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

September 16, 2013

The Hockey News - Sep-16-13

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-04176/9971295-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="913" height="913"></div><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 Kansas City&rsquo;s short-lived NHL team</p><p>4 A ___-___ pass is meant to deceive defenders</p><p>9 Comeback or resurgence</p><p>10 One of the Stastnys</p><p>11 Montreal&rsquo;s Lars ___, pictured</p><p>12 Kind of shot made popular by Bobby Hull</p><p>13 Goads, ___ on</p><p>15 The home team</p><p>18 Where to find ACC, as it is known locally</p><p>21 Mike ___ helped Colorado to a Cup in 1996</p><p>23 Nominate</p><p>24 A coach may ___ his bench when trailing late</p><p>25 Phil and Amanda ___ are offensive talents</p><p>26 Where Patrick Roy played his major junior</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 The 1972 Canada-Soviet showdown was known as the Summit ___</p><p>2 ___ Tessier coached Chicago in early 1980s</p><p>3 John ___ was taken first overall in 2009</p><p>5 ___ feted Bruins at the White House in 2012</p><p>6 Something thrown on the ice in Detroit</p><p>7 Northern Ontario town that won a Stanley Cup</p><p>8 Edmonton&rsquo;s ___ Hemsky</p><p>14 The Leafs used to play at Maple Leaf ___</p><p>15 17 Down hails from Cole ___, N.S.</p><p>16 Many wins or losses in a row</p><p>17 First name of the player drafted No. 1 in 2005</p><p>19 GM Stan Bowman was schooled at ___ Dame</p><p>20 Eject</p><p>22 To ___ ___ is to move sharply from wing to slot</p><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/XWORD</a></b></p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSS WORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. RECORD, 4. ROBBIE, 9. BRANDON, 10. ALFIE, 11. RETIE, 12. ELEVATE, 13. SCAR, 15. LOOB, 18. EXPLODE, 21. FLYER, 23. COACH, 24. STERNUM, 25. SINDEN, 26. CROSBY <b>DOWN</b> 1. ROBERT, 2. COAST, 3. RED DEER, 5. O&rsquo;HARE, 6. BUFFALO, 7. ELEVEN, 8. KNEE, 14. CAPTAIN, 15. LAFLEUR, 16. FENCES, 17. GRUMPY, 19. OSHIE, 20. EAST, 22. YANKS<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-04

DEPARTMENTS

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-05129/9971357-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="608" height="614"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>reen has always been a mainstay for the Western League&rsquo;s Raiders, but Prince Albert has a new look for this season that sees the team abandoning a mascot crest in favor of a sword intertwined with a &lsquo;P.A.&rsquo; that also looks like a shield.</p><p>The Mike Modano-era Raiders jersey featured a Bedouin warrior named Raider Man. Scott Hartnell wore a more standard pirate head when he played for the squad. The new logo has a fresh, modern look to it and the broad collar really emphasizes the team&rsquo;s green and black motif.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-05

JerseyHOUND

<div class="byline">&#x2013; CHIP ALEXANDER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01840/9970624-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="930" height="164"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02561/9970617-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="599" height="580"><figcaption class="caption-body">CAM <b>WARD</b></figcaption></div><p><b>CAM WARD WON&rsquo;T LACK MOTIVATION</b> for 2013-14.</p><p>Coming off a serious knee injury, Ward will be looking to prove once again he&rsquo;s one of the NHL&rsquo;s best goalies and help his Carolina Hurricanes reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009. &ldquo;Last season obviously is one I&rsquo;d like to forget,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel confident I&rsquo;ve done everything I can this summer to get my body in the best shape I possibly can to have a healthy season.&rdquo;</p><p>After a patchy start to 2012-13 that saddled him with a 3.27 goals-against average and .896 save percentage, Ward was in top form and had won four of five games before sustaining a third-degree MCL sprain to the left knee in early March. The injury eventually sidelined him for the rest of the season. Ward has been diligent in his rehab, following a regimen set up by team trainer Peter Friesen that includes bike work, flexibility drills, running and weight training.</p><p>Before the 2010 Olympics, Ward was felled by back issues and a skate slash near his knee, which shelved him for a month and ended his chances to make Team Canada. Staying healthy and making the team this time around is another thing that will drive the 29-year-old. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely in my head, yes,&rdquo; Ward said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ll let my play do the talking.&rdquo;</p><p>Hurricanes captain Eric Staal, who won Olympic gold with Canada at the 2010 Games, likes Ward&rsquo;s mindset entering the season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s excited and motivated,&rdquo; Staal said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good thing. He&rsquo;s always at his best when that&rsquo;s the case.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03456/9970610-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07267/9970603-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SOURAY: RICH LAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The loss of <b>Sheldon Souray</b> until December after wrist ligament surgery opens the door for Cam Fowler and Ben Lovejoy to continue their progression. Fowler and Lovejoy are going into their fourth seasons and passed Souray in time on ice during last season&rsquo;s playoffs. The Ducks signed Mark Fistric after the Souray injury.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1289/9970596-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="377" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08210/9970589-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ERIKSSON: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Since being acquired by the Bruins, <b>Loui Eriksson</b> has been labelled as an underrated player. Over the past three full, non-lockout seasons (2009-2012), only seven NHLers reached the 70-point plateau each year: Steven Stamkos, Joe Thornton, Henrik Sedin, Anze Kopitar, Martin St-Louis, Eric Staal and Eriksson.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04395/9970582-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="686" height="545"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09158/9970575-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EHRHOFF: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When <b>Christian Ehrhoff</b> inked a 10-year deal with Buffalo in 2011, he became the NHL&rsquo;s highest-paid D-man. Because of signing bonuses, his 2011-12 salary was $10 million, $1.5 million more than Zdeno Chara. Last season he made $8 million, fourth among D-men, This year he slips to $4 million despite the fact his TOI has gone up.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05356/9970568-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="684" height="539"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10128/9970561-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STEMPNIAK: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Lee Stempniak</b> had a career year in the playmaking department. His pro-rated 40 assists and 56 points had him tied for the team lead in points with Mike Cammalleri. For the first time in his career, Stempniak should be a regular on the top power play unit. The 30-year-old is in the final year of a bargain deal paying him $2.5 million.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06310/9970554-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="685" height="543"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-11105/9970547-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WARD+STAAL: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jordan Staal</b> and brothers Eric and Marc have a chance to realize a family dream and play together on the same Olympic squad. All three earned invites to Team Canada&rsquo;s orientation camp in August. The potential union comes after Jordan and Eric skated on the same line for the Hurricanes with brother Jared late last season.</p><p><i><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVALS</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

THIS GOALIE’S GOT GOALS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03941/9969585-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="502" height="570"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BOWMAN: TWITTER.COM/COACHWSB)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>CUP OF ROMANCE</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>lackhawks senior advisor <b><i>Scotty Bowman</i></b> releases picture of him and his wife kissing the Stanley Cup in the same pose they struck with the chalice back in 1976.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>U.S. OF AAAGH!</b></h3><p>Team USA&rsquo;s Olympic jerseys and player portraits released and mercilessly mocked &ndash; in many cases by Americans.</p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>MORE THE MERRIER</b></h3><p>New IIHF survey indicates worldwide hockey participation up 2.5 percent this year to 1.6 million players. Czech Republic had one of the biggest bumps at 13.3 percent.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>RETIRING TOO SOON</b></h3><p>Kootenay&rsquo;s Tanner Muth is the latest WHL player to quit the game due to concussions and/or brain injuries.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-03

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012281/9969322-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="526" height="923"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN BROOK/TC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span><b>EVERAL YEARS AGO, A HIGHLY RESPECTED,</b> thoroughly Anglophone THN writer was on a working trip in Quebec, not understanding why it was taking so long to drive to his destination. So he called base for clarification of Francophone road signs. &ldquo;<i>Est</i> is west, right?&rdquo; he asked his soon-to-be chuckling colleague on the phone.</p><p>As it turned out, <i>est</i> was not west. And it still isn&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s a reality the Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings &ndash; the subject of our cover story beginning on pg. 14 &ndash; are about to find out. The begging question is, how will the change in conferences impact their fortunes? Prevailing wisdom &ndash; including that of Ken Campbell, author of the Wings feature &ndash; says the West is far superior and has been for many years. The numbers don&rsquo;t completely support the notion, however. The last time we had inter-conference play, in 2011-12, Western teams won 136 of 270 games, while the East triumphed in 134. A virtual saw-off. Of the past 13 Stanley Cup champs, dating to 2000, seven hail from the West and six from the East. A scan of the major individual awards over the same period shows a mostly similar even split.</p><p>A micro examination tells a slightly different story. In the past five seasons, Detroit has beaten up on many of the teams they&rsquo;ll now be playing more frequently (.685 points percentage). Columbus has fared OK in the Eastern time zone (.528), but the fact they haven&rsquo;t been able to shed Detroit as a conference mate remains a thorny problem for them. The Jets are a middling .514 against their new Western foes.</p><p>There are other factors to consider, including off-season transactions and internal growth (both by themselves and their primary adversaries), the potential Olympics impact, travel and those pesky intangibles. Among the nebulous aspects is coaching. That is, familiarity not only breeds contempt, but also the opportunity to do extensive scouting and adjusting. The element of newness and/or surprise will diminish as the head-to-head meetings increase.</p><p>So where does that leave our conference floppers? Probably not too far off from where they were in their old homes. In The Hockey News Yearbook, Winnipeg is projected to finish seventh in the Central, Detroit second in the Atlantic and Columbus fourth in the Metro, just outside the playoffs, again, in the wild, wild <i>Est</i>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021932/9969315-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> SEPTEMBER 30, 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>

f0004-01

DOES THE MYTH FIT?

<p class="dropcap"><i><span>W</span>as the Yearbook&rsquo;s &ldquo;Top 50&rdquo; NHL players written in a feverish act of looming deadline desperation? That&rsquo;s the only way to explain some of the reasoning in it. Failing to include Patrice Bergeron&rsquo;s playoff heroics and focusing instead on how he&rsquo;ll be so great behind Sidney Crosby in the Olympics? Then putting him below John Tavares &ndash; who is a great player in his own right, but has not achieved what Bergeron has yet? What does the man have to do to get the respect he deserves?</i></p><p><b><i>Emma Harger, Decatur, Ga.</i></b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012152/9969447-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" 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="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021571/9969433-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" 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/f0005-04628/9969426-1-eng-US/f0005-042.jpg" title="f0005-04" 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="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>&ldquo;But we&rsquo;re looking for the best player in the NHL right now, period&rdquo; I guess you missed the playoffs? You must have an awfully narrow definition of &ldquo;best&rdquo; if it doesn&rsquo;t encompass an all-around game; consistent, relentless effort; leadership; guts to spare; and winning. Patrice Bergeron is the best player in hockey right now. The only &ldquo;investigation&rdquo; should be if Sid ends up ahead of <i>him</i> next year at the Olympics.</p><p><b><i>Al Praeg</i></b><br><b><i>Hampton, N.B.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>Yet again Phil Kessel gets no respect. Listing him at No. 41 in the Top 50 is a slap in the face for a player with the skills and stats to back it up. &ldquo;The only problem is all he does is score&rdquo; &ndash; that&rsquo;s so inaccurate it&rsquo;s laughable. If Ken Campbell bothered to look, he would have noticed that along with Kessel&rsquo;s 20 goals last season he also had 32 assists. Kessel has turned into a decent playmaker as well as a scorer. And he can skate like the wind, make plays at high speed, has one of the NHL&rsquo;s best wrist shots and a Brett Hull-like release. He isn&rsquo;t the greatest player in the league, but only six players had more points last year and at 26, he is still improving.</p><p><b><i>John Cole</i></b><br><b><i>Milton, N.S.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>Why isn&rsquo;t Matt Duchene among the Top 50? I love THN, but not enough attention is given to Colorado. To not have Duchene on this list while players like Logan Couture, Thomas Vanek and Jamie Benn are is another example of that. Maybe he isn&rsquo;t head and shoulders better than those guys, but he&rsquo;s just as good. What more does Duchene have to do to be mentioned in the same breath as these and others in the top 50?&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Anthony Hunt</i></b><br><b><i>Bridgewater N.S.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>No way Mike Smith makes the Top 50 over Teemu Selanne or Jaromir Jagr. Show some respect. I know they weren&rsquo;t signed when the Yearbook went to press, but they at least deserve an &ldquo;honorable mention.&rdquo;</p><p><b><i>Benjamin Schmeiser</i></b><br><b><i>Normal, Ill.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>KHL? KOME ON!</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="140" height="86"></div><p>As the president of the Windsor Minor Hockey Association, I take great pride in our game and helping my players move forward. So I found it quite amusing when in &ldquo;The Rising Red Retreat&rdquo; (Inside Hockey, Sept. 9) it implied the NHL could be in trouble because of players going to the Kontinental League. Other than Ilya Kovalchuk, who will be missed? Alex Ovechkin is a great player, but if he decided to leave, I&rsquo;m sure Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos could carry the NHL into the future.</p><p><b><i>Dean Lapierre</i></b><br><b><i>Windsor, Ont.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-06256/9969384-1-eng-US/f0005-062.jpg" title="f0005-06" width="474" height="125"></div><h2><b>PUCKPOLL</b></h2><p>WHICH TEAM WILL SEE THE BIGGEST JUMP IN POINTS?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-05400/9969377-1-eng-US/f0005-052.jpg" title="f0005-05" width="497" height="727"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0005-01

TOP TO BOTTOM

<p><b>Curtis Hebert @trebeh7:</b> Daniel Alfredsson in Detroit. Team skill and his talent and will to win will be a great match.</p><p><b>M. Bhandal @MetalManny89:</b> Bobby Ryan in Ottawa. He will provide much needed scoring up front paired with Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek. #lethal</p><p><b>Jono @JonoPrice:</b> I think Jarome Iginla. A potential Bruins line of Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Iginla could dominate. He&rsquo;s a big improvement over Nathan Horton.</p><p><b>D. Jaremy @DavidJaremy:</b> David Clarkson to the Maple Leafs. Added grit, determination. Finally a hometown boy who WANTS to wear the Blue and White.</p><p><b>Geoff @mtm_43:</b> Mikhail Grabovski in Washington. If he and Alex Ovechkin find chemistry&hellip;watch out. Great price, too.</p><p><b>A. Goldchain @agardner1374:</b> Cal Clutterbuck to the Islanders. Big physical presence with offensive skill reunited with John Tavares (from their Ontario League days in Oshawa) could be a great pairing.</p><p><b>theirishkiss @theirishkiss:</b> Mike Ribeiro. Solid numbers&hellip; talent to play with&hellip;needs long-term home&hellip;Phoenix is a retirement community.</p><p><b>L. Gordon @LoganGordon64:</b> Karri Ramo in Calgary taking over for the best goalie in franchise history will have a huge impact on the rebuild.</p><p><b>G. MacEwen @shrutebrute:</b> Does Kovalchuk count? He only saved about $77 million for New Jersey by &ldquo;retiring.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

