The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

October 15, 2012

The Hockey News - Oct-15-12

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011449/9677211-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>&lsquo;D&rsquo; TAKES IT DAY-TO-DAY</b></p><p><b>Ryan Murphy runs Kitchener&rsquo;s blueline for now, but the NHL&rsquo;s Canes may come calling.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Y</span>ou</b>&nbsp;<b>can only celebrate</b> your 50th season once. But when it comes to putting together championship-caliber teams in the Ontario League, the Kitchener Rangers know the drill pretty well. After all, they&rsquo;ve done it more than a few times over the years.</p><p>As the Rangers celebrate 50 mostly-very-good-and-sometimes-spectacular seasons, they do so with a mandate to make a run at a Memorial Cup championship. And they certainly have the potential to do it under coach-GM Steve Spott, the 44-year-old wunderkind who will also be behind the bench for Canada at the 2013 World Junior Championship.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021041/9677204-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="286" height="98"></div><p>The Rangers made that more than clear when they acquired Ottawa Senators 2011 first-rounder Matt Puempel over the summer to join a stacked, group that includes center and MVP candidate Radek Faksa, defenseman Ryan Murphy and goaltender John Gibson. These four high NHL draft picks represent an impressive core of players, but Spott readily admits if his team is as good on the ice as many project it to be, he will be aggressive and proactive in making deals to augment his roster for a championship run.</p><p>They&rsquo;re the kinds of trades a progressive junior hockey executive such as Spott is loath to make because they will undoubtedly have an effect on the future. But he also realizes when you are that close to a championship, they are the types of deals that must be made. &ldquo;I was talking to (New Jersey Devils coach and former Rangers coach-GM) Pete DeBoer over the summer and one thing he said that really resonated with me is that you don&rsquo;t get the John Gibsons and Ryan Murphys too many times in a career,&rdquo;  Spott said. &ldquo;If we get to keep those guys, we&rsquo;re going to have to make some moves that are maybe a little more bold than in other years.&rdquo;</p><p>Some significant road-blocks will present themselves before the Rangers face those kinds of decisions. First, they play in perhaps the most competitive conference in the Canadian Hockey League and will have all they can handle keeping the likes of the defending OHL champion London Knights and Plymouth Whalers at bay. Secondly, this early in the season, they have no idea whether the NHL will conduct what has become an almost annual raid of their roster (see Skinner, Jeff and Landeskog, Gabriel).</p><p>With NHLers locked out, junior teams with star under-age players find themselves in something of a netherworld. For example, the Carolina Hurricanes have stated they will give Murphy, picked 12th overall in 2011, every opportunity to make their team this season. So when (and if) the NHL gets back at it, Murphy will be trying to win a spot with the Hurricanes. But will Carolina be so eager to add a 19-year-old if the season is reduced to fewer than 50 games with every one being magnified in importance?</p><p>Gibson is eligible to play in the American League this season since he was drafted in 2011 (by Anaheim) from the U.S. National Team Development Program, but chances are he will remain in Kitchener. Faksa was drafted in the 2012 first round (13th over-all) by the Dallas Stars, but Spott said he was told by Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk over the summer that the organization thinks the Czech native would be best served by spending at least one more year in junior.</p><p>If the Rangers make deals, it will be to gain depth at center and on defense. The Rangers will, as usual, be a disciplined team at both ends of the ice, but could use a help offensively. Big years from Faksa and winger Tobias Rieder, who scored 42 goals for the Rangers last season, will go a long way toward shoring up that aspect of the game.</p><p>The Rangers, who have four OHL championships, two Memorial Cups, five alumni in the Hall of Fame and more than 100 players graduating to the NHL over the years, would love nothing better than to make their landmark season one to remember. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be a team that&rsquo;s hard to play against every night,&rdquo; Spott said. &ldquo;With our goaltending and some of the world-class players we have, we&rsquo;re going to be a formidable opponent.&rdquo;</p><p>But, in saying that, we&rsquo;re still going to have some holes we&rsquo;re going to need to fill.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">4 <b>Rangers in top 12 highest-scoring NHL &lsquo;D&rsquo; (Coffey, MacInnis, Stevens, Robinson)</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Killer Instinct In Kitchener

<div class="byline">BY NEIL ACHARYA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01622/9678358-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02405/9678351-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="787" height="539"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LIFE AT THE TOP</b></p><p><b>The new Maple Leaf Gardens ice surface sits on top of a grocery store below.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: ANDREA CROFTS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>or 68 years,</b> from its opening in 1931 until it was shuttered in 1999, Maple Leaf Gardens was the beating heart of hockey in Toronto and much of Canada. Now, after 13 years of essentially laying dormant, the building on the corner of Carlton and Church streets has been resurrected and the sounds of hockey &ndash; the clamoring of sticks on pucks, skates cutting across the ice and bodies col-liding into boards &ndash; can once again be heard there.</p><p>How that came to be is largely the vision of the president and vice-chancellor of Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy, a Toronto native who scrounged up money to catch the odd Leaf or Marlies game in his youth. The arena now sits at roughly at the same level of the grey seating section of the old Gardens, under the trademark domed roof. &ldquo;When I was a little kid, I probably stood around here,&rdquo; Levy said, pointing at the concourse overlooking the 2,796-seat rink, which sits on the top level of Ryerson&rsquo;s Mattamy Athletic Centre.</p><p>After securing funding from the student body, government, individuals and corporate entities, Ryerson now boasts a new, gleaming, four-story athletic complex for varsity sports and all the school&rsquo;s students. It came about after the school secured an initial partnership with Loblaw Companies, which bought the building from Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment in 2004. Its grocery store occupies the ground level, which housed the original ice surface.</p><p>The second and third floors contain volleyball and basketball courts and a fitness centre. Literally topping it off: on the fourth floor is an NHL-sized ice surface for the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s varsity hockey teams. To build an ice surface at such a height, the university turned to BBB Architects, which is presently renovating Madison Square Garden, where the New York Rangers play on an elevated rink. &ldquo;They did an outstanding job of not only delivering on the design, but also the flexibility of having to deal with a heritage building,&rdquo; Levy said. &ldquo;They had the experience of having ice above ground level and all the complications, including the refrigeration issues and how you get rid of the water.&rdquo;</p><p>Former Maple Leaf Jim Dorey, who was invited by the university with several other Maple Leafs alumni to attend the Ryerson Rams&rsquo; first hockey game Sept. 8, noted the school has made a great impact by reopening the storied building. &ldquo;This arena makes university hockey move up a notch,&rdquo; Dorey said. &ldquo;More parents are going to say, &lsquo;I want my kid to go to Ryerson.&rsquo; University hockey is going to be challenging the American League as a ticket right here in Toronto.&rdquo;</p><p>While the technical elements are impressive, the subtle aesthetic touches, not only in the rink but throughout the building, are equally remarkable. The seats in the north and south ends have a steep blue section in homage to the old building. Four floors below, there are pictures of notable players who once skated on the ice surface, from Wayne Gretzky to Tim Horton, and images of the many other sporting events, concerts, political and religious rallies that took place in the Gardens. Gracing the Carlton St. facade is a replica of the marquee from the 1930s. Moreover, a good number of windows have been freed from their encasements. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s impressive is the way they have opened it all up,&rdquo; said Bob Baun, who won four Stanley Cups in the 1960s with the Leafs. &ldquo;I always realized there were a lot of windows in this building, but when I saw them all back in, that&rsquo;s what hit me first off.&rdquo;</p><p>Levy hopes the building will give Leafs alumni a sense of co-ownership and a place that feels like home. He expects the new Maple Leaf Gardens will make &ldquo;a huge difference to the community&rdquo; and wishes there will be a rekindling of the attraction that once drew so many people through the doors. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s highly important to the city, but also to Canada that hockey remain such an important part of our culture and our identity and this building can play an important role in it,&rdquo; Levy said. &ldquo;We have a responsibility to open it up to allow that to happen. I do hope people see this is a beginning of a freshness of hockey in Toronto.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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New Growth In Gardens

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01616/9678320-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02411/9678313-1-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/f0045-03346/9678306-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="657" height="767"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LOUI ERIKSSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ERIKSSON: BRAD WATSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b>oui Eriksson is boring. Not in an &ldquo;old man sitting on a couch&rdquo; way, but certainly in the sense of the fast-moving world of sports in 2012.</p><p>He doesn&rsquo;t Tweet, doesn&rsquo;t Facebook, doesn&rsquo;t fill your notebook with quotes. &ldquo;I am kind of quiet,&rdquo; he said with a soft smile. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just who I am.&rdquo;</p><p>And that, along with some gaudy numbers, lands you a perennial spot on the All-Underrated Team. Eriksson is a good player on the way to being great. On second thought, he might be great already. He&rsquo;s among a handful of NHLers with 70-plus points the past three years. He is slowly climbing the Stars career scoring list and at 27 is poised to become one of the best players in franchise history.</p><p>If you want testimonials on his play, ask anyone from Team Sweden. He had four points in four games at the 2010 Olympics and 13 points in eight games at the World Championship last spring. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great player,&rdquo; said Daniel Sedin. &ldquo;People just don&rsquo;t know much about him yet.&rdquo;</p><p>You get the feeling they might not ever. He&rsquo;s a hard-working guy who keeps to himself. You could probably grill him for tips on fashion or hair gel and get into a spirited debate, but he likes to fly under the radar and just spend time with his wife and daughter. Even his game can escape the casual fan. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s sneaky good,&rdquo; said Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. &ldquo;He has 40-goal potential; he has 80-point potential. If we get our power play working and get our offense clicking, there&rsquo;s no telling where he could go.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04301/9678299-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="685" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05262/9678292-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06227/9678285-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>It was a long summer for <b>Bobby Ryan</b>, ever since he appeared to declare his days with the Ducks as over. But after some time for reflection, Ryan is peddling a softer message and doesn&rsquo;t sound like the alienated third wheel on Anaheim&rsquo;s top line anymore. His rationale for the initial outburst? A bad day on the golf course, naturally.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07200/9678278-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08129/9678271-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>With a new five-year contract extension under his belt, <b>Kari Lehtonen</b> can buy all the I-told-you-so&rsquo;s in the world. Criticized for his conditioning during his early years in Atlanta, Lehtonen has dropped his goals-against average in each of his three seasons in Dallas and though injuries still bug him, he was well worth the trade for the Stars in 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0993/9678264-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1076/9678257-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEHTONEN+WESTGARTH: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Though his only playoff ice time came after the Kings were skating the Stanley Cup around the rink, <b>Kevin Westgarth</b> has been front and center in union dealings. Westgarth and fellow long-haired enforcer George Parros have provided PA leader Donald Fehr with a great intimidating backdrop in photos, but both fighters have another use: Princeton educations.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1162/9678250-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1252/9678243-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN+DOAN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It looked hopeless for a while, but <b>Shane Doan</b> is a man of faith and will be returning as captain of the Coyotes, even though the franchise&rsquo;s ownership saga is still writing chapters on a week-to-week basis. Not only does Doan&rsquo;s re-signing bolster the Dogs&rsquo; offense, but it also provides a nice ray of hope in a distressed hockey market.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1345/9678236-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1439/9678229-1-eng-US/f0045-142.jpg" title="f0045-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COUTURE: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Not only are the Sharks solid down the middle, but those pivots are nimble in negotiations, too. <b>Logan Couture</b> found a temporary home in Geneva, following in the Swiss footsteps of veteran team-mate Joe Thornton. Big Joe, of course, met his wife during the last lockout while playing for Davos and has returned there alongside buddy Rick Nash.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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The Stars’ Quiet Riot

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY ALEXANDER OVCHAROV</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021606/9676266-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KHL PHOTO AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>&lsquo;Geno&rsquo; Back In Black</b></h2><p> Evgeni Malkin dons <b>a familiar color, but it</b> belongs to metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL, his new league during the lockout.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012212/9676311-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="907" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031512/9676304-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="291" height="373"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b><b>n our previous issue,</b> senior writer Ken Campbell opined the Summit Series is overrated, that it was an exhibition set of games featuring out-of-shape NHLers who, along with the rest of their nation, received a rude wake up call. He asserted the 1987 Canada Cup, which gets the oral history treatment on pg. 30 of this edition, was more compelling and should rank higher than 1972 in the pecking order of great international tournaments.</p><p>If we didn&rsquo;t realize it prior to publication, we do now. There is vocal opposition to Campbell&rsquo;s minority report. One subscriber, in fact, was so offended by Campbell&rsquo;s position, he demanded an apology and retraction. (He won&rsquo;t get either, but he will get a response and an explanation).</p><p>Similarly, we recently received an email criticizing us for printing a &ldquo;bigoted and ignorant&rdquo; letter to the editor. The original inflammatory note scolded us for applauding, in our Plus/Minus feature, Manny Malhotra&rsquo;s decision to march in Vancouver&rsquo;s gay pride parade. The follow up complaint implored us to stop &ldquo;publishing knuckle-dragging, intolerant rhetoric.&rdquo;</p><p>And so it goes with the territory. Which we get. If you weren&rsquo;t passionate about hockey, you wouldn&rsquo;t be reading this magazine. And when something is so close to your heart, it ruptures more easily upon friction.</p><p>The fact is it&rsquo;s a big hockey world out there with myriad opinions. We want as many of them as possible to be heard. Among other things, we feel THN should be a forum for debate on all things shinny. Whether it&rsquo;s fighting, the CBA, officiating or homophobia in dressing rooms, it&rsquo;s all part of our world and it&rsquo;s our responsibility to hold a mirror to it. And while we all like to imagine ourselves as George Clooney, we aren&rsquo;t always going to like the reality of our reflections.</p><p>As for THN&rsquo;s editorial policy, we allow our columnists wide latitude. They are responsible for generating their own ideas, which must meet the following primary criteria: 1. The topic is relevant; 2. The position is supportable and fair; 3. Lines of decency are not crossed. No other staffers need agree with them. A similar standard is applied to your letters.</p><p>So keep those thoughts coming. Give us heck if you think we&rsquo;re wrong about something. Take a stand on a given issue. Be funny, be irreverent, be factual and respectful. And don&rsquo;t worry if we disagree. We promise to do likewise.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021877/9676297-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> OCTOBER 29 2012</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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A Fabulous Forum For All

