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 15, 2013

The Hockey News - Apr-15-13

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRION O&#x2019;CONNOR</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021387/9831004-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ONE AND DONE</b></p><p>Boston University&rsquo;s Jack Parker retires as the winningest coach in college hockey with one team.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JARED WICKERHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N THE MID 1970s, AFTER HIS</b> third season as coach of his alma mater Boston University, Jack Parker received a job offer from Div. I rival Yale. As he was on his way there, however, he pulled off the road, called Yale and said he wasn&rsquo;t leaving BU. &ldquo;I knew very early on that this was the job for me,&rdquo; Parker said.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011990/9831011-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="140" height="127"></div><p>And it was for more than four decades, until March 11 &ndash; Parker&rsquo;s 68th birthday &ndash; when former players, assistant coaches and BU fans at Agganis Arena heard the legendary coach announce his retirement before his final home game, a 5-3 win over Merrimack. After the Hockey East quarterfinals, Parker&rsquo;s record was 896-471-115, good for a .643 points percentage. Parker&rsquo;s win total is the third-highest total in college hockey, behind Jerry York (933) and Ron Mason (924), and the highest at one institution. Parker led BU to three Div. I titles while appearing in the NCAA tournament a record 24 times. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been coaching the team for 40 years. I&rsquo;ve been a coach for 44 years. I was a player here for four years before that. So for 48 of the past 49 years, I&rsquo;ve been reporting for duty to BU hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Parker was hired in 1973 at 28 years old. He&rsquo;s helped develop a litany of NHLers, including Keith Tkachuk, Mike Grier, Tony Amonte, Rick DiPietro, Jay Pandolfo and Hobey Baker winners Chris Drury and Matt Gilroy, as well as 1980 Olympians Jack O&rsquo;Callahan, Jim Craig, Dave Silk and Mike Eruzione. &ldquo;Jack&rsquo;s there for more than just wins, losses, scholarships and national championships,&rdquo; Eruzione said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s made us men.&rdquo;</p><p>Mike Lynch, BU&rsquo;s athletic director, acknowledged a Div. I coach&rsquo;s role has changed dramatically. Top coaching jobs don&rsquo;t go to untried candidates, which is what Parker was when he was hired. &ldquo;The scrutiny that envelops coaches today is completely different from when Jack first started,&rdquo; Lynch said. &ldquo;One of the reasons he&rsquo;s been so successful is because he&rsquo;s been able to adapt to those changing circumstances.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Parker&rsquo;s BU program, however, was stained last season when two players were arrested on sexual assault charges. Corey Trivino pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and Max Nicastro&rsquo;s charges were dropped. A report from a BU task force revealed &ldquo;a culture of sexual entitlement&rdquo; existed among some players and led to the elimination of the executive athletic director position, which Parker held. &ldquo;It was a trying time for us and our program,&rdquo; Parker said.</p><p>Over the years, Parker received many offers to leave BU, including two from the Boston Bruins, but turned them all down. &ldquo;The best part of my job is my relationship with my players and their families, without question,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;The relationship with the players is the thing I&rsquo;ll have for the rest of my life.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

TRIED AND TRUE TERRIER

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01862/9831646-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="330" height="244"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02562/9831639-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="1390" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STEADY DECLINE</b></p><p>Ilya Bryzgalov started 28 of the Flyers&rsquo; first 30 games, but his stats were worse than last season&rsquo;s.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN COMPILING A LIST OF THINGS</b> Philadelphia is best known for &ndash; Rocky, cheesesteaks, &ldquo;How ya doin&rsquo;?&rsquo;&rsquo; &ndash; let&rsquo;s not leave sports culprits off the list.</p><p>Underperforming teams come and go, but in the City of Brotherly Love there is never affection for the star perceived to be at the root of the problem. The boos drove baseball Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt to distraction, brought a smile to hoops legend Charles Barkley&rsquo;s face when he was traded and even forced quarterback Donovan McNabb to snap a time or two.</p><p>Which brings us to Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, hired to be a nine-year, $51-million savior and the end of a dustbowl of quasi-talents dating back to the 1980s and Ron Hextall. Last year, Bryzgalov&rsquo;s first with the Flyers, drew mixed reviews. And not much has changed. After a slow start in 2011-12, he came on strong toward the end (he was named NHL player for the month for March after a handful of shutouts) and some thought this would translate into playoff success. It did, at least for one round in an upset of the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the bubble burst in the second round as the New Jersey Devils dispatched the Flyers in five games.</p><p>Looking back, analysts blamed the bumpy first season on Bryzgalov&rsquo;s introduction into a bigger, more intense market than what he had experienced in previous stops in Phoenix and Anaheim. There was also the matter of an uneasy relationship with backup Sergei Bobrovsky, the second-year player Bryzgalov replaced. It was no secret Bobrovsky resented the arrival of his countryman and subsequent cut in ice time after a good rookie campaign.</p><p>This year was supposed to be different. Bobrovsky was sent to Columbus, Bryzgalov appeared more comfortable and the shortened season meant he&rsquo;d get perhaps the highest percentage of starts in his career. He said he learned a lot. Media mishaps, like his &ldquo;(I&rsquo;m) lost in the woods&rdquo; comment following a particularly bad loss early last year and his reaction to not starting the Winter Classic, were in the past. &ldquo;I had a great experience last year,&rdquo; Bryzgalov said. &ldquo;I understand the philosophy of how it works here, the fans, media, even the management of the team. I make some notes in my head for myself. And I&rsquo;m going to follow them.&rdquo;</p><p>What Bryzgalov didn&rsquo;t anticipate was the change in personnel competing in front of him. The Flyers lost some valuable talent (Jaromir Jagr, Matt Carle, James van Riemsdyk, among others) and got off to a 2-6-0 start. If not for Bryzgalov&rsquo;s strong play, things could have spiralled out of control. But he&rsquo;s hung in there, starting 28 of the team&rsquo;s 30 games, though his stats have declined further than they did last season. Through mid-March he was 13-13-1, with a 2.79 goals-against average and .898 save percentage.</p><p>Unlike last March, this year&rsquo;s same page on the calendar hasn&rsquo;t been as kind. Admittedly, there have been nights when Bryzgalov appeared unsure of himself. His exchanges with the media have become terse. Danny Briere, for one, says to put most of the blame on Bryzgalov &ndash; as Philadelphia talk radio and blogs appear to do &ndash; is unfair. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s had to go through a lot and it&rsquo;s not an easy thing when you come into a market like this,&rdquo; Briere said. &ldquo;Everything is watched, everybody&rsquo;s watching what he is doing.</p><p>&ldquo;I remember I went through it my first year here. It wasn&rsquo;t easy. But we&rsquo;re part of it, too. We expect him to play well every night. We know how good he can be, we see it in practice. We know how big he is, how much room he takes in the net.&rdquo;</p><p>While key players such as Briere, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Braydon Coburn have hovered around double-digit minus numbers, Bryzgalov is still perceived more as the key problem than a solution.</p><p>So, to answer the question, &ldquo;How ya doin&rsquo;?,&rdquo; the response might be, &ldquo;The jury&rsquo;s still out and more time is needed.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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HUNG JURY ON BRYZGALOV

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012202/9830479-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>ndrej Pavelec hopes to take in more praise from the Winnipeg faithful as the Jets march toward landing the first playoff berth of their NHL return.</p><p><b>ON THE COVER</b></p><p>Carey Price by Alain Desjean</p><p><b>iPAD BONUS:</b> Check out our iPad edition, available at the App Store, for a slideshow of the best recent photos from around the NHL<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

ONDREJ THE GIANT

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012248/9830517-1-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><b>TO BORROW A LINE FROM NOTED</b> rock philosophers Van Halen, when it comes to realignment, time will tell if it stands the test of time.</p><p>The new plan has been received with minor quibbling, but mostly golf-clap polite approval. With 30 looking-out-for-No.-1 diverse interests, there is never going to be a setup that satisfies unanimously, so to get buy-in from the masses is an accomplishment.</p><p>We understand some of the arguments for the apparent mismatches: why Florida, Tampa and Boston are in what may be the &ldquo;Central&rdquo;; why Pittsburgh and Columbus could be in the &ldquo;Atlantic.&rdquo; (As the Ottawa <i>Citizen&rsquo;s</i> Ken Warren points out, &ldquo;Atlantic&rdquo; makes sense for Columbus since that&rsquo;s the ocean he had to cross to get here).</p><p>So instead of nitpicking the team placements, we suggest the NHL reach to its past and give the new divisions unique names, a concept that not only erases geographical confusion, but also injects some quirky color into a business that is sometimes too grey.</p><p>I floated that thought on Twitter and it was embraced. The sentimentalists feel we should reintroduce the Smythe, Patrick, Norris and Adams, which was a highly popular notion. But it wasn&rsquo;t the only one. THN senior writer Ryan Kennedy likes going more modern, less robber-baron. He advocates the Gretzky, Hull, Orr and Roy. And several others agreed they should be named for former stars of the game.</p><p>Then there were the quipsters. @DSCalgary likes Ballard, Pocklington, Rigas and McNall, snubbing Spano, Del Bigaggio and others. @Tom_Fulery prefers the classic sound of John, Paul, George, Ringo or the apocalyptic vibes of Famine, War, Death and Pestilence. @WowThatAwkward wants to reward the journeyman with the Snepsts, Stefan, Flatley and Burridge divisions, while @slsangus is more pragmatic with &rsquo;94 Lockout, &rsquo;04 Lockout, &rsquo;12 Lockout and Bettman. @HR1616 took the time to state, &ldquo;You guys must really have time on your hands to now debate division names.&rdquo;</p><p>Point taken. It&rsquo;s not Richter Scale material and who knows if there&rsquo;ll be any major changes. As the NHL continues to claw its way from niche to noticed, why would it stray from the nomenclature used by the NFL, NBA and MLB and risk confusion among the newbies? They&rsquo;ve already got us nerdy-sappy types locked up.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021903/9830510-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> APRIL 29, 2013</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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BRING BACK THE NORRIS!

<p class="dropcap"><b><i><span>P</span>lease don&rsquo;t revise history. Many players have won the Calder Trophy and gone on to mediocre careers, but Barret Jackman isn&rsquo;t one of them (Overtime, March 18). You can do a lot worse than be a first-pair D-man for a decade. You act like it was an unbelievable decision they didn&rsquo;t give it to Henrik Zetterberg and his whopping 44 points. That&rsquo;s 20/20 hindsight. THN even had Jackman as their second choice for rookie of the year in their Awards Issue. Was it really so bad your runner-up won?</i></b></p><p><b><i>James Benesh, Regina, Sask.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012478/9830642-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="541" height="739"></div><p>CONTACT US:</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></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="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="70" height="70"></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/f0006-04642/9830621-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="70" height="70"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>/+THEHOCKEYNEWS</p><h2><b>SHUT IT &lsquo;N&rsquo; LOVE IT</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>Back for just two months and people are already complaining: the point system, unfortunate injuries, suspensions, you name it. People should be glad hockey is back and not always trying to change it. The NHL has not had the same rules since its formation, nor will it have them 100 years from now. Enjoy the unique time we live in, where Stamkos scores 60 and Chicago makes history. The NHL is the best it&rsquo;s ever been.</p><p><b><i>Alexis Grimard Springfield, Mass.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>HOT IN ATLANTA</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>It&rsquo;s funny the &ldquo;K2&rdquo; cover story (March 4) includes yet another swipe at Atlanta fans, but a few pages later, the &ldquo;Real Warriors&rdquo; feature includes a spotlight on Marcel Alvarez, who now plays for the ECHL&rsquo;s Gwinnett Gladiators while serving his country. Atlanta, where dysfunctional NHL ownership groups lead to fan heartache, has passionate fans despite being a non-traditional market. THN should stop indulging in the lazy, incorrect stereotype of Atlanta as a &ldquo;black hole&rdquo; for hockey when it most certainly is not.</p><p><b><i>Emma Harger, Decatur, Ga.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>STEER CLEAR</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>The NHL needs to install clear boards for all outdoor games. I went to the game at Fenway Park and unless you had roof boxes you had no idea what was going on on the ice. If you have see-through boards, the fans in the lower section and on TV can follow the puck. Many arenas use it; it&rsquo;s not rocket science.</p><p><b><i>John Kroeger, Scituate, Mass.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>REIGN VIA REIN</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>Enough with the &ldquo;let P.K. be P.K.&rdquo; plea (Overtime, March 4). Since Canadiens&rsquo; management, coaches and mates asked him to and embrace the team concept, he&rsquo;s been dominant, a positive influence and the club&rsquo;s No. 1 defenseman. It&rsquo;s a team sport. A little discipline never hurts.</p><p><b><i>Alex Begin, Gatineau, Que.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CULTURE CHALLENGE</b></h2><p><i>Re: Ryan Kennedy&rsquo;s &ldquo;Hockey&rsquo;s troubling relationship with women&rdquo; <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> column, March 20</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="70" height="70"></div><p>Every team should take the time to conduct sensitivity training on how to interact with women, people of color and the LGBT community.</p><p><b><i>Aldo Gandia</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="70" height="70"></div><p>A good organization has a good staff with a coach who shows from the beginning that none of this will be tolerated and you&rsquo;re gone if any of this stuff even shows its ugly head.</p><p><b><i>Christian Poulsen</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>RUFF TOUCH</b></h2><p><i>Re: Ken Campbell&rsquo;s &ldquo;Lightning&rsquo;s struggles will cost Guy Boucher his job&rdquo; <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> column, March 21</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="70" height="70"></div><p>Lindy Ruff would make that team awesome. He&rsquo;s a D-man coach and that&rsquo;s what they need. They have scoring talent, now they need to find ways to have each forward return to his own end and help. That&rsquo;s the Lindy way. If he&rsquo;s the coach of Tampa next year, I give it two years and they will be Stanley Cup contenders.</p><p><b><i>Allan Cramer</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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GRIN, IT’S BARRET

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>. Fenning Cox @TielerFC4:</b>&nbsp;Corey Crawford is a contender for Canada with his play this year. His familiarity with Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith doesn&rsquo;t hurt, either.</p><p><b>Alex Nowak @sensgoalie35:</b> Craig Anderson should be a serious candidate. Hands down the top goalie in the league this season. He&rsquo;s played for USA before.</p><p><b>A. Williams@AdamWilliams87:</b> Carey Price. If you can handle the pressure in Montreal, the Olympics will be a breeze.</p><p><b>A. Lepage @andrew_lepage:</b> With Ryan Miller and Cory Schneider struggling, the defending Cup and Conn Smythe-winning goalie Jonathan Quick has to be Team USA&rsquo;s No. 1.</p><p><b>Ray Caliendo @rjcaliendo:</b> Marc-Andre Fleury. Got experience last time and continues to rise. Another Cup this year would help solidify status.</p><p><b>Rouse @TheeRouse:</b> Cory Schneider is my favorite right now, assuming he gets a full season next year to prove himself before the Games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

TWITTER CHIRPS @THEHOCKEYNEWS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05504/9830697-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="653" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Matthew Wagner</b></p><p>Silverwood, Mich.</p></figcaption></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>

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BIG Fan

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012189/9830735-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="474" height="125"></div><p>IT&rsquo;S GAME 7 OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL. WHO DO YOU WANT IN GOAL?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021497/9830728-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="491" height="708"></div><p><b>PATRICK ROY</b>&nbsp;35%</p><p>MARTIN BRODEUR 18%</p><p>DOMINIK HASEK 13%</p><p>KEN DRYDEN 8%</p><p>TERRY SAWCHUK 6%</p><p>OTHERS 20%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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PUCKPOLL

<p><b>QUESTION:</b> If the NHL expands to 32 teams, how would American League affiliates work out?</p><p><b><i>Michael Calcagni, Reading, Pa.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b> Although an AHL source said the league would consider expanding to 32 teams if there were legitimate ownership interest, I wouldn&rsquo;t expect it. That league has a tough enough challenge keeping all current franchises viable. Instead, you&rsquo;ll see more prospect sharing/affiliate splitting, as was the norm before the AHL had 30 teams. It&rsquo;s not ideal, but that&rsquo;s the most realistic outcome given the economic realities.</p><p><b>QUESTION:</b> Why did Buffalo return Mikhail Grigorenko to junior after 22 games? That burned a year of his entry-level deal.</p><p><b><i>Adam Genova, Etobicoke, Ont.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b> The Sabres began the season as playoff contenders and thought Grigorenko would benefit from that experience and, as the No. 12 overall pick in 2012, contribute valuable offense. Unfortunately, it wasn&rsquo;t to be. He ended up playing limited minutes and the team&rsquo;s underachievement and turmoil, which included the firing of coach Lindy Ruff, mean Buffalo&rsquo;s dressing room won&rsquo;t be a pleasant place for a while. That&rsquo;s not an environment Sabres brass want the 2012 first-rounder exposed to, especially when he can be returned to his Quebec League team and hone his game on a level at which he excels. Yes, it&rsquo;s not ideal for his rookie contract &ndash; which lost a year on it as soon as Grigorenko played more than five NHL games &ndash; but better to address the issue now before it becomes a bigger problem down the line.</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>

