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.

January 22, 1988

The Hockey News January 22, 1988

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Larry Mahoney</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04171/5392375-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="188" height="135"></div>St. Cloud State University&rsquo;s probable entry into the Western Collegiate Association in 1989 could spell an end to the scheduling agreement between Hockey East and the WCHA.If St. Cloud joins, the league will have nine teams. If the schools continue to play each other four times apiece, that will make for 32 league games. The NCAA maximum is 38 games overall. There are seven Hockey East schools and scheduling them once each would mean 39 league games for each WCHA team.In addition, most WCHA schools like to play in at least one non-league tournament&mdash;and that means another two games, as a rule.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s premature to make a statement,&rdquo; said WCHA commissioner Otto Breitenbach, when asked about potential problems. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t look at the scheduling until St. Cloud State is ready to make a commitment to the WCHA. To be honest, we will certainly entertain their proposal for discussion and evaluation.&rdquo;<h2>MORRIS, CHIEFS COME BACK</h2>Lowell all-American center Jon Morris, who didn&rsquo;t score his first goal until the 12th game of the season, exploded for six goals and 14 assists in eight games&hellip;Northeastern sophomore right winger Andy May&rsquo;s hockey future is in doubt, after he suffered a severed tendon above the ankle during a 7-6 win over Alaska-Fairbanks. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Shaky Accord

<div class="byline">BY MURRAY TOWNSEND AND STEVE DRYDEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011427/5391013-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Terry Gregson peers into a crowd of Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens. According to THN statistics, Gregson has followed through on an NHL directive calling for referees to assess penalties consistently in the third period.</figcaption></div>John McCauley knows all about reviewing the work of referees. And not just because he&rsquo;s director of officiating for the National Hockey League.It was nearly 10 years ago that a one-punch assessment of him was delivered in a New York City restaurant.On the night of Team NHL&rsquo;s shocking 6-0 loss to the Soviet Union in the 1979 Challenge Cup, a drunken hockey fan&mdash;apparently believing the officials were to blame for the embarrassment of a few hours earlier&mdash;sucker-punched McCauley in the left eye.Not until 1981, after several operations to clear up double vision, was McCauley able to officiate again.Ironically, it was the fractious fan who needed his vision checked. McCauley hadn&rsquo;t even worked the game. He was there strictly as a backup to referee Andy van Hellemond.&ldquo;I told van Hellemond that I saved his life,&rdquo; chuckles the former referee. &ldquo;The next day I walked out of the hotel with my eye out to here and an autographed stick in my hand. The doorman, thinking I was a player, said, &lsquo;Tough game, eh?&rsquo;&rdquo;For those in the business of officiating boys&rsquo; games that men play, there may be no tougher game.Certainly, in no other game are the arbiters subject to as much criticism from fans. When was the last time you went to a game and didn&rsquo;t have a beef with the officiating?It all seems so easy from above ice level.Fans aren&rsquo;t the only ones assessing the performances of NHL referees. A team of four supervisors&mdash;plus McCauley and hockey operations vice president Jim Gregory&mdash;see about 50 per cent of all regular-season games.At the end of each year, every regular referee is graded and given a numerical ranking. That information is confidential for obvious reasons. But it doesn&rsquo;t take an NHL insider to figure out those considered the best. The top-ranked referees are given playoff and Stanley Cup final assignments.Last year, van Hellemond, Don Koharski and Dave Newell were selected to officiate the seven-game Edmonton-Philadelphia showdown.We may not be able to tell you what the NHL&rsquo;s. thoughts are on individual referees so far this year, but we can tell you a little about their work.We examined the first 400 games of the regular season, concentrating on penalty calls by individual referees. There are no easy statistics, like goals and assists, by which a referee&rsquo;s performance can be measured. But there are numbers that give quantitative analysis to a referee&rsquo;s work, if not qualitative. The latter part, we&rsquo;ll leave to the NHL for now.What we have done is point out tendencies of the 13 men who officiated all but two of the season&rsquo;s first 400 games.Using man-advantage penalties (MAP) as a measuring stick, we looked at five categories of referee performance:1)Total number of MAP assessed by each referee.2)Difference between MAP assessed over the first 200 games, and second 200.3)Percentage of MAP assessed during third periods.4)Difference in MAP assessed home and visiting teams.5)Significant differences in the number of MAP assessed one team versus the other during a game.We chose these five categories for various reasons.First, we checked to see which referees were calling the most penalties during a year when the NHL has ordered them to crack down on restraining fouls and bodychecking from behind.Second, we wanted to see if some referees eased up as the season wore on&mdash;as is widely believed by fans who insist officials became less vigilant as the season moved toward the midway point.Third, we wanted to know if referees were sticking to another directive from the NHL&mdash;and that was to call penalties in the third period as they would in the first and second.Fourth, we checked to see if there is an advantage to being the home team in terms of powerplay opportunities.And fifth, we wanted to examine the common belief that referees have a tendency to even up man-advantage penalties.For now, we prefer the statistics presented here to serve the purpose of drawing attention, not conclusions. We will go through the same exercise at regular season&rsquo;s end. Then a more complete picture will be available.There are an enormous number of factors, beyond numerical representation, which enter into the assessment of a referee&rsquo;s work. For instance, how do you factor in the difference between handling Detroit, the league&rsquo;s most heavily-penalized team, and New York Islanders, the least-penalized?You can&rsquo;t, of course, but it&rsquo;s hoped that over the course of 30 or so assignments (as most of the referees had through 400 games), things will even out. A wild game between Quebec and Boston will be balanced by a tame affair between Montreal and Toronto.Our statistics are unofficial, gathered from newspaper summaries which provide powerplay statistics. We calculated there were 4,460 man-advantage penalties over the first 400 games. Official NHL stats say there were 4,497. That&rsquo;s a difference of 37, and comprises a.83 per cent margin of error.A single man-advantage penalty, by the way, can be anything from a one-second power play to a five-minute major that runs it course without a goal being scored. A five-minute major, on the other hand, can represent as many manadvantage penalties (plus one) as the number of goals scored. If two goals are scored during a major then a team is considered to be assessed three man-advantage penalties, three goals, four&hellip;and so on.A few final words of advice. Some referees will fare worse than others in certain categories, but be careful not to attach too much significance in terms of overall performance. We can&rsquo;t measure respect an official commands, nor the control he exerts over a game.Finally, here&rsquo;s aroster of NHL officials, their ages and years they entered the league: Mark Faucette, 29, 1985; Terry Gregson, 34, 1979; Bob Hall, 35, 1981; Ron Hoggarth, 39, 1971; Don Koharski, 32, 1977; Dan Marouelli, 32, 1982; Bill McCreary, 32, 1982; Denis Morel, 39, 1972; Bob Myers, 47, 1967; Dave Newell, 42, 1967; Mike Noeth, 29, 1979; Rob Shick, 30, 1984; Paul Stewart, 32, 1985; Andy van Hellemond, 39, 1971.<h2>The Charts</h2>1. On a recent broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada, Dan Marouelli issued two man-advantage penalties in the first four minutes of a game.That prompted commentator Harry Neale to say Marouelli has a repuation for handing out a lot of penalties. That may be his reputation, but it wasn&rsquo;t supported by fact through 34 of his games this season.He actually handed out the fewest MAP per game&mdash;9.5&mdash;of the 13 referees who handled 398 of the first 400 games. Bob Myers was the most punitive of the officials. In 32 games, he handed out a total of404 MAP, for an average of 12.6 per game.The range of three MAP per game, from Myers to Marouelli, is not a matter of concern, says McCauley. He&rsquo;s says that it&rsquo;s not an unreasonable variance.<h2>Average Penalties Per Game</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011273/5391006-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="718" height="604"></div>2. The NHL has insisted there will be no easing up on penalty calls as the season wears on. There was, however, a reduction of nearly one per game&mdash;from an average of 11.6 through the first 200 to 10.7 over the next 200.All referees but Rob Shick, Terry Gregson and van Hellemond, called fewer MAP during the second segment. Dave Newell&rsquo;s 3.5 differential&mdash;from an average of 12.9 to 9.4&mdash;was the most pronounced.One explanation for the dip in calls is that players have smartened up, but Myers thinks otherwise.&ldquo;I think, personally, I have been too lenient the last three weeks,&rdquo; says Myers, who called an average of 1.5 MAP less during the second 200 games. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;m getting fed up with calling all the penalties and they&rsquo;re not reacting. I just know that I&rsquo;m letting more fouls go&rdquo;(Ed. Note&mdash;Noeth and Mark Faucette aren &lsquo;t listed on this chart. Noeth officiated only one game during the second 200 and Faucette worked just two altogether, both in the second 200.)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02896/5390999-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="1472" height="1688"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Stewart is one official who has shown a willingness to call significantly more penalties against one team than the other.</figcaption></div><h2>Difference In Calls</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03607/5390992-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="732" height="562"></div>3. Another of the league&rsquo;s goals this year is to end apparent reluctance to call penalties in the third period.The NHL, itself, recently distributed graphs to its officials, showing what percentage of their calls were being made period by period.Our information indicates 25.9 per cent of MAP are being called in the third period.That seems a fair amount for a couple of reasons.Third-period advantages are likely to be down because some penalties don&rsquo;t figure in since time runs out before they can become factors. In addition, players generally take fewer chances of earning a penalty when the game is on the line. Plus, penalty-prone players often don&rsquo;t even get the chance to play.Bob Hall had the highest third-period percentage MAP average (3.6) and percentage (31.8). Next was newcomer Paul Stewart at 3.4 and 29.5.Stewart, whose motto&mdash;&rdquo;Call the penalties that would have p..&hellip;you off as a player&rdquo;&mdash;was passed along to him by Hall of Fame referee Frank Udvari, says he is maintaining a personal policy by calling third-period penalties.He remembers an American League coach commenting on it last year.&ldquo;The coach said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not saying it wasn&rsquo;t a penalty,&rsquo; &ldquo;relates Stewart,&rdquo; &lsquo;but no-one else would have called it in the third period.&rsquo;&rdquo;Newell called the lowest percentage&mdash;21.9&mdash;in the third.<h2>Third-Period Advantages</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04426/5390985-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="726" height="606"></div>4. Referees are often called &ldquo;homers&rdquo; when they give more power-play opportunities to the host team than visiting club. Well, the stats say that most officials do give more MAP to the road team&mdash;11 of the NHL&rsquo;s 13 regulars, in fact.This seems a fairly large coincidence and suggests referees are influenced by the home crowd. There are, however, some explanations for this.First, the overall difference isn&rsquo;t great. Of the 331 games in which one team had more MAP called against it than the other, the home team benefited 187 times. That&rsquo;s 56 per cent of the time&mdash;a small advantage.Second, a difference of just one MAP is enough to give a team the edge over another in this analysis. Third, teams usually play better at home and are likely to force visiting teams into taking penalties. And fourth, according to Stewart, an ex-player, is that &ldquo;A guy is less likely to be stupid at home than on the road.&rdquo;In 18 of 34 games, Don Koharski gave the home team more power-play opportunities than the road team. Nine times the road teams had the edge and seven times, the advantages were exactly the same.In 66 per cent of the games Koharski differentiated in MAP per team, the home side had the most power-play opportunities.Ron Hoggarth and Hall were exceptions to the rule, both with more games of giving the home side less power-play opportunities than the road team.<h2>Home-Visitor Advantages By Games</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-05300/5390978-1-eng-US/f0007-052.jpg" title="f0007-05" width="716" height="602"></div>5. People have long claimed that referees even up penalty calls. Officials aren&rsquo;t fond of that accusation. &ldquo;I hate that term evening up,&rdquo; says McCauley. &ldquo;Our fellows don&rsquo;t even it up.&rdquo;Our evidence suggests otherwise. In only 36 of 400 games, for instance, was there a difference of four or more power-play opportunities given one team over the other. That number increases to 79 of 400, or 19.8 per cent, when you count differences of three MAP.Differences of one and two were considered too small to represent a departure from evening-up tendencies.Myers and van Hellemond were the only two referees (other than the seldom-used Faucette) to not have officiated any games in which there was a difference of four MAP. van Hellemond also didn&rsquo;t have a difference of three; Myers had two games of three.Both were surprised to hear these numbers.van Hellemond says it&rsquo;s the players, not officials, who determine penalty calls. Evening up calls is the furthest thing from his mind, he says.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t think of things like that when you&rsquo;re out on the ice,&rdquo; says van Hellemond. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have time to think of that. And you don&rsquo;t go in to the timekeeper between periods and ask to see the scoresheet.&ldquo;Seventeen years I&rsquo;ve been doing this and I&rsquo;ve never kept track of how many I&rsquo;ve called.&rdquo;Myers shares van Hellemond&rsquo;s opinion.&ldquo;It would certainly be done without any reasons,&rdquo; says Myers of the statistical tendency. He explains, however, &ldquo;If a team has a man advantage. I don&rsquo;t think they should take advantage of the rules. I might be stricter with them.&rdquo;<h2>Disparity In Advantages</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-06229/5390971-1-eng-US/f0007-062.jpg" title="f0007-06" width="720" height="568"></div> &#9632;

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IN BLACK AND WHITE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02363/5392921-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Toronto Maple Leaf center Max Bentley (middle) charges the Detroit Red Wing net during an early 1950s contest. Red Wing goaltender Terry Sawchuk looks anxiously to his right for the rebound as he scrambles to his feet, while teammate Tony Leswick hustles to cover up.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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THE WAY WE WERE

THE APPROACHES TAKEN by the Canadian and U.S. teams that will compete in the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary supply a good chance to test two distinct philosophies in building a club to challenge for the medals.The U.S. assembled the best available players back in August under coach David Peterson, sent them on a barnstorming tour to face a variety of opponents and asked for no aid from the 14 National Hockey League clubs in the country.The Canadian team is a long-term project under manager-coach Dave King in which, ideally, good young players would forsake or postpone professional careers, live in Calgary, where the team is based, and represent their country.It&rsquo;s a noble notion but not one that has produced a roster with stability. As late as Feb. 1, the Canadian side will be adding players and the big reason for the lack of continuity is the fixation with the NHL in the Great White North.In early December, the NHL governors voted to allow the seven Canadian teams to dispatch player aid to the Olympic side and not be forced to subject those workers to the NHL waiver process. King hopes to add as many as four players.The owners&rsquo; decision added a player to the Canadian team immediately. Defenseman Craig Redmond, whose work with the Canadian squad in &rsquo;84 made him a first-round draft pick of Los Angeles Kings, had his pro career go sour in Southern California this season. Instead of accepting a demotion to the minors, Redmond asked to be traded. When the Kings were unable to grant that wish, Redmond asked for a release to return to the Olympic team. The Kings granted it and the owners made it work.While King&rsquo;s preference is to build a selfsustaining program early, with the best available players, and hope that continuity and cohesion will compensate for a little less talent, he&rsquo;s not totally against adding NHL players late in the game&mdash;if they&rsquo;re good ones.King&rsquo;s view is that the top-level workers can adjust very quickly to a system. He smiles when he mentions the example of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux in the Canada Cup. But he realizes that the late additions to his club more likely would be Keith Gretzky and Alain Lemieux.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011374/5391254-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="376" height="423"><figcaption class="caption-body">Frank Orr</figcaption></div>The U.S. team asked for no help from the NHL owners. The Miracle On Ice in &rsquo;80 at Lake Placid was achieved by a team constructed the same way as the fast-improving U.S. squad for &rsquo;88. But this year&rsquo;s team faces a handicap missed by the &rsquo;80 and &rsquo;84 clubs&mdash;trouble in building a tough schedule to prepare the team.In those years, the Olympic club played against teams in the Central League, matches that counted in the standings. The &rsquo;80 team became battle-hardened. This time, the American and International Leagues wanted no part of an exchange with the Olympic team, which meant a large number of matches against college clubs.That&rsquo;s why the men behind the U.S. project were hoping for some tough competition from a Soviet team.While the Canadian team has made three trips to Europe for international competition, including the Izvestia tournament which featured five top national teams that will be in Calgary, the U.S. squad won&rsquo;t leave the continent.In &rsquo;80, both squads were together over the entire season and the U.S. team, of course, had the most success. In &rsquo;84, the Yanks had roster continuity while the Canadians made changes until just before the Sarajevo Games, beat the U.S. team in the opening game and advanced to the medal round while the U.S. finished seventh.Calgary supplies another chance to check out the two approaches. There&rsquo;s something rather impressive about the young U.S. team, which has some good people at the controls, and considerable talent. No serious outlook is possible on the Canadian team until the roster for Calgary is revealed. &#9632;

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Columnists

U.S. And Canada Adopt Different Philosophies

Few professional franchises have wallowed in mediocrity as long as the Vancouver Canucks. Apart from an appearance in the 1981-82 Stanley Cup final, they have consistently been among the least successful teams in North American sports.This year, they haven&rsquo;t been much better, but there&rsquo;s hope for better and brighter things. Next week, we&rsquo;ll take a look at their past and present, plus speculate on their future.In the American League, few do it better than Hartford farmhand Brad Shaw, a heady player who has followed an outstanding junior career with a superb minor-pro career. Last year, he was named the league&rsquo;s top defenseman.You&rsquo;ll read his story in the Jan. 29 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS, plus enjoy the columns of regulars Jay Greenberg, Stan Fischler, Dave Molinari, Randy Smith and Steve Simmons. &#9632;

NEXT WEEK

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>The Edmonton Oilers are furious with Vancouver Province columnist Tony Gallagher, following a piece in which the author took issue with Glen Sather&rsquo;s handling of Grant Fuhr&rsquo;s contract negotiations, claiming the goalie has been exploited by the Oiler boss. The column, headlined &ldquo;Uncle Glen&rsquo;s Cabin,&rdquo; compares Sather to a Simon Legree-type master, squeezing slave labor out of his player. Sather says it was racist and potentially slanderous and the Oilers are contemplating legal action. &ldquo;The whole drift of the article was about Grant Fuhr being black,&rdquo; said Sather. &ldquo;Talking about &lsquo;Uncle Tom&rsquo; and that kind of stuff&hellip;it&rsquo;s incredible. If that article was in New York, this guy would have a lot of trouble because it&rsquo;s very racist. I think that man&rsquo;s got his right to voice his opinion, but there&rsquo;s some things that you don&rsquo;t have the right to do. And Gallagher did that.&rsquo;&rsquo; Gallagher, who also covers the Canucks for THE HOCKEY NEWS, responds: &ldquo;I can see how Glen might be upset about it. The piece was written in defense of Grant Fuhr and my point is valid. Over the years I&rsquo;ve written 100 pieces about Sather and the Oilers and I didn&rsquo;t hear a thing. I write one they don&rsquo;t like and I get this reaction.&rdquo;<h2>BUS BOYS CLEANING UP</h2>Now that the video The Boys On The Bus has become a hit in Canada, several media types are wondering how Robert McKeown, who produced the Oilers&rsquo; documentary, was able to gain access to places denied regular reporters. Turns out the cameraman, Mike Boland, is a former NHLer, having played for the Philadelphia Flyers, among other pro teams. McKeown tells BLUELINES that the most difficult Oiler to work with was forward Kevin McClelland &ldquo;because he keeps to himself too much.&rdquo;&hellip;Capitals&rsquo; coach Bryan Murray tells BLUELINES he has no hesitation discussing the fact that he has had a lisp since childhood. In his earlier years, he was self-conscious about it but he has worked to improve. &ldquo;I wound up teaching,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;and have survived it.&rdquo;&hellip;The Ballad of Wendel Clark is performed by the Rheostatics, not the &ldquo;Real Statics&rdquo; as reported here Dec. 25&hellip;Ref Ron Hoggarth is urging the NHL to have penalties called against &ldquo;divers.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the boxer, showed up at a Penguins&rsquo; home game and offers these observations: &ldquo;It (hockey) is a brutal sport. Boxing has a little more interest because of the crowd. In hockey, if they&rsquo;re not fighting, the people don&rsquo;t get aroused.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011340/5390833-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="726" height="984"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Bullard says he&rsquo;ll never stop trying to show up Pittsburgh.</figcaption></div><h2>PLEDGES OF ALLEGIANCE</h2>Duane Sutter had a difficult time determining his allegiance recently, when asked to do commentary during a Chicago-Islander game. The Isle-turned-Blackhawk referred to both clubs as &ldquo;We.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Mike Bullard says he expects to go through his entire NHL career trying to show the Penguins they erred in dealing him to Calgary&hellip;Islander office official Bill Black was hit on the side by a flying puck while handling a collegiate game. An hour later he collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where his spleen was removed. Black&rsquo;s sidekick, Mickey Slowik, tells BLUELINES, &ldquo;He should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Bill is the only office official to be removed (from the game) by a puck!&rdquo;&hellip;Penguin goalie Pat Riggin, who was often criticized in years past for his beefing, appears to have mellowed in his old age. After being victimized recently by a fluke goal that turned out to be a game-winner, Riggin was uncharacteristically philosophical. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to start whining,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had bad breaks and we&rsquo;ve got to overcome them.&rdquo;<h2>LINEMATE LIKES LEMIEUX BEST</h2>Randy Cunneyworth is one who rates linemate Mario Lemieux over Wayne Gretzky. &ldquo;Mario,&rdquo; says Randy, &ldquo;is bigger and stronger than Wayne. With us, Mario is just as good off the ice&mdash;the first one to show you the way.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Newly-acquired North Star Curt Fraser says he discovered he was a diabetic during a routine physical for a pilot&rsquo;s course in 1983. He was hurried to a clinic and shown how to administer insulin, monitor his blood-sugar levels and manage his, condition. &ldquo;When I found out that I had it,&rdquo; Fraser recalls, &ldquo;the transition was so fast. Two days later I was giving myself needles. Maybe I never had time for it to sink in and to think &lsquo;What am I going to do? I&rsquo;m not going to be able to play hockey.&rsquo; But I was able to step right in the next season and play hockey&rdquo;<h2>ESPN ON NHL&rsquo;S INSIDE TRACK</h2>ESPN reportedly wants to get a new contract going with the NHL. The current deal expires at the end of the season. The USA Network, which carried NHL games before ESPN took over, is out of the picture, according to insiders. ESPN has improved hockey ratings and has obtained new sponsors&hellip;Rumors that the North Stars are in trouble does not impress Whalers&rsquo; honcho Howard Baldwin. &ldquo;Minnesota is a wonderful market,&rdquo; Baldwin tells BLUELINES. &ldquo;It just hasn&rsquo;t been done right.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Flyers veep Keith Allen, who receives too little credit for the behind-the-scenes work he&rsquo;s done to keep Philly on top, is in line for the NHL&rsquo;s Lester Patrick Award for service to hockey in the U.S&hellip;.Red Wing GM Jimmy Devellano rates the Canadiens as the best team in the league now and favorite to win the Stanley Cup. &ldquo;Montreal is better overall than Edmonton,&rdquo; Jimmy D tells BLUELINES. &ldquo;They come at you and they grind it out. The Oilers have five or six wonderful players; then it (the talent) falls off.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021087/5390826-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1502" height="2663"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goaltender Grant Fuhr is in the middle of a controversy surrounding a column written by the Vancouver Province&rsquo;s Tony Gallagher.</figcaption></div><h2>HE&rsquo;S NOT KEEN ON TRADE&rsquo;</h2>Flyer coach Mike Keenan was not amused by telecaster Harry Neale&rsquo;s suggestion that coaches should be traded&mdash;specifically Keenan for Bryan Murray&hellip;They&rsquo;re still talking about the Penguins&rsquo; Christmas card&mdash;a photo of a Devils-vs.-fans uprising at The Igloo with the inscription, &ldquo;Peace On Earth&mdash;Goodwill to Men.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Phil Esposito&rsquo;s autobiography is being ghosted by Craig Wolff, who works for the New York Times&rsquo; consumer section. He used to cover the NHL. Not so coincidentally, the book will be published by Simon and Schus--ter, which is owned by the Gulf and Western conglomerate, which owns the Rangers (and Espo&rsquo;s contract). Originally due for completion next fall, the pub date has been postponed until October, 1989&mdash;which means a lot of feelings will be hurt in 18 months instead of six. &#9632;

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Departments

Oilers Say Story ‘Racist’

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011364/5390878-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="563" height="549"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021255/5390871-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="156" height="153"></div>Mario Lemieux selected this week&rsquo;s Dodge-NHL Performer of the WeekCHRYSLER CANADA IS THE EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR OF THE DODGE-NHL PERFORMER OF THE WEEK, MONTH AND YEAR AWARDS<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031069/5390864-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="550" height="811"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux</figcaption></div>NEW YORK&mdash;Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center Mario Lemieux, who registered eight goals and added three assists for 11 points in four games, was named Dodge Performer of the Week for the period ending January 10. Lemieux, who has recorded 86 points thus far in 1987-88 to assume a share in the NHL scoring lead, edged two goaltenders for the award&mdash;Tom Barrasso of the Buffalo Sabres and Grant Fuhr of the Edmonton Oilers.The Dodge and Chrysler Canada divisions of Chrysler Motors will donate $500 to the youth hockey organization of Lemieux&rsquo;s choice. The Dodge and Chrysler Canada divisions of Chrysler Motors also sponsor the Performer of the Month and the Performer of the Year Awards, for which the latter receives the Dodge vehicle of his choice.Lemieux, a 22-year-old native of Montreal, recorded his third hat-trick of the season en route to a 4-4 tie with the Los Angeles Kings (Jan. 5). He added an assist in a 3-2 loss versus Boston (Jan. 7), and a goal and two assists in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Hartford Whalers (Jan. 8). The following night in Detroit, Lemieux tallied four goals for the third time in his career, in a 7-5 Red Wings&rsquo; final. Lemieux has now scored 40 goals and 46 assists for 86 points to tie Oilers&rsquo; center Wayne Gretzky for first place in the Art Ross scoring race. This is the first time since 1981 that a player has tied or surpassed Gretzky for the scoring lead this late in the season. &#9632;

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DODGE NHL PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