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03984/9676394-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>2012 MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPION SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>hanks for the reality check, NHL. You&rsquo;re not the only game in town. There are great games being played every night at local arenas, with midget players dreaming of the Canadian Hockey League or college, and CHLers dreaming of making the show or the American League. Hopefully by the time they get there, players and owners alike will remember why they play&hellip; because they love the game regardless of whether their share of revenue is a few percentages higher or lower.</b></p><p><b><i>Jim Richardson, Whitby, Ont.</i></b></p><h2><b>Summit Shock</b></h2><p>Paul Henderson&rsquo;s &rsquo;72 Summit Series goal was great, but I&rsquo;m truly stunned 59 percent of fans voted it the &ldquo;biggest goal in Canadian hockey history&rdquo; (Inbox, Sept, 10). As great of a story the Summit Series was, it was still only exhibition play. Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s goal, on the other hand, was in the Olympic gold medal game, on home ice, in overtime, against heated rivals. Could you imagine the media frenzy had Canada lost? I demand a recount.</p><p><i>Davio Guercio, Kelowna, B.C.</i></p><p>You&rsquo;re an idiot, Ken Campbell That&rsquo;s my immediate reaction after reading your column on why the 1987 Canada Cup is better than the 1972 Summit Series (Overtime, Oct. 1). Please don&rsquo;t start acting like the stupid sophomoric talk radio hosts whose only objective is to take the most controversial, wacko position in order to get reaction. Be professional. Cheap tricks don&rsquo;t become you or the magazine I have subscribed to since the early &rsquo;70s.</p><p><i>Ollie Cavers, Sauble Beach, Ont.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04626/9676387-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="558" height="743"></div><h2><b>You Don&rsquo;t Know Jack</b></h2><p>In your predictions for the (maybe) upcoming season, you picked Carolina&rsquo;s Kirk Muller to win the Jack Adams Award (Inside Hockey, Oct. 1). Yet, according to you guys, the Hurricanes will finish ninth. Really, THN? I don&rsquo;t remember the last time the coach of the year came from a non-playoff team. Oh yeah, because it&rsquo;s never happened and never will.</p><p><i>Justin Fiebich, Lethbridge, Alta.</i></p><h2><b>Keep It On Ice</b></h2><p>I have been reading THN cover-to-cover for more than half my life. The past two issues, however, I can&rsquo;t even read half the magazine because of the CBA. You&rsquo;re The <i>Hockey</i> News, please cover <i>hockey</i>. Articles on long lost players and underdog peewee teams are a much better read. I want to read about the sport of hockey, not business.</p><p><i>Dave Nichol, Rockwood, Ont.</i></p><p>I beg you, as an ardent fan, please not too much lockout coverage. It&rsquo;s like rubbing salt in the wound. How about some player profiles about what they do off the ice, business ventures, philanthropy&hellip; something to remind us they aren&rsquo;t just millionaire players.</p><p><i>Lori Neault, Flin Flon, Man.</i></p><h2><b>Money Talks</b></h2><p>Fans claim they don&rsquo;t have a say with respect to the NHL&rsquo;s CBA. That&rsquo;s only partially true. Simply stop buying tick-ets and merchandise and own-ers and players will quickly realize they have not appreciated the support of loyal fans. Then, and only then, will fans truly be respected.</p><p><i>Todd Luhowy, Grandview, Man.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021656/9676380-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="107" height="108"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>@thehockeynews:</b></p><h2><b>GIVE STEVEN STAMKOS A BETTER NICKNAME</b></h2><p><b>Adam Gignac @AdamGignac:</b>&nbsp;Greased Lightning, on account of that dirty flow and his slick moves. Or SS-91. Lots of firepower on that ship.</p><p><b>William Todd Aulgur @WAulgur:</b>&nbsp;New nickname should be Thor&rsquo;s Hammer. Whenever Thor swings it, lightning strikes. #superherosuperplayer</p><p><b>Anthony Figliuzzi @Trendkill14:</b> Stevie Thunder</p><p><b>Hello Mr. Stanley @crown28c:</b> The Big Stambowski or Stamholio</p><p><b>alec @m0tar:</b> Steven Rebecca Romijn Stamkos O&rsquo;Connell.</p><p><b>Jersey Steve @78_Iceman:</b> We&rsquo;ve had a Stumpy, so let&rsquo;s have a Stampy!</p><p><b>Pat Hand&rlm;@PatHandberg:</b> Slam-kos</p><p><b>Devin J Little&rlm;@flamesr1:</b> How about the Greek Gunner?</p><p><b>Bryan Karchensky @Karchensky:</b> #DontStamSoKosToMe</p><h2><b>SPILL FOR A DRILL!</b></h2><p><b>The author of our lead letter</b>&nbsp;<b>next issue wins a Premium DEWALT 20V MAX* HAMMERDRILL!</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05490/9676373-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="98" height="30"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012440/9676366-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="180" height="244"></div><p><b>Submit your letter and see rules at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-03

FOR LOVE NOT MONEY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012164/9676425-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="483" height="352"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RED WINGS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Detroit 15%</b></p><p>New Jersey 14%</p><p>Vancouver 8%</p><p>Nashville 8%</p><p>Phoenix 7%</p><p>Boston 5%</p><p>Philadelphia 5%</p><p>St. Louis 4%</p><p>Florida 4%</p><p>Others 30%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

POLLRESULTS

<p><i>What&rsquo;s keeping you up at night, hockey fans?</i></p><p><i>If you&rsquo;ve got a question about the game, send it to columnist Adam Proteau at <a href="http://THN.COM/ASKADAM">THN.com/askadam</a></i></p><p><b>Adam, could you please explain to me why if Tim Thomas walks away from his salary for this season, the Bruins still take the hit for it on their salary cap?</b></p><p><i>Victor Dubrow, West Hartford, Conn.</i></p><p>Victor, the issue with Thomas is the four-year contract extension he signed with Boston in 2009 &ndash; when he was 34 &ndash; didn&rsquo;t kick in until he was 35. Under the rules of the (now-expired) collective bargaining agreement, the salary of any contract that begins at 35 or older counts against the cap regardless of whether the player is on the ice or retired. If that first year of the extension had kicked in when Thomas was 34, the Bruins would be off the hook. But that was the chance the team took.</p><p><b>Adam, Pavel Datsyuk is the NHL&rsquo;s top player. He plays defense better than Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin and is insanely good on offense. Do you agree?</b></p><p><i>Bryson Geikie, Ottawa</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03920/9676456-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="957" height="857"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TIM THOMAS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(THOMAS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Bryson, you&rsquo;re not alone. In THN&rsquo;s most recent player poll, Datsyuk finished second in voting for the NHL&rsquo;s best player behind Crosby. In our 2011 <i>Best of Everything in Hockey</i> issue, voted on by hockey writers, Datsyuk was the best defensive forward; tied for first for best shootout move; and second in the best skater, backhand shot and shootout shooter categories. That&rsquo;s as well-rounded a player as you&rsquo;ll find and his versatility is reflected in his four seasons of 87 or more points and three Selke Trophies.</p><p>Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-03

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012330/9676501-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="574" height="812"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE THOMAS</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n a perfect world,</b> Marty Murray would not be sitting at the back of a bus as the coach of something called the Minot Minotauros, an expansion team in the North American League that won just seven games last season. At least not yet.</p><p>The plan for Murray at this stage of his life was to be playing the final years of a long and productive NHL career. After all, he had the pedigree as a former junior star, captain and the best player on the 1995 Canadian World Junior Championship team, a team some would argue was the best ever assembled for the tournament.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05507/9676508-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="122" height="139"></div><p>But Murray has the previous lockout &ndash; that&rsquo;s what it has come to, we&rsquo;re numbering the lockouts now &ndash; in part to thank for the fact his career was stopped just when it was getting going. Murray is a member of the forgotten ones, marginal players whose careers were cut short or halted altogether by the lockout of 2004-05.</p><p>After struggling to find his way early in his career, Murray was finally hitting his stride as a hard working third-liner when the lockout hit. He had played 76 games with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2002-03 and 66 with the Carolina Hurricanes the next season. In 2004-05, he was scheduled to make $700,000 in the last year of his contract, an amount that would have represented the biggest paydays of his career.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021780/9676494-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1032" height="1008"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LOCKOUT LOSS</b></p><p><b>Marty Murray was just getting his NHL career on track when the 2004-05 lockout derailed it.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(THOMAS+MURRAY: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>But that was wiped out by the lockout. At the age of 29, Murray could have kept sharp by playing in Europe, since he had already played there earlier in his career. But his wife was pregnant with the couple&rsquo;s second child, with their first only 14 months old, and Murray did not want to be so far away from his young family. Then, while training for the 2005-06 season, Murray blew out his knee lifting weights in April and had to have surgery in May.</p><p>By the time the new season started, he was still rehabilitating his surgically repaired knee and wasn&rsquo;t ready to play until November. &ldquo;By that time I was a role player coming off a serious knee injury,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;The writing was on the wall as far as somebody taking a chance on me. Without a doubt, I lost a step with the surgery. Not good timing all around.&rdquo;</p><p>Murray signed in Germany for 2005-06, then got a one-year, one-way deal with the Flyers for the league minimum of $450,000. He ended up playing only 19 games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2006-07 and was never seen in the NHL again.</p><p>But Murray wasn&rsquo;t the only one. A number of veteran European players such as Andreas Dackell and Pavel Trnka went back home for the lockout season and never returned. At the age of 37, Mike Keane sat out the lockout year after playing the previous season with the Vancouver Canucks, then played five more campaigns in the American League with the Manitoba Moose, but never again in the NHL.</p><p>Veteran Steve Thomas, who was hoping to squeeze one more year in, had played with the Detroit Red Wings in 2003-04 and was hoping for a third tour of duty with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Instead, he sat out the lockout and tried to catch on with the Leafs the next season, but was cut in training camp, ending a 20-year career.</p><p>What the lockout robbed Thomas of more than anything was the chance to officially retire. Instead, he just faded away. &ldquo;When I was let go by Toronto, they told me to stay in shape because there might still be an opportunity down the road,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;But after a couple of months, the luster of that wore off.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031259/9676487-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="360" height="285"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SKINNER: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>67.5K</b> Jeff Skinner&rsquo;s salary while playing for the Charlotte Checkers in the American League. He signed a six-year, $34.4-million deal with Carolina this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

Gone And Forgotten

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012080/9676539-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

The Instigator

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021454/9676570-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="259" height="389"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHEIFELE: BRAD WHITE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>GAME ON ELSEWHERE</b></h3><p><i>Winnipeg prospect</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Mark Scheifele</i></b>&nbsp;<i>has four points for Barrie on opening night of the major junior season.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>FURRY FURY</b></h3><p><i>Several NHL organizations lay off employees in wake of the lockout. Even poor ol&rsquo; Florida mascot Stanley C. Panther received a pink slip</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>ST. LOUIS HAS THE SPIRIT</b></h3><p><i>Young Blues center Patrik Berglund returns to his Swedish hometown to suit up for Vasteras, playing for no salary at all.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>PRETTY DOPEY FOR COLLEGE</b></h3><p><i>North Dakota&rsquo;s captains suspended and Minnesota&rsquo;s Connor Reilly tears ACL in party-related incidents.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012303/9676601-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE &lsquo;A&rsquo; LIST</b></p><p><b>Jason Spezza tore up the AHL during the last NHL lockout in 2004-05.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(JUST SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Profiting due to</b> the misfortune of others is not an American League strategy.</p><p>But after pointing out his league prefers the NHL in action, president and CEO Dave Andrews is direct in saying the AHL will be better while a lockout persists. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re prepared &ndash; seeing what may be a window of opportunity, we need to make sure we&rsquo;re benefitting,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Very clearly, all our players, owners and people involved in our league are not hoping for the labor stoppage to create that window for us. All of us believe we&rsquo;re better off with the NHL playing.&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a month or two where we have all the focus on us, we&rsquo;re ready for that, too. And we&rsquo;ll try to take advantage of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Increased live TV broadcasts in Canada and the U.S. are assured if the NHL remains dark. And regular rules of assignment are in play. Players who clear waivers can be assigned to their AHL affiliates. Any player who doesn&rsquo;t require waivers (youngsters like 2011 Calder Trophy winner Jeff Skinner, who have played fewer than 160 NHL games) can be assigned.</p><p>For 2012-13, the AHL has adopted an additional eligibility category: any player who was on an AHL clear-day list last March or any player who finished the regular season or playoffs in the AHL can, provided he signs a separate AHL contract, play in the league.</p><p>Under lockout conditions in 2004-05, when the NHL was absent all season, the AHL surged. &ldquo;The AHL&rsquo;s best year was &rsquo;04-05,&rdquo; said St. John&rsquo;s IceCaps GM and former Manitoba Moose GM Craig Heisinger. &ldquo;By a country mile.&rdquo;</p><p>That season saw dozens of today&rsquo;s NHL stars compete in the AHL. Jason Spezza won the scoring title with 117 points. Competition was superb, including an excellent all-star game. &ldquo;Not every player who came down in 2004-05 ate up the AHL,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;Some guys might have thought it was going to be easy.&rdquo;</p><p>Attendance spiked 6.5 per cent and live game broadcasts on TV were frequent. &ldquo;Media coverage was obviously much greater, much more focused on our league than we normally enjoy, particularly in NHL markets and national media,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;And with the infusion of some players we might not have had in the league that year, the league really benefitted from it.</p><p>&ldquo;Those players obviously helped make our league better and they also to a man would say the experience of &rsquo;04-05 &ndash; playing more minutes than they might have as NHL players and gaining more confidence in their abilities and stepping up their games offensively &ndash; really impacted their career.</p><p>&ldquo;There was a synergy there for the players and us. It was a win-win.&rdquo;</p><p>Long-term, the AHL is stronger today after the 2004-05 lockout, having benefitted from improved relationships between NHL teams and the AHL. Will that happen again? &ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult to say,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;We have seen continued growth, strengthened ownership and strengthened markets. We&rsquo;re in a better place today than we were in &rsquo;04-05 in terms of stability and financial strength of our league and &rsquo;04-05 played a role in that.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

NHL Pain, AHL Gain

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021684/9676674-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="254" height="252"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n the days leading up to Sept. 15, the last of the NHL&rsquo;s collective bargaining agreement, GMs scrambled to send players to the AHL to get their chops in while the parent league sorted out its differences with the NHLPA. Here is THN&rsquo;s All-Big-Leaguers-Riding-Buses-Again Team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031083/9676667-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="165" height="248"></div><h2><b>RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS</b></h2><p><i>EDM, CENTER</i></p><p>Oklahoma City Barons</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04751/9676660-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="165" height="253"></div><h2><b>JEFF</b>&nbsp;<b>SKINNER</b></h2><p><i>CAR, LEFT WING</i></p><p>Charlotte Checkers</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05546/9676653-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="165" height="250"></div><h2><b>JORDAN EBERLE</b></h2><p><i>EDM, RIGHT WING</i></p><p>Oklahoma City Barons</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06406/9676646-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="165" height="257"></div><h2><b>JAKE</b>&nbsp;<b>GARDINER</b></h2><p><i>TOR, DEFENSE</i></p><p>Toronto Marlies</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-07287/9676639-1-eng-US/f0010-072.jpg" title="f0010-07" width="165" height="246"></div><h2><b>ADAM</b>&nbsp;<b>LARSSON</b></h2><p><i>NJ, DEFENSE</i></p><p>Albany Devils</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-08210/9676632-1-eng-US/f0010-082.jpg" title="f0010-08" width="165" height="253"></div><h2><b>BRADEN HOLTBY</b></h2><p><i>WSH, GOALIE</i></p><p>Hershey Bears<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

