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

April 1, 2013

The Hockey News - Apr-01-13

<h2><b>LET P.K. BE P.K.</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05502/9823560-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="141" height="88"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s not often I agree with Ken Campbell, but his March 4 Overtime column about the Canadiens taking the emotion out P.K. Subban&rsquo;s game does have some merit. I believe that is exactly what the NHL did to Alex Ovechkin in suspending him for borderline hits.</p><p><b><i>Ken Balzer, Wingham, Ont.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>GOOD CATCH, FISCH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-06357/9823553-1-eng-US/f0006-062.jpg" title="f0006-06" width="141" height="87"></div><p>As a retired Coast Guardsman, I&rsquo;d like to thank Stan Fischler for his recent spotlight on the Coast Guard Cutters and the Clippers (Strange but True, March 4). It was very interesting and had a lot of information I did not know. Thank you, Stan.</p><p><b><i>John R. Dreger, Waterford, Conn.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07233/9823546-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="141" height="88"></div><p>Stan Fischler&rsquo;s &ldquo;Making Waves On the Ice&rdquo; and the sweater Ryan Kennedy featured in Jersey Hound were awesome. I have been in the U.S. Coast Guard for almost 18 years and have never seen nor heard of the Cutters. Thank you for showcasing such an often forgotten branch of the Armed Forces.</p><p><b><i>Troy Buerger, Buffalo</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>HALTING HEAD WOES</b></h2><p><i>Re: Adam Proteau&rsquo;s &ldquo;NHL Can Do More To Prevent Concussions&rdquo; <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> column, Feb. 28</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-08144/9823539-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="71" height="71"></div><p>I couldn&rsquo;t agree more with Adam Proteau&rsquo;s call for the NHL to do more about concussions. As he said, mandatory sit-out periods for concussed NHLers constitute a &ldquo;better-safe-than-sorry&rdquo; approach hockey has lacked for a long time. We can&rsquo;t keep letting players shorten their careers just because they&rsquo;re competitive.</p><p><b><i>Mike Milloy</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>TOEWS THE TOPS</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0994/9823532-1-eng-US/f0006-092.jpg" title="f0006-09" width="136" height="85"></div><p>Jonathan Toews is one of the best players in the league today (Proteau Type, March 4). Sure, Steven Stamkos will score you goals and Evgeni Malkin has size and speed, but none of those guys play like Toews can. He&rsquo;s the best all-around player in the league. Toews is the complete package and excels at winning faceoffs, special teams play or scoring. He&rsquo;s a guy to build a team around. He&rsquo;s clutch, he&rsquo;s won a World Junior Championship, a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. Saying Stamkos or Malkin are on another level is ridiculous.</p><p><b><i>Ryan Stelter, Winnipeg</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>NHLERS RECKLESS?</b></h2><p><i>Re: Ken Campbell&rsquo;s &ldquo;NHL&rsquo;s Violent Culture Encourages Reckless Play&rdquo; <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> column, March 4</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1070/9823525-1-eng-US/f0006-102.jpg" title="f0006-10" width="71" height="70"></div><p>The problem with hits like the one Patrick Kaleta gave to Brad Richards is that the NHL is never consistent on the punishment. Two hits could look the same, but one player might get suspended one game and another player may get 10 games. Until that changes, the league will stay the way it is.</p><p><b><i>Jim Ridolfi</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1154/9823518-1-eng-US/f0006-112.jpg" title="f0006-11" width="70" height="70"></div><p>This kind of dangerous play is what gives the NHL a bad name. Kaleta&rsquo;s hit was borderline criminal assault, but too often these hits get punished with a slap on the wrist. Hockey shouldn&rsquo;t tolerate this.</p><p><b><i>CARHA Hockey</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0006-05

DEPARTMENTS

THN INBOX

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012105/9823861-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021477/9823854-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="118" height="109"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>ownload the <b>Digimarc</b> app to scan photos on pages 10, 22, and 40 to watch videos on Pro Tips and exclusive 1-on-1s with Chicago&rsquo;s Ray Emery and Edmonton&rsquo;s Sam Ganger.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03904/9823847-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="302" height="99"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04676/9823840-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="301" height="98"></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/f0032-02984/9824606-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="710" height="558"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BIG-TICKET LETDOWN</b></p><p>Alex Ovechkin is a shadow of the player who signed for $124 million over 13 seasons starting in 2008.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011455/9824613-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="194" height="229"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b><b>T ONLY WAS RELATIVELY RECENTLY THE</b> Washington Capitals were the NHL&rsquo;s New Kid In Town, rock star franchise. They were a blur of color and flair and rushing air, a sell-out draw of highlight-reel talent whether at home or on the road and must-see TV the league used to promote its product on an international level. A slew of dynamic young players led by Alex Ovechkin gave owner Ted Leonsis and GM George McPhee an embarrassment of riches.</p><p>The embarrassment remains with this season&rsquo;s Capitals, but much of the riches are gone. As the organization languished near the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the first half of 2012-13, those dominant years feel like forever ago. If you&rsquo;re searching for the single moment things went pear-shaped in Washington, you&rsquo;ll be searching forever. Because such a moment doesn&rsquo;t exist. It took more than just a single bad choice or fluky misfortune to set this team off its once-spectacular orbit. But one thing is certain: the heat on owner Ted Leonsis must increase if he doesn&rsquo;t make major changes to Washington&rsquo;s direction at season&rsquo;s end. Although they&rsquo;d played better in late February and early March, the Caps aren&rsquo;t the team that once put the fear of God into its opponents.</p><p>And the way they&rsquo;ve collapsed proves major change is in order.</p><p>The pinnacle of the Ovechkin Era (2005-present day, and probably until his contract expires in 2021) came in 2009-10, when Washington won a franchise-record 54 games and was the NHL&rsquo;s top team. But in the 2010 quarterfinal the Caps ran into the Montreal Canadiens with blistering-hot goalie Jaroslav Halak and were eliminated in seven games. A similar fate befell them the following year when Dwayne Roloson and the Lightning swept them in the second round. By that point, they were well into the process of changing their identity in the name of better defense. McPhee added four veterans &ndash; goalie Tomas Vokoun, winger Joel Ward, center Jeff Halpern and defenseman Roman Hamrlik &ndash; and fired Bruce Boudreau that fall, beginning a carousel behind the bench (that included Dale Hunter and current coach Adam Oates) in less than two years.</p><p>There was nothing necessarily wrong with altering the team&rsquo;s philosophy. However, in asking more of Washington&rsquo;s core (which includes center Nicklas Backstrom and defenseman Mike Green) on defense, the Caps lost their way on offense. Some of that is beyond McPhee&rsquo;s control &ndash; see Green&rsquo;s head and groin injuries that have kept him from regaining his 2008-09, 31-goal form &ndash; but much of it is on the GM for sticking with this group of players. It also hasn&rsquo;t helped that Washington has had a revolving door of goalies, including Vokoun, Michal Neuvirth and current starter Braden Holtby. That too is on upper management. Vokoun was a cheap gamble at $1.5 million, but the results weren&rsquo;t there. And now, the two youngsters are enduring growing pains that come with being young goalies. But if this team is built around Ovechkin and Backstrom and Green as they edge toward their 30s, why are their goalies learning on the fly? Doesn&rsquo;t make sense to me.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; IN ASKING MORE OF WASHINGTON&rsquo;S CORE ON DEFENSE, THE CAPITALS LOST THEIR WAY ON OFFENSE</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02892/9824599-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="711" height="579"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CREASE CONCERNS</b></p><p>Fourth-year goalie Michal Neuvirth has struggled like an unproven rookie this season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Nor does the inability of Ovechkin to perform at a superhuman level he once made look effortless. McPhee and Leonsis rewarded him with a franchise-player contract, but these days Ovechkin looks like nothing of the sort. That&rsquo;s not all his fault; he&rsquo;s seen what&rsquo;s happened and is as affected (read: discouraged) as anyone to realize what it&rsquo;s come to. But this is what it&rsquo;s come to. McPhee has built a team not as impressive on offense as it once was and not impressive enough on defense to make up for it. They&rsquo;ll need a near-miraculous turnaround to make the playoffs and as we&rsquo;ve seen, miracles appear to be at a premium in Washington these days.</p><p>Maybe the later chapters of Washington&rsquo;s story include redemption and opinion columnists eating crow, but I doubt it. The Capitals have become a cautionary tale to all NHL teams. And the story&rsquo;s moral is that a diamond&rsquo;s brilliant shine can mask the rock&rsquo;s long-term value.</p><p><b>WANT MORE PROTEAU?</b> READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN THURSDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/PROTEAU">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/PROTEAU</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-02

DECISION TIME ON CAPITOL HILL

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012187/9823733-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="81" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021495/9823726-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="173" height="252"></div><p>Wayne Gretzky point streak (51)</p><p>45%</p><p>Islanders playoff series win streak (19)</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03934/9823719-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="146" height="142"></div><p>23%</p><p>Flyers unbeaten streak (35)</p><p>15%</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04594/9823712-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="172" height="122"></div><p>Bruins playoff appearance streak (29)</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-05407/9823705-1-eng-US/f0007-052.jpg" title="f0007-05" width="137" height="138"></div><p>9%</p><p>Penguins winning streak (17)</p><p>8%</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/f0007-06312/9823698-1-eng-US/f0007-062.jpg" title="f0007-06" width="144" height="137"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></div>

f0007-02

PUCKPOLL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012201/9823425-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AIR ALFIE</b></p><p>James Reimer gets an eyeful of Daniel Alfredsson&rsquo;s rump as the Battle of Ontario ramps up.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

OPENING FACEOFF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012246/9823463-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="526" height="924"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN BROOK / TC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b><b>E WON&rsquo;T BE ABLE TO PROPERLY ASSESS</b> where the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks fit in the spectrum of all-time great NHL teams until they capture their second Stanley Cup in four years or get eliminated from the post-season. And if the latter transpires, the debate becomes significantly shorter. Still, at the halfway point of this truncated campaign, it&rsquo;s difficult not to entertain thoughts of what may be and be awed by what they&rsquo;ve already accomplished. Associate senior writer Ryan Kennedy analyzes the depth of the Blackhawks&rsquo; brilliance in our cover story, beginning on pg. 20.</p><p>To be clear, we&rsquo;re not prepared to hold the Hawks side-by-side with the 1976-77 Canadiens, a club that lost eight times in 80 games and, with nine eventual Hall of Famers in the lineup, often faced its stiffest competition in intra-squad contests. That Scotty Bowman-coached outfit is widely regarded as the best the NHL has ever seen.</p><p>One thing those Habs didn&rsquo;t have to worry about so much, however, was parity. The gap between the rich and poor in that era would have made Marie Antoinette blush. Rapid expansion that saw 12 franchises added in seven years helped maintain the class divide. To wit, six of the 18 teams in 1976-77 &ndash; the Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Cleveland Barons, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Rockies and, ahem, the Hawks &ndash; had winning percentages below .400.</p><p>In today&rsquo;s NHL, thanks to the cap, highly sophisticated coaching and scouting, and a league that has held firm at 30 teams for 12 years, the talent scales are balanced like Nik Wallenda over Niagara Falls. This season is an unrelenting grind made more difficult by a compressed schedule, one that makes players more susceptible to injury and fatigue. And, thanks to the lockout, Chicago&rsquo;s slate is made that much more challenging by the fact it&rsquo;s only facing opponents in the Western Conference, undeniably the NHL&rsquo;s superior bracket.</p><p>Will the 2013 Hawks boast nine Hall immortals 25 years from now? Absolutely not. Heck, they don&rsquo;t even have one shoo-in as things stand (though you have to believe Jonathan Toews is on track; maybe Duncan Keith?). But if they continue their record-setting ways and win another championship, be prepared for the hyperbole to fly along with the ticker tape on Michigan Avenue in June.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021901/9823456-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> APRIL 15, 2013</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p>&nbsp;<b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0004-01

SET YOUR PRAISES TO STUN

<div class="byline">Nicholas Cavallo, Minot, N.D.</div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>I</span>n regards to Ken Campbell&rsquo;s cover story (March 4): I am a hardcore Jets fan. I love Evander Kane. Is he immature? You bet. Do I want him on the Jets? You bet. I work at a high school and many kids wear &ldquo;YMCMB&rdquo; and other rap shirts. I&rsquo;m 26 and I don&rsquo;t get it, but when I was 21 I acted very immature. If I had millions, I would&rsquo;ve acted far worse. He is a product of a newer generation and people need to understand that. Jets fans know this and we support him and want him on our team.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012476/9823612-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="564" height="772"></div><p>CONTACT US:</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021686/9823605-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="141" height="87"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">THN.COM/LETTERS</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-031007/9823598-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="71" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>/THEHOCKEYNEWS</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04640/9823591-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="70" height="71"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>/+THEHOCKEYNEWS<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

PRAISING KANE

<p><b>Jeremy Pyner @Pyner18:</b> Roberto Luongo. Vancouver needs only one starter. It isn&rsquo;t fair to play musical goalies.</p><p><b>Troy Mattie @troyred:</b> Jarome Iginla. A move would be good for him and Calgary. Gives him a chance to win; gives Flames building blocks.</p><p><b>G-Rant @TheRealG_Rant:</b> Brenden Morrow. A solid veteran who would be a great addition for a Cup challenger.</p><p><b>J. Van Veen @JayVanVeen116:</b> Tyler Bozak. With Nazem Kadri playing well and Joffrey Lupul returning, there is no room for him on the Toronto Maple Leafs anymore.</p><p><b>M. House @xMADDHOUSEx:</b> Ryan Whitney. The former first-rounder looks lost on most nights for the Oilers.</p><p><b>B. Mark @bedaluma13:</b> Keith Ballard. Too many good left-shooting defensemen on Vancouver.</p><p><b>Nicolas Bennett @nrjb61:</b> The Capitals&rsquo; Alex Ovechkin would benefit the most from a trade, because it really can&rsquo;t get any worse. Can it?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

TWITTER CHIRPS @THEHOCKEYNEWS

<p><b>Biscuit the Cat</b></p><p>Baltimore, Maryland</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1244/9823667-1-eng-US/f0006-122.jpg" title="f0006-12" width="689" height="536"></div><p>THINK YOU ARE A BIG FAN? SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS AT <a href="http://THN.COM/BIGFAN">THN.COM/BIGFAN</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-12

BIG FAN

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>Q</span>UESTION:</b>&nbsp;How are guys like Blake Wheeler and Justin Schultz allowed to bail on the team that drafted them and start their pro careers with different teams? Doesn&rsquo;t this defeat the purpose of the draft?</p><p><b><i>Tyler Sopp, Fairbanks, Alaska</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b>&nbsp;Drafting a player only gives a franchise the right to negotiate a contract. If the player and team can&rsquo;t agree to terms within the defined period of time laid out in the CBA (it&rsquo;s different for prospects in the Canadian Hockey League, NCAA and Europe) the player can move on, via re-entering the draft or becoming a free agent. Schultz and Wheeler, who played in the NCAA, were eligible to become UFAs and pick where they wanted to sign. It&rsquo;s crucial teams do pre-draft homework. If there&rsquo;s any indication a player might not be fully committed to the team, they&rsquo;re engaging in a significant gamble by selecting him.</p><p><b>QUESTION:</b> I thought at one time that I understood what constituted interference, but I am confused now. Can you clarify the penalty?</p><p><b><i>Glenn Fisher, London, Ont.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b> Before the season, the NHL changed the standard of enforcement for obstruction as it pertained to players entering the opposition&rsquo;s defensive zone after dumping in the puck. The defending team is still allowed to hit a player entering  its zone, but they must quickly &ndash; in a half-second or less &ndash; refrain from further contact as the player chases the puck. However, it remains the subjective determination of the officials as to how long of contact is too long.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-07241/9823764-1-eng-US/f0007-072.jpg" title="f0007-07" width="397" height="351"><figcaption class="caption-body">BLAKE <b>WHEELER</b></figcaption></div><p><b>QUESTION:</b> How do NHL teams attract unrestricted free agents? What types of things will they say or do to entice a player to sign?</p><p><b><i>Robb Fenton, Sudbury, Ont.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b>&nbsp;The league forbids teams from offering &ldquo;extras&rdquo; beyond salaries. For instance, a job for a spouse can&rsquo;t be included in any deal. A team can only offer something such as a no-trade or no-movement clause, plus the natural perks that come with living in a city (weather, culture).</p><p>READ MORE &lsquo;ASK ADAM&rsquo; EVERY FRIDAY AT <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-07

