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.

March 24, 2014

The Hockey News - Mar-24-14

<div class="byline">BY JEFF BLAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0061-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01203/9919252-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PUTTING ON A CLINIC</b></p><p>Connor Murphy will head to the NCAA because he wants to be a doctor after his hockey career.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHIL ARMISHAW)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0399/9919259-1-eng-US/f0061-032.jpg" title="f0061-03" width="60" height="68"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S NOT OFTEN A JR. B PLAYER EARNS THE</b> attention of NHL scouts. But when you&rsquo;re dominating a league at 17 like Connor Murphy of the Caledonia Corvairs is doing in the Greater Ontario Junior League, it&rsquo;s hard not to get noticed.</p><p>Throughout his sophomore junior season, Murphy has been sandwiched between two veteran players three years his elder for second in league scoring. Murphy leads Caledonia with 30 goals and 91 points in 47 games &ndash; totals impressive enough to earn him the 174th spot in the NHL&rsquo;s 2014 midterm draft rankings, making Murphy the only current GOJHL player to crack the list. That doesn&rsquo;t surprise Corvairs GM/coach Mike Bullard one bit. &ldquo;Being an ex-NHL player, you always know when there&rsquo;s a special player in front of you,&rdquo; said Bullard, who spent 11 seasons in the NHL and has coached Murphy since his rookie year. &ldquo;We saw Connor for the first time last year as a 16-year-old and we knew then he was that special player.&rdquo;</p><p>Only 5-foot-10 and 170-pounds, Murphy will have to allay concerns among NHL scouts about his size. But Bullard says there are too many positives in his game to overlook. &ldquo;There have been times when people have said he&rsquo;s too small and he&rsquo;s not going to make it, but between the way he plays and getting ranked for the draft, he&rsquo;s proving everybody wrong,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very quick, he has great hands and a ton of offensive upside. He&rsquo;s not the biggest, but he absolutely works his butt off. He&rsquo;s got no fear and he loves to score.&rdquo;</p><p>Murphy led the Corvairs with 26 goals and 71 points in 51 games as a rookie last season, earning a number of offers from Div. I NCAA schools, along with an invite to training camp with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Owen Sound Attack.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>But hockey isn&rsquo;t his only concern. As a Grade 12 student, he boasts a 98-percent average in high school and has aspirations of being a physician after his hockey career, which played a key role in his recent decision to commit to the University of Michigan. &ldquo;The education side of things is really important to me,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;The NCAA route gives me a high level of hockey and a good education.&rdquo;</p><p>Being a smaller player, Murphy feels spending another season in the GOJHL and a potential four years with the Michigan Wolverines will benefit his game in the long run. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a smaller guy like me, you&rsquo;ve just got to make sure you&rsquo;re playing big and working on the little things,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;With Caledonia, I&rsquo;m able to play with a lot of great players in a lot of key situations and get a lot of ice time.</p><p>&ldquo;With the NCAA, it gives you much more of a development curve. You get a couple of extra years to fill out, get stronger and get used to playing with bigger, stronger guys.&rdquo;</p><p>Along with his size, there are still some questions about his defensive game and how well he will transition from Jr. B to the college level. &ldquo;When you want to play pro, you&rsquo;ve got to learn the defensive side of the game,&rdquo; Bullard said, adding Murphy&rsquo;s speed can, at times, be a double-edged sword. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t always go 125 miles an hour. Sometimes you&rsquo;ve got to slow things down to the pace the game is at. But he&rsquo;ll learn all of that playing with older guys at Michigan.&rdquo;</p><p>For now, Murphy&rsquo;s focus remains on the task at hand: helping the Corvairs, who are second in the Golden Horseshoe Conference, to a Sutherland Cup title. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to focus on doing what I can to help the team win here,&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a great experience and winning a championship would be a perfect way to finish it off.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-02138/9919245-1-eng-US/f0061-022.jpg" title="f0061-02" width="192" height="188"></div><h2><b>CONNOR MURPHY</b></h2><p>POS Center</p><p> AGE 17</p><p>HT 5-10</p><p> WT 170 lbs</p><p>DRAFTED 2014 eligible<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

THE DEEP SLEEPER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL TRAIKOS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04746/9916910-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="273" height="309"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021831/9916903-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1370" height="1063"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p>TEEMU <b>SELANNE</b></p><p>MARIO <b>LEMIEUX</b></p><p>PETER <b>FORSBERG</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEMIEUX: DAVID E. KLUTHO/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012388/9916896-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1032" height="813"><figcaption class="caption-body">TEAM CANADA <b>2004 WORLD CUP</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE+FORSBERG+CANADA: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>N FEBRURAY, WHILE CANADIANS</b> debated who Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s linemates should be, someone brought the Stanley Cup to Sochi and it caused quite the scene. Athletes posed next to the iconic trophy. Some even kissed it.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031308/9916889-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="211" height="146"></div><p>It was another way for the NHL to say it&rsquo;s front-and-center  at these Games. But if the league wanted to send a more accurate message, it would have left the Stanley Cup at home and brought the World Cup of Hockey trophy instead.</p><p>Remember that hideous thing? It was designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry, was partially made from plastic and looked like something that was better suited for holding flowers or the remains of a dead aunt. And now, after being in hibernation for 10 years, it&rsquo;s probably coming back.</p><p>There are many reasons why these Olympics are likely the last the NHL participates in. They break up the season, put players&rsquo; health at risk and are sometimes hosted by countries, like South Korea, with enormous time differences from North America. But the biggest complaint is lack of control. &ldquo;The primary benefit of a World Cup is that we and the players own it,&rdquo; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Hockey News. &ldquo;We get to design it, play it when and where we want to and sell and market it as we think best.&rdquo;</p><p>In other words, the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association can make money off the World Cup of Hockey, something the Winter Games simply don&rsquo;t provide.</p><p>The NHL and NHLPA have yet to say if these Olympics will be their last or whether the World Cup will be brought out of retirement, but the two sides are reportedly talking. The discussion on Sochi began in 2010, but didn&rsquo;t get resolved until July 2013. &ldquo;I do not anticipate it will take that long and we will have a broader discussion with the Players&rsquo; Association on international competition and what we are doing internationally,&rdquo; Daly told reporters before the men&rsquo;s hockey tournament began in Sochi. &ldquo;That discussion is underway, so I would anticipate a quick resolution in respect to the Olympics. Maybe six months.&rdquo;</p><p>The first Olympics NHLers participated in were at Nagano in 1998. At the time, the league was still growing the game internationally. Since then, the NHL has played in four other Games and the evolution of the sport is tangible.</p><p>But at some point, said Daly, the Olympics can only do so much. Eventually, the cost of halting business outweighs the supposed long-term benefits of further introducing a sport to a country that probably couldn&rsquo;t care less whether professionals or amateurs are competing.</p><p>Unlike with the Sochi Games, which had Alex Ovechkin and other Russians threatening to leave their NHL teams to participate, many players won&rsquo;t care nearly as much whether they get to Pyeongchang in 2018. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re never going to ignore the Asian market,&rdquo; Daly said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very important, but I also don&rsquo;t view it as a realistic short-term objective to make an impact in the Asian market. It&rsquo;s more of a long-term objective for the sport generally.&rdquo;</p><p>The short-term objective is to make money, so expect a World Cup decision soon. It won&rsquo;t be without its obstacles. Both sides will have to agree on when to hold it (before the season begins or after it ends?), where to hold it (will Canada get first dibs?) and how frequently it occurs (every two years or four?).</p><p>And yes, something will have to be done about that trophy.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WORLD CUP OR OLYMPIC GLORY?

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PUCKPOLL

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GARETH BUSH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04795/9917332-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="240" height="287"></div><p><b>OTTAWA SENATORS</b></p><p><i>(1992-present)</i></p><p>Despite being a 22-year-old franchise on paper, the Ottawa Senators are one of the oldest teams in hockey. After early incarnations as the Ottawa Hockey Club in 1883 and the Generals in 1890, the team became the Senators in 1902. It won 11 Stanley Cups (seven in the National Hockey Association and four in the NHL) before folding one season after being sold to a group in St. Louis in 1935. When Ottawa got its NHL franchise back in 1992, it chose &ldquo;Senators&rdquo; to honor the city&rsquo;s hockey history. The name has obvious links to the Ottawa&rsquo;s title as Canada&rsquo;s capital, but the head in the logo references a member of the senate of the Roman Empire.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Behind THE NAME

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012214/9916616-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BEST FOR LAST</b></p><p>Sidney Crosby scores his lone goal of the Games &ndash; the gold medal insurance marker &ndash; when it matters most.</p><span class="photo-credit">(LEFT: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES; RIGHT: MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

OPENING FACEOFF

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012269/9916654-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="526" height="923"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(RYAN BROOK/TC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>J</span>OHN</b>&nbsp;<b>TAVARES&rsquo; STATS LINE</b>from the Olympics isn&rsquo;t impressive. No goals, no points, six shots on goal. His legacy from Sochi, on the other hand, could prove immense.</p><p>His knee injury might be the tipping point in the debate about sending NHLers to the 2018 Games. There&rsquo;s a faction of influential NHL execs who don&rsquo;t see the value in shutting down the season and donating their best assets to someone else. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s ridiculous,&rdquo; Flyers owner Ed Snider told reporters. &ldquo;If anything, I can only see negatives.&rdquo;</p><p>Tavares is Exhibit A. Torn ligaments ended his Olympics, his season and might help shape the NHL stretch drive. No other major professional league halts its business mid-stream; no other league allows its stars to battle elsewhere, risking limb, when it matters most.</p><p>The problem for those who support NHLers at the Games is lack of evidence. Although hockey is growing in popularity and participation in the U.S., there isn&rsquo;t any proof it&rsquo;s due to the Olympics. Most of the advancement is more easily tied to expansion into non-traditional hockey markets and Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s trade to Los Angeles. Consider 1980&rsquo;s Miracle on Ice and its aftermath. Enrollment increased gradually in U.S. hockey following the triumph, but it wasn&rsquo;t dynamic. Rapid growth didn&rsquo;t materialize until clubs started appearing in Florida, Colorado, Texas and California. From 1991 to 2010, the number of registered players with USA Hockey spiked from 195,000 to 500,579.</p><p>Of course, what the 1980 team didn&rsquo;t have was staying power. A few of its members had very good NHL careers, but many of its biggest attractions quickly faded. The NHL remained predominantly Canadian. Conversely, today&rsquo;s U.S. teams are bursting with enduring heroes. Quick, Parise, Kessel and the like will be filling NHL rinks for the next decade. And if the men wearing red, white and blue ever win gold, that worship for legitimate, prime-time stars goes to a whole new level.</p><p>Today&rsquo;s hockey landscape in America is drastically different than 30 years ago. The base is stronger, with far more rinks and leagues to foster growth. Sure, it&rsquo;s a leap of faith to believe the Olympics will accelerate that spurt and there&rsquo;s risk in continuing to go, but sometimes it takes a visionary to see past the horizon and imagine possibilities. Hopefully, Tavares&rsquo; achy knee hasn&rsquo;t irreversibly blurred the picture.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021921/9916647-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"></div><p><b>NEXT ISSUE</b> FUTURE WATCH 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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WOUNDED KNEE, END OF LINE?

<h2><b>LOW BLOWS</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1162/9916744-1-eng-US/f0006-112.jpg" title="f0006-11" width="122" height="69"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> would expect snide comments about Martin Brodeur coming from some trash-talking player, but not from THN. I&rsquo;ve only got to pg. 9 of your Feb. 17 issue and you have slammed one of the best goalies of all-time on two occasions. Someone in your organization thinks he&rsquo;s being funny and cute, but it&rsquo;s really being disrespectful. Pretty low class for your publication.</p><p><b><i>James D. Downham, Toronto</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>A MATTER OF SIZE</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1251/9916737-1-eng-US/f0006-122.jpg" title="f0006-12" width="122" height="69"></div><p>Does the NHL ever consider that interest in hockey goes up during the Olympics because the games are more exciting? The larger ice opens things up and there&rsquo;s less obstruction. You simply can&rsquo;t turn away because you&rsquo;ll miss something. In the NHL, the players today are too big and skilled; there&rsquo;s not enough space. If you can&rsquo;t change the ice size in NHL arenas, go to 4-on-4 full time and showcase the skill players. Once again, the interest level coming out the Games will fade as new fans realize NHL games are less exciting. The NHL never learns and that&rsquo;s why the casual sports fan will always ignore it.</p><p><b><i>Brendan Hinch, Garner N.C.</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>PICK OLYMPICS?</b></h2><p><i>Re: Ken Campbell&rsquo;s &ldquo;To go or not to go? That is the question for NHL,&rdquo; <a href="http://THN.com">THN.com</a>, Feb. 18</i></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-07243/9916730-1-eng-US/f0006-072.jpg" title="f0006-07" width="70" height="70"></div><p>No! The local communities and businesses are losing money while teams break for the two weeks. The Olympics should be for non-professional, amateur athletes like back in the day. Give these young kids a chance to shine and make their mark in history.</p><p><b><i>Chris Galiffa</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-08154/9916723-1-eng-US/f0006-082.jpg" title="f0006-08" width="70" height="70"></div><p>Yes, this is a 1,000 times better for hockey in the U.S. than the games each NHL team is missing. There are so many &ldquo;non-hockey&rdquo; people talking about hockey again. We need this every four years.</p><p><b><i>Timothy Lowndes</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-09104/9916716-1-eng-US/f0006-092.jpg" title="f0006-09" width="70" height="70"></div><p>The NHL is the only professional league to shut down during the season. Ridiculous. Let the top American League and college players compete.</p><p><b><i>Chris DeMeo</i></b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-1078/9916709-1-eng-US/f0006-102.jpg" title="f0006-10" width="70" height="70"></div><p>I can understand why GM&rsquo;s wouldn&rsquo;t want their players to go &ndash; injury risks, interrupting the season, etc. &ndash; but the players clearly love playing in the Olympics and the games are 100 times more entertaining with them there.</p><p><b><i>Gareth Bush</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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THN INBOX

<div class="byline">Ron Cloutier, Tiverton, R.I.</div><p class="dropcap"><i><span>G</span>reat column by Ken Campbell in the Feb. 10 edition. It&rsquo;s been time for quite awhile to abolish the shootout. It always amazed me the greatest team game in the world should be decided by a 1-on-1 showdown. There is nothing wrong with a tie. Many years ago, I was as at Bruins-Canadiens game at the Boston Garden that ended in a 0-0 tie. It was one of the best games I have ever seen. I&rsquo;d love to see an additional five minutes of overtime, 3-on-3, and let it end there.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012499/9916796-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="541" height="739"></div><p>CONTACT US:</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021708/9916789-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="122" height="69"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04654/9916782-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="70" height="70"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>/thehockeynews</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05515/9916775-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="68" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>/+thehockeynews<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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OUT WITH SHOOTOUTS

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>Q</span>UESTION:</b>&nbsp;Do you think Nathan MacKinnon will be the Calder Trophy winner simply because of his draft status/hype? He&rsquo;s good, but Tyler Johnson should be the frontrunner. He&rsquo;s been instrumental in Tampa&rsquo;s success.</p><p><b><i>Erica Schrader, Spokane, Wash.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b> As someone who gets to cast a ballot, MacKinnon will have to earn my vote with solid all-around play. Johnson is in the mix, but the honor goes to the player deemed to be &ldquo;most proficient,&rdquo; so many of the intangibles that Johnson brings to the table don&rsquo;t necessarily come into consideration for this award. Others rookies to keep an eye on: Johnson&rsquo;s teammate Ondrej Palat, Jets blueliner Jacob Trouba and Flames center Sean Monahan.</p><p><b>QUESTION:</b> What do you think of Scott Niedermayer being an NHL head coach? I know he is an assistant with Anaheim now, but if maybe things go south for New Jersey he could replace Peter DeBoer?</p><p><b><i>Ryan Cadden, Brampton, Ont.</i></b></p><p><b>ANSWER:</b> The 40-year-old Nie-dermayer is raising a family in Newport Beach, California and doesn&rsquo;t travel to road games, so I&rsquo;d expect, in a best-case scenario, we&rsquo;re years away from seeing him as a head coach. I&rsquo;m also not sure the mild-mannered 2013 Hall of Fame inductee has the disposition to be a head coach. Stars of his ilk usually don&rsquo;t. Much like Larry Robinson, now with San Jose, Niedermayer is probably better suited for a supporting role.</p><p>READ MORE &lsquo;ASK ADAM&rsquo; EVERY FRIDAY AT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

ASK Adam?