TWITTER CHIRPS @THEHOCKEYNEWS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-031028/9969523-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="258" height="285"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012511/9969516-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="1194" height="885"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HIGH PAD MINI&rsquo;D</b></p><p>The pads of Roberto Luongo and his goalie brethren could be shortened this season under a new NHL rule.</p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021720/9969509-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="559" height="727"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SILENT WHISTLE</b></p><p>Stephen Walkom is turning his stripes in for ties a second time, taking over for Terry Gregson.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>THERE&rsquo;S MORE THAN A HINT OF</b> hesitation in Stephen Walkom&rsquo;s voice.</p><p>In August, Walkom returned to his old off-ice job as the NHL&rsquo;s director of officiating, taking over for Terry Gregson who recently retired. Walkom isn&rsquo;t going kicking and screaming, but admits it&rsquo;s hard for him to remove his stripes. &ldquo;The league asked me to do it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If it were this year or five years from now, I&rsquo;d feel the same. I&rsquo;m always going to miss refereeing and being inside the game. For a referee, that is the best job.&rdquo;</p><p>Walkom, 50, held the office gig from 2005 to 2009, so it will be a smooth transition. But there&rsquo;s a sense of deja vu heading into his second stint. As in 2005, he starts his job after a lockout, albeit one in which the season was saved, and just like eight years ago, he takes over at a time when goal scoring is at a paltry premium.</p><p>For the fourth straight season, the NHL&rsquo;s average goals per game declined, dropping to 5.31, marking the first four-year plummet in league-wide scoring in the modern era. When Walkom left the desk job for the ice in 2009, it was 5.70. Since then the NHL has drifted back to the level prior to the 2004-05 lockout, when it was 5.14.</p><p>This time, however, the feeling is different. There&rsquo;s no mandate from the league for Walkom to boost scoring, no media cry and, most importantly, no hue and holler from fans. A poll on <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a> showed only 36 percent of respondents believe the NHL needs to increase goal scoring, with 63 percent wanting to keep the status quo. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see a big cry out for more goals,&rdquo; said Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;Fans want to see good hockey&hellip; A 5-4 game doesn&rsquo;t necessarily have to be any better than a 2-1 game or a 1-0 game. You want action, you want intensity, you want speed, you want skill and you want competitiveness in the physical part of the game. And good goaltending, you want good saves, too. I don&rsquo;t really worry about scoring. We need good hockey and we&rsquo;re getting a lot of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Coming out of the lost season, the NHL handed Walkom orders to stop the obstruction that plagued the Dead Puck Era in hopes it would increase goal scoring. The power play plan worked beautifully, as goals per game jumped to 6.05, its highest rate in 10 years.</p><p>Yzerman was in his final NHL season in 2005-06 and remembers it well. He didn&rsquo;t like what he saw then as a player and doesn&rsquo;t want to see a return to it now as a GM. &ldquo;It was ridiculous,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That first season after the lockout it was just, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s put teams on the power play.&rsquo; It was 5-on-3 after 5-on-3. Guys couldn&rsquo;t touch anybody.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s only slightly exaggerating. That season, officials called nearly 4,000 more penalties, which resulted in more than 800 additional power play goals from 2003-04. Every season since, power play opportunities have dropped, as have power play goals, except for a blip in 2008-09 when scoring shot back up to 5.70. Overall, since 2005-06, power play chances are down 43 percent and power play goals are down 41 percent.</p><p>The NHL and its GMs have no taste for a return to the power play era, but there&rsquo;s a growing consensus regarding at least one area affecting goal scoring: goalie equipment. For 2009-10, the NHL squeezed the maximum width of pads to 11 inches. This season, the league has lowered the height, cutting approximately four inches, depending on the leg length of a goaltender. Yzerman and Nashville Predators GM David Poile agree more needs to be done. &ldquo;We still have not done a good enough job in making the size of the goaltending equipment fair for the offensive side of the game,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;Our game is in very good shape, it&rsquo;s very entertaining. I just don&rsquo;t want to see the offensive part of the game go down any further.&rdquo;</p><p>But what if it does? What if the current four-year record-trend continues and goal scoring starts creeping toward five goals per game? The league hasn&rsquo;t hit that low-water mark since 1953-54 and, exciting games or not, it surely doesn&rsquo;t want to.</p><p>For now, however, it&rsquo;s business as usual among officials in 2013-14, regardless of whether or not Walkom would like to see more pucks in nets. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t go out and score any goals and I don&rsquo;t think you want the referee to score any goals,&rdquo; Walkom said. &ldquo;All the participants within the game are always sensitive to all the elements of the game &ndash; from hitting to scoring to passing &ndash; there&rsquo;s a lot going on within the game.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>4</b></h2><p>Consecutive years that league-wide average goal scoring has dropped &ndash; the first time the NHL has seen a dip in goals per game in four straight seasons since 1943-44. The league&rsquo;s current GPG average is now down to 5.31.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012205/9969502-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="474" height="704"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-03

IS SCORING THE LEAGUE’S GOAL?

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021510/9969554-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0007-02

THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021843/9969623-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="425" height="174"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012401/9969616-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1581" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BAND OF BROTHERS</b></p><p>Sidney Crosby could have as many as nine of his 2005 WJC brethren with him in Sochi, including Patrice Bergeron.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CROSBY: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>RIENTATION CAMPS HAVE</b> come and gone for the top hockey nations, though there was little meaning behind them. Cost of insurance kept players off the ice and forced Canada to improvise with some ball hockey. In fact, Finland decided to cancel its orientation camp altogether.</p><p>If there is one peripheral component to an ice-less, late-summer camp, it&rsquo;s to create bonds among players who may not have crossed paths enough to generate any level of familiarity. And though the world of elite NHL talent is already a small one, if any team has an edge in terms of past cohesiveness, it&rsquo;s Team Canada.</p><p>A year after the latest NHL work stoppage, a large group of players who were part of the world juniors during the 2004-05 lockout will be featured at the Olympics. Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin are the marquee players for Russia, who won silver in 2005. Phil Kessel, Ryan Suter and Ryan Callahan are probable carryovers from America&rsquo;s fourth-place squad. The bronze-medal Czechs could have Michael Frolik, Roman Polak and David Krejci.</p><p>But it&rsquo;s the Canadian squad that will be best represented, with as many as 10 skaters from their gold medal squad of nine years ago making the roster.</p><p>Canada ran roughshod over the competition at the 2005 WJC. They outscored opponents 41-7, taking advantage of having some of its members that would have been in the NHL that season, such as tournament MVP Patrice Bergeron, who already had 71 NHL games under his belt.</p><p>Bergeron, Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, Sidney Crosby, Andrew Ladd, Corey Perry and Dion Phaneuf all scored at a point-per-game pace or better in Grand Forks, N.D. Mike Richards captained the team. Brent Seabrook and Shea Weber were the other orientation camp invitees on that WJC squad.</p><p>This is the second time Canada has been able to pluck talent from this freakish collection of players for the Winter Games. In 2010 in Vancouver, seven players from the 2005 world juniors were part of the gold medal team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

EMBARRASSMENT OF 2005 RICHES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04754/9969661-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="932" height="524"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031317/9969668-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="198" height="215"></div><p>YEARS OF OPERATION: <b>5</b>&nbsp;<i>(founded in 2008 out of the Russian Superleague)</i></p><p>NUMBER OF TEAMS: <b>28</b>&nbsp;<i>(up from 24 when the league began play five years ago)</i></p><p>COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: <b>RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN, BELARUS, LATVIA, SLOVAKIA, UKRAINE, CZECH REPUBLIC, CROATIA</b>&nbsp;<i>(Finland starting in &rsquo;13-14)</i></p><h2><b><i>ALL-TIME LEADERS</i></b></h2><p>POINTS: <b>322</b></p><p>ALEXANDER <b>RADULOV</b></p><p>GOALS: <b>143</b></p><p>SERGEI <b>MOZYAKIN</b></p><p>ASSISTS: <b>209</b></p><p>ALEXANDER <b>RADULOV</b></p><p>PIM: <b>798</b></p><p>DARCY <b>VEROT</b></p><p>WINS: <b>101</b></p><p>MICHAEL <b>GARNETT</b></p><h2><b><i>PLAYOFF FORMAT</i></b></h2><h2><b><i>NOTABLE FORMER NHLERS</i></b></h2><p>ALEXEI <b>PONIKAROVSKY</b></p><p>ALEXANDER <b>RADULOV</b></p><p>ILYA <b>KOVALCHUK</b></p><p>NIK <b>ANTROPOV</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05538/9969654-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="363" height="646"><figcaption class="caption-body">YURI <b>BABENKO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GAGARIN CUP: KHL PHOTO AGENCY/YURY KUZMIN)</span></figcaption></div><h2><i>LEAGUE <b>CHAMPIONSHIP</b></i></h2><p><b>GAGARIN CUP</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-04

GET TO KNOW YOUR LEAGUE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NATHAN KANTER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012129/9969699-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="416" height="615"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BURE: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES/NHLI)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>AVEL BURE</b> was one of the purest snipers ever, but his career was cut short because of knee problems. He retired in 2005 with 437 goals in just 702 games, an average of .623 goals per game, which ranks fifth all-time. But what if Bure didn&rsquo;t have to deal with a chronically injured knee? What if&hellip; he had an injury-free career?</p><p>Bure came into the NHL as a 20-year-old in 1991 and played until 2002-03. He averaged just 59.8 games played, not including the 1994-95 lockout campaign. Let&rsquo;s say he averaged 75 games during those 11 seasons for a total of 825 games. That would give him 514 career goals. Add the 20 he scored during the lockout and by the end of the &rsquo;02-03 he would have had 534 career goals. And still be just 32 years old.</p><p>But who retires at 32? Let&rsquo;s say Bure played until he was 35. Taking his goalscoring pace from his last season (.487) and applying it to two more seasons at 75 games played each would add another 73 goals, for a career total of 607 (18th all-time). Retiring at 35, however, might still be modest. Three more 31-goal seasons (a .378 pace) would vault Bure to 700 career goals, moving him from 63rd to seventh on the all-time goals list.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

What IF?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021495/9969737-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PARISE: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>ONE OF HIS MOVES</b> are as slick as a Datsyukian deke, but Zach Parise gets the job done almost as well when its just him alone against a goalie. He hopes to take over top spot this season as the all-time leader in shootout goals.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03912/9969730-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="1016" height="1350"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-02

Follow The LEADER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; CLIVE BRANSON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04679/9969768-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="238" height="222"></div><p><b>TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING</b></p><p><i>(1992-present)</i></p><p>The Tampa Bay area, which includes St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Bradenton, is known as the lightning capital of America. After the city was awarded an expansion franchise for the 1992-93 season, Phil Esposito, then-team president, decided the fledgling franchise would be called the Lightning. He found it symbolized the region&rsquo;s natural character and his vision of icing a lightning-fast team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-04

Behind THE NAME

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05513/9969813-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="462" height="431"></div><p><b>RIGHT WINGER</b> MONTREAL CANADIENS</p><p><b>THN RADIO:</b> When you signed with Montreal this off-season, how did that make you feel?</p><p><b>BRIERE:</b> It&rsquo;s a pretty cool feeling, I have to be honest. I grew up watching and cheering for the Montreal Canadiens, so to have the chance to go back and have the opportunity once in my career to experience what it&rsquo;s like to play for the Montreal Canadiens family, I&rsquo;m very excited and looking forward to it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06415/9969806-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="188" height="239"></div><p><b>THN RADIO:</b> There are a lot of fans concerned about the concussion issues you&rsquo;ve had in the past. Is this the best you&rsquo;ve felt in a long time going into a season?</p><p><b>BRIERE:</b> There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind that I&rsquo;m completely fine. The Flyers gave me the chance to heal properly. In both instances, the Flyers gave me the chance to get better before I was back into playing. Everything is behind me now. I can look forward and it won&rsquo;t be an issue.</p><p><b>THN RADIO:</b> How much do you know about Calder finalist Brendan Gallagher and are you excited to be on the same team as a rookie on the rise?</p><p><b>BRIERE:</b> Gallagher was very impressive with how hard he plays the game. I love watching him play. It just seemed like he enjoyed being out there. I remember seeing guys punch him in the face and he just turned around with this big grin. That irritates you even more.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-07355/9969799-1-eng-US/f0009-072.jpg" title="f0009-07" width="107" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>FOR THN RADIO PODCASTS, VISIT:</b> <a href="http://thn.com/radio">thn.com/radio</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-05

INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL BRIERE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANDY BAGGOT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012376/9969844-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HOPING FOR HALF FULL</b></p><p>There&rsquo;s a 50 percent chance Jake Dowell inherited the gene causing Huntington&rsquo;s disease.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DOWELL: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>FTER SIX SEASONS IN THE</b> NHL, Jake Dowell is at a crossroads. He&rsquo;s upgraded to a one-way contract with Minnesota, his third organization in the past four years, and is anxious to employ his rugged, bottom-six style with the Wild after spending most of 2012-13 in the minors. &ldquo;I would say it&rsquo;s probably the biggest year of my professional career to really get myself in (the lineup) full time for good,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Dowell, 28, has played 156 games, posting 11 goals and 33 points. But at this point in his career he&rsquo;s in large part driven by the fact that the most essential &ndash; possibility the most excruciating &ndash; moment of his young life awaits him next summer. Accompanied by his wife, Carly, and mother, Vicki, Dowell will have blood tests that will tell him if he has the gene for Huntington&rsquo;s disease. HD damages the brain and steadily robs the victim of the ability to walk and think until being paralyzed and having to be fed through a feeding tube. The process can last 10 to 20 years before death. There is no cure.</p><p>Dowell&rsquo;s father, John, and only brother, Luke, both have the disease and live in the same 24-hour care facility in Menomonie, Wis., a small-college town wedged between the family&rsquo;s home in Eau Claire, Wis., and where Dowell lives in downtown Minneapolis. Vicki doesn&rsquo;t have HD, but she&rsquo;s dealt with its devastation since 2002 when her husband was diagnosed. Luke was subsequently diagnosed with HD and bipolar schizophrenia. &ldquo;I see everything that happened with my mom, working with my dad and brother and how hard that&rsquo;s weighed on her. If it were bad news for me, she would be absolutely crushed. The same thing for Carly.&rdquo;</p><p>Dowell and his wife got married in 2012. They&rsquo;ve talked about the future &ndash; about building a family against the backdrop of HD &ndash; and they know the moment of truth isn&rsquo;t far off. If parents carry the Huntington gene, there&rsquo;s a 50-percent chance their children have it, too. Dowell has carried the burden of the unknown for years. He knows he must address it, but doesn&rsquo;t want to quite yet. &ldquo;I said once that I got married and started to look into having kids then I would get tested,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pretty close to that right now.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s more than blood work, though. Dowell said he, Carly and Vicki need multiple counselling sessions before they get the answer they simultaneously crave and dread. Dowell is looking to be tested sometime in the summer of 2014. &ldquo;Everybody needs to be ready to accept whatever the case might be,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My mom and Carly are both extremely hopeful and optimistic. I&rsquo;ve said to them both a number of times, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s all great and I love your optimism, but just because you have a feeling doesn&rsquo;t hold any weight with me. Until I have concrete evidence, I&rsquo;m going to be less optimistic.</p><p>&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t want to get my hopes up and then be crushed at the end.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