MAJOR PLAYERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012247/9676712-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>s the NFL and</b> its fans discovered while the league was operating with replacement referees, the integrity of a circuit directly correlates to its officiating standard. So the Kontinental League&rsquo;s move to hire retired NHL referee and current Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference director of officiating Paul Stewart is a calculated attempt to improve the entire product.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021766/9676705-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="217" height="237"></div><p>Stewart will assume the role of chairman of evaluation for the officiating department and will also work as an advisor for the league&rsquo;s supplemental discipline efforts. &ldquo;Basically, I oversee the people who are in charge of officiating,&rdquo; Stewart said. &ldquo;As well, I&rsquo;m tasked with evaluating officials who are there &ndash; their protocols, training, their attitude about the game, interpretation of the rule, position, style of officiating and so on.&rdquo;</p><p>The boisterous Bostonian brings a passionate, assertive style to the Russian league and will attempt to inject a little North American feel into the game. Whenever Stewart is met with the excuse, &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not how we do it in Russia,&rdquo; he fires back with &ldquo;If it was working, I wouldn&rsquo;t be here.&rdquo;</p><p>The areas Stewart will focus on are positioning and discretion and he wants to instruct the officials to be more understanding in their penalty calling by seeing the infraction in the big picture. &ldquo;We need to understand and take the pulse of the game,&rdquo; Stewart said. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a trip, but the guy who fell made a perfect pass 50 feet up ice and everybody is now focused on the player breaking to the net, they&rsquo;re not worried about the trip that happened way back behind the blueline.&rdquo;</p><p>Instead of just being a KHL supervisor, Stewart also wants to promote teaching the craft to the younger generation to create a sustainable model. He&rsquo;s mandating that officials not on the ice watch a game with a supervisor, who can point out and discuss the good and the bad. He also wants to create referee clinics, which will include coaches, so everyone can get on the same page.</p><p>Stewart will continue his work with the ECAC and his new KHL duties will help provide  unique opportunities for young Russian officials. In December, an all-star team from the Russian junior league will make a trip to the Boston area to play against a few NCAA schools and Stewart is hoping to bring some young Russian referees to work and get a feel for the North American game. &ldquo;All the ideas I have to implement in Russia, I have been given complete authority and autonomy on it, without being a hard-ass,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I fully respect the head of officiating. I&rsquo;m not interested in his job. I&rsquo;m interested in him keeping his job.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Official Overhaul

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RB</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T WAS SURPRISING ENOUGH</b> that Paul Stewart was assigned to referee the pivotal Game 2 of the 1987 Canada Cup. After all, he had only officiated part of one NHL game after he took over for an injured Dave Newell.</p><p>But Stewart had done such a good job in the epic Soviet-Canadian tilt that the IIHF and Russian committees wanted him out there for Game 3. Stewart, who had knee surgery in July leading up to the tournament, was going to jump at the opportunity until he got a little request from John McCauley, the NHL&rsquo;s chief referee who was also assigning the Canada Cup games. &ldquo;Your next 80 games are going to come from me in the NHL,&rdquo; Stewart recalls McCauley saying. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to do this next game, because if you f---up now it screws up the next 80 games. I want you to put an ice pack on your knee when they come in to talk to you, because the whole committee will be here in five minutes. Your knee is sore and you can&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031137/9676743-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="927" height="615"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>So when the committee members came in, Stewart put that ice pack on his knee and politely declined the offer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-03

CANADA CUP? NO THANKS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021375/9676795-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ast season&rsquo;s NHL freshmen are likely praying to the hockey gods not to let them succumb to the dreaded, and often expected, second-year snooze. Well, they needn&rsquo;t worry. The point-per-game averages of the top 10 rookie scorers in seasons since the 1994-95 lockout actually tended to increase in their sophomore years. Consider this myth busted.</p><h2><b>YEAR 2</b>&nbsp;<b>Projections</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03997/9676788-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="408" height="539"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04807/9676781-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="1251" height="656"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011967/9676774-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="494" height="685"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANDESKOG: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-02

SOPHOMORE SLUMP: Reality or Myth?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012222/9676826-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="725" height="581"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DAVID BRANCH</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen</b>&nbsp;<b>it comes to</b> what he terms &ldquo;one-dimensional players,&rdquo; those who do little of consequence other than fight during games, David Branch&rsquo;s Ontario League has become the first Canadian major junior operation to increase the consequences for their actions. And that line is 10 fights.</p><p>The OHL will now issue a mandatory two-game suspension to every player who engages in his 11th fight of the season. Each subsequent bout will result in another two-game ban, league commissioner Branch said, and after a player&rsquo;s 16th fight, the OHL will tack on a $1,000 franchise fine. Any player who scraps as a result of another player instigating won&rsquo;t have that fight count against his record. Players&rsquo; fighting totals will be wiped clean before the beginning of the playoffs. &ldquo;We see this as part of the evolution of addressing needless fighting in our game,&rdquo; Branch said. &ldquo;It will be very interesting to see after this playing season what the results are in terms of hopefully (fight totals) going down.&rdquo;</p><p>Branch said if the rule had been applied during the OHL&rsquo;s 2011-12 campaign, 25 players would have been suspended at least once and only five players fought more than 15 times (Windsor Spitfires forward Ty Bilcke was the most active OHLer with 37 fighting majors). Branch added that OHL stats from the past five seasons show that 92 percent of players fight fewer than 10 times per year and 66 percent fight less than twice in one season.</p><p>Neither the Western League nor the Quebec  League had any imminent plans to follow suit. But if the OHL&rsquo;s new rule was applied to the NHL last season, 18 players would have been suspended at least once. Then-Rangers agitator Brandon Prust was tied for the league lead with Boston&rsquo;s Shawn Thornton at 20 fights.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

Ten Bouts And Out

<div class="byline">- LIZ BEVAN</div><h2><b>YEARS OF OPERATION</b></h2><p>2</p><h2><b>NUMBER OF TEAMS</b></h2><p>6 ACTIVE</p><p>4 DEFUNCT</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021670/9676892-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="264" height="297"></div><p>NHLERS: PIERRE DAGENAIS (NJ, FLA, MTL), CARTER TREVISANI (DRAFTED BY CAROLINA), K.C. TIMMONS (DRAFTED BY COLORADO)</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031133/9676885-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="140" height="300"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TROPHY</b></h2><p>THE COMMISSIONER&rsquo;S CUP</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04776/9676878-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="415" height="246"></div><h2><b>STATES REPRESENTED: 6</b></h2><p>1 ILLINOIS 2 OHIO 3 NEW YORK 4 MASSACHUSETTS 5 PENNSYLVANIA 6 CONNECTICUT</p><h2><b>WEIRDEST TEAM NICKNAMES</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05532/9676871-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="111" height="128"></div><p>ROME FRENZY</p><p><i>(DEFUNCT)</i></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06410/9676864-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="132" height="119"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>1000 ISLANDS PRIVATEERS</p><h2><b>PLAYOFF FORMAT</b></h2><p>THE TOP FOUR TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE ARE SEEDED FIRST THROUGH FOURTH: 1ST PLAYS 4TH; 2ND PLAYS 3RD. THE WINNERS OF THE FIRST ROUND ARE DETERMINED IN A BEST-OF-5 SERIES. THE WINNERS PLAY EACH OTHER IN THE COMMISSIONER&rsquo;S CUP FINAL, ALSO A BEST-OF-FIVE SERIES.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-07318/9676857-1-eng-US/f0014-072.jpg" title="f0014-07" width="458" height="142"></div><h2><b>ALL-TIME LEADERS:</b></h2><p>TOTAL POINTS: 194 PIERRE DAGENAIS</p><p>TOTAL GOALS: 107 PIERRE DAGENAIS</p><p>TOTAL ASSISTS: 90 PIERRE DAGENAIS</p><p>TOTAL PIM: 437 COREY FULTON</p><h2><b>OTHER TIDBIT:</b></h2><p>THERE IS A SALARY CAP OF $5,050 PER WEEK FOR 20 PLAYERS IN THE FIRST SIX GAMES, WHICH GETS REDUCED TO $5,050 PER WEEK FOR 17 PLAYERS FOR THE REST OF THE LEAGUE&rsquo;S 60-GAME SCHEDULE.</p><p><b>THE WILLIAMSPORT OUTLAWS</b> of the Federal League recently relocated from New Jersey &ndash; only to later realize they didn&rsquo;t have an indoor rink to play in. So the Outlaws have taken the trend of one-off outdoor games and expanded it. Williamsport will play all its 30 home games outside at Historic Bowman Field, which hosts the CrossCutters of baseball&rsquo;s New York-Penn League.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

FEDERAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>HORTLY AFTER KERRY GOULET</b> sustained his first significant concussion playing pro in Germany, he sneaked out of the hospital and was playing by the next weekend without missing a game.</p><p>The science tells us there are real dangers, but the culture of hockey continues to tell players to &ldquo;suck it up.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;We now realize we&rsquo;re doing damage to our brains,&rdquo; Goulet said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the bogeyman. If we understand it and work with it, we&rsquo;re definitely going to be able to manage it better.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-08261/9676923-1-eng-US/f0014-082.jpg" title="f0014-08" width="382" height="548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRANCH: AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It is against this backdrop that Goulet and former NHLer Keith Primeau wrote <i>Con</i><i>cussed!</i> &ndash; part cautionary tale, part preventative medicine, part public service announcement. These guys know, since they sustained seven diagnosed concussions between them &ndash; and countless more undiagnosed &ndash; and both were forced into retirement because of them. &ldquo;After going through my own difficulties and my own tribulations,&rdquo; said Primeau, who still suffers from post-concussion syndrome six years after he retired, &ldquo;I honestly believe that if managed properly along the way, I would be in a much different state than I am now.&rdquo;</p><p>Primeau is also featured in <i>Head Games,</i> a new documentary about concussions in pro, amateur and kids sports.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-08

BRAIN GAIN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MISLAV JANTOLJAK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011992/9676968-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>roatia</b>&nbsp;<b>has taken the</b> trend of outdoor games one step further. In mid-September, the city of Pula showcased professional hockey on one of the grandest &ndash; and most ancient &ndash; stages in the world.</p><p>Pula Arena, an old Roman amphitheater on the Adriatic coast more than 2,000 years old, hosted three exhibition games, the first featuring a pair of teams from the Austrian League &ndash; KHL Medvescak Zagreb, Croatia&rsquo;s most decorated hockey team, and Slovenian rival Telemach Olimpija.</p><p>Pula Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheater in the world to still feature four side towers. It is among the six largest surviving Roman arenas in the world and the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia. About 20,000 people regularly witnessed battling gladiators until Roman emperor Honorius banned the fights in the fourth century. &ldquo;<i>Gladiator</i> is one of my favorite movies,&rdquo; said Medvescak defenseman Geoff Waugh. &ldquo;When they told me we were going to play in the old Roman arena, I didn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo;</p><p>Pula&rsquo;s Arena is no stranger to hosting modern-day events, with Luciano Pavarotti having performed there, but nothing like this had ever been tried before.</p><p>Setting up the rink required special supervision by the representatives of the conservatory department, along with obligatory togas and thumbs pointed squarely up. &ldquo;This was a once in a lifetime experience to play in that kind of arena,&rdquo; said Medvescak winger Nathan Perkovich. &ldquo;With that much history, it is special for all of us.&rdquo;</p><p>Putting on the event, called Arena Ice Fever Pula MMXII, required transporting 150 tons of equipment on 22 special mega trailer trucks from Italy to Pula, a trip that took six days. To ensure no harm would come to the amphitheater, building material had to be lowered onto the center of the venue using two large cranes. The ice was placed on top of a specially built platform 1,900 square meters in size. There were 15,000 liters of glycol running through 2,540 meters of pipes to cool the ice surface, which was made out of 30,000 liters of water from Pula&rsquo;s under-ground well. And 1,800 square meters of foil, the same material used to make astronaut suits, protected the ice during the day, while special machinery operating at temperatures of-12&deg;C maintained it. Weather around 17&deg;C delayed the game, but Pula Arena did witness its modern warriors. &ldquo;I have to commend the fans who waited patiently for the beginning of the game and kept the atmosphere heated until our arrival on the ice,&rdquo; said Medvescak defenseman Sasa Martinovic. &ldquo;The atmosphere and the ambience were fantastic. I wouldn&rsquo;t trade this for anything.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021525/9676961-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="1069" height="872"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GLADIATOR GAMES</b></p><p><b>Croatia held outdoor games in September at Pula Arena, one of the world&rsquo;s largest Roman amphitheatres.</b></p></figcaption></div><p>The hockey gods decided in favor of the Olimpija&rsquo;s gladiators 3-2. Former American Leaguers Tomislav Zanoski and Mike Ratchuk were among the goal-scorers, but the biggest winner of the day was the game of hockey. More than 7,000 spectators watched in stands named in traditional fashion &ndash; such as Tribuna Moderna, Circo Imperium, Circo Senatus &ndash; all embracing the modern game in an ancient venue.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031110/9676954-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="718" height="1057"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF IGOR SOBAN)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

