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 7, 2006

The Hockey News - Mar-07-06

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RISTO PAKARINEN</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>his year has been a rough ride for Slovenia native Anze Kopitar and his Sodertalje teammates in the Swedish Elite League. &ldquo;Obviously, the team is not doing very well, but I&rsquo;m happy with my season,&rdquo; Kopitar said. His squad is fighting against the possibility of relegation. Kopitar&rsquo;s production has dropped over time, mirroring his team&rsquo;s fortunes. He had only two assists in 10 games leading up to the Olympic break. &ldquo;I think I just have to learn how to handle tougher times, such as losing streaks and get mentally stronger,&rdquo; Kopitar said. The 18-year-old has 16 points in 43 games while centering Sodertalje&rsquo;s second line, making him the seventh-best scorer on a team that has only 10 wins. &ldquo;This was my first season in a men&rsquo;s league, so there was a learning curve,&rdquo; he said. Kopitar was drafted 11th overall in 2005 by the Los Angeles Kings. There are more lessons on the horizon. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve already decided to play in North America next season. Maybe the AHL, maybe the NHL.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03622/8802343-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="210" height="127"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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IN THIS ISSUE

Kopitar getting Anze for North America

<p>Have you spotted these two personalities in the same room at the same time? Submitted by Mark Baron of Saskatoon, Sask.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04192/8802957-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="243" height="278"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dave Nonis</b></figcaption></div><p>Vancouver GM manages Burkeless Canucks.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05169/8802950-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="201" height="272"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrick Roach</b></figcaption></div><p><i>Trailer Park Boys</i> actor plays shirtless lug &lsquo;Randy.&rsquo;</p><p>Submit ideas for Seperated at Birth to <a href="mailto:separated@thehockeynews.com">separated@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Mighty Ducks hope to reap the benefits of a pseudo-Olympic training camp experienced by defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03661/8801038-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="176" height="207"></div><p>Ozolinsh had not played for the Ducks since Nov. 27 because of a strained left knee and subsequent voluntary entry into the substance-abuse program jointly administered by the NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association.</p><p>He received discharge from the inpatient portion of the program in time to play for Latvia in the Olympics, giving the Ducks cautious optimism that the offense-minded D-man could be a factor in the squad&rsquo;s drive for a playoff berth.</p><p>&ldquo;That would be a huge plus for this hockey club, if he can go over there, get in shape and get his game back,&rdquo; said GM Brian Burke.</p><p>Ozolinsh, 33, worked out and skated during his treatment, Burke said. A veteran of the 2002 Olympics, he entered the program Dec. 29.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Ozolinsh comeback starts in Italy

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The seduction of the Winter Games could come back to bite the Devils this spring.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-08183/8801586-1-eng-US/f0030-082.jpg" title="f0030-08" width="167" height="207"></div><p>While an obvious concern centered on goalie Martin Brodeur, who was not likely to miss many games down the stretch for the Devils, the immediate attention was focused on left winger Patrik Elias and defenseman Brian Rafalski. Both could have used the break for rest. Instead, the pair will resume the NHL schedule with rib injuries.</p><p>Elias had to leave Italy when he was cross-checked during the Czech Republic&rsquo;s first game. Rafalski contemplated skipping the Olympics because of a rib injury prior to the Games, but he played for Team USA.</p><p>At least Brodeur shared the net for Canada with Roberto Luongo. He has always been resilient, playing the bulk of the Devils&rsquo; games. But this season he has endured sore knees that could have benefitted from rest.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Turin no rib-tickler for Devils duo

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012035/8799682-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COVER: LUNDQVIST: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY; BRODEUR: CP IMAGES; KELLAR: IHA; CONTENTS: STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Turning Point

<div class="byline">Jason Kay</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>U</span></b>nlike some teams, The Hockey News editorial staff goes all out, all the time, in order to produce winning results. This issue is no exception, but it hasn&rsquo;t been easy. Those darned Olympics kept getting in the way.</p><p>Due to the time difference between Torino and Toronto, the hockey games fell smack-dab in the middle of our workdays. Copy editors, writers, publishers, sales people, I.T. guys and a bunch of people who may have just wandered in from the street crowded around TVs in the newsroom to glimpse the spectacle. It may be the best argument yet to keep NHLers &ndash; and the women&rsquo;s tournament &ndash; in the Olympics.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012002/8799720-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="350" height="526"></div><p>Here are some of our observations of the Games:</p><p><b>NO MIRACLE</b> Swedish women&rsquo;s coach Peter Elander drew on the &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo; for inspiration entering his team&rsquo;s semifinal game against Team USA, but his country&rsquo;s historic win wasn&rsquo;t due to divine intervention. This one was man- (and woman-) made. The Swedes, while not as deep as the North Americans, feature some talented forwards and a superstar goalie in Kim Martin. Elander employed a solid game plan which mostly kept the U.S. shooting from the perimeter. On the flip side, the Americans missed the presence of their longtime captain Cammi Granato, who was a controversial cut by coach Ben Smith. Veteran leadership is crucial in international events such as the Olympics; it&rsquo;s why Wayne Gretzky was eager to have Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman on his roster. This isn&rsquo;t 20:20 hindsight: THN contributor and women&rsquo;s hockey expert Chris Tessaro predicted as much a couple days before the big game. &ldquo;This could be the year Canada and the U.S. don&rsquo;t meet in the final,&rdquo; Tessaro said. &ldquo;The Americans could be vulnerable.&rdquo;</p><p><b>BENGT OUT OF SHAPE</b> There&rsquo;s no way to track integrity and karma, but we believe they can have a profound impact. Swedish coach Bengt-Ake Gustafsson caused a stir when he intimated his team may be better off losing a preliminary game (which it did, 3-0 to Slovakia) in order to draw Switzerland as its quarterfinal opponent. While that may have been true short-term, it&rsquo;s the type of conduct that somehow, somewhere, comes back to sucker-punch you. Never mind the fact it contravenes the spirit of competition and is just plain wrong. It can disrupt athletes, who are trained to use whatever means necessary to gain an edge. It sends a message to your own team that you&rsquo;re afraid to meet a stronger foe. And it can fire up the &ldquo;lesser&rdquo; opponent you&rsquo;ve maneuvered to play against. Regardless of the outcome, it&rsquo;s tainting.</p><p><b>GREAT RESPECT</b> At the risk of sounding sycophantic, my respect for Wayne Gretzky has grown the past several weeks. He has been forced to deal with situations that would exact a profound emotional toll on anybody, let alone somebody as passionate as he is. Yet, in his public appearances, he maintained his dignity and has been accountable, never snapping or laying blame. That&rsquo;s the mark of man with true inner strength and integrity.</p><p>We&rsquo;re not sure how trade deadline day will unravel, but we&rsquo;re confident we&rsquo;ll be covering it like never before on our website. For up-to-the-minute trade information and analysis, visit <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> on March 9.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021683/8799713-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="457" height="244"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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Games people play

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031374/8799751-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="930" height="1420"></div><h2><b>The Sky Didn&rsquo;t Fall</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen The Hockey News editorial team arrived at the office the morning after the United States and Canada got bounced from the Olympics, the sky, remarkably, was still where it always had been. And it was sun-drenched and blue, to boot. Based on overreactions to the quarterfinal losses, you&rsquo;d have thought our world had ended. &ldquo;Unmitigated disaster,&rdquo; said one media outlet.&rdquo; Another headline read, &ldquo;A colossal failure&rdquo;. Guys, pop in an Eagles CD and Take it Easy. Yes, it&rsquo;s disappointing when your nation falls well short of expectations and critical analysis is fair game. Second-guess and editorialize on where you believe things went wrong. Be upset &ndash; that&rsquo;s your prerogative. But spare us the Chicken Little hyperbole. Things aren&rsquo;t that bad.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THE NEWSROOM

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012008/8799820-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="531" height="531"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Gretzky</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GRETZKY: BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TORCH THE PRESS</b></h2><h3><b>FOCUS ON OLYMPICS, PLEASE</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> watched the Canadian pre-tournament press conference held Feb. 14 in Turin. They specifically asked that questions directed to the coaching staff be about hockey, and not other issues. The media representatives, and some quite well-known ones, completely ignored this request and began immediately digging at Wayne Gretzky, attempting to stir the pot on the gambling fallout.</p><p>Imagine, Canadian reporters trying to rattle Gretzky and shift the focus away from Team Canada and the Olympics, to legal and personal issues taking place back home.</p><p>Gretzky, to his credit, held his head up, answered diplomatically, and was the consummate class act &ndash; even when he had the right to walk out. C'mon, media guys&hellip;don't lower yourselves to grocery checkout trash, especially at the Olympics!</p><p><b>Larry Cooke, Lucan, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>TUNING IN</b></h2><h3><b>SCHEDULE KILLS HOCKEY BUZZ</b></h3><p>The popular line is the NHL allowed players to participate in the Olympics because it wanted exposure for its players and the game. Obviously, the NHL is seeking exposure in the US, since hockey is already king in Canada.</p><p>What was the NHL thinking?</p><p>First, due to the time difference, weekday games were being played between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Eastern time). Second, NBC televised the preliminary round games on their cable networks and did not replay the games during prime time on any of its networks. Third, the gold medal game was to be played on a Sunday at 8 a.m.</p><p>To whom is the game being exposed other than dedicated hockey fans, who will record games and watch them when they get home? Such minimal exposure does not justify the risk of injuries to the players.</p><p><b>Jim Campbell, New York, N.Y.</b></p><h3><b>NBC DOES IT RIGHT</b></h3><p>There has been a lot of criticism about the lack of quality NHL hockey broadcasts on U.S. TV, but a tip of the hat is in order to NBC&rsquo;s networks for their superb coverage of men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s hockey at the Olympics.</p><p>The production was very watchable, and the broadcasters, mostly Canadian, were, for the most part, excellent (Kenny Albert is dreadful).</p><p>By far the most pleasant surprise for us Yanks was the way the family of NBC networks was exploited to show so many hockey games live. (Remember, the &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo; game in 1980 was shown on tape delay.) I never expected to be able to watch Canada play Finland live on American TV. Thanks, NBC, for a job well done!</p><p><b>Richard S. O&rsquo;Kane, Rye, N.H.</b></p><h2><b>FASHION VICTIMS</b></h2><h3><b>NO STYLE IN ITALY</b></h3><p>The 2006 Winter Olympics have been the stage of some amazing upsets in the world of hockey. Many will point to fantastic goaltending for the Swedes as the reason for their victory over the American women. Some will say that it was the suffocating defensive style of the Swiss men that allowed them to beat the two favorites for the gold medal, the Czechs and the Canadians.</p><p>The real reason? Neither team was wearing those idiotic new jerseys. The ones with the stupid vertical stripes that make even the most muscular NHLers look weak and scrawny. These moronic designs belong in the trash bin, along with the striped socks nations such as the U.S. and Czech Republic wore with them.</p><p><b>Russ Mitchell, St. Marys, Ont.</b></p><h2><b>NO CANADA</b></h2><h3><b>MEN NOWHERE CLOSE TO GOLD</b></h3><p>The Olympic tournament is over for Canada. I have watched every single game and here are the main reasons for their failure: Chris Pronger's bad giveaways, Bryan McCabe having nothing to do in an Olympic tournament, lack of enthusiasm (perhaps a Crosby would have helped), and, most of all; Pat Quinn&rsquo;s bad coaching. Why keep playing your worst line (Bertuzzi-Thornton-Nash) instead of giving more ice time to the best (Lecavalier-St. Louis-Heatley)?</p><p><b>Phil Turgeon, Quebec City</b></p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RESPONDS</b></p><p><i>When a country is so deep in talent, it&rsquo;s easy to second-guess their failures. The way Canada performed, there&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around. (See pgs. 10 and 14 for more on Team Canada.)</i></p><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><p><b>Miracles no more</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021439/8799813-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="425" height="648"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Florian Ramoser</b></p><p><b>Italy</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(RAMOSER: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Watching a game the other night on OLN, I had to laugh when one of the announcers mentioned the Olympics and that it would be great to have another &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo;. In 1980, everyone was an amateur player. The only way you'll have another &lsquo;Miracle on Ice&rsquo; is if Italy ever won the gold with no NHL players involved. It just won't happen.</p><p>Allowing pros to play in the Olympics &ndash; and this is only my opinion &ndash; ruins great opportunities for talented non-professional hockey players. The only hockey I watched during the Olympics was the women&rsquo;s games. At least I know they still have the Olympic spirit. Pull the NHL out of the Olympics and let the talent currently in college play for the gold.</p><p><b>Bill Mann, Oceanside, Calif.</b></p><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p><b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p><b>Should the NHL allow players to have an unlimited curve on their sticks?</b></p><p>No <b>53%</b></p><p>Yes <b>30%</b></p><p>It doesn&rsquo;t matter <b>17%</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03937/8799806-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="502" height="641"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KOVALCHUK: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?</b></h2><p><b>CANADA</b> Letters, The Hockey News, 25 Sheppard Avenue West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M2N 6S7</p><p><b>USA</b> Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947</p><p><b>E-MAIL</b> <a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></p><p><b>WEB</b> <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com">www.thehockeynews.com</a></p><p>Include your name, hometown, & province/state. Submissions will be edited.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Letters

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><p><b>A</b>lex Tanguay looked like a failed contestant on <i>Canadian Idol</i>. And in many ways, he was.</p><p>Back on Dec. 10, the Colorado Avalanche left winger sat slumped by his stall inside Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mellon Arena. He had just played perhaps the worst game of his NHL career, and it all happened right in front of Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky, on hand to evaluate potential Olympians.</p><p>Tanguay knew then and there he would not get a plane ticket to Turin in February, to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing for Canada.</p><p>&ldquo;I knew I blew a big chance,&rdquo; said Tanguay, a six-year NHL vet at only 26. &ldquo;Nothing went right the whole night.&rdquo;</p><p>Instead of moping further, Tanguay used the rejection from Team Canada as motivational fuel, much to the delight of Avs coach Joel Quenneville. The result, by the Olympic break, was Tanguay&rsquo;s residency among the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 scorers with 66 points, including 24 goals, in 58 games.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012225/8799872-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="241" height="273"></div><p>Maybe Gretzky would wind up the one hanging his head over not taking Tanguay?</p><p>&ldquo;Of course, I wanted to go play for my country, but it didn&rsquo;t happen and I just have to focus on giving everything I have to our team and for us to hopefully win our division,&rdquo; Tanguay said.</p><p>Despite being a Stanley Cup playoff hero &ndash; he scored two goals in the Avs&rsquo; Game 7 victory over New Jersey in 2001 &ndash; and a consistent scorer for the Avs since 1999, Tanguay remains one of the NHL&rsquo;s more underrated forwards. Part of that is due to his soft-spoken nature. Another factor is his playing style, which can be summed up as &ldquo;better to give than receive.&rdquo;</p><p>An exceptional and creative passer, Tanguay drives fans and his coach crazy at times with his reluctance to shoot the puck. On pace to break his career high of 27 goals in 2000-01, Tanguay could easily have another 10 goals this season. On that unfortunate night in Pittsburgh, Tanguay turned up his nose on several great scoring chances for the extra pass, and the Avs eventually lost 4-3 to the lowly Penguins.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s always been more satisfying to me to make a nice pass to set up a goal, rather than scoring it,&rdquo; said Tanguay, with only 102 shots in 58 games. &ldquo;But I know it&rsquo;s important for me to score goals on this team.&rdquo;</p><p>Quenneville has spent considerable time with Tanguay repeating the mantra that it&rsquo;s OK, really, to score goals himself.</p><p>&ldquo;If he had that presence of thinking shot all the time, it would just add that element to his game," Quenneville said. &ldquo;We encourage him to think shot, and I think we&rsquo;re seeing more of him in those situations of poor angles and not the perfect play of him putting it on net.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021464/8799865-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1147" height="1644"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Alex Tanguay</b> <span class="photo-credit">(TANGUAY: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>HEAVEN SENT</b></h2><p><b>Kurtis Foster</b> is Minnesota&rsquo;s highest-scoring defenseman (22 points) and averages nearly 20 minutes a night. And just for the record, the 24-year-old rookie is from the village of Carp, Ont,. west of Ottawa.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03856/8799858-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="534" height="505"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FOSTER: LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>STRANGE BENGT</b></h2><p>Swedish coach <b>Bengt Gustafsson</b> called it a &ldquo;tricky decision&rdquo; whether to tank a meaningless preliminary game to get a favorable quarterfinal matchup. He gets an &lsquo;A&rsquo; for honesty, &lsquo;D&rsquo; for Olympic sportsmanship.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04527/8799851-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="621" height="701"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(OVECHKIN: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>BRING A TENT</b></h2><p><b>Alex Ovechkin&rsquo;s</b> Washington Capitals play an NHL-high 16 of their 26 post-Olympic games on the road, including a first-time visit to Ottawa and three games at Carolina in a span of nine days.</p><h2><b>17</b>&nbsp;<b>BREAK UP THE FINNS</b></h2><p>Goal margin for Finland (19-2) in the preliminary round. Hey, maybe men&rsquo;s hockey just isn&rsquo;t competitive enough to be an Olympic sport anymore.</p><h2><b>2</b>&nbsp;<b>BABY STEPS</b></h2><p>Points earned by the underdog home team from Italy, courtesy of a pair of ties with Germany and Switzerland. Hey, it&rsquo;s two more than expected.</p><h2><b>5</b>&nbsp;<b>NHL? BAH!</b></h2><p>Goals in the preliminary round scored by Kazakhstan&rsquo;s Yevgeny Koreshkov, tying him with Slovakia&rsquo;s Marian Hossa for second in the tournament.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Suddenly shootin’