I NEVER WANTED to be a hockey player. I always wanted to be a hockey writer.While all the other kids were out on the pond freezing their tootsies, I was in the bathroom, trying to interview my older sister when she came out of the shower. While all my friends were stuffing catalogues and foam rubber in their pants for shinpads and getting ready to go out and play, I was in the kitchen eating my mother&rsquo;s pre-game press room meal.Then I&rsquo;d get a pen and piece of paper, look out through the window and write down everything the players did wrong. It sure beat getting hip-checked into the snowbank by Jim Berkebile, who by Johnstown, Pa., standards seemed tougher than Eddie Shore ever could have been. Believe me, I wanted no part of Berkebile.Oh, I played a little bit, but I read and ate a lot more. After spending 35 cents to sit in Section 6 at Jets&rsquo; games, plus another quarter for the soda I would dump on John Muckier, I might have some money left over. Buying THE HOCKEY NEWS was next on my list of priorities.It was in those pages that I discovered there were such things as summer hockey schools. You&rsquo;d go to a camp for a week in Canada where Tony Les wick would teach you how to bodycheck. Berkebile thought this was great, even though he had never heard of Tony Leswick. On the whole, a kid who grew up on the Eastern League would have preferred to go to a school where John Brophy and Don Perry taught you how to start post-game riots.Me? I had no desire to go to anything other than a school where you could learn to be a hockey writer. And the thought occurs to me that somewhere, reading this very column, there must be another squirrely little jerk who is just like I was.Not only does he want to be a hockey writer, but his parents can&rsquo;t take a whole summer of the pretentious little nerd. And if he goes outside, somebody like Berkebile is going to beat him up.What do you do? Send him to me. The Jay Greenberg Learn-from-the-Prose, You-Can-Knock-It-Even-If-You-Never-Tried-It Writers School is offering three two-week sessions this summer.We cover it all, starting with endorsing your paycheck and ending with endorsing your next paycheck.Learn 10 solid excuses that can get you out of your next trip to Winnipeg. At the end of two weeks you will be able to convince even the most budget-conscious editor that the best stories are always in Los Angeles.You will be drilled on proper interviewing techniques. For instance, never begin an interview with a losing goaltender by offering him compassion.You do not say, &ldquo;Boy, that was tough. It looks like you were screened on 13 of the 15 goals they scored, eh?&rdquo; Instead, come right to the point: &ldquo;When was the last good game you played, sieve?&rdquo; You won&rsquo;t be able to tell your readers anything about the game but you will get a better story, plus a possible out-of-court settlement.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011245/5390909-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="338" height="466"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg</figcaption></div>Learn how to divide locker rooms by taking players off the record to criticize teammates. Then use the quotes anonymously. That way they won&rsquo;t know who&rsquo;s ripping them. Soon you&rsquo;ll have a great dissension story.We cover the first principle of pre-season predictions: Make as many different ones as possible, in as many publications as you write for, so odds are that somewhere, you will be right. If not, who&rsquo;s going to remember?You will also learn how to hold your criticism of players until they are on the road. That way they may never see the paper in which you ripped them.The odd wife or girlfriend may call and read the player what you wrote. But you can always tell Jones that Mrs. Jones took &ldquo;Jones never could play, he can&rsquo;t play right now and he never will be able to play&rdquo; terribly out of context. Promise him you&rsquo;ll show him what you really wrote when you get home. By then he may forget about it.You will pick up invaluable tricks of the trade. You will know when a general manager is lying to you. It is every time he opens his mouth.There is at least one player on every team who, if you stand in front of him long enough, will say anything you want him to. I know who they are.You will leant how to jump on and off the bandwagon every time a team wins or loses a game. And learn how to criticize referees for missing a call that you needed three replays to correctly second-guess.Learn how to confuse, not break down, issues. Do one column on how the referees are calling too many penalties. Then the next day do one on how the referees are allowing too much clutching and grabbing and it is ruining the game.The cost per session is $1,565. It includes food that you can learn to complain about. No sleeping accommodations are available because, when you&rsquo;re a hockey writer on the road, you stay up all night drinking and fighting in bars and watching naked women dance on tables. &#9632;

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Introducing Jay Greenberg’s Scribe School

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02918/5390940-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="180" height="134"></div>DETROIT&mdash;Detroit Red Wing general manager Jimmy Devellano stood in the doorway of the dressing room, shaking his players&rsquo; hands and patting them on the back.&ldquo;Good first half,&rdquo; he said, over and over. &ldquo;Real good job in the first 40 games. Let&rsquo;s do it again.&rdquo;His team had just beaten Los Angeles, stretching its unbeaten streak to five games and building a six-point lead in the Norris Division over St. Louis.&ldquo;It has been a good first half,&rdquo; Devellano said. &ldquo;We had 20 points the first 20 games and 23 in the next 20. And the exciting thing is, we&rsquo;re three games over.500 right now.&ldquo;If we match that in the second half, that&rsquo;s 86 points, and it&rsquo;s the Norris Division (championship).&rdquo;Which is, according to coach Jacques Demers&rsquo; pre-season schedule, right on target.Demers rather modestly suggested that an improved record, if only by a few points, would constitute success. After collecting 78 points last season and losing the regular-season divisional championship by a point to St. Louis on the season&rsquo;s last day, he figured a season with 80 to 85 points will represent healthy gains.As he predicted, the Wings were sneaking up on nobody this season, after advancing to the Stanley Cup semi-finals last spring. More teams are sending advance scouts to look at the Wings, and they&rsquo;re facing fewer backup goaltenders this year.And they seem to be gaining despite an epidemic of injuries. Detroit lost 130 man-games to injury or illness in the first 40 games. In 80 games last season, they lost 156.The Wings started the second half right with a 7-5 win over Pittsburgh, stretching their unbeaten streak to a season-high six games (5-0-1).In the game, Mario Lemieux scored four goals but still came in second to Steve Yzerman in a head-to-head duel between two of the NHL&rsquo;s premier players.Yzerman, who before the game accepted a plaque as NHL performer of the month for December, scored two goals and assisted on three others. Yzerman&rsquo;s five-points&mdash;all coming after Lemieux scored twice to help Pittsburgh to a 3-1 lead&mdash;raised his totals to 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 points in 41 games. It also extended his clubrecord scoring streak to 22 games, longest in the NHL this season, during which he was 20-30-50.&ldquo;If there&rsquo;s such a thing as a franchise player, you saw one tonight,&rdquo; Detroit coach Jacques Demers said.He was speaking of Lemieux.&ldquo;If it weren&rsquo;t for Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh would be out of the playoffs right now,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;No question he&rsquo;s the second-best player in the world, behind Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;So he&rsquo;d take Lemieux over Yzerman any day, right?&ldquo;I&rsquo;d take Steve Yzerman,&rdquo; he replied, without hesitation. &ldquo;Why? We made the playoffs two years in a row (he&rsquo;s counting this season) with Steve Yzerman.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Bob Probert, returning from a two-game suspension, had two goals against Pittsburgh, to raise his season&rsquo;s total to 20. He was on a pace to break the NHL record of 472 penalty minutes (set by Philadelphia&rsquo;s Dave Schultz in 1974-75), score 40 goals and 77 points&hellip;The Wings traded right wingers with Winnipeg&mdash;speedster Mark Kurnpel (0-2-2 in 13 games) to the Jets for Jim Nill (0-1-1 in 24 games), whom Wing coach Jacques Demers described as &ldquo;a character player, a grinder who&rsquo;s tough in his own end, along the boards and getting the puck out.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Veteran Wing defenseman Mike O&rsquo;Connell wore a helmet in the Jan. 6 game against St. Louis. &ldquo;New Year&rsquo;s resolution,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell explained. &ldquo;Why not? I don&rsquo;t smoke.&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell wore a helmet for some time in Boston, but discarded it when he was traded to Detroit. Among Red Wings, only Harold Snepsts remains helmetless.<h2>RED WINGS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 4: Brent Fedyk, RW, recalled from Adirondack (AHL).Jan. 7: Darren Eliot. G, Kris King, LW, Steve Martinson, LW, recalled from Adirondack; Adam Graves, C-RW, recalled on emergency basis from Windsor (OHL).Jan. 9: King and Martinson assigned to Adirondack and Graves to Windsor.Jan. 10: Bob Probert, RW, returned from automatic two-game suspension after receiving fourth game misconduct penalty; Mark Kumpel, RW, traded to Winnipeg for Jim Nill, RW.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Steve Yzerman, Adam Oates, John Chabot, Shawn Burr.LW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Petr Klima, Mel Bridgman, Joe Murphy.RW&mdash;Bob Probert, Brent Ashton, Joe Kocur, Jim Nill.LD&mdash;Jeff Sharpies, Doug Halward, Lee Norwood, Steve Chiasson, Harold Snepsts.RD&mdash;Darren Veitch, Mike O&rsquo;Connell, Rick Zombo, Gilbert Delorme.G&mdash;Glen Hanlon, Darren Eliot.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Barr, RW, broken foot, Jan. 31.Brent Fedyk, RW, sprained left ankle, indefinite.Tim Higgins, RW, dislocated left shoulder, indefinite.Greg Stefan, G, bruised left knee, Jan. 17-24. &#9632;

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Red Wings Close Out First Half On Target

I&rsquo;M SICK AND tired of hearing the NHL needs improvements.Recent suggestions include doing away with the center red line, enlarging the ice surface and moving the nets further from the end board. Enough, already!While such changes might make the game a little more exciting, they would eliminate all its strategy. Coaches would be relying on onedimensional players whose only priority was scoring.Hard work and a solid game plan would be replaced by end-to-end rushes. Respectable teams, like St. Louis, that grind and muck out two points would be left in the dark. The parity in the league would vanish, as would checking lines. Point totals, of course, would sky-rocket.If it&rsquo;s a shinny game people want to see, they should go down to the local pond. Don&rsquo;t try to fix something that ain&rsquo;t broke.George Rigakos, Toronto, Ont.<h2>LOS ANGELES RIPTIDES?</h2>Here&rsquo;s several suggestions new Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; majority owner Bruce McNall might consider for marketing the team.&bull; The purple and gold colors have an almost dainty appearance. How about something more aggressive, like black and silver?&bull; The name &lsquo;Kings&rsquo; has no historical or geographic connection to Los Angeles. A new image and identity is needed to appeal to Southern California fans. Our suggestions: Los Angeles Stars, Riptides, Blades, Condors, Scorpions or Desperados. Regardless, the present name must be discarded.&bull; The Los Angeles media should realize that NHL hockey is big time and should not be given minor-league treatment.&bull; Improve promotions. Stage giveaways, perhaps pre-or post-game concerts. Reduce concession prices and improve the items.&bull; To speed up play, encourage the NHL to go with two 30-minute halves. Two intermissions only disrupt the tempo of a game. To boost refreshment sales, just use more aisle vendors.Morgen Hagen, Michael DiGregorio, Los Angeles, Calif.<h2>BLAINEY DECISION IMPERFECT</h2>I am happy the Ontario Human Rights Com-mision gave Justine Blainey and other girls the right to compete on any Ontario athletic team without regard to their sex (THN, Dec. 18).However, I don&rsquo;t believe the decision outlaws sex discrimination in Ontario athletics. Rather, it promotes it.While girls may play on any team, boys are barred from teams such as those in the Ontario Women&rsquo;s Hockey Association. And the only reason is their sex. It is absurd that a league such as the OWHA be excused from adhering to discrimination laws on the basis of Ontario&rsquo;s Human Rights Code. How human is the code if its rights are valid for only female Ontario citizens?Robert Cicchini,&nbsp; Catonsville, Md.<h2>ASK KEA, FISCHLER</h2>I am shocked at Stan Fischler&rsquo;s suggestion professional hockey would be a better game if players were not required to wear helmets (THN, Dec. 18).I suggest Mr. Fischler contact Ed Kea, a former NHLer&mdash;conspicuously not mentioned in Fischler&rsquo;s column&mdash;who suffered brain damage as a result of hitting his helmetless head on the ice several years ago in a Central League game.I doubt Kea would agree with Fischler&rsquo;s assertion that &ldquo;nervous nellies playing ostrich&rdquo; are hurting the game by requiring players to wear helmets.Lewis S. Wiener,&nbsp; Chevy Chase, Md.Let your voice be heard. Send your comments to Fan Forum, THE HOCKEY NEWS, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont. M3B 2R2. Include home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

Leave The Game Alone, It Doesn’t Need Changes

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011360/5391068-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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Elston

FROM WHERE National Hockey League vice president Brian O&rsquo;Neill sits&mdash;on the hot seat these days&mdash;a one-game suspension is considered &ldquo;serious.&rdquo;So when O&rsquo;Neill hands out a 10-game sentence, as he did recently to Minnesota&rsquo;s Dino Ciccarelli, you can well imagine the gravity of the situation for the vice president.Ten games, in the NHL scheme of things, is hard time. Ten games, to the NHL&rsquo;s many critics in the media and among fans, is nothing less than a misdemeanor.Is it any wonder, then, that the credibility gap between the NHL and its critics continues to widen?And who, pray tell, has the proper perspective on crime and punishment in the NHL?It is a question, of course, that doesn&rsquo;t have one right answer. But it would most certainly seem that the vast majority of public opinion favors a much harsher penalty for Ciccarelli and anyone else who uses his stick as a weapon.It is O&rsquo;Neill, then, in his role as NHL judge and jury who feels the full weight of that public opinion on his shoulders. He reports that neither his strength nor conviction have wavered.&ldquo;No, not at all,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;When something like this happens (Ciccarelli&rsquo;s stick attack on Toronto&rsquo;s Luke Richardson), there is a lot of shooting from the hip. But I don&rsquo;t see anyone doing an in-depth study of the situation.&ldquo;It troubles me that nobody says or writes anything about there being 1,000 games a year, with maybe only 12 hearings of this nature, which is not a significant percentage at all. These (isolated incidents) tend to generate the most publicity, but contrary to what is often said, the animals have not taken over the zoo.&rdquo;Which is not to say O&rsquo;Neill eschews criticism. He says it&rsquo;s healthy for both the media and fans to express their views and doesn&rsquo;t begrudge them their criticisms. He adds, however, that they simply don&rsquo;t understand the complexities involved in making a disciplinary decision in the NHL.&ldquo;A player in minor hockey is suspended for a whole year,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Neill says, &ldquo;and people see that and wonder why we (in the NHL) don&rsquo;t do the same. Well, there&rsquo;s a big difference between amateur and professional hockey. In the NHL, there are careers at stake. You&rsquo;re talking about somebody&rsquo;s livelihood.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021116/5391099-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="388" height="445"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie</figcaption></div>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I believe one game is a truly serious suspension. And any player who is suspended for 10 games, one-eighth of his entire season, especially now that we have legislation with teeth in it (that prevents a player from being paid while under suspension), takes it as very serious. We don&rsquo;t have a problem with repeat offenders (at the 10-game suspension level). The suspensions are a deterrent.&ldquo;I hear people say, &lsquo;Make an example of this guy.&rsquo; You just can&rsquo;t say and do that. We have guidelines, precedents to follow. And in spite of what that (guilty) player may have done, he has rights, too.&rdquo;Although specific NHL players, Rod Langway to name one, have spoken out against perceived leniency from O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s office, the vice president contends that most of his critics are not directly involved in the game.&ldquo;Let me put it this way,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Who has the greatest stake in all this? The players, of course. And what is the players&rsquo; opinion of a 10-game suspension? I think you&rsquo;ll find 10 is considered as severe. So if most of the players aren&rsquo;t outraged, and they&rsquo;ve got the most to lose by not being properly protected, why is everyone else so upset?&rdquo;O&rsquo;Neill also believes it&rsquo;s worth noting that rarely is a player injured, despite the seriousness of some of the attacks.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in hockey for 22 years and that&rsquo;s more than 20,000 games,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I look at the number of serious injuries resulting from fouls. There haven&rsquo;t been very many at all. I&rsquo;m not saying the stick fouls aren&rsquo;t a serious matter, but very rarely does anyone come away with a serious injury.&rdquo;In other words, O&rsquo;Neill maintains, NHL punishment, however poorly it is perceived by the public, fits the crime. &#9632;

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‘Animals Haven’t Taken Over The Zoo’: O’Neill

<div class="byline">COMPILED BY KARLO BERKOVICH Editorial Staff</div>Dave Duncan is shooting for a gold medal at the World Disabled Games in October but he hit the bull&rsquo;s-eye Jan. 10 in Oshawa, Ont.And he never saw it. Duncan, 24, has been 50 percent visually-impaired since birth.That didn&rsquo;t stop him from whipping a wrist shot 140 feet into the net through a three-inch hole in a piece of plywood between periods of an Ontario League game between Oshawa and Cornwall. Duncan, who will wrestle for Canada in the 198-pound class at the Games in Seoul, won an $8,000 gift certificate towards the General Motors car of his choice.Duncan was the first person in four years to win the shoot-out, held each home game between the second and third periods.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little bit of a bummer that I won&rsquo;t be able to drive the car,&rdquo; said Duncan. &ldquo;But my dad (Bill) is looking for a new car anyway, so it&rsquo;ll be his 43rd birthday present on April 18.&rdquo;Duncan, a four-year season-ticket holder who sits behind the Oshawa bench, only has difficulty watching a game when play moves behind either net. He can see well enough to read, but could not see the target as he set up on the far blue line in the Oshawa Civic Auditorium.&ldquo;I could see the net and the board,&rdquo; said Duncan,&rdquo;But I couldn&rsquo;t see the hole. I just wanted to hit the board and when I shot it, I didn&rsquo;t think it had a prayer.&rdquo;Duncan&rsquo;s high shot didn&rsquo;t touch down until the puck was three feet in front of the net. He never saw it go in. But the crowd of 1,886 did.&ldquo;The place went nuts,&rdquo; Duncan said.Duncan was pleased, too. Especially when the Generals won the game 4-3.<h2>SALARY SURVEY</h2>NHL players on Canadian-based teams are paid less than their counterparts on American teams, according to a Jan. 6 report in the Toronto Sun.Quoting an NHL Players&rsquo; Association survey, the Sun reported the average salary of Canadian-based players is $187,000 ($144,360 U.S.) per year, compared to $214,140 ($165,300 U.S.) for a player on an American team. The figures were taken from a survey conducted in October of 1987. Participating in the poll were 151 players on Canadian teams and 315 U.S.based players.The salary gap was wider last season, when U.S.-based players earned $200,611 ($154,870) and Canadian $163,727 ($127,400). Raises given Edmonton Oiler Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Grant Fuhr reportedly accounted for gains made by Canadian-based players.Gretzky is reportedly making $1.1 million ($850,000) this season as the league&rsquo;s highest-paid player. Messier will earn $550,000 ($424,600) while Fuhr jumped from $110,000 ($85,000) to $210,000 ($162,000) this season.The Sun&rsquo;s 10 top-paid players, measured in Canadian dollars, are: Gretzky, Mike Bossy of the Islanders ($850,000), Dave Taylor of Los Angeles ($838,000), Bryan Trottier of the Islanders ($730,000), Mike Liut of Hartford ($683,000), Marcel Dionne of the Rangers ($670,000), Denis Potvin of the Islanders ($645,000), Mario Lemieux of Pittsburgh ($567,000), Messier ($550,000) and Rod Langway of Washington ($528,000).Other team leaders are Boston&rsquo;s Ray Bourque ($450,000), Buffalo&rsquo;s Clark Gillies ($283,000), Calgary&rsquo;s Joe Mullen ($310,000), Chicago&rsquo;s Rick Vaive ($375,000), Detroit&rsquo;s Steve Yzerman ($290,000), Minnesota&rsquo;s Craig Hartsburg ($290,000), Montreal&rsquo;s Larry Robinson ($420,000), New Jersey&rsquo;s Kirk Muller ($290,000), Philadelphia&rsquo;s Mark Howe ($430,000), Quebec&rsquo;s Peter Stastny ($400,000), St. Louis&rsquo; Bernie Federko ($420,000), Toronto&rsquo;s Borje Salming ($322,000), Vancouver&rsquo;s Barry Pederson ($425,000) and Winnipeg&rsquo;s Dale Hawerchuk ($350,000).The U.S. dollar and lower taxes in that country make playing for an American team financially advantageous. The day the Sun reported the figures, the Canadian dollar was worth 77.2 cents American.<h2>REPORT &lsquo;DISTORTED&rsquo;</h2>A report that NHL teams have proposed they be permitted to send 19-year-old drafted junior players to the minor leagues was termed &ldquo;very distorted&rdquo; by NHL vice president of hockey operations Jim Gregory.The Jan. 6 Canadian Press story prompted angry responses from junior operators, who object to the prospect of losing their prime gate attractions.&ldquo;That would lead to the complete decimation of 19-year-olds participating in junior hockey and that would lead to the ruination of junior hockey,&rdquo; Ontario League commissioner Dave Branch said.Under the current agreement between the NHL and Canadian Hockey League, players with junior eligibility must be with either their NHL or junior teams. That agreement expires in June.The 15 Ontario League general managers discussed the proposal Jan. 4 and voiced their disapproval to Branch.&rdquo;The proposal on 19-year-olds was made Dec. 1 by an NHL committee of Gregory, executive vice-president Brian O&rsquo;Neill, and general managers Bill Torrey of the Islanders, Gerry McNamara of Toronto, Harry Sinden of Boston and Lou Nanne of Minnesota.Gregory said the NHL has been negotiating the issue with the junior leagues for some time. &ldquo;The facts aren&rsquo;t as they were reported,&rdquo; he said, refusing to elaborate any further.Western League president Ed Chynoweth, Quebec League president Gilles Courteau and Branch are scheduled to discuss the issue again Jan. 26 in Hamilton during the OHL-QMJHL all-star game.<h2>OLYMPIC UPDATE</h2>Both the Canadian and U.S. Olympic teams took impressive records into the first of five January pre-Olympic meetings. Games between the teams are scheduled for Jan. 14 in Minneapolis, Jan. 16 in Detroit, Jan. 18 in Toronto, Jan. 26 in Calgary and Jan. 27 in Edmonton.Team Canada was 28-18-10 after losing the eighth and final game of a Canadian tour 4-1 in Hamilton to a Soviet Select squad. The Soviets took the series 5-3.Former Edmonton Oiler and Minnesota North Star Marc Habscheid (1729-46 in 54 games) was leading Team Canada in scoring. Goaltenders Sean Burke (16-9-1, 2.84 goals-against average) was playing particularly well. Former Oiler Andy Moog (8-6-5, 3.61) is the other goalie.Team USA was 32-13-5 going into a Jan. 10 game against the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. Center Corey Millen (37-34-71 in 39 games) led the team in scoring. Defenseman Brian Leetch (9-51-60 in 40 games) had been impressive.<h2>BITS AND PIECES</h2>Boston Bruin broadcaster Fred Cusick, Philadelphia Flyer executive vice-president Keith Allen and Amateur Hockey Association of the United States executive director Bob Johnson are the 1988 recipients of the Lester Patrick Award. The annual award honors outstanding service to hockey in the United States and will be presented Feb. 8 as part of All-Star Game festivities in St. Louis&hellip;The Soviet Foreign Economic Relations Department, working within the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sport, is looking to use famous Soviet athletes for advertising purposes. Former Soviet goaltender Vladislav Tretiak is in great demand for advertising purposes abroad, according to Anatoli Pogrebnoi, chief of the department.<h2>OVERHEARD</h2>&ldquo;I think the coaching staff is somewhat uncomfortable with our newfound success.&rdquo;&mdash;Canadian Olympic team goaltender Andy Moog. &#9632;