THE BIGGEST TEST OF HIS LIFE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ALEX KOZOVSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021741/9969875-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="245" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>fter a standout career with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Nova Scotia&rsquo;s Jessica Wong was taken first overall by Alberta in the CWHL draft. The defenseman led UMD to an NCAA Div. I championship in her rookie season, scoring in triple overtime in the 2010 final. Bulldogs teammate Katie Wilson, a two-time All-WCHA academic team selection, went second overall to the Toronto Furies and Jess Jones, taken third overall, returns from a stint in Europe to join the Brampton Thunder. This was the league&rsquo;s fourth draft, with 66 players selected by the five teams.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

DRAFT DAY FOR CWHL

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031125/9969906-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="266" height="231"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he St. Louis Blues will do their best to keep Scottrade Center a no-red zone this season. With the success the Chicago Blackhawks have enjoyed in capturing two Stanley Cups in four seasons, their influence is spilling over into rival rinks. The Blues, mirroring the Nashville Predators&rsquo; anti-Chicago ticket policy, have nixed any single-game purchases to tilts against the Blackhawks. The reason? Too many red jerseys in their home building. If you&rsquo;re a Hawks fan and want to catch a game in either city, be prepared to buy a ticket package or start making friends with the locals.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

HAWKS BLOCKED

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011973/9970000-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TRAILER: WINNIPEG JETS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b><i>THE WINNIPEG JETS</i></b>&nbsp;launched a 24-foot mobile merchandise trailer to be towed to various events around Manitoba to sell Jets gear</p><p><b>4</b>/<i>30-GOAL scorers in <b>NASHVILLE PREDATORS</b> history, fewest in NHL since 1998-99</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021437/9969993-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="503" height="314"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRIC <b>HORNQVIST</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HORNQVIST: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03962/9969986-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="690" height="313"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE <b>SULLIVAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SULLIVAN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04716/9969979-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="550" height="327"><figcaption class="caption-body">JASON <b>ARNOTT</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ARNOTT: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05556/9969972-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="337" height="328"><figcaption class="caption-body">PAUL <b>KARIYA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KARIYA: JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06467/9969965-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="220" height="163"></div><p><b>DETROIT</b> is tops with <b>25</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-07415/9969958-1-eng-US/f0011-072.jpg" title="f0011-07" width="280" height="196"></div><p><b>195</b></p><p><b>FLYERS FANS</b> in attendance as the lines and logos were laid at Wells Fargo Center. The event set an unofficial record for people watching paint dry, pending approval by Guinness World Records</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-08373/9969951-1-eng-US/f0011-082.jpg" title="f0011-08" width="194" height="132"></div><p>As part of a series of efforts by Montreal, the <b>CANADIENS</b> will hold a practice Oct. 3 in Lac-Megantic, Que., site of a train derailment in July that killed at least 47 people</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-09351/9969944-1-eng-US/f0011-092.jpg" title="f0011-09" width="191" height="189"></div><p><b>NEBRASKA-OMAHA</b> dismissed two players (Matt White, Preston Hodge) and suspended another (Alex Simonson) for allegedly using racial slurs in an off-ice incident</p><p>22,255 Shots <b>NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN</b> has faced in his career</p><p><i>&ndash; second on the active list behind all-time leader</i>&nbsp;<b><i>MARTIN BRODEUR</i></b></p><p>70%</p><p>Percentage of <b>JAROME IGINLA&rsquo;S</b> 2013-14 salary that&rsquo;s performance-based.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-10320/9969937-1-eng-US/f0011-102.jpg" title="f0011-10" width="992" height="864"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(IGINLA: JUSTIN K. ALLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

Ice CHIPS

<div class="byline">BY AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012314/9970031-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>EARLY RETIREMENT</b></p><p>Blake Geoffrion says he feels lucky to be alive and still working in the game he loves.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>F BLAKE GEOFFRION WERE STUCK WALLOWING IN</b> self-pity, he&rsquo;d have plenty of sympathy from around the hockey world. A promising career with the Montreal Canadiens &ndash; beneath the shadows cast many years ago by his famous grandfather &lsquo;Boom Boom&rsquo; &ndash; was cut short following a horrific injury suffered last fall while playing for the American League&rsquo;s Hamilton Bulldogs during the NHL lockout.</p><p>Geoffrion retired this summer after doctors warned him that the next blow to his head might leave him incapacitated for the rest of his life. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have the itch to be playing, I know that,&rdquo; Geoffrion said. &ldquo;My winters have been spent wearing hockey gear as far back as I can remember. But I have to accept the reality that it&rsquo;s not possible anymore. I&rsquo;m looking at it from the other vantage point, which is that it&rsquo;s the end of one career and the start of another. I want to be a general manager in the NHL one day, so let&rsquo;s get going in that direction now.&rdquo;</p><p>Only days after he retired, Geoffrion was hired as a pro scout by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He&rsquo;ll have the opportunity to learn to be a future GM from a front office that includes president John Davidson, GM Jarmo Kekalainen and assistant GMs Chris MacFarland and Bill Zito (his former agent). Based in Chicago, Geoffrion will handle six NHL and five American League clubs this season. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m under some great role models and mentors,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going in this year and I&rsquo;m going to be a sponge, learn a lot, feel my way through. And I&rsquo;m going to be aggressive, speak up when spoken to and willing to be strong with my opinions. That&rsquo;s what I was hired to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Though Geoffrion is only 25 years old and has no scouting experience, the Blue Jackets weren&rsquo;t shy about bringing him into the fold. As the NHL&rsquo;s first-ever European GM, Kekalainen has already proven he&rsquo;s a person who likes to think outside the box. &ldquo;This is someone I&rsquo;ve only heard good things about from people around the hockey world that I know and trust,&rdquo; Kekalainen said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a guy we want on our side. To me, there&rsquo;s a real benefit to having someone who has played against most of these guys in the NHL and AHL today. You get to know them better on the ice than you do in the stands or the press box.&rdquo;</p><p>Geoffrion&rsquo;s perspective on life changed dramatically last Nov. 9 when he was hit at open ice &ndash; clean and hard &ndash; by Syracuse Crunch defenseman Jean-Philippe Cote, sending Geoffrion whirling around in the air. Just before his head hit the ice, it scraped across Cote&rsquo;s skate blade, digging a deep cut into the side of his head. Geoffrion suffered a seizure and was taken immediately to hospital, where he was rushed into surgery to fix a depressed skull fracture and remove bone fragments from the lining of his brain. The result is a huge horseshoe-shaped scar on the left side of his head.</p><p>His first question post-surgery &ndash; which he wrote on a pad, because he had breathing tubes in his mouth &ndash; was, &ldquo;When can I skate again?&rdquo; The answer would be harder to accept, Geoffrion said, if he hadn&rsquo;t been hired so quickly by an NHL franchise. His dream of winning a Stanley Cup as a player will go unfulfilled, but he now has plenty of time to win one as an NHL GM. Geoffrion married Katelyn Deady this summer. And after a honeymoon in France and Italy, he&rsquo;s off to start his new career. &ldquo;If you have so much to be thankful for, it&rsquo;s pretty selfish to be angry about what you don&rsquo;t have anymore,&rdquo; Geoffrion said. &ldquo;I have a great life. I&rsquo;m lucky to be alive and I&rsquo;m still part of the game I love.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IT&rsquo;S THE END OF ONE CAREER AND THE START OF ANOTHER. I WANT TO BE A GM IN THE NHL ONE DAY<br>&ndash;Blake Geoffrion</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

FEATURES

SECOND CHANCE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN VAN HORNE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-012017/9970069-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOTAL TEAM EFFORT</b></p><p>Rick Wakeman, between clinic staff Lach Ratha and Dr. Yann Doeurn, is a fantasy fan who volunteers in Cambodia.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARCUS ADAMS/WWW.MARCUSADAMSPHOTO.CO.NZ)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span> FANTASY POOL IS JUST A HOBBY FOR MOST HOCKEY FANS.</b> For Rick Wakeman and Calvin Wang, however, their fantasy league has helped them accomplish something that makes any trophy or cash prize seem insignificant. &ldquo;Most of the time you never actually get to meet anyone in person,&rdquo; Wang says. &ldquo;But sometimes you develop relationships and it becomes about something more than hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Wakeman and Wang, both Canadians, have teamed up to help diabetics in Cambodia after meeting through a fantasy pool. Wang, who originally hails from Ottawa, was looking to join a more challenging pool and was recruited into a keeper league through the forum on Dobber Hockey, which is owned and operated by THN fantasy hockey columnist Darryl Dobbs. Wakeman, from Flin Flon, Man., is the dean of the discussion forum and is also a part of the keeper league. He now lives in South Korea, where he works as an English teacher, but he&rsquo;s been volunteering in Cambodia since 2010. He&rsquo;s been to the country six times and in January he started doing work for the Cambodian Diabetes Association at a clinic that deals with severe cases of diabetic foot. When people have diabetes, they can lose feeling in their feet. If they don&rsquo;t have proper footwear, or happen to get a pebble in their flip-flop, they can develop pressure sores. If left untreated, they can develop ulcers that can become infected with gangrene, a potentially fatal condition. &ldquo;People are dying, suffering and generally living in a human hell and, since I have something to offer that can change that in a small way, I somehow understood that I was obliged to do it,&rdquo; Wakeman says. &ldquo;Perhaps for the first time in my life, I was presented with something that wasn&rsquo;t about me but about a better world.&rdquo;</p><p>Wakeman and Wang started exchanging emails and doing a little trade talk when Wakeman noticed in Wang&rsquo;s email signature that he was an orthopedic surgeon doing a fellowship in Australia. That prompted him to invite Wang to Cambodia to visit the diabetic clinic in Siem Reap.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021406/9970062-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="445" height="550"><figcaption class="caption-body">CALVIN <b>WANG</b></figcaption></div><p>At first, Wang wasn&rsquo;t sure he could make the trip, but he and his wife wanted to take a vacation and decided to visit Angkor Wat, an ancient Buddhist temple in Cambodia. The temple is near Siem Reap where the clinic is located, so Wang made the trip and brought some foam to help demonstrate a simple but effective method for putting casts on patients. The casts help immobilize the foot and keep it healthy. &ldquo;I was thinking of something that they might be able do,&rdquo; Wang says. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t have the resources that are available elsewhere.&rdquo;</p><p>Wang only visited for a day and he is modest about his contribution, but Wakeman and the people who run the clinic say his help is saving lives. &ldquo;He was very instrumental in helping us,&rdquo; said Dr. Lim Keuky of the CDA. Keuky says the prevalence of diabetes isn&rsquo;t higher in his country than in Western countries, but the level of care is inferior. Many of the patients who visit the clinic are poor and earn less than $30 a month. Medication costs as little as $5 per month, so even a modest donation by North American or European standards can make a huge difference.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">SOMETIMES YOU DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS THAT BECOME ABOUT MORE THAN JUST HOCKEY<br>&ndash; Calvin Wang</blockquote><p>Wakeman asked Dobbs to send T-shirts to give out for his latest visit to Cambodia in July and the request sparked support. Dobber Hockey forum members donated $1,400 for medicine, enough to help provide insulin to 23 people for one year. Wakeman is excited and impressed by the generosity of people he&rsquo;s never met and he&rsquo;s honored they trusted him to take their money to Cambodia. &ldquo;Two disparate chunks of my world are connecting in such a worthwhile human endeavor,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;People do care when given the opportunity to do so.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

