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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.
Options open for Dallas
Dallas While the Stars have holes like any other NHL team this season, GM Doug Armstrong has left himself a bit of leeway in the matter. By tying up Mike Modano ($3.75-million cap hit) and Sergei Zubov ($4-million cap hit) to reasonable long-term contracts, Armstrong has opened up a world of possibilities with his other players. Free agent signee Eric Lindros ($1.55-million base salary) will try to revive his game and once again become a scoring force on the second line. Or, if he gets hurt, the Stars still have some wiggle room in their salary cap to go out and get a replacement. On defense, veterans Darryl Sydor, 34, and Jaroslav Modry, 35, will attempt to recapture some of the magic from earlier in their careers by returning to old partners in Zubov…
Nolan faces uphill battle
NY Islanders Standing on the grass outside the Mets dugout at Shea Stadium last month, watching one of baseball’s best teams take batting practice with his sons, new Islanders coach Ted Nolan smiled broadly when the question was posed. He was asked if his decade-long pursuit of another NHL job was worth the wait considering the wild summer his new team endured under the circus big top – with owner Charles Wang hiring Nolan and Neil Smith in June, and then abruptly axing Smith six weeks later and replacing him as GM with former backup goalie Garth Snow. The insanity didn’t stop there, as goalie Rick DiPietro was handed what amounted to a lifetime contract before ever winning a playoff series. Yet the answer came without hesitation. “All I can say is that all…
Playoff berth no sure bet
Toronto Anniversaries usually are a time for happy reflection and celebration, but Maple Leafs fans won’t be in the mood for either next spring. Come May 2, 40 years will have passed since the Leafs most recently wrapped their arms around the Stanley Cup. If the 2006-07 Leafs are lucky, they might be playing next May 2. But on the way to ending the Cup drought? Not a chance. A year ago, prognosticators figured the Leafs would be in a dogfight to earn participation in the post-season. A year later, despite the efforts of GM John Ferguson to improve a team that wound up missing the playoffs by two points, the Leafs will be in another battle to venture into the playoff sphere. Improvements – and significant ones at that – have been made,…
Still more to do in Season 2
For all the success the NHL experienced with its radical and refreshing approach to offensive hockey last season, in reality fans got less than one goal per game more than they did when hockey was in the dark ages. Great start, but not near good enough. Oliver Twist asked for more and look at how things turned out for him. With that in mind, here are some do’s and don’ts for the NHL and its competition committee. DO Make eye protection mandatory for all players and tell the NHL Players’ Association to live with it. The league has always maintained it would like to have the NHLPA’s cooperation on the issue and the union has always maintained the players should be free to have their eyes poked out if they choose. A construction…
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