Old-time Hockey

f0018-01

LOOKING OUT FOR NUMBER ONE

<p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>o does the center or the defenseman go first in 2013? It will come down to who&rsquo;s picking. Our guesses based on last year&rsquo;s bottom 10 teams:</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021108/9677142-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>ANAHEIM</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>MacKinnon and Ryan Getzlaf would mirror Tampa&rsquo;s Stamkos/Lecavalier 1-2 punch at pivot.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03823/9677135-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CALGARY</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>The center position has vexed Calgary for years, but MacKinnon would be a quick fix</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04606/9677128-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>COLORADO</b></h2><h3><b>JONES</b></h3><p><i>Avs have ample talent up front, but a scoring defenseman would solve a lot of problems.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05462/9677121-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>COLUMBUS</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>Would have been better if Nash was around, but Jackets would finally get their No. 1 pivot.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-06373/9677114-1-eng-US/f0022-062.jpg" title="f0022-06" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>EDMONTON</b></h2><h3><b>JONES</b></h3><h3><b><i>No more forwards, Edmonton! Jones would help that leaky &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps right away.</i></b></h3><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-07309/9677107-1-eng-US/f0022-072.jpg" title="f0022-07" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>FLORIDA</b></h2><h3><b>JONES</b></h3><p><i>Imagine a future where Erik Gudbranson and Jones are paired together.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-08246/9677100-1-eng-US/f0022-082.jpg" title="f0022-08" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>MONTREAL</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>Going from no top centers to Galchenyuk and MacKinnon would be a godsend.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-09199/9677093-1-eng-US/f0022-092.jpg" title="f0022-09" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>NY ISLANDERS</b></h2><h3><b>JONES</b></h3><p><i>Tavares and Nielsen are your pivots; but there&rsquo;s no D-man with size and scoring around.</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-10170/9677086-1-eng-US/f0022-102.jpg" title="f0022-10" width="106" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TORONTO</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>Looks like that perfect puzzle piece to combine with Grabovs-ki down the middle</i>.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-11146/9677079-1-eng-US/f0022-112.jpg" title="f0022-11" width="106" height="105"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>WINNIPEG</b></h2><h3><b>MACKINNON</b></h3><p><i>Jets have no No. 1 center, but some great talent on wings &ndash; Kane and MacKinnon, anyone?</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-02

WHO WOULD YOU DRAFT?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02941/9677173-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MONAHAN: CHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HIS</b>&nbsp;<b>SUMMER</b>, as Nathan MacKinnon was making a case for No. 1 overall in the 2013 draft, Sean Monahan was making his to be part of the Canadian world junior team. It&rsquo;s rare for a draft eligible player even to be among the best under-20 players in the world and it&rsquo;s rarer for NHL scouts to come back thinking he was the best of them.</p><p>But that was the case over the summer when Monahan played in the four-game series between the Canadian and Russian junior teams that replaced Canada&rsquo;s summer evaluation camp. Not only did Monahan score four points, he established himself as the top forward on the Canuck squad. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s very accurate,&rdquo; said Canadian junior team coach Steve Spott. &ldquo;What we like about Sean is his versatility. He can play either center or the wing and he has elite, world-class hockey sense.&rdquo;</p><p>Monahan, who didn&rsquo;t turn 18 until mid-October, began the series as the team&rsquo;s 13th forward, but he quickly made his way up the depth chart. His performance was so good that it would take a catastrophic first half of the Ontario League season or an injury to keep him off the Canadian team that goes to Ufa, Russia, for the World Junior Championship.</p><p>And while MacKinnon and Seth Jones have staked an early claim as the top two candidates to go first overall, scouts believe Monahan will be part of that conversation by the end of the year, if he&rsquo;s not already.</p><p>It doesn&rsquo;t hurt that the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s saw enough good traits and leadership to have him share the captaincy with veteran Cody Ceci. It also doesn&rsquo;t hurt that he&rsquo;s coming off a 30-goal season with the 67&rsquo;s. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt he&rsquo;ll be nipping at (MacKinnon and Jones&rsquo;) heels,&rdquo; said one scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be on the world junior team because he can play any one of the 13 forward spots on that team. You might not get the flash from him that you&rsquo;ll get from a guy like MacKinnon, but you&rsquo;re getting a purposeful player who makes players around him better and helps teams win.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-02

MAKING HIS MOVE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011277/9677242-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">BELLEVILLE&rsquo;S <b>MALCOLM SUBBAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. KITCHENER RANGERS Last Year: 42-24-2 (5th)</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><i><span>R</span>eturning cast includes NHL first-rounders Radek Faksa and Ryan Murphy, plus second-rounder John Gibson in net. Newcomer Justin Bailey brings more size and skill up front.</i></p><h2><b>2. LONDON KNIGHTS Last Year: 49-18-1 (1st)</b></h2><p><i>Reigning champs still have firepower with Max Domi and Bo Horvat now in their draft years. Jarred Tinordi is gone, but blueline still boasts Olli Maatta (Pit) and Scott Harrington (Pit).</i></p><h2><b>3. BELLEVILLE BULLS Last Year: 35-32-1 (12th)</b></h2><p><i>Brendan Gaunce (Van) and Daniil Zharkov (Edm) lead the offensive, while the Subbans take care of the back end: Malcolm is the star in net; younger brother Jordan patrols the blueline.</i></p><h2><b>4. PLYMOUTH WHALERS Last Year: 47-18-3 (3rd)</b></h2><p><i>They got a great recruit in Team USA standout Ryan Hartman. He joins a cast that includes first-rounders Rickard Rakell (Ana), Tom Wilson (Wsh), Stefan Noesen (Ott) and J.T. Miller (NYR).</i></p><h2><b>5. BRAMPTON BATTALION Last Year: 36-22-10 (7th)</b></h2><p><i>Matej Machovsky returns in net for the Troops, who double down with a solid blueline corps that includes second-rounder Dylan Blujus (TB). Watch for young winger Brandon Robinson, too.</i></p><h2><b>6. BARRIE COLTS Last Year: 40-23-5 (6th)</b></h2><p><i>Phenom defenseman Aaron Ekblad enters Season 2 of his OHL experience and he already has a playoff run under his belt. Winnipeg Jets first-rounder Mark Scheifele also returns.</i></p><h2><b>7. SUDBURY WOLVES Last Year: 36-26-6 (8th)</b></h2><p><i>Fresh off a title at the Junior Club World Cup, the Wolves bring a great mix of experience and youth, from Frank Corrado (Van) and Josh Leivo (Tor) to the speedy Nick Baptiste (2013 eligible).</i></p><h2><b>8. GUELPH STORM Last Year: 31-31-6 (15th)</b></h2><p><i>Two-way defender Matt Finn (Tor) will captain an evolving Storm squad that also boasts a top 2013 prospect in Jason Dickinson and veteran goalie Garrett Sparks (Tor).</i></p><h2><b>9. OWEN SOUND ATTACK Last Year: 32-29-7 (13th)</b></h2><p><i>Solid cast includes draft picks Daniel Catenacci (Buf), Gemel Smith (Dal) and netminder Jordan Binnington (StL), plus 2013 eligibles Chris Bigras and Zach Nastasiuk.</i></p><h2><b>10. OSHAWA GENERALS Last Year: 31-30-7 (14th)</b></h2><p><i>Bringing in Toronto first-rounder Tyler Biggs helps offset the loss of Vancouver first-rounder Nicklas Jensen. Otherwise, the Gens have a star-studded lineup.</i></p><h2><b>11. NIAGARA ICEDOGS Last Year: 47-18-3 (2nd)</b></h2><p><i>Getting back Dougie Hamilton (Bos) during the lockout was a huge bonus for a team that will rely on Ryan Strome (NYI) and incoming rookie Anthony DiFruscia, among others.</i></p><h2><b>12. S.S. MARIE GREYHOUNDS Last Year: 29-33-6 (17th)</b></h2><p><i>The grand experiment failed last year, but the Soo returns with 2013 prospect Darnell Nurse and Red Wings pick Ryan Sproul on the back end, plus import winger Sergey Tolchinsky.</i></p><h2><b>13. WINDSOR SPITFIRES Last Year: 29-32-7 (16th)</b></h2><p><i>Draft-eligible forwards Kerby Rychel and Jordan Maletta are ready for their closeups, while import acquisition Juraj Bezuch and rookie Josh Ho-Sang come in with a lot of hype.</i></p><h2><b>14. OTTAWA 67&rsquo;S Last Year: 40-20-8 (4th)</b></h2><p><i>A lot of talent has left for the pros, but defenseman Cody Ceci (Ott) is a potential world junior candidate for Canada, while center Sean Monahan is the top OHL prospect in the draft.</i></p><h2><b>15. SAGINAW SPIRIT Last Year: 33-27-8 (10th)</b></h2><p><i>Vince Trocheck (Fla) and Jake Paterson (Det) lead an experienced squad that also boasts some intriguing youngsters in Jeremiah Addison and Jimmy Lodge.</i></p><h2><b>16. MISSISSAUGA STEELHEADS Last Year: 33-28-7 (11th)</b></h2><p><i>Led by blueliners Stuart Percy (Tor) and Trevor Carrick (Car), the newly christened Steelheads have some excellent young talent plus draft-eligible goalie Spencer Martin.</i></p><h2><b>17. SARNIA STING Last Year: 34-27-7 (9th)</b></h2><p>&lsquo;<i>Yak&rsquo; is not coming back, but Alex Galchenyuk (Mtl) is still in the house, where the Habs prospect will attempt to make up for the loss of his buddy Nail. Brett Hargrave is a strong rookie.</i></p><h2><b>18. KINGSTON FRONTENACS Last Year: 19-41-8 (19th)</b></h2><p><i>Ryan Kujawinski has already turned heads up front and now he&rsquo;ll be joined by rookie blueliners Roland McKeown and Mikko Vainonen, but it&rsquo;s a young team.</i></p><h2><b>19. PETERBOROUGH PETES Last Year: 27-34-7 (18th)</b></h2><p><i>Defender Slater Koekkoek (TB) will captain a team that will be tough to play against physically, but not tough to stop on the scoreboard.</i></p><h2><b>20. ERIE OTTERS Last Year: 10-52-6 (20th)</b></h2><p><i>Import goalie Oscar Dansk (Clb) will help, while prodigy No. 1 pick Connor McDavid will bring excitement, but it&rsquo;s another uphill battle for the Otters.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

PROJECTED STANDINGS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011459/9677280-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BIG RIG</b></p><p><b>Towering blueliner and Isles draft pick Griffin Reinhart assumes Oil Kings captaincy.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n the 10 years</b> Derek Laxdal has been coaching, he has always approached the season in eight-game segments. It&rsquo;s sometimes difficult to do that when you&rsquo;re as heavily favored as his Edmonton Oil Kings are because there might be a tendency to look ahead to the Memorial Cup, but Laxdal vows his team will take it eight games at a time.</p><p>The goal is to come out of each one with at least 10 points, something his team did in eight of the nine segments last season. Included in that were two perfect eight-game stints with 16 points, one in December and January and the other to end the regular season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021051/9677273-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="228" height="175"></div><p>So it&rsquo;s understandable a team that piled up 107 points last season, won the Western League championship and has 17 returning players on it would be the consensus pick to win the league. Laxdal thinks that, too, but knows his team plays in a competitive league where there are a lot of unknowns. &ldquo;And you&rsquo;re dealing with teenagers,&rdquo; Laxdal said. &ldquo;Sometimes there&rsquo;s a bit of re-teaching that has to be done. But in saying that, we&rsquo;re a better team now than we were at this point last season.&rdquo;</p><p>The Oil Kings are blessed with depth and talent in pretty much every facet of the game. The forward corps that finished second in goals in the WHL returns essentially intact, led by New York Rangers prospect Michael St-Croix, who paced the Oil Kings with 45 goals and 105 points and is a serious threat to win the WHL scoring championship. Henrik Samuelsson, who scored 23 points in 28 games, will improve on those totals after being taken 27th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes at the draft in June. And one player who will make a significant jump is Curtis Lazar, who played most of the season as a 16-year-old on a deep team and still managed to score 20 goals. With his size and talent, there&rsquo;s no reason to believe he can&rsquo;t double that total and emerge as a top prospect for the 2013 draft.</p><p>On defense, the Oil Kings will feel the loss of captain Mark Pysyk, but that mantle will be taken by Griffin Rein-hart, the fourth overall pick of the New York Islanders. In goal, the Oil Kings have a formidable tandem in Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit, who was named MVP of the championship series last season, and capable backup Tristan Jarry.</p><p>With a lineup that has good size, speed and offensive punch, Laxdal knows what kind of identity his team will have. &ldquo;Our philosophy is we want to continue to be an up-tempo team that keeps possession of the puck and doesn&rsquo;t just dump it in,&rdquo; Laxdal said. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;re a little bigger and stronger than we were last year, so we&rsquo;ll be looking to wear teams down in the third period.&rdquo;</p><p>By the time they got to the Memorial Cup tournament last season, it was the Oil Kings who looked worn down. Coming off an emotional seven-game victory in the WHL final over the Portland Winterhawks, Edmonton was running on empty. After winning the first game of the tournament, they lost the next three, including a lopsided affair against the Shawinigan Cataractes in the tiebreaker game to become the first team ousted from the tournament.</p><p>Almost every player on that roster felt the sting of coming up short in the Memorial Cup tournament, which can serve as both an advantage and a curse for the Oil Kings.</p><p>On one hand, there is no shortage of motivation for redemption. On the other hand, when you&rsquo;re this good and you&rsquo;ve gone this far, there is a danger of looking too far ahead and not tending to the task at hand. &ldquo;These kids know where they were last year,&rdquo; Laxdal said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re focused on meeting our goals this year. This is a long process and we all have high expectations of ourselves. And if we take care of the short-term goals, we know the long-term goals will take care of themselves.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">7 <b>WHL skaters, including Oil Kings&rsquo; Curtis Lazar, graded &lsquo;A&rsquo; by Central Scouting</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-01