ASK Adam?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021811/9830804-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="248" height="281"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012367/9830797-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1870" height="742"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LUNDQVIST: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031291/9830790-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1070" height="1111"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>A TALL ORDEAL</b></p><p>Is the height of the pads worn by Pekka Rinne and his brethren providing an unfair advantage?</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RINNE: JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>HL GOALTENDERS ARE PAID TO</b> get in the way of pucks. But the evolution of the position has presented two more challenges for them to deal with: an opposition increasingly fond of crashing the net and league GMs who feel their equipment remains too bulky and should be shrunk as a way to encourage more scoring.</p><p>The latter issue was front and center at the NHL&rsquo;s GM meetings in Toronto in late March. In the weeks leading to those meetings, San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson was a proponent of revisiting the size of goalie equipment &ndash; specifically, the rise of goalie pads above the knee. &ldquo;Somebody has to ask the question why they&rsquo;re allowed to wear them up to their hips,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It affects the way the game is played. I want goalies protected, but we&rsquo;re not compromising protection, we&rsquo;re compromising the integrity of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>Other veteran league voices, such as Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford, agrees with Wilson that a goalie&rsquo;s five-hole has all but disappeared with the rise of the butterfly method and pads that can rise as high as 10 inches above the knee. The pads wind up acting as a complete wall along the ice, giving shooters even less room to aim at. League goaltending supervisor and former NHL goalie Kay Whitmore says that pads should shrink, estimating the current regulation &ndash; which makes pads legal if they rise no higher than 55 percent of the distance between the pelvis and knee &ndash; could be reduced to between 40-45 percent and limit pads to seven or eight inches above the knee. The idea gained steam at the GM meetings and was forwarded on to NHL game ops and the competition committee for further study.</p><p>However, the counterargument from the goalies&rsquo; perspective isn&rsquo;t unreasonable and has everything to do with safety. When stick technology has progressed to the point that everyone on the ice can shoot like Al MacInnis, goalies say they need the pads for protection, not production. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be fine playing with shin pads if they go back to Titan wooden sticks,&rdquo; said Toronto&rsquo;s James Reimer. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re an easy target, but we&rsquo;re a position that&rsquo;s gotten exponentially better in the last 20 years. A .910 (save percentage) is the new .900. Is that because of bigger gear? I don&rsquo;t think so. We&rsquo;re all just getting better.&rdquo;</p><p>The other challenge for goalies &ndash; being physically waylaid by players driving to the net &ndash; has become more of a problem in recent years in the eyes of some. There are those who think the issue is a byproduct of the difficulties in scoring on goalies because of their size and equipment. In other words, because there&rsquo;s less visible net to shoot at, NHLers are less averse to rattling a goalie&rsquo;s cage by bumping into (or running over) him. &ldquo;You definitely feel it&rsquo;s happening more,&rdquo; said one veteran Eastern conference goalie. &ldquo;I expect that I&rsquo;m going to get bumped into every night out there. Now you know it&rsquo;s about keeping composure and being back in a good position when it happens.&rdquo;</p><p>There were 270 goalie interference penalties last season, up from 247 in 2010-11. With many goalies signed to massive long-term contracts, teams, fans and media are more sensitive to the potential for disaster.</p><p>But there are others who don&rsquo;t believe anything needs to change in the rulebook or the way in which officials call the rules to address the complaints. They&rsquo;ll point to Nick Kypreos barrelling into Grant Fuhr in the 1996 playoffs or Glenn Anderson&rsquo;s special skill at pushing the envelope on goalie boundaries for the better part of two decades and argue there always has been contact between goalies and the opposition&rsquo;s skaters. They&rsquo;ll tell you the game is played in a more straight-ahead, north-south manner now and the speed through the neutral zone is so much faster.</p><p>They&rsquo;ll also point out that there are more collisions with goalies, like the one between Buffalo&rsquo;s Ryan Miller and Boston&rsquo;s Milan Lucic in 2011, because the modern netminder leaves his crease much more than did goalies in previous eras. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always been there, it&rsquo;s always going to be there,&rdquo; said Tampa Bay goaltender Mathieu Garon of all the contact in front of the net. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have anything against guys going for rebounds when they&rsquo;re coming to the net. It&rsquo;s just part of the game.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>91</b></h2><p>Goaltender interference penalties called as of March 21. Over 82 games, that prorates to 251, the second-highest total of the past five seasons. There were 270 committed in 2011-12, 247 in 2010-11, 233 in 2009-10 and 220 in 2008-09.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

PROTECTION VS. PRODUCTION

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012107/9830835-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021478/9830866-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="534" height="700"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>HE DOES IT ALL!</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n his first game back after missing 10 with a back injury, <b><i>Martin Brodeur</i></b> is credited with a goal vs. Carolina when a Jordan Staal pass goes awry.</p><h2><b>&ndash; MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>ROAD KILL</b></h3><p>As if things weren&rsquo;t bad enough at home, the Desert Dogs were shut out four times in a row away from <a href="http://Jobing.com">Jobing.com</a> Arena in mid-March.</p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>GUTSY RETURN</b></h3><p>After missing nearly two years due to a concussion sustained in the OHL, Avs prospect Joey Hishon makes his pro debut in the AHL with Lake Erie.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>SERIOUS CHARGES</b></h3><p>Windsor Spitfires winger Ben Johnson is charged with sexual assault in connection with two alleged incidents in the washrooms of local bars.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GEOFF KIRBYSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012342/9830897-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THIS BET&rsquo;S A SURE THING</b></p><p>A new gaming facility near the MTS Centre will help pay the mortgage on the Jets&rsquo; arena.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MIKE GRANDMAISON)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>WINNIPEG JETS FANS HAVE ALREADY</b> shelled out around $50 million for season tickets this year. What&rsquo;s another $11 million?</p><p>That&rsquo;s how much the team&rsquo;s owners, True North Sports & Entertainment, will reap annually from the Manitoba government, much of it from a new gaming center under construction steps away from the MTS Centre.</p><p>The 5,000 square-foot facility, which is scheduled to have 140 slot machines, four black jack tables and two poker tables, is owned by True North and will be staffed by about 40 Manitoba Lotteries employees. But the money won&rsquo;t be going toward signing a high-scoring forward. Instead, it will be earmarked for the MTS Centre&rsquo;s mortgage.</p><p>Steve Ashton, the provincial cabinet minister responsible for Manitoba Lotteries, says this financial support is nothing new. In fact, it was part of a deal that was signed before the $133.5-million building was christened in late 2004, when it was home to the American League&rsquo;s Manitoba Moose. &ldquo;We had an initial gaming agreement with True North,&rdquo; Ashton said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had 50 video lottery terminals in place since Day 1, which provided a source of revenue on an annual basis to maintain our business plan. Now the MTS Centre is one of the most successful arenas in North America.&rdquo;</p><p>Those 50 video terminals are in operation at a restaurant across the street from the rink, but will be removed once the new center opens in the spring.</p><p>True North isn&rsquo;t the only NHL ownership group to benefit from gambling. The Edmonton Oilers were the first NHL team in Canada to have a public lottery with &ldquo;Breakaway to Win,&rdquo; a scratch ticket designed to raise revenue to prevent the team from relocating. The Calgary Flames later came on board and now both teams share the profits with the province of Alberta. Many provinces offer Pro Line betting, too, where fans bet against the point spread in games. Those profits are shared with NHL teams.</p><p>The Pittsburgh Penguins have also seen the rewards of gambling. Tom McMillan, VP of communications for the team, says when gaming came to Pennsylvania in late 2007, the state government stipulated that whoever got the license had to help fund the Consol Energy Center, which opened in 2010. &ldquo;The winning bidder had to contribute $7.5 million per year for 30 years for the construction of the arena.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

BUCKS ’N’ PUCKS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012283/9830935-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GREEN AND GREY</b></p><p>The ivy-covered Hobey Baker Memorial Rink is the third-oldest college arena in the U.S.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SHELLEY SZWAST)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>EEING THE PLANT-COVERED,</b> brick exterior, I always understood why it was called the Ivy League. It had to be named after Hobey Baker Memorial Rink, the third-oldest college arena in the United States, which opened 90 years ago. Princeton University was the center of the collegiate world and my mom always said that if I studied hard enough I would go there one day. Unfortunately, my passion for what was inside Baker Rink far outweighed my passion for the classrooms surrounding it. But I did get to skate there, many moons ago during my minor hockey days.</p><p>When you are eight years old everything seems bigger. The Rocky-esque concrete steps leading up to the main entrance always were a daunting task in the 5:00 a.m. darkness, especially with 20 pounds of smelly equipment slung over my string-bean left shoulder. But life is such when you&rsquo;re forced to carry your bag due to your father&rsquo;s insistence that real hockey players didn&rsquo;t have their dads carry their armor.</p><p>Baker Rink&rsquo;s walls scream with character. Lining them were trophy cases with war medals and leather hockey skates, chronicling the life of Hobart &lsquo;Hobey&rsquo; Baker &ndash; one of the first 12 inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame and former Princeton star. Baker was a war hero in the First World War who died in a plane crash in France shortly before he was set to return home in 1918.</p><p>On Saturday mornings, the stale waft of butter and salt lingered in the air of the 2,092-seat arena, the remnants of Friday night games. Paper programs and half-eaten popcorn boxes littered the empty concrete aisles. It is then, walking down the black rubber steps of the arena, that I remembered that I shared the same rink as goalie Erasmo Saltarelli, left winger Scott Bertoli and NHLer Jeff Halpern &ndash; the stars of Princeton men&rsquo;s hockey.</p><p>Each Saturday, Baker Rink was mine. Every time I skated on its ice, it was hard not to look up at the black electronic scoreboard, with &ldquo;Princeton&rdquo; running on all four sides, and not daydream about playing for the Tigers. Then I&rsquo;d look to the white banner that covered the face of the balcony hanging over the main entrance and feel the energy from the big, black, block letters embossed in orange: &ldquo;MAKE HOBEY PROUD.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021801/9830928-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="151" height="173"><figcaption class="caption-body"><i>Kevin Moore is a goaltender with the ECHL&rsquo;s Evansville Icemen.</i></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

THE PRIDE OF PRINCETON

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHILIP ZIGMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031165/9830973-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="446" height="594"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FINN O&rsquo;HARA/HOCKEY HALL OF FAME)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Clarkson Cup officially has a home. The trophy, awarded annually to the Canadian Women&rsquo;s League champ, was given a spot alongside Lord Stanley&rsquo;s mug in the Hall of Fame in early March.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04701/9830966-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="137" height="137"></div><p>The trophy is named after <b>ADRIENNE CLARKSON</b>, former Governor General of Canada. After first suggesting the Stanley Cup be awarded to the top women&rsquo;s team in 2005, during the NHL lockout, she later had her name attached to the chalice that the best women&rsquo;s teams in North America now compete for. Having the trophy in the Hall is an important step for the women&rsquo;s game as it continues to grow. The five-team CWHL (Toronto, Montreal, Brampton, Alberta and Boston) is still in its infancy, but the goal is for the league to eventually become the professional home for the top female hockey players in the world.</p><p>Gillian Apps, granddaughter of Hall of Famer Syl Apps and daughter of former NHLer Syl Apps Jr., is a winger with the CWHL&rsquo;s Brampton Thunder. She&rsquo;s a two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion. But she has yet to win the coveted Clarkson Cup and sees the trophy as being on the same level as the other titles she&rsquo;s won. &ldquo;This is a huge day for women&rsquo;s hockey,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It gives us something to play for.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-03

HOME IN THE HALL

f0014-01

Rival RECORDS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GREG OLIVER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021703/9831073-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE MILLICAN)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen the Phoenix Coyotes wanted a championship belt to present to their MVP after each win, they turned to the &ldquo;King of Belts,&rdquo; Reggie Parks. Parks has made gaudy hardware for decades, for pro wrestling, boxing, the UFC and even Madonna. The 10-pound title features logos of the Coyotes and NHL, images of Arizona and 10 nameplate spots for the player with the most MVP nominations each season. It was funded by Keith Yandle, Shane Doan and Jason LaBarbera. &ldquo;Guys are just excited to get it after a game,&rdquo; Yandle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s built a little camaraderie in the locker room.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

YOTES VIE FOR TITLE

<p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>verage save percentage has dipped each season after the past two lockouts. But since the NHL started tracking the stat 30 seasons ago, it has gone from a low of .873 in 1983-84 to a high of .914 last season. From the red-light &rsquo;80s through the trapping &rsquo;90s to the new millennium, goalies continue to get the better of shooters.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011957/9831125-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="536" height="671"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILLY SMITH .896 1983-84</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021388/9831118-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="745" height="636"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRIAN ELLIOTT .940 2011-12 <span class="photo-credit">(ELLIOTT: DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03963/9831111-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="692" height="632"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICK ROY .900 1987-88 <span class="photo-credit">(SMITH+ROY: BRUCE BENNETT STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04721/9831104-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="1857" height="1114"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0015-01

