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.

May 6, 1988

The Hockey News May 6, 1988

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02482/5614484-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">It&rsquo;s every man for himself in this photo taken during the late 1960s. Linesmen Bob Myers, top left, and Claude Bechard, bottom left, come to the aid of referee John Ashley, who is caught between Philadelphia&rsquo;s Forbes Kennedy and an unidentified opponent. Myers is now a league referee.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0035-02

Departments

THE WAY WE WERE

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>CALGARY&mdash;Regular-season statistics don&rsquo;t mean much in the playoffs, the Calgary Flames have found.In scoring on a remarkable 28.5 per cent of their power-play opportunities this year, the Flames recorded the best success rate in the league.The Flames lived off their special teams in the regular season but through three games of the Smythe Division final they were dying by them.The Flames found themselves down 3-0 to the Edmonton Oilers, knowing they either needed to make history in their next four games or they were history.Only two NHL teams&mdash;the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders&mdash;had ever come back from that deficit in a best-of-seven playoff series before.If there was a single, overriding reason for the Flames&rsquo; disappointing play, it was the failure of their not-so-special teams.Consider:&bull; In game one April 19, they scored only once on eight power-play chances, and lost 3-1. That was the first time in more than two months the league&rsquo;s highest-scoring team was limited to one goal.&bull; In game two April 21, they scored twice on five extra-man chances, but allowed the Oilers&rsquo; Wayne Gretzky to score a shorthanded goal in overtime, and dropped a 5-4 decision.&bull; In game three April 23, they failed to score on eight opportunities with the man advantage&mdash;19 full minutes of playing with an extra attacker&mdash;in a 4-2 loss. One advantage lasted five minutes, a major penalty assessed Marty McSorley for spearing Mike Bullard.By contrast, the Oilers scored twice on 10 power-play chances&mdash;not great, but good enough to beat the slumping Flames.&ldquo;We thought we could do better on the power play,&rdquo; Hakan Loob acknowledged, after the third game. &ldquo;Today, we even had trouble getting into their end. When we can&rsquo;t get into the zone, we&rsquo;re no good at all.&rdquo;Part of the problem that night was the absence of Al Maclnnis, the power-play&rsquo;s quarterback. Maclnnis missed the game with a groin injury. Part of it was simply poor execution.Coach Terry Crisp tried a series of different combinations as the night went on, each less effective than the other.&ldquo;It mystifies a coach,&rdquo; said Crisp. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t get uptight because it doesn&rsquo;t do any good. It&rsquo;s a concern because that&rsquo;s your bread-and-butter. And so far, it hasn&rsquo;t clicked.&rdquo;Loob agreed.&ldquo;No question, it&rsquo;s let us down,&rdquo; said the right winger. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re down 3-0 and everybody&rsquo;s saying we&rsquo;re playing bad. They&rsquo;re saying our power play&rsquo;s bad and that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re losing. If it would be 2-1 or 1-2, people wouldn&rsquo;t be on us the way they are now.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all agreed: If we could be 30- or 40-percent better on the power play, we could have won two out of three. That&rsquo;s not what happened.&rdquo;Not until the third game did the teams put the fight back into the Battle of Alberta. Following two semi-amicable contests, the teams lost their cool in the third, culminating in the McSorley-Bullard incident.The play unfolded when Oiler defenseman McSorley pitchforked Bullard in the midsection midway through the game. Referee Andy van Helle-mond, chasing the play down, missed the cheap shot. He didn&rsquo;t spot the fallen Flame until Charlie Huddy scored on a 50-foot slapshot, breaking a 1-1 tie and putting the Oilers ahead to stay.In filing a protest with the NHL, the Flames wanted three questions answered: 1. Why did the goal count when a penalty was assessed?; 2. Why didn&rsquo;t van Hellemond catch the Oilers with an extra man on the ice?; 3. Why didn&rsquo;t McSorley receive a match penalty for deliberate attempt to injure?As game four was set to unfold, the Flames had not received a response from the league.Flames&rsquo; assistant general manager Al MacNeil called van Hellemond &ldquo;Andy van Solomon. I guess they call that slitting the baby in half. He gave them something (a goal) and us something (a five-minute power play)&hellip;They got the gold mine, we got the shaft.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;The Flames sat out slump-ridden rookie center Joe Nieuwendyk for game two, marking the first time in recent memory a 50-goal scorer missed a playoff game for reasons other than injury&hellip;Center Perry Berezan received a concussion as a result of a crushing hit laid on by Oilers&rsquo; Mark Messier in game three.<h2>FLAMES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joel Otto, Joe Nieuwendyk, Gary Roberts, Craig Coxe.LW&mdash;Jim Peplinski, Colin Patterson, John Tonelli, Tim Hunter, Paul Ranheim.RW&mdash;Hakan Loob, Joe Mullen, Lanny McDonald, Shane Churla, Jiri Hrdina.LD&mdash;Gary Suter, Paul Reinhart, Brian Glynn, Dana Murzyn.RD&mdash;Brad McCrimmon, Rob Ramage, Ric Nattress.G&mdash;Mike Vernon, Rick Wamsley, Doug Dadswell.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Perry Berezan, C, concussion. May 5.Mike Bullard, C, groin, day-to-day.Al Maclnnis, D, groin, May 2.Jamie Macoun, D, nerve damage to arm and shoulder, out for season. &#9632;

