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.

World Juniors 2014

The Hockey News - World Junior Championship 2014

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06245/9903099-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07214/9903092-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="183" height="207"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08141/9903085-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="1374" height="1029"><figcaption class="caption-body">PATRICK <b>MARLEAU</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARLEAU+ LECAVALIER: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span></b><b>ET&rsquo;S BE HONEST: PATRICK MARLEAU</b> is never going to be a magnet for over-the-top attention. He&rsquo;s tucked away in San Jose, he&rsquo;s the most unassuming guy you&rsquo;re likely to meet and he doesn&rsquo;t wear his heart on his sleeve when he&rsquo;s on the ice.</p><p>But let&rsquo;s be just as honest and give Marleau all the credit we can for being one of the most dependable elite talents of his generation. Because if you don&rsquo;t believe he&rsquo;s been crucial to the Sharks&rsquo; stellar start, you haven&rsquo;t been watching closely.</p><p>And you definitely haven&rsquo;t spoken with his teammates. &ldquo;He does everything for his franchise,&rdquo; said defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been here the longest, he works hard every day, he skates and he scores goals. If he played on the East Coast, he&rsquo;d be the most talked-about player.&rdquo;</p><p>Now in his 16th season, Marleau is as close to an ironclad statistical lock as it gets in the NHL. He&rsquo;s 34, but he&rsquo;s missed only 15 games since 2005-06. In that span, he&rsquo;s had six seasons of at least 30 goals and six of at least 33 assists. With 12 goals and 26 points in 27 games, he was on pace to do the same again in 2013-14 and he&rsquo;s still doing it all at an average speed that blows away the people who see it most often. &ldquo;You hear about his speed, but until you see it firsthand, you don&rsquo;t appreciate it,&rdquo; said defenseman Dan Boyle. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a special skater.&rdquo;</p><p>Sharks GM Doug Wilson chalks that up to Marleau&rsquo;s unsurpassed level of physical conditioning and believes he&rsquo;s a very young 34. And again, his teammates are the ultimate assessors of the payoff that has followed Marleau&rsquo;s hard work. &ldquo;He makes it look easy, playing with him is easy,&rdquo; said center Logan Couture. &ldquo;You know you can put the puck in an area and he&rsquo;ll get it.&rdquo;</p><p>Marleau has no pretentions toward convincing the public how deeply he cares about winning. Where some in the past have questioned that desire, Sharks management never has. They don&rsquo;t need him to make grandiose statements or break into bug-eyed convulsions on the ice when things don&rsquo;t go his way. All they&rsquo;ve ever asked of him is to be himself, be consistent and be a solid teammate. And he&rsquo;s delivered on all counts. &ldquo;Sometimes people want to turn Patty into someone he&rsquo;s not and that&rsquo;s unfair,&rdquo; Boyle said. &ldquo;His play speaks for itself.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01666/9903078-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="305" height="467"></div><p>Thanks to Steve Mason, the Flyers aren&rsquo;t in a slapfight with Buffalo and Florida at the bottom of the East. But the lack of production from the Phillly forwards is troubling. The Flyers didn&rsquo;t have a player in double digits in goals as of early December, with <b>Vincent Lecavalier</b> and Matt Read leading the half-hearted charge.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02450/9903071-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH+WINGELS: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Mike Smith</b> has been a bulwark in net for Phoenix for three seasons, so it&rsquo;s important the Coyotes not push him past the breaking point. Phoenix needs to shore up its 27th-ranked penalty kill and stop allowing so many shots. Smith is third in the league in saves the past three seasons behind Ondrej Pavelec and Ryan Miller.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03381/9903064-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="305" height="465"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NEAL: JOE SARGENT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the Pens can stay healthy, everything will be all right in 2014. Sure, Marc-Andre Fleury will let in a bad goal here or there, but on the whole he&rsquo;s been excellent. <b>James Neal</b> successfully returned from an upper body injury to score nine goals in his first 14 games, meaning the vaunted offensive attack is back to full capacity.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04323/9903057-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERGLUND: MARIANNE HELM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Very little has gone wrong for the Blues, but they&rsquo;d certainly like to see <b>Patrik Berglund</b> get back on track. Two months into the season, he had a single goal. The big pivot was a top-30 goal scorer in the league last season and was one of St. Louis&rsquo; top three goal getters for three consecutive campaigns before the 2013-14 drought.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05279/9903050-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="305" height="463"></div><p>There&rsquo;s not much the Sharks have to do other than pace themselves for April and May. A contrarian might say San Jose must be more physical, as it ranked 30th in hits, less than half L.A.&rsquo;s total. On the other hand, Cup-champion Chicago was 30th in hits last season. <b>Tommy Wingels</b> led San Jose in hits through early December.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

SHARKS LOVE THEIR NATURAL PATRICK

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011494/9902515-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KING&rsquo;S KEY KID</b></p><p>Mike Moller, center in front of coach Dave King, scored the tournament-winner in 1982.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HOCKEY CANADA IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021047/9902522-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>S A BOY GROWING UP IN rural Alberta, Mike Moller was accustomed to matchbox-sized arenas. So it was fitting the scene of his best-known hockey moment &ndash; scoring the gold medal-winning goal that gave Canada its first World Junior Championship in 1982 &ndash; wasn&rsquo;t an NHL-style facility, but rather a rink in Rochester, Minn., that couldn&rsquo;t have had more than 2,000 people in it. &ldquo;Playing in larger centers earlier in the tournament was a thrill,&rdquo; Moller says of the games leading up to the final against the Czechs. &ldquo;Winnipeg and Minnesota fans were just fantastic. But to play that game in a smaller center, where it was standing room only and people were hanging from the rafters, we were in our element.&rdquo;</p><p>Prior to the 1982 WJC, Canada had not succeeded to the degree it became known for years later. Indeed, in &rsquo;81, the Canadians finished seventh. So rather than continue with the semi-regular tradition of sending the Memorial Cup champion squad to represent Canada, team architects decided they would take the best players from anywhere.</p><p>That&rsquo;s just what they did: they selected James Patrick and Troy Murray from the NCAA; Carey Wilson, who&rsquo;d been playing in Finland; and top teens from the Ontario, Quebec and Western Leagues, including Moller and his brother (and fellow future NHLer) Randy. Team brass also conducted a short, summer orientation camp, so in many ways, the genesis of the team-building process now so familiar to Canadians first took root with that &rsquo;82 team.</p><p>But don&rsquo;t kid yourself, the WJC back then didn&rsquo;t have the sophistication it does now. Moller and the Canadians barely had an exhibition schedule in which to work out kinks. And the few games they did play weren&rsquo;t against world-class opponents, but a men&rsquo;s senior league all-star team from southwest Manitoba.</p><p>Compounding matters for Canada was its immediately tough schedule. The tournament then had a round-robin format with no playoff and Canada&rsquo;s first three games were against Finland (silver medalists in 1981), Sweden (the defending champions) and the Soviet Union (which had dominated with four successive gold medal wins prior to &rsquo;81). Improbably, and helped by the fact the first three games took place in the friendly environs of the old Winnipeg Arena, Canada beat the odds and emerged victorious in all three games.</p><p>Moller and his teammates respected all the nations, but he admitted the Soviets &ndash; still largely unknown to North American audiences &ndash; were especially imposing. Making it worse: the game against the U.S.S.R. was televised Canada-wide. The potential for humiliation was great. &ldquo;We were scared spitless,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We were going on national television and we could get thumped.&rdquo;</p><p>The Canadians rose to the occasion and steamrolled the Soviets 7-0, then beat the Americans, West Germans and Swiss to set up the final game against the Czechs, who needed a win to claim gold. Canada only needed a win or tie. Moller scored the third and final goal for his side in that game and Team Canada survived a late Czech charge (and a very late tying goal) to secure the tournament victory. But incredibly, organizers didn&rsquo;t have a proper recording of O Canada to be played at game&rsquo;s end. But that didn&rsquo;t stop Moller and his fellow Canadians from ensuring the song would be heard. They simply sang it themselves. &ldquo;When they didn&rsquo;t have the anthem, our coach Dave King said, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s go, guys, we&rsquo;ll bring the celebration inside,&rsquo; &rdquo; Moller says. &ldquo;And we were like, &lsquo;No, no we&rsquo;re not.&rsquo; It wasn&rsquo;t a great version, but man, did it feel good.&rdquo;</p><p>Moller, who now resides in Red Deer, Alta., and works as an insurance executive, played parts of seven season in the NHL during the 1980s with the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers, but his experience at the world juniors still stands out as particularly special. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so thankful and humbled to have been part of the beginning of it, before it became the huge event it is now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud I get to watch it every Christmas holiday with my family and cheer on Team Canada.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

DIFFERENT TUNE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICHOLAS CARAFA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021426/9901437-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>hris Phillips has stuck with Ottawa for 16 seasons since being drafted first in 1996. He&rsquo;s the top active player on our list of most games played by No. 1 picks with their original team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Follow The LEADER

<div class="byline">BY UFFE BODIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011487/9902143-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BRING A JACKET</b></p><p>Columbus draftee Alexander Wennberg is expected to center Sweden&rsquo;s top line.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-021043/9902150-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>HE LAST TIME THE WORLD Junior Championship was held in Sweden, it marked a shift for the nation&rsquo;s junior hockey. The yellow and blue, led by Nicklas Backstrom, finished fourth in Leksand 2007. It was the first time in several years the Swedes were able to compete with the top nations. Since then, the &ldquo;Juniorkronorna&rdquo; have played four gold medal games and captured one title, courtesy of Mika Zibanejad&rsquo;s overtime goal against Russia at the 2012 event in Calgary.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03772/9902136-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="227" height="149"></div><p>Leading up to this year&rsquo;s tournament in Malmo, expectations for the home side are sky high. And why shouldn&rsquo;t they be? After all, the Swedish class of 1994 birthdays is considered deep and diverse. Coach Rikard Gronborg had an unusually long list of players to follow up on.</p><p>His easiest pick was probably the one between the pipes. Oscar Dansk of the Erie Otters served as the team&rsquo;s third-string goalie in Ufa last year. This will be his time to shine. The Columbus Blue Jackets second-rounder has had a stellar start to the season in the Ontario League and even though Dansk got yanked in a game against Kitchener when Gronborg was there to scout him, the Swedish bench boss has no qualms about his status. &ldquo;He just got back from an injury when I saw him and I actually think it could have been good for him to have a setback like that one,&rdquo; Gronborg said. &ldquo;It usually triggers his competitiveness.&rdquo;</p><p>On defense, Gronborg&rsquo;s team will probably rely on what you might call the best kept secret in Swedish hockey. Very few fans in Sweden know who Gustav Olofsson is. That&rsquo;s because the Boras, Sweden native basically grew up in the U.S. The Colorado College freshman made a strong impression on the Swedish coach when he went to see Olofsson in November. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good skater that sees the ice really well,&rdquo; Gronborg said of the lanky defenseman. &ldquo;I was aware of his good defensive instincts, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was involved offensively as well.&rdquo;</p><p>Up front, Gronborg will have a lot of different weapons to choose from. His top line will likely consist of three players from Frolunda of the Swedish League. Paradoxically, Alexander Wennberg (Columbus), Sebastian Collberg (Montreal) and Andreas Johnson (Toronto) play on three different lines on their club team, but when Gronborg put them together for the Four Nations&rsquo; tournament in Russia, sweet chemistry transpired. &ldquo;They dominated right off the bat&rdquo;, Gronborg said. &ldquo;We had Gustav Possler with Sebastian and Alex before, but when he got injured, we put Andreas there because he&rsquo;s the same type of player. A goal scorer who&rsquo;s gifted around the net.&rdquo;</p><p>Johnson made big headlines during the first half of the season. The diminutive left winger scored 10 goals in the first 17 games and was an early candidate for the rookie of the year award.</p><p>His knack for scoring big goals could come in handy for a Swedish team looking to please the home crowd with a gold medal in Malmo.</p><h2><b>MEDALCOUNT SINCE 1977</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-10200/9902129-1-eng-US/f0028-102.jpg" title="f0028-10" width="692" height="180"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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ABUNDANCE OF RICHES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012212/9901113-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HAVE A SEAT, SON</b></p><p>With foes buzzing around him, Victor Hedman takes a respite on top of his goalie, Ben Bishop.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SABAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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OPENING FACEOFF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012266/9901151-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="526" height="922"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN BROOK/TC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>S THE SHOCK AND &lsquo;HUH?&rsquo;</b> of the NHL&rsquo;s $5.2-billion pact with Rogers subsides, several questions linger about the landscape of hockey broadcasting in Canada, how our viewing habits may change and what personalities will be speaking at us in the coming years. We&rsquo;re also left wondering how TSN&rsquo;s diminished role will impact how we consume our favorite passion. (See pg. 6 for more on the deal).</p><p>I&rsquo;ll acknowledge bias because of my relationships with some of TSN&rsquo;s key hockey personalities. Bob McKenzie gave me my break in the business when he hired me at The Hockey News nearly 25 years ago. His successor at THN, Steve Dryden, was my editor and mentor for more than a decade before he became the senior managing editor (hockey content) at the network. James Duthie and I were classmates at Carleton University&rsquo;s School of Journalism for four years. They&rsquo;ve all been supporters of our brand and I&rsquo;ve been a fan of their work.</p><p>Even if those ties didn&rsquo;t exist, I&rsquo;d like to think I&rsquo;d still be wowed by their product and level of respect they&rsquo;ve attained. While I&rsquo;m confident Rogers, who is vowing to invest heavily in their baby, will deliver very strong programming, TSN, to this point, has been the gold standard.</p><p>Of course, TSN isn&rsquo;t disappearing. It continues to hold regional rights for the Leafs, Canadiens and Jets and might purchase some of Rogers&rsquo; inventory as the deal matures. It will continue to be a presence with their ancillary puck programming, such as <i>That&rsquo;s Hockey</i>.</p><p>At the same time, its deal to air the World Junior Championship &ndash; the prime subject matter of this edition &ndash; extends through 2024. TSN, to borrow and twist a line from <i>To Sir, With Love</i> (and Dryden), has taken the WJC from crayons to cologne. It&rsquo;s become a made-for-TV holiday tradition in Canada thanks in large part to the network.</p><p>Which raises another question: did TSN have a similar impact on the NHL&rsquo;s booming fandom in Canada, with heightened exposure of events such as trade deadline, entry draft, season preview, draft lottery and free agency specials? Or did the NHL properties help grow the TSN brand and line the corporate coffers? The answer surely lies someplace in the middle. We&rsquo;ll get a better sense of how much TSN contributed to our experience beginning October 2014, when Rogers goes prime time. For their sake and our enjoyment, we wish them success.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021918/9901144-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> JANUARY 20, 2014</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE ARTFUL ROGERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012495/9901213-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="248" height="282"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021704/9901206-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1032" height="780"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BOLD NEW WORLD</b></p><p>Gary Bettman, Rogers CEO Nadir Mohamed and Rogers media president Keith Pelley celebrate the new TV deal.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON VINCENT ELKAIM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b><b>HEN MASS CONSUMPTION</b> of hockey began in the 1930s, families gathered around the radio like it was a hearth to hang on every word of Foster Hewitt. Twenty years later, <i>Hockey Night in Canada</i> began developing what would become an iconic brand when those fans moved en masse to television.</p><p>And now, 60 years after the game first appeared on the small screen, the TV screens aren&rsquo;t so small anymore. Neither is the money, as evidenced by Rogers Communications paying $5.2 billion for the exclusive TV and digital rights to the NHL in Canada, beginning in 2014-15. The deal represents more than two-and-a-half times as much money as the league got from NBC for the American television rights in 2011 and the payday for the league&rsquo;s product went from $162 million a year in Canada to $414 million.</p><p>The rights for the staggering deal give Rogers the opportunity to distribute NHL content across all platforms and all screens, but Rogers Media president Keith Pelley knows it&rsquo;s still about grabbing a beer and watching the game from the barcalounger in front of the TV. It&rsquo;s estimated there are 39 million IP screens (smartphones, tablets, laptops) in Canada, but when was the last time you saw a guy invite his pals over to watch the game on his iPhone?</p><p>Yes, as this deal evolves, more people will watch games on their smartphones, on their tablets and on anything else that might be invented in the next 12 years. &ldquo;But at the end of the day, if you catapult ahead 10 years, there will be more and more big screens in the house,&rdquo; Pelley said. &ldquo;How the content will be transferred to that screen is open to all kinds of debate. More people are putting big screens in their homes and I still believe that people want to watch sports on a big screen.&rdquo;</p><p>The people at Rogers must feel as though they won the lottery. For the first time since TSN came into being, Rogers has the most valuable sports content in Canada all to themselves with nothing but a blank canvas in front of them for the next 12 years. The number of outlets they have at their disposal is staggering, which has prompted Pelley to allay any fears that hockey will follow the European pay-per-view model for sports. Consumption of the total product will cost more, perhaps a couple more dollars a month if you already subscribe. But for those who have only over-the-air coverage and want to see the playoffs before the Stanley Cup final next season, they will have to shell out to do so because CBC is limited to the Cup final and a handful of other playoff games.</p><p>But Pelley says people will get more, not less, games on TV for free. For the next four years, Rogers will air games on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays and there will likely be another national game Wednesday night on City TV outlets, which can be accessed by about 90 percent of the TVs in Canada. &ldquo;There are going to be more games on conventional television in 2014-15 than there have ever been before,&rdquo; Pelley said. &ldquo;There will be all kinds of content available that you can consume. Some will be paid, some will be free, but at the end of the day, we want to give consumers the content they want. It&rsquo;s about consumers having way more choice, both in a pay model and definitely in an over-the-air as well. Unless the conventional networks cease to exist, but I don&rsquo;t see a world where they don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;</p><p>That means if fans want to watch a game from the vantage point of a Sidney Crosby isolated camera, that will be available, perhaps online. Or if they want a network that flips from game to game, perhaps just going to a game during a power play, that&rsquo;s what Rogers plans to deliver. When the deal was announced, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman pointed out he likes to watch games on his TV, but his grandchildren prefer handheld devices. Pelley also understands that generational divergence. He said his own 10-year-old son always has his laptop open while watching sports. &ldquo;Just last week he was following his fantasy football league while he was watching football,&rdquo; Pelley said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how the new generation is consuming media. That&rsquo;s why the term of this deal was absolutely critical, because in the era of technology where things are changing, not only yearly, but monthly and weekly, it&rsquo;s really, really tough to predict exactly what is going to happen.&rdquo;</p><p>This deal is a game changer, to be sure. Not only does it alter the viewing landscape, it adds about $4 million a year to each team&rsquo;s salary cap. That&rsquo;s a good thing if you&rsquo;re a large market team bumping up against the cap, but will the bottom feeders be able to keep up as the floor rises? It&rsquo;s all about growing the business of hockey and Rogers has gone all-in on that front. Pelley acknowledges the network and the NHL are involved in a &ldquo;partnership&rdquo; rather than a rightsholder arrangement. The more Rogers sells the game, the better it is for them.</p><p>Pelley has also said Rogers will be more interested in promoting the stars of the NHL than tackling the deeper issues facing the league. Which is all well and good, but how much will the Rogers-employed partners with the NHL be willing to take a critical look at the way the league sometimes does business and runs its game? And when Rogers is the only voice, there&rsquo;s a chance the opinions become sanitized.</p><p>When it comes to HNIC, the flagship program will be getting a facelift. It won&rsquo;t be exclusively on CBC and will allow Canadians to see teams outside their market on national broadcasts. The fate of Don Cherry hasn&rsquo;t been decided. It was notable that Pelley didn&rsquo;t address Cherry&rsquo;s future the day the deal was announced, but claimed nothing should be read into that. It&rsquo;s all about planning and not making premature bold proclamations.</p><p>When it comes to those, Pelley was prepared to make only this one: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just acquired the most compelling, most sought-after content in Canada.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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GETTING EYES ON THE PRIZE