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021580/8799910-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="900" height="600"><figcaption class="caption-body">The 2004 World Cup of Hockey may have been the last of its kind.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012115/8799917-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="105" height="116"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>END OF THE WORLD?</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t appears the World Cup of Hockey is crumbling. That&rsquo;s the indication coming from NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Ted Saskin. &ldquo;Frankly, I&rsquo;m doubtful (holding the World Cup) is something we&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; Saskin told Canadian Press Feb. 17. Saskin said the situation would be re-evaluated after the Olympics in Turin. Unlike the Olympic Games, the World Cup is a joint venture between the NHLPA and NHL owners. The tournament began as the Canada Cup in 1976 and was originally intended to showcase the world&rsquo;s top players. However, since NHL players began participating in the Olympics in 1998, the tournament has been held only once, in 2004. Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, expressed a different sentiment. &ldquo;Speaking for the clubs and the NHL, we would like to have another World Cup tournament, we would like to make it a more regular event,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But obviously we need the players&rsquo; participation and agreement on that point.&rdquo; Saskin indicated the NHLPA&rsquo;s position could shift if NHL players do not participate in the Olympics beyond 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031108/8799903-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="236" height="358"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Danton</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>DANTON TAKES A HIT</b></h2><p>Mike Danton&rsquo;s bid to get his sentence revisited is not going well. The disgraced former NHL winger, who continues to serve time in a Fort Dix, N.J., prison for plotting to kill his former agent David Frost, requested his sentence be reviewed because his request to be transferred to Canada has not been granted. The U.S.government said Danton waived his right to appeal and asked a federal judge to reject his request. Danton launched a lawsuit against the government on Nov. 18, stating he had unfairly been withheld in the U.S.</p><h2><b>OFFICIAL DEAL STILL IN WORKS</b></h2><p>The NHL and its on-ice officials are in the midst of negotiating a new four-year agreement. The negotiations, prompted by the league, were to continue following the Olympic break. An NHL referee said the officials were to be presented a proposal by the league prior to the resumption of NHL play Feb. 28.</p><h2><b>GOYETTE GETS HALL OF FAME PITCH</b></h2><p>Canadian national women&rsquo;s team player Danielle Goyette deserves induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, according to her former teammate Nancy Drolet. A nomination campaign was spearheaded by Drolet for Goyette, the 40-year-old veteran on Canada&rsquo;s team and flagbearer for the opening ceremonies. &ldquo;She was paving the way once again, not only for women&rsquo;s hockey, but this time for the entire Canadian delegation and country,&rdquo; Drolet said. Goyette has represented Canada at three Olympics and eight world championships. No women have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04593/8799948-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="872" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gillian Apps scored in Canada&rsquo;s 6-0 semifinal win over Finland.</figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he disparity of talent in women&rsquo;s hockey may have been underscored at the start of the Turin Games, but is no shock to those who follow the sport.</p><p>Now, what to do about it.</p><p>For many observers, closing the skill gap between the two North American teams and their counterparts from the rest of the planet is a huge undertaking that must involve numerous hockey organizations. Those folks are right &ndash; the International Ice Hockey Federation has to be a part of the solution, as does Hockey Canada, USA Hockey and all of the IIHF&rsquo;s member federations.</p><p>The initial focus should be the two women&rsquo;s pro leagues in Canada. Not only should Hockey Canada immediately rescind the two-import rule for the Alberta-based Western Women&rsquo;s League and the National Women&rsquo;s League, they also need government help to secure work visas, billets and set up other support systems.</p><p>In other words, there needs to be help for these women to live, as well as play. To do so, solidify the two leagues as the top destinations for all female players and also equip non-North Americans with techniques they can take back home and help grow the sport.</p><p>Equally crucial is the formation of a summit on the women&rsquo;s game &ndash; with input from more than just the usual self-interested axe-grinders. They need their own Brendan Shanahan-type to step up, cut through the crap, and issue recommendations that can&rsquo;t be ignored.</p><p>For too long, personal fiefdoms and squabbles have repressed the women&rsquo;s pro game in Canada. Nearly six months after the creation of the Clarkson Cup (the women&rsquo;s answer to the Stanley Cup), the NWHL and WWHL still haven&rsquo;t agreed on a format to award it.</p><p>That&rsquo;s absurd. If we can&rsquo;t get things right in the land where women&rsquo;s hockey matters most, how can we possibly expect to help other nations grow the game properly?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-04

Women’s game needs to evolve

<h2><b>10 TEN</b></h2><p><b>Ron Loustel</b> Jets allowed 400 goals in 80 games in &rsquo;80-81. He played just one game: 10.00 GAA.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05416/8800042-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="186" height="160"></div><h2><b>9 NINE</b></h2><p><b>Jerome Mrazek</b> Thickly bearded Flyers stopper in 1975-76 allowed one goal in six minutes: 10.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06329/8800035-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="172" height="123"></div><h2><b>8 EIGHT</b></h2><p><b>John Aiken</b> Jacques Plante backup in Montreal (&rsquo;57-58) allowed six goals in 34 minutes: 10.59.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-07244/8800028-1-eng-US/f0008-072.jpg" title="f0008-07" width="183" height="122"></div><h2><b>7 SEVEN</b></h2><p><b>Charlie Sands</b> Habs right winger in &rsquo;39-40 pressed into duty lets in five goals in 25 minutes: 12.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-08198/8800021-1-eng-US/f0008-082.jpg" title="f0008-08" width="183" height="123"></div><h2><b>6 SIX</b></h2><p><b>Bob Decourcy</b> Subbed for &lsquo;Sugar&rsquo; Jim Henry in New York (1947-48); six goals in 29 minutes: 12.41.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-09160/8800014-1-eng-US/f0008-092.jpg" title="f0008-09" width="194" height="221"></div><h2><b>5 FIVE</b></h2><p><b>Greg Redquest</b> Played just 13 unlucky minutes for Pens in 1977-78, allowed three goals: 13.85.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-10136/8800007-1-eng-US/f0008-102.jpg" title="f0008-10" width="178" height="179"></div><h2><b>4 FOUR</b></h2><p><b>Roger Jenkins</b> Chicago D-man drew short straw in 1938-39; seven goals, 30 minutes: 14.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-11121/8800000-1-eng-US/f0008-112.jpg" title="f0008-11" width="183" height="183"></div><h2><b>3 THREE</b></h2><p><b>Jim Stewart</b> It&rsquo;s a Terrible Life. Gave up five goals in 20 minutes for Bruins in 1979-80: 15.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-1296/8799993-1-eng-US/f0008-122.jpg" title="f0008-12" width="177" height="176"></div><h2><b>2 TWO</b></h2><p><b>Albert Leduc</b> Hainsworth played all but two minutes in &rsquo;31-32. Leduc gave up one goal: 30.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-1381/8799986-1-eng-US/f0008-132.jpg" title="f0008-13" width="183" height="122"></div><h2><b>1 ONE</b></h2><p><b>Red Horner</b> Hall of Fame D-man played one minute in pinch for Chabot in &rsquo;31-32; one goal: 60.00.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-1459/8799979-1-eng-US/f0008-142.jpg" title="f0008-14" width="150" height="176"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-05

Which NHL goalies lasted just one forgettable game?

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011918/8800087-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="649" height="266"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="105" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>Q WE ASKED 30 NHL PLAYERS</b></p><p>Should the March 9 trade deadline be earlier, later or stay the same?</p><p><b>TOP VOTE GETTERS</b></p><p><b>SAME 57.0%</b></p><p><b>EARLIER 43.0%</b></p><p><b>LATER 0%</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021320/8800080-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="521" height="455"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Saku Koivu</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KOIVU: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03804/8800073-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="795" height="996"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tom Fitzgerald</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FITZGERALD: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>SAME 57.0%</b></p><p>If there are any players who believe the NHL erred in setting the trade deadline a few weeks earlier this season, we haven&rsquo;t found them. There are some players who don&rsquo;t believe the NHL went far enough and would like to see the deadline pulled back even further.</p><p>But in a poll of 30 players, one from each team, 17 said they feel about this season&rsquo;s 40-day gap between the trade deadline and season&rsquo;s end like Goldilocks felt about Baby Bear&rsquo;s porridge: it&rsquo;s just right!</p><p>&ldquo;I think you'll see more teams stay the course, instead of the same teams adding guys, over and over again, just to add depth,&rdquo; said Boston&rsquo;s Tom Fitzgerald. &ldquo;Having been one of those guys a couple of years, I'd like to see teams stay the course.&rdquo;</p><p>Montreal&rsquo;s Saku Koivu was among 13 players who don&rsquo;t believe the NHL went far enough.</p><p>&ldquo;Teams that aren&rsquo;t going to make the playoffs unload players; that isn&rsquo;t fair,&rdquo; Koivu said. &ldquo;(An earlier deadline) would make it more competitive for a lot of teams and maybe there wouldn&rsquo;t be as many moves.&rdquo;</p><p><b>FOR COMPLETE RESULTS VISIT</b></p><p><b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

Player Poll

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06386/8800132-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="244" height="381"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Todd Bertuzzi</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04612/8800139-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="200" height="171"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ome have suggested <b>Steve Moore&rsquo;s</b> timing in announcing another civil lawsuit against <b>Todd Bertuzzi</b> on the day the Vancouver winger was scheduled to play Game 2 of the Olympics with Team Canada wasn&rsquo;t good. Well, the timing of Bertuzzi&rsquo;s sneak attack on Moore wasn&rsquo;t that great, either.</p><p>When Canada lost back-to-back 2-0 games to Switzerland and Finland, some folks zeroed in on a supposed lack of leadership on the club as a reason for the defeats. Team Canada executive director <b>Wayne Gretzky</b> went as far as to suggest that is why aging veterans <b>Mario Lemieux</b> and <b>Steve Yzerman</b> were included on the team&rsquo;s initial roster. If that type of NHL presence and leadership is so crucial to victory, please explain to us who it was in the Swiss dressing room that provided it to them in their win over Canada? First-year NHLer <b>Mark Streit</b>, who plays less than 13 minutes a game with Montreal?</p><p>Defenseman <b>Nicklas Lidstrom</b> has played 30 or more minutes in a game an NHL-high 18 times this season. Lidstrom, who struggled in 2003-04, is playing like a Norris Trophy winner again&hellip;as he normally does in a contract year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05460/8800125-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="611" height="1106"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mark Recchi</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RECCHI: BRIAN WINKLER/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>With <b>Mattias Ohlund</b> and <b>Sami Salo</b> sustaining injuries at the Olympics, they joined defensemen <b>Ed Jovanovski</b>, <b>Nolan Baumgartner</b> and <b>Wade Brookbank</b> on Vancouver&rsquo;s sickbay list. That left the Canucks with the possibility of icing a post-Olympic blueline corps of <b>Bryan Allen</b> and <b>Steve McCarthy</b> as the top pair and rookies <b>Kevin Bieksa</b> and <b>Tomas Mojzis</b> on the second unit. Those four have a total of just 400 games of NHL experience. And stand-in starting goalie <b>Alex Auld</b> has played just 60 games. Recycled Manitoba projected call-ups <b>Sven Butenschon</b> and <b>Jason Doig</b> could serve as the final &lsquo;D&rsquo; pair.</p><p>Through 54 games this season, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s <b>Mark Recchi</b> had 21 goals and 53 points, compared to 21 goals and 54 points two years ago with Philadelphia. The big difference? He was plus-15 with the Flyers and is minus-30 with the Pens.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-06

SNAPSHOTS from around the NHL

<div class="byline">MIKE BROPHY </div><div class="byline">Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021501/8800184-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>END OF THE LINE</b></p><p>Team Canada watches as Russia celebrates its 2-0 semifinal win.</p> <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/f0010-012085/8800191-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="239" height="277"></div><p><b>N</b>ow it can be said. Something about this particular version of Team Canada felt all wrong from the get-go.</p><p>When you have people questioning the player selection and wondering if the right coach was in charge before the first puck is dropped, there is a problem.</p><p>And yet, The Hockey News picked Canada to win gold at Turin, feeling that, even though some terrific youngsters were left off the roster, it still had enough firepower and experience to beat the best other countries had to offer.</p><p>We were as guilty in getting caught up with Canada&rsquo;s perceived ownership of the sport and past successes as those who chose the team and its coaching staff.</p><p>In Canada, dissecting the reasons why a hockey team fails to win could be an Olympic event unto itself. Those in charge accept that it comes with the territory.</p><p>So let the games begin.</p><p>Many will forever be baffled by Canada&rsquo;s fascination with underachieving Todd Bertuzzi and why so many players who were suffering off-years in the NHL were included on the team.</p><p>Others will question why defenseman Jay Bouwmeester &ndash; a fine defensive player who has no goals in the NHL this season and hasn&rsquo;t scored since last season when he was with Chicago of the American League &ndash; was on the ice in the third period with Canada trailing by a goal and in desperate need of offense?</p><p>And Canada&rsquo;s inability to score remains a puzzle.</p><p>Team Canada failed to score in 11 of the final 12 periods of hockey it played and when it was eliminated by the familiar 2-0 score by Russia, its top scorer, Brad Richards, had four points in six games, which left him ranked 31st among the tournament&rsquo;s top scorers.</p><p>Hockey Canada must now come to grips with the notion it put too much emphasis on including players and coaches who enjoyed previous success and not nearly enough on acknowledging the bountiful youth and creativity it left off the team.</p><p>No Eric. No Sid. No Dion. No Jason.</p><p>Obviously there is no guarantee including Staal, Crosby, Phaneuf and Spezza would have enabled Team Canada to avoid humiliation and repeat as Olympic champions, but it appears having the luxury to dismiss them because of Canada&rsquo;s considerable depth wound up being a curse, not a blessing.</p><p>What other hockey-playing nation could afford to pass on three of the NHL&rsquo;s top 10 scorers to ensure the feelings of other players are not scarred? Try, none.</p><p>Not to say you simply choose your country&rsquo;s top scorers and ignore the importance and contributions of role players, but Canada lost sight of the fact the sport is evolving with an emphasis on allowing the most skilled players to have the greatest influence on the outcome of games.</p><p>It didn&rsquo;t matter that Canada had a size advantage when the likes of Bertuzzi, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Chris Pronger, Rob Blake and Rick Nash were on the ice.</p><p>The name of the game is speed and while Canada&rsquo;s roster possessed that valuable commodity, it was rarely displayed.</p><p>Bringing back the majority of players who helped Canada coast to a World Cup win in 2004 was honorable on one level, but ridiculous on another. These Games were not played in 2004 and it was foolhardy not to acknowledge the deterioration in the performance of some players.</p><p>Which brings us to what Canada needs to do moving forward.</p><p>The first thing is to understand losing does not signify the end of the world. This is not 1972, when Canada mistakenly believed it had sole ownership of the game and that other countries were dreaming if they thought they could win. Hockey is a better sport because other nations play it well, too.</p><p>Next, it&rsquo;s imperative Canada analyze why other teams had success while it did not in Italy. What did other teams do differently?</p><p>Finally, everything should be done to assure Wayne Gretzky remains in charge of Team Canada. If Bob Nicholson leaves Hockey Canada for an NHL post, as has been rumored, it will be important for there to be a link to the past. Gretzky&rsquo;s input on what needs to be done to make amends for Canada&rsquo;s unfortunate showing in Italy will be invaluable.</p><p>Can&rsquo;t wait &rsquo;til 2010.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03936/8800177-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="176" height="142"></div><h2><b>CANADA AT THE GAMES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04642/8800170-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="617" height="1008"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-02