Rejecting RUBBER

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012026/9831177-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="184" height="240"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORMER NHL GOALTENDER GLENN HEALY</b> remembers watching a game from ice level at Joe Louis Arena two years ago. The Detroit Red Wings were being, well, the Detroit Red Wings. The Montreal Canadiens gave them six power play opportunities and Detroit obliged with 12 shots off the sticks of some of the most talented players on the planet. After one barrage, Healy remembers seeing Carey Price lift his mask and rest his arm on the top of the net as though he was playing a beer league game. &ldquo;He looked so relaxed,&rdquo; Healy recalls, &ldquo;he could have had a cigarette in his mouth.&rdquo;</p><p>Hey, it&rsquo;s possible, eh? After all, on his Twitter account, Price calls himself a &ldquo;part-time goalie, full-time redneck&rdquo; and of course there are those incriminating pictures. But Healy was referring to Price&rsquo;s calm demeanor, an aspect of his game that has reached legendary status lately. Absolutely nothing gets to this guy, which is why most of the pundits would choose Price for the Canadian Olympic team if the NHL were playing in the Olympics and the team had to be named today. That Price seems to be the undisputed frontrunner for the job is probably as much an indictment of the depth of Canada&rsquo;s goaltending as it is a testament to how well Price has played. But Price&rsquo;s game has matured along with his ability to handle pressure.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011745/9831170-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="1776" height="1396"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In fact, about the only person who doesn&rsquo;t have Price publicly pegged as Canada&rsquo;s man for Sochi is Price. Or perhaps he does. We don&rsquo;t know at the moment because Price abjectly refuses to discuss the possibility of playing in Sochi. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not my main focus right now,&rdquo; Price says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll cross that bridge when I get there.&rdquo;</p><p>Well, all right then. Sometimes Price is chatty, sometimes not so much. On this day at a practice rink in Toronto, he leans way toward the latter, which we can only surmise has something to do with the night before against the Ottawa Senators. Price watched from the other end as Ben Bishop stopped 44 shots and played the game of his life. Price, meanwhile, allowed a softy low on the glove side from the top of the circle in regulation. Then in the shootout, he had a Jakob Silfverberg shot in his glove before dropping it, then fell awkwardly on the game-decider by Peter Regin. As good as Price has become at not allowing things to stick to him, it&rsquo;s pretty easy to tell the previous night is still jammed in his craw. He looks as though he just wants to grab his sub at the sandwich table and get to the change room when he&rsquo;s approached.</p><p>Price is being tagged as the man to carry Canada&rsquo;s goaltending fortunes, but not because he&rsquo;s been an enormous winner at the NHL level. Actually, his career numbers don&rsquo;t jump out all that much at you. He has been a winner during his career to be sure, leading the Hamilton Bulldogs to the American League&rsquo;s Calder Cup fresh out of junior hockey in 2007, six months after posting a .961 save percentage to backstop Canada to the World Junior Championship. But he has won just one playoff round as an NHLer, having a front-row seat as Jaroslav Halak led the Canadiens on their improbable run to the Eastern Conference final in 2010.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">HE REPORTED IN THE BEST SHAPE OF HIS CAREER. HE&rsquo;S MATURING, HE&rsquo;S A LEADER FOR US. HE&rsquo;S BEEN TERRIFIC<br> &ndash; Michel Therrien</blockquote><p>No, Price is the man for Canada precisely because of his approach to the game. For a goalie to survive in the crucible that is the Olympics, he must be able to handle the pressure the way Price has in the crucible that is Montreal. After taking a brief backseat to Halak, Price has made people in Montreal pretty much forget about Halak with his play. Actually, Halak is a good example of how fleeting success in the NHL can be for a goaltender. These days, Halak is a St. Louis Blue and in mid-March he was watching as the Blues turned to Jake Allen to try to save their season. Price, though, seems immune to those wild swings in performance and rarely puts together two clunkers in a row.</p><p>And some of that has to do with Price&rsquo;s father Jerry, who lives thousands of miles from his son, but is never more than a phone call away. Jerry was an eighth round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1978 after a four-year career in the Western League in which his best goals-against average was 4.33 and his best SP was .887. Seriously. Of course, the game was much different then, but Jerry did pass along some sound fundamentals to his son. Price is competitive, but he&rsquo;s not a battler in his crease because he doesn&rsquo;t have to be one. He is one of those goaltenders in the Ed Belfour mold who makes tough saves look easy because he&rsquo;s always square to the puck and there is little sense of panic to his movements. &ldquo;I like to call him a ballroom dancer in his crease,&rdquo; says former NHL goalie and current CBC/NBC/NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes.</p><p>Jerry Price purchased a plane and would fly his son each game and practice from Anahim Lake, a remote village in British Columbia where his mother Lynda was the chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation, 200 miles southeast to the much bigger town of Williams Lake. With the exception of three games in the defunct International League, Jerry never made it past the previous incarnation of the ECHL, which at the time was at best the fourth rung on the ladder of professional hockey. But along with giving him a solid base, Jerry taught his son the importance of putting losses behind him quickly. Jerry was the goaltending coach for the Tri-City Americans of the Western League, but his days of counselling his son on the finer points of goaltending are behind him. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more of my mental coach than anything,&rdquo; Price says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a student of the game. He knows my game pretty well. He&rsquo;ll tell me a couple of things, but he likes to kind of keep his distance from my game. He just gives me pep talks.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">YOU GET TO A POINT WHERE YOU REALIZE LETTING IT OUT ALL THE TIME ISN&rsquo;T GOING TO HELP YOU VERY MUCH<br> &ndash; Carey Price</blockquote><p>We&rsquo;re going to go on the assumption the pep talks have been few in number this season. Not only is Price playing the best hockey of his career, so is the team in front of him. Through mid-March, the Canadiens were giving up just 26.8 shots per game, almost a full three fewer than they surrendered last season. In fact, in each of the years prior to this one in which Price has played, the Canadiens have given up an average of 31.6, 31.7, 32.1, 31.0 and 29.7. Price is slightly less busy, but he&rsquo;s also been much better. &ldquo;He reported in the best shape in his career,&rdquo; says Canadiens coach Michel Therrien. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s maturing, he&rsquo;s a leader for us. He&rsquo;s been terrific. Honestly, he&rsquo;s been terrific.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011905/9831163-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="1399" height="883"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>QUALITY OVER QUANTITY</b></p><p>Facing fewer shots than ever, Carey Price is enjoying his best NHL season to date.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Price has developed into such an even-keeled player that some wonder whether he plays with enough fire. Probably not a problem. There have been fists through drywall in the past and emotions are always a work in progress. As veteran defenseman Josh Gorges points out, there&rsquo;s no way to master that part of the game until you go through it. Price has been able to handle the most demanding hockey market in the league and has thrived. He has maintained his sense of humor, as evidenced by his response to a tweet by a critic after giving up four goals to the New York Islanders in February that went: &ldquo;hey u bum, u face 10 shots and give up 2 goals. Stevie f---ing wonder could do a better job.&rdquo; Instead of engaging and getting into a Twitter war, Price famously responded with: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still your mom&rsquo;s favorite player.&rdquo;</p><p>Yes, Price has matured before the discerning eyes of the hockey world. After leading the Bulldogs to the championship before his 20th birthday, it probably didn&rsquo;t help that he was essentially handed the starting job, the most high-profile job in the most high-profile market with a history that includes Georges Vezina, Bill Durnan, Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy. Then there was the 2010 playoffs where he watched Halak carry the team, only to be handed the top job when the Canadiens chose him over Halak for their long-term hopes. There have been ups and downs, but Price&rsquo;s ability to even those bumps out is where he has developed most as an NHLer. &ldquo;Hockey is a pretty emotional sport and I&rsquo;m going to get emotional every once in a while, but I do a pretty good job of controlling my emotions,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;You get to a point where you realize that letting it out all the time isn&rsquo;t going to help you very much. I&rsquo;ve learned that you have to try to stay focused.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021412/9831156-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="665" height="883"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-01

FEATURES

COOL AS A CUCUMBER

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03836/9831348-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="184" height="240"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011658/9831355-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="210" height="97"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>IGHT THERE BEHIND CURLING TRIVIA AND BEER PONG, IT HAS BECOME</b> one of Canada&rsquo;s favorite tavern pastimes &ndash; trying to come up with rosters for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. That&rsquo;s to be expected when you combine a national obsession with international hockey&rsquo;s pre-eminent event. Of course, the NHL hasn&rsquo;t yet committed to going to the Games, but we&rsquo;re confident they will.</p><p>With that in mind, and with this being our annual goaltending issue, we thought it would be a good idea to weigh in on this ourselves. With the help of a panel of experts in North America and Europe, we&rsquo;ve put together the three goalies we think will/should/might mind the creases in Sochi.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021187/9831341-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="1126" height="1127"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04575/9831334-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="1044" height="1291"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PRICE+BUDAJ: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; VARLAMOV: AMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; QUICK: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>CANADA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05361/9831327-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="157" height="83"></div><p><b>1. Carey Price</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Roberto Luongo</p><p><b>3.</b> Martin Brodeur</p><p>Price has the demeanor, the pedigree and the ability to handle the No. 1 job and deal with the enormous expectations that come with it. He rarely slumps and when he does have a bad game or two, he responds with strong efforts.</p><p>Luongo has been up and down, but won the gold medal in Vancouver and still has the ability to get into a zone for a couple of weeks. Brodeur is the elder statesman and could be replaced by Cam Ward or Marc-Andre Fleury, but has already said he&rsquo;ll be happy to go to Sochi, even as the third goalie. Assuming he keeps his level of play up, that&rsquo;s one heck of an insurance policy.</p><h2><b>U.S.A</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06296/9831320-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="157" height="83"></div><p><b>1. Jonathan Quick</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Craig Anderson</p><p><b>3.</b> Cory Schneider</p><p>Like Price, Quick is uncannily cool under pressure. His play en route to the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy last year cemented his status as the No. 1 guy for a country with the most goaltending depth in the tournament.</p><p>Anderson has been brilliant for Ottawa and has the numbers to back up his selection. The only concern is he sometimes flops around the crease, an attribute that can be a detriment on the big ice. Schneider continues his upward trajectory to the NHL&rsquo;s goaltending elite. Ryan Miller would need a huge turnaround to work his way back onto this list.</p><h2><b>RUSSIA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07244/9831313-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="157" height="81"></div><p><b>1. Semyon Varlamov</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Sergei Bobrovsky</p><p><b>3.</b> Stanislav Galimov</p><p>This one is fluid, but Varlamov gets the nod because of his stellar play in leading Russia to the World Championship in 2012. That kind of thing counts for a lot with the Russian decision makers, but even they might find it hard to ignore Bobrovsky if he continues to play the way he did in the first half of the NHL season for the Columbus Blue Jackets.</p><p>The Russians typically like to go with a Kontinental League goaltender as the No. 3 guy and Galimov was the best in that league this season. What, no Ilya Bryzgalov? He&rsquo;s too wildly inconsistent to be relied upon in a short tournament.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011330/9831306-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="609" height="633"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>iPAD BONUS:</b> Ken Campbell and Ryan Kennedy break down the potential Olympic goalies for Canada, USA and Russia on the THN Puck Panel <span class="photo-credit">(LUNDQVIST: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SWEDEN</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02861/9831299-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="157" height="82"></div><p><b>1. Henrik Lundqvist</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Viktor Fasth</p><p><b>3.</b> Anders Lindback</p><p>The No. 1 goaltender for Sweden is the most obvious slam-dunk of the tournament. Lundqvist has been there and won (in 2006) and remains one of the elite goalies in the NHL. The only thing missing from his resume is a Stanley Cup final appearance, which is looking less and less likely to happen this year given the disappointing play of his New York Rangers.</p><p>Fasth has been lights out for the Ducks this season and cannot be ignored. Lindback has been inconsistent in his first No. 1 role in the NHL, but the Swedish program really likes him and at least some of his struggles can be attributed to a subpar defense in front of him in Tampa Bay.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03553/9831292-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="523" height="607"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RASK: JARED WICKERHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>1. Tuukka Rask</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Pekka Rinne</p><p><b>3.</b> Kari Lehtonen</p><h2><b>FINLAND</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04421/9831285-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="156" height="83"></div><p>Entering this season, the No. 1 job for Finland was Rinne&rsquo;s to lose and that&rsquo;s exactly what he has done. While Rask has displayed Vezina Trophy potential with the Boston Bruins, Rinne has run hot and cold with the Nashville Predators.</p><p>The order of these three will depend a lot on how each goalie plays the rest of this season and through the first part of next season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-05298/9831278-1-eng-US/f0021-052.jpg" title="f0021-05" width="584" height="581"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PAVELEC: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>1. Ondrej Pavelec</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Tomas Vokoun</p><p><b>3.</b> Michal Neuvirth</p><h2><b>CZECH REPUBLIC</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-06228/9831271-1-eng-US/f0021-062.jpg" title="f0021-06" width="157" height="82"></div><p>On the strength of a solid 2011-12 and his great play in the stretch run of 2012-13, Pavelec gets the No. 1 nod. He&rsquo;s a workhorse who can steal games, which he&rsquo;d have to do in Sochi.</p><p>Vokoun has had a couple of up-and-down seasons in the NHL, but is still a reliable backup. Neuvirth has the inside track on No. 3 job, but darkhorse Jakub Stepanek had a .939 SP at the worlds last spring.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-07185/9831264-1-eng-US/f0021-072.jpg" title="f0021-07" width="563" height="534"></div><p><b>1. Peter Budaj</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Jaroslav Halak</p><p><b>3.</b> Jan Laco</p><h2><b>SLOVAKIA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-08141/9831257-1-eng-US/f0021-082.jpg" title="f0021-08" width="157" height="81"></div><p>Budaj and Halak have been relegated to NHL backup roles, but Halak&rsquo;s struggles have been of greater concern. If he can recapture his previous form, the No. 1 job is his. If not, the Slovaks will have to turn to Budaj.</p><p>A wild card is Laco, who was terrific in Slovakia&rsquo;s improbable run to the gold medal game of the World Championship in 2012. He recorded a .924 save percentage in the tournament.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-09110/9831250-1-eng-US/f0021-092.jpg" title="f0021-09" width="618" height="563"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HILLER: DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>1. Jonas Hiller</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Tobias Stephan</p><p><b>3.</b> Reto Berra</p><h2><b>SWITZERLAND</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-1085/9831243-1-eng-US/f0021-102.jpg" title="f0021-10" width="158" height="83"></div><p>Now that Hiller has returned to good health and is showing the form that made him one of the league&rsquo;s top goalies a couple years ago, he goes in as the undisputed No. 1. Stephan has NHL experience with the Dallas Stars and recently posted great numbers playing in the Swiss League. Berra has bounced around there for years as well, but his stats haven&rsquo;t been nearly as impressive.</p><h2><b>NORWAY</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-1164/9831236-1-eng-US/f0021-112.jpg" title="f0021-11" width="158" height="83"></div><p><b>1. Lars Haugen</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Steffen Soberg</p><p><b>3.</b> Lars Volden</p><p>Haugen was one of the top goalies in the KHL this season and was a key to Norway&rsquo;s promotion back to the top group in the World Championship in 2013. Soberg has had a terrific season in Norway and is a Capitals prospect. Volden held his own as a Finnish League rookie.</p><h2><b>SLOVENIA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-1247/9831229-1-eng-US/f0021-122.jpg" title="f0021-12" width="158" height="84"></div><p><b>1. Robert Kristan</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Luka Gracnar</p><p><b>3.</b> Andrej Hocevar</p><p>Kristan became a national hero by leading Slovenia to the championship of the Olympic qualifying tournament last year. Gracnar is one to watch, though. He&rsquo;s emerged as one of the top goalies in the Austrian League. Hocevar faces inferior competition in the Ukrainian League.</p><h2><b>AUSTRIA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-1339/9831222-1-eng-US/f0021-132.jpg" title="f0021-13" width="158" height="83"></div><p><b>1. Bernhard Starkbaum</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Fabian Weinhandl</p><p><b>3.</b> Bernd Bruckler</p><p>Starkbaum, the No. 1 goalie for Modo in the Swedish League, helped Austria qualify for the Olympics and be promoted to the top group of the worlds. He has a clear edge over Weinhandl and Bruckler, the latter of whom has NCAA, AHL and ECHL experience.</p><h2><b>LATVIA</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-1431/9831215-1-eng-US/f0021-142.jpg" title="f0021-14" width="159" height="84"></div><p><b>1. Edgars Masalskis</b></p><p><b>2.</b> Maris Jucers</p><p><b>3.</b> Ervins Mustukovs</p><p>Masalskis is a 32-year-old veteran who has toiled in a number of European Leagues and is currently playing in the KHL with Khanty-Mansiysk. He has a lot of experience representing Latvia at the World Championship and impressed with a .920 SP last year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-03