Flickering Flames Lament Puny Power Play

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04182/5613903-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="179" height="136"></div>Kingston has decided to follow its Los Angeles Raider football color scheme&mdash;silver, black and white&mdash;all the way.It will be the Kingston Raiders taking over from the Kingston Canadians next season in the Ontario League.The new nickname was the most popular choice in a contest among season ticket-holders. It was decided to adopt the new name April 24 at a meeting of team officials.Since Peterborough, Ont., businessman Lou Kazowski bought the franchise on Feb. 19, he&rsquo;s vowed to turn around a team that finished 14-52-0 and lost its last 28 games, a Canadian major junior record. First on the Raiders&rsquo; shopping list is a coach. Jacques Tremblay quit the Canadians late in the season.Kazowski, 47, would not say who the new coach will be, although there was speculation it will be former NHL coach Tom Watt.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been no commitment made at this point,&rdquo; said Kazowski.&ldquo;It &lsquo;s a matter of making a deal with the right people.&rdquo; He added the coach should be named by early May.Watt, who worked with the Olympic team and as a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers this season, wouldn&rsquo;t comment on reports he was heading to Kingston.&ldquo;I still work for the Philadelphia Flyers,&rdquo; Watt said tersely when asked for comment.As for prospective on-ice changes, Kazowski was joined by six scouts in Thunder Bay, Ont., for the Air Canada Cup (midget tournament), April 1923. Kingston has the first pick in the OHL midget draft May 28 in North York, Ont.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be better prepared for this draft than ever before,&rdquo; he said.<h2>MIDGET PROSPECTS</h2>Kingston will have plenty of defensemen to choose from when they call out the first name.And Kazowski indicated the Raiders are high on Drake Berehowsky, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound blueliner for the Barrie Jr. B. Colts. Berehowsky, 16, earned 10 goals, 36 assists and 81 penalty minutes in 40 Central League games this year. He was named rookie of the year.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re probably going to take Berehowsky first,&rdquo; said Kazowski.Six rearguards&mdash;including Berehowsky&mdash;are among the top 15 players rated by the OHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting Bureau. The other 14, in alphabetical order, are:Chris Baird. 16, 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, center, Nepean Jr. A.Adam Bennett, 17, 6-foot-3, 180, defenseman, Georgetown Jr. B.Bob Boughner, 17, 6 feet, 185, defenseman, St. Mary&rsquo;s Jr. B.Jerrett DeFazio, 17,6-foot-2, 180, left winger, Ottawa Jr. A.Doug Evans, 17, 5-foot-11, 190, defenseman, Detroit Compuware Jr. A.Bill Kovacs, 17, 6-foot-2, 185, left winger/center, Burlington Jr. B.Mark Lawrence, 16,6-foot-3, 190, right winger, Burlington Jr. B.Justin Morrison, 16, 5-foot-10, 175, center, Richmond Hill Jr. B.Rob Pearson, 17, 6 feet, 170, right winger, Oshawa midgets.Grayden Reid, 16, 6 feet, 170, left winger/center, Toronto Red Wing midgets.Michael Thompson, 17, 6 feet, 175, right winger, Toronto Red Wing midgets.John Vary. 16, 6-foot-1, 190, defenseman, Owen Sound Jr. B.Paul Wolanski, 17, 6 feet, 185, defenseman, Kitchener Jr. B.Rob Woodward, 17,6-foot-4, 215, left winger, Deerfield (Ill.) High School.Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s younger brother Brent, a 16-year-old center with the Brantford bantams, is rated in the 17th round. Central Scouting rates 24 rounds of players, plus goalies.<h2>TEMPLETON RETURNS</h2>Bert Templeton signed a three-year contract with the North Bay Centennials on April 18. Templeton has been North Bay&rsquo;s coach and general manager since the franchise moved from Niagara Falls in 1982&hellip;Unofficially, the Hamilton Steelhawks led the OHL in attendance during the regular season, drawing 144,891 to 33 games, an average of 4,390. &#9632;