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05530/9917011-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="106" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1972</b></h2><p>Summit Series</p><p>Canada vs. Soviet Union</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06372/9917004-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="105" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1974</b></h2><p>Summit Series</p><p>WHA vs. Soviet Union</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-07277/9916997-1-eng-US/f0008-072.jpg" title="f0008-07" width="106" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1976</b></h2><p>Canada Cup</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Swe, USA, USSR</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-08223/9916990-1-eng-US/f0008-082.jpg" title="f0008-08" width="105" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1979</b></h2><p>Challenge Cup</p><p>NHL All-Stars vs. Soviet Union</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-09182/9916983-1-eng-US/f0008-092.jpg" title="f0008-09" width="105" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1981</b></h2><p>Canada Cup</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Swe, USA, USSR</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-10156/9916976-1-eng-US/f0008-102.jpg" title="f0008-10" width="106" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1984</b></h2><p>Canada Cup</p><p>Can, Cze, Swe, USA, USSR, W. Ger</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-11137/9916969-1-eng-US/f0008-112.jpg" title="f0008-11" width="105" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1987</b></h2><p>Canada Cup</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Swe, USA, USSR</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-12111/9916962-1-eng-US/f0008-122.jpg" title="f0008-12" width="106" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1987</b></h2><p> Rendez-vous &rsquo;87</p><p>NHL All-Stars vs. Soviet Union</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-1394/9916955-1-eng-US/f0008-132.jpg" title="f0008-13" width="105" height="60"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1991</b></h2><p>Canada Cup</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Swe, USA, USSR</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012120/9916948-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="98" height="58"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1996</b></h2><p>World Cup of Hockey</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Ger, Rus, Svk, Swe, USA</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021488/9916941-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="92" height="51"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>2004</b></h2><p>World Cup of Hockey</p><p>Can, Cze, Fin, Ger, Rus, Svk, Swe, USA<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Best on BEST

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05510/9917042-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-05

THE INSTIGATOR

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06412/9917073-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="656" height="601"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PRICE: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+ PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>DOUBLE FANTASY</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>ack-to-back shutouts by <b><i>Carey Price</i></b>&nbsp;and a thrilling comeback by its women gives Canada its second consecutive Olympic gold medal sweep.</p><h2><b>&ndash; MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>&lsquo;RUSSIAN&rsquo; OUT</b></h3><p>The host Russians bomb out of the Olympics in the quarterfinal and the local media feasts on coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov.</p><h2><b>+ PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>CAN&rsquo;T BEAT &rsquo;EM</b></h3><p>Dallas Stars prospect Philippe Desrosiers sets a new Quebec League record with a shutout streak of 213:15 for the Rimouski Oceanic.</p><h2><b>&ndash; MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>PAUPER CATS</b></h3><p>Florida Panthers co-owner Douglas Cifu claims his team is losing $100,000 a day and asks Broward County for big bailout: a cool $80 million.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-06

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ROBIN SHORT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021732/9917118-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NOT IN OUR HOUSE</b></p><p>Mike Hoffman and the rest of the AHL&rsquo;s best put a beating on Farjestad in St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld.</p></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>Y ALL ACCOUNTS, THE 2014</b> American League All-Star Classic was a hit across the board, leaving the league with the challenge of organizing another event with a European team.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012363/9917111-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="182" height="159"></div><p>But it won&rsquo;t be easy. The AHL broke from the norm when it played host to Farjestad BK of the Swedish League in mid-February at Mile One Centre in St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld. In years past, the league went with a traditional East vs. West showcase and prior to that it featured a team of Canadian all-stars taking on a squad of players from the United States and Europe.</p><p>That changed this year when Farjestad dropped into St. John&rsquo;s and took on a group of AHL all-stars, first in a skills competition, followed by a game the next evening.</p><p>Both were played before a full house of 6,287. &ldquo;The reaction we received was absolutely positive from every angle,&rdquo; said AHL president Dave Andrews. &ldquo;The feedback from our ownership and the board of governors and guests who were in St. John&rsquo;s was nothing but positive. The purpose of an all-star classic is to celebrate your league, celebrate your sport and the international flavor this year added to that.&rdquo;</p><p>The AHLers coasted to a 7-2 victory with Brandon Pirri of the Rockford IceHogs, the reigning AHL scoring champ, notching two goals and adding an assist, while game MVP Mike Hoffman of the Binghamton Senators had a goal and two helpers.</p><p>Andrews has been approached by other Swedish teams, and some in the Finnish League as well, about playing a similar game next season and beyond. Although the AHL boss would like to see the international flavor maintained, it does pose problems. &ldquo;The challenge is the international breaks taken by the (European) leagues,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know whether they fit with when we need to host our all-star event.&rdquo;</p><p>Most, if not all, European teams break at some point during the season. It worked out this year in that they took a breather for the Olympics. But the AHL has a very tight window to hold its All-Star Classic. Normally, it takes place right after the NHL All-Star Game when the big league is still on break.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031119/9917104-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="995" height="813"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>STROME</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF PARSONS/AHL)</span></figcaption></div><p>The AHL typically holds its all-star festivities on the Monday and Tuesday before the NHL returns to action, giving the AHL an exclusive television window across Canada and the U.S. According to Andrews, that generates good ratings because the league can make use of all the NHL regional networks south of the border. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the most challenging element, finding the right time and the right location,&rdquo; Andrews said. &ldquo;If the European break does not fit with the NHL all-star break, and we move out of that slot &ndash; even if the logistics of bringing a team over works and taking a break for our league works &ndash; we face a TV challenge because we would be up against NHL games.&rdquo;</p><p>If and when the AHL stages a similar game again, Andrews said he wouldn&rsquo;t mind seeing the AHLers playing a group of all-stars from the Swedish or Finnish leagues, as opposed to a club team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-02

PLEASE, SIR, WE WANT SOME MORE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011963/9917163-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FAMILY MAN</b></p><p>Bill Dineen&rsquo;s coaching had a huge impact on his teams and his five sons, all of whom played pro.</p></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT</b> to say Bill Dineen has had a lifetime in hockey. He&rsquo;s had several. Some of them are named Kevin and Peter and Gord and Shawn and Jerry.</p><p>The head of the Dineen family was inducted into the American League Hall of Fame Feb. 12, along with three others: three-time Calder Cup champion coach Al MacNeil, prolific scoring defenseman John Slaney and four-time Calder Cup goalie Bob Perreault.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021430/9917156-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="145" height="145"></div><p>Dineen, 81, had an unusual career path in pro hockey. He debuted with the Detroit Red Wings at 20, then spent the next five seasons patrolling right wing in the NHL in Detroit, where he won two Stanley Cups, and in Chicago. From there, Dineen spent the next six seasons in the AHL with Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester and Quebec. After that, it was one more step down, to the Western League for seven seasons with Seattle and Denver.</p><p>Dineen had his greatest impact coaching, professionally and within his family. All five sons played pro, three in the NHL (Kevin, Peter and Gord).</p><p>The native of Arvida, Que., won five championships as a coach, one in the WHL with the Denver Spurs, two in the World Hockey Association with the Houston Aeros and two more in the AHL with the Adirondack Red Wings. Dineen won the Louis Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL&rsquo;s coach of the year twice, back-to-back in 1984-85 and 1985-86.</p><p>Dineen, who settled in the Glens Falls area of the Adiron-dack Mountains, also coached for two seasons in Philadelphia, where his son Kevin (who coached the Canadian women&rsquo;s team at the Sochi Olympics) played for the Flyers.</p><p>MacNeil is best known for his years coaching and managing in the NHL with Montreal and Calgary. But he also played 500 NHL games and four seasons in the AHL before moving into coaching. He guided the Nova Scotia Voyageurs to two of the best seasons, back-to-back, in AHL history, both Calder Cups.</p><p>Slaney was a first-round pick of the Washington Capitals in 1990. He&rsquo;s perhaps best known for scoring the winning goal for Canada over the Soviet Union at the 1991 world juniors. Although the St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., native did manage 268 games at the NHL level with seven teams, he&rsquo;s recognized as the most accomplished offensive defenseman in AHL history. He was the first to reach 500 points and established the league record for goals (166) and points (519) for a rearguard.</p><p>Perreault starred in the AHL for two decades, with Providence,  Rochester and Hershey, and played in various other leagues, including 31 games in the NHL. His four Calder Cups are tied for most by a goaltender and he ranks sixth with 229 wins and third with 37 shutouts. He died in 1980 at age 49.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03958/9917149-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="1031" height="750"><figcaption class="caption-body">JOHN <b>SLANEY</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>POST TO POST</b></h2><p><i>Get features like this and a whole lot more daily at</i>&nbsp;<b><i><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BLOG">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BLOG</a></i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

ALL-AMERICANS ENTER THEIR HALL

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-012006/9917194-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>AND THE WINNER IS?</b></p><p>Nick Larson is the only one of four recent players with the same name still in hockey.</p><span class="photo-credit">(TOP: BILL TENCA/PUCK STOPPER PHOTOGRAPHY; MIDDLE: ELSA/GETTY IMAGES; GUDLEVSKIS: MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE NICK LARSON FROM APPLE</b> Valley, Minn., is the winner of the unofficial outlast-the-other-Nick-Larsons contest. The Calgary Flames draft pick is one of four players named Nick Larson, all unrelated, who have played high-level competitive hockey in the past decade. Three of them hail from Minnesota. The other is from Pennsylvania.</p><p>Defenseman Nick Larson was the first to hit the competitive scene in 2000, playing two seasons with the United States League&rsquo;s Dubuque Fighting Saints before moving on to the University of Denver in the WCHA. He went undrafted in the NHL and retired from hockey in 2005.</p><p>Next up was Nick Larson from Cranberry Township, Pa. As a forward, he played three seasons in the North American League with the Texas Tornado, Toledo IceDiggers, Dayton Gems and Central Texas Marshals before a stint with American International College in 2005-06. He also went undrafted and retired.</p><p>Then came forward Nick Larson from Stillwater, Minn. He played with the USHL&rsquo;s Omaha Lancers in 2006-07 and was drafted by the Washington Capitals 185th overall that summer. Larson spent the next four seasons with the WCHA&rsquo;s University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, posting 13 goals and 25 points in 100 NCAA games. The Capitals elected not to sign him in 2012 and he hasn&rsquo;t played competitively since.</p><p>That made the Flames&rsquo; Nick Larson the Last Larson Standing. This Nick Larson played a couple seasons with the USHL&rsquo;s Waterloo Black Hawks and was drafted by Calgary 108th overall in 2008. Larson played four years with the CCHA&rsquo;s Notre Dame Fighting Irish before turning pro in 2013. Larson, 23, has split his rookie pro season between the American League&rsquo;s Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the ECHL&rsquo;s Stockton Thunder, putting up six points for each team.</p><p>He was recently reassigned to the ECHL&rsquo;s South Carolina Stingrays.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

LAST LARSON STANDING

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021397/9917232-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="465" height="226"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-031009/9917225-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="223" height="134"></div><h2><b>LATVIA</b></h2><p>IIHF MEMBER SINCE 1931</p><p>POPULATION 2.2M</p><p>MALE PLAYERS 2,851</p><p>FEMALE PLAYERS 82</p><p>JUNIOR PLAYERS 1,636</p><p>REFEREES 183</p><p>INDOOR RINKS 17</p><p>OUTDOOR RINKS 0</p><p>MEN&rsquo;S RANK 11</p><p>WOMEN&rsquo;S RANK 13<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-02

Global GLIMPSE

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><i>Are the IIHF or IOC going to reimburse our season ticket holders now? It&rsquo;s a joke</i><br>&ndash; New York Islanders GM Garth Snow after captain John Tavares suffered a season-ending injury at the Olympics</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

He Said WHAT!?

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ALEX LIEPOLD & PAM YAP</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH THE NHL INTO</b> the final quarter of the season, several clubs have to push hard to make the playoffs. Since the 2004-05 lockout, teams have needed to finish with an average of 92 points in the East and 94 in the West to qualify. With those numbers as baselines for making the post-season, Pittsburgh and Anaheim are all but officially in the playoffs, while Buffalo and Edmonton cannot mathematically hit those marks. The first two columns are how every team did prior to the Winter Olympics, while the last two show how each club has to perform to over its remaining games to reach the conference average.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031160/9917301-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="431" height="706"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>ZETTERBERG</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>EASTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012282/9917294-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="1170" height="1876"></div><h2><b>WESTERN CONFERENCE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021720/9917287-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="1153" height="1671"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-03

HOME STRETCH

<div class="byline">BY SAL BARRY, WEBMASTER OF THE HOCKEY CARD SITE PUCKJUNK.COM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011972/9917363-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>FFICIALS ARE A VITAL PART</b> of the game, though their contributions are often overlooked by fans and virtually ignored by trading card companies. But there have been a few exceptions. Most notably was during 1990-91, when Pro Set issued cards of 22 officials in its inaugural and massive 705-card set. Included were the first card of referee Andy van Hellemond and the only card of linesman Ray Scapinello. Both were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-01

In The CARDS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PAM YAP</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021400/9917394-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH THE DUCKS, SHARKS AND KINGS</b> all Cup contenders, California is dreamin&rsquo; of another championship. The Golden State is growing into a hockey market and the sport is growing at the grassroots level, though its native sons aren&rsquo;t yet a who&rsquo;s who of point-getters. Here are the top 10 California-born scorers of all-time.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0015-02

Follow The LEADER

<div class="byline">BY ALEX LIEPOLD & PAM YAP</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021560/9917544-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OILERS: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>arring a miracle stretch run, the <b>EDMONTON OILERS</b> will continue to own the NHL&rsquo;s longest current streak of missing the post-season. They last made the playoffs in 2005-06, when they went all the way to the Stanley Cup final as an eighth seed. Here are the longest active post-season droughts:</p><p>Edmonton: <b>7</b></p><p>Winnipeg (Atlanta): <b>6</b></p><p>Dallas: <b>5</b></p><p>Calgary/Carolina/Columbus: <b>4</b></p><p>Colorado: <b>3</b></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03952/9917537-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="1128" height="1061"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BROWN: TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>CONNOR</b>&nbsp;<b>BROWN</b>, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect playing for the Erie Otters, was on pace for 139 points, which would be the most in the OHL since Patrick Kane had 145 for the London Knights in 2006-07</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011759/9917530-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="516" height="545"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUDLEVSKIS: STREETER LECKA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Syracuse Crunch goalie <b>KRISTERS GUDLEVSKIS</b> proved AHLers could hang with their NHL brethren when he nearly led the Latvians to an epic upset over the Canadians in their quarterfinal in Sochi. The AHL was well represented at the Games, with 160 current players and alumni named to Olympic rosters. Surprisingly, the Slovaks had the most</p><p>SLOVAKIA 20</p><p>CANADA 18</p><p>CZECH REPUBLIC 18</p><p>FINLAND 18</p><p>UNITED STATES 18</p><p>SWEDEN 15</p><p>LATVIA 12</p><p>SWITZERLAND 12</p><p>RUSSIA 11</p><p>AUSTRIA 9</p><p>NORWAY 7</p><p>SLOVENIA 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021339/9917523-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="779" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAMPBELLS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>10 Games <b>GREGORY CAMPBELL</b> had to play as of the Olympic break to tie dad Colin for career NHL games. He&rsquo;s already bested his pops in goals and points, but he lags behind in sin-bin sitting time</p><h2><b>COMPARING CAMPBELLS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-12151/9917516-1-eng-US/f0017-122.jpg" title="f0017-12" width="1127" height="189"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-11165/9917509-1-eng-US/f0017-112.jpg" title="f0017-11" width="1153" height="716"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>13</b><br>U.S. states with no native-born NHL players, past or present: Ark., Hawaii, Kan., Ky., La., Miss., Mont., N.M., S.C., S.D., Tenn., W.Va., Wyo.</blockquote><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>3</b><br>States with only one player each: <b>IOWA</b> (Scott Clemmensen), <b>NEVADA</b> (Jason Zucker) and <b>DELAWARE</b> (Mark Eaton)</blockquote><p>Entering the Olympic break, the <b>NEW JERSEY DEVILS</b> (0-8) were the only NHL team without a shootout win</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-10192/9917502-1-eng-US/f0017-102.jpg" title="f0017-10" width="229" height="230"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031133/9917495-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="166" height="188"></div><p>Of the 50 cities in the world that have produced the most NHL players ever, only <b>10</b> aren&rsquo;t in Canada:</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04837/9917488-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="204" height="116"></div><p>MOSCOW, RUSSIA <b>(47)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05597/9917481-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="204" height="116"></div><p>STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN <b>(42)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-06488/9917474-1-eng-US/f0016-062.jpg" title="f0016-06" width="204" height="116"></div><p>DETROIT, MICHIGAN <b>(36)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-07424/9917467-1-eng-US/f0016-072.jpg" title="f0016-07" width="204" height="116"></div><p>MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA <b>(32)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04696/9917460-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="204" height="116"></div><p>ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA <b>(32)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05490/9917453-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="204" height="116"></div><p>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS <b>(27)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-06377/9917446-1-eng-US/f0017-062.jpg" title="f0017-06" width="204" height="116"></div><p>TAMPERE, FINLAND <b>(22)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-07305/9917439-1-eng-US/f0017-072.jpg" title="f0017-07" width="204" height="116"></div><p>CHELYABINSK, RUSSIA <b>(19)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-08254/9917432-1-eng-US/f0017-082.jpg" title="f0017-08" width="204" height="116"></div><p>HELSINKI, FINLAND <b>(19)</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-09213/9917425-1-eng-US/f0017-092.jpg" title="f0017-09" width="204" height="116"></div><p>PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC <b>(19)</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