NATIONAL NETMINDERS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011543/9831414-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="184" height="240"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE&rsquo;S SOMETHING ABOUT CHRIS KUNITZ</b> this Thursday morning in mid-March. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe he&rsquo;s in the doghouse with his wife. Maybe he&rsquo;s just oozing the newfound swagger that comes with rocketing to the top three of the NHL&rsquo;s scoring race for the first time. Whatever the reason, as his Pittsburgh Penguins skate at Toronto&rsquo;s Air Canada Centre hours before they face the Leafs, Kunitz is a bee in Marc-Andre Fleury&rsquo;s bonnet.</p><p>He spends half the skate two inches from Fleury, chopping at him with his stick. He loudly celebrates and raises his arms in Fleury&rsquo;s face every time he scores. During a breakaway drill, Kunitz breaks the unofficial rules and bats in his rebound just so he can get in Fleury&rsquo;s grill again.</p><p>And the easygoing goalie they call &lsquo;Flower&rsquo; fights back. He trips Kunitz repeatedly. He introduces Kunitz&rsquo;s jockstrap to his goal stick, which he wields like an axe. He dives to make desperation saves just to one-up the left winger. All this at a morning skate. The rest of the Penguins barely break a sweat. It&rsquo;s just Kunitz and Fleury giving their all out there. &ldquo;We have a good bunch of guys to screw around,&rdquo; Fleury says. &ldquo;Kunitz is always in front of the net on the power play drill, so we have a good battle once in a while.&rdquo;</p><p>While the other Penguins don&rsquo;t match Kunitz&rsquo;s intensity this day, they mimic his love for chastising Fleury. None of them skates by the 28-year-old netminder without whacking him with his stick or verbally jabbing him. They jeer him after every goal. Even when Fleury takes a hard shot off the mask, the taunts continue.</p><p>Watching the playful ribbing unfold, two thoughts cross an observer&rsquo;s mind: (a) the Penguins <i>love</i> Marc-Andre Fleury; and (b) this is not the way you treat a goaltender who is &ldquo;mentally broken.&rdquo;</p><p>Isn&rsquo;t that what Fleury is? Broken? That&rsquo;s the impression you were left with after watching the circus that was the Penguins-Flyers series in the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinal. The epic tilt featured buckets of goals and bad blood to rival any 1980s series. Even the Penguins, who lost in six games, admit the Flyers got into their heads. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an emotional game with them,&rdquo; says defenseman Paul Martin. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re your big state rivals. You see them a lot. Their game plan is to try and get us off our game. Sometimes we get caught up in all the extra stuff and it makes for a longer, more exciting game for the fans than it does for us.&rdquo;</p><p>And let&rsquo;s face it. No matter how much you believe in Fleury, he had more holes in that series than Sonny Corleone after the tollbooth scene in <i>The Godfather.</i> In six contests, he surrendered 26 goals on 157 shots, good for a 4.34 goals-against average and .834 save percentage. To put the latter number in perspective, Semyon Varlamov had an SP 83 points higher last season &ndash; <i>in shootouts.</i> Fleury&rsquo;s woeful performance influenced Penguins GM Ray Shero enough to add veteran Tomas Vokoun as the team&rsquo;s new backup last summer and admit he was trying to create competition for Fleury.</p><p>Yet if you ask Fleury about that series, he hardly bristles. &ldquo;It was tough for sure, but I put it behind me and I learned from it,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think about it anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>He had to at least think about it a little in this shortened campaign during the Penguins&rsquo; battles with Philadelphia. He backstopped Pittsburgh to a 3-1 win over Philly in the season opener Jan. 19. March 7, however, was a different story. The Flyers put four pucks past Fleury in the first period before coach Dan Bylsma gave him the hook. Pittsburgh rallied to win that game, but whispers of the Flyers being in Fleury&rsquo;s head returned.</p><p>Including the playoffs, Fleury&rsquo;s past 10 games against the Flyers have yielded four wins, a 4.36 GAA and .847 SP. It&rsquo;s hard not to believe that team has his number. And with the powerhouse Pens contending for first in the East with the Flyers clawing for a low seed, a first round rematch is possible.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">THAT&rsquo;S WHY HE&rsquo;S SUCH A GOOD GOALIE. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE PAST STAYS IN THE PAST. IT ROLLS OFF HIS BACK<br> &ndash; Pascal Dupuis</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011326/9831407-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="1398" height="1129"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BANANA-PEELER SPLIT</b></p><p>A prankster off the ice, Marc-Andre Fleury is seriously athletic in the crease.</p></figcaption></div><p>But before we sound alarm bells, let&rsquo;s flash back to 2004.</p><p>At the World Junior Championship, Canada is about to clinch its first title since 1997, leading USA 3-1 after two periods in the gold medal game. The Americans storm back to tie it and, with fewer than five minutes left, Fleury clears a puck off teammate Braydon Coburn and into his own net. Canada loses 4-3. Deserved or not, Fleury earns goat status. He returns to the last-place Penguins, allows four, six, five and five goals in consecutive games and is promptly sent back to Cape Breton of the Quebec League, ending his NHL rookie season. Talk of the Pens ruining their teenage stopper and 2003 No. 1 overall pick erupts.</p><p>Fleury was &ldquo;broken&rdquo; as fast as his NHL career began. Yet slowly but surely, he worked his way to respectability. He was stellar after returning to Cape Breton and back in the NHL after the 2004-05 lockout. He backstopped the Penguins into the first round of the playoffs in &rsquo;06-07 and got them to within two wins of the Cup in &rsquo;07-08. Then came Flower&rsquo;s banner &rsquo;08-09, which culminated in a Stanley Cup victory over Detroit on the road in Game 7 and included &lsquo;The Save&rsquo; &ndash; Fleury&rsquo;s heart-stopping robbery of Nicklas Lidstrom in the dying seconds of the win.</p><p>Raise your hand if you remember that, two games before that moment, Fleury was pulled from a 5-0 rout and his mental fortitude was questioned.</p><p>Time and time again, he has bounced back from seemingly crushing failures only to triumph. You&rsquo;d think we would&rsquo;ve seen this pattern by now. His teammates certainly do. And maybe that&rsquo;s why they have no problem harping on him every day in practice. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what makes him such a good goalie,&rdquo; says right winger Pascal Dupuis. &ldquo;Stuff that happens in the past stays in the past. It rolls off his back and it&rsquo;s behind him.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011482/9831400-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="1390" height="1964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>By all accounts, Fleury hasn&rsquo;t changed from the Flyers debacle. He&rsquo;s still the happy-go-lucky guy who never stops smiling, married a woman he started dating at age 15 and pulls more pranks than any other Penguin. Most famously, he may or may not have tied water bottles to James Neal&rsquo;s car, depending on who you ask. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s pulled quite a bit of pranks,&rdquo; Dupuis says. &ldquo;Subtle things people don&rsquo;t know. It always comes back to me or Matt Cooke for the guy who did it, but that sneaky little French guy is always the one to blame. It&rsquo;s all stuff that was thought up by Marc-Andre.&rdquo;</p><p>As much as we may assume Fleury gets emotionally disturbed when things don&rsquo;t go his way, there&rsquo;s no evidence of it when you step into the Penguins room. Nothing fazes him. He sees the glass half full. Instead of lamenting why Bylsma pulls him, he&rsquo;s calmly vowing to let fewer pucks past him the next game. He&rsquo;s appreciating every minute spent alongside Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s greatness &ndash; &ldquo;Every day I&rsquo;m lucky to be on his team, to see him every night, every practice,&rdquo; Fleury says &ndash; and he&rsquo;s making Vokoun, the threat to his job, feel welcome. He&rsquo;s Vokoun&rsquo;s closest neighbor and the pair often drive to the airport together and have dinners on the road. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been great from the start,&rdquo; Vokoun says. &ldquo;We have such a good time and fun together. For me, being new to the team, it&rsquo;s everything I hoped for. At least from my side, we have a great relationship.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021067/9831393-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="665" height="963"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SHORT MEMORY</b></p><p>Fleury rallied from an epic blunder at the &rsquo;04 world juniors to win a Cup with Sidney Crosby in 2009.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Penguins are ready to soldier on with Fleury as they attempt another Cup run. And while he&rsquo;s had mental lapses throughout his career, he&rsquo;s consistently silenced critics afterward with signature performances. It&rsquo;s fair to question if he has truly conquered the Flyers bugaboo &ndash; his latest effort against them suggests he&rsquo;s not there yet &ndash; but no one in the organization expects anything less than another recovery. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very positive, he&rsquo;s upbeat, he&rsquo;s good in the locker room, good on the ice,&rdquo; Martin says. &ldquo;He has a lot of energy and he&rsquo;s a player you feed off. He&rsquo;s focused, he really works hard. Everyone on the team respects him and wants him between the pipes.</p><p>&ldquo;So I don&rsquo;t think a tough series is going to change his mentality except for making sure that if people are thinking that, it&rsquo;s not the case. Personally I don&rsquo;t think that affects the way he prepares and plays goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>The way he plays may not be everyone&rsquo;s ideal approach. He relies a lot on athleticism, he overcommits at times and his fun-loving attitude goes against the stoicism of all-time greats such as Ed Belfour and Patrick Roy. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean Fleury doesn&rsquo;t burn with competitive fire. He has a Stanley Cup ring and wants another, especially when his team flopped last spring after being favored to win it all. &ldquo;Most of us here went through it and got the experience to know what it&rsquo;s like,&rdquo; Fleury says. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to feel that again. We&rsquo;ll come in better prepared.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

STEELY RESOLVE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011493/9831473-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CHRISTOPHER PASATIERI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="184" height="240"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>PEAK WITH RICK DIPIETRO AND HIS</b> enthusiasm is obvious. That scrappy kid from the Boston area is still there, just buried under a mountain of equipment, not to mention long hair and a beard that brings to mind Jeff Bridges&rsquo; legendary Dude from <i>The Big Lebowski.</i></p><p>Now, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2000 draft is just another netminder in the American League, slugging it out for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and posting numbers that, while not eye-popping, are respectable. But it wasn&rsquo;t long ago DiPietro was raring to go for the New York Islanders, waiting to get his shot when starter Evgeni Nabokov was given a night off. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m like a kid waiting for Christmas,&rdquo; he said at the time. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be more excited.&rdquo;</p><p>Three starts later &ndash; all losses, 12 goals surrendered in total &ndash; and the man with the most infamous contract in NHL history was waived by the only franchise he&rsquo;s ever known, the only one he wanted to play for.</p><p>It&rsquo;s easy to poke fun at DiPietro. Though anyone would jump at a 15-year deal worth more than $67 million, the seemingly lifetime pact with the Islanders brought nothing but anguish for the affable goaltender. His injury history is well documented. And on top of the more typical ailments, there was the 2008 All-Star Game skills competition, when he claimed to mess up his hip on live TV (he was mic&rsquo;d up at the time), plus the injuries he sustained in a goalie fight with Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Brent Johnson, who one-punched him in a tilt DiPietro was more than willing to engage in. But when it comes down to it, the players who knew him in New York loved and respected him. &ldquo;We obviously support him,&rdquo; says right winger Kyle Okposo. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s had a rough time with injuries and he&rsquo;s trying to get back to his former self. We&rsquo;re behind him 100 percent. He knows and we know what the critics say, but we know what he&rsquo;s like in the room.&rdquo;</p><p>Goalies are often seen as singular creatures, lone wolves in need of focus before the game. But DiPietro is all talk and the Islanders loved it. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a lot of energy,&rdquo; Okposo says. &ldquo;He brings chatter to the room, gives his input between periods and that&rsquo;s very good.&rdquo;</p><p>On a team where success has been fleeting in recent years, DiPietro kept the troops upbeat. And if that meant planning off-the-wall bonding gags, so be it. &ldquo;One year,&rdquo; says star center John Tavares, &ldquo;he tried to get us all to shave our heads into mohawks.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02963/9831466-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="1193" height="1752"></div><p>The key word being &ldquo;try.&rdquo; But the veteran netminder sticks by his methods. &ldquo;We got a bunch of guys,&rdquo; DiPietro says. &ldquo;Some guys were a little too attached to their hair, but it was good. I remember one year I painted my face like <i>Braveheart</i> and came in with a sword. I just try to come up with ways to keep the guys loose and happy all the time.&rdquo;</p><p>In terms of expectations, DiPietro has faced a mountain range. He was the first goalie of the modern era to go No. 1 in the draft and only one netminder has gone first after him, when Marc-Andre Fleury was selected by Pittsburgh three drafts later. And even though never is a long time, certain revelations about the difficulty in projecting netminding talent makes it rather difficult to imagine it ever happening again.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">WE&rsquo;RE BEHIND HIM 100 PERCENT. HE KNOWS AND WE KNOW WHAT CRITICS SAY, BUT WE KNOW HOW HE IS IN THE ROOM<br> &ndash; Kyle Okposo</blockquote><p>Tavares also came to Long Island highly touted. Now a cornerstone for the franchise, he was so hyped as a teen that there is a rule named after him that allows exceptional players to enter major junior a year early if their skills and mental maturity warrant it. When he finally got to the pros and New York, his fellow draft star was there to help smooth the transition. &ldquo;He was always very supportive,&rdquo; Tavares says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;d stay with me after practice to work on things, tell me about other goalies in the league. Things you don&rsquo;t think about until later on.&rdquo;</p><p>This season actually started off on a positive note for DiPietro. After lower body injuries (which for once is accurate &ndash; we&rsquo;re talking groin, hernia and knee) limited him to eight games in 2011-12, he found sanctuary during the lockout in Germany with the second-tier team SC Riessersee. Located in the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the destination provided beautiful mountain vistas and a warm environment. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say enough about how much fun I had,&rdquo; DiPietro says. &ldquo;People were superfriendly, the food was fantastic; couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better place.&rdquo;</p><p>It was a nice respite from what has been a difficult stretch for the 31-year-old. The eight games he played last season were not an aberration. In his past four NHL campaigns, injuries limited him to single-digit starts in three of them with the 26 appearances he made in 2010-11 a high-water mark for the epoch. As chipper and chatty as the netminder can be when he&rsquo;s shooting the breeze, the smile quickly drops when he speaks about all the time he spent rehabbing various maladies and the mental hurdles he needed to clear. &ldquo;I attribute that mostly to my wife (Cassie),&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a rough couple of years. There&rsquo;s been some really dark times, really tough times. If it wasn&rsquo;t for her I&rsquo;m not sure what would have happened. She keeps me positive, she keeps me working hard and fighting and gives me the strength to battle through.&rdquo;</p><p>A similar statement to a local TV reporter weeks later found DiPietro in the headlines, his comments interpreted to mean he had contemplated suicide because of the combination of injuries and fan vitriol. DiPietro quickly put the clamps on that notion, claiming he was being facetious in the interview and should have chosen his words more carefully.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021030/9831459-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="1398" height="1008"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ONE NO. 1 TO ANOTHER</b></p><p>As a fellow first overall draft pick, Rick DiPietro mentored star center John Tavares.</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011471/9831452-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="1416" height="1075"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">MY WIFE KEEPS ME POSITIVE, SHE KEEPS ME FIGHTING AND GIVES ME THE STRENGTH TO BATTLE THROUGH<br> &ndash; Rick DiPietro</blockquote><p>Throughout his battles, DiPietro always maintained he wanted to be an Islander his entire career, hence the 15-year deal. Whether he gets back to Long Island is unknown, though a buyout of his contract would keep $1.5 million of his salary on the books until 2028-29, which doesn&rsquo;t seem too appetizing for the franchise (even if the Islanders use an amnesty on him, the real dollars are there, just not the cap hit).</p><p>Nabokov is helping New York knock on the door of the Eastern Conference playoffs and his backup is Kevin Poulin, 23 on April 12. Anders Nilsson, also 23, is with DiPietro in Bridgeport. There&rsquo;s also the curious acquisition of Tim Thomas, the ex-Bruins star enjoying a self-imposed sabbatical this season, regardless of who owns his rights.</p><p>No matter what happens to DiPietro, he will not be forgotten in the Islanders dressing room. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t fault him for his effort, his attitude or his work ethic,&rdquo; Tavares says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s always been one of the best guys in the room. We&rsquo;re proud of Ricky.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

OFF THE ISLAND, NOT FORGOTTEN

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU </div><div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH FILES FROM MURRAY PAM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011478/9831525-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">CRAIG <b>ANDERSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ALL: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="mon042.jpg" title="common04" width="184" height="240"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>ASCAL LECLAIRE. BRIAN ELLIOTT. ALEX</b> Auld. Martin Gerber. Ray Emery. Patrick Lalime. The Ottawa Senators have tried a lot of men in their crease in recent years, with varying degrees of success, but have never been blessed with an abundance of wealth at the game&rsquo;s most important position.</p><p>It&rsquo;s funny how quickly your fortunes can change in the NHL. In the span of a calendar year, the franchise has turned into a wellspring of top-level stopper talent. Like many roster evolutions, though, this buildup of goalie depth wasn&rsquo;t planned. It was borne out of necessity in February of 2012, when Anderson cut his finger in a kitchen accident in the heat of a playoff push. Then-backup Auld didn&rsquo;t inspire confidence in management and goalie-of-the-future Robin Lehner was struggling through a horrible year in the American League, leaving Senators GM Bryan Murray little choice but to look for help. He found that aid in St. Louis, who had a suddenly crowded crease (including former Senator Brian Elliott). Ottawa landed prospect Ben Bishop for a second round pick.</p><p>Now, it&rsquo;s the Sens who are in much the same position as was St. Louis last season: Ottawa has the NHL&rsquo;s best goals-against per game average (2.03). Anderson arguably was the NHL&rsquo;s top goalie early in 2012-13 before spraining his ankle in late February, but Bishop and Lehner have more than held the fort in his absence. When Anderson returns, Murray and team brass will have tough decisions ahead. But better this type of decision &ndash; one from a position of strength &ndash; than the type Ottawa was forced to make last season. That was about desperation. Now it&rsquo;s about picking the right pony. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t have good goaltending, you won&rsquo;t have any success in this league,&rdquo; says coach Paul MacLean. &ldquo;And for this year, which is a bit of an anomaly because of the shortened schedule, you have to have two goalies to rely on.&rdquo;</p><p>When Anderson returns, MacLean and Murray won&rsquo;t have much in the way of time to ponder their options. The 26-year-old Bishop is a restricted free agent this summer; the 21-year-old Lehner has outgrown the American League level; and Anderson, 31, has two years left on his contract. With the April 3 trade deadline looming large &ndash; and with Ottawa dealing with serious injuries to key cogs Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson &ndash; there will be the temptation to move one for scoring help.</p><p>If that doesn&rsquo;t happen and Ottawa&rsquo;s net situation remains as competitive as it is at present, Senators players are happy with the status quo. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an opportunity for someone else,&rdquo; says captain Daniel Alfredsson. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t make it easier, but you have to go with what you have.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011345/9831518-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1215" height="1483"><figcaption class="caption-body">BEN <b>BISHOP</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02913/9831511-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="1652" height="1506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>ROBIN <b>LEHNER</b></p><p><b>TRIUMPHANT TRIO</b></p><p>Anderson, Bishop and Lehner have combined to help the Senators become the NHL&rsquo;s stingiest squad.</p></figcaption></div><p>Adds defenseman Eric Gryba: &ldquo;It seems to be a seamless transition from goalie to goalie. It&rsquo;s nice knowing no matter who&rsquo;s in net they&rsquo;re going to do their best and shut the door for us.&rdquo;</p><p>They&rsquo;re all currently in the same boat, but Anderson, Bishop and Lehner are in different stages of the NHL goalie circle of life. Anderson had to bounce between the Hawks, Panthers and Avalanche before finally finding a home in Canada&rsquo;s capital. Bishop apprenticed in AHL Peoria for parts of five seasons until Elliott, Jaroslav Halak and prospect Jake Allen made him expendable. And Lehner has played 95 games for Ottawa&rsquo;s AHL affiliate in Binghamton &ndash; winning a Calder Cup in 2010-11 &ndash; after the franchise selected him 46th overall in 2009.</p><p>All three present different challenges to the Senators skaters in front of them. Ottawa&rsquo;s system doesn&rsquo;t change depending on who is in net, but the diverse puckhandling capabilities of the three mean that adjustments on the ice are very necessary. Bishop is the best of the three &ndash; an elite-level puckhandler who reminds MacLean of Martin Brodeur in his heyday; Anderson is the most efficient; and Lehner is, in MacLean&rsquo;s words, &ldquo;very limited&rdquo; (i.e. the worst) of the trio.</p><p>All three also have experienced enough to know their current predicament could change in a heartbeat considering they play the most cutthroat, results-oriented role perhaps in all of sports. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to see somebody get hurt, but you kind of need that sometimes to get some playing opportunity,&rdquo; Bishop says. &ldquo;(Anderson) was playing so well, it wasn&rsquo;t looking like I&rsquo;d ever get that many games. You just wait for opportunities and try to make the best of them.&rdquo;</p><p>Adds Lehner: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about pushing each other. It won&rsquo;t be a three-goalie situation when Craig is back. Something&rsquo;s going to happen. But I can&rsquo;t think about that.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, all any NHL goalie these days can do is worry about the present. The majority will face adversity, address changes and more at some point during their career and can only hope to find ideal conditions for success.</p><p>The road ahead for one or all of Anderson, Bishop and Lehner could lead out of Ottawa tomorrow, but they knew that going in. &ldquo;Young goalies must play well enough just to get to be an older goalie in this league and find their consistency at some point,&rdquo; MacLean says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the Catch-22 of it. Sometimes as organizations we don&rsquo;t have the patience to allow goaltenders to grow. We make it harder on our goalies than maybe it needs to be, but that&rsquo;s the nature of the position.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