Visually-Impaired Shooter On Target

NOTHING PERSONAL, MIND you, but I think the push for expansion by Philadelphia&rsquo;s Jay Snider and Hartford&rsquo;s Howard Baldwin is asinine.The expansionists have this nutsy idea that something calamitous will happen to the hockey world if the NHL remains satisfactorily stable with its present complement of 21 teams.Baldwin&rsquo;s concern comes straight from the heart, memory bank and bank book.&ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t put teams in Dallas and Houston and some of those other big cities,&rdquo; the Whalers&rsquo; waiter insists, &ldquo;somebody else is liable to come along, start a rival league, and launch franchises there.&rdquo;Baldwin helped give the NHL the biggest migraine in its 70-year history when he was in on the beginnings of the World Hockey Association in 1971. A few people&mdash;mostly agents&mdash;made a lot of money off the NHL-WHA war but the NHL wasn&rsquo;t one of them.&ldquo;The National Basketball Association is getting something like $35 million for a new franchise,&rdquo; adds Baldwin. &ldquo;Why can&rsquo;t we?&rdquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you why&mdash;it is not 1972 anymore.Yes, it is all very nice to say that Los Angeles should not be left all alone in the west without a sister franchise in Frisco or Houston or Dallas within easy commute.And I know it sounds nice to point out that Seattle&mdash;&rdquo;with its rich hockey heritage&rdquo;&mdash;deserves a franchise to keep the Canucks company in The Great Northwest.Not to mention the eloquent arguments supporting cities such as Atlanta, Milwaukee and the ever unpopular Hamilton.Both Baldwin and Snider are right on the money when it comes to arguing expansion, until they have to cope with reality.Alas, my dear fellows, you are making a number of pivotal mistakes.Mistake No. 1: The NHL will benefit from expansion.After two decades of striving, the NHL is closer than ever to achieving its ultimate goal, parity. There are now more strong rivalries than ever and new ones are being created. Expansion would disrupt a good thing.Mistake No. 2: If the NHL doesn&rsquo;t move into some cities, a new league will.Not to worry, John Ziegler. The hockey fervor generated by Bobby Orr and Bobby Hull in the early 1970s is not gripping the continent now. The fact that there are ravishing rinks in Hamilton, Houston and all points west does not mean that they will automatically fill for an NHL team; especially a lousy NHL expansion team. The chances of a rival league sprouting are about as good as Wayne Van Dorp winning the Art Ross Trophy this year.3. There&rsquo;s lots of money to be made by the present owners from expansion.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011399/5391154-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="328" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stan Fischler</figcaption></div>It would seem that way, if you believe that the NHL could get $32 million or so for a new franchise. But I don&rsquo;t for a minute believe that the NHL could collect anything close to 32 mill, especially since hockey does not have the luxury of a major U.S. network contract the way the NBA does. If the NHL could get 20 mill for a new franchise, it would be getting a lot; and I&rsquo;m not so sure it could even rake in that much.4. There&rsquo;s an unlimited talent pool from which to draw for three new expansion teams.Tell that to the Minnesota North Stars, Los Angeles Kings and Buffalo Sabres who, among others, would like directions to this talent pool. If the truth be known, hockey&rsquo;s production line is not developing players the way it did, say, 20 or 30 years ago. That&rsquo;s why everyone is trying to exploit Europe for stickhandlers, knowing full well that you can add just so many Soviets, Serbians and Swedes to your roster before the public says, hey, gimme a Canadian or two. Only trouble is, there aren&rsquo;t enough good Canadians around to staff the present 21 clubs.Baldwin and Snider are offside on expansion. And if you don&rsquo;t believe me, visit Los Angeles one of these hockey nights and tell me if it&rsquo;s more important to build up the Kings first or find a new team that will drain players from the already-drained L.A. franchise.You think expansion is a priority. Before thinking that, visit a Canadian city. You know, one of those Canadian cities that&rsquo;s supposed to be so hockey-crazy that it can&rsquo;t find enough seats for all the fans. Start off with Vancouver and tell me there aren&rsquo;t plenty of empties on most nights. Then, traipse over to Edmonton where the two greatest forwards in the NHL are cavorting and let me know what everybody knows; that even the Stanley Cup-champion Oilers are having trouble selling out.Expansion is a wonderful concept whose time has come and gone. Perhaps its time will come again but the NHL can afford to wait.What it can&rsquo;t afford to do is allow its weak sisters to grow any weaker, nor can it permit this wonderful world of parity to disappear because of greed or false premises.Let the NBA expand. Let the NHL be smart. &#9632;

f0010-01

Expansion Regarded As Thing Of The Past

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN Associate Editor</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03698/5391185-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="587" height="1413"><figcaption class="caption-body">Veteran Swedish defenseman Borje Salming played his 1,000th game on Jan. 4.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021071/5391192-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="179" height="144"></div>TORONTO&mdash;The Toronto Maple Leafs allowed the occasion of Borje Salming&rsquo;s 1,000th game to go unmarked so the Swedish defenseman took matters into his own hands.Literally.In game 1,001, Salming used his arm and hand to signal a universal gesture of contempt after Maple Leaf fans gave goalie Ken Wregget a rude welcome Jan. 6.Wregget, in relief of starter Allan Bester against Minnesota, was roundly booed when he skated onto the ice. It got worse when he surrendered a fat rebound that Dennis Maruk had no trouble scoring on.That made the score 4-2 as the game approached its midway point.When the jeering continued, Salming gestured with his stick to the crowd, gave Wregget a hug, and then used his arm to reinforce the earlier suggestion that the fans go forth and multiply.It was vintage Salming, the former all-star who has gone his own way for 15 years in Toronto.&ldquo;Ken hasn&rsquo;t played in six, seven games,&rdquo; Salming said later, &ldquo;and he comes and they start booing him. I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s fair. I think that&rsquo;s pretty rude.&rdquo;Apparently, the 36-year-old didn&rsquo;t think his actions&mdash;however much in bad taste&mdash;were the same.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s my teammate and I&rsquo;ll back him up,&rdquo; continued Salming. &ldquo;I think they deserve that when they do such a thing to a human being who is trying to do his best.&ldquo;I love the fans here but when they do that, I think it&rsquo;s ridiculous.&rdquo;The fans, too, love Salming. And that&rsquo;s what made the Leafs&rsquo; lack of recognition in game 1,000&mdash;Jan. 4 versus Vancouver&mdash;so curious. Although owner Harold Ballard has long called Salming his favorite player, he didn&rsquo;t bother delaying a vacation trip so he could be present for the game.It had significance to Salming. His brother, Stig, flew over from Sweden to witness the game. But there was no pre-game ceremony, no lavish celebration of a career that is among the best in Leaf history.Salming is a favorite not only of the fans, but his teammates. Some, such as fellow defenseman Al lafrate, have a fierce loyalty. In the Minnesota game, lafrate broke free from a waltz with one North Star because another shoved at Salming during a standard dance number that featured more pouting than punching.Wregget, immersed in a horrible slump, appreciated the vote of confidence from Salming.&ldquo;It shows you that he has faith in you,&rdquo; said Wregget, who played well enough to get the Leafs back in the game that ended 5-5. &ldquo;Sometimes people need a pat on the back.&rdquo;Wregget and Bester, it would seem, need more than that. At least the Leafs think so, because they summoned Newmarket netminder Jeff Reese Jan. 8. The night before Wregget started against Chicago, but lasted only seven&rsquo; minutes&mdash;allowing three goals on six shots.Salming, with one goal and 12 assists in 33 games, is not the player he once was, but at age 36 remains the plus-minus leader on the team. He is also a leader off the ice, although he has never served as captain. That kind of formal acknowledgement wouldn&rsquo;t suit Salming&rsquo;s personality.Nor likely enhance his longevity with the Leafs.The last three Maple Leaf captains&mdash;Dave Keon, Darryl Sittier and Rick Vaive&mdash;had bitter partings of the way with Toronto.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a funny kind of leader,&rdquo; said Leaf spokesman Bob Stellick. &ldquo;All the young guys really admire him. They all want to be like Borje.&rdquo;If a few more of them possessed the natural talent Salming brought to Toronto in 1973, the Leafs wouldn&rsquo;t be enduring their worst stretch of the season&mdash;an eight-game winless streak (05-3).NOTES&mdash;Borje Salming is the Leafs&rsquo; career leader among defensemen in goals (144 as of Jan. 11), assists (591) and points (735)&hellip;The Leafs were 10-9-2 their first 21 games, 4-134 in their next 21&hellip;Jeff Reese lost his first start, a 4-3 decision against Winnipeg. Ken Wregget backed him up, while Allan Bester watched from the press box. Coach John Brophy said he wouldn&rsquo;t keep three goalies for long&hellip;The new line of center Ed Olczyk, left winger Al Secord and right winger Mark Osborne combined for nine goals in their first four games together.<h2>MAPLE LEAFS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 9: Jeff Reese, G, recalled from Newmarket (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ed Olczyk, Russ Courtnall, Tom Fergus, Dan Daoust, Peter Ihnacak.LW&mdash;Al Secord, Wendel Clark, Vincent Damphousse, Dave Semenko.RW&mdash;Mark Osborne, Gary Leeman, Sean McKenna, Greg Terrion, Chris McRae.LD&mdash;Borje Salming, Luke Richardson, Todd Gill.RD&mdash;Dale DeGray, Al lafrate, Rick Lanz.G&mdash;Allan Bester, Ken Wregget, Jeff Reese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mirko Frycer, RW, right knee, indefinite.Chris Kotsopoulos, D, groin muscle, indefinite.Brad Smith, RW, back, indefinite. &#9632;

f0010-03

Salming Leaves Rude Reminder Of Milestone

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011276/5391223-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="181" height="135"></div>BLOOMINGTON, Minn.&mdash;Dino Ciccarelli expected the suspension&mdash;after all, he had clubbed Toronto defenseman Luke Richardson in the head with a stick.But he didn&rsquo;t expect Toronto police to issue a warrant for his arrest on charges of common assault. The next time Ciccarelli visits the Canadian city (the Stars visit the Maple Leafs Feb. 24), Toronto police will arrest him.The 10-game suspension handed down by NHL executive vicepresident Brian O&rsquo;Neill left Ciccarelli philosophical. The assault, which Toronto police said was issued because a weapon was used to hit a man on the head, left Ciccarelli befuddled.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand it,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said of the charges. &ldquo;Hundreds of things like that have happened before. Why now? I could have seen it if the guy was hurt. But if I wanted to hurt him, I could have hurt him&hellip;I don&rsquo;t see what the police have to do with it.&rsquo;&rsquo;The suspension and charges weren&rsquo;t the only bits of disastrous news for the struggling Stars. Defenseman Craig Hartsburg, already pestered by shoulder, hip and groin injuries this season, developed a hernia and was expected to have surgery, which would keep him out an additional six weeks.Ciccarelli hit Richardson on the neck with a two-handed slash, after Richardson cross-checked him from behind. The Stars&rsquo; winger landed another blow on the helmet and missed with a third swipe. He said he attacked Richardson because he was crosschecked after a whistle, and because he was hit twice by sticks&mdash;once by Richardson and once by Vincent Dam-phousse&mdash;with no penalties called.He said he&rsquo;d &ldquo;gladly accept&rdquo; the suspension if it meant the league is willing to clean up stick-work.&ldquo;I feel sorry for the younger kids playing the game now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The game is no fun the way it&rsquo;s being played now.&rdquo;But Ciccarelli also said he was only protecting himself and if the situation arose again, he would do the same thing.&ldquo;Sure, I overreacted, but I&rsquo;m not going to have my career end because someone does that to me,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;It was a build-up of a lot of guys slashing me, running me.&rdquo;Ciccarelli said the 29 games he missed three seasons ago were caused by stick offenses&mdash;a cross-check from Montreal&rsquo;s Chris Nilan separated his shoulder, a slash from Edmonton&rsquo;s Lee Fogolin broke his wrist, and an unidentified New Jersey player&rsquo;s stick injured his eye.Ciccarelli served a three-game suspension at the start of the season for pushing a linesman during an exhibition game.The high-scoring winger&rsquo;s troubled season also includes a charge of indecent exposure. He is scheduled to appear in a Hennepin County (Minn.) court Jan. 20 on that charge.General manager Lou Nanne opted to allow Ciccarelli to play three games during an appeal period, before beginning the suspension Jan. 15. Ciccarelli will be eligible to play again on Feb. 4 at Pittsburgh.The player said a 10-game sentence was &ldquo;a little severe.&rdquo; Nanne said he thought the suspension would be &ldquo;two to four games less&rdquo; because the incident was &ldquo;provoked&rdquo; by Richardson and because Richardson was not injured. The sentence is the NHL&rsquo;s second-longest this season, behind Philadelphia&rsquo;s Dave Brown 15-game suspension.NOTES&mdash;Defenseman Tom Hirsch&rsquo;s comeback, after nearly a three-year absence, ended soon after it started in a 3-3 tie with the Islanders Jan. 5. Hirsch, who hadn&rsquo;t played since February, 1985, because of two major shoulder surgeries, played 30 minutes before he partially dislocated his right shoulder in a collision with Patrick Flatley. Doctors are not considering another surgery and hoped that, with rehabilitation, Hirsch might be able to play within a month to six weeks.<h2>NORTH STARS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 8: Dino Ciccarelli, RW, suspended for 10 games, effective Jan. 15.Jan. 9: Shawn Chambers, D, recalled from Kalamazoo (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Neal Broten, Dennis Maruk, Dave Archibald, Brian Lawton, Keith Acton.LW&mdash;Brian Bellows, Curt Fraser, Basil McRae, Brian MacLellan.RW&mdash;Dino Ciccarelli, Bob Brooke, Terry Ruskowski, Richard Zemlak.LD&mdash;Frantisek Musil, Gordie Roberts, Shawn Chambers.RD&mdash;Bob Rouse, Curt Giles, Emanuel Viveiros.G&mdash;Kari Takko, Don Beaupre.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Scott Bjugstad, LW, torn knee ligaments, Jan. 25.Craig Hartsburg, D, hernia, indefinite.Tom Hirsch, D, shoulder, indefinite. &#9632;

f0011-01

Ciccarelli Charged With Assault In Toronto

<div class="byline">BY JEFF GORDON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021145/5391285-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="176" height="134"></div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;While riding home on the team flight from Philadelphia with a cast on his left leg, left winger Jocelyn Lemieux took stock of the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; casualties.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what it is with this team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The guys are dropping like flies.&rdquo;Indeed. In just his second game after being recalled from Peoria of the International League, Lemieux broke the fibula bone in his left leg after Flyer Peter Zezel upended him in a 6-4 loss at Philadelpha on Jan. 7. He will be sidelined for at least six weeks.&ldquo;As soon as I fell down, I felt something move in my leg,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;It was the worst pain I ever felt. It was hurting right into my knee.&rdquo;He joined a growing list of wounded Blues. The others were Gino Cavallini (broken hand), Greg Paslawski (disc surgery) and Ron Flockhart (rheumatoid arthritis).In addition, Doug Gilmour missed two games after suffering a mild concussion in a game at Detroit Jan. 6 and Mark Hunter has been battling a nagging groin pull all season. Hunter had missed nine games because of the ailment and slowed in many others.As a result of this manpower reduction, the Blues lost six of seven games to start the new year.The Blues&rsquo; coaches, who steered the team to the Norris Division title last year despite losing 361 man-games to injury, are experiencing deja vu.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not so much memories of last season as nightmares,&rdquo; assistant coach Doug MacLean said.&ldquo;It has to affect our hockey team,&rdquo; coach Jacques Martin said.&ldquo;In the last 21 games, we&rsquo;ve had two stretches of four games in five-and-a-half days,&rdquo; general manager Ron Caron said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not bad if you&rsquo;ve got your troops. But this is like going to war with a cannon or two missing. When the enemy attacks, you run for shelter.&rdquo;The reinforcements will be slow in coming. Like Lemieux, Cavallini was projected to miss six weeks with his broken right hand. Two pins were used to repair a small bone which was displaced.The loss of Cavallini and Lemieux diminishes the physical presence Martin hoped to establish on this season&rsquo;s team. But the loss of Paslawski, a 29-goal scorer last season, has been more damaging.After injuring his back in the final pre-season game and aggravating the problem four games into the season, Paslawski was completely ineffective. He had no points in 11 games and finally opted to have a herniated disc removed from his back.There is an outside chance he could return for the playoffs.With the other injuries, Flockhart had a chance to move into the regular lineup. But one game after returning to action from the press box, he was overcome by the arthritic condition first diagnosed during the summer.Now his career is jeopardy. If unchecked, rheumatoid arthritis can be a crippling illness.&ldquo;I have to look at my life after hockey,&rdquo; Flockhart said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be 50 years old and in a wheelchair.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;The Blues extended their slumps at Madison Square Garden, where they have won just three times in 45 games, and The Spectrum, where they are winless in their last 34 games-&hellip;Given maximum ice time, winger Tony McKegney responded with eight goals in 10 games&hellip;Charlie Bourgeois was benched for one game for a poor effort against the Rangers.<h2>BLUES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 6: Jocelyn Lemieux, LW, recalled from Peoria (IHL). Shane MacEachern, C, returned to Peoria.Jan. 11: Ron Handy, C-RW, recalled from Peoria.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bernie Federko, Doug Gilmour, Tony Hrkac, Rick Meagher.LW&mdash;Brian Sutter, Tony McKegney, Perry Turnbull, Doug Evans.RW&mdash;Mark Hunter, Herb Raglan, Todd Ewen, Michael Dark, Ron Handy.LD&mdash;Brian Benning, Tim Bothwell, Paul Cavallini, Gaston Gingras.RD&mdash;Rob Ramage, Charlie Bouregeois, Robert Nordmark.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Gino Cavallini, LW, broken hand, Feb. 21.Ron Flockhart, LW, rheumatoid arthritis, indefinite.Jocelyn Lemieux, LW, broken leg, Feb. 28.Greg Paslawski, RW, disc surgery, indefinite. &#9632;

f0012-02

Injury Bug Takes A Big Bite Out Of Blues

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03768/5391316-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="181" height="134"></div>CHICAGO&mdash;The team that can&rsquo;t afford to lose its best defenseman has lost its best defenseman.Veteran Doug Wilson, the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; blue line leader, is out for the season after major surgery on his left shoulder.Wilson underwent arthroscopic surgery Jan. 8 in Los Angeles, performed by Dr. Frank Jobe. The arthroscopy revealed several stretched ligaments in a &ldquo;loose&rdquo; shoulder, and major surgery was performed to tighten the ligaments.Dr. Louis Kolb, the Hawks&rsquo; orthopedist who consulted on the surgery, said Wilson, 30, &ldquo;should be back to normal by training camp&rdquo; next year.&ldquo;As far as I understand, it&rsquo;s a matter of rehabilitation and getting back and ready to play,&rdquo; said Hawk coach Bob Murdoch. &ldquo;It won&rsquo;t be this year. I don&rsquo;t know how long the rehabilitation takes.&rdquo;Wilson left the Hawks&rsquo; lineup Dec. 5, in the middle of a game at Boston. He had had problems with numbness in his left arm and hand all season, and it finally became too severe to continue playing. He and the Hawks were hoping for an alternative to surgery, but none was found.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s bothered him right from day one, and that&rsquo;s why I didn&rsquo;t expect him to play again this year after the surgery,&rdquo; Murdoch said.Wilson was having one of his best offensive years, with eight goals and 32 points in 27 games. He was tied with Montreal&rsquo;s Chris Chelios as the NHL&rsquo;s highest-scoring defenseman. Defensively, he carried a minus-17 rating. But he did his best work on the special teams, killing penalties and especially on the power play at left point.Among the adjustments the Hawks had to make was finding a point man, and the best job in Wilson&rsquo;s absence had been done by forward Steve Lar-mer.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t affect us at all,&rdquo; Murdoch said. &ldquo;We did without him for 14 games. Steve Larmer has been good at the point.&rdquo;Wilson is in his 11th season with the Hawks. He won the Norris Trophy in 1981-82, when he had 82 points and 39 goals, a club record for defensemen and the fourth-highest total ever for an NHL defenseman.The Hawks are awaiting the arrival of defenseman Trent Yawney from Team Canada after the Olympics. But Murdoch said there are no immediate plans to seek a replacement for Wilson.&ldquo;Any time you can improve your hockey club, you like to be able to do it,&rdquo; Murdoch said. &ldquo;But players of the calibre of Doug Wilson aren&rsquo;t available. You can&rsquo;t just go to the other 20 teams and say &lsquo;Give us a player like Doug Wilson.&rsquo;&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Left winger Steve Thomas scored his first NHL hat trick Jan. 8 at Chicago Stadium, in a 7-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The foursome of Thomas, Rick Vaive, Bob McGill and Gary Nylund had a hand in all seven goals against its former Toronto teammates. &ldquo;You couldn&rsquo;t have written a better script,&rdquo; Thomas said&hellip;Darren Pang set a club record for goaltenders, when he recorded his fifth assist of the season in the game against Toronto. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a goal-scoring goalie,&rdquo; he cracked, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a playmaking goalie.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;The victory over Toronto ended a four-game losing streak for the Hawks at home&hellip;The Hawks&rsquo; 11-7-1 Norris Di-vision record was keeping them close&rsquo; in the division, but their 6-16-2 record outside the division was the worst in the NHL.<h2>BLACKHAWKS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 6: Mark LaVarre, RW. assigned to Saginaw (IHL).Jan. 8: Rik Wilson, D, Jim Playfair, D, and David Mackey, LW, assigned to Saginaw.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Denis Savard, Troy Murray, Steve Ludzik, Mike Stapleton.LW&mdash;Steve Thomas, Dan Vincelette, Everett Sanipass, Glen Cochrane.RW&mdash;Steve Larmer, Rick Vaive, Brian Noonan, Dirk Graham.LD&mdash;Behn Wilson, Gary Nylund, Dave Manson.RD&mdash;Bob McGill, Bob Murray, Marc Bergevin.G&mdash;Bob Mason, Darren Pang.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Keith Brown, D, knee surgery, Feb. 1.Wayne Presley, RW, knee surgery, March 1.Duane Sutter, RW, knee surgery, Feb. 1.Doug Wilson, D, shoulder surgery, out for season. &#9632;

f0012-03

Hawks Regroup After Loss Of Wilson

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011295/5391347-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="180" height="135"></div>WINNIPEG&mdash;A city full of amateur general managers had been lighting up the talk show phone lines, screaming for the Winnipeg Jets to dip into their farm system.So when the Jets, a hockey club normally reluctant to make changes, finally did put in the call to Moncton after a 6-1 drubbing in Calgary Jan. 7, the decision was greeted with approval. And it paid dividends before the week was through.Jet GM John Ferguson promoted forwards Peter Douris and Randy Gilhen and goaltender Steve Penney from the American League affiliate, at the same time demoting goaltender Pokey Reddick and veteran winger Jim Nill. Nill was later traded to Detroit for left winger Mark Kumpel.&ldquo;Hopefully, these changes will light a spark under this hockey team,&rdquo; Jets&rsquo; coach Dan Maloney said on the day of the promotions and demotions. &ldquo;If not, maybe more changes will be necessary.&rdquo;Maloney also benched veteran penalty-killing specialist Ron Wilson to make room for the newcomers. The moves seemed to work.Gilhen and Douris took a regular shift Jan. 8 on a fourth-line combination with Steve Rooney, as Winnipeg skated to a 4-4 draw with the Edmonton Oilers. Two nights later, Rooney and Gilhen each had a goal and an assist, Douris collected a pair of assists and Penney played well in his first start in nearly a year. Winnipeg knocked off Toronto 4-3 to snap a five-game winless streak.The victory was a major accomplishment for Penney, who has been a bust since arriving in Winnipeg prior to last season in a deal with Montreal for Bryan Hayward. Penney made only seven appearances last year and has been in Moncton all season.&ldquo;All I wanted was a chance to play,&rdquo; Penney explained. &ldquo;Sometimes people say, &lsquo;He had his chance and he blew it,&rsquo; so that put a little more pressure on me. But I&rsquo;m ready to accept the challenge and be back like I was a few years back.&rdquo;For Gilhen and Douris, the promotion was a long-awaited reward for a pair that carried a youthful Moncton squad and has nearly seven years combined farm experience.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy so far,&rdquo; said Douris, a former second-round draft pick (30th overall) in 1984. &ldquo;I just want to be able to keep it up and hopefully they&rsquo;ll keep me around here.&rdquo;Maloney said he was thrilled with the play of his fourth unit, a group which had already showed more spunk than the former fourth-liners had all season.&ldquo;You can just see the enthusiasm of the guys coming up from the minors like Randy and Peter,&rdquo; Maloney said. &ldquo;They played a hell of a hockey game.&rdquo;Meanwhile, the moves left the two demoted veterans stunned. Nill and Reddick were both at a loss for words but each reported to Moncton immediately. Reddick was expected back within a week or two but Nill was soon on his way to Detroit.The seven-year NHL veteran requested a trade and, by the end of Winnipeg&rsquo;s win over Toronto, the deal was made.NOTES&mdash;In 24 games with Winnipeg this year, Jim Nill had no goals and one assist. Mark Kumpel was 02-2 in 13 games for Detroit&hellip;Winger Andrew McBain had a career performance against Edmonton Jan. 8. He scored a goal and set up two others, before adding his 17th of the year two nights later&hellip;Defenseman Tim Watters returned to the lineup Jan. 8 after missing eight games with a sprained knee&hellip;Defenseman Todd Flichel was on emergency recall from Moncton for the Jan. 6 loss at Calgary. He replaced Peter Taglianetti, who was serving a one-game suspension for accumulating three game misconducts&hellip;Right winger Hannu Jarvenpaa returned to Finland Jan. 5, after his father was killed in an automobile accident. Jar-venpaa&rsquo;s mother remained in serious condition. The Jet will be out of the lineup indefinitely.<h2>JETS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 4: Todd Flichel, D, recalled from Moncton (AHL); Hannu Jarvenpaa, RW, granted indefinite leave of absence to return to Finland after the death of his father.Jan. 7: Pokey Reddick, G, Jim Nill, RW, and Flichel assigned to Moncton; Peter Douris, RW, Randy Gilhen, C, and Steve Penney, G, recalled from Moncton.Jan. 10: Jim Nill, RW, traded to Detroit for Mark Kumpel, RW.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Laurie Boschman, Randy Gilhen, Ron Wilson.LW&mdash;lain Duncan, Doug Smail, Gilles Hamel, Steve Rooney.RW&mdash;Paul MacLean, Andrew McBain, Ray Neufeld, Peter Douris, Mark Kumpel.LD&mdash;Randy Carlyle, Dave Ellett, Jim Kyte.RD&mdash;Mario Marois, Peter Taglianetti, Tim Watters, Brad Berry.G&mdash;Daniel Berthiaume, Steve Penney.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Fredrik Olausson, D, shoulder surgery, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0013-01

Call-Ups From Moncton Give Jets A Boost

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02943/5391378-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="179" height="131"></div>VANCOUVER&mdash;There are two ways to look at the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; comments on their latest visit with the Soviets.Either hockey operations director Brian Burke has completely lost his marbles, or the Canucks are close to bringing three Soviet players into the NHL in the near future.That speculation was prompted by Burke&rsquo;s announcement, on returning to North America from Moscow, that the Canucks would like to train in Moscow this fall.That&rsquo;s right&mdash;a team that travels 80,000 miles a season wants to travel through 11 times zones and set itself up for 10 to 12 days of bad food for the privilege of training under Soviet guidance. Could this have something to do with the Canucks&rsquo; drafting of Soviet national stars Vladimir Krutov (12th round, 1986), Igor Larionov (11th round, 1985) and Viktor Tuminev (eighth round, 1987)?&ldquo;I expressed to them we still have an interest in the three players we drafted,&rdquo; said Burke. &ldquo;The meeting was very cordial but nothing concrete was decided. My perspective was that nothing has changed on the release of the players. We&rsquo;re going to meet again at the Olympics and we&rsquo;ll discuss specifics in Calgary.&rdquo;What&rsquo;s special about the meeting in Calgary is that team owner Frank Griffiths Sr. is expected to attend. The elder Griffiths has not been in the best of health lately and, for him to come back from Hawaii in the middle of the winter indicates there may be more to this meeting than a discussion of Anatoli Tarasov&rsquo;s next meal.Even if the Canucks get their players, training in Moscow is an odd proposal. Would it be worth it even for such world-class players? Would Larionov and Krutov work hard over here or treat it like a golden reward for yeoman&rsquo;s service to the national team, and make a holiday of the whole affair?Burke remained nonplussed.&ldquo;We would like them to consider us having our training camp in the Soviet Union,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We would like to do it and they seemed receptive. I&rsquo;d like the team to go to Moscow and the Soviets to come to B.C. the following year. I think training in the Soviet Union would help the hockey team. Training on that big ice surface and playing against their teams for 10 days would help our quickness and help our endurance.&rdquo;With the Canucks in 21 st place overall at the time of this announcement, the hooting in town was considerable.&ldquo;They send us the Moscow circus and we send them our circus,&rdquo; wrote one columnist.But be assured of one thing. Brian Burke is not stupid-. There is surely a method to his seeming madness.NOTES&mdash;The Canucks completed another successful road trip, returning with five of a possible eight points after a tie in Toronto, and wins in New Jersey and Quebec. The club resolved to do something about its home record (6-10-3), second-worst in the league to Minnesota (6-14-1)&hellip;The Canucks have eight NHL defensemen and three goaltenders, and were rumored to be talking trade with Philadelphia. The names of Brian Propp and Ilkka Sinisalo came up because of the Canucks&rsquo; need to improve their goal production&hellip;In the battle of Fredericton Express parent clubs, the Canucks swept their three-game series with Quebec this season.<h2>CANUCKS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Barry Pederson, Doug Wick-enheiser, Steve Tambellini, Greg Adams.LW&mdash;Petri Skriko, John LeBlanc, Craig Coxe, Dave Saunders.RW&mdash;Jim Sandlak, Stan Smyl, Rich Sutter, Tony Tanti.LD&mdash;Jim Benning, Larry Melnyk, Randy Boyd.RD&mdash;Doug Lidster, Garth Butcher, Willie Huber.G&mdash;Richard Brodeur, Frank Caprice, Kirk McLean.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dan Hodgson, fractured leg, out for season.Dave Richter, bruised shoulder, day-to-day.Daryl Stanley, abdominal strain, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0013-02