ASK Adam?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012365/9823809-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="249" height="283"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021810/9823802-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="933" height="392"></div><h2><b>MILES TRAVELLED THIS SEASON</b></h2><p>27,471 Miles</p><p>22,380 Miles</p><p>AVERAGE 17,423 Miles</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031289/9823795-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="377" height="361"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LESS FREQUENT FLYERS</b></p><p>Red Wings and Blue Jackets players will travel about 6,000 fewer miles next season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>D</b><b>ETROIT RED WINGS GM KEN</b> Holland acknowledges he has no idea what kind of competitive advantage his team has to gain by moving to the Eastern Conference under the NHL&rsquo;s realignment proposal. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have any point of comparison,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;All I know is we spend all winter travelling.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s fair to say no teams have more to gain from the new alignment &ndash; which was approved by the NHL Players&rsquo; Association in early March &ndash; than the Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Red Wings have long lobbied for a move to the East for a variety of reasons: they would face more traditional rivals, their fans wouldn&rsquo;t have to wait until 10:30 p.m. to watch a game and it would be much less taxing on their players.</p><p>Holland doesn&rsquo;t profess to know how much moving from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference will help his players, but more nights for them in their own beds and less time spent in the air can&rsquo;t hurt. And former NHLer Pat Verbeek can relate. He played for the Hartford Whalers, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers in the East early in his career and then the Dallas Stars and Red Wings in the West at the tail end of it. The difference was enormous. &ldquo;When I was in New York, we could drive ourselves to a lot of our games,&rdquo; Verbeek said. &ldquo;With Detroit, we&rsquo;d play Vancouver and have to spend a day in a plane. And at that time our charter didn&rsquo;t have enough fuel capacity to make the whole trip, so we&rsquo;d be stuck sitting on a tarmac for an hour. I remember getting back and I&rsquo;d be screwed up for a couple of days.&rdquo;</p><p>The Red Wings recently played in San Jose and Holland said the team decided to charter out right after the game, which got it back to Detroit at 8:15 the next morning. Having a practice under those circumstances is impossible, so the players went home. Holland said he slept until about noon that day and was groggy for the rest of it, then was ready for bed by about 10:00 that night. And he didn&rsquo;t even play in the game, so you can imagine what kind of a toll it took on the players.&ldquo;I said to (Red Wings coach) Mike Babcock on the flight that we might as well be flying from London, England,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;It felt like we were on that plane forever.&rdquo;</p><p>For a team such as the Red Wings, things are at their worst in the playoffs. The Blue Jackets have not had the same experience because they&rsquo;ve played in the post-season only once and they lost in the first round to Detroit. For the Red Wings, though, most playoff series have been versus a team from another time zone. Detroit has qualified for the playoffs every season since 1991 and has played 49 playoff series in that time: 25 have been against teams in Mountain and Pacific time zones, including 13 series against clubs in the far west. Just eight of the series, including six Stanley Cup finals, have been in Detroit&rsquo;s time zone.</p><p>So when a team in the East played Game 4 of a series on the road, the usual routine would see it jump on its charter and be back home in the wee hours of the morning, with two days off to rest and practice. If the Red Wings were playing a road game against a team in the Pacific time zone, they would stay the night, get on their charter at 10 a.m. (PST), and be in Detroit at about 5 p.m. (EST) that night. &ldquo;It was an off-day,&rdquo; Holland said, &ldquo;but most of it was spent on a plane.&rdquo;</p><p>That won&rsquo;t happen next season if the Red Wings make the playoffs. None of their games in the first three rounds will be out of their time zone, so the travel burden at the most crucial time of the season will be lessened enormously for them. And their fans will be able to watch playoff hockey during prime time, with the possibility of a first round matchup against the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs and a second-round matchup against Original Six brethren New York Rangers now possible. &ldquo;For 21 straight years, we went one, two and three time zones away in the playoffs,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;We were getting tired of it.&rdquo;</p><p><b>15</b>&nbsp;Years between divisional realignments in the NHL. The previous major move occurred in 1998-99 when the league expanded from four divisions to six, adding the Southeast and Northwest groupings.</p><p><b>49</b>&nbsp;Playoff series for the Detroit Red Wings since 1991. Of those, only eight (six of them Stanley Cup finals) have been played within their time zone. Twenty-five have been against teams in Pacific or Mountain time zones.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

KEEPING IT CLOSE TO THE CLOCK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05509/9823892-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="553" height="702"></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>A PERFECT 10</b></h3><p><b><i>Ray Emery</i></b> becomes first goalie in NHL history to begin a season with 10 straight wins.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>SOUSED ON PRAIRIE</b></h3><p>U. of North Dakota seniors Danny Kristo (Mtl), Andrew MacWilliam (Tor), Joe Gleason (Chi) and Carter Rowney plead guilty to giving alcohol to minors at a team party in September.</p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>&rsquo;TOONED IN</b></h3><p>The Saskatoon Blades&rsquo; Lorne Molleken becomes second WHL coach to win 600 games. Ken Hodge earned 742.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>DANGEROUS TILT</b></h3><p>Ottawa&rsquo;s David Dziurzynski is literally KO&rsquo;d by Toronto&rsquo;s enforcer Frazer McLaren, causing a scary scene during another Battle of Ontario.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-05

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BARACCHINI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012340/9823923-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CONSECUTIVE GAMES PLAYED</b></p><p>Here&rsquo;s how Justin Feser&rsquo;s streak of 312 games (and counting) stacks up against other league&rsquo;s leaders.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(FESER: JOHN ALLEN/ARID ACRES PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b><b>RI-CITY AMERICANS CAPTAIN JUSTIN FESER</b> etched his name in the Western League record book, playing his 312th straight game in early March. The 20-year-old from Red Deer, Alta., surpassed the mark Dwayne Newman held for more than two decades. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s surreal, I guess you can say,&rdquo; Feser said. &ldquo;Coming into the league, I didn&rsquo;t really think of accomplishing something like this, but it&rsquo;s pretty exciting.</p><p>&ldquo;I never thought it&rsquo;d get to this point.&rdquo;</p><p>After missing nine games in his rookie year, Feser played 33 consecutively with the Americans in 2008-09 and then put up three full 72-game campaigns before posting his record-setting mark in Game 63 against the Seattle Thunderbirds this season. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a couple bumps and bruises along the way each year and being sick a few times,&rdquo; Feser said. &ldquo;Those are just the things that you&rsquo;ve got to play through and put them in the back of your mind.&rdquo;</p><p>The 5-foot-9, 190-pound undrafted center has 41 goals and 100 points this season.</p><p>Childhood friend and teammate, Mitch Topping, has been with Feser since their days in minor hockey. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been the same way ever since we&rsquo;ve been five or six years old,&rdquo; Topping said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been extremely competitive, hates losing. He&rsquo;ll do whatever it takes to win whether that&rsquo;s blocking shots, taking hits or getting on the forecheck.&rdquo;</p><p>Americans bench boss, Jim Hiller, has been coaching Feser for four years. He said Feser&rsquo;s high-level of awareness has been a key to his ironman streak. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been able to spin out or not leave himself exposed to a big hit,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It allows him to avoid really vulnerable situations where he might get himself hurt. I&rsquo;ve been in hockey, playing and coaching, for many, many years. The impact that he&rsquo;s had has been greater than I&rsquo;ve ever seen one player have on a team.&rdquo;</p><p>Awareness has played a part, but Feser also has his superstitions. He always puts his right side equipment on first, elbow pads excepted. &ldquo;For Justin, three hundred games of doing the same thing,&rdquo; Topping said. &ldquo;Why would you switch?&rdquo;</p><p><b>NHL &ndash; 964</b></p><p>Doug Jarvis (1975-88)</p><p>Mtl, Wsh, Hartford</p><p>&nbsp;<b>AHL &ndash; 548</b></p><p>Billy Dea (1958-67)</p><p>Buffalo Bisons</p><p><b>QMJHL &ndash; 314</b></p><p> Eric Betournay (1998-02)</p><p>Laval, Acadie-Bathurst, Chicoutimi</p><p><b>WHL &ndash; 312</b></p><p> Justin Feser (2008-13)</p><p>Tri-City Americans</p><p><b>OHL &ndash; 272</b></p><p> Bobby Chaumont (2001-05)</p><p>Sudbury Wolves<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

TRI-CITY IRONMAN

<p><b><i>WITH DANIEL TKACZUK</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021715/9823989-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="743" height="632"></div><h2><b>DRILL: SHOOTING</b></h2><p>This will work on improving your scoring touch around the goal crease. Pick pucks off the goal line while skating back and forth above the obstacle cones. Apply fakes while stickhandling and moving aggressively with lateral pushes to open up the far side of the net to score.</p><p><b>PRO TIP:</b> Try using your inside edges to skate around the cones. Also practise getting the puck upstairs in tight, so you can score over sprawling goaltenders.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031108/9823982-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="136" height="124"></div><p>Scan the rink with your Digimarc mobile app to watch the Pro Tips video</p><p><b><i>PRESENTED BY:</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04764/9823975-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="172" height="84"></div><p><i><b>exclusively at</b></i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05553/9823968-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="307" height="65"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06409/9823961-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="427" height="79"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-07290/9823954-1-eng-US/f0010-072.jpg" title="f0010-07" width="255" height="113"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-02

PRO TIPS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span></b><b>ANADA AND THE HOCKEY WORLD LOST A</b> leviathan in early March when the musician and songwriter Stompin&rsquo; Tom Connors died at age 77. Despite living a hard and often unforgiving life, the man who wrote <i>The Hockey Song</i> gave a sport and a nation a wondrous collection of music that will live on long after all of us join him in the great beyond.</p><p>At arenas across Canada and around the world, you heard <i>The Hockey Song</i> Connors wrote and instantly felt at home. The song &ndash; essentially a narration of a hockey game &ndash; and the voice that sang it didn&rsquo;t wrap itself around you with natural warmth, but it didn&rsquo;t have to. Connors&rsquo; straight-ahead approach to songwriting, his everyday language, his pride in being Canadian and his ability to tell a story were the treats that drew you in and kept you coming back. And he even sounded like <i>Hockey Night In Canada&rsquo;s</i> legendary play-by-play man Foster Hewitt.</p><p>No wonder he fit in so seamlessly with the hockey scene. Connors was the kind of guy you see in junior arenas all the time: quietly passionate; colorful and imaginative; sturdy and rough around some edges; weathered and wrinkled by the road and the cold, but tougher and more gracious because of it. If you took away his signature black cowboy hat and the cowboy boots and replaced them with a hockey team jacket and base-ball cap, you easily could have mistaken Connors for a junior scout.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011948/9824020-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="723" height="1606"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MARCHING TO HIS OWN BEAT</b></p><p>A black cowboy hat and boots made up Stompin&rsquo; Tom Connors&rsquo; trademark stage outfit.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR NHL)</span></figcaption></div><p>In his own line of work, Connors was very much a scout. He sang in dumps and dives from one end of Canada to another, the same way scouts travel to any and every tin-roof-rusted hockey shack in search of the next great hockey player.</p><p>Connors loved being Canadian as much as any elite player at the World Junior Championship or Olympics ever did; so many of his songs are based on real-life Canadian history, yet he was never over-bearing with his nationalism. It was never about being from one province or city with him. He was a Maritimer by birth, but he was resolute and straightforward like a Westerner and he fought for social justice like a Quebecer.</p><p>And of course, Connors loved hockey.</p><p>So it was easy to see why Canada embraced him so tightly and why his legend will only grow now that he&rsquo;s gone. He represented the whole of our experience in this country.</p><p>Connors&rsquo; <i>The Hockey Song</i> was and always will be Canada&rsquo;s de facto national anthem, a song you can sing on almost any street corner by yourself and eventually find a few people to join in with you. It was played in the third period of every Toronto Maple Leafs game at the Air Canada Centre and the predictability of it could be somewhat grating at times for people who were in the building regularly. But really, there&rsquo;s no way <i>The Hockey Song</i> shouldn&rsquo;t be played at every professional hockey game, just as you want and expect to hear <i>Take Me Out to the Ball Game</i> at every baseball park and <i>Ave Maria</i> at every cathedral.</p><p>So yes, we&rsquo;ll miss Stompin&rsquo; Tom Connors. And we&rsquo;ll celebrate his indomitable spirit a little bit every time <i>The Hockey Song</i> plays.</p><p>Although his biography will show that Connors was legally adopted by a Prince Edward Island family at the age of nine, it should show that he was adopted twice more after that: first, by a country and finally, by a game.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

LOSING A LEGEND

<p>Some benefit more from OT and shootout losses than others. Here are the post-regulation points leaders since 2004-05.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012281/9824051-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="520" height="2704"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

LOSER POINT WINNERS

<p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ike it or lump it, the shootout is here to stay. Players practise it and coaches strategize for it, because the shootout can be the difference between making and missing the playoffs &ndash; ask the 2009-10 Rangers. Stats from &rsquo;05-06 through &rsquo;11-12, courtesy Michael Shuckers and Zach Nelson of Statistical Sports Consulting.</p><h2><b>OVERALL SHOOTOUT PERCENTAGE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021799/9824110-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="733" height="734"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031164/9824103-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="734" height="732"></div><h2><b>WHEN VISITORS SHOOT FIRST</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04700/9824096-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="733" height="734"></div><h2><b>WHEN HOME SHOOTS FIRST</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05491/9824089-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="728" height="730"></div><h2><b>MOST SHOOTOUT GOALS ALL-TIME</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06396/9824082-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="1750" height="766"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: NORM HALL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; DATSYUK: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JOKINEN: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES; CHRISTENSEN: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BOYES: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-02

Shootout STATS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; CHANELLE SEGUIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011989/9824148-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>COMING BACK FOR MORE</b> The Latvia 96s return to the Leo Boivin tournament after a second-place finish last year. <span class="photo-credit">(SKYLER FRASER)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span></b><b>OR THE PAST 40 YEARS,</b> Prescott, Ont., has charmed guests with its passion for hockey. And on March 22, the community (population 4,200) will do it again in its annual Leo Boivin International Midget AAA Showcase. The event is named after Hall of Famer and Prescott native Boivin, who played 18 seasons in the NHL from 1951 to 1970.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021386/9824141-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="221" height="189"></div><p>&ldquo;The community knows how important this tournament is and works that much harder to make it a success,&rdquo; said Chris Veltkamp, a Prescott resident and chairman of the tournament committee. &ldquo;People put this on their calendar. They know at the end of March where they&rsquo;re going to be if they even remotely like hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>NHL alumni who have played in the Showcase include Steve Yzerman, Brendan Shanahan, Eric Lindros, Doug Gilmour, Denis Savard and Mike Cammalleri. But besides big-time cachet, the tourney features small-town hospitality, with locals giving players the full Prescott experience by billeting some out-of-town teams. &ldquo;The hockey is good, don&rsquo;t get me wrong &ndash; we&rsquo;ve had some very good NHL players come through Prescott,&rdquo; Veltkamp said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s more the experience. The fans are special. Some of the teams, you would think the fans had been following them all year. The community bonds with the teams from outside of Prescott. They even cheer with them. It&rsquo;s something like no other.&rdquo;</p><p>This year, 13 teams are participating, from Ontario, Quebec, Pennsylvania and even Europe. The Latvia Bauer Selects 96s return after finishing second in 2012 to the Upper Canada Cyclones.</p><p>Last year, Prescott&rsquo;s Rick Squires and his family billeted three players from the Latvian team. &ldquo;Kids are kids no matter where they are from,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They love their Xbox, they love McDonalds, they love their hockey &ndash; they are just like any other kids.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