THREE’S A CROWD

<div class="byline">WITH RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02605/9831563-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GOOD P.R. FOR THE PUGILISTS</b></p><p>Even if players tried to beat a gross misconduct by faking spontaneous bouts, the optics would be better.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01933/9831570-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="193" height="228"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HETHER YOU ENJOY FIGHTING OR</b> want it abolished, most hockey fans agree staged bouts leave a sour taste in your mouth. They&rsquo;re a carnival sideshow born out of duty rather than dander. It&rsquo;s an impossible task to create a penalty enforced on one type of fight but not another without the wording becoming too convoluted.</p><p>Which is why it&rsquo;s a good thing we don&rsquo;t need a new penalty to attack this gross problem. Every rule the game of hockey needs exists in a rulebook somewhere, whether in the NHL, the minor leagues or kids hockey.</p><p>When the Dead Puck Era was reigning with suffocating obstruction, it didn&rsquo;t take a set of newly constructed rules to get out of that trench. It only took a new standard, a different interpretation of what already existed, to change the game in a significant way.</p><p>The gross misconduct was taken out of the NHL&rsquo;s rulebook following the 2006-07 season. Its use was mostly limited to irate coaches and rendered redundant by the game misconduct. You&rsquo;d never know it was missing, but if it were imposed on staged fights, it would have a profound effect.</p><p>Some will argue refs have enough on their plate without having to sift through grey areas to determine what is and isn&rsquo;t a staged fight. On the contrary. Every rule in the book has a grey area and it&rsquo;s the job of the referees to decipher a ruling. This is why, in Section 6 of the NHL Rulebook under &ldquo;Physical Fouls,&rdquo; minor, major and match penalties all have the preamble, &ldquo;The Referee, at his discretion, may assess&hellip;&rdquo;</p><p>A gross misconduct brings an immediate ejection and review from the commissioner&rsquo;s office. While you wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily have to impose a suspension for each infraction (although you could set that standard, too), you would certainly sit a guy down after his second or third. A deterrent to waste a fight and roster position on one of these events would exist.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">CONTRIVED FIGHTS MAKE A MOCKERY OF THE GAME. THEY EPITOMIZE GROSS MISCONDUCT</blockquote><p>Would players find a way around it? Probably. They usually do. They might bump each other a few times around the rink and in the corner to make it appear less orchestrated. That&rsquo;s not perfect, but at least the optics is more palatable. And you have to ask: at what point is it not worth the effort to have a marginal player on the roster who takes up ice time to go through these backdoor exercises to accomplish a fight?</p><p>Problems arise when we try to define specific parameters on what should be a discretionary call for referees. Aside from players and coaches, no one has a better feel for a game&rsquo;s emotion than the officials, who can take that knowledge in applying this rule. We generally know a staged fight when we see one.</p><p>Putting the rule back in the book is one thing and using it is another. Each year, the NHL, like all hockey leagues, cracks down on a few rules, from head shots to obstruction to boarding. If the league put the gross misconduct back in the book and encouraged its officials to use it, it would become relevant again. Whatever standard the league communicates to its referees for this rule would determine how often and freely it is used &ndash; and that standard can move in the first few years depending on how it functions in the practical world and how hungry the league is to eradicate this form of fighting.</p><p>As long as intimidation exists in this game &ndash; and forever it shall &ndash; fighting needs to live alongside it. Without fear of retribution, chippy players and plays with the potential for much more danger would sit atop the intimidation food chain.</p><p>But contrived fights make a mockery of that need and this game. They epitomize the gross misconduct. So, I propose the reintroduction of the rule, with the following wording: &ldquo;A gross misconduct penalty shall be assessed on any player who, at the discretion of the referee, deliberately engages in a fight as to make a travesty of the game.&rdquo;</p><p><b>NEED BONUS BOYLEN?</b> READ RORY&rsquo;S TAKE ON THE NHL AND BEYOND EVERY TUESDAY AT <b><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BOYLEN">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BOYLEN</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

FINAL CURTAIN FOR STAGED FIGHTS

<div class="byline">WITH ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01812/9831601-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>LU-LU LEMON?</b></p><p>The Canucks found it difficult to find a new home for Roberto Luongo because of his 12-year contract.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02534/9831608-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="194" height="229"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S COUNTER-INTUITIVE IN A LOT OF</b> ways, but it&rsquo;s true: in today&rsquo;s salary-capped, tied-down NHL, teams are better off signing one of their most important players &ndash; their No. 1 goalie &ndash; to a short(ish)-term contract.</p><p>Maybe you read that sentence and burst out laughing, imagining how foolish it would be to not lock up a Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur to a pact that is the longest allowable under the collective bargaining agreement (eight years to re-sign your own player, seven to sign another team&rsquo;s). But doing so would show you&rsquo;re not looking closely at the bigger picture of how goalies are paid &ndash; and how a mammoth commitment can burden even the best of netminders.</p><p>Any goalie who signed for close to or more than a decade under the previous CBA has come to make his team regret it. The ink on Ilya Bryzgalov&rsquo;s nine-year, $51-million contract barely dried before Flyers fans saw it as a millstone around the franchise&rsquo;s neck. Roberto Luongo brought Vancouver within a win of the Stanley Cup and has played well since then, but his $64-million deal has made Canucks fans burst into hives strictly based on its 12-year duration. And of course, there&rsquo;s Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s $15-year, $67.5 million pact with the Isles &ndash; a contract that turned into such a horror show, parents on Long Island now use it as a way to scare kids into brushing their teeth and eating their vegetables.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">GOALIES AREN&rsquo;T MLB CLOSERS IN TERMS OF HOW FLEETING THEIR PRODUCTIVENESS IS, BUT IT&rsquo;S CLOSE <br>&ndash; NHL executive</blockquote><p>Yes, there&rsquo;s absolutely something to be said for giving goalies some long-term security. However, you need only look at the results of this season to understand how fleeting success in an NHL net can be. To wit: last year, Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott were twin terrors between the pipes for St. Louis, but now, the former has battled injuries and the latter has struggled, forcing the Blues to rely on rookie Jake Allen. Anders Lindback, who looked like a budding star in Nashville, has not played nearly as well now that he&rsquo;s left Pekka Rinne&rsquo;s shadow and is the starter for Tampa Bay. And long-time stalwarts such as Buffalo&rsquo;s Ryan Miller and Calgary&rsquo;s Miikka Kiprusoff have not looked like themselves (in fairness, neither have the teams in front of them).</p><p>So you can see why some NHL management types don&rsquo;t see the benefit to signing a goalie for as many years as possible. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not at the point where (goalies) are like baseball closers in terms of how fleeting their productiveness can be, but it&rsquo;s close,&rdquo; said one NHL executive. &ldquo;Detroit has done it right &ndash; when you can&rsquo;t sign a star, big-stakes goalie to a long-term, hometown discount deal like Jersey did with Brodeur, you make a bunch of shorter-term deals with goalies you know have at least a couple years of steadiness within them and spend more money on the team around them.&rdquo;</p><p>Seventeen teams have starters who will be free agents this or next summer and nine have goalies locked up for at least three more seasons after this year. But of those nine, only a handful (Carey Price, Cam Ward and maybe Rinne) have deals another team would accept without hesitation. Instead of tying yourself to a goalie for close to a decade, wouldn&rsquo;t you rather have cap flexibility and the knowledge that, with only 60 NHL goalie jobs to compete for, there always will be a decent pool of talent to turn to?</p><p>I know I would. That&rsquo;s no slight to someone with the talent of a Jonathan Quick, without whom the Kings wouldn&rsquo;t have won a Cup last season. But he&rsquo;s signed for the next 10 seasons and already has had back surgery. It comes down to this: hockey is a risk-reward game &ndash; and when it comes to goalies, the longer you reward, the more you risk.</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>

f0041-01

SHORTER DEALS ARE SWEETER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01840/9831761-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="960" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02586/9831754-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="599" height="575"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>LUNDQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LUNDQVIST: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE GRIMACE WAS GONE. THE POST</b>-game body language was better. This was a visibly relieved Henrik Lundqvist after a 2-1 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes mid-March. For the defending Vezina Trophy winner and the slumping Rangers, losers of three straight on the road, it had been gut-check time. &ldquo;I hope we understand the importance right now of every game,&rdquo; Lundqvist said. &ldquo;If we want to be in the playoffs, we have to turn this around.&rdquo;</p><p>Unlike last season when things went swimmingly, Lundqvist, now 31 and a father, appears more on edge this year. He has allowed some uncharacteristically soft goals and hadn&rsquo;t registered a shutout after posting eight in 2011-12. It is rare any Ranger would admit an opponent was a better team or criticize players for not being tough enough down low in each end of the ice. Lundqvist has done both recently.</p><p>With a win-loss record around .500, despite being among the leaders in goals-against average and save percentage, Lundqvist is being forced to carry the club on most nights. And the Swede is putting more pressure on himself. &ldquo;I have to be better,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The Blueshirts are trying to meet high expectations from fans and the front office, but have had trouble scoring all season and sat 27th in goals. To regain his throne, the &lsquo;King&rsquo; needs some horses to help out. &ldquo;We just have to be better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to do what I can. The thing I can control is to try and help the team win. Whatever we do in front of me is out of my control.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03488/9831747-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04373/9831740-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="305" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KINKAID: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After two decades of stability, New Jersey&rsquo;s net situation could soon get volatile. The contracts of Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg expire in July and if they move on it&rsquo;ll be <b>Keith Kinkaid</b> and Scott Wedgewood to take over for the veterans. Both youngsters have shown potential, but neither is a can&rsquo;t-miss prospect.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05325/9831733-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06269/9831726-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NILSSON: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With 37-year-old Evgeni Nabokov reaching the end and the Rick DiPietro era seemingly over, Kevin Poulin and <b>Anders Nilsson</b> are in line to take over. The 23-year-olds both fill the net well (Poulin is 6-foot-2 and Nilsson looms at 6-foot-5), but rank just ninth and 10th in Future Watch among the Islanders&rsquo; top 10 prospects.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07229/9831719-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08178/9831712-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STOLARZ: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>New York won&rsquo;t have to fret about its goaltending for a while. Henrik Lundqvist is only 31 and should be protected by a solid &lsquo;D&rsquo;, while Martin Biron is a top No. 2. <b>Cam Talbot</b> is a 25-year-old seasoned AHLer, but projects as a backup. No rush for the Rangers, but drafting a successor to the &lsquo;King&rsquo; would be smart planning.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09136/9831705-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10121/9831698-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HEETER: ANDY CAMP)</span></figcaption></div><p>With the Ilya Bryzgalov experiment reaching critical status, the Flyers promise Anthony Stolarz (see pg. 53) will deliver disaster relief. After him, <b>Cal Heeter</b> is the franchise&rsquo;s next best prospect. But he&rsquo;s 24, undrafted, and was recently demoted from AHL Adirondack to ECHL Trenton in favor of 31-year-old Scott Munroe.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-11105/9831691-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1293/9831684-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(THIESSEN: JOE SARGENT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Penguins fans needn&rsquo;t worry about Marc-Andre Fleury&rsquo;s headspace (see pg. 22), but there&rsquo;s cause for concern with who&rsquo;s behind him in the system. Among Pittsburgh&rsquo;s top 10 Future Watch prospects, none are goalies. Jeff Zatkoff, 25, and <b>Brad Thiessen</b>, 27, have done well with the AHL Pens, but don&rsquo;t project as NHL starters.</p><p>SPARE | <b>+</b> INJURED | <b>A</b> AHL | <b>RFA</b> | <b>UFA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

TRYING TIMES FOR THE ‘KING’