Canucks Mau Set Up Camp In USSR

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011351/5391409-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="179" height="134"></div>EDMONTON&mdash;We may never know how good Grant Fuhr really is, as long as he&rsquo;s Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s teammate.But depending on how long Gretzky&rsquo;s sprained right knee keeps him out of action, Fuhr could well break No. 99&rsquo;s string of eight Hart Trophies.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see how you can&rsquo;t consider him for MVP,&rdquo; Hartford center Ray Ferraro said, in the wake of Fuhr&rsquo;s 5-1 victory over the Whalers Jan. 9. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s unbelievable. And he&rsquo;s started all but one game (42 of 43).&rdquo;Trouble is, the people Fuhr would like to impress most of all haven&rsquo;t been listening.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to prove a point,&rdquo; Fuhr said of his dazzling performance, &ldquo;but the message is either falling on deaf ears or blind eyes&hellip;or both!&rdquo;Fuhr&rsquo;s been involved in testy contract regneotiations with Oiler general manager-coach Glen Sather. Fuhr has three years to run on a contract worth $210,000, $220,000 and $230,000 (Cdn.) in successive years, but his value to the Oilers is more than double that wage.&ldquo;They made an offer we didn&rsquo;t like and we came back with one they didn&rsquo;t like, but it&rsquo;s getting closer every time,&rdquo; said Fuhr. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just frustrating more than anything. Our request isn&rsquo;t outrageous and it&rsquo;s baffling that it&rsquo;s taking so long. It&rsquo;s like the joke should be over.&ldquo;Going to the rink&rsquo;s not much fun. But, once the game starts, I enjoy myself.&rdquo;Is he tired from the heavy workload?&ldquo;I&rsquo;m tired of the B.S., yes, but I&rsquo;m not tired of playing. I love it.&rdquo;Fuhr said it&rsquo;s unlikely he would consider abandoning the team until his contract dispute was settled.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have to talk to my wife, my mom and my father-in-law&mdash;he&rsquo;s a good businessman. I&rsquo;d talk to my dad&mdash;he&rsquo;d know what to do&mdash;but he&rsquo;s not around any more.&rdquo;Fuhr&rsquo;s father died two years ago.The native of Spruce Grove, Alta., had participated in all but 162 minutes of Oiler games this year, compiling a 3.11 goals-against average, and leading the NHL in games played (42), minutes played (2,451), wins (24) and shutouts (3).&ldquo;I guess 65 or 70 is not out of the question,&rdquo; shrugged Fuhr, who considers his dwindling GAA as, &ldquo;scary&mdash;it&rsquo;s foreign territory.&rdquo;Fuhr&rsquo;s been the toast of teammates and opponents alike.&ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t know where he finds the energy some times,&rdquo; said Oiler defenseman Steve Smith. &ldquo;He just works hard game in and game out. The more he plays, the better he gets.&rdquo;&ldquo;He was fantastic against us,&rdquo; said Hartford&rsquo;s Dean Evason. &ldquo;Every time I watch him on TV, he seems to be fantastic, too.&rdquo;Gerry Chee vers, somewhat of an authority on goaltenders who does color commentary on Whalers&rsquo; telecasts, said, &ldquo;Fuhr&rsquo;s the best (in the NHL) by a country mile. He&rsquo;s just super, he&rsquo;s playing with so much confidence and relaxation. He toys with every situation.&rdquo;They were shaking their heads in Boston, too.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s probably the best goaltender in the world right now,&rdquo; said Bruin defenseman Gord Kluzak. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s unflappable. He makes the big save for those guys all of the time. He&rsquo;s an important part of why they won the Stanley Cup in three of the last four years.&rdquo;Bruin assistant coach John Cunniff didn&rsquo;t seem to think the heavy workload would have an adverse effect on the 25-year-old.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a mental thing and Fuhr&rsquo;s a cool kid. He doesn&rsquo;t let anything phase him, so he&rsquo;s not losing anything that way,&rdquo; said Cunniff.Oilers&rsquo; co-coach John Muckier agreed: &ldquo;Everywhere we go, people ask about his ice time. But look at him. He&rsquo;s given up just nine goals in six games.&ldquo;First of all, he enjoys playing. If he didn&rsquo;t enjoy playing every night and didn&rsquo;t want to play, then we&rsquo;d have a problem. With his attitude, it won&rsquo;t hurt him. Somewhere along the line, we&rsquo;ll give him a rest.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Wayne Gretzky (sprained right knee) wasn&rsquo;t expected to accompany the Oilers on a tough five-game road trip that begins in Montreal Jan. 18. &ldquo;Gretz won&rsquo;t make the next road trip, but we&rsquo;ll see,&rdquo; said Glen Sather. &ldquo;One of the biggest problems is rushing guys back from injuries&mdash;and we don&rsquo;t want to rush him back.&rdquo; The Oilers were 2-1-2 without No. 99&hellip;Mark Messier missed two games with a nagging hip flexor&hellip;With a 5-1 win Jan. 9, the Oilers ran their unbeaten streak over the New York Islanders to 13 games (9-0-4), dating back to Game 2 of the 1984 Stanley Cup final&hellip;Edmonton&rsquo;s 16-41 record on home-ice was tops in the NHL.<h2>OILERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 4: Scott Metcalfe, LW, recalled from Nova Scotia (AHL).Jan. 7: Metcalfe assigned to Nova Scotia.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mark Messier, Craig MacTavish, Kevin McClelland, Mike Krushelnyski.LW&mdash;Glenn Anderson, Dave Hannan, Esa Tikkanen, Steve Graves, Moe Lemay.RW&mdash;Jari Kurri, Craig Simpson, Marty McSorley, Normand Lacombe.LD&mdash;Kevin Lowe, Steve Smith, Charlie Huddy.RD&mdash;Craig Muni, Jeff Beukeboom, Moe Mantha.G&mdash;Grant Fuhr, Daryl Reaugh.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Wayne Gretzky, C, sprained right knee, Jan. 25. &#9632;

f0014-01

Fuhr Hiqhlv Praised, But Not Highly Paid

IT WAS NEARLY 1 o&rsquo;clock Jan. 6, a bitterly cold morning in New York. The Minnesota North Stars were en route to Toronto after playing the Islanders, but Tom Hirsch wasn&rsquo;t on the flight.Hirsch was propped on a pillow, squirming in his bed in Room 1004 of the Long Island Marriott. The pain in his right shoulder had been partially deadened by painkillers. His right arm was in a sling.He was chewing tobacco, half-watching Arnold Schwarzenegger blow away some pay-TV predators, trying not to think about how his 6-foot-4, 215-pound body had just betrayed his indomitable will, refusing to feel sorry for himself.&ldquo;You get nowhere if you do,&rdquo; he said softly. &ldquo;It does no good.&rdquo;On Feb. 16, 1985 in St. Louis, Dwight Schofield checked Hirsch into the boards and severely dislocated Hirsch&rsquo;s right shoulder, which had been separated during the pre-season.Two major operations, one arthroscopic procedure, and nearly three years of dedicated physical therapy later, the North Minneapolis native was pronounced ready to return to the NHL.The date was Jan. 5, 1988, two years, 10 months and three weeks after that game in St. Louis, when Hirsch stepped onto the Nassau Coliseum ice at 1:23 of the first period.It was one of the nicest stories of the new year.He made a few easy passes on his first shift, took a soft hit, threw a couple of checks, tried unsuccessfully to stickhandle through the Islander defense.&ldquo;It was great,&rdquo; he remembered thinking. &ldquo;A new lease on life.&rdquo;Midway through the second period, he went to check Patrick Hatley in the comer, but missed. His right elbow hit the boards. His right shoulder went numb.&ldquo;I knew right away,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been there before.&rdquo;He grabbed his arm and skated slowly to the dressing room. The shoulder that took nearly three years to fix hadn&rsquo;t lasted two periods.It&rsquo;s one of the saddest stories of the new year.Before the game he managed to temper his joy. He was just &ldquo;thrilled to be back with the guys again. Hockey is my life.&rdquo; He admitted that the shoulder wasn&rsquo;t 100 per cent, but he said he was sure it was going to be fine.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to work,&rdquo; he promised. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done too much hard work over the last two years.&rdquo;Immediately after the game, when he needed help slipping his overcoat over the shoulder that the doctors believed was dislocated again, he didn&rsquo;t feel like talking.&ldquo;Come on over to the hotel a little later. I&rsquo;m not going to get much sleep anyway. You&rsquo;ve got to rewrite your whole story,&rdquo; he said, as if I was facing a predicament as tough as his.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021055/5391440-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="389" height="466"><figcaption class="caption-body">Barry Meisel</figcaption></div>I stayed until nearly 3 o&rsquo;clock, trading tiresome hockey gossip, listening to some 1984 U.S. Olympic team stories, comparing what it was like growing up in North Minneapolis to Brooklyn, New York.He was remarkably calm, considering what had just happened.&ldquo;Tell me about Bubba,&rdquo; was one of the first things he said that morning. &ldquo;Tell me what happened to him.&rdquo;Hirsch didn&rsquo;t know that it was Flatley who separated Barry (Bubba) Beck&rsquo;s left shoulder in April of 1984. He didn&rsquo;t know that Beck was re-injured in his first game back the next season, and wasn&rsquo;t sure that the same problem forced him to retire this fall.&ldquo;Bubba is such a huge man. I used to be a big man, too. Maybe it&rsquo;s something about the upper body musculature. Our muscles are more defined, maybe.&rdquo;From 1 to 3 that morning, the telephone in Room 1004 didn&rsquo;t ring. Hirsch said he was sure his parents, his two older brothers, and his girlfriend had heard.&ldquo;They know me well enough not to call,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Sometimes you don&rsquo;t want to listen to all that, &lsquo;Oh, we&rsquo;re so sorry&rsquo; crap.&rdquo;Hirsch had no doubts the shoulder was repaired properly. Dr. Charles Neer of the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan performed the second operation, and for this type of operation &ldquo;he&rsquo;s the world&rsquo;s best surgeon,&rdquo; Hirsch said.The physical therapy program worked correctly. Hirsch trained maniacally. The terrible, terrible truth might be that the shoulder is permanently ruined and there&rsquo;s nothing anybody can do about it.But at 2:50 a.m. on a terrible morning on Long Island, Tom Hirsch didn&rsquo;t wish to hear that.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ll play again this season, but it&rsquo;s hard to tell,&rdquo; he said from his heart. &ldquo;After what I&rsquo;ve been through, what&rsquo;s one more obstacle? I can&rsquo;t quit this game.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0014-02

Hirsch’s Cranky Shoulder Lets Him Down Yet Again

<div class="byline">BY GYLE KONOTOPETZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011263/5391471-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="179" height="136"></div>CALGARY&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk has been getting an awful lot of attention lately&mdash;on and off the ice.Yet, whether the Calgary Flames&rsquo; rookie is being mugged in front of opposing goalies or blinded by TV lights off the ice, he&rsquo;s maintained composure beyond his 21 years.&ldquo;I just take it one game at a time,&rdquo; Nieuwendyk says, smiling and shrugging his shoulders for the TV cameras.Even Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s linemates on the Flames are having trouble believing he&rsquo;s a rookie.&ldquo;He sees me getting uptight before a game and comes over and talks to me like he&rsquo;s been in the league five years,&rdquo; says Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s left winger, Gary Roberts.Nieuwendyk has been the talk of the town, scoring 32 goals in 40 games.After reaching the 30-goal plateau to draw questions about the magic 50 mark, the curly-haired kid from Whitby, Ont., smiled and cracked: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking at 31 right now.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to keep a level head. I can&rsquo;t worry about what the media is saying, about Mike Bossy (the New York Islander who holds the rookie record of 53 goals).&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the type of person everybody in this room is pulling for,&rdquo; said captain Lanny McDonald. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good kid in the dressing room. He&rsquo;s not cocky. He&rsquo;s just one of the boys.&ldquo;He deserves everything he&rsquo;s getting,&rdquo; said assistant coach Pierre Page. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s refreshing to coach because he works hard all of the time. Talented guys with that work ethic are very rare, guys like Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy.&rdquo;The 6-foot-1, 175-pound center has been a tower of strength on the Flames&rsquo; power play. Of his first 32 goals, 19 came on the power play and many of those on deflections.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in the right place at the right time a lot,&rdquo; says Nieuwendyk. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve developed a pretty good knack for deflections this year.Flames&rsquo; head coach Terry Crisp believes that Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s willingness to pay the price in heavy traffic goes a long way in explaining his success.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid to go into Hell&rsquo;s Kitchen,&rdquo; says Crisp.Some Flame fans were in a foul mood when general manager Cliff Fletcher dealt the Flames&rsquo; all-time scoring leader Kent Nilsson to the Minnesota North Stars in 1985.But Fletcher drew an ace with his second-round draft choice, acquired from the Stars in that Nilsson deal.Ironically, Nieuwendyk has been flirting with a number of club records, many of them held by Nilsson.On New Year&rsquo;s Eve at the Saddledome, he tied Nilsson&rsquo;s record of scoring goals in seven consecutive games in a win over Philadelphia Flyers. He failed to score in the next game, Jan. 2 against St. Louis, though he did pick up two assists in the 5-3 loss.If Nieuwendyk stays healthy, he should break several more club records, including Nilsson&rsquo;s mark of 20 power-play goals.With 52 points after the Flames&rsquo; first 43 games (he missed three games due to injury), the Cornell alumnus was already drawing a bead on Carey Wilson&rsquo;s club record of 72 points by a rookie. Eric Vail&rsquo;s record of 39 goals by a freshman was also within easy striking distance.NOTES&mdash;In his first game after arriving in Calgary, hard-nosed winger Shane Churla was added to the lineup at the last minute when defenseman Brian Glynn was cut in the face by a puck in warmup. Churla, who was traded to Calgary from Hartford along with Dana Murzyn for Carey Wilson, Neil Sheehy and the rights to Lane MacDonald, didn&rsquo;t get a single shift in a 5-3 win over Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 6. But the Saddledome fans welcomed him by chanting: &ldquo;We want Churla.&rdquo; Churla&rsquo;s father, Fred, played in Calgary with the Stampeders of the old Western League in 1962&hellip;Brett Hull scored two goals and two assists in a 7-4 win over the New York Islanders on Jan. 8 to break out of a 10-game goal-scoring drought.<h2>FLAMES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 8: Kevan Guy, D, recalled from Salt Lake City (IHL).Jan. 10: Guy, D, assigned to Salt Lake City.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Bullard, Joel Otto, Steve Bozek.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, John Tonelli, Jim Peplinski, Lanny McDonald, Shane Churla.RW&mdash;Brett Hull, Hakan Loob, Joey Mullen, Tim Hunter.LD&mdash;Gary Suter, Dana Murzyn, Brian Glynn.RD&mdash;Brad McCrimmon, Al Maclnnis, Ric Nattress.G&mdash;Mike Vernon, Doug Dadswell.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Perry Berezan, pulled groin, indefinite.Jamie Macoun, nerve damage in arm and shoulder, indefinite.Colin Patterson, sprained ankle, day-to-day.Paul Reinhart, back spasms, indefinite. &#9632;

f0015-01

Mature Nieuwenduk A Rookie In Name Only

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011143/5391502-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="187" height="132"></div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;For the previous six seasons, much of it spent on the injured list, Mike Allison averaged barely seven goals a year.So when the Los Angeles Kings sent Sean McKenna to the Toronto Maple Leafs Dec. 14 in exchange for the 26-year-old redhead, they hardly expected him to turn into an offensive machine.&ldquo;I figured I&rsquo;d be used in a defensive role when they got me,&rdquo; Allison said.Yet he averaged better than a point a game in his first month as a King, and even put together an eight-game scoring streak which included goals in five consecutive games.Centering a line with Calder Trophy winner Luc Robitaille on the left and Bryan Erickson on the right, Allison was producing well above the Kings&rsquo; wildest dreams.He had nine goals&mdash;more than he had in each of the previous three seasons&mdash;and five assists in his first 13 games since the trade. He was also plus-five, killed penalties, was used on power plays and took faceoffs in the defensive zone.&ldquo;Mike&rsquo;s been a real nice addition,&rdquo; said coach Robbie Ftorek, who played alongside Allison with the New York Rangers and coached him two years ago for a brief time with the New Haven Nighthawks.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing well offensively and defensively. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s that unusual. A change of environment does a lot for a lot of players.And how. Allison scored his first goal in his first game, sparking the Kings to a 7-5 win over Edmonton, and added two more in a 5-2 decision over Montreal, including the game-winner.&ldquo;The main thing is the ice time I&rsquo;m getting,&rdquo; said Allison, who in 15 games with the Leafs this year produced no goals and three assists. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just been fortunate to play with some good guys and have some pucks go in.&ldquo;In Toronto, I didn&rsquo;t get a lot of time. And when I did get to play, I was in a specific role so I was kind of tentative. If I made a mistake, I really felt like I would be letting the team down. But I&rsquo;m in a good streak right now and I just hope it will continue.&rdquo;A 26-goal scorer as a rookie with the Rangers in 1980-81, Allison had since scored only 44. Except for last year, when he played in 71 regular-season games, knee injuries limited him to no more than 48 games in any year since he was a rookie.NOTES&mdash;The league&rsquo;s board of governors was scheduled to hold a special hearing Jan. 19 in Chicago, where the Kings were expected to request approximately $500,000 in compensation from Vancouver over the loss of coach Pat Quinn last season. They originally requested $1 million, but were told they couldn&rsquo;t seek punitive damages and revised their request&hellip;Demoted goaltender Bob Janecyk said his first choice &ldquo;is to play for the Kings, but if I&rsquo;m not in their plans, the best thing would be for them to trade me. I know I can play in the NHL and that&rsquo;s where I want to be.&rdquo; Janecyk, 30, will enter the option year of his contract after this season. He was 1-4 with a 4.55 average when he was returned to New Haven&hellip;Defenseman Ken Baumgartner was returned to New Haven after a three-game stint in which he accumulated 26 minutes in penalties.<h2>KINGS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 4: Ken Baumgartner, D, recalled from New Haven (AHL).Jan. 5: Bob Janecyk, G, assigned to New Haven.Jan. 7: Wayne McBean, D, returned from Canadian national junior team.Jan. 9: Baumgartner assigned to New Haven.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bernie Nicholls, Mike Allison, Bob Bourne, Jimmy Carson.RW&mdash;Jim Fox, Bryan Erickson, Paul Guay.LW&mdash;Bobby Carpenter, Luc Robitaille, Paul Fenton, Joe Paterson.RD&mdash;Tom Laidlaw, Ken Hammond, Dean Kennedy, Wayne McBean.LD&mdash;Mark Hardy, Steve Duchesne, Jay Wells, Larry Playfair.G&mdash;Rollie Melanson, Glenn Healy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Grant Ledyard, D, sprained ankle, indefinite.Phil Sykes, RW, groin, indefinite.Dave Taylor, RW, groin, indefinite.Tim Tookey, C, knee surgery, March &#9632;

f0016-01

Sudden Sniper Allison’s Aim Has Been True

IS SOVIET ICE hockey really in decline? With the Olympics less than a month away, I&rsquo;d like to believe it. I&rsquo;d like to think everything I&rsquo;ve read about the downward cycle in the Soviet hockey program is true.But I can&rsquo;t. I saw the Soviets play at the World Championships in Vienna, the nominal beginning of their slide. They didn&rsquo;t lose a game. They went 8-0-2 and lost the gold medal to Sweden on a tie-breaker 1 don&rsquo;t like&mdash;goal differential.I saw them play Canada&rsquo;s Canada Cup team and I saw an evenly-played series until the last three minutes of the final playoff game. Even though Wayne Gretzky to Mario Lemieux gave Canada the championship in an exciting, well-played series, I didn&rsquo;t see much evidence of decline in that Soviet team.Then 1 watched the Soviets play in the Izvestia tournament. They lost once&mdash;to Canada by one goal&mdash;in a game their No. 3 goaltender, Vitaly Samoilov, allowed one really bad goal, the difference in the game. 1 saw them outshoot Canada 38-19 and watched Sean Burke make one unbelievable save after another. I applauded the Canadian team for its gritty effort, but I especially applauded their realism. No one talked about how the Soviets had been outplayed, only that they&rsquo;d been outplayed in goal.Canada&rsquo;s other championships&mdash;the World Jr. and Spengler Cup&mdash;were great, but they will have no bearing on what happens in the 1988 Winter Olympics. That competition will match the Soviet national team against 11 other teams in an event they&rsquo;ll be heavily favored to win.Is Soviet hockey in decline? Not as much as you&rsquo;ve been led to believe. On the eve of the 1988 Winter Games, their biggest problem is an ongoing inability to replace Vladislav Tretiak in goal. Since Tretiak retired following the 1984 Olympics, no one has been able to adequately fill his skates.They want that man to be Evgeny Belosheiken, but his inconsistency doesn&rsquo;t raise the confidence of teammates. The story is he drinks too much vodka to suit the Soviet hierarchy.Sergei Mylnikov, who played two of three games against Canada in the Canada Cup final, had knee surgery earlier in the season and was unavailable for Izvestia. He is expected back for Calgary.Samoilov, goaltender for Dynamo Riga, isn&rsquo;t very good. Many people, including Canadian observers, cannot understand why he is even a candidate for the national team. The Canadian team at Izvestia saw who was starting in goal and were heartened by it. They&rsquo;d faced Samoilov a number of times over the years and knew he could be had. They came out shooting and it paid off when Ken Berry drilled one between his pads from the blue line. TASS called it a &ldquo;perplexing goal.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03705/5391533-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="394" height="451"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Duhatschek</figcaption></div>In Moscow, Viktor Tikhonov described his goaltending as &ldquo;inferior to all of our competitors in the tournament.&rdquo;However, he stressed that this was December, not February and there was time to correct the problem.What else are the Soviets saying? Anatoli Bogdanov&mdash;head coach of Sokol Kiev and an assistant coach on the Soviet Selects team that won five of eight games from Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team in a eight-city tour&mdash;says of the Soviet problems:&ldquo;The press is writing very much about it, but our experts of ice hockey are not so pessimistic.&rdquo;Hmmm. Sounds like something Gerry McNamara would say.Continued Bogdanov: &ldquo;As an example, the selection of our club for the second national team, they are players from the third-and fourth-class (place) teams, yet they displayed success against the Canadian national team. That&rsquo;s why it is too early to say our ice hockey is&mdash;what is&mdash;the word?&mdash;in decline.&ldquo;Without any doubt, there are problems. After Tretiak, the No. 1 is goaltending. Also, we now have a lack of such stars as (Vladimir) Krutov, (Sergei) Makarov and (Igor) Larionov&mdash;but the average level of ice hockey is high.&rdquo;It was suggested to Bogdanov that the reason Belosheiken hasn&rsquo;t developed as expected is that he plays for the powerful Central Red Army team. Red Army has more than half of the national team and because the team is so strong, its goalies rarely get much of a workout in league play. So Belosheiken goes into international competition unaccustomed to a heavy workload.Bogdanov dismissed that criticism, however, saying: &ldquo;Tretiak played only for the Army club and he became an oustanding goaltender. It doesn&rsquo;t matter how many shots he could block in the game.&ldquo;Unfortunately, there are a lot of weak clubs and it&rsquo;s very seldom that they can turn out a strong goaltender.&rdquo;For the good of Soviet hockey, if not the rest of the hockey-playing world, it&rsquo;s time they did. &#9632;

f0016-03

We Aren’t Seeing Decline Of Eastern Ice Civilization

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02913/5391564-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="181" height="133"></div>BUFFALO&mdash;For the the Buffalo Sabres, 1988 has been a very good year.Five games into January, the Sabres were 5-0-0, their longest win streak of the season. Buffalo kicked off the new year with a gala bashing from the Boston Bruins New Year&rsquo;s Eve (a 2-0 loss), but righted itself with a come-from-behind win at Toronto Jan. 2 (64) and had been unbeatable since.&ldquo;If anyone in this room says they aren&rsquo;t surprised by what&rsquo;s happening to us they&rsquo;re lying,&rdquo; said goaltender Tom Barrasso, a key man in the Sabres&rsquo; recent success. &ldquo;This has really been exciting.&rdquo;The victory streak included three wins over Adams Division opponents&mdash;Montreal, Quebec and Hartford&mdash;and a triumph over the New York Rangers. The Sabres beat Quebec, Hartford and New York at Buffalo, but scored their most impressive win of the streak at Montreal. They scored four goals in the third period, two in the final minute of play, to erase a three-goal deficit against the Canadiens.What has been most impressive is not that the Sabres are winning, but how they&rsquo;re winning. In two of the winning-streak games, they came from behind in the third period to win. In a third, the 3-1 triumph over Hartford, they came to the third period tied. In the 2-1 triumph over Quebec, they took a one-goal lead into the third period and made it stand up. In the win over New York, they surrendered a two-goal lead, then came back with a late goal to win.Newcomers had a big part in the turnaround early in the season, but the team&rsquo;s most recent successes were rooted in team effort coupled with the turnaround accomplishments of three players&mdash;Barrasso, Mike Foligno and Dave Andreychuk.Barrasso, plagued with a variety of ailments and tagged with a series of questions regarding his mental attitude, was clearly the odd man out during an early string of successes.Foligno, who also struggled through much of the first half, picked up his game in Toronto (Jan. 2) and keyed a much-needed win against a team that traditionally has had the Sabres&rsquo; number.Andreychuk, a player oft-criticized for his refusal to accept responsibility or use his substantial talents to the fullest, suddenly had begun to do both.He scored three goals, including the winner with 11 seconds to play, in the dramatic comeback victory over Montreal.NOTES&mdash;Tom Barrasso started seven of the team&rsquo;s last eight games and played nearly all of the one he didn&rsquo;t start, replacing Jacques Cloutier early in the first period of the game at Montreal&hellip;The Sabres ended their three-goalie rotation by sending rookie Daren Puppa to Rochester of the American League.<h2>SABRES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Christian Ruuttu, PierreTurgeon, Doug Smith, Ken Priestlay.LW&mdash;Dave Andreychuk, Mike Donnelly, Lindy Ruff, Mikael Andersson.RW&mdash;Mike Foligno, Ray Sheppard, Scott Arniel, Kevin Maguire, Mark Napier.LD&mdash;Uwe Krupp, Bob Halkidis, Mike Ramsey, Steve Dykstra.RD&mdash;Phil Housley, Calle Johansson, Ed Hospodar, Shawn Anderson.G&mdash;Tom Barrasso, Jacques Cloutier.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Adam Creighton, C, shoulder, indefinite.Clark Gillies, LW, knee, day-to-day.Bob Halkidis, D, ankle, day-to-day.Jan Ludvig, RW, knee, day-to-day.Joe Reekie, D, knee, indefinite.John Tucker, C, shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0016-02