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021504/9901244-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012198/9901275-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="537" height="632"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GRETZKY: ALLEN BEREZOVSKY/WIREIMAGE)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>RAISING ARIZONA</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he NHL and <b><i>Wayne Gretzky</i></b> finally settle on the matter of getting The Great One the millions he was owed by former Phoenix owner, Jerry Moyes.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>LONELY ISLAND</b></h3><p>After looking like a team on the rise, the New York Islanders capsized in November, going 4-10-1 and dropping to the bottom of the Metro Division.</p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>CRUSADE A SUCCESS</b></h3><p>Holy Cross becomes the first team from the Atlantic Hockey conference to beat Boston College when the Crusaders shocked the Eagles 5-4.</p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>BAFFLED IN BUFF</b></h3><p>Aside from their two wins over Toronto, the Sabres remain the league&rsquo;s worst team by far. Have they already secured top seed in the draft drawing?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012384/9901306-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="928" height="1421"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE STARS ARE NOT OUT</b></p><p>Every four years, the CWHL&rsquo;s best, like Julie Chu, leave to prepare for the Olympics.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CHU: BRANDON TAYLOR/CWHL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b><b>HREE OUT OF EVERY FOUR YEARS, THE CANADIAN</b> Women&rsquo;s League features the best female players competing to win a Clarkson Cup. But in one out of every four years, the best depart their CWHL teams for a handful of months to compete for their homelands at the Winter Olympics.</p><p>Nobody associated with the league would deny it takes a hit in caliber of play with its top talent gone. That would be true of any pro sports operation. Yet all involved with the women&rsquo;s game understand the spotlight afforded women&rsquo;s hockey at the Olympics does as good a job selling the sport as any league or series of games, so it&rsquo;s building the best way it can &ndash; by strengthening and expanding the base. &ldquo;Definitely the league misses not having some of the top national team members during an Olympic year, but what is amazing about the league is that the graduates coming out of college are really strong,&rdquo; said Julie Chu, U.S. Olympic veteran and CWHL star. &ldquo;A lot of players have been in under-22 programs for the U.S. and Canada and they&rsquo;re competing at a really high level. Just looking at the rosters, they&rsquo;re all players who&rsquo;ve been successful at the AAA or (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) levels.&rdquo;</p><p>After a stellar NCAA career at Harvard, Chu, 31, first played for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Western Women&rsquo;s League and won the 2010 Clarkson Cup (as well as tournament MVP) before joining the Montreal Stars for 2010-11. One of the ways she finds inspiration is through teammates who won&rsquo;t play for their national team and are in the CWHL strictly for the love of the sport.</p><p>As an example, Chu points to Stars forward Lisa-Marie Breton-Lebreux, who captained her Concordia University team for two years and later joined the CWHL in 2007. Breton-Lebreux was one of the people instrumental in the CWHL&rsquo;s existence and her relentless enthusiasm to grow the women&rsquo;s game is one of the things that sustains the league. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s the most passionate woman ever about hockey, about the CWHL and winning a Clarkson Cup,&rdquo; Chu said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s awesome and it&rsquo;s infectious.&rdquo;</p><p>That increased level of competition for Olympic spots hurt 2010 Olympian Tessa Bonhomme, who was unexpectedly cut from Canada&rsquo;s Sochi team. But Bonhomme immediately returned to the CWHL and will raise the league&rsquo;s talent level. Canadian and CWHL superstar Meghan Agosta-Marciano, arguably the world&rsquo;s best female player, said the game has improved to the point Team Canada brass could choose from a larger group than the 27 players who began at the national team&rsquo;s first Olympics camp this year. &ldquo;We have so much talent, so much skill now,&rdquo; Agosta-Marciano said. &ldquo;The game has grown tremendously and there&rsquo;s a lot of great players who are around now. And the improvement in the CWHL is pretty encouraging for all of us who are part of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Regardless of who is taking the ice in any CWHL game, the continued existence of the league is a beachhead for building women&rsquo;s hockey, not just at the amateur level. The CWHL is vital in giving Olympians and non-Olympians alike a place to hone their craft year-in and year-out. There are no other options out there for elite female players. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s still room for growth in the CWHL,&rdquo; said Team Canada women&rsquo;s coach Dan Church. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a really important part of the development stream now.&rdquo;</p><p>And that&rsquo;s considerably more crucial than a few months of Olympic-related inconvenience.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

MISSING IN ACTION

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICHOLAS CARAFA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021828/9901344-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="506" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATT <b>DUCHENE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DUCHENE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031305/9901337-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="593" height="649"><figcaption class="caption-body">CODY <b>HODGSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HODGSON: JEN FULLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ith around 600 lakes</b> close by, there&rsquo;s always ice to skate on in Haliburton, Ont., for those who like to play grassroots style. Perhaps it&rsquo;s this outdoor vibe that has produced such high-end talent as current NHLers Matt Duchene and Cody Hodgson, as well as retired stars Bernie Nicholls and Ron Stackhouse.</p><p>Whatever it is, Charlie Teljeur &ndash; the man behind THN&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Instigator&rdquo; cartoon &ndash; and Wayde Greer, both from Haliburton, have produced a documentary called <i>There&rsquo;s Something in the Water</i> to show how this small northern Ontario town became a hockey factory. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s something weird, odd and cool about this area (in terms of developing players),&rdquo; Teljeur said.</p><p>Hockey writers Roy MacGregor and David Shoalts, and broadcasters Bob McKenzie and Glenn Healy, appear in the doc, as well as David Branch, Canadian Hockey League president, and Jim Gregory, NHL senior VP of operations. The film premieres on a 40-foot screen in Head Lake Park Jan. 25, 2014, at 7 p.m.</p><p>TSN&rsquo;s James Duthie, who narrates the documentary, will host the event, which coincides with the Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships held that weekend. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t see stuff like this, people don&rsquo;t premiere movies outside,&rdquo; Teljeur said. &ldquo;Yes, there&rsquo;s obviously an element of craziness to it. Who the hell wants to be outside when it&rsquo;s minus-20? Well, that&rsquo;s the appeal &ndash; that&rsquo;s the Canadian way. We thought, &lsquo;What a better way to put a stamp on it?&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Haliburton (not to be confused with the surrounding area of Haliburton County) has a population around 5,000, but its quartet of NHL alumni &ndash; Duchene, Hodgson, Nicholls and Stackhouse &ndash; has played nearly 2,500 NHL games. &ldquo;The guys who made it in the NHL from here aren&rsquo;t guys who are fourth-line centers who played three games,&rdquo; Teljeur said. &ldquo;Two of them who made it there were pretty phenomenal players and the two that are in there now are on their way.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

HOCKEY HEAVEN

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012359/9901375-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MOMMA KNOWS BEST</b></p><p>Manon Rheaume helps prepare her son Dylan St. Cyr for the pressures of being a goalie.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(KEN CAMPBELL)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>RIOR TO EVERY GAME HE</b> plays, Dylan St. Cyr has a ritual. He absolutely must make a glove save on the last shot during warmup, then he drops the puck and skates out of his crease. Judging by how good he is, despite being barely into his teens, the routine seems to be working pretty well for him.</p><p>St. Cyr is a 14-year-old playing for one of the top midget teams in North America: Detroit HoneyBaked. In the recent Silver Stick Championship tournament in Whitby, Ont., he backstopped his team to the championship by posting five straight shutouts. He led HoneyBaked to a national bantam championship last season and is a rising star among American-born goalies.</p><p>Like a lot of good hockey players, he possesses excellent genes. His father, Gerry, was once a star in the Western League and played five years of pro hockey in the minors. Now, most would automatically think the good bloodlines would naturally flow from Dad. But what a lot of people don&rsquo;t know about the goalie is he&rsquo;s also the son of Manon Rheaume, a women&rsquo;s goaltending pioneer, a former world women&rsquo;s champion and Olympian, and the first woman to appear in an NHL pre-season game.</p><p>Twenty-one years after playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rheaume, 41, looks pretty much the same. But now she&rsquo;s a hockey mom who can legitimately provide tips to her hockey-playing sons. &ldquo;I see a lot of myself when I watch him play,&rdquo; Rheaume said. &ldquo;Making a glove save at the end of every warmup, I used to do exactly the same thing. And I never even told him about that. It&rsquo;s a little bit scary, actually.&rdquo;</p><p>The mother also sees other similarities when she watches her son play. Growing up in Quebec, Rheaume was always the only girl on her elite teams and felt she had to overcome the gender bias by working even harder to prove she belonged. St. Cyr, on the other hand, has played up a year on every team of which he has been a part and has had to earn every bit of playing time he has received.</p><p>About the only knock against St. Cyr is that he&rsquo;s currently not much bigger than his mother. At 5-foot-7 and 156 pounds, he doesn&rsquo;t fit the mold of today&rsquo;s big butterfly goaltender, but his father is six-feet tall and Dylan still has time to grow.</p><p>Like Martin Brodeur, St. Cyr manages to keep a high concentration level despite the low number of pucks he faces. And he&rsquo;s definitely a gamer. Anyone who can post five shutouts in a tournament &ndash; the second time he&rsquo;s done that this season &ndash; is someone who can be relied upon in big games. He points to his mother&rsquo;s influence, saying she worked with him on technique, but her tutelage was far more valuable when it came to dealing with the mental aspects of the game. &ldquo;I love big games,&rdquo; St. Cyr said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what it is about them, but that&rsquo;s where I really seem to shine. I definitely love the pressure of those games.&rdquo;</p><p>St. Cyr was born in Las Vegas and has grown up in suburban Detroit. With both of his parents born in Canada, he holds dual citizenship, but considers himself an American for hockey purposes. The Ontario League will hold his major junior draft rights &ndash; when he&rsquo;s eligible in 2015 &ndash; but he&rsquo;s unsure of his future.</p><p>One thing he is certain about is that he wants to play on the U.S. National Team Development Program, but he&rsquo;s a year away from joining the under-17 team. And he&rsquo;ll only be able to play in the United States League next season if he&rsquo;s deemed an exceptional player, so it may be another year of dominating the competition at the minor midget level. It would mark the first time St. Cyr has played with his age group. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see where I fit in,&rdquo; St. Cyr said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a decision I&rsquo;m going to have to make later.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

APPLE HASN’T FALLEN FAR

<div class="byline">&#x2013; CURTIS NG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011959/9901406-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="175" height="176"></div><h2><b>NEW JERSEY DEVILS <i>(1982-present)</i></b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Colorado Rockies were one of the worst teams in NHL history with a record of 113-281-86. Attendance was decent, but the on-ice product was horrific. The team made the playoffs once in six seasons of existence: a first-round ouster by the Philadelphia Flyers in Colorado&rsquo;s sophomore season. Off the ice, things were equally dicey. Between 1978 and 1982, the franchise was sold three times. The final sale was to shipping magnate John McMullen, who relocated the team to New Jersey. When the franchise moved east, it needed a new name, since &lsquo;New Jersey Rockies&rsquo; wouldn&rsquo;t have made sense. A public contest was held and &lsquo;Devils&rsquo; beat out 11 other finalists: the Americans, Blades, Colonials, Lightning, Meadowlarks, Meadow-landers, Coastals, Generals, Gulls, Jaguars and Patriots. The announcement was met with outrage from a few religious types. But though the logo is quite devilish, the name is actually derived from secular origins. According to local legend, a creature called the Jersey Devil haunts the Pines Barrens of New Jersey. Its birth is shrouded in mystery.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