FANTASY FUN, REAL RESULTS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012295/9970128-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CITY: TOM SZCZERBOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES; RED WINGS: DEBORA ROBINSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>N THE OPENING SCENE OF HIS BOOK, <i>DETROIT: AN AMERICAN AUTOPSY,</i> AUTHOR CHARLIE LEDUFF DESCRIBES A DEAD MAN BEING FOUND ENCASED IN FOUR FEET OF ICE, WITH ONLY HIS FEET STICKING OUT, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ELEVATOR SHAFT IN AN ABANDONED BUILDING. A SUB-CULTURE FRATERNITY OF &ldquo;URBAN EXPLORERS&rdquo; DISCOVERED HIM WHILE PLAYING HOCKEY ON THE ICE FROM THE WATER THAT HAD COLLECTED IN THE BASEMENT OF THE BUILDING. MORE THAN 24 HOURS AND THREE CALLS TO 911 LATER, SOMEBODY FINALLY CAME TO RETRIEVE THE BODY.</p><p>The subsequent 285 pages don&rsquo;t get any less depressing. LeDuff chronicles his hometown&rsquo;s demise from being the birthplace of the middle class to leading the United States in illiteracy, dropouts, unemployment and foreclosures. He takes readers on an odyssey that includes crooked politicians, policemen who drive ancient cruisers with holes in the floorboards and firemen reduced to stealing screen doors from abandoned houses and selling brass fire poles. LeDuff&rsquo;s Detroit is a place where arson, murder, bureaucratic corruption, racial conflict and despair have become a way of life. He talks in gritty, raw detail of his sister who was lost to the sex trade and the streets of Detroit and her daughter who died of a drug overdose. He recounts a visit to the Wayne County morgue after an errant bullet from the gun of a Detroit policeman killed a seven-year-old girl. The medical examiner tells LeDuff her death is the natural conclusion from the disease of which she suffered. &ldquo;The psychopathology of growing up in Detroit,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Some people are doomed from birth because their environment is so toxic.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s all dark, depressing material. And it&rsquo;s all true. None of this &ldquo;based on a true story&rdquo; stuff. By any measure, the once leviathan engine of the American economy is in tatters and stories like LeDuff&rsquo;s are becoming more and more commonplace. It has become a storehouse for those seeking misery in the human condition. Detroit&rsquo;s inner city has approximately 700,000 residents (not counting those who left in August) and in July it became the largest metropolitan center ever to declare bankruptcy. So it seems an odd time to announce hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding for a new arena for an NHL team owned by a billionaire pizza magnate. But there&rsquo;s almost no pushback, no angry throngs brandishing pitchforks. Perhaps there&rsquo;s a feeling of helplessness or people are just too tired.</p><p>But maybe, just maybe, the Detroit Red Wings are an outlet of positivity for all those hardworking, struggling people. Perhaps the Red Wings have built up so much goodwill with all the winning and Stanley Cups and 22 straight years in the playoffs that paying almost 60 percent of a $450-million downtown arena is seen as a worthwhile investment. Or perhaps in a city where everything has looked so bleak for so long, people want to celebrate the accomplishments of a team on the rise.</p><p>And there is the distinct feeling the Wings are on the rise, which sounds a little strange given their status as perennial Stanley Cup contenders for the better part of two decades. Despite leading the league in man games lost to injury, they advanced to the second round of the playoffs, losing in overtime of Game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup champion after holding a 3-1 series lead. Their American League farm team won the Calder Cup and there&rsquo;s a promising group of young players ready to complement some of the most talented offensive players on the planet. With the additions of Daniel Alfredsson, a longtime NHL captain, and Stephen Weiss, a potential 25-goal man, the Wings are moving to the friendlier confines of the Eastern Conference and serving notice that reports of their demise have been greatly exaggerated. &ldquo;In my opinion, this last year is the first season we got better since &rsquo;09,&rdquo; says coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;We were a legitimate hockey club by the end of the season. From Game 22 on, we got better and better and better. This year, we were a much better, deeper team than we&rsquo;ve been in the past couple of years.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012059/9970121-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="2266" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MOTOR CITY MOVE</b></p><p>The Red Wings are set to get a new downtown arena to replace &lsquo;The Joe.&rsquo; Their new digs will cost $450 million and be completed in 2017.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021568/9970114-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="1017" height="675"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It was that promise for a championship that prompted Alfredsson to vacate his seat as de facto mayor of Ottawa to come to Detroit, even though both teams finished with the same number of points last season and reached the same juncture of the postseason. But the Wings will be playing in the Eastern Conference, which will make life easier for everyone from their fans to their equipment manager. Two years ago, the last time there was a full season, the team travelled 42,865 miles and was on the road for 64 days, 48 of which were outside the Eastern time zone. With the Wings playing in the East under the league&rsquo;s new realignment, they will travel 35,324 miles this season and spend 53 days on the road, only 21 of which will be out of their time zone.</p><p>Switching conferences could translate into a 10-point jump for the Wings in the short term, largely because they have historically feasted on Eastern teams. Over the five seasons from 2007-08 through 2011-12 (remember, they didn&rsquo;t play against the East last season), when you back out the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets and replace them with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Wings have a 68-28-12 (.685 points percentage) record against East teams. (Having the Blue Jackets move with them might have been their greatest stroke of luck, considering their 17-8-2 record against them over the past five seasons.) And just imagine what Babcock will be able to do with 11 additional practice days that used to be spent travelling when the team was in the West. He&rsquo;s not sure the players will be so happy about dealing with their cranky coach more often, but the logistical advantages will be enormous. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a huge deal and I don&rsquo;t care about the travel hours, I care about the time change,&rdquo; Babcock says. &ldquo;When I was in Anaheim, I didn&rsquo;t even feel the time change when I was going in the other direction. But when you live in the East and you play in the West, for some reason it wears you out more. I don&rsquo;t know why that is, but that&rsquo;s my own study. With all the man games we lost this year, I have to believe fatigue played a part in that.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">When you live in the East and play in the West, for some reason it wears you out more<br>&ndash; Mike Babcock</blockquote><p>Babcock is actually right. Experts say it&rsquo;s significantly more difficult to move your body clock back to an earlier time. It&rsquo;s believed going west to east requires 30 to 50 percent more recovery time.</p><p>Yeah, and that&rsquo;s all the Wings need, the added advantage of playing in the Eastern Conference. They were already a prime location for free agents by virtue of their contender status. And in a free agent pool that was shallow by most standards, the Wings did as well as anybody. After years of toiling in obscurity with mediocre teams in Florida, Weiss will have the chance to play with a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate. Alfredsson, who was rejuvenated while skating with the young talent in Ottawa, will have his 40-year-old fires stoked by playing with the team&rsquo;s top-end forwards. The supporting cast upfront is strong with mid-range players such as left winger Justin Abdelkader, who&rsquo;s emerged as a valuable contributor, and Babcock believes if Darren Helm can ever get back to good health, he could be the best third-line center in the NHL. The Wings are set in net with Jimmy Howard, who&rsquo;s emerged as an elite goalie.</p><p>Defense is where questions lie. Once the most feared in the league at both ends of the ice, the Wings &lsquo;D&rsquo; remains a work in progress. Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson aren&rsquo;t Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, though they&rsquo;re adjusting to being leaders. Kyle Quincey and Jakub Kindl are steady but scare no one as a second pairing. The wildcards are Brendan Smith and Danny DeKeyser. Both have impressed early in their NHL careers, but neither has played anywhere close to a full season.</p><p>In Alfredsson the Wings get yet another low-maintenance Swedish player who plays both ends of the ice well and gives the team the right-handed shot that&rsquo;s lacking in its forward ranks. (He can play the point on the power play, too.) The acquisition of Weiss gives them a second-line center behind Pavel Datsyuk, allowing Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg to play together. The Wings need more scoring and Weiss should help in that area. In his past six seasons he&rsquo;s been healthy, Weiss has had 48 points or more in five of them and the Wings think he can be a consistent 25-goal, 60-point producer. Yes, they lost Valtteri Filppula, but he&rsquo;s put up more than 40 points only once in his career. So with Alfredsson and Weiss providing some secondary offense, the Wings think they&rsquo;ll have more than enough scoring for the next couple seasons. &ldquo;On the one hand, it&rsquo;s a team of stability, but on the other hand, it&rsquo;s a team in transition,&rdquo; says GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to compete like everybody else is.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011937/9970107-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="2093" height="1216"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MIKE LIKES IT ALL</b></p><p>For the first time in years, Mike Babock believes he&rsquo;s coaching an improved team.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(NORM HALL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Wait a minute, here. We&rsquo;ll buy the notion that, in the past decade, enough players have retired from the Wings to put together an all-star team. But everyone else doesn&rsquo;t start with a 1-2 punch of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Everybody else doesn&rsquo;t have Babcock behind the bench and Holland orchestrating the moves off the ice. They certainly don&rsquo;t have the Wings mystique and they don&rsquo;t have a core of young players coming off an AHL championship and pushing veterans for their spots. Nor do they have the tradition. Consider that the Chicago Blackhawks, who have won two Stanley Cups in the past four years, have a total of five championships in their 87-year history. That&rsquo;s just one more than the Wings have won in the past 18 years.</p><p>And there&rsquo;s the sense the Wings are in some ways cashing in on that success and goodwill by getting the public purse to open for their new downtown arena that&rsquo;s scheduled for completion in 2017. The optics of it aren&rsquo;t ideal given the city&rsquo;s plan to declare Chapter 9 bankruptcy and there&rsquo;s no getting around that. Most of the money for the arena, however, is coming from a pool of property tax money that, by state law, can be used only for economic development. Any money that would be funneled out of that tax from Detroit schools is reimbursed by the State of Michigan. So while those critical of the use of public funds to build an arena have a point, it won&rsquo;t be paid for with money that would otherwise go to education or healthcare. For each of the next 35 years, $12.8 million per year will come from the economic development money, $2.2 million from other property taxes and $11.5 million from Olympia Entertainment, the company owned by Wings owner Mike Illitch.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">We&rsquo;re turning the corner like we haven&rsquo;t since I arrived. Detroit is ready to take off<br>&ndash; Mike Babcock</blockquote><p>The rink is part of a $650-million plan to convert 45 acres of downtown land near Comerica Park and Ford Field into a retail, residential, office and restaurant area with the arena as the anchor. Whether or not a new arena can save downtown Detroit is open to debate, even among those who study these things. Andrew Zimbalist, one of North America&rsquo;s leading sports economists, co-wrote a paper in 2000 that concluded, &ldquo;there is no statistically positive correlation between sports facilities and economic development,&rdquo; but even he sees some merit in the Detroit project. &ldquo;You can look at it as something that might have a slightly positive stimulative effect on the Detroit economy, at least in the short run when constructions are going on,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;If they decided to take all this state money into education, into police, street lights, infrastructure, that would be better for Detroit. But the notion that what they&rsquo;re trying to do is to create some life in downtown Detroit, I don&rsquo;t think you can scoff at that. It makes some sense to try it. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a magic bullet, but I&rsquo;m not altogether negative about it.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">What they&rsquo;re trying to do is create some life in downtown Detroit<br>&ndash; Andrew Zimbalist</blockquote><p>If you read the work of LeDuff, you don&rsquo;t get the sense there&rsquo;s any magic bullet for Detroit at all. If you listen to Babcock, the city is on the verge of rising from the ashes and is poised to flex its muscles once again. Holland has lived in the area since 1995 and Babcock can often be found running along the river after team practices, so they know the city and its people. Babcock was talking to some recent university graduates working at the Quicken Loans headquarters in downtown Detroit who said the company has agreed to help subsidize their rent if they live in the city. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re turning the corner like we haven&rsquo;t since I arrived there,&rdquo; Babcock says. &ldquo;Detroit is about ready to take off. It&rsquo;s opportunity time now in Detroit.&rdquo;</p><p>If it&rsquo;s opportunity time for Detroit, it&rsquo;s also opportunity time for the Wings, a franchise that can no longer count on drawing full houses just because the team is one of the best in the NHL. Between 1996 and 2007, the Wings had a string of 452 consecutive sellouts, which is no small achievement considering Joe Louis Arena holds 20,066 fans. But as the Big Three automakers have foundered, everyone has taken a hit, including the affluent suburbanites who make up much of the Wings&rsquo; fan core. At one time, the team had a season-ticket base of 17,000 with a lengthy waiting list. That fell to 12,000 three years ago, but is now up to north of 14,000. &ldquo;Even though the economy has been challenging for everybody in Michigan over the last number of years, they&rsquo;re fighters,&rdquo; Holland says. &ldquo;It gives people an opportunity to forget about everything for a little while.&rdquo;</p><p>If there are those looking to escape their troubles, the Wings have done a remarkable job of helping them do that over the years. For his part, Babcock is hoping the additions and the move to the East will make the Wings a legitimate powerhouse in the NHL, but he knows they&rsquo;re only summer theories. And nobody knows what effect the 2014 Olympics will have on the team, which stands to have almost half its roster playing in Sochi.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011692/9970100-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1539" height="1451"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RED MENACE</b></p><p>Pavel Datsyuk leads a retooled high-flying Red Wings offense in 2013-14.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TOM SZCZERBOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>But these are the Wings we&rsquo;re talking about here. Renewing rivalries with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens with a team that looks to be built for now and the future should have fans excited. And if anyone deserves some positive karma in their lives, it&rsquo;s the good people of Detroit.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