The agony of defeat

<div class="byline">By BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011832/8800222-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PETER&rsquo;S PICK</b></p><p>Peter Forsberg suited up for Sweden despite the reservations of his NHL team in Philadelphia.</p></figcaption></div><p>TURIN, Italy</p><p><b>A</b>re the Olympics worth the trouble for the NHL?</p><p>That&rsquo;s one of the questions that figured to be asked across the hockey world after the NHL wrapped up its stay at the 2006 Games in Turin. While the exposure is invaluable, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Ted Saskin took a wait-and-see approach beyond the 2010 Vancouver Games.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to review everything after these Games,&rdquo; Bettman said.</p><p>Here&rsquo;s a look at some of the issues that arose during the hockey competition in Turin:</p><p><b>ALLEGIANCES</b> Peter Forsberg and Dominik Hasek wanted to do what was right for their country, but they also had to think of the people paying the bills. Forsberg reported to the Olympics with a groin injury, played at about 60 per cent and even sat on the Swedish bench for one whole game in uniform. Perhaps he shouldn&rsquo;t have gone in the first place, but he didn&rsquo;t want to say no.</p><p>Hasek faced a similar problem when he sustained a groin injury less than 10 minutes into his first game with the Czechs. It took a call from Ottawa GM John Muckler to get Hasek out of Turin, and the goalie isn&rsquo;t certain when he&rsquo;ll suit up for the Senators. The Czechs also lost Patrik Elias to bruised ribs.</p><p>The Olympics puts NHLers in a tough spot &ndash; and puts a lot of heat on NHL teams, too. About 20 players either said no to the Olympics or were asked by their teams to say no. That&rsquo;s why the NHL&rsquo;s involvement in the Games is in doubt.</p><p><b>OH CANADA</b> They could make a European all-star team out of the Canadian-born players who skated for other countries. The Italian squad had nine players from Canada who had family and friends gathered at bars all over the country watching them play when they took on Team Canada in the opener.</p><p>How about Paul DiPietro, the former Montreal Canadien and Toronto Maple Leaf? After scoring twice for the Swiss in a 2-0 win over Canada, he maintained it was as big as winning the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993.</p><p><b>FORMAT</b> If the NHL is going to remain in the Olympics, it has to consider shortening the league&rsquo;s 82-game schedule during Olympic seasons. Finnish center Saku Koivu complained long and loud about the schedule to any reporter who would listen. He thought it was insane he had to fly overseas and play an Olympic game the next night. Many players looked tired and jet-lagged in some of the preliminary games.</p><p><b>OFFICIATING</b> It actually wasn&rsquo;t bad. There were no major complaints. Even Team Canada coach Pat Quinn couldn&rsquo;t find reason to complain and that&rsquo;s saying something. The one-referee system was instituted by the International Ice Hockey Federation and, on most nights, games were well-called.</p><p><b>UNDER-23 STARS</b> The Russians have plenty of young players who are stealing the spotlight. Alex Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk and phenom Evgeni Malkin all made people stand up and take notice. It seemed odd that Team Canada executive director Wayne Gretzky had to call on his young players, such as Rick Nash and Vinny Lecavalier, to step up and contribute during the Olympics.</p><p><b>PUCK PROGRESS</b> Keep an eye on the Swiss. They&rsquo;ve been running a national program under Winnipeg&rsquo;s Ralph Krueger since 1997 and they&rsquo;ve made progress. Down the road, they&rsquo;re going to get respect as being one of the &lsquo;Big Eight&rsquo; hockey countries. Goalies David Aebischer and Martin Gerber both played well during the Games and helped carry the team to new heights. Many believe they&rsquo;ll be a force down the road and we&rsquo;ll soon see more Swiss players in the NHL.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0011-01

Tests of Turin

<div class="byline">By WAYNE FISH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012030/8800260-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>RED WALL</b></p><p>Preparation and a team attitude catapulted Canada to their second straight Olympic gold medal with a dominating tournament in Turin.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ROBERT LABERGE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>TURIN, Italy</p><p><b>T</b>here are countless technical theories why the Canadian women&rsquo;s hockey program stays one stride ahead of the world.</p><p>Better development system. Longer preparation. Prouder hockey heritage.</p><p>One, however, that doesn&rsquo;t come up on most lists is something that can&rsquo;t be coached and can&rsquo;t be learned from a playbook.</p><p>It&rsquo;s called attitude.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not the kind based on any sort of haughtiness you might expect to find exuding from the two-time Olympic gold medalists.</p><p>Rather, it&rsquo;s an inherent determination, an inner drive that says: &ldquo;This is our game, let&rsquo;s see you take it from us.&rdquo;</p><p>Goalie Charline Labonte, still soaked in sweat and tears from her team&rsquo;s 4-1 championship win over Sweden Feb. 20, related an incident at Canada&rsquo;s summer training camp that epitomizes the national approach to the sport.</p><p>Stationed at Prince Edward Island in June, 2005, the camp featured an informal triathlon &ndash; swim, bike and run &ndash; to test fitness. Labonte, who admits she&rsquo;s no mermaid, was faltering badly in the swim portion and actually feared for her life.</p><p>&ldquo;I thought I was going to die in the pool,&rdquo; she recalled. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;just keep going, Charli, you&rsquo;re going to finish. You&rsquo;re not going to die.&rsquo; I look back now, you know, I didn&rsquo;t give up there, so I&rsquo;m not going to give up now.&rdquo;</p><p>Need more?</p><p>Canadian hockey icon Hayley Wickenheiser played the final against Sweden with a broken bone in her hand and still managed two assists. She never made a fuss over the injury, never used it as an excuse for a questionable play.</p><p>When you consider hockey your birthright, these are the sort of sacrifices to be made.</p><p>Wickenheiser possesses enough talent to have tried her game with men, yet plays with a quiet aplomb that says everything is about team.</p><p>Even though she has played in four Olympics, and even though she no longer dominates Canadian scoring sheets, this might have been her crowning achievement.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known Hayley since she was 12,&rdquo; said Canada coach Melody Davidson, &ldquo;and this tournament was one of her finest moments in hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;The focus that she has, the support she shows everybody else, the broken bone in her hand was not an issue at all. To be honest, I only just remembered about it again since you reminded me.&rdquo;</p><p>Wickenheiser typifies the poise with which Canada plays the game. No matter the score, the women with the maple leaf on their sweaters never got rattled.</p><p>It&rsquo;s an attitude.</p><p>&ldquo;This is my fourth Olympics,&rdquo; said Wickenheiser, who competed in one Summer Olympics in softball, &ldquo;so, yes, I try to stay calm, composed and play with poise every time I am on the ice.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><u>At the moment they are the best team in the world, absolutely</u><br>Swedish coach Peter Elander</blockquote><p>Canada made this gold medal look easy, outscoring opponents by an eye-popping 46-2 margin over five games and not allowing an even-strength goal in the tournament.</p><p>Any doubt about the outcome was erased when the United States was upset by Sweden in a semifinal 3-2 shootout.</p><p>The world might have caught up to the U.S., but it still has a bit of distance to make up on Canada.</p><p>Aside from their gritty, determined drive, what makes the Canadian women better?</p><p>&ldquo;Preparation,&rdquo; Labonte suggested. &ldquo;We start a little earlier than them, we kept training. We didn&rsquo;t have any break. That&rsquo;s probably the reason why we won this today.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011836/8800253-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1800" height="1307"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MOB THE GOALIE</b></p><p>Somewhere in the heap, Canadian goalie Charline Labonte is the focal point of a gold-medal celebration.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(CANADA: BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Sweden and Finland appear to have made the greatest strides since Salt Lake. After losing to Canada by an 8-1 margin in the preliminary round, the Swedes came back to make the final game a bit competitive, although the outcome was never really in question.</p><p>Gillian Apps and Caroline Ouellette scored in the first period and with Sweden generating an official eight shots (a stat the Swedes thought was higher) for the game, it was clear there would not be another upset.</p><p>&ldquo;The score may have made it look easy,&rdquo;Wickenheiser said, &ldquo;but it definitely wasn&rsquo;t. It&rsquo;s definitely harder to defend gold than to win it.&rdquo;</p><p>So where to go from here?</p><p>As far as the Olympics go, Canada can look forward to playing on home ice for 2010 in Vancouver. Try taking their game away with thousands of red-clad, flag-waving fans screaming their lungs out.</p><p>Maybe someone can knock off Canada in an upcoming World Championship, as the U.S. did with a 1-0 win at the 2005 event.</p><p>But after losing to the Americans at Nagano, Canada has moved ahead on the Olympic stage.</p><p>&ldquo;After we lost the gold medal in the last World Championship, we absolutely wanted to make it better,&rdquo; Davidson said, &ldquo;to take revenge and win the gold medal at the Olympics.&rdquo;</p><p>Sweden, which hopes to join the U.S. as a legitimate threat to Canada, paid homage to the winners.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have other opportunities to face Canada,&rdquo; said Sweden coach Peter Elander. &ldquo;Next time we&rsquo;ll be stronger.</p><p>&ldquo;At the moment, they are the best team in the world, absolutely. The way they skate, the way they pass, the way they shoot is fantastic.&rdquo;</p><p>And the attitude they bring is second to none.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

Red and white equals gold

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>URIN, Italy</b> &ndash; The bronze medals were inscribed with the lettering &lsquo;Torino, 2006&rsquo; but they could just as well have included two more words:</p><p>What if?</p><p>For the United States women&rsquo;s hockey team, that&rsquo;s how these Olympics will be remembered.</p><p>Picked by almost everybody to meet Canada in the gold medal game, the Americans got caught up in a one-for the-ages thriller with Sweden in the semifinal.</p><p>It came down to a shootout and Sweden simply had too much skill on this particular evening.</p><p>Goalie Kim Martin, who blanked the U.S. for the final 38 minutes of regulation time, an overtime and all four official attempts in a shootout, provided the impetus for the 3-2 win.</p><p>Questions will be raised as to whether the U.S. looked past Sweden to a possible third gold medal matchup with Canada. But the pain of the loss to Sweden, barely soothed by a 4-0 bronze medal win over Finland, leaves the Americans pondering the future.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021589/8800291-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="565" height="842"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Angela Ruggerio</b> <span class="photo-credit">(RUGGERIOE: CARLO ALLEGRI/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The second-guessing began before the tears dried on the Americans&rsquo; faces.</p><p>Coach Ben Smith was asked on several occasions if the decision not to include all-time leading player Cammi Granato contributed to a leadership shortage.</p><p>Smith shook his head and said that wasn&rsquo;t the problem. So, what was?</p><p>&ldquo;We need more women in our leadership program,&rdquo; Smith suggested. &ldquo;I can see that day coming and I hope that day comes soon.&rdquo;</p><p>It might be a little too presumptuous to call the outcome of the Olympics the direction the women&rsquo;s game is going in international play.</p><p>Finland, as well as Sweden, played the Americans much tougher in this tournament. The Finns held a 3-1 lead in a preliminary round game before Team USA erupted for five goals in the third period.</p><p>Perhaps the world is catching up. But the U.S., looking ahead and not back, still views Canada as its chief competition. The Americans rued the missed opportunity to test themselves against the best.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played them in every tournament, but not this one,&rdquo; said defenseman Angela Ruggiero. "I love playing against Canada and I wish I could have played them here.&rdquo;</p><p>The loss to Sweden was the first to a team other than Canada (now 61-1-2) in international play for the U.S. squad.</p><p>Clearly, the program is in good shape. But there is still some fine-tuning to do.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s probably my last game with my heroes, people I looked up to,&rdquo; revealed goaltender Chanda Gunn. &ldquo;We are a special, special team.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-02

Miss, America

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BY SVEN GUSTAVSSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021289/8800322-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kim Martin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN: IHA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span>TOCKHOLM, Sweden</b> &ndash; When Sweden beat the U.S. in the women&rsquo;s semifinal, the game became known as the Scandinavian &lsquo;Miracle on Ice.&rsquo; Teenage goalie Kim Martin stopped 37 shots for the win, but you don&rsquo;t need to show her the parallels between Lake Placid and Turin. She&rsquo;s seen the movie <i>Miracle</i>, based on the 1980 U.S. men&rsquo;s team, six times.</p><p>&ldquo;What we took from the movie was to work hard and be the best-trained team,&rdquo; said Martin, who helped change a bronze for Sweden in 2002 to a silver in &lsquo;06. But the 19-year-old still has dreams to fulfill, and she&rsquo;s taking her country with her.</p><p>After the Olympics in Salt Lake City, interest in women&rsquo;s hockey grew in Sweden. Participation tripled from 1,000 to 3,000 between the Salt Lake and Turin games.</p><p>An amazing 2.4 million people &ndash; more than one-quarter of the Swedish population &ndash; watched the Feb. 19 final against Canada on TV.</p><p>And this fall, American women will get another dose when Martin suits up for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.</p><p>&ldquo;Twelve different universities contacted me,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;I just (had) to choose the right one, to get a good education and develop myself as a goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>The two other big stars on the Swedish team, Erika Holst and Maria Rooth, also played and studied with Duluth&rsquo;s Bulldogs.</p><p>Martin started to play hockey while very young for Hammarby, a team in Stockholm. Her brother Kristoffer was a goalie and her father Flemming trained the goalies, but for Martin it was all soccer and figure skating &ndash; at least in the beginning.</p><p>One day it was snowing outside, so Martin went to the hockey school instead. She got the chance to play goal, and that&rsquo;s where she&rsquo;s been ever since.</p><p>The first year, she played against the boys and nobody could score on her. As an eight-year-old, she didn&rsquo;t surrender a single goal in 30 games.</p><p>This season, Martin left her hometown of Stockholm and moved to Malmo in the south of Sweden. There, she got a chance to practice with a junior men&rsquo;s team, which has been very important for the development of the Swedish star.</p><p>Her coach with Malmo, Lars Bergstrom, has been so impressed by Martin&rsquo;s performance that he has promised her she will guard the goal in one game in Allsvenskan.</p><p>&ldquo;To be a player on a team in the second division is my next big aim,&rdquo; Martin said.</p><p>From the start, Martin&rsquo;s father trained her; she often says her biggest asset as a goalie is her basic technique and positioning.</p><p>Besides that, Martin is a very cool player. She has very fast reflexes, is very athletic and extremely mobile on her skates.</p><p>&ldquo;My father always reminds me that I must feel safe in my way of playing,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why the basics are so important.&rdquo;</p><p>With all this experience behind her at such a tender age, Martin figures to backstop Sweden for years to come.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-02

Martin knows her miracles

<p><b>T</b>he NHL must be delighted with the attention hockey gets at the Winter Olympics.</p><p>That, after all, was the reason for having its players participate in the Olympics, on the world stage, in the first place. It was all about bringing global awareness to a sport that has plenty of room for growth. Clearly, that has been accomplished.</p><p>Who cares if Canada and the United States failed to win a medal? It&rsquo;s a little embarrassing, perhaps, for two countries that consider themselves to be leading hockey nations to return home empty-handed, but that&rsquo;s all.</p><p>It is important to the development of the sport that other nations have a chance to win. That is good for the sport.</p><p>Hockey fans have come to understand any of the top seven or eight hockey-playing nations are capable of winning a short tournament. Even Canadian fans, who have always considered hockey to be their game, have realized other countries share a similar passion for the sport and have narrowed the gap in terms of pitting their top-end stars and strategists against Canada&rsquo;s best.</p><p>Many people wondered about the validity of having women&rsquo;s hockey in the Olympics because it is always a two-horse race between Canada and the USA. When Sweden knocked off the Americans, those concerns were quieted.</p><p>The same principle applies to the men&rsquo;s game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012005/8800353-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="393" height="411"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Fans have come to understand any of the top seven or eight hockey nations are capable of winning a short event.</b></blockquote><p>The fact neither Canada nor the U.S. &ndash; the gold and silver winners, respectively, in 2002 in Salt Lake City &ndash; made it to the final four in Turin speaks volumes about how much the sport has grown since there has been full NHL participation.</p><p>That Sweden, Russia, Finland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia enter the Olympics knowing they have a legitimate shot at gold is good for the game. That Switzerland is able to pull off a stunning upset victory over Canada is good for the game. That a lower seed such as Belarus can send a hockey power like Sweden home with its tail between its legs, as it did in 2002, is good for the game.</p><p>NHL commissioner Gary Bettman vows the NHL will be at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and once again, Canada will enter the tournament as gold medal favorites. But as we saw in Italy, being a favorite and being a champion are two different things.</p><p>Some will continue to moan and complain about the NHL shutting down for two weeks to allow its players to play in the Olympics, but if the NHL is concerned about that, then it could reduce the number of pre-season games teams play in an Olympic year and start the regular season a week earlier.</p><p>The NHL has everything to gain and little to lose by having its best players compete at the Olympics.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

NHL wins at Olympics

f0014-02

Elston

<div class="byline">MARK BRENDER </div><div class="byline">Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011817/8800429-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Chelios |</b> Team USA <span class="photo-credit">(DON EMMERT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03918/8800436-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="223" height="278"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>E</span></b>verybody and his parrot has a reason or three why the boys from North America headed home early. The higher the expectations, the more numerous the explanations. <i>They were too slow and too old. They really missed the veteran experience. Nobody had defined roles. There were too many checkers and not enough scorers.</i> You get the picture. Some of it might even be true.</p><p>But amidst all the hand-wringing over what went wrong for Team Canada and Team USA in Turin, people overlook that when it comes to understanding how modern sports and modern elite athletes function at a world-class level, right inside the guts of the beast, there&rsquo;s elevated status accorded to those who have been there themselves.</p><p>This is entirely as it should be. Anyone who has ever played competitive sport knows it.</p><p>Having someone at the top of the organization who has been exactly where those players are headed, from the first day of the first training camp to the last minute in a sudden-death nail-biter &ndash; someone who comes into the player selection process with respect to lose rather than earn, simply for once having been among the chosen &ndash; it actually means a helluva lot.</p><p>Six of the top seven hockey-playing nations have recognized that fact. The United States has not.</p><p>Russia came together under the direction of GM Pavel Bure. Jari Kurri was GM for Finland. Sweden&rsquo;s GM was Mats Naslund; in Salt Lake it was Anders Hedberg. The Czechs were long led by the late national hero Ivan Hlinka. Hall of Famer Peter Stastny has been at the core of Slovakia&rsquo;s international efforts since that nation&rsquo;s independence in 1993. Canada has Wayne Gretzky and a supporting cast of dozens. They can&rsquo;t all win, but one of them did.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04679/8800422-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="240" height="396"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Modano</b></figcaption></div><p>And the U.S. has&hellip;who? Who has USA Hockey ever conscripted to the cause?</p><p>When Mike Modano ripped USA Hockey for perceived organizational failures after his team&rsquo;s 4-3 quarterfinal loss to a superior Finnish team &ndash; a game in which Modano was benched for the third period &ndash; one suspects this was exactly his point.</p><p>It doesn&rsquo;t mean Peter Laviolette can&rsquo;t be a successful Olympic coach because he was a marginal pro player with only 12 career NHL games to his credit (he did play for the U.S. at the 1988 Olympics). It doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean Atlanta GM Don Waddell can&rsquo;t do double duty as head of the U.S. Olympic effort just because his NHL career was but a single game for Los Angeles in 1980.</p><p>It only means that until Chris Chelios retires, everyone else will have a leg up on the Americans. If USA Hockey contacted Chelios tomorrow about becoming USA Hockey&rsquo;s Gretzky in time for 2010, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a day too soon.</p><p>The U.S. lost in Turin because of on-ice failures. When they scored, they couldn&rsquo;t defend. When Rick DiPietro stood tall, his mates couldn&rsquo;t score. None of that should be front-page news. A team still relying for primary scoring on the Mike Modano-Keith Tkachuk generation and devoid of young dynamism finished in its proper spot.</p><p>Except even with all their other holes, what the Americans missed most was a focal point. Chelios would have been more valuable providing overarching direction for the program than for anything he&rsquo;s able to do any more on the ice.</p><p>This is about more than finding a figurehead and handing him a crown. Brian Leetch, for example, just wouldn&rsquo;t fit as USA Hockey kingpin. Neither would Modano or J.R., or any of the Miracle on Ice crowd. Mike Richter or even Pat LaFontaine? Closer, but not quite. And if Gretzky were to step down from his Team Canada role, Mario Lemieux should no more be next in line than Mario Roberge.</p><p>It&rsquo;s like what works in the art studio: you know it when you see it. The guys in the dressing room know it most of all. Your move, Chelly.</p><h2><b>FINAL FOUR</b></h2><p>The Rangers had nine players in the Olympic semifinal round, the most of any NHL team. Detroit was next with six.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021306/8800415-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="605" height="994"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0015-01

Wanted: Chelly for U.S.