PRESCOTT PRESTIGE

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; MIKE ASHMORE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-031006/9824179-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="247" height="265"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GARRY SHORTER/PRO HOCKEY NEWS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Imagine life without part of one of your fingers. Now think about trying to play hockey.</p><p>That&rsquo;s what Wheeling Nailers center <b>ZACK TORQUATO</b> has dealt with since his right middle finger was severed at the top knuckle in an accident during an ECHL game Feb. 14, 2012. An Elmira Jackals D-man stepped on his finger and the force of the skate blade severed the digit without compromising the glove.</p><p>It could have ended his career, but the 23-year-old Red Wings draft pick returned for the final few weeks of the regular season, scoring a goal in his first game back.</p><p>Torquato is now enjoying his second season with the Nailers and has put the incident behind him. &ldquo;It was such a fluke injury that I&rsquo;m not going to shy away from anything or change the way I play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was bad luck, but it&rsquo;s the game of hockey. Stuff happens like that.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-03

TORQUATO TURNS PAGE

<div class="byline">BY ADAM KOVAC</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012259/9824224-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>COMMUNITY REP</b></p><p>Ky Horn is one of two native players on the Kahnawake Condors.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD TARDIFF)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span></b><b>UST SOUTH OF THE ISLAND OF MONTREAL</b> you&rsquo;ll find a native community that goes by the name Kahnawake, where the colors are a bit off. It&rsquo;s hard to put your finger on it at first &ndash; the cars, houses and trees all look the same as they do across the St. Lawrence River. Snow is still white, the cracked highways still grey, and on a winter&rsquo;s evening, when hockey is being played, the puck is still black. But then it dawns on you: where the red, white and blue of the Montreal Canadiens would be anywhere else in the province of Quebec, here there is way too much black and gold.</p><p>This is Bruins country.</p><p>Boston alumni came to town in 2008 and 2009 for charity games, which were heralded as the main events of Boston Bruins Day. There are Bruins flags draped out of car windows and outside doors of homes and ball caps are just as likely to bear the spoked wheel as the CH. Given that kind of love, it&rsquo;s probably not a coincidence that black and gold are also the colors of the Quebec Junior AAA League&rsquo;s Kahnawake Condors &ndash; the lone native-owned team in Canada.</p><p>Though Condors fans might not throw their NHL allegiances behind the Canadiens, the two groups of supporters have more in common than geographical proximity. Both are communities that to some degree feel apart from the world immediately surrounding  them. The Canadiens have had to navigate a political climate in which they are seen as a nationalist symbol, where some say they should be stocked accordingly with French-Canadian players and coaches. And the Condors represent a community that&rsquo;s part of a nation-wide fight for the rights of native peoples. Both fan bases view hockey as more than a game. They see it as a symbol for who they are and one that should reflect the makeup of their communities.</p><p>A condor is a type of vulture and the imagery rings true this season, as the team struggles in the bottom half of the standings. They&rsquo;ll likely make the playoffs, but the consensus around the team, from fans and employees alike, seems to be this isn&rsquo;t their year. But even the bottom-feeders get to have their glory some games. On a mid-January night, facing the visiting Saint-Hyacinthe Laureats, the Condors find their offense, shutting out the Laureats 6-0. The game comes at the peak of the Idle No More protest movement, with demonstrations held across Canada during the winter months to protest the treatment of native peoples.</p><p>Unfortunately, the blowout comes before a smaller than usual crowd. Though Peter Thomas, president and co-owner, says his team can regularly fill the small arena with 300 fans, there is less than half of that present. Not that Thomas is bothered by the low attendance. A large, genial man whose smile regularly breaks through his dark goatee, Thomas has made the Condors a life-long passion project. He&rsquo;s been with the team in one capacity or another since they first moved to Kahnawake from nearby La Prairie in 1999, rising from water boy to his current role. Thomas has faced pressure to stack his team with natives, something he has thus far resisted. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m never going to have an all-native team from Kahnawake,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s impossible. Having players at this caliber, it&rsquo;ll never be a reality.&rdquo;</p><p>But if the Condors don&rsquo;t reflect the ancestry of the community, they definitely reflect its attitude. Kahnawake is a blue-collar kind of place. People talk proudly of the long line of Mohawk steelworkers. Locals have worked on everything from the original World Trade Center towers to the Mercier bridge that spans the river between Montreal&rsquo;s south shore and the island itself. Military service is also big, with members of the community serving in the First and Second World Wars, Vietnam, the two Gulf Wars and in Afghanistan as members of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as in all branches of the American military. Those steelworkers and soldiers travelled around the continent, resulting in the melange of favorite teams: the Bruins are the most popular, followed by the Canadiens, there are also Rangers and Red Wings fans sprinkled around the community. Given the physical nature of those popular occupations, it&rsquo;s not surprising Kahnawake&rsquo;s fan base demands a certain type of hockey.</p><p>The Condors&rsquo; play is chippy and aggressive, and everyone from the owner down to the coach has pledged allegiance to hard-hitting hockey. When it comes to the debate about fighting in hockey, the people in the Kahnawake Sports Complex tend to fall into the Don Cherry school of thinking. Sitting just inside the blueline at the far end of the arena, near banners celebrating championships and division titles for all level of hockey and lacrosse victories, Rene Lazare is a diehard resident of what has become known as &ldquo;Condors Corner,&rdquo; a section occupied at each home game by the team&rsquo;s biggest supporters. Watching a game with Lazare and his son James is like sitting with the most knowledgeable, affable play-byplay men around. They&rsquo;ll point out players and tell you where they&rsquo;re from and what their stats are. Condors trivia and anecdotes flow freely. James nonchalantly mentions that former Condor Alexandre Burrows has owed him a hockey stick for 13 years. (Burrows doesn&rsquo;t remember but says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll make it happen next time I&rsquo;m up there.&rdquo;) As players chirp each other between plays, Lazare is less than impressed with a league regulation that stipulates that any fight results in an immediate game misconduct. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d like one fight per game without them getting thrown out,&rdquo; he says.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; SPORTS BRINGS EVERYONE CLOSE. WE&rsquo;RE LIKE A FAMILY HERE<br>&ndash; Ky Horn</blockquote><p>For fans like Lazare, the Condors aren&rsquo;t just local entertainment. The team is an extension of them. Slights against the team are slights against their people. When a Condors player is called for roughing, Lazare and his son vehemently decry the call as racism by the refs. Both recall times when opposing teams taunted the Condors and their fans with war cries and racist slurs such as &ldquo;savages.&rdquo; But the play from both teams is aggressive. Not to mention that only two of the players on the team are native.</p><p>Ky Horn is one of them, a local boy born and raised in Kahnawake (defenseman Andrew Antsanen is a Cree from Manitoba). While coach Frederic Hebert and other players say they&rsquo;ve never seen racism at play, Horn is more attuned to it. He remembers a former teammate who would openly tell him the only reason he was on the team was due to his ethnicity. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s disrespectful, but I put it behind me,&rdquo; Horn says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m here to play as hard as I can. I have a lot of friends that are French, some Russians. Sports brings everyone close. We&rsquo;re like a family here. Everyone&rsquo;s on a team, not just in sports, but in the whole world.&rdquo;</p><p>Considering Kahnawake&rsquo;s style of play, it&rsquo;s fitting that the only player to wear a Condors and NHL jersey is the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; Burrows, a fan favorite during his partial season in 1999-2000 as an 18-year-old, who Lazare remembers as a scrawny kid that didn&rsquo;t shy away from the rough stuff. Burrows was briefly captain following the mid-season move from La Prairie. The Canucks&rsquo; resident guy-you-hate-until-he&rsquo;s on-your-team still looks fondly on his time as a Condor, keeping in touch with some of his former teammates and crediting the team for helping him develop his signature pesky style. &ldquo;I remember that year &ndash; I must have gotten over 250 penalty minutes,&rdquo; says Burrows, who actually had 223, along with 24 goals and 69 points in 53 games. &ldquo;I spent a lot of time in the box and I was never alone. That shows you how the people who were there were influencing the game, helping us out on the ice by supporting us. I knew they enjoyed the physical side of things.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011955/9824217-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="650" height="869"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WHERE IT ALL STARTED</b></p><p>Alexandra Burrows credits Kahnawake for helping him develop his feisty game.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BURROWS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021386/9824210-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="697" height="922"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NOW THAT&rsquo;S LOYALTY</b></p><p>Condors co-owner Peter Thomas started out as the team&rsquo;s water boy in 1999</p></figcaption></div><p>Because he spent only part of a season in Kahnawake, Burrows wasn&rsquo;t exposed much to native culture. But Hebert encourages his team to get to know its fans and that cultural exchange has resulted in players eager to take part in community events. &ldquo;When I went into the room in December and said &lsquo;I need five players to take part in the Christmas parade,&rsquo; I got 11,&rdquo; he says.</p><p>Those Christmas festivities may be the closest the Condors get to a championship parade this season, but after their drubbing of Saint-Hyacinthe their low position in the standings matters just a bit less, at least until the next game.</p><p>After the game, the small crowd slowly files out into the January night. Laughter and music pour out of the Condors dressing room as the players enjoy a much-needed win. It&rsquo;s a reminder that though Kahnawake can be different from the island that neighbors it, there are constants that don&rsquo;t change. Politics gets ugly. Hockey does, too. But if you go by guys like Lazare and his son, that&rsquo;s a good thing. Hard hits and fights are rough aspects Condors fans respect. Hockey is not for the idle. That&rsquo;s the kind of universal truth that can even get Canadiens fans and Bruins supporters to agree.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

FEATURES

OF COLORS AND CULTURE

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021547/9824255-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b><i>OUT OF THE SADDLE</i></b></p><p>Jaroma Iginla is set to be a UFA this summer. Will he move before the deadline or in July?</p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012024/9824262-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="183" height="208"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>S JAROME IGINLA AND THE CALGARY FLAMES</b> approach a distinct crossroads in their relationship, the ghosts of trade deadlines past cast long shadows in every direction.</p><p>If he is weighing the possibility of moving to another team for a better chance at a championship, Iginla can call to mind the success story of Bruins legend Ray Bourque, who needed the talents of the Avalanche (and an extra season after Boston traded him to Colorado) to make his Stanley Cup dream come true. However, Iginla can just as easily can picture Mats Sundin, the Maple Leafs star who long refused to abandon Toronto and never really came close to playing for hockey&rsquo;s biggest prize. Or he can look to the more recent example of Coyotes cornerstone Shane Doan, whose name was bandied about constantly in trade rumors and on the unrestricted free agent market, yet who chose to stick it out in Phoenix.</p><p>As the owner of a no-movement clause, Iginla controls his future, even more so when he becomes a UFA this summer. Absent an unexpected hot streak by the Flames, he will be the top name heard in trade whispers approaching the April 3 deadline. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;ll be moved. If we&rsquo;ve learned anything from anticlimactic deadlines in recent years, it&rsquo;s that for any significant transaction to occur, it takes a virtual Rubik&rsquo;s Cube of factors and influences to line up perfectly. &ldquo;There will be so many variables in the next month,&rdquo; says Nashville Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton. &ldquo;One of the issues in this shortened season is that, for the most part, we&rsquo;re all in the (playoff) mix right now. If we all stay together in the pack, what determines if you&rsquo;ll be a seller or buyer? There may be only a couple teams that are out of it, so I&rsquo;m not so sure there will be so many moves this year. It&rsquo;s very complicated and each team has to make that internal decision as to where they are depending on how the weeks leading up to the deadline play out.&rdquo;</p><p>Fenton&rsquo;s Predators faced a situation similar to Iginla&rsquo;s at the 2012 trade deadline when star D-men Ryan Suter and Shea Weber were on the verge of free agency. The team opted to keep both and later nearly lost both &ndash; watching Suter sign with Minnesota before matching Weber&rsquo;s offer sheet from Philadelphia. But it was a highly calculated choice and the first choice always was to go all-out to convince them to stick around. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re trying to keep a player, you&rsquo;re doing everything in your power to do so,&rdquo; Fenton says. &ldquo;We planned to have our players and we planned not to have our players. It&rsquo;s an exercise you have to go through.&rdquo;</p><p>But even with all the planning and exercises in the world, it&rsquo;s impossible to predict what this year&rsquo;s trade market will look like. For every new wrinkle in the collective bargaining agreement that makes it easier to wheel and deal &ndash; for instance, the ability of teams to retain a portion of a traded player&rsquo;s salary &ndash; there is a factor that makes GMs and owners more reticent to pull the trigger.</p><p>The biggest factor is the looming drop in the salary cap, from $70.2 million to $64.3 million. According to <a href="http://capgeek.com">capgeek.com</a>, five teams (Philadelphia, Vancouver, Chicago, Tampa Bay and Boston) have $7 million or less in cap space for 2013-14. That will affect the talent teams make available and their asking prices for that talent. A pure rental player such as Iginla, who&rsquo;s salary goes off the books come summer, is now more enticing and teams may be willing to offer a better return for his services.</p><p>On the other hand, it&rsquo;s not as if the recent history of rental players, even elite ones, is filled with huge bounties for the team trading away a franchise icon. When Atlanta dealt Marian Hossa (and Pascal Dupuis) at the 2008 deadline, they received Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-rounder (that became Daultan Leveille) from Pittsburgh. None of those assets remains with the organization today.</p><p>In other words, if you convince a player of Iginla&rsquo;s stature to move on, there&rsquo;s no guarantee you&rsquo;ll get much of anything for him.</p><p>Finally, although the clamor and promotion surrounding deadline day rises to new extremes every year, many teams will make their biggest moves well in advance of it. Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, for example, is widely known as a team architect who prefers to deal in the weeks leading up to the final day of trading. And he isn&rsquo;t alone. &ldquo;If you get a good fit trade-wise with a player sooner than later, you get a longer period to form chemistry with and acclimate him to your system,&rdquo; says one Eastern Conference executive. &ldquo;But the offsetting factor this year is that you have less time to know your own team before you make big decisions on it.</p><p>&ldquo;In the past you had four months to get ready for the deadline. This year you&rsquo;ve had, what, 10 weeks? It makes it more of a challenge.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