Ice CHIPS

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL IN SOCHI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011925/9917589-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="632" height="953"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021425/9917582-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="211" height="97"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011686/9917575-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1939" height="2479"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0018-01

OLYMPIC COVERAGE

GOLD IN RUSSIA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011678/9917627-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STAYING THE COURSE</b></p><p>Mike Babcock stuck to his game plan of two-way hockey, even during scoring droughts.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN ROSE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>t his last news conference as coach of Canada&rsquo;s 2014 Olympic team, Mike Babcock seemed distracted. As the first question was being asked, he was looking at the score sheet and furrowing his brow. Then he mumbled something about how the ice time statistics seemed all wrong.</p><p>That&rsquo;s the way Babcock rolls. It&rsquo;s that kind of attention to detail that makes him so successful. It will make him a good bet for the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder someday and it was what made Canada&rsquo;s 2014 Olympic team the most dominant outfit it has ever produced. When Babcock found out the players wouldn&rsquo;t be allowed to skate during the summer training camp, he had them put on sneakers and run drills ball hockey style. Everyone laughed about that. But to a man, the Canadian defensive juggernaut that emerged in Sochi was in part due to Babcock&rsquo;s insistence they play ball hockey. Babcock said that between the second and third period of Canada&rsquo;s 3-0 win over Sweden in the gold medal game, Ryan Getzlaf was teasing him about it. &ldquo;He gave me a shot,&rdquo; Babcock says. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s all about the ball hockey guys, it&rsquo;s all about the ball hockey.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>It was about so much more, but it was mostly about the 50-year-old Babcock, an Ontario-born, Saskatchewan-raised McGill University graduate who describes himself as a &ldquo;bad player.&rdquo; He couldn&rsquo;t have been that bad. When he finished his career at McGill, he did so as the second-highest scoring defenseman in school history. He later went on to the Whitley Warriors of the British Professional League where he had 34 goals and 132 points in just 36 games. Then again, some guy named Scott Morrison had 108 goals and 224 points for the same team, so perhaps the level of hockey wasn&rsquo;t so good.</p><p>Canada and the NHL can be thankful Babcock failed miserably as a player. It allowed him to focus on his real strengths: leading and coaching. Championships have followed him at almost every level, but his most brilliant coaching might have been in Sochi, where his team won all six games it played, allowing only three goals, and took home gold by not allowing a goal in its final 120 minutes of play.</p><p>Those who know Babcock maintain he can be controlling and stubborn, but why wouldn&rsquo;t he be? Through the preliminary round of the Olympics, he was being questioned for keeping Chris Kunitz on the top line with Crosby, for playing a passive style and for not coaxing more goals out of his team. Other coaches might have panicked and made adjustments counter to their instincts. But not Babcock. He was either going to go down in flames with his vision of this group or prove everyone wrong.</p><p>This came as no surprise to the players he coaches with the Detroit Red Wings. Members of the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s used to joke they hated Scotty Bowman for 364 days of the year and on the 365th they&rsquo;d pick up their Stanley Cup rings. Depending on the scuttlebutt you believe, Red Wings players don&rsquo;t always find playing for Babcock to be a barrel of monkeys. Like Bowman, however, Babcock engenders respect and in this business that carries far more currency than love. &ldquo;He spends more hours than I&rsquo;ve ever seen or heard any other coach at the rink,&rdquo; says Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who faced his coach in the gold medal game. &ldquo;He just finds ways to get the job done. For him, it&rsquo;s about getting wins. I&rsquo;d rather win games than it looking perfect out there and you lose.&rdquo;</p><p>The funny thing is, Canada both won games and played as close to perfectly as you&rsquo;re going to see. Babcock talks incessantly about playing a 200-foot game and his team did that like no other. Every time the opponent was breaking out with the puck, Babcock had his forwards tracking through the neutral zone with a sense of purpose. Rarely was a Canadian player caught out of position. Never was one unaware of his role or what was expected of him.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">HE SPENDS MORE HOURS AT THE RINK THAN ANY COACH I&rsquo;VE EVER SEEN OR HEARD OF. HE FINDS WAYS TO GET THE JOB DONE<br>&ndash; Niklas Kronwall</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02870/9917620-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="1032" height="1425"></div><p>What makes Babcock such a great coach are his in-game adjustments. For example, it was no secret he wasn&rsquo;t a big fan of Martin St-Louis, which is one of the main reasons St-Louis was originally left off the roster. In the semifinal against the U.S., St-Louis could have watched the game on TV at the athletes&rsquo; village for all the shifts he received &ndash; which was zero. But with his team not playing with enough energy in the final, Babcock gave St-Louis several shifts with Matt Duchene and Rick Nash on the fourth line and at times it looked like Canada&rsquo;s best unit.</p><p>Babcock emerged as the star of these Games. He was the most engaging person associated with Team Canada. And although he used the words &ldquo;opportunity,&rdquo; &ldquo;hard&rdquo; and &ldquo;fantastic&rdquo; enough to last him a lifetime, he also said all the right things, made all the right moves, pushed all the right buttons. He molded this team, full of firepower and strength, into the strongest in the world. That seems easy. After all, Canada has the best players, the most players in the NHL, more resources and more of an obsession for the game than any other country. By a lot. In some ways, it is a shock it doesn&rsquo;t win all the time.</p><p>But ask any coach how easy it is to put together a team of all-stars and have it play as a cohesive unit. The Finns play the way they do because they have no other choice. Canada&rsquo;s stars could have freelanced their way to defeat, but Babcock wouldn&rsquo;t allow it. He continually called the Swedes &ldquo;egoless&rdquo; going into the gold medal game, but it turns out his group of millionaire Stanley Cup winners was the one without ego. And that comes down to the man behind the bench. For him, it&rsquo;s all about the team.</p><p>As his final Team Canada news conference concluded, Babcock remained distracted. After all, he had to get to the closing ceremonies. But not before he passed on one more pearl of wisdom about his team. &ldquo;Does anybody know who won the scoring race? Does anybody care?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;Does anybody know who won the gold medal? See ya.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

GENIUS UNDER FIRE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011563/9917714-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-09175/9917721-1-eng-US/f0023-092.jpg" title="f0023-09" width="211" height="97"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>t least one player in hockey history won two gold medals earlier in life than Drew Doughty did. Doughty was 24 years and 77 days old when he skated off at the Bolshoy Ice Dome with another gold medal around his neck. Vladislav Tretiak was 23 when he won his second in 1976.</p><p>No matter. There&rsquo;s still plenty of youthful enthusiasm to Doughty, even if he isn&rsquo;t the youngest in the world. (He is, however, the youngest Canadian player with double Olympic bling.) When asked which of his two medals he likes more, Doughty has a typical ignoranceis-bliss, young-guy response. &ldquo;The look?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know. This one&rsquo;s cool. I heard it has like meteorite or something in it. I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s true. They both look good.&rdquo;</p><p>And Doughty looked very good in winning them both. In 2010 in Vancouver, he was just 20 and hadn&rsquo;t yet won a Stanley Cup. But he emerged as a valuable defender as the tournament went on, to the point coach Mike Babcock had enough faith to put him out in overtime. He was on the ice for Sidney Crosby&rsquo;s golden goal.</p><p>Four years later was an entirely  different story. Doughty was named to the tournament all-star team and scored four goals. Paired with Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks, Doughty was a force. Canadian teammate Matt Duchene might have had the most astute observation of Doughty, saying he has the skills of an elite forward. Doughty was a threat all over the ice, jumping into seams and creating chances for a team that had a lot more trouble scoring than anyone imagined. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going on &ndash; I don&rsquo;t score goals like this in L.A.,&rdquo; Doughty said after his fourth goal of the tournament, the overtime winner in Canada&rsquo;s 2-1 victory over Finland in the qualifying round. &ldquo;A lot of it is just my teammates. They&rsquo;re doing a great job of getting me the puck.&rdquo;</p><p>Anyone who watches Doughty, though, knows he&rsquo;s a Norris Trophy winner waiting to happen. He has the unique ability to control the pace of the game. He can direct a power play from the blueline, lug the puck up the ice, get it out of trouble and has improved his defensive game significantly. It all adds up to dominance on defense. &ldquo;He sees it, he gets it &ndash; what&rsquo;s going on &ndash; and doesn&rsquo;t seem to force things to generate offense,&rdquo; Babcock says. &ldquo;He just plays the game. Heck of a player.&rdquo;</p><p>Doughty scored his first goal of the tournament in a 3-1 win over Norway on the first backhand goal of his life, according to him. It&rsquo;s hard to believe he had never scored on a back-hander at any level, but hey, who are we to argue with a good story? And that&rsquo;s what Doughty is crafting through the early part of his pro career.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011344/9917707-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="1581" height="1050"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RED ROVER</b></p><p>Doughty thrived in a Canadian system that let him jump up in the rush and be creative.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02966/9917700-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="715" height="775"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THE KING OF BLING</b></p><p>At 24, Doughty already owns a pair of Olympic gold medals and a Stanley Cup ring.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Already he has a Stanley Cup. Already he has two Olympic gold medals. What&rsquo;s the limit? Well, playing for the Kings, as long as Darryl Sutter is coaching, will blunt the offensive potential he has at the NHL level. It&rsquo;s almost like Scott Niedermayer, whose offensive instincts were crushed by playing in New Jersey for Jacques Lemaire. Things aren&rsquo;t that drastic with Doughty, but he&rsquo;d put up much more impressive numbers if he were able to roam the offensive zone and find openings the way Babcock allowed him to during the Olympics. &ldquo;Coach Babcock continued to tell us we need to have the fastest &lsquo;D&rsquo; in the tournament,&rdquo; Doughty said early in the proceedings. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just letting me play my game and jump in as much as I can. He&rsquo;s letting me play and I love it. He&rsquo;s a great coach and I&rsquo;m happy to be here playing for him.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I DON&rsquo;T KNOW WHAT&rsquo;S GOING ON. I DON&rsquo;T SCORE GOALS LIKE THIS IN L.A.<br>&ndash; Drew Doughty</blockquote><p>With four goals, Doughty had more than even Shea Weber &ndash; he with the shot that can kill a man &ndash; who had three. Erik Karlsson of Sweden had four goals and eight points. He was named the top defenseman and also Doughty&rsquo;s partner on the Olympic all-star team.</p><p>Actually, Doughty and Karlsson are cut from a similar cloth. Both are superior skaters with outstanding offensive instincts. Doughty is far more physical than Karlsson and better in his own end, but neither is afraid of the ramifications of making a high-risk play at one end of the ice. Part of that is because they both have the speed to get back and part of it is the way they&rsquo;re wired. &ldquo;I like that,&rdquo; says Swedish coach Par Marts. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to yell at a guy when he makes a mistake because he does so many other things so great.&rdquo;</p><p>Much of the greatness for Doughty is still to come. He could play another 15 years in this game and, if the NHL decides to continue in the Olympics, probably has more gold medals in his future. &ldquo;Combine his confidence and his skill,&rdquo; says Kings and Canada teammate Jeff Carter, &ldquo;and it makes for a pretty dynamic player.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>OLYMPIC AWARDS</b></h2><h3><b>ALL-STAR TEAM</b></h3><p>Doughty&rsquo;s play landed him on the all-Olympic squad. He was joined by two Swedish silver medallists, two Finnish bronze medallists and one U.S. semifinalist.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03722/9917693-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="286" height="347"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GOALIE</b></p><p>Henrik Lundqvist</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04536/9917686-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="274" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p>Drew Doughty</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-05393/9917679-1-eng-US/f0023-052.jpg" title="f0023-05" width="289" height="355"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p>Erik Karlsson</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-06317/9917672-1-eng-US/f0023-062.jpg" title="f0023-06" width="280" height="359"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Mikael Granlund</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-07254/9917665-1-eng-US/f0023-072.jpg" title="f0023-07" width="271" height="354"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Phil Kessel</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-08214/9917658-1-eng-US/f0023-082.jpg" title="f0023-08" width="274" height="352"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Teemu Selanne</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HEADSHOTS: GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

DOUGHTY DOUBLES UP

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011504/9917787-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STILL HAS IT</b></p><p>Forty-three year-old Teemu Selanne led Finland with four goals at the Winter Olympics.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-07217/9917794-1-eng-US/f0025-072.jpg" title="f0025-07" width="211" height="97"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>ere&rsquo;s everything you need to know about Teemu Selanne. After beating his Anaheim Ducks teammate Cam Fowler in the bronze medal game at the Olympics, Selanne embraced him for a long time and then apologized. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s one guy on the planet that I feel happy for &ndash; even though we lost that game &ndash; it&rsquo;s him,&rdquo; Fowler says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the best players to ever live and one of the greatest guys I&rsquo;ve known. I&rsquo;m happy for &lsquo;T.&rsquo; He deserves it. He told me he was sorry. That&rsquo;s the kind of guy he is.&rdquo;</p><p>There are so few players in the history of hockey who have all-world talents and personalities to match. The obvious one that comes to mind is Wayne Gretzky. But there are others. Jean Beliveau and Martin Brodeur are in that group. And so is Selanne. He will be in the Hall of Fame three years to the moment he retires, presumably after the Ducks play their last game this season. And if there were a People Hall of Fame, there would be a good chance Selanne would be inducted into that one, too.</p><p>Like Beliveau, who retired after the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1971, Selanne earned the rare opportunity to go out on a note that was memorable for all the right reasons.</p><p>Regardless of what happens with the Ducks, whether they win the Cup or are swept in the first round, everyone is going to remember the exclamation mark Selanne put on his remarkable career after what he did at the Sochi Games. &ldquo;Twenty-six years ago I played my first national team game,&rdquo; Selanne says. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve been carrying this jersey with a lot of pride and love. Winning this last game like this was a dream come true. I&rsquo;m so proud of my teammates. And what a great ending.&rdquo;</p><p>Truth be told, Selanne is a fringe player now with Anaheim. If the Ducks go deep into the playoffs, don&rsquo;t be surprised to see Selanne as a healthy scratch on occasion. He talked about how much he appreciated the faith Finland&rsquo;s coaches had in him by putting him on the first line and power play unit. Read what you want into that, but the point is that even if the Ducks win the Cup, there&rsquo;s a good chance Selanne won&rsquo;t be a big a part of it.</p><p>This, though, is different. Selanne scored more goals in the Olympics than any other player on the Finnish roster, with two of his four coming in the 5-0 win over the U.S. in the bronze medal game. Earlier in the tournament, Selanne said it was &ldquo;an honor&rdquo; to be playing on the first line with Mikael Granlund, who&rsquo;s all of 21 years old. To which Granlund observed: &ldquo;He enjoyed this tournament so much. He just loved to play these games.&rdquo;</p><p>It has been a wonderful year so far for Finnish hockey. The national junior team won the World Junior Championship, beating Sweden for gold. And now this. Few people expected either to happen. And now that the Olympics are behind us, it&rsquo;s time to start looking for another Selanne in Finland, a player who can be a touchstone for a generation.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">WINNING THIS LAST GAME WAS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE. I&rsquo;M SO PROUD OF MY TEAMMATES. AND WHAT A GREAT ENDING<br>&ndash; Teemu Selanne</blockquote><p>Too much to ask? Perhaps. But Finland has a goaltender in Tuukka Rask who is all-world and might be the one to backstop the Finns to glory in future Olympics. Rask is every bit as ebullient as Selanne and has a long career ahead of him. When he gets into a zone the way he did in Sochi, it becomes almost impossible to score on him.</p><p>And how about Teuvo Teravainen, the dynamic 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks prospect who led all scorers with 15 points at the world juniors? Teravainen has a spot on the Blackhawks second line open for him next season and could have a long and productive career playing for one of the NHL&rsquo;s elite teams.</p><p>As the Finnish program says goodbye to its greatest player ever, it has a pipeline of terrific young players coming in. Olli Maatta has been a sensation for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Rasmus Ristolainen saw time with the Buffalo Sabres before scoring the overtime winning goal in the WJC final. Both are just 19.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02929/9917780-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="1032" height="1158"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HUMBLE LEADER</b></p><p>Selanne called it an &ldquo;honor&rdquo; to play with Mikael Granlund, who is 22 years his junior.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY E. WALKER/MCT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The skates Selanne leaves behind, however, will be nearly impossible to fill. Granlund has already won his first Olympic medal and he&rsquo;s only 21. That gives him another 22 years to catch up with Selanne, provided the NHL keeps going to the Olympics. But even if he does catch Selanne, Finnish hockey will never be the same. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s different,&rdquo; Granlund says. &ldquo;I can tell you, he&rsquo;s different.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>OLYMPIC HISTORY</b></h2><h3><b>SIX-PACK</b></h3><p>Teemu Selanne retires from international competition as the oldest player to score at the OIympics and the all-time leading scorer in the modern era with 24 goals and 43 points. His four medals tie him with six others for most ever.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03645/9917773-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="270" height="352"></div><h3><b>1998</b></h3><p>Bronze</p><p><b>G</b> 4 <b>A</b> 6 <b>Pts</b> 10</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04445/9917766-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="295" height="355"></div><h3><b>2006</b></h3><p>Silver</p><p><b>G</b> 6 <b>A</b> 5 <b>Pts</b> 11</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-05331/9917759-1-eng-US/f0025-052.jpg" title="f0025-05" width="286" height="360"></div><h3><b>2010</b></h3><p>Bronze</p><p><b>G</b> 0 <b>A</b> 2 <b>Pts</b> 2</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-06270/9917752-1-eng-US/f0025-062.jpg" title="f0025-06" width="268" height="342"></div><h3><b>2014</b></h3><p>Bronze</p><p><b>G</b> 4 <b>A</b> 2 <b>Pts</b> 6<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

