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.

April 18, 2006

The Hockey News - Apr-18-06

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011074/9035330-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>LADEMASTER Chatham, Ontario, Canada N7M 5L5 Tel: (519) 352-4550 Fax: (519) 352-7676 Toll-Free: (CAN) 1-888-648-7776 (USA) 1-800-878-4648 Website: <a href="http://www.blademaster.ca">www.blademaster.ca</a></p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011158/9035323-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="6450" height="3225"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01756/9035316-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="6450" height="3225"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01672/9035309-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="3020" height="762"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0037-01

DEPARTMENTS

2005-06 Statistics

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN MURPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02886/9033949-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TRAPPED</b></p><p>Marian Gaborik and the Wild have another long summer ahead.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(RON LEBLANC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C+</b> Well-groomed prospects expected to elevate their games were overwhelmed. Rookie Mikko Koivu flashed myriad skills, but remains a first round enigma. Pascal Dupuis is a two-season under-achiever since his ill-fated holdout and 20-goal breakout. On the bright side, Brian Rolston teamed with Marian Gaborik to give the Wild two bona fide game breakers, while Pierre-Marc Bouchard emerged as a playmaking dynamo.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011266/9033956-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="169" height="168"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C&ndash;</b> The NHL&rsquo;s new rules challenged Minnesota&rsquo;s under-experienced blueline. Shoddy passing and poor decision-making often left the Wild scrambling against puck-possession teams.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> The beacon throughout a dim season. The Wild would have been irrelevant without the brilliance of Manny Fernandez, whose strong play drove Dwayne Roloson out of town.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-02

Kids fail to step up for not-so-Wild ride

<div class="byline">By LARRY MAHONEY</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>here was no shortage of impact freshmen in Hockey East this season. That bodes well for the league&rsquo;s future, according to UMass-Amherst coach <b>Don Cahoon</b>. &ldquo;There were so many young teams in the league this season and the young players were making significant contributions, even on the power play and the penalty kill,&rdquo; Cahoon said. &ldquo;The chances of the whole league raising its level of play is pretty good. I think it&rsquo;s going to be an amazing league over the next few years.&rdquo; The league rallied nicely this season to put two teams, Boston College and Maine, in the Frozen Four after being shut out by the all-WCHA Frozen Four in 2005. Boston College had seven freshmen who appeared in at least 37 games, including 16-goal scorer <b>Benn Ferriero</b> and defenseman <b>Brett Motherwell</b>, who had 22 points. Maine had only three freshmen see significant ice time, but one was all-Hockey East rookie team goalie <b>Ben Bishop</b>. Also, five sophomores were key contributors. Boston University, which won the regular season and tournament championship, had five freshmen appear in at least 32 games, led by Hockey East rookie of the year <b>Brandon Yip</b>, who had 31 points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05433/9035216-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="197" height="93"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0036-05

Go East, young players, and take over the league

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NICK GATES</div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>untsville coach John Gibson admits the Havoc &ldquo;turned a few heads&rdquo; by upsetting the defending champion Columbus Cottonmouths in the opening round of the playoffs. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody thought we&rsquo;d get past Columbus,&rdquo; Gibson said. &ldquo;It was a fifth (seed) playing a second and Columbus is so strong at home.&rdquo; Huntsville won Games 1 and 3 on the road to claim the best-of-three series, after losing Game 2 at home in double overtime. The Havoc, who now play Florida in a best-of-three semifinal, got great goaltending from league MVP Matt Carmichael and supplementary scoring from the likes of Mike O&rsquo;Sullivan and Mark Cole. &ldquo;The guys on the team who are going to win for you are the so-called, quote-unquote third-line guys,&rdquo; Gibson said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06411/9034909-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="192" height="149"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-06

IN THIS ISSUE

Role players wreak Havoc on Columbus

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012050/9032375-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COVER: FORSBERG: LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES; IGINLA: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES; CONTENTS: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0004-01

Poppin’ Off

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012050/9032430-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="928" height="1420"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>1972 Summit Series</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>You know the ending, but&hellip;</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span> handful of us in the office got a chance to watch CBC&rsquo;s mini-series <i>Canada Russia &rsquo;72</i> in advance of its April 9-10 TV airing and we were impressed with the entire package. The story, naturally, was well-trodden, but the production, the acting, the characterization and the final product was top drawer. Even those of us well-versed in the details learned a new sidebar or two. We got to know the personalities and the thought processes &ndash; albeit with artistic license stretched &ndash; of so many colorful characters. A few skeptics in the office wondered aloud if it was worth the four-hour investment to watch a story that has been told countless times. If you&rsquo;re a fan of the game and get a kick out of 1970s music and style, find a way to watch it.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0005-01

IN THE NEWSROOM

<div class="byline">Jason Kay</div><p><b>C</b>hris Chelios has tried his hand at bobsled; now it&rsquo;s time for tightrope walking.</p><p>The veteran superstar will need to tread carefully as he leads a group of disgruntled players in a now-public war with union executive director Ted Saskin.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not that Chelios isn&rsquo;t within his rights to seek answers. If he feels he has been wronged, more power to him for taking a principled stand.</p><p>But once he decided to discuss the issue with the media, Chelios opened a Pandora&rsquo;s box. We&rsquo;re just approaching the end of a season of unexpected recovery. Revenues are up. The cap, and average player salary, will follow.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021476/9032468-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="350" height="525"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MELCHIOR DIGIACOMO/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Over the course of his NHL career, Chelios will have earned around $50 million, give or take. While we know this isn&rsquo;t necessarily about the money, it&rsquo;s still difficult for the average hockey follower to swallow. For many fans, it typically <i>is</i> about the money; it&rsquo;s tough to disassociate player complaints with their paychecks.</p><p>And, from our perspective, that rationale has some merit. This time last year, Chelios was earning the NHL average &ndash; $0.0 million. Whether players agree with Saskin&rsquo;s and Trevor Linden&rsquo;s strategy and philosophy, or whether they&rsquo;re still bitter at accepting a cap, the fact remains they&rsquo;re employed again and making copious amounts of cash. That&rsquo;s due to Saskin and Linden.</p><p>There&rsquo;s a sense some players are contemptuous of Saskin because, for a non-hockey guy, he&rsquo;s earning a hefty stipend. Goodenow was a hard-nosed competitor at Harvard and fought &rsquo;em in the boardrooms. Players relate to that. It&rsquo;s probably fair to say, most of the players aligned against Saskin are still supportive of Goodenow.</p><p>Whatever the case, the last thing the NHLPA needs is another public relations blight. The union was hammered during the lockout and should be in fence-mending mode. This latest round of public in-fighting is distasteful. We&rsquo;d advise the boys to keep their sparring discreet; there&rsquo;s little to be gained, and more egg to be worn, by trading punches in the press.</p><p>Elsewhere in our brain:</p><p>&bull; More fodder for the NHLers in Olympics debate: In Sweden, a nation of nine million, the men&rsquo;s gold medal game drew 3.5 million viewers. In Finland, almost half of that country&rsquo;s 2.4 million people watched their team get the silver. Big picture, these small picture numbers are good for hockey and should be taken into consideration when it comes time to decide on NHL participation.</p><p>&bull; Expect the shootout debate to get stoked over the final couple weeks of the season. It&rsquo;s in these crunch games, when playoff spots and seedings are on the line, that the impact of the shootout intensifies. When trying to decide which side of the argument you&rsquo;re on, be mindful of one variable: some teams play for the shootout. Because of that, you can&rsquo;t just back out teams&rsquo; records in the breakaway contests to show how the standings would have appeared. It&rsquo;s not an apples-to-apples comparison.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03952/9032461-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="459" height="246"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0005-02

Keep it private

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012269/9032513-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="532" height="532"></div><h2><b>THE CROSBY SHOW</b></h2><h3><b>STANDING UP FOR THE KID</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hank you, Jason Kay, for your April 4 editorial on Sidney Crosby. When an 18-year-old kid walks into this league, has his teeth knocked down his throat by a 235-pound oaf named Derian Hatcher, and scores two goals that game to lift his down-in-the-dumps Penguins squad over Cup-contender Philadelphia, in my book, he has every right in the world to mouth off.</p><p><b>Corey Mentch, Greensburg, Pa.</b></p><h2><b>SPECIAL AGENTS</b></h2><h3><b>BETTMAN OUR TAGLIABUE?</b></h3><p>Did you take a look at the list of players who will be available through free agency this summer?</p><p>Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Teemu Selanne, Nicklas Lidstrom, Zdeno Chara, Bryan McCabe, Martin Gerber, Cristobal Huet, Dominik Hasek (if he doesn&rsquo;t retire), etc.</p><p>The main thing that will become clearer in the next few years is that the lockout-induced CBA is not as detrimental to players as first thought. With some of them becoming free agents by the time they turn 25, they&rsquo;re going to be back in the driver&rsquo;s seat within two years.</p><p>As a fan, I&rsquo;m disappointed my favorite team might not be able to hold on to its core and get on a roll for a few years. Gary Bettman was accused of NBA-ing the NHL, but it&rsquo;s more like he NFL&rsquo;d it.</p><p><b>Vincent Robert, Los Angeles</b></p><h2><b>HIP, HIP HUET</b></h2><h3><b>MONTREAL&rsquo;S SAVIOR</b></h3><p>When Montreal ended up with Cristobal Huet as part of the Radek Bonk trade, I have to admit, there was no expectation that Huet would be a good back-up, let alone a starter. Egg on the the faces of all. This guy had good numbers in L.A., but what he&rsquo;s doing in Montreal is Hart Trophy stuff.</p><p>Yeah I know, his first game was Dec 18, but let&rsquo;s be honest: With 10 games left he&rsquo;s No. 1 in save percentage, No. 2 in goals-against average and tied for second in shutouts. And let&rsquo;s not forget he&rsquo;s doing this in the fish bowl of hockey.</p><p>I watch every Canadiens game and this guy is unflappable. He&rsquo;s always in the right position to make the save. The only time he has a bad (loose term) game is when his teammates hang him out to dry and he&rsquo;s usually able to compensate for that.</p><p>I say Vezina and Hart trophies if he gets the Habs in to the playoffs (almost by himself). Gainey is looking like a brain surgeon on this one.</p><p><b>Peter Gilbert, Fall River, N.S.</b></p><h2><b>REMOTE PATROL</b></h2><h3><b>SPORTSNET TOO FLIRTY</b></h3><p>Once upon a time, Rogers Sportsnet was the sports channel to watch. Now, they are trying much too hard to be hip and cool. For one, they all like joking around while the highlights are on, and Mike Toth especially enjoys flirting with Martine Gaillard.</p><p>Not only do they try to be funny, they also blacked the game out between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings (March 30, 2006) on Sportsnet West. This should not happen. I think it&rsquo;s time to try a new channel.</p><p><b>Johnathan Lambert, Manning, Alta.</b></p><h3><b>U.S. CRISIS LOOMING</b></h3><p>I&rsquo;m disappointed that THN has not covered the season-long OLN fiasco more doggedly. As the playoffs approach and many U.S.-based fans who are DishTV subscribers stand to miss critical games, I can&rsquo;t help but wonder what sort of coverage of this mess would have occurred if a major portion of the Canadian public were going to be denied playoff coverage due to an ill-advised TV deal.</p><p>Would there have been cover stories? Would the fiasco have been fixed promptly because of the pressure the NHL felt? Would the deal have taken place to begin with? Of all the stories that have come and gone this year, maybe this is the biggest story that&rsquo;s never gotten any real coverage outside of a few letters to the editor and some oblique references in pieces that are really about some other topic.</p><p><b>Bruce Quaglia, Salt Lake City, Utah</b></p><h2><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RESPONDS</b></h2><p><i>We covered OLN&rsquo;s ups and downs earlier in the season, but you are certainly right that any snafus involving stretch runs or the playoffs would be ruinous. We&rsquo;ll keep tabs on it. Thanks!</i></p><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.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021506/9032506-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="510" height="777"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jacques Lemaire</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LEMAIRE: LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>LETTER OF THE WEEK</b></h2><h3><b>Jacques Therapy</b></h3><p>Jacques Lemaire, he of the Minnesota Wild, should accept the fact that the playoffs are gone for another year and try to sell some entertainment. That is what the NHL is in, the entertainment business.</p><p>The man who used to be one of the Flying Frenchmen (who can forget that drop pass to The Flower that sent Don Cherry to Denver?) can put you to sleep when you&rsquo;re watching your favorite team fight for a playoff spot.</p><p>Thankfully, he will be gone next year. First New Jersey, now Minnesota. If they can bring in that stupid instigator rule, surely they can ban Lemaire from the league.</p><p><b>Jack Goode, Penticton, B.C.</b></p><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><p><b><a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p><b>Which of these dark horse teams could do the most damage in the playoffs?</b></p><p>San Jose <b>27%</b></p><p>Anaheim <b>17%</b></p><p>Montreal <b>17%</b></p><p>New Jersey <b>14%</b></p><p>Edmonton <b>13%</b></p><p>Atlanta <b>12%</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03873/9032499-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="502" height="412"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrick Marleau</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MARLEAU: NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0006-01

Letters

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012046/9032558-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BERNIER: ELSA/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>teve Bernier&rsquo;s invitation to the NHL&rsquo;s great rookie bash arrived a little late, but when he finally joined the party, the San Jose Sharks freshman made the best of his opportunity.</p><p>While much of the focus has understandably been on the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Dion Phaneuf and Henrik Lundqvist, among others, Bernier is making noise on the West Coast as a Johnny-come-lately. After scoring once during a five-game audition with the Sharks in November, Bernier was sent back to AHL Cleveland, then recalled Dec. 30. He was held goalless in his first 11 games upon recall &ndash; and then scored 10 goals in the next 13 games.</p><p>&ldquo;The first time he was up he simply didn&rsquo;t play with enough speed, NHL speed,&rdquo; says San Jose coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;You have to remember, he&rsquo;s a kid right out of junior. We sent him to the minors so he could work on his game and that&rsquo;s what he did. When he was called up the second time, he was a more physical player. We were a team in need of some scoring and he has produced for us.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021381/9032565-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="222" height="250"></div><p>The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Bernier, who scored 151 goals in 271 games with Moncton of the Quebec League the past four seasons, plays on a line with captain Patrick Marleau and fellow rookie Milan Michalek. It gives defenders two lines to worry about along with the Nils Ekman-Joe Thornton-Jonathan Cheechoo line.</p><p>San Jose GM Doug Wilson says Bernier&rsquo;s development took a huge turn in his final season of junior.</p><p>&ldquo;He went back and worked on the areas of his game that needed working on in order for him to take the next step as a professional,&rdquo; Wilson says. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t easy and he sacrificed goals in doing so, but he arrived this season better prepared to be a pro. He is a kid who simply loves to play the game and will do whatever it takes to be better.&rdquo;</p><p>Fans got a taste of just how special Bernier is March 21 when he scored a one-handed goal in a 6-0 win over St. Louis. Bernier carried the puck into the Blues zone on the right wing, encountered a defender but still powered to the net with one hand on his stick, did a spin-a-rama and then scooped the puck past a startled Reinhard Divis.</p><p>&ldquo;I knew I wasn&rsquo;t going to be able to score on my backhand, so I spun and shot it one-handed,&rdquo; Bernier says.</p><p>Starting the year in the minors helped him with his &ldquo;NHL speed&rdquo;.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t consider myself a slow guy,&rdquo; Bernier said. &ldquo;It may take me a while to get my feet going, but once I do, I&rsquo;m quick enough.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>2.2 RACE TO THE FINNISH LINE</b></h2><p>Points per game for Anaheim winger Teemu Selanne (nine goals, 22 points) during an 8-2-0 Ducks run from March 19 to April 4.</p><h2><b>45 BARGAIN BIN</b></h2><p>Per cent of Blues players (nine of 20) who suited up against Minnesota April 4 are earning the NHL minimum salary of $450,000 this season.</p><h2><b>8 IT&rsquo;S GETTING HOT IN HERE</b></h2><p>Points separating first-place Calgary from fourth-place Vancouver in the Northwest through April 6. No other division margin was less than 18.</p><h2><b>SILLY AND MERRY</b></h2><p>Fifteen seasons and 11 NHL teams later, Nashville center <b>Mike Sillinger</b> played his 900th career NHL game April 1 in St. Louis &ndash; the team with which he started this season, appropriately enough.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03877/9032551-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="507" height="670"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SILLINGER: NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>WITH A CHERRY</b></h2><p>Rangers goalie <b>Kevin Weekes</b> may have lost the No. 1 job to Henrik Lundqvist, but he had extra reason to celebrate his 3-2 playoff-clinching win over Philadelphia April 4. It was also his 31st birthday.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04567/9032544-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="485" height="458"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LEHTONEN: SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>KARI&rsquo;S CARRY</b></h2><p>Florida&rsquo;s Roberto Luongo has a new rival for the mantle of busiest goalie in Atlanta rookie <b>Kari Lehtonen</b>, who had started 27 straight games for the Thrashers dating back to Jan. 21.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