ON THE BLOCK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021410/9824293-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(IGINLA: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES; PERRY: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES; OPENER+LUONGO: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; ALFREDSSON/VISNOVSKY: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES; GONCHAR: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; BERNIER+WHITNEY: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES; LILES: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; RIBEIRO: GREG FIUME/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011903/9824300-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="183" height="208"></div><h2><b>JAROME IGINLA</b></h2><h3><b>CALGARY FLAMES</b></h3><p><i>Right winger</i></p><p>The Flames icon struggled to find his form early in the season, but there would be no shortage of playoff teams willing to pony up for his services. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s looking like the 35-year-old he is,&rdquo; says an NHL scout. &ldquo;But teams will convince themselves a move will rejuvenate him. If you put him somewhere he isn&rsquo;t the face of the franchise, he can help more than he&rsquo;s helping Calgary now.&rdquo;</p><p>Iginla could return to Calgary as a free agent this summer after being traded, but the growing sense is if he moves on, it&rsquo;ll be for good.</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b>&nbsp;Pittsburgh, Boston, Los Angeles, San Jose</p><h2><b>COREY PERRY</b></h2><h3><b>ANAHEIM DUCKS</b></h3><p><i>Right winger</i></p><p>If he chooses to hit the open market, instead of re-signing with Anaheim as Ryan Getzlaf did, soon-to-be-UFA Perry would be the top prize available.</p><p>The 2011 Hart Trophy winner is due a hefty raise on his $5.3-million cap hit. If he is dealt, the team acquiring the 27-year-old will likely want his name on a long-term extension. &ldquo;This is a perennial 30-goal scorer in his prime,&rdquo; an NHL exec says. &ldquo;Those players rarely make it to market and I won&rsquo;t be surprised if Perry never gets to that point, either.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Toronto, Detroit, Boston</p><h2><b>ROBERTO LUONGO</b></h2><h3><b>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</b></h3><p><i>Goaltender</i></p><p>The Canucks stopper, 33, has been bait for months, but the lack of market for netminders and nine years left on Luongo&rsquo;s contract have kept him in Vancouver.</p><p>However, a catastrophic goalie injury on a playoff-bound team could change that in an instant. Absent such a disaster, some executives think GM Mike Gillis eventually must reduce his demands for Luongo. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve managed what could&rsquo;ve been an ugly situation very well,&rdquo; a Western Conference executive says. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a high wire act every day he&rsquo;s still there.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b>&nbsp;$5.3m/yr through &rsquo;21-22</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b>&nbsp;Florida, Toronto, Washington, Tampa Bay</p><h2><b>DANIEL ALFREDSSON</b></h2><h3><b>OTTAWA SENATORS</b></h3><p><i>Right winger</i></p><p>Of the top players who may be available in a trade, Alfredsson, 40, is the least likely to go anywhere. Even if the Sens fall out of the playoff race, it&rsquo;s no certainty he&rsquo;d want to leave.</p><p>If he decided to move on, Alfredsson&rsquo;s list of acceptable destinations could be counted on one hand. &ldquo;People think Boston would be a natural fit because of the Sens connections,&rdquo; a Western Conference executive says, referring to Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli and D-man Zdeno Chara. &ldquo;But I bet he&rsquo;d at least consider some other scenarios.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Boston, Pittsburgh</p><h2><b>SERGEI GONCHAR</b></h2><h3><b>OTTAWA SENATORS</b></h3><p><i>Defenseman</i></p><p>One of the league&rsquo;s most accomplished blueliners is nearing the end of his career, but the reason Gonchar will attract trade interest is as much about his experience as it is his expiring contract. Ottawa would have to drop out of playoff position to consider moving him and its other veterans, but their horrible luck with injuries makes this a distinct likelihood.</p><p>The Russian will turn 39 before the playoffs, but was averaging 24-plus minutes a game and could contribute more on a team more judicious with his minutes.</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Pittsburgh, Detroit, Minnesota</p><h2><b>JONATHAN BERNIER</b></h2><h3><b>LOS ANGELES KINGS</b></h3><p><i>Goaltender</i></p><p>The Kings backup goalie requested a trade last summer, yet remained in Los Angeles as an insurance policy for starter Jonathan Quick&rsquo;s wonky back.</p><p>Bernier, 24, might be dealt before Luongo, if only because he&rsquo;s far more cap-friendly ($1.3-million cap hit and a restricted free agent this summer) and his numbers (including a 1.93 goals-against average) in limited work this year are stellar. A team like Carolina, without starter Cam Ward until at least mid-April, could be interested in Bernier as a short-term solution.</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 RFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Philadelphia, Carolina</p><h2><b>JOHN-MICHAEL LILES</b></h2><h3><b>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</b></h3><p><i>Defenseman</i></p><p>The Leafs have one of the NHL&rsquo;s deeper &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps and are expected to move out one or two blueliners by the deadline. Toronto would prefer to deal veteran Mike Komisarek, but he&rsquo;s more likely to be bought out in an amnesty move this summer.</p><p>Liles, 32, has been a regular healthy scratch like Komisarek, but has a less onerous cap hit ($3.8 million through 2015-16) and can contribute more offense. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not a Randy Carlyle type of player,&rdquo; says a pro scout, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;s got something left in the tank.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b>&nbsp;$3.9m/yr through &rsquo;15-16</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Detroit, Philadelphia, Carolina</p><h2><b>LUBOMIR VISNOVSKY</b></h2><h3><b>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</b></h3><p><i>Defensemen</i></p><p>Visnovsky and Mark Streit are in the last year of their contracts and would provide veteran experience/depth for a team anticipating a deep post-season run.</p><p>One or both could remain with the Isles if they stay in the playoff hunt, but GM Garth Snow will consider what he could get for them, especially Visnovsky, who isn&rsquo;t in the long-term plans. &ldquo;At least one of those two won&rsquo;t be there after the deadline,&rdquo; says one Eastern Conference executive. &ldquo;Garth wants long-term assets and they can help him get that.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b>&nbsp;Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh</p><h2><b>MIKE RIBEIRO</b></h2><h3><b>WASHINGTON CAPITALS</b></h3><p><i>Center</i></p><p>Ribeiro has been one of the few bright spots for the Capitals this year and works well with Alex Ovechkin, but Washington is in tough to make the playoffs and Ribeiro will be a UFA after the season.</p><p>That makes the 33-year-old a low-risk, potentially high-reward trade target. &ldquo;He isn&rsquo;t the final piece of the puzzle,&rdquo; says a pro scout. &ldquo;But last time he made the playoffs with Dallas, he was basically a point-per-game guy (14 assists and 17 points for the Stars in 2007-08). &ldquo;Teams will ask about him for sure.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Florida, Washington, Tampa Bay</p><h2><b>RYAN WHITNEY</b></h2><h3><b>EDMONTON OILERS</b></h3><p><i>Defenseman</i></p><p>The veteran offense-minded D-man has been a healthy scratch many times for the Edmonton Oilers this year.</p><p>A bad ankle has limited Whitney&rsquo;s mobility, but the 2002 first round pick (5th overall) is still only 30 and he&rsquo;ll be a UFA at season&rsquo;s end. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t throw him out for more than 20 minutes a night anymore,&rdquo; a Western Conference executive says. &ldquo;If he was acquired to be a third-pairing guy on a team that doesn&rsquo;t need him to step up every game, he&rsquo;d be better than most depth options out there.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Contract status:</i></b> 2013 UFA</p><p><b><i>Potential destinations:</i></b> Philadelphia, Detroit, Los Angeles, Boston<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-02

TRADING POST

f0021-03

CHEERS TO CHI-TOWN

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011469/9824530-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">SAKU <b>KOIVU</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021029/9824523-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="1863" height="1105"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DUO IN DOUBT</b></p><p>Ryan Getzlaf is freshly signed, but unrestricted free agency looms for Corey Perry this summer.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ALK WITH BRUCE</b>&nbsp;<b>BOUDREAU</b> for a couple of minutes and you immediately have to go back and check the NHL standings. For a team with as many serious problems as the Anaheim Ducks seem to have, they&rsquo;ve been doing an outstanding job of impersonating a Stanley Cup contender. They look tired most of the time. They have the toughest schedule in the NHL. Corey Perry took his sweet time getting going. No one knows what&rsquo;s up with Bobby Ryan. Jonas Hiller isn&rsquo;t playing the way he did last year. Cam Fowler and Luca Sbisa have hardly made a dent in the scoresheet. &ldquo;Our record is a lot better than I feel we&rsquo;re playing,&rdquo; Boudreau says.</p><p>A couple of things here. First, coaches have it in their DNA to be a bunch of Debbie Downers. Most would look at the miracle of the loaves and fishes and wonder why Jesus couldn&rsquo;t have whipped up a salad with a nice balsamic dressing while he was at it. Second, when you&rsquo;ve played and coached in the minors for 30 years, you tend to adopt an outlook that more often peers on the darker side of things. &ldquo;My history is that every time I start saying good stuff, something bad happens,&rdquo; Boudreau says. &ldquo;(As a player) I got called up by the Leafs 15 times and sent down no matter what I did. I&rsquo;d get a goal and think I was safe and the next day I&rsquo;d be in the minors, so it makes your thinking go a little askew.&rdquo;</p><p>The only thing askew is Anaheim&rsquo;s standing in the Western Conference compared to last season. If not for the Chicago Blackhawks and their run at history, the Ducks would be the story of the NHL. With a record of 16-3-3 closing in on the halfway mark, they&rsquo;ve emerged as a legitimate Stanley Cup threat. What&rsquo;s more, they&rsquo;re looking like a team whose results match their roster. Admit it, haven&rsquo;t you looked at the Ducks that past few years and wondered how a group of players so accomplished could collectively be so ordinary?</p><p>In the dying days of the Randy Carlyle regime last season, the Ducks were 6-12-4 after 22 games. They were 19 points ahead of that pace this season. At this point in 2011-12, Ryan Getzlaf had four goals, 15 points and a minus-11 rating. In 2012-13, he had nine goals, 27 points and a plus-10 rating, while playing himself into Hart Trophy contention. Funny how often that happens during a contract season, eh?</p><p>Against this backdrop is an intriguing scenario leading up to the April 3 trade deadline and possibly beyond. The Ducks just happen to have two of the game&rsquo;s top twenty-something players in Getzlaf and Perry. Both happen to be having boffo seasons and both, as luck would have it, were eligible to become unrestricted free agents this summer. That is, until Getzlaf signed for eight years &ndash; the maximum allowable term under the league&rsquo;s new collective bargaining agreement &ndash; and $66 million in mid-March. But there&rsquo;s still the matter of Perry.</p><p>Getzlaf and Perry are separated by six days in 1985, the year they were born, and nine spots in 2003, the year they were drafted. Both were integral parts of the 2005 Canadian world junior team, a squad many acknowledge as the best to ever play in the tournament. They came to Anaheim as ducklings in 2005-06, won a Stanley Cup together a year later and have become the highest-paid and most prominent players for the franchise. In 2010, just months after both won a gold medal in the Vancouver Olympics, Perry was one of the groomsmen in Getzlaf&rsquo;s wedding party. The way both have played this season, it&rsquo;s no surprise Getzlaf landed a deal paying him north of $8 million per season. Perry will command a similar price. It&rsquo;s something the Ducks could almost certainly manage and still stay within the confines of the salary cap, but the salary cap is not the issue here.</p><p>There are two things to consider. First, talk of cap room is for revenue-rich teams. Do the Ducks want to spend that much actual cash to keep their duo together? And the second thing is whether Perry wants to stay in Anaheim. Getzlaf&rsquo;s extension was no surprise given he has planted roots in the area, but the discourse with Perry has been eerily quiet. The Ducks appear set to let him test free agency July 5. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve talked a lot about it,&rdquo; Getzlaf says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s from out east and I&rsquo;m from out west and our mindsets might be a little different in that aspect. Corey has to make up his mind in what he wants to do and he still has some time to do that.&rdquo;</p><p>But not as much as you may think. The whole situation has put the Ducks in a major quandary, one they might not have faced if they hadn&rsquo;t been doing so well. There&rsquo;s little reason to think a deal will be done with Perry before the trade deadline, so the expectation is he&rsquo;ll try free agency. Like the New Jersey Devils last season with Zach Parise, the Ducks face the prospect of losing a premier player (in their case, one who has won the Hart Trophy and Rocket Richard Trophy) for nothing. The Ducks are still stinging from losing rookie phenom Justin Schultz through no fault of their own, but their chances of contending for another Stanley Cup would be severely diminished without Perry.</p><p>So here&rsquo;s what could happen. The Ducks will neither sign nor trade Perry before the deadline and take their chances. Then they will sign him sometime before July 5 to an eight-year deal &ndash; like Getzlaf, he&rsquo;d only be able to get seven if he signed elsewhere &ndash; then trade him as part of a blockbuster package in a pre-arranged deal with a team that has essentially come to terms with Perry. That way Anaheim will have Perry for its run this season and still get something in return for him.</p><p>Despite what players say publicly, they think about their futures all the time. They would not be human beings if the thought of the situation facing them and their family didn&rsquo;t creep into their heads from time to time. But to each one&rsquo;s credit, neither player &ndash; Getzlaf leading up to his signing and Perry now &ndash; has made the contract issue a distraction. &ldquo;I can say they are totally invested in this team when they play,&rdquo; Boudreau says. &ldquo;There has been no hint from them that anything else is amiss.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; OUR RECORD IS A LOT BETTER THAN I FEEL WE&rsquo;RE PLAYING<br>&ndash; Bruce Boudreau</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011477/9824516-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1530" height="1055"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NO CREASE CONCERNS</b></p><p>Even subpar goaltending from Jonas Hiller hasn&rsquo;t stopped the Ducks from being a dominant team this season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If Anaheim loses Perry it won&rsquo;t be because the team failed to be attractive from a competitive standpoint. After a rough start to the Boudreau era, the Ducks were 43-26-11 under their new coach. Their power play was the best in the league, which has contributed to an offense that was fourth in goals, and chances are the Ducks won&rsquo;t be fading into the pack any time soon. Even without Schultz in the fold, Anaheim finished second behind the Edmonton Oilers, who have drafted first overall the past three years, in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2013 edition. Goalie John Gibson was ranked 11th among NHL-affiliated prospects, while defenseman Hampus Lindholm was 12th and right winger Rickard Rakell 48th.</p><p>And as the Blackhawks took their string of no regulation losses to the halfway point of the season, the Ducks continued to fly under the radar by piling up impressive victories. Who knows, maybe Chicago has peaked too early or will not be able to handle adversity after breezing through the regular season and Anaheim will sneak through the Western Conference.</p><p>That would be great for veterans such as Saku Koivu, who has had a renaissance as the team&rsquo;s second-line center, and Teemu Selanne, the 42-year-old who is as close to being Peter Pan as the team once owned by Disney has ever produced. Now, there are real dangers in making it all about two veteran players who may retire after this season. But then again, the way Koivu is playing there&rsquo;s no reason why he wouldn&rsquo;t be able to stick around.</p><p>And Selanne? Well, we&rsquo;ll believe he&rsquo;s retired when he doesn&rsquo;t show up for training camp next fall. Even then, we&rsquo;ll have our suspicions. &ldquo;He told me on the ice after we won the Cup (in 2007) that he was done,&rdquo; Getzlaf said. &ldquo;I just quit asking him after that.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