<div class="byline">By MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021394/8800495-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FIG. 1A</b></p><p>For all the squawking, the increase in scoring hasn&rsquo;t been due to the decrease in goalie equipment size.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011782/8800502-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="124" height="107"></div><p><b>F</b>or much of the past decade, it was the goalies who set the on-ice agenda and the snipers who paid the price.</p><p>Composite sticks were no match when the guys in the twine had equipment growing faster than the national debt. Goalies were the only players with their own designated coaches, and it showed. The best scorers in the world, through no fault of their own and due to forces beyond their control, were made to look like novices.</p><p>Goalies had become so adept at &ldquo;blocking&rdquo; &ndash; in other words, simply being in position and letting pucks hit them &ndash; that team defenses were designed to ensure that&rsquo;s all they had to do.</p><p>With their teammates collapsing around the keeper and making sure not to give up chances from the prime scoring areas near the slot, goalies only had to see and stop the first shot and then sprawl like kids doing the snow angel to take away the bottom of the net. With a well-timed take-down here or a crosscheck there, the big bruisers on the defense could take care of whatever came next.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><u>If you can&rsquo;t control rebounds, you&rsquo;re in trouble</u></b><br>Nashville goalie coach Mitch Korn</blockquote><p>Ironic, then, that despite the two major changes made this season specifically targeting goalies &ndash; restrictions on playing the puck behind the goal line and reduced equipment size &ndash; it is the new officiating standards for interference and stick-related fouls, targeting primarily defensemen in defensive-zone situations, that have most changed the game for the masked men.</p><p>When the defensemen frauds are exposed, either on the ice or in the penalty box, it&rsquo;s the goalies who are left to pick up their misses and messes.</p><p>Kings goalie Mathieu Garon remembers thinking during L.A.&rsquo;s opening game against Dallas, with 21 minor penalties, that yep, this is a new deal.</p><p>There are more scoring chances and better quality opportunities. The end result is goalies have to be great athletes again.</p><p>&ldquo;For me (the biggest change) is the inability of blockers to block,&rdquo; says Nashville goalie coach Mitch Korn. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t tie guys up, so if you can&rsquo;t control rebounds you&rsquo;re in trouble. The goalie who is excelling is a more athletic guy who tracks the puck well and controls rebounds.&rdquo;</p><p>That has only a little to do with smaller equipment, and everything to do with mobility, quickness, technique and overall goalie IQ. For the modern goalie in the new NHL, blocking isn&rsquo;t enough any more.</p><p>There are those who believe some of the struggles seen by goalies such as Boston&rsquo;s Andrew Raycroft, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Jocelyn Thibault, St. Louis&rsquo;s Patrick Lalime and even to an extent Colorado&rsquo;s David Aebischer are due to the fact there&rsquo;s so much more to do than there used to be after stopping the first shot.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to start thinking about that,&rdquo; says Garon, putting on the brave face. &ldquo;Our main job is to stop the first one and if there&rsquo;s a rebound we&rsquo;ll deal with that, but out job is to stop that first one.&rdquo;</p><p>But what choice do any of them have? Rebounds weren&rsquo;t a big deal in the old NHL because there were no forwards left standing on their skates to knock them in. Or, if they were standing, their stick was being held or arm was being hooked, so that it was next to impossible to do anything more than take a weak sweep at the puck.</p><p>Not any longer. There probably have been more rebound goals scored up high through the first two-thirds of this season than in the past three or four years combined.</p><p>&ldquo;Now if you let out a rebound,&rdquo; says ex-NHL goalie Ron Low, goalie coach and pro scout for the Ottawa Senators, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a pretty big chance somebody&rsquo;s going to get it.&rdquo;</p><p>The increase in offense hasn&rsquo;t seemed to affect the number of goalies at the top of their profession this season. Eight goalies in 2003-04 had save percentages of .920 or better; nearly three-quarters of the way through this season, counting goalies with at least 15 games, that number stood at seven.</p><p>It&rsquo;s in the middle of the pack where the difference can be seen. Two years ago there were 27 goalies at .910 or better &ndash; about one per team. This season there are just 15, a significant difference.</p><p>Part of the explanation has to do with the increase in power plays, which brings an increase in the difficulty of shots that goalies face.</p><p>Atlanta assistant coach and former NHL goalie Steve Weeks says most goalies have adjusted by challenging less and playing further back in the crease. In practices, the Thrashers netminders are focussing on cross-ice plays and proper movement in and around the crease.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011586/8800488-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="3423" height="3331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NEW &lsquo;B&rsquo;</b></p><p>Boston&rsquo;s Hannu Toivonen is part of a wave of rookie goalies making their presence felt in the NHL this season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BABINEAU/SPORTS ACTION)</span></figcaption></div><p>Even then, the guys who control rebounds are the ones who will do well, which is one reason why Rangers rookie Henrik Lundqvist has had so much success early in his career. &ldquo;To me,&rdquo; says Low, &ldquo;it looks like he&rsquo;s one of those guys where very few pucks go away from him.&rdquo;</p><p>Similarly, when defensemen are unable to put a stick on quick forwards streaking to the outside, it&rsquo;s the last line of defense that suffers.</p><p>This was supposed to be the year when goalies took a hit and, in the early going, forwards going hard to the net made sure that&rsquo;s what happened. Dan Cloutier, Manny Legace and Martin Brodeur are just three of the goalies who missed time early in the season due to injuries sustained in goalmouth collisions.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no fear (for forwards) and no protection and they&rsquo;re coming right through the goaltenders, and that is a concern,&rdquo; Weeks said.</p><p>Adds Low: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s still happening and it&rsquo;s happening on a nightly basis.&rdquo;</p><p>Put the rebounds and the injuries together and the result is more new goalies playing surprisingly large roles.</p><p>Look at some of the goalies who have emerged this season: Tim Thomas in Boston, effectively replacing Andrew Raycroft; ECHLer Mike Morrison carrying a major load in Edmonton (albeit, probably not after the trade deadline); Manny Fernandez for the first time playing more than Dwayne Roloson in Minnesota; Cristobal Huet taking over the No. 1 job from Jose Theodore in Montreal; Lundqvist vaulting ahead of Kevin Weekes with the Rangers; and, Curtis Sanford arriving in St. Louis.</p><p>Which leads to another point: the new NHL is overrun with rookie goalies. Just seven rookie goalies played 10 games or more in each of 2003-04 and 2002-03. The year before that there were only three. This year there already have been 16 &ndash; a number that is likely to reach 20 before the season is out.</p><p>Part of that is due to the effects of the lockout, which spelled the end of the careers of a number of veteran goalies (Roman Cechmanek, Felix Potvin, Byron Dafoe and Ron Tugnutt, among others). Undoubtedly, NHL waiver and salary cap rules that make it nearly impossible for veteran goalies to be called up from the minors and later sent back down also have played a part in the NHL&rsquo;s netminder youth movement.</p><p>Here are some of the other ways in which goaltending has changed in the new NHL:</p><p><b>EQUIPMENT</b> For all the uproar over supposedly compromised protection due to shorter and narrower leg pads, they haven&rsquo;t been much of an issue at all. More goalies have reported greater ease moving around the crease because the pads are lighter, rather than complaining about safety issues. <i>(See Figure 1A.)</i></p><p>&ldquo;For the equipment, I don&rsquo;t really see a difference,&rdquo; Garon says. &ldquo;We adjusted for the first week and after that we forgot about it.&rdquo;</p><p>Equipment changes have had an effect in two other areas, however: goalie pants and catching gloves.</p><p>As part of its mandate to open up more of the net to shooters, the NHL put restrictions on the size of padding that could be used inside goalie pants. If there&rsquo;s an area goaltenders would like to see further improvements made, this is it.</p><p>&ldquo;We feel the puck a lot more on the legs; more bruises,&rdquo; Garon says.</p><p>Adds Korn: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had more bruises and black-and-blue welts on thighs and upper thighs than we&rsquo;ve ever had before. I think across the league the pants have been felt to be substandard in terms of protection.&rdquo;</p><p>Some goalies have had trouble with holding onto pucks in smaller catching gloves. One Nashville goalie made a modification in the location of the hand-hole within the glove, trying to replicate the feel of the old equipment.</p><p>As for the rest &ndash; the long-lost baggy sweaters, reigned-in shoulder pads, the scaled-down blocking gloves &ndash; they&rsquo;ve had their desired effect. As Weeks puts it, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not as much there to block with.&rdquo;</p><p><b>SHOOTOUTS</b> Shootouts occur in about one of every nine games, so they haven&rsquo;t been enough to alter goalies&rsquo; routines. Goalies have stopped 66.3 per cent of shots (444 of 670). Of the 97 shootouts this season, just 14 needed more than eight shooters. <i>(See Figure 2A.)</i></p><p>Goalies do watch tapes of what the forwards are doing. &ldquo;Your goaltender should be aware of that, but he can&rsquo;t cheat to that,&rdquo; Weeks says.</p><p>When goalies win a shootout, there&rsquo;s no feeling like it. And when they lose?</p><p>As Buffalo&rsquo;s Ryan Miller puts it: &ldquo;You work so hard to get to overtime and get through overtime&hellip; You feel like your career is over.&rdquo;</p><p><b>GOALIES PLAYING PUCK</b> Perhaps the biggest impact from the no-touch zone behind the goalie line and away from the net is goalies haven&rsquo;t made nearly as many puck-handling mistakes. <i>(See Fig. 3A.)</i></p><p>&ldquo;The reason I like (it) is selfish,&rdquo; says Nashville&rsquo;s Korn, mentor to Tomas Vokoun. &ldquo;I like (Vokoun) to stay within 10 feet of the net.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011665/8800481-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="884" height="833"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FIG. 3A</b></p><p>Restrictions on playing the puck may actually help some goalies, like the Preds&rsquo; Tomas Vokoun.</p></figcaption></div><p>In one sense, though, teams with goalies who have trouble handling the puck have been put at a competitive disadvantage when their team is on the power play. It has become routine for New Jersey&rsquo;s Brodeur, for example, to intercept pucks in front of the goal line and fire passes 115 feet up the ice to a forward waiting at the opposing blueline. Goalies who have the confidence to make that play can save their team 15 seconds on the power play.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03933/8800474-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="2389" height="1061"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FIG. 2A</b></p><p>Martin Brodeur has stopped 20 of 23 shots in the shootout this season, an .870 save percentage.</p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021280/8800467-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="688" height="405"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0016-02

COVER STORY

The Great Goalie Experiment

<div class="byline">By BOB DUFF</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021153/8800533-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Dominik Hasek</b></p><p>Ottawa Senators</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>ith only 14 games under his belt the past three years, even Dominik Hasek admits he had no idea what to expect when he started the current NHL campaign.</p><p>He entered the Olympic break with a 2.08 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and 28 wins for the Ottawa Senators, despite turning 41 Jan. 29.</p><p>&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure what kind of a goalie I was going to be before the season, but I am very pleased,&rdquo; said Hasek, who was uncertain about the timing of his return to the Sens after injuring his groin at the Olympics.</p><p>The Dominator has been his old self, earning top spot on The Hockey News top-20 goalie ranking. The ratings, based entirely on a goaltender&rsquo;s performance during the current campaign, are as follows:</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>1. DOMINIK HASEK, OTT</b></h2><p>He is second in the league in goals-against average and shutouts (five), tied for third in wins and fourth overall in save percentage. No other goalie ranks in the top five in all of these categories.</p><h2><b>2. MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF, CGY</b></h2><p>The man who backstopped the Flames to the Stanley Cup final in 2003-04 picked up right where he left off, leading the NHL with 29 wins and six shutouts.</p><h2><b>3. TOMAS VOKOUN, NSH</b></h2><p>The backbone of the Predators has posted 28 wins and a .919 save percentage, despite facing an average of 32 shots per game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011521/8800540-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="236" height="360"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Manny Legace</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>4. HENRIK LUNDQVIST, NYR</b></h2><p>The rookie has been steady and is a key reason why the Rangers will end their seven-year playoff drought.</p><h2><b>5. MANNY LEGACE, DET</b></h2><p>Ascending to the No. 1 job for the first time as an NHLer, he has posted a league-best 1.99 GAA.</p><h2><b>6. MARTIN BRODEUR, NJ</b></h2><p>The defense in front of him isn&rsquo;t what it once was, but Brodeur still rates among the top 10 in GAA and wins and has posted five shutouts.</p><h2><b>7. MARTY TURCO, DAL</b></h2><p>Turco shares the NHL lead with 29 wins, earning a new four-year, $22.8-million contract and a berth on Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team.</p><h2><b>8. MANNY FERNANDEZ, MIN</b></h2><p>Has posted a 2.15 GAA and .924 save percentage with a team unlikely to make the playoffs.</p><h2><b>9. MARTIN GERBER, CAR</b></h2><p>Many felt Gerber was better than J-S Giguere in Anaheim. His success is proving that point.</p><h2><b>10. RYAN MILLER, BUF</b></h2><p>Miller emerged as the go-to guy from Buffalo&rsquo;s three-headed monster (Martin Biron, Mika Noronen) between the pipes.</p><h2><b>11. ROBERTO LUONGO, FLA</b></h2><p>He has faced a league-high 1,779 shots and still rates 10th in the NHL in save percentage (.914).</p><h2><b>12. JOHN GRAHAME, TB</b></h2><p>The defending Cup champs handed him the reins and he ran with it, posting five shutouts and a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.</p><h2><b>13. OLAF KOLZIG, WSH</b></h2><p>Kolzig played so strongly, the Caps signed him to a two-year, $10.9-million contract extension.</p><h2><b>14. J-S GIGUERE, ANA</b></h2><p>Giguere has rebounded from a sluggish start to get the Ducks back in the playoff chase.</p><h2><b>15. CURTIS JOSEPH, PHO</b></h2><p>Cujo has rediscovered his top dog form in the desert.</p><h2><b>16. ALEX AULD, VAN</b></h2><p>Amidst persistent trade rumors, Auld continues to get the job done. He has won 25 games.</p><h2><b>17. MATHIEU GARON, LA</b></h2><p>In his first full NHL season, Garon is continuing to improve.</p><h2><b>18. EVGENI NABOKOV, SJ</b></h2><p>Armed with a new contract, Nabokov has been much better lately, but his early poor play dug the Sharks into a deep hole.</p><h2><b>19. DAVID AEBISCHER, COL</b></h2><p>Heard trade talk after his inconsistent start, but has been outstanding since the new year.</p><h2><b>20. CURTIS SANFORD, STL</b></h2><p>A rare bright spot for the Blues, he has posted three shutouts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0019-02

