Cool Goaltender Froese Keeps Rangers Hot

NEW YORK—A year ago, the Philadelphia Flyers told Bob Froese to take a hike. This fall, the New York Rangers have relied on him so desperately that coach Michel Bergeron has already joked that his teammates owe him a vacation. Although the Rangers began their 62nd season with a tie and a victory, Froese faced 43 shots in the opening night 4-4 draw with Pittsburgh and 46 shots in a 6-2 victory at Hartford. “Our guys should send Bobby Froese to Florida for a rest,” Bergeron chirped after a sloppy Ranger checking job at Hartford. “He has covered up for a lot of mistakes but no goalie can keep that up forever. “If we don’t start playing better defensively,” New York’s new coach declared, “we’re going to be in trouble.” While no one could…

New Plan…Again

Hockey East has adopted the fourth different playoff format of its four-year existence. Like last year’s arrangement, the teams that finish first and second during the regular season will receive quarter-final byes and the last-place team will not be involved. This year, however, the third- and fourth-place teams will play host to the fifth- and sixth-place teams, respectively, in two-game, total-goals series set for March 4 and 5. Last year, the quarter-final round featured single elimination. Then, instead of a four-team, single-elimination tournament at a neutral site—which has been the case all three previous years—the quarter-final winners will travel to play the top two regular-season finishers in a pair of two-game, total-goals series, March 8 and 9. The regular-season champ will entertain the lowest-seeded survivor and the No. 2 team will await the higher-seeded…

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Canucks Are Longest Of Longshots

Vancouver Canucks winning the Stanley Cup? Stranger things have happened, but Harrah’s Race and Sports Book in Reno, Nev., says the odds are 100-to-1 against it happening. The favorites, not surprisingly, are the defending-champion Edmonton Oilers at 2-1, followed closely by the Philadelphia Flyers at 5-2. The Oilers were even heavier favorites at 3-2 before defenseman Paul Coffey and center Mark Messier staged training camp holdouts over contract disputes. Messier has since returned, signing a six-year contract, but Coffey remained out of the Oilers’ uniform. The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames are both listed at 5-1, Hartford Whalers at 7-1, Detroit Red Wings 12-1, and Winnipeg Jets and New York Islanders 15-1. The Islanders were 10-1 choices before the team’s announcement that Mike Bossy is not included in their plans this year because…