DUCK HUNT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011343/9824561-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TAKING ITS TOLL</b></p><p>Lynn Patrick&rsquo;s skills were shot by the time he returned to the NHL in 1945 after two years of war service.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02911/9824568-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="199" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b><b>F THE SUPREME BOSS OF AN NHL TEAM TELLS HIS SON &ndash; WHO</b>&nbsp;had been the team&rsquo;s leading scorer &ndash; he&rsquo;s no longer good enough to make the club, how could the son possibly outwit his dad and get back on the squad?</p><p>This curious generational battle &ndash; won by the son &ndash; involved one of the NHL&rsquo;s foremost powerbrokers, New York Rangers GM-president Lester &lsquo;The Silver Fox&rsquo; Patrick, who demanded his oldest son, Lynn, a Hall of Fame left winger, not return to the Blueshirts lineup in October 1945 at the age of 33.</p><p>Lynn had been the Blueshirts&rsquo; leading goal-scorer in 1941-42 and was the apple of Lester&rsquo;s eye not only because he spear-headed New York to first place in the seven-team NHL. He made the patriotic Silver Fox even more proud after the 1942-43 season when he enlisted in the U.S. Army with his brother, &lsquo;Muzz,&rsquo; who had joined two years earlier.</p><p>Massive enlistments of stars into the Canadian and American armed forces decimated NHL lineups during the Second World War, but no team suffered more than the Rangers. With the war well underway, Lynn became a first lieutenant in the military police while Muzz was appointed troop commander prior to the Allies&rsquo; invasion of North Africa.</p><p>Apart from having lost Lynn, Blueshirts coach Frank Boucher watched his leading scorer, Bryan Hextall, leave for the war, as well as a whole line combination comprised of the Colville Brothers, Neil and Mac, with Alex Shibicky. Goalie &lsquo;Sugar&rsquo; Jim Henry went into the Canadian army while captain of the 1940 Cup-winning Rangers, Hall of Fame defenseman Art Coulter, joined the U.S. Coast Guard.</p><p>By 1944-45, not a single member of the &rsquo;41-42 first-place Rangers was left on the roster. Not surprisingly, the Blueshirts had plummeted to last place in &rsquo;42-43 and remained there for the duration of the war. &ldquo;It was a travesty,&rdquo; said coach Boucher, who had skated for two New York Cup-winners before retiring in 1938. &ldquo;We tried to find some sort of acceptable lineup and in desperation I came out of retirement to try to help. I played 15 games, got four goals and 10 assists and I outscored 19 other players we tried that season. I was 42 years old and hadn&rsquo;t played a game in five years.&rdquo;</p><p>Lynn, Muzz and all the other Rangers-turned-servicemen from that &rsquo;41-42 first-place team survived the war. Only one of them, Coulter, retired. But Lynn didn&rsquo;t get the same message as Coulter did. He wanted his job back, even though Lester adamantly asserted that Lynn&rsquo;s legs were gone and told his son to forget about a comeback.</p><p>That should have been the end of it. After all, when your old man is New York&rsquo;s boss of all hockey bosses and he says you&rsquo;re done, you should look for a day job. But Lynn outsmarted the Silver Fox and got back his Blueshirts jersey because the law was on his side. &ldquo;I was in no shape to play,&rdquo; Lynn said. &ldquo;But I was protected by the G.I. Bill of Rights. It guaranteed every returning serviceman his old job back.&rdquo;</p><p>Sure enough, Lester was compelled to put his determined son in the 1945-46 lineup with Muzz, the Colville Brothers and Shibicky, none of whom retained their pre-war sharpness. As author Eric Whitehead wrote in his book, <i>The Patrick&rsquo;s: Hockey&rsquo;s Royal Family</i>, &ldquo;The G.I. Bill was a curse on the Rangers&rsquo; house.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite their good intentions, the returning vets broke any Rangers progress and were so testily derided by the Manhattan media that Boucher convened a meeting with the press. &ldquo;The G.I. Bill guarantees my players the opportunity and we must give it to them,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;Give them a chance.&rdquo;</p><p>The reporters were understanding, but the club again plumbed subterranean depths, finishing 10 points out of fifth place and 15 away from a playoff berth.</p><p>After the disastrous season, both Patrick brothers retired, as did Shibicky and Neil Colville. Lester couldn&rsquo;t even wait that long. On Feb. 22, 1946, the Patricks&rsquo; patriarch walked through a sleet storm to Madison Square Garden. He took an elevator to the third floor and handed his typed resignation to MSG president John Reed Kilpatrick, who adored the Silver Fox and urged him not to quit. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time I stepped down,&rdquo; said Lester with finality, then shook hands and walked out.</p><p>Lester might have also told Kilpatrick that had it not been for his upstart son and the G.I. Bill of Rights, he would not have been so wronged.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

LIKE FATHER, UNLIKE SON

<h3><b>2010</b></h3><h2><b>PLAYOFF LETDOWN</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Capitals win the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top regular season team, but can&rsquo;t solve the Montreal Canadiens and lose in the first round of the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03717/9824658-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="536" height="802"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE <b>GREEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GREEN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>2011</b></h3><h2><b>NOT ENOUGH GREEN</b></h2><p>Star D-man Mike Green suffers serious head and groin injuries and plays just 81 games between 2010 and 2012, tallying only 11 goals and 31 points over that span.</p><h2><b>ROSTER RESHAPING</b></h2><p>In the 2011 off-season, the Caps remake their roster by signing four veterans to UFA contracts. Only one of them &ndash; Joel Ward &ndash; remains a Capital.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04542/9824651-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="860" height="736"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRADEN <b>HOLTBY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HOLTBY: GREG FIUME/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>GOALIE CAROUSEL</b></h2><p>Braden Holtby seizes Washington&rsquo;s starting goalie job in the 2012 playoffs. He is their third No. 1 netminder in two seasons and struggles early in the 2012-13 campaign.</p><h3><b>2012</b></h3><h2><b>SEE YA, SEMIN</b></h2><p>Sniper Alexander Semin, once thought to be a Caps cornerstone, leaves to sign with the division rival Canes. He is an instant success in Carolina, with 17 assists and 23 points in 22 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011293/9824644-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="757" height="797"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXANDER <b>SEMIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SEMIN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>KUZNETSOV A NO-SHOW</b></h2><p>Top prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov decides to play in the KHL through the 2013-14 campaign. The 20-year-old posts two consecutive seasons of 19 goals and 40 or more points.</p><h3><b>2013</b></h3><h2><b>STUMBLING START</b></h2><p>The Caps freefall through the standings via a 5-10-1 start. They improve in late February and early March against some weaker teams, but remain in 14th place in the East.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-03

CAPITAL COLLAPSE

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021033/9824696-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="359" height="276"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011476/9824703-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03814/9824689-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1530" height="1222"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SHORT &rsquo;N&rsquo; SWEET</b></p><p>Veteran Olli Jokinen, 34, now prefers to sign only short-term deals to keep himself motivated.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b><b>ISTENING TO OLLI JOKINEN EXPLAIN HOW</b>&nbsp;former Calgary Flames coach Brent Sutter made such a difference in his outlook, you&rsquo;d think the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; center had reinvented himself.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s less reinvention, more evolution.</p><p>Jokinen was once a top-end producer, averaging nearly 35 goals over five seasons on both sides of the 2004-05 lockout, including years of 36 and 26 goals at the end of the Dead Puck Era.</p><p>Under Sutter, when Jokinen returned to Calgary as a free agent in 2010, a light went on for the Finnish-born center. He more or less added a direction to his ability &ndash; from one-way player to two-way. &ldquo;With him I started thinking the game differently,&rdquo; Jokinen  said. &ldquo;Early in my career, my thought process was that if I don&rsquo;t score, I don&rsquo;t help the team.&rdquo;</p><p>Sutter&rsquo;s daily counsel and dialogue helped him realize that &ldquo;selfish&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t the only way. &ldquo;I learned so much the last two years,&rdquo; Jokinen said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so grateful for Brent, how much he helped me as a player.&rdquo;</p><p>Sutter isn&rsquo;t the only man of influence in Jokinen&rsquo;s career. As an ambitious-for-skill youngster coming to North America at 18 &ndash; he was the third overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings in 1997 &ndash; Jokinen was traded to the New York Islanders, then the Florida Panthers, where Mike Keenan took over in 2001-02. &ldquo;He taught me what I needed to do every day to be on top of my game,&rdquo; Jokinen said. &ldquo;But if not for him, I don&rsquo;t know if I would have ever broke through in the NHL, really.&rdquo;</p><p>A lot of it was tough love, however. &ldquo;There were days I said, &lsquo;F---this, I don&rsquo;t want to go to the rink. He&rsquo;s going to rip me apart again,&rsquo;&rdquo; Jokinen said. &ldquo;But whatever he&rsquo;d say to me, I never took it personally.</p><p>&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t get the job done, he lets you know. I still stay in touch with him.&rdquo;</p><p>In his 2012 summer free agency search, Jokinen found the Jets to be a natural conversation. He settled on a two-year deal at $4.5 million per season (he said he could have gotten three years, but prefers short-term deals because it keeps him motivated), determined to add his 14 seasons and 1,042 regular season games worth of experience to a team with younger, emerging players. &ldquo;There was an excitement around this team,&rdquo; Jokinen said. &ldquo;Look at a lot of the players &ndash; they&rsquo;re ready to take the next step to be really effective players in this league. For an older guy, you want to be part of that.</p><p>&ldquo;For us the challenge is to stay focused. I know, because I was the same way, that when things don&rsquo;t go your way, sometimes you try to do it on your own.&rdquo;</p><p>Jokinen&rsquo;s numbers midway through the season weren&rsquo;t impressive (five goals, seven points, 22 games), but the team has been predictably inconsistent and its power play almost non-existent. It hasn&rsquo;t prevented him from trying to contribute the little things Sutter and Keenan preached, which amounts to providing leadership. &ldquo;I try to lead by example,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I take care of myself off the ice. I try to come to the rink every day with a good attitude. We&rsquo;re lucky to play in this league. It&rsquo;s a fun place to come. You should have fun every day here in the room.&rdquo;</p><p>Jokinen was well aware of the Jets&rsquo; honeymoon in 2011-12 after an NHL absence of 15 winters. But its continuation was not why he went to Winnipeg. &ldquo;This city, hockey&rsquo;s everything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;People want to see a winning product on the ice. With players, management and fans, expectations are a lot higher this year. Anything other than playoffs will be a disappointment.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a good foundation in place, great ownership, a lot of great players here, so it&rsquo;s up to us now to get the job done.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

TOUGH-LOVE LEARNING CURVE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011367/9824825-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02973/9824818-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03806/9824811-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="660" height="630"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KYLE OKPOSO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(OKPOSO: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>UMMER TRAINING CAN BE WEIGHT-</b>lifting and plyometrics, but New York Islanders power forward Kyle Okposo was just as concerned with flexing his head in the off-season. &ldquo;You work on your skills, your shot, your skating, et cetera, et cetera,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but also the mental aspect of the game. I&rsquo;ve gone through ups and downs in the first few years of my career and I wanted to make sure I stayed even-keeled and trending upward, hopefully.&rdquo;</p><p>This season has tested Okposo once again. The Islanders had hoped their seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft would take P-A Parenteau&rsquo;s place on the top line, but Okposo registered just two goals and five points in 20 games. Last year, he broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time, but endured similar trials along the way. &ldquo;I went through a lot of slumps,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t score a goal for the first 15 games of the season and I was a healthy scratch for a couple games. Mentally that was difficult.&rdquo;</p><p>Okposo, 24, conferred with several sports psychologists in the summer, though most of the mental work he did was by himself. He admits to living by the &ldquo;one game at a time&rdquo; cliche, but it gives him peace of mind, helping him focus on the present. Plus, he ended last season with 10 goals in nine games, so there&rsquo;s hope for this year, too. &ldquo;I was having fun,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was putting the puck in the net on a regular basis and enjoying the game again. When you&rsquo;re in a slump it can be tough to go to the rink, but you have to remember you love the game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04666/9824804-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05568/9824797-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ZIDLICKY: PATRICK MCDERMOTT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Besides a big ol&rsquo; batch of bubble wrap and a time machine for Martin Brodeur, the Devils desperately need a defenseman with offensive upside. New Jersey had just six goals from its back end. <b>Marek Zidlicky&rsquo;s</b> three topped the &lsquo;D&rsquo;. Sophomore Adam Larsson continued to struggle with no goals and three assists in 18 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06512/9824790-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="753" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07438/9824783-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NABOKOV: LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s the same old song on Long Island. Despite ranking fifth and 13th in PP and PK and seventh in offense, the Islanders were held back by their back-stoppers. <b>Evgeni Nabokov</b>, Kevin Poulin and Rick DiPietro had combined for a GAA above 3.00 and SP below .900. Only Florida&rsquo;s netminding crew had allowed more goals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08377/9824776-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09326/9824769-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="327" height="505"></div><p>Despite adding Rick Nash in the off-season, the Rangers still hadn&rsquo;t learned their post-season lesson, when a lack of goal scoring did them in. The Blueshirts were 23rd in goals and could use a center who can put the puck in the net. Their middlemen had only nine goals and No. 1 center <b>Brad Richards</b> had just two.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10283/9824762-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11241/9824755-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARDS/BOUCHER: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Flyers were top 10 in goals, PP and PK and No. 1 in PIM, but were allowing nearly three goals per game. If they intend on riding Ilya Bryzgalov, they&rsquo;d do well to upgrade behind him since they had only <b>Brian Boucher</b> and Michael Leighton as Plans B and C &ndash; and this isn&rsquo;t 2010. Bryzgalov&rsquo;s numbers were even worse than last season&rsquo;s.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12211/9824748-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13177/9824741-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VOKOUN: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Pittsburgh brought in <b>Tomas Vokoun</b> to protect against another Marc-Andre Fleury playoff implosion, but the veteran has been a downgrade over previous backup Brent Johnson. Vokoun had allowed three or more goals in all but one of his eight starts. The Penguins will have to lean more on Fleury if the trend continues.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-14149/9824734-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="640" height="29"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0035-01

MENTAL MATTERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02940/9824933-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011377/9824940-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03776/9824926-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="660" height="639"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FRANCHIS BOUILLON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOUILLON: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>F ALL THE MOVES MARC BERGEVIN</b> has made since taking over as GM of the Montreal Canadiens, few have flown under the radar like the signing of veteran defenseman Francis Bouillon.</p><p>Bergevin got a veteran leader on a one-year, $1.5-million deal. If Bouillon flopped, the Canadiens weren&rsquo;t committed beyond this season. And they were getting a player who wanted to be there. &ldquo;I was so happy when I got a call from Michel (coach Therrien) on July 1,&rdquo; said Bouillon, 37. &ldquo;Some other teams were interested, but when the Canadiens called I told my agent to forget about everyone else and get a deal done with Montreal.&rdquo;</p><p>And it&rsquo;s not every day you snag a charter member of the Montreal Road-runners, a team in the ill-fated Roller Hockey International. Coming off a Memorial Cup win with the equally defunct Granby Predateurs, the undrafted, undersized Bouillon wasn&rsquo;t sifting through offers. For the next three seasons he played in the ECHL, the defunct International League for the defunct Quebec Rafales (notice a pattern?) and the American League before embarking on a career that has seen him shuttle between Montreal and Nashville.</p><p>All the while, he&rsquo;s been a model NHL citizen and hasn&rsquo;t varied from his role or style of play. This year he&rsquo;s a plus-4 while seeing 18 minutes of ice time per game.</p><p>Many Montreal natives have shied away from the pressure of playing at home, but not Bouillon. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a guy who is expected to score 30 goals, so people look at it a little differently,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just do my thing.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04620/9824919-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05523/9824912-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PEVERLEY: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Bruins lost Benoit Pouliot in the off-season and have not been able to adequately replace him on the third line to play with <b>Rich Peverley</b> and Chris Kelly. The members of that line &ndash; Peverley, Kelly and Chris Bourque &ndash; had the three worst plus-minus marks on the team. Look for the Bruins to take a run at Daniel Alfredsson.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06462/9824905-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="753" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07391/9824898-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="327" height="505"></div><p>The Sabres&rsquo; first line is scoring, but there is little secondary offense. <b>Drew Stafford</b> and Nathan Gerbe have been in major funks and Marcus Foligno has provided more brawn than offense. Tyler Ennis has produced, but beyond the top unit of Cody Hodgson, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville, the Sabres aren&rsquo;t dangerous.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08332/9824891-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09283/9824884-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="327" height="505"></div><p>The Habs have three second and two third round picks in this year&rsquo;s draft, so they have assets to make a deal. They are getting toughness from Travis Moen and <b>Brandon Prust</b>, who has been an enormous addition, but they could use more, as well as a big two-way center to play behind Tomas Plekanec, David Desharnais and Lars Eller.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10252/9824877-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11230/9824870-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAFFORD+KARLSSON: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Senators managed to stay in the playoff race, but will have trouble remaining there with injuries to <b>Erik Karlsson</b> and a host of others. GM Bryan Murray, historically a busy man at the deadline, won&rsquo;t deal any of his youngsters for a short-term fix. With the injuries the Sens have endured, any playoff participation would be a bonus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12214/9824863-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13196/9824856-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PRUST+KADRI: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Leafs will be looking for the same thing they&rsquo;ve sought for years &ndash; a legitimate No. 1 center. They have a budding star in <b>Nazem Kadri</b>, but until he improves on faceoffs and defensive play, he&rsquo;ll be unable to fill that role. Tyler Bozak has done a lot of good things, but few in hockey who would regard him as a frontline pivot.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