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01740/9831876-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="961" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02480/9831869-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="599" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAMES <b>REIMER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(REIMER: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH APOLOGIES TO DUDLEY MOORE&rsquo;S</b> classic routine from <i>Arthur</i>, James Reimer comes from a really small town. And while not all of Morweena, Man., has recently been carpeted, the hamlet&rsquo;s favorite son has a pretty good example of its remoteness. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an hour and a half to the first McDonald&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Reimer said. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s put it that way.&rdquo;</p><p>Cosmopolitan Toronto offers culinary delights that go beyond the McRib, but Leafs fans have only one thing on their menu: playoff hockey. They haven&rsquo;t seen it in nearly nine years.</p><p>With Reimer between the pipes, the Buds have a much better record than when Ben Scrivens plays, even if the two young keepers have nearly identical individual statistics. Both goalies go about their jobs with an upbeat attitude and though Reimer is a happy camper most of the time, he does admit to having a darker side when things aren&rsquo;t going well. &ldquo;You have to get a little angry, otherwise you won&rsquo;t get better,&rdquo; Reimer said. &ldquo;But you have to find a way to get it out of your system.&rdquo;</p><p>In a town where the press coverage is wall-to-wall and completely dependent on the previous night&rsquo;s result, it&rsquo;s hard remain objective as a player. Reimer is still a relative greenhorn in the NHL, but has a pretty good tonic for keeping even-keel. &ldquo;You look at the things you did well and the things you did wrong,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As a goalie you always know the mistakes you made that just didn&rsquo;t happen to cost you that night. You got better whether you won or lost and you keep going.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03365/9831862-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04289/9831855-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="305" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SUBBAN: TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With Tuukka Rask showing Vezina Trophy form, the Bruins have the luxury of not having to rush prized prospect, 2012 first-rounder <b>Malcolm Subban</b>. In his final year in the OHL with the Belleville Bulls, Subban led all starting goalies in GAA (2.14) and SP (.934). He had an up-and-down world juniors, but is primed for pro success.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05240/9831848-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06212/9831841-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ENROTH: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In his previous seven full seasons, Ryan Miller as always won more games than he has lost. But there is a real chance Miller will finish this year with a sub .500 record. The Sabres don&rsquo;t count a goalie among their top 10 prospects, according to Future Watch, but <b>Jhonas Enroth</b>, Miller&rsquo;s backup the past three seasons, is just 24.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07182/9831834-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08137/9831827-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOKARSKI: BRANDON TAYLOR)</span></figcaption></div><p>The trade for <b>Dustin Tokarski</b> in February didn&rsquo;t create much buzz, but Tokarski played well in his first games with AHL Hamilton and if championships are any indication, he&rsquo;ll have a future in the NHL. Tokarski has a Memorial Cup with the Spokane Chiefs, a Calder Cup with the Norfolk Admirals and world juniors gold on his resume.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-09102/9831820-1-eng-US/f0044-092.jpg" title="f0044-09" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1090/9831813-1-eng-US/f0044-102.jpg" title="f0044-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEHNER: MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Of the three goalies who have played for the Sens this year, <b>Robin Lehner</b> is the only one drafted and developed by the organization. The team is doing something right. A lack of goal support gave Lehner a 2-0-4 record in his first six starts of 2013, but he cemented his status as an NHL goalie of the future (1.90 GAA, .946 SP).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1176/9831806-1-eng-US/f0044-112.jpg" title="f0044-11" width="684" height="540"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1267/9831799-1-eng-US/f0044-122.jpg" title="f0044-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYNNAS: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>James Reimer and Ben Scrivens came back to earth with the rest of the team, leaving the long-term goaltending picture murky. In the AHL, big Finn <b>Jussi Rynnas</b>, 25, has been so-so, while Swede Mark Owuya, 23, has regressed after a solid rookie year in North America. They&rsquo;d lost the starting job to 29-year-old ECHL call-up Drew MacIntyre.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01652/9831991-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="931" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02438/9831984-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="599" height="587"><figcaption class="caption-body">ONDREJ <b>PAVELEC</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PAVELEC: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE MUFFED SHOTS, THOSE HE WHIFFED</b> on and, worse, pucks that seemed to go right through him in the first four weeks of the shortened season, were not Ondrej Pavelec&rsquo;s biggest problem. The Winnipeg Jets goalie said it came earlier. &ldquo;A lot of games right away,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If the same situation happened again, I wouldn&rsquo;t play during the lockout.&rdquo;</p><p>You don&rsquo;t hear many players saying that. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t face the NHL players for eight months,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was happy I was able to play in Czech, I really enjoyed that, but I don&rsquo;t think it was the best hockey decision, to be honest.&rdquo;</p><p>Pavelec, 25, had finished three seasons as the No. 1 netminder for the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers. He got a five-year, $19.5-million deal in the off-season and joined the Liberec Tigers in the Czech League during the NHL stoppage. He went 4-10 with an .896 save percentage. He was better at .912 in six subsequent games with Lahti in Finland. &ldquo;The ice was bigger, different kind of hockey,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not the smartest decision.&rdquo;</p><p>In mid-February, he was 3-8-1 for the Jets with an .889 SP and 3.15 goals-against average. &ldquo;It took me a while to get comfortable, to be sharp enough to help the team get a win,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Pavelec has since corrected his game, helping Winnipeg rally into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. His SP had risen to .906 and his GAA had decreased to 2.73. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said so many times I don&rsquo;t look at the numbers,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t worried. I knew I could play. But at the same time, I knew it wasn&rsquo;t going to be easy.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03372/9831977-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04317/9831970-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PETERS: PHIL ELLSWORTH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>At 26, <b>Justin Peters</b> has been inconsistent in his NHL call-ups and he lost time to Dan Ellis this season. It appears he&rsquo;ll never be a No. 1. While Carolina&rsquo;s future is invested in Cam Ward through at least 2016, the Canes are preparing for the day when they&rsquo;ll need to change over by taking one or more goalies in four of the past five drafts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05274/9831963-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06240/9831956-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="313" height="472"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARKSTROM: ELIOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Since <b>Jacob Markstrom&rsquo;s</b> past two campaigns were halted by knee injuries, Florida intended to keep him in the AHL all season. But Jose Theodore&rsquo;s injury thrust Markstrom up and into a difficult situation on a moribund team. Results have been mixed, which is worrisome for a team placing all its goaltending eggs in Markstrom&rsquo;s basket.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07210/9831949-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08138/9831942-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LINDBACK: LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Transitioning from Nashville backup to Tampa starter hasn&rsquo;t gone smoothly for <b>Anders Lindback</b>. His &lsquo;D&rsquo; is proving difficult to play behind, so until it improves, it&rsquo;s hard to gauge Lindback. If he&rsquo;s the problem, waiting in the wings is Andrey Vasilevskiy, who the Bolts hope will cross the ocean for Canadian major junior next season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-09102/9831935-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1085/9831928-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRUBAUER: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s been a poor year offensively and defensively for the Caps and as a result, the goaltending has suffered. Their netminders are having their worst NHL seasons, but will be given the benefit of the doubt. If all else fails, <b>Philipp Grubauer</b> is posting terrific numbers in the AHL after the lockout relegated him to ECHL duty to start the year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1170/9831921-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="684" height="540"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1259/9831914-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PASQUALE: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Ondrej Pavelec&rsquo;s signed through 2016-17, so the Jets are locked in at that position. <b>Edward Pasquale</b>, a 2009 fourth-rounder, has been a serviceable AHL starter, but hasn&rsquo;t played a full season as the go-to guy and his future in the organization is still unclear. The Jets took three goalies late in the past two drafts, but they&rsquo;re all projects.</p><p>SPARE | <b>+</b> INJURED | <b>A</b> AHL | <b>RFA</b> | <b>UFA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

RIGHTING HIS WRONGS

<div class="byline">BY ERIC STEPHENS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01656/9832036-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="344" height="258"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02432/9832029-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="1390" height="1386"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FASTH START</b></p><p>Viktor Fasth began his NHL career with an 11-1-1 record, including wins in his first eight decisions.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>HIS STORY IS SO IMPROBABLE THAT IT</b> seems too good to be true. Perhaps it&rsquo;s even bordering on a fairytale.</p><p>Viktor Fasth was supposed to play a handful of games as Jonas Hiller&rsquo;s backup in his first NHL season and that in itself was the realization of a lifelong dream he&rsquo;d held even when it appeared distant.</p><p>But an amazing start to his time in the NHL has made the first-year Anaheim Ducks goaltender an integral part of the team&rsquo;s present and future. Fasth won his first eight decisions and sports numbers that put him among the league&rsquo;s best.</p><p>In a matter of weeks, the 30-year-old Swede went from a relative unknown to a proven commodity in which the Ducks invested another two years and $5.8 million. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been enjoying my time here so far,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The team&rsquo;s been playing really good, which makes it a lot easier for a goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>Anaheim has been right behind NHL-leading Chicago because Fasth has teamed with Hiller to create a formidable netminding duo. Only the Ducks and Blackhawks (Corey Crawford and Ray Emery) had two goalies with 10 wins each.</p><p>Years ago, Fasth was nowhere near the NHL radar. He was playing for Vaxjo in Sweden&rsquo;s Allsvenskan league, the country&rsquo;s second-highest circuit, as late as 2009-10 after many years spent between lower-level Div. I and Div. II leagues. Saying the NHL &ldquo;was not an option,&rdquo; Fasth supported himself as a teacher by day for eight years, first as a preschool aide and then as an assistant working with autistic and special needs children. &ldquo;I got a lot from that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I really liked working with those kids. It was a challenge every day. But you get so much back. It helps to relax. You don&rsquo;t think about hockey every day and it puts things in other perspectives. But, of course, I&rsquo;m really happy to be able to do this full-time today.&rdquo;</p><p>It was at the 2011 World Championship where Fasth first had scouts turning their heads in his direction. He got the nod for Team Sweden when Stefan Liv opted out. Fasth stepped in and led the Tre Kroner to a silver medal with a tournament MVP performance. He took the momentum from that star turn and put his focus on the NHL into overdrive. His past two seasons saw him become goaltender of the year in the Elitserien, Sweden&rsquo;s top league, while playing for Stockholm-based AIK.</p><p>The Ducks offered him a one-year contract worth $1 million. GM Bob Murray credits the club&rsquo;s European scout, Jan-Ake Danielson for continually pushing him to sign the goalie. For Fasth, it was the one-way offer that convinced him to head overseas. &ldquo;They really showed me that they wanted me here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That was really important for me and my family to get over here and have the feeling that the organization really wants you there.&rdquo;</p><p>Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau called Fasth&rsquo;s emergence &ldquo;tremendous.&rdquo; &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t expect it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect him to play 10 games, quite frankly&hellip;It says a lot about his character, his stick-to-it-iveness and his faith in his own ability.&rdquo;</p><p>As his story continues to be written, Fasth plans to keep adding chapters and not rest on his overnight success. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always loved playing hockey,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As long as you do that and you feel like you&rsquo;re developing your game, that&rsquo;s what keeps you doing it.</p><p>&ldquo;When you don&rsquo;t believe you can develop your game more and get better, that&rsquo;s the time when you should put the skates away. That&rsquo;s what keeps me going, to get better &ndash; trying to get better every day.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

VICTORIOUS RISE OF VIKTOR FASTH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01589/9832151-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="936" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02386/9832144-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="599" height="600"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAY <b>EMERY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(EMERY: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>AY EMERY HAS BEEN EVERYWHERE</b> from Ottawa to Russia, and while both locales tested his patience, the 30-year-old netminder has zero complaints now that he&rsquo;s in Chicago, helping the Blackhawks to their best regular season. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of hot tickets in town,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The fans are great, it&rsquo;s almost like a small-town atmosphere at the rink, but you can get lost in the city and have some fun as well.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s been nothing but fun so far in 2013, when the team had its memorable points streak and Emery established an NHL record by starting the campaign with 11 consecutive wins (and counting), splitting time with incumbent starter Corey Crawford.</p><p>The tandem combined to give the Hawks the second-lowest team goal-against average in the NHL at 2.05. &ldquo;We feed off each other,&rdquo; Emery said. &ldquo;When he needs a break, or when it&rsquo;s my turn in net I like to contribute. We like working together. It&rsquo;s a good environment.&rdquo;</p><p>And one Emery is fortunate to be in. Injuries nearly ended his career, but with the help of training guru Matt Nichol, he&rsquo;s back and better than ever. &ldquo;I got introduced to Matt when I had my injury,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had a bone graft done on my hip and had a bone removed from my lower leg. He&rsquo;s a specialist in getting guys back. I had some limitations at the start and it was a tough road back, but he helped me along the way to take small steps.&rdquo;</p><p>Those small steps have helped lead the 30-year-old to a place at the top of the hockey world.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03307/9832137-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04235/9832130-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="305" height="465"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CRAWFORD: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Hawks were top-three in the NHL in GAA and SP through mid-March, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean they&rsquo;re set for the future in goal. <b>Corey Crawford</b> has just one year left on his contract and Ray Emery hits unrestricted free agency this summer. Chicago also has zero goalies among its top 10 prospects in Future Watch 2013.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-05181/9832123-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-06149/9832116-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="303" height="464"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KORPISALO: MATTI KORPI/JOKERIT)</span></figcaption></div><p>A year ago Columbus struggled with Steve Mason and Curtis Sanford splitting net duty. Then one off-season turned a weakness into a strength. Sergei Bobrovsky, acquired from the Flyers, has been one of the NHL&rsquo;s top tenders. The Jackets also drafted coveted Swede Oscar Dansk (see pg. 52) and Finland&rsquo;s <b>Joonas Korpisalo</b>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-07116/9832109-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0885/9832102-1-eng-US/f0047-082.jpg" title="f0047-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MRAZEK: MARK BUCKNER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Detroit hopes to lock up pending UFA Jimmy Howard, but rising star <b>Petr Mrazek</b> provides insurance. He impressed as an Ottawa 67 in the OHL and especially with the Czechs at the 2012 world juniors, where he earned top goalie honors. This season, he climbed from the ECHL to the AHL to a two-start NHL debut with Detroit.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0967/9832095-1-eng-US/f0047-092.jpg" title="f0047-09" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1059/9832088-1-eng-US/f0047-102.jpg" title="f0047-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HELLBERG: SCOTT PAULUS/MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Pekka Rinne isn&rsquo;t going anywhere for a long time, but Nashville needs to groom his next backup. Chris Mason turns 37 in late April. Prospect <b>Magnus Hellberg</b> will get the job soon enough. At 6-foot-5 and 196 pounds, he&rsquo;s a Rinne clone. The Swede has also flourished with AHL Milwaukee in his first season as a North American pro.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1149/9832081-1-eng-US/f0047-112.jpg" title="f0047-11" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-1243/9832074-1-eng-US/f0047-122.jpg" title="f0047-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ALLEN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blues aren&rsquo;t as worried about Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott&rsquo;s down seasons as you may think. They have help in the pipeline. <b>Jake Allen</b> actually led the Blues in wins halfway through the season, making one of Halak and Elliott expendable. St. Louis also has the promising Jordan Binnington on the way (see pg. 51).</p><p>SPARE | <b>+</b> INJURED | <b>A</b> AHL | <b>RFA</b> | <b>UFA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

RAY ENJOYS FINEST DAY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01459/9832266-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="936" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02294/9832259-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="599" height="568"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIIKKA <b>KIPRUSOFF</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KIPRUSOFF: GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE TRADE SPECULATION SURROUNDING</b> Miikka Kiprusoff wasn&rsquo;t the biggest cause of upheaval in his life this spring. Nor was it the knee injury that sidelined him for a month. Nor the ups and downs of the Flames&rsquo; season.</p><p>Nope, the biggest change in Kiprusoff&rsquo;s life has been changing diapers. His second son, Oskar, was born March 18 and it&rsquo;s been a while since Kiprusoff has had to do a diaper. His older son, Aaro, is seven. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been practising,&rdquo; Kiprusoff said with a chuckle. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t even remember how to handle the baby, but it&rsquo;s coming back.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s been a pretty crazy few months in what&rsquo;s been the most unsettling season for Kiprusoff since he joined the Flames 10 years ago. Through good and tough seasons in Calgary, he&rsquo;s been a slam-dunk to play 70-plus games, all the while making the Flames a contender or keeping their playoff hopes alive with strong netminding.</p><p>But this season has been a struggle for the 36-year-old. Into late March, he was 5-5-2 with a 3.27 goals-against average and .876 save percentage.</p><p>With one more season remaining on his six-year contract, and the Flames on the playoff bubble, Kiprusoff&rsquo;s name was front and center among those mentioned in the rumor mill leading to the April 3 trade deadline. To his credit, and maybe in part because he&rsquo;s had other things on his mind, Kiprusoff didn&rsquo;t let the speculation bother him. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t put too many thoughts into that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just try to do my job here and help this team win.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03204/9832252-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04166/9832245-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RAMO: YURY KUZMIN/KHL PHOTO AGENCY VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Much has been made of the dire situation once Miikka Kiprusoff moves on, but the Flames have a few irons in the fire. <b>Karri Ramo</b> flopped in his first NHL attempt with Tampa Bay several years ago, but has now become a top goalie in the KHL. He&rsquo;s 26 and ready to try again. Leland Irving, Laurent Brossoit and Jon Gillies are also on the radar.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-05120/9832238-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-06100/9832231-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="306" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PICKARD: CRAIG FOLTZ/LAKE ERIE MONSTERS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Calvin Pickard</b> is having a solid rookie pro season for a middling Lake Erie team in the AHL. He&rsquo;s used to facing a lot of shots after a WHL junior career on some poor Seattle teams. Colorado&rsquo;s second-rounder in 2010 has a strong work ethic and a positive attitude. He has outshone Sami Aittokallio, who&rsquo;s also in his first AHL year out of Finland.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0781/9832224-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0856/9832217-1-eng-US/f0048-082.jpg" title="f0048-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROY: ROB FERGUSON)</span></figcaption></div><p>There isn&rsquo;t a goalie in the system the Oilers are doing cartwheels over &ndash; <b>Olivier Roy</b> in Oklahoma City is a midrange prospect &ndash; so it might be time to get resourceful. With its plethora of young, skilled forwards, Edmonton must be tempted to dish one of them off to get a proven commodity. Perhaps Jonathan Bernier?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0943/9832210-1-eng-US/f0048-092.jpg" title="f0048-09" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1037/9832203-1-eng-US/f0048-102.jpg" title="f0048-10" width="315" height="473"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HACKETT: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Darcy Kuemper is having the better season, both with Houston in the AHL and in his NHL stint backing up Niklas Backstrom, but it&rsquo;s <b>Matt Hackett</b> who&rsquo;s considered the better prospect. Hackett got a good taste of NHL action last season &ndash; 12 games and .922 SP &ndash; and gets most of the starts with the Aeros. He&rsquo;s 23, Kuemper is 22.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1128/9832196-1-eng-US/f0048-112.jpg" title="f0048-11" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-1223/9832189-1-eng-US/f0048-122.jpg" title="f0048-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LACK: ROSS DETTMAN/CHICAGO WOLVES)</span></figcaption></div><p>This was supposed to be the season <b>Eddie Lack</b> became the Canucks&rsquo; backup, but Roberto Luongo wasn&rsquo;t dealt and hip surgery in January sidelined the 6-foot-5 Swede until next season. Lack struggled in 13 games with Chicago (AHL) before the hip issue. He&rsquo;ll need to show he can bounce back quickly as he&rsquo;s 25 and the clock is ticking.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