GOING OUT SELANNE STYLE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011513/9917832-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>EMPTY-HANDED</b></p><p>Jonathan Quick and Co. finished fourth in possibly the last Olympics for NHLers.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(QUICK: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>et&rsquo;s assume, for a moment, the 2014 Sochi Games represent the last time the NHL sends its best players to the Olympics. What will Team USA&rsquo;s legacy ultimately be? Well, one of largely unfulfilled expectation.</p><p>Two silver medals in the past five Olympiads isn&rsquo;t bad, but to have the last NHL Olympic memory be an absolutely abysmal effort in a 5-0 loss in the bronze medal game in 2014 would be a shame. After the U.S. lost its semifinal match against Canada to crush its gold medal hopes again, coach Dan Bylsma was asked about the Miracle on Ice in 1980. For Americans, the Lake Placid gold medal has become what the 1972 Summit Series was for so many years to Canadians. There had been so few triumphs on the world stage that it was the one thing many fans clung to. But it will have been 38 years since that happened by the time the Olympics wrap up in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It&rsquo;s getting old.</p><p>Bylsma pointed out 1980 truly was a miracle, but expecting Team USA to come into a tournament like this one and leave with gold is no longer a once-in-a-lifetime proposition. Aside from Canada, there isn&rsquo;t a country with more resources to devote to the game than the U.S. At one point, Canada had gone 33 years between winning world championships and 50 years to the day between Olympic gold medals. Nobody talks about that anymore, but Americans will continue to bring up 1980 as long as it continues to cast a large shadow over the failures of the U.S. program.  &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a miracle for us to think about winning a gold medal,&rdquo; Bylsma says. &ldquo;Yeah, I guess the references are a little old and not applicable.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s not as though the talent isn&rsquo;t there. The past three Conn Smythe Trophy winners as playoff MVP, Tim Thomas, Jonathan Quick and Patrick Kane, are American. Quick and Kane will be large parts of the U.S. program for years to come. But where the real American strength in the future lies is on the blueline. Cam Fowler, Ryan McDonagh, John Carlson, Seth Jones, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jacob Trouba, Justin Faulk, Danny DeKeyser and Jake Gardiner are all 25 or younger. They all have enormous potential and some project to be premier NHLers. This group could be every bit as dominant as the defense corps that helped Canada win gold in Sochi.</p><p>And then there&rsquo;s Jack Eichel, 17, who had a point per game at the world juniors and will challenge Connor McDavid to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2015.</p><p>Yes, the future for U.S. hockey is bright. But if the NHL doesn&rsquo;t return to the Olympics, it won&rsquo;t be realized on that level. T.J. Oshie became an overnight sensation after he scored four shootout goals in Team USA&rsquo;s thrilling 3-2 win over Russia in the preliminary round. He gained more than 130,000 Twitter followers that day and received a congratulatory tweet from U.S. president Barack Obama. Americans will stand up and notice the Olympics every four years, while a World Cup of Hockey will represent a blip on a crowded screen.</p><p>However, if the NHL does come back in four years, Team USA will be a serious gold medal contender and will remain so for many years to come. Perhaps that&rsquo;s the one consolation Americans can take from the 2014 disaster. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s certainly not the feeling I have right now,&rdquo; Fowler says. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going home empty-handed, so the only feeling I have right now is disappointment.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-021089/9917825-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="704" height="800"><figcaption class="caption-body">CAM <b>FOWLER</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FOWLER: AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0026-01

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKED OUT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02977/9917863-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BODY BLOWS</b></p><p>Coach Ted Nolan had the Latvians play a physical game in the upset over the Swiss.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03703/9917877-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="211" height="97"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011392/9917870-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="177" height="228"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>THE STRAIGHT EDGE</b> WITH <b>RYAN KENNEDY</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Canada&rsquo;s gold medal drought at the world juniors hit five years in Malmo, bench boss Brent Sutter told TSN &ldquo;coaching has nothing to do with this.&rdquo;</p><p>Which, for the guy who just got beat, is easy to say. Yes, the competition in international hockey is better than ever. But one reason Finland took gold at that tournament and why the Latvians were able to scare the maple syrup out of Canada at the Olympics was because of the men who write on the chalkboard. And for the record, the mess that was Canada&rsquo;s blueline at the WJC does fall under Sutter&rsquo;s responsibilities.</p><p>At that same under-20 showdown, the underdog Finns took a roster missing two premium players (Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Olli Maatta and Florida&rsquo;s Aleksander Barkov) and went all the way, shocking the host Swedes after a huge semifinal win over Canada. The defensive effort put forth by Suomi was incredible and the motivation came from first-year coach Karri Kivi, a known winner back home. His &ldquo;we haven&rsquo;t finished writing our story yet&rdquo; speech before the gold medal game is the type of yarn we always assume happens behind closed doors, but is actually quite rare.</p><p>Before that, the Russians sideswiped Team USA in the quarterfinal thanks in part to the prowess of tactician Mikhail Varnakov, who outfoxed American counterpart Don Lucia by having his Russian boys run back and forth with the skilled U.S. squad in the first period, then shift to a defensive death-grip  once Varnakov&rsquo;s side took the lead in the second. (It probably would have been easier to get into Russia without a passport than to make headway on defenseman Nikita Zadorov&rsquo;s side that game.) Varnakov used similar defensive prowess to help his kids win bronze over Canada two games later.</p><p>Maybe Varnakov needs to take charge of Russia&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s squad. The Olympic edition was a disappointment and coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov took a heaping of scorn from the media for his Soviet-era ways after the host team&rsquo;s quarterfinal loss to Finland. Bilyaletdinov refused to alter his strategy of rolling lines, even when the team had offensive zone faceoffs late in the contest and grinders on the ice. There were reports Evgeni Malkin had to tell him when to pull the goalie and that Pavel Datsyuk was organizing faceoff positioning.</p><p>The Russians apparently do not want to go with a foreigner behind the bench (the optics are pretty embarrassing), but it&rsquo;s tough not to look over the border at Latvia, where that nation hit the highest of highs under Canadian Ted Nolan.</p><p>The Buffalo Sabres coach has headed up the Latvian team for years and despite the presence of just one NHLer (Sabres rookie Zemgus Girgensons), the Latvians upset favored Switzerland to earn their berth in the quarterfinal against Canada.</p><p>And while the heroics of Tampa Bay goalie prospect Kristers Gudlevskis kept the Latvians on par with Canada for the majority of a 2-1 loss, the win over the Swiss was a brilliant display of strategy.</p><p>Traditionally, underdog teams trap in order to slow down more skilled opponents, but Nolan&rsquo;s squad had none of that. The Latvians barrelled around against the Swiss, skating hard, taking the body and forechecking the life out of their opponents. What appeared to be a mismatch on paper quickly went the other way once the Latvians took the lead.</p><p>There was a bit of irony to the proceedings, too. Switzerland was coached by Canadian Sean Simpson, who has been lauded by hockey insiders for his ability to get the most out of a national team that doesn&rsquo;t have tremendous depth, but often gave teams such as Canada fits thanks to its disciplined, defensive play.</p><p>That Latvia couldn&rsquo;t quite upset Canada is a moot point. Nolan had his boys ready and they did not back down, even though the underdogs were badly outshot. The Latvians went further than anyone expected and the guy wielding the Sharpie on the whiteboard played a big role in getting them there.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-02

CHALK TALK SPEAKS VOLUMES

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011490/9917978-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MOB MENTALITY</b></p><p>Canada&rsquo;s bench empties after Marie-Philip Poulin scores in overtime to clinch gold.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03643/9917985-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="211" height="97"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>ll right, the first order of business here is a new nickname. Hockey players of either gender have a penchant for taking a person&rsquo;s last name and shortening it. But clearly, &lsquo;Pou&rsquo; isn&rsquo;t going to cut it. Not anymore. We&rsquo;re going to lead the suggestion parade with &lsquo;Phil&rsquo; or &lsquo;Poolie.&rsquo;</p><p>This is now necessary because life will never be the same for Marie-Philip Poulin. For an entire hockey-mad country, she is a national hero. For thousands of little hockey playing girls in the country, Poulin is their generation&rsquo;s Paul Henderson. No longer will she be able to walk the halls of Boston University, where she plans to return next season to finish her psychology degree, without her fellow students knowing who she is. You&rsquo;d have to think we&rsquo;re looking at having an arena named after her in her tiny hometown of Beauceville, Que. Fans of women&rsquo;s hockey in Canada will always remember where they were when Poulin scored in overtime of the gold medal game of the women&rsquo;s tournament. And like in 1972, when Paul Henderson scored the winner in Game 8 of the Summit Series against the Soviets,  hundreds of thousands will recall sitting in a school gymnasium or a classroom, full of doom and gloom until the remarkable comeback.</p><p>Poulin, perhaps the quietest, most unassuming, least-impressed-with-herself player on the Canadian women&rsquo;s team, is now a household name. So come on, &lsquo;Pou&rsquo; definitely has to go. &ldquo;For sure it&rsquo;s a big thing&hellip; maybe a little,&rdquo; Poulin says, when asked whether her life has changed forever. &ldquo;But I have to keep working for another four years. I want to be here for sure again.&rdquo;</p><p>You&rsquo;d have to think Hockey Canada wants the same thing again, too, because this clearly isn&rsquo;t a case of a player simply being in the right place at the right time. It can&rsquo;t be. Four years ago in Vancouver, Poulin scored both goals in the gold medal final. In the same game in 2014, Poulin not only scored the tying goal with 54.6 seconds left, she found a gaping net during a 4-on-3 power play to cap another victory over the Americans, this time in overtime, in what has become a Canadian quadrennial tradition over the past four Winter Olympics.</p><p>It was as crushing a blow for the U.S., perhaps even more so than it was euphoric for Canada. After the game, in the mixed zone with the media outside the dressing rooms, one of the American players told reporters she would be willing to stand there and answer their questions all night, because the thought of going back into her team&rsquo;s room and taking off her equipment was too much for her to bear. If the American women, who have come up short in four straight Olympics now, think the hockey gods have taken up permanent residence north of the border, they&rsquo;d be excused for it.</p><p>Or not. Perhaps it has gone beyond what many people think is an overused and hyper-nationalistic cliche. Maybe there is something in the constitution of elite Canadian players, at least at the women&rsquo;s level, that gives them an uncanny ability to repeatedly rise to the importance of the occasion.</p><p>If there was one player who deserved to win a gold medal, it was Julie Chu. At 31, and almost certainly playing her last international game for the U.S., Chu is a Harvard grad, a five-time World Champion and one of the greatest two-way forwards Team USA has ever produced. She also has three silver medals and a bronze and was the forward on the ice killing the penalty when Poulin scored on the 4-on-3. Canada, on the other hand, has players such as Hayley Wickenheiser. Chu and Wickenheiser had the captaincy of their respective teams taken away from them before the Olympics and, according to speculation among those who closely follow the women&rsquo;s game, both were in some peril of losing their roster spots.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I HAVE TO KEEP WORKING FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS. I WANT TO BE HERE FOR SURE AGAIN<br>&ndash; Marie-Philip Poulin</blockquote><p>But there was Wickenheiser, drawing the penalty that led to the game winner after springing herself for a breakaway and taking the faceoff deep in the U.S. end that led to Poulin&rsquo;s goal. If that was Wickenheiser&rsquo;s last game in a Canadian uniform, the 35-year-old made it count. &ldquo;I do think we have a mental edge when it comes down to playing in big games,&rdquo; Wickenheiser says. &ldquo;In our room, we just really believe we can win, no matter what. I&rsquo;ve been in situations where we&rsquo;ve won every game going into the final and lost every game (against the U.S.). We just think that it all doesn&rsquo;t matter.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011310/9917971-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="794" height="1128"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NEVER GETS OLD</b></p><p>Poulin&rsquo;s game-winner gives Canada its fourth straight gold medal at the Olympics.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02899/9917964-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="802" height="905"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SWAN SONG</b></p><p>Sochi was likely the last time No. 13 Julie Chu will play for the U.S. internationally.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST)</span></figcaption></div><p>And for the next couple Winter Olympics, the Canadians will have Poulin on their side. The daughter of Robert Poulin, who works in the transportation department of a local hospital, and Danye Nadeau, who&rsquo;s a secretary in the same hospital, has many years of hockey ahead. She has had her setbacks, though. Two games into 2011-12 with BU, Poulin ruptured her spleen and missed half the season, then broke her wrist in her first game back. Much of this season with the centralized Olympic team, Poulin was out of action with an ankle injury. There&rsquo;s a reason why her personal motto is an old Japanese proverb <i>Nana Korobi, Ya Oki</i>, which translates into, &ldquo;Fall down seven times, stand up eight.&rdquo;</p><p>As far as the women&rsquo;s game is concerned, once again on the biggest stage in the world, it delivered an epic game. But that&rsquo;s not really the problem. Games between Canada and Team USA are always classics. The games leading up to the final are another  story. The semifinal between the U.S. and Sweden, in which the Americans outshot the Swedes 29-1 in the first period and 70-9 overall, was an embarrassment to the sport.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011498/9917957-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="1581" height="1107"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THIS TRIP&rsquo;S A WINNER</b></p><p>Hayley Wickenheiser drew a penalty that helped Canada complete the comeback in OT.</p></figcaption></div><p>There&rsquo;s still concern other countries haven&rsquo;t kept pace with the U.S. and Canada, who pour millions into their programs and sequester their players a year before the Olympics. But women&rsquo;s hockey is here to stay. International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel  is the winter sports representative for the International Olympic Committee&rsquo;s executive board and it would be difficult to fathom him losing that vote if it ever came to it. And since the 1988 Games in Calgary, when TV rights revenues went through the roof, broadcasters have demanded three weekends of programming. That time has to be filled, whether it&rsquo;s by slopestyle or team figure skating or women&rsquo;s hockey.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IN OUR ROOM, WE JUST REALLY BELIEVE WE CAN WIN, NO MATTER WHAT<br>&ndash; Hayley Wickenheiser</blockquote><p>The game is here to stay and so is Marie-Philip Poulin. Now it&rsquo;s just the nickname that has to go.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021033/9917950-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="905" height="961"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARIE-PHILIP <b>POULIN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(WICKENHEISER+POULIN: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>OLYMPIC AWARDS</b></h2><h3><b>ALL-STAR TEAM</b></h3><p>Canada reigned atop the podium in Sochi, but several different nations showcased star players throughout the Games. Here are the officially selected brightest.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03749/9917943-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="269" height="347"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GOALIE</b></p><p>Florence Schelling</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04560/9917936-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="281" height="352"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p>Megan Bozek</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05431/9917929-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="272" height="340"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DEFENSE</b></p><p>Jenni Hiirikoski</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06359/9917922-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="278" height="353"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Amanda Kessel</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07284/9917915-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="278" height="347"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Meghan Agosta</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-08232/9917908-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="277" height="351"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FORWARD</b></p><p>Hilary Knight</p> <span class="photo-credit">(HEADSHOTS: GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