Fashionably late

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012169/9032603-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>STATS BOOSTER</b></p><p><b>Washington&rsquo;s Brent Johnson stopped 95 of 96 shots in back-to-back wins over Ottawa and Carolina.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06345/9032617-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="95" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-07254/9032610-1-eng-US/f0008-072.jpg" title="f0008-07" width="183" height="155"></div><p>The final count is in for the Olympics: 88 men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s players tested for banned substances, zero positive results.</p><p>His dad has played more than 1,000 NHL games as a top enforcer, but don&rsquo;t expect 10-year-old <b>Max Domi</b> to follow in his pop <b>Tie&rsquo;s</b> footsteps. Max is an exceptionally gifted skater and scorer who helped his Toronto Marlies make it to the GTHL atom division final. The Marlies lost in eight games, but Mighty Max was arguably the most dangerous player.</p><p>When Ottawa forward <b>Chris Neil</b> says he would have received a five-minute major and a suspension if it been him giving a two-hand slash across the wrist of <b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> instead of the other way around, we believe him. Kovalchuk eluded a suspension.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021632/9032596-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="771" height="1085"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Neil</b></figcaption></div><p>If you&rsquo;re looking for this year&rsquo;s <b>Miikka Kiprusoff</b>, look no further than the guy with the &lsquo;CH&rsquo; on his jersey, standing, of course, for <b>Cristobal Huet</b>. There are remarkable similarities: A largely unknown netminder assumes the No. 1 job around mid-season and wins raves carrying his middle-of-the-road team to a playoff berth. Calgary entered the playoffs as the West&rsquo;s sixth seed in 2004, a likely spot for Montreal in the East.</p><p>If the Pittsburgh Penguins hang on to last place, they&rsquo;ll have a 48.2 per cent chance of securing the first overall 2006 entry draft pick in the draft lottery. The per cent chance for the other bottom-five teams eligible to win the first pick are: 18.8, 14.2, 10.7 and 8.1.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-01

SNAPSHOTS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04628/9032648-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="346" height="502"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ith the playoffs just around the corner, action on the ice is boiling over everywhere. For players, that means keeping hydrated takes on added importance.</p><p>NHL trainers are responsible for keeping their players cool at the time of the year when shootouts are replaced by sudden-death overtimes. Not only are players heating up from the intensity of the play, but spring and early summer conditions naturally add more heat and humidity to the rinks.</p><p>Carolina head athletic trainer Pete Friesen knows all about long Stanley Cup runs. He was with the Hurricanes when they went into three overtimes against Detroit in the third game of the 2002 final. Serious fatigue and dehydration was setting in on both benches.</p><p>&ldquo;Heddy (Bret Hedican) almost played an hour,&rdquo; Friesen recalled. &ldquo;You have to prepare for that.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031146/9032655-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="235" height="357"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bret Hedican</b></figcaption></div><p>In order to get his boys back on the ice in the best possible condition, Friesen and his staff had to find ways of replacing up to 10 pounds of water weight each player had dropped during the game.</p><p>That meant I.V.s between periods and pressure garments to get the Canes hydrated even faster.</p><p>&ldquo;The Stanley Cup is the hardest team sport to win,&rdquo; Friesen noted. &ldquo;Next to the Tour de France, it&rsquo;s the hardest sport to win.&rdquo;</p><p>When Philadelphia took five overtimes to beat Pittsburgh in Game 4 of the 2000 Eastern Conference semifinal, Flyers head athletic trainer Jim McCrossin had to put all his know-how to the test.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to plan ahead that you&rsquo;ll have enough electrolytes to replenish (the players),&rdquo; he said. But five overtimes?</p><p>The biggest challenge actually came the morning after, when McCrossin and his staff had to re-invigorate the Flyers for another game the next day. Among the vital nutrients players needed to build back up were sodium and potassium. McCrossin got a handy tip from his training staff cousins with the NFL&rsquo;s Philadelphia Eagles.</p><p>&ldquo;Pickle juice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s high in sodium, and any research on sweat loss will show it&rsquo;s sodium that needs to be replenished.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>QUOTE <i>of the</i> WEEK</b></h2><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s raw fish, come on! You can&rsquo;t keep that under the sun too long.&rdquo;<br>Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire, after <b>Kurtis Foster</b> became the third Wild player with food poisoning after eating sushi.</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-04

Playoff heat on trainers, too

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05443/9032686-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="480" height="575"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(FOSTER: LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>MATT WILKERSON, FROM MILLERSVILLE, MD., ASKS How do you improve your speed and quickness?</b></p><p>&ldquo;Work on your strength. I do a lot of squats and work with free weights. I also stretch a lot.&rdquo;</p><p><b>MICHAEL REMIS, FROM WINNIPEG, ASKS What are your best memories of Winnipeg?</b></p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great hockey city. The people there are so nice and friendly. That&rsquo;s why they call it &lsquo;Friendly Manitoba.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p><b>TIM BAYER, FROM COBOURG, ONT., ASKS How is this team different from the last Ducks team you played for?</b></p><p>&ldquo;This team is younger, faster and more talented.&rdquo;</p><p><b>LARRY FRONCZAK, FROM PHILADELPHIA, ASKS Who is the toughest goalie you faced in the NHL or Finland?</b></p><p>&ldquo;They are all tough. Honestly, I don't know, I have faced so many tough goalies over the years.&rdquo;</p><p><b>KEVIN PERRON, FROM SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., ASKS What is the most important skill to develop to be a high-level forward?</b></p><p>&ldquo;Skating. Speed kills in this league. Skating is what separates the good players from the great players.&rdquo;</p><p><b>KELLY KOLLA, FROM CUDWORTH, SASK., ASKS Do you prepare any differently when you play for Finland than for Anaheim?</b></p><p>&ldquo;I always prepare the same.&rdquo;</p><p><b>VISIT <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS OF NHL STARS!</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-05

FAN SHOOTOUT WITH Teemu Selanne

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011951/9032724-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alberta&rsquo;s CIS champions were too busy partying to notice their trophy vanish.</figcaption></div><h2><b>UNIVERSITY CUP HEISTED</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Stanley Cup has been in all types of odd scenarios over the years, and now the symbol of Canadian university hockey supremacy is following suit. The University Cup, won for the second straight year by the Alberta Golden Bears, was stolen from an Edmonton nightclub March 27 during a team party. Police, who said somebody walked off with the Cup around 2 a.m., are investigating. Bears captain Gavin McLeod was at the party and left before the Cup was taken. &ldquo;I got to the rink the next day and a couple of guys asked me, &lsquo;You&rsquo;ve got the Cup at home, right?&rsquo;&rdquo; he told Canadian Press. &ldquo;I was thinking to myself, &lsquo;No, I don&rsquo;t.&rsquo; And then they&rsquo;re like, &lsquo;Oh, man, we&rsquo;re in trouble.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021350/9032717-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="196" height="211"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jacques Plante</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>PLANTE PIECE IN MUSEUM</b></h2><p>The Canadian Museum of Civilization acquired a piece of hockey history from one of the game&rsquo;s pioneers. The CMC purchased the third mask ever worn by Jacques Plante, the legendary NHL goalie who made his position forever safer by popularizing the use of goalie masks. The Hockey Hall of Fame owns Plante&rsquo;s first two masks.</p><h2><b>DUNLOPS DAZZLE</b></h2><p>The Whitby (Ont.) Dunlops have earned a date with the defending Canadian men&rsquo;s senior champs. Whitby beat the Dundas (Ont.) Real McCoys in the best-of-5 Robertson Trophy series and will face the Thunder Bay Bombers in a best-of-3 final. The winner plays for the Allan Cup, which the Bombers won last year, in Powell River, B.C., April 17-22.</p><h2><b>GREATEST FAN OF HALL</b></h2><p>Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky may soon be next to some person with face paint. Lay&rsquo;s and the Hockey Hall of Fame have joined forces to create a contest called Lay&rsquo;s Greatest Canadian Hockey Fan, which will grant one lucky person the distinction of being the first-ever fan honored in the Hall. The contest victor will claim a package that includes tickets to next year&rsquo;s Hall of Fame Game and induction ceremony in Toronto.</p><h2><b>NHL COMES TO HALIFAX</b></h2><p>Halifax will host a pair of NHL pre-season games in September. The New York Islanders and Boston will play at the Halifax Metro Centre Sept. 23, with Ottawa and Toronto facing each other the next day.</p><h2><b>LICHTNER REPLACES EDVINSSON</b></h2><p>Horst Lichtner is the new general secretary for the International Ice Hockey Federation. The 46-year-old takes over from Jan-Ake Edvinsson, who held the job for 21 years. Lichtner will assume his new position Nov. 1, 2006.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

HOCKEY WORLD IN BRIEF

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MARK BRENDER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03824/9032755-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="873" height="644"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ted Saskin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(SASKIN: STEPHEN CHERNIN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span>ublic displays of dissent against NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Ted Saskin may have quieted for the time being, but Chris Chelios is making sure the issue doesn&rsquo;t go away.</p><p>The Detroit Red Wings defenseman is said to be circulating a petition among players calling for Saskin&rsquo;s resignation. Along with Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson, Chelios is one of a handful of players who have spoken out publically against Saskin&rsquo;s leadership, claiming the union boss won&rsquo;t give straight answers to the membership about the collective bargaining agreement process.</p><p>Chelios said players from 14 teams want to see Saskin replaced. &ldquo;A lot of people have made up their decisions that he&rsquo;s not their guy and want him to resign,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.</p><p>Chelios and Roloson are upset over the presence of 30 so-called letter agreements, or side deals as they&rsquo;ve referred to them, that accompany the CBA. (Letter agreements are common in collective bargaining agreements both inside and outside the sports world, and there were several attached to the old CBA negotiated by former executive director Bob Goodenow).</p><p>Twenty-three of the 30 spell out arrangements reached in a variety of areas, including transfer agreements with the International Ice Hockey Federation and Canadian Hockey League, changes to the playing rules, notes on finalizing the CBA and the like. They will appear as part of the finalized CBA. Seven of the 30 deal with private team financial information and won&rsquo;t be made public.</p><p>Several players and agents have expressed particular dismay over one letter that requires the union to make payments to the league from its own accounts if player escrow deductions aren&rsquo;t enough to bring the players&rsquo; share of league revenues down to 54 per cent.</p><p>They fail to point out, however, that the NHL is similarly obligated to top up payments to players if teams fail to spend to the 54 per-cent level during the season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-03

Angry Chelios keeps up heat

<h2><b>10 TEN</b></h2><p><b>Charlie Simmer</b> Five years mostly in minors until two 56-goal seasons on &lsquo;Triple Crown Line.&rsquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04627/9032849-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="183" height="207"></div><h2><b>9 NINE</b></h2><p><b>Larry Murphy</b> Hall of Famer booed mercilessly in Toronto before Cup triumphs in Detroit.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05468/9032842-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="184" height="208"></div><h2><b>8 EIGHT</b></h2><p><b>Warren Young</b> On fast track to obscurity prior to 40-goal season playing next to Mario Lemieux.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06391/9032835-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="183" height="208"></div><h2><b>7 SEVEN</b></h2><p><b>Frank McGee</b> Led Ottawa Silver Seven to four Cups (&rsquo;03-06) after errant stick claims one eye.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-07337/9032828-1-eng-US/f0009-072.jpg" title="f0009-07" width="183" height="209"></div><h2><b>6 SIX</b></h2><p><b>Cam Neely</b> Returned to score 50 in 49 games while thigh muscle was literally calcifying to bone.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-08305/9032821-1-eng-US/f0009-082.jpg" title="f0009-08" width="183" height="207"></div><h2><b>5 FIVE</b></h2><p><b>Johnny Bower</b> Was eight-year AHL veteran before Hall of Famer got a sniff of NHL action.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-09289/9032814-1-eng-US/f0009-092.jpg" title="f0009-09" width="183" height="201"></div><h2><b>4 FOUR</b></h2><p><b>Gordie Howe</b> Was 45 and two years into retirement before relaunching remarkable career.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-10266/9032807-1-eng-US/f0009-102.jpg" title="f0009-10" width="183" height="208"></div><h2><b>3 THREE</b></h2><p><b>Bryan Berard</b> No one expected his promising career to continue after devastating eye injury.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-11232/9032800-1-eng-US/f0009-112.jpg" title="f0009-11" width="183" height="208"></div><h2><b>2 TWO</b></h2><p><b>Milt Schmidt</b> Representative of game&rsquo;s true heroes who lost time (three seasons) to military service.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-12192/9032793-1-eng-US/f0009-122.jpg" title="f0009-12" width="182" height="206"></div><h2><b>1 ONE</b></h2><p><b>Mario Lemieux</b> Defied odds to overcome cancer, back injury to continue star-studded career.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-13172/9032786-1-eng-US/f0009-132.jpg" title="f0009-13" width="183" height="201"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GOLDEN BEARS: CP PHOTO/JOHN ULAN)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-04

Which players resurrected their hockey careers?