Oil Ready To Boom

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011355/9677311-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">SASKATOON&rsquo;S <b>DUNCAN SIEMENS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE HISCOCK/SASKATOON BLADES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. EDMONTON OIL KINGS Last Year: 50-15-7 (1st)</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><i><span>C</span>enter Curtis Lazar is one of the top WHL forwards available in the draft. Much of 2012&rsquo;s championship core returns, including new captain Griffin Reinhart (NYI).</i></p><h2><b>2. PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS Last Year: 49-19-4 (3rd)</b></h2><p><i>Top blueline prospect Seth Jones hooks up with stalwarts Derrick Pouliot (Pit) and Tyler Wotherspoon (StL). Fellow Blues pick Ty Rattie will aim for a league scoring title.</i></p><h2><b>3. KAMLOOPS BLAZERS Last Year: 47-20-5 (4th)</b></h2><p><i>Veteran squad is well coached and can put up numbers. The offense will run through Tim Bozon (Mtl), Matt Needham (2013 draft eligible) and overager Brendan Ranford.</i></p><h2><b>4. SASKATOON BLADES Last Year: 40-29-3 (10th)</b></h2><p><i>Memorial Cup hosts have great &lsquo;D&rsquo; in Duncan Siemens (Col) and Dalton Thrower (Mtl), plus big-game goalie Andrei Makarov (Buf) and whoever is brought in for the annual host team load-up.</i></p><h2><b>5. CALGARY HITMEN Last Year: 44-25-3 (6th)</b></h2><p><i>Top 2011 bantam draft pick Jake Virtanen enters his rookie season with offense on his mind, while returning goaltender Chris Driedger (Ott) brings talent and experience.</i></p><h2><b>6. TRI-CITY AMERICANS Last Year: 50-18-4 (2nd)</b></h2><p><i>The Ams always seem to be mature and in the hunt. This year, the franchise&rsquo;s illustrious goalie history gets a new chapter with highly touted Eric Comrie playing in his draft year.</i></p><h2><b>7. KELOWNA ROCKETS Last Year: 31-31-10 (14th)</b></h2><p><i>Rockets have some great blueliners in Damon Severson (NJ) and 2013 prospect Madison Bowey, plus a recent trade brought draft eligible goaltender Jackson Whistle over from Vancouver.</i></p><h2><b>8. PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS Last Year: 21-45-6 (22nd)</b></h2><p><i>Draft picks Mark McNeill (Chi) and Mike Winther (Dal) are joined up front by German import Leon Draisaitl, while 2013 prospect Josh Morrissey patrols the blueline.</i></p><h2><b>9. MOOSE JAW WARRIORS Last Year: 45-19-8 (5th)</b></h2><p><i>Led from the back end by Toronto first-rounder Morgan Rielly and St. Louis prospect Joel Edmundson, the Warriors also have an exciting rookie in center Brayden Point.</i></p><h2><b>10. VANCOUVER GIANTS Last Year: 40-26-6 (8th)</b></h2><p><i>Veteran Giants squad will see its offense run through import left winger Marek Tvrdon (Det), while Edmonton pick David Musil keeps opponents honest from the blueline.</i></p><h2><b>11. SPOKANE CHIEFS Last Year: 38-25-9 (9th)</b></h2><p><i>Though the Chiefs don&rsquo;t boast many marquee names, this is a squad loaded with experience and well coached by Don Nachbaur. They&rsquo;ll win games with minimal hype.</i></p><h2><b>12. BRANDON WHEAT KINGS Last Year: 39-28-5 (11th)</b></h2><p><i>The Wheaties&rsquo; back end is highlighted by the 2013-eligible duo of Ryan Pulock (60 points last year) and Eric Roy, while Swiss import Alessio Bertaggia carries the water up front.</i></p><h2><b>13. MEDICINE HAT TIGERS Last Year: 42-24-6 (7th)</b></h2><p><i>Hunter Shinkaruk is a top draft prospect and the late birthday gets the captaincy to add to his accolades. With Emerson Etem in the pros, Miles Koules comes in to aid the offense.</i></p><h2><b>14. EVERETT SILVERTIPS Last Year: 22-40-10 (19th)</b></h2><p><i>The Tips get some bonus Ryan Murray (Clb) time thanks to the lockout, but he&rsquo;s not alone on the &lsquo;D&rsquo; &ndash; Blues pick Nick Walters also returns. Four of five top scorers are back, too.</i></p><h2><b>15. SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS Last Year: 27-37-8 (16th)</b></h2><p><i>Import goalie Eetu Laurikainen was great in exhibition play. Coda Gordon (Cgy) and Adam Lowry, (Wpg) are up front, with Reece Scarlett (NJ) and &rsquo;13 prospect Dillon Heatherington on &lsquo;D.&rsquo;</i></p><h2><b>16. RED DEER REBELS Last Year: 32-34-6 (15th)</b></h2><p><i>Minnesota pick Matt Dumba will once again drive the train for the Rebels from the blueline, while a healthy Patrik Bartosak in net will mean a world of difference.</i></p><h2><b>17. KOOTENAY ICE Last Year: 36-26-10 (13th)</b></h2><p><i>Just how many points will Sam Reinhart score? Expect big numbers from the 2014 prospect. Joey Leach (Cgy) and Drew Czerwonka (Edm) among holdovers from &rsquo;11 champ team.</i></p><h2><b>18. REGINA PATS Last Year: 37-27-8 (12th)</b></h2><p><i>Pats hope to build on last season&rsquo;s playoff berth and success will run through forwards Chandler Stephenson (Was) and Morgan Klimchuk, a top-rated prospect for 2013.</i></p><h2><b>19. VICTORIA ROYALS Last Year: 24-41-7 (18th)</b></h2><p><i>Logan Nelson (Buf) and Steven Hodges (Fla) bring back offense, while four D-men tip the scales at 200-plus pounds.</i></p><h2><b>20. PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS Last Year: 24-46-2 (21st)</b></h2><p><i>Decent amount of offense up front, studded by Colin Jacobs (Buf), Troy Bourke (Col) and Alex Forsberg (2013 eligible).</i></p><h2><b>21. SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS Last Year: 25-45-2 (20th)</b></h2><p><i>Shea Theodore brings offense from the blueline. Latvian import Roberts Lipsbergs had a great pre-season.</i></p><h2><b>22. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES Last Year: 29-42-1 (17th)</b></h2><p><i>New goalie Ty Rimmer needs to be a lifesaver. Draft prospects include Jay Merkley, Adam Henry and Axel Blomqvist.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011438/9677349-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>UP FOR AN ENCORE?</b></p><p><b>Mikhail Grigorenko is looking to better his 2011-12 CHL rookie of the year performance.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>or the Quebec Remparts,</b> this season will be about managing expectations. After all, a panel of NHL scouts ranked them as the No. 1 team in the Canadian Hockey League before the season even began. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re the No. 1 team in Canada as we speak,&rdquo; said Remparts coach-GM Patrick Roy. &ldquo;Maybe you should call me a few weeks from now. The type of approach we have is the same as the past couple of years. We want to progress as a team and focus on our team and not what people think about us.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021010/9677342-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="195" height="180"></div><p>Roy said during training camp he expects his team to be among the top five in the Quebec League. He also added that might have been a conservative estimate. But even with 12 new players in the lineup, the Remparts are primed to win the East Division and go deep in the playoffs.</p><p>To do that and win the Quebec League, they will have to get past the Halifax Mooseheads. After cruising through the first round by sweeping the Drummondville Voltiguers, the Remparts took a 3-0 lead on the Mooseheads before coughing up four straight &ndash; three of them one-goal games &ndash; to get ousted in the second round. Roy thinks the season was still a success, since nobody expected the Remparts to be as good as they were. Getting to the second round was considered a triumph, even if it ended in disappointment. In what could be a delicious case of serendipity, the Remparts and Mooseheads were the pre-season favorites to win the league this season, with some making a case for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.</p><p>The Remparts have the potential to be one of the most explosively offensive teams in the CHL, led by the enigmatic Mikhail Grigorenko, who fell to 12th in the NHL draft last June before the Buffalo Sabres took him. It turns out Grigorenko, the CHL rookie of the year in 2011-12, was suffering from a bout of mononucleosis during the playoffs that sapped his strength and enormously limited his effectiveness in the series against the Mooseheads.</p><p>But if there is one player with an opportunity to prove his critics wrong, it&rsquo;s Grigorenko. There were allegations that spanned the spectrum &ndash; from the fact that he was actually 20 years old (unfounded) to the observations he was a lazy player who played only when inspired. But he still managed to score 40 goals and 85 points in just 59 games last season. There are some observers who believe the Sabres got the steal of the draft with Grigorenko in the No. 12 spot.</p><p>On Grigorenko&rsquo;s left wing will be Anthony Duclair, a fellow QMJHL sophomore who scored 31 goals last season. On the other wing will be Adam Erne, who scored 28 as a rookie in 2011-12. Duclair and Erne are prospects expected to go in the first round of the 2013 draft. The offense will also be supplemented by Danish import Nick Sorensen, who had nine points in eight games before blowing out his knee and missing the remainder of the season. The Remparts also got more high-level talent when they took Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Nikita Kucherov in the CHL import draft. Playing for the Red Army last season, Kucherov was part of the Russian team that finished second in the World Junior Championship and was an offensive standout, scoring seven points in seven games. He will add even more punch to the Remparts once he returns from off-season shoulder surgery in November.</p><p>The Remparts have a glut of Europeans at the moment and will have to make some decisions on whom to keep when Kucherov clears and the Sabres decide whether or not they want to keep Grigorenko. But it&rsquo;s a good problem to have.</p><p>And they will have no trouble creating offense, though Roy acknowledges his young &lsquo;D&rsquo; and goaltenders will have to develop well as the season progresses. The Remparts have some veteran presence on defense in Martin Lefebvre, Marc-Antoine Carrier and Ryan Culkin, but the remainder of the corps is young and unproven. &ldquo;If those guys develop well, we&rsquo;ll be a good team, but if not, we&rsquo;ll be like everyone else and we&rsquo;ll have to work hard to win our games and be a .500 team,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;Goaltending and defense are probably our question marks. Last year was the opposite.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">44 <b>Grigorenko&rsquo;s points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 26 international games played</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

Limitless Probabilities

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011270/9677387-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MONCTON&rsquo;S <b>JAMES MELINDY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DANIEL ST. LOUIS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. QUEBEC REMPARTS Last Year: 43-18-7 (4th)</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><i><span>M</span>ikhail Grigorenko leads a flashy pack up front that also includes 2013 prospects Adam Erne and Anthony Duclair. Francois Brassard (Ott) takes over in net.</i></p><h2><b>2. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS Last Year: 39-22-7 (6th)</b></h2><p><i>Top 2013 prospect Nathan MacKinnon is joined in the draft pool by winger Jonathan Drouin and netminder Zach Fucale, while Martin Frk (Det) brings more offense.</i></p><h2><b>3. B&rsquo;VILLE-BOISBRIAND ARMADA Last Year: 40-22-6 (5th)</b></h2><p><i>Devils first-rounder Stefan Matteau enters his hyped first season in the &lsquo;Q,&rsquo; while Xavier Ouellet (Det) will bring a heap of offense from the blueline.</i></p><h2><b>4. RIMOUSKI OCEANIC Last Year: 40-26-2 (7th)</b></h2><p><i>Rookie Anthony DeLuca was a revelation in the pre-season, but he&rsquo;s not alone. The balanced squad also boasts 2013 prospect Samuel Morin (6-foot-6, 203 pounds) on the back end.</i></p><h2><b>5. MONCTON WILDCATS Last Year: 30-31-7 (11th)</b></h2><p><i>Cats hit double-import paydirt with Dmitrij Jaskin (StL) and Ivan Barbashev, while also retaining the offensive services of the Saulnier twins, Allain and Alex.</i></p><h2><b>6. CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS Last Year: 35-24-9 (8th)</b></h2><p><i>With Christopher Gibson (LA) in net and Charles Hudon (Mtl) heading up the offense up front, the Sags can come at you from many different angles.</i></p><h2><b>7. ACADIE-BATHURST TITAN Last Year: 32-31-5 (9th)</b></h2><p><i>Most of the Titan&rsquo;s scoring will come from established veterans such as Zach O&rsquo;Brien and Matthew Bissonnette, but also watch out for San Jose pick Christophe Lalancette.</i></p><h2><b>8. GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES Last Year: 26-32-10 (14th)</b></h2><p><i>Much of the production after last year&rsquo;s trade deadline purge is still around, including leading scorer Tomas Hyka (LA). He&rsquo;s joined by fellow Czech Martin Reway this year.</i></p><h2><b>9. C.B. SCREAMING EAGLES Last Year: 23-42-3 (16th)</b></h2><p><i>Cape Breton comes back with a new goalie in veteran import David Honzik (Van), plus draft eligible pivot William Carrier, who won bronze at the world under-18s with Canada.</i></p><h2><b>10. BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR Last Year: 29-34-5 (13th)</b></h2><p><i>Experienced squad will bring a balanced attack. Minnesota pick Raphael Bussieres brings sandpaper as well as scoring, while the blueline corps has a ton of size.</i></p><h2><b>11. VAL D&rsquo;OR FOREURS Last Year: 31-32-5 (10th)</b></h2><p><i>Draft prospect Anthony Mantha was a beast in the pre-season, while Memorial Cup hero Anton Zlobin (Pit) comes over from Shawinigan. Watch for 2013 eligible Matt Murphy, too.</i></p><h2><b>12. VICTORIAVILLE TIGRES Last Year: 44-18-6 (3rd)</b></h2><p><i>With Honzik traded, the crease belongs exclusively to Brandon Whitney (Chi). Fellow Hawks prospect Phillip Danault and big D-man Troy Vance (Dal) are also key.</i></p><h2><b>13. ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES Last Year: 24-36-8 (15th)</b></h2><p><i>Most of last year&rsquo;s production is back, highlighted by imports Denis Kamaev and Sven Andrighetto. Chicago pick Dillon Fournier is a standout on the blueline.</i></p><h2><b>14. DRUMMONDVILLE VOLTIGEURS Last Year: 28-31-9 (12th)</b></h2><p><i>Late birthday Domenic Graham is a draft prospect in net, while Olivier Archambault (Mtl) provides the snipes.</i></p><h2><b>15. SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS Last Year: 50-15-3 (1st)</b></h2><p><i>Dogs are a husk of the back-to-back league champ editions, but the lockout at least means bonus Jonathan Huberdeau.</i></p><h2><b>16. SHERBROOKE PHOENIX Last Year: DNP</b></h2><p><i>Expansion squad will be led up front by veteran Alexandre Comtois with rookie Daniel Audette as the near future.</i></p><h2><b>17. SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES Last Year: 45-16-7 (2nd)</b></h2><p><i>Like Saint John, the Cats bet the farm on last season and came out with a Memorial Cup championship. But nothing is left.</i></p><h2><b>18. P.E.I. ROCKET Last Year: 19-43-6 (17th)</b></h2><p><i>Ben Duffy is a standout up front, but will he be wearing a different jersey by the time the season&rsquo;s done?</i></p><h2><b>SHERBROOKE PHOENIX</b></h2><p>Born from the ashes of the Lewiston Maineiacs, the Phoenix are still a traditional expansion team built through a league-wide draft. The Maineiacs were dispersed throughout the &lsquo;Q&rsquo; last season because Phoenix ownership didn&rsquo;t think it could properly ice a team in such a quick time span.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02871/9677380-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="477" height="501"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-01