IN THIS ISSUE

RED DAWN

f0019-02

CITY VS. TEAM

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011690/9970197-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>POWERING UP</b></p><p>Aaron Ekblad emerged to make Barrie deadly with the man advantage last season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021208/9970204-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="98" height="134"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE BARRIE COLTS WERE JUST STARTING</b> their post-season when captain Ryan O&rsquo;Connor decked Kingston Frontenacs rookie Spencer Watson with a headshot in Game 2 of their opening round series. O&rsquo;Connor would end up with a 10-game suspension for his actions and all of a sudden a deep playoff run looked a little more dodgy for the Colts, who needed to get to the conference final before their veteran blueliner and power play quarterback was allowed back on the ice. That&rsquo;s when Aaron Ekblad, who had recently turned 17, stepped up to the plate. &ldquo;Aaron came in and he made our power play purr,&rdquo; said teammate Mark Scheifele, the Winnipeg Jets first-rounder. &ldquo;It was unbelievable, I think it went 50 percent when he was on the point. It was ridiculous what he did for our power play and he&rsquo;s just that kind of kid. He steps into any role and embraces it with open arms.&rdquo;</p><p>Ekblad is special. So much so, it&rsquo;s on his resume &ndash; he was the first player after John Tavares to be granted &ldquo;exceptional status&rdquo; by Hockey Canada, meaning he would enter the Ontario League a year early, as a 15-year-old. &ldquo;Aaron has progressed nicely,&rdquo; said Colts GM Jason Ford. &ldquo;But when he came into the league, it didn&rsquo;t take him very long. We don&rsquo;t track our ice time, but he was probably playing 28 minutes a game.&rdquo;</p><p>And there&rsquo;s not much to poke holes in. Ekblad comes in at 6-foot-4, 217 pounds and can play in all three zones. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special player,&rdquo; Scheifele said. &ldquo;He thinks the game so well. He&rsquo;s so physically mature. He&rsquo;s mature mentally. He just does all the right things. He seems like a professional player already and he&rsquo;s only 17. Any role he gets put in &ndash; penalty kill, power play, last minute, 5-on-5 &ndash; he excels at it.&rdquo;</p><p>The Colts eventually succumbed to the London Knights in the OHL final, losing in crushing Game 7 fashion with Scheifele sidelined by injury. But the team&rsquo;s phenom defenseman is philosophical about the setback. &ldquo;You learn how to lose,&rdquo; Ekblad said. &ldquo;I was used to winning most of my life, playing on very good teams and winning a lot of championships in minor hockey. But when you learn how to lose, you learn to humble yourself and realize how much hard work it takes to win.&rdquo;</p><p>The 2014 draft in Philadelphia may be humbling, too, since there&rsquo;s a good chance Ekblad isn&rsquo;t going to be the first player selected&hellip; because he&rsquo;s a defenseman.</p><p>Crazy, isn&rsquo;t it?</p><p>There were long stretches in 2013 when Portland Winterhawks blueliner Seth Jones was seen as the No. 1 prospect in the draft, particularly after his sublime performance for the Americans at the world juniors, where he earned a gold medal and outshone Canadians Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin. But MacKinnon had a cracking Memorial Cup with Halifax, including a high-light-reel goal when he peeled around Jones as the Mooseheads downed Portland twice en route to the Canadian Hockey League trophy. Despite the fact Jones was raised in Colorado and the Avs, which held the first pick, were flush down the middle with Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny and Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly, MacKinnon was the franchise&rsquo;s pick. They simply couldn&rsquo;t turn down such a gifted offensive player. Incredibly, Jones slipped to Nashville at pick No. 4, the same spot New Jersey got Adam Larsson in two years prior, even though the Swede looked like a challenger to offensive whiz kid Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for first overall.</p><p>The old trope about defensemen taking longer to develop just can&rsquo;t be shaken. &ldquo;These days there&rsquo;s more of an emphasis on a player coming in and having both a short- and long-term impact,&rdquo; said one NHL executive. &ldquo;With those high-impact offensive players, it&rsquo;s just easier for the business model.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s also the specter of the last blueliner to go No. 1 overall, Erik Johnson to St. Louis in 2006. The big American was taken before star forwards Jordan Staal, Jonathan Toews, Nicklas Backstrom and Phil Kessel and was shipped to Colorado five years later in a package deal that saw Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart go the other way. &ldquo;People forget that Johnson kept getting better that year,&rdquo; said the NHL exec. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s what I would call a &lsquo;momentum&rsquo; pick. Aaron will be a complete player.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011354/9970190-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="951" height="1093"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SAM IS SAFER</b></p><p>Sam Reinhart is the more likely first overall pick in 2014 because elite forwards yield quicker results.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(REINHART: CRANBROOK PHOTO & STUDIO)</span></figcaption></div><p>Nonetheless, the honor of going first overall may go to Kootenay center Sam Reinhart instead, youngest of a clan that features two NHLers (dad, Paul, now retired, and oldest brother, Max, of Calgary) and one more on the cusp (Sam&rsquo;s other brother, Griffin, an Islanders draft pick). Sam is expected to be one of the top scorers in the Western League this season and has a shot at Canada&rsquo;s world junior team. During the summer evaluation camp, coach Brent Sutter even trusted the youngster with penalty-kill time when the Canadians played a group of exhibition games in Lake Placid, N.Y., against squads from Sweden, Finland and the U.S. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a complete player,&rdquo; said the NHL exec. &ldquo;Very cerebral, very intelligent and sees the ice extremely well.&rdquo;</p><p>Taking a forward such as Reinhart makes sense for bottom-feeder teams who are rebuilding, but the exec did bring up one saving grace for Ekblad&rsquo;s No. 1 hopes: the change in the draft lottery rules. Now, any team that misses the playoffs can win that first overall selection, whereas in the past, they could only move up a handful of slots (like New Jersey and Larsson). That means a team that may be built right, but ran into injuries or a spate of bad luck could cash in on the best player available &ndash; even if he&rsquo;s a defenseman.</p><p>If Ekblad really wants to make a statement, he&rsquo;ll go after Reinhart at the Top Prospects Game with the same ferocity he showed Calgary&rsquo;s Jake Virtanen at Canada&rsquo;s Ivan Hlinka tournament camp in the summer. Virtanen, himself an elite prospect for the 2014 draft, put Ekblad into the boards awkwardly from behind during a Red-White intrasquad game, touching off a series of run-ins involving vicious cross-checks and a near fight on the ice. For a player who hadn&rsquo;t flashed a lot of snarl in the past, the big defenseman showed another dimension. &ldquo;A few people have told me that it&rsquo;s important to show you won&rsquo;t take crap from anyone and that&rsquo;s how I feel out there,&rdquo; Ekblad said. &ldquo;No one&rsquo;s going to give me crap and I&rsquo;ll be able to do most of what I need to do to win a hockey game and protect my teammates.&rdquo;</p><p>According to <a href="http://hockeyfights.com">hockeyfights.com</a>, Ekblad has just one tilt to his name &ndash; a November 2012 bout against the much older Tommy Hughes of London &ndash; but the threat needs to be there nonetheless. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a bit of a mean streak and it&rsquo;s coming out more,&rdquo; Ford said. &ldquo;With that size, you don&rsquo;t have to be a killer, but guys are going to come after you, so you have to be ready.&rdquo;</p><p>Virtanen and Ekblad both wound up making the U-18 team, which won gold for the sixth year in a row. In the first game, a shutout over the Czech Republic, Ekblad had assists on three goals and helped set up the fourth by feeding a pass that led to a penalty shot goal.</p><p>Scheifele characterized Ekblad as a fun and, at times, goofy kid to be around, but still marvels about how the blueliner handles himself off the ice. &ldquo;He could get the captaincy this year,&rdquo; Scheifele said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great guy in the room and he leads by example. Sometimes you don&rsquo;t notice him as much as you notice other guys, but he does all the right things and anytime you need something done, he&rsquo;s there to do it.&rdquo;</p><p>According to the executive, Ekblad&rsquo;s biggest challenge this season will be to add dimension to his skill sets, which are already above average right now.</p><p>With his Barrie team a favorite to win the East, he&rsquo;ll definitely have the proper platform to do it. And maybe he can even defy the odds by being first up on stage at the 2014 draft.</p><p>Now that would be humbling.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

EXCEPTIONAL, BUT NO EXCEPTION

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02878/9970235-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="446" height="571"><figcaption class="caption-body">ROLAND <b>MCKEOWN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MCKEOWN: AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. AARON EKBLAD, D</b></h2><p><b>BARRIE (OHL)</b></p><p>The big, two-way defenseman is putting together an entire toolbox of skills.</p><h2><b>2. SAM REINHART, C</b></h2><p><b>KOOTENAY (WHL)</b></p><p>Excellent vision, bloodlines and high hockey IQ make him the best forward available.</p><h2><b>3. ROLAND MCKEOWN, D</b></h2><p><b>KINGSTON (OHL)</b></p><p>Much like Ekblad, McKeown can do a bit of everything on &lsquo;D&rsquo; and the Fronts are rising.</p><h2><b>4. JAKE VIRTANEN, LW</b></h2><p><b>CALGARY (WHL)</b></p><p>A gritty, nasty customer who also happens to be an elite producer.</p><h2><b>5. JARED MCCANN, C</b></h2><p><b>SAULT STE. MARIE (OHL)</b></p><p>Incredible playmaking vision.</p><h2><b>6. LEON DRAISAITL, C</b></h2><p><b>PRINCE ALBERT (WHL)</b></p><p>German highlight reel (see pg. 23).</p><h2><b>7. MICHAEL DAL COLLE, C</b></h2><p><b>OSHAWA (OHL)</b></p><p>Big kid with great hands.</p><h2><b>8. BLAKE CLARKE, LW</b></h2><p><b>NORTH BAY (OHL)</b></p><p>Power forward with great release.</p><h2><b>9. IVAN BARBASHEV, LW</b></h2><p><b>MONCTON (QMJHL)</b></p><p>Great offensive tool kit.</p><h2><b>10. ALEX NEDELJKOVIC, G</b></h2><p><b>PLYMOUTH (OHL)</b></p><p>Calm, plays well above age.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-02

TOP KIDS FOR 2014

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011573/9970294-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="630" height="214"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021151/9970287-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="1061" height="1137"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MAX POTENTIAL</b></p><p>The Knights dominate because ballyhooed youngsters like Max Domi demand to play in London.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE LONDON KNIGHTS ARE HEADED TO THE</b> Memorial Cup again, this time as host. That&rsquo;ll make it three appearances in a row for the crew helmed by the Hunter Brothers, but this group seeks its first win in that span. With a loaded roster, chances are good they&rsquo;ll get it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03845/9970280-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="208" height="240"></div><p>London has become an NHL factory not just because coach Dale and GM Mark draft well, but also because kids around the world want to play for them. Phoenix first-rounder Max Domi (12th overall in 2013) forced a trade there from Kingston, while goalie Anthony Stolarz (Philadelphia, 45th in 2012) left the University of Nebraska-Omaha during his freshman year to hop on board. Remi Elie might have been a top-six forward on another team, but settled for a depth role last season. Dallas nabbed him in the second round (40th overall) of the 2013 draft. &ldquo;When I was out there, I got a lot more attention thanks to all the great players like Bo Horvat, Nikita Zadorov and Domi that were out there,&rdquo; Elie said. &ldquo;That helped me a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>Top-end NCAA commits often head to the Knights if their NHL team comes calling early. The latest example is big Habs first-rounder Michael McCarron (25th in 2013), who chose London over Western Michigan once GM Marc Bergevin made him a pro contract offer. &ldquo;Obviously you put that paper in front of me, that&rsquo;s been my dream ever since I was a little kid,&rdquo; McCarron said.</p><p>Dreams often come true in London and that&rsquo;s a nightmare for the rest of the OHL.</p><h2><b>FRONTENACS FINALLY FIXED?</b></h2><p>If you&rsquo;ve already called them &lsquo;The Kingston Trio,&rsquo; you&rsquo;re fired. Though it is true the Frontenacs will be prominent in the 2014 draft thanks to astute drafting and building.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04621/9970273-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="216" height="216"></div><p>Kingston has a chance to pull itself up from the mire thanks to D-man Roland McKeown and forwards Sam Bennett and Spencer Watson, all 1996 birthdays and all potential NHL first-rounders. McKeown will likely be first off the board thanks to his all-around game. After Aaron Ekblad, he&rsquo;s No. 2 among eligible rearguards.</p><p>The Fronts also bolstered their attack with rookie Lawson Crouse, the fifth pick overall in the 2013 OHL draft. &ldquo;I feel like I can contribute to the team whenever I&rsquo;m needed,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-3 power forward. &ldquo;I like to play defense, but obviously I can put up points when I need to.&rdquo;</p><p>And it doesn&rsquo;t hurt to have some role models one year ahead of him. &ldquo;Guys like McKeown, Bennett and Watson, I&rsquo;ll be looking up to and asking for advice because they&rsquo;re going into their NHL draft year,&rdquo; Crouse said. &ldquo;We should be really good, but obviously we have to prove that.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>BABY OTTER IS DEADLIEST</b></h2><p>Not only is Connor McDavid returning to the Erie Otters looking to build off his OHL rookie of the year campaign as a 15-year-old, he&rsquo;s already impressed the older elite juniors at Canada&rsquo;s world junior summer camp. &ldquo;The first on-ice session the guys were joking that he didn&rsquo;t miss a shot all practice,&rdquo; said Plymouth&rsquo;s Tom Wilson, a Washington first-rounder.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-05473/9970266-1-eng-US/f0022-052.jpg" title="f0022-05" width="217" height="184"></div><p>Skating with NHLers in the summer, McDavid didn&rsquo;t look out of place in terms of speed or skill, even though he won&rsquo;t even be draft eligible until 2015. And lapping up experiences with the older junior players at Team Canada&rsquo;s camp only opened more doors of hockey knowledge. &ldquo;It was an unbelievable experience, being around guys that might be in the NHL next year,&rdquo; McDavid said. &ldquo;I was just trying to learn off them, see what they do day in and day out to be successful. At the same time, I&rsquo;m trying to make the team. It may be a long shot, but who knows?&rdquo;</p><p>Though he needs more weight and muscle, McDavid is already good enough to vie for the OHL scoring crown. The presence of the exceptional-status center also didn&rsquo;t hurt Erie&rsquo;s recruitment of Capitals 2013 first-rounder Andre Burakovsky from Sweden. He wasn&rsquo;t going to come, but was convinced of the opportunity in town. With Columbus prospect Oscar Dansk back in net and No. 2 overall OHL pick Dylan Strome joining up, the Otters will be much more of a threat this year, even in the murderous West.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

LONDON’S KINGDOM

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011354/9970353-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="508" height="384"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02974/9970346-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="1061" height="1143"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DO IT LIKE DILLON</b></p><p>Columbus second-rounder Dillon Heatherington will mentor Swift Current&rsquo;s younger D-men.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DARWIN KNELSEN/SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HEY MAY NOT BE THREE OF A KIND, BUT SWIFT</b> Current has a trio of emerging blueliners who are all potential aces. Columbus pick Dillon Heatherington (50th overall in 2013) returns after a breakout 2012-13 campaign where his dogged work ethic and strength made him a high riser in the NHL draft. He&rsquo;ll mentor sophomore Brycen Martin and Finnish rookie import Julius Honka. &ldquo;I definitely had a lot of time to watch him,&rdquo; Martin said of Heatherington. &ldquo;He was on the ice a lot. He taught me what I need to do this year and was definitely a good role model for me.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03726/9970339-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="245" height="180"></div><p>While Heatherington excels as a shutdown player, Martin cites Scott Niedermayer as a personal favorite and Honka prefers Kimmo Timonen and Erik Karlsson. &ldquo;I like to keep the puck and make plays,&rdquo; Honka said.</p><p>Though the Broncos haven&rsquo;t made much noise in the &lsquo;Dub&rsquo; lately, securing a strong defensive nucleus will help the team deal with the loss of WHL player of the year Adam Lowry to pro. But the future Winnipeg Jet is not the only pair of skates to fill. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to see our D-corps coming up,&rdquo; Heatherington said. &ldquo;We might be losing Reece Scarlett and for sure we&rsquo;ll lose Richard Nedomlel so there will be new guys, but it will be a high-end &lsquo;D&rsquo; corps. It will be nice to see the new guys playing together.&rdquo;</p><p>And if Martin and Honka (both of whom have top-40 draft potential in 2014) bring offense from the back end, the Broncos will improve on last year&rsquo;s first-round playoff exit.</p><h2><b>T-BIRDS GO HIGH-OCTANE</b></h2><p>It&rsquo;s been six years since the Seattle Thunderbirds posted a winning campaign, but last season&rsquo;s edition put the fear of god in Kelowna before the higher-seeded Rockets completed the Game 7 comeback. Blowing a 3-0 series lead is the bad kind of exciting, but now the T-Birds are bringing in the good kind: rookie Matt Barzal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04540/9970332-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="255" height="181"></div><p>Barzal, the first overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, has been compared to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He napalmed the B.C. midget ranks with 103 points in just 34 games. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special, special guy,&rdquo; said Seattle GM Russ Farwell. &ldquo;He knows what&rsquo;s going to happen before it happens. He always finds the seam and makes plays to guys that they don&rsquo;t expect can be made. And he does everything at top speed &ndash; that&rsquo;s what makes him special.&rdquo;</p><p>The Thunderbirds will be in tough once again in the U.S. Division thanks to the always-strong Portland Winterhawks, while none of Spokane, Tri-City or Everett will be a pushover. But with Anaheim first-rounder Shea Theodore (26th overall in 2013) leading the blueline and a host of talented forwards up front, Barzal won&rsquo;t be alone. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying not to put too much pressure on his shoulders,&rdquo; Farwell said. &ldquo;We think we have some pretty good depth.&rdquo;</p><p>Several insiders pointed to Seattle as a dangerous upstart for 2013-14 and the only question mark is in net.</p><h2><b>FROM GERMANY WITH LOVE</b></h2><p>Fellow Team Germany mate Frederik Tiffels called him a &ldquo;freak on the ice.&rdquo; Winnipeg first-rounder Josh Morrissey can&rsquo;t wait to get back on the power play with him. But if the Prince Albert Raiders want to keep Leon Draisaitl happy, all they need to do is make sure the quesadillas keep rolling in. &ldquo;My billet mama cooks really well,&rdquo; said Draisaitl, an elite center with the chance to be the highest German ever drafted. (Marcel Goc currently holds the honor, going 20th overall in 2001.) &ldquo;He makes plays forehand and backhand equally, which is usually hit and miss at our level,&rdquo; said Raiders GM Bruno Campese. &ldquo;High skill, big frame, he protects and shields the puck and his playmaking is through the roof.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05396/9970325-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="139" height="240"></div><p>Second in scoring with 58 points in 64 games as a rookie, Draisaitl is comfy in Prince Albert. &ldquo;Hockey is not big in Germany, in Canada it&rsquo;s sport No. 1,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The passion is huge here and the fans talk to you all the time, &lsquo;How was your summer?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;My goal is to bring creativity. I want to make things happen &ndash; be a playmaker but a finisher as well. I want to be unpredictable.&rdquo;</p><p>One easy prediction? The Raiders will be dangerous this year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0023-01

