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October 3, 2006
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Oilers refueling fast
It’s a training camp scrimmage in neighboring Grande Prairie, Alta., and Rob Schremp is circling at center ice, preparing for his turn in the shootout. And he’s bringing down the house. Veteran players have just taken their turns in front of him, to polite applause, but when Schremp closes in on the puck the crescendo is deafening. He has never scored an NHL goal, never even played an NHL game, but his aura and reputation have already preceded him to this small Alberta community. “I don’t know why,” grinned the talented OHL scoring leader, whose spin-o-rama lacrosse move in a previous shootout made the highlights on sports networks across North America. “I pulled it off a couple of times in the summer and everybody loved it so I kept doing it. They have high…
The wealthiest of hangers-on
thehockeynews.com There’s an important lesson to be learned from the 15-year, $67.5-million contract Islanders owner Charles Wang bequeathed unto goaltender Rick DiPietro – and it has zilch to do with fools and money soon parted. What happened on Long Island in early September is about the chaos that can come from close friendships between employers and employees. It is about camaraderie gone cuckoo, and ought to serve as the pre-eminent cautionary tale for each and every owner of a pro sports team with the inclination to cozy up alongside one of his athletes. The best thing an owner can do is own; any one who does something other than pay the bills delivers a team into dangerous territory. Think Jeremy Jacobs. Think Peter Angelos in baseball, Daniel Snyder in the NFL, Donald Sterling in…
Wild braced to break out
Minnesota It’s here, finally. That season of lofty expectations loyal Wild fans have been patiently spending to see.Win or lose, springtime dash or mid-season meltdown, the market’s youngest franchise promises to be a most intriguing sports story in 2006-07. GM Doug Risebrough invested almost $65 million in contracts this summer to acquire star center Pavol Demitra; lure marquee free agent defensemen Kim Johnsson and Keith Carney and wingers Mark Parrish and Branko Radivojevic to Minnesota; and, secure resident wunderkind Marian Gaborik for three more seasons. As a result, expectations are soaring in the Twin Cities. Coach Jacques Lemaire, his future uncertain entering the final season of his contract, prepares to lead his most talented and experienced team yet. It is playoffs-or-bust for an organization trying to return to the postseason for the first…
Captain Foppa leads the way
Philadelphia Imagine if the guy asking you to be captain set the standard as a Hall of Famer, a two-time Stanley Cup champion and a three-time MVP. Peter Forsberg knew as soon as Bob Clarke approached him how big a deal wearing the ‘C’ in Philadelphia was. Here and now, it carries even more weight due to the recent retirement of Keith Primeau due to post-concussion symptoms. Last year, a Flyers team some had picked to win the Stanley Cup was hampered by 388 man-games lost to injury. But an issue of equal significance was the uncertainty regarding leadership in the dressing room. Primeau, the team’s captain since 2001, was injured last October. No one was named to replace him until January, when Derian Hatcher agreed to fill in on an interim basis. The problem was, Primeau…
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