f0031-01

87 AT 25 AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE 1987 CANADA CUP

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02912/9677477-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LOCKOUT LADIES</b></p><p><b>Tessa Bonhomme&rsquo;s Canadian Women&rsquo;s League is an option to fill the hockey void.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRANDON TAYLOR/CWHL)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011345/9677484-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="206" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he prospect of any stretch</b> without NHL games scares some people. While that&rsquo;s understandable &ndash; it&rsquo;s only natural to miss the best league and the athletes in it &ndash; you don&rsquo;t have to lose out on a positive hockey experience this winter just because some boardroom soap opera is playing out in super-agonizingly slow-motion.</p><p>I&rsquo;ll be finding ways to enjoy the sport in the NHL&rsquo;s absence and hopefully you&rsquo;ll find some ideas to help you forget the more crass financial elements of the game. (I&rsquo;d call it a lockout survival guide, but the truth is these are hockey-centric things all fans of the game can and should look into regardless of any labor war.)</p><p>I&rsquo;ll be reading more hockey books. Hey, remember books? Paper versions of small sections of the Internet? Yeah, well, they still make those things and some of them offer fascinating insights. I&rsquo;m planning on rereading a couple of important classics: Ken Dryden&rsquo;s timeless masterpiece <i>The Game</i>, along with Russ Conway&rsquo;s <i>Game Misconduct: Alan Eagleson and the Corruption of Hockey</i>, an incredible expose of the disgraced former NHL Players&rsquo; Association boss. Both books still resonate decades after their initial publishing, as they highlight the best and worst achievements in the sport&rsquo;s history.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; There&rsquo;s quality hockey all around you</b></blockquote><p>I&rsquo;ll be reading some new books, too, including Canadian writer/musician Dave Bidini&rsquo;s take on the final game of the Summit Series, <i>A Wild Stab for It: This Is Game Eight from Russia</i>. I&rsquo;m also looking forward to <i>Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Bron</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>cos</i> by Leesa Culp, Gregg Drinnan and former Broncos player Bob Wilkie. That book, chronicling the bus crash that killed four members of the Western League team, also features a foreword from THN senior editor Brian Costello, who was on the bus as a reporter. A new perspective on these old events gives me a richer appreciation for the game.</p><p>I&rsquo;ll also be watching other hockey leagues. I&rsquo;m not just talking about the American League, ECHL or the Canadian major junior leagues as hockey viewing alternatives. One of the best experiences I had during the NHL&rsquo;s 2004-05 lost season was following the Toronto Aeros of the then National Women&rsquo;s League, now the Canadian Women&rsquo;s League. That team&rsquo;s players, which included long-time Canadian Olympians Jennifer Botterill and Cherie Piper, weren&rsquo;t paid a penny, but the joy they displayed as they went on to win the NWHL title that season was a perfect reminder of the priceless wonders hockey can give to anyone who loves it.</p><p>The fact is there&rsquo;s quality hockey being played all around you. All it takes is an open mind and a bit of determination to find it. The bonus is it&rsquo;s also far less expensive to enjoy.</p><p>I&rsquo;ll be watching hockey movies, more specifically two hockey documentaries. The first is <i>The Last Gladiators</i>, a real-life glimpse into the roller-coaster existence of hockey enforcers. Directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, the film centers around the turbulent career and post-playing-days adjustment of former Canadiens tough guy Chris Nilan and it was praised during its premiere at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival.</p><p>The other is <i>Champion City</i>, a 2012 release from Winnipeg director Andrew Wall that focuses on the 1896 game between the Winnipeg Victorias and their identically nicknamed opponents (and defending pre-NHL era Stanley Cup champs) from Montreal. There&rsquo;s obviously no filmed footage of the event, but the history behind the single-game showdown definitely piques my interest.</p><p>There are many ways to stay hockey-occupied during a lockout. If you can&rsquo;t have power over the NHL&rsquo;s business, there&rsquo;s nothing stopping you from taking over the entertainment reins yourself.</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU?</p><p>READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN THURSDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THN.COM/PROTEAU">THN.COM/PROTEAU</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

No NHL? No Worries

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN MCNALLY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02904/9677529-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="249" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011306/9677536-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03731/9677522-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1297" height="1113"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ADAM OATES</b><span class="photo-credit">(OATES: MARK GAIL/THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ew Capitals coach</b> Adam Oates just wants to get started. Washington GM George McPhee hired him June 26 &ndash; the same day Oates was elected to the Hall of Fame &ndash; and Oates was supposed to conduct his first training camp in September. The organization hopes he can build on the success the team had under former coach Dale Hunter last season while still transforming to a more offensively balanced, fanfriendly style of hockey.</p><p>Instead of putting that plan in place, Oates spent his first few weeks at the team&rsquo;s Arlington, Va., headquarters watching as much video as possible and simply getting to know his players as they trickled into town for informal workouts. Now, with the NHL lockout in effect, that first impression  must suffice for a while. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m frustrated because obviously I want to start coaching,&rdquo; said Oates, an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils the past two seasons. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a part of life. The union issue is the same issue with everybody. So when it happens I&rsquo;ll get my chance.&rdquo;</p><p>When he does, Oates must conjure more offense out of a team that lost right winger Alexander Semin to free agency, but traded for veteran center Mike Ribeiro. McPhee also added one-time 23-goal scorer Wojtek Wolski on a $600,000 contract. Meanwhile, almost the entire blueline returns after the summer signings of restricted free agents Mike Green and John Carlson. Only Dennis Wideman, who led Washington&rsquo;s defensemen with 46 points, departed. &ldquo;(Oates is) a very detailed guy,&rdquo; Carlson said. &ldquo;He really has a good eye. He knows what he wants and he knows what he wants out of certain players.&rdquo;</p><p>Carlson was impressed that even in four or five relatively brief conversations in August and September, Oates could give a detailed breakdown of his game at both ends of the ice. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so knowledgeable,&rdquo; Carlson said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve never thought about it like that.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>That is exactly how McPhee described Oates after making the hire. It is a notion backed by Olaf Kolzig, a former teammate and Washington&rsquo;s associate goaltending coach. He believes Oates&rsquo; skill as a communicator could be his best asset in getting his star players to buy into his system and execute it. &ldquo;He is going to have a way to get to those offensively skilled guys like (Alex Ovechkin) and (Nicklas Backstrom), Marcus Johansson &ndash; guys that have the ability to put the puck in the net,&rdquo; Kolzig said. &ldquo;At the same time, he&rsquo;s still going to key on defensive-zone accountability. What we&rsquo;re going to have is a great balance.&rdquo;</p><p>But is it enough to lift the Caps back atop the Southeast Division? The Florida Panthers ended Washington&rsquo;s string at four consecutive division titles last season and have one of the sport&rsquo;s deepest prospect pools. The Carolina Hurricanes signed Semin, hoping he can regain his elite scoring touch, and traded for center Jordan Staal.</p><p>Oates believes he has versatility up front with players like Troy Brouwer, Brooks Laich, Wolski and Johansson. The center position with Ribeiro on board is as deep as it&rsquo;s been since Oates&rsquo; tenure in Washington as a player in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But there also isn&rsquo;t an obvious candidate to play right wing on the top line and Oates hasn&rsquo;t said if he&rsquo;ll keep Backstrom and Ovechkin together. Of course, all such plans are on hold during the lockout. &ldquo;You sit around waiting, you talk and you hope that stuff gets resolved for the right reasons as quick as possible,&rdquo; Oates said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure that&rsquo;s what the guys are thinking, too.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>DISHING IN D.C.</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04593/9677515-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="242" height="413"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DENNIS MARUK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARUK: STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>MOST ASSISTS BY CAPTIAL IN ONE SEASON</p><h3><b>Dennis Maruk</b></h3><p>1981-82</p><p><i>76</i></p><h3><b>Adam Oates</b></h3><p>2000-01</p><p><i>69</i></p><h3><b>N. Backstrom</b></h3><p>2009-10</p><p><i>68</i></p><h3><b>N. Backstrom</b></h3><p>2008-09</p><p><i>66</i></p><h3><b>M.</b>&nbsp;<b>Pivonka</b></h3><p>1995-96</p><p><i>65</i></p><h3><b>Scott Stevens</b></h3><p>1988-89</p><p><i>61</i></p><h3><b>Scott Stevens</b></h3><p>1987-88</p><p><i>60</i></p><h3><b>Dale Hunter</b></h3><p>1992-93</p><p><i>59</i></p><h3><b>Dennis Maruk</b></h3><p>1978-79</p><p><i>59</i></p><h3><b>Alex Ovechkin</b></h3><p>2009-10</p><p><i>59</i></p><blockquote class="pullQuote">4 <b>Teams with longer active Stanley Cup droughts than the Caps (Tor, StL, Van, Buf)</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0038-02

Champing At The Bit In D.C.

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOSH YOHE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011195/9677658-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02796/9677651-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03628/9677644-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="657" height="773"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRANDON SUTTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SUTTER: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>B</b>randon Sutter roamed the Penguins&rsquo; dressing room and settled on a stall opposite from where Jordan Staal once sat.</p><p>You can&rsquo;t blame him for wanting to sit somewhere other than Staal&rsquo;s vacant seat. After all, he&rsquo;s getting tired of being compared to him since the June trade. &ldquo;Jordan&rsquo;s a great hockey player,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to be him. I&rsquo;m just going to play my game and hopefully that will be a good thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Sutter had grown to love Raleigh, N.C., and was devastated by the trade. Then, he realized replacing the best third-line center in the league would be no easy chore. One thing, however, is undeniably positive. Sutter has management&rsquo;s support. &ldquo;We never would have made that trade,&rdquo; said Penguins GM Ray Shero, &ldquo;unless Brandon Sutter was part of it.&rdquo;</p><p>The plan for Sutter is simple. If he chips in 15-20 goals &ndash; which he&rsquo;s more or less done the past three seasons (21, 14 and 17) &ndash; the Penguins will be pleased. His real duty, though, will come in his defensive zone. With Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin providing offensive punch down the middle, Pittsburgh wants Sutter to shut down the opposition&rsquo;s best center. That was always Staal&rsquo;s role, but it was a job he grew weary of because he felt it was restraining his offensive potential. &ldquo;I want to score goals, too,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;I want to develop that part of my game even more. But I also know I need to play good defense. I&rsquo;m going to do what the coaches tell me to do.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04526/9677637-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="555" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05443/9677630-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06368/9677623-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>While critics keep wondering when Martin Brodeur will start showing his 40 years of age, no such worries surround No. 2 goalie <b>Johan Hedberg</b>. The 39-year-old Swede has become even better as a backup in the twilight of his career, posting some of his strongest numbers in goals-against average and save percentage over the past three campaigns.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07321/9677616-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08272/9677609-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VISNOVSKY: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Things will be awkward at first when <b>Lubomir Visnovsky</b> suits up for the Islanders after asking out of town. But after an arbitrator upheld his trade from Anaheim, New York will gladly take him. Visnovsky gives the Isles a top offensive unit on &lsquo;D&rsquo; with captain Mark Streit to go with a blossoming shutdown pair in Travis Hamonic and Andrew MacDonald.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09220/9677602-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10189/9677595-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HALPERN: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>All the off-season talk in New York was about the acquisition of Rick Nash to take care of the Rangers&rsquo; scoring woes. But bringing in <b>Jeff Halpern</b> addresses another of the team&rsquo;s deficiencies: faceoffs. Halpern ranked fifth overall last season at 58.3 percent. The Rangers were 50 percent (T-18th). Brad Richards and Brian Boyle were tops on the team at 51.8 each.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11166/9677588-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12150/9677581-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRIERE: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the season is lost to the lockout, <b>Danny Briere</b> earned his final windfall in 2011-12. The 35-year-old is in the sixth year of the eight-year, $52-million contract he signed with Philly in the summer of 2007. The heavily front-loaded deal was structured to pay him $7 million in 2012-13, then drop to $3 million and $2 million in his final two seasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13129/9677574-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-14115/9677567-1-eng-US/f0039-142.jpg" title="f0039-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HEDBERG+MARTIN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Five million is a lot to pay for dependability, but <b>Paul Martin</b> delivers. Not including his injury-shortened &rsquo;09-10, Martin has played 70-82 games, scored 2-6 goals and tallied 24-37 points in each of his eight NHL seasons. He&rsquo;s posted nearly identical campaigns in his first two years with the Pens: 77/73 GP, 3/2 goals, 24/27 points, plus-9 (both) and 16/18 PIM.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

New Stall For Sutter

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN VOGL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02574/9677773-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01899/9677780-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03444/9677766-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="658" height="780"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE OTT</b> <span class="photo-credit">(OTT: BRUCE BENN ETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>T</b>he Sabres&rsquo; lollygagging had grown wearisome. They needed a competitive makeover.</p><p>Enter Steve Ott. The center&rsquo;s hatred for losing mirrors opponents&rsquo; disdain for him.</p><p>There shouldn&rsquo;t be many easy nights in Buffalo anymore. &ldquo;I want to bring my consistency of being hard to play against every single night,&rdquo; Ott said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done that since the start of my career and I have a ton of game left. I haven&rsquo;t even reached part of my peak yet.&rdquo;</p><p>The 30-year-old became a fan favorite during his nine seasons in Dallas with a pugnacious attitude. Buffalo decided Ott&rsquo;s grit was needed more than Derek Roy&rsquo;s skill, so GM Darcy Regier made the swap. &ldquo;More than anything else, we needed to move the balance of skill versus the physical nature of our game, being a tougher team to play against,&rdquo; Regier said. &ldquo;Steve can play as a complement to our higher-skill guys and contribute in a lot of different ways.&rdquo;</p><p>Ott actually knew plenty about the Sabres before arriving in Buffalo for workouts. His parents served as billets for Mike Weber when the Sabres defenseman played junior in Windsor and the players consider themselves brothers. They&rsquo;ve been inseparable in Buffalo. &ldquo;I called him right away and I could barely get it out,&rdquo; Ott said. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Uh &hellip; Webby.&rsquo; He was like, &lsquo;Is the phone breaking up?&rsquo; And I said, &lsquo;Nope, hold on one second, just let me pull it together&hellip;We&rsquo;re going to be playing together here as Sabres.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04358/9677759-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="555" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05303/9677752-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06265/9677745-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>In the week preceding the lockout, Boston GM Peter Chiarelli was a busy man, signing cornerstones Tyler Seguin, Milan Lucic and <b>Brad Marchand</b> to multi-year contract extensions worth a combined $70.5 million. That leaves only Nathan Horton (UFA) and Tuukka Rask (RFA) as the Bruins&rsquo; noteworthy unsigned free agents in summer 2013.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07230/9677738-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08198/9677731-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EHRHOFF: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Christian</b>&nbsp;<b>Ehrhoff</b> was the first Sabres player to find work during the lockout, signing with the Krefeld Penguins of the German League. The 30-year-old German played more than three seasons with Krefeld before his NHL career began and won a championship with that franchise in 2002-03. He spent much of this summer working out there.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09147/9677724-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10133/9677717-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SUBBAN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>P.K.</b>&nbsp;<b>Subban</b> was one of the few prominent restricted free agents who didn&rsquo;t sign a contract extension before the CBA expired. To pass time during the lockout, he and brother/Bruins goalie prospect Malcolm will spearhead a new charity &ndash; Hyundai Hockey Helpers &ndash; aiding underprivileged kids with hockey registration and equipment costs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11117/9677710-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12106/9677703-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MICHALEK: ANDRE RING UETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Milan</b>&nbsp;<b>Michalek</b> underwent abdominal surgery in early September and was expected to be sidelined four to six weeks. Because he was injured while training in August, he was the only Senators player not locked out by the league. As such, he will still be paid his salary and can practise and receive treatment from within the organization.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1395/9677696-1-eng-US/f0040-132.jpg" title="f0040-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1477/9677689-1-eng-US/f0040-142.jpg" title="f0040-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARCHAND+ALLAIRE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In a surprise and controversial move labelled a &ldquo;mutual decision&rdquo;, goalie coach <b>Francois Allaire</b> left the Maple Leafs in mid-September. In his three seasons with Toronto, Allaire&rsquo;s netminders &ndash; including Vesa Toskala, Jonas Gustavsson, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, James Reimer and Ben Scrivens &ndash; finished 29th, T-20th and 30th in team save percentage.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