Behind THE NAME

<div class="byline">BY NICHOLAS CARAFA, CURTIS NG, GARRETT PERRY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012299/9901615-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">RAIMO <b>HELMINEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Sochi Games will be the sixth Olympics for TEEMU <b>SELANNE</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021814/9901608-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="490" height="407"></div><p>Only one player &ndash; Raimo Helminen, another Finn &ndash; has as many appearances. Selanne is also the leading scorer in Olympic hockey history, dating to the Albertville Games in 1992, with 37 points &ndash; including 20 goals &ndash; in 31 games. He was named best forward in 2006</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031173/9901601-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="335" height="316"></div><p><b>18</b>&nbsp;short-handed Goals scored in the <b>TULSA OILERS&rsquo;</b> 10-8 win over the Allen Americans Nov. 23. The 18 goals are the most in a game since the Central League merged with the Western Pro League in 2001. The game featured 31 assists, 101 PIM, plus eight power play, one and one penalty shot goal</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04705/9901594-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="520" height="758"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05495/9901587-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="388" height="235"></div><p>Red Wings and Team Canada coach <b>MIKE BABCOCK</b> received an honorary doctorate of law from McGill University, where he studied and played from 1983 to 1987</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06399/9901580-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="266" height="291"></div><p>The four stripes on the New York Islanders logo for the team&rsquo;s outdoor game Jan. 29 against the Rangers represent the franchise&rsquo;s four Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983</p><p>In <i>Forbes&rsquo;</i> 2013 ranking of NHL team values, all seven Canadian clubs are in the top 16 for the first time since the annual list began in 1998. It&rsquo;s also the first time three of the top five have been Canadian</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07327/9901573-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="256" height="123"></div><p><b>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</b></p><p>2013: 1st ($1.15B)</p><p>1998: 11th ($119M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-08276/9901566-1-eng-US/f0012-082.jpg" title="f0012-08" width="256" height="124"></div><p><b>MONTREAL CANADIENS</b></p><p>2013: 3rd ($775M)</p><p>1998: 7th ($167M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-09220/9901559-1-eng-US/f0012-092.jpg" title="f0012-09" width="253" height="123"></div><p><b>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</b></p><p>2013: 4th ($700M)</p><p>1998: 19th ($100M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-10195/9901552-1-eng-US/f0012-102.jpg" title="f0012-10" width="257" height="123"></div><p><b>CALGARY FLAMES</b></p><p>2013: 11th ($420M)</p><p>1998: 25th ($78M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-11181/9901545-1-eng-US/f0012-112.jpg" title="f0012-11" width="250" height="122"></div><p><b>EDMONTON OILERS</b></p><p>2013: 14th ($400M)</p><p>1998: 26th ($67M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-12155/9901538-1-eng-US/f0012-122.jpg" title="f0012-12" width="255" height="124"></div><p><b>OTTAWA SENATORS</b></p><p>2013: 15th ($380M)</p><p>1998: 20th ($94M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-13138/9901531-1-eng-US/f0012-132.jpg" title="f0012-13" width="253" height="122"></div><p><b>WINNIPEG JETS</b></p><p>2013: 16th ($340M)</p><p>2011: 24th ($164M)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-14128/9901524-1-eng-US/f0012-142.jpg" title="f0012-14" width="687" height="493"></div><p>At the <b>CALGARY HITMEN&rsquo;S</b> annual Teddy Bear Toss game, there were <b>25,921</b> bears thrown onto the ice after the team&rsquo;s first goal in the WHL game. There were <b>17,199</b> humans in attendance at the Dec. 1 game</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-012003/9901517-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1398" height="1354"></div><p>As of early December, <b>MARTIN BRODEUR</b> had more career shutouts <b>(123)</b> than <b>CORY SCHNEIDER</b> had games played <b>(111)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-15120/9901510-1-eng-US/f0012-152.jpg" title="f0012-15" width="544" height="472"></div><p>Rapid City&rsquo;s Scott Wray became just the sixth player to reach <b>700</b> games in the Central League. Earlier this season, he scored his <b>300</b><sup><b>th</b></sup> career goal</p><p>If a <b>QMJHL</b> team wins the Memorial Cup in 2014, it will be the fourth straight championship for the league, a tournament first. The last time a CHL league produced three consecutive champs was back in 1987 (WHL: Medicine Hat Tigers back-to-back, followed by the Swift Current Broncos)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-16108/9901503-1-eng-US/f0012-162.jpg" title="f0012-16" width="369" height="339"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-1879/9901496-1-eng-US/f0012-182.jpg" title="f0012-18" width="237" height="256"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-1969/9901489-1-eng-US/f0012-192.jpg" title="f0012-19" width="238" height="256"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-2064/9901482-1-eng-US/f0012-202.jpg" title="f0012-20" width="236" height="285"></div><h2><b>OUTDOOR GAME FACTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-2149/9901475-1-eng-US/f0012-212.jpg" title="f0012-21" width="183" height="207"></div><p><b>&gt;</b> There will be six outdoor games this season: <b>1</b> Winter Classic, <b>1</b> Heritage Classic, <b>4</b> Stadium Series</p><p><b>&gt;</b> The <b>PENGUINS</b> and <b>RANGERS</b> will compete in their league-leading third outdoor games</p><p><b>&gt;</b> The <b>RANGERS</b> will play two outdoor games in three days</p><p><b>&gt;</b> By the end of the season, <b>18</b> of the NHL&rsquo;s <b>30</b> teams will have played at least one outdoor game since the league&rsquo;s first such event <b>10</b> years ago</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-1791/9901468-1-eng-US/f0012-172.jpg" title="f0012-17" width="534" height="217"></div><p>Of the 28 officials named for the Sochi Games, seven referees and six linesmen are from the NHL: <b>REFS:</b> Dave Jackson, Mike Leggo, Brad Meier, Tim Peel, Kevin Pollock, Kelly Sutherland, Ian Walsh <b>LINESMEN:</b> Derek Amel, Lonnie Cameron, Greg Devorski, Brad Kovachik, Andy McElman, Jesse Wilmot<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Ice CHIPS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021716/9901646-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MAKING HEADLINES</b></p><p>Gary Leeman is part of the group that has filed suit against the NHL, claiming the league was negligent.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012278/9901653-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="194" height="229"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CONCUSSION-RELATED LAWSUIT</b> involving the NHL and a group of retired players wasn&rsquo;t a stop-the-presses, news bolt from the blue. This was a long-range ballistic missile picked up on radar years ago, which is why the league has maneuvered to better-protect itself from the potential perils of high-stakes litigation by implementing harsher penalties for headshots.</p><p>But just because NHL brass has seen this moment coming doesn&rsquo;t mean the road ahead is quite so predictable. From here it gets murky. And I can assure you anyone who assures you otherwise is not telling you the truth.</p><p>When the retired NHLers&rsquo; lawsuit was filed Nov. 25, just 10 players &ndash; including Gary Leeman and Rick Vaive (the latter of whom has since dropped out) &ndash; were involved. Lawyers Mel Owens (a former NFL linebacker-turned disability attorney) and Steve Silverman have since claimed the number of players behind the suit has grown to 200, but didn&rsquo;t reveal names. However, the essence of their argument &ndash; that the NHL &ldquo;has behaved negligently and fraudulently&rdquo; when it came to head injuries &ndash; sets the bar high for them in a court of law.</p><p>The key word is &ldquo;fraud&rdquo; &ndash; as in a willing deception upon a victim. Absent some smoking-gun intra-league memo or spy camera footage featuring NHL bigwigs admitting they withheld information or misled members of the NHLPA, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine the plaintiffs making a fraud charge stick. It&rsquo;s not out of the realm of possibility, but it&rsquo;s approaching the town line of the realm.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;ALL IT WILL TAKE IS ONE TRIUMPHANT PLAINTIFF TO EFFECT CHANGE IN A MANNER UNSEEN IN PRO HOCKEY CIRCLES</blockquote><p>However, regardless of the way the lawsuit plays out, the only certainty regarding the issue is there will be more lawsuits to come, more potential multi-million-dollar settlements, more opportunities to bring the culture of the NHL game under the glare of court systems.</p><p>Heck, there are court cases already in the pipeline that could alter the NHL&rsquo;s rules and/or work environment. Former NHLer Steve Moore&rsquo;s lawsuit against Todd Bertuzzi is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2014 in an Ontario court and although Moore isn&rsquo;t suing the NHL specifically, the ramifications of a victory by him would be widespread.</p><p>Even after both these court cases are decided, the possibility of additional lawsuits is high. Once the NHLers who played in the post-obstruction (read: very fast) era retire, once science progresses to new understandings of the damage done by concussions, there will be more lawyers who convince ex-players they&rsquo;ve got sufficient cause to sue.</p><p>And when I say sue, I don&rsquo;t mean only sue the NHL. There&rsquo;s also a chance the NHLPA &ndash; a union that traditionally hasn&rsquo;t placed the health interests of its constituents at the very top of its mission statement &ndash; gets sued as well.</p><p>The NHL has some very smart attorneys working to ensure no suit against the league will be successful. But the court system ultimately is out of the NHL&rsquo;s control. And all it will take is one triumphant plaintiff to effect change in a manner previously unseen in professional hockey circles.</p><p>While it&rsquo;s tempting to poke holes in the approach of the first group of NHLers to sue the league, it would be foolish to imagine one court case settled in favor of team owners guarantees nothing but ownership victories down the line. Count on more of these legal challenges to come.</p><p><b>WANT MORE PROTEAU?</b> GET DAILY UPDATES AT <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

THE TIP OF THE LAWSUIT ICEBERG

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012044/9901761-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011756/9901754-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>N PAST EDITIONS OF THE WORLD Junior Championship, teams have scorched the round-robin portion of the tourney to secure a bye into the semifinals. But that option is no longer available.</p><p>Now, the top four teams from both groups qualify for the quarterfinal, while the bottom team from each group duke it out in a best-of-three to avoid relegation. While Canada and Sweden have often won their pools, each nation has only won the tournament once in the past five years, so having an extra day off hasn&rsquo;t meant much in the grand scheme of things.</p><p>But make no mistake: this new wrinkle in WJC protocol gives more nations a chance to spring mammoth upsets, since there are now two more do-or-die games.</p><p>With Finland flaming out last year, Group B is particularly loaded this time around. That&rsquo;s unsettling news for Group A, where even the winner of the round-robin will play a single-elimination game against a tough squad from the other side. Canada or the United States are looking at the Finns or Swiss in the quarterfinal &ndash; and you can ask the Russians from 2010 what Switzerland can do with a hot goalie and a lot of defensive discipline in a one-game playoff.</p><p>On the other hand, Canada may welcome the extra game. After all, elite defenseman Griffin Reinhart, one of the few Canucks with WJC experience, will be banned for the first three games of the tournament in Malmo thanks to a suspension he began last year in Ufa, Russia. Canada will be fine without him in round-robin games against the Czechs, Slovakia and Germany, but having one more game of work before a medal is on the line will naturally help Reinhart get back into game form.</p><p>The other change in the schedule is the elimination of the &ldquo;fifth-place game,&rdquo; a.k.a. &ldquo;hot death for viewers.&rdquo; This was contested by the losers of the quarterfinals and took place the day before the gold and bronze medal games. It was sparsely attended and the teams, not even really interested in playing for pride at that point, often sleepwalked through those final 60 minutes of their tournament.</p><p>As always, the biggest day of the roundrobin will be New Year&rsquo;s Eve, when Canada takes on the U.S., Sweden tangles with Russia and Slovakia locks horns with the Czech Republic. The first two matches will likely determine the No. 1 seeds for the playoffs, while the latter is just a great match between two nations that used to be one. It may also turn into a knockout game for one of the teams, should Germany pull an upset earlier on. And given the presence of Leon Draisaitl on the German side, that&rsquo;s not an impossibility.</p><p>Now the big questions come to the fore: will Canada finally break its four-year hex at the world juniors, a slide that culminated in missing the podium altogether last year? Can Team USA win its third gold in five years or will Sweden triumph on home ice after overachieving with a young squad in Ufa and nabbing silver? And what of those mysterious Russians? In the following package, we set the scene.</p><h2><b>2014 MALMO PREDICTIONS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021336/9901747-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="216" height="136"></div><p><b>1. SWEDEN</b></p><p>Group B /// Last year: 2nd</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03949/9901740-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="200" height="120"></div><p><b>2. CANADA</b></p><p>Group A /// Last year: 4th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04694/9901733-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="197" height="121"></div><p><b>3. RUSSIA</b></p><p>Group B /// Last year: 3rd</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05488/9901726-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="201" height="114"></div><p><b>4. UNITED STATES</b></p><p>Group A /// Last year: 1st</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06375/9901719-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="200" height="117"></div><p><b>5. FINLAND</b></p><p>Group B /// Last year: 7th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07303/9901712-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="196" height="112"></div><p><b>6. CZECH REPUBLIC</b></p><p>Group A /// Last year: 5th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08252/9901705-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="199" height="118"></div><p><b>7. SWITZERLAND</b></p><p>Group B /// Last year: 6th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09211/9901698-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="200" height="118"></div><p><b>8. SLOVAKIA</b></p><p>Group A /// Last year: 8th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10190/9901691-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="200" height="110"></div><p><b>9. GERMANY</b></p><p>Group A /// Last year: 9th</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11163/9901684-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="202" height="116"></div><p><b>10. NORWAY</b></p><p>Group B /// Last year: n/a</p><h2><b>WHAT&rsquo;S INSIDE</b></h2><p><b>CANADA</b> New coaches bring new attitude, while Drouin becomes the man, <b>pg. 18</b></p><p><b>U.S.</b> New faces abound for &rsquo;13 champs, but all eyes on returning goalie, <b>pg. 22</b></p><p><b>RUSSIA</b> This ain&rsquo;t your grandpa&rsquo;s team&hellip; this year it&rsquo;s all about the keeper, <b>pg. 26</b></p><p><b>SWEDEN</b> No holes anywhere in home team&rsquo;s impressive lineup, <b>pg. 28</b></p><p><b>FINLAND</b> On the rebound after ugh-worthy outcome in Ufa, <b>pg. 29</b></p><p><b>THE OTHERS</b> Who can step up?, <b>pg. 30</b></p><p><b>NHL EFFECT</b> Pressure-packed WJC games do a young prospect well, <b>pg. 32</b></p><p><b>HOST CITY</b> Malmo need-to-know, <b>pg. 33</b></p><p><b>WHERE ARE THEY NOW?</b> 1982 hero Mike Moller sung his own tune, <b>pg. 34</b></p><p>CHECK OUT <a href="http://THN.COM/WJC">THN.COM/WJC</a> FOR FULL SCHEDULE & RESULTS<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-01

NOWHERE TO HIDE

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011921/9901848-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ZACH IS BACK</b></p><p>Zach Fucale gives Canada the stability it has lacked in goal for several tournaments.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021422/9901855-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>T&rsquo;S BEEN FOUR STRAIGHT TOURNAMENTS without a gold medal for Team Canada and the Canucks have actually been getting further from the top of the podium each year. From losing the gold in overtime in 2010, then losing it in the third period, then winning the bronze, then losing the bronze last year in Ufa, Russia, Canada needed a reboot.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-031009/9901841-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="226" height="148"></div><p>The national program underwent a major overhaul in the summer, with a lot more voices contributing to the cause, many of whom are the top minds in major junior. Brent Sutter &ndash; who has never lost a game at the world juniors, let alone a gold &ndash; is back behind the bench, while distinguished minds such as Benoit Groulx, Ryan McGill, Sean Burke and Bruce Hamilton are also part of the staff. The first big change was the final camp roster, which featured just 25 players.</p><p>&ldquo;It takes away a lot of the uncertainty for the players, coaches and management,&rdquo; said head scout Ryan Jankowski. &ldquo;We put in the effort to evaluate everyone in the summer and through the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Going down to 25 by early December meant both goalies had already been picked and the sordid tradition of reporters interviewing bleary-eyed teens who had just been cut was minimized: only two forwards and a defenseman had to be jettisoned. Netminding has been a sore spot for Canada in the past few years, but Burke and fellow ex-NHL goalie Fred Brathwaite are taking ownership over Zach Fucale (Montreal, 36th overall in 2013) and Jake Paterson (Detroit, 80th in &rsquo;12). &ldquo;We are very confident in the two goalies we have,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;At camp, we just want them to get used to their teammates. Freddy is going to be out on the ice with them to tweak their games.&rdquo;</p><p>One other factor to consider with Canada is penalty trouble. The aggressive Canadian kids have often gotten into hot water in this tourney because their big hits are sometimes deemed charging or boarding by international refs, even though they wouldn&rsquo;t warrant penalties back home. And with Griffin Reinhart already sitting out three games for a suspension he was given in Ufa last year, the Canadians can ill afford to have another skater banned, particularly a blueliner.</p><p>Canada has the talent to win it all, now it&rsquo;s just a matter of putting it all together again.</p><h2><b>OFFENSE</b></h2><p>If the Canadian brass took away anything from the CHL-Russia Super Series, it&rsquo;s that a &lsquo;French Connection&rsquo; line of Jonathan Drouin, Charles Hudon and Anthony Mantha would be something else. Drouin (Tampa Bay, third in &rsquo;13) is the offensive dynamo on this Canadian team, with eyes in the back of his head and a puck magnet in his stick. Mantha (Detroit, 20th in &rsquo;13) is a goal-scoring machine with speed and size, while Hudon (Montreal, 122nd in &rsquo;12) brings talent and responsibility to the trio.</p><p>After that, Canada has a slew of excellent two-way options headlined by Scott Laughton (Philadelphia, 20th in &rsquo;12), Bo Horvat (Vancouver, ninth in &rsquo;13) and Sam Reinhart, who may go first overall in this summer&rsquo;s draft. There is no shortage of talent for the penalty kill, either, while the real X-factor is Connor McDavid. The Erie Otters phenom isn&rsquo;t eligible for the NHL draft until 2015, but his preternatural ability to create offense will be a great weapon for the Canucks. The fact he won&rsquo;t be needed to carry the water will also create match-up problems for the opposition.</p><p>Canada is best when it is playing with emotion, banging and crashing around the arena. Assuming the boys can play on the line without getting dinged by the referees, this particular group will give the opposition fits.</p><h2><b>DEFENSE</b></h2><p>The blueline is so strong for Canada that even the omission of Oilers pick Darnell Nurse wasn&rsquo;t met with much outrage, especially since he&rsquo;ll be available for the world juniors next year. What the Canucks do have is an excellent assortment of talent, largely from the Western League (as is tradition). The Minnesota Wild granted Mathew Dumba permission to join the team and he will be a leader on and off the ice. Given his experience and the fact he played for Sutter&rsquo;s Red Deer Rebels in the WHL, Dumba will almost certainly wear a letter in Malmo, maybe even the &lsquo;C.&rsquo;</p><p>Dumba is a smooth skater who can hit hard and create offense. The beauty of this blueline is the players are not one-dimensional. Like the forward corps, this is largely a two-way group. Griffin Reinhart (New York Islanders, fourth overall in &rsquo;12) will likely take on a shutdown role once he returns from his suspension, while Damon Severson (New Jersey, 60th in &rsquo;12) proved himself to be a dogged penalty killer at the summer evaluation camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg, 13th in &rsquo;13) is yet another smooth-skating D-man at the team&rsquo;s disposal and he brings an edge to his game, too.</p><h2><b>GOALTENDING</b></h2><p>Fucale is one of the most accomplished teenage goalies in the world right now and has the skills and personality to be a difference-maker. It&rsquo;s been a while since Canada has had that luxury in net. Fucale backstopped Halifax of the Quebec League to a stunning seven-game playoff series win over Quebec two years ago after Patrick Roy&rsquo;s Remparts had opened up a three-games-to-none lead. For an encore, he won the QMJHL championship and the Memorial Cup the following year. In between, he was the goalie of record for Canada&rsquo;s gold-medal win at the summer&rsquo;s Ivan Hlinka under-18 tourney in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011682/9901834-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="872" height="1242"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE CHOSEN ONE</b></p><p>All eyes will be on phenom Connor McDavid, who isn&rsquo;t even draft-eligible until 2015.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MCDAVID: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Positionally sound and economical in his movements, Fucale is also a cool customer off the ice, which Burke believes will bode well for the entire team, as his confidence is infectious.</p><p>In Paterson, the Canadians have an underrated netminder who has quietly gone about his business in Saginaw with the OHL&rsquo;s Spirit. Paterson was the nation&rsquo;s third goalie behind Malcolm Subban and Jordan Binnington in Ufa, so he&rsquo;s seen the pressure cooker that is the world juniors before, but luckily hasn&rsquo;t been scarred by any personal letdowns yet.</p><h2><b>DRAFT ELIGIBLE PLAYERS TO WATCH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021255/9901827-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="205" height="309"></div><h3><b>SAM REINHART</b></h3><p>C, Kootenay Ice (WHL)</p><p>&nbsp;<i>The potential No. 1 pick overall showed off his complete two-way game to Canada coach Brent Sutter in the summer.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03853/9901820-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="216" height="317"></div><h3><b>AARON EKBLAD</b></h3><p>D, Barrie Colts (OHL)</p><p><i>If Reinhart&rsquo;s not No. 1, Ekblad may be. A big minute-muncher, the Canadian can also work both ends of the ice.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04650/9901813-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="226" height="330"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KAPANEN+BARBASHEV: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE / HHO F-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>KASPERI KAPANEN</b></h3><p>RW, KalPa (Fin.)</p><p><i>Sami&rsquo;s son played a secondary role in Finland&rsquo;s summer camp, but plays a skilled, two-way game.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05487/9901806-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="216" height="323"></div><h3><b>IVAN BARBASHEV</b></h3><p>C, Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)</p><p><i>One of only two 2014 prospects at Russia&rsquo;s final camp, he&rsquo;s a big-bodied offensive dynamo for Moncton.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06367/9901799-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="215" height="324"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KARLSSON: MATTHEW MURNAGHAN / HHO F-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>ANTON KARLSSON</b></h3><p>LW, Frolunda Indians (Swe.)</p><p><i>Older brother Erik (not that one) also made Sweden&rsquo;s camp; Anton is bigger and more skilled.</i></p><h2><b>MEDALCOUNT SINCE 1977</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-10183/9901792-1-eng-US/f0019-102.jpg" title="f0019-10" width="128" height="501"></div><p><b>15 GOLD</b></p><p><i>2009, &rsquo;08, &rsquo;07, &rsquo;06, &rsquo;05, &rsquo;97, &rsquo;96, &rsquo;95, &rsquo;94, &rsquo;93, &rsquo;91, &rsquo;90, &rsquo;88, &rsquo;85, &rsquo;82</i></p><p><b>8 SILVER</b></p><p><i>2011, &rsquo;10, &rsquo;04, &rsquo;03, &rsquo;02, &rsquo;99, &rsquo;86, &rsquo;77</i></p><p><b>5 BRONZE</b></p><p><i>2012, &rsquo;01, &rsquo;00, &rsquo;83, &rsquo;78</i></p><p><b>0</b>&nbsp;<i>Career losses at the world juniors for Team Canada coach Brent Sutter (12-0 over two tournaments)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0018-01

