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January 31, 2006
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.
Palffy hangs ’em up
Ziggy Palffy made a habit of leaving early during his 42-game stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’d shower after practice and fly out of the dressing room before many players had even begun to peel off their equipment. But no one expected him to leave for good in the middle of the season. Palffy, 33, stunned the organization – and left more than $10 million on the table – when he walked into GM Craig Patrick’s office the morning of Jan. 17 and announced he was retiring. The Penguins said it was for “personal reasons.” Palffy told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review it was because of lingering pain from his twice surgically repaired right shoulder and he’d been contemplating quitting for a while. “I was ready to do it,” said Palffy, who was the team’s second-leading…
HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF
CAUSE OF POTVIN DEATH UNCERTAIN A toxicology report on the body of former NHLer Marc Potvin is expected to be released in late January. The Adirondack Frostbite coach was found dead Jan. 13 in a Kalamazoo hotel room hours before his United League team was scheduled to play the Kalamazoo Wings. He was 38. Potvin, who was in his third season behind the Adirondack bench, was found by a hotel staff member about 10:30 a.m. Concerned players alerted the hotel there might be a problem when Potvin failed to show up for the Frostbite’s morning skate. Kalamazoo police said Potvin was found alone. They ruled out foul play and said they believed they knew how he died. The Frostbite’s game against Kalamazoo and a game the next night in Muskegon were…
MacLean eases pain
When Donald MacLean went into the operating room three years ago to have surgery on the herniated disc in his back, his doctor made no guarantees. “My right arm was numb and I had lost all strength in it,” MacLean recalled. “The doctor said ‘Don’t expect the surgery to cure everything.’ Any time you have a serious injury, your doctor doesn’t sugarcoat it. They tell you everything that could go wrong.” But the alternative was worse. Without surgery, MacLean would be forced to retire. “The size of the herniated disc was so large, if I was to get hit hard, I could have been paralyzed,” he said. Now playing his third season since the operation – and ninth as a pro – MacLean is having his best year ever with the Grand Rapids…
Players await testing results
Mandatory testing for performance-enhancing substances was considered one of the great evils of the world by former NHL Players’ Association head Bob Goodenow, right up there with NHL-NHLPA partnerships and salary caps. Apparently, players’ opinions have changed a great deal over the past year. The only player voices heard speaking out on drug testing these days are the ones eager to embrace it. “I think it’s a good thing we’re doing it,” said Minnesota defenseman Nick Schultz to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “The other leagues have it. People want to know if there are guys doing it, because it shouldn’t be allowed.” About 50 samples were collected from two teams during the first series of tests on Jan. 16. Samples are collected by Comprehensive Drug Testing out of Long Beach, Calif., which…
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