Ott Feels At Home

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01778/9677902-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02508/9677895-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04358/9677888-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="657" height="770"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>VINCENT LECAVALIER & STEVE STAMKOS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LECAVALIER-STAMKOS: BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b>or a team that missed the playoffs last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking dangerous on paper. Bringing in Anders Lindback to stanch the bleeding in net helps, as do the additions of Sami Salo and Matt Carle on defense.</p><p>But the true strength lies up front in a pair of all-star centers, each with a Rocket Richard Trophy to his name: rising superstar Steven Stamkos and veteran Vincent Lecavalier. That 1-2 punch down the middle will be key this season. &ldquo;With Steven, he&rsquo;s probably the best forward in the league,&rdquo; Lecavalier said. &ldquo;Everyone talks about the top two lines and it brings us depth. We try to do the best on our lines and if we can both have a really good year, we&rsquo;ll do very well.&rdquo;</p><p>While Lecavalier has settled in as the No. 2 pivot after years of battle and a Stanley Cup ring, Stamkos is still is honing his overall game and trailed Lecavalier in faceoff percentage last season. &ldquo;Faceoffs are something I tried to improve on over the summer,&rdquo; Stamkos said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been more aware of paying attention to the tendencies guys have and working with some of the better faceoff guys on our team. It&rsquo;s something you pick up as you mature.&rdquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Lecavalier won his goal-scoring title in 2007, while Stamkos holds two of the past three crowns. Now it&rsquo;s time to keep that momentum going. &ldquo;Last year was my most consistent year and that&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve worked hard towards,&rdquo; Stamkos said. &ldquo;Hopefully I have another great year this season.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03413/9677881-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="555" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05324/9677874-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06281/9677867-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SKINNER: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Hurricanes hope <b>Jeff Skinner</b> will get the same benefit from playing in the AHL during the lockout as Eric Staal did in 2004-05. Back then, Staal was coming off a 31-point rookie season when he went to the minors. He returned to the NHL as a 100-point man who led the playoffs in scoring and Carolina to its first Stanley Cup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07241/9677860-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08187/9677853-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUBERDEAU: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Quebec League&rsquo;s Saint John Sea Dogs felt a benefit of the NHL lockout when star center <b>Jonathan Huberdeau</b> returned. The third overall pick in 2011 is considered a lock to stick with the Panthers when the season starts. Saint John has reached consecutive Memorial Cups, but the team lost most of its high-end players to the pros and is in transition.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09138/9677846-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10111/9677839-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GARON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Tampa acquired Anders Lindback from Nashville to be their goalie of the future and save them from the awful netminding that sunk them in 2011-12. But coach Guy Boucher gave <b>Mathieu Garon</b> a vote of confidence and implied the goalies will be No. 1 and 1A. Lindback will be eased in as the starter since he has been just a backup for two years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1191/9677832-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1276/9677825-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OVECHKIN: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It may have been posturing, but after <b>Alex Ovechkin</b> signed with the KHL&rsquo;s Dynamo Moscow he said if NHL contracts were slashed and the new CBA wasn&rsquo;t to his liking he&rsquo;d consider staying in Russia. Suggestions like this are sure to frighten Capitals fans, who are well aware Ovechkin is determined to play in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1362/9677818-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1451/9677811-1-eng-US/f0041-142.jpg" title="f0041-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BURMISTROV: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Alexander Burmistrov</b> has tried on several different jerseys of late. When the Russian reports to the AHL&rsquo;s St. John&rsquo;s IceCaps to start this season, it will be his fifth team in five years. The pivot has gone from Russia&rsquo;s Ak-Bars, to OHL Barrie, to the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg and now out to The Rock, where he hopes to find consistency at the pro level.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Lightning Rockets

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02531/9677947-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="249" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01826/9677954-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" 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/f0042-03418/9677940-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="1297" height="1137"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MAIN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>n the first seven</b> years of the NHL&rsquo;s salary-capped era, no Stanley Cup-winning team repeated the feat the following season. But the current defending champs in Los Angeles are dead-set on being crowned the planet&rsquo;s best group of hockey players for back-to-back years. The Kings have that intense focus and they&rsquo;ve brought back all the same weapons to help them get the job done again.</p><p>Although the Kings didn&rsquo;t rampage through the 2011-12 regular season, finishing eighth in the conference with 95 points (just five ahead of ninth-place Calgary), the manner in which they dominated the playoffs &ndash; a 16-4 crusade &ndash; gave GM Dean Lombardi and his management team ample reason to reward them. That said, it was somewhat surprising to see L.A. bring back the same roster for the 2012-13 campaign, if only because the machinations of the cap always have necessitated some player turnover in Cup-winning teams.</p><p>But Lombardi, assistant GM Ron Hextall and others have built this team for the present and the future. The Kings&rsquo; core players &ndash; Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Dustin Brown and Jeff Carter &ndash; are no older than 28 and as young as 22. And with the exception of Brown, Lombardi has each of them locked up until at least the summer of 2016. So you can see why they&rsquo;d be so willing to double down with the group that brought the franchise its first Cup. This team has earned a shot to repeat in a way few, if any other teams ever may. &ldquo;There was only a few big pieces available in free agency and everything that was in the trade market didn&rsquo;t make sense,&rdquo; Lombardi says. &ldquo;But the means for this team to get better are already in the room. We&rsquo;re one of the youngest teams in the league.&rdquo;</p><p>The Kings are well aware there will be a target on their backs all season. They also know they&rsquo;ll need continued growth from their young players as well as a full season of the playoff chemistry displayed by Carter and Richards to keep pace in the ever-competitive Western Conference. An identical roster coming off a Cup win could be a breeding ground for complacency, but L.A.&rsquo;s management is fully prepared to nip that in the bud. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s human nature,&rdquo; Hextall says. &ldquo;The average human being that has success, there&rsquo;s a tendency to get complacent. That&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;ve talked about and we&rsquo;re going to fight it. There&rsquo;s no room for that. We won one and we&rsquo;re happy we won one, but we&rsquo;re not satisfied. Complacency can&rsquo;t be something we allow to creep in.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;I think of (superstar NFL quarter-back) Tom Brady&rsquo;s line: &lsquo;What&rsquo;s my favorite ring? The next one,&rsquo; &rdquo; Lombardi adds. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the feeling we want permeating the room.&rdquo;</p><p>The Kings have some solid prospects in the system. American League blueliner Jake Muzzin has good size and eats minutes in Manchester, while Tyler Toffoli (ranked 39th in Future Watch) just completed a stellar Ontario League career with the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s. And that&rsquo;s not counting recent firstrounders D-man Derek Forbort (64th in FW) and left winger Tanner Pearson. But a rookie isn&rsquo;t likely to crack the Kings lineup. What you&rsquo;ll see is the same thing you got last season. And considering the manner in which the year ended, that&rsquo;s a good thing. &ldquo;When you have a successful season, the guys who were successful for you pretty much have their jobs,&rdquo; Hextall says. &ldquo;Our guys did a great job for us the last three months of the season, so I don&rsquo;t see why we&rsquo;d even consider changes right now unless it&rsquo;s an upgrade. And certainly internally right now, there&rsquo;s no upgrades, nobody who will be better.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Deja</b>&nbsp;<b>vu</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04334/9677933-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="242" height="444"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVE YZERMAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(YZERMAN: IAN TOMLINSON/ALLSPORT VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>MOST RECENT REPEAT CHAMPS</p><h3><b>Detroit Red Wings</b></h3><p><i>1997-1998</i></p><h3><b>Pittsburgh Penguins</b></h3><p><i>1991-1992</i></p><h3><b>Edmonton Oilers</b></h3><p><i>1987-1988</i></p><h3><b>Edmonton Oilers</b></h3><p><i>1984-1985</i></p><h3><b>New York Islanders</b></h3><p><i>1980-1983</i></p><h3><b>Montreal Canadiens</b></h3><p><i>1976-1979</i></p><h3><b>Philadelphia Flyers</b></h3><p><i>1974-1975</i></p><h3><b>Montreal Canadiens</b></h3><p><i>1968-1969</i></p><h3><b>Montreal Canadiens</b></h3><p><i>1965-1966</i></p><h3><b>Toronto Maple Leafs</b></h3><p><i>1962-1964</i></p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>1 Team to win a modern-era Cup faster than the 2012 Kings, who went 16-4 (&rsquo;88 Oilers, 16-2)</b></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0042-02

A Stanley Cup Sequel In L.A.

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01807/9678076-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02559/9678069-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" 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/f0043-03465/9678062-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="657" height="753"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>BRANDON SAAD</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SAAD: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Blackhawks have the highest of hopes for rookie left winger Brandon Saad. &ldquo;We really like him,&rdquo; said coach Joel Quenneville. &ldquo;He had a terrific start to his season and he had a great season at junior (with Saginaw). The reports were outstanding. And then here in the playoffs, we liked what we saw there as well.</p><p>&ldquo;He has size and it looks like he has learned to play. He can not just make our team &ndash; he can do more than that.&rdquo;</p><p>Saad was projected to be a first-rounder in the 2011 draft, but slipped to the Hawks in the second round. He then came to training camp and won a spot on the opening night roster. His first stay lasted just two games, but he returned to play two playoff contests after Marian Hossa sustained a season-ending concussion. &ldquo;You never really know what they&rsquo;re thinking,&rdquo; Saad said. &ldquo;I never quit last year and it went a long way. To bring that in, produce a little more and add a little more skill, it should help out.&rdquo;</p><p>Chicago needs a top-six winger and believes Saad, who showed offensive flair with 76 points in 44 Ontario League games last season, can fit the bill. &ldquo;He is going to be pushing for a big role on our team,&rdquo; said GM Stan Bowman.</p><p>That said, Saad understands a roster spot is no sure thing. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a clean slate, but I still have to come in and prove myself again,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have to play even better to make the team.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04358/9678055-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="554" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05312/9678048-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06257/9678041-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman continues to stockpile defensemen. Re-signing Johnny Oduya and inking Sheldon Brookbank and <b>Michal Rozsival</b> gives Chicago nine NHL-caliber blueliners. The logjam will allow Bowman to deal one or more of them for help in other areas. Brookbank, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Nick Leddy and Dylan Olsen lack no-trade clauses.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07219/9678034-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08171/9678027-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JENNER: IAN GOODALL/GOODALL MEDIA INC)</span></figcaption></div><p>Columbus can breathe easily with prospects Ryan Murray and <b>Boone Jenner</b> returning to junior during the lockout. A temporary agreement between the NHL, NHLPA and CHL allows NHL teams to recall players from junior should a new CBA be reached. Jenner, a gritty center, rejoins the OHL&rsquo;s Oshawa Generals, the team he captained last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09130/9678020-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10115/9678013-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ABDELKADER: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>While Detroit swung and missed on big-name free agents, it accomplished one off-season goal: becoming tougher to play against. New-comer Jordin Tootoo will draw fourth-line duty alongside fellow agitator <b>Justin Abdelkader,</b> who signed a four-year RFA contract in September. Abdelkader notched a career-best 22 points last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-11100/9678006-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1288/9677999-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROZSIVAL+BLUM: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jonathon Blum</b> had reason to be especially disappointed by the lockout as he was looking forward to a bounce-back season. The &rsquo;07 first-rounder (23rd overall) struggled in 2011-12, posting a team-worst minus-14 in 33 games and earning a demotion to the AHL. Blum, whose conditioning was questioned by some, worked all summer to get into shape.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1374/9677992-1-eng-US/f0043-132.jpg" title="f0043-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1471/9677985-1-eng-US/f0043-142.jpg" title="f0043-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HALAK: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jaroslav Halak</b> could benefit from an extended work stoppage. The 1A of St. Louis&rsquo; stellar crease tandem still felt discomfort in his ankle midway through the summer, months after sustaining a high sprain in the playoffs. He has medical clearance to return, but the extra rehab time should ensure he&rsquo;s 100 percent whenever the season starts.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