BEST FOOT FORWARD

<div class="byline">BY WILLY PALOV</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011674/9901886-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HOLIDAY WISH LIST</b></p><p>Jonathan Drouin has a Memorial Cup ring. Now he covets world junior gold.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03842/9901900-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="164" height="305"></div><p><b>H</b>OW QUICKLY THINGS CAN change in just one year.</p><p>Leading up to last year&rsquo;s World Junior Championship, Jonathan Drouin was little more than a wildcard depth player for Team Canada. He was one of two 17-year-olds to make the team, along with his then-Halifax Mooseheads teammate Nathan MacKinnon, and very few people had any expectations for him at the event in Ufa, Russia.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021199/9901893-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="226" height="148"></div><p>True to his nature as a player who rises to the occasion, Drouin went on to post two goals and four points in six games, even seeing time on Canada&rsquo;s top line and No. 1 power play unit.</p><p>It was the first global glimpse into the crafty forward&rsquo;s true ability. The gifted playmaker went on to be named most valuable player of the Quebec League&rsquo;s regular season and playoffs, as well as the top player in the Canadian Hockey League. He topped off his dream season by being drafted third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.</p><p>Now that he&rsquo;s one of only a handful of returnees for Team Canada at the 2014 world juniors in Malmo, it&rsquo;s safe to say Drouin&rsquo;s profile is not what it used to be. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a fantastic player,&rdquo; said Team Canada chief scout Ryan Jankowski. &ldquo;He was just reaching his potential last year with regards to where he was in his development curve. I see him being a key part of anything going forward this year with the offense of the team. That&rsquo;s been obvious with his play in Halifax to start the year. I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;s excited to represent Canada and have more success than he had last year, both personally and team-wise.&rdquo;</p><p>As a player with a proven big-game pedi-gree, Drouin does not shy away from the pressure that goes with that role. He relishes the opportunity to be a leading player for Canada this time around. &ldquo;I want to be more of a go-to guy this year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my goal. Last year was a lot different. I don&rsquo;t know if a lot of people even expected me to make the team and then once I did that, I really had to earn my chance. I started on the third line and then ended up getting a bigger role later on.</p><p>&ldquo;Now I get to go there knowing what it&rsquo;s already like and I hope I get to play an important role, but obviously I&rsquo;ll just do whatever they ask me.&rdquo;</p><p>And there is little doubt about the 5-foot-11, 192-pound left winger&rsquo;s state of mind when he arrives in Sweden. He was slow to accept his surprising return to junior by the Lightning back in the fall, but is now as focused and driven as he&rsquo;s ever been. &ldquo;Being sent down was disappointing for him,&rdquo; said Halifax coach Dominique Ducharme. &ldquo;He had turned his thoughts to being an NHL player and, to be honest, we were just as surprised. I can&rsquo;t blame him for needing time to get used to being back in junior.</p><p>&ldquo;He was not playing like himself for the first few weeks when he came back. But then you could see one day he was ready again. He&rsquo;s a really competitive kid and he has a lot of pride. I think he feels like he has something to prove and that&rsquo;s how he&rsquo;s been playing.&rdquo;</p><p>Drouin narrowly lost the 2012-13 QMJHL scoring title, in large part because he played 19 fewer games than top scorer Ben Duffy of the P.E.I. Rocket (now the Charlottetown Islanders). Drouin put up 105 points in 49 games, making him the only player in major junior to average better than two points per game. He has been even more productive so far in 2013-14, scoring 15 goals and 47 points through 21 games.</p><p>It&rsquo;s obvious Drouin&rsquo;s close call in the scoring race ate at him over the summer, just like Canada&rsquo;s fourth-place finish in Ufa bothered him. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t win last year and now I get a second chance, so I&rsquo;m pretty lucky about that,&rdquo; Drouin said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to waste that opportunity. I want to win. I want Canada to be proud of our team. Winning a medal means a lot to the players, just like I know it means a lot to the people that follow us over there.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

MEDAL DETECTOR

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011559/9901987-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WILY RILEY</b></p><p>Capitals draft pick Riley Barber is among the few returnees from the 2013 U.S. team.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03838/9901994-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>HE AMERICANS COME INTO Malmo as the defending champions, but you won&rsquo;t find many gold medals in the dressing room. Thanks to aging out, NHL graduation and injuries, the U.S. had, at best, three returning players on the roster &ndash; goalie Jon Gillies (see pg. 24), scoring winger Riley Barber (Washington, 167th overall in 2012) and skillful agitator Ryan Hartman (Chicago, 30th in &rsquo;13) &ndash; assuming Hartman was healthy enough to go.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021140/9901980-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="227" height="149"></div><p>As vaunted as the Canadians were during last year&rsquo;s lockout-fuelled super teen show-down in Ufa, the Americans were just as impressive in retrospect. Alex Galchenyuk, Jacob Trouba and Seth Jones are all starring in the NHL already, while &lsquo;Johnny Hockey&rsquo; Gaudreau is still scorching the college ranks with Hobey Baker in his sights. Oh, and after winning MVP of the world juniors, starting netminder John Gibson went on to backstop the U.S. men to a bronze medal at the World Championship as a 19-year-old. No big deal.</p><p>But the Americans can&rsquo;t pine for the past. They&rsquo;ve got a gold to defend and yet another New Year&rsquo;s Eve cage match with Canada following what will likely be three easy wins against Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The loser of that North American throwdown will likely face a difficult quarterfinal opponent, as one of Russia, Sweden or Finland will have to finish third in the other pool.</p><p>One other X-factor for the U.S. comes from behind the bench: Phil Housley moved on to the NHL&rsquo;s Nashville Predators as an assistant coach to Barry Trotz, so the whistle and clipboard fall to University of Minnesota bench boss Don Lucia. The 15-year head of the Golden Gophers has two NCAA titles at Minnesota, but none since 2003. Does he have the magic to help Team USA go back-to-back? Housley was great behind the bench in 2013 and when the Americans don&rsquo;t buy into their leader, things tend to go sideways (see Keith Allain in Calgary two years ago, when the U.S. had to fight off relegation).</p><h2><b>OFFENSE</b></h2><p>Though the Americans won&rsquo;t have a go-to guy like Gaudreau, there is plenty of size and skill up front. Nic Kerdiles (Anaheim, 36th in &rsquo;12) likely would have made the team last year were it not for a bizarre 10-game suspension levied on him by the NCAA because of a hotel room bill that wasn&rsquo;t repaid to his family advisor quickly enough. Post-ban, he was one of the University of Wisconsin&rsquo;s best players and continues to wear that crown as a sophomore.</p><p>Hudson Fasching (Los Angeles, 118th in &rsquo;13) fell in the draft thanks to a poor offensive year with the U.S. NTDP, but has been excellent as a freshman for Lucia&rsquo;s Gophers. Then there&rsquo;s Adam Erne (Tampa Bay, 33rd in &rsquo;13), another big kid with talent who proved his worth to the U.S. brain trust at the summer camp in Lake Placid when he volunteered for the shootout against Finland after forcing the game into overtime with a late marker. Erne scored the final two shootout goals for the U.S. to clinch victory in the exhibition game.</p><p>Barber was a pleasant offensive surprise last year and as one of only two possible returnees among skaters, he&rsquo;ll need to bring his knack for finding the back of the net to Malmo. In terms of sandpaper, Hartman would bring a huge dimension to the team if he is indeed healthy, but there&rsquo;s also J.T. Compher (Buffalo, 34th in &rsquo;13).</p><p>The University of Michigan freshman was also a standout in Lake Placid, throwing big hits, ambushing enemy passing lanes and getting under the skin of opponents. He will be particularly important against hotblooded teams such as Canada and Russia, should the Cold War enemies meet in the medal round. It will also be fun to see Compher trade antagonizing moves with Sweden&rsquo;s Jacob De La Rose if those squads meet, as the pair played similar roles to each other in Lake Placid.</p><h2><b>DEFENSE</b></h2><p>This is the biggest question mark for the Americans. Boston University&rsquo;s Matt Grzelcyk (Boston, 85th in &rsquo;12) was the final cut to the team last season and actually travelled with the squad to Europe for exhibition play, so he&rsquo;s technically not a returnee. Minnesota&rsquo;s Brady Skjei (NY Rangers, 28th in &rsquo;12) is a smooth skater with shutdown ability, while Ian McCoshen (Florida, 31st in &rsquo;13) has been a great two-way presence for Boston College as a freshman.</p><p>But the player closest to the NHL is Connor Carrick, who actually started the season with Washington before the Capitals sent him to Hershey in the American League. A late-round pick (137th in &rsquo;12), Carrick has quickly become a dangerous offensive Dman and will need to bring that acumen to the U.S. blueline.</p><p>Despite being green at the world junior level, this group does have a good amount of mobility and bulk, with multiple players weighing in at 200 pounds or more, so the U.S. will be able to handle the big forwards from Canada, Russia and Sweden.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011340/9901973-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="726" height="1263"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>EXCHANGE STUDENT</b></p><p>Agitator J.T. Compher hopes he can translate his college success to international play.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Last year&rsquo;s defense corps included current NHLers Jones and Trouba (plus Connor Murphy, who made his debut with the Phoenix Coyotes), so this year&rsquo;s group can&rsquo;t help but pale in comparison. But there are still pieces to like here.</p><h2><b>GOALTENDING</b></h2><p>Gillies has seen first-hand what it takes to win it all. He has a gold medal from last year when he served as John Gibson&rsquo;s backup. Nothing on his Providence College resume indicates he&rsquo;ll fall flat, but if he does, the Americans have a decent secondary option in Anthony Stolarz (Philadelphia, 45th in &rsquo;12).</p><p>The big 6-foot-6 netminder dropped out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha last year to join the Ontario League powerhouse London Knights mid-season. He played the majority of games for the Knights en route to a league title, though he ceded the crease to Jake Patterson during OHL final against Barrie, with Patterson earning three of London&rsquo;s four wins, and the two split the minutes at the national showdown.</p><h2><b>TOP NHL PROSPECTS TO WATCH THIS YEAR</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02962/9901966-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="201" height="305"></div><h3><b>JONATHAN DROUIN</b></h3><p>LW, Halifax (QMJHL)</p><p>Drafted: 3rd overall in 2013, Tampa Bay Lightning</p><p><i>Superior offensive talent will lead the Canadian charge</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03719/9901959-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="208" height="308"></div><h3><b>GRIFFIN REINHART</b></h3><p>D, Edmonton (WHL)</p><p>Drafted: 4th overall in 2012, New York Islanders</p><p><i>Shutdown defenseman will help Canada after suspension</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04534/9901952-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="199" height="304"></div><h3><b>TEUVO TERAVAINEN</b></h3><p>LW, Jokerit (Fin.)</p><p>Drafted: 18th overall in 2012, Chicago Blackhawks</p><p><i>Incredibly skilled Finn poised for dominant tournament</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05391/9901945-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="212" height="315"></div><h3><b>ALEXANDER WENNBERG</b></h3><p>C, Frolunda (Swe.)</p><p>Drafted: 14th overall in 2013, Columbus Blue Jackets</p><p><i>Fleet-of-foot pivot is a master playmaker with smarts</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06315/9901938-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="208" height="307"></div><h3><b>NIKITA ZADOROV</b></h3><p>D, London (OHL)</p><p>Drafted: 16th overall in 2013, Buffalo Sabres</p><p><i>Mammoth force will cause big trouble for Russia&rsquo;s enemies</i></p><h2><b>MEDALCOUNT SINCE 1977</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-10154/9901931-1-eng-US/f0023-102.jpg" title="f0023-10" width="131" height="501"></div><p><b>3 GOLD</b></p><p><i>2013, &rsquo;10, &rsquo;04</i></p><p><b>1 SILVER</b></p><p><i>1997</i></p><p><b>4 BRONZE</b></p><p><i>2011, &rsquo;07, &rsquo;92, &rsquo;86</i></p><p><b>3</b>&nbsp;<i>Players on the United States&rsquo; 2014 preliminary roster who return from last year&rsquo;s gold medal-winning team</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0022-01

IT DOESN’T GET EASIER

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011500/9902025-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AMERICAN ANCHOR</b></p><p>Jon Gillies prides himself on staying calm and extremely consistent game-to-game.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04538/9902046-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="164" height="305"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021078/9902039-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="149" height="216"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>HEN TEAM USA WAS flying into Russia for last year&rsquo;s world juniors in Ufa, it shared a plane with Canada, Sweden and Finland. With that many players on board, it was a warm flight and the Americans were clad in sweaters when the plane touched down. But as soon as goaltender Jon Gillies got to the door, the icy embrace of Russia caught up with his fashion decision. &ldquo;It literally took your breath away,&rdquo; he said of the cold. A quick dodge back for his winter coat took care of the problem, but with Gillies back to help defend the title for Team USA in Sweden, the Americans are hoping not to be caught unprepared for anything.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03749/9902032-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="227" height="149"></div><p>The past two times Team USA has won gold at the world juniors, it has done so behind incredible netminding. Last year, it was Anaheim pick John Gibson, who was an absolute monster in Ufa, earning MVP honors and surrendering just two goals in three medal-round games. He finished the tournament with a 1.36 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. In 2010, it was a 17-year-old Jack Campbell, the eventual Dallas first-rounder, picking up for Mike Lee and stoning Canada en route to John Carlson&rsquo;s famous overtime goal in Saskatoon.</p><p>Now, the mantle falls to Gillies. Taken 75th overall by Calgary in 2012, Gillies was the backup to Gibson last year, getting in 20 minutes of mop-up duty in an 8-0 shutout of Germany. But even being on the bench helped his confidence. &ldquo;I came back from that tournament a better goalie, just by watching &lsquo;Gibby,&rsquo; &rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Even when he lost those two preliminary games (to Russia and Canada, with identical 2-1 final scores), he didn&rsquo;t get too low.&rdquo;</p><p>As incredible as Gibson was, he also had a sparkling defense in front of him. Gillies won&rsquo;t get the benefit of playing behind Seth Jones and Jacob Trouba, because both teenagers are now in the NHL with Nashville and Winnipeg, respectively. In fact, due to a hip injury and subsequent infection, fellow Flames pick Pat Sieloff won&rsquo;t be on the blueline to protect Gillies, either. That means an entirely new defense corps for Team USA this year, but Gillies is happy to use last year&rsquo;s experience at the world juniors to help out the newbies in front of him. &ldquo;As a goalie, you&rsquo;re a leader no matter what,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my opinion. I try to lead by example no matter what team I&rsquo;ve been on.&rdquo;</p><p>The backbone of the Providence College squad, Gillies has used his imposing 6-foot-5 frame and natural athletic ability to propel the Friars up the Hockey East standings as a sophomore. He prides himself on staying even-keel in net and on his consistency; he&rsquo;s never been yanked in a game by coach Nate Leaman and that&rsquo;s a source of personal satisfaction. Through 14 appearances, he had only given up three or more goals three times and came away with a tie in two of those. Plus, the opponents were Miami, Boston U. and Quinnipiac &ndash; all tough outs.</p><p>But the big question internationally is whether he can be a difference-maker in the Red, White and Blue. This will be a solid year for netminders and Gillies will not be the biggest name in the crease, despite his fairly impressive resume to date. Russia will be going with Tampa Bay prospect Andrey Vasilevskiy in net and he already has a silver and a bronze from past world juniors. In Zach Fucale, the Canadians have one of the most accomplished teen tenders in the world (Ivan Hlinka gold, Memorial Cup championship with Halifax), while Sweden can roll out Oscar Dansk, backstopper for one of the best teams in the Canadian Hockey League, the Erie Otters.</p><p>Gillies said he loved the work ethic instilled in Team USA during the national program&rsquo;s summer evaluation camp and the squad will need it sooner than later. At least the last line of defense is a big stopper with confidence in himself.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