JUST DON’T CALL ME ‘POU’

f0032-01

SOCHI IN PHOTOS

<div class="byline">BY SHELLY ANDERSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-03212/9918523-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TRULY ROUGH SEASON</b></p><p>On top of his stroke, Letang has endured knee problems and an elbow infection during a star-crossed season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01473/9918530-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="60" height="68"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CURIOUS, FRUSTRATING, DISAPPOINTING</b> &ndash; and occasionally brilliant &ndash; season of Kris Letang took an abrupt turn as January gave way to February. Just before his Pittsburgh teammates dispersed, some going to the Olympics, others scattering for some me time during the NHL&rsquo;s schedule break, it was discovered Letang had a stroke. The news was as frightening as it was stunning. &ldquo;I mean, he&rsquo;s my age,&rdquo; said fellow defenseman Matt Niskanen, who sits next to Letang in the dressing room. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to believe. I&rsquo;m shocked, but I&rsquo;m happy that he&rsquo;s OK.&rdquo;</p><p>Letang turns 27 around the time his team hopes to be advancing from the first round to the second round of the playoffs. Whether he will be in the lineup remains to be seen. The Penguins have been told his health situation is not career-threatening. He was put on a course of blood-thinners and was allowed to go on vacation during the Olympic break.</p><p>Letang, a Norris Trophy finalist last season, sustained a knee injury during a practice while on a pre-season team-building trip to West Point, N.Y. That pushed the start of his season back by more than three weeks, and there is a line of thought that the knee has bothered, or even hindered, him much of the season.</p><p>He missed another three weeks around mid-season because of an elbow infection that required a medical procedure and left him with a cast on his left arm. For short periods of time interspersed with the injuries, Letang had been dynamite, using his speed and offensive flair without jeopardizing things defensively. He matched his career high with 10 goals. To be fair, at a minus-6, he has also nearly matched his career worst for a season of minus-7. In addition, the defenseman has not developed into the power play quarterback his team had hoped he would become.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Discontent among some Pens fans reached the point where there were calls to trade Letang, especially before the eight-year, $58-million contract he signed last summer kicked in for 2014-15. Now, instead of being about the worth of Letang the hockey player, it&rsquo;s about the well-being of Letang the man and the father of a one-year-old son. &ldquo;My conversations over the last few days with Kris haven&rsquo;t had much to do with the power play, that&rsquo;s for certain,&rdquo; said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma when his player&rsquo;s diagnosis was confirmed.</p><p>Letang first felt ill the final week of January. He accompanied Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, but sat out the team&rsquo;s Jan. 30 game, as well as two nights later in Phoenix. Team doctor Dharmesh Vyas, who was travelling with the club, was concerned enough about Letang&rsquo;s symptoms &ndash; described by GM Ray Shero as &ldquo;dizziness and nausea&rdquo; &ndash; and pushed for a plethora of tests and follow-ups. While the team was in Phoenix, indications turned toward a stroke, something only a select few on the management staff knew about. The diagnosis was confirmed and tests showed Letang had a tiny hole in his heart, probably since birth. The hole, known as a patent foramen ovale, or PFO, is considered a possible cause of the stroke. A PFO can also be associated with migraines, which Letang has a history of. &ldquo;We see so many injuries in hockey, but this is crazy,&rdquo; Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. &ldquo;Having a stroke at such a young age&hellip; He&rsquo;s in such great shape. It&rsquo;s more than a hockey injury. It&rsquo;s tough to hear.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-03

HEALTH CONSCIOUS

<div class="byline">BY DOUG WARD</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02360/9918561-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DUST BOWL</b></p><p>Captain Dustin Brown, on pace for a career low in goals, is one of many Kings whose touch has dried up.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01464/9918568-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="60" height="68"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>L</span>IKE THE REST OF LOS ANGELES, THE KINGS</b> are mired in a severe drought that could be dangerous to their survival. With just 35 goals in a 22-game stretch (1.59 per), the Kings, along with everyone else in Southern California, are left to wonder when it&rsquo;s going to rain.</p><p>With Mike Richards and Dustin Brown scoring just seven and 10 tallies, respectively, and only two players &ndash; Anze Kopitar (17) and Jeff Carter (20) &ndash; with more than 15, the Kings are next to last in the NHL with 2.25 goals per game. The solution to the goal drought is simple, according to coach Darryl Sutter, and it does not involve a rain dance or an act of God: &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to get to the net.&rdquo;</p><p>Los Angeles is built from the goal out, with Jonathan Quick in net and Drew Doughty anchoring the blueline. Although they have given up an uncharacteristic 31 goals in 11 games before the Olympic break, the Kings still led the NHL in goals against, allowing just 2.10 per game. It&rsquo;s a style that lends itself to playoff hockey, so an extended post-season run is still possible.</p><p>But defense alone won&rsquo;t do it. Two years ago, the team had the league&rsquo;s second-worst offense, scoring 2.29 goals per game, before flipping a switch in the post-season and netting 2.85 goals per contest en route to the Stanley Cup. Sutter bluntly summed up his team&rsquo;s imbalance after a 2-0 loss to Philadelphia Feb. 1, &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t win nothing-nothing.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">GO TO THE NET HARD, GET SCREENS, GET MORE SHOTS ON NET AND BANG IN A DIRTY GOAL<br>&ndash; Drew Doughty</blockquote><p>If the Kings won&rsquo;t crash the net to Sutter&rsquo;s satisfaction, it seems clear they will crash and burn. With their offense taking a hiatus, they have slid four places in the Western Conference standings in seven weeks. On Dec. 23, the Kings sat third in the West, just three points behind Anaheim with a game in hand. With a dismal 6-14-2 record in a 22-game stretch, they&rsquo;ve fallen to seventh, 19 points behind the Ducks. &ldquo;Our struggle to score goals,&rdquo; Brown says, &ldquo;actually starts in our own end in moving the puck out.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Kings do have a clean breakout, Doughty agrees with Sutter that they haven&rsquo;t been dirty enough at the other end of the rink. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting shots,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re not screening them enough and we&rsquo;re not getting rebounds.&rdquo;</p><p>One possible solution is an injection of talent via the trade market, Edmonton&rsquo;s Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky have been linked to the Kings, as have the Islanders&rsquo; Thomas Vanek, Buffalo&rsquo;s Matt Moulson and Calgary&rsquo;s Mike Cammalleri. While bringing in one or more of those offense-minded players would help, Charlie Simmer or Luc Robitaille isn&rsquo;t about to walk through the door to completely turn things around. Help must also come from within. The Kings need to grind out a few garbage goals and Doughty believes the breakthrough doesn&rsquo;t have to come via the trade market. &ldquo;Go to the net hard, get screens, get more shots on net and bang in a dirty goal,&rdquo; Doughty says.</p><p>Brown, who was scoreless in 12 games and on pace to equal his career-low with just 14 goals, believes patience and persistence will yield the answer. &ldquo;We have to just keep plugging along,&rdquo; he says.</p><p>Sounds simple enough, but if it doesn&rsquo;t work, the Kings hopes for a second Stanley Cup in three seasons will run dry.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-02

FEELING PARCHED

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02344/9918641-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01453/9918648-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-03177/9918634-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="1374" height="1029"><figcaption class="caption-body">TOREY <b>KRUG</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>OST PLAYERS HAVE TO MAKE IT</b> through their rookie NHL season before they become Stanley Cup playoff heroes. Torey Krug, the Bruins&rsquo; defenseman, didn&rsquo;t conform to that timetable, but he&rsquo;s pretty much on schedule now.</p><p>After stepping into Boston&rsquo;s lineup for last season&rsquo;s second-round matchup against the New York Rangers and scoring four goals in his first five postseason games (a record for rookie defensemen), Krug is fulfilling the promise he showed during the Bruins&rsquo; run to the final. He led all rookie defensemen with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists) at the Olympic break and had an outside shot at a franchise record, too. Hall of Famer Ray Bourque&rsquo;s 17 goals in 1979-80, most by a first-year defenseman in Boston, is in sight. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s had a great year,&rdquo; said Bruins coach Claude Julien.</p><p>And Krug, 22, can follow a schedule away from the rink, too. Last summer&rsquo;s planned wedding to Melanie, for instance, went off without a hitch.</p><p>But Krug has felt the growing pains often experienced by freshman NHL defensemen, some due to the fact that his body stopped growing at 5-foot-9 inches and 181 pounds. He has more than met that challenge, though. In a season that has seen the Bruins&rsquo; &lsquo;D&rsquo; besieged by injury (67 man-games lost), Krug was the only blueliner to play all 57 games.</p><p>Struggles can be traced to the risks involved when Krug tries to create offense. They have resulted in slides like a 10-game stretch through Jan. 2 that saw him produce only two assists and log a minus-4, with two minus-3 games. But Krug is a battler. He scored twice and put up eight points and plus-9 in the nine games before the break. &ldquo;Any time you&rsquo;re not contributing the way you were before, it&rsquo;s frustrating,&rdquo; Krug said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s all about putting it in the past, making plays and moving forward.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s a difference-maker on power plays. His presence at the point has allowed Zdeno Chara to play forward during the man advantage, with excellent results. Chara (eight) and Krug (six) were 1-2 in power play goals for the B&rsquo;s and the team&rsquo;s success rate had rebounded from last year&rsquo;s 14.8 percent (26th in the NHL) to 20.4 (eighth).</p><p>Julien&rsquo;s a Krug booster, both for the undrafted free agent&rsquo;s confidence and because, &ldquo;when you talk to him about parts of his game he has to improve, he acknowledges it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-04142/9918627-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Approaching the 18th green on his Hall of Fame career, <b>Teemu Selanne</b> is nearing several stat hurdles. He needs to play 17 of the 22 remaining Ducks games to pass Tim Horton for 21st, needs 18 points to pass Stan Mikita for 14th, needs nine assists to pass Jean Ratelle for 36th and needs nine goals to pass Mario Lemieux for 10th.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0597/9918620-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KRUG+SMITH: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As he neared the conclusion of his first full NHL season, <b>Reilly Smith</b> was nearing the 20-goal mark. He isn&rsquo;t the same player or physical presence former Bruin Nathan Horton was, but he&rsquo;s replaced Horton&rsquo;s offense and, almost as importantly to the salary-cap-challenged Bruins, he&rsquo;ll be a restricted free agent this summer.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0682/9918613-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GIRGENSONS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Zemgus Girgensons</b> returned from the Olympic break buoyed by being part of the Latvian team that upset Switzerland to make the quarterfinal, but the real test for the NHL rookie will be how his body responds to the final 25 contests of the 82-game schedule. The most games the center has played in one season is 61.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0758/9918606-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="328" height="505"></div><p><b>Mikael</b>&nbsp;<b>Backlund</b> is a poster boy for more ice time equalling more production. He was in coach Bob Hartley&rsquo;s doghouse with only one goal and four points in 24 games when playing less than 18 minutes. When injuries hit and Backlund&rsquo;s ice time increased, he had 13 goals and 25 points in 32 games when playing 18-plus minutes.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0845/9918599-1-eng-US/f0050-082.jpg" title="f0050-08" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BACKLUND+MURPHY: GERRY THOMAS/NHL VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>As an offensive defenseman, <b>Ryan Murphy</b> will be judged primarily on points. With just three points and nine healthy scratches in 2014, the youngster was sent to Charlotte in the AHL. That gave him more games during the Olympic break and Murphy responded with nine points in his first nine games for the Checkers.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0050-02

OUT OF WHACK, BUT RIGHT ON TRACK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02253/9918721-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01352/9918728-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0844/9918714-1-eng-US/f0051-082.jpg" title="f0051-08" width="1373" height="1042"><figcaption class="caption-body">BRENT <b>SEABROOK</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>LL THINGS CONSIDERED, BRENT</b> Seabrook leads a charmed life. He&rsquo;s a two-time Stanley Cup winner and star blueliner on the defending-champion Chicago Blackhawks. He has three gold medals on the international scene: one at the Under-18 World Championship, one World Junior Championship and one at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.</p><p>But all that success didn&rsquo;t dull the sting of not being named to Team Canada&rsquo;s 2014 squad. &ldquo;I was disappointed,&rdquo; Seabrook said. &ldquo;I wanted to make the team, but there are a lot of good Canadian players out there. I rooted for (the 2014 team) to do well.&rdquo;</p><p>The positive side of not being named to Team Canada: Seabrook was able to take his family on a Hawaiian vacation during the Olympic break and focus his energies on keeping the Blackhawks in solid condition and ready for another deep playoff run. The 28-year-old amassed as many points (34) in his first 60 games this season as he did in 78 games of 2011-12.</p><p>Team success is crucial for Seabrook, because the first time he and his teammates came off a Cup win in 2010, the results weren&rsquo;t ideal. They stumbled out of the gate to an 11-11-2 record and barely made the playoffs as the eighth seed. This time around, Seabrook and Chicago&rsquo;s other leaders understood they would need to improve their earlyseason efforts and that&rsquo;s precisely what they did. &ldquo;Winning the Cup two of the last four seasons, every team is gunning for you,&rdquo; Seabrook said. &ldquo;We were more prepared for that this year. Guys came back more focused. We wanted a good start and to keep rolling.&rdquo;</p><p>If there was one area of concern for Seabrook and the Blackhawks, it was their January slide in which they won only five times in 14 games. But that&rsquo;s a little deceiving. In six of the nine January losses, the Hawks secured a point by taking the game into overtime or a shootout (5-3-6).</p><p>This isn&rsquo;t lost on Seabrook, who is confident in his team&rsquo;s chances to repeat  despite a serious challenge within their own division by the powerhouse St. Louis Blues. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;ve been struggling that much,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re in every game, we just couldn&rsquo;t get it done in overtime or shootouts. You have ups and downs. If that&rsquo;s a down for us, I think all the boys will take it.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-03182/9918707-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(REGIN: NORM HALL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Seeking help at center, the Hawks acquired Pierre-Marc Bouchard and <b>Peter Regin</b> from the New York Islanders for a fourth-round pick. Regin cracked Chicago&rsquo;s lineup while Bouchard went to AHL Rockford, where he exploded for seven points in four games. The moves seemed marginal, but so did last year&rsquo;s Michal Handzus trade.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-04146/9918700-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TANGUAY: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The NHL&rsquo;s No. 6 offense got even more dangerous when <b>Alex Tanguay</b> returned after missing 36 games with knee and hip injuries. He lasted just three games before being shut down for season-ending hip surgery. At 34, he&rsquo;s not the player he once was, but the Avs didn&rsquo;t take him for granted. They were 15-1-0 with him in the lineup.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-05106/9918693-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="328" height="505"></div><p>The Jackets didn&rsquo;t have a top-30 scorer coming out of the Olympic break, but the team was in the mix for a wildcard spot thanks to depth. Columbus had 19 players with 11 or more points, ranging from Ryan Johansen (46) to <b>Blake Comeau</b> (11). Averaging 2.86 goals per game, the Blue Jackets ranked seventh overall in the NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0689/9918686-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GARBUTT: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Undrafted grinder <b>Ryan Garbutt</b> didn&rsquo;t make the NHL until 26. Over two seasons and 56 games, he scored five times. This season, he had 11 goals and 20 points in 51 games. Stars GM Jim Nill called Garbutt a player Dallas trusts against opponents&rsquo; top stars every game and rewarded him with a three-year, $5.4-million extension.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0762/9918679-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SEABROOK+COMEAU+GUSTAVSSON: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jonas Gustavsson</b> enjoyed his second Olympics with Sweden, but the soon-to-be UFA returned to Detroit facing pressure to produce. His health has been an issue. He dealt with groin woes, then left a Feb. 3 game with dizziness. If he doesn&rsquo;t finish strong, the Wings could seek a new backup or promote Petr Mrazek in 2014-15.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-02

HEALING HIS DISAPPOINTMENT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-02225/9918801-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01350/9918808-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-03157/9918794-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="1374" height="1023"><figcaption class="caption-body">JASON <b>POMINVILLE</b> <span class="photo-credit">(POMINVILLE: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>HUCK FLETCHER IS BOLD. HE&rsquo;S</b> proven that throughout his nearly five-year run as Minnesota Wild GM, highlighted by a pair of 13-year, $98 million deals tossed towards Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.</p><p>As the March 5 trade deadline approached, it wasn&rsquo;t hard to recall a gutsy move Fletcher made at last year&rsquo;s deadline. Showing just how desperate Minnesota was to end a four-year postseason drought, Fletcher traded prospects Matt Hackett and Johan Larsson, a first-round pick and a 2014 secondround pick to Buffalo for Jason Pominville and a 2014 fourth-round pick.</p><p>The Wild needed to beat Colorado on the final night of the regular season to make the playoffs and if not for Pominville&rsquo;s four goals and nine points in 10 games, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine the Wild getting there. Unfortunately, due to a concussion, he missed the first three games of the Minnesota&rsquo;s loss to Chicago in Round 1. But after seeing how Pominville had produced since signing a five-year, $28-million extension that begins in 2014-15, Fletcher was pleased to have him in the fold for years to come. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t be happier with the way it&rsquo;s worked out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;To get a good hockey player, you have to pay a price and to me the assets we gave up, we gave them up and moved on and it was more important for me to sign him (long-term) because he&rsquo;s a quality player and one of the better forwards in the league.&rdquo;</p><p>Pominville, who has developed impressive chemistry with Mikael Granlund, led the Wild in scoring at the Olympic break with 22 goals and 40 points in 59 games. He&rsquo;s a respected leader on a young team and though his production tailed off from a scorching start to the season, he&rsquo;s on pace to hit 30 goals for the third time. This is why Parise yelled, &ldquo;Heck of a player. Heck of a player&rdquo; the moment he found out the Wild had acquired the right winger.</p><p>Pominville, 31, is excited about the Wild&rsquo;s future and his signing could help Fletcher make another bold move this summer by inking Pominville&rsquo;s former  Sabres linemate Thomas Vanek, a Minnesota resident who starred at the University of Minnesota. &ldquo;The addition of (Parise and Suter) will probably help bring more guys here,&rdquo; Pominville said. &ldquo;When you see a team that&rsquo;s heading in that direction, why wouldn&rsquo;t you want to be here?&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-04122/9918787-1-eng-US/f0052-042.jpg" title="f0052-04" width="327" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NUGENT-HOPKINS: JEFF VIN NICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Oilers won&rsquo;t be in the Stanley Cup race this spring, but <b>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins</b> is the owner of a thoroughbred race horse he&rsquo;s hoping starts her competitive career in May. Nugent-Hopkins grew up in a thoroughbred-racing environment and says it&rsquo;s a hobby for now, but Zenya&rsquo;s success could lure him to the track more often.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0585/9918780-1-eng-US/f0052-052.jpg" title="f0052-05" width="328" height="505"></div><p>The Panthers haven&rsquo;t been regarded as a tough team to play against, but massive center <b>Nick Bjugstad</b> is aiming to change that. The 6-foot-6 Bjugstad is one of the more physical members of Florida&rsquo;s core and although he needs to work on faceoffs, the 21-year-old led the Panthers in game-winning goals with three.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0673/9918773-1-eng-US/f0052-062.jpg" title="f0052-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BAILEY: MICHAEL BUCKNER/WIRE IMAGE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Kings mascot <b>Bailey</b> won his version of the Stanley Cup. The lovable lion won the most awesome mascot award from the four major sports leagues at the Cartoon Network&rsquo;s annual Hall of Game awards show. Bailey beat out Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls), Raymond (Tampa Bay Rays) and Swoop (Philadelphia Eagles).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0750/9918766-1-eng-US/f0052-072.jpg" title="f0052-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BJUGSTAD+BRODIN: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jonas Brodin&rsquo;s</b> name hasn&rsquo;t popped up much in his sophomore season and that&rsquo;s not necessarily a bad thing. He&rsquo;s slumped at times and been shakier with the puck under pressure, but he had eight goals by the Olympic break and his 24 minutes per game ranked 16th in the NHL, ahead of Duncan Keith and Dion Phaneuf.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0831/9918759-1-eng-US/f0052-082.jpg" title="f0052-08" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MURRAY: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Canadiens had to be concerned that after 59 games, their leaders in hits were defensemen Alexei Emelin and <b>Douglas Murray</b>. The lack of physicality, especially at forward, was a factor in Montreal being in the bottom 10 in the NHL in shots for and against and could be its undoing in the rugged Atlantic Division.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0052-02