<p>FOR COMPLETE RESULTS VISIT <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></p><p>WE ASKED 29 NHL PLAYERS</p><p>Q Would you support shortening the NHL season to 70 games?</p><p><b>TOP VOTE GETTERS</b></p><p><b>NO 51.7%</b></p><p><b>YES 48.3%</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012137/9032887-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="521" height="454"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pavel Kubina</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KUBINA: ANDY MARLIN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021544/9032880-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="806" height="851"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Francis Bouillon</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BOUILLON: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>NO 51.7%</b></p><p>NHL players often talk about the burdens of the 82-game schedule, but when it comes to actually playing 12 fewer games, they&rsquo;re split almost right down the middle.</p><p>In a poll of 29 NHL players, all from different teams, 15 said they would not support shortening the season to 70 games from the current 82. Fourteen players were in favor of the idea.</p><p>&ldquo;I think 82 games goes by pretty quick,&rdquo; said Montreal&rsquo;s Francis Boullion. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of games in a short time, but I like the play the way we&rsquo;ve got it.&rdquo;</p><p>Anaheim&rsquo;s Sean O&rsquo;Donnell begs to differ.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s probably physically, I think, the most grinding sport,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t sound like a lot, but you spread those 10 games out, that&rsquo;s probably two games less a month. That&rsquo;s a big deal. I think you&rsquo;d see less back-to-back games and less tired hockey teams out there. I think it would be more entertaining.&rdquo;</p><p>Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Pavel Kubina believes a shorter schedule might benefit fans in another way.</p><p>&ldquo;When you play three or four games at home in a week, it&rsquo;s tough on the fans to spend that kind of money in one week,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They're forced to chose which game they want to go to because they can't afford to go to all of them.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

Player Poll

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03965/9032932-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="383" height="399"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>s the NHL entered the regular  season stretch drive, Joe Thornton was battling Rangers star Jaromir Jagr for the NHL scoring lead as his San Jose Sharks battled to qualify for the playoffs.</p><p>Thornton, who landed in San Jose from Boston on Nov. 30 as a result of the biggest trade in the league this season, collected three goals and 21 points in 15 games in March to claim NHL player-of-the-month honors. The 6-foot-4 center, a native of London, Ont., also was plus-6 and was whistled for only one minor penalty in the month of March &ndash; quite a feat considering Thornton&rsquo;s penchant for rugged play.</p><p>Thornton, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1997, had an eight-game point streak in the middle of the month, from March 7-21, in which he amassed two goals and 14 points. More importantly, the Sharks went 6-0-2 in that span to climb back into a tightly contested Western Conference playoff race. Thornton kicked off his eight-game streak with five consecutive multi-point games.</p><p>Then again, seeing Thornton&rsquo;s name more than once on an NHL scoresheet is nothing new. With his top-end blend of talent and toughness, Thornton can elevate the play of his teammates. Defenders are forced to cover him tightly, and that opens up passing lanes and creates more skating room for the likes of Sharks right winger Jonathan Cheechoo, who has seen his goal total explode since joining Thornton on San Jose&rsquo;s No. 1 line.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great passer and he draws a lot of double-teams, which opens up the ice for (me),&rdquo; Cheechoo said. &ldquo;He can still pass with two guys on him.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty amazing, some of the stuff that he does.&rdquo;</p><p>And Thornton has been doing it since he was a baby-faced, 18-year-old rookie with Boston. But when the Bruins fell on hard times this year, they decided to go the radical route and trade their most valuable asset &ndash; and a potential MVP candidate.</p><p>On the season, Thornton has 26 goals and 107 points, trailing only Jagr in the scoring race. Thornton&rsquo;s 81 assists easily were the most in the NHL &ndash; he was almost 20 assists ahead of the league&rsquo;s next-best set-up men &ndash; and he has a chance to have the most helpers since Adam Oates collected 97 assists in 1992-93.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04666/9032925-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="883" height="1705"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b><i>Joe Thornton had 21 points in 15 games in March.</i></b> <span class="photo-credit">(Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>FACTS & STATS</b></h2><p><b>PLAYER:</b> Joe Thornton <b>TEAM:</b> San Jose Sharks <b>POSITION:</b> Center <b>AGE:</b> 26</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05481/9032918-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="1650" height="364"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-03

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

<p><b>T</b>he Hart Trophy is annually awarded to the NHLer &lsquo;adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.&rsquo;</p><p>But what about the player who is least valuable to his team? Why not honor the league&rsquo;s lesser lights for a job&hellip;er&hellip;not done?</p><p>There are plenty of candidates on which to bestow the dubious title of the league&rsquo;s Least Valuable Player. In our (ad)judgement, the race for the LVP award will be just as much of a photo-finish as the one involving Jaromir Jagr, Joe Thornton and Miikka Kiprusoff.</p><p>Does Alexei Zhamnov have the inside track for the LVP? It&rsquo;s hard to argue otherwise, as the Bruins&rsquo; center &ndash; who signed a three-year, $12-million deal with Boston last summer &ndash; has amassed all of nine assists and 10 points in 24 games this season. Zhamnov missed a whack of games due to injury, but now-former GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell is probably wishing he missed a whole lot more.</p><p>Need a goalie LVP candidate? Try Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago&rsquo;s prized free agent signing last summer. At the not-so-low salary of $6.75 million this season (the first year of a four-year, $27.6-million contract), Khabibulin has been a giant disappointment for the Hawks.</p><p>Granted, the 33-year-old plays behind a hapless Hawks squad, but his 3.31 goals-against average and .887 save percentage are abysmal.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012080/9032970-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="346" height="355"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Does Alexei Zhamnov have the inside track for the Least Valuable Player Award? It&rsquo;s hard to argue otherwise.</b></blockquote><p>Then there&rsquo;s San Jose&rsquo;s Evgeni Nabokov. Signed to a four-year, $21.5-million contract in February, Nabokov has stumbled badly this season, as attested by his 15-18-0 record and .887 save percentage. As the Sharks fight to make the playoffs, Nabokov is no longer the undisputed No. 1 goalie in San Jose, sharing the job now with Vesa Toskala. That&rsquo;s what we call lack of value.</p><p>And what about Vancouver&rsquo;s Todd Bertuzzi? Sure, his numbers (65 points in 77 games) don&rsquo;t smack of a league lesser-weight, but you don&rsquo;t win the LVP on the basis of stats alone.</p><p>It also comes down to consistent play and commitment to defense, two areas in which the big winger with the controversial history &ndash; and $5.26-million contract &ndash; has been less than out-standing this season.</p><p>And, of course, there is Alexei Yashin, who continues to take home a mountainous paycheck ($7.4 million) from the Islanders despite a molehill of production.</p><p>There are many more LVP contenders to consider, including New Jersey/Albany&rsquo;s Alexander Mogilny, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Sergei Gonchar and former Canadien Jose Theodore. In the new, salary-capped NHL, they have all been burdens to their teams, on the ice and on the financial ledger.</p><p>So here&rsquo;s to you, LVPers. We wouldn&rsquo;t know how great today&rsquo;s stars are if we didn&rsquo;t have you gentlemen to compare them to.</p><h2><b>Elston</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021621/9032963-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="1645" height="2210"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

Zhamnov heads LVP list

<div class="byline">RANDY SPORTAK </div><div class="byline">Columnist</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011870/9033015-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TRIPPED UP</b></p><p>Brad Richards and the Bolts have a tougher road back to the final than Calgary.</p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03962/9033022-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="215" height="237"></div><p><b>I</b>n the 2004 Stanley Cup final, the Calgary Flames were the NHL&rsquo;s Cinderella story.</p><p>It made sense at the time, as they were in the playoffs for the first time in a generation. OK, eight years, but it sure felt longer in the Stampede City. Calgary knocked off three divisional champs to go from the bottom half of the post-season pool all the way to the finale.</p><p>Two years later, though, that glass slipper seems more appropriate alongside Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Cup trophy.</p><p>That&rsquo;s because &ndash; with the chase for Lord Stanley&rsquo;s mug about to begin &ndash; the Flames have a better chance of returning to the final than the defending champs.</p><p>The Flames must be considered one of the favorites, despite some chinks in the armor.</p><p>For starters, their lack of offense rates somewhere between comical and alarming. The Flames score less than a computer nerd at the prom; only bottom-feeders Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis had fewer goals. Then tack on Calgary&rsquo;s substandard road record and the fact that nobody will look past the Flames this time around.</p><p>Still, there are reasons the Flames are a good bet to go to the big dance, the most important being goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. All those calling the cool-as-a-cucumber Kiprusoff a one-year wonder must eat their words. The low-scoring Flames have been in the hunt for a Northwest Division title because of their all-world netminder. Night after night, Kiprusoff gives his team a chance to win &ndash; many nights stealing a game &ndash; with timely highlight-reel saves. Because of him, the players believe they hold the upper hand before the puck drops. Even his demeanor is soothing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04792/9033008-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="235" height="358"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Miikka Kiprusoff</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRIAN BAHR/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so hohum, unassuming, &lsquo;Yeah, it&rsquo;s my job, I&rsquo;m a good goalie, set records, no big deal,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Darren McCarty, who was part of the Detroit team eliminated by the Flames in 2004.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;d think he just doesn&rsquo;t care. But I&rsquo;ve found he wants to win and loves to compete. That unflappability showed in that series because he was able to carry the load.&rdquo;</p><p>Calgary&rsquo;s strengths don&rsquo;t end there. After a sub-par regular season, captain Jarome Iginla has rounded into the form that made him a dominant force in the spring of 2004. As playoff time nears, Iginla has become the heartbeat of the team, providing key goals while setting the tone with his physical play.</p><p>Plus, there&rsquo;s the solid defense corps enhanced by rugged rookie Dion Phaneuf, whose booming point shot gives Calgary an element that its power play has not seen in a decade.</p><p>Then there&rsquo;s GM-coach Darryl Sutter, who has shown an innate ability to push the right buttons at the right time.</p><p>Over in the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning are looking at a near-impossible climb back to the top of the mountain. This time around the Bolts will be a big underdog, unlike in 2004 when they held home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.</p><p>The Bolts&rsquo; goaltending picture has been dismal all season. Tampa&rsquo;s maddeningly inconsistent tandem of John Grahame and Sean Burke are in the bottom half of the NHL in goals against and don&rsquo;t strike fear in the opposition.</p><p>The Lightning defense corps isn&rsquo;t as strong as it was two years ago, either. Tampa lost a couple of depth defensemen to free agency; and, now both Dan Boyle and Pavel Kubina are nursing injuries on the eve of the playoffs. Even Tampa&rsquo;s scoring isn&rsquo;t as much of a threat. Goals may be up significantly in the new NHL, but the Bolts are scoring at about the same pace as two years ago.</p><p>The Lightning can&rsquo;t be completely written off just yet. Experience from past success &ndash; and the dynamic duo of Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier &ndash; give the Bolts reason to believe. But when comparing the two finalists of 2004, it&rsquo;s obvious which has a better chance of making the journey back.</p><h2><b>FLEECED LIGHTNING</b></h2><p>Tampa&rsquo;s goals-against average has jumped with Nikolai Khabibulin gone, and the team&rsquo;s faith in net has sunk, too.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021315/9033001-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="533" height="815"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0013-01

Twice the challenge

<div class="byline">By MURRAY TOWNSEND</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012058/9033109-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Brenden Shanahan</b></p><p>Detroit Red Wings</p> <span class="photo-credit">(GREGORY SHAMUS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t&rsquo;s the new NHL and the game has changed considerably. Our hockey pool playoff system has not, however, because it wasn&rsquo;t broke in the first place. It may be old, but so is Brendan Shanahan and both are working just fine.</p><p>You&rsquo;ll find a repeated explanation of the system included here, but let&rsquo;s look a little deeper at draft strategy.</p><p>It&rsquo;s draft night and the participants are filing in. You might have a beer or two, but certainly not enough to start thinking about drafting Brian McGrattan, unless your pool rewards penalty minutes. There are nervous jokes, usually about the Maple Leafs. Some of the people are well prepared and don&rsquo;t want to give away any information, some are ill-prepared and desperately try to find out what the prepared ones are thinking. Consequently, most of the talk is about who each person&rsquo;s favorite is on <i>American Idol</i>.</p><p>Once everyone has settled in, you draw for draft position. Let&rsquo;s say there are 12 people. The way it usually works is that you draft from one to 12, and then back again to one. So, if you draw number 12, when it gets to your turn you&rsquo;re picking two players.</p><p>If you&rsquo;re on each end, your strategy is simple. You pick the best two players on your list because you have a long wait until it&rsquo;s your turn again. If you&rsquo;re in the middle it&rsquo;s the same deal. However, if you&rsquo;re two, three or four away from an end, then you can do some evaluating of your opposition.</p><p>There are three types of drafters at your table. There&rsquo;s the guy who shows up with a list of the scoring stats and little else. We&rsquo;ll call him &lsquo;Sleepy.&rsquo;</p><p>And feel free to substitute &lsquo;she&rsquo; for &lsquo;he&rsquo; whenever you choose. The majority of draftees are male, but as we all know it&rsquo;s a &lsquo;she&rsquo; who wins the office pool every year.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011838/9033102-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="1782" height="902"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SCORING TOUCH</b></p><p>The Senators&rsquo; and Rangers&rsquo; top scorers will be popular in the early rounds of the pool.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHILLIP MACCALLUM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Then there&rsquo;s the studious guy. He has put together what he thinks is the perfect list, so he&rsquo;s fairly inflexible. He spent all that time in advance so he doesn&rsquo;t want to stray from his list too much, or that time will have been spent in vain. Let&rsquo;s call him &lsquo;Doc.&rsquo;</p><p>Then there&rsquo;s the guy who has prepared a list, the way we show you, but he&rsquo;s prepared to change it at a moment&rsquo;s notice depending on what else has happened. Hopefully, that&rsquo;s you, so we&rsquo;ll call him &lsquo;Happy.&rsquo;</p><p>Keep a list of team stats and cross the players off as you go. Put an initial of the drafter beside each player that&rsquo;s chosen. Now you have to evaluate the drafters closest to your end. If you&rsquo;re in 10th position and there&rsquo;s a Sleepy in 11th and a Doc in 12th, then you know Sleepy is going to take the highest scorer on a team&rsquo;s scoring list. He doesn&rsquo;t know enough to avoid taking players from teams facing each other in the first round and isn&rsquo;t awake enough to realize that a player two or three names down the team&rsquo;s list played 30 fewer games.</p><p>You do, but you can get him anyway when it comes back around to you, so you don&rsquo;t take him. You, in fact might take a slightly lesser player higher on the scoring list and consequently get two good players you want.</p><p>With Doc, keep an eye on who he&rsquo;s picking. If his strategy is to go with players from certain teams then you can guess who he&rsquo;s going to pick when it gets to his turn. Since he&rsquo;s picking twice, both players may be from the same team. He&rsquo;ll be aware of the points per game, too, so you have to keep that in mind.</p><p>With both of them, there&rsquo;s that sleeper you&rsquo;re dying to get, but if you know they&rsquo;re not going to take him, you can get him and pick up a player higher up on other people&rsquo;s lists.</p><p>In my regular season pool, for example, I wanted Jaromir Jagr badly. He was undervalued by most people so I figured I&rsquo;d get somebody else when it was my turn and still get Jagr when it came back around. He was taken one player ahead of my next turn, so it doesn&rsquo;t always work out perfectly.</p><p>The other thing you have to strategize on-the-go is which team to take your players from. If you have it worked out that Ottawa is going to the final, but six Senators are chosen before your turn, guess what? You&rsquo;re no longer picking Ottawa to go to the final. You&rsquo;re picking Buffalo or the Rangers or Philadelphia, whichever team has a lot of its top scorers still available. You have to change on-the-go. It&rsquo;s the poolie with the most players remaining at the end who wins the pool. One player from each team isn&rsquo;t going to do it.</p><p>If you want to be Happy at the end of the playoffs, don&rsquo;t be Sleepy or Dopey before they start.</p><h3><b>atlanta</b></h3><h2><b>THRASHERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021318/9033095-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="1489" height="896"></div><h3><b>buffalo</b></h3><h2><b>SABRES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03923/9033088-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="1489" height="896"></div><h3><b>carolina</b></h3><h2><b>HURRICANES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04685/9033081-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="1490" height="897"></div><h3><b>florida</b></h3><h2><b>PANTHERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011835/9033074-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="1489" height="900"></div><h3><b>new jersey</b></h3><h2><b>DEVILS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021428/9033067-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="1489" height="899"></div><h3><b>montreal</b></h3><h2><b>CANADIENS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031066/9033060-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="1490" height="900"></div><h2><b>new york</b></h2><h3><b>RANGERS</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04807/9033053-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="1489" height="897"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0014-01