CAN BRONCO ‘D’ RULE THE ‘DUB’?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011514/9970412-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="362" height="333"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04543/9970405-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="1053" height="1087"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HURTIN&rsquo; ERNE</b></p><p>Adam Erne says he&rsquo;ll miss coach Patrick Roy in Quebec, but he feels confident about his team.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(STEVE DESCH&Ecirc;NES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S THE END OF AN ERA IN THE QUEBEC</b> League as NHL legend and Remparts majordomo Patrick Roy has moved up to The Show, taking over the Colorado Avalanche bench and significantly altering the shape of the junior ranks he departed. In his place, Quebec brought in former Rimouski GM Philippe Boucher, another ex-NHLer with his name on the Stanley Cup. Boucher had assembled a dazzling array of talent for the Oceanic, leaving them with enough to compete for a title this season. Rimouski had four players go in the 2013 draft, including first-rounders Samuel Morin to Philly (11th overall) and Frederik Gauthier to Toronto (21st). &ldquo;That&rsquo;s bad for us, but I wish (Boucher) the best of luck, he deserves it,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;He would give us cues in the room, share his experiences from the past. We&rsquo;re going to be good this year. We have a lot of good guys coming back.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021089/9970398-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="212" height="211"></div><p>The Remparts will remain near the top of the standings, though perhaps no longer as a powerhouse. Second-rounders Adam Erne (Tampa Bay, 33rd overall) and Nick Sorensen (Anaheim, 45th) must move on without Roy. &ldquo;It will be really different,&rdquo; Erne said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re all going to miss him, he was a great guy, great coach. I know with Philippe Boucher, they&rsquo;re not going to pick someone who doesn&rsquo;t know how to do their job.&rdquo;</p><p>Now it&rsquo;s on Boucher to steer the league&rsquo;s most high-profile team back to glory. Though the Remparts never won a title under Roy, he did earn a Memorial Cup in his first year when his squad beat the hosts from Moncton in the championship game. And then there&rsquo;s the spotlight of the city itself. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always somebody watching in Quebec,&rdquo; Erne said. &ldquo;The scouts love to come here.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>EAGLES&rsquo; BEST LEAVES NEST</b></h2><p>Right winger Nicolas Roy (no relation to Patrick) was the consensus No. 1 prospect going into the Quebec League draft, but Cape Breton held the first pick and he didn&rsquo;t want to go there. The lanky teen with the golden scoring touch informed the Screaming Eagles before the draft he would don the jersey as a polite gesture, but wouldn&rsquo;t report to the team since he wanted to finish school in Quebec. The Eagles took Roy anyway and he was true to his word, refusing to sign and instead exploring his options in other leagues for this season. Would Cape Breton do anything differently if given the chance? &ldquo;Oh, no,&rdquo; said coach-GM Marc-Andre Dumont. &ldquo;From our staff&rsquo;s research it was clear that the difference between No. 1 and No. 2 was too big to pass on.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03756/9970391-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="211" height="239"></div><p>The Eagles will get draft compensation for Roy from the league and can trade his rights for more assets, but in the meantime they&rsquo;ll push for the playoffs with talent such as Russian import Maxim Lazarev, American Cam Darcy and St. Louis Blues second-rounder William Carrier (57th overall in 2013), who was held to 34 games last year due to a major ankle injury. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to make a big difference,&rdquo; Dumont said. &ldquo;He had almost 1.5 points per game before the injury and we lost a lot of one-goal games after that.&rdquo;</p><p>So the Eagles can&rsquo;t have Roy, but some more wins would help the sting of rejection.</p><h2><b>ROCKETS RELAUNCH AS ISLES</b></h2><p>Perhaps the rebrand was for the best. The team formerly known as the P.E.I. Rocket has just one playoff round victory in its history, but now, after talk of moving to Sorel, Que., the Charlottetown Islanders have a fresh start. The top-heavy offensive duo of undrafted vets Ben Duffy and Josh Currie is gone, but, a younger crew is ready to step up. Phoenix Coyotes pick Pavel Laplante (62nd overall in 2013) will have a full season after missing most of last year due to a shoulder injury sustained at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka under-18 tournament, while 2014 draft prospect Alexis Pepin took gold in the same tourney this August. At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, Pepin knows his summer weight was an eye-opener. &ldquo;I need to get my fat percentage down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I built up muscle this summer in my legs for more power because I&rsquo;m a big body and I need it for skating. I hope we have a good season, both the team and myself since it&rsquo;s my draft year.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05399/9970384-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="208" height="169"></div><p>Laplante also excels at playing physically and is glad to still be calling P.E.I. his second home. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a small island so everybody knows everybody and everybody&rsquo;s close,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s perfect.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

IN THE WAKE OF ST. PATRICK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011326/9970478-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="652" height="508"><figcaption class="caption-body">NIKITA <b>ZADOROV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ZADAROV: TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02937/9970471-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="221" height="80"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Knights will once again be the class of the league, but Aaron Ekblad&rsquo;s Colts are looking for revenge. Kitchener will be a wild card under new coach Troy Smith, while the rebuild starts with Sean Day in Mississauga.</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p><b>1. LONDON KNIGHTS</b></p><p><b>2. BARRIE COLTS</b></p><p><b>3. GUELPH STORM</b></p><p><b>4. PLYMOUTH WHALERS</b></p><p><b>5. SAGINAW SPIRIT</b></p><p><b>6. KINGSTON FRONTENACS</b></p><p><b>7. SUDBURY WOLVES</b></p><p><b>8. BELLEVILLE BULLS</b></p><p><b>9. KITCHENER RANGERS</b></p><p><b>10. OWEN SOUND ATTACK</b></p><p><b>11. S.S. MARIE GREYHOUNDS</b></p><p><b>12. OSHAWA GENERALS</b></p><p><b>13. ERIE OTTERS</b></p><p><b>14. NORTH BAY BATTALION</b></p><p><b>15. WINDSOR SPITFIRES</b></p><p><b>16. PETERBOROUGH PETES</b></p><p><b>17. OTTAWA 67&rsquo;S</b></p><p><b>18. SARNIA STING</b></p><p><b>19. NIAGARA ICEDOGS</b></p><p><b>20. MISSISSAUGA STEELHEADS</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03652/9970464-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="630" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body">MADISON <b>BOWEY</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOWEY: MARISSA BAECKER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04452/9970457-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="187" height="141"></div><p>It&rsquo;s all about the back end in Kelowna thanks to stars such as Damon Severson and Madison Bowey. Portland will be young but talented, while the curse of the Memorial Cup hosts continues in shaky Saskatoon.</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p><b>1. KELOWNA ROCKETS</b></p><p><b>2. PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS</b></p><p><b>3. EDMONTON OIL KINGS</b></p><p><b>4. PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS</b></p><p><b>5. CALGARY HITMEN</b></p><p><b>6. EVERETT SILVERTIPS</b></p><p><b>7. KAMLOOPS BLAZERS</b></p><p><b>8. TRI-CITY AMERICANS</b></p><p><b>9. RED DEER REBELS</b></p><p><b>10. KOOTENAY ICE</b></p><p><b>11. SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS</b></p><p><b>12. VICTORIA ROYALS</b></p><p><b>13. MEDICINE HAT TIGERS</b></p><p><b>14. SWIFT CURRENT BRONCOS</b></p><p><b>15. BRANDON WHEAT KINGS</b></p><p><b>16. SPOKANE CHIEFS</b></p><p><b>17. MOOSE JAW WARRIORS</b></p><p><b>18. REGINA PATS</b></p><p><b>19. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES</b></p><p><b>20. VANCOUVER GIANTS</b></p><p><b>21. PRINCE GEORGE COUGARS</b></p><p><b>22. SASKATOON BLADES</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05335/9970450-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="614" height="518"><figcaption class="caption-body">SAMUEL <b>MORIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MORIN: R&Eacute;MI S&Eacute;N&Eacute;CHAL)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06274/9970443-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="208" height="185"></div><p>Rimouski has top-end talent in all three facets of the game and Baie-Comeau has the experience. Halifax will rely on goalie Zach Fucale while Sherbrooke turns to 2014 prospects Daniel Audette and Carl Neill.</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p><b>1. RIMOUSKI OCEANIC</b></p><p><b>2. BAIE-COMEAU DRAKKAR</b></p><p><b>3. GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES</b></p><p><b>4. HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS</b></p><p><b>5. QUEBEC REMPARTS</b></p><p><b>6. DRUMMONDVILLE VOLTS</b></p><p><b>7. ROUYN-NORANDA HUSKIES</b></p><p><b>8. VAL-D&rsquo;OR FOREURS</b></p><p><b>9. BLAIN.-BOIS. ARMADA</b></p><p><b>10. VICTORIAVILLE TIGRES</b></p><p><b>11. CAPE BRETON SCR. EAGLES</b></p><p><b>12. ACADIE-BATHURST TITAN</b></p><p><b>13. MONCTON WILDCATS</b></p><p><b>14. CHARLOTTETOWN ISLES</b></p><p><b>15. SHERBROOKE PHOENIX</b></p><p><b>16. CHICOUTIMI SAGUENEENS</b></p><p><b>17. SAINT JOHN SEA DOGS</b></p><p><b>18. SHAWINIGAN CATARACTES</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

LEAGUE PREDICTIONS

<div class="byline">BY MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01964/9970516-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="258" height="285"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02635/9970509-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="876" height="1031"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ON THE BALL</b></p><p>Taylor Hall spent a large chunk of his off-season playing ball hockey with friends at home in Kingston.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PERRY NELSON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>NO ONE WOULD&rsquo;VE BLAMED TAYLOR HALL</b> for feeling like a tadpole in a pond of bullfrogs August 26 in Calgary.</p><p>He was a 21-year-old kid getting ready for coach Mike Babcock&rsquo;s walkthroughs at Team Canada&rsquo;s Sochi Olympic orientation camp. He was about to rub shoulders with Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos and John Tavares, No. 1 overall draft picks and bona fide NHL superstars. Hall felt honored simply to be invited. Yes, he was also a first overall pick, in 2010, and he admits the Olympics have always been a career goal, but his expectations were realistic, as Crosby, Stamkos and Tavares were all left off Canada&rsquo;s roster the first time the Games passed by during their NHL careers. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty easy to see when you take a look at that chart that there are not a lot of spots for the taking, especially for a guy like myself who is pretty young and has not proven himself like some of the other guys have,&rdquo; Hall says. &ldquo;So I have to go in there with a really good mentality and make sure my start to this year is good offensively and defensively.&rdquo;</p><p>That said, Hall, not the established group loaded with gold medallists, Stanley Cup champs and Hart Trophy winners, had a leg up when the orientation camp opened. The reason: ball hockey.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IT&rsquo;S EASY TO SEE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT ROSTER THAT THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF SPOTS FOR THE TAKING<br>&ndash; Taylor Hall</blockquote><p>Trying to circumvent insurance issues that kept his invitees off the ice, Babcock had his team run drills via ball hockey, much to the delight of media and Twitter trolls. And that was more than fine for Hall, because that&rsquo;s what he spent his summer doing in his native Kingston, Ont. The Edmonton Oilers left winger doesn&rsquo;t skate until late July to ensure he&rsquo;s extremely hungry to play the pro game by off-season&rsquo;s end. So he hits the golf course, spends time with family and does what people his age do in the summer. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still a young kid, I&rsquo;m 21, so all of my friends are in university,&rdquo; Hall says. &ldquo;So I try and fit in with them and have fun with them. Ball hockey is a lot of fun for me, it&rsquo;s pretty competitive and it helps me with real hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Few players on the planet possess Hall&rsquo;s wheels when he&rsquo;s on the ice, but on foot he feels the competition is even and says he doesn&rsquo;t run circles around his buddies. For someone with a seemingly limitless ceiling, coming off a breakout 2012-13 in which he notched 50 points in 45 games, Hall is modest and pensive. Though this will be just his fourth NHL season, he speaks with the wisdom of a 10-year veteran. Perhaps it&rsquo;s because, career-wise, he&rsquo;s overcome a surprising amount of adversity for his age.</p><p>Hall missed 38 games due to ankle, head and shoulder injuries over his first two seasons and he endured a gruesome gash on his face in January 2012 when he fell into a teammate&rsquo;s skate during a warmup.</p><p>Viewed as talented but reckless, always playing the game at the highest speed without knowing when to throttle down, Hall had to battle the injury-prone label before he rallied to play 45 of 48 games last season.</p><p>Over Hall&rsquo;s first two campaigns, he and the Oilers also had to endure second-guessing in the &ldquo;Taylor vs. Tyler&rdquo; debate. Tyler Seguin, taken second after Hall in 2010 by Boston, was off to a stronger start, playing in the 2011-12 All-Star Game. But Hall never let the comparison bother him. Maybe that&rsquo;s why, as he found himself playing ball hockey at the Team Canada camp while Seguin sat at home, he wasn&rsquo;t in the mood to gloat. Seguin regressed in Year 3 and played his way out of Boston amid rumors of office immaturity and alleged Twitter hacking/homophobic tweets. But Hall is quick to defend his draft mate. &ldquo;I do have a lot of sympathy for him for what he went through with the trade and all of that Twitter stuff,&rdquo; Hall says. &ldquo;I felt like that was kind of unfair. You know he&rsquo;s a young kid. He&rsquo;s just as young as I am and everyone has that time in life where they&rsquo;re in the spotlight. He&rsquo;s a great player and I know that he&rsquo;s going to do well in Dallas.</p><p>&ldquo;As far as us being compared, I felt like that has always been something neither him nor I have really thought about. It&rsquo;s just more or less the outsiders.&rdquo;</p><p>Whether Hall wants the comparison or not, it&rsquo;s difficult not to notice his ascension, not just as a top-10 league scorer on an Edmonton team that may finally have the goods to make the playoffs, but as the most level-headed player to emerge from the NHL&rsquo;s class of 2010.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-01