Sabres Sharp In ’88 Win Five In A Row

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011001/5391595-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="180" height="137"></div>BOSTON&mdash;If it hadn&rsquo;t been snowing in Boston&hellip;if an equipment man hadn&rsquo;t been so efficient&hellip;the Boston Bruins might not have wound up in first place in the Adams Division.On the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 8, Raymond Bourque was at the ticket counter in the airport at Pittsburgh, booking a flight home to Boston for treatment of a Charley horse in his left leg.But Logan Airport in Boston was closed by a snowstorm and, on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 9, Bourque was scoring the game-tying goal in the second period against the Blues in St. Louis Arena.On the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 8, Bruin equipment manager Bob Crocker Jr. was told Cam Neely would be going back to Boston to have his sore right knee tended to, so he packed up Neely&rsquo;s sticks and sent them home.On the evening of Saturday, Jan. 9, in St. Louis, using a stick borrowed from Rick Middleton, Neely scored the winning goal with 53 seconds left in overtime to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory over the Blues.The victory moved the Bruins one point ahead of the Montral Canadiens. It represented the first time in four years the Bruins were ahead of the Habs that late in the season.Bourque, Neely, Gord Kluzak and Michael Thelven were not supposed to play in St. Louis after suffering injuries in Thursday night&rsquo;s tough 3-2 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins.Thelven was sent home with muscle spasms in his back, but Bourque got only as far as the Pittsburgh airport.&ldquo;I guess I&rsquo;m going with you guys to St. Louis,&rdquo; said Bourque, rejoining his teammates at another airport gate.Neely and Kluzak also decided to go on to St. Louis where, after a Saturday morning skate, Neely found that his knee wasn&rsquo;t as sore as he thought, and Kluzak&rsquo;s sore hand responded to treatment.In fact, the only one to suffer any inconvenience was defenseman John Blum, who was flown in from Maine to fill in on the blue line, skated with the team in St. Louis Saturday morning, and flew back to play for the Mariners that same night.The victory left the Bruins with 55 points in 44 games, to 54 for the Canadiens in 43 games. A home-and-home series between the teams was scheduled for Jan. 13 and 14.&ldquo;It was a nice way to move into first place, on the road, winning two out of two games,&rdquo; said coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly.Chirped goalie Doug Keans, in the nets against Pittsburgh after missing four games while Reggie Lemelin was on a hot streak: &ldquo;Montreal got ahead there for a while, but we reeled them in.&rdquo;The Bruins trailed the Canadiens by eight points on Dec. 16, then posted a 6-3-2 record while Montreal was going 2-4-2.NOTES&mdash;Terry O&rsquo;Reilly was fined $500 for throwing a water bottle on the ice during a game with the Rangers Dec. 27. &ldquo;I got a lot off my chest by throwing that bottle,&rdquo; said the coach. &ldquo;What does it cost to go see an analyst?&rdquo; Brian O&rsquo;Neill, who handles discipline for the NHL, said it was not determined whether O&rsquo;Reilly threw the bottle at referee Denis Morel. If he had, there would have been a suspension as well as a fine&hellip;Doug Keans (30), Randy Burridge (22) and Michael Thelven (27) all celebrated their birthdays Jan. 7 in Pittsburgh. Keans won the game in goal with 31 saves, Burridge scored a shorthanded goal and Thelven hurt his back&hellip;Shorthanded goals by Burridge and Gord Kluzak came 23 seconds apart on the same Penguin power play.<h2>BRUINS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 5&mdash;Tommy Lehmann, C, recalled from Maine (AHL).Jan. 8&mdash;Alan May, RW, and John Blum, D, recalled from Maine.Jan. 9&mdash;Blum assigned to Maine.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ken Linseman, Steve Kasper, Tommy Lehmann, Billy O&rsquo;Dwyer.RW&mdash;Cam Neely, Keith Crowder, Willi Plett, Bob Sweeney, Alan May.LW&mdash;Rick Middleton, Randy Burridge, Geoff Courtnall, Jay Miller.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque, Reed Larson, Frank Simonetti.LD&mdash;Gord Kluzak, Glen Wesley, Allen Pedersen.G&mdash;Reggie Lemelin, Doug Keans.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Lyndon Byers, RW, broken right wrist, indefinite.Nevin Markwart, RW, left shoulder surgery, Feb. 27.Michael Thelven, D, back spasms, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0017-01

Fate Alters Plans, Puts Bruins In First Place

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02789/5391626-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios was considered a leading Norris Trophy candidate earlier this season. But his play has tailed off lately.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011042/5391633-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="182" height="137"></div>MONTREAL&mdash;The Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; express ride to the top of the NHL standings has stalled.In fact the Canadiens, who have been at the top of the Adams Division standings for much of the year, found themselves in second place going into a head-to-head confrontation with first-place Boston.&ldquo;We always respect the Bruins,&rdquo; said goaltender Patrick Roy. &ldquo;But we usually play well against them.&ldquo;We want to get back into first place. If we get those two victories, we will have good position. We have to play confidently.&rdquo;There are those who feel the Canadiens developed a little too much confidence because of their quick start, and became far too cocky. The disciplined play which brought Montreal to the top of the pack for much of the year fell apart in two of the four games on a western swing&mdash;-a 9-3 loss at Calgary and 5-2 defeat in Los Angeles.When they got home, the Canadiens blew a 5-2 lead in the third period and lost 6-5 to the Buffalo Sabres, their third loss in five games to Buffalo this season.And Montreal held a 2-0 lead against Philadelphia, but had to settle for a 3-3 tie against the Flyers. As was the case in the loss to Buffalo, the Canadiens allowed the opposition to come back in the third period&mdash;although the Canadiens did put up more of a tussle against the Flyers than they had against Buffalo.&ldquo;In the third period, we seem to stay at home too much,&rdquo; said defenseman Petr Svoboda. &ldquo;If we play hockey that way, we are just going to get scored against all the time.&ldquo;We have to control the puck. We have to get everybody working the same way.&rdquo;In the losses to the Kings and Sabres and the tie against the Flyers, the Canadiens were outscored 8-0 in the third period. Montreal, which has been a good finishing team in the past, had suffered eight of its 11 losses as a result of third-period letdowns.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if we have lost our confidence a little bit or whether guys don&rsquo;t want to take their responsibilities,&rdquo; said Svoboda.&ldquo;We have to control the play&hellip;if you shoot the puck in, the other team just comes back at you and they are going to score one or two goals for sure.&rdquo;Coach Jean Perron and managing director Serge Savard are not amused.Perron made it clear he wants no individual award winners on the Canadiens, a reference to persistent rumbles that Chris Chelios is a leading candidate for the Norris Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s best defenseman. Chelios&rsquo; play of late had not been as strong as it was in the first two months of the season, causing some concern in the hierarchy.Still, the team isn&rsquo;t prepared to panic unless a slump of this magnitude recurs around playoff time.&ldquo;If the team has toplay like this, it&rsquo;s a good time to have it happen,&rdquo; said Brian Skrudland. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a time that is too far away from the beginning of the season and too far away from the end of the season. If it&rsquo;s going to happen, then we have picked the right month.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Managing director Serge Savard denied a St. Louis-based rumor that the Canadiens would be involved in a three-way deal bringing Jocelyn Lemieux. Claude&rsquo;s younger brother, to Montreal. According to the rumor, the Canadiens would send Sergio Momesso to Winnipeg, the Jets would give the Blues Paul MacLean, and the Canadiens would get the younger Lemieux. If a deal was in the works, it was killed when Lemieux suffered a broken left leg in Philadelphia Jan. 7&hellip;Jean Perron would like to see Chris Chelios and Craig Ludwig play more of a physical style&hellip;Patrick Roy is still winless against Philadelphia. The recent 3-3 tie brought his record to 0-2-3&hellip;The Canadiens honored the Canadian national junior team in a pre-game ceremony Jan. 6. Goaltender Jimmy Waite, the World Jr. championship MVP, and Eric Desjardins, a Canadiens&rsquo; draft choice last summer (second round, 38th overall), performed the ceremonial faceoff.<h2>CANADIENS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>C&mdash;Shayne Corson, Bobby Smith, Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland.LW&mdash;Mats Naslund, Ryan Walter, Bob Gainey, Mike McPhee.RW&mdash;Stephane Richer, Claude Lemieux, Sergio Momesso, Chris Nilan, John Kordic.LD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Mike Lalor, Larry Trader.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Petr Svoboda, Rick Green.G&mdash;Patrick Roy, Brian Hayward.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Kjell Dahlin, RW, back spasms, day-to-day.Larry Robinson, D, sprained wrist, Day-to-day &#9632;

f0018-02

Overconfident Canadiens Tumble From Top

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SMITH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01966/5391664-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="587" height="908"><figcaption class="caption-body">Carey Wilson, acquired in a trade from Calgary, was to be fitted for a knee brace.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02716/5391671-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="182" height="132"></div>HARTFORD&mdash;While whispers of &ldquo;damaged goods&rdquo; circulated in Hartford, Whaler general manager Emile Francis stood up for Calgary counterpart Cliff Fletcher.&ldquo;Calgary gave us its doctor&rsquo;s report and we were aware of the extent of injuries (to recently-acquired Carey Wilson and Neil Sheehy),&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got no arguments with him (Fletcher) at all.&rdquo;Wilson arrived in Hartford with a hyperextended knee. He was scheduled to be fitted for a knee brace in New York. Sheehy arrived with a groin pull. Neither played in their first week with Hartford.The two were key parts of the &lsquo;major surgery&rsquo; Francis promised for so long in Hartford.The Whalers shipped 21-year-old defenseman Dana Murzyn, the fifth overall selection in the 1985 draft, to Calgary for 25-year-old center Wilson and tough 27-year-old defenseman Sheehy.Binghamton winger Shane Churla was also sent to Calgary, and the Whalers acquired the rights to U.S. Olympic left winger Lane MacDonald.Francis, for one, isn&rsquo;t complaining.&ldquo;This trade will add a dimension to our team, let&rsquo;s not kid ourselves,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It gives us help right where we need it. Simply, we need to create another scoring line.&rdquo;Francis bristles whenever someone suggests that his team is too small. But in Wilson, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, he not only has added some scoring punch, but some much-needed size as well. Ditto for Sheehy, whose toughness will serve the Whalers well, particularly in Adams Division battles.But the Whalers, who skidded into the 40-game plateau at 15-18-7, needed Wilson and Sheehy immediately. Nobody anticipated that waiting for them to mend was part of the deal.Except, perhaps, Francis.&ldquo;If I held off for any amount of time, two things could happen,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;One, I&rsquo;d have to hold my guy (Murzyn) out so he doesn&rsquo;t get hurt, and then the whole deal could have fallen through. Holding him out certainly would have tipped people off.&ldquo;And the other thing about a delay is that Calgary could have changed its mind and decided it didn&rsquo;t want to trade.&rdquo;Murzyn&rsquo;s seemingly-bright future had dimmed considerably in Hartford. The question &lsquo;Why?&rsquo; no doubt will be seriously addressed in Calgary.The Flames will have to do better than Jack Evans&rsquo; approach&mdash;&rdquo;Leave that young man alone&rdquo;&mdash;if they are to bring out the best in Murzyn.People in Hartford will be rooting for him.&ldquo;I think everybody is sorry to see Dana go,&rdquo; Kevin Dineen said. &ldquo;But he was in a bit of a rut and a change of scenery, going to his hometown, will help him.&ldquo;I still think Dana will maybe be an all-star some day. He has the talent and the size.&rdquo;Dineen played with Wilson on the 1984 Canadian Olympic team.&ldquo;Our top three guys on that team were Pat Flatley, Wilson and Dave Tippett,&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;Carey is big, talented and a good team guy. Sheehy will help us. He&rsquo;s big and strong. At this point, I think it&rsquo;s a great deal for the Whale.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Through 40 games, the Whalers had 121 goals, lowest in the league, including just 68 even-strength goals&hellip;Seven of the Whalers&rsquo; 15 victories at the midway point had been by one goal&hellip;Mike Liut played his 500th NHL game Jan. 2, a 1-1 tie with New Jersey.<h2>WHALERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 7: Tom Martin, LW, recalled from Binghamton (AHL).Jan. 9: Brad Shaw, D, recalled from Binghamton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ronnie Francis, Dean Evason, Ray Ferraro, Brent Peterson.LW&mdash;Sylvain Turgeon, Paul Lawless, Dave Tippett, Dave Williams, Torrie Robertson, Tom Martin.RW&mdash;Kevin Dineen, Stewart Gavin, John Anderson, Paul MacDermid, Mike Millar, Mark Reeds.LD&mdash;loel Quenneville, Randy Ladouceur, Scot Kleinendorst.RD&mdash;Dave Babych, Ulf Samuelsson, Sylvain Cote, Brad Shaw.G&mdash;Mike Liut, Steve Weeks.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Stewart Gavin, RW, torn ankle ligaments, indefinite.Brent Peterson, C, pulled thigh muscle, day-to-day.Neil Sheehy, D, groin pull, day-to-day.Carey Wilson, C, stretched knee ligaments, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0019-01

New Whalers Injured, But GM Unconcerned

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01832/5391702-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="179" height="137"></div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;The trade of Dale Hunter was supposed to provide Paul Gillis with the opportunity to shine in the role of &ldquo;heart-and-soul&rdquo; man for the Quebec Nordiques.One of the reasons Hunter was dealt to Washington in the off-season was the expected emergence of Gillis as a front-line center. But after 38 games, Gillis had just four goals and 10 assists and been relegated to the fourth line.&ldquo;I know I&rsquo;m not playing very well and that I&rsquo;m not contributing enough to the team,&rdquo; he said.Gillis got a late start to the year, after taking it easy all summer in recovering from shoulder surgery. In fact, he missed most of training camp as well. But he refuses to lay the blame for his poor performance on either the shoulder or the layoff.&ldquo;My shoulder is fine,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My lack of training probably played a role in the first few games of the season, but not anymore. I&rsquo;m not looking for excuses. I&rsquo;m not playing well, and that&rsquo;s it.&rdquo;But he insisted the fall-off hasn&rsquo;t been the result of a lack of effort.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m working as hard as I&rsquo;ve always worked,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Defensively, I&rsquo;m not too bad. My big problems are on offense. And the more I search for answers, the less I get. I really don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going on.&rdquo;Added pressure has been put on by the Nordiques&rsquo; insistence he be the next Hunter.&ldquo;I never saw myself as Dale&rsquo;s replacement,&rdquo; said Gillis. &ldquo;And I never came to training camp claiming to be Dale&rsquo;s replacement. All I wanted was to play my game.&rdquo;Of late, he&rsquo;s been playing that game in a spot role.&ldquo;For the moment, Paul Gillis is our fourth center,&rdquo; said coach Ron Lapointe. &ldquo;Peter Stastny, Alan Haworth and Jason Lafreniere are all ahead of him right now. It&rsquo;s up to him to fight back up the ladder.&ldquo;We need Paul. He&rsquo;s a very important component of our team. But I&rsquo;m not happy with the way he&rsquo;s playing. And he isn&rsquo;t any happier.&rdquo;Lapointe expressed concern about Gillis&rsquo; self-discipline on the ice, and threatened the center with exile to the press box.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;For the moment, Paul Gillis is our fourth center&hellip;It&rsquo;s up to him to fight back up the ladder.&rsquo; &mdash;Lapointe</blockquote>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked enough about his bad penalties,&rdquo; Lapointe said. &ldquo;We want him to use his shoulders a lot more and, especially, to bring down his stick. He isn&rsquo;t the first guy on the puck any more.&ldquo;Usually, when Paul was on the ice, positive things happened. But they aren&rsquo;t happening anymore. That has to change. We need Paul too much.&rdquo;And Gillis needs extra practice, the coach concluded.&ldquo;He missed lots of practice time at the beginning of the season. And he&rsquo;s also a little overweight. So the extra practice won&rsquo;t do him any harm.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Jason Lafreniere&rsquo;s exile in Fredericton ended Jan. 4. The young center, who was sent down to the American League in December to pick up his intensity, was elated at being called up. &ldquo;He still has trouble playing two good games in a row,&rdquo; said Ron Lapointe, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;ll learn a lot more with the big team.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;The Nordiques are eagerly anticipating the addition of right winger Mark Vermette of Lake Superior State. The Nordiques&rsquo; eighthround draft pick in 1986 is a top candidate for the Hobey Baker Award as top U.S. collegiate hockey player&hellip;Peter Stastny was named the club&rsquo;s offensive player of the month for the third month in a row. Robert Picard was named defensive player of the month for the second time in three months.<h2>NORDIQUES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 4: Jason Lafreniere, C, recalled from Fredericton (AHL); Ken Quinney, RW, assigned to Fredericton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Peter Stastny, Jason Lafreniere, Alan Haworth, Paul Gillis, Trevor Stien-burg.LW&mdash;Gaetan Duchesne, Michel Goulet, Mike Eagles, Terry Carkner.RW&mdash;Anton Stastny, Jeff Jackson, Alain Cote, Gord Donnelly.LD&mdash;Normand Rochefort, Steven Finn, Stephane Guerard.RD&mdash;Robert Picard, Randy Moller, Jeff Brown, Tommy Albelin.G&mdash;Mario Gosselin, Ron Tugnutt.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Lane Lambert, RW, complex fracture of second finger on left hand, indefinite. &#9632;

f0020-01

Big Year Expected, But It Has Turned Sour

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01620/5391733-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="590" height="746"><figcaption class="caption-body">Philadelphia missed the offense Brian Propp when he was out with a knee sprain.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02347/5391740-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="180" height="139"></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;The Philadelphia Flyers found out something they didn&rsquo;t want to know, on their recent western trip.Without left winger Brian Propp, they&rsquo;re strapped for goal-scoring.The loss of Propp, combined with the season-long absence of Tim Kerr, took the two biggest guns out of the Flyer lineup for games against Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The Flyers scored just eight times in the three games. But when Propp returned to the lineup at the Spectrum against the St. Louis Blues, the offense returned to form.In his first game back, Propp scored two goals and set up another, as the Flyers defeated the Blues 6-4.Two nights later, he scored another goal as the Flyers tied the Canadiens 3-3 in Montreal. And one night after that, he picked up two assists as the Flyers were stunned 7-5 at the Spectrum, by the New Jersey Devils.In the game against St. Louis, the line of Propp, center Pelle Eklund and Rick Tocchet picked up 12 points, including a career-high five for Tocchet (two goals and three assists).&ldquo;Our plan is to let Pelle make the plays, and Brian shoot,&rdquo; said Tocchet. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m the rebound man, and I try to create lanes for those two.&ldquo;Brian&rsquo;s an all-star. He can sit out two months, then put his skates on and he&rsquo;ll still be great.&rdquo;Propp&rsquo;s return came at a crucial time for the Flyers. Going into the game against St. Louis, several forwards had hit a wall. Ron Sutter had not scored in a dozen games, Lindsay Carson in 14; Dave Poulin had just one goal in five games; and Peter Zezel-&mdash;who had led the offense in the Flyers&rsquo; second-quarter surge, had no goals in seven games.Into that picture arrived Propp, who recovered well enough from a knee sprain suffered Dec. 22.&ldquo;It was a little sore in the morning but that pain wore off,&rdquo; said Propp, who will turn 28 on Feb. 14.Perhaps he will once again fall shy of the 100-point level&mdash;he was 14-2539 in 37 games&mdash;but the injury could serve as a benefit come April.&ldquo;I think I gained more muscle strength (from working out to rehabilitate the knee),&rdquo; said Propp. &ldquo;And the rest did me good. It made me refreshed after playing hockey almost all summer in the Canada Cup.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Goalie Ron Hextall was ejected from the game against the Devils for vehemently arguing a call by referee Don Koharski. According to Flyer coach Mike Keenan, Koharski goaded the goalie. The game misconduct gave Hextall 58 penalty minutes this season, putting him on track for another season over 100. He had an NHL goaltender-record 104 last year-&hellip;The Flyers finished their season series against Montreal with a record of 0-2-1&hellip;Right winger Tim Kerr was said to be slightly ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery. It is now probable Kerr will return in early-March, rather than later in the month as first expected&hellip;The Flyers&rsquo; victory over the Blues improved their unbeaten streak against St. Louis at the Spectrum to 34 games (0-31-3), dating back 16 years.<h2>FLYERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>C&mdash;Dave Poulin, Pelle Eklund, Peter Zezel, Ron Sutter.LW&mdash;Brian Propp, Murray Craven, Derrick Smith, Lindsay Carson, Magnus Roupe, Nick Fotiu.RW&mdash;Rick Tocchet, Scott Mellanby, llkka Sinisalo, Dave Brown.LD&mdash;Mark Howe, Brad Marsh, Doug Crossman.RD&mdash;Kjell Samuelsson, Kerry Huffman, Greg Smyth, Bill Root.G&mdash;Ron Hextall, Mark Laforest.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tim Kerr, RW, multiple shoulder surgery, indefinite. &#9632;

f0021-01

Flyers’ Scoring Totals Needed Propping Up

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01721/5391771-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="592" height="1022"><figcaption class="caption-body">New Jersey Devil coach Doug Carpenter is rumored to be on the firing line.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02511/5391778-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="181" height="134"></div>EAST RUTHERFORD&mdash;&ldquo;Doug Carpenter must go!&rdquo; It&rsquo;s a phrase which has been heard with increasing regularity at Brendan Byrne Arena.So if angry New Jersey Devil fans had their way, Carpenter would have been fired after the team lost back-to-back home games to the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks, the two worst teams in the league. Having lost six of seven home games, the Devils were in hot water with the hometown fans.The logical replacement for Carpenter? Easy, the coach who guided the Devils to a 4-1-1 record in six road games. The guy who was behind the bench for a 4-3 triumph in Minnesota on Jan. 9 and a 7-5 victory in Philadelphia the following night.Carpenter, of course.If it all sounds preposterous, think of how the Devils must feel. They went from a 12-1-1 team at home to a 1-6 club on their own ice. Away from home they started the season 2-6-1 but have put those troubles to rest.&ldquo;It was good timing to go on the road,&rdquo; said Joe Cirella, who has taken as much verbal abuse as his coach. &ldquo;Losing the last few at home it seemed worse than it was because the fans got on us. We did so well at the beginning of the season everyone got spoiled. There are high expectations at home. We lost a few and people noticed every mistake.&rdquo;Kirk Muller is one of those who has felt the tension, but rather than buckling to the pressure he stepped forward in his role as captain. In three games, Muller scored six goals.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s leading by example,&rdquo; said Carpenter.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still learning about being the captain,&rdquo; said Muller. &ldquo;One thing I learned is to show leadership on the ice rather than being vocal in the dressing room before a game. In a way I can feel it.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m mentally prepared. I&rsquo;ve been thinking about the whole situation. Everyone is concerned. I&rsquo;m trying to think positive rather than negative. We hear so much. The fact is, everyone is uptight, afraid to make a mistake. Here we are a young team in the playoff hunt. Let&rsquo;s be excited rather than being tight. We&rsquo;re a lot more relaxed now than we have been. Our confidence is coming back.&rdquo;If general manager-president Lou Lamoriello has considered firing Carpenter&mdash;and there are strong feelings that he has thought about it&mdash;he isn&rsquo;t tipping his hand.&ldquo;No, it (firing Carpenter) has not been discussed,&rdquo; he said.Asked if he was aware of rumors regarding his impending dismissal, Carpenter said: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not aware of it, but I&rsquo;m always concerned when the team is losing. Why wouldn&rsquo;t I be? I&rsquo;m not surprised by all of the talk. The bottom line is winning and when a team isn&rsquo;t winning you&rsquo;re bound to hear talk about the coach. I&rsquo;d rather not comment further, but every dog has his day.&rdquo;There are two schools of thought on Lamoriello&rsquo;s strategy. The first is that the first-year boss is hoping to get through this season without making a coaching change. He does not want to fire a coach who has guided the Devils to an improved record in each of his four seasons.Then there is the belief that Lamoriello is simply waiting for an excuse to axe Carpenter. He would then bring in his own man, reportedly Yale coach Tim Taylor.There were rumors that Lamoriello, himself, was interested in becoming coach, but he categorically denied those, saying he would not, under any circumstances, go behind the bench.Carpenter&rsquo;s players have heard the talk.&ldquo;Obviously, we&rsquo;ve won with Doug in the past,&rdquo; added netminder Alain Chevrier. &ldquo;If we went out and implemented the system he&rsquo;s given us, we&rsquo;d win.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Chris Cichocki scored a goal in his first game as a Devil on Jan. 9. He termed it a carbon copy of his first NHL goal for Detroit two years ago, also against Minnesota&hellip;Alain Chevrier stopped former teammate Greg Adams, now a Canuck, on a penalty shot Jan. 7. Chevrier has stopped all three penalty shots he has faced during his career (Boston&rsquo;s Steve Kasper, L A.&rsquo;s Marcel Dionne and Adams)&hellip;Aaron Broten became the first Devil to record 200 career assist-s&hellip;Doug Carpenter was one victory shy of his 100th NHL coaching triumph&hellip;Chevrier is 3-0-2 against the Flyers this season and 7-2-2 lifetime.<h2>DEVILS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 8: Anders Carlsson, LW, Chris Cichocki, RW, and Al Stewart, LW, recalled from Utica (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Kirk Muller, Claude Loiselle, Patrik Sundstrom, Mark Johnson.LW&mdash;Aaron Broten, Doug Sulliman, Jim Korn, Perry Anderson, David Maley, Andy Brickley, Anders Carlsson, Al Stewart.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, John MacLean, Brendan Shanahan, Doug Brown, Chris Cichocki.LD&mdash;Ken Daneyko, Bruce Driver, Tom Kurvers.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Joe Cirella, Randy Velischek, Jack O&rsquo;Callahan.G&mdash;Alain Chevrier, Bob Sauve.<h3>INJURIES</h3>George McPhee, LW, groin pull, indefinite. &#9632;

