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December 13, 2005
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.
Hurt gone for Henkel
Through the surgeries and the long, lonely hours of rehabilitation, Jim Henkel never asked if the effort to return to pro hockey was worth it. “It wasn’t a question in my mind; I knew I wanted to play again,” said the Norfolk Admirals center. “Knock on wood, things have gone pretty decent so far. I can’t complain, but, obviously, I would prefer to be back to my old self.” The 6-foot-2, 190-pound native of Hazlet, N.J., earned a full-time foothold in the AHL during a call-up to Lowell in 2003-04, scoring 11 goals and 24 points in 35 games. It was with the Lock Monsters last season that a devastating open-ice hit left his career in limbo. Henkel suffered severed tendons, dislocated his wrist and suffered a fractured arm in a Feb. 5…
Hurme’s back from hell
Jani Hurme’s first game in more than two years was a 4-2 loss to Omaha in which he made 19 saves for the Chicago Wolves. Nothing to brag about, yet after that Nov. 26 contest he looked like someone who just won the Illinois Mega Millions jackpot. In reality, he had won life’s lottery. What began as a minor back ailment in 2003 ballooned into a colossal medical nightmare for Hurme, leading to a battery of tests, probing hospital stays, a never-ending series of ailments and a rehabilitation filled with setbacks. “That feeling to be back on the ice was so unbelievable,” said the 30-year-old Hurme, who aims to prove he can help Atlanta. “I’m so happy to get a second chance in my life.” Hurme was suffering from back spasms in the Thrashers…
Bruins fleeced
MIKEO’Connell aimed for the panic button, but accidentally pressed self-destruct instead. With his team struggling, the Boston Bruins GM traded his most valuable commodity, No. 1 center and team captain Joe Thornton, and got back in return a second-line left winger in Marco Sturm, a third- or fourth-line center in Wayne Primeau and a No. 3 (at best) defenseman in Brad Stuart. This is supposed to make the Bruins a better hockey team? One’s initial reaction to the trade is, “Is O’Connell out of his mind?” But after careful thought and consideration of what O’Connell and the Bruins received in return, we are left wondering, “Is O’Connell out of his mind?” Salary cap considerations aside, if O’Connell was determined to trade his team’s best player, a hulking center who would have surely drawn…
Coach Bodger
Doug Bodger says he spent his early days in the NHL learning the blueline trade from defenseman Moe Mantha in Pittsburgh. Today, with the NHL behind him, Bodger is teaching hockey to kids in British Columbia. He’s an assistant coach with the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the B.C. Jr. A League, the same loop where Brett Hull, Paul Kariya and 2004 New Jersey first-rounder Travis Zajac played junior. Bodger says coaching 16- to 20-year-old kids can be a challenge for a former NHLer. “You can’t just go in and say, ‘I’m a hockey player so I can be a coach,’” he says. “I can see in my head what the play should be and I’m trying to explain it to the guys, so I’m really struggling with that. Sometimes instead of trying to…
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