NATIONAL GUARD

<div class="byline">BY RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011509/9902091-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ANDREY THE GIANT</b></p><p>Pressure shouldn&rsquo;t bother Andrey Vasilevskiy, who plays against men in the KHL</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021087/9902098-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span></b>USSIAN TEAMS ARE USUALLY loaded with high-scoring forwards and although the country&rsquo;s entry in the 2014 World Junior Championship still has mighty firepower, it will be the goalie who determines its fate.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03847/9902084-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="225" height="102"></div><p>Andrey Vasilevskiy, a Tampa Bay Lightning first-rounder, will take part in his third WJC this year. In his prior two appearances, he posted goals-against averages of 2.01 and 1.81 and save percentages of .953 and .950. Through 18 games with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental League this season, he had a 2.27 GAA and .923 SP. Vasilevskiy has been playing against men at higher paces all season.</p><p>As good as the Russians&rsquo; offense is, it hasn&rsquo;t carried the team to gold the past two years. In 2012, the Russians lost 1-0 to Sweden in the final and last year the Tre Kronor knocked them off in another low-scoring affair, 3-2. Winning teams in these events almost always need a goalie to steal a game or two and Vasilevskiy is as qualified as any Russian goaltender in a long time to do so.</p><p>Besides Vasilevskiy, only four players return from last year&rsquo;s roster and one of them (goalie Igor Utinski) didn&rsquo;t see any action. Left winger Anton Slepyshev and defenseman Andrei Mironov are two others and though neither was a key contributor, both will be expected to bring more to this year&rsquo;s tournament as 19-year-olds. The most important returnee, though, is Mikhail Grigorenko, on loan from the Buffalo Sabres.</p><p>Uncharacteristically, no Russian finished in the top 10 in tournament scoring last year. But as a 19-year-old with NHL experience, it would be disappointing &ndash; and surprising &ndash; if Grigorenko didn&rsquo;t crack that list. The Russians have a few other candidates to lead the team, though, including Ivan Barbashev, the top-ranked Russian available for the 2014 NHL draft according to International Scouting Services. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder scored 62 points in 68 games with the Quebec League&rsquo;s Moncton Wildcats in 2012-13 and has improved that pace with 34 points in 27 games so far this season. Another QMJHLer, Baie-Comeau&rsquo;s Valentin Zykov, will be expected to carry a load and, since he&rsquo;s been drafted (an L.A. Kings&rsquo; second-rounder), will have more pressure on him.</p><p>Though the Russians aren&rsquo;t usually recognized for their blueliners, Sabres firstrounder Nikita Zadorov will be an imposing figure. Zadorov played seven games with the Sabres this season and had a good overall showing, but was returned to junior for developmental reasons.</p><p>There are some notable omissions from the roster, however. Oilers third-rounder Daniil Zharkov not only made last year&rsquo;s team, but moved to the KHL this season after two years with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Belleville Bulls. Sergei Tolchinsky, a Hurricanes signee who is among the OHL&rsquo;s scoring leaders, wasn&rsquo;t asked back. And Valeri Nichushkin would have been a leader on this team had he not stuck with the Dallas Stars.</p><p>So although the Russians still have firepower, they elected to leave some of it off the roster. As a result, it&rsquo;ll be up to Vasilevskiy to make up the difference en route to gold.</p><h2><b>MEDALCOUNT SINCE 1977</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-10193/9902077-1-eng-US/f0026-102.jpg" title="f0026-10" width="692" height="181"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-01

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

<div class="byline">BY RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011308/9902195-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FLASHIER FINNS</b></p><p>Offense is now the team&rsquo;s forte thanks to nifty forwards like Teuvo Teravainen.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RICHARD WOLOWICZ/HHO F-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02898/9902202-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="164" height="305"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b>N THE EARLY 2000S, FINLAND was a perennial medallist at the world juniors. The Finns won gold in Helsinki in 1998 and won a silver and four bronze medals between 2001 and 2006.</p><p>Since then, the trend has been downward and last season, when the Finns lost their crucial game to the Czechs, they ended up playing just to remain in the top division &ndash; a disappointment even if their place was never in danger.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03642/9902188-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="227" height="149"></div><p>This year, a new core and a new coach, Karri Kivi &ndash; a two-time world junior player for Finland &ndash; look to bounce back and at least challenge for a medal.</p><p>The Finnish goalie factory may not pumping out prospects like it used to, but it&rsquo;s still doing well. Last year&rsquo;s keepers may not get a callback for Malmo. Joonas Korpisalo has played most of the season in the second division and has also been injured while his backup, Janne Juvonen, is doing his military service and has only seen limited action in the Finnish league this year, spending most of his time in the second division as well.</p><p>Meanwhile, Helsinki IFK&rsquo;s Ville Husso has the fifth-best save percentage (.923) and third-best goals-against average (1.94) in the Finnish League. Just ahead of him in both categories is Juuse Saros, the Nashville Predators&rsquo; fourth-round pick last June, with .925 and 1.83. He was named last year&rsquo;s under-18 World Championship&rsquo;s best goaltender.</p><p>But the strength of the team is, surprisingly, the offense. Even without Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, there&rsquo;s a lot of speed and skill, starting with Chicago Blackhawks first-rounder Teuvo Teravainen. He&rsquo;s second on his Jokerit team in scoring in the Finnish League with 16 points in 24 games, while averaging almost 18 minutes. Last year at the WJC, he scored 11 points in six games and finished fourth in scoring, though three of those games came in the relegation round, where Finland outscored opponents 24-5.</p><p>Teravainen will be joined by Montreal Canadiens second-rounder Artturi Lehkonen, who returns from last year&rsquo;s team, and Lehkonen&rsquo;s KalPa teammate Kasperi Kapanen, son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen (who co-owns the Finnish league club). Lehkonen leads KalPa in scoring with 16 points in 27 games. Kapanen, NHL draft-eligible in 2014, has five points in 22 games.</p><p>While Finland can survive without Barkov, coach Kivi could use defensemen Olli Maatta, who&rsquo;s staying with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Rasmus Ristolainen, a Sabres&rsquo; prospect currently in the American League. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re preparing for the tournament with the assumption they won&rsquo;t play for us,&rdquo; Kivi told the Finnish federation&rsquo;s website in November.</p><p>If that&rsquo;s the case, Finland lacks an obvious workhorse on the blueline, but Ville Pokka, an Islanders second-rounder, can take on that role. He plays more than 20 minutes a game in the Finnish League, third on his team. The Finns will have to rely on solid team defense, which is nothing new to them.</p><p>It&rsquo;s been seven long years without a medal for the Finns. Not even being in the hunt an eighth straight tournament would be a disaster.</p><h2><b>MEDALCOUNT SINCE 1977</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-10158/9902181-1-eng-US/f0029-102.jpg" title="f0029-10" width="681" height="179"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0029-01

THE HEAT OF HUMILIATION

<div class="byline">TEAM CAPSULES BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011495/9902289-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="463" height="812"><figcaption class="caption-body">RADEK <b>FAKSA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FAKSA: ANDY DEVLIN/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-09189/9902303-1-eng-US/f0030-092.jpg" title="f0030-09" width="164" height="305"></div><h2><b>CZECH REP.</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>HE CZECHS HAVE JUST four players eligible to return from last year&rsquo;s squad and, unfortunately, none of them are named Tomas Hertl or Dmitrij Jaskin. But to be fair, this team is not totally bereft of talented players.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06358/9902296-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="227" height="149"></div><p>Dallas first-rounder Radek Faksa of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers will lead the charge and will be playing in his third world juniors. Jakub Vrana and David Pastrnak are both playing in Sweden this season and are also the top Czechs available for the NHL draft. Both are potential first-rounders who will add to the offensive attack, while Vrana can also play a two-way game.</p><p>In net, Marek Langhamer (Phoenix, 184th overall in 2012) of the Western League&rsquo;s Medicine Hat Tigers is one of the few players on the roster besides Faksa who has been drafted.</p><p>There will also be help from the homeland in draft-eligible right winger Ondrej Kase and defenseman Jan Stencel, both of whom are playing against men in the Czech pro ranks.</p><h2><b>SWITZERLAND</b></h2><p><b>A</b>S THE SWISS HAVE worked their way up into the middle of the WJC pack, they&rsquo;ve usually been paced by at least one standout player supported by a disciplined core. This year, there will be no Nino Niederreiter, Sven Baertschi or Sven Andrighetto, though Christoph Bertschy (Minnesota, 158th overall in 2012) is a good candidate to lead the team in scoring.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07283/9902282-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="227" height="149"></div><p>San Jose first-rounder Mirco Mueller (18th in &rsquo;13) is the most talented player available and he will anchor a defense corps with some interesting pieces, including 2014 draft prospect Phil Baltisberger of the OHL&rsquo;s Guelph Storm.</p><p>In net, the return of Melvin Nyffeler will be a huge boon for the team. He pushed the Russians to the brink in last year&rsquo;s quarterfinal and helped Switzerland earn a crucial point against Finland in a round-robin shootout loss, stopping 52 attempts.</p><p>Now the mission will be to win a round or two in the playoff rounds &ndash; not simply to scare teams.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021030/9902275-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="683" height="754"><figcaption class="caption-body">MELVIN <b>NYFFELER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NYFFELER: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SLOVAKIA</b></h2><p><b>D</b>EPTH IS GOING TO BE A huge issue for the Slovakians in this tournament and, just likelastyear, it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see them tumble into the relegation round, doing just enough to stay above water for next year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-08231/9902268-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="227" height="149"></div><p>Columbus first-rounder Marko Dano (27th in &rsquo;13) is a dogged competitor with skill who piled up points at the end of last year&rsquo;s tourney and will once again be the jewel in the team&rsquo;s crown. Joining him up front once again will be Montreal prospect Martin Reway (116th in &rsquo;13), a diminutive yet dazzling offensive force with the Quebec League&rsquo;s Gatineau Olympiques who has been soaring in his second North American season.</p><p>Big winger Peter Cehlarik (Boston, 90th in &rsquo;13) was a high riser in his draft year, while Richard Sabol will be counted on in net. He&rsquo;s been hot and cold internationally and may end up the bellwether for Slovakia&rsquo;s fortunes overall.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03748/9902261-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="768" height="861"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARKO <b>DANO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DANO: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>GERMANY</b></h2><p><b>S</b>IMPLY SURVIVING LAST year&rsquo;s tourney and not getting relegated was an historic accomplishment for the Germans, but this year expectations will be higher.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011358/9902254-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="227" height="149"></div><p>Leading the charge will be 2014 draft prospect Leon Draisaitl of the WHL&rsquo;s Prince Albert Raiders. A potential top-10 selection, Draisaitl is an incredibly dangerous offensive force up front. With points on Germany&rsquo;s first three goals in last year&rsquo;s lose-and-be-relegated tilt against Latvia, he assured his country glory in a 5-2 comeback. Quebec Leaguer Marvin Cupper was in net for that win and now knows what to expect, while Dominik Kahun (OHL Sudbury) and Frederik Tiffels (Fargo of the United States League) will contribute up front.</p><p>On the back end, OHL London&rsquo;s Tim Bender was given a chance to play on an elite junior team thanks to Olli Maatta&rsquo;s departure for the NHL&rsquo;s Penguins and Bender will bring that savvy to his national squad. This team knows it&rsquo;s going to take its lumps in the round-robin, but has the talent to avoid relegation again.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04559/9902247-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="901" height="834"><figcaption class="caption-body">LEON <b>DRAISAITL</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DRAISAITL: PHILLIP MACCALLUM/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>NORWAY</b></h2><p><b>L</b>IKE MANY TEAMS THAT GET promoted to the top tier of the world juniors, the Norwegians did so by winning their division with a lot of players now too old to reap the rewards of promotion. Their starting goalie and leading scorer from last year&rsquo;s 1A bracket won&rsquo;t be in Malmo, though there is some experienced talent left over.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02922/9902240-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="227" height="149"></div><p>At the top of the list is Columbus pick Markus Soberg (165th in &rsquo;13), who plays in Sweden for Frolunda. Fast, agile and gritty, Soberg has been a stalwart for the Vikings internationally. His older brother Steffen was Norway&rsquo;s star netminder last time out. Also returning from last year&rsquo;s under-20 team is Jorgen Karterud, a towering 6-foot-5 winger with the OHL&rsquo;s Soo Greyhounds. He was nearly a point-pergame player before a knee injury in late October. He was expected back well in advance of the world juniors, however.</p><p>Nonetheless, the Norwegians have just six returning players eligible for the tournament and are the most likely to be relegated this year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05430/9902233-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="713" height="1067"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARKUS <b>SOBERG</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SOBERG: FRANCOIS LAPLANTE/HHOF-IIHF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0030-01

WORLD JUNIOR Championship Preview

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011473/9902446-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATT <b>DUMBA</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE KLUCKHOHN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>EAM CANADA&rsquo;S SENIOR director of hockey operations knows he&rsquo;s being selfish when it comes to NHL teens playing in the world juniors. After all, they can only improve Scott Salmond&rsquo;s squad. But he makes a good point about the benefits for the players. &ldquo;Other than the Stanley Cup, this is one of the biggest pressure situations to play in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Any time a young player can get that experience, it can help their development.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year in Ufa, the Canadians got an unexpected gift in Edmonton&rsquo;s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins thanks to the NHL lockout. Brett Connolly (Tampa Bay), Devante Smith-Pelly (Anaheim), Brayden Schenn (Los Angeles) and Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis) were also given time to play internationally in the middle of the schedule in recent years, though the permission is not always automatic.</p><p>Canada will have Minnesota Wild rookie Matt Dumba in Malmo, but Morgan Rielly (Toronto) and Sean Monahan (Calgary) were deemed too important by their NHL teams to be granted leave. Similarly, the Buffalo Sabres wrestled with what would be the best course of action for two of their young players, Mikhail Grigorenko and Rasmus Ristolainen. The NHL blocked Buffalo&rsquo;s attempt to send Grigorenko to the American League, so the Russian teen stayed up with the Sabres, even though he wasn&rsquo;t getting a lot of playing time. Ultimately, the team decided a trip to Europe to dominate his peer group would be best for his development. Ristolainen was a tougher situation because of a sucker punch that injured him in the AHL. If he didn&rsquo;t go, Finland would suffer, especially since another teenaged defenseman, Olli Maatta, was firmly entrenched in Pittsburgh. The rookie progressed faster than expected, basically playing himself out of the world juniors. &ldquo;We had talked about him going to the world juniors in the summer,&rdquo; said assistant to the GM Tom Fitzgerald. &ldquo;But we haven&rsquo;t talked about it lately.&rdquo;</p><p>Team Russia now has two Buffalo Sabres heading to Malmo, as Grigorenko will be reunited with Nikita Zadorov, who started the year off in Western New York before being sent back to major junior&rsquo;s London Knights. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean gold is a lock: Nugent-Hopkins didn&rsquo;t even medal with Canada last year.</p><h2><b>ELIGIBLE NHLERS FOR THE WJC</b></h2><p><b>TO LOAN OR NOT TO LOAN?</b> That is the question. The following players were in the NHL as of early December and eligible to play at the 2014 world juniors. Most, however, were expected to remain with their NHL teams, as they were deemed too important to lend away.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-021000/9902439-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="213" height="126"></div><p><b>NATHAN MACKINNON</b></p><p>C, Colorado Avalanche</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03729/9902432-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="213" height="126"></div><p><b>SEAN MONAHAN</b></p><p>C, Calgary Flames</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04549/9902425-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="213" height="126"></div><p><b>TOM WILSON</b></p><p>RW, Washington Capitals</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05428/9902418-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="213" height="126"></div><p><b>MORGAN RIELLY</b></p><p>D, Toronto Maple Leafs</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06365/9902411-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="213" height="126"></div><p><b>MATT DUMBA</b></p><p>D, Minnesota Wild</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07296/9902404-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="200" height="116"></div><p><b>SETH JONES</b></p><p>D, Nashville Predators</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08252/9902397-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="200" height="116"></div><p><b>JACOB TROUBA</b></p><p>D, Winnipeg Jets</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09203/9902390-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="200" height="116"></div><p><b>ALEX GALCHENYUK</b></p><p>C, Montreal Canadiens</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-10162/9902383-1-eng-US/f0032-102.jpg" title="f0032-10" width="206" height="120"></div><p><b>HAMPUS LINDHOLM</b></p><p>D, Anaheim Ducks</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-11133/9902376-1-eng-US/f0032-112.jpg" title="f0032-11" width="206" height="120"></div><p><b>ELIAS LINDHOLM</b></p><p>C, Carolina Hurricanes</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-12117/9902369-1-eng-US/f0032-122.jpg" title="f0032-12" width="206" height="120"></div><p><b>FILIP FORSBERG</b></p><p>C, Nashville Predators</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-13101/9902362-1-eng-US/f0032-132.jpg" title="f0032-13" width="205" height="123"></div><p><b>ALEKSANDER BARKOV</b></p><p>C, Florida Panthers</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1486/9902355-1-eng-US/f0032-142.jpg" title="f0032-14" width="205" height="123"></div><p><b>OLLI MAATTA</b></p><p>D, Pittsburgh Penguins</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1579/9902348-1-eng-US/f0032-152.jpg" title="f0032-15" width="214" height="123"></div><p><b>VALERI NICHUSHKIN</b></p><p>RW, Dallas Stars</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1673/9902341-1-eng-US/f0032-162.jpg" title="f0032-16" width="214" height="123"></div><p><b>MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO</b></p><p>C, Buffalo Sabres</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1757/9902334-1-eng-US/f0032-172.jpg" title="f0032-17" width="195" height="111"></div><p><b>ZEMGUS GIRGENSONS*</b></p><p>C, Buffalo Sabres</p><p><i>* Division I</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-01

