, like a hockey line</p><p>11 He was named to the Hall of Fame in 2003</p><p>13 &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;</p><p>15 Playoff season</p><p>16 Peter DeBoer now coaches this team</p><p>17 The C in the old PCHL</p><p>18 He&rsquo;s GM with the Penguins</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. KOVALCHUK, 8. ALIVE, 9. GARDENS, 10. ASSIST, 11. SABRES, 12. SHORE, 14. AWARD, 17. HAROLD, 19. EKLUND, 20. DUGOUTS, 21. ERNIE, 22. LINDSTROM <b>DOWN</b> 2. OMAHA, 3. ANDERS, 4. CANES, 5. KANSAS, 6. VISITOR, 7. FEATHERED, 11. SHEA WEBER, 13. OAKLAND, 15. DANIEL, 16. ARNOTT, 17. HOUND, 18. LET GO<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-02

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0497/9648304-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="676" height="745"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MILANO ROSSOBLU)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s been a big year for Milano and the future will bring even more headlines. Not only did the Italian team sign 2004 Calder Trophy winner Andrew Raycroft to tend net, but the squad is in talks to become the first Western European KHL team.</p><p>Born out of the ashes of the Milan Vipers, Rossoblu (&ldquo;Red and Blue&rdquo;) boasts a uniform perfectly in sync with one of Europe&rsquo;s fashion capitals. The logo is crisp and simple, while the cross motif carries on across the entire sweater &ndash; a pretty neat feature. Even the ads are understated for a Euro jersey.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-04

JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-01331/9648342-1-eng-US/c0004-012.jpg" title="c0004-01" width="311" height="544"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>nyone who</b> watched the Winter Olympics in 2010 or the 2012 Summer Games in London knows Canada&rsquo;s Olympic Media Broadcasting Consortium delivers the goods when it comes to showcasing the world&rsquo;s largest athletic spectacle in the four-screen universe. That the consortium is owned 80 percent by Bell Media and 20 percent by Rogers, the two communications giants who recently purchased controlling ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, should have Leafs fans all fired up that it can do as well when it comes to producing a Stanley Cup winner.</p><p>When the two companies announced their $1.3-billion purchase of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment last December, they talked about how building championship teams would drive their network business and how their shareholders would be thrilled at all the money they&rsquo;d make owning such content. They insisted they would stop at nothing to build championship teams, if for no other reason than it was good for business. Not sure we heard the words &ldquo;Stanley Cup&rdquo; uttered, but such talk had to warm the cockles of hearts of Leaf fans.</p><p>The team&rsquo;s supporters have gotten used to the owner of their public trust making gobs of money and that is as it should be. The owners take the risks and have the vision, so they should reap the benefits of owning a business for whose product the demand is insatiable. When you walk into the event level of the Air Canada Centre on a game night, you can smell the old Toronto money more than you can the scent of beer or popcorn.</p><p>Over the years, fans have come to realize their loyalty comes at a price. But if you were a Leafs fan, wouldn&rsquo;t you like for the team&rsquo;s owners to just once pull a Terry Pegula and talk about winning the Stanley Cup with a little more passion? For all it&rsquo;s worth, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan that previously owned the Leafs used to talk about winning the Cup because it would improve the value of the asset, so are things all that different now?</p><p>Hey, don&rsquo;t get me wrong here. It&rsquo;s great to have an owner that wants to win, regardless of the motivation. But when the puck drops on a new season and the Leafs approach 50 years between Stanley Cups, it doesn&rsquo;t look like much will change. The Leafs will still be run by a huge conglomerate that values the bottom line at least as much, if not more, than the statistical one. As first re-ported by David Shoalts of the <i>Globe and Mail</i> and confirmed by an ownership insider, the new Leafs board of directors will be reduced to six seats. Two will belong to Bell Media, two to Rogers and two to former board chairman Larry Tanenbaum.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0004-02215/9648335-1-eng-US/c0004-022.jpg" title="c0004-02" width="611" height="754"><figcaption class="caption-body">LARRY TANENBAUM <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Tanenbaum will be basically rendered impotent on the board</b></blockquote><p>It sounds like a good mix, but according to reports, Bell Media and Rogers will vote as a block on every issue, hashing out their position in advance. Each vote will be 6-0 or 4-2 with Bell and Rogers always winning the day. This is troubling on a couple of fronts. First of all, two companies in direct competition have bought into one asset and agreed to run it with a common vision. Remember, we&rsquo;re talking about content here. What happens when the Leafs television, radio and digital rights come up for renewal? Where will the competition come from if Bell and Rogers play nicey-nicey? That doesn&rsquo;t serve the paying public well.</p><p>And what if, say, GM Brian Burke continues on his string of playoff misses and it&rsquo;s clear he must go? Will the two networks make that decision on his job performance or keep him because he makes for great TV and radio?</p><p>But the most troubling aspect of all is Tanenbaum will basically be rendered impotent on the board. He wants to leverage the Leafs to build condos and restaurants and turn a buck as much as the next guy, but he&rsquo;s also the Leafs&rsquo; ownership face, the one who would walk into the Canadian Club and have his back slapped by other captains of industry if Toronto produced a Cup contender. Most people couldn&rsquo;t pick the Bell and Rogers CEOs from a police lineup, but anyone following the Leafs with more than a passing interest knows who Tanenbaum is.</p><p>And he&rsquo;s the one who would bring the passion to win a Stanley Cup just for the sake of winning it. There has been a perception since the Harold Ballard days that the Maple Leafs are only interested in printing money and have no real desire to win. It couldn&rsquo;t be further from the truth. Before the salary cap, the Leafs were always among the league&rsquo;s highest spenders. And now that there are limits on spending, you&rsquo;d be hard-pressed to find a team with more highly paid lieutenants than Burke has or more resources devoted to the on-ice product. They&rsquo;re misguided, not cheap.</p><p>But they&rsquo;re also still owned by an entity for whom winning is a secondary goal, not the primary one. And in that sense, absolutely nothing has changed.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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September 10, 2012

Windsor’s Border Patrol

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GOLDEN GOAL?

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