COVER STORY

Drafting fantasy playoff winners

<p class="dropcap"><span>O</span>ne of the tricks to winning the post-season pool at the office is knowing which NHLers blossom in the spring and which players wilt away. The value of Tomas Holmstrom and Ryan Smyth always increases in mid-April, while Alex Kovalev and Bryan Smolinski see theirs drop.</p><p>Our annual playoff pool guide will help your difficult decision process. We have included helpful charts for 21 teams &ndash; the teams already guaranteed to make the post-season dance and those with a mathematical shot of getting there &ndash; to guide you in your quest for bragging rights. Each chart lists the current season stats for 12 key players, as well as their career playoff totals, with their points-per-game average included in both categories. Make sure to check our insight and star rating for each player, too. We&rsquo;ll tell you which players you can rely on in the spring and who might be a big surprise or letdown based on line combinations, recent injuries or other factors. After all, it&rsquo;s always a good idea to remember that stats don&rsquo;t always tell the whole story and are an inexact science when it comes to predicting future performance.</p><p>Our star rating system breaks down as follows: 5 stars indicates money in the bank; 4 stars indicate dependable scorer; 3 stars indicate could have an impact; 2 stars indicate don&rsquo;t expect much; 1 star indicates only if you&rsquo;re desperate.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Playoff preparation

<div class="byline">By DARRYL DOBBS</div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>t has been said this year&rsquo;s crop of INHL rookies is the best ever, which is all the more reason to consider a freshman for your playoff pool draft list.</p><p>But be careful who you prioritize, for rookie production from the past three Stanley Cup playoff seasons dictates otherwise. And remember, wunderkinds Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin aren&rsquo;t included in the group of freshmen headed to the post-season. Without them, the rookie crop isn&rsquo;t as dynamic.</p><p>In the past three NHL post-seasons, only seven rookies garnered six points or more (and one of those rookies, Colorado&rsquo;s Marek Svatos, did not play during the regular season). The top-scoring rookie in that time frame was Erik Cole, who managed nine points in 23 games during Carolina&rsquo;s 2002 Cinderella run to the final. Neither statistic, however, should shape your draft list.</p><p>Once the playoffs began (from 2002 through 2004), nearly two-thirds of first-year players saw reduced ice time in the post-season compared to the regular season, and about three-quarters of them slowed in their production (i.e. their points-per-game average lowered).</p><p>Despite the looming evidence, in a deep playoff pool you may not have a choice. And if such a situation occurs, here are two rules to follow based on the historical data of rookie output in the past three years:</p><p>1. Ensure the freshman has averaged at least 11 minutes of ice time this season. Perhapsan obvious rule, but it eliminates the likes of Montreal&rsquo;s Alexander Perezhogin, Atlanta&rsquo;s Jim Slater and Vancouver&rsquo;s Alex Burrows, to name a few.</p><p>2. The rookie must have netted at least one power play goal this year. This simple criterion eliminates skilled youngsters such as Zach Parise of New Jersey, Paul Gaustad of Buffalo and Corey Perry of Anaheim. It might seem a gray area, but from 2002 to 2004, only one rookie garnered six points in the playoffs after scoring zero power play goals during the season &ndash; Anaheim&rsquo;s Stanislav Chistov during the Ducks&rsquo; 2003 finalist run.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011714/9033283-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="332" height="761"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Petr Prucha</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Using the aforementioned criteria, check the list (at right) for playoff rookie candidates in this year&rsquo;s spring run.</p><h2><b>ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></h2><p>Here are top rookies who should be given serious consideration for playoff pools, ranked by points per game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021310/9033276-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="568" height="672"></div><h3><b>ottawa</b></h3><h2><b>SENATORS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03951/9033269-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="1489" height="898"></div><h3><b>tampa bay</b></h3><h2><b>LIGHTNING</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04643/9033262-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="1489" height="898"></div><h3><b>philadelphia</b></h3><h2><b>FLYERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05439/9033255-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="1489" height="901"></div><h3><b>toronto</b></h3><h2><b>MAPLE LEAFS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06345/9033248-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="1489" height="901"></div><h3><b>colorado</b></h3><h2><b>AVALANCHE</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03821/9033241-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="1489" height="901"></div><h3><b>anaheim</b></h3><h2><b>MIGHTY DUCKS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04630/9033234-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="1489" height="901"></div><h3><b>calgary</b></h3><h2><b>FLAMES</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05471/9033227-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="1489" height="895"></div><h3><b>dallas</b></h3><h2><b>STARS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06355/9033220-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="1489" height="895"></div><h3><b>detroit</b></h3><h2><b>RED WINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011476/9033213-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="1489" height="895"></div><h3><b>los angeles</b></h3><h2><b>KINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021080/9033206-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="1489" height="898"></div><h3><b>san jose</b></h3><h2><b>SHARKS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03784/9033199-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="1490" height="900"></div><h3><b>edmonton</b></h3><h2><b>OILERS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04543/9033192-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="1490" height="899"></div><h3><b>nashville</b></h3><h2><b>PREDATORS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05336/9033185-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="1490" height="899"></div><h3><b>vancouver</b></h3><h2><b>CANUCKS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06273/9033178-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="1489" height="901"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011552/9033171-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="537" height="1219"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>PURSUING THE CUP</b></p><p>Players on teams in the conference finals obviously have more games in which to score, so draft according to projected long-term team success.</p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021178/9033164-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="869" height="1818"></div><p><b>1. Prepare a list but be poised to change it.</b></p><p><b>2. Pick players only from teams you think are going to the conference finals. Four teams.</b></p><p><b>3. Don&rsquo;t let season series determine who you think will win a playoff series. It&rsquo;s a proven non-factor.</b></p><p><b>4. Don&rsquo;t let home-ice advantage determine who you think will win a playoff series. It&rsquo;s less a factor than during the regular season.</b></p><p><b>5. Another non-factor is how well a team played down the stretch. Cup winners often cruise at the end of the regular season.</b></p><p><b>6. If you have to pick a goalie, pick someone who wasn&rsquo;t the hot guy in a recent playoff. Every year it&rsquo;s somebody different.</b></p><p><b>7. In your player rankings, move offensive defenseman up higher. They&rsquo;re on the point on the power play, and they get more offensive opportunities when a team has to score.</b></p><p><b>8. Look for your sleepers on the checking lines. They tend to get a lot of ice-time in the playoffs and the offensive line they&rsquo;re up against isn&rsquo;t thinking about defense.</b></p><p><b>9. Look for more sleepers among good players whose injury status is unclear. They tend to make miraculous recoveries just in time for the playoffs.</b></p><p><b>10. Check depth charts as listed in The Hockey News. Especially keep an eye on who is lining up with superstars such as Jaromir Jagr.</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-01

Consider rookies carefully

<div class="byline">MARK BRENDER </div><div class="byline">Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02790/9033321-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOP COACH</b></p><p>Montreal&rsquo;s Mike Komisarek says he wouldn&rsquo;t be in the NHL if not for Gary Dineen.</p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011202/9033328-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="215" height="256"></div><p><b>E</b>very hockey-playing region has its hockey factory.</p><p>In the 1950s and early 1960s, St. Michael&rsquo;s College School in Toronto under the direction of Father David Bauer produced players by the bus-full. Western Canada has Notre Dame Academy in Wilcox, Sask., run for years by current Minnesota Wild scout Barry MacKenzie; Minnesota has Shattuck-St. Mary&rsquo;s under the guidance of J-P Parise.</p><p>New England was lucky enough to have Gary Dineen.</p><p>&ldquo;I always thought of Gary as a second father,&rdquo; said Dallas winger Bill Guerin, who was eight when he first met Dineen. &ldquo;He was always there for me. For a lot of us.&rdquo;</p><p>Judging by the reverence in which he was held by so many, the several hundred mourners who turned out for Gary Dineen&rsquo;s funeral on a cool April 5 morning in Springfield, Mass., barely scratches the surface.</p><p>Over the past 34 years, more than 21,000 kids have gone through the Gary Dineen Hockey School, including thousands of repeat customers. Hundreds more played for his minor hockey programs, the New England Jr. Falcons, and its previous incarnations as the Jr. Coyotes, Whalers and Pics. All the kids came away richer for the experience. As Gary used to put it, &ldquo;There&rsquo;s more to life than your slapshot.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>OFF TO COLLEGE</b></h2><p>Dineen was proudest of the number of his kids who went on to college, but he made sure their education started far earlier. During the first Gulf War, he would tell fifth- and sixth-graders about the no-fly zones being enforced in Iraq. Then he would call his full-length skating drills &ldquo;fly zones.&rdquo; Gary&rsquo;s players learned that when people talked about right wingers, they weren&rsquo;t always referring to games on the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;He was one of those guys who touched souls,&rdquo; said Gene Reilly, one of Dineen&rsquo;s former assistant coaches with the Springfield Pics junior team, where Guerin, Scott Lachance, Chris Clark and many others played.</p><p>&ldquo;The amazing thing is Gary built and orchestrated this program with kids basically from the same area code, which is unheard of in the United States. It was amazing what he accomplished here&hellip;But I think more importantly, he taught lessons in life.&rdquo;</p><p>Reilly compares Dineen to Roger Neilson for the incredible number of players both men captivated and inspired. Carolina Hurricanes play-by-play man Chuck Kaiton, the master of ceremonies at a 300-person dinner held in Dineen&rsquo;s honor two years ago, compares him to Bob Johnson for his ceaselessly optimistic outlook on life. &ldquo;He never wanted to burden you with his problems,&rdquo; Kaiton said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03519/9033314-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="476" height="544"></div><p>Born in Montreal, a distant cousin to the more well-known Dineens (Bill, Kevin, Gord and Peter), Gary was a fine player in his own right. After playing under Father Bauer at St. Mike&rsquo;s, Dineen did the same internationally at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics alongside Fran Huck, Brian Glennie, Barry MacKenzie and longtime NHL executive Marshall Johnston, among others. A center, Dineen would man the point on the power play.</p><p>&ldquo;Some of us had to rely on just hard work, but he had talent,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;He could pass and he could think and he had some 1-on-1 skills that some of the rest of us didn&rsquo;t have.&rdquo;</p><p>Dineen played four games for the Minnesota North Stars in 1968-69 and, after a trade to the Los Angeles Kings, eventually wound up in Springfield of the American League where he won the Calder Cup in 1971. He coached the team the next year before turning his attention to the kids, to their everlasting benefit.</p><h2><b>WINNING TEACHER</b></h2><p>Father Bauer used to ask his players to devise their own game plan based on what they knew of the opposition. He trained players how to think, how to have a positive impact on the sport &ndash; exactly the same things that Guerin says about Dineen. Guerin worked at Dineen&rsquo;s hockey school while playing on his teams from 1985 to 1989.</p><p>&ldquo;He taught you how to win,&rdquo; Guerin said. &ldquo;He taught you how to get there, a whole boatload of things that wouldn&rsquo;t just benefit you in hockey. He was always looking after us and we knew that.&rdquo;</p><p>Said Montreal defenseman Mike Komisarek: &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be in the NHL if I hadn&rsquo;t played for him, and I was only there for a year.&rdquo;</p><p>When Dineen was diagnosed with cancer about 17 years ago, he wondered to friends if he would live to see his young daughter Katie go to school. As time went by, he wondered if he&rsquo;d see her go to high school, graduate, or go to university. When he went to Johnston&rsquo;s daughter&rsquo;s wedding two years ago, he wondered if he would live to see his own daughter get married.</p><p>That one never happened. But those who knew him considered it a source of great inspiration how hard he fought for so long. Komisarek&rsquo;s mother, who passed away in November from pancreatic cancer, was one of them.</p><p>&ldquo;He was always there to encourage her, to keep fighting,&rdquo; Komisarek remembered.</p><p>&ldquo;She&rsquo;d get off the phone with him, she&rsquo;d be in tears, just saying what a powerful person and such a positive outlook.&rdquo;</p><p>For Guerin, a pallbearer at the funeral, it goes without saying that Gary Dineen was by far the best coach he ever had.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t even express how much he&rsquo;s done for me, as well as hundreds of other guys,&rdquo; Guerin said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not even a close second.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-02