f0022-01

Natives Restless As Devils Struggle At Home

Billy Slaght is a nine-year-old center with the Little Current (Ont.) novices.Now in his fifth year of minor hockey, Billy was on pace to break his own personal best mark of 76 goals, scored two years ago. After four games he had 16 goals.Much of Billy&rsquo;s success can be attributed to the fact that he&rsquo;s big for his age. All through hockey, he has been &ldquo;a head taller&rdquo; than the other boys on his team, says his dad, Doug Slaght.Last year, his line scored 160 goals in 43 games.The Grade 4 student at Little Current Public School enjoyed this past summer&rsquo;s Canada Cup series, and calls Team Canada his favorite team. His favorite players are the two stars of that club, Edmonton&rsquo;s Wayne Gretzky and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mario Lemieux.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03388/5391809-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="567" height="1142"><figcaption class="caption-body">BILLY SLAGHT</figcaption></div>You or someone you know can be part of the TITAN-JOFA Minor Hockey Showcase. Just send a photograph, along with biographical information (age, height, weight, team, coach&rsquo;s name, school and grade, as well as favorite NHL team and player) to: TITAN-JOFA SHOWCASE, C/O THE HOCKEY NEWS, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont. All entries submitted will be eligible for selection as THN/TITAN-JOFA Minor Hockey Player of the Year. &#9632;

f0022-03

PLAYER OF WEEK JOFA TITAN

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01648/5391840-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="182" height="138"></div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;They call it a scoring race, but it is usually a one-man sprint.Oh, others may occasionally break fast from the blocks, but Wayne Gretzky invariably pulls away by midseason and has an unbreakable grip on another Art Ross Trophy by the all-star break.That has been one of hockey&rsquo;s enduring dictums for seven years&mdash;just like the one that says Gretzky is immune to serious injuries.Now, both pieces of conventional wisdom are in peril.With Gretzky expected to miss most of January because of a wrenched knee, Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux&mdash;barring an injury of his own&mdash;will supplant Gretzky as the NHL&rsquo;s leading scorer.Gretzky has 86 points in 38 games; Lemieux had 86 points in 40 games&mdash;and probably had another half-dozen games to pile up points before Gretzky returns.Even so, Lemieux&mdash;who before the season said he would consider it a scoring race if he finished within 50 points of No. 99&mdash;believes Gretzky will be back in ample time to win another scoring title.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s nothing for him,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to come back and get his two or three points a night and be right up there again.&ldquo;If I want to beat him in the scoring race, I&rsquo;ll have to get 190, 200 points.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s hard to do. There aren&rsquo;t a lot of people in the NHL who can do that.&rdquo;Mere multiplication, however, suggests it will take far fewer than 190 or 200 points to win the scoring championship this year.Gretzky averaged 2.26 points per game before being injured. Projected over a 68-game season&mdash;he&rsquo;s expected to miss 12 games&mdash;that pace comes out to 154 points for the year.Lemieux averaged 2.15 points in his first 40 games. Projected over a 77-game season&mdash;Lemieux sat out three games with a shoulder injury in early November&mdash;that comes out to 166 points.Lemieux pulled even with Gretzky by virtue of a four-goal game in Detroit. That it came in a 7-5 loss&mdash;a defeat that stretched the Penguins&rsquo; winless streak to 0-5-3&mdash;tempered whatever satisfaction Lemieux felt from tying Gretzky.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to be up there with Gretzky, but it&rsquo;s not on my mind now because we&rsquo;re not playing well,&rdquo; Lemieux said.Ironically enough, it is a player who contributed to Gretzky&rsquo;s greatness for so many years&mdash;Paul Coffey&mdash;who ultimately could provide the margin that denies him a scoring title.Coffey, whom the Penguins acquired from Edmonton on Nov. 24, has 16 points in 10 games with the Penguins.Lemieux picked up points on 12 of the goals to which Coffey contributed&mdash;and figures to do so with great regularity once Coffey recovers from the knee problems that have plagued him since he arrived in Pittsburgh.NOTES&mdash;Rookie center Rob Brown, who had six goals for Team Canada at the World Jr. Championships, rejoined the Penguins and apparently will not be sent back to his junior team, Kamloops Blazers&hellip;Paul Coffey, out since Dec. 23 with a slightly tom cartilage in his right knee, has resumed skating and is ready to return to the lineup. The Penguins were 7-2-1 in the 10 games Coffey had played, 2-7-3 in the 12 he had missed-&hellip;Right winger Jimmy Mann, sidelined since Oct. 1 by elbow surgery, was assigned to the Penguins&rsquo; Muskegon farm team.<h2>PENGUINS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 6: Mark Kachowski, LW, Scott Gruhl, LW, and Chris Kontos, C, assigned to Muskegon (IHL).Jan. 8: Jimmy Mann, RW, assigned to Muskegon.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mario Lemieux, Dan Quinn, Dave McLIwain, Steve Gotaas, Rob Brown.LW&mdash;Randy Cunneyworth, Dave Hunter, Charlie Simmer, Troy Loney.RW&mdash;Jock Callander, Perry Ganchar, Lee Giffin, Wilf Paiement.LD&mdash;Doug Bodger, Phil Bourque, Todd Charlesworth.RD&mdash;Randy Hiller, Rod Buskas, Chris Dahlquist.G&mdash;Gilles Meloche, Pat Riggin.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Paul Coffey, D, torn knee cartilage, day-to-day.Bob Errey, LW, broken wrist, indefinite.Dan Frawley, RW, knee, indefinite.Jim Johnson, D, sprained knee, day-to-day.Norm Schmidt, D, back, indefinite.Ville Siren, D, broken foot, day-to-day.Wayne Van Dorp, LW, bruised thigh, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0023-01

Lemieux On Pace To Win NHL Scoring Title

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02492/5391871-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Guy Rouleau is re-establishing his hockey career after experiencing the highs and lows of successive seasons. (Photo by Steve Sommerville/Sports Eye)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01702/5391878-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="179" height="132"></div>Finishing has never been a problem for Guy Rouleau&mdash;one year, he scored close to 100 goals in the Quebec League.It&rsquo;s the starting, particularly of hockey seasons, that gives his coaches fits.&ldquo;I wish he&rsquo;d just get himself ready one year and say, &lsquo;The hell with it, this year I&rsquo;m coming in (ready),&rsquo;&rdquo; says Pat Bums of the Sherbrooke Canadiens, Rouleau&rsquo;s past and present coach. &ldquo;But every year, it seems to be the same thing: It takes a while to get going.&rdquo;Actually, it&rsquo;s scary to think what the 5-foot-8, 165-pound center might have accomplished as a junior player had he started each year well. After all, Rouleau did score 228 goals in his final three junior seasons in the QMJHL, including 92 in 62 games with Bums&rsquo; Hull club in 1985-86. And he did average 162 points in those three years.In Rouleau&rsquo;s last year of junior, he scored 191 points. So did his linemate, Luc Robitaille. Robitaille was in Los Angeles last season, winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie. Rouleau was in Sherbrooke and Switzerland, having a miserable time.He signed with the Montreal Canadiens in May, 1986, after helping Hull reach the Memorial Cup and was assigned to Sherbrooke from Montreal&rsquo;s training camp.But by the end of October he was gone. He failed a short test provided by Pierre Creamer, then the Sherbrooke coach, and was given the option ofbeing assigned to Saginaw of the International League or joining Zurich in the Swiss &lsquo;B&rsquo; league.In short order he was on his way to Europe.Zurich already had two imports and playing time was scarce. By the time Sherbrooke was defeated by Rochester in the Calder Cup playoff finals in May&mdash;Rouleau returned to the Canadiens when the Swiss season ended&mdash;he had played only 25 games in eight months.&ldquo;It was the same way my first junior year in Longueuil,&rdquo; the Francophone 22-year-old says, with the help of a translator. &ldquo;It was always like that, even in minor hockey. I always had a difficult first year. After that, things were going better and better.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t surprised that it was hard for me last year, but I was surprised by the decision of Pierre Creamer to only have eight games to show something. When you&rsquo;re coming into pro hockey, eight games to prove yourself isn&rsquo;t very much.&rdquo;Bums agrees but, at the same time, he sympathizes with Creamer.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the tough part,&rdquo; says Bums. &ldquo;Pro teams only have so much time to decide. Probably that&rsquo;s what happened last year. There was so much talent on the Sherbrooke team last year that Pierre probably didn&rsquo;t have time to sit around and wait for him.&rdquo;Year Two of Rouleau&rsquo;s professional career has been much more rewarding. He was reunited with Bums, his coach at Hull, and has flourished. He averaged a point a game (13-27-40) through the first half of the season trailed only Binghamton&rsquo;s Mike Richard and Glen Seabrooke of Hershey in rookie scoring.Once again, though, Rouleau was a bit slow getting started in October.&ldquo;Iknow him,&rdquo; Bumssays. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s probably one of the reasons I was so patient with him this year.&rdquo;Rouleau admits the frustration he experienced last year affected him. He says it has driven him to succeed.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing it for myself,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;After eight games, I didn&rsquo;t show anything. I know that I can show something and I came back to prove that I can play in this league, and can play higher, too.&rdquo;With his speed, quickness, and scoring touch, Rouleau is beginning to make an impact in the AHL.&ldquo;He can&rsquo;t do what he did in junior hockey up here,&rdquo; Burns says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way he&rsquo;s going to score 92 goals. In junior he had so much, a fraction of a second more than everybody else on his shot, on his passing, and his skating.&ldquo;Up here he notices that the guys are bigger and they&rsquo;re stronger. They hold him back and they hook him. He&rsquo;s not strong. He&rsquo;s not really a physical hockey player. That&rsquo;s one of the reasons he has trouble getting going. He gets frustrated sometimes because of that.&rdquo;Both Bums and Rouleau concede that taking the next step will be a most difficult one. Montreal has tremendous depth in the organization, and there are very few jobs available in the NHL for small forwards who rely on finesse.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s impossible, but he would have to spend a couple of years down here and tune himself into getting better,&rdquo; Bums says.Rouleau need only look across the Sherbrooke dressing room for inspiration. Teammate Gilles Thibaudeau never played major junior hockey and was driving a forklift in a factory before he got a tryout with the Canadiens in 1984. He was the IHL rookie of the year in 1984-85 and is well on his way to breaking Paul Gardner&rsquo;s AHL scoring record of 130 points. With 38 games to play, Thibaudeau had 28 goals and 70 points.&ldquo;Gilles took a while,&rdquo; Burns said. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t bum up the league the first two years. He took a while to get going. Once Guy gets that fraction of a second going, he&rsquo;ll be one of the good scorers in this league.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0024-02

The Minors

On The Comeback Trail At 22

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03331/5391909-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="180" height="136"></div>Two days after the struggling New Haven Nighthawks ended their teamrecord 12-game losing streak with a 5-3 home win over Hershey, help arrived on the scene.On Jan. 5, a month and three days after being called up by the Los Angeles Kings, Bob Janecyk returned to the Nighthawks.Janecyk started the season with New Haven and was recalled with the 15-7-2 Nighthawks contending for top spot in the North. Janecyk was directly responsible for the Nighthawks&rsquo; success. He was the league&rsquo;s top goaltender with an 11-2-0 record and 1.65 goals-against average.Without Janecyk, however, the Nighthawks tumbled to 2-12-1 over the next 15 games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a little disappointed because I thought I played well,&rdquo; said Janecyk, 1-4 with a 4.55 goals-against average as a King. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t want to go with three goalies (Roland Melanson and Glenn Healy are the other two) and I guess I was the logical choice.&ldquo;(A return to the NHL) is not out of sight, just yet. I just have to continue to play and, if it&rsquo;s not with the Kings, hopefully someone will see something in me and take a chance.&rdquo;<h2>STICKING IT TO HIM</h2>Nova Scotia goalie Dave Roach, you might say, was a victim of a stick-up Jan. 1 in Rochester.Roach was caught using an illegal stick 16 seconds into overtime, by Rochester coach John Van Boxmeer. The Amerks didn&rsquo;t score with a two-man advantage, but did win on Mike Hartman&rsquo;s goal with 1:06 remaining.&ldquo;What I&rsquo;d like to know is how they knew my sticks were illegal,&rdquo; Roach said. &ldquo;It has never been called on me and it seemed like a pretty gutsy move to be called in OT.&ldquo;Obviously they knew. I&rsquo;m pretty sure they had inside information; (it was) like they had somebody measure all my sticks.&rdquo;Van Boxmeer claimed he was innocent, saying, &ldquo;All Sherwood sticks are illegal when they come from the factory.&rdquo;Commented Nova Scotia defenseman Jim Wiemer: &ldquo;We had all our guys with illegal sticks up front change with two or three minutes left, because Boxie likes to call those stick penalties. But we never thought about the goalie.&rdquo;<h2>HEARTBREAKING LOSS</h2>The Sherbrooke Canadiens suffered a frustrating 5-4 home loss to the Fredericton Express on Jan. 5. Trailing by a goal in the final seconds, the Canadiens pulled their goalie for an extra skater. Gilles Thibaudeau scored with 11 seconds left, but the goal was disallowed by referee Kerry Fraser because Express goalie Mario Brunetta knocked the goal off its magnets.Fraser, an NHL referee recovering from his summer bout with hepatitis, awarded the Canadiens a penalty shot, however. Canadien coach Pat Bums chose Guy Rouleau, who was stopped by Brunetta.Ironically, it was last spring that Fraser dis-allowed a crucial goal by the Quebec Nordiques in a Stanley Cup playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens, the parent clubs of Fredericton and Sherbrooke, respectively. In fact, that was the last NHL game he worked until he returned Jan. 8 to referee a game between Hartford and Buffalo.<h2>CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS</h2>Defenseman Ken Baumgartner became the third New Haven captain this year to be recalled to Los Angeles. Paul Fenton and Paul Guay were the other two&hellip;Maine rookie goalie Terry Taillefer&rsquo;s first pro start was a success, a 6-3 win over Adirondack Jan. 3. He faced just 22 shots. &#9632;

f0024-03

Nighthawks Welcome Goaltender’s Return

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01614/5391940-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="178" height="133"></div>American League officials, stung by the loss of five NHL partners in the past year, want to be first in line if and when the big league expands.NHL teams in Calgary, Chicago, Minnesota, New York (Rangers) and Pittsburgh all changed their affiliations to the International League in 1987. The AHL&rsquo;s board of governors have taken several steps to make their loop more attractive as a development league, in hopes of linking up with new |NHL entries.Rule changes, including the 18-man roster limit, were instituted and a fulltime marketing director was hired.The latest step came during a special meeting Jan. 4 at Boston, when the governors approved the formation of an expansion committee. Previously, expansion was lumped in the same portfolio as finance.Peter Cooney, owner of the Springfield Indians, is chairman of the committee.&ldquo;We have to be prepared for NHL expansion because it could mean new franchises,&rdquo; Cooney said. &ldquo;We have to be prepared for interested parties who make inquiries, and for teams that need a new location. And there is the possibility that (existing) NHL teams would want to put their top-level farm teams in the American League.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not telling them where to go, but maybe we can help them find a location that they like, and have that research and information already gathered for them. Instead of waiting for someone to knock on your door and then getting prepared, you get prepared ahead of time. It&rsquo;s a little preventive maintenance to be ready for these situations.&rdquo;<h2>&lsquo;JACKS JOKE NO MORE</h2>It has taken three months, but the Baltimore Skipjacks have become a competitive team at home and on the road.The Skipjacks, who set an AHL record with 18 consecutive losses at the start of the season, won back-to-back games for the first time. They also picked up their first road win and came within a minute of putting together a four-game unbeaten streak.Baltimore, 5-10-6 since the losing streak ended, opened its best stretch of the season with a 1-1 tie at home against Hershey Jan. 1. The &lsquo;Jacks lost 6-5 at Glens Falls the next night when Adirondack left winger Dale Krentz scored with 45 seconds remaining, but completed the weekend with a 6-2 win at Newmarket. On Jan. 5, they posted a 6-4 triumph to stop Utica&rsquo;s six-game unbeaten streak.Goaltender Scott Gordon defeated the Saints and Devils to extend his unbeaten streak to 3-0-1, during which he had a goals-against average of 2.68.The win at Newmarket had a price. Forward Terry Perkins broke a bone in his wrist and will be out until late January.<h2>BEARS ARE POPULAR</h2>The Hershey Bears drew three straight sellout crowds to surpass the 100,000 mark in home attendance after 19 games.Rochester (5,963), Hershey (5,362) and Adirondack (4,172) led the league in average attendance at the mid-point of the season.The Bears can attribute their good gates to a fine on-ice showing. They recently compiled a 13-1-1 record to move into first place in the division with 52 points in 42 games, but a pair of losses and a tie on New Year&rsquo;s weekend left them only a point ahead of Binghamton (51 in 41) and two up on Rochester (50 in 39).A 3-2 overtime loss to Utica Jan. 2 snapped the Bears&rsquo; club-record 16-game (14-0-2) home-ice unbeaten streak.<h2>SEABROOKE RECALLED</h2>Hershey rookie center Glen Seabrooke was recalled by the Flyers, but veteran pivot Ross Fitzpatrick returned to the lineup after missing the first three months recovering from knee surgery&hellip;Washington returned rookie scoring sensation Mike Richard to Binghamton after the center&rsquo;s brief stint in the NHL&hellip;Newmarket closed the &rsquo;87 portion of its schedule with an overtime win over Nova Scotia. It was the Saints&rsquo; first OT win in nine tries (1-3-5)&hellip;Adirondack signed free-agent center Wayne Crawford and recalled rookie defenseman Rob Doyle from Flint, after right winger Brent Fedyk and left winger Steve Martinson were called up to Detroit. &#9632;

f0025-01

AHL Prepares For Possible NHL Expansion

<div class="byline">BY BOB WAGNER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02405/5391971-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="156" height="136"></div>Dave Gagner has had a hard time convincing people that offense is the best part of his game.After all, in 80 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, he scored just 11 goals and 16 assists.&ldquo;I like to play a wide-open game,&rdquo; insists Gagner, 23, who was acquired by Minnesota prior to this season with defenseman Jay Caufield, for defensemen Jari Gronstrand and Paul Boutilier.&ldquo;But whenever I&rsquo;ve been up in the NHL. the most I&rsquo;ve been used is in penalty-killing or as a checking center.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt quickness was one of my attributes&hellip;&rsquo; &mdash;Gagner</blockquote>Gagner played 16 games for the North Stars, scoring a goal and an assist, then was dispatched to their No. 1 affiliate, Kalamazoo Wings of the International League. He has proven his point(s) with the K-Wings. In 12 games, he had 14 goals, including two hat tricks, and a total of 22 points.Why the sudden success?&ldquo;John Marks (the K-Wing coach) has played me a ton since I&rsquo;ve been here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been told I&rsquo;m too small, and also not fast enough for my size. I&rsquo;m about 185 pounds, 5-foot-10&mdash;and, by today&rsquo;s standards, that&rsquo;s small. Right now I&rsquo;m playing fight wing, which I like better.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt quickness was one of my attributes&mdash;quick, side-to-side lateral movement was an asset.&rdquo;When Gagner was assigned to Kalamazoo, he didn&rsquo;t put up a fuss, unlike his attitude during three years of shuttling between the Rangers and New Haven Nighthawks of the American League.&ldquo;There were times I would go a couple of weeks without producing. But you&rsquo;re only hurting yourself with a bad attitude and I wondered how I could do that to myself. This year I felt I really had something to prove. You&rsquo;re going to run out of chances. Basically, you just have to go out and do it.&rdquo;That was easier said than done with the North Stars: &ldquo;I was the fourth-line center behind Neal Broten, Brian Lawton and Keith Acton.&rdquo;<h2>STILL A HANDY MAN</h2>Ron Handy of the Peoria Rivermen fell from first to third in league scoring, behind Flint rookie center John Cullen and Muskegon veteran left winger Dave Michayluk in the standings. Cullen had 61 points (11-50) as of Jan. 4, Michayluk 57 (24-33) and Handy 55 (27-28).But Peoria GM-coach Pat Kelly hasn&rsquo;t lost faith in the center-right winger.&ldquo;Handy still is getting the odd goal, but he&rsquo;s not getting the shots,&rdquo; said Kelly. &ldquo;He used to get six or eight shots a game, but a lot of nights now he gets only two or three. Everybody&rsquo;s keying on him.&rdquo;<h2>BELFOUR LUCKY CHARM</h2>Ed Belfour was in goal last March when the University of North Dakota won the NCAA national collegiate hockey championship. He hasn&rsquo;t lost that winning touch in his first season as a pro, with the Saginaw Hawks.Belfour had 14 wins through Jan. 6, more than any other goalie in the league. In one 11-day stretch, he posted two shutouts&mdash;4-0 against Fort Wayne Komets Dec. 20 and 1-0 against Peoria Dec. 31.<h2>CHICKEN DRAWS FANS</h2>Peoria drew its largest regular-season crowd ever Dec. 29, when 8,658 fans showed up at the Civic Center to watch the Rivermen lose a 5-4 shootout to the Milwaukee Admirals. Special attraction was The Famous (a.k.a. San Diego) Chicken&hellip;IHL penalty-minute leader Stu Grimson (254 minutes in 35 games) of Salt Lake tore knee ligaments New Year&rsquo;s Eve in a game against Colorado when he collided with a teammate. He went under the knife Jan. 2 and will probably miss the remainder of the season&hellip;IHL East leader Muskegon had a remarkable December with only two losses, one in a shootout, in 13 games&hellip;Center Mike Rucinski. who played last year with Turner Cup-champion Salt Lake, has joined Saginaw. He signed with Chicago as a free agent in August but suffered a knee injury in a pre-season game. &#9632;

f0025-02

Gagner Finally Proves He Can Score

<div class="byline">BY JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01653/5392002-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Murray Nystrom starred on ice for the London Knights. Now he clears it off Ontario streets in his job as a snowplow operator. He&rsquo;s another former junior whose NHL dreams weren&rsquo;t realized.</figcaption></div>Every boy who has laced on a pair of skates has dreamed of playing in the National Hockey League.The team-monogrammed bedsheets, the life-size posters of favorite players, pucks, trophies&hellip;the bedroom becomes a shrine where the dream flourishes.It&rsquo;s Canadiana, in the most innocent form.But what happens when that dream turns sour? There are, of course, infinitely more who don&rsquo;t make the NHL than do.Shane Whelan, Murray Nystrom and Steve Titus are three former Ontario League players who got caught up in the dream, only to have it shattered.Whelan, from Kirkland Lake, was the Oshawa Generals&rsquo; first-round pick in the 1984 OHL entry draft. He was the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; third-round pick in the 1985 NHL draft. A third-rounder is usually assured, at least, a place in the minors.But Whelan turns 21 in February and is playing not for Hershey, the Flyers&rsquo; No. 1 affiliate, but a Mississauga, Ont., Jr. B team. A veteran of OHL stints with Oshawa, Windsor and London, the Flyers told him last summer he no longer figured in their plans. Now, he&rsquo;s working in a factory.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m not disappointed,&rdquo; Whelan says. &ldquo;All my family ever told me was to be the best person I can be. I read a line in a book about the Pittsburgh Steelers that said, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s one&rsquo;s attitude, not aptitude, that determines one&rsquo;s altitude.&rsquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m always being asked if I&rsquo;m depressed about not making the NHL. Never. There&rsquo;s not enough time to get depressed. Life is too short. There are things other than hockey that make you realize how precious life is.&rdquo;On Sept. 19, 1984, Whelan was practising with the Generals when he was told to go into the team office.&ldquo;I was really nervous because I didn&rsquo;t talk to the coach (Paul Theriault) that much. He said he had some bad news for me. I thought he was sending me down to Jr. B, or cutting me, or something like that. Then, just out of the blue, he starts telling me my father had died from a massive heart attack.&rdquo;Beneath all that hockey armor was a devastated I7-year-old.&ldquo;Oshawa treated me really well. They paid my flight home and told me to take my time coming back. But it seemed every day I was getting a phone call. They made it sound like they just wanted to see how I was doing, but there was that constant pressure. The question was at the beginning and the end of the conversation: &lsquo;When are you going to come back?&rsquo;&ldquo;I knew I was going to come back, but I wanted to come back when I was ready, and when I felt Shane Whelan could make a contribution to the Oshawa Generals. I came back in four days, leaving a lot of loose ends floating around in my head on the plane ride: Would my mother be able to cope? It was getting to be winter up home&mdash;and had the car been winterized? Did Mom have her storm windows up? Just little stuff like that. Things you&rsquo;d never think of if Dad was still there.&ldquo;Oshawa was putting undue pressure on me that they didn&rsquo;t realize, and maybe it was my fault that I didn&rsquo;t let them know If, lt that way. But I&rsquo;d be in a 2-1 game and instead of thinking about what I was going to do the next shift, I was thinking about how Mom was doing and whether she was hanging in.&rdquo;Titus, also 21 next month, is from London. He&rsquo;s living with his parents and attending the University of Western Ontario, tending goal for the Mustangs.He was drafted by the Cornwall Royals and spent his last season with the Knights. He was the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; seventh-round pick in 1985 and considered his pro chances good. He attended two training camps.It was last June, the day before the NHL draft in Detroit, that he went to see Penguins&rsquo; general manager Eddie Johnston in a hotel room. Titus had not been offered a contract and he wanted to know his status.He remembers Johnston&rsquo;s first words: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve decided it will be better for you to try somewhere else because our spots are filled.&rdquo;Titus does not remember what Johnston said after that.He walked out of the room, passing a yet-undrafted Richard Tabaracci who was on his way in. Tabaracci, who plays goal with the Royals, was selected by the Penguins in the second round the next afternoon.&ldquo;I had realistically visualized myself playing in the NHL because I had been drafted,&rdquo; Titus says. &ldquo;I hung onto that dream. But in the end it&rsquo;s more of hanging onto your dignity.&ldquo;Teams know kids will die to play for them and they&rsquo;ll play for peanuts for that little bit of glory. All it is is a dream. But I&rsquo;m not bitter because if I hadn&rsquo;t played junior I would always be questioning what it was like. You have to make a lot of sacrifices but I consider myself fortunate to have played three years. You can&rsquo;t buy that experience.&ldquo;Sure they&rsquo;re using you in junior. But you&rsquo;re using them as a vehicle to further your career. But you must always give yourself an out. That&rsquo;s why I kept my schooling going. Even after you&rsquo;re done in the NHL you have to be employable. Going to school ensures that and nobody can take that from you.&rdquo;Nystrom, 21, played three seasons with London and was never drafted, either by the OHL or NHL. He attended the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; training camp for a couple of days in 1986, then finished out the last two weeks of the American League season with Baltimore after the Knights were finished.He&rsquo;s now living in London and working for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Communications. In the winter, he drives a snowplow. He plays some local Sr. B hockey when he has the chance.Knight coach-general manager Wayne Maxner could have placed Nystrom in the International League this season with one phone call, &ldquo;but I didn&rsquo;t want to go to a camp because somebody owed Max a favor. I wanted to go on my own merits,&rdquo; says Nystrom, a native of Thunder Bay, Ont.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather have people tell me the truth than B.S. me. I talked to people who said I should have gone for it because I&rsquo;d spent my whole life proving people wrong. That&rsquo;s what had kept me going, but when I realized nothing was going to happen, I wanted to get right away from it.&ldquo;I called Baltimore in late June to ask how I&rsquo;d played and they said they were happy with how things went. I knew they weren&rsquo;t telling the truth because I&rsquo;d played brutal. All a player asks for is honesty.&rdquo;But Nystrom says he has no reason to be bitter.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always said it&rsquo;s a privilege to play. That&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s wrong now. More and more kids are expecting it. They come in and they want this and they want that. They demand things. I thought you had to earn things.&rdquo;Despite the broken dream, Whelan recommends junior hockey &ldquo;because it made me a better person.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-01