Still dominant at a young 41

<div class="byline">By KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011429/8800578-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KEEP AN EYE OUT</b></p><p>Miikka Kiprusoff is the NHL&rsquo;s most successful goalie from Finland, but more are on the way.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN DANIEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he fact there are more No. 1 goalies in the NHL this season from Turku than Toronto and more from Switzerland than Saskatoon is of no surprise to people who have been watching Europe develop goalies the past decade.</p><p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t something that happened overnight,&rdquo; said Dallas Stars director of player personnel Tim Bernhardt, a former NHL goalie himself. &ldquo;This is something that has been coming for a while.&rdquo;</p><p>More European goalies, following the trail blazed by six-time Vezina winner Dominik Hasek, are holding down No. 1 spots on their teams and upper-echelon status in the league than ever before.</p><p>Entering the Olympics, Miikka Kiprusoff was tied with Marty Turco for the NHL lead in wins (29), with Martin Gerber, Hasek and Tomas Vokoun just one behind them.</p><p>Henrik Lundqvist, who has vaulted himself right into the race for the Calder, if not the Hart and Vezina, led all No. 1 goalies in save percentage with a .927 mark. Kiprusoff led the league in shutouts with six and Hasek and Lundqvist were second and third in goals-against average.</p><p>Going into the Olympics, 11 Europeans were holding down the No. 1 spot on their teams &ndash; Cristobal Huet is having a good run and he&rsquo;ll get even more time now that Jose Theodore is injured, but he&rsquo;s not Montreal&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie &ndash; compared with 15 Canadian No. 1s and four from the U.S.</p><p>Overall, Canada still leads the pack with 31 of the 60 full-time goalies in the league, compared to 18 Finns and 11 Americans. The San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche have all-European tandems. And, all three goalies the Avalanche has employed this season are European.</p><p>And there are more on the way. In three of the past four drafts, at least one European goalie has been selected in the first round. Also, St. Louis prospect Marek Schwarz of the Czech Republic and Toronto prospect Tuukka Rask of Finland have been named the top goalie in the past two world juniors.</p><p>As far as former NHL standout goalie and Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford sees it, the surge in talent has more to do with the mentality and eagerness of European goalies to play in world&rsquo;s best league than anything else.</p><p>&ldquo;You look at goalies in Europe and now it&rsquo;s their goal to play in the NHL,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;They want it now more than ever. It&rsquo;s their goal and not only are they more willing to do what it takes to get there, they&rsquo;re much more prepared to play in the NHL than they ever have been before.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><u>Goalies in Europe&hellip;now it&rsquo;s their goal to play in the NHL.</u></b><br>Jim Rutherford</blockquote><p>He certainly has a point there.</p><p>European goalies &ndash; likely daunted by the gravity of the challenge that faced them &ndash; used to stay home and play in cushy European leagues where shooting from the faceoff dot is from another area code and most of the play is on weekends. But now they&rsquo;re more likely to come to North America as young men and ride the old iron lung through the backwaters of minor pro hockey in exchange for a shot at the NHL.</p><p>It all started with Hasek, who had accomplished almost everything he could in his home country and came to Indianapolis in 1990-91 with five Czechoslovakian goalie-of-the-year honors and three player-of-the-year trophies. Fifteen years later, neither the Indianapolis Ice nor the International League exist, Czechoslovakia has split, and we still can&rsquo;t understand what Hasek is talking about half the time. Yet, the 41-year-old remains among the NHL&rsquo;s elite netminders.</p><p>In fact, of the 11 No. 1 Euro goalies in the NHL this season, eight spent at least a full year in the minors. And, with the exception of Lundqvist, all worked their way into the NHL as backup goalies first.</p><p>These days it&rsquo;s not so odd to see Vitaly Kolesnik playing in Hershey or Jaroslav Halak playing in Long Beach. But there are also more European goalies playing major junior in Canada, such as Schwarz, who played for the Western League&rsquo;s Vancouver Giants last season before jetting off for Europe again, or highly touted Atlanta prospect Ondrej Pavelec, playing in Cape Breton of the Quebec League this year.</p><p>With the likes of Kiprusoff, Antero Niittymaki, Kari Lehtonen and Jussi Markkanen, Finland is undoubtedly leading the charge and the Czech Republic is in hot pursuit. But terrific goalies are coming from Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Russia and &ndash; in the case of Huet &ndash; even France.</p><p>It helps that every Finnish team in their elite league has a full-time goalie coach. The position also has gained more prestige in recent years.</p><p>&ldquo;In Finland, it&rsquo;s almost like Quebec with all the young kids wanting to be like Patrick Roy,&rdquo; Bernhardt said. &ldquo;And when that happens, you end up attracting the best athletes to that position.&rdquo;</p><p>Clearly, the Russians have work to do in developing goalies. There are only three Russian netminders in the NHL: Chicago starter Nikolai Khabibulin, San Jose starter Evgeni Nabokov and Anaheim backup Ilya Bryzgalov.</p><p>If the Russians can ever start producing large quantities of quality stoppers, the day could come when there are almost as many European goalies in the NHL as there are from Canada.</p><p>&ldquo;I think with Russia, for the longest time, it was an issue with the cost of goalie equipment,&rdquo; Bernhardt said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got some great skilled players, but they&rsquo;ve lagged behind in goaltending.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-01

Euro invasion not over yet

<div class="byline">JOHN DAVIDSON </div><div class="byline">Guest Columnist</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02759/8800616-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Henrik Lundqvist</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JESSE D. GARRABRANT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011163/8800630-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="238" height="288"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p><b>W</b>hen people speak about the Rangers&rsquo; terrific goalie, Henrik Lundqvist, they are often wondering if he&rsquo;s a rookie-of the-year candidate.</p><p>Having watched him now for more than half a season, I think he is being sold short. Sure, he is a legitimate Calder Trophy candidate &ndash; along with Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Dion Phaneuf. But he is much more than that.</p><p>Try Vezina Trophy candidate as the NHL&rsquo;s top goalie. Or why not go all the way to the top and suggest Hart Trophy candidate as the league&rsquo;s most valuable player? I think Lundqvist is more valuable to the Rangers than many top players in the league are to their teams. Jaromir Jagr has been outstanding, but Lundqvist has been under the radar and I think if he comes back from the Olympics and continues to play the way he has, he should have a legitimate chance of winning some major hardware.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>I believe he has a chance to be the best goalie in the league this year. I had watched him in some tournaments and the reviews on him were very high. One of the biggest reasons for his mature play was his decision to stay in Europe for an extra year; he ended up winning a league championship and then playing in the World Championship. He came over here as a 23-year-old and he was ready to be a pro.</p><p>Prior to this season the Rangers were pegged as a team that wasn&rsquo;t going to score a lot of goals and had uncertain goaltending. They hired Benoit Allaire, arguably the best goalie coach in the business, and brought in veteran Kevin Weekes. There was some assumption Weekes would be the starter, but from Day 1 you could see that Lundqvist was an NHL goalie. There are no flaws in his game.</p><p>His competitiveness and hatred of losing is a unique part of his make-up. This guy has as much drive to compete as any goalie I have met in my 30 years around the game.</p><p>But he has to learn two things. One is, when you don&rsquo;t win, you have to get it out of your system in a hurry and not let it bother you. Second, Lundqvist focuses so hard on the day of a game that if he has to play five in eight nights, it can wear him out. He needs to learn to be a little more like Martin Brodeur and get ready for a game without taxing himself. I think he already knows that.</p><p>Technically, it&rsquo;s not as though he has flashy hands or unbelievably quick legs. His success is based on the pure positioning of how he plays the game. He&rsquo;s not a pure butterfly goalie and he&rsquo;s not a pure stand-up goalie. He&rsquo;s more a hybrid. Because of that he has a tremendous ability to cover rebounds and get from point A to B and from B to C and then back to A easily. Some guys go from A to B and that&rsquo;s it. Lundqvist understands the position and I believe he will be an NHL star for years to come.</p><p><b>&ndash; Former NHL goalie John Davidson is an analyst for MSG Network</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-02

Forget Calder; think Vezina

<div class="byline">By MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011311/8800668-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>READY, SET, GO</b></p><p>Sabre Ryan Miller has never been a flashy goalie, but that hasn&rsquo;t stopped him from being spectacular.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>S</span></b>corned by the U.S. Olympic team, Ryan Miller spent part of his mid-winter vacation slumming it at his parents&rsquo; place in East Lansing, Mich.</p><p>At 25, Miller has his own house nearby, a $500,000-a-year contract that&rsquo;s sure to be tripled in contract negotiations this summer and the homing skills of a destitute college kid. As he talked over the phone, barking could be heard in the background. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been staying there,&rdquo; Miller says of his own pad, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve been coming here to mooch food and play with the dogs and hang out on the couch.&rdquo;</p><p>Now in his fourth pro season, Miller has been making quite a bit of noise himself lately. The goalie the Sabres gambled on in 1999 by drafting a stick boy in the fifth round out of Sault Ste. Marie in the North American Junior League &ndash; he was listed at 6-foot-2, 150 pounds &ndash; has arrived in the bigs for keeps.</p><p>There will be no more repeats of two years ago, when the 2001 Hobey Baker winner with Michigan State gave up six goals to the Islanders in the second game of the season, was shelled for seven by Detroit in his next start two months later and was subsequently banished to the minors, never to be seen again in the NHL&hellip;until now.</p><p>His 2.25 goals-against average is seventh in the league and his .923 save percentage sixth. The Sabres are one of the NHL&rsquo;s surprise success stories. Miller says his start this season &ldquo;was good, but it wasn&rsquo;t monumental.&rdquo; The Sabres evidently believed otherwise.</p><p>If you&rsquo;re just good, you don&rsquo;t come back from missing 18 games with a fractured thumb in November and December and immediately reassume the No. 1 job from a guy who was riding a franchise record 13-game unbeaten streak, which is one more win than Miller had at that point in his entire NHL career. If you&rsquo;re just good, you don&rsquo;t become the first AHL goaltender with a 40-win season since Gerry Cheevers in 1965, as Miller did last year.</p><p>And if you&rsquo;re merely adequate, you don&rsquo;t stop 26 straight shooters during a skills competition shootout. We all made such a big deal about the Rangers&rsquo; Henrik Lundqvist and Washington&rsquo;s Olaf Kolzig going 30 shooters deep and allowing a combined seven goals earlier this season; Miller faced nearly that many by himself a decade ago and didn&rsquo;t let in squat.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02973/8800661-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="441" height="500"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NET ROOKS</b></p><p>With Ryan Miller in goal, Buffalo is one of 15 teams employing a rookie as either their No. 1 man or backup.</p></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;They finally took him out &rsquo;cause he was so tired,&rdquo; says Miller&rsquo;s father Dean, who witnessed that performance at a bantam tournament in Barrie, Ont. &ldquo;He was sitting on his knees waiting for the next shooter.&rdquo;</p><p>As a kid, Miller had great pedigree &ndash; he&rsquo;s a second cousin of former NHLers Kevin, Kelly and Kip &ndash; but played in the spotlight of more celebrated stoppers from the Compuwares and Little Caesars of the world. They were name goalies from name programs; he was a small 5-foot-nothing kid from the small town with his computer software consultant dad as a coach. Dean made sure Ryan stayed just as square as the computer geeks in his fundamentals, even if he kept his teams in games more often than he actually won.</p><p>&ldquo;I always felt like we had to keep telling him &lsquo;hang in there, hang in there, you&rsquo;re getting better, and good goalies come off teams that have lots of shots and your time is coming,&rsquo; &rdquo; Dean recalls. &ldquo;You watch the kids in warm-up and the other goaltender would be making big saves and Ryan would duck in for his shots and I always heard parents talking around the rink: &lsquo;There&rsquo;s that little Miller kid, look, they feel sorry for him, they just hit him with the puck.&rsquo; I&rsquo;d be so mad, I&rsquo;d storm away. Other kids are out there pulling their groin trying to make these easy saves look hard.&rdquo;</p><p>Miller has spent the past three seasons of pro hockey making life on the ice easier for himself by staying more at home around the crease. He acknowledges that, in the words of Buffalo goalie coach Jim Corsi, he came out of college as a &ldquo;big-ice goalie.&rdquo; He skated a lot, challenged a lot and occasionally got caught doing it.</p><p>But not many NHL goalies are putting themselves in position to make diving, acrobatic stops any more, Miller included. Sabres defensemen can put some pressure on puck-carriers on odd-man rushes, just because they know Miller&rsquo;s athleticism and reigned-in positioning style give him the ability to go post-to-post and still find the puck if a pass gets through.</p><p>By staying back in his crease, Miller says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just able to wait on plays&hellip;You&rsquo;re going to be in more plays just based on the fact that you&rsquo;re around the net. I like where I&rsquo;m at now in that regard. And the other thing is, mentally I had to learn how to deal with failure a little bit. You have to learn that falling on your face sometimes can be a big help.&rdquo;</p><p>Ah, yes, the Detroit game. Kevin Miller even got an assist on one of the Detroit goals. Turns out the moral of that night was that the time for critical self-assessment is when all the rushes of the evening are gone, not when another one is coming on the next shift. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that I have to evaluate after the game and do more playing during the game,&rdquo;Miller said.</p><p>Judging by how the Sabres have handled their goaltending so far, more playing for Ryan Miller won&rsquo;t ever be a problem again.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0022-01

Flash and dash never his style

<div class="byline">By BRIAN COSTELLO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011175/8800706-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Marc-Andre Fleury</b></p><p>Pittsburgh Penguins</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p><b>W</b>hat do NHL GMs with long-term contracts have in common with fantasy league team owners in those really long-term keeper pools?</p><p>Well, they both understand and appreciate the importance of a highly regarded keeper.</p><p>GMs are well aware the apprenticeship of an up-and-coming goalie is like a fine wine. Put them in storage for four or five years and you might like what matures. If you have the patience for seven or eight years, all the better.</p><p>Trouble is, most incoming GMs have just a five-year plan in which to transform a floundering franchise. The last thing they want in the pivotal fifth year is a fresh-man stopper just getting used to monster shooters.</p><p>By the time Miikka Kiprusoff made good in Calgary, it was eight years after being drafted and the San Jose GM who selected him, Chuck Grillo, was seven years out of office.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Henrik Lundqvist is making an impact in Manhattan. He was drafted in 2000. Think Philadelphia&rsquo;s Antero Niittymaki just arrived on the doorstep this season? He was drafted in 1998.</p><p>Even stars such as Tomas Vokoun, Marty Turco and Manny Fernandez didn&rsquo;t become bona fide No. 1s until eight years after being drafted &ndash; each of them. It took Dominik Hasek 10 full seasons after his draft year to gain prominence.</p><p>So while some goalies such as Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Rick DiPietro break through within three years of getting drafted, most take the long, winding route.</p><p>Here are the dozen goalies identified by a panel of 21 NHL scouts as having the best long-term upside.</p><p>The project was part of The Hockey News 2006 Future Watch. Included is the goalie&rsquo;s rank on the Future Watch&rsquo;s top-75 list.</p><p><b>MARC-ANDRE FLEURY</b> (6) Pittsburgh. No. 1 pick in 2003 earning his NHL baptism by fire.</p><p>Maturation slowly catching up to top-notch skills. Fleury was in the AHL at the time of the ranking.</p><p><b>CAREY PRICE</b> (12) Montreal. Fifth overall pick in 2005 surprisingly didn&rsquo;t make Canada&rsquo;s national junior team. Next season expected to be coming-out party.</p><p><b>AL MONTOYA</b> (28) NY Rangers. Sixth overall pick in 2004 rebounding after sub-par 2004-05. Likely facing two-to-three year apprentice-ship in AHL.</p><p><b>MAREK SCHWARZ</b> (34) St. Louis. Blues were disappointed to see him return to Czech Republic after one season in WHL. That has slowed his progress.</p><p><b>TUUKKA RASK</b> (37) Toronto. Selected top goalie at 2006 world junior, he plays with pluck and may be within two years of NHL duty.</p><p><b>JOSH HARDING</b> (40) Minnesota. He&rsquo;s the reason the Wild aren&rsquo;t overly concerned about losing one of their veteran stoppers. He&rsquo;ll be an NHL backup in 2006-07.</p><p><b>JIMMY HOWARD</b> (47) Detroit. Had good cup of coffee earlier this season, but his NHL future is likely a couple seasons away.</p><p><b>PASCAL LECLAIRE</b> (51) Columbus. Eighth overall pick in 2001 overcoming injury jinx and making a tangible NHL contribution.</p><p><b>ONDREJ PAVELEC</b> (58) Atlanta. Stonewalling shooters in QMJHL, he&rsquo;s ready for a greater challenge. Should be good understudy to Kari Lehtonen in a few years.</p><p><b>CORY SCHNEIDER</b> (68) Vancouver. Boston College sophomore may consider turning pro two years early, but he&rsquo;d surely need some AHL seasoning.</p><p><b>JUSTIN POGGE</b> (73) Toronto. Third round pick in 2004 made name for himself at &rsquo;06 world junior championship. But it&rsquo;s asking too much to see him in the NHL within two years.</p><p><b>YANN DANIS</b> (74) Montreal. Undrafted Brown University grad is an older, more mature prospect. He&rsquo;s ready for backup duty if Jose Theodore is moved.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