An inspiration to thousands

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011360/9033366-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dion Phaneuf</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NICK LAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03769/9033373-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="113" height="96"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>D</span>ion Phaneuf</b> broke <b>Gary</b>&nbsp;<b>Suter</b>&rsquo;s Calgary record for goals by a rookie defenseman when he scored his 19th April 5. It moved him into a tie for third spot with <b>Reed Larson</b> and <b>Phil Housley</b> in NHL history. Only <b>Brian Leetch</b> (23) and <b>Barry Beck</b> (22) cracked 20 in their rookie seasons. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just his goals,&rdquo; said Flames&rsquo; teammate Jarome Iginla. &ldquo;His physical play, his composure&hellip; it&rsquo;s his whole game. He&rsquo;s been unbelievable.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>CENTRAL DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CHICAGO</b> Winger <b>Tuomo Ruutu</b> was eager to play in a few games to end the season, if just for peace of mind. He has missed virtually the past two years because of injuries. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done enough thinking the last couple years and now I just want to play,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Coach <b>Trent Yawney</b> was named an assistant for Team Canada at the World Championship. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like going to a coaching clinic with competition,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can only get better as a coach and if I get better our team gets better.&rdquo;</p><p><b>COLUMBUS</b> The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with six straight wins, beating Calgary, San Jose, Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville despite trailing 1-0 in all six games. In the process, they also set a franchise mark for wins (32). The previous record was 29&hellip;The team&rsquo;s top goal-scorer, <b>Nikolai Zherdev</b>, is out of action (knee) when he missed a check and crashed into the boards.</p><p><b>DETROIT</b> The Wings set a team record with their ninth consecutive road victory and tied the NHL mark for road wins (28) after a 2-1 shootout triumph in Calgary April 3.</p><p><b>NASHVILLE</b> The Preds had two players suspended within eight days of each other, left winger <b>Darcy Hordichuk</b> (three games) March 27 and defenseman <b>Brendan Witt</b>&nbsp;(one game) April 4&hellip;On March 30 against Detroit, center <b>David Legwand</b> became the first draft pick to play 400 games for the franchise.</p><p><b>ST. LOUIS</b> Goalie <b>Patrick Lalime</b> will need knee surgery after tearing his ACL in a collision with Nashville&rsquo;s &nbsp;<b>Scott Hartnell</b> April 1&hellip;The Blues&rsquo; captain and two alternates at the start of the season are all injured (<b>Dallas Drake</b>, <b>Barret Jackman</b>) or traded (<b>Doug Weight</b>).</p><h2><b>NORTHWEST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>CALGARY</b> Winger <b>Lynn Loyns</b>, who thought his career was over after three heart surgeries in just over a month in the fall of 2004, was summoned from Omaha April 4.</p><p><b>COLORADO</b> The Avs are expected to recall left winger <b>Wojtek Wolski</b> when his junior season ends with Brampton (OHL). He is the league&rsquo;s leading scorer and a lock for MVP.</p><p><b>EDMONTON</b> In a 4-1 loss to Calgary on April Fool&rsquo;s Day, referee <b>Dave Jackson</b>&nbsp;signaled a delayed penalty against the Oilers, then forgot which team he was calling it on. Edmonton cycled the puck for 10 seconds and scored, only to have the goal disallowed. &ldquo;It was like they were saying, &lsquo;Torres had the high-sticking penalty, I just let you guys think you were going to get the goal,&rdquo; said coach Craig MacTavish.</p><p><b>MINNESOTA</b> Rookie <b>Josh Harding</b> won his first start while becoming the first goalie to play a shootout in his NHL debut April 4 against St. Louis. Harding stopped two out of three shots in the shootout.</p><p><b>VANCOUVER</b> Right winger <b>Anson Carter</b> was threatening to dethrone captain <b>Markus Naslund</b>&nbsp;for the team lead in goals. Carter had 31 to Naslund&rsquo;s 30, with five games left in the season. Naslund has been the Canucks&rsquo; top goal-scorer since 1998-99&hellip;Left winger <b>Daniel Sedin</b> set a career high in goals when he hit 21, bettering his rookie mark of 20.</p><h2><b>PACIFIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ANAHEIM</b> The Ducks set a team record with their 24th home victory in a 6-2 win over Vancouver April 2. Two nights later, they established a team record with their seventh straight home win, 6-2 over the Kings&hellip; Anaheim was the first team to beat Dallas in a shootout March 31. The Stars had won 11 in a row.</p><p><b>DALLAS</b> The Stars had tied the team record for road wins (23) with five road games remaining in the season. Dallas had won six shootout games on the road to help pump up the number&hellip;After moving center <b>Mike Modano</b> to the point on the power play, the Stars went on a 15-for-63 roll (23.8 per cent).</p><p><b>LOS ANGELES Luc Robitaille</b>, who had one point (a goal) in 14 games, was scratched by interim coach <b>John Torchetti</b>&nbsp;in consecutive games and had sharp criticism for both the coach and GM <b>Dave Taylor</b>. &ldquo;After playing 20 years in the league, I think I deserve more respect than this,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said.</p><p><b>PHOENIX</b> Center <b>Steven Reinprecht</b> had five goals and seven points in three wins and was named the NHL&rsquo;s offensive player of the week (March 27-April 2). He&rsquo;s the first Coyote to earn that honor since <b>Jeremy Roenick</b> in November, 1999&hellip;GM <b>Mike Barnett</b> was named assistant GM for Canada&rsquo;s entry in the World Championship&hellip; Captain <b>Shane Doan</b> set a career high for goals in a season (28) when he scored vs. Calgary April 5.</p><p><b>SAN JOSE Ron Wilson</b>&nbsp;won his 100th game as San Jose&rsquo;s coach on April 5, beating Colorado 2-1&hellip; center <b>Marcel Goc</b> broke a 50-game goalless drought in the same game when he scored the winner in the third period. Earlier this season, Goc had seven goals in a 14-game span.</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021011/9033359-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="580" height="2551"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0022-01

Phaneuf aiming high

<div class="byline">BY THN CORRESPONDENTS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-011216/9033418-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ray Emery</b> <span class="photo-credit">(EMERY: MITCHELL LAYTON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04491/9033425-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="113" height="96"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>G</span></b>oalie <b>Ray Emery</b>, who tied <b>Bernie Parent&rsquo;s</b> record (set in March, 1974) with most wins by a goalie in a month (12), was named the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the month for March and defensive player of the month. &ldquo;When you win something like this, it is a team award,&rdquo; Emery said.</p><h2><b>NORTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>BOSTON</b> Defenseman <b>Nick Boynton</b> was scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery (torn labrum) April 11. He played his final game of the season at Buffalo March 29&hellip; The Bruins, eliminated from the playoffs after an April 1 loss at Montreal, fell to 0-8-1 on the road after the Olympics when they lost again to the Habs at the Bell Centre April 4.</p><p><b>BUFFALO</b> In his first action since missing nine games with a sprained right knee, winger <b>Jochen Hecht</b> was knocked out of the lineup until at least late April on a questionable hit by Toronto&rsquo;s <b>Darcy Tucker</b>&nbsp;April 3, who was retaliating after getting waylaid by <b>Mike Grier</b>. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to the playoffs and they&rsquo;re taking out one of our best players because (Tucker) couldn&rsquo;t take a hit? That&rsquo;s a joke,&rdquo; said Sabres coach <b>Lindy Ruff</b>. &ldquo;Suspend him. Get him out of the game. I&rsquo;ve had enough of that.&rdquo; Tucker went unpunished.</p><p><b>MONTREAL Richard Zednik</b> led the Habs in goals each of the past two seasons, but was scratched after going 13 games without scoring, giving him just 14 goals through 62 games&hellip;After being a healthy scratch for five of six games, winger <b>Jan Bulis</b>&nbsp;returned against Boston April 4 and scored. Bulis has a career-high 18 goals. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been tough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m having my best season, but I&rsquo;m not playing.&rdquo;</p><p><b>OTTAWA</b> Winger <b>Chris Neil</b>&nbsp;was not happy with the NHL&rsquo;s decision not to suspend Atlanta&rsquo;s <b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> for a slash to the wrist in a game April 3. Kovalchuk did receive a $2,500 fine. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t do me much good unless the money is coming to me,&rdquo; Neil said.</p><p><b>TORONTO</b> Goalie <b>Ed Belfour</b>&nbsp;had successful back surgery April 5 in Los Angeles&hellip;<b>Ian White</b>, who started this year No. 12 on the defensemen depth chart, was recalled from the AHL&rsquo;s Toronto Marlies and was plus-6 with five points in five games.</p><h2><b>ATLANTIC DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>NEW JERSEY</b> Defenseman <b>Rich</b><b>ard Matvichuk</b>, returned after missing 14 games (back), despite foot numbness&hellip;<b>Patrik Elias</b> netted his seventh career hat trick April 5, breaking <b>John MacLean&rsquo;s</b> franchise record&hellip;<b>Scott Gomez</b> passed his previous high of 70 points.</p><p><b>NY ISLANDERS</b> Backup goalie Garth Snow was 0-9 between Nov. 26 and April 4&hellip;Center <b>Ryan O&rsquo;Marra</b>, the Isles&rsquo; first round pick in 2005, scored two goals in his pro debut for Bridgeport (AHL) after signing a three-year contract.</p><p><b>NY RANGERS</b> Chants of &ldquo;Weeeekes!&rdquo; filled Madison Square Garden April 4 when backup goalie <b>Kevin Weekes</b> celebrated his 31st birthday with a 3-2 shootout win over the Flyers, clinching a playoff berth for the Rangers for the first time since 1997. Weekes won at home for the first time since Nov. 14 while No. 1 <b>Henrik Lundqvist</b> was out with a mild hip flexor.</p><p><b>PHILADELPHIA</b> In the span of a week, <b>Mike Knuble</b>&nbsp;set single-season career-highs for goals (31), assists (30) and points (60)&hellip;<b>Jeff Carter</b> became the 13th Flyers rookie to hit the 20-goal mark&hellip;Hobey Baker finalist <b>Ryan Potulny</b>, who signed a pro contract out of the University of Minnesota, is eligible to play for the Flyers. Former Flyers who have made the college-to-pro jump in the same season include <b>John LeClair</b>, <b>Scott Mellanby</b> and <b>Trent Klatt</b>.</p><p><b>PITTSBURGH</b> Defenseman <b>Sergei Gonchar</b>, who had 37 points and a minus-2 rating in 42 games since the coaching change, is no longer getting booed at Mellon Arena.</p><h2><b>SOUTHEAST DIVISION</b></h2><p><b>ATLANTA</b> Winger <b>Ilya Kovalchuk</b> and defenseman <b>Garnet Exelby</b> each were fined $2,500 for actions in a 6-4 loss to Ottawa April 3. Kovalchuk slashed <b>Chris Neil</b>, who wasn&rsquo;t injured, while Exelby rocked <b>Tyler Arnason</b> with a borderline-high bodycheck.</p><p><b>CAROLINA Josef Vasicek</b>&nbsp;missed 59 games with a knee injury, but he didn&rsquo;t waste any time getting back, with a career-best four-point game in his return against the Capitals April 3&hellip;Carolina moved its AHL affiliation from Lowell to Albany for next season.</p><p><b>FLORIDA</b> The Panthers dropped four of five games after losing center <b>Jozef Stumpel</b>, whom coach <b>Jacques Martin</b> called the team&rsquo;s MVP since the Olympics, with a hip flexor&hellip; <b>Roberto Luongo</b> tied the franchise record for wins by a goalie, set by <b>John Vanbiesbrouck</b> (106).</p><p><b>TAMPA BAY</b> Center <b>Vinny Lecavalier</b> set a career mark for goals in a season by scoring his 33rd and 34th April 3. He scored 33 in 2002-03&hellip;<b>Brad Richards</b> picked up an assist for the ninth consecutive game to set a franchise record.</p><p><b>WASHINGTON Jeff Halpern</b> was out of character against Carolina April 3. The center, who has never had more than 88 penalty minutes, got into two second-period fights. He traded punches with Canes stars <b>Eric Staal</b> and <b>Doug Weight</b>&hellip; <b>Dainius Zubrus</b> established career-highs in goals (18) and points (46).</p><h2><b>+ PLUS - MINUS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02880/9033411-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="564" height="587"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>J-S Aubin</b> <span class="photo-credit">(AUBIN: DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>SUPER STOPPER</b></h2><p>Jean-Sebastien Aubin goes 4-0-1 in his first five games for Toronto with a 1.77 GAA and .943 save percentage.</p><h2><b>HAPPY HAB HIGGINS</b></h2><p>Scoring six goals in five games pushes Montreal rookie left winger Christopher Higgins to the 20-goal mark.</p><h2><b>BETTER LATE THAN NEVER</b></h2><p>They won&rsquo;t make the playoffs, but the Columbus Blue Jackets string together a nifty six-game winning streak.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03662/9033404-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="563" height="587"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brendan Witt</b> <span class="photo-credit">(WITT: NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>AT WITT&rsquo;S END</b></h2><p>Nashville defenseman Brendan Witt is suspended one game for a knee infraction on Columbus&rsquo;s David Vyborny.</p><h2><b>CUP RUNNETH AWAY</b></h2><p>The Alberta Golden Bears manage to lose the university championship trophy&hellip;while celebrating at a bar.</p><h2><b>&lsquo;Z&rsquo; STOPS SCORING</b></h2><p>Richard Zednik, Montreal&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer the past two seasons, is scratched after going 13 games without scoring.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0023-01

Ray a lion in March

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011313/9033463-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOP GRADE</b></p><p>Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers received an A+ grade in goal. Who could have predicted the rookie Swede would have this impact?</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-08202/9033470-1-eng-US/f0024-082.jpg" title="f0024-08" width="95" height="106"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p><b>TEAM GRADES</b> The first season back after the lockout has been a success, but how has your team fared based on what was expected of them?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-07242/9033456-1-eng-US/f0024-072.jpg" title="f0024-07" width="167" height="208"></div><p>We rate forwards, defensemen and goalies for all 30 teams and find out who earned their CBA-approved salaries.</p><p>Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander and Henrik Lundqvist took the Rangers to the head of the class.</p><p>On the other hand, Pittsburgh&rsquo;s lineup has been an disaster and the Oilers&rsquo; carousel of mediocre goalies has everyone feeling sick.</p><p>Keep in mind, grades are based on expectations. So even though a team like Washington finished lower in the standings than Tampa Bay, grades for the Capitals were higher than the Lightning due to what we expected.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-01

Final evaluations rank NHL’s busts and boomers

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAN WOOD</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Anaheim is on pace to break its single-season franchise record of 245 goals scored, set in 1996-97. The revitalization of right winger Teemu Selanne and the development of Andy McDonald into a productive No. 1 center has helped tremendously, while a pack of youngsters have provided significant supplementary support.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02948/9033501-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="168" height="208"></div><p><b>DEFENSE A&ndash;</b> Anaheim&rsquo;s blueline has undergone serious turnover, with veterans Keith Carney and Sandis Ozolinsh out, and Sean O&rsquo;Donnell and rookie Francois Beauchemin in. The one constant has been free agent addition Scott Niedermayer, who has been simply outstanding.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B+</b> The tandem of Jean-Sebastien Giguere and rookie Ilya Bryzgalov has been solid. Giguere raised his play as the season progressed, while Bryzgalov carried Anaheim for two brief stretches early on when Giguere was injured.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-02

Surprises up front, good rebound in net

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN MANASSO</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> With a likely 50-goal scorer, another near 40 and a set-up man second in the NHL in assists, a &lsquo;C&rsquo; grade might appear too harsh. Bad penalties and turnovers are reasons why Atlanta was five points out of the playoffs with seven games left. Ilya Kovalchuk&rsquo;s minus-11 must improve and Marc Savard is fifth among NHL forwards in minor penalties taken.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03680/9033532-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="168" height="191"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B</b> This group is good enough to make the playoffs, but is often sunk by the forwards&rsquo; miscues. The same six blueliners have played almost the whole season. The two who have negative plus/minus ratings &ndash; Jaroslav Modry and Greg de Vries &ndash; have improved since they stopped playing as a pair.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C</b> This could have been an &lsquo;A&rsquo; if Kari Lehtonen had played all year. Mike Dunham and Steve Shields couldn&rsquo;t stay healthy and rookies Michael Garnett and Adam Berkhoel were overwhelmed.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-03

Thrasher forwards need to be defensive

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS D+</b> A youthful first line of Marco Sturm, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Boyes emerged after Joe Thornton was traded, but virtually all others underachieved or didn&rsquo;t achieve at all. Injuries and Thornton&rsquo;s departure held Glen Murray back and off-season acquisitions such as Alexei Zhamnov and Brad Isbister didn&rsquo;t produce.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04492/9033563-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="137" height="202"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> Injuries to Jiri Slegr and Ian Moran hurt the blueline depth. Brad Stuart, obtained in the Thornton deal, established himself as the best of the bunch. The addition of oft-injured Brian Leetch didn&rsquo;t produce hoped-for results.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C&ndash;</b> Normally, identifying two NHL-caliber goalies (rookie Hannu Toivonen and late-blooming Tim Thomas) would result in a higher grade, but 2003-04 Calder winner Andrew Raycroft was supposed to be the No. 1. Instead, Raycroft took several steps backward. His future may lie elsewhere.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0024-04