HABS’ SECRET SEASONING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; CHIP ALEXANDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011229/9825062-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02868/9825055-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03699/9825048-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="685" height="638"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JIRI TLUSTY</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ALK ABOUT BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE</b> at the right time. The Carolina Hurricanes&rsquo;  Jiri Tlusty couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better situation. Tlusty is skating on the left side with center Eric Staal and right winger Alexander Semin, a trio some are calling the &lsquo;SST Line.&rsquo; Whatever the name, Tlusty is making the most of it. &ldquo;I just go out there, try to do the simple things and do my job,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun to play with players like that.&rdquo;</p><p>How much fun? Tlusty, who scored a career-high 17 goals in 79 games last season, had 10 in 21 games this year with four two-goal games. Dependable in his own zone, he joined Staal and Semin among the NHL plus/minus leaders. At one point, the three were tied for first at plus-15. &ldquo;He works and he plays the game the right way,&rdquo; said coach Kirk Muller. &ldquo;Alex and Eric use their size and strength to hold people off with the puck and (Tlusty) finds the seams and reads off them well. He&rsquo;s showing he can score at this level on a consistent basis.&rdquo;</p><p>A native of Slany, Czech Republic, Tlusty was a Toronto Maple Leafs first-rounder (13th overall) in 2006. Traded to Carolina in December 2009 for prospect Philippe Paradis, he has played on every line while overcoming injuries and continuing to develop his game, waiting for his opportunity.</p><p>Tlusty, 24, went home during the lockout. He played for Kladno on a line with Jaromir Jagr &ndash; his childhood hero &ndash; and Tomas Plekanec, making his transition to the &lsquo;SST&rsquo; an easy one. &ldquo;The guys are finding me and the pucks are going in,&rdquo; Tlusty said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04601/9825041-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05542/9825034-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The addition of <b>Alexander Semin</b> and Jordan Staal stabilized the offense and the Canes can make it rain from the back end, too. Toughness is another matter. In losing Bryan Allen to free agency, Carolina isn&rsquo;t intimidating on defense. If the team can survive the major injury to Cam Ward, some bulk on the blueline would be nice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06482/9825027-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="753" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07413/9825020-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Cats will love the lottery again after one year of picking late in the first round. Injuries to Stephen Weiss and <b>Jose Theodore</b> damage an already bottom-feeding club and a plethora of no-movement clauses limits the unloading that can be done. Theodore would have been a trade candidate had it not been for his groin injury.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08323/9825013-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09265/9825006-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Vincent</b>&nbsp;<b>Lecavalier</b> should not be tops on his team in hits. It&rsquo;s great the captain is playing hardnosed hockey and leading by example, but the Bolts need their grinders to step up. If not, Tampa Bay must import some havoc if it has any designs on playoff success. Talent isn&rsquo;t a problem and there&rsquo;s even more coming up the pipeline.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10226/9824999-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11188/9824992-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The summer acquisition of <b>Mike Ribeiro</b> has paid dividends and was a big part of Washington&rsquo;s turnaround after a sordid start. But learning on the go from new coach Adam Oates was rough with a short camp and the Caps may want to jettison assets such as Wojtek Wolski if the hill to the playoffs is too high to climb.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12164/9824985-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13143/9824978-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With youngsters such as Evander Kane and <b>Zach Bogosian</b> entering their primes, Winnipeg knows it has talent. But this team still has a loser&rsquo;s mentality left over from Atlanta. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff needs to import more winners. Only captain Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien have Stanley Cup rings to show off.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-14122/9824971-1-eng-US/f0037-142.jpg" title="f0037-14" width="640" height="29"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0037-01

TLUSTY’S LONG WAIT IS OVER

<div class="byline">BY BOB DUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02933/9825100-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="359" height="266"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011337/9825107-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03754/9825093-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1530" height="1203"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NOSTALGIC NUMBERS</b></p><p>Henrik Zetterberg, second from right, and Pavel Datsyuk average better than a point per game.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(GEGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b><b>AST YEAR, THERE WAS CONCERN. AND</b> rightly so. Center Henrik Zetterberg was enduring the worst first half to a season of his NHL career. Meanwhile, center Pavel Datsyuk&rsquo;s year was curtailed by knee surgery.</p><p>Datsyuk, now 34, and Zetterberg, 32, were closer to the end than the beginning of their careers. After back-to-back 97-point seasons, Datsyuk had reached 70 points just once in the past three, while Zetterberg&rsquo;s 69-point campaign in 2011-12 was his worst since 2006-07. Were the best days of the Red Wings&rsquo; Euro Twins behind them?</p><p>Apparently not. Perhaps they were recharged during the lockout, when they lit it up while playing in Europe, because Datsyuk  and Zetterberg are once more towers of power for the club. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all about experience,&rdquo; Zetterberg said. &ldquo;I just go out and play and the puck&rsquo;s been bouncing for me.&rdquo;</p><p>Through March 3, Zetterberg led Detroit with 25 points, including six goals, through 22 games, placing him among the league leaders in assists and points. Right behind him was Datsyuk with eight goals and 22 points in 21 games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy 100 percent,&rdquo; said Datsyuk, who suggested a shoulder injury that led to his one-game absence was due to &ldquo;too much celebrating.&rdquo;</p><p>The rest of the NHL once more has something to worry about when facing the Wings&rsquo; 1-2 punch. Just ask Ducks right winger Bobby Ryan. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a catalyst for them,&rdquo; he said of Datsyuk. &ldquo;Him and Zetterberg together give them two deadly options.&rdquo;</p><p>As much as it&rsquo;s about numbers on the scoresheet, what Datsyuk and Zetterberg bring to the rink every day is as significant to Detroit. &ldquo;Watch Pavel Datsyuk play and you talk about how skilled he is,&rdquo; said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;When I watch Pavel Datsyuk play, all I think about is how much will he has and how determined he is. When I watch Zetterberg, he&rsquo;s the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps coming. He doesn&rsquo;t care who it is or who he&rsquo;s playing.</p><p>&ldquo;The best of the best are ultra competitive and they bring it every single day. They don&rsquo;t have it every day, but they bring it. Those guys are our best players and they drive our bus. You don&rsquo;t have to get them started or beg them to play. They come to play every night.&rdquo;</p><p>During the lockout, Zetterberg was among the top performers in the Swiss League, producing 16 goals and 32 points for Zug in 23 games. Datsyuk returned home to Russia, putting up 11 goals and 36 points with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental League.</p><p>Those performances recharged the batteries of Detroit&rsquo;s best players, who&rsquo;ve carried on their European pace since returning to North America. &ldquo;Pav has been doing it all year for us, as he has year after year,&rdquo; said Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall. &ldquo;What makes them leaders is they&rsquo;re the hardest working guys and they show up every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The Wings made the leadership role official for Zetterberg during training camp, naming him to replace the retired Nicklas Lidstrom as captain. &ldquo;Hank, the biggest thing for me is that he&rsquo;s so unselfish,&rdquo; said left winger Dan Cleary. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got great talent on the ice, but he&rsquo;s very respectful off the ice and he&rsquo;s vocal when he needs to be. He leads by example.&rdquo;</p><p>And Detroit&rsquo;s dynamic duo keeps creating for the Wings, silencing the whispers of a year ago. No one can replace what Nicklas Lidstrom did for the franchise, but the Wings are in good hands going forward.</p><p>Long-time Detroit GM Ken Holland summarizes the new guard best: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s become Pav and Z&rsquo;s team.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

DETROIT DUO’S WINGS UNCLIPPED

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011224/9825229-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02825/9825222-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03651/9825215-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="660" height="636"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>COLIN WILSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(WILSON: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>ACH OF THE PAST TWO YEARS, NASHVILLE</b>&nbsp;Predators coaches looked away from Colin Wilson at playoff time. Suddenly, the 23-year-old left winger is getting almost immediate recognition from opposing defenses. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s starting to get, &lsquo;Hey, who&rsquo;s their top scorer? It&rsquo;s Wilson,&rsquo;&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to be hard on him. They&rsquo;re going to check him a little closer. They&rsquo;re not going to give him time and space.&rdquo;</p><p>The seventh overall pick from 2008 was a point-per-game player in February, the first full month of this abbreviated season. That&rsquo;s no small feat on the NHL&rsquo;s worst offensive team.</p><p>Wilson had four goals and 10 assists in 14 contests. That included a careerhigh three assists on Feb. 5, the second multi-goal game of his career two days later and the game-winner in a 1-0 overtime victory over San Jose. &ldquo;I want to be a big contributor,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;I certainly want to be one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer on my team. That&rsquo;s the game I play.&rdquo;</p><p>Except in the post-season. Over the past two years Wilson was scratched for 15 of Nashville&rsquo;s 22 playoff contests because his consistency wavered late in the season. &ldquo;It is a reminder that you can&rsquo;t take nights off in this league,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;Last season I had the same point-per-game average (at one point) as I do now. I keep it in the back of my head for sure.&rdquo;</p><p>That should help him remain one of the first players who come to mind when opposing checkers prepare for the Predators.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04549/9825208-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05466/9825201-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="327" height="506"></div><p>It&rsquo;s hard to shop for the team that has everything, but the Hawks could use a big, tough, top-nine forward to help protect its core players. Given Marian Hossa&rsquo;s and Jonathan Toews&rsquo; concussion histories, and <b>Dave Bolland&rsquo;s</b> penchant for being nicked up, a rugged customer who lays the body would be nice insurance.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06389/9825194-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="753" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07338/9825187-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOHANSEN: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The lowly Blue Jackets will once again be sellers. They&rsquo;ll be seeking young talent, especially forwards. They&rsquo;re fine for blueline blue-chippers with Ryan Murray, Tim Erixon and Jack Johnson, who is just 26, but desperately need more scoring up front as they try to build around <b>Ryan Johansen</b>, Derick Brassard and Artem Anisimov.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08287/9825180-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09234/9825173-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="327" height="505"></div><p>Detroit has been bullied out of the playoffs in recent seasons. If GM Ken Holland has learned from past mistakes, he&rsquo;ll look for more size and grit, particularly on the wing. With <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> battling various maladies all season, the Red Wings have few bruising forwards in their lineup after Johan Franzen and Jordin Tootoo.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10203/9825166-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11178/9825159-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOLLAND+BERTUZZI+HORNQVIST: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The plucky Predators could use a bona fide scorer as they try to sneak into the playoffs. This is a recording. At the 22-game mark, no Nashville player had more than five goals. It didn&rsquo;t help that <b>Patric Hornqvist</b>, fresh off three consecutive 20-goal seasons, had just two in 12 games as he worked his way back from a knee injury.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12162/9825152-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13138/9825145-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(REDDEN: MARK BUCKNER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blues thought an emerging Ian Cole and a rejuvenated <b>Wade Redden</b> would cover the loss of Carlo Colaiacovo from their blueline, but they haven&rsquo;t. They need another veteran presence. He doesn&rsquo;t have to be an offensive force like Alex Pietrangelo or Kevin Shattenkirk &ndash; just a sturdy, seasoned performer like Barret Jackman.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-14119/9825138-1-eng-US/f0039-142.jpg" title="f0039-14" width="640" height="29"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0039-01

PREDATOR IS NOW THE PREY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02603/9825337-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01931/9825344-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="75" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03468/9825330-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="660" height="631"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SAM GAGNER</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span>VEN WHEN</b>&nbsp;<b>SAM GAGNER HAD HIS</b>&nbsp;famous eight-point night last season, there were trade rumors about the speedy center &ndash; after all, his value on the market would never be higher, right? But the Edmonton Oilers decided to keep him around and the decision is looking good.</p><p>Gagner was leading the team in scoring and second in goals, nearly halfway through the season and playing at his best offensive pace ever at almost a point per game. &ldquo;The coach has put a lot of faith in me and I&rsquo;m playing a lot of minutes,&rdquo; Gagner said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to focus on the right things and playing overseas helped, I came in to camp in game shape.&rdquo;</p><p>During the lockout, Gagner suited up for Klagenfurter AC in Austria, where his teammates included fellow NHLers Tyler Myers and Andrew Cogliano. &ldquo;It was a great experience,&rdquo; said Gagner, who had 10 goals and 20 points in 21 games. &ldquo;I was playing a lot, it was great for my speed with the big ice and off the ice the guys were great to me. It was a really nice country.&rdquo;</p><p>Klagenfurter made it into the Austrian League playoffs as the three seed. Now it&rsquo;s time for the rebuilding Oilers to finally break through to the post-season. If the 23-year-old Gagner and his even younger peers are going to accomplish that, they&rsquo;ll need to do some growing. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some good starts in the past and haven&rsquo;t maintained it,&rdquo; Gagner said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about good habits. We have to be consistent with our effort and consistent with our game.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04374/9825323-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05318/9825316-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAJAN: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In no order, the Flames need a scoring center, help in the faceoff circle, toughness on defense and solid goaltending. With <b>Matt Stajan</b> the only true center for most of February and March, Calgary has been easy to dominate down the middle. With a passive defense and injuries in the crease, the Flames have more holes than a colander.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06281/9825309-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="753" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07243/9825302-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="327" height="505"></div><p>With <b>Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly</b> back in the fold down the middle, the Avs would love to peddle high-priced Paul Stastny ($6.6 million) for a big-bodied scoring winger who can intimidate and finish while playing alongside Matt Duchene or O&rsquo;Reilly. Colorado&rsquo;s blueline is teeming with No. 5-6 rearguards, but lacks the top-four D-men contenders need.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08210/9825295-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09159/9825288-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GAGNER+SCHULTZ: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>More noticeable now than in any recent season, the Oilers lack enough veteran leaders to carry the skilled youngsters through the rough patches. <b>Nick Schultz</b> and Ryan Smyth are a start, but one more cagey vet at each end of the ice would calm the storms in leading by example. The blueline has four pending UFAs on it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10145/9825281-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11127/9825274-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="327" height="505"></div><p>The Wild would love a poor man&rsquo;s Shea Weber to partner with <b>Ryan Suter</b> and bring out the best in the struggling defender. Minnesota is doing fine for skill and youth up front, but has been forced to rush teenager Jonas Brodin on the blueline. With a payroll already near the salary cap, any help the Wild get will be secondary.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12116/9825267-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-13101/9825260-1-eng-US/f0040-132.jpg" title="f0040-13" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(O&rsquo;REILLY+SUTER+KESLER: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With <b>Ryan Kesler</b> and Manny Malhotra out of action, the Canucks, like many teams, have Dunkin&rsquo; Donuts syndrome &ndash; not a lot of substance down the middle. Vancouver can deal from a position of strength &ndash; goaltending &ndash; but GM Mike Gillis likes his depth there and knows if he dealt a stopper he&rsquo;d have to scramble to get a backup.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