Happy Ending

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02448/9678191-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01704/9678198-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03338/9678184-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="658" height="779"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN NUGENTHOPKINS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NUGENT-HOPKINS: TRAVIS GOLBY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>t&rsquo;s ironic Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found himself destined for the obscurity of Oklahoma City in September, when the Edmonton Oilers sent him to the American League until the NHL lockout ended.</p><p>The 2011-12 Calder Trophy runner-up was bound for a place where no one would know his name or face &ndash; when he was just getting used to the opposite. Last season, the pivot went from a fresh-faced teen you could easily mistake for the kid who cuts your lawn to a budding star on the league&rsquo;s most exciting young team. Even when he sought refuge in Red Deer, Alta., where he played junior, he got the NHL star treatment. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s different now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I spend lots of time in Red Deer. Most people there are Oilers fans, so you get lots of people talking to you, asking for pictures. It was a whirlwind year, but I tried to take it all in.&rdquo;</p><p>It was natural for a veteran Oiler to shepherd the youngster through his first taste of the pro lifestyle. Ryan Jones was more than happy to do it, much to the delight of &lsquo;The Nuge.&rsquo; &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great guy,&rdquo; Nugent-Hopkins said. &ldquo;I was with him on the road and I lived with him at home, too. Never seemed to get away from him (laughs). It was really nice of him and his wife to invite me to live with them and it was definitely a fun stay.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been in the league for a few years now, so anything I need help with &ndash; he&rsquo;s there.&rdquo;</p><p>Nugent-Hopkins&rsquo; 52 points in 62 games last season suggest he doesn&rsquo;t need help too often.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04271/9678177-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="555" height="37"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05228/9678170-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="753" height="602"></div><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06200/9678163-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(IGINLA: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The prospect of a lost season could mean <b>Jarome Iginla</b> has already played his last game as a Flame. In the final year of a $7-million annual deal, Iginla would still command interest when he becomes a UFA on his 36th birthday July 1. If 2012-13 gets underway and the Flames struggle, they&rsquo;ll consider trading Iginla to jump-start a much-needed rebuild.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07173/9678156-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="753" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08130/9678149-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="327" height="551"></div><p>Unlike a lot of teams that rushed to sign players before the expiration of the CBA, the Avs knew RFA <b>Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly</b> and his agent Mark Guy of Newport Sports wanted to wait until a new deal was in place. Colorado is right at the salary floor of $54 million with only O&rsquo;Reilly to sign. He&rsquo;s projected to secure in the neighborhood of $4 million per season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0995/9678142-1-eng-US/f0044-092.jpg" title="f0044-09" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1083/9678135-1-eng-US/f0044-102.jpg" title="f0044-10" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(O&rsquo;REILLY+HEMSKY: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Edmonton&rsquo;s two Czech-born players were drawn home during the lockout. <b>Ales Hemsky</b> went to Pardubice and Ladislav Smid secured a spot with Liberec. Hemsky, who signed with the Oilers for $10 million over two years (including a $1.5 million bonus paid despite a lockout) has to be wary of injuries. He&rsquo;s missed 108 games the past three seasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1170/9678128-1-eng-US/f0044-112.jpg" title="f0044-11" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1262/9678121-1-eng-US/f0044-122.jpg" title="f0044-12" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The magic number in Minnesota is 10. The Wild are paying <b>Zach Parise</b> and Ryan Suter $10 million apiece in bonus despite the fact there&rsquo;s a lockout. To help ensure season-ticket holders keep their money with the team, the Wild are offering 10 percent interest, double what they offered in 2004-05 and significantly better than what other teams are offering.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1355/9678114-1-eng-US/f0044-132.jpg" title="f0044-13" width="753" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1449/9678107-1-eng-US/f0044-142.jpg" title="f0044-14" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KASSIAN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Zack Kassian&rsquo;s</b> quest for redemption has waited five months, so a few more won&rsquo;t hurt. The power forward is eager to show the Canucks he&rsquo;s capable of playing prime-time minutes and was a decent return from Buffalo for Cody Hodgson. He has just three points in 17 Vancouver games and was a healthy scratch in Game 5 against L.A.</p><p><b>EL</b> Unsigned Entry Level <b>RFA</b> Unsigned Restricted Free Agent<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

Wonder Years

<div class="byline">BY RICHARD KAMCHEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01563/9678389-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MAX POTENTIAL</b></p><p><b>Brad Maxwell still holds the Stars franchise record for goals by a rookie defenseman (18).</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Retirement</b>&nbsp;<b>has brought peace</b> and stability to Brad Maxwell&rsquo;s life.</p><p>After seven solid seasons with the Minnesota North Stars to start his NHL career, Maxwell bounced around with four clubs in four years after his All-Star Game appearance in 1983-84. At the 1987 trade deadline, Rangers GM Phil Esposito brought him to New York and Maxwell felt like he&rsquo;d finally found a place to stick. But he only played nine games before being dealt again, though it wasn&rsquo;t due to poor play.</p><p>Esposito and North Stars GM Lou Nanne were childhood friends and neighbors in Florida. The pair enjoyed playing the occasional game of chance, with some high stakes. &ldquo;They were writing players&rsquo; names down on a piece of paper and gambling them,&rdquo; Maxwell says. &ldquo;Phil said he was gambling with Louie and he lost me in a card game. He said, &lsquo;I lost you to one of your old bosses.&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;Which old boss? I&rsquo;ve had a few.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s how Maxwell was traded back to Minnesota, where he finished his career after 17 games. But it wasn&rsquo;t the first bizarre transaction he was involved in. Minnesota traded him to Quebec &ndash; after he scored a career-high 19 goals and 73 points while racking up a personal-best 225 penalty minutes &ndash; because his first wife didn&rsquo;t get along with the other players&rsquo; wives.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; Esposito said he lost me playing a card game <i>&ndash; Brad Maxwell</i></b></blockquote><p>Best remembered as a North Star, Maxwell returned to Minnesota after his playing days were over and started Brad Maxwell Cabinets & Construction. He&rsquo;s now far removed from his rookie season, when he was one of the few bright lights on a struggling and financially hemorrhaging franchise.</p><p>Maxwell established a club record in goals scored by a rookie defenseman with 18, which still stands. But he was also one of the only physical players on a meek team, a weakness hammered home one night in 1977 during a visit to Boston Garden.</p><p>Terry O&rsquo;Reilly and John Wensink had already wiped the ice with a couple North Stars and Wensink, still feeling feisty, skated over to the Minnesota bench to challenge anyone to take a swing at him. When his dare went unanswered, Wensink threw up his hands in disgust and skated away.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s always been such a controversial thing with what he did, but if you look at Wensink, he wasn&rsquo;t really much of a player,&rdquo; said Maxwell, who watched the drama unfold from the Minnesota bench. &ldquo;To jump onto the ice, get suspended because you&rsquo;re coming off the bench, and do that for a guy like that, it didn&rsquo;t make much sense.&rdquo;</p><p>Saloon-like brawls became the norm once the North Stars joined the now defunct &lsquo;Chuck&rsquo; Norris Division and they weren&rsquo;t always limited to the ice. Going back 30 years, Maxwell can recall one playoff game at the old Chicago Stadium where the crowd became the evening&rsquo;s entertainment. From the ice, he heard the whistle blow and then a gasp from the crowd, which reacted to a wild melee erupting behind North Stars goalie Don Beaupre. &ldquo;Two fans started fighting and pretty soon the whole lower section from behind our goal all the way behind the players&rsquo; bench was fighting,&rdquo; Maxwell said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how it started. It wasn&rsquo;t like there were Minnesota fans there. The women were fighting, the guys were fighting. Both teams just kind of stood there in awe and watched this. It was an incredible thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Maxwell is president of the Minnesota NHL Alumni and the action has quieted down any time he puts on the green and gold. He and his second wife Lori stage charity golf tournaments, hockey games and other fundraisers. Last March, former North Stars were introduced at a Wild home game. Nostalgia for the old club remains so strong that a North Stars page on Facebook has nearly 55,000 fans. &ldquo;It would be great if they would flip the name back to the North Stars,&rdquo; said Maxwell. &ldquo;There are so many people here that are still great supporters of the North Stars.&rdquo;</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

Gambling And Goonery

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03240/9678420-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="578" height="475"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DRACULA: PAUL BERESWILL VIA HHOF)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>&ldquo;We can talk more after the game - perhaps over a bite&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Bill Salloum, Saskatoon, Sask.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Is it true? Are you the only one with O-Negative blood?&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Paul Weimer, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;The CBA is going to end up bleeding someone, so I&rsquo;m sticking around.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Michele Mann, Chelmsford, Mass.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Check out how silly the dude behind me with the wicked comb-over looks!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Rick Raymond, Gatineau, Que.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking for a few more players for my team in Transvlvania. I hear you&rsquo;re a good bleeder&hellip;&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Daniel Brindza, Cleveland, Ohio</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;I vant to suck your competitive juices!&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Erik Bay, Athabasca, Alta.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;On a scale of 1 to 10, do you think I look like an NHL scout?&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Scott Stimson, Rosemary, Alta.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;I&hellip;am the Ghost of Goal-Post-Hits-Past.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>Brandon Redekop, Saskatoon, Sask.</b></p><p><i>&ldquo;Well what do you know&hellip;the two of us both, two-minutes for sucking.&rdquo;</i></p><p><b>DavID SARSHA, LAKE ZURICH, ILL.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-03

Caption CONTEST

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04221/9678451-1-eng-US/f0049-042.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 Zach ___ is now with the Wild</p><p>4 Selected</p><p>9 Where Randy Carlyle hails from</p><p>10 He joins 1 Across in Minny</p><p>11 Unmarked</p><p>12 Veteran netminder ___ Khabibulin</p><p>13 Hall of Famer ___ Kurri</p><p>15 He hoisted the Cup in 1994 (with 15 Down)</p><p>18 Anthem for home games in Toronto & Montreal</p><p>21 He&rsquo;s GM in Pittsburgh</p><p>23 One of two Savards in the Hall of Fame</p><p>24 The last place team is at the ___ ___ of the standings</p><p>25 Scored a goal</p><p>26 Cape ___ is home of the Screaming Eagles</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s ___ Dupuis, pictured</p><p>2 Blue ___ is a band with lots of hockey ties</p><p>3 A hit on Rob ___ proved costly for the Devils</p><p>5 He was Hart Trophy winner in 1997 and 1998</p><p>6 He scored 10 points in one game</p><p>7 Nicklas Lidstrom all but owned this trophy</p><p>8 First name of 10 Across</p><p>14 The &lsquo;A&rsquo; in GA</p><p>15 See 15 Across</p><p>16 ___ Tootoo is now a Red Wing</p><p>17 Jack ___ had a stint as GM in Vancouver</p><p>19 Some prefer ___ seats (for easy access)</p><p>20 Province with two NHL teams: abbreviation</p><p>22 Throw out</p><p><b>LAST</b>&nbsp;<b>WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. SQUANDERS, 8. EXTRA, 9. DIGGING, 10. HENRIK, 11. SKILLS, 12. TRENT, 14. TOYED, 17. KEENAN, 19. ELBOWS, 20. NIAGARA, 21. IGLOO, 22. NASHVILLE <b>DOWN</b> 2. QUICK, 3. ANGELA, 4. DENIS, 5. SELECT, 6. STARTER, 7. SASKATOON, 11. SID THE KID, 13. EYEBALL, 15. DAWSON, 16. SERGEI, 17. KEITH, 18. APRIL<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

CROSSWORD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01408/9678489-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="908" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne sprayed a purple haze during his 12 years with the Los Angeles Kings.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DIONNE: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05172/9678482-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="150" height="150"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Blast from the Past

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02308/9678520-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="618" height="629"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STATE JERSEY: MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Nittany Lions begin their new identity this season, even though technically it&rsquo;s a club team warmup version before Big Ten play starts in 2013-14.</p><p>Penn State already has iconic visuals to play with thanks to the football team (of whose dark side does not stain the new puck crew), so this was a matter of getting it right by going simple. That logo looks born to be on a hockey sweater to begin with, while the single broad stripe on the arms and trim is the only accent needed. Even the numbers on the shoulder are unobtrusive.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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JerseyHound

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01395/9678558-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="282" height="499"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he NHL Players&rsquo; Association</b> has more pressing issues to deal with these days than the plight of guys who are not their members. We get that. But once the millionaires sort out with the billionaires how to equitably share in a $3.3-billion industry, it would be nice if it turned its attention to players outside their snack bracket.</p><p>This comes in light of the ham-handed formation of the Canadian Hockey League Players&rsquo; Association. This corner has long advocated a legitimate union for the best young players in North America and its creation is well overdue. While Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League make millions every time the World Junior Championship is held in Canada, they give nothing to the players who make it happen. For too long, junior operators have profited off the dreams of teenagers.</p><p>It&rsquo;s time junior hockey offered more than just an attractive education package. But while the CHLPA is a noble cause, things are not looking promising. Most of the players were unaware it even existed when news of it emerged in August. And the choice of Georges Laraque as its executive director is, to put it mildly, curious. We know Laraque has been involved in politics and has published a book, but what makes him qualified to lead a union? Perhaps the CHLPA will make inroads and become a legitimate bargaining force. But the early returns don&rsquo;t have CHL president David Branch concerned, nor do they offer much optimism.</p><p>The NHLPA could change that. Once it gets through the third NHL lockout in 18 years, it should approach the upstart chlpa and the little-known Professional Hockey Players&rsquo; Association to form a union to take every elite hockey player in Canada and the United States from professional cradle to grave. The synergetic possibilities are numerous. The NHLPA or its reincarnation, would have the clout of representing the interests of the all the top hockey players in North America and could get its message across to future members years before they play in the NHL. The other two unions, in return, would gain the immediate credibility and enormous clout the NHLPA can offer.</p><p>And any argument a union of that magnitude is too large and unwieldy doesn&rsquo;t stand up. The nhlpa represents about 720 players. The phpa has about 1,600 members in the American and Central Leagues and ECHL. The CHL employs about 1,500 players. That&rsquo;s a total of just more than 3,800 members &ndash; paltry by some union standards. The Canadian Auto Workers represents almost 200,000 workers and does most of its negotiating with three of the biggest companies in the world. Its members range in professions from shipbuilding to hospitality. The United Steelworkers are much the same, with 180,000 members working in everything from bakeries to banks.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02291/9678551-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="1077" height="711"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>GEORGES LARAQUE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY GREEN PARTY OF CANADA)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo; A superunion would take every player from pro cradle to grave</b></blockquote><p>The NHLPA has long been portrayed as a body interested only in advancing the cause of millionaire players. By absorbing the other two associations, it would become a champion for the disenfranchised. After all, its roots go back to the late 1960s when players rebelled against the tyrannical ways of Springfield Indians owner Eddie Shore and its main goal was to provide the best players in the world with a decent wage, benefits and a livable pension. Somewhere along the way, the NHLPA has lost touch with reality.</p><p>The plight of the junior player has improved, largely because of progressive thinkers such as Branch. But there is still much to be done. First, there is no uniform education package across the board in the CHL and most of the &ldquo;free-ride&rdquo; packages are reserved for elite players who never end up using them. The pay, meanwhile, is a pittance and teenagers are traded far too frequently.</p><p>The PHPA does a good job protecting benefits, trade expenses and per diem, but most players, particularly in leagues below the AHL, play in an environment where they have next-to-no job security and little in the way of money. &ldquo;A lot of players at our level just get out after four or five years because they can&rsquo;t handle the B.S. anymore,&rdquo; said Colin Chaulk, a long-time minor pro player who most recently was captain of the Central League champion Fort Wayne Komets. &ldquo;The team will say, &lsquo;Yeah, we&rsquo;ll pay your cable bill, yeah we&rsquo;ll do this and we&rsquo;ll do that,&rsquo; and three months into the season, you haven&rsquo;t seen any money and you have to explain to your wife or your girlfriend what&rsquo;s going on.&rdquo;</p><p>Most players will tell you the game owes them nothing. Nobody forced them to take the risks and suffer the pitfalls associated with chasing the dream. But they deserve more than they&rsquo;re getting. And a new, emboldened, reinvigorated superunion of hockey players could help them do that.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL?</p><p>CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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October 15, 2012

Killer Instinct In Kitchener

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The Stars’ Quiet Riot

THEBIGPICTURE