‘Underachievement’ word of the year

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM GRAHAM</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Injuries prevented any Sabres from ranking among the NHL&rsquo;s top 60 scorers, but they cornered the market on 40-point producers. With seven games left, Buffalo was poised to have 11 players with that many points. Daniel Briere has averaged more than a point per game and Chris Drury had a career season, while Tim Connolly, Maxim Afinogenov, Ales Kotalik and Derek Roy posted breakout numbers.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05356/9033594-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="160" height="200"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B</b> The Sabres were stronger than expected along the blueline with the additions of Teppo Numminen and Toni Lydman and the re-emergence of Jay McKee. Brian Campbell became an offensive force, but Dmitri Kalinin and Rory Fitzpatrick were weak links.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B+</b> Ryan Miller struggled after the break, opening the door for a goaltending controversy heading into the playoffs. Martin Biron won a franchise-record 13 straight starts before Christmas.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-05

Miller and Biron set to battle for net time

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> It took until Game 75 for the Flames to crack the 200-goal mark. Calgary&rsquo;s defensive style had something to do with that, but an inability to score has been a glaring problem all year. Too many forwards, led by Jarome Iginla and Tony Amonte, had prolonged slumps. The lone sniper who arguably exceeded expectations was Chuck Kobasew, who cracked the 20-goal mark.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-06289/9033625-1-eng-US/f0024-062.jpg" title="f0024-06" width="161" height="198"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B</b> Injuries took their toll. The veteran trio of Roman Hamrlik, Robyn Regehr and Rhett Warrener has suited up together in fewer than 20 games. The highlight was Dion Phaneuf. On top of reaching the franchise record for goals by a rookie rearguard, Phaneuf made major contributions in all areas.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B+</b> MVP candidate Miikka Kiprusoff answered all the critics who called him a one-year wonder. The lack of a solid backup has hurt.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0024-06

Forwards fizzling in goal department

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011178/9033663-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MR. CLUTCH</b></p><p>Third periods are Martin Gerber&rsquo;s time to shine for Carolina.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A</b> The NHL&rsquo;s lowest-scoring team two seasons running, Carolina will finish near the top this season thanks to career-high production from a number players, including Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams and Matt Cullen. Free agents Cory Stillman and Ray Whitney proved to be excellent signings. Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour remains one of the best two-way forwards in the league.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02834/9033656-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="168" height="159"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B+</b> The Canes went into the season without a No. 1 defenseman. Turns out, they didn&rsquo;t need one. With eight players seeing between 15 and 20 minutes of ice time, the defense-by-committee has done admirably. Veterans Frantisek Kaberle, Bret Hedican and Aaron Ward have led the way.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> In his first season as a starter, Martin Gerber justified Carolina&rsquo;s faith in him. He has been stellar in third periods when it matters most. Cam Ward shone early when Gerber was hurt.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-01

Dandy displays up and down lineup

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C&ndash;</b> Injuries and underachieving doomed the Blackhawks this season. Management believed it had seven forwards capable of scoring 20-plus goals, but only Mark Bell and Kyle Calder will get there. The Hawks&rsquo; two best scorers, Tuomo Ruutu and Eric Daze, have missed most of the season with injuries, and the disappointing Tyler Arnason was traded.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03586/9033694-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="153" height="194"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> Adrian Aucoin and Jassen Cullimore were big disappointments after being signed as free agents. In Aucoin&rsquo;s case, he couldn&rsquo;t stay in the lineup because of injuries. The play of rookies Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith was the most positive thing to happen to the Hawks this season, and they are the new &lsquo;D&rsquo; anchors going forward, along with Jim Vandermeer.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING D+</b> Nikolai Khabibulin&rsquo;s poor play in the first month helped put the Hawks in a big hole. They never recovered.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0025-03

Bad start, big hurts spelled disaster

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ADRIAN DATER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02953/9033725-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BIG SHOT</b></p><p>John-Michael Liles has provided some pop from the point in his second season with Colorado.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Marek Svatos was a big surprise with 32 goals before a season-ending injury, and established stars Joe Sakic, Alex Tanguay and Milan Hejduk all performed well. There also were unexpected offensive contributions from Ian Laperriere, Andrew Brunette and Antti Laaksonen. The Avs would have liked a little more from Hejduk and Pierre Turgeon, but it was a good season up front.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011327/9033732-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="168" height="202"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B+</b> Not only did the Avs get a lot of offense from blueliners such as Rob Blake, John-Michael Liles, Brett Clark and Patrice Brisebois, they did a responsible job in their own end as well.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C+</b> David Aebischer gave Colorado a great January and February. Otherwise, he, Peter Budaj and Vitaly Kolesnik were mostly average the rest of the time. Budaj was inconsistent following the trade of Aebischer to Montreal.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-02

Good offense saves Av-erage goalies

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C&ndash;</b> With Rick Nash, Nikolai Zherdev, Sergei Fedorov and David Vyborny, the Jackets have the makings of a decent offense. Their problem was not enough secondary scoring. Jan Hrdina was a disappointment. Jaroslav Balastik doesn&rsquo;t skate well enough for more than spot duty. Jason Chimera, Manny Malhotra and Trevor Letowski were the most consistent trio all year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03765/9033763-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="168" height="207"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C+</b> Adam Foote has been the warrior everybody expected. Duvie Westcott, finally healthy, has excelled. Ron Hainsey and Radoslav Suchy have been solid. That said, only four more teams allowed more goals than Columbus. Bryan Berard was minus-29 in 44 games before season-ending back surgery.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B&ndash;</b> They get very little offensive support and see way too much rubber. Coach Gerard Gallant found success with a back-and-forth rotation of Marc Denis and future star Pascal Leclaire.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-03

Top-heavy Jackets need more support

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE HEIKA</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Dallas finally has four balanced lines that each have proper roles. Credit Mike Modano with a great comeback, but also Jason Arnott, Jere Lehtinen and Brenden Morrow for putting up career-best numbers. Jussi Jokinen (51 points) is the best Stars rookie forward since Modano.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04571/9033794-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="169" height="169"></div><p><b>DEFENSE A</b> With new rules and coach Dave Tippett&rsquo;s desire to become a puck-possession team, a lot was riding on the defense. Sergei Zubov responded with a Norris Trophy-worthy campaign, while Philippe Boucher, Jon Klemm and Stephane Robidas also have had great seasons. The real surprise was 23-year-old Trevor Daley, who has been one of the team&rsquo;s best D-men.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B+</b> Marty Turco&rsquo;s numbers (seventh in GAA at 2.52 and 25th in save percentage at .898) are below expectations, but he leads the league in wins (39) and has been among the NHL&rsquo;s best on shootouts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-04

Modano resurgence leads soaring Stars

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A</b> Most of the group exceeded expectations and several players established career highs in goals and points. Henrik Zetterberg emerged as one of the premier two-way players in the game, Pavel Datsyuk bettered his pre-lockout breakout season, and Brendan Shanahan dismissed any notion he is in decline. Tomas Holmstrom, Jason Williams and surprising newcomer Mikael Samuelsson delivered more offense than anyone projected.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05435/9033825-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="168" height="193"></div><p><b>DEFENSE A</b> Nicklas Lidstrom rebounded with perhaps his best season and certainly his most productive. Mathieu Schneider, at 36, set a career-high in goals, and Chris Chelios, at 44, continues to play a significant role. The unit held up remarkably well after losing Niklas Kronwall and Jiri Fischer.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> Manny Legace, one of the best backups in the game, proved he can also be one of the league&rsquo;s top starters.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-05

More good things from ageless Wings

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Shawn Horcoff, who many thought wouldn&rsquo;t be able to carry the load as a No. 1 center, is having a career year. So are Ales Hemsky, Raffi Torres, Jarret Stoll and Fernando Pisani. Ryan Smyth has been at the top of his game and Sergei Samsonov has been a definite boost. Ethan Moreau twice went 18 games without scoring and Mike Peca wasn&rsquo;t worth $4 million, but Edmonton&rsquo;s strength is up front.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06363/9033856-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="137" height="207"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C+</b> They&rsquo;re a veteran group, led by Norris candidate Chris Pronger, that contributes offensively. But they also make mistakes. On too many nights the goalies have been hung out to dry because of odd-man rushes, missed assignments, screens and rebounds.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING D&ndash;</b> There&rsquo;s no way to sugarcoat it: the goaltending has been brutal all year. Edmonton has given their goalies the hook 13 times this season and has the NHL&rsquo;s worst team save percentage (.880).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0026-06

Oilers leaking in net all season long

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRIAN BIGGANE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C+</b> Notwithstanding the impressive stats posted by Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton, Florida&rsquo;s forwards have to be considered a disappointment. Jokinen was on track to become the only Panther other than Pavel Bure to average more than a point per game, while the 20-year-old Horton had a chance to score 30 goals. On the other hand, Jokinen was the only Panther on pace to top 60 points.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07310/9033887-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="152" height="201"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> Jay Bouwmeester made huge strides, Mike Van Ryn matured into a competent top-four defender and rookie Lukas Krajicek showed promise. After that, the defense corps remains an incomplete group in need of an upgrade.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> After a so-so start, Roberto Luongo handled the biggest workload of any NHL goalie while continuing to show the form that has put him among the game&rsquo;s elite. The Panthers&rsquo; future hopes rest on signing him this summer.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-07

Aside from Luongo, short supply of skill

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH HAMMOND</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS B&ndash;</b> GM Dave Taylor said he thought the Kings might have nine 20-goal scorers this season. They&rsquo;re more likely to have four. Most forwards, when not injured, were inconsistent or unproductive. Jeremy Roenick never came close to earning his $4.9-million salary and Luc Robitaille faded in March. Michael Cammalleri emerged as an NHL scoring threat.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-08246/9033918-1-eng-US/f0026-082.jpg" title="f0026-08" width="153" height="210"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B+</b> Lubomir Visnovsky developed into a Norris Trophy candidate; Joe Corvo showed he has the skills to be a top-four defenseman; and rugged Mattias Norstrom actually got better under the new rules. What held things back was Taylor&rsquo;s inability to bolster the corps with one more strong, stay-at-home type.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B</b> Mathieu Garon and, to a lesser extent, Jason LaBarbera, did about what was expected when Taylor threw them into the fire. The Kings needed something better.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-08

King-sized hopes foiled and fizzled

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> Montreal scores an average of three goals per game, will have only one 30-goal scorer and won&rsquo;t have a player who averages a point per game. With 29 goals through 75 games, Michael Ryder led the team, while rookie Chris Higgins had 20 goals. Veterans Mike Ribeiro, Richard Zednik, and Radek Bonk performed below expectations.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03645/9033987-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="168" height="171"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> Sloppy play and difficulties moving men from in front of the net plagued the defense corps. Andrei Markov elevated his play with a career-high 42 points through 60 games. Montreal was 3-11-1 without him in the lineup.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A</b> The fortunes in the crease improved when Jose Theodore was traded to Colorado. Cristobal Huet was Montreal&rsquo;s MVP and proved to be the catalyst in its push to the playoffs. He had seven shutouts in 33 games and gave the team a chance to win every night.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-03

Canadiens a mess without Markov

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS B</b> Additions such as Paul Kariya, Steve Sullivan (in his first full season) and Yanic Perreault made the offense more dangerous, in terms of playmaking (Kariya), scoring (Sullivan) and faceoffs (Perreault). Homegrown talent did not measure up quite as well. Scott Hartnell scored 25 goals, but took bad penalties, and David Legwand was inconsistent.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04473/9034018-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="169" height="169"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> While the unit was, for the most part, skilled and effective, size and toughness were issues. Opposing forwards spent too much time in front of the net. Nashville had no choice but to call up 20-year-old Shea Weber and trade a first-rounder for Brendan Witt.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A</b> The Preds had the highest shots-against per-game average (33.1) of any top-eight team in either conference. Tomas Vokoun has already set a team record with 36 wins, 22 of them in one-goal games.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0027-04

Preds’ attack shines, but ‘D’ must improve

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02925/9034049-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>VALUABLE VETS?</b></p><p>Alexei Yashin, left, and John LeClair couldn&rsquo;t do enough to push their teams into the playoffs.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A&ndash;</b> Considering their top forward (Patrik Elias) missed more than half the season because of illness and injury while his intended replacement (Alexander Mogilny) was demoted to the minors in January, the Devils could not have been much happier with their forwards. Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez both enjoyed career seasons while the disappointment with Viktor Kozlov was tempered by his excellence in shootouts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011314/9034056-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="153" height="203"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> This defense better than in 2003-04? Wrong. Free agents Vladimir Malakhov and Dan McGillis didn&rsquo;t make it halfway through the year. Paul Martin and Colin White emerged as a solid No. 1 pair, but the Devils missed Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer bigtime.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C+</b> Without his shootout record (8-3), Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s 10th straight 30-win season would have been in jeopardy.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-02

Devils feel loss of great Scotts

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER BOTTE</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> There wasn&rsquo;t a standout performance to be had. Instead, the Isles dealt with Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s non-meshing with Miroslav Satan; Mike York&rsquo;s slow start; Trent Hunter&rsquo;s sophomore slump; Shawn Bates&rsquo;s season-slowing injury; Jason Blake&rsquo;s occasional selfishness; and rookie growing pains of Robert Nilsson, Sean Bergenheim and Petteri Nokelainen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03697/9034087-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="153" height="203"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C&ndash;</b> The incoming trio of Alexei Zhitnik, Brent Sopel and Brad Lukowich didn&rsquo;t measure up. Sopel, Lukowich and Janne Niinimaa were jettisoned in mid-season and Zhitnik&rsquo;s season-ending ankle injury left the failed playoff push to Radek Martinek and a slew of rookies.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C+</b> Rick DiPietro didn&rsquo;t truly get untracked until after the Olympics. He mostly was stellar after the break, but his decision to sit out the first game back against then-No. 8-seeded Montreal was one of this team&rsquo;s defining moments.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-03

Underachievers sink Islanders

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY BROOKS</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A</b> Everyone expected Jaromir Jagr to carry the offense, but even No. 68 has exceeded expectations with his Hartlike season. Michael Nylander has given the team a viable first line center. Martin Straka and Martin Rucinsky experienced revivals under the new rules. Mid-season acquisition Petr Sykora provided a sniper&rsquo;s touch to the second line, and Petr Prucha enjoyed an incredible freshman year.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04504/9034118-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="152" height="203"></div><p><b>DEFENSE A</b> Projected to be the soft underbelly of a bad team, this group has adapted very well. The first pairing of Marek Malik and Michal Rozsival doesn&rsquo;t look pretty, but has been very effective. Hip-checker Darius Kasparaitis may be the most physically feared (and detested) defenseman in the East.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A+</b> Rookie Henrik Lundqvist is near the top in almost every goaltending category and plays with a level of poise that infuses his team with confidence.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-04