MUTUAL BENEFITS

<div class="byline">BY UFFE BODIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011308/9902484-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ARENA: RAGNAR SINGSAAS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>A</b> HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN A soccer city?</p><p>That was the common reaction from Swedish fans when it was announced Malmo would host the 2014 World Junior Championship. The city is home to reigning Swedish soccer champs Malmo FF and is known for producing some of the country&rsquo;s best players, none bigger or better than Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It was right here the Paris Saint-Germain striker was born, raised and fostered into one of the best players in the world, not to mention one of the most popular Swedish athletes ever.</p><p>Located on the southwest coast, Malmo has a population of approximately 300,000, the third largest in Sweden. It used to be considered a blue-collar city that relied heavily on the industrial sector. Malmo fell on hard times during a recession in the 1970s and it wasn&rsquo;t until the late 20th century that things turned around. Highlighting the shift was the opening of Malmo University in 1998 and the completion of the Oresund Bridge, connecting Sweden and Denmark, in 2000. Today, Malmo is one of the fastest growing and most multicultural cities in Sweden. At the same time, almost 15 percent of the inhabitants are without jobs and the social divide remains sharp.</p><p>Hockey in Malmo has become somewhat of an afterthought. The local team, the Redhawks, made a triumphant entry into the Swedish League in the early &rsquo;90s. Fuelled by money from local businessman and patron Percy Nilsson, a team featuring stars such as Mats Naslund and Robert Svehla captured league titles in 1992 and 1994. Since then, the team has lost its glory. In 2007, the Redhawks were relegated from the Elite League and they haven&rsquo;t made it back. Although the club might lack a rich history, it has nurtured NHL players such as Kim Johnsson, Andreas Lilja and Carl Soderberg. Until this season, when he joined Erie of the Ontario League, Malmo was also the only program Washington Capitals&rsquo; first-rounder Andre Burakovsky had played for.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02905/9902477-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="1393" height="675"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SWEDEN SIDE UP</b></p><p>There&rsquo;ll be more snow during the WJC, but Malmo remains picturesque year-round.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARBOR: JUSTIN BROWN/IMAGEBANK.SWEDEN.SE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Malmo might not seem like the quintessential place for a major hockey tournament, but it has its advantages. Malmo Arena, which opened in November 2008, is a 13,000-seater said to be the best of its kind in Sweden. It is located 15 minutes outside the city center, but only a stone&rsquo;s throw from Hyllie Station, which has rail and bus connections to Malmo Central Station and the airport and central station of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. Malmo Isstadion, the smaller venue where Canada and the U.S. play during the round-robin, has room for 5,800 spectators. It was built in 1970 and was the Redhawks&rsquo; home prior to the building of Malmo Arena.</p><p>The big question leading up to the tournament has been whether the hockey interest in Malmo, and even Sweden as a whole, is big enough to fill the arenas during the WJC. The Swedish Hockey Federation experienced a big backlash when it hosted the 2012 and 2013 World Championships in Stockholm. Due to high ticket prices, people shied away from the first tournament. The federation responded by lowering the prices, but still ended up losing almost four million dollars. Organizers in Malmo are hopeful the success of the last few Swedish WJC teams will boost ticket sales. Now it&rsquo;s up to the Swedish fans to show the rest of the hockey world how much they really care about the sport.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-01

HOME FIELD

<div class="byline">BY MICHAEL TRAIKOS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011395/9902616-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE REGINEK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05534/9902609-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="336" height="300"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HEY ONCE PLAYED AN NHL EXHIBI</b><b>TION</b> game in the parking lot at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, in what was described as shorts and T-shirt weather. The temperature on that sunny September day in 1991 was a balmy 85 degrees Fahrenheit, making the game clock a countdown for both the periods and the quickly melting ice.</p><p>Wayne Gretzky scored as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New York Rangers 5-2. But all that anyone remembers were the insects drowning in the slush. &ldquo;If you looked directly down you would see hundreds of bugs,&rdquo; Jim Fox, who was doing the color commentary, told <a href="http://LAKings.com">LAKings.com</a>. &ldquo;The bugs had fallen and either died or drowned from the water that was being put on the ice. So that was the weirdest part of that game.&rdquo;</p><p>Since then, outdoor games have been staged in soccer stadiums and baseball diamonds, in places that make climatic sense (Alaska) and others that do not (Mexico). The 2009 Kontinental League All-Star game took place in front of Lenin&rsquo;s final resting place at the Red Square in Moscow, while in 2001 Michigan State and the University of Michigan played a &lsquo;Cold War&rsquo; game in front of 74,544 fans at Spartan Stadium.</p><p>Fittingly, it ended in a 3-3 tie.</p><p>What started out as a gimmick in a parking lot in Las Vegas has grown into a big business. There will be six outdoor games played in the NHL this season: the Leafs and Red Wings will play Jan. 1 at Michigan Stadium, the Kings and Ducks will play Jan. 25 at Dodger Stadium, the Rangers will play the Devils Jan. 26 and the Islanders Jan. 29 at Yankee Stadium, the Blackhawks and Penguins will play at Soldier Field March 1 and the Canucks and Senators will play at BC Place on March 2.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011246/9902602-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="1815" height="1004"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BROADWAY STARS</b></p><p>The Rangers, who played in the last NHL outdoor game in 2012, get two more this year.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ROB CARR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;All the guys that get to participate in these games get excited because it&rsquo;s where the sport started,&rdquo; said Leafs defenseman Cody Franson, who participated in an outdoor game while playing in Sweden last year. &ldquo;In some ways, it pays respect to them.&rdquo;</p><p>The Winter Classic, which started as the Heritage Classic, has become the NHL&rsquo;s Super Bowl &ndash; a big-ticket event attracting an audience of puck-heads and casual sports fans through unique jersey sales and <i>24/7</i> documentaries. There&rsquo;s an emotional attachment  to playing in weather so cold it turns your toes numb and allows you to see your breath. It&rsquo;s a gimmick, sure, but it&rsquo;s one that has so far proven to be successful from a financial and popular level.</p><p>That was NHL chief operating officer John Collins&rsquo; vision in 2007. At the time, NBC Sports had lost the rights to the Gator Bowl and was looking for something to fill the sporting void on New Year&rsquo;s Day. By taking hockey out of the indoor rinks and putting it back in the cold, he made it cool again.</p><p>And others have followed. Amateur tournaments are springing up from New Brunswick to New Hampshire and anywhere else where the temperature gets cold enough to freeze a body of water. There are already 225 teams registered for this year&rsquo;s Pond Hockey Classic in Vermont, with many more expected at the New England and Montana tournaments. &ldquo;Outdoor hockey is reemerging on the scene,&rdquo; said Scott Crowder, who is the &ldquo;commish&rdquo; of the Pond Hockey Classic and also the son of former NHLer Bruce Crowder. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re enjoying the game like they did as kids. Collectively, the hockey community has embraced the outdoor game again.&rdquo;</p><p>Two years ago, Fenway Park in Boston held seven NCAA games in eight days as part of the Frozen Fenway. Last year, the short-lived Williamsport Outlaws of the Federal Hockey League attempted to play the entire season outdoors at a ballpark in Pennsylvania while waiting for a rink to be built. But the team ceased operations before the season ended, an example of a gimmick outstaying its welcome, or what happens when fans are forced to sit in the cold too often.</p><p>That is the fear with the NHL&rsquo;s expanding outdoor hockey schedule. What started out as a promotional ploy is now a significant part of the NHL schedule. In other words: Have ice? Will travel. But for how long?</p><p><b>6</b> Big stadium NHL games in 2013-14, one in Canada and five in the U.S. They will take place between Jan. 1 and March 2</p><h2><b>MAKING MEMORIES</b></h2><p>The NHL has capitalized on the nostalgia of frozen extremities, hot chocolate and crisp, fresh air &ndash; turning a grassroots tradition into a major moneymaking machine</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02956/9902595-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="472" height="160"></div><h3><b>2003</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Canadiens <b>4</b> Oilers <b>3</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 57,167</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03791/9902588-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="283" height="194"></div><h3><b>2008</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Penguins <b>2</b> Sabres <b>1 (SO)</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 72,217</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04632/9902581-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="269" height="213"></div><h3><b>2009</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Wrigley Field, Chicago</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Wings <b>6</b> Hawks <b>4</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 40,818</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02885/9902574-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="245" height="228"></div><h3><b>2010</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Fenway Park, Boston</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Bruins <b>2</b> Flyers <b>1 (OT)</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 38,112</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03713/9902567-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="216" height="212"></div><h3><b>2011</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Heinz Field, Pittsburgh</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Capitals <b>3</b> Penguins <b>1</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 68,111</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04613/9902560-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="211" height="226"></div><h3><b>2011</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> McMahon Stadium, Calgary</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Flames <b>4</b> Canadiens <b>0</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 41,022</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05554/9902553-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="225" height="231"></div><h3><b>2012</b></h3><p><b>VENUE</b> Citizen&rsquo;s Bank Park, Philadelphia</p><p><b>SCORE</b> Rangers <b>3</b> Flyers <b>2</b></p><p><b>ATTENDANCE 46,967</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

FEATURES

COOL FACTOR

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011353/9902661-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MUSCLE UP</b></p><p>Adding a little brawn to his brain game has helped Jay Harrison stick with the Canes.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CHUCK MYERS/MCT VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b><b>HERE ARE A COUPLE REASONS</b> why Jay Harrison has never had his IQ tested. First, he thinks the process is inherently biased. Someone from an aboriginal culture might have a lot of wisdom and knowledge, but doesn&rsquo;t know how to do trigonometry. Does that make him less intelligent? Secondly, he thinks of himself as more hardworking than intelligent. But when he ends a conversation, he&rsquo;s the kind of person who will say, &ldquo;Be well.&rdquo; How many hockey players would say something like that?</p><p>The way Harrison sees it, using language properly is just a function of being aware. Somewhere along the line, a teacher made him aware that Superman does good and he&rsquo;s doing well, and it stuck with him. &ldquo;Ignorance is bliss until someone points it out, right?&rdquo; Harrison says. &ldquo;Then it&rsquo;s not so blissful anymore. I like to pay attention to details and sometimes I&rsquo;m a little more qualitative than quantitative.&rdquo;</p><p>In case you haven&rsquo;t guessed, Harrison is selling himself a little short. A defenseman with the Carolina Hurricanes, he&rsquo;s easily one of the deepest thinkers  in the game today and intelligent and hardworking enough to earn a degree in psychology from Athabasca University in the summer. He&rsquo;s self-taught on guitar, violin and piano. And most of all, he was smart enough to realize that after eight years of playing in the minors and Europe he was good enough to be a regular in the NHL. All it took were a few adjustments. The talent that made him the first overall choice in the 1998 Ontario League draft made him basically an average player in the NHL. And that meant he had to have a little more meat and potatoes in his game, a lot more defensive awareness and an injection of toughness.</p><p>The result is a solid, but unspectacular presence on the blueline. And in the first year of a three-year deal worth $4.5 million, he has an NHL paycheque for the foreseeable future. All of that is great, but you get the sense Harrison doesn&rsquo;t define himself solely by his profession. There seems to be a higher calling there &ndash; hence the decision to pursue psychology. Harrison isn&rsquo;t sure where it will take him, but he&rsquo;s really interested in family counselling, developmental psychology and the unique dynamics that go into family relationships. With three young daughters, Harrison is applying that to his life every day.</p><p>And he has some pretty good real-life experience to give him perspective. He has taken the scenic route to the NHL, spending three years in Newfoundland with the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; farm team, then going for a one-year adventure in Switzerland before finding his way back to the NHL. &ldquo;All of it has enriched the education experience because I&rsquo;ve lived it,&rdquo; Harrison says. &ldquo;So I see when my daughter says something to me, &lsquo;Oh my goodness, there&rsquo;s the (text)book alive.&rsquo; I can see it.&rdquo;</p><p>As far as the circuitous route he has taken to get to the NHL, Harrison, 31, has a good perspective on that, too. A lot of guys who spend that much time in the minors think they&rsquo;ve been getting screwed and are being miscast or not appreciated. Harrison never felt that way. He knew his game needed work and he continued to get better each year. For a young man with so much intelligence, he had a habit of making questionable on-ice decisions early in his career, to the point where there was serious doubt whether he would ever reach his potential as an NHLer.</p><p>But once Harrison realized sometimes less is more, his game became much simpler and he began having more success. It also didn&rsquo;t hurt that he became more willing to drop his gloves and engage in a more physical style.</p><p>Part of that evolution has been finding and fitting into an organization that believes in him, which has happened in Carolina. &ldquo;I needed to evolve as a player and I needed to be comfortable in my own skin and get some self-respect before I gained respect around the league,&rdquo; Harrison says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t beat myself up over too many decisions I&rsquo;ve made at 21, especially as it pertains to hockey.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;Ignorance is bliss until someone points it out, right?<br>&ndash; Jay Harrison</blockquote><p>Then there&rsquo;s the music. Harrison began playing guitar at a young age and though he&rsquo;s never been paid to play, &ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve had maybe a few bar tabs or something.&rdquo; Along the way, Harrison also picked up the piano and during his youth and in his three years with the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs, used his off-ice time in an attempt to perfect playing the violin, East Coast style. Now he shares the gift of music with his daughters. Perhaps he had far more time to learn the instrument in Newfoundland than he intended, but it was all part of the growth process for him. &ldquo;I can show her a little bit and pass on that passion and expression,&rdquo;  Harrison says of playing with his six-year-old daughter. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really a form of communication for me and it&rsquo;s one of the most basic and fundamental forms of human expression, regardless of language and culture. With folk music, it&rsquo;s a very primitive form of music that doesn&rsquo;t require an intense intellect to understand what&rsquo;s on the sheet of paper, but it&rsquo;s an expressive type of music and requires feeling and passion and a lot of things you hear in the song aren&rsquo;t actually written on the page.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season, Harrison appeared on a Raleigh classic rock radio station and proved to have an encyclopedic knowledge of every genre of music, from new wave to grunge to folk. His playlist includes everything from Joy Division to Arcade Fire to something called Tool, which recorded a song called <i>Stinkfist</i> on an album entitled <i>Aenema</i>. He waxed poetic about each of them, but related almost all of them back to his connection to them through playing them on his guitar.</p><p>Harrison&rsquo;s all-time favorite is Guns N&rsquo; Roses, saying it was the iconic rock group that inspired him to begin playing guitar. He loves all the band&rsquo;s work, even <i>Chinese Democracy</i>, an album that might have had the longest gestation of any in history and failed to live up to the hype. The critics were lukewarm about it, many calling it a multi-million dollar dud. &ldquo;The hype was that it was going to be the best record of all-time,&rdquo; Harrison says. &ldquo;Imagine facing that down and (front man Axl Rose) still put it out and I give him a lot of credit for that. He said, &lsquo;This is what I&rsquo;ve done and I&rsquo;m proud of it. This is my record.&rsquo; That was ballsy.&rdquo;</p><p>Living up to the hype is something Jay Harrison has a certain familiarity with. Like Axl Rose, he faced it down and here he is. And he&rsquo;s all right with that.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011240/9902654-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="1582" height="1077"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PAYING HIS DUES</b></p><p>Harrison spent almost a decade in the minors before becoming a full-time NHLer.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(GREGG FORWERCK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02840/9902647-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="667" height="769"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ELSA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b><i>JAY HARRISON&rsquo;S PLAYLIST</i></b></h2><p><b>STONE TEMPLE PILOTS</b></p><p>CRACKERMAN</p><p><b>TOOL</b></p><p>STINKFIST</p><p><b>JANE&rsquo;S ADDICTION</b></p><p>JUST BECAUSE</p><p><b>JOY DIVISION</b></p><p>LOVE WILL TEAR US APART</p><p><b>A PERFECT CIRCLE</b></p><p>JUDITH</p><p><b>THE SMITHS</b></p><p>HOW SOON IS NOW</p><p><b>ARCADE FIRE</b></p><p>NO CARS GO</p><p><b>BUSH</b></p><p>CHEMICALS BETWEEN US</p><p><b>CITY AND COLOUR</b></p><p>WEIGHTLESS</p><p><i>The three albums he would want to have with him if he were stranded on a desert island:</i></p><p><b>LED</b>&nbsp;<b>ZEPPELIN</b></p><p>ZEPPELIN IV</p><p><b>STONE TEMPLE PILOTS</b></p><p> CORE</p><p><b>GUNS N&rsquo; ROSES</b></p><p>APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