THINKING THE HALL WAY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02590/9970732-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="932" height="166"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03466/9970725-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="599" height="577"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACK <b>JOHNSON</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>ACK JOHNSON EMBRACED PLAYING</b> for the Blue Jackets during a time when star players like Rick Nash and Jeff Carter were mapping exit strategies out of Columbus. Even when most looked at the team and saw nothing but bleakness &ndash; a bloated payroll and a 30th place finish in 2011-12 &ndash; Johnson saw hope.</p><p>His reward may come in 2013-14. The Blue Jackets&rsquo; 18-5-5 finish to last season wasn&rsquo;t enough to earn them a post-season spot in the Western Conference &ndash; they lost on a tie-breaker to the Minnesota Wild on the final day of the season &ndash; but it has done wonders to boost their optimism. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt like it could happen here,&rdquo; said Johnson, 26. &ldquo;We showed what we can do last season and the way we had the whole city behind us, believing, that was special. Now we have to build off that. We have to back it up.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s a sense in Columbus that a new era has dawned. After 12 seasons in the West, the Blue Jackets are joining the Eastern Conference, a move the club has begged for since their birth. The travel is easier, the game times are more convenient for fans and the potential for rivalries is better than ever, but only if the Blue Jackets live up to their end of the bargain on the ice.</p><p>Johnson, who could very well be named Columbus&rsquo; captain in training camp, plans to see to it. &ldquo;The fact that we came up a little short, and the belief that we&rsquo;re going to be a really good team&hellip; that&rsquo;s what kept me going all summer,&rdquo; Johnson said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04376/9970718-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-09148/9970711-1-eng-US/f0042-092.jpg" title="f0042-09" width="305" height="467"></div><p><b>Brandon Saad</b> had a rookie year to remember, winning the Stanley Cup and finishing third in Calder voting. The summer brought even more excitement. On his day with the Cup, he ate cereal out of it. Also, coach Joel Quenneville announced the Hawks would try Saad as the No. 2 center. He played on Jonathan Toews&rsquo; wing last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05319/9970704-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-10122/9970697-1-eng-US/f0042-102.jpg" title="f0042-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JOHNSON+SAAD+LANDESKOG: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In granting <b>Gabriel Landeskog</b> a new seven-year, $39-million deal, the Avs were paying for the 2011-12 Calder Trophy winner, not last season&rsquo;s struggling sophomore. His goals, assists, points and shots per game declined, though his shooting percentage rose slightly and his three shorthanded goals were tied for second-most in the NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06283/9970690-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="685" height="543"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1193/9970683-1-eng-US/f0042-112.jpg" title="f0042-11" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MURRAY: CHRISTOPHER MAST/CHRISTOPHER MAST IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ryan Murray</b> was excited this summer as he attended his first pro development camp. Because of the lockout last season, the 2012 No. 2 overall pick returned to WHL Everett, then sustained a season-ending shoulder injury before Columbus&rsquo; camp opened in the winter. He has a solid chance to make the Jackets this time.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07240/9970676-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="685" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1280/9970669-1-eng-US/f0042-122.jpg" title="f0042-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BENN: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jamie Benn</b> slipped off the radar last season, so much so that he wasn&rsquo;t invited to Team Canada&rsquo;s Olympic orientation camp. But the acquisition of another camp snub, Tyler Seguin, means Benn, 24, can move from center to left wing, his natural position. In four seasons, Benn never won more than 46.2 percent of his faceoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08186/9970662-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1365/9970655-1-eng-US/f0042-132.jpg" title="f0042-13" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HELM: GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Depth has been vital to Detroit&rsquo;s success for years and with vets making up the first two lines and a wave of youth in the bottom six, the trend continues. But if center <b>Darren Helm</b> can&rsquo;t rebound from a back injury, the Wings&rsquo; third line takes a hit. A terrific checker and penalty killer, Helm has played only two games since March of 2012.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

LOYALTY ITS OWN REWARD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JONATHAN DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01870/9970840-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="920" height="158"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02612/9970833-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="599" height="559"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEFF <b>CARTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CARTER: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE WAS NO DOUBT WHEN DEAN</b> Lombardi made the deal to acquire Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets that he was landing one of the NHL&rsquo;s top goal scorers. Kings fans got a taste of his deft touch during their team&rsquo;s 2012 Stanley Cup run when he scored eight times in the playoffs.</p><p>Carter&rsquo;s 26 goals in last year&rsquo;s shortened season had him on pace for 44, just two shy of his career high set in 2008-09. So what does he do for an encore? &ldquo;I am obviously pleased the way things went for me personally,&rdquo; Carter said. &ldquo;As a team I wish we could have had a longer run. I just want to keep building on my numbers from last season.&rdquo;</p><p>If he indeed grows them, he may be more than just an invitee to Team Canada&rsquo;s Olympic Orientation Camp for the Sochi Games. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting,&rdquo; said Carter, 28. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an amazing group of players. Just to hang out with these guys for a few days (is) a great experience.&rdquo;</p><p>After spending six seasons in Philadelphia, with a brief layover in Columbus, Carter has welcomed the change to playing in Los Angeles. He said being a King has been completely different from what it was like as a Flyer. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I loved playing in Philly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a passionate sports town. People always knew who you were when you were going out to dinner around town. Here in Los Angeles, with all the actors, there are people bigger than us (hockey players), so for the most part we can just get away down by the beach where I live and have a normal life. It&rsquo;s pretty nice.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03509/9970826-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="684" height="543"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08190/9970819-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JONES: PERRY NELSON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With a forward cast comprised of slick playmakers and finishers, <b>Ryan Jones</b> is a candidate to be the big body on the power play and crowd the crease to cause grief for goalies. The beefy winger is coming off a disappointing campaign (two goals in 27 games) in which his production plummeted and he was a frequent healthy scratch.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04389/9970812-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09143/9970805-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HUBERDEAU: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Whether you believe in the sophomore slump, there is a recent trend of Calder winners regressing in follow-up seasons. The Panthers hope that isn&rsquo;t the case for <b>Jonathan Huberdeau</b>, who they need to be a top-two scorer. The last Calder winner to improve on his totals was Patrick Kane, who scored four more goals as a sophomore.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05341/9970798-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="685" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10127/9970791-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KING: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The addition of Matt Frattin and the anticipated promotion of Tyler Toffoli means fourth-line grinders <b>Dwight King</b> and Jordan Nolan will be scrambling for ice time and may even be healthy scratches when the lineup is 100 percent healthy. King and Nolan have been valuable role players in the team&rsquo;s playoff runs the past two seasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06284/9970784-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-11109/9970777-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPURGEON: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>He played 20-plus minutes a game and led Wild D-men in power play goals and game-winners last season. Who is he? If you guessed Ryan Suter, you&rsquo;re wrong. It&rsquo;s <b>Jared Spurgeon</b>, who defied expectations. His raise from $527,000 to $2.7 million per season suggests Minnesota will settle for nothing less than a repeat performance.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07242/9970770-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="686" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1297/9970763-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GORGES: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Over the past two years, Max Pacioretty led the Habs in scoring twice, with 104 points in 123 games, while <b>Josh Gorges</b> led them in shotblocking twice. Both came to the team via one 2007 trade made by former GM Bob Gainey. He sent Craig Rivet and a fifth-rounder to San Jose for Gorges and a first-rounder that became Pacioretty.</p><p><i><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVALS</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

FORGET THE SPOTLIGHT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01773/9970948-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="923" height="162"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02507/9970941-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="599" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">CHRIS <b>PHILLIPS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIPS: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE PHONE CALL TOOK CHRIS PHILLIPS</b> by surprise. The night before free agency was set to open on July 5, the veteran Ottawa blueliner was one of those to get a call from longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson to let Phillips know the club&rsquo;s leader had decided to move on, to the Detroit Red Wings, after 17 seasons with the Senators.</p><p>The shock has since worn off, and the acquisition of Bobby Ryan from Anaheim will help fill the void offensively, but the challenge for Phillips won&rsquo;t be any different this season: he has to show he can get the job done on the ice. &ldquo;For me, the biggest thing is leading by example,&rdquo; Phillips said. &ldquo;Every time you step on the ice, to work hard, be focused and do the right things. And off the ice you have to, once in awhile, say things to guys that they might not want to hear&hellip;It&rsquo;s just being able to keep everyone together.&rdquo;</p><p>The odds-on favorite to replace Alfredsson as captain is center Jason Spezza, but Phillips&rsquo; name has been mentioned. He&rsquo;s been an alternate captain, he&rsquo;s spent his whole career in Ottawa and he&rsquo;s never been afraid to speak up. He also continues to be a solid contributor, putting up five goals and 14 points while averaging 21 minutes of ice time.</p><p>If he is asked to wear the &lsquo;C&rsquo;, Phillips, 35, won&rsquo;t turn it down, but he&rsquo;ll be an unrestricted free agent when his three-year deal runs out after this season. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played a long time now, seen a lot, been able to experience a lot,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If that was something that was asked of me, then, yeah, I would certainly welcome that and be honored.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03386/9970934-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="685" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08148/9970927-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RINNE: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>In Year 1 of the seven-year deal paying him $7 million annually, <b>Pekka Rinne</b> posted the worst SP (.910) and second-worst GAA (2.43) of his career. He must prove himself worthy not just of his cap hit, but also of consideration for Finland&rsquo;s Olympic No. 1 goalie job. Competition is fierce, with Tuukka Rask and Antti Niemi in the mix.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04305/9970920-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-09108/9970913-1-eng-US/f0044-092.jpg" title="f0044-09" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MERRILL: SCOTT R. GALVIN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jon Merrill</b> can be an impact player this season. The University of Michigan standout rates as the Devils top D-man prospect in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch and GM Lou Lamoriello said he expects one of his younger blueliners to get a big opportunity in 2013-14. Merrill&rsquo;s 6-foot-4 frame and two-way ability are tantalizing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05256/9970906-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1094/9970899-1-eng-US/f0044-102.jpg" title="f0044-10" width="305" height="467"></div><p>The Isles haven&rsquo;t moved to Brooklyn&rsquo;s Barclays Center yet, but <b>Matt Martin</b> has already reaped the rewards. The grinder got to interview celebs at the MTV Video Awards red carpet with BCTV host Alyonka Larionov, daughter of Igor. Though Martin wore a tux, several interviewees tabbed him as a hockey player right away.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06226/9970892-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="684" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1180/9970885-1-eng-US/f0044-112.jpg" title="f0044-11" width="305" height="467"></div><p>With <b>Ryan Callahan</b> and Carl Hagelin expected to miss the start of 2013-14 after off-season surgeries, the Blueshirts have roster slots available in the short term. That&rsquo;s good news for youngsters such as rookie Danny Kristo and sophomores J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider. Kristo is fresh off bronze at the World Championship.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07194/9970878-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1271/9970871-1-eng-US/f0044-122.jpg" title="f0044-12" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN+CALLAHAN+MACARTHUR: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A slew of players have played for both sides of the Battle of Ontario, but only four have moved directly from Toronto to Ottawa. Dave McLlwain, Damian Rhodes and Per Gustafsson were the first three, but the fourth could have the biggest impact. <b>Clarke MacArthur</b> had two straight 20-goal years and scored eight in 40 games in 2012-13.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

DUTY CALLS SENS D-MAN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01679/9971056-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="923" height="159"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02461/9971049-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="599" height="560"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAMES <b>NEAL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NEAL: TRAVIS GOLBY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T DOESN&rsquo;T SEEM LIKE THAT LONG AGO,</b> but it&rsquo;s been four years since the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup and only 10 players from that squad will don the Black and Gold again this coming season.</p><p>Left winger James Neal doesn&rsquo;t have a ring because he was with the Dallas Stars in 2009, but he believes the Penguins have the talent to get back to the top. &ldquo;Every year our goal is the Stanley Cup and last year we got that much closer,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Any time you lose it&rsquo;s disappointing, but at the same time a lot of guys got good experience out of that. We have our core pieces in good spots and some great players coming back, so I&rsquo;m looking forward to a great season.&rdquo;</p><p>The last campaign didn&rsquo;t end well for Pittsburgh, with the Bruins shockingly sweeping the Pens in the Eastern Conference final, outscoring them 12-2 in the process. A short summer meant Neal didn&rsquo;t have much time to lick his wounds before getting back to training, but he still took valuable lessons from that post-season shellacking. &ldquo;You see how tough it is to win,&rdquo; said Neal, who turns 26 in September. &ldquo;Your team has to be going at the right times. You got to have your goaltending be great, your &lsquo;D&rsquo; be great and you need to score goals. We were missing a few things at the wrong times and it hurt us.&rdquo;</p><p>Neal can&rsquo;t do much about the goaltending or defense, but he&rsquo;s coming off a 40-goal pace in the shortened 2012-13 season and legitimately had that many the year prior. Three in a row wouldn&rsquo;t hurt.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03392/9971042-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-09109/9971035-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GIROUX: GREGG FORWERCK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s always strange in Philadelphia. After a summer of upheaval, the Flyers got bad news when captain and top scorer <b>Claude Giroux</b> was rushed into surgery after a golf club shattered in his hand, damaging a tendon in his index finger. He missed Canada&rsquo;s Olympic orientation camp, but should be ready for the regular season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04333/9971028-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="685" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1089/9971021-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="305" height="467"></div><p>Competition is fierce on the Coyotes blueline. In addition to the seven 2012-13 mainstays who are all back, four first-rounders are also vying for regular duty. <b>David Rundblad</b> (2009) and Brandon Gormley (2010) are eager to crack the NHL lineup and Chris Summers (2006) and Connor Murphy (2011) are knocking at the door.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06254/9971014-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="685" height="542"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1174/9971007-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BYLSMA: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Coach <b>Dan Bylsma</b> is surely happy to be behind the bench for USA&rsquo;s 2014 Olympic team, but it will provide a new challenge for him: figuring out how to stop Canada&rsquo;s Sidney Crosby and Russia&rsquo;s Evgeni Malkin. Usually he has &lsquo;Sid&rsquo; and &lsquo;Geno&rsquo; at his disposal, but if it&rsquo;s any consolation Bylsma will probably have Jonathan Quick in net.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07222/9971000-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="685" height="540"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1263/9970993-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="305" height="467"></div><p><b>Vladimir Tarasenko</b> tailed off last season after a hot start, but it doesn&rsquo;t mean he became complacent. Tarasenko recently called his debut year &ldquo;average&rdquo; and said he didn&rsquo;t understand NHL conditioning properly. He took advice from now-ex NHLer Ilya Kovalchuk on preparing his body and worked out much more this off-season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08149/9970986-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="685" height="541"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1351/9970979-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TARASENKO+THORNTON+RUNDBLAD: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A decent year moves <b>Joe Thornton</b> into the top 50 all-time in points and into the top 25 in assists. With 67 points, Thornton will pass nine players, including Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Michel Goulet, Bernie Federko, Mike Bossy, Joe Nieuwendyk and Darryl Sittler into 46th. With 38 assists, Thornton passes eight players into 25th.</p><p><i><b>RED</b> INDICATES NEW ARRIVALS</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