The Juniors

Dreams Made To De Broken

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02456/5392047-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="370" height="478"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEFF BLOEMBERG North Bay</figcaption></div><h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2>Defenseman Jeff Bloemberg, 19, of the North Bay Centennials scored three goals and three assists in three games to lead his team to two wins and one tie.Bloemberg improved his totals to seven goals and 17 assists in 32 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03371/5392040-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="371" height="481"><figcaption class="caption-body">BENOIT BRUNET Hull</figcaption></div><h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>Hull left winger Benoit Brunet, 19, scored five goals and seven assists-to lead his team to three victories. Brunet scored four goals and three assists in a 10-5 win over Laval to improve his totals to 30 goals and 52 assists for 82 points in 37 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04276/5392033-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="367" height="479"><figcaption class="caption-body">MIKE VAN SLOOTEN Regina</figcaption></div><h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>Regina center Mike Van Slooten, 19, scored three goals and seven assists for 10 points in four games.Van Slooten&rsquo;s&rsquo; efforts helped the Pats to a 4-0 week. He improved his personal totals to 21 goals and 38 assists in 41 games.At the end of the current season, THE HOCKEY NEWS will select a Micron Junior Player of the Year. &#9632;

f0026-02

MICRON JUNIOR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01606/5392078-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="181" height="136"></div>Releasing captain Paul Maurice was a difficult decision for Windsor Spitfire general manager Jim Rutherford.The most difficult, he&rsquo;s had to make in four years with the Spits.It was prompted by the return of overage goalie Pat Jablonski from Peoria Rivermen of the International League. That left Windsor with three overage players&mdash;Jablonski, Maurice and right winger J.P. Gorley. Since league rules permit teams to carry just two, someone had to go.It came down to a choice between Maurice and Gorley. And on New Year&rsquo;s Eve, Rutherford decided that Maurice, a fourth-year defenseman in his third season as team captain, would be released.&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a happy day for me,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;Paul&rsquo;s a leader. He&rsquo;s a great person and a talented player. But in analyzing the situation, we decided it&rsquo;s in our best interests to have a forward the calibre of Gorley.In 34 games, Gorley had 21 goals and 21 assists. Maurice was the victim of a numbers game.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a lot of good veteran defensemen&mdash;Darryl Shannon, Glenn Featherstone, Brad Hyatt, Paul Hampton. Mark Kurzawski&mdash;and they&rsquo;re all 19 years old,&rdquo; said Rutherford. &ldquo;Basically it was more of a need for a scorer like Gorley than another veteran defenseman in Paul.&rdquo;Maurice was offered an assistant coaching job with the Spitfires, and the Oshawa Generals were rumored interested in him as a player. But Maurice said he was leaning towards concentrating full-time on his second-year studies at the University of Windsor.Meanwhile, the addition of Jablonski means rookie David Goverde, 17, will likely be assigned to the Windsor (Jr. B) Bulldogs. Second-year man Peter Ing, 18, rated the second-best draft eligible goalie in the OHL behind Toronto&rsquo;s Pat Tenpenny by NHL Central Scouting, is the other Spitfire goalie.<h2>ANDERSEN SUSPENDED</h2>Oshawa General left winger John Andersen&rsquo;s suspension was almost over before it officially began.The OHL veteran was suspended 10 games for throwing his stick into the stands and striking a fan during a Dec. 12 game between the Generals and Royals in Cornwall.Cornwall resident Bob Blanchard, a season-ticket holder for 10 years, had four teeth knocked out and suffered an eight-stitch cut on his face.The retroactive suspension was announced Jan. 6 by commissioner David Branch. It ended Jan. 10 when, ironically enough, the Royals were scheduled to visit Oshawa. Andersen missed nine games while waiting for the suspension to be announced.&ldquo;While it was evident Andersen had no intention to propel his stick into the spectating area, but rather to hit the restraining wall,&rdquo; said Branch, &ldquo;under no circumstances should players throw their sticks. Players are accountable for their actions.&rdquo;At a preliminary hearing Dec. 29 in Cornwall, Andersen pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault causing bodily harm. A trial date of Nov. 14 was set.Rulings from Branch were still pending on two other incidents.During the Generals&rsquo; 7-3 win over Ottawa in Oshawa Jan. 3, Ottawa left winger Matt Smyth swung his stick at&mdash;but missed&mdash;a fan. No charges were laid, though Durham Regional Police were called to the scene. Smyth was suspended all of last season for hitting an official.The same night as the Ottawa-Oshawa game, Belleville and Kingston engaged in a brawl that resulted in six player ejections. On Dec. 27, eight game misconducts were handed out after a brawl between the Hamilton Steelhawks and Guelph Platers in Hamilton.<h2>CENTERS TRADE PLACES</h2>London Knights&rsquo; coach and general manager Wayne Maxner wanted more scoring punch. And he got it by trading with the Kitchener Rangers for the league&rsquo;s leading goal-scorer, overage center Ron Goodall.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an impact player who adds another dimension to our lineup,&rdquo; Maxner said of Goodall, who had 37 goals and 30 assists in 36 games with the Rangers.But Maxner gave up some of London&rsquo;s future when he exchanged center Shayne Stevenson, 17, for Goodall. Stevenson, London&rsquo;s first pick (fourth overall) in the 1986 OHL midget draft, had 14 goals and 25 assists in 39 games on the Knight shift.Goodall, the league&rsquo;s highest-scoring right winger with 52 goals and 53 assists in 66 games last season, downplayed his acquisition by the Knights.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just here to do my job,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The Knights were doing pretty good without me. I mean, they are in first place.&rdquo;London was first in the Emms Division with a 27-9-3 record as of Jan. 6 and topped the Canadian Hockey League rankings.Goodall made his debut in a London jersey Jan. 3, scoring once and adding an assist as the Knights edged the Hamilton Steelhawks 5-4 before 12,316 fans at Hamilton&rsquo;s Copps Coliseum. The crowd was the largest ever to see the Steelhawks play in Copps. The previous record was 12,040 on Dec. 13 for minor hockey day.<h2>GENERALS WIN AGAIN</h2>Oshawa&rsquo;s 7-3 win over Ottawa snapped the Generals&rsquo; 11-game winless streak (0-10-1). Earning the victory was rookie goalie Dean Pearce, 17, who was making his first OHL start. &#9632;

f0027-01

Captain Maurice Odd Man Out In Windsor

<div class="byline">BY STEVE GILLILAND</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02398/5392109-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="180" height="136"></div>New Brunswick Red Devil rookie center Paul Campbell of Lincoln, N.B., remained unconscious in a Kitchener, Ont., hospital, two weeks after a Dec. 26 auto accident.Police say Campbell, 19, was driving at I a.m. when his car went out of control on a residential street and struck a tree. Campbell was in Kitchener for the holidays, visiting relatives.A passenger in the vehicle, CambridgeWinter Hawk Jr. B player Francesco Santarossa. 19, of Kitchener, was killed in the accident. Three other passengers were injured&mdash;Brad Martin, 21, Martin Groulx, 19, and Ella Gromek, 19, all of Kitchener. Groulx, a member of the Jr. B Kitchener Rangers, and Martin, a former member of the same team, were treated and released from hospital. Gromek, Campbell&rsquo;s girlfriend, remained in hospital with internal head injuries.&ldquo;Paul has improved since being admitted to the hospital unconscious,&rdquo; said Tim Campbell, Paul&rsquo;s brother. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s suffering from head injuries, a bruised lung and bruised kidneys.&ldquo;He seems to be improving each day and, although he&rsquo;s not fully conscious, he does respond to commands and is moving parts of his body.&rdquo;No charges had been laid.<h2>REMATCH SHAPING UP</h2>The St. Francis Xavier X-Men and Prince Edward Island Panthers are keeping one eye on the regular-season schedule and the other on the calendar.Atlantic Association playoffs begin Feb. 24, and the two teams are again favored to meet in the conference final.The Panthers were first in the MacAdam Division and the X-Men sat atop the Kelly Division.Meanwhile, captain Steve Fulton of defending AUAA-champion PEI said he hopes his team benefits from some tough playoff battles over in the Kelly Division.&ldquo;Hopefully, we can beat Moncton (Blue Eagles, the only legitimate threat to UPEl&rsquo;s MacAdam Division supremacy), then play a bruised team coming out of Nova Scotia (Kelly),&rdquo; the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman said.After sweeping St. FX 2-0 in last spring&rsquo;s AUAA final, the Panthers advanced to the CIAU championship tourney, where they defeated Western Ontario 3-1 before bowing out 3-0 to Sakatchewan.<h2>UNB ADDS THREE</h2>New Brunswick coach Rick Nickelchok added three new forwards&mdash;Mark Solkaiski from Trois-Rivieres of the Quebec League, Kevin Hocquard from the midget AAA Fredericton Red Wings and Gilles Rouleau of Champlain College in Lennoxville, Que&hellip;Ron Harris, son of the former NHLer of the same name, has joined the Acadia roster for the remainder of the season. He&rsquo;s a 6-foot-3,230-pound right winger&hellip;Left winger Terry Wood has been added to the St. Thomas Tommies&rsquo; roster. The former UNB player has not played hockey in a year&hellip;Rob Maclnnis, bother of the Calgary Flames&rsquo; Al, has been suspended by Acadia coach Tom Coolen for &ldquo;disciplinary reasons.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0027-02

The Colleges

Red Devil Hurt, Friend Killed In Boxing Day Auto Accident

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03258/5392154-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="357" height="486"><figcaption class="caption-body">LARRY DYCK Manitoba</figcaption></div><h2>CANADA WEST</h2>The second-year Manitoba goaltender made 57 saves as the Bisons swept Brandon 2-1 and 5-3 in Canada West play. Dyck has been the winning goaltender in seven of Manitoba&rsquo;s nine victories.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04174/5392147-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="363" height="487"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERIC BOISVERT Moncton</figcaption></div><h2>ATLANTIC</h2>Boisvert, a second-year Moncton right winger, scored two goals and two assists for a four-point game as Moncton whipped Dalhousie 7-3 in Atlantic Universities Athletic Association league play.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05122/5392140-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="365" height="484"><figcaption class="caption-body">DENIS CASTONGUAY Laurentian</figcaption></div><h2>ONTARIO</h2>The Laurentian center scored four goals and one assist to lead his team to victories over Laurier and Waterloo. Castonguay had three goals in a 4-2 win over Wilfrid Laurier. &#9632;

f0027-03

Bauer’s University Performers of the Week

<div class="byline">BY ED WILLES</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01625/5392185-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="588" height="751"><figcaption class="caption-body">High-scoring Trevor Jobe was traded from Moose Jaw to the Victoria Cougars.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02440/5392192-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="181" height="133"></div>Spokane Chiefs knew they were getting something intriguing when they dealt for defenseman Link Gaetz. After all, his nickname is &lsquo;The Missing Link.&rsquo;But when Gaetz arrived from New Westminster (along with defenseman Scott Farrell for right winger Mike Hawes) at the start of the season, the Chiefs weren&rsquo;t convinced they&rsquo;d landed anything special.They are now. The man with the soap-opera star name has established himself as the heavyweight champion of the WHL. But the 6-foot-3, 21 flpounder isn&rsquo;t just your run-of-the-mill goon&mdash;despite his 16 majors and 296 penalty minutes. He also had four goals and 15 assists in 35 games while playing a regular shift and on the power-play and penalty-killing units.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s fought all the tough guys and he&rsquo;s beat them all fairly decisively,&rdquo; said Spokane coach Butch Goring&mdash;a former Lady Byng Trophy winner in the NHL.Gaetz, 19, won the league heavyweight championship by winning back-to-back bouts with Saskatoon Blade tough guy Tony Twist. Since then, challenges have been infrequent.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t go looking for it,&rdquo; said Gaetz. &ldquo;But that&rsquo;s part of my job on this team.&rdquo;The fact he can play makes him attractive to the NHL.&ldquo;Someone that size, who&rsquo;s that tough, who&rsquo;s also mobile and can handle the puck, doesn&rsquo;t come around every day,&rdquo; said Goring. &ldquo;The pros are definitely interested in him.&rdquo;Gaetz has not been drafted.After starting last season with the Delta Flyers of the British Columbia Jr. League, Gaetz was called up to New Westminster where he earned just 52 penalty minutes in 44 games.&ldquo;He had a reputation as being a bit of a handful,&rdquo; said Chief general manager Bob Strumm. &ldquo;But you can&rsquo;t write a guy off just because of his reputation. We knew he was tough. But we didn&rsquo;t know he had the skills. That part has been a bonus.&rdquo;The feeling is mutual.&ldquo;The trade was the best thing that could have happened to me,&rdquo; said Gaetz. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d lost my confidence in New West. But I love playing in Spokane.&rdquo;<h2>IT&rsquo;S THE JAMES GANG</h2>Since taking over as coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors from the fired Jim Harrison, Gerry James was 0-71.He&rsquo;d also made some strange trades.James&rsquo; first deal sent left winger Bob Foglietta (28-15-43 in 34 games with Moose Jaw) to the Victoria Cougars for 20-year-old right winger Greg Batters (3-4-7 in 18 games). Then, on Jan. 2, James dealt Trevor Jobe (36-35-71 in 36 games with Moose Jaw), 20, to the Prince Albert Raiders for left winger Scott Turnbull (2-2-4 in 17 games), 19, and future considerations.While James has added toughness in Batters and Turnbull, he&rsquo;s lost scoring punch. Foglietta scored six goals and three assists in his first three games in Victoria, while Jobe scored once in his first game with Prince Albert to move one ahead of former linemate Theoren Fleury in the league goal-scoring race.The Warriors said Turnbull and Batters&mdash;who had gone pointless&mdash;would join Fleury&rsquo;s line.<h2>A RING, FINALLY</h2>Eight months and a few thousand miles after the Medicine Hat Tigers won the major junior championship, Keith Van Rooyen finally received his Memorial Cup ring.Van Rooyen, a defenseman with the Tigers last season, is now playing for Tuto of the Finnish First Division. But his former Tiger teammates didn&rsquo;t forget him.When Van Rooyen, who was watching the Canadian national junior team play an exhibition game in Finland prior to the World Championships, ran into former teammates Dean Chy-noweth, Scott McCrady, Rob DiMaio. Mark Pederson and Trevor Linden, he was handed his ring.<h2>ONLY TWO BIDS</h2>Saskatoon and Spokane are the only two WHL cities that have applied to stage the 1989 Memorial Cup. But even Chief GM Bob Strumm concedes Saskatoon has the inside track because of Saskatchewan Place, an 8,000-seat facility scheduled to open in mid-February. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d love to have it, but you have to be realistic,&rdquo; said Strumm. &ldquo;The last time the league had it (1986 in Portland), it was in the West Division and an American city.&rdquo; The Memorial Cup is in Chicoutimi, Que., in 1988 and will be played in a WHL city next season.Lethbridge defenseman Mark Kuntz, 19, was a bullpen catcher for the Medicine Hat Blue Jays of the Pioneer (rookie) League during the 1987 baseball season&hellip;Regina Pat right winger Craig Endean ushered in the New Year in grand style. He score his 200th WHL goal in an 8-7 win over Prince Albert on Jan. 1 in Regina. Endean joined Ron Chipperfield (261), Bill Derlago (234), Dale Derkatch (222), Jim McGeough (220) and Brian Propp (219) in the select circle&hellip;New Westminster was 2-11-2 since mid-November. &#9632;

f0028-01

Chiefs Are Linked To Big, Bruising Blueliner

<div class="byline">BY RICK MA YOH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03314/5392223-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="182" height="134"></div>Laval Titan coach Maurice Lemay was specific in evaluating a 6-5 loss to the Hull Olympiques Jan. 5.&ldquo;Saumier beat Laval,&rdquo; Lemay said, referring to Olympiques&rsquo; overage center Marc Saumier. a Hull native who dominated the faceoff circles. &ldquo;The difference in the game was three faceoffs (Saumier won) in our zone that led to goals for them.&rdquo;The line of Saumier (37-59-96 in 33 games), Benoit Brunet (25-47-72 in 35) and No. I midget draft pick Martin Gelinas (38-44-82 in 42) was on the ice for all of Hull&rsquo;s goals. Saumier scored twice and earned four assists. Left winger Gelinas, 17, scored twice as did defenseman Guy Dupuis. Brunet earned two assists.&ldquo;Saumier is playing with discipline, as a good 20-year-old should,&rsquo;&rsquo; Lemay said.Saumier was traded to Hull during the summer for Jean-Marc Routhier, the Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; second-round draft choice in 1986. But he retained a lesson taught by former coach Guy Chouinard, who moved to Victor-iaville along with the rest of the Lon-gueuil franchise during the off-season.&ldquo;Last year after Christmas, my coach said everyone wanted to fight me because I can score,&rdquo; said Saumier, who helped Longueuil reach the Memorial Cup tournament with 39 goals, 49 assists and 250 penalty minutes in 50 games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to carry through on that advice,&rdquo; said Saumier, one of the toughest players in the league despite his size (5-foot-7, 181 pounds).Saumier had only 78 penalty minutes this season.The Hull game represented a continuation of the Saumier line&rsquo;s torrid December. Saumier scored 11 goals and 11 assists in eight games, Brunet three goals and 14 assists in eight games, and Gelinas seven goals and six assists in nine games.Defenseman Herbie Hohenberger had three goals and nine assists in nine games.<h2>SAUMIER AGAIN</h2>Another Saumier, Marc&rsquo;s brother Raymond, also received high praise.&ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t have enough Raymond Saumiers&rsquo; on the team,&rdquo; said Trois-Rivieres Draveurs&rsquo; coach John Paris following a 5-3 loss in Hull Jan. 3. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s scoring goals (22-39-61) and he&rsquo;s doing it physically.&rdquo;But Raymond didn&rsquo;t hit the scoresheet against Hull, while big brother scored once and earned three assists for the winners.The 5-foot-11, 185-poun Raymond is bigger than his brother and is also on target to eclipse Marc&rsquo;s penalty totals of last season. Raymond had 219 minutes in 43 games.Paris remained upset with the effort of his veterans this season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m frustrated,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I worked my butt off for that game, but I can&rsquo;t put the puck in the net for them. The kids (like the second-year Saumier) have been carrying us in the first half. Now the vets have to do their job.&rdquo;<h2>HURRY BACK, JIMMY</h2>The Chicoutimi Sagueneens were anxiously awaiting the return of goaltender Jimmy Waite from the World Jr. Championships in Moscow following a 12-5 loss at Laval on Jan. 4.The rout brought to 28 the total number of goals the Sags allowed during a three-game period (10-6 and 6-4 losses to Verdun and Hull, respectively).Denis DeBiens, 20, and Peter Dawe, 17, a recruit from Chicoutimi&rsquo;s collegiate A A squad, were in goal for the Sags against Laval in a game do ing which 214 penalty minutes were called.,Laval&rsquo;s leading scorer Francois Guay (35-41-76), who was 10th in league scoring, led the Titan with four goals and two assists.Laval lost impressive 16-year-old defenseman Patrice Brisebois for three weeks. He suffered a broken thumb as the result of a slash while Quebec captured the bronze medal with a 13-2 romp over Pacific (Alberta and British Columbia) in the bronze medal game of the Esso Cup International mindget tournament Jan. 3 in Montreal. &#9632;

f0028-03

One-Man Team Victorious, According To Laval’s Coach

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04227/5392275-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="405" height="531"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE MCKICHAN Miami</figcaption></div><h2>CCHA</h2>Sophomore goalie Steve McKichan made 91 saves to spark ninth-place Miami to a weekend split with first-place Michigan State.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-05186/5392268-1-eng-US/f0028-052.jpg" title="f0028-05" width="403" height="528"><figcaption class="caption-body">PHIL BERGER Northern Michigan</figcaption></div><h2>WCHA</h2>Junior right winger Phil Berger scored four goals and six assists for 10 points as Northern Michigan beat Boston University 7-3 and New Hampshire 6-2.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-06161/5392261-1-eng-US/f0028-062.jpg" title="f0028-06" width="399" height="529"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID CAPUANO Maine</figcaption></div><h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>Sophomore David Capuano was named Hockey East&rsquo;s top player for the second week in a row. He scored four assists in Maine&rsquo;s 12-5 win over Denver.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-07148/5392254-1-eng-US/f0028-072.jpg" title="f0028-07" width="404" height="526"><figcaption class="caption-body">REJEAN BOIVIN Dartmouth</figcaption></div><h2>ECAC</h2>Senior right winger Rejean Boivin scored eight points (4-4) as Colgate downed RPI 7-4 and Vermont 6-3.Performers of the week for the period Jan. 4-10. &#9632;

f0028-04

Bauer’s College Performers of the Week

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bill Crawford</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01539/5392306-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="189" height="136"></div>Five years after he discovered he was an insulin-dependent diabetic, Andy Gribble is closer to his dream of playing pro hockey.Gribble is a star senior right winger at Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, where he led the Falcons in goal-scoring as of Christmas, with 17 (and 26 points). &lsquo;He takes heart in knowing Philadelphia general manager Bob Clarke played for years as an insulin-dependent diabetic, and Minnesota&rsquo;s Curt Fraser does today.Gribble came to Bowling Green as a prize recruit from Toronto&rsquo;s Jr. B Henry Carr Crusaders, where he had 39 goals and 96 points in 1983-84, his final season.&ldquo;That was a couple of years after starting my daily routine,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was gaining weight and strength and had a great season. That got me my chance to play Division I college hockey and here I am.&rdquo;Every morning between 8 and 9, Gribble rises, lances a finger for that telltale drop of blood and tests his blood-sugar level. Then he administers his daily injection of insulin to drop the blood-sugar level to a normal reading and goes about his day.&ldquo;Usually by noon the sugar level is down a bit and I have to eat,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I eat pretty normal stuff. I go to McDonald&rsquo;s and Burger King and pretty much all the places my friends go. I just have to be more careful on intake. But I&rsquo;ve never had much difficulty due to diet.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t eat a lot of chocolate or other candy, but that&rsquo;s no big deal. I know by now what to eat and not, so it&rsquo;s really no problem.&rdquo;<h2>CONSOLATION CHAMPS</h2>Michigan won the consolation game at the Yale Classic Jan. 3, beating the host school 7-1, after bowing 6-3 to Cornell the previous night, in the opener. At the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit, Dec. 29-30, the Wolverines fell 6-0 in the opener to eventual-champion Wisconsin, and then rebounded to humble Michigan Tech 7-3&hellip;Junior center Todd Brost of Michigan and Michigan State defenseman Tom Tilley were the only non-Wisconsin players named to the GLI all-tournament team. Wisconsin took MSU 4-3 in the title game, before a sellout crowd of 19,700 at Joe Louis Arena. Badgers on the alltournament team were defenseman Paul Stanton, wingers Paul Ranheim and Steve Tuttle, and goalie Dean Anderson.Lake Superior knocked off Michigan Tech 10-6 in a non-conference benefit game for minor hockey, Jan. 3 at Green Bay, before a crowd of almost 5,000 at the Brown County Veterans&rsquo; Memorial Arena. Miami beat Ohio State 4-2 in the Riverfront Classic at Cincinnati Jan. 2. The next day, Western Michigan won the tourney with a 10-6 triumph over Miami&hellip;Lake Superior lost right winger Doug Laprade until late January, when he suffered ligament damage in his left knee during the Michigan Tech game. &#9632;

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Diabetes Can’t Stop BG Star

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Virg Foss</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02372/5392337-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andy Gribble discovered he had diabetes at the age of 16, but has coped with the condition well enough to become a top hockey player.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03244/5392344-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="189" height="133"></div>Even a 7-1 thumping at the hands of the visiting Maine Black Bears couldn&rsquo;t convince Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer Maine deserves the No. 1 ranking it shares in polls with Minnesota.&ldquo;Minnesota just has more people, and they have more solid goaltending,&rdquo; said Sauer, &ldquo;but it&rsquo;s been a while since we&rsquo;ve seen Minnesota.&rdquo;Sauer said the Badgers, coming off a 4-3 win over Michigan State in the title game of the Great Lakes Invitational, weren&rsquo;t prepared for Maine.&ldquo;We were emotionally drained a little bit,&rdquo; Sauer said. &ldquo;We had such an intense game with State. We wanted to uphold the tradition of the WCHA.&rdquo;Michigan State, in contention for the Central Collegiate Association title again, won the NCAA title in 1986 and was runner-up in 1987.<h2>SIOUX SEND SMOKE SIGNALS</h2>For the first time in Gino Gasparini&rsquo;s 10 years as hockey coach at North Dakota, he has sought mid-season player help. Gasparini brought in goalie Chris Dickson from Delta Flyers of the British Columbia Jr. League for the second half of the season&hellip;Former NHL linesman Ron Foyt, now the head of WCHA officials, worked the third period of a recent game between North Dakota and Maine. Foyt took over when linesman Buzz Olson suffered a concussion and cut hand in a collision with several players. &#9632;

f0029-02

Gophers ‘No. 1’