PATIENCE PAYS OFF

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SARAH MCLELLAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01810/9825466-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02532/9825459-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="74" height="84"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03434/9825452-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="660" height="631"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE SMITH</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE WAS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY</b>&nbsp;Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith wouldn&rsquo;t duplicate his outstanding performance from last season, his first as a true NHL starter. He ranked among league leaders in most statistical categories, set a Coyotes record with a .930 save percentage and wrestled himself into the team&rsquo;s nucleus by leading it to the Western Conference final.</p><p>But after allowing 13 goals in his first three complete games, Smith looked more like a one-hit wonder than an elite stopper. In time, though, he&rsquo;s rebounded to again become Phoenix&rsquo;s most important player. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m hard on myself,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I knew I was capable of doing that again and playing really well. It wasn&rsquo;t showing up in my game early in the season, so it was frustrating. But it&rsquo;s a different year.&rdquo;</p><p>After sitting out four games with a groin injury, Smith went 7-4-2 with a .915 SP and 2.47 goals-against average in February. It&rsquo;s taken him some time to regain game shape, trading in his early aggressive style for a more economical approach in which he stays deeper in his net. &ldquo;It was just needing to play games and reading the plays again and the things that you don&rsquo;t get when you&rsquo;re just playing around and playing shinny,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>And Smith expects to continue improving as the season progresses. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always more you can do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Without that mentality you get complacent and you start blaming other people for what&rsquo;s going on. I&rsquo;ll never be satisfied.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04377/9825445-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05340/9825438-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETZLAF: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s a problem when four of your top five scorers are free agents in the summer and you&rsquo;re not a team that spends to the cap. <b>Ryan Getzlaf</b> and Corey Perry are the biggest fish, as both need re-ups and are coming off matching $5.3 million cap hits. Inevitably, their great play will again make Bobby Ryan the subject of rumors.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06296/9825431-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="753" height="598"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07253/9825424-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COLE: GLENN JAMES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Stars already made a big move, swapping in <b>Erik Cole</b> from Montreal for Michael Ryder. The deal was a good indicator of how GM Joe Nieuwendyk is preparing for the future. Dallas is not a max cap team and with the celing dropping next season, cost certainty is in. Cole is signed through 2014-15 while Ryder is a UFA.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08198/9825417-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09149/9825410-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VOYNOV: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>While early returns had it looking like a Cup repeat would be impossible, the Kings turned it around and were clicking on all cylinders as February gave way to March. Worries about the banged-up defense were assuaged by the play of youngsters such as <b>Slava Voynov</b> and Jake Muzzin, meaning a panic trade wasn&rsquo;t needed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10122/9825403-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="752" height="596"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-11100/9825396-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RUNDBLAD: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Coyotes had found their scoring groove, though their overall speed and talent doesn&rsquo;t match up with the West&rsquo;s titans. They have an enviable stable of young &lsquo;D.&rsquo; Oliver Ekman-Larsson is untouchable and Brandon Gormley is a highly touted prospect in his rookie pro season, but what about <b>David Rundblad</b> or Michael Stone?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1285/9825389-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="752" height="597"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1369/9825382-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HAVLAT: DON SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>San Jose was right in the thick of the West&rsquo;s playoff jumble. A little secondary scoring would help separate it from the pack. Only five Sharks had doubledigit point totals, while <b>Martin Havlat</b> was sixth with just a half-dozen through 20 games. Injuries continue to dog the Czech. A change of scenery might benefit both parties.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1454/9825375-1-eng-US/f0041-142.jpg" title="f0041-14" width="640" height="29"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0041-01

MIKE REGAINS HIS MAGIC

<div class="byline">BY SIMON BARRETTE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02560/9825511-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="294" height="329"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01860/9825518-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03441/9825504-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="1660" height="1250"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KID KALPA</b></p><p>Artturi Lehkonen already has 60-plus games played versus men in the Finnish League.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(KALPA-HOCKEY.FI/ATTE RISSANEN PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span></b><b>HANGE DOESN&rsquo;T SCARE ARTTURI</b> Lehkonen. After he played his first pro games with TPS Turku in the Finnish League last year, he moved far from his hometown to join KalPa in Kuopio. &ldquo;Turku was starting to be a bit too familiar for me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I needed some change and some new direction. I felt like KalPa was a good decision.&rdquo;</p><p>The decision paid off. Lehkonen has become as an integral part of KalPa&rsquo;s lineup, amassing 13 goals and 29 points in 43 games on a playoff contender despite losing a handful of games to concussions. To make things even sweeter, his new team is competing for a playoff spot in this year while TPS will probably miss the dance.</p><p>Lehkonen was also part of the disappointing Finnish team at the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia. Although he had a respectable three goals, four points and plus-5 rating in six games, his dissatisfaction about the team&rsquo;s performance is clear. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t honestly see any positives from it, except that it was a good learning experience,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve tried to turn the page on that tournament and concentrate on the remainder of the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Most scouts agree the young Finn, ranked 27th for the 2013 draft by International Scouting Services, has many elements of a successful NHLer. &ldquo;Artturi has excellent hockey sense, he&rsquo;s a good skater, has great mobility and a fine, quick shot,&rdquo; said Goran Stubb, the NHL&rsquo;s director of European scouting. &ldquo;His lack of size and physical strength is an issue, but he&rsquo;s only 17. There&rsquo;s still time to correct that.&rdquo;</p><p>KalPa coach Jari Laukkanen appreciates the hard work and attitude Lehkonen brings to the team. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a player that can make things happen and score goals,&rdquo; Laukkanen said. &ldquo;He also shows passion for the game and you can see he loves to play. He&rsquo;s still young, though, and he&rsquo;ll need to develop his physical game as well as his defensive play.&rdquo;</p><p>Concerns over his size and strength intensified following a late hit by former NHL super-pest Jarkko Ruutu in mid-February, resulting in a three-game suspension for Ruutu. The hit gave Lehkonen his second concussion of the season and he was expected to miss one to three weeks of action. NHL scouts will keep a close eye on how the latest injury impacts his year.</p><p>Throughout his life, Lehkonen has had a good advisor he can rely on: his father, Ismo Lehkonen, is a former Finnish League player. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always looked up to him a lot,&rdquo; Artturi said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s also a coach, so he&rsquo;s always given me good advice. I&rsquo;m lucky to have that kind of advantage for my development and my career.&rdquo;</p><p>Regarding his size, Lehkonen knows what he has to do. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a big guy and I know I need to work on my strength and gain more weight,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be able to battle in the corners better and win those 1-on-1 situations more frequently.&rdquo;</p><p>If he can, he&rsquo;ll be close to achieving a lifelong goal. &ldquo;Since I was a young kid, hockey has always been a big part of my life and my dream has always been to play in the NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In three to five years, I want to be in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>ARTTURI LEHKONEN</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04353/9825497-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="160" height="187"></div><p><b>POSITION</b></p><p>Left winger</p><p><b>AGE</b>&nbsp;17</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 5-11</p><p>&nbsp;<b>WEIGHT</b> 159 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b></p><p>2013 eligible</p><p><b>27</b>&nbsp;Artturi Lehkonen&rsquo;s ranking among 2013 NHL draft prospects according to International Scouting Services&rsquo; February report. He is third amongst Finnish prospects behind Aleksander Barkov (No. 7) and Rasmus Ristolainen (No. 10).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

HEAD ON STRAIGHT

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02584/9825556-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JIMMY EAT WORLD</b></p><p>Jimmy Lodge has devoured OHL competition, already besting his rookie points total by 50-plus.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01838/9825563-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>UNIOR HOCKEY IS INCRED</b>ibly cyclical. Franchises will contend for the Memorial Cup one year, then line up for the first overall pick in the draft a season later. In fact, the Quebec League&rsquo;s Shawinigan Cataractes have done just that, winning the national championship on home ice in 2012 before joining Cape Breton as the only two teams in the league to miss the playoffs this time around.</p><p>For the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario League, the situation is not that dire &ndash; the Spirit will still make the playoffs &ndash; but they are in a rebuilding mode right now, losing Brandon Saad to the Chicago Blackhawks, then trading Florida Panthers pick and captain Vincent Trocheck (64th overall in 2011) to the powerhouse  Plymouth Whalers. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a situation where we had to do what was best for the organization,&rdquo; said coach Greg Gilbert. &ldquo;Vince is turning pro next year. We have a plan for two to three years down the road and Vince wasn&rsquo;t part of that plan.&rdquo;</p><p>With Trocheck gone, the Spirit&rsquo;s top-six forward corps has been shaken up and that&rsquo;s led to opportunities for two draft-eligible players: center Jimmy Lodge and right winger Nick Moutrey.</p><p>Lodge, who was one of the few major junior players to skate in the first All-American Prospects Game in the fall, is now on the top line and coming off his best month of the season. In 11 February games, the Pennsylvania native amassed eight goals and 20 points, with his season totals standing at 63 points through 58 matches. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of a one-line team and he&rsquo;s really taken to it,&rdquo; said one NHL scout. &ldquo;You always noticed him going up and down the ice &ndash; now he&rsquo;s producing.&rdquo;</p><p>Lodge may have grown up outside Philadelphia, but hockey drove him north. From Grade 8 through high school, he lived in Toronto, playing for the Titans program. &ldquo;A good friend&rsquo;s dad was the coach,&rdquo; Lodge said. &ldquo;Being away from a young age was tough. I got used to it, though.&rdquo;</p><p>The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder, ranked as the 72nd best prospect by International Scouting Services, has already destroyed his offensive totals from a rookie campaign when he had just 12 points. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a playmaker, a pretty good passer and I have vision on the ice,&rdquo; Lodge said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to read the game a little quicker and process plays faster now.&rdquo;</p><p>Lodge isn&rsquo;t the only player getting a chance to shine in Saginaw. Moutrey, ranked 87th by ISS, has a powerful 6-foot-3, 208-pound body and part of his learning curve involved creating more opportunities with it. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big, strong kid, with speed and a good shot,&rdquo; Gilbert said. &ldquo;He can&rsquo;t be a perimeter player. He&rsquo;s got a big body and he had to learn how to use it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03486/9825549-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="1142" height="1231"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MANLY MOUTREY</b></p><p>Already 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Nick Moutrey has become a bruising forward.</p></figcaption></div><p>Gilbert has used Moutrey in a penalty-killing role on top of his duties on the second line with Buffalo Sabres prospect Justin Kea. The youngster is also getting power play time now. &ldquo;It was a big adjustment, but guys are stepping up,&rdquo; Moutrey said. &ldquo;We thought we&rsquo;d get less goals with Vince gone, but we&rsquo;re on about the same pace.&rdquo;</p><p>While Lodge cites superstars such as Evgeni Malkin and Claude Giroux as role models, Moutrey favors Phoenix captain Shane Doan. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader on and off the ice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He brings it every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The Spirit won&rsquo;t likely get far in the post-season this time around (an opening round matchup with London is all but assured), but the team is stocked for the future and will need leaders. Along with Lodge and Moutrey in 2013, they have 2014 draft prospects such as Zach Bratina (acquired in the Trocheck deal) and Brandon Prophet, plus a 2015-eligible in late birthday Jeremiah Addison.</p><p>As for Moutrey, the southern Ontario native has no problem sticking around for a while. &ldquo;I love it here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my second home and Michigan is a great state.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-02

NOT A SPRINT FOR THE SPIRIT

<div class="byline">BY MIKE ASHMORE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02478/9825601-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>EYE OF THE TYLER</b></p><p>Tyler Toffoli believes he&rsquo;s flourishing in the AHL because he&rsquo;s more dedicated to training.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE BABINEAU)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01738/9825608-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b><b>ANNER PEARSON COULDN&rsquo;T HELP</b>&nbsp;but chuckle when asked to describe what his Manchester Monarchs teammate, Tyler Toffoli, is like away from the rink. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s kind of that giddy guy in the room, he always has a smile on his face,&rdquo; Pearson said.</p><p>And then he paused for a second. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more of a smirk.&rdquo;</p><p>And even a smirk is not an expression permanently glued to Toffoli&rsquo;s face. He was a first round talent, but slid all the way to 47th overall in 2010. The Los Angeles Kings arguably only got Toffoli due to concerns about conditioning. The Scarborough, Ont., native surely wasn&rsquo;t under the radar &ndash; he was fresh off 79 points in 65 games with Ottawa of the Ontario League that season &ndash; so when the topic of draft day comes up, things take on a serious tone. &ldquo;It gets me mad when people talk about things and haven&rsquo;t ever watched me play and things like that,&rdquo; Toffoli said. &ldquo;At the time, maybe (those assessments were accurate). But now, those things that people were saying about me have changed a lot. I&rsquo;ve been working hard and it&rsquo;s been showing on the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Toffoli believes a renewed commitment to his training, which includes hiring a private power skating instructor, has not only changed some opinions about his play, but led to a strong first pro season in the American League. &ldquo;The first time I ever laid eyes on him, he was in development camp and I had concerns about his skating,&rdquo; said Monarchs coach Mark Morris. &ldquo;But the scouts assured me, &lsquo;Wait until you see this guy with the puck on his stick.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>And they were right. Don&rsquo;t blink or you might miss the frozen disc flying off the neatly wrapped black tape on his lightweight Reebok twig. Morris praised Toffoli for &ldquo;an innate ability to get himself in scoring positions,&rdquo; but it&rsquo;s what he does when he gets the puck that separates him from the rest. &ldquo;He likes to set up in the middle of the slot and you try to get him the puck because you know he can get it away pretty quick,&rdquo; Pearson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s usually on his stick and off his stick like <i>that</i>.&rdquo;</p><p>Toffoli followed his draft year with consecutive 50-goal, 100-point seasons in the OHL. He is Los Angeles&rsquo; highest-ranked prospect in The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch 2013 at No. 65. Considering he sat second in the AHL with 27 goals as of early March, he was first in line for a callup should the Kings need an injection of offense.</p><p>The problem: a reigning Cup champ simply isn&rsquo;t in a huge hurry to bring up young talent and the Kings had almost no turnover after last year&rsquo;s triumph.</p><p>Described as a pure goal-scorer by just about everyone who&rsquo;s seen him play, Toffoli earned a somewhat surprising invite to the Kings&rsquo; NHL camp this season before getting sent to the AHL. Once he adjusted to the tempo of going up a level, albeit briefly, he seemed to fit right in. It&rsquo;s a matter of when, not if, for Toffoli according to Morris. &ldquo;On a team that does not have the depth the Kings do, he might have already had an opportunity by now,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s ahead in some areas and he also needs work in some areas.</p><p>&ldquo;On the offensive side, he&rsquo;s probably superior to a lot of guys that have gone up. But the NHL game is a little quicker, so the time that he&rsquo;s spending here is only going to help him to develop at a pace more conducive to becoming a more complete player.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>TYLER TOFFOLI</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03363/9825594-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="252" height="175"></div><p><b>POSITION</b></p><p>Right winger</p><p><b>AGE</b> 20</p><p>&nbsp;<b>HEIGHT</b> 6-1</p><p>&nbsp;<b>WEIGHT</b> 194 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b></p><p>Los Angeles, 47th overall in 2010</p><p><b>27</b>&nbsp;Goals for Tyler Toffoli through 53 AHL games. He ranked second in the league, two behind Syracuse&rsquo;s Tyler Johnson. While that total easily led AHL rookies, Stephan Lebeau&rsquo;s freshman season record of 70 goals (1988-89) is safe.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

SHOOTING STAR DREAMS OF L.A.