RIGHT BACK IN THE SADDLE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MCNALLY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01688/9971164-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="509" height="92"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02458/9971157-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="331" height="315"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKHAIL <b>GRABOVSKI</b></figcaption></div><p><b>ALL ALONG, IT SEEMED A PERFECT FIT.</b></p><p>The Capitals needed a second line center after deciding not to re-sign Mike Ribeiro to a long-term extension. Mikhail Grabovski needed a second chance after the Toronto Maple Leafs bought out his contract July 4. It took longer than expected, but Washington signed Grabovski to a one-year, $3-million deal Aug. 23. &ldquo;I chose Washington because they really trust me and I think I can help them,&rdquo; Grabovski said.</p><p>Trust was also a word that GM George McPhee and coach Adam Oates used when asked about Grabovski. It was the reason things turned sour between Grabovski and Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, who began using the 29-year-old in a more defensive role last season.</p><p>The hope is a return to an offensive style sparks a revival. Grabovski had a difficult season, with just nine goals and 16 points in 48 games, so it didn&rsquo;t hurt in the Caps&rsquo; recruitment of Grabovski that Oates helped Alex Ovechkin regain his Hart Trophy form last season with a switch to right wing.</p><p>Grabovski expected to finish a month in the Los Angeles area working out with other NHL players before heading to Washington for the start of training camp. His presence also allows Oates to use Brooks Laich at left wing again and deploy the versatile forward in a top-six center role only in case of an injury to Grabovski or Nicklas Backstrom.</p><p>&ldquo;Having Brooks, knowing he could play that position, allowed us to do this deal,&rdquo; McPhee said. &ldquo;We could take our time.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03314/9971150-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="377" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04259/9971143-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="164" height="253"></div><p>Ranked third in goals, Tampa was the only top-10 scoring team to miss the playoffs. All the offense did little to help mount comebacks. The Bolts ranked a lowly 27th with a .172 winning percentage after allowing the game&rsquo;s first goal. They scored first 19 times &ndash; nearly a third of those coming from <b>Steven Stamkos</b>.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05206/9971136-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="377" height="298"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06180/9971129-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="164" height="253"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRABOVSKI+KESSEL+STAMKOS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Leafs&rsquo; strength is its top four wingers, especially after adding David Clarkson, who scored 30 and 15 goals for the Devils the past two years. With Joffrey Lupul and <b>Phil Kessel</b> scoring at more than a point per game the past two seasons, the Leafs are a rare team boasting a 1-2 combo like that <i>plus</i> someone who scored 30 in that span.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-07148/9971122-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="377" height="298"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-08106/9971115-1-eng-US/f0046-082.jpg" title="f0046-08" width="164" height="253"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TANEV: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Chris Tanev</b> listened to offers from the KHL when contract talks with the Canucks stalled, but his heart was always in Vancouver. Pencilled in as the No. 5 rearguard, Tanev got a 67 percent raise with a one-year, $1.5 million deal. A one-year contract gives Tanev arbitration rights next summer. Andrew Alberts signed for $600,000.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0983/9971108-1-eng-US/f0046-092.jpg" title="f0046-09" width="377" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1064/9971101-1-eng-US/f0046-102.jpg" title="f0046-10" width="164" height="253"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HOLTBY: PATRICK MCDERMOTT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The surprise of Canada&rsquo;s Olympic camp roster was <b>Braden Holtby</b>, a young goalie who has been quietly effective in his brief career. Statistically, he&rsquo;s proven Washington was right to give him the crease. His .920 SP bested former Caps Tomas Vokoun, Semyon Varlamov and Jose Theodore, plus current teammate Michal Neuvirth.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1156/9971094-1-eng-US/f0046-112.jpg" title="f0046-11" width="377" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-1248/9971087-1-eng-US/f0046-122.jpg" title="f0046-12" width="164" height="254"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ENSTROM: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/FREESTYLE PHOTO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It wasn&rsquo;t <b>Tobias Enstrom&rsquo;s</b> ideal summer. He was knocked unconscious and required stitches above his right eye after being robbed in his native Sweden at an ATM. In court, Enstrom couldn&rsquo;t recognize his alleged attacker, nor could he prove the man stole his money. The accused got a month in jail for giving police a fake name.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

DESTINED DESTINATION

<div class="byline">BY DAVID POLLAK</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>ARRY ROBINSON COULDN&rsquo;T WAIT TO GET BACK INTO THE NHL</b> after he retired in 1992. After a year hiatus, he was back in the league behind the bench and has remained there for all but a handful of seasons. Since retiring, he&rsquo;s added three more Stanley Cups, one as a coach and two others as an assistant or special assignment coach, all with New Jersey, to go along with his six won as a player with Montreal.</p><p>Capturing the Cup as a coach was just as euphoric for Robinson as winning it as a player, but helming a team to a championship might be a little more gratifying in one sense. That&rsquo;s because the hours he put in as a player pale in comparison to the many more he put in as a coach. &ldquo;After the game as a player, you go home, eat, have a beer and go to sleep,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;As a coach, you go back, you take your tapes and you don&rsquo;t get to sleep until two or three o&rsquo;clock in the morning.&rdquo;</p><p>Robinson doesn&rsquo;t mind those extra hours, because his favorite part of coaching is teaching. He just completed his first year in San Jose as an associate coach, a position he prefers because it gives him the opportunity to concentrate on instruction. That helps explain why someone with Robinson&rsquo;s credentials likes a secondary role.</p><p>It worked to the Sharks&rsquo; benefit last season after he and 14-year NHL veteran Jim Johnson joined Todd McLellan&rsquo;s staff, repaired a broken penalty kill and improved overall team defense. Ultimately, San Jose yet again fell short of their first trip to a final, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean the influence of Robinson, whose name appears on the Cup nine times, wasn&rsquo;t felt.</p><p>Witness the development of young defensemen such as rookie Matt Irwin and Justin Braun, whose growth enabled San Jose to make two other moves critical to its late-season success: shifting Brent Burns to right wing and trading Douglas Murray. Robinson was quick to share credit with Johnson, however. &ldquo;Jimmy&rsquo;s very good at designing the drills and that kind of stuff,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m more of the guy that picks up little things &ndash; maybe the stick should be here or maybe he&rsquo;s not bending over enough or not upright enough.&rdquo;</p><p>Irwin, for one, said he learned a lot from those little things and provided one example. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re boxing someone out at the net, if you let him know you&rsquo;re there by touching him, he can spin the other way,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re in the same spot but you don&rsquo;t have a hand on him, he doesn&rsquo;t know which way to go.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">AS A COACH, YOU TAKE YOUR TAPES AND DON&rsquo;T SLEEP UNTIL TWO OR THREE O&rsquo;CLOCK IN THE MORNING<br>&ndash; Larry Robinson</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01619/9971195-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="924" height="1310"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PERFECT 10 TO COME?</b></p><p>Larry Robinson has won nine Stanley Cups, six as a player and three in a coaching capacity.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW)</span></figcaption></div><p>Robinson signed a two-year contract with the Sharks last summer in part so he and his wife could be closer to their seven-year-old twin grandsons in Southern California. That worked out well, even though the lockout compressed the NHL schedule and kept him from seeing the twins play hockey. He did get to skate with them, however, during the Sharks&rsquo; second-round playoff series against Los Angeles. Still, San Jose&rsquo;s Game 7 playoff exit to the Kings was predictably disappointing. &ldquo;I thought we were the better team against L.A.,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;We could have gone farther.&rdquo;</p><p>At 62, Robinson talks as if there might not be too many more chances to pursue that 10th Cup, though he wasn&rsquo;t ruling out a contract extension with the Sharks. &ldquo;It depends how my old body stands up to the rigors of a full season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As you know, we don&rsquo;t get any younger every year. I still want to be able to enjoy some of my life that we sacrifice doing what we do.&rdquo;</p><p><b>FOR MORE TALES</b> OF PLAYERS PAST, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

‘BIG BIRD’ PLAYS SECOND FIDDLE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01485/9971226-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="483" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: PERRY NELSON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I crack the top-10 active NHL leaders in goals (434, fourth) and points (935, eighth).</i></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I am the only NHLer to play in three straight Cup finals with three different teams.</i></blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>&ldquo;I am second to Peter Stastny in career points among Slovakian NHLers.&rdquo;</i></blockquote><p>WHO AM I: MARIAN HOSSA<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

Guess WHO!

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02312/9971264-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="230" height="405"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RASK: BRIAN BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TUUKKA RASK</b></h2><p>Finn can stop hockey pucks at more than 100 mph. Crushing loss in &rsquo;13 Stanley Cup final on home ice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03218/9971257-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="231" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RAONIC: MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>MILOS RAONIC</b></h2><p>Canadian can serve tennis balls at more than 150 mph. Crushing loss in &rsquo;13 Rogers Cup final on home court.</p><p><b>Submitted by:</b> J.J. Kelly</p><p>Email your suggestions to <b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-02

Separated AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01477/9971326-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="829" height="745"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: DAVEART.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>JONATHAN BERNIER</b> | TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</p><p>Toronto&rsquo;s nickname, the Maple Leafs, is arguably the NHL&rsquo;s least intimidating, so new netminder Bernier&rsquo;s mask contrasts nicely with it. The Dave Gunnarsson design features a lion, which symbolizes strength, and the retro Leaf crest on the sides.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

Behind THE MASK

<div class="byline">WITH RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02353/9971388-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEX <b>OVECHKIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN ROSE/BONGARTS/GETTY IM AGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01466/9971395-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="159" height="214"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ARD TO BELIEVE A LEAGUE THAT</b> played about half its regular allotment of games last year could be on a roll, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has to feel like he&rsquo;s in a pretty decent place right now.</p><p>After all, NFL head Roger Goodell just conceded $765 million to deal with an historical concussion crisis much worse than anything hockey is faced with, and MLB&rsquo;s Bud Selig has to live with the fact Ryan Braun &ndash; a star in Selig&rsquo;s own market of Milwaukee and a supposed choir boy &ndash; confessed to using performance enhancing drugs while being hit with a 65-game suspension. That&rsquo;s like Henrik Lundqvist slapping a nun in Manhattan.</p><p>On the local front, the Phoenix Coyotes finally found solid owners and just when it looked like the New Jersey Devils would become Bettman&rsquo;s new wards, a couple deep-pocketed financiers showed up to take the keys and keep things humming in Newark. Not only that, but both of the new ownership groups get to come in at a discount, as the CBA-negotiated salary cap is artificially low &ndash; some are even predicting that the current $64.3 million limit will jump to $80 million in the next four years, based on increased revenue.</p><p>Most importantly, the game will have multiple high-visibility showcases thanks to six outdoor games and the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.</p><p>Things are gelling so well for the NHL that if Sochi represents the last time the best in the world play at the Olympics, it&rsquo;s probably for the best.</p><p>Now don&rsquo;t get me wrong, I love the competition and passion the players bring to the Olympics and I&rsquo;ll watch the games, but I just don&rsquo;t want to deal with the icky International Olympic Committee anymore after its fence-sitting on Russia&rsquo;s homophobic edicts and its corporatization of what used to be the finest amateur athletic spectacle in the world.</p><p>Right now, hockey is the only major sport that interrupts its season for the Olympics. Baseball and football aren&rsquo;t included events (though I&rsquo;d love to see American Samoa up on a podium one day), while basketball is part of the Summer Games, even though the NBA plays at virtually the same time as the NHL.</p><p>I understand why it was important for the NHL to get its talent out on Olympic ice in the past few competitions and there have been some great memories, but the NHL is now at the point where it can say thanks, but no thanks.</p><p>Stopping the entire league schedule for a couple weeks is a drag and affects teams disproportionately: a franchise trying to make the playoffs could be penalized simply because its best players are from a wide variety of countries with shallower talent pools, while a better team stocked with good Canadians or Swedes who didn&rsquo;t quite make their national team gets a bigger breather.</p><p>As for international competition and exposure, the NHL should already pat itself on the back for reaching out to Europe the past few years, staging regular season games in different countries and translating <a href="http://NHL.com">NHL.com</a> into seven different languages from the continent. And returning to the World Cup format would be the cherry on top. Previous incarnations have elicited just as many great memories (the 1987 Canada Cup and Team USA&rsquo;s upset at the 1996 World Cup) and managed to do so in the summertime, when no schedule was hindered. We still get a best-on-best format and, if anything, even more of the spotlight since the summer is a relative dead zone for North American pro sports.</p><p>After Sochi, the next Winter Games will be hosted by South Korea, a nation whose contribution to hockey is limited to Jim Paek and Richard Park. I understand why Russia was such an important destination for the NHL &ndash; they&rsquo;re fighting off an increasingly stronger KHL and when Alex Ovechkin tells you years in advance that he&rsquo;s going to play in the Games, permission or not, it&rsquo;s better to avoid that showdown in the most diplomatic way possible.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">WHEN OVECHKIN TELLS YOU YEARS IN ADVANCE THAT HE&rsquo;S GOING TO PLAY IN THE GAMES, PERMISSION OR NOT, IT&rsquo;S BETTER TO AVOID THAT SHOWDOWN</blockquote><p>But the reason NHL participation in Sochi was no sure thing is because the time zones are messed up for North American TV audiences, the travel is difficult and the insurance was a sticking point. Considering all these will still be true for South Korea and there are no home players to offend (Paek is retired, Park plays in Switzerland), the motivation just isn&rsquo;t there anymore for the NHL.</p><p>Recent labor issues notwithstanding, the NHL is on a solid path. It may sound provincial &ndash; and I&rsquo;m sure it sounds snotty &ndash; but the NHL is too good for the Olympics now. Who ever thought Gary Bettman would be able to say that?</p><p>W<b>ANT TO SEE MORE FROM RYAN KENNEDY?</b> READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN AT <b><a href="HTTP://THN.COM/KENNEDY">THN.COM/KENNEDY</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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September 16, 2013

CROSSWORD

JerseyHOUND

THIS GOALIE’S GOT GOALS

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