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Tom Boggie</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05147/5392406-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="189" height="129"></div>As Wednesday, Dec. 30, turned into the wee hours of Thursday, Dec. 31, sophomore Mike Morrison of Clarkson brought an end to the longest NCAA hockey game ever, just 32 seconds short of what would have been a fifth overtime.Morrison&rsquo;s goal, against Colgate freshman goalie Dave Gagnon, gave the Golden-Knights a 7-6 win over the Red Raiders in the championship game of the Syracuse Invitational Tournament.Morrison scored off a feed from Shawn LaVoy at 9:28 of the fourth 10-minute overtime. The game lasted 99 minutes and 28 seconds. It was LaVoy who forced the extra periods with two goals late in the third period.The game ran two minutes and 17 seconds longer than the 1984 NCAA Division 1 final, played between Bowling Green and Minnesota-Duluth in Lake Placid, N.Y.LaVoy, a junior from Blenheim, Ont., was named most valuable player of the tournament. After Colgate took a 6-4 lead on a power-play goal by Joe Gardner at 7:49 of the third period, LaVoy pulled Clarkson to within one at 16:25. He tied the game with his second goal, just 20 seconds before the end of regulation time.<h2>CATS SCRATCH TO TOP</h2>After losing to St. Lawrence on Nov. 13, Vermont went on a 10-game (9-0-1) unbeaten streak to push its record to 11-1-1, the best start ever by a Vermont team&hellip;The inability to win one-goal games hurt Princeton in the first half of the season. The Tigers&rsquo; 5-9 record included four one-goal losses. During one stretch, the Tigers lost three straight games by that margin&mdash;5-4 to Illinois-Chicago, 5-4 to Clarkson and 4-3 to St. Lawrence.Dartmouth sophomore goalie Steve Laurin, who lost the first 16 decisions of his college career, made his first win memorable&mdash;a 3-0 shutout of U.S. International, in San Diego. Two games later, he stopped 58 shots to lead the Big Green to a 4-3 win over RPI, Dartmouth&rsquo;s first win in Troy, N.Y., since the 1980-81 season&hellip;Merrimack, the top-ranked Division I independent in the country, ran its record to a perfect 13-0 by overcoming a 2-0 deficit to beat Northeastern 3-2 in overtime&hellip;Freshman goalie Corrie D&rsquo;Alessio of Cornell was named MVP of the Yale Classic after leading the Big Red to a 5-2 victory over New Hampshire in the championship game. &#9632;

f0029-05

Longest Game

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01617/5392437-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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The Hockey News NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01563/5392475-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01594/5392468-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="3113" height="3227"></div> &#9632;

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NHL STATISTICS

<h2>TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE&hellip;</h2>1. What season did the Vancouver Canucks join the NHL?2. What team won the Western League professional title in 1969-70?3. Which British Columbia team won the Stanley Cup in 1924-25?4. Which current NHL franchise lost the 1924-25 Stanley Cup final?5. What was the nickname of the only Vancouver franchise to win the Stanley Cup?6. Who was the first captain of the NHL Canucks?7. Who holds the NHL career record for shutouts as a Canuck?8. Who was the first coach of the Canucks in the NHL?9. What British Columbia team won the Centennial Cup last season?10. Name the three British Columbia-based teams currently playing in the Western League.<h2>ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ</h2>1. 1970-71. 2. Vancouver Canucks. 3. Victoria Cougars. 4. Montreal Canadiens. 5. Millionaires. 6. Orland Kurtenbach. 7. Gary Smith. 8. Hal Laycoe. 9. Richmond Sockeyes. 10. New West-, minster Bruins, Kamloops Blazers, Victoria Cougars. BONUS ANSWER: Chris Oddleifson.<h2>BONUS QUESTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08110/5392628-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="560" height="850"><figcaption class="caption-body">BONUS: He broke into the NHL with Boston and later became the third captain in Vancouver Canuck history.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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THN HOCKEY TRIVIA

<h2>Mon., Jan. 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01530/5392597-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="608" height="2650"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02374/5392590-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="610" height="1065"></div><h2>Tue., Jan. 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03270/5392583-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="599" height="1586"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04210/5392576-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="617" height="866"></div><h2>Wed., Jan. 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05174/5392569-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="605" height="1144"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06146/5392562-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="602" height="2065"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07132/5392555-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="608" height="2030"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01607/5392548-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="618" height="924"></div><h2>Thur., Jan. 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02469/5392541-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="612" height="2553"></div><h2>Fri., Jan. 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03363/5392534-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="613" height="3490"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04263/5392527-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="622" height="2041"></div><h2>Sat., Jan. 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05204/5392520-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="624" height="1459"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06177/5392513-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="612" height="3537"></div><h2>Sun., Jan. 10</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07163/5392506-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="604" height="3496"></div> &#9632;

f0033-01

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01572/5392659-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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SCOREBOARD

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01547/5392690-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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Bauer College Scoreboard

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01475/5392721-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ulf Dahlen went on a goal-scoring spree after injuries forced the Rangers to shift him from right to left wing.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02346/5392728-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="182" height="136"></div>NEW YORK&mdash;The New York Rangers&rsquo; seven-game unbeaten streak put them back in the race for a playoff spot in the Patrick Division but, when it was over, there was a nasty thud that seemed to signal more hard times ahead.The Washington Capitals turned the Rangers&rsquo; building momentum around on Jan. 8, thumping them 8-4&mdash;a margin which disturbed goalie John Van-biesbrouck.&ldquo;To lose a hockey game is one thing,&rdquo; said Vanbiesbrouck, who played spectacularly throughout his team&rsquo;s 6-0-1 surge. &ldquo;To get humiliated and be totally blown out is another.&ldquo;We had been playing so well. To give up eight goals is stupid. To think that we can play wide open and take chances is stupid.&rdquo;The New Yorkers&rsquo; abandonmennt of so many of the &ldquo;little things&rdquo; they had used to put their streak together was particularly confounding.The Rangers&rsquo; wingers didn&rsquo;t hold up the Caps&rsquo; forecheckers, the forwards overhandled the puck at the blue line and were guilty of costly turnovers, and the defense didn&rsquo;t clear the front of the net.The Rangers&rsquo; failure to play physically in their own end was particularly annoying to coach Michel Bergeron.&ldquo;All of Washington&rsquo;s goals were scored in the slot, in the crease, on rebounds,&rdquo; Bergeron observed. &ldquo;Around our net, we were not there. We were not there physically.&rdquo;Although they didn&rsquo;t mean much to the outcome of an already-decided game, the Ranger coach was mad over the way the Caps were permitted to score two late goals without much effort.&ldquo;The thing I didn&rsquo;t like is that, on the last two (Washington) goals, some guys didn&rsquo;t even try. I hate that. Good teams never give up.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Goalie Ron Scott, who was sent to Denver for 14 days of conditioning on Dec. 26, was transferred to New Haven after going 0-4-0 in the IHL&hellip;Rookie Ulf Dahlen, who came to the Rangers as a center and has played most of his games at right wing, moved to the left side when injuries hit and notched six goals in a five-game span&hellip;Veteran goalie Bob Froese, who hadn&rsquo;t seen any action since a Dec. 22 loss to Philadelphia, was in goal for a 4-3 loss at Buffalo Jan. 10. &ldquo;I have no complaints,&rdquo; Froese said. &ldquo;John (Vanbiesbrouck) was playing so well, there was certainly no reason to change. They&rsquo;ve treated me well here. Whatever they decide is fine with me.&rdquo;<h2>RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 5: Steve Nemeth, C, assigned to Colorado (IHL).Jan. 7: Chris Jensen, RW, recalled from New Haven (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Walt Poddubny, Kelly Kisio, Lucien DeBlois, Ron Duguay.LW&mdash;Ulf Dahlen, Paul Cyr, Don Maloney, Jeff Brubaker.RW&mdash;Tomas Sandstrom, Brian Mullen, Jan Erixon, Chris Jensen.LD&mdash;Jari Gronstrand, Ron Gres-chner, Norm Maciver, Jim Pavese.RD&mdash;James Patrick, David Shaw.G&mdash;John Vanbiesbrouck, Bob Froese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Marcel Dionne, C, inflammation of left knee, Jan. 15.Pierre Larouche, C, pinched nerve in lower back, indefinite.John Ogrodnick, LW, bruised instep, Jan. 11.Michel Petit, C, pulled groin, indefinite.Mark Tinordi, LW, flu, Jan. 11. &#9632;

f0037-01

Flying Rangers Crash-Land Against Capitals

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03264/5392759-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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The Hockey News Classified

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01553/5392790-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="187" height="137"></div>LANDOVER, Md.&mdash;What a difference a year makes.Washington Capitals are fighting for first place in the Patrick Division, a pleasant change from their situation last January. Then, they were struggling to escape the cellar, more than 20 points in arrears of pace-setting Philadelphia.There are many reasons for the turnabout, but foremost is the strong start achieved by Mike Gartner, the team&rsquo;s chief scoring threat and a man well on his way to a ninth straight 35-goal season.After 43 games, Gartner led the Capitals with 24 goals and 42 points, besides posting a plus-five rating. Those numbers contrast sharply with his performance last winter, when he reached the same point with 10 goals, 26 points and a minus-15 rating.&ldquo;I keep plugging along,&rdquo; Gartner said. &ldquo;I started off pretty good this year (seven goals in four games), then I had a drought (seven games without a goal) and since then I&rsquo;ve picked it up. I&rsquo;m contributing offensively and helping out defensively. I&rsquo;m trying to do my job and I know the priority is to get a goal when goals are needed.&ldquo;1 didn&rsquo;t do that last year. I was working hard and I had just as many chances, but I wasn&rsquo;t scoring. I&rsquo;d never been through anything like that. It taught me lessons and made me a better hockey player. I had to tighten my defensive game, because I wanted to help the team and I wasn&rsquo;t doing it offensively.&rdquo;Gartner eventually caught fire and poured in 31 goals in the last 35 games to finish with 41, his third-highest total. Naturally, he would like that kind of closing spurt this time, but he cautions that it may not be possible, if his fine Canada Cup showing starts to catch up with him.&ldquo;Within the next three or four weeks, the season will feel pretty long and there may be a time where we&rsquo;ll need two or three days off,&rdquo; Gartner said. &ldquo;I think management is aware of the situation and they&rsquo;re leaving it up to us to let them know.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t complain, because there were a lot of positive things. I started the season in great shape and I was on a mental high. But an 80-game schedule wears quite a bit.&rdquo;Gartner was building a collection of highlights to remember it by. He scored a remarkable goal in a 3-1 victory at Philadelphia on Jan. 5, then earned a dramatic assist on a Greg Adams goal in an 8-4 triumph over the New York Rangers on Jan. 8.Against the Flyers, Gartner pursued a puck that bounced off the right-wing boards behind defenseman Kerry Huffman. Gartner and goaltender Ron Hextall arrived at the faceoff circle together, but Gartner hit the puck an instant before Hextall swung and it passed over Hextall&rsquo;s stick and into the open net.Against the Rangers, Gartner picked up the puck behind the New York net, came around the post at the right of goalie John Vanbiesbrouck and circled through the slot, with the Rangers halfheartedly poking their sticks at him.Not seeing an opening, Gartner carried it back behind, moved out again and tried to stuff it. The puck slid into the crease instead and Adams shoved it home. Gartner held the puck so long that Larry Murphy, who earned the second assist, was sitting on the bench when Adams scored.&ldquo;I told Garts if he went around one more time. I&rsquo;d have fallen down from being dizzy watching him,&rdquo; Adams said.NOTES&mdash;The Capitals returned to Alberta for the first time since last February, when they became the first team to beat Calgary and Edmonton on the same trip since Quebec did it in November, 1982. The Flames made short work of any hopes of a repeat, winning 8-2 in a game coach Bryan Murray called &lsquo;&lsquo;disappointing, embarrassing and a humbling experience. &ldquo;&hellip;Bengt Gustafsson&rsquo;s fifth shorthanded goal moved him into a tie for the NHL lead&hellip;In a nine-game stretch, the smallest crowd to see the Capitals was a 16,382 sellout in Toronto.<h2>CAPITALS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 7: Ed Kastelic, RW, assigned to Binghamton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hunter, Bengt Gustafsson, Bob Gould, Mike Ridley.LW&mdash;Yvon Corriveau, Michal Pivonka, Kelly Miller, Greg Adams, Lou Franceschetti.RW&mdash;Dave Christian, Mike Gartner, Peter Sundstrom, Craig Laughlin.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Rod Langway, Bill Houlder.RD&mdash;Larry Murphy, Kevin Hatcher, Greg Smith, Garry Galley.G&mdash;Clint Malarchuk, Pete Peeters.<h3>INJURIES</h3>John Barrett, D, fractured left kneecap, indefinite. &#9632;

f0038-01

Gartner’s Goals Lift Caps To Dizzying Heights^

<div class="byline">By Bob Duff</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03351/5392821-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="459" height="456"></div>Q: Which goaltenders gave up the 500th career goals of Maurice Richard, Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull?Norman Autio, Sudbury. Ont.A: Richard became the NHL&rsquo;s. first 500-goal scorer on Oct. 19, 1957 when he beat Chicago goalie Glenn Hall during Montreal&rsquo;s 3-1 win over the Blackhawks.Howe was the second NHLer to reach 500 goals when he beat New York Ranger Lome (Gump) Worsley on March 14, 1962. Howe&rsquo;s Red Wings lost the game 3-2.Hull, the third man to reach the half-century mark, scored his milestone goal Feb. 21, 1970 against Ed Giacomin of the Rangers. Hull&rsquo;s Chicago Blackhawks beat New York 4-2.All three men scored their 500th career goals in their team&rsquo;s home rinks.Q: I would like to know where I could write to Jim Kyte of the Winnipeg Jets.Jeff Whetstone,&nbsp; Embro, Ont.A: You can reach Kyte by contacting the Jets at: Winnipeg Arena, 15-1430 Maroons Road, Winnipeg, Man. R3G 0L5.Q: What did the Washington Capitals receive from the Hartford Whalers in exchange for center Dean Evason? Also, where could I find addresses for Swedish hockey teams?Johnny Isluanik, Eskimo Point, NWTA: The Capitals received center David A. Jensen from Hartford in return for Evason and goaltender Peter Sidorkiewicz on March 12, 1985.As for Swedish teams, I have two addresses you might want to try. You can contact the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation by writing to: Isstadion, 121 26 Johanneshov, Stockholm, Sweden. Or, you can try: Swedish Ice Hockey League, Box 148 101 21 Stockholm.Q: My favorite team is the Edmonton Oilers. I would like to know where I could write to Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.Trevor Silver, Sackville, N.S.A: You can reach both Oiler stars at the same address: Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Alta. T5B 4M9.Q: Who holds the NHL record for most assists in one season by a goaltender?Robert Gagne, Iles-des-Chenes, Man.A: Edmonton goalie Grant Fuhr set the record when he earned 14 assists during the 1983-84 season.If you want your question answered by the Duffer, send the query to:ASK THE DUFFER,347 Whitewood Rd.,Saskatoon, SKS7J 4K8 &#9632;

f0038-03

ASK THE DUFFER

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02435/5392852-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="182" height="137"></div>UNIONDALE, N.Y.&mdash;Denis Potvin and Neal Coulter separated themselves from their teammates outside Gate 24 of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. They were going home.The rest of the New York Islanders, picking up a connecting flight from Edmonton to Pittsburgh, probably wished they were, too.But there was still one final stop, Pittsburgh Jan. 12, on the three-game road trip that began badly Jan. 8 in Calgary (a 7-4 loss) and got worse a night later (a 5-1 loss to the Oilers) in Edmonton.Potvin, his hyperextended neck still in a foam brace, and Coulter, his broken left thumb in a cast, were flying back to New York to recuperate.&ldquo;It feels so-so,&rdquo; Potvin said of his neck, which was injured in Calgary when he dove to thwart Joe Nieuwen-dyk&rsquo;s breakaway and smashed his neck into Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s skates. &ldquo;They said it&rsquo;ll be three or four more days.&rdquo;. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to take more X-rays,&rdquo; said Coulter, who also was injured in Calgary and did not know how long he&rsquo;d be out.The Islanders&mdash;who toted a seven-game road losing streak into Pittsburgh&mdash;were playing like 20 individuals, not one unit. They were playing without confidence and poise.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just mind-boggling,&rdquo; netmin-der Kelly Hrudey said.In Calgary, they played well for 20 minutes, but were eventually overmatched by the big, strong, fast Flames. After the second period of that game, with his team down 5-2, coach Terry Simpson blasted his players. He criticized their work ethic, then appealed to their pride.&ldquo;He told us, in so many words, that we&rsquo;ve only got three or four guys going a night and the rest are hanging on,&rdquo; said defenseman Gord Dineen, one of the few Islanders who will never be accused of floating. &ldquo;Then the next night it will be four other guys going.&rdquo;In Edmonton, the Islanders virtually ignored their coach&rsquo;s pleas. They took 19 of their 28 shots at Grant Fuhr in the final 25 minutes, after they were behind 3-0. The Oilers, who had played the night before in Winnipeg, did little to win.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just at a loss for words,&rdquo;Simpson said.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not the four-time Stanley Cup champions,&rdquo; Edmonton co-coaclo John Muckier said. &ldquo;But they&rsquo;re that bad, either.&rdquo;No, they&rsquo;re not. But they were 2-7-3 in their last 12 games. They were getting virtually no scoring from their checkers, unsatisfactory checking from their scorers, and sloppy defensive zone play from their defensemen.They are slipping perilously close to the stage where they&rsquo;ll be fighting for their Patrick Division playoff lives.In Edmonton, they played as if they did not seem upset with this predicament.. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s one guy who&rsquo;s not upset,&rdquo; captain Brent Sutter argued. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to sit here and make excuses. We need all 20 guys. I&rsquo;m not going to point fingers. It&rsquo;s not one guy or 10 guys.&rdquo;&ldquo;We definitely care,&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s still a lot of character on this team. We&rsquo;re just not giving ourselves credit. We worked our butts off before and played well. We can do it again&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;After a 14-5-1 first quater, the Isles went 6-11-3 in the second quarter to all but obliterate their fine start&hellip;Pat LaFontaine, who scored goals in six straight games, was 11-617 in a 12-game stretch, but was minus-four in those dozen games&hellip;Defensive left winger Rich Kromm hadn&rsquo;t scored a point in 14 games and was also minus-four in that span&hellip;Coach Terry Simpson plans to begin meeting individually with each player for his annual mid-season chats&hellip;Bryan Trottier moved past Guy Lafleur into 10th place on all-time scoring list with 1,247 points. Jean Ratelie is ninth with 1,267.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 3: Todd McLellan, C, assigned to Springfield (AHL).Jan. 7: Ken Leiter, D, assigned to Springfield for conditioning purposes.Jan. 8: Neal Coulter, RW, recalled from Springfield.Jan. 11: Leiter, D, recalled from Springfield.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bryan Trottier, Pat LaFontaine, Brent Sutter, Bob Bassen.LW&mdash;Greg Gilbert, Rich Kromm, Dale Henry, Brad Lauer.RW&mdash;Patrick Flatley, Mikko Makela, Alan Kerr, Randy Wood.LD&mdash;Steve Konroyd, Ken Leiter, Tomas Jonsson, Brian Curran.RD&mdash;Gord Dineen, Gerald Diduck, Ken Morrow.G&mdash;Billy Smith, Kelly Hrudey.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Neal Coulter, RW, fractured left thumb, indefinite.Denis Potvin, D, hyperextended neck, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0038-02

Simpson At Loss For Words, Inept Isles Simply At A Loss

<div class="byline">BY LARRY HUMBER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01522/5392890-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;s&rsquo; hometown (9).8. Bob Clarke&rsquo;s middle name (5).9. Sold tickets at inflated prices (7).10. First name of the Kings&rsquo; leading point-getter in 1985-86 (6).11. Billy Reay succeeded him as coach of the Blackhawks in 1963 (6).12. The Flyers&rsquo; Mellanby (5).14. Calder Trophy winner in 1959, Backstrom (5).17. College attended by Brian Leetch, the Rangers&rsquo; first pick in the 1986 entry draft.19. Former Islander Bob Bourne was once sought by this major league baseball team (6).20. Nickname of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s original NHL entry (7).21. &lsquo;The Gumper&rsquo;s&rsquo; real first name (5).22. He was with the Sabres during their first three seasons before being dealt to Atlanta (9).<h2>DOWN:</h2>2. Former Penguin goaltender, Nick&mdash;(5).3. First name of the former owner who signed pictured player to a pro contract (6).4. Handles (5).5. The Nordiques missed the playoffs under this coach in 1979-80 (6).6. Where Dave Semenko played junior hockey (7).7. Number of NHL playoffs in which Jean Beliveau participated (9).11. He was drafted first overall by Buffalo in 1970 (9).13. Nickname of the 1986 Memorial Cup winners (7).15. Used one&rsquo;s stick to impede an opponent (6).16. Where Charlie Huddy played junior hockey (6).17. Screen (5).18. Starts (5).<h2>GROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04218/5392883-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="581" height="562"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY HOWARD BERGER</div>During the most prolific goalscoring season of his National Hockey League career, Wayne Connelly endured the heartache of losing a teammate and close friend.It was 20 years ago that Connelly&rsquo;s linemate with the Minnesota North Stars&mdash;Bill Masterton&mdash;became the first and only player to die as a result of injuries suffered during an NHL game.The Oakland Seals were playing in Minnesota on Jan. 13, 1968 when Masterton took a hard but clean check from Seals&rsquo; defenseman Ron Harris. He fell awkwardly and cracked his head on the ice at the Met Center, suffering a brain injury that cost him his life two days later.&ldquo;That expansion season brings back happy and sad memories for me,&rdquo; says Connelly. &ldquo;I had a career-high 35 goals with Minnesota that year and I&rsquo;ll never forget scoring all our goals in a 3-2 win over Montreal at the Met Center in March.&ldquo;But I guess I&rsquo;ll best remember that season for the death of my pal, Bill Masterton. It was a shocking incident that put a damper on an otherwise excellent first year for the North Stars.&rdquo;Connelly was the right winger on a line centered by Masterton. Dave Balon played left wing. He vividly remembers the moment Masterton fell.&ldquo;We&rsquo;d just crossed center ice when Bill fed a pass over to my wing,&rdquo; Connelly recalls. &ldquo;Oakland&rsquo;s Ron Harris really belted him with a clean body check and Bill lost his balance and catapulted backwards, hitting his head on the ice with a sickening thud.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03269/5392952-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="603" height="1278"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Connelly</figcaption></div>&ldquo;They took Bill off on a stretcher and that was the last time we saw him.&ldquo;He was a super gentleman&hellip;you&rsquo;d never meet a nicer or harder-working guy. I still think of him quite often.&rdquo;Connelly began his NHL career as a fuzzy-cheeked 21-year-old in 196061, when he played three games with the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens.Montreal sold his contract to Boston that summer but, in his next six years as a pro, he never was more than fringe player. Personal bests before his break-out year in Minnesota were 64 games played and 13 goals scored.Connelly was typical of the players who benefitted most from expansion. When Minnesota chose him from Boston in the expansion draft of June, 1967, his career took off in earnest. His 35 goals paced scorers in the new West Division and easily represented his best career NHL mark.Traded to Detroit in 1969, Connelly scored 23 goals for the Red Wings in 1969-70 and later played with St. Louis and Vancouver.He jumped to Minnesota of the WHA in 1972-73 and enjoyed seasons of 40, 42 and 38.goals with the Fighting Saints. He also played for WHA entries in Cleveland, Calgary and Edmonton&mdash;retiring after the 1976-77 season.In 10 NHL seasons, Connelly scored 133 goals and 174 assists. He added 167 goals and 162 assists in five WHA seasons. Now 48, he manages the Teck News Agency in Kirkland Lake, Ont. &#9632;

f0039-03

Memories Mixed For Connelly

<h2>35 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; Detroit Red Wing right winger Gordie Howe scored his 29th goal of the season in his 42nd game, prompting predictions he would shatter the 50-goal standard set by Montreal&rsquo;s Maurice (Rocket) Richard in the 50-game 1944-45 season. But despite playing 70 games, Howe finished one goal short of the record. Howe did win the scoring title, however, with 49 goals and 46 assists.&bull; The New York Rangers had already used 29 players, only three less than the Record established by the 1950-51 Chicago Blackhawks. The Ranger roster Bhuffling wasn&rsquo;t helping. New York was in last place at 8-21-12, and finished the 1952-53 season in the cellar at 17-37-16.<h2>15 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; The Pittsburgh Penguins fired coach Red Kelly, who had three years remaining on a five-year contract, and replaced him with former Penguin center Ken Schinkel. The Penguins had lost 10 of their last 12 games and were 18-20-6 and fifth in the West Division when Kelly was let go. In 34 games under Schinkel, Pittsburgh was 14-17-3, finishing fifth with an overall 32-37-9 record.&bull; World Hockey Association president Gary Davidson announced that attendance across the league was averaging 5,000 fans per game&mdash;1,000 more than expected. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re ahead of where the American Basketball Association and American Football League were at the same point,&rdquo; Davidson said.&bull; Fans of the fledgling New York Islanders finally began to get testy about their team&rsquo;s poor on-ice performance. For the first time in the rookie team&rsquo;s history, boos started becoming commonplace at Nassau County Coliseum. The Isles set a futility record that year (30 points in 78 games) but, just seven years later, won the first of four consecutive Stanley Cups. &#9632;

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January 22, 1988

Shaky Accord

IN BLACK AND WHITE

THE WAY WE WERE

U.S. And Canada Adopt Different Philosophies