Ranger blueliners make an impact

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS A+</b> The Senators have had no shortage of scoring this season. Captain Daniel Alfredsson leads the charge up front, bolstered by linemates Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Peter Schaefer, Chris Neil, Chris Kelly and Mike Fisher have all stepped up for a group which has been unleashed. They do the job at both ends of the ice.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05396/9034149-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="165" height="196"></div><p><b>DEFENSE A</b> The Sens have one of the best defense corps in the league. Troubled by injuries to Chris Phillips and Zdeno Chara as the playoffs approached, the club hasn&rsquo;t missed a beat. While Wade Redden eats up valuable minutes (along with Chara, Phillips and Anton Volchenkov), the positive impact of rookie Andrej Meszaros shouldn&rsquo;t be overlooked.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> There were plenty of questions about Dominik Hasek and Ray Emery entering the season, but both have lived up to expectations. Hasek&rsquo;s health is a concern on the eve of the playoffs.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-05

Weapons unleashed, all systems firing

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS B+</b> Many picked the Flyers to finish first in the East and offense was supposedly the team&rsquo;s strong suit, but only a handful of players &ndash; Simon Gagne, Mike Knuble and Jeff Carter (who broke the 40-, 30- and 20-goal marks, respectively) &ndash; performed better than predicted. Several role players, including Turner Stevenson and Branko Radivojevic, were disappointments.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06345/9034180-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="160" height="169"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B</b> Injuries plagued the backline corps for much of the season, with Joni Pitkanen, Eric Desjardins and Kim Johnsson missing big chunks of time. Rookie Freddy Meyer was the biggest overachiever and newcomer Denis Gauthier a pleasant surprise.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B&ndash;</b> The brilliance of rookie Antero Niittymaki was offset by an injury-marred, sub-par year for incumbent Robert Esche. As a whole, the goaltending wasn&rsquo;t what the Flyers had hoped.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-06

Blueline brigade withstands the pain

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID VEST</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS D+</b> Only eight of 15 forwards listed prominently in the media guide are still around, and just a few will finish near their career-highs for points in a season. Shane Doan was invisible in the first 35 games, but excelled after being partnered with center Steve Reinprecht late in the season. Ladislav Nagy&rsquo;s promising year &ndash; he had 56 points in 51 games &ndash; was cut short by a knee injury in January. He&rsquo;ll still likely be among the team&rsquo;s top five scorers. That says it all.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07292/9034211-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="145" height="207"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C+</b> Rookie Zbynek Michalek quietly had a terrific season. Keith Ballard, another rookie, showed grit, but was minus-21. Paul Mara scored more goals than any rearguard since the team moved to Phoenix in 1996.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B+</b> Curtis Joseph weathered a shaky pre-season and then carried the Coyotes for the first three months of the season, winning 30-plus games for a fifth NHL team.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0028-07

Bodies in, bodies out, little to shout about

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS D</b> The Penguins were expected to be an offensive machine, but came out firing blanks and had a wretched power play until it was too late to matter. Mario Lemieux never got untracked. Ziggy Palffy quit &ndash; sorry, retired &ndash; and nobody aside from Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi, who was traded at the deadline, was consistently productive. Lately, Colby Armstrong and Andy Hilbert have shown some promise.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-08247/9034242-1-eng-US/f0028-082.jpg" title="f0028-08" width="160" height="207"></div><p><b>DEFENSE D</b> This group delivered on expectations. It was supposed to be bad, and it was. It did improve somewhat after new coach Michel Therrien memorably said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really starting to believe their goal is to be the worst defensive squad in the league.&rdquo;</p><p><b>GOALTENDING D</b> You don&rsquo;t finish last in goals-against average with good goaltending, though Marc-Andre Fleury proved in the second half he has a bright future.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0028-08

High octane offense a real rib-tickler

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROSS MCKEON</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> The disparity between those who performed well and those who underachieved is striking. Jonathan Cheechoo has enjoyed a career year, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton have amassed career-best numbers, and rookie wingers Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier have done all that could be asked, but the bottom six forwards underperformed.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011164/9034273-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="152" height="200"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B&ndash;</b> The emergence of young talent that includes Christian Ehrhoff, Josh Gorges, Tom Preissing, Doug Murray and the strong late-season debut of Matt Carle would have had an even bigger impact had vets Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren enjoyed consistent seasons.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C</b> Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala battled injuries, inconsistent play and non-support. Toskala came around quicker as Nabokov continued to battle nagging injuries and poor play in front of him right to the end.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-01

Cheechoo’s charge tops highlights

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM TIMMERMANN</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS D</b> The Blues were light in talented forwards to begin with, so when Keith Tkachuk sustained two freak injuries, the team twice lost the player it could least afford to lose. Some of St. Louis&rsquo;s many minor-leaguer call-ups did well, such as Jeff Hoggan and Lee Stempniak, but for the most part expectations were low and they were fulfilled.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02799/9034304-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="168" height="201"></div><p><b>DEFENSE D</b> The blueline was supposed to be the team&rsquo;s strength, but it wasn&rsquo;t. Barret Jackman had a sub-par year and Eric Brewer missed most of the season due to injury. Penalties were a problem.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING D+</b> Patrick Lalime struggled mightily at the start of the season, never making big saves and allowing too many soft goals. Backup Reinhard Divis did just as poorly if not worse. Third-stringer Curtis Sanford lifts the unit&rsquo;s grade, but he got hurt in March and his season ended early.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-02

Expectations met, to Blues’ dismay

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM JONES</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS B</b> Defending scoring champ Martin St-Louis admits he has not met expectations, but a late push will give him decent numbers. While Vinny Lecavalier has put up another solid 30-30 season, he hasn&rsquo;t had the breakthrough into superstardom many expected. Brad Richards, Fredrik Modin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Vinny Prospal had typically strong years.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03569/9034335-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="168" height="200"></div><p><b>DEFENSE B</b> Considering the Lightning used basically six defensemen, the blueline corps held up fine. Dan Boyle had a breakthrough season, vets Darryl Sydor, Cory Sarich and Nolan Pratt were steady and rookie Paul Ranger a revelation.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C</b> After losing Nikolai Khabibulin, the Lightning prayed John Grahame could replace him. It hasn&rsquo;t worked out that way, as Grahame has been wildly inconsistent. Sean Burke performed as expected, but missed significant time with injuries.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-03

Grahame in goal gets mixed reviews

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C&ndash;</b> Toronto was decent on the power play, but went almost six straight games at one point without scoring a goal 5-on-5. The forwards&rsquo; generally clueless defensive play made life difficult for an already suspect defense corps. And when they concentrated on playing defensively, they couldn&rsquo;t score.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04422/9034366-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="137" height="201"></div><p><b>DEFENSEMEN C&ndash;</b> Behind Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle, things fell off dramatically in terms of skill and depth. The pair wore down as the season went on &ndash; they both approached 30 minutes of ice time on many nights &ndash; and after a great start offensively, McCabe cooled off in a big way.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING C&ndash;</b> Easily the weakest and least consistent link on the team this season. Ed Belfour had his worst season as an NHLer before season-ending back surgery and Mikael Tellqvist gave no indication he could handle the No. 1 duties on a long-term basis.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0029-04

McCabe and Kaberle worn down by load

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS C</b> While the Sedin twins finally enjoyed a breakthrough season with new linemate Anson Carter, they were the only ones who performed beyond expectations. The trio that previously had carried the Canucks offensively &ndash; Markus Naslund, Brendan Morrison and Todd Bertuzzi &ndash; were nowhere near their career numbers. Bertuzzi had a built-in excuse because of the Steve Moore affair. Naslund labored for two months with a groin/hip flexor. Morrison? No one could find an obvious reason for his struggles.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05350/9034397-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="144" height="202"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C</b> The loss of Ed Jovanovski for the second half of the season and Sami Salo at the Olympics decimated the defense, which had little depth to begin with.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING B&ndash;</b> Untested Alex Auld was durable and reliable taking over from injured Dan Cloutier. Neither Maxime Ouellet nor Mika Noronen excelled in relief duty.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0029-05

Big guns go silent while Sedins soar

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVE FAY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-07235/9034428-1-eng-US/f0029-072.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DOWN TO EARTH</b></p><p>Martin St-Louis struggled often in his post-Hart Trophy season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>ORWARDS B</b> Seven regulars have had career seasons and that&rsquo;s not counting Alex Ovechkin. Offensively, the forwards have surpassed admittedly low expectations. Defensively, there is plenty of room for improvement. While all four lines feature young players, their progress has been steady throughout. Chris Clark and Matt Pettinger have led the way.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06292/9034435-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="153" height="187"></div><p><b>DEFENSE C+</b> The Caps have been short on the blueline all season due to injuries and inexperience. Shaone Morrisonn justified his first round draft status while Steve Eminger was up-and-down when healthy. Re-signing Jamie Heward was a good move.</p><p><b>GOALTENDING A&ndash;</b> Olie Kolzig deserves an award for keeping his temper in control. It&rsquo;s hard to imagine what Washington&rsquo;s record might have been without him. Brent Johnson displayed some of his old promise down the stretch.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0029-07

Progress for kids, praise for Kolzig

<div class="byline">DALLAS DRAKE </div><div class="byline">&nbsp;</div><div class="byline">In the First Person</div><div class="byline">&#x2013; WITH MARK BRENDER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02894/9034466-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>CELEBRATION CUT SHORT</b></p><p>The only meaningful goals left for St. Louis are about rebuilding in the off-season.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(MITCHELL LAYTON/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011320/9034473-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="215" height="258"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span></b> last missed the playoffs during my third year in the NHL, with the Winnipeg Jets in 1995. Maybe it&rsquo;s something about coming back after lockouts, but whatever it is, it&rsquo;s definitely frustrating.</p><p>This is the time of year when the competitive juices are ordinarily getting charged up. Now there&rsquo;s nothing left to do except watch. For the St. Louis Blues, it will be the first time in 26 years that the playoffs start up without us.</p><p>As much as it hurts not to be a part of it, I&rsquo;ll probably be watching when the post-season gets going. I always say I won&rsquo;t tune in, but I know I will, especially to some of the more interesting series in the Western Conference. This year there will be a bunch of them.</p><p>There are players I want to see do well &ndash; my former teammates Mike Sillinger, Doug Weight and Eric Weinrich, to name three &ndash; but it&rsquo;s hard to root for certain teams after playing against them all season. There are teams that I respect for the way they play, like Detroit, but given that they kick the tar out of us nearly every time we play them, I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;ll be cheering for them.</p><p>I also like the way Carolina is playing. I&rsquo;d take Nashville as a sleeper, but they need to cut down on their shots against. Tomas Vokoun has been standing on his head every game and that can&rsquo;t continue forever.</p><p>It will be interesting to watch what happens with officiating during the playoffs. Personally, I hope they call things just as tight as they have been all season. The worst thing would be for officiating standards to revert back to the days when referees weren&rsquo;t supposed to decide games. With that attitude, the holding and stickwork gets worse and worse as the playoffs go on, and before you know it we&rsquo;d be right back to the way things were before.</p><h2><b>SET TONE EARLY</b></h2><p>The tone should be set from the start of the first round. As much as I hate ticky-tack calls, if the refs let players get away with anything, players will take advantage. We know how to cheat.</p><p>Maybe there won&rsquo;t be as many big hits as we&rsquo;re used to, but there will be more speed. A lot of the big hits used to come from a guy putting his stick on an opponent to reel him in and then pasting him into the boards. These days, if you&rsquo;re a step behind a guy then you probably can&rsquo;t catch him &ndash; and you can&rsquo;t hit what you can&rsquo;t catch.</p><p>As for the future, I&rsquo;ll see what happens with unrestricted free agency this summer. I&rsquo;ll keep playing as long as somebody wants me.</p><p>Signing with a team that has a good chance to go far in the playoffs is a top priority; after all, you only get so many kicks at the can. I&rsquo;ve never played in a Stanley Cup final and that won&rsquo;t change this year, I know that for certain.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0030-02

‘I’ll be watching’

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011214/9034504-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><p><b>SEE PG. 38 FOR INJURIES | TOP TWO PLAYERS ON PP UNIT PLAY THE POINTS</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0031-01

Depth Charts

<div class="byline">By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-07" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07256/9034584-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>BACK AT IT</b></p><p>Bob Nardella retired from hockey in 2004, but was lured back this season when Italy (for the Olympics) and the AHL&rsquo;s Chicago Wolves came calling.</p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-09182/9034591-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="103" height="102"></div><p>Many players don&rsquo;t consider life after hockey until they retire. <b>Bob Nardella</b> actually started thinking a little in reverse this season.</p><p>Nardella, 38, began contemplating hockey once again after he was already fully entrenched in his post-playing vocation.</p><p>A defenseman for 12 pro seasons in the AHL, International League and Europe, Nardella retired after 2003-04 to open his own industrial supply company, RJN Supplies, in his native Melrose Park, Ill.</p><p>But the Italian national team, and then the Chicago Wolves, decided Nardella could still provide a service on the blueline, despite a year off.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect any of this to come about,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>To prepare for the Olympics in Turin, Nardella began practicing in his backyard with the Wolves and playing weekend games with the United League&rsquo;s Rockford IceHogs. Following the Olympics, the Wolves decided he&rsquo;d be a good fit on the back end for their playoff push.</p><p>In 13 AHL games, he had one goal, five points and was plus-1. He had one assist in five games with Team Italy in Turin. The only thing suffering is the accounts ledger for his business.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the sales force, so the sales force hasn&rsquo;t been too active,&rdquo; said Nardella, who will re-retire after the season.</p><p><b>CLUTCH SHOOTOUT</b> What do <b>Jussi Jokinen</b> and <b>Loui Eriksson</b> have in common? Lots, in terms of being budding stars in the Dallas Stars organization. But when it comes to the shootout, the answer is not much.</p><p>While Jokinen was leading the NHL in shootout goals, going 9-for-12 to start April, Eriksson had the AHL&rsquo;s second-worst shootout percentage, popping just two goals in 10 attempts.</p><p>But the rookie right winger picked a great time to put his multitude of moves to perfect use. His shootout goal helped Iowa defeat Cleveland 2-1 and tie Omaha for the final playoff spot in the West Division.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-08221/9034577-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="272" height="272"></div><p>Eriksson also scored his team-leading 25th goal during regulation time.</p><p><b>SAME OLD FEDOR</b> The Syracuse Crunch and parent Columbus Blue Jackets thought giving enigmatic center <b>Fedor Fedorov</b> a late-season test drive would be a good idea.</p><p>So far, it hasn&rsquo;t been.</p><p>In six games with the Crunch, the 24-year-old Fedorov, younger brother of Columbus center <b>Sergei Fedorov</b>, had one goal, two points and was a minus-3. He has taken three minor penalties in a game on two occasions, and not to prevent goals. Fedorov scored just two goals and 17 points in 38 games for Hartford before being loaned to the Crunch. The Syracuse crowd cheered loudly when he was announced as a healthy scratch April 1.</p><p><b>RED-HOT RYAN Michael Ryan</b> played 152 games for Rochester without scoring twice in the same game before potting a hat trick March 31 followed by a two-goal game the next night. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny how this game works,&rdquo; said Ryan, who has 10 goals in 50 games. &ldquo;The game&rsquo;s all about confidence.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p>As of April 5, 2006</p><h3><b>AHL WEST</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-011297/9034570-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="526" height="656"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02862/9034563-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="207" height="312"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Glumac</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03626/9034556-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="123" height="123"></div><p><b>49</b>&nbsp;<b>GP</b></p><p><b>25 G</b></p><p><b>32</b>&nbsp;<b>A</b></p><p><b>57 Pts</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>WEST SHOOTOUT ACES</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04460/9034549-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="526" height="506"></div><h2><b>AHL PROFILE</b></h2><h3><b>Iowa Stars</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05360/9034542-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="189" height="189"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06305/9034535-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="236" height="360"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Toby Petersen</b></figcaption></div><p><b>1st Season in AHL</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>Best Season</b></p><p>36-29-1-7 in &rsquo;05-06</p><p><b>Arena</b></p><p>Wells Fargo</p><p><b>GM</b> Scott White</p><p><b>Coach</b></p><p>David Allison</p><p><b>2005-06 Leaders</b></p><p>(GP-G-A-<b>Points</b>)</p><p><b>Toby Petersen</b></p><p>73 23 40 <b>63</b></p><p><b>Junior Lessard</b></p><p>60 24 28 <b>52</b></p><p><b>Loui Eriksson</b></p><p>71 25 26 <b>51</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-07