MIND GAMES

<div class="byline">BY BEN KUZMA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04387/9902692-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>A WHOLE LOTTA LOVE</b></p><p>Henrik and Daniel Sedin have often received paternal praise from their particularly prickly coach.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02622/9902706-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="183" height="207"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03485/9902699-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="183" height="207"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span></b><b>OHN TORTORELLA ISN&rsquo;T A FAN OF TWITTER</b> and please turn off your cell when he&rsquo;s at the podium or the Vancouver Canucks coach will walk. And don&rsquo;t be tardy when he marches through the media room door. Got it? Good.</p><p>Mention Henrik and Daniel Sedin, however, and it&rsquo;s like a father talking about his kids. His eyes widen, head nods in appreciation and a grin of satisfaction forms because from the moment Tortorella was hired to succeed Alain Vigneault, the burning question was how the Sedins would warm to &lsquo;Torts.&rsquo; Even the captain wondered. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a veteran group, but a lot of us have seen only one coach,&rdquo; Henrik said. &ldquo;This is the 13th season for Daniel and me and we&rsquo;ve had two coaches (Marc Crawford, Vigneault). Most guys in the league have had five or six by that time. It&rsquo;s a learning curve for us. It&rsquo;s no secret. It&rsquo;s going to be different.&rdquo;</p><p>Tortorella had admired the Sedins from afar and everything he&rsquo;d heard about them has been confirmed through daily interaction as their coach. In superb condition both mind and body, the Sedins have embraced more direction, more minutes, more penalty-kill time and even blocking shots. Tortorella has loaded up his top line with Ryan Kesler, split up the Sedins and even used four forwards to spark a struggling power play. Every move got a nod of approval. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been put in situations we haven&rsquo;t been put in before and that&rsquo;s all you can ask as a player,&rdquo; Daniel said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re here to win and we look at ourselves as being complete players. Before, when we didn&rsquo;t score, we felt we let the team down. Now, you can be happy about killing a penalty.&rdquo;</p><p>Imagine that? At 33 and supposedly slipping in skill and stamina after a dozen years in the NHL, the Sedins are averaging around 22 minutes a night and have played as much as 26. Under Vigneault, they logged about 19 per game. And whether together or occasionally split, they&rsquo;ve received respect and adulation from the coach.</p><p>Not that it&rsquo;s been a seamless transition. There are always challenges in playing for Tortorella and when the Canucks lost seven of eight games in November, he challenged Roberto Luongo to be better and acknowledged the Sedins could be more productive. Fair comments. However, when Jannik Hansen was lax on the backcheck to give up the opening goal Nov. 28 at Ottawa, the coach blistered him while repeatedly jamming his finger into the Dane&rsquo;s shoulder. The Canucks then scored a season high four second-period goals en route to a 5-2 win. Two nights later, Alexander Edler got the bench berating in a 5-2 loss at Madison Square Garden and then responded well in a 3-2 win at Carolina Dec. 1. &ldquo;He (Tortorella) has been good and straightforward,&rdquo; Daniel said. &ldquo;You can do that in a lot of ways and you&rsquo;ve got to be able to handle it because he wants you to get better.&rdquo;</p><p>Tortorella doesn&rsquo;t give any of his players an easy out. Even the Sedins were challenged when split up. &ldquo;I think they want it,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re smart enough to know they were being checked pretty closely and I wasn&rsquo;t going to take them off because the opposing team was putting its checking line out there. They got to find a way to get through it.&rdquo;</p><p>As much as Tortorella can suggest tweaks to the twins&rsquo; game and doesn&rsquo;t want to curtail their creativity, he takes offense to anybody calling them soft in the defensive zone. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been dying to talk about this,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;These aren&rsquo;t soft people. These aren&rsquo;t soft players. I&rsquo;ve had the honor to be up close and personal and see how hard they work. It pisses me off, the reputation that&rsquo;s still out there. It&rsquo;s so undeserving and so disrespectful. People who pop off don&rsquo;t have a clue. They play underneath the hash marks and in the tough areas and you watch how hard they play on the boards and how they protect pucks.&rdquo;</p><p>And how they&rsquo;ve won over a very tough coach.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-04

THE MORE THE MERRIER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06305/9902779-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07262/9902772-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="1374" height="1006"><figcaption class="caption-body">MATT <b>MOULSON</b><span class="photo-credit">(MOULSON+HILLER+STAAL: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HAT THE BUFFALO SABRES HAVE</b> struggled this year is no secret. But when the rebuild began in earnest with the trading of Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders, at least since-fired GM Darcy Regier got a talented player in return.</p><p>Matt Moulson was that veteran scorer and his production hasn&rsquo;t slowed since heading up the interstate, so much so that he was second in points on Buffalo within 13 games &ndash; half as many as his new teammates have played. But it&rsquo;s more than just scoring punch that makes Moulson an asset. He also comes with historical knowledge that a young team can grow together, since he saw it first-hand with the Islanders. &ldquo;I try to share some experiences when I can,&rdquo; Moulson said. &ldquo;Having done it before, you have to let guys know that they just need to keep working and learning and getting better. That&rsquo;s the only way to improve the team if everyone&rsquo;s learning and making sure the same mistakes made in the past aren&rsquo;t made again in the future.&rdquo;</p><p>When Ted Nolan took over behind the bench for the fired Ron Rolston and Pat LaFontaine set up camp in the front office, the Sabres sent teenagers Nikita  Zadorov back to major junior and Rasmus Ristolainen to the American League. An attempt to demote a third teen, Mikhail Grigorenko, to the minors was nixed by the NHL because they believed his &ldquo;conditioning assignment&rdquo; had nothing to do with weight and everything to do with buying time.</p><p>So the Sabres are still green, but Moulson sees the upside. &ldquo;Obviously a lot of young guys are still learning,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s similar to the situation I had on the Island early on. We were rebuilding. It&rsquo;s fun to be a part of this group and hopefully I can help.&rdquo;</p><p>Getting traded never comes at a good time, but it was especially tricky for Moulson. His wife had just given birth to their second child (a boy, to go along with a young girl), so they stayed in Connecticut for the first month after the trade. On the bright side, Moulson&rsquo;s parents, brother and sister all live in Mississauga, Ont., which is just an hour and a half from the U.S. border, so they were able to see his Sabres debut. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an easy adjustment,&rdquo; Moulson said. &ldquo;The organization was very welcoming to me and it always makes it easier when your family is comfortable as well.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01826/9902765-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="305" height="459"></div><p>The Ducks should give their goaltending scout a raise. In the past six years, they&rsquo;ve signed <b>Jonas Hiller</b> and Viktor Fasth as free agents &ndash; making Ilya Bryzgalov and J-S Giguere expendable &ndash; and drafted Frederik Andersen as a 22-year-old. And now 2011 second-rounder John Gibson is burning up the American League in Norfolk.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02549/9902758-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RASK: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Boston&rsquo;s resolution: that 2014 goes as well as 2013, with one exception. This past year would&rsquo;ve been perfect if not for a 17-second span in Game 6 of the Cup final in which the Bruins allowed two goals and watched their championship hopes go down the drain. Led by Vezina favorite <b>Tuukka Rask</b>, they are built for the playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03449/9902751-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HODGSON: TRAVIS GOLBY/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the Sabres want to kick-start their rebuild around <b>Cody Hodgson</b> via two first-round picks in 2014, should they resolve to let the Islanders win March 15 and April 13? Buffalo got a first-rounder from them in the Thomas Vanek deal, but if the Isles finish low enough to draft in the top 10, they can defer the pick from 2014 to 2015.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04389/9902744-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RAMO: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Flames promise to work on finishing games in 2014. Calgary struggled in the first third of the season holding on to leads, allowing the most third-period and overtime goals in the league. The Flames have issues between the pipes with each of <b>Karri Ramo</b>, Reto Berra and the since-demoted Joey MacDonald nowhere near a .900 SP.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05350/9902737-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="305" height="464"></div><p>The Hurricanes need scoring. Leading point man <b>Eric Staal</b> was on an island by himself. If the Canes are going to make a charge at the playoffs, underachievers such as Jiri Tlusty, Alexander Semin and Jordan Staal need to pick it up, while Jeff Skinner &ndash; who had the best points-per-game ratio on the team &ndash; needs to stay healthy.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-06

BRIGHT LIGHT DURING DARK DAYS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07233/9902852-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08179/9902859-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="183" height="207"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06274/9902845-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="1256" height="865"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>JOHANSEN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JOHANSEN: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b><b>HEN COLUMBUS SELECTED RYAN</b>Johansen fourth overall in 2010, the Blue Jackets knew they were getting a raw product. Johansen had just one season of major junior under his belt at the time, but his 6-foot-3, 192-pound frame could be built upon and the skills were there. It took a while, but it finally seems as though Johansen has arrived as now he&rsquo;s starting to show glimpses of that No. 1 center he was projected to be. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more competitive,&rdquo; said coach Todd Richards. &ldquo;Stronger on the puck, he wants the puck, wants to play with the puck and now you can see the talent he has.&rdquo;</p><p>Now up to 223 pounds, Johansen is having a breakout season, with 16 points in his first 24 games to rank second in team scoring behind James Wisniewski. That&rsquo;s a good chunk of offense for a player whose previous career-high was 21 points back as a rookie in 2011-12. Johansen put in the work this summer and is now being rewarded. &ldquo;Personally, I just wanted to be comfortable with my game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I worked on a lot of stick skills and my shot &ndash; all those little things that can take you to another level &ndash; and I feel it has helped me a lot. There&rsquo;s a lot that goes into it.&rdquo;</p><p>One aspect of his game that has helped Johansen and his team is the center&rsquo;s play at the dot. As a rookie, he won just 45 percent of his draws. This season he was operating at a 52.6 percent clip, which has led to an increased amount of time on the penalty kill. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a smart player,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s big and he&rsquo;s got great range with his stick. We have him out there because of faceoffs, but I have to be careful how I use Ryan, because there&rsquo;s times where we need him for offensive situations for power plays and those types of scenarios. He has proven that he thinks the game well.&rdquo;</p><p>The hype of being the fourth overall selection for a franchise that has historically struggled in the first round of the draft has subsided, but Johansen never felt burdened. &ldquo;My draft year was such a rollercoaster,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the start of the year I was ranked in the third round and by the end of the year all these teams thought I had the potential to be a great player.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s taken me a little longer than I would have wanted to, but I feel like I&rsquo;ve taken some good steps.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01878/9902838-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(QUENNEVILLE: FREDERICK BREEDON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Joel Quenneville&rsquo;s</b> Hawks need to cut back on power play goals against. By the end of November, only the Islanders had a worse penalty kill percentage. How important is the PK to Chicago&rsquo;s success? Its league ranking from 2009-10 to present were fourth, 25th, 27th, third and 29th. The two years in the top five are the Cup years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02576/9902831-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LANDESKOG: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Colorado should tighten its security during morning skates in 2014. There&rsquo;s no rule against watching opponents during the skate, so the Panthers and Tim Thomas sat down to watch the Avs Nov. 16. The spying worked, as Florida won 4-1. Thomas stopped <b>Gabriel Landeskog</b> and Nathan MacKinnon a combined 12 times.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03456/9902824-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HORTON: BRIAN BABINEAU/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>When <b>Nathan Horton</b> gets into the Blue Jackets lineup once his injured shoulder heals, Columbus can breathe a sigh of relief. If the Stanley Cup winner with Boston can&rsquo;t boost the Jackets in the standings, he can at least offer a distraction in what is quickly becoming a lost season for the struggling team and coach Todd Richards.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04366/9902817-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EAKIN: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Dallas has the ability to be a quick-strike team. If you took a bathroom break during the Stars-Ducks game Nov. 26, you missed three Dallas goals in 53 seconds. <b>Cody Eakin</b>, Stephane Robidas and Ryan Garbutt combined to put Dallas ahead for good in a 6-3 win. It was the fastest trio of goals by an NHL team since January 2012.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05310/9902810-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Detroit&rsquo;s new year will depend on how it manages players post-Olympics. Half the roster may be in Sochi: <b>Pavel Datsyuk</b> (Russia), Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Daniel Alfredsson, Johan Franzen, Jonathan Ericsson, Mikael Samuelsson (Sweden), Jakub Kindl (Czech Republic), Tomas Tatar (Slovakia) and Jimmy Howard (USA).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-07

A PARAGON OF PATIENT PROGRESS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06276/9902939-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08183/9902932-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="183" height="207"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07235/9902925-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="1374" height="990"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>SUTER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SUTER: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span></b><b>YAN SUTER IS NOT LIKE MOST</b> hockey players. As a kid, he didn&rsquo;t dream of becoming an NHLer, even though his father, Bob, was a member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice and his uncle, Gary, was an NHL star. He doesn&rsquo;t seek the limelight nor want any part of it.</p><p>Last year, after leading the NHL in ice time and helping the Wild into the postseason for the first time in five years &ndash; despite secretly playing through a broken rib for weeks &ndash; Suter was runner-up for the Norris Trophy. How honored was he? &ldquo;It just was kind of an inconvenience,&rdquo; Suter said in his typical polite, laid-back way. &ldquo;I know I probably shouldn&rsquo;t say that. The attention, I&rsquo;d rather just go out and have nothing said or written about me. I want to be the best player&hellip;without anybody noticing that I&rsquo;m the best player.&rdquo;</p><p>This is why the Wild love him and why you don&rsquo;t hear much criticism of the 13-year, $98-million dollar deal he received in 2012.</p><p>Suter not only plays ridiculous minutes &ndash; averaging almost 30 a game, nearly two above the next best NHLer &ndash; he topped 30 minutes 13 times in the first 28 games and three times he hit the 35-minute mark. And he does it all without complaint, in effortless fashion, seemingly without even breathing hard.</p><p>Few defensemen can control the pace of a game like the cerebral Suter, 28, who has exceptional vision, passing ability and underrated power. Zach Parise calls it &ldquo;farmer&rsquo;s strength&rdquo; because Suter spends his off-season working on his 120-acre corn and alfalfa farm in Madison, Wis. This past summer, Suter used a log splitter to clean up the woods, built a retaining wall made of giant boulders, poured concrete on his driveway and even painted a 500-foot fence. &ldquo;I joke with the coaches that I work harder in the off-season than I do during the season,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>Hard to imagine, but the minute-muncher is private away from the rink. He&rsquo;s a devoted family man and, other than working at his dad&rsquo;s Wisconsin rink, loves forgetting about hockey during the summer. That&rsquo;s why the attention that came with the Norris nomination was an &ldquo;inconvenience.&rdquo; &ldquo;Some guys love the attention,&rdquo; Suter said. &ldquo;Some guys play in the NHL just so they can say they played in the NHL. I just like playing&hellip;and want to win a Stanley Cup.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01855/9902918-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="305" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(EBERLE+PARISE: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Oilers should check the starting times of games. No team in the West has been as slow out of the gate. They were outscored 30-17 in first periods of games through early December. In the next two periods, they were a more respectable minus-6 and minus-4. <b>Jordan Eberle</b> led the team with three goals to start a game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02600/9902911-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(UPSHALL: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Panthers are already out of the playoffs, so they might want to spend the first half of 2014 losing games. That would give them a better chance to win the draft lottery and allow GM Dale Tallon to rebuild the team with top-three picks the way he did with the Blackhawks. For that to happen, <b>Scottie Upshall</b> could do his part by cooling off.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03499/9902904-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VOYNOV: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&rsquo;Tis the season to be generous, but the Kings will need to be greedy in the coming year. No team has a greater disparity between giving and taking than L.A. The Kings had the third most giveaways in the first third of the season and ranked 30th with the fewest takeaways. <b>Slava Voynov</b> was among league leaders in giveaways.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04380/9902897-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="305" height="459"></div><p>If the Wild want to make more money next year &ndash; why not bet on horses named after their players? A horse named &lsquo;Parise,&rsquo; for Minnesota&rsquo;s <b>Zach Parise</b>, recently won a race at Toronto&rsquo;s Woodbine race track. Any owner wanting a similarly speedy colt should probably avoid betting on Wild-inspired names like &lsquo;Konopka.&rsquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05332/9902890-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="305" height="463"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARKOV: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>After three injury-plagued seasons, <b>Andrei Markov</b> didn&rsquo;t miss a single game through 11 months in 2013. And at times, he was the Canadiens&rsquo; best defensemen in the first quarter of this season. More of the same in the first half of 2014 will put him in an excellent position for contract negotiations when his deal expires next summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-06