Coming soon to an arena…

<div class="byline">By MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011272/8800744-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tim Thomas</b> <span class="photo-credit">(THOMAS: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p><b>H</b>e&rsquo;s the overnight sensation who is anything but.</p><p>Even Tim Thomas might not be able to tell how many nights he spent wondering if he&rsquo;d ever make it to the show, let alone play the headliner.</p><p>Manny Legace can appreciate the story. Detroit&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie spent four years in the minors before playing an NHL game and two more years before he played a full NHL season. Jason LaBarbera, who played only five NHL games over five years before finding full-time NHL employment this year with Los Angeles, knows the tale, too.</p><p>What separates Thomas, the goalie who may have saved Boston&rsquo;s season, is four or five years. Legace and LaBarbera got their long-awaited shots at age 26 or 27; Thomas will turn 32 April 15.</p><p>&ldquo;I tell myself I&rsquo;d given up on it completely,&rdquo; Thomas said, &ldquo;but when I did have a chance to sign, I signed &ndash; so maybe I still thought there was a chance.&rdquo;</p><p>Factors besides persistence were present, too. Boston got cold feet about entering 2005-06 with Andrew Raycroft, who only played 11 games during the lockout in Finland after winning the Calder Trophy in 2003-04, and untested rookie Hannu Toivonen. Close to the salary cap, the Bruins chose not to pay for veteran depth and insurance and put in a call instead to Finland, where Thomas was already in camp, preparing to follow up an astounding league-MVP &rsquo;04-05 season with Jokerit Helsinki.</p><p>Thomas had good contacts in the Boston organization. Based mainly in Europe following his 1997 graduation from the University of Vermont, his only consecutive seasons in North America were with the Bruins&rsquo; AHL affiliate at Providence in 2002-03 and &rsquo;03-04. He still had backers within the system. Coach Mike Sullivan, a first-year coach with Providence in &rsquo;02-03, was part of Thomas&rsquo;s fan club.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been persistent through the course of his career,&rdquo; Sullivan said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not discouraged easily. He&rsquo;s really improved his game and that doesn&rsquo;t surprise me, because he&rsquo;s real competitive.&rdquo;</p><p>Thomas is certainly not the old dog turning up his nose at new tricks. At times over-reliant on athleticism and acrobatics earlier in his career, he was willing to take constructive criticism from former Providence assistant coach and current head coach Scott Gordon, once an NHL goalie with Quebec.</p><p>&ldquo;Scott worked with me on a lot of little things,&rdquo; Thomas said, &ldquo;like playing the puck, playing more like the Quebec butterfly style. I think I&rsquo;ve gotten better, but I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m a totally different goalie. I&rsquo;ve brought more consistency and my mental game is better.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Raycroft first had to falter, and then the impressive Toivonen had to get hurt, before Thomas did more than anyone could have dreamed with his big chance. He started Boston&rsquo;s final 15 games before the break and helped pull the B&rsquo;s within two points of a playoff berth by earning points in 12 of them (8-3-4). His save percentage of .930 is the highest in the league, and his 2.17 goals-against average is fifth lowest.</p><p>Thomas has looked to Johnny Bower for inspiration.</p><p>&ldquo;(He) didn&rsquo;t make the NHL until he was (34), and he played until he was about 45,&rdquo; Thomas said of the Hall of Famer who spent 12 of his first 13 pro seasons in the AHL.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

Better late than never

<div class="byline">By MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02907/8800782-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Beckford-Tseu</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BECKFORD-TSEU: ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption></div><p>Chris Beckford-Tseu has a vision of where he will be two years from now.</p><p>&ldquo;In the NHL, hopefully,&rdquo; said the 21-year-old Toronto native from his hotel room in Peoria, Ill.</p><p>The second-year pro has been a hockey nomad, attending training camps in St. Louis, Peoria of the American League and with the ECHL&rsquo;s Alaska Aces. Did we mention he was also summoned to the NHL by the Blues mid-season?</p><p>This comes on the heels of playing last year for both the Worcester IceCats and the Rivermen, who were in the ECHL then, and a major junior career that had stops in Guelph, Oshawa and Kingston.</p><p>The 6-foot-3, 205-pound stopper will go wherever he must to make his NHL dream come true.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played for a lot of teams, but if that&rsquo;s what it takes for me to make it to the NHL, then that&rsquo;s OK,&rdquo; Beckford-Tseu said.</p><p>At the 2003 NHL draft in Nashville, Beckford-Tseu elected to stay home rather than risk the embarrassment and frustration of not getting selected. The Blues chose him on Day 2 of the draft.</p><p>Beckford-Tseu had an inkling he&rsquo;d play in the ECHL his first year of pro, and he was right. But he did get a call from Worcester, where he played 29 minutes of relief in one game, not allowing a goal. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t like I put up great numbers in junior, so I was happy to work on my game in the ECHL,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>This season, Beckford-Tseu once again attended the Blues camp, but saw no pre-season action. His hope was to crack Peoria&rsquo;s AHL lineup, but after a shootout loss to Iowa, it was off to Alaska.</p><p>The weather may have been cold, but Beckford-Tseu was hot&hellip;red hot. He was 16-1-2 with the Aces, boasting a 1.87 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.</p><p>The Blues noticed and called him up. He served as backup in a game against Philadelphia and shortly afterwards he was recalled and stayed with the Blues for nine days.</p><p>&ldquo;When you get a taste of what it&rsquo;s like and you realize how much harder you need to work to get back up there, that little taste makes you hungrier,&rdquo; Beckford-Tseu said.</p><p>St. Louis&rsquo;s goalie of the future is expected to be 2004 first-rounder Marek Schwarz, but in coming seasons Beckford-Tseu will battle with Jason Bacashihua and Ben Bishop for pecking order within the system.</p><p>&ldquo;We like him a lot,&rdquo; said Blues GM Larry Pleau. &ldquo;Our plan has always been to give our goalies time to learn in the minors. He has been amazing in Alaska, winning ECHL player of the week three times, and he has won a couple of big games for us in the AHL.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

Hitting the road

<div class="byline">By ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03550/8800827-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BRIGHT LIGHT</b></p><p>Ray Emery is learning from the best &ndash; Dominik Hasek &ndash; as he serves as a backup for the first time in his career.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="124" height="107"></div><p><b>R</b>ay Emery is a study in contrasts.</p><p>For a guy with a reputation as a fighter, he is articulate and soft-spoken. He likes country music <i>and</i> rap. He reads nonfiction, but is also a fan of boxing and possesses more tattoos than strip joints at nonpeak (pardon the pun) hours.</p><p>Ottawa&rsquo;s backup goalie, Emery finds himself in a role far different than any he&rsquo;s had. But that role may reverse soon &ndash; and if so, the same folks who&rsquo;ve tried to restrain his fighting spirit may be happy to see it protecting the Sens&rsquo; net.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an interesting year already,&rdquo; Emery said, demonstrating a penchant for understatement.</p><p>Emery, 23, first drew the ire of Sens officials early this year when he was seen in a local paper adding to his tattoo collection with $500 he&rsquo;d won from teammate Daniel Alfredsson for eating a cockroach</p><p>In mid-January, Emery dyed his hair blond. For some reason &ndash; not at all to do with Sens brass reading him the riot act, we&rsquo;re sure &ndash; he returned to his natural hair color the next day. Emery was later asked to repaint his mask, which he&rsquo;d adorned with an image of ex-boxer and convicted rapist Mike Tyson.</p><p>&ldquo;Some things have been blown (out of proportion) more than I&rsquo;d like,&rdquo; Emery said. &ldquo;A lot of people get their hair colored, so I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s out of the ordinary. And millions of people enjoy boxing.&rdquo;</p><p>Where he differs is in his intense approach, which has worked at all levels. Start with his years in Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario League, where he claimed the Greyhounds&rsquo; top job in 2000-01 and was named the CHL goalie of the year in 2002.</p><p>Drafted 99th overall by Ottawa in 2001, Emery continued his rapid ascent in the pros. In his first year with Binghamton (AHL), he went 27-17-6 and was named to the AHL all-star and all-rookie teams.</p><p>The AHL was also where Emery&rsquo;s reputation for aggressiveness found its footing. After fighting four times in 2000-01, he dropped the gloves even more as a pro. He fought goalies (Andy Chiodo, Ari Ahonen) and non-goalies (Mike Peluso, Denis Hamel, Michel Ouellet).</p><p>At the end of &rsquo;03-04, the Sens sent him to an anger-management class. But the Cayuga, Ont., native &ndash; who has moved from a reflexive style and improved his positional skills since turning pro &ndash; chalks his past up to a learning experience.</p><p>&ldquo;I try and learn from my mistakes all the time,&rdquo; said Emery, who has a 9-4-1 mark this year. &ldquo;But&hellip; winning is my focus.&rdquo;</p><p>With legendary goalie Dominik Hasek as the No. 1 guy in Ottawa, Emery has had to learn and adjust.</p><p>&ldquo;I have a lot more respect now for the guys who were my backups,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t realize what a different role it is until you&rsquo;re there.&rdquo;</p><p>Depending on Hasek&rsquo;s groin &ndash; injured while he played for the Czechs in Turin &ndash; Emery could be No. 1 again. And that&rsquo;s fine by him.</p><p>&ldquo;It has been an adjustment going from playing so often to not know-ing when you&rsquo;re playing,&rdquo; Emery said. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s part of the process.&rdquo;</p><p>In another sport, a tattooed, bug-eating star with dyed hair would be embraced as a marketer&rsquo;s dream.</p><p>But the NHL encourages individualism like cheeseburger benders at a supermodel sleepover. Thus, Emery&rsquo;s quirks are shouted down and &ldquo;rectified,&rdquo; leaving him to make his best statements on the ice.</p><p>Luckily for Sens fans, he&rsquo;s ready and rarin&rsquo; to do exactly that.</p><p>&ldquo;Nobody wants to win more than I do,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Whenever I get the chance, that&rsquo;s what I intend to do.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011139/8800820-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="180" height="209"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>B&rsquo;S KNEES</b></p><p>Hannu Toivonen leads all NHL backups with a .914 save percentage.</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02789/8800813-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="618" height="331"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0025-03

Emery too hip for bland NHL?

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02913/8800872-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bill Guerin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011279/8800879-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="125" height="106"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span></b>allas Stars right winger <b>Bill Guerin</b> appears to be breaking out of his season-long slump. Guerin had seven points in seven games heading into the Olympic break, including three goals in four games. He had a career-long 18-game goalless streak before finally scoring. In those seven games, Guerin fired 25 shots on goal. The Olympics were another matter, though, with Guerin scoring only once in six games as U.S. was ousted in the quarterfinals.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>CENTRAL DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CHICAGO</b> Goalie <b>Craig Anderson</b> appeared to have won back the No. 2 job from <b>Adam Munro</b>. Anderson, claimed three times on waivers in a two-week span, eventually wound up back with the Hawks after brief stays in Boston and St. Louis&hellip;The Hawks went from Jan. 29 to March 1 without a home game.</p><p><b>COLUMBUS</b> The Jackets were concerned about what a long run in the Olympics might do to defenseman <b>Adam Foote</b> and left winger <b>Rick Nash</b>, both of whom have been dogged by injuries this season. Not to worry. Canada&rsquo;s early exit means an early return to Columbus for the pair&hellip;Look for more youngsters to get a look during the final two months of the season, now that the playoffs are out of the question.</p><p><b>DETROIT</b> Coach <b>Mike Babcock</b> is as pleased with <b>Mikael Samuelsson&rsquo;s</b> defensive diligence as he is with the winger&rsquo;s career-high 20 goals. &ldquo;The stat about Sammy that goes unnoticed is he&rsquo;s a (team-leading) plus-22,&rdquo; Babcock said&hellip;Goalie <b>Manny Legace</b> (25-6-2) has exceeded his career-high victory total from 2000-01 (24-5-5)&hellip;Detroit outshot its opponent in 15 consecutive games leading up to the Olympics.</p><p><b>NASHVILLE</b> The Predators never had more than two 20-goal scorers in any of their first six seasons. They already have three this year (<b>Steve Sullivan</b>, <b>Scott Hartnell</b> and <b>Yanic Perreault</b>) with left winger <b>Paul Kariya</b> stuck on 19 at the Olympic break&hellip;Center <b>David Legwand&rsquo;s</b> rehab assignment &ndash; he has been out since Dec. 12 with a knee injury &ndash; will be the first minor league stint of his career.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b> The Blues aren&rsquo;t in the playoff picture, but they can play the spoiler. Sixteen of their final 26 games are against teams that went into the Olympic break in the top eight in the West.</p><h2><b>NORTHWEST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CALGARY</b> A member of the taxi squad, Flames prospect <b>Andrei Taratukhin</b> suited up at center for Russia at the Olympics due to an injury to <b>Alexander Frolov</b>.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b> Center <b>Joe Sakic</b> sustained a fractured cheekbone in Turin. In 1998 at Nagano, Sakic sprained knee ligaments and missed some time in the second half of the season&hellip;Rookie <b>Marek Svatos</b> scored his league-high ninth winning goal in a 4-1 win at Columbus before the Olympic break.</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b> Winger <b>Ryan Smyth</b>, a veteran of Canada&rsquo;s 2002 gold medal team, said it&rsquo;s not easy returning to the NHL grind after an exhausting and emotionally draining Olympic experience. &ldquo;When we came back from &rsquo;02, it was a tough adjustment,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You throw everything at the gold and then you have to come back to reality.&rdquo;</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b> Tired of watching unproductive wingers <b>Stephane Veilleux</b>, <b>Kyle Wanvig</b> and <b>Brent Burns</b>, coach <b>Jacques Lemaire</b> moved physical defenseman <b>Alex Henry</b> up to left wing to boost his sagging confidence.</p><p><b>VANCOUVER</b> The injury list took another hit as Olympian defenders <b>Mattias Ohlund</b> (ribs) and <b>Sami Salo</b> (shoulder) joined already sidelined goalie <b>Dan Cloutier</b> (knee surgery) and defenseman <b>Ed Jovanovski</b> (abdominal surgery)&hellip;Vancouver plays 13 of its final 20 games at home, where it is 20-5-3.</p><h2><b>PACIFIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ANAHEIM</b> Rearguard <b>Scott Niedermayer</b> underwent &ldquo;successful&rdquo; arthroscopic knee surgery Feb. 13. He&rsquo;s expected back in mid-March.</p><p><b>DALLAS</b> Winger <b>Jere Lehtinen</b> is shooting for a career year. He&rsquo;s on pace to set career-highs of 38 goals (he had 31 in 2003-04) and 54 points (52, 1998-99).</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES</b> Coach <b>Andy Murray</b>, a fiercely loyal Canadian, was pained by his country&rsquo;s early exit from the Olympics. But overall, Murray liked this Olympic break much better than the last one. On Feb. 15, 2002, Murray sustained a concussion, four broken ribs and a separated shoulder when his truck slid off an icy road in Wisconsin. The accident took place when Murray was driving to watch one of his sons play in a hockey tournament. So what did Murray do during the break this time around? Drove to the exact same tournament. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to take a different road,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said with a smile.</p><p><b>PHOENIX</b> Right winger <b>Shane Doan</b> finished plus-3 and tied for first in goals (two) and second in points (three) for Canada&rsquo;s disappointing team in Turin.</p><p><b>SAN JOSE</b> While teammates went skiing or to Hawaii, New York, Chicago, and other vacation spots, winger <b>Scott Thornton</b> stayed in San Jose during the break and spent one morning riding a trail bike in a stage of the Amgen Tour of California. &ldquo;When I got the word I&rsquo;d be riding the time trial, I was pretty excited,&rdquo; he said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03740/8800865-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="628" height="2979"></div><p>*The IIHF updates the world rankings once a year. Here are rankings entering the Olympics<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

Stars align for Guerin

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011223/8800910-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Keith Primeau</b> <span class="photo-credit">(PRIMEAU: LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04438/8800917-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="63" height="54"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>he Philadelphia Flyers set a deadline of Feb. 27 for center <b>Keith Primeau&rsquo;s</b> situation to be resolved. Primeau, out since Oct. 30 with a concussion, has been told by two doctors he won&rsquo;t be medically cleared to play again this season. The Flyers would like 10 days notice to use Primeau&rsquo;s unused salary (vs. the cap) to possibly acquire another player before the March 9 trade deadline. Primeau wants to return, but is being pragmatic. &ldquo;If I want to continue to play, I should get my head right and see how it goes,&rdquo; he said to the Philadelphia <i>Inquirer</i>.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>NORTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>BOSTON</b> The B&rsquo;s post-Olympic mini-camp began Feb. 22 without coach <b>Mike Sullivan</b>, who was a Team USA assistant at Turin&hellip;The Bruins play Northeast Division rival Buffalo five times in March &ndash; and three times between March 4-12. Boston also has four of 24 post-break games against division foe Montreal.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b>Winger <b>Ales Kotalik</b> was in a panic when Team Czech Republic called on him to replace <b>Patrik Elias</b> two games into the Olympics. Nobody had bothered to inform Kotalik he was on the taxi squad, so when he went home for the break he didn&rsquo;t pack equipment. &ldquo;After all that (disappointment) about getting passed on the original nomination, this is a good feeling,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a dream come true to get into the Olympics.&rdquo;</p><p><b>MONTREAL</b> Goalie <b>Jose Theodore</b> is out until early April with a broken bone in his right heel. He slipped on icy steps outside his home. Theodore hasn&rsquo;t played since being pulled from a Jan. 31 game against Carolina, supplanted by <b>Cristobal Huet</b>&hellip;Theodore will not appeal his positive test for a banned substance, saying the NHL has granted him an exemption to take the hair-growth drug propecia.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b> Defensemen <b>Ken Klee</b> (ankle) and <b>Alex Khavanov</b> (foot) declared themselves healthy and ready to play after the break&hellip;News wasn&rsquo;t as good for <b>Eric Lindros</b>, who still had no return date from his damaged wrist&hellip;One month after defenseman <b>Carlo Colaiacovo</b> sustained a serious concussion against Ottawa, he still hadn&rsquo;t been cleared to do off-ice workouts and might be done for the season.</p><p><b>OTTAWA</b> GM <b>John Muckler</b> and the rest of the pro scouting staff, including assistant GM <b>Peter Chiarelli</b>, spent part of the break in Florida discussing the trade deadline. The Sens may make a pitch for Panthers center <b>Olli Jokinen.</b></p><h2><b>ATLANTIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>NEW JERSEY</b> After discussions with chairman <b>Jeff Vanderbeek</b>, GM <b>Lou Lamoriello</b> decided to stay on as the Devils coach for the rest of this season. The Devils are 16-9-1 since <b>Larry Robinson</b> resigned Dec. 19.</p><p><b>NY ISLANDERS</b> Rookie center <b>Petteri Nokelainen</b> was feared to be out for the season with a chronic knee injury, but he eschewed surgery for alternative treatments and was hoping to be back on the ice by the end of February&hellip;Defenseman <b>Alexei Zhitnik</b>, who skipped the Olympics (Team Russia) due to an ankle injury, resumed skating near the end of the break.</p><p><b>NY RANGERS</b> Winger <b>Petr Prucha</b> (ankle) was heartbroken at being unable to play for the Czech Republic in Turin. He missed the Rangers&rsquo; final three games before the break, and was hopeful of returning by mid-March.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b> The Flyers should be happy about center <b>Peter Forsberg&rsquo;s</b> progress in Turin. Coming back from a groin injury, Forsberg had two assists in Sweden&rsquo;s quarterfinal win over the Swiss, squashing rumors he may not have played at all in the Games.</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH</b> With one year left on the Pens&rsquo; lease at Mellon Arena, NHL deputy commissioner <b>Bill Daly</b> said it&rsquo;s time for some action. &ldquo;The window for the Penguins to get financing on a new arena is short,&rdquo; said Daly in Turin. &ldquo;I believe the city of Pittsburgh deserves to have the Penguins, but the Penguins also need a new building and they&rsquo;ve needed a new one for years.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SOUTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ATLANTA</b> Winger <b>Slava Kozlov</b>, as he did during Detroit&rsquo;s 1998 Stanley Cup-winning year, stayed home to get ready for the stretch run. He spurned a request to play for Russia in the 1998 Games, which is why he has never been asked to play again for his country.</p><p><b>CAROLINA</b> Defenseman <b>Frantisek Kaberle</b> is his family&rsquo;s third Olympian. His father, also <b>Frantisek</b>, played for the Czech Republic in 1980, while brother <b>Tomas</b> returned this year after playing in 2002.</p><p><b>FLORIDA</b> The Panthers got permission to use ECHL goalie <b>Phil Osaer</b> for two days of workouts during the Olympics while <b>Roberto Luongo</b> was in Italy.</p><p><b>TAMPA BAY</b> With the recent trade of minor league goalie <b>Brian Eklund</b> to Boston, <b>Gerald Coleman</b> moves up to No. 3 goalie in the organization. If it doesn&rsquo;t cost much, the Lightning might be interested in picking up a goalie with NHL experience as insurance for the playoffs.</p><p><b>WASHINGTON</b> Defensemen <b>Jamie Heward</b> and <b>Bryan Muir</b> both signed one-year extensions, less than two weeks after goalie <b>Olie Kolzig</b> had his contract extended for two years. Still unresolved is the <b>Brendan Witt</b> situation &ndash; will the veteran Dman be moved on, as he has asked?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-01