DEALS ’N’ DIAPERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JONATHAN DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01444/9832381-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="931" height="167"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02341/9832374-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="599" height="606"><figcaption class="caption-body">JONATHAN <b>QUICK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(QUICK: NDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>FTER WINNING THE STANLEY CUP AND</b> taking home the Conn Smythe, Jonathan Quick was rewarded with a 10-year $58-million extension. And along with the new pact came expectations for him to duplicate his success.</p><p>Yet, past this season&rsquo;s halfway mark, Quick&rsquo;s name wasn&rsquo;t among the top 10 in any of the four major stats for goalies. His goals-against average jumped more than half a goal and his save percentage dropped below .900, a career low.</p><p>But those fluctuations don&rsquo;t tell all. Quick had back surgery in the summer and though the season was pushed back more than three months, he spent most of it rehabbing instead of being able to properly train. Combine that with an abbreviated training camp, as well as injuries to the team&rsquo;s two best shutdown defenseman in Matt Greene and Willie Mitchell, and Quick is still trying to find his way back. &ldquo;It changes a little bit, but not enough so it should change your game,&rdquo; Quick said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got three guys in the lineup that weren&rsquo;t last year. You&rsquo;re going to have some ups and downs and you&rsquo;re going to give up goals that you&rsquo;re going to want back.&rdquo;</p><p>After going 3-5-2 to start the season, Quick went 7-3, punctuated by his first shutout mid-March after posting 10 in 2011-12. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like that baseball pitcher who bursts onto the scene and his second time around teams make adjustments &ndash; not much different with Jonathan Quick,&rdquo; said coach Darryl Sutter. &ldquo;Teams around the league have made adjustments and now it&rsquo;s his turn to do the same.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03267/9832367-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04248/9832360-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GIBSON: TERRY WILSON / OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Aside from a hip/groin injury that caused him to miss all of February and the two weeks surrounding, it&rsquo;s been a banner year for Kitchener Rangers netminder <b>John Gibson</b>. On top of his success in the OHL, the big kid from Pittsburgh was integral to USA&rsquo;s gold medal run at the world juniors in Russia, where he was named tourney MVP.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05197/9832353-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-06118/9832346-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAMPBELL: TEXAS STARS HOCKEY)</span></figcaption></div><p>With a glut of goalies, Dallas didn&rsquo;t give <b>Jack Campbell</b> his first taste of NHL life until late March. Swedish vet Cristopher Nilstorp crashed the party with great play early on, but Campbell is the future. The Team USA legend has fared well with AHL Texas. No goalie was drafted higher in the past six years. Dallas tabbed him 11th in 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0783/9832339-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0852/9832332-1-eng-US/f0049-082.jpg" title="f0049-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JONES: CHRISTOPHER PASATIERI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With 27-year-old Jonathan Quick under contract for the next 10 seasons, L.A. is set in net. That&rsquo;s why there&rsquo;s little panic over prospects <b>Martin Jones</b> and Christopher Gibson having merely OK years. The 23-year-old Jones is finishing strong after early struggles in the AHL, while the 20-year-old Gibson tailed off in the QMJHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0944/9832325-1-eng-US/f0049-092.jpg" title="f0049-09" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1039/9832318-1-eng-US/f0049-102.jpg" title="f0049-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VISENTIN: PORTLAND PIRATES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Mike Smith took off last season and though his numbers have slipped this year, the Coyotes should make his new contract a priority. Phoenix has stockpiled so much young talent in net that capable Mike Lee and Louis Domingue got reps in the ECHL with Gwinnett. But along with first-year pro <b>Mark Visentin</b>, none has earned &ldquo;next&rdquo; status.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1130/9832311-1-eng-US/f0049-112.jpg" title="f0049-11" width="684" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-1227/9832304-1-eng-US/f0049-122.jpg" title="f0049-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STALOCK: WORCESTER SHARKS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Antti Niemi gets the lion&rsquo;s share of starts in San Jose, but there&rsquo;s a pipeline coming from Worcester led by former NCAA star <b>Alex Stalock</b>, who had top-20 AHL numbers and saw his first NHL action since 2010-11. Though it was just mop-up duty, he was winning the prospect race with Harri Sateri. Their numbers were close, however.</p><p>SPARE | <b>+</b> INJURED | <b>A</b> AHL | <b>RFA</b> | <b>UFA</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

RETURNING TO FORM

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01431/9832433-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="297" height="325"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02323/9832426-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="895" height="1137"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BRICK WALL BLOODLINE</b></p><p>Eric Comrie&rsquo;s father owns The Brick furniture chain; ex-NHLer Mike Comrie is his half-brother.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>NE OF THE BIGGEST MINOR</b> hockey tournaments in the world is The Brick Invitational in Edmonton, named after the furniture chain that sponsors the shindig. As if there wasn&rsquo;t enough pressure for the nine-and 10-year-olds who take part, Eric Comrie had another angle to consider: his father, Bill, is the owner of The Brick empire and founder of the tournament.</p><p>Past participants include his half-brother, former NHLer Mike Comrie. &ldquo;It was fun to keep the tradition alive,&rdquo; Eric said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do too well, but that&rsquo;s when you first really get to play against the best in your age group. Adam Erne played that year and Max Domi was on the Toronto team. It&rsquo;s fun to see those guys moving up with you.&rdquo;</p><p>Erne and Domi will be first-rounders in 2013 and while Comrie&rsquo;s draft number is harder to pin down, he will be one of the first netminders taken. &ldquo;He wants the puck, he wants to be there in net,&rdquo; said Lyle Mast, the goalie coach with Comrie&rsquo;s Tri-City Americans. &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t good early on this season and he adapted. He gathers information and he&rsquo;s also athletic. I like that in him.&rdquo;</p><p>Comrie&rsquo;s draft year was truncated when the Americans shut him down to undergo hip surgery in late January. Through 37 games, the youngster had put up a 2.62 goals-against average and .915 save percentage, both numbers in the Western League&rsquo;s top 10. Comrie&rsquo;s family moved to Los Angeles when he was 10, so that&rsquo;s where he&rsquo;s rehabbing his injury, but he&rsquo;s kept watching video of other goalies and talking to Mast about what he saw. One netminder Comrie got to see up close and personal this year was Carey Price, a Tri-City alum who visited the state of Washington during the lockout and spent some ice time with the Ams. &ldquo;That was absolutely unbelievable,&rdquo; Comrie said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of my favorites and probably one of the favorites of most young goaltenders. The one thing I noticed was how nice and respectful he was off the ice. Those things really make a professional.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with Price and Mast, Comrie has also learned a lot from a source across the pond: Swedish goalie coach Erik Granqvist of Farjestad. Comrie worked with him over the summer in California and made particular strides when it came to thinking the game. &ldquo;He really taught me to relax and breathe between plays,&rdquo; said Comrie. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s really into the mental side of the game and that&rsquo;s been instrumental in my preparation.&rdquo;</p><p>That preparation includes homework on the shooters Comrie is about to face. The netminder will think about all the challenges certain opponents present and write down how he intends to neutralize them. That way, he&rsquo;s not thinking on the fly during a game; the answer (hopefully) is already there. Establishing key words and phrases is also part of the prep. Comrie will choose three &ndash; breathe, relax, have fun, for example &ndash; and recite them on the ice.</p><p>Were it not for his injury, Comrie would have been one of the busiest netminders in the WHL. He has taken part in Hockey Canada&rsquo;s Program of Excellence for goalies and he&rsquo;ll compete for a spot on the nation&rsquo;s world junior team in 2014. That he was given a solid workload as a rookie by Tri-City last season didn&rsquo;t hurt. &ldquo;You want to make sure you manage an athlete well and I think they did that,&rdquo; Mast said. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t just play weak teams and his first year went very well.&rdquo;</p><p>Indeed, Comrie went 19-6-2 with the Americans in 2011-12, paving the way for starter&rsquo;s minutes this time out. Ranked as the No. 4 goalie in the draft by International Scouting Services, Comrie was unsure if his hip would allow him to compete in the annual draft combine.</p><p>Regardless, he has the tools &ndash; and the mind &ndash; to entice many teams.</p><h2><b>ERIC COMRIE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03170/9832419-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="220" height="129"></div><p><b>POSITION</b> Goaltender</p><p><b>AGE</b> 17</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 6-1</p><p><b>WEIGHT</b> 167 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b> 2013 eligible</p><h2><b>4</b></h2><p>Eric Comrie&rsquo;s ranking among 2013 draft eligible goaltenders, according to International Scouting Services&rsquo; March report. He was third a month prior but has slipped after having season-ending hip surgery in late January.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-01

BETWEEN THE PIPES AND EARS

<div class="byline">BY RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01341/9832478-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ATTACKING THE RECORDS</b></p><p>Jordan Binnington set Owen Sound marks for career wins and single-season wins.</p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>WO YEARS AFTER BEING</b> selected in the third round by the St. Louis Blues, Jordan Binnington has risen to become one of the top goalies in major junior hockey.</p><p>That was made apparent by his selection to Team Canada&rsquo;s 2013 World Junior Championship squad in December, where he teamed with fellow elite Ontario League netminder Malcolm Subban, a Bruins first-rounder (24th overall in 2012). &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been friends since probably Grade 9 or 10 and we get along great,&rdquo; Binnington said. &ldquo;We gave each other confidence and tried to push each other as hard as we could. We don&rsquo;t play each other very often, but I guess there&rsquo;s a little friendly rivalry going on.&rdquo;</p><p>Binnington and Subban had separated themselves from the rest of the OHL as the top two stoppers in the league. Statistically, Subban had the better season by the slightest of margins, but Binnington put an exclamation mark on his OHL career when he became the Owen Sound Attack&rsquo;s all-time wins leader and set a new single-season team record with 32.</p><p>Though he&rsquo;s still at least a few years away from becoming an NHLer, Binnington did get a brief taste of life as a professional at the end of last season. After the Attack were ousted in the first round of the playoffs, Binnington set off to Peoria of the American League, where Ben Bishop and Jake Allen roamed. He got one start and allowed three goals in a loss, but the experience provided a new perspective on what lies ahead in his career. &ldquo;They move the puck a lot quicker,&rdquo; Binnington said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s on and off their stick and they shoot the puck pretty hard. It&rsquo;s something you have to adapt to and it comes with experience.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not at the rink as long, but when they&rsquo;re at the rink they&rsquo;ll go hard and they get something accomplished every time they&rsquo;re on the ice or working out.&rdquo;</p><p>The goaltending position is the most difficult to project because the difference between a good goalie and a great one is only a handful of saves. What separates NHLers from the rest is the consistency they offer. Teams at the highest level need to be confident of what they&rsquo;ll get from their last line of defense night in, night out.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02245/9832471-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="861" height="760"><figcaption class="caption-body">JORDAN <b>BINNINGTON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Aside from the crucial assets, goalies can also set themselves apart by refining peripheral skills, such as puckhandling. While it&rsquo;s easy to see Binnington&rsquo;s improvement by the numbers, he&rsquo;s also taken it upon himself to develop these other areas. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been very calm,&rdquo; said Owen Sound assistant coach Daniel Tkaczuk. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s improved his puck-playing ability. He&rsquo;s almost like a third defenseman back there and helps us with our breakouts. He&rsquo;s become a gamer this year.&rdquo;</p><p>Binnington attributes much of his improvement to working with Attack goalie coach Greg Redquest, a.k.a. &lsquo;Red Dog.&rsquo; The two joined the organization at the same time four years ago and have developed a comfort level. Binnington believes the relationship will carry on after he graduates from junior. &ldquo;We talk every summer, we&rsquo;ll be in constant contact,&rdquo; Binnington said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a great guy and positive guy to have around the room.&rdquo;</p><p>A step up to pro life will happen next season, as Binnington turns 20 in July. His goal is to play in the AHL, but he recognizes the depth the Blues have at his position means nothing is guaranteed. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got NHL assets,&rdquo; Tkaczuk said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big guy, but it&rsquo;s physical maturity for a lot of these guys, so he&rsquo;s got to gain some strength. He&rsquo;s very talented and if he keeps progressing as he has year in and year out, he should be an American League goalie next year. Who knows what happens?</p><p>He should be a very good NHL prospect for the next few years and hopefully get there as a regular in a couple years.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03175/9832464-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="201" height="145"></div><h2><b>JORDAN BINNINGTON</b></h2><p>POS Goaltender AGE 19 HT 6-2 WT 169 lbs DRAFTED St. Louis, 88th overall in 2011<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-01

BINNINGTON BIDES HIS TIME

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01339/9832523-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DANSK PARTY</b></p><p>Erie relied heavily on rookie goalie Oscar Dansk this year as the Otters began to rebuild.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH HIS ERIE OTTERS MISSING</b> out on the Ontario League playoffs, Swedish netminder Oscar Dansk decided to engage in a very North American pursuit: the road trip.</p><p>Though he played for Brynas last season, Dansk is also an alumnus of Shattuck-St. Mary&rsquo;s prep school in Minnesota, so he and Erie teammate Travis Wood (who hails from the state) headed to the Land of 10,000 Lakes to see friends with a brief stopover in Chicago.</p><p>The trek came with all the pain and glory that comes with hitting the open highway. &ldquo;I just got my driver&rsquo;s license a few months ago,&rdquo; Dansk said. &ldquo;There are a lot of people out there (driving) who don&rsquo;t have a lot of brain cells&hellip;but maybe I&rsquo;m the one without many brain cells.&rdquo;</p><p>Fortunately, that&rsquo;s never been a problem around the rink, where the Columbus Blue Jackets prospect smartly leverages his size to make an impact on an Erie team that often needed a hero. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very mature, he&rsquo;s not a young 19-year-old,&rdquo; said Jackets development coach Chris Clark. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing the right things and he knows what it takes to be successful.&rdquo;</p><p>Taken with the first pick of the second round in the 2012 NHL draft, Dansk was also a hot commodity in the Canadian Hockey League import draft. Early speculation had him ticketed for the London Knights, but the Otters swooped in with the third pick overall and landed their starting netminder to go along with incoming phenom Connor McDavid up front.</p><p>The Otters still got shelled on a regular basis and to look at their starter&rsquo;s 4.11 goals-against average and .888 save percentage alone you wouldn&rsquo;t assume Dansk had a good rookie campaign, but the young Swede was top-15 in the OHL in saves while facing almost 37 shots per night. &ldquo;When they won games,&rdquo; Clark said, &ldquo;a lot of times it was because he made big saves.&rdquo;</p><p>A good-sized goaltender who uses positional smarts and doesn&rsquo;t overreact to the play, Dansk also won&rsquo;t give up on a play. &ldquo;I compete,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s probably my best quality. I still want to improve my overall game because at the higher levels you have to be faster, stronger and have better conditioning.&rdquo;</p><p>Dansk also got to travel to Russia for the World Junior Championship, where he was the third-stringer for Sweden&rsquo;s silver-medal entry. &ldquo;I had never been to Russia before,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to play, but I look at it as a learning experience and motivation for next year.&rdquo;</p><p>The North American players had fun with the culinary culture shock in Ufa and Dansk agreed it took some getting used to. &ldquo;We made a deal with the hotel we stayed at,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We just kept eating the same thing for two weeks &ndash; chicken and pasta.&rdquo;</p><p>With the tournament coming to Sweden next season, Dansk is in line to get starting minutes when the annual junior classic hits Malmo, in the southern part of the country.</p><p>Getting a young netminder who will be tested by the best players of his age group is also a boon for the team that drafted him and it&rsquo;s no coincidence the two goalies who went in the first round last year, Andrey Vasilevskiy and Malcolm Subban, both played for their countries at the world juniors in Ufa. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great for any player to play internationally,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;It would be a good challenge for Oscar to deal with the pressure in front of his home country.&rdquo;</p><p>In the meantime, Dansk will head back to Erie where he and McDavid will be joined by the second overall pick in the OHL draft (Dylan Strome, brother of New York Islanders pick Ryan Strome, is a good bet). &ldquo;The future is looking pretty good,&rdquo; Dansk said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a whole new season and we have to start from scratch.&rdquo;</p><p>Then it&rsquo;s back to road trips by bus in the fall &ndash; where someone else can do the driving.</p><h2><b>OSCAR DANSK</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02214/9832516-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg" title="f0052-02" width="178" height="150"></div><p><b>POSITION</b> Goaltender</p><p><b>AGE</b> 19</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 6-2</p><p><b>WEIGHT</b> 187 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b> Columbus, 31st overall in 2012</p><h2><b>36.6</b></h2><p>Shots faced per 60 minutes by Oscar Dansk with the OHL&rsquo;s Erie Otters this season<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0052-01

WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERIE

<div class="byline">BY SHANNON WISE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01317/9832568-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JOLLY GREEN GIANT</b></p><p>Anthony Stolarz&rsquo;s jovial nature contrasts with his intimidating presence in the crease.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="67" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>NTHONY STOLARZ IS FLOUR</b>-ishing in goal for the London Knights, hoping to lead them to a second straight Ontario League crown. It&rsquo;s amazing considering he was cut from two Eastern Junior League teams in 2011. Through adversity, you can quit or persevere. Quitting wasn&rsquo;t an option for Stolarz.</p><p>The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder landed in Corpus Christi, Texas with the Ice Rays of the North American League. While he was there, the Philadelphia Flyers saw something special. They drafted Stolarz in the second round in 2012.</p><p>Before arriving in London, Stolarz, a Jackson, N.J. native, gave up a hockey scholarship at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he excelled in the classroom. He became fascinated with American history there and turned into a &ldquo;big war buff.&rdquo; The 19-year-old successfully juggled athletics and academics and has a 3.6 GPA to prove it. &ldquo;It was tough,&rdquo; Stolarz said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re giving up a four-year scholarship to a great school. I came to the decision based on what would be best for my playing career and here in London I&rsquo;ve been given an opportunity to play games.&rdquo;</p><p>That decision paid off. Not even two months into his OHL career, the Flyers signed Stolarz to a three-year, entry-level deal.</p><p>He went 13-3-2 after joining London and believes his size and puck control are two of his biggest strengths. &ldquo;Playing the puck is something I&rsquo;ve enjoyed since I was a little kid watching Martin Brodeur,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>His intimidating size is a huge plus on the ice, but shopping for a frame that big can be a nuisance. That&rsquo;s why he does a lot of it online &ndash; especially for shoes. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of hard to just walk into any store and say, &lsquo;I need a size 15,&rsquo; &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot easier to get hockey gear than it is to get normal clothes.&rdquo;</p><p>The biggest thing Stolarz wears is a smile. Nicknamed &lsquo;The Friendly Giant&rsquo; by Knights goaltending coach Bill Dark, he is well liked everywhere he goes. &ldquo;Anthony is a great package of size, athleticism, compete level and positive attitude,&rdquo; Dark said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s really come along and adapted to the league quicker than we expected.&rdquo;</p><p>Education is still important to him. He plans to use the money from his first contract for school. He studies macroeconomics and psychology at Western University in London. &ldquo;Growing up, (education) was something that was preached to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You want to be a well-rounded person in the classroom, on the ice and off the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>And his book smarts carry over to his on-ice development. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s one of the reasons why he&rsquo;s so enjoyable to coach &ndash; his intelligence,&rdquo; Dark said.</p><p>Stolarz credits Dark for getting him to the next level, but isn&rsquo;t shy about improving his game. &ldquo;I want to work on the fundamentals, definitely rebound control,&rdquo; Stolarz said.</p><p>Perhaps being overlooked early in his career was the best thing that ever happened to him. &ldquo;It made me stronger as a person and made me not take anything for granted.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02218/9832561-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="146" height="167"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>ANTHONY STOLARZ</b></h2><p>POS Goaltender AGE 19 HT 6-6 WT 220 lbs DRAFTED Philadelphia, 45th overall in 2012<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-01

WISE BEYOND HIS SIZE

<h2><b>1. ZACH FUCALE</b></h2><p>HALIFAX (QMJHL)</p><p>Economical, positionally sound and mature.</p><h2><b>2. SPENCER MARTIN</b></h2><p>MISSISSAUGA (OHL)</p><p>Big-bodied kid is great post-to-post.</p><h2><b>3. TRISTAN JARRY</b></h2><p>EDMONTON (WHL)</p><p>Backup on powerhouse has best stats in league.</p><h2><b>4. ERIC COMRIE</b></h2><p>TRI-CITY (WHL)</p><p>Energetic and athletic with powerful pushes and slides.</p><h2><b>5. EAMON MCADAM</b></h2><p>WATERLOO (USHL)</p><p>Aggressive and confident, committed to Penn State.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

MASKED MINORS

<h2><b>1. JOHN GIBSON</b></h2><p>ANAHEIM, 39TH OVERALL IN 2011</p><p>Gold medal with USA at WJC was coming out party.</p><h2><b>2. ROBIN LEHNER</b></h2><p>OTTAWA, 46TH OVERALL IN 2009</p><p>NHL-ready; stellar spelling injured Craig Anderson.</p><h2><b>3. ANDREY VASILEVSKIY</b></h2><p>TAMPA BAY, 19TH OVERALL IN 2012</p><p>First goalie taken in &rsquo;12 North America-bound in &rsquo;13.</p><h2><b>4. JACOB MARKSTROM</b></h2><p>FLORIDA, 31ST OVERALL IN 2008</p><p>Taking his lumps as call-up on a brutal Panthers team.</p><h2><b>5. MALCOLM SUBBAN</b></h2><p>BOSTON, 24TH OVERALL IN 2012</p><p>Up-and-down WJC, but will be an NHL starter someday.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

CREASE CRASHERS

<div class="byline">BY BOB DUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01286/9832654-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="922" height="1310"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STAND BY ME</b></p><p>Eddie Mio played for the Oilers in Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s first two seasons and was the best man at his wedding.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNET STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>DURING A DECADE AS A PROFESSIONAL GOALTENDER, EDDIE</b> Mio was known as much for his sparkling wit as he was for his sparkling saves.</p><p>The latter allowed him to play 192 NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings, while the former has landed him a new gig, the latest twist in a winding post-playing career that&rsquo;s taken Mio down virtually every avenue there is to travel in the world of hockey.</p><p>Mio is co-hosting the afternoon-drive slot with local sports talk radio veteran Art Regner at ESPN Detroit 1090 AM. Going into broadcasting isn&rsquo;t the road less travelled in terms of career choices by former players, especially ex-goalies, but it&rsquo;s one that Mio, 59, still finds a little odd. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m one of the media,&rdquo; Mio laughs after covering a Detroit Red Wings-Minnesota Wild game in March. &ldquo;Every time I go into the dressing room and see a former coach or teammate, it&rsquo;s like, &lsquo;No way. You didn&rsquo;t cross over to the darkness, did you?&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Since he last played in the NHL with the Red Wings during their woeful 1985-86 season, which saw the team go 17-57-6, Mio worked a decade as a player agent and later in the front office of the Phoenix Coyotes. Over the years, he watched several of his former teammates go into the broadcast booth and admits it was a thought that stayed in the back of his mind. &ldquo;You always dabble with it when you&rsquo;re at the end of your career and you wonder what you&rsquo;re going to do next,&rdquo; Mio says.</p><p>Originally, Mio devised an idea of a show he&rsquo;d co-host with fellow talkative former Red Wing, Darren McCarty, but those plans went awry when McCarty relocated to Clearwater, Fla. The owners of the newest sports talk station in the Motor City still liked Mio&rsquo;s sales pitch, however, and he was paired instead with Regner. Mio gives a lot of credit to Regner and program director Mark Wilson for helping him learn the radio ropes.</p><p>Always blessed with the gift of gab, Mio has news for listeners of sports talk radio that are of the opinion they could step in and host their own show: it isn&rsquo;t an easy as it sounds. &ldquo;A lot of times you think, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s just a three-hour show with commercials, no problem,&rsquo; &rdquo; Mio says. &ldquo;You forget that in the morning you&rsquo;re prepping, you want to make sure you know what&rsquo;s happening.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02187/9832661-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="206" height="250"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES FOR NHL)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">WHEN YOU&rsquo;RE AT THE END OF YOUR CAREER, YOU WONDER WHAT YOU&rsquo;RE GOING TO DO NEXT<br> &ndash; Eddie Mio</blockquote><p>Mio may be best known as Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s closest friend and the man who stood as The Great One&rsquo;s best man at his 1988 wedding to actor Janet Jones. He has drawn on the connections he&rsquo;s made when lining up guests. NHL coaches turned analysts Barry Melrose and Pierre McGuire and former star Jeremy Roenick are among those Mio has called upon. &ldquo;When you become a hockey player and you finally make it to the NHL, it&rsquo;s the abundance of great people that you meet,&rdquo; Mio says. &ldquo;I happened to play with Wayne Gretzky, who also gave me that opportunity to meet a lot of people when we&rsquo;ve gone out together in the summer.&rdquo;</p><p>Mio&rsquo;s biggest concern as he entered the world of sports commentary involved being up to speed on the sports he didn&rsquo;t play professionally, but he reminds everyone that the show isn&rsquo;t so much about what he knows about sports as it is about what he thinks about sports. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not an expert,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know everything, but here&rsquo;s what I thought: it can never be wrong because it&rsquo;s my opinion. I&rsquo;m having a fun time with it.&rdquo;</p><p><b>FOR MORE TALES</b> OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-01

GOING OVER TO THE DARK SIDE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01243/9832692-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="478" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I was drafted by Anaheim in 2001, but didn&rsquo;t play an NHL game until 2006-07.&rdquo;</i></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I became an NHL regular at age 27 and tallied 120 points over two seasons while playing with John Tavares and Matt Moulson.&rdquo;</i></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I left the Islanders as a free agent and signed with the Avalanche in summer 2012. &rdquo;</i></blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0057-01

Guess WHO!

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02175/9832730-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="231" height="405"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOUDREAU: NORM HALL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>BRUCE BOUDREAU</b></h2><p>Follically challenged coach stands 5-foot-10, was drafted by Maple Leafs in 1975, now helms Ducks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-03130/9832723-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="231" height="402"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CARLISLE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>RANDY CARLYLE</b></h2><p>Follically challenged coach stands 5-foot-10, was drafted by Maple Leafs in 1976, once helmed Ducks.</p><p><b>Submitted by:</b> Josh Holtzman</p><p>Email your suggestions to <b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>WHO AM I: P-A PARENTEAU<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-02

Separated AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-04108/9832761-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="913" height="913"></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 Veteran winger ___ Hossa</p><p>4 The Penguins&rsquo; top farm team is in ___-Barre</p><p>9 King great ___ Simmer</p><p>10 Joffrey ___ is a Maple Leaf, pictured</p><p>11 Mark ___ was a Cup-winning Penguin in 2009</p><p>12 One who hangs about waiting for a pass</p><p>13 Nashville&rsquo;s ___ Weber</p><p>15 The ___ Trophy goes to the NHL&rsquo;s MVP</p><p>18 The 2012 ___-___ Game was in Ottawa</p><p>21 Defeat unexpectedly</p><p>23 Tony ___ was an enforcer of the past</p><p>24 A rolling puck will eventually ___ ___ (lie flat)</p><p>25 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s ___ Malkin</p><p>26 ___ James is a female Hall of Famer</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 ___ Redmond twice got 50 goals for Detroit</p><p>2 Respond</p><p>3 City that twice lost its NHL franchise</p><p>5 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s old building was dubbed &lsquo;The ___&rsquo;</p><p>6 Anze ___ is with the Kings</p><p>7 The NHL&rsquo;s ___ cap is about $70 million</p><p>8 Carolina&rsquo;s ___ Skinner</p><p>14 You&rsquo;ll get two minutes for this</p><p>15 Where Gordie Howe spent several seasons</p><p>16 The ___ of Alberta is an Edmonton-Calgary affair</p><p>17 Period</p><p>19 Stick once used by &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;</p><p>20 The top point-getter wins the Art ___ Trophy</p><p>22 Eddie ___ was a legendary blueliner</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. DONALD, 4. STREET, 9. CHICAGO, 10. CLEAN, 11. ISSUE, 12. RUSSELL, 13. HABS, 15. FEHR, 18. HEADS-UP, 21. RIFLE, 23. PIECE, 24. RINK RAT, 25. SIMMER, 26. CENTER <b>DOWN</b> 1. DICKIE, 2. NAILS, 3. LEADERS, 5. TACKS, 6. EVELETH, 7. TANGLE, 8. FOUR, 14. ANAHEIM, 15. FERENCE, 16. SHAPES, 17. LESTER, 19. STEVE, 20. PARK, 22. FIRST<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-04

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; SPENCER DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0568/9832792-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="881" height="803"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: DAVEART.COM)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>BRADEN HOLTBY | WASHINGTON CAPITALS</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>his lid is deceivingly complex, plastered in D.C. pride, including stars, stripes and the Capitol building colliding with the modern Capitals logo. For a Canadian, Holtby sure is proud of his new homeland. Inscribed on the back: &ldquo;Benjamin,&rdquo; his son&rsquo;s name.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-05

Behind THE MASK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0645/9832823-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="622" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI-VANCOUVER CANUCKS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>ontreal broke our TV sets with its tightly striped &lsquo;CAC&rsquo; sweaters, while Calgary&rsquo;s Ronald McDonald duds were doomed by inappropriate pants. But Vancouver looked like, well, Millionaires when it paid tribute to 100 years of hockey in British Columbia recently.</p><p>The original Millionaires won Vancouver&rsquo;s only Stanley Cup, in 1915, before the trophy was an NHL exclusive. Not only is the &lsquo;V&rsquo; logo very cool, but the simplicity of the jersey and its color scheme means more than just a nod to the past was considered.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-06

JerseyHOUND

<div class="byline">WITH KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02175/9832854-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="790" height="923"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRADEN <b>HOLTBY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01261/9832861-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="194" height="219"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span>O BACK TO THE COVER OF THIS ISSUE</b> and take a look at the photograph of Carey Price. Man, that&rsquo;s a nice picture. Almost looks like an oil painting, doesn&rsquo;t it?</p><p>Now take a look at those goaltending pads. Notice how they come up to his inseam? It&rsquo;s crazy, even more so when you consider the pads Price is wearing are perfectly legal and to the letter of the law in the rulebook. Clearly, 55 percent of the distance between the knee and the pelvis when it comes to the length of pads has been, as the kids would say, an epic fail. When a guy can go out and face shots without a pair of already oversized hockey pants and probably still not get hurt, something is terribly wrong.</p><p>Or as NHL goaltending consultant Kay Whitmore puts it: &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got a six-foot-wide net and goalie pads are 38 inches long each. Do the math.&rdquo;</p><p>So now the NHL is going to take another run at getting a grip on this insanity. Good luck on that one. It&rsquo;s all well and good the GMs have had enough and have demanded change, and good on the league for giving it a try, but something tells me they&rsquo;ll be about as successful in reducing goaltending equipment as a defenseman scoring from the blueline with a shot along the ice. Basically, the NHL has allowed equipment to balloon out of control and, as they say in farm country, the horse is already out of the barn.</p><p>Of course, it doesn&rsquo;t have to be this way. If the people who run the game had the fortitude and courage of their convictions to state the players are employees and should be treated as such, we wouldn&rsquo;t be talking about this right now. It boggles the mind how the league and those who run it can puff their chests out and flex their muscles when dealing with players collectively, only to cower and capitulate when it comes to dealing with them on an individual level.</p><p>As a result, the NHL has allowed the goaltending fraternity to convince us all they need equipment this big to protect themselves from pucks that come off composite sticks. It has also allowed the players to think their personal safety on the job site should be a matter of personal choice, not a matter of owners protecting the assets in which they&rsquo;ve invested millions of dollars.</p><p>What a bunch of bunk. If the league had the stones to do so, it would simply stand up and dictate to goalies a uniform standard for padding that ensures their safety and nothing more. And it wouldn&rsquo;t care about goaltenders kicking up a fuss. Same with visors. It would tell players they will not be allowed on the ice if they don&rsquo;t wear facial protection. End of discussion. If you don&rsquo;t like it, take it up with a higher authority.</p><p>The NHL has long believed it has the power to unilaterally mandate things for players such as visors and the size of goaltending equipment. Basically, as senior vice-president of hockey operations Colin Campbell said at the GM meetings in March, the league could conceivably bypass the competition committee and go straight to the board of governors, the players be damned. It would then be up to the players to file a grievance. The only thing is with visors, it would probably be the first time in labor history that the employees were fighting for less protection than the employer wants.</p><p>Whitmore is the guy who has to try to stickhandle through this myriad of approval. &ldquo;The same dance we usually do,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>But at one point Whitmore began talking about the equipment makers and the challenges of getting them on board with any reduction in goalie gear. &ldquo;This is also going to have to get buy-in from the manufacturers.&rdquo;</p><p>Really, we&rsquo;re worried about the manufacturers? Hey, here&rsquo;s an idea. How about the NHL goes to the companies that make goaltending equipment and says, &ldquo;Here is the standard. Retool your factories if you have to, but if you don&rsquo;t make goaltending equipment that adheres to our standards, our guys won&rsquo;t be wearing it.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">If the league had the stones to do so, it would simply dictate a standard for padding that ensures their safety and nothing more</blockquote><p>Of course the players are going to protest and they have a vehicle with the competition committee, which is made up of five representatives from the league and five from the NHL Players&rsquo; Association. The committee needs seven votes to endorse any rule change so the players hold the key to passage because they&rsquo;ll vote as a block.</p><p>Still, in the end, players will eventually fall into line when they&rsquo;re told what to do. All they really want is defined roles and rules, to know exactly what their employers expect of them.</p><p>It&rsquo;s time for the NHL to realize that and begin to rule with an iron fist. Until that happens, goalies will continue to wear equipment that makes them better, not safer.</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>

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April 15, 2013

TRIED AND TRUE TERRIER

HUNG JURY ON BRYZGALOV

ONDREJ THE GIANT

BRING BACK THE NORRIS!