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The Juniors

Kingston Gets New Name, Now Raiders Need A Coach

<div class="byline">BY JEFF GORDON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04184/5614110-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="590" height="1152"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Gilmour was averaging almost two points per game after eight playoff contests.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05158/5614117-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="175" height="136"></div>ST. LOUIS&mdash;Tony McKegney had a model 1987-88 season, scoring a career-high 40 goals, adding 38 assists and skating through 80 games free of major injury.But until April 23, the 30-year-old left winger was struggling through the playoffs. He went six games and one period without scoring a goal, and misled game one of the Norris Division inal with an infected cut on his nose.Then, with the Blues trailing the Red Wings 2-0 in the series and 2-1 after one period of game three, McKegney scored two goals and set up a third in the second period.That outburst rallied the Blues to a 6-3 victory and kept their playoff hopes alive. Had they fallen behind 3-0 in the series, the Blues would have been demoralized.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t feel I was carrying my weight offensively,&rdquo; McKegney said. &ldquo;I put a lot of pressure on myself to score. It was nice to get a couple myself. I was pressing. It should help me relax.&rdquo;McKegney was hospitalized before the start of the series because of the infection, which grew in a wound he suffered in game five of the Chicago series. McKegney&rsquo;s nose was lacerated against the Blackhawks in the second period, but he had to wait in line for treatment behind Tony Hrkac, who suffered a 14-stitch gash on his eyebrow.Rather than miss the first few minutes of the third period while getting sewn up, McKegney played with an open wound as the Blues closed out the Blackhawks 5-3 to win the series 4-1.Apparently, that&rsquo;s where the infection started.A few days later, McKegney had a swollen nose. On April 17, he was hospitalized because team physician Dr. Jerome Gilden feared the infection could spread to McKegney&rsquo;s brain and become life-threatening.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think about that until later,&rdquo; McKegney said. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t tell me. He said he didn&rsquo;t want to scare me. It was weird. I guess these things happen. I can still count to 10, so I guess it didn&rsquo;t affect my brain.&ldquo;It was a frustrating thing. Nobody likes to sit there and watch his team lose a playoff game. I did want to play. I had some good games against the Red Wings in the regular season.&rdquo;McKegney&rsquo;s revival enhanced the Blues&rsquo; attack, which slept through a 6-0 loss in game two April 21. The Blues went 0-for-8 on their power play.&ldquo;We were all embarrassed by that game, losing 6-0 on national television,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The guys have a lot of pride on this team. Obviously, we had a better effort in this game.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;After missing the Blackhawk series, right winger Mark Hunter returned from a strained left knee to score twice in the opening game of the Red Wing series, won 5-4 by Detroit. Hunter&rsquo;s return was critical, since right winger Greg Paslawski was experiencing a slow recovery from the pulled groin muscle he suffered against the Blackhawks&hellip;Blues&rsquo; general manager Ron Caron was upset by high Red Wing sticks which cut Herb Raglan, Gaston Gingras and Doug Gilmour in game three&hellip;After three games, the Blues had a 22-11 edge in power plays over the Red Wings. Through eight games, the pacifist Blues had been awarded 60 power plays, while their opponents had 40&hellip;After being held to four points in six playoff games last season, Gilmour had 15 points in eight this year.<h2>BLUES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bernie Federko, Doug Gilmour, Tony Hrkac, Steve Bozek, Cliff Ron-ning.LW&mdash;Brian Sutter, Tony McKegney, Gino Cavallini, Jocelyn Lemieux, Doug Evans, Perry Turnbull.RW&mdash;Mark Hunter, Brett Hull, Herb Raglan, Rick Meagher, Todd Ewen.LD&mdash;Brian Benning, Paul Cavallini, Robert Dirk, Kent Carlson.RD&mdash;Gaston Gingras, Tim Bothwell, Gordie Roberts, Rob Whistle, Robert Nordmark.G&mdash;Greg Millen, Darrell May.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Ron Flockhart, LW, rheumatoid arthritis, out for season.Greg Paslawski, RW, groin pull, day-to-day. &#9632;