Primeau’s problems

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05299/8800962-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="284" height="123"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02844/8800955-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="562" height="586"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Kim Martin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARTIN: DON EMMERT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WOMEN&rsquo;S HOCKEY</b></h2><p>Canada wins a second straight Olympic gold medal, while Swedish goalie Kim Martin steals the semifinal spotlight.</p><h2><b>SUPER SELANNE</b></h2><p>Teemu Selanne, enjoying a great year with Anaheim in the NHL, plays just as superbly at the Olympics for the Finns.</p><h2><b>VOCE HEARD</b></h2><p>Philadelphia&rsquo;s Tony Voce sets a franchise record with four goals in the Phantoms&rsquo; 6-1 win AHL over Chicago.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03609/8800948-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="488" height="509"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Evgeni Malkin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MALKIN: ELSA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>KICKED OUT</b></h2><p>Russian teen Evgeni Malkin is suspended one Olympic game for attempting to kick Canada&rsquo;s Vinny Lecavalier.</p><h2><b>ON SECOND THOUGHT</b></h2><p>Coach Ben Smith&rsquo;s decision to cut captain Cammi Granato looks like a fateful one after Team USA loses to Sweden.</p><h2><b>OVER AND OUT</b></h2><p>The Canadian men&rsquo;s Olympic hockey team fails to find its scoring touch in failing to repeat as champions.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-05

+ PLUS - MINUS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011263/8801000-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STILL FOES</b></p><p>Vancouver&rsquo;s Jarkko Ruutu and Calgary&rsquo;s Robyn Regehr are back in NHL duds after trading in Olympic jerseys.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-09200/8801007-1-eng-US/f0028-092.jpg" title="f0028-09" width="105" height="117"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Chicago Blackhawks had no representatives at the Winter Olympics and in retrospect, it may have been their first spot of good luck all season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02884/8800993-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="168" height="209"></div><p>Worst-case injury scenarios came true for Ottawa when Dominik Hasek went down in his first game for the Czech Republic, while the Rangers flirted with disaster courtesy Jarkko Ruutu&rsquo;s bloodying of Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s head.</p><p>For non-Olympians, the break meant getting away from it all to sunny locales, which is where members of the Flames and Red Wings found themselves.</p><p>Gearing up for a Stanley Cup run also meant recovery time was key, which doesn&rsquo;t bode well for Colorado, which led the way with 10 players at the Olympics.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-01

Olympic silver linings outshined by NHL injuries

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN MANASSO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Olympics will have a positive effect on Atlanta if the Thrashers who went to Turin maintain their high level of play at home.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04469/8801069-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="178" height="208"></div><p>Marian Hossa, Peter Bondra and Ronald Petrovicky all suited up for Slovakia, quarterfinal losers to rival Czech Republic.</p><p>Bondra, who has missed 22 NHL games with groin and abdominal injuries, appeared to find his scoring touch in Italy, while Hossa was often called the &ldquo;best player in the tournament&rdquo; during Slovakia&rsquo;s perfect 5-0-0 preliminary round.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ilya Kovalchuk, who struggled in the 10 games before the break with only two goals, appeared to be refreshed playing for Russia.</p><p>And Niclas Havelid, among the Thrashers&rsquo; most durable D-men, played a lot through Sweden&rsquo;s march to the semifinal. Kovalchuk and Havelid are two of the team&rsquo;s least likely players to wear down, but that is always a concern.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-04

Players find form in Italian countryside

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b>With injuries keeping German Marco Sturm and Russian Alexei Zhamnov out of the Games, the only Bruins in Turin were Swedish left winger P-J Axelsson and Slovak rookie Dman Milan Jurcina. (Hal Gill was on the U.S. taxi squad, but didn&rsquo;t play.)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05361/8801100-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="181" height="219"></div><p>Post-Games fatigue, then, wasn&rsquo;t expected to be a big factor in Boston &ndash; a good thing, considering how hard the B&rsquo;s pushed (8-3-4) before the break to re-emerge as playoff contenders. Key players such as goalie Tim Thomas (15 straight starts), blueliner Brad Stuart and forwards Patrice Bergeron and Wayne Primeau were overexerted.</p><p>Sturm (shoulder) and Zhamnov (ankle) were among six B&rsquo;s on injured reserve, while Sergei Samsonov (foot) missed the last two games and Glen Murray and Brian Leetch had just returned. It was hoped rookie goalie Hannu Toivonen would also be ready when the schedule resumed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-05

Bruins get chance to rest and recover

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM GRAHAM</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> Sour grapes quickly turned into sound logic.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06310/8801131-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="174" height="215"></div><p>When goalie Ryan Miller was snubbed by the U.S. Olympic team, Sabres fans reasoned it wasn&rsquo;t worth it anyway. The public sentiment suggested Miller should rest up for the homestretch.</p><p>Then, old friend Dominik Hasek scared fans on two continents when a leg injury ended his Olympics. Meanwhile, Miller and several others were getting healthy.</p><p>Forwards Daniel Briere, Tim Connolly and Jochen Hecht and defenseman Dmitri Kalinin were on the verge of returning from injuries when NHL play resumed. Miller admitted exhaustion after starting nine straight games before the break.</p><p>Hecht&rsquo;s knee injury days before the Olympics forced him to withdraw, but the five Sabres who did play (Ales Kotalik was an injury replacement for the Czechs), stood to be invigorated by the event.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-06

Yanks snub Miller, Sabres reap reward

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> Having only three players at the Olympics can be seen as a boon for the Flames.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07264/8801162-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="176" height="216"></div><p>With their punishing style of play &ndash; and 25 games in 49 nights following the break &ndash; all the rest possible was a blessing.</p><p>Starting goalie Miikka Kiprusoff &rsquo;s nagging hip should be 100 per cent, critical to the team&rsquo;s playoff plans.</p><p>The fact about 10 players and their families vacationed en masse in Mexico will also help make the Flames a closer team, one of the keys to Calgary&rsquo;s 2004 playoff success.</p><p>In Turin, Jarome Iginla had a quick start, but struggled in Canada&rsquo;s two consecutive losses during the round robin. Once he started hitting and forechecking, his game returned.</p><p>Meanwhile, Robyn Regehr played solidly, which will help him elevate his game further down the road.</p><p>U.S. defenseman Jordan Leopold scored his first goal since March of 2004, an obvious confidence boost.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-07

Mexican siesta helps Flames team-build

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Hurricanes went into the break sitting atop the Eastern Conference, but there&rsquo;s no question they could use the time off.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-08225/8801193-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="178" height="162"></div><p>The attacking, grinding style that has worked so well for Carolina requires peak fitness. And, after being one of the NHL&rsquo;s best third period teams this season, the Hurricanes were outscored 5-3 in the third in their final five games before the Olympic break, losing three and winning two in shootouts.</p><p>&ldquo;I could have used it about a week ago,&rdquo; said captain Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour when the Olympic break arrived. &ldquo;But now it&rsquo;s here, so we can come back and just gear up for the stretch run.&rdquo;</p><p>Carolina sent seven players, plus Team USA coach Peter Laviolette and video coach Chris Huffine, to the Olympics. But four of their top seven leading scorers were able to get some rest.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-08

High-energy Canes relaxed and ready

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="105" height="117"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> For Chicago, the Olympic break simply provided a chance for the players and coaches to get away from what has been another miserable season.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011123/8801224-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="161" height="193"></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a difficult year for everybody so far and getting away from the game sometimes doesn&rsquo;t hurt,&rdquo; said coach Trent Yawney. &ldquo;It refreshes you and is almost like a new start with as long as the break is, but again, the same things are going to be looked upon.&rdquo;</p><p>The Hawks will spend the rest of the season evaluating their many young players. GM Dale Tallon also figures to be busy ahead of the trade deadline attempting to move some of his high-priced veterans</p><p>The break offered goalie Nikolai Khabibulin a few more weeks of rehab time without missing any games. He was expected to return from a sprained left knee a little ahead of schedule.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-01

Sluggish Blackhawks look towards future

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b>With a league-high 10 players having participated in Turin, Colorado coach Joel Quenneville will be mindful of their ice time down the stretch.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02759/8801262-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="164" height="195"></div><p>Problem is, the Avs may not have the luxury of trimming the minutes of players such as Joe Sakic, Rob Blake and Marek Svatos. The Avs of old had the division title wrapped up by now, but it figures to be a battle to the end for a Western Conference playoff spot in Colorado.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll definitely monitor the guys&rsquo; minutes, but I think we&rsquo;ll be OK,&rdquo; Quenneville said. &ldquo;We get a nice break in March (14-19), which should help.&rdquo;</p><p>Left winger Antti Laaksonen, who played for Finland, believes the heavy Olympic participation will be good for the Avalanche.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the guys at the Olympics will have an easier time staying sharp when we get back,&rdquo; he said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-02

No rest for Colorado in Western dogfight

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Blue Jackets&rsquo; bodies needed a rest. On the other hand, the team had finally begun playing like it belonged in the NHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03531/8801293-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="159" height="196"></div><p>They were 14-8-1 since Dec. 26, despite losing three of their last four before the break. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to stop now,&rdquo; said left winger Jody Shelley.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a feeling in this room that we&rsquo;ve never had before, so to put it down now and come back a week or so later, it just doesn&rsquo;t feel right.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Jackets return, they should have center Sergei Fedorov (shoulder), defenseman Bryan Berard (back) and backup goaltender Pascal Leclaire (back) healthy. Center Mike Rupp (broken foot) should be close to returning, too.</p><p>But will the magic return?</p><p>&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ll come back rejuvenated and have a strong finish,&rdquo; said coach Gerard Gallant.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-03

Momentum iced, but hive can heal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> When Marty Turco has struggled this season, the Stars have given him some time off to &ldquo;work on his game.&rdquo; If that strategy holds true, maybe the Olympics came at just the right time for Dallas.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04387/8801324-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="168" height="163"></div><p>Turco allowed 11 goals in the final two games before the break, including a four-goal third period in a 6-5 loss to Los Angeles that leaves the door open for the Kings to haunt the Stars the rest of the season.</p><p>So what&rsquo;s up with Turco?</p><p>No one knows, but when he has not seen the puck well or responded to pressure, Turco has retired to the practice ice and come back a new man &ndash; witness an 8-1-0 run in November and a more recent 6-0-0 run, both after Turco mini-breaks.</p><p>He has not played one second for Canada at the Olympics, so that means he has had plenty of practice time. The Stars hope it pays off.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-04

Time off for Turco could end slump

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> Detroit coach Mike Babcock isn&rsquo;t worried the Olympic break will curb his team&rsquo;s momentum. And, despite nine Red Wings in Italy, he&rsquo;s not concerned about fatigue being an issue during the stretch run.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05320/8801355-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="161" height="184"></div><p>The Wings also had large Olympic contingents in 1998 and 2002. And they won the Stanley Cup both years. So they speak from experience when they downplay any potential negative effect.</p><p>Team Sweden defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said playing in the Olympics doesn&rsquo;t wear a player down when he returns to the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;You got that momentum going for you,&rdquo; Lidstrom said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be playing right through the break, so we&rsquo;re going to be in good shape.&rdquo;</p><p>Most of the team&rsquo;s non-Olympic players spent the break in tropical climates such as Hawaii or Florida.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-05

Olympic years great for Wings’ Cup runs

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="105" height="117"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Olympic break couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time for the Oilers, who were running on fumes as they staggered to the hiatus.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011273/8801386-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="166" height="205"></div><p>Edmonton won just four of its last 11 pre-Olympic games and had seven injured bodies in need of rest.</p><p>The break gave the Oilers time to heal &ndash; all their injured players are expected back when the schedule resumes &ndash; and time to right their game after the February slump.</p><p>The only concern is that three of Edmonton&rsquo;s best players &ndash; Chris Pronger, Ryan Smyth and Ales Hemsky &ndash; will be playing a lot of hockey in February and 16 games in March. That&rsquo;s a heavy load for a player like Pronger, who plays 30 minutes a night and has a broken bone in his foot. The last Olympic year, Smyth finished with the second-lowest goal total of his career (15) and Pronger finished with his lowest goal total (seven) since 1996.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-01

Oilers on the limp, stars under stress

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN BIGGANE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02855/8801431-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CAT GAMES</b></p><p>Czech Rostislav Olesz is one of five Panthers who played in Turin.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> When Gary Roberts went down with a sprained knee Jan. 19, there was a sense the Panthers&rsquo; playoff hopes may have be dashed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03620/8801424-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="161" height="198"></div><p>But after falling 1-0 two nights later at Anaheim, Florida went 4-3-1 in its remaining games prior to the Olympics to remain within eight points of eighth-place Montreal.</p><p>While the challenge remained significant, the Panthers hoped to have Roberts back for the post-Olympic stretch run.</p><p>The Olympic experience itself also figured to be a positive one for several Panthers.</p><p>Roberto Luongo kept busy with a pair of preliminary round appearances for Canada and Jay Bouwmeester and Rostislav Olesz got significant ice time with Canada and the Czech Republic, respectively. Olli Jokinen was an important member of the Finnish entry and Jozef Stumpel skated with Slovakia.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-02

Roberts gets rest, team can still strike

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH HAMMOND</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> For the Kings, the honor of being selected to an Olympic team was actually quite hazardous.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04451/8801462-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="146" height="203"></div><p>First, Aaron Miller had to give up his spot on the U.S. team because of back problems. Then, Mattias Norstrom sustained a concussion that prevented him from representing Sweden. Alexander Frolov actually made it to Italy, but hurt his shoulder while playing for Russia.</p><p>It has been that kind of year for the Kings, who have been pounded by injuries, but hope the time off for those three players &ndash; and several others &ndash; will help the team down the stretch.</p><p>L.A. will be trying stop the bleeding when NHL play resumes after a disastrous three-week stretch leading up to the break in which it posted a 2-5-5 mark.</p><p>The team planned a weekend mini-camp in San Diego to shake things up.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0030-04

Curse of the rings; Olympians injured

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MURPHY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> Manny Fernandez started 15 of 18 games leading up to the Olympic break to emerge as the clear-cut No. 1 goalie. But the hiatus is over and it&rsquo;s time for the Wild to make a big decision.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-05338/8801493-1-eng-US/f0030-052.jpg" title="f0030-05" width="169" height="167"></div><p>Dwayne Roloson lugged a ghastly 6-16-1 record and eyebrow-raising 3.00 goals-against average into the break. Like Fernandez, he&rsquo;s due to become an unrestricted free agent and since the Wild are unlikely to re-sign both, one is sure to be dealt before the March 9 trade deadline. Fernandez (23-10-3) is having a career season, which makes him more marketable.</p><p>But there is a compelling statistical case in Roloson&rsquo;s defense: 10 one-goal losses; 2.73 average goal support (compared to Fernandez&rsquo;s 3.25); seven starts on the second night of back-to-back games, when the team is not sharpest (Roloson is 1-6 in those games); and, a respectable .911 save percentage.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-05