STAR LIKES LIFE OUT OF LIMELIGHT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-07187/9903012-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-06218/9903019-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="183" height="207"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-08141/9903005-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="1373" height="980"><figcaption class="caption-body">JAROMIR <b>JAGR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JAGR: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>AROMIR JAGR READILY ADMITS THAT</b> he will not go into the Hockey Hall of Fame wearing a New Jersey Devils sweater. His greatest days came with the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>At 41, he is continuing to play the game at an elite level while also passing along knowledge to a generation of younger players who worship the Czech right winger. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s drinking from the Fountain of Youth,&rdquo; coach Pete De-Boer said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing that his engine keeps going.&rdquo;</p><p>Jagr has also become the dressing room&rsquo;s standup comedian, relentless with his jokes and jabs, particularly for linemate Dainius Zubrus. After one practice in which the Devils worked on shootouts, Jagr said to Zubrus: &ldquo;If they use you in a shootout before me, I&rsquo;m going to ask to be traded. No, I&rsquo;m going to retire altogether.&rdquo;</p><p>On the ice, DeBoer said he did not even want to consider where the Devils would be without Jagr. Among his important goals was No. 691 of his career, moving him past former teammate Mario Lemieux on the all-time NHL list. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really have a chance to see Wayne (Gretzky) when he was doing the 200-point seasons in Edmonton,&rdquo; Jagr said. &ldquo;When I came into the league I was playing with Mario, so he was the guy I was looking up to. He was a huge influence on the game I play. I learned so many things from him.</p><p>&ldquo;I was pretty lucky to see (Lemieux) at his best. He probably played 600 less games than me. If he&rsquo;d played as many games as me he would have 2,500 points and probably 900 goals.&rdquo;</p><p>How long can Jagr go on? He said he&rsquo;ll play in the NHL as long as he is able, but returning to finish his career back home in the Czech Republic is a possibility. And don&rsquo;t even suggest the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia will be Jagr&rsquo;s last. He would be 46 if he played in the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. &ldquo;I understand that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny, but don&rsquo;t forget that by then I&rsquo;ll be playing in Europe on the big ice and there probably won&rsquo;t be NHL players. I would have to stay healthy. (Chris) Chelios did it. In 2010 I said I would like to play in the world championships in Prague in 2015 and everybody laughed. Now it&rsquo;s just over one year away.&rdquo;</p><p>No one laughs at Jagr these days, except when he&rsquo;s joking around in the Devils&rsquo; dressing room.</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01757/9902998-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WEBER+GREENE: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>A good mission for the Preds in 2014: convince <b>Shea Weber</b> to wear a visor. Their star defenseman sustained an eye injury in late November when a shot from Edmonton&rsquo;s David Perron caught him. With Kevin Klein also out, the six defensemen Nashville dressed in the first contest sans-Weber had 305 total games of NHL experience.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02494/9902991-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="305" height="459"></div><p>The Devils mantra as the calendar turns over to 2014 should be &ldquo;respect your elders.&rdquo; The Devils&rsquo; top-five scorers were all older than 30, with <b>Andy Greene</b> (31) the only one under 35. If this team is going to make any noise, rest will be important down the stretch. New Jersey will play back-to-back games 10 times after New Year&rsquo;s Day.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03375/9902984-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VANEK: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Do the Islanders stay the course and hope the team improves enough to get back into the playoffs or blow up the season? <b>Thomas Vanek</b> may be the answer in both options. Though he was putting up decent numbers, New York was getting killed with him in the lineup. He&rsquo;s a pending free agent. Do the Isles trade him?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04296/9902977-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LUNDQVIST: JOEL AUERBACH/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Blueshirts took care of business early, inking <b>Henrik Lundqvist</b> to a long-term contract before the calendar flipped to 2014. &lsquo;The King&rsquo; got a seven-year pact worth nearly $60 million. With the distraction of contract talks done, Lundqvist no longer has an excuse for uncharacteristically pedestrian play.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-05247/9902970-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="306" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPEZZA: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jason Spezza</b> was close to his customary point-per-game pace through the season&rsquo;s first third, but he should watch that plus-minus (minus-8). Granted, Spezza regularly goes up against the top lines on opposing teams, but Spezza was running the risk of posting one of the worst plus-minus mark of his career (minus-14).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-07

LAUGHS NEVER END FOR JAGR

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-07142/9903172-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06173/9903179-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="183" height="207"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-08100/9903165-1-eng-US/f0046-082.jpg" title="f0046-08" width="1373" height="1009"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN <b>CARLSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CARLSON: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>JOHN CARLSON HAS AN EXCELLENT</b> chance to make Team USA for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.</p><p>If that thought frightens you, you&rsquo;re Canadian and you remember the 2010 world junior gold medal game. Carlson broke Canada&rsquo;s heart with a laser past goaltender Martin Jones in overtime, clinching the Americans&rsquo; second championship. Now, he&rsquo;s building a case to don the Stars and Stripes again on a much bigger stage.</p><p>Carlson, picked 27th overall by Washington in 2008, always had potential to be a top-two workhorse and possessed good size at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, but he suffered through bouts of inconsistency. Then something clicked in 2013-14. He now averages around 24 minutes of ice time, a career-high. He&rsquo;s second in the NHL in short-handed minutes per game at 4:11 while also getting power play time. At 23, he&rsquo;s the team&rsquo;s most versatile blueliner.</p><p>&ldquo;John&rsquo;s been outstanding the whole time &ndash; it&rsquo;s whether he gets the opportunity or not,&rdquo; said goaltender Braden Holtby. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been playing a lot more minutes for us and he&rsquo;s the guy we want out there all the time &ndash; at least I do. You don&rsquo;t find many D-men like him who don&rsquo;t have a weakness.&rdquo;</p><p>So is it an open-and-shut case to put Carlson on Team USA? Not so fast. Check out his monthly splits. October: 12 games played, no goals, two points, minus-5, 23 shots. November: 15 games played, six goals, 10 points, plus-8, 49 shots. It&rsquo;s a remarkable case of hot and cold, though Carlson doesn&rsquo;t view his game that way. &ldquo;Even this season at the beginning, I felt like I was playing good and things just weren&rsquo;t going my way,&rdquo; Carlson said. &ldquo;And the past 10 or so games I&rsquo;ve made some good plays we&rsquo;ve capitalized on and I&rsquo;ve capitalized on some good plays people made to me.&rdquo;</p><p>After Washington&rsquo;s shootout loss to Toronto in late November, you&rsquo;d think it would be easy to get Carlson alone in a dressing room with Alex Ovechkin in it. Nope. Carlson attracted just as big of a crowd. The secret is out on him &ndash; and he may come up big in Sochi. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to stay focused,&rdquo; Carlson said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to be there. It&rsquo;s a dream. I can&rsquo;t make those decisions. But my job right now is to win hockey games for the Caps. I&rsquo;ll come to work every day to try and do that. And hopefully the rest will take care of itself.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>NEW YEAR&rsquo;S RESOLUTION</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01672/9903158-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="305" height="467"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STAMKOS: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Steven</b>&nbsp;<b>Stamkos</b> has said he will not rush his return to play in the Olympics, but he will almost certainly be back by the stretch run of the season. With seven of their first eight games away from home in 2014, the Lightning will have to improve on a mediocre road record in order to be firmly in a playoff position by the time Stamkos returns.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02444/9903151-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERNIER+HOLTBY: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Maple Leafs need to make life easier on their goaltenders <b>Jonathan Bernier</b> and James Reimer. Through the first third of the season, the Maple Leafs gave up more shots than any other team &ndash; 36.1 on average per game. If they don&rsquo;t tighten up defensively, their goalies will be reduced to skeletons by the time the playoffs come.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03305/9903144-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KESLER: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Vancouver power play is broken and needs a fix if the Canucks are to succeed. Once ranked first in the NHL at 24.3 percent in 2010-11, the PP unit slipped to fourth in 2011-12, then 22nd last season. Through the first third of the season, Vancouver&rsquo;s PP unit ranked 26th. <b>Ryan Kesler</b> paced the way with four power play goals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04251/9903137-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="305" height="459"></div><p>Maybe that whole Canadian Olympic invite wasn&rsquo;t such a good thing for <b>Braden Holtby</b>, after all. If the Caps are going to make noise in the Metro, they&rsquo;re going to need to support their goalie better. Holtby had middling stats for the Caps, but was also facing a ton of shots &ndash; more than anyone other than Mike Smith of the Coyotes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05198/9903130-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="305" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PAVELEC: LANCE THOMSON/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>To better themselves in 2014, the Jets should commit to spelling <b>Ondrej Pavelec</b> with Al Montoya more often. In November, Montoya&rsquo;s four starts were double what he had in any month last season. His numbers (2-1-1, 2.80, .900) were middling, but Pavelec&rsquo;s SP jumped from .909 to .924 from October to November.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-07

FROM CAPITOL HILL TO SOCHI THRILL?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01461/9903210-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="483" height="592"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: BONGARTS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>&ldquo;My 24 assists and 31 points at the 1993 world juniors set tournament records.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;At the &rsquo;93 WJC, 10 of my points came in a 20-1 rout over Japan for my native Sweden.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I won Olympic gold in 1994 and 2006 and Stanley Cups in 1996 and 2001.</i></p><p>WHO AM I: PETER FORSBERG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

Guess WHO!

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02358/9903248-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="230" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARTNELL: LEN REDKOLES/NHL I VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SCOTT HARTNELL</b></h2><p>Former prospect struck it rich in NHL. Known for falling down. Bested Dion Phaneuf with &ldquo;suck it&rdquo; quip.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03284/9903241-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="230" height="396"></div><h2><b>YUKON CORNELIUS</b></h2><p>Prospector wants to strike it rich. Falls off cliff, but returns having bested Abominable Snowman.</p><p><b>Submitted by:</b> Saverio Caliendo</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>

f0049-02

Separated AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-06132/9903279-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/XWORD</a></b></p><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 TV gave us instant ___</p><p>4 Where John Tavares played his junior hockey</p><p>9 He&rsquo;s in the books for a 10-point game</p><p>10 Travel to another city</p><p>11 The Sea Dogs are based in ___ John</p><p>12 Home of major junior&rsquo;s Spitfires</p><p>13 ___ Larionov won three Cups with Detroit</p><p>15 NHL playoff series are ___-of-seven games</p><p>18 First games</p><p>21 Mike Ilitch, for one</p><p>23 Food item popular at arenas</p><p>24 Heckled</p><p>25 Starred for Habs before penning <i>The Game</i></p><p>26 Toronto&rsquo;s team once went by this nickname</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 Oppose</p><p>2 ___ Skriko was a Canuck and Bruin</p><p>3 Columbus was supposed to host the 2013 ___-___ Game</p><p>5 &lsquo;Espo&rsquo;s&rsquo; number, it was retired by Boston</p><p>6 Ray Bourque got exactly 1,111 as a Bruin</p><p>7 Changes</p><p>8 Faceoff</p><p>14 He wore the &lsquo;C&rsquo; in Edmonton and Los Angeles</p><p>15 Netminder (pictured) born in Montreal in 1972</p><p>16 Won easily</p><p>17 Swaps</p><p>19 Wipe out</p><p>20 Abbreviated nickname of &lsquo;Alfie&rsquo;s&rsquo; former team</p><p>22 Chris ___ was known as &lsquo;Knuckles&rsquo;</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. BRANCH, 4. DALLAS, 9. NORANDA, 10. ORGAN, 11. SHERO, 12. TORONTO, 13. JETS, 15. MASK, 18. ALBERTA, 21. CLEAR, 23. HOWIE, 24. BRANDON, 25. REDDEN, 26. ALBERT <b>DOWN</b> 1. BANISH, 2. AGREE, 3. CONNORS, 5. AMOUR, 6. LEGENDS, 7. SENIOR, 8. HART, 14. ELBOWED, 15. MICHAEL, 16. FATHER, 17. BRUNET, 19. REESE, 20. ABBY, 22. EDDIE<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-06

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04264/9903310-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="576" height="520"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: SYLVIE MARSOLAIS/SYLABRUSH.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>ZACH FUCALE</b> | HALIFAX MOOSEHEADS</p><p>The Montreal draft pick&rsquo;s 2013-14 design, by Sylvie Marsolais, has a lot packed into it. The broad strokes include battling moose and Halifax&rsquo;s Citadel. The back plate honors Fucale&rsquo;s off-ice life with an Italian flag plus the initials of his family and girlfriend.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-04

Behind THE MASK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05209/9903341-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="622" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: LOS ANGELES KINGS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>LOS ANGELES KINGS</b> | 2013-14</p><p>Some of the throwback jerseys for previous outdoor games have been great, but with the series expanding, retro wasn&rsquo;t always going to be mandatory.</p><p>Los Angeles and Anaheim will square off at Dodger Stadium Jan. 25 and both teams will look good. The Kings will be rocking a light grey number featuring their old crown logo, which was only recently relegated. The black shoulders are cool, especially when you toss in the unique shoulder logo, which features the &lsquo;L&rsquo; surrounding a smaller &lsquo;A.&rsquo; Could be a future ball cap logo.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-05

JerseyHOUND

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02340/9903372-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01449/9903379-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="200" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>MAGINE THE UPROAR IF NHL PLAYERS</b> were suddenly told they&rsquo;d have to play a seven-game playoff series in the span of three days. The NHL Players&rsquo; Association would take more umbrage to that than it would the prospect of goons being taken out of the game.</p><p>We can all agree that asking the best players in the world to do that would border on lunacy. That&rsquo;s why the league has in its CBA that teams never, ever play three games in three nights.</p><p>So if it&rsquo;s outrageous that the fittest, most mentally strong and highest paid hockey players in the world play that kind of schedule, why do we think it&rsquo;s all right to demand that of our kids? Because that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re doing almost every weekend in rinks all over North America. Go to any elite tournament on a late Sunday afternoon, you&rsquo;ll be sure to see a bunch of young men come off the ice who look as though they&rsquo;ve been run into the ground. These are kids, barely teenagers, who need ice baths and chiropractors on a regular basis. And it&rsquo;s wrong.</p><p>During the last weekend of November, the annual Silver Stick Tournament for minor atom, peewee, bantam and midget AA and AAA teams was held in Whitby, Ont. A total of 120 teams played 274 games over four days. But none of them were required to go through what a group of nine-year-olds from Connecticut had to endure. And if you&rsquo;re not familiar with the structure of youth hockey, this is going to shock you.</p><p>The Mid-Fairfield Yankees are a group of nine-year-old players (born in 2004) that travelled nine hours to get there. They played their first game at 2 p.m. on Friday and last one in the final at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon. That game was their third of the day and followed two games Friday and two on Saturday. In just over 48 hours, a group of nine-year-olds played seven games. Then, get this, everyone jumped back in their cars and drove back to Stamford, arriving home at about 1 a.m. for school the next day.</p><p>Now consider the Detroit HoneyBaked AAA midgets, who played seven games in three days with just 12 skaters. Honey-Baked is one of the best midget teams in North America, which is why they won the championship game 6-0, despite losing their best defenseman, Nick McKeeby, to an injury in the tournament.</p><p>Kids, particularly in Canada, are playing far too much hockey these days. In fact, one parent who has a child playing for the Toronto Jr. Canadiens, the team HoneyBaked vanquished in the final, thinks playing minor midget in Ontario is more grueling than playing in the Ontario League. Mary Mete, whose son Victor will be a top-five draft pick in the OHL if he chooses the major junior route, says her son has played from mid-August until June since he was six. He has played summer tournaments in Europe and the family has spent more money on hockey than she cares to imagine. Suffice it to say the bill has been more than $10,000 a year, not including spending the summer working out with Gary Roberts. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve never thought about it, but it would be scary,&rdquo; says Mete, who owns a banquet hall with her husband. She also boards two other players for the Canadiens, including Jakob Chychrun, the son of former NHLer Jeff Chychrun and the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 OHL draft. With all those kids playing hockey so much, she has a chiropractor come in every week or so to work on the boys. A chiropractor. For 15-year-olds.</p><p>Dr. Michael Clarfield, who was once team doctor for the Toronto Maple Leafs and runs the biggest sports medicine clinic in Canada, told me recently for a book I wrote on youth hockey that 40 percent of his clientele is young hockey players. He sometimes sees up to 10 concussions a week, but leading the way is adductor strains, which comes from repetitive stress on the same muscles. &ldquo;The hip and groin area is probably one of the prime areas where I rarely saw injuries in kids and now we see them all the time,&rdquo; Clarfield says. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re exposing the same muscle groups to the same stress over and over again and they&rsquo;re not getting a rest.&rdquo;</p><p>So today&rsquo;s hockey culture is producing future candidates for arthritis and hip replacements. Parents often say it&rsquo;s their child&rsquo;s passion and it wouldn&rsquo;t be right to deprive them of doing something they love. But who&rsquo;s driving the bus here?</p><p>The parents are. Actually, like the families from Connecticut, they&rsquo;re driving the cars, too. Every weekend. Even too much of a good thing can be bad.</p><h2><b>THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS</b></h2><p>The stakes are higher in the NHL, but the workload isn&rsquo;t. Here&rsquo;s a 16-day sample stretch comparing the schedules for the Montreal Canadiens and the AAA midget Toronto Jr. Canadiens. On Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1, the midget team played two games per day for a total of 13 games in 16 days. The NHL team played eight games, but did have five days on which it travelled.</p><p><b>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL?</b> GO TO <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></b>FOR DAILY UPDATES<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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