REAPING THE REWARD

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-02228/9918881-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01328/9918888-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0837/9918874-1-eng-US/f0053-082.jpg" title="f0053-08" width="688" height="522"><figcaption class="caption-body">CLARKE <b>MACARTHUR</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>LARKE MACARTHUR WAS A FORGOTTEN</b> man in Ottawa on July 1. With the departure of longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson and the arrival of winger Bobby Ryan, the signing of MacArthur, away from Toronto Maple Leafs, was barely noticed.</p><p>Usually a guy jumping to the other side of the Battle of Ontario to join the Senators would earn some headlines, but a lot happened that day and his signing seemed secondary. Well, that isn&rsquo;t the case anymore. Everybody is getting a chance to see what MacArthur can do.</p><p>As the Senators prepared to return from the Olympic break with 23 games left to try to get back into a playoff spot, he&rsquo;s been the club&rsquo;s best off-season signing and his contribution is no longer overlooked. Signed to a two-year, $6.5 million contract, the 28-year-old MacArthur has a $3.3 million cap hit. Through 58 games, he&rsquo;s scored 18 goals to go along with 42 points playing with Kyle Turris at center and Ryan on the opposite wing.</p><p>They&rsquo;re supposed to be the club&rsquo;s second unit, but many nights they&rsquo;ve been the Senators&rsquo; best line. GM Bryan Murray knew he was getting a talented player in MacArthur, but his impact has been felt throughout the team.</p><p>Senators coach Paul MacLean has changed his lines constantly to try to get steady offense, but he hasn&rsquo;t had to split up Ryan, Turris and MacArthur very often.</p><p>Why has MacArthur worked so well with Ryan and Turris? &ldquo;It looks a lot better when things are going in,&rdquo; said MacArthur. &ldquo;Most games, even when they haven&rsquo;t gone in, we&rsquo;ve had some good chances.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like playing in our end and I&rsquo;m sure the other two don&rsquo;t like it either. You can start on offense the sooner we get out of there and then you&rsquo;ve got that much more energy on your shift to capitalize.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s been a terrific season for a player who was a healthy scratch in the playoffs last season under Toronto coach Randy Carlyle.</p><p>It&rsquo;s helped that MacArthur trusts MacLean and the feeling is mutual. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s been one of our most consistent  players,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;From game to game, shift to shift, and period to period, his consistency level has been high and he&rsquo;s maintained it with very few dips.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-03162/9918867-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SMITH: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the Predators claw their way into the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll owe <b>Craig Smith</b> a thank you and perhaps a contract extension beyond next season. In the 25 games leading up to the Olympic break, he scored 12 goals. His 18 on the year were easily a career high. It&rsquo;s a huge turnaround for a player who scored just four goals as a sophomore.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-04137/9918860-1-eng-US/f0053-042.jpg" title="f0053-04" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ELIAS: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Patrik Elias</b> should avoid Russia. The veteran headed to Sochi as an offensive threat, but came down with an illness that ran through the Czech dressing room and felled him for several games. During the 2004-05 lockout, Elias played in Russia with Magnitogorsk, where he contracted hepatitis and spent nearly a month in hospital.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-05101/9918853-1-eng-US/f0053-052.jpg" title="f0053-05" width="328" height="505"></div><p>He&rsquo;s the type of player the Islanders need, but also one they might lose. <b>Andrew MacDonald</b> is due a substantial raise from his $550,000 cap hit, but negotiations with the Isles reportedly broke down and a trade is a possibility. Mac-Donald led the team in ice time (25:33 per game) and points by a defenseman.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0686/9918846-1-eng-US/f0053-062.jpg" title="f0053-06" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACDONALD+GIRARDI: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>From Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan Callahan to <b>Dan Girardi</b>, GM Glen Sather has played with fire all season when it comes to renewing contracts. Lundqvist was shaky to begin the campaign, then settled down after re-signing. Girardi seemed to be closer to coming back than Callahan, but the defenseman would be a big loss if he left.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0763/9918839-1-eng-US/f0053-072.jpg" title="f0053-07" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MACARTHUR+MICHALEK: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Following an injury-plagued 2012-13, <b>Milan Michalek</b> has stayed in the Senators lineup this year. Unfortunately, the 29-year-old is producing goals at half the rate he did when he scored 35 times in 2011-12. He went into the Olympic break on a hot streak and must contribute more if the Sens hope to make the playoffs.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-02

FROM OVERLOOKED TO FRONT & CENTER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-02205/9918961-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01339/9918968-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-03136/9918954-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="1374" height="1039"><figcaption class="caption-body">JADAN <b>SCHWARTZ</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SCHWARTZ: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>OR SMALLER PLAYERS, THERE&rsquo;S A</b> fine line between runt and bulldog. When they break in at the NHL level, their leashes are often shorter. Initial struggles give way to talk of being pushed around and doubts creep in about a guy&rsquo;s ability to handle the pounding of playing in The Show.</p><p>Left winger Jaden Schwartz, at 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, was nearing that territory a year ago. The St. Louis Blues draftee (14th overall in 2010) was THN&rsquo;s No. 29 overall prospect in Future Watch 2013, but he was struggling to make a splash last season.</p><p>According to scouting reports, he was lacking strength and playing soft. But Schwartz, 21, has become a pugnacious pooch for the powerhouse Blues, amassing 42 points in 55 games with a plus-22 mark. He&rsquo;s filled every role he&rsquo;s had to fill and has clicked on a sizzling second line with Chris Stewart and Vladimir Sobotka or hopping up to the No. 1 unit with David Backes and T.J. Oshie when Alex Steen went down with a concussion. &ldquo;If you get some experience and go through something for a little while, you&rsquo;re going to learn a lot,&rdquo; Schwartz said. &ldquo;I tried to do that. I&rsquo;m playing a bit more this year, getting more opportunities and trying to make the best of it. Confidence is a big part in it. When you&rsquo;re playing more, you&rsquo;re touching the puck. I realize sometimes last year I&rsquo;d be thinking too much.&rdquo;</p><p>Schwartz credits the spike in his play to a few key mentors. Steen helps him most on the ice, sometimes directly or sometimes simply when Schwartz watches Steen play. When Schwartz broke into the league, he lived with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who taught him the day-to-day life of an NHLer.</p><p>But if you really want to know where Schwartz gets his inspiration, ask him about his sister, Mandi, who played for the Yale Bulldogs. She died of acute myeloid leukemia in 2011 at just 23 years old. Her fight inspired the Yale women&rsquo;s team to organize an annual &lsquo;White Out for Mandi&rsquo; game, in which attendees wear white in support, to raise money and awareness for the cause. Not only did the Blues let Schwartz attend this year&rsquo;s White Out game Jan. 24, they all went with him. &ldquo;She loved and spent a lot of time there and it was unfortunate I never got a chance to go when she was there,&rdquo; Schwartz said. &ldquo;It means a lot to me and my family that the whole team gets to go.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-04109/9918947-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="327" height="506"></div><p>Weather has been brutal on the East Coast this year, but <b>Scott Hartnell</b> made the best of things when the Flyers&rsquo; game against Carolina was cancelled in late January. Hartnell&rsquo;s parents were visiting from Arizona and found themselves snowbound, so the winger made a video with his folks, challenging his mom to a game of Crokinole.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0579/9918940-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(VERMETTE+BRAUN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the Coyotes are to make the playoffs, they&rsquo;ll need more players setting career highs in goals. Mikkel Boedker, Rob Klinkhammer and Michael Stone are there, while others in range at the Olympic break are <b>Antoine Vermette</b> (needs seven), Martin Hanzal (needs three), Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (need six each).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0659/9918933-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARTNELL+VOKOUN: JANA CHYTILOVA/FREESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Despite the fact Marc-Andre Fleury was lights-out in net, there&rsquo;s always going to be a nagging suspicion surrounding him until proves himself in the playoffs again after several flameouts. It was a huge piece of news when insurance policy <b>Tomas Vokoun</b> was cleared to return from a serious blood clot ailment during the break.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0738/9918926-1-eng-US/f0054-072.jpg" title="f0054-07" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JACKMAN: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Since his Calder Trophy rookie year, <b>Barret Jackman</b> hasn&rsquo;t made headlines, but he has a chance to become St. Louis&rsquo; alltime games leader. He reached 700 in February. If healthy, he&rsquo;ll pass Brett Hull (744) and Brian Sutter (779) next season. To catch Bernie Federko (927), he&rsquo;ll need to re-sign, as his deal expires after 2014-15.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0829/9918919-1-eng-US/f0054-082.jpg" title="f0054-08" width="328" height="506"></div><p>After his Olympic performance for Team Canada, Marc-Edouard Vlasic can no longer be called an unheralded defenseman. That moniker now belongs to <b>Justin Braun</b>, who quietly is having a breakout season. The fourth-year defender leads San Jose blueliners in ice time and plus-minus and is the best skater of the seven-man corps.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0054-02

BLUE’S BITE GETS BIGGER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-02193/9919041-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01296/9919048-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0824/9919034-1-eng-US/f0055-082.jpg" title="f0055-08" width="1373" height="1026"><figcaption class="caption-body">VICTOR <b>HEDMAN</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HEDMAN: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>LAYERS DON&rsquo;T GET TO CHOOSE</b> which of their peers are drafted around them, but in his early NHL years, you had to feel for Victor Hedman. The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman was sandwiched between John Tavares and Matt Duchene in the 2009 draft and when the Swedish blueliner didn&rsquo;t become a star right away, the pressure was on.</p><p>Now in his fifth season with the Bolts, Hedman is taking over. He led the team in ice time and shorthanded points, and is tied for third in scoring with 37 points through 51 games. &ldquo;His confidence is through the roof, you can totally tell,&rdquo; said goalie Ben Bishop. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just one of those things where defensemen take a bit longer. He&rsquo;s playing tremendous and has been a big reason why we&rsquo;ve done so well lately.&rdquo;</p><p>Hedman, 23, has also blossomed thanks to the coaching of Jon Cooper. The defenseman had 20 points during the truncated lockout season, which was about his yearly average prior to Cooper&rsquo;s arrival. Even Hedman believes he&rsquo;s hit another level. &ldquo;It feels like it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;For me, it was just about getting confident and the system we&rsquo;re playing under coach Cooper has really benefitted my game. Getting confidence from the coaching staff that believes in you&hellip; it&rsquo;s a lot of fun.&rdquo;</p><p>In the new system, Tampa&rsquo;s defensemen are more involved in offensive situations. Whether it was due to the personnel on the ice or his game strategy, previous bench boss Guy Boucher never got much scoring from his blueline. But Cooper is allowing Hedman to create chances. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my type of game, a two-way game,&rdquo; Hedman said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the type of player I want to be.&rdquo;</p><p>Even better for Tampa is the fact the Lightning have more talent coming up behind Hedman, including gifted rookie Mark Barberio, who is watching his blueline peer and learning on the job. &ldquo;What I&rsquo;ve liked is the way he&rsquo;s skating with the puck,&rdquo; Barberio said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid to take charge. There&rsquo;s times where he just breaks it out himself and he doesn&rsquo;t need to make a pass because he&rsquo;s got such great wheels.&rdquo;</p><p>Though Tavares and Duchene were in Sochi for Canada, Hedman was a noticeable snub from Sweden. But with his 6-foot-6, 223-pound frame and ability  to score, the Bolts won&rsquo;t take him for granted &ndash; especially if he helps them to a deep playoff run.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-03140/9919027-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CARLE: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>One of the reasons for the emergence of rookie blueliner Radko Gudas is the steadying influence of partner <b>Matt Carle</b>. The 29-year-old Carle led the Bolts in blocked shots at the Olympic break and is the type of smart positional presence his former team, Philadelphia, has needed since letting him sign with Tampa two years ago.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-04105/9919020-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="327" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(REIMER: CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Firmly entrenched behind starting goalie Jonathan Bernier, <b>James Reimer</b> has to somehow regain his early-season form before he becomes an RFA this summer. In 10 appearances before the Olympics, Reimer posted an SP of .900 or higher only three times and in four of those games his SP was .800 or lower.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0571/9919013-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TORTORELLA: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>John Tortorella</b> spent the break deep in thought on walks with his four dogs. With his wife away visiting family, Tortorella said he thought about coaching strategies while walking through Point Roberts in Washington state. &ldquo;Which players do I have to coach differently?&rdquo; he asked. Vancouver lost seven straight before the Olympics.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0648/9919006-1-eng-US/f0055-062.jpg" title="f0055-06" width="328" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WEY: PATRICK SMITH/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Players who didn&rsquo;t head to Sochi had a lot of travel options and rookie <b>Patrick Wey</b> decided to go back to college to watch a game featuring his old Boston College team. Wey took in the Eagles&rsquo; win at the Beanpot tournament, an event he won all four years he was at the school. The Eagles made it five in a row with the victory.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0736/9918999-1-eng-US/f0055-072.jpg" title="f0055-07" width="328" height="506"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TROUBA: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jacob Trouba</b> has joined the Calder race. The hulking blueliner played elite hockey, and not just for a rookie, after returning from a neck injury, with six goals and 20 points over a 32-game stretch. Prorated to a full season, that&rsquo;s a 15-goal, 51-point pace, the kind of production that would make a Norris contender like Shea Weber proud.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-02