Ring reprieve ends; time to deal a goalie

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> It won&rsquo;t take the Habs long to determine whether they&rsquo;ll be in the Stanley Cup chase or if they can start booking spring tee times.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-06272/8801524-1-eng-US/f0030-062.jpg" title="f0030-06" width="166" height="168"></div><p>Montreal was set to resume play Feb. 28 on Long Island, starting a six-game, 10-day road trip, including tilts on consecutive nights at Philadelphia and Toronto.</p><p>The Habs have struggled on the road this season, going 10-15-4.</p><p>Montreal&rsquo;s non-Olympians &ndash; all but six players &ndash; began preparations with an off-ice workout Feb. 22 and were back on skates the next day.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re really working hard post-break to give the players as much time with their families as possible,&rdquo; said owner George Gillett.</p><p>The team expects to charter home after the March 7 game in Toronto, if only to give the players one night in their own beds before flying to Boston for the March 9 trip finale.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;d never normally do,&rdquo; Gillett said.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-06

Road-kill Canadiens hope sleep cures all

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> Goaltender Tomas Vokoun was tired before he left for the Olympics. He was fifth in the NHL in games played and second in saves at the Olympic break.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-07221/8801555-1-eng-US/f0030-072.jpg" title="f0030-07" width="169" height="159"></div><p>Then he assumed a full-time Olympic role when Dominik Hasek was injured early in the Czech Republic&rsquo;s opening game.</p><p>That has created uncertainty about whether he will need some rest when the season resumes&hellip;and whether Nashville can afford to give it to him. The Preds are as close to first place in the West (nine points behind Detroit) as they are to ninth (nine ahead of Anaheim). Five of their first six post-Olympic games are on the road.</p><p>&ldquo;I play a lot,&rdquo;Vokoun said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of pressure on me, in a sense. There&rsquo;s not many nights I play with a two-goal lead. Every game is close and you have to be focused the whole game, so there&rsquo;s not really nights off.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-07

Olympics no break for busy Vokoun

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> New York gladly sent Rick DiPietro to join Team USA at the Olympics, believing that a strong performance by their No. 1 goalie might be the elixir the Islanders need to make up ground in the NHL playoff race.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-09156/8801617-1-eng-US/f0030-092.jpg" title="f0030-09" width="166" height="200"></div><p>Six points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference entering the break &ndash; and faced with a busy March slate (16 games in 31 days) &ndash; Isles brass watched closely as DiPietro took over for Tampa Bay&rsquo;s John Grahame following a disappointing opening-game tie against Latvia. DiPietro posted a victory over Kazakhstan and he played well despite two low-scoring losses to Slovakia and Sweden.</p><p>Elsewhere, defenseman Alexei Zhitnik was slated to play for Team Russia, but skipped the Olympics in order to continue receiving treatment on a high ankle sprain that forced him out of the lineup for the final five games before the break.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-09

DiPietro’s success buoys Islanders

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="105" height="117"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The impact the Olympic Games has on the Rangers essentially boils down to the force with which Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s head struck the boards when the Czech was hit by Finland&rsquo;s Jarkko Ruutu in a Feb. 18 preliminary round game.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011172/8801648-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="162" height="196"></div><p>It was initially feared No. 68 had suffered a serious injury &ndash; or at the very least, a concussion &ndash; when he lay on the ice in a pool of blood resulting from three separate cuts to the head. But, fortunately for Jagr, the Czechs and the Rangers, that was the extent of the injury &ndash; three cuts that required stitches.</p><p>The break provided some much-needed time off for a pair of injury plagued forwards. Steve Rucchin has been playing with a variety of lower-body ailments throughout the season, while right winger Petr Sykora, who had been nursing a sore groin for the last month, also relished some time away from the rink.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

Headache averted; Jagr shakes off hit

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Senators&rsquo; worst nightmare came true during the Olympics: star Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek got injured.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03585/8801686-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="164" height="195"></div><p>Whether Hasek is going to be ready when the regular NHL schedule gets underway wasn&rsquo;t known, but watching him leave the Olympics with an abductor muscle injury (located in the backside) was more than a pain in the butt for Ottawa management. GM John Muckler was so concerned about the man who is supposed to carry the team to a Stanley Cup, he asked Hasek to leave the Olympics and return to Ottawa immediately for further examination.</p><p>Though it&rsquo;s not considered a serious injury and should only keep him out of action until early March, the Senators are concerned this might be something that nags him through a playoff run, and that would put a huge dent in Ottawa&rsquo;s seemingly indestructible armor.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-03

Worst-case scenario fulfilled for Sens

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Olympic break couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time for the banged-up Flyers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05352/8801717-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="158" height="168"></div><p>They&rsquo;re leading the league in man-games lost and had at least six players out with injuries when the Games began. Among the more prominent players, Kim Johnsson (concussion), Michal Handzus (shoulder), Joni Pitkanen (groin) and Mike Rathje (groin) should have benefited the most.</p><p>At the Games, Finland&rsquo;s Antero Niittymaki was the biggest winner through the round robin, with two shutouts in his first three starts. Peter Forsberg tried to ease back into action for Sweden, his first ice time since a groin injury in January.</p><p>The Flyers also held a six-day mini-camp to help players maintain their conditioning and keep sharp. Pitkanen, Handzus, Johnsson and Sami Kapanen (shoulder) all chose to stay home from the Games, hoping to heal up for the playoff drive.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-05

Niittymaki shuts out Olympic opposition

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT PAULSON</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> No team needed a break more than the Coyotes.</p><p>With players and coaches asked frequently about &lsquo;Operation Slap Shot&rsquo; leading into the hiatus, the focus around Phoenix was not on the ice and it showed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02777/8801748-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="158" height="198"></div><p>The Coyotes went 0-2-1 during that span, managing only two goals combined in losses to Chicago and Dallas before a much better showing in an overtime loss to San Jose.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a rough week, so (it will be good) just to have a chance to get out of here and get a breath of fresh air, regroup,&rdquo; said associate coach Barry Smith.</p><p>Only two players &ndash; Shane Doan (Canada) and Dennis Seidenberg (Germany) &ndash; along with coach Wayne Gretzky were in Italy, and the Coyotes should be almost completely healthy coming back. Defenseman Derek Morris (ankle), out since Dec. 29 is expected to be in the lineup for Phoenix&rsquo;s first game back, March 2.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-02

Coyotes try to focus on ice, not scandal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Penguins, as Sidney Crosby put it, had &ldquo;mixed feelings&rdquo; going into the Olympic break because they were actually playing well.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04448/8801779-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="161" height="197"></div><p>They had won two games in a row for only the third time all season, at Carolina and Washington on consecutive nights.</p><p>The team figured to return well-rested, with only Sergei Gonchar and Tomas Surovy playing in the Olympics. Gonchar showed some life before the break, scoring his first goal in more than a month in the Feb. 11 win over Washington.</p><p>The rest of the season will provide valuable experience for a promising corps of youngsters &ndash; and more could arrive if, as expected, veterans are dealt. Coach Michel Therrien and GM Craig Patrick (in the final year of his contract) both have tenuous job security, as does nearly everyone else in the organization. That&rsquo;s simply a fact of life when new ownership is on the horizon.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-04

With season sunk, Penguins test youth

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROSS MCKEON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07244/8801810-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="783" height="1409"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NO LET UP</b></p><p>Joe Thornton&rsquo;s job won&rsquo;t be any easier after the Olympic break.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Sharks had just four players in Turin, which is a good thing because they&rsquo;re going to need all the rest they can muster.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06290/8801817-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="159" height="199"></div><p>San Jose is the only Western Conference playoff contender with as many as 26 games remaining &ndash; and they&rsquo;re compacted into 49 days. Coach Ron Wilson is aware of what that means for No. 1 center Joe Thornton, who competed for Canada at the Olympics.</p><p>&ldquo;With the other players we can ease them back, but for us to have a chance for the playoffs Joe is going to have to play a lot,&rdquo;Wilson said.</p><p>Wilson planned to start goalie Vesa Toskala when the Sharks restart against Detroit. The Finnish backup won the last three games before the Olympic break and is riding a 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2); plus, No. 1 goalie Evgeni Nabokov could need a period of adjustment considering the time difference and travel back to California.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-07

Thornton won’t rest when he gets back

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM TIMMERMANN</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="105" height="117"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The flippant answer is anything that gets between the Blues and the end of the season is a bad thing, but the Olympics did come at a poor time for St. Louis.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011251/8801848-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="166" height="194"></div><p>For the first time all season, the Blues were on a roll, going 2-0-1 on a three-game Western Canada swing.</p><p>Though it&rsquo;s too late for the Blues to do anything other than move down in the draft, the recent wins &ndash; following a string of respectable play by the team&rsquo;s youth brigade &ndash; are a boost to morale on a team that has been beaten down all year by losses.</p><p>The break did have benefits, too. Defenseman Bryce Salvador and forward Jamal Mayers were able to do some recuperating without missing games. And two of the Blues&rsquo; three Olympians, left winger Keith Tkachuk and defenseman Christian Backman, had already missed long parts of the season to injury, so the extra work may actually help them.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-01

Blues were rolling before Turin break

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM JONES</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> Tampa Bay entered the Olympic break on a 10-2-1 run, so you would think the break was bad timing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02831/8801886-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="159" height="197"></div><p>On the contrary. Coach John Tortorella ran his team with the break in mind, pushing his top players in the final pre-Olympic games. Tampa appeared to be running out of gas and the 16 days off gave many players, particularly the overworked defense, a chance to rest up.</p><p>Then again, many of Tortorella&rsquo;s players didn&rsquo;t get any time off. The Lightning sent eight players to Turin, and key players such as Vinny Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Marty St-Louis, Fredrik Modin and Vinny Prospal could be tired out when the NHL starts up again. The Lightning has to hope its conditioning program, always reliable in the past, works well enough that the team&rsquo;s top stars have enough in the tank to make a strong playoff push.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-02

Tortorella’s stars return for big push

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> The Maple Leafs were 5-11-2 from the turn of the calendar to the Olympic break, but there are far more somber numbers when it comes to their slim hopes of making the playoffs this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03606/8801917-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="161" height="200"></div><p>Over the past five seasons, it has required an average of 87 points to earn a playoff spot in the East. With 59 points in 57 games going into the break, that means the Leafs needed 28 points in their final 25 games. That&rsquo;s a .560 winning percentage, compared to their .518 mark prior to the Olympics.</p><p>Eighteen of those 25 games were against teams with records of .500 or better; Toronto&rsquo;s mark against such teams was just 17-22-5.</p><p>From March 16-28, Toronto plays seven of eight games on the road, all but one against teams .500 or better.</p><p>And that&rsquo;s just to get 87 points. Eric Lindros figures the Leafs will need 90 to make the playoffs.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-03

Math doesn’t add up for Buds’ Cup hopes

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><p><b>OLYMPIC IMPACT</b> The biggest enemy faced by Vancouver&rsquo;s six Olympians upon their return from Turin figured to be fatigue.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04441/8801948-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="161" height="199"></div><p>Todd Bertuzzi, Sami Salo, Jarkko Ruutu, Mattias Ohlund and the Sedin twins all played an NHL game on Sunday night (Feb. 12) Pacific time &ndash; it was already 4 a.m. Monday in Turin &ndash; and had a nine-hour time change to overcome.</p><p>It was just as bad on the return. With the Olympics finishing Feb. 26, the Canuck contingent had just two days to refocus on the Calgary Flames, whom they met Feb. 28.</p><p>The Calgary date marked a three-game in four-night road trip that also had the Canucks in Nashville March 2 and Chicago March 3.</p><p>No wonder coach Marc Crawford said prior to the Games he hoped his Olympians would either win gold (and come back on a high) or lose out in the quarterfinal round.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-04

Turin time changes zone out Canucks

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVE FAY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>O</span>LYMPIC IMPACT</b> For Washington, the Olympic break was a lot more than a chance to mend bruised bodies. It was a chance to rest for what lay ahead &ndash; one of the most brutal stretches in team history.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05345/8801979-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="147" height="187"></div><p>Beginning Feb. 28, the Caps play their final 26 games in just 50 days. It gets even worse: after March 20, the club plays 15 games in 29 days and just three at home.</p><p>This after Washington took a leisurely 130 days to play its first 56 games.</p><p>What concerns team officials the most is health. The Caps were in decent shape through New Year&rsquo;s with about 95 man-games lost to injury, but that figure ballooned to 145 over the next month. Playing a schedule that is basically a game every other night &ndash; and coming off a 12-day break &ndash; management fears an injury outbreak that could cripple an already thin organization.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-05

Capitals confront crushing schedule

f0033-01

Depth Charts

<div class="byline">By TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03674/8802097-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>ADMIRAL EYESORE</b></p><p>Brandon Segal displays the Bob Uecker-inspired butterscotch jerseys Milwaukee wore for two home games in the name of charity.</p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon032.jpg" title="common03" width="113" height="112"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he AHL doesn&rsquo;t have the market cornered on awful third or promotional jerseys &ndash; see Nashville or Boston for some NHL evidence &ndash; but the Milwaukee Admirals may have topped (or bottomed) the charts.</p><p>The Admirals turned a popular television commercial baseball icon <b>Bob Uecker</b> did for them about 10 years ago into reality. In the commercial, Uecker said he loved hockey and snickered as he wondered aloud whether Milwaukee would like the new uniforms he had designed for them.</p><p>The spoofed uniforms matched his loud butterscotch plaid sports jacket.</p><p>This season, the Admirals had the jerseys designed for real and wore them Feb. 17 against Manitoba and Feb. 18 against Peoria, then auctioned them off to benefit the team&rsquo;s charitable Power Play Foundation.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s so ugly, it&rsquo;s beautiful,&rdquo; is how the team promoted the design.</p><p>There won&rsquo;t be any arguments on that claim.</p><p><b>LUTZ OF FUN</b> Admirals defenseman <b>Nathan Lutz</b> knows what excites fans in many AHL markets.</p><p>After Milwaukee jumped out to a three-goal lead over Manitoba on home ice during a first period which featured two fights, Lutz was asked during an interview for the Bradley Center Jumbotron what the Admirals would need to do to cement a win.</p><p>&ldquo;We need to keep skating and hitting&hellip;and fighting,&rdquo; Lutz responded, to the delight of fans.</p><p><b>CATCHIN&rsquo; A CAB</b> Even if it was going to be a conditioning assignment, the Grand Rapids Griffins had hoped to enjoy the services of former AHL all-star defenseman <b>Niklas Kronwall</b> for more than one game.</p><p>The 25-year-old, however, left the team to join Sweden&rsquo;s taxi squad halfway through the Olympics.</p><p>Prior to his departure for Turin, NHL rules forced Kronwall to take a week off while he was with the Griffins because he was assigned to Grand Rapids after making his NHL debut Feb. 1.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05436/8802090-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="304" height="301"></div><p>Kronwall had sustained a knee injury during Detroit&rsquo;s training camp last fall.</p><p><b>CLEVELAND TONIC</b> The Cleveland Barons, sliding hard to an out-of the-playoffs finish, lost 13 games in a row before they met the team they&rsquo;d been waiting for, the Rochester Americans.</p><p>The Barons, who are moving to Worcester next season, ended the skid with a 4-2 triumph over Rochester Feb. 19, their fifth consecutive win over the Americans this year.</p><p><b>AMERICAN HONOR Scott Metcalfe</b>, a nine-year American, was inducted into the team&rsquo;s hall of fame.</p><p>The fan favorite, who helped the Amerks capture a Calder Cup in 1996, retired in 1998 and is the 41st member of Rochester&rsquo;s hall of fame.</p><p>At the same time they honored Metcalfe, the Amerks unveiled their 50th anniversary starting lineup, voted on by the fans.</p><p>It included goalie <b>Gerry Cheevers</b>, defensemen <b>Al Arbour</b> and <b>Don Cherry</b> and forwards <b>Bronco Horvath</b>, <b>Dick Gamble</b> and <b>Jody Gage</b>.</p><h2>POWER RANKINGS</h2><p>As of Feb. 22, 2006</p><p><b>AHL EAST</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06391/8802083-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="277" height="346"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07348/8802076-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="107" height="163"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 107px"><b>Erik Westrum</b></figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08308/8802069-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="69" height="68"></div><p><b>55 GP</b></p><p><b>27 G</b></p><p><b>52 A</b></p><p><b>79 Pts</b></p><p><b>TOP WEST PLAYMAKERS</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-09264/8802062-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="280" height="272"></div><h2><b>AHL PROFILE</b></h2><p><b>Toronto Marlies</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-10237/8802055-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="115" height="114"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-11216/8802048-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="123" height="195"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 123px"><b>John Pohl</b></figcaption></div><p><b>1st Season in AHL Best Season</b></p><p>28-22-4-1 in &rsquo;05-06</p><p><b>Arena</b></p><p>Ricoh Coliseum</p><p><b>GM</b> Mike Penny</p><p><b>Coach</b></p><p>Paul Maurice</p><p><b>All-time Leaders</b></p><p>(GP-G-A-<b>Points)</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-14171/8802041-1-eng-US/f0034-142.jpg" title="f0034-14" width="177" height="145"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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March 7, 2006

Kopitar getting Anze for North America

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

Ozolinsh comeback starts in Italy

Turin no rib-tickler for Devils duo