CHARLIE HUDDY

Please forgive Charlie Huddy if he doesn‘t get involved in the continuing debate over the merit of plus-minus ratings in the National Hockey League. Of course, since the 24-year-old Edmonton Oiler defenseman recorded a league-high rating of plus-62, earning him the Emery Edge Award, he may be a little bias. Not only did the award put $2,000 in his pocket, a trophy on his mantlepiece and $500 to the charity of his choice, it provided the Scarborough, Ont., native with recognition and attention he may not otherwise have received. But no, the reason he avoids plus-minus debates has more to do with what he sees as the simplistic nature of the subject. “The way I see it,” says Huddy, “is that, as a defenseman, my biggest concern is not being on the ice…

The AHL And CHL Do Not Belong As One

At first thought, a single top-level minor league—an amalgamation of the Central and American Leagues—makes sense. While the 13-team AHL has prospered the last few seasons, the six-team CHL has had to scramble just to stay afloat each year amidst rumors of its demise. The reasons for merging the two leagues are convincing. Ever since the NHL lowered the draft eligibility to 18 but agreed to return those below 20 to the Canadian junior leagues if they did not latch onto NHL rosters, the minor-league pool of talent has shriveled. Three years ago, teams were scurrying to purchase their own minor-league franchise, but the trend may soon shift to dual minor-league affiliations, such as Boston-Washington in Hershey and Vancouver-Quebec in Fredericton. With only 20 or 21—depending upon the St. Louis situation—NHL teams…

Unhappy Mio, Duguay Get The Last Word

NEW YORK—Eddie Mio stopped short of calling New York Ranger general manager Craig Patrick a liar and said he’d like to return and haunt his former team and Ron Duguay confirmed that he has not yet adjusted to the idea of life in the slow lane in the suburbs of Detroit. The two newest members of the Detroit Red Wings revealed that in an unorthodox press conference at Duguay’s Manhattan restaurant, Sticks, a few days after the trade which sent Willie Huber. Mike Blaisdell and Mark Osborne to New York for Mio, Duguay and Eddie Johnstone. Leaning over a bar in an elevated section of the restaurant while Duguay sat off to the side at a table, Mio explained that he was bitter because he felt Patrick breached an understanding between…

Olympic Candidates