UNSHACKLED AND UNBELIEVABLE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-02176/9919079-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FASHION FAUX PAS?</b></p><p>European team jerseys, like Davos and Eisbaeren Berlin, have long featured ads. Is the NHL next?</p> <span class="photo-credit">(FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01267/9919086-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="200" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>P</span>ICTURE IT: THE ICONIC MONTREAL</b> Canadiens jersey. Now picture an Apple logo underneath it. Now picture McDonald&rsquo;s arches on one side of it and a bank logo on the other. I probably should have warned you to have a barf bag nearby before you read that, shouldn&rsquo;t I? My apologies.</p><p>The specter of advertising on NHL jerseys is going to grow in the days to come. It&rsquo;s already on the minds and tongues of executives in the NBA, including new commissioner Adam Silver. He said in February that sponsor symbols and logos on uniforms is but a fait accompli. &ldquo;I believe it ultimately will happen in the NBA,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;It makes good business sense.&rdquo;</p><p>If you believe the NHL will follow Silver&rsquo;s lead and alter the optics of hockey jerseys, you&rsquo;re not alone. Uniform advertising has been discussed unofficially in hockey circles for some time. And my view on it has changed.</p><p>As I wrote in THN many years back, I thought it was worth exploring if the monies collected from the additional revenue stream went toward making NHL tickets more affordable. I know, I know, the folly of youth. Time has taught me additional revenue streams don&rsquo;t have any effect on ticket prices. And in my defense, I didn&rsquo;t envision every corner of the hockey-going experience being overwhelmed by advertising: whether it&rsquo;s rink board ads, naming rights for arenas, virtual ads on the glass around the rink, online banners or pop-up ads, the NHL already has done more than enough to monetize its playing surface.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">YOU HAVE TO WONDER IF AND WHEN FANS FINALLY REVOLT AND SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH</blockquote><p>Wound deep within the fabric of hockey fandom is the sense of identity. People wear their jerseys as a representation of who they are and many wouldn&rsquo;t be happy to have a corporation arbitrarily stamped upon their person. Nobody doubts uniform advertising would add to the NHL&rsquo;s coffers (and be split with its players), but you have to wonder if and when fans finally revolt and say enough is enough and that this ceaseless bombardment of the eyeballs has gone too far.</p><p>For me, seeing the beautiful Maple Leaf go from being on a solid blue or white uniform to one pockmarked with toll-free phone lines for personal injury lawyers and life insurance brands would be going too far. So would seeing the Blackhawks&rsquo; brilliant jersey drown amidst a sea of carmaker logos and energy drink slogans. It&rsquo;s one of the things that separates hockey on this continent from European leagues where jersey ads are common. I don&rsquo;t think anyone can say with certainty the NHL won&rsquo;t pay a price if they change that arrangement.</p><p>By this, I&rsquo;m not suggesting fans will stop showing up to games when ads appear on jerseys. If two lockouts didn&rsquo;t anger them enough to boycott the product, different-looking uniforms won&rsquo;t be the camel-paralyzing straw. But what if consumers stopped buying replica jerseys in such large numbers? And what if, in the age of social media and cottage industries, someone decided to conceal the jersey ads by stitching colored patches over them or spray-painting the logos away? If fans chose to do so, what could the NHL do about it? Sue them for not wearing the jersey the way they wanted?</p><p>The saturation point for advertising disappeared from the NHL&rsquo;s rear horizon long ago. It&rsquo;s possible for a brand to be debased and damaged by a corporate overreach. Although the NBA&rsquo;s commissioner thinks it makes good business sense to advertise on jerseys, don&rsquo;t forget some corporate executive thought New Coke made good business sense. The NHL would be wise to remember that just because you can doesn&rsquo;t mean you should.</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>

f0056-02

HOCKEY JERSEYS OR SANDWICH BOARDS?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0057-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01252/9919117-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TRUTH BE TOLD</b></p><p>Gus Mortson couldn&rsquo;t convince Jack Adams that Ted Kennedy didn&rsquo;t deliberately injure Gordie Howe.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(THN ARCHIVES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-02182/9919124-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="199" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE 1950 SEMIFINAL BETWEEN TORONTO AND DETROIT RANKS</b> among the most intense post-season series in NHL history. This was due to Gordie Howe&rsquo;s near death after an alleged butt-end. &ldquo;L&rsquo;Affaire Howe&rdquo; ignited one of the longest-running hates in the game: Detroit GM Jack Adams vs. Toronto captain Ted &lsquo;Teeder&rsquo; Kennedy. The primary witness was Toronto defenseman Gus Mortson who was there when the blood feud started and there again eight years later when Adams bitterly reaffirmed it to Mortson who had by then become a Red Wing.</p><p>Adams&rsquo; hatred for the Maple Leafs was already deep rooted and understandable by the time the 1950 playoffs began. After all, Toronto had won the previous three Cups, including a sweep of Detroit in the 1949 final. But now it was a year after that debacle  and, led by Howe, the Wings were stronger than ever. &ldquo;We can do it this year,&rdquo; Adams boasted prior to the opening game. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got the team this year.&rdquo;</p><p>And so they did, primarily because Howe had blossomed into a star, patrolling right wing on Detroit&rsquo;s Production Line with captain Sid Abel at center and Ted Lindsay on the left side. But when the Leafs went up 4-0 in the opener at Detroit&rsquo;s Olympia Stadium few expected what Toronto author Jack Batten described as &ldquo;one of the most infamous and controversial events&rdquo; in NHL history.</p><p>The play began innocently enough, as Kennedy sidestepped his way across the Leafs blueline, heading toward the Wings zone. Mortson, who saw the play unfold, described it this way in Batten&rsquo;s book, <i>The Leafs of Autumn</i>: &ldquo;Jack Stewart of the Wings defense took a run at Kennedy so Teeder passed the puck and got out of the way quick, and at the same time Howe was coming in from the other side and ran right into the boards.&rdquo;</p><p>Howe thought he had Kennedy lined up, but he had missed and fell headfirst into the boards, breaking his skull. He was carried off on a stretcher and removed to Harper Hospital. For several hours there was doubt whether he would survive. &ldquo;A brain specialist operated,&rdquo; Adams later told Maclean&rsquo;s magazine writer Trent Frayne, &ldquo;boring a hole into his skull to remove fluid pressing on the brain. We paced the corridors all night. Even the next day his condition was critical.&rdquo;</p><p>Neither the ensuing conclusion by NHL president Clarence Campbell nor referee George Gravel&rsquo;s report &ndash; both exonerating Kennedy &ndash; ever defused Adams&rsquo; hate. Led by Adams, the Wings contended Kennedy deliberately injured Howe. &ldquo;The Detroit players said I did it with my stick, but I knew I hadn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; countered Kennedy. &ldquo;Adams stirred up a fuss, blaming me.&rdquo;</p><p>In Game 2, revenge was on every Detroit player&rsquo;s mind. One by one, the Wings persisted in taking shots at Kennedy. When the dust had cleared, Detroit won 3-1 and Adams announced, &ldquo;We are suing&hellip;for $75,000.&rdquo; In the end there was no suit as Detroit took the series in double overtime of Game 7, with the Wings shouting, &ldquo;We won for Gordie.&rdquo;</p><p>As for Mortson, it took eight years for him to learn first-hand about Adams&rsquo; manic obsession. He was traded from Toronto to Chicago in 1952 and then to Detroit in 1958. After arriving in Hockeytown for training camp, Mortson was invited by Adams to golf with him and two team doctors. &ldquo;It sounded nice,&rdquo; Gus recalled, &ldquo;until we got on the course and they wanted to talk about the Howe-Kennedy thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Mortson considered that bloody episode ancient history, though he instantly knew he had no choice but to explain what had happened. Unequivocally, he told Adams what he didn&rsquo;t want to hear: Kennedy never touched Howe. &ldquo;Adams looked at me and the two doctors and they were so sore they didn&rsquo;t speak to me for the rest of the eighteen holes,&rdquo; Mortson said. &ldquo;The talk on the golf course finished me. I don&rsquo;t think I got into a game with Detroit until Christmas. Adams made sure I did nothing but sit on the bench.&rdquo;</p><p>Eventually, Adams tried to exile Mortson to Hershey of the American League, but Gus had started a food business near Toronto and refused to move to Pennsylvania. Nearby Buffalo was a better bet and Mortson persuaded the wealthy AHL club there to buy out his contract from Detroit. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the laugh,&rdquo; Mortson concluded, &ldquo;I got more money from Buffalo than I got from any team the whole time I played in the NHL.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-01

BADGERING THE WITNESS

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0058-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-02183/9919162-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ALPHA DOG</b></p><p>Niagara mortgaged older assets for Brendan Perlini, who can fuel their attack for multiple seasons.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01272/9919169-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE BOOM-BUST CYCLE OF CHASING THE</b> Memorial Cup has seen two of the past three major junior champions, Saint John and Shawinigan of the Quebec League, go from top of the world to rock bottom in one summer. But the great thing about junior hockey is that with the right minds in charge, your team never has to be down for long.</p><p>That&rsquo;s where the Ontario League&rsquo;s Niagara IceDogs find themselves. The team that recently spawned Ryan Strome, Dougie and Freddie Hamilton and Mark Visentin is in danger of missing the post-season, but that&rsquo;s not an issue for the franchise. It was part of a plan that saw the team trade away older assets for futures, landing a potential top-10 NHL draft choice in 2014 prospect Brendan Perlini from Barrie in the process. The rebuild was on. &ldquo;At some point you have to get committed to it,&rdquo; said coach-GM Marty Williamson. &ldquo;Last year we committed, we made the trade for Perlini, we drafted high and we were committed to playing the young guys. We thought we were in a bit of rebuild, but then this year we said those &rsquo;97s had to play.&rdquo;</p><p>Among the 1997 birthdays are high OHL draft picks Hayden McCool and Zach Wilkie and they are buttressed by a strong group of 1996 kids such as Perlini and defensemen Aaron Haydon, Blake Siebenaler and Aleksandar Mikulovich, among others. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting,&rdquo; Haydon said. &ldquo;I like being a go-to guy on a young team. We have four rookies in the lineup every night and I like how we have the chemistry going right now. We&rsquo;ll have games where we&rsquo;re off a little bit, but I&rsquo;m excited to see how solid we can become in the coming years.&rdquo;</p><p>There was a pragmatic reason for the rebuild on top of the fact Niagara was developing some nice young players: the IceDogs are finally moving into a new arena next season. They currently play at Jack Gatecliff Arena in St. Catharines, a facility built in 1938 that is a great old barn or an antiquated relic, depending on your disposition. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a new rink coming and we wanted to be good going into the new rink,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;This year we knew we would have struggles and we weren&rsquo;t sure if we could make the playoffs, but the way it&rsquo;s going, maybe we can and that would be a bonus.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-02142/9919155-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg" title="f0059-02" width="1530" height="2023"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BIG HOPE FOR BIG SMOKE</b></p><p>Maple Leafs draftee Carter Verhaeghe has clicked on a potent line with Perlini.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Leading the charge for the IceDogs is a top line featuring Perlini, undrafted winger Anthony DiFruscia and Toronto Maple Leafs pick Carter Verhaeghe (82nd overall in 2013) down the middle. Perlini in particular has been a revelation for the IceDogs. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very focused athlete,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;I compare him a lot to Dougie Hamilton. He&rsquo;s very meticulous in how he takes care of himself. When he goes to the gym it&rsquo;s a full-out workout. He does everything to the max, he practises hard and those guys get rewarded.&rdquo;</p><p>Perlini&rsquo;s father, Fred, played eight games in the NHL with the Maple Leafs, but he spent most of his career in England. Brendan spent his summers in Sault Ste. Marie and the rest of the year in Great Britain until he was 11, so his exposure to hockey in Euro nations such as Sweden and Russia was greater than that of the average Canadian kid growing up. Perlini has a big frame, but he also dazzles with his skill and really just needed an opportunity to shine in the OHL. &ldquo;Coming over from Barrie, it was tough,&rdquo; Perlini said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really play too much there. Here, having the trust in the coaching staff and them having trust in me definitely helps. I look forward to the next couple years.&rdquo;</p><p>Most of the evolving talent, however, is on the blueline. There are three players up for the 2014 draft and two available in 2015 on the back end. Haydon is the highest-ranked of the crew this year, a big, physical player who played in the Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game and has rebounded from an inauspicious start to the season when he broke his foot getting out of a golf cart at a pre-season team function. &ldquo;I like to shut guys down and be a pain,&rdquo; Haydon said. &ldquo;I move the puck up and that&rsquo;s my job. From the hashmarks down, that&rsquo;s my area. The front of the net is my area.&rdquo;</p><p>Mikulovich is a hard-hitting blueliner with a great point shot, while Siebenaler is a puck-mover with nice wheels. All that talent  is still coming together. It&rsquo;s important to note the IceDogs have suffered some blowouts this season and have surrendered the second-most goals in the OHL. &ldquo;As a coaching staff, we have to be patient with mistakes,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;We were hard on them early and that worked, but they were also nervous. Now they&rsquo;ve settled in and they understand what is important to me.</p><p>&ldquo;Now the mistakes are manageable. The first part was getting their feet wet, almost survival mode. Now they can contribute.&rdquo;</p><p>Williamson believed in the process so much he made deals that allowed these youngsters to get more space on the roster. Blueliner Jesse Graham is a New York Islanders pick (155th overall in 2012) with great offensive sensibilities, but he was moved to the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for draft choices because Williamson wanted his younger core of rearguards to receive more time on both the power play and the penalty kill.</p><p>Williamson had to do some solid recruiting for the rebuild. Mikulovich and draft-eligible center Alexander Protapovich came via Russia and the CHL Import Draft, which is no sure thing. Haydon and Siebenaler are both American, so college hockey was an option, though Haydon noted that he grew up skating on Plymouth Whalers ice. &ldquo;I did that little Timbits game between periods,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So there was a huge OHL influence, but I didn&rsquo;t know I would be going there until March before the draft. It was a perfect fit here.&rdquo;</p><p>To see the IceDogs after a win is to find a bunch of loose kids who stalk the bowels of the rink with shaving cream pies for that night&rsquo;s hero and goof off while teammates do press interviews. They certainly don&rsquo;t look like a squad fighting for their playoff lives and that&rsquo;s because this year is a learning experience for an emerging core. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny, they&rsquo;ve got a personality now,&rdquo; Williamson said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve taken over the team and they&rsquo;re going to be together for a while. It&rsquo;s a tight group and we like this group.&rdquo;</p><p>And it&rsquo;s just the beginning.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">1 Season until the IceDogs move into a new building. They&rsquo;ve occupied Jack Gatecliff Arena, built in 1938, but will call the freshly constructed Meridian Centre home starting in the 2014-15 season. It&rsquo;s a jump in capacity from 3,145 to 4,500</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0058-02

NIAGARA ON THE MEND

<div class="byline">BY JOHN MATISZ</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0060-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-02136/9919207-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MAN ON A MISSION</b></p><p>Robby Fabbri combines elusive skill, intense focus and a motor that never stops running.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(TERRY WILSON/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-01220/9919214-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="60" height="68"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>THERE&rsquo;S HUNGRY FOR THE PUCK.</b> And then there&rsquo;s Robby Fabbri.</p><p>The Guelph Storm sophomore has made a name for himself this season thanks to &ldquo;trademark quickness,&rdquo; according to NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr. A penchant for doing whatever it takes to retrieve the puck, however, is perhaps Fabbri&rsquo;s most appealing trait. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s tenacious and he brings this positive energy with his work ethic,&rdquo; Marr said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no quit in his game. He doesn&rsquo;t let up on the puck. He never gives up on a play.&rdquo;</p><p>Years before the 5-foot-10, 165-pound sniper landed on the scouting radar, Fabbri and his brother, Leonard, would duke it out in every sport imaginable. Robby, three years younger, seemed to always find a way to trump Leonard. &ldquo;Every time I would beat him in something, he would do that one thing (continually) until he was better than me at it, even with video games,&rdquo; said Leonard, who plays for the University of Guelph.</p><p>With 37 goals and 70 points in 46 games in his NHL draft year, Fabbri is showing the hockey world what he is truly capable of. The Mississauga, Ont., native is ranked 27th among draft-eligible players by International Scouting Services and 25th on Central Scouting&rsquo;s list of North American skaters.</p><p>Oddly enough, when Fabbri turns pro, that internal drive he employs so well will be due for an adjustment. &ldquo;Going forward, when he plays against better players, he may just want to pace himself,&rdquo; Marr said. &ldquo;He can&rsquo;t be going 100 miles an hour all the time. You have to use your time and space wisely. But that&rsquo;ll come with maturity.&rdquo;</p><p>Proof that he hasn&rsquo;t learned to control that motor yet: his adrenaline-fuelled suspension earlier this season. In November, he delivered a significant check to the head of Evan McEneny, which concussed the Kitchener Rangers defenseman and resulted in a 10-game ban. &ldquo;Going back, seeing the consequences, I probably wouldn&rsquo;t have made the same hit,&rdquo; Fabbri said. &ldquo;It was a good learning experience.&rdquo;</p><p>Nevertheless, Marr said Fabbri is a &ldquo;man on a mission&rdquo; on the ice, blending careful maneuverability and puck skills with a motor that simply doesn&rsquo;t quit. The undersized winger stands out nearly every shift, despite being flanked by an impressive collection of 10 NHLdrafted teammates. &ldquo;He wants to win all the time and he wants to be a great player on a great team, not just a great player on an average team,&rdquo; said Storm head coach Scott Walker. &ldquo;He wants to be The Man on a great team and win.&rdquo;</p><p>Walker&rsquo;s team is a powerhouse, the highest-scoring in the OHL with 280 goals in 56 games. The up-tempo style runs through Fabbri, whose 11 power play goals top all Storm players. His points-per-game average (1.52) is second on the club to only Kerby Rychel, a Columbus Blue Jackets first-rounder who doubles as Fabbri&rsquo;s linemate.</p><p>Fabbri&rsquo;s offensive success can be partly attributed to his elusiveness. An ability to sneak around defenders in tight spaces while keeping the puck on his stick has made Fabbri, who recorded 10 goals and 33 points in 59 games as a rookie, a fan favorite in Guelph. &ldquo;Last year,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I might not have made the same plays with the same confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>With the storm topping the league standings by a wide margin, &ldquo;OHL champion&rdquo; could very well be added to Fabbri&rsquo;s resume in May. It would look sharp beside &ldquo;under-18 world champion for Canada in 2013&rdquo; and &ldquo;owner of various brotherly titles in the Fabbri household.&rdquo; Right? &ldquo;Winning is fun, no matter what you&rsquo;re doing,&rdquo; Fabbri said with a wide grin.</p><h2><b>ROBBY FABBRI</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0397/9919200-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="164" height="172"></div><p><b>POSITION</b> Center</p><p><b>AGE</b> 18</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 5-10</p><p><b>WEIGHT</b> 165 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b>&nbsp;2014 eligible</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>27</b> Robby Fabbri&rsquo;s 2014 NHL draft rank according to the Iss February report</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0060-02