Back on the blueline

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-10148/9034629-1-eng-US/f0032-102.jpg" title="f0032-10" width="487" height="562"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-11122/9034622-1-eng-US/f0032-112.jpg" title="f0032-11" width="163" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>s a fifth round draft pick coming out of college, Greg Zanon didn&rsquo;t have a great deal of leverage in contract talks with the Ottawa Senators.</p><p>What he did have was a great deal of confidence in his ability. And when he didn&rsquo;t like the Senators&rsquo; offer during training camp in 2003, Zanon walked out the door and gambled on free agency.</p><p>Players at Las Vegas casinos should be so lucky.</p><p>Zanon played the 2003-04 season on an AHL contract in Milwaukee; he signed an NHL deal with Nashville after the season. And now, after three seasons with the Admirals, he&rsquo;s on the verge of graduating to the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see how he will not be in the NHL next year,&rdquo; said Milwaukee coach Claude Noel. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s steady and he plays with passion. He makes all the sacrifices and he does all the team things.&rdquo;</p><p>Zanon, 25, played four NCAA seasons at Nebraska-Omaha, where offense was his game. But he&rsquo;s now more of a stay-at-home defender, although he does have nine goals and 34 points in 65 AHL games. He&rsquo;s a team-best plus-16 for the West Division leaders.</p><p>He also had two assists in four games with the Predators, but knows his role as a pro.</p><p>&ldquo;Being a defensive defenseman is my new identity and I&rsquo;ll be sticking with it,&rdquo; said the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I ever would have got games in Ottawa, we just didn&rsquo;t see eye-to-eye, but it&rsquo;s been a good fit here.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0032-10

Zanon’s risk paying off

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHIL JANACK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011158/9034667-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="448" height="554"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02784/9034660-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="163" height="163"></div><p>There are players who don&rsquo;t change teams in a career as often as Krys Kolanos has this season.</p><p>To his credit, the 24-year-old center hasn&rsquo;t let it affect his play.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a positive experience, despite what it may seem like,&rdquo; Kolanos said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a test and it&rsquo;s something that, for the most part, I&rsquo;ve learned from.&rdquo;</p><p>Drafted 19th overall by Phoenix in 2001, Kolanos began the season with the Coyotes, playing nine games. When they tried to send him to their AHL farm team in San Antonio, Edmonton claimed him off waivers.</p><p>Kolanos got in six games for the Oilers before they attempted a similar move, and Phoenix grabbed him back. After three games for the Rampage, the Coyotes dealt him to Carolina for Pavel Brendl.</p><p>The 6-foot-3, 203-pounder spent 19 games on the Hurricanes&rsquo; farm in Lowell, scoring 21 points, before being shipped to Pittsburgh at the trade deadline, part of the deal that landed Mark Recchi in Carolina.</p><p>&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t spent a lot of time in every place I&rsquo;ve been this year, so I&rsquo;ve had to make the adjustment fairly quick,&rdquo; Kolanos said.</p><p>Kolanos went straight to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, where he had six goals and nine points in his first nine games.</p><p>&ldquo;My goal for whatever team I was with&hellip;was to do whatever I could to help my team succeed,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I still feel like I&rsquo;m still trying to get firing on all cylinders. I think there&rsquo;s more there.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-01

Suitcase for a season

<div class="byline">By PHIL JANACK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03618/9034747-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FRESHMAN FIND</b></p><p>Hartford rookie Jarkko Immonen reached the 30-goal, 70-point plateau and ranks third in scoring among first-year players.</p></figcaption></div><p>It took three years for <b>Derek Gustafson</b> to work his way back to the AHL and no time at all to have an impact upon his return.</p><p>The well-traveled goaltender was in his second UHL season with Adirondack when he was signed to a tryout deal by Providence March 24 following an injury to <b>Jordan Sigalet</b>.</p><p>Gustafson, 26, started five straight games, splitting his first six decisions for the Bruins. He had three wins, one regulation loss and two shootout losses, posting a 1.79 goals-against average and .934 save percentage.</p><p>&ldquo;We knew Adirondack had a couple good goaltenders and we were going to bring him in to play,&rdquo; said Providence coach and ex-NHL goalie <b>Scott Gordon</b>. &ldquo;He took the opportunity and made the most of it.&rdquo;</p><p>Gustafson made 33 saves to shut out Albany March 29, his seventh AHL shutout, but first since 2002-03 with Houston. After playing 41 games that season, he lost his spot in the rotation after the trade deadline deal for <b>Johan Holmqvist</b>, who led the Aeros to the Calder Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;This is an excellent opportunity for me,&rdquo; Gustafson said. &ldquo;The guys have been awesome. I&rsquo;m just trying to win each night I get a start in there and hopefully everything will work out.&rdquo;</p><p><b>TEAM YOGA</b> Hartford&rsquo;s new exercise regimen, incorporated by coach-GM <b>Jim Schoenfeld</b>, has proven to be an effective tool for the Wolf Pack.</p><p>Since the start of the season, players have practiced yoga as part of their office routine, helping to develop and maximize flexibility and stability in the core muscles required for hockey.</p><p>The team cut back on its yoga as the playoffs approached, but the results were encouraging. Hartford had won nine games when trailing after two periods, tied for the league lead with Binghamton and Grand Rapids.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-10178/9034740-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg" title="f0033-10" width="103" height="102"></div><p><b>ON THE FARM</b> Three months after helping Canada win gold at the World Junior Championship, <b>Ryan O&rsquo;Marra</b> got his pro career off to a rousing start.</p><p>The Islanders first round pick in 2005, O&rsquo;Marra was signed to a three-year deal March 30 and scored two goals in his Bridgeport debut.</p><p><b>NIFTY 50</b> Binghamton left winger <b>Denis Hamel</b>&nbsp;became the second AHL player to reach 50 goals this season with a tally April 1. Hamel followed up with the OT winner the next night against Bridgeport, giving him 51 in 70 games.</p><p><b>Donald MacLean</b> of Grand Rapids led the league with 53 goals in 73 games. The last time two players  hit the 50-goal plateau was 1993-94, when <b>Patrik Augusta</b> of St. John&rsquo;s (53) and <b>Mark Pedersen</b> of Adirondack (52) each did it.</p><p><b>NOTES</b> The Albany River Rats will partner with the Carolina Hurricanes next season after 13 years with the New Jersey Devils&hellip; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton defenseman <b>Chris Kelleher</b> was released from the hospital after escaping serious injury following a scary head-first collision into the boards March 31 in Binghamton.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>POWER RANKINGS</b></h2><p>As of April 5, 2006</p><h3><b>AHL EAST</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04494/9034733-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="526" height="663"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05412/9034726-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="207" height="312"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Aaron Gavey</b></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06360/9034719-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="123" height="123"></div><p><b>67</b>&nbsp;<b>GP</b></p><p><b>13 G</b></p><p><b>29</b>&nbsp;<b>A</b></p><p><b>42 Pts</b></p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3><b>EAST SHOOTOUT ACES</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07310/9034712-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="526" height="506"></div><h2><b>AHL PROFILE</b></h2><h3><b>Manchester Monarchs</b></h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08253/9034705-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="189" height="189"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-09210/9034698-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="236" height="361"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Noah Clarke</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MIKE STOBE/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>5th Season in AHL</b></p><p><b>Best Season</b></p><p>51-21-4-4 in &rsquo;04-05</p><p>&nbsp;<b>Arena</b></p><p>Verizon Wireless</p><p>&nbsp;<b>GM</b> Kevin Gilmore</p><p><b>Coach</b></p><p>Jim Hughes</p><p>&nbsp;<b>2005-06 Leaders</b></p><p> (GP-G-A-<b>Points</b>)</p><p><b>Noah Clarke</b></p><p> 63 12 28 <b>40</b></p><p><b>Marty Wilford</b></p><p> 73 5 34 <b>39</b></p><p><b>Connor James</b></p><p>71 16 20 <b>36</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0033-03

Goalie gusto on display

<div class="byline">By MIKE MASTOVICH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02886/9034778-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="816" height="1403"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>IDAHO TROOPER</b></p><p>It took more than a broken nose and black eye to keep Idaho&rsquo;s D&rsquo;Arcy McConvey sidelined.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(JASON MUNROE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Not even a freak injury slowed down Idaho&rsquo;s <b>D&rsquo;Arcy McConvey</b>.</p><p> During a game in late March, a flying puck some-how evaded McConvey&rsquo;s visor and struck him squarely in the face, fracturing the 24-year-old forward&rsquo;s nose and leaving a nasty black eye.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011311/9034785-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="159" height="155"></div><p>The Steelhead captain shrugged off what might have been a much more serious mishap by scoring a hat trick two games later. McConvey followed up with another three-goal night less than a week later.</p><p>McConvey had 13 goals in a 11-game span and leads the league with 39 tallies. His 85 points have him tied for the scoring lead.</p><p>&ldquo;D&rsquo;Arcy has been a fierce competitor this season,&rdquo; said Idaho coach <b>Derek Laxdal</b>. &ldquo;The defensive side of his game has improved every shift he plays. He is our captain and leads every practice and game with an outstanding work ethic.&rdquo;</p><p>Teaming with linemates <b>Dan Hacker</b> and <b>Marty Flichel</b> has been a plus. <b>Garett Bembridge</b>&nbsp;and <b>Mike Stutzel</b> also were on his line before moving onto Portland in the American League and Finland, respectively.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played with awesome players all year,&rdquo; McConvey said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve made it easy. They all have such a good work ethic. I think all those things combined have led to a successful year for me.&rdquo;</p><p><b>TOWING</b>&nbsp;<b>THE LINE</b> The ECHL honored 16-year linesman <b>Norm Eberle</b> prior to an April 1 game at South Carolina.</p><p>Eberle has worked more than 1,200 regular season games since his first appearance as an ECHL linesman in a game in Roanoke during October of 1989.</p><p>&ldquo;We are pleased to recognize Norm on his remarkable achievement,&rdquo; said ECHL vice-president of operations <b>Rod Pasma</b>.</p><p><b>ROLE REVERSAL</b> Dayton snapped a 16-game winless streak in surprising fashion April 1, as the Bombers &ndash; last in the North Division &ndash; beat division leaders Reading 4-2 at the Nutter Center.</p><p>Dayton was on a 0-14-2 skid, the second-longest winless stretch in league history.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

Idaho’s Man of Steel

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RISTO PAKARINEN</div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ormer NHLer Shane Willis resembles a grizzly bear woken up in the middle of hibernation. Not only does he sport a rugged playoff beard that makes the rest of Linkoping&rsquo;s players look like teenagers, he has also been a key ingredient in the team&rsquo;s run to the Swedish Elite League final. Willis, 28, leads Linkoping with 11 points in 11 playoff games, after making two major moves at the end of the season. First, he left Switzerland for Sweden. Second, he made the switch from right wing to center. &ldquo;It took me a while to get adjusted, since I only played six games with the team in the regular season,&rdquo; said Willis, who played with Carolina and Tampa Bay. &ldquo;Then our coach (Roger Melin) asked me if I'd ever played center. I said no, but he tried it anyway and our line really clicked.&rdquo; Willis, 28, hopes the move will help him return to the NHL. &ldquo;I hope the people who said I was weak defensively can see me play as a center and see that I can work hard in our own end as well,&rdquo; he said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03702/9034816-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="191" height="115"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-03

Willis leads the way for Swedish squad

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRENDAN SAVAGE</div><p class="dropcap"><span>A</span>t least two potential ownership groups are interested in purchasing the Quad City Mallards, according to the team&rsquo;s chief executive officer. Mike Tatoian, CEO of Victory Sports Inc., told the Quad-City <i>Times</i> that former team president Paul O&rsquo;Dacre and senior vice-president Tim Taylor are both heading groups that want to buy the Mallards. O&rsquo;Dacre&rsquo;s group would like to move the team to the American League, while Taylor&rsquo;s group, which is comprised of local people, hasn&rsquo;t decided if it would stay in the UHL or move to the AHL. The Edmonton Oilers have expressed an interest in putting their AHL affiliate in the Quad Cities next season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not playing one off the other,&rdquo; Tatoian told the <i>Times</i>. &ldquo;We want to do what&rsquo;s best for everybody.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04560/9034847-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="209" height="92"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-04

Mallard flock chased by pair of groups

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID HENRY</div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>ort Worth coach Guy Larose was not lovin&rsquo; it. With his team up 5-2, Youngstown coach J.F. Laforest pulled his goalie for an extra attacker in an attempt to score a sixth goal, the number required for a McDonald&rsquo;s promotion to kick in and give each fan a free Big Mac. The Steelhounds failed to score, but the Brahmas still had a stomachache. Larose called the decision, &ldquo;humiliating.&rdquo; Laforest had a different take. &ldquo;When one of our corporate sponsors is running a promotion, we try to help,&rdquo; he told the Fort Worth <i>Star-Telegram</i>. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d do it again until the cows come home.&rdquo;&hellip; The CHL handed out its regular season hardware: Amarillo center Derek Hahn was named MVP, while Tulsa center Jim Dahl claimed top rookie honors.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05458/9034878-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="185" height="100"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0034-05

Big Mac attack irks opposing coach

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PAUL SHAHEEN</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>raverse City North Stars rookie forward Travis Paeth isn&rsquo;t a scoring machine, but his blend of vision and toughness has made him a player many colleges are keeping an eye on. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, the 2006 draft-eligible Paeth has 21 goals and 36 points in 54 games for the first-year North Stars. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m working to become a two-way forward,&rdquo; said Paeth, who has 100 penalty minutes. &ldquo;I need to improve my passing and defensive game.&rdquo; Central Scouting has Paeth ranked as a &lsquo;B&rsquo; player, worth watching for the draft, but International Scouting Services doesn&rsquo;t have him among the top 250 prospects. &ldquo;You notice him because of his speed and aggressiveness,&rdquo; said Traverse City coach Scott Gardiner. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the type of kid who can break a game wide open.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07362/9034940-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="171" height="130"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

Search for your favorite player or team

April 18, 2006

2005-06 Statistics

Kids fail to step up for not-so-Wild ride

Go East, young players, and take over the league

Role players wreak Havoc on Columbus