<div class="byline">BY NATHAN FOURNIER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02436/9825646-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BORDER PATROL</b></p><p>Jamie Oleksiak was cut by the 2011 U.S. world junior team, but made Canada&rsquo;s 2012 squad.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TEXAS STARS HOCKEY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01650/9825653-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="60" height="68"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>AMIE OLEKSIAK DIDN&rsquo;T LIKE</b> to stick in one place for too long in his quest to reach the NHL. The Dallas Stars first round pick in 2011 and the American League&rsquo;s rookie of the month for January was well-travelled before the big club called him up for his first NHL game Jan. 30.</p><p>Since 2008-09, Oleksiak has played for eight teams in six leagues across North America. He split 2008-09 with the Little Caesars Midget AAA under-18 program in Detroit and the Chicago Steel of the United States League. The following season he went full time in the USHL with the Steel before being traded to the Sioux Falls Stampede. While in the USHL, he secured a scholarship to Northeastern University, where he spent his draft year in one of the toughest conferences in college, Hockey East.</p><p>Last season he moved to the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario League before the Niagara Ice Dogs picked him up at the trade deadline. &ldquo;I am fortunate to have played in a lot of leagues and for a lot of good teams,&rdquo; Oleksiak said. &ldquo;Every team I went to, I tried to take away something and I have met some good guys and coaching staffs.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously each level is different. In college, there&rsquo;s a lot of speed to the game. I really refined my defensive abilities (there). In the OHL, you get used to a longer schedule and more physical game.&rdquo;</p><p>Oleksiak also had the rare opportunity  of trying out for both the United States and Canadian national junior teams; his father was born in Buffalo but he grew up in Toronto, giving him dual citizenship. For the 2011 world juniors, he was one of the last cuts for the Americans, but chose to represent Canada at the 2012 WJC.</p><p>The 6-foot-7, 242-pound defenseman said there were similarities between playing at Northeastern and his first year of pro with the Texas Stars because both leagues provided older competition and the presence of older teammates.</p><p>Oleksiak had six goals and 29 points in 48 games with Texas and was called up to Dallas three times in the first two months of the NHL campaign. But his impressive AHL numbers &ndash; and AHL All-Star Classic appearance &ndash; don&rsquo;t tell the full story. As with any rookie pro, it took a while to adjust. &ldquo;The first month was a learning curve,&rdquo; said Texas coach Willie Desjardins. &ldquo;Some things he got away with in junior. He was so talented in junior he didn&rsquo;t have to work on his game. Every time you move up a level, you have to work a little harder.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s not the first time Desjardins has worked with a guy of Oleksiak&rsquo;s size. Desjardins coached Tyler Myers at the 2009 world juniors as an assistant for Canada. He also coached against Myers as he was bench boss for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western League when Myers was a Kelowna Rocket. &ldquo;There are similarities, because both are such big men,&rdquo; Desjardins said. &ldquo;Myers was younger and continually improved. It&rsquo;s the same with Oleksiak.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&ldquo;Both are very smart and are good people. They flourish on their own.&rdquo;</p><p>A panel of NHL scouts had Oleksiak ranked No. 59 in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2012, but he slipped outside the top 75 in Future Watch 2013.</p><p>Like Myers, Oleksiak is surprisingly agile and slick with the puck, especially on the power play, considering his size. But the NHL Stars keep calling him up for his defensive zone coverage and ability to battle.</p><p>Oleksiak, 20, said he sought advice from veterans on adjusting to the pro game. &ldquo;I talked to a lot of guys that played at high levels, whether it was at the world juniors AHL or the NHL,&rdquo; Oleksiak said. &ldquo;They all have been helpful and instrumental in my development. To see Tyler Myers and Zdeno Chara, guys I looked up to growing up that have the same height similarity, I try to emulate them.&rdquo;</p><p>Desjardins feels Oleksiak will do well in the NHL if he continues to build on his success at the AHL level. &ldquo;He just needs to play his game,&rdquo; Desjardins said. &ldquo;He needs to recognize the NHL game is another step.</p><p>&ldquo;The players are quicker. There are certain key guys on each team that are explosive that he has to be aware of.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03370/9825639-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="219" height="166"></div><h3><b>JAMIE OLEKSIAK</b></h3><p>POS Defenseman AGE 20 HT 6-7 WT 242 lbs DRAFTED Dallas, 14th overall in 2011<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-02

LOOMING LARGE IN ‘BIG D’

<div class="byline">BY ROMAN USCHAK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01654/9825684-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>COLE&rsquo;S NOTES</b></p><p>Ex-NHLer Danton Cole fondly remembers his time in the soon-to-be-defunct CCHA.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TOM SORENSEN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN A CHAMPION IS CROWNED AT STORIED JOE LOUIS</b> Arena in Detroit March 24, it will mark the conclusion of the 2012-13 season of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.</p><p>It will also signify the end of the CCHA itself.</p><p>After 42 years, they&rsquo;re breaking up the old gang that began in 1971-72 with current teams Bowling Green and Ohio State and former programs Ohio and St. Louis. &ldquo;I have mixed feelings,&rdquo; says current Michigan State coach and former player Tom Anastos, who was CCHA commissioner from 1998-2011. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a huge part of my hockey life, as a player, coach, commissioner and now a coach again. I&rsquo;m certainly disappointed that history will go away.&rdquo;</p><p>The seeds of the CCHA&rsquo;s dissolution were planted when Penn State announced in 2011 it was upgrading to NCAA Div. I. That prompted the formation of the Big Ten Conference with current CCHA schools Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State, along with Western Collegiate Hockey Association members Minnesota and Wisconsin.</p><p>Hastening the demise of the CCHA was the defection of Miami and Western Michigan to the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference that also begins play this fall. The finishing blows landed when Northern Michigan transferred to the &ldquo;new&rdquo; WCHA, while Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green, Ferris State and Lake Superior State followed suit and Notre Dame moved to Hockey East.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; IT WAS A GOOD MIX. YOU WON&rsquo;T SEE ANYTHING LIKE THE CCHA AGAIN<br>&ndash; Danton Cole</blockquote><p>The CCHA tradition includes eight national championships, the first by Bowling Green in 1984 and the last from Michigan State in 2007. Michigan State also collected the most CCHA Tournament titles with 11, while Michigan won a record 11 regular season titles. Lake Superior claimed the most national championships, winning in 1988, 1992 and 1994. The league also has seven Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners and nearly 175 All-America selections.</p><p>Danton Cole won an NCAA title with MSU in 1986 and went on to play in 318 NHL games and win a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995. He grew up a CCHA fan in Michigan before he laced up his skates with the Spartans and felt the league was a unique entity in the college sports world. &ldquo;It was an interesting mix,&rdquo; says Cole, now coach of the under-17 team with the U.S. National Team Development Program. &ldquo;You had Div. I and II schools competing on a fairly level basis and you won&rsquo;t see anything like that again.&rdquo;</p><p>Cole admitted the CCHA has been a large part of his history, but knows things have changed. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like the Olympics, with the pros,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the same feeling anymore and it&rsquo;s sad it&rsquo;s going away.&rdquo;</p><p>This final CCHA season saw all 11 schools wearing a commemorative jersey patch as part of a yearlong celebration of the league&rsquo;s history. Eight-time NCAA Tournament participant Miami claimed the last regular season title.</p><p>Current NHLers who played in the CCHA include Justin Abdelkader, David Booth, Joe Corvo, Mike Cammalleri, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Miller and Max Pacioretty. The list of alumni with a Stanley Cup includes Rob Blake, Dan Boyle, Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, Jim Dowd, Chris Kunitz, John Madden, Ken Morrow, Brian Rolston, Craig Simpson and Doug Weight.</p><p>Anastos took some solace in the fact each of the 59 NCAA Div. I men&rsquo;s schools will now have a conference to call home. He has also sat in on some Big Ten hockey meetings, as the league prepares for its inaugural venture. &ldquo;Their plans for hockey are exciting,&rdquo; Anastos says, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m certainly disappointed the CCHA will no longer exist.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

END OF AN ERA

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04246/9825715-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="263" height="264"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/XWORD</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 He&rsquo;s NHLPA head (continued at 15 Across)</p><p>4 Philly was home of &lsquo;The Broad ___ Bullies&rsquo;</p><p>9 Where Stan Bowman is GM</p><p>10 Not dirty</p><p>11 Give out</p><p>12 ___ Crowe was a hockey player in <i>Mystery, Alaska</i></p><p>13 Montreal&rsquo;s team (its other nickname)</p><p>15 See 1 Across</p><p>18 Smart play is ___-___ play</p><p>21 Shoot puck hard (or Reg Leach&rsquo;s nickname)</p><p>23 Makes partial contact with, gets a ___ of</p><p>24 A ___ ___ is always at the arena</p><p>25 He was a member of L.A.&rsquo;s &lsquo;Triple Crown Line&rsquo;</p><p>26 The St. Louis Blues play at the Scottrade ___</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 ___ Moore twice led NHL scorers</p><p>2 Hits hard</p><p>3 Captains</p><p>5 Kind of skates made by CCM</p><p>6 Home of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame</p><p>7 Mix it up</p><p>8 Bobby Orr&rsquo;s number</p><p>14 Home of the once mighty Ducks</p><p>15 Andrew ___ helped B&rsquo;s to Cup in 2011, pictured</p><p>16 Gets fit, ___ up</p><p>17 A trophy is named after this Patrick</p><p>19 Tampa GM ___ Yzerman</p><p>20 Brad ___ was Norris runner-up six times</p><p>22 Taylor Hall was drafted ___ overall in 2010</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. DEBOER, 4. SPEZZA, 9. AMATEUR, 10. SIMON, 11. LANGE, 12. CHEW OUT, 13. USES, 15. TRIP, 18. STAMKOS, 21. ALFIE, 23. ALLAN, 24. BELFOUR, 25. ASSIST, 26. TRADES <b>DOWN</b> 1. DEADLY, 2. BRAIN, 3. EYELETS, 5. PASTE, 6. ZAMBONI, 7. ARNOTT, 8. ERIC, 14. STAPLES, 15. TRAILER, 16. OSHAWA, 17. ZEBRAS, 19. KINGS, 20. SUBS, 22. FLOOD<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

CROSSWORD

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01442/9825746-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="136" height="170"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 136px"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>&ldquo;I spent 14 of 17 NHL seasons with the Capitals. I lead them in all-time goals and points.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the only NHL player from Slovakia to score 500 career goals.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I led the NHL with 52 goals in 1997-98 and helped the Caps reach the Stanley Cup final.&rdquo;</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0049-01

Guess WHO!

<div class="byline">Submitted by: Ryan Harder</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02339/9825784-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="64" height="113"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 64px"><span class="photo-credit">(YAKUPOV: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>NAIL YAKUPOV</b></p><p>Russian sniper, a.k.a. &lsquo;Jamba,&rsquo; is known for celebrating goals with flair; drafted No. 1 by the Oil.</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/f0049-03265/9825777-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="64" height="113"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 64px"><span class="photo-credit">(STEAMBOAT: BILL BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>RICKY STEAMBOAT</b></p><p>Hawaiian pro wrestler, a.k.a. &lsquo;The Dragon,&rsquo; is known for matches with Ric Flair; frequently covered in oil.</p><p>Email your suggestions to <b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>WHO AM I: PETER BONDRA<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

Separated AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SPENCER DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05195/9825815-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="227" height="233"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: DAVEART.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he brick wall is a feature Enroth always includes in his masks. With the Sabres logo on one side and a buffalo stampede across the other, it is a timeless throwback to the American Wild West. The longhorn skull at the top makes it that much grittier.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

Behind THE MASK

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-06116/9825846-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="214" height="154"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: CLASSICAUCTIONS.NET)</span></figcaption></div><p>Another great find from Classic Auctions, this 1950s gem is actually a third jersey worn by the AHL&rsquo;s iconic Americans.</p><p>The stripes of the regular sweater were removed and the color scheme up top flipped from white stars on blue to red stars on white. But the coolest thing about these sweaters is that they were later sold to RIT college, where the wives and girlfriends of the players removed all the letters from &lsquo;Americans&rsquo; except the &lsquo;RI,&rsquo; then a &lsquo;T&rsquo; was stitched on to complete the team name &ndash; and it was still centered on the jersey.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-06

JerseyHOUND

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02321/9825877-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">JUSTIN <b>SCHULTZ</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01429/9825884-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="200" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b><b>ET THE RECORD SHOW THAT AS OF</b> early March, Justin Schultz still led American League defensemen in scoring by double digits, despite the fact he hasn&rsquo;t been an Oklahoma City Baron since pre-Harlem Shake days.</p><p>Oh, those heady days of Lockout, Part III. With Jordan Eberle and Schultz cutting a swath through the AHL scoring race, we were all waiting for the labor strife to end to see what these young Oilers could do once the millionaires and billionaires settled their problems.</p><p>And for a while, things appeared promising. The Oilers got off to a 4-2-1 start and it was looking like, finally, they would take advantage of being in the weakest division in the Western Conference to not only pull themselves out of the muck of the bottom of the league, but actually challenge for a playoff spot.</p><p>Almost halfway through the season, though, the Oilers found themselves top-heavy in talent, but still occupying the low-rent district. Despite the acquisition of Mike Brown and all the offensive talent that came with it, the Oilers are in jeopardy of having a top-five pick in the NHL draft for a fourth straight season.</p><p>And it&rsquo;s really not cute anymore. This was supposed to be the year the young Oilers were going to swashbuckle their way to, at least, respectability. A playoff spot did not seem too much to ask, but that&rsquo;s beginning to look like another pipe dream. And the worst thing is, their needle was moving downward. In an early March game against the Minnesota Wild, the Oilers failed to record a single shot in the second period and by all accounts played their worst game of the season</p><p>Prior to the Oilers, only one team in history had the No. 1 overall draft pick three consecutive years. That was the Quebec Nordiques in 1989, &rsquo;90 and &rsquo;91. Five years later, the Nordique boys won the Stanley Cup as the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps it&rsquo;s possible there could be a Stanley Cup parade down Whyte Avenue in 2017, but not unless the Oilers start using their high draft position to do more than take the obvious consensus choice as the best overall player and little else.</p><p>It has long been documented that successful teams not only hit home runs in the first round, but find legitimate NHL players, and even some stars, with later picks. They use those players to supplement their top picks or as assets in trades to strengthen their roster. The Oilers have not done that. If you look into their draft history the past 15 years, it&rsquo;s one of the most dismal of any team in the NHL. And a large reason for that is because, with a few rare exceptions, they&rsquo;ve not been able to identify NHL talent beyond the first round.</p><p>This, of course, must and should have the Oilers faithful frustrated. After all, for the past several years, the Oilers have all but hired a skywriter to declare their intention of tanking for high draft picks. This is not their Alberta neighbor to the south, a team that continues to fool itself &ndash; because it&rsquo;s not fooling anyone else &ndash; that it&rsquo;s good enough to contend and refuses to rebuild, relegating it to hockey purgatory where it&rsquo;s not good enough to make the playoffs and too good to be in a position to get a franchise player.</p><p>But then again, there&rsquo;s got to be something to all the losing. Could it be that a culture where the players so easily accept defeat is beginning to envelop this organization? The more some players lose, the easier it becomes to accept, which brings us to another problem. The Oilers are not, generally speaking, the destination of choice for veterans, the kinds of NHLers who could teach the young players what it takes to excel in the best league in the world and make them accountable for their effort and performance.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo; SUCCESSFUL TEAMS FIND LEGITIMATE NHL PLAYERS, AND EVEN SOME STARS, WITH LATER PICKS</blockquote><p>Nikolai Khabibulin has won a Stanley Cup and Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff have been to a final, but it&rsquo;s difficult for any of them to show the way when they&rsquo;re hurt or playing so poorly. Despite the presence of Schultz, the Oilers defense corps is simply not strong enough to compete at the NHL level and some of their young players have even taken a step back.</p><p>Yes, the Oilers are stacked with dynamic young talent. But we&rsquo;ve been hearing that for years. And when you have three No. 1 overall picks in a row and four straight in the top 10, you should have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to youth. Nobody in Edmonton should be taking any bows for that particular feat of ineptitude.</p><p>But with another season in which they look like they&rsquo;re stagnating, you have to wonder just when this group is going to turn promise and potential into tangible results. When exactly will next year come? Well, it looks like it won&rsquo;t be for a while yet and it won&rsquo;t happen until this organization adds more substance to the middle and the bottom to go with all that talent at the top.</p><p><b>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL?</b> CLICK ON <b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE COLUMN<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

EDMONTON STUCK IN FIRST GEAR

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April 1, 2013

THN INBOX

THE INSTIGATOR

DECISION TIME ON CAPITOL HILL

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