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN O&#x2019;NEILL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0062-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-01218/9919290-1-eng-US/f0062-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>GROWING THE GAME</b></p><p>Mark DeMontis, who lost his sight at 17, is blazing a trail for blind hockey participation.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RYAN ENN HUGHES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>OR 17 YEARS, MARK DEMONTIS DREAMED OF PLAYING IN THE</b> NHL. Then, one year away from an NCAA scholarship, that dream suddenly died. DeMontis, now 26, was diagnosed in 2005 with Leber&rsquo;s Optic Myopathy, a rare degenerative eye condition that causes central vision to slowly deteriorate, which left him legally blind. He was told he would never play hockey again. &ldquo;It was my life and it was 17 years of me thinking it was going in one direction,&rdquo; DeMontis says. &ldquo;Then in a split second, I was told it was going in a completely other one.&rdquo;</p><p>The disappointment eased over time and, after leaving university, DeMontis discovered blind hockey. He turned his personal challenges into Courage Canada, a national charity he founded in 2008. It&rsquo;s the leader in the development of blind hockey and provides an outlet for kids who are blind or partially sighted to discover the game.</p><p>To raise awareness, DeMontis inline skated across Canada in two separate treks: from Toronto to Vancouver in 2008 and from Halifax to Toronto in 2011. Matt Morrow, now Courage Canada&rsquo;s executive director, was working for the Canadian Blind Sports Association at the time and was one of two volunteers who alternated between driving the RV and guiding DeMontis. Morrow says that until DeMontis came along, blind hockey had been a fragmented sport, with teams primarily playing squads within their own town. At one point there were four different sets of rules, puck sizes and types of blind hockey being played. DeMontis and Courage Canada took the best elements and amalgamated the rules into one set, which they use in their annual tournament.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">IT WAS AMAZING TO MEET OTHER PLAYERS WHO ARE IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS<br>&ndash; Kevin Shanley</blockquote><p>All players have 10 percent vision or less. The puck is slower and bigger, 5.5 inches in diameter, and has ball bearings in the middle so players can track it by sound. Goals can only be scored in the bottom three feet of the net and an offensive player must make at least one pass after crossing the red line.</p><p>On faceoffs, the puck begins on the ice and players draw on the whistle, ensuring it&rsquo;s about reflexes not who has better eyesight. Other than that, it&rsquo;s the same game hockey fans know and love. &ldquo;A lot of people would be shocked to see blind hockey,&rdquo; DeMontis says. &ldquo;They would not believe that the athletes on the ice are visually impaired because of how fast-paced the game is.&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, the first annual Courage Canada National Blind Hockey Tournament was held at Maple Leaf Gardens. Forty-five players competed in a four-team competition that had a full round-robin and finished with a championship game, complete with medals.</p><p>Kevin Shanley, 36, was one of a few Americans to play. He lost his eyesight at six when he was diagnosed with Rod-Cone Dystrophy. Having played in rec leagues, he searched the Internet for &ldquo;blind hockey&rdquo; and found Courage Canada. &ldquo;It was amazing to meet other guys in similar situations and to see that they had all been playing hockey their whole lives,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was always the only blind guy out there.&rdquo;</p><p>When Shanley returned home, he co-founded the New York Nightshades with Christine Osika, a former Courage Canada intern who had also lost her sight, and got a weekly hour of free ice time to get started. Shanley and Morrow are now discussing a potential Canada-U.S. game in two years time.</p><p>This year&rsquo;s tournament is March 21-23 in Toronto and interest has grown. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had to put a cap on it based on the interest I&rsquo;ve had,&rdquo; Morrow says. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to allow a maximum of 64 players to compete in the tournament. I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if we were closer to 100 next year and even exceeding that.&rdquo;</p><p>The long-term hope is inclusion in the 2026 Paralympic Games, but for now De-Montis is focused on growing blind hockey. &ldquo;The goal is to have people come out and get more bums in seats and people realizing that this has now become a community of hockey players who are visually impaired, who love the game just as much as anyone else,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But they do need support.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0062-01

CANADIAN COURAGE

<div class="byline">BY JOSH ELLIOTT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0063-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-01166/9919321-1-eng-US/f0063-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HARD WIRED</b></p><p>Byron Dafoe has gone from barring the door in the NHL to opening it automatically with custom wiring.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN BYRON DAFOE COMES HOME AT NIGHT, HIS HOUSE</b> rolls out the welcome mat. His garage bay recognizes his car and opens for him. The darkened house lights a path to his kitchen, his favorite radio station comes on and the hot tub heats to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. After eight knee surgeries, he says getting into the hot tub is a nice end to a long day managing all his business interests.</p><p>Since retiring from the NHL in 2004, Dafoe, 43, has added golf courses, resorts and subdivisions to his real estate portfolio and continued to work for Athletes Against Autism, a charity he founded with ex-NHLer and former teammate Olaf Kolzig. Although they don&rsquo;t run themselves, his 13,000 square-foot mansion in Kelowna, B.C., does just that thanks to his other business: Diamante Custom Automation. It&rsquo;s a company that specializes in wiring mansions for full remote control, using a system called Crestron. It ties everything from home heating to lighting to home theater control into a single smartphone app that can run the house from anywhere in the world. &ldquo;You can go as elaborate as you want,&rdquo; Dafoe says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s whatever you can think up and as long as we can get a wire to it, we can control it from any mechanism.&rdquo;</p><p>Home automation started as a hobby for Dafoe. He had Crestron systems installed in his house in Boston, where he spent the best five seasons of his career, and put them in his Atlanta home when he signed with the Thrashers in 2002. After his retirement during the 2004-05 lockout, Dafoe teamed up with the owner of Atlanta-based Crestron to start Diamante Custom Automation. Now Dafoe sells Crestron systems to other millionaires, including hockey players. His company is wiring Wade Redden&rsquo;s new house. The Maple Leafs&rsquo; Cody Franson, who visited Dafoe in the summer, is also looking at Diamante for a planned house in Kelowna, where Dafoe lives with his wife and two sons. The houses need to be wired with the Crestron system before they&rsquo;re fully built, so there&rsquo;s plenty of planning involved. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very highly recommended,&rdquo; Franson says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got an unbelievable home in Kelowna there, so he&rsquo;s doing very well for himself.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I&rsquo;M ABLE TO LOOK THE CLIENT IN THE EYE AND SAY, &lsquo;THIS IS WHY THIS IS SUCH A GREAT PRODUCT&rsquo;<br>&ndash; Byron Dafoe</blockquote><p>When it comes to making a sales pitch to potential clients like Franson, Dafoe simply invites them over to his decked-out mansion. &ldquo;What better way to do it but to show it in an actual living environment?&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Some of the costs of these things get pretty high, so you want to be able to look the client in the eye and say, &lsquo;This is why this is such a great product&rsquo; and I find that&rsquo;s really easy to do because I really believe in it.&rdquo;</p><p>As for hockey, Dafoe coaches his youngest son in peewee and skates as a forward in a doctors&rsquo; rec league. He hasn&rsquo;t strapped on the pads since he retired and laughs off the suggestion he might appear in a Bruins alumni game some day. &ldquo;I just feel that the competitive juices would flow,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;and I&rsquo;d go and do something stupid and absolutely blow my knee out.</p><p>Dafoe prefers to look ahead than look back. He&rsquo;s always upgrading his house, looking for new real estate opportunities and seeking out new clients. And if he can find someone to buy his seven-year-old mansion, he plans to build another nearby with the most current technology he can think of. After all, he&rsquo;s got clients to impress, and only the latest and greatest will do.</p><p><b>FOR MORE TALES</b> OF PLAYERS PAST, CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM/BACKCHECKING</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0063-01

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

<h2><b>Guess</b>&nbsp;<b>Who!</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-01179/9919387-1-eng-US/f0065-012.jpg" title="f0065-01" width="523" height="642"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><i>&ldquo;I was the first draft pick in Ottawa Senators history, second overall in 1992.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I was traded to Long Island for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and a draft pick: Jason Spezza.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;The Islanders bought out my contract in 2007 are paying me for it through 2014-15.&rdquo;</i></p><h2><b>Separated AT BIRTH</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-02128/9919380-1-eng-US/f0065-022.jpg" title="f0065-02" width="246" height="437"></div><h3><b>RICK NASH</b></h3><p>Plays hockey for money and recreation near Central Park. Has won zero Stanley Cups, will soon turn thirty.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0394/9919373-1-eng-US/f0065-032.jpg" title="f0065-03" width="245" height="437"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PRATT: DAVE KOTINSKY/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>CHRIS PRATT</b></h3><p>Plays baseball in <i>Moneyball</i> and stars in <i>Parks and Recreation</i>. Also appears in <i>Zero Dark Thirty</i>.</p><p><b>Submitted by:</b> Chris Thomas</p><p>Email your suggestions to</p><p><b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>WHO AM I: ALEXEI YASHIN</p><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><p>By Larry Humber</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0468/9919366-1-eng-US/f0065-042.jpg" title="f0065-04" width="1025" height="1025"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/XWORD</a></b></p><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Bobby Clarke played junior with Flin Flon ___</p><p>4 Wayne Gretzky was once part owner of this football team</p><p>7 Barry ___ was a rugged Ranger rearguard</p><p>8 Tampa&rsquo;s ___ ___-Louis</p><p>10 Brantford&rsquo;s former OHL team</p><p>12 Dominik ___, pictured, won Hart in &rsquo;97, &rsquo;98</p><p>13 Sidney Crosby won 2013 Ted Lindsay ___</p><p>14 Maple Leaf who represented the States at the 2014 Olympics, as did his sister</p><p>18 The 2002 Games were held in Salt ___ ___</p><p>19 Works hard in the corners</p><p>20 Pulls</p><p>21 Florida&rsquo;s symbol</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>1 Jiri ___ helped the Czechs to three world championships</p><p>2 Rick ___ was with the Cup-winning Flyers of 1974 and 1975</p><p>3 A ___-up goalie stays on his or her feet</p><p>4 Uses two or more players at the same position, especially in goal</p><p>5 Skin rash that once plagued hockey players</p><p>6 Got even, ___ a score</p><p>9 Hustles back to pick up an opposing attacker</p><p>11 James ___ is heralded as basketball inventor</p><p>12 Bob ___ followed Marc Crawford as Avs coach</p><p>15 Back off: two words</p><p>16 Boston was the ___ in last year&rsquo;s Cup final</p><p>17 Narrowly, by the ___ of your teeth</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. SHOCKER, 4. SOCHI, 7. REED, 8. STANDOFF, 10. BUTT-ENDING, 12. TAMPA, 13. ON ICE, 14. AL MACINNIS, 18. LINESMAN, 19. ADAM, 20. DOWNS, 21. SCRAPPY <b>DOWN</b> 1. SCRUB, 2. OVERTIME, 3. RATED, 4. SAN ANTONIO, 5. COOK, 6. IAFRATE, 9. MEDALLISTS, 11. SIGNED UP, 12. TRAILED, 15. ADAMS, 16. SAMMY, 17. SNOW</p><h2><b>Behind THE MASK</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0545/9919359-1-eng-US/f0065-052.jpg" title="f0065-05" width="848" height="858"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MASK: DAVEART.COM)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>TUUKKA RASK | TEAM FINLAND</b></h3><p>The Finns are tough to put away and that mentality is reflected in Rask&rsquo;s Sochi mask, by Jesse Acciacca. A ferocious lion, from the country&rsquo;s coat of arms, engulfs the flag and a hand grips a sword on the back. &lsquo;Suomi,&rsquo; on the front, is Finnish for Finland. <b>&ndash; MATT LARKIN</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0633/9919352-1-eng-US/f0065-062.jpg" title="f0065-06" width="731" height="688"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>TEAM SLOVENIA | 2014</b></h3><h2><b>JerseyHOUND</b></h2><p>One of the darlings of the men&rsquo;s tournament at the Sochi Games (can&rsquo;t forget those plucky Latvians), Slovenia made noise by upsetting the Slovakians in the group stage, then offing Austria to reach the quarterfinal.</p><p>The best part was Anze Kopitar&rsquo;s crew did so in style. The Slovenian jerseys stood out thanks to the day-glo green script on the front and similar numbers on the back of the white sweater, bringing a neon kick to the proceedings that managed not to be gawdy, despite the boldness. <b>&ndash; RYAN KENNEDY</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0065-01

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0066-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-02108/9919418-1-eng-US/f0066-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">HENRIK <b>ZETTERBERG</b> <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/f0066-01174/9919425-1-eng-US/f0066-012.jpg" title="f0066-01" width="200" height="238"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>TEVE YZERMAN HAD A UNIQUE SENSE</b> of understanding and sympathy for Henrik Zetterberg. He could see why a player would do everything he could to play in the Olympics, jeopardizing his season and maybe his career in the process. After all, that&rsquo;s exactly what Yzerman did 12 years ago.</p><p>With Canada facing a 50-year Olympic gold medal drought, Yzerman had arthroscopic knee surgery just weeks before the Salt Lake Olympics. Despite being healthy enough to play the last two NHL games before the Olympics, Yzerman aggravated his knee during the tournament. He continued to play, however, and skated in all six games. Later, basically playing on one knee, Yzerman, at 37, won another Stanley Cup for the Detroit Red Wings. &ldquo;That was pretty much the beginning of the end for me,&rdquo; Yzerman said.</p><p>Zetterberg has been dealing with a herniated disk for a couple years now and it has kept him out of the Wings lineup for 13 games. But like Yzerman in 2002, he wanted to be involved. That&rsquo;s what hockey players do. And like Yzerman, Zetterberg and the Red Wings may pay a high price for that sense of valor.</p><p>Anyone who has been reading the tea leaves knows the NHL has had about enough of its players in the Olympics. The betting from this corner is the NHL will not be on the ice in four years in South Korea. Almost all of it has to do with money, but some has to do with protecting its assets. If a player gets injured in an NHL game, that&rsquo;s part of the cost of doing business. But when he gets hurt at the Olympics, the opportunity cost doesn&rsquo;t add up.</p><p>Zetterberg could have suffered the same fate if he were playing for the Wings. But the reality is he missed the team&rsquo;s practice and team picture because  his back was so sore, then played in Sweden&rsquo;s opener.</p><p>The fact remains that players, even when they&rsquo;re experienced and decorated, cannot be trusted to make the objective choice when it comes to their health. Athletes are driven to compete, whether there are millions of dollars or gold medals on the line, and the opportunity to represent their country is the fulfillment of a dream. Look at Steven Stamkos. If the choice had been left up to him, he would have played in the Olympics on a broken leg that hadn&rsquo;t fully healed. It was only when the Lightning&rsquo;s doctors shut him down that he withdrew.</p><p>Of the 149 NHL players who skated in these Olympics, only 37 have won Stanley Cups. It&rsquo;s not a stretch to suggest at least two-thirds of the remaining 112 will never win one. For them, playing for a medal in the Olympics might be the pinnacle of their careers. The same mentality that drives players to lie about concussion symptoms is the same one that prompts them to jeopardize their NHL seasons and careers for their countries. &ldquo;As a coach or a manager, can you imagine crossing the line and asking someone not to do what they&rsquo;re dying to do?&rdquo; said Canadian coach Mike Babcock. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d never, ever do that.&rdquo;</p><p>Part of the problem is that NHL participation is full of conflicts of interest. It&rsquo;s tough to imagine Babcock and Wings GM Ken Holland wouldn&rsquo;t have thought Zetterberg should be resting his back on a warm beach. But what if they had tried to persuade him to not play? Not only would they have robbed him of the experience, the optics would not have looked good since both are members of the Canadian management team.</p><p>And Babcock is onto something here. He knows that by giving players the opportunity to play, all kinds of good will is built up with them. &ldquo;And if you don&rsquo;t let them come,&rdquo; Babcock said, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s payback there, too.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">PLAYING FOR A MEDAL IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES MIGHT BE THE PINNACLE OF THEIR CAREERS</blockquote><p>Ultimately it&rsquo;s up to the player to be responsible enough to know what is best for him and the team that signs his paycheque. Some, like Saku Koivu, have the good sense to know it&rsquo;s better to stay home. But that&rsquo;s an easy decision for Koivu. The guy has played in four Olympics and won medals in each of them. And his desire to be healthy enough for a Cup run was more important to him than an opportunity to win a fifth medal.</p><p>Leaving this decision up to the players is courting disaster. Perhaps it would help for the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association to agree on having each NHL player submit to a medical examination from unbiased doctors outside the NHL, with their opinion being binding. That way, if a doctor examines Zetterberg&rsquo;s back and rules he shouldn&rsquo;t go to the Olympics, it takes the decision away from everyone who has a vested interest.</p><p>Either that or the NHL is going to have to continue to realize players will sometimes make decisions that aren&rsquo;t good for their NHL careers. Or it could always pull out altogether.</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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March 24, 2014

THE DEEP SLEEPER

WORLD CUP OR OLYMPIC GLORY?

PUCKPOLL

Behind THE NAME