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McKegney Shows He’s Got A Nose For Net

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01848/5614546-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>Ray Bourque Leads Field Of Norris CandidatesThe Mouse That Roa red/19Patrik SundstromINSIDE: Filion Finished As Nord GM/6 Dionne Unclear On Future/14 Keenan Staying With Flyers/16 &#9632;

Cover-01

IN THIS ISSUE

A Case For The Defense

Seven months after 21 NHL teams first took to the ice in earnest for the 1987-88 season, only four will remain in the quest for the Stanley Cup. THN continues its coverage as the playoffs turn into a final four tournament.Major junior hockey, meanwhile, is gearing up for its annual extravaganza, the Memorial Cup. The championship tournament is being held in Chicoutimi, Que., this year, and two Quebec League teams&mdash;Drummondville and Hull&mdash;will be among the four to battle for the prize. That gives the QMJHL a 50-per-cent chance of winning a trophy that has eluded its members since 1981. The Western representative will be either Kamloops or Medicine Hat and the Ontario either Windsor or Peterborough.You&rsquo;ll also get our roundup coverage of minor pro playoffs, and the views of our crack team of columnists, in the May 13 edition of THE HOCKEY NEWS. &#9632;

NEXT WEEK

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011394/5612655-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Potvin&rsquo;s retirement took effect when the Islanders were eliminated by New Jersey. But rumors have Potvin headed for Europe.</figcaption></div>Washington-based NBC Network sportscaster George Michael says Capital defenseman Larry Murphy won&rsquo;t let him apologize for disparaging remarks made on the air. Murphy, whose erratic play has been criticized by Capital Centre fans throughout the season, was the subject of a recent interview between Michael and Cap coach Bryan Murray. According to Michael, Murphy took umbrage after hearing the sportscaster had asked Murray,&rdquo;How can you keep playing Murphy when 18,000 fans would like to shoot him?&rdquo; Michael admits he erred in his choice of words. &ldquo;I tried to apologize to Larry face-to-face after a game (during the Capitals-Flyers series) but he blew me off,&rdquo; says Michael. &ldquo;I can understand that. But after they beat the Flyers in the seventh game, I went over to Larry again to shake hands but he still wouldn&rsquo;t accept it. He said it was &lsquo;nothing personal.&rsquo; I told him if it wasn&rsquo;t personal, then what was it? And that was the end of it.&rdquo; Murphy, however, denies any knowledge of such a snub, telling BLUELINES only,&rdquo;You must be mistaken.&rdquo; Capitals&rsquo; public relations director Lou Corletto says Michaels&rsquo; comments were upsetting to Cap fans. &ldquo;George got a lot of phone calls after that. People were upset with what he said, but it&rsquo;s all calmed down now.&rdquo;<h2>JEERING THROUGH GRAFFITI</h2>Among hockey&rsquo;s most unusual at-the-rink characters is Hans Peterson, a retired IBM worker who attends Whaler games in Binghamton, writes on the plexiglass and calls himself &lsquo;The Ancient Mariner.&rsquo; He sits directly behind the plexiglass at the end of the rink and paints messages on the glass. One night referee&rsquo;s Mick McGough handling of a game displeased local clientele. The Ancient Mariner painted &ldquo;Another McGoo Mess&rdquo; on the glass and the crowd roared its approval. Using his handy scraper and washer, The Mariner then instantly wiped it off&hellip;Despite innumerable reports that the NHL&rsquo;s most powerful owner, Bill Wirtz of the Blackhawks, wants to relinquish his post as chairman of the board of governors, NHL Players&rsquo; Association boss Al Eagleson tells BLUELINES this is unlikely to happen. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t hear these reports from Bill, himself,&rdquo; says Eagleson, who&rsquo;d like Wirtz to remain. &ldquo;Nobody speaks for hockey better than Bill Wirtz.&rdquo; On the other hand, Toronto-based Eagleson would very much like to see a change in the Maple Leafs&rsquo; leadership controlled by Harold Ballard. &ldquo;For the first time,&rdquo; Eagleson tells BLUELINES,&rdquo;season ticket-holders are delivering a message to Harold that they don&rsquo;t like what&rsquo;s going on. From 10 to 20 per cent of them didn&rsquo;t even bother to pick up their playoff tickets. What&rsquo;s going on there is disgraceful.&rdquo; However, The Eagle foresees no change under Ballard&rsquo;s stewardship. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be business as usual,&rdquo; Eagleson predicts.<h2>REF ON THE RISE</h2>With its increased interest in American-born officials, the NHL&rsquo;s officiating moguls will have their scouts eyeing 18-year-old Alex Dell, considered &ldquo;The Gretzky of Young Refs&rdquo; in New York State. Dell handled the Empire State Games, works the Northeastern Junior League and is a graduate of the AHAUS Eastern Regional Officials&rsquo; Camp&hellip;Scott Mellanby&rsquo;s dad, Ralph, former executive producer of Hockey Night In Canada, is being touted as next commissioner of the Canadian Football League&hellip;The constant dumping on Esa Tikkanen by Oilers&rsquo; boss Glen Sather could catapult the flying Finn out of the NHL and back to Europe. Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s linemate&mdash;and one of the Oilers&rsquo; biggest disappointments&mdash;is said to be eyeing the Berne (Switz.)club&hellip;Ottawabased agent Derek Holmes, who specializes in representing European teams, tells BLUELINES we can expect a couple of name NHLers to leapfrog to the continent next season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ll be bombshells when you hear them,&rdquo; warns Holmes. One name being mentioned is retired Islander great Denis Potvin, who has been saying he plans to start a commercial real estate career after hanging up his skates.<h2>CRISP WIT AND WISDOM</h2>When someone suggests to Terry Crisp he could win the Stanley Cup in this, his rookie year, Crisp offers the perfect squelch: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in this business long enough to that that it can all go up in smoke&mdash;poof&mdash;just like that! &ldquo;&hellip;One chap on the Blackhawk payrol1 offers this confidential assessment of the disappointing team. &lsquo;&lsquo;They&rsquo;re one of the few NHL clubs without any character or identity. Management seems to throw together a bunch of players with no rhyme or reason and the result is what we&rsquo;ve seen these last few years.&rdquo;&hellip;Hall-of-Famer Gordie Howe and his wife, Colleen, are behind a new International Professional Hockey Alumni (IHPA) group which will seek to obtain benefits for oldtimers. The Howes are slated to lay out plans May 19 in Manhattan&hellip;Nobody suffered through the Caps&rsquo; playoff agonies more than meteorologist Gordon Barnes, who works for Washington&rsquo;s WUSA-TV. Throughout the Capitals&rsquo; home stretch and playoff drive, Barnes was compelled to leave the Capital Centre during the third period of each game, in order to prepare for his 11p.m. forecast. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen more two-period games than anyone else,&rdquo; says Barnes.<h2>TENNIS ACE IN NET</h2>An apology goes out to North Carolina State goalie Dominic Latour, whose name was given as Dominique on this page last week. No, the Southern Collegiate Association is not a co-ed league&hellip;NHL Players&rsquo; Association president Bryan Trottier allows he&rsquo;s not wild about Soviets playing in the NHL. &ldquo;If they&rsquo;re coming here to take money back and subsidize the Soviet economy, that&rsquo;s not right,&rdquo; says Trottier. &ldquo;But if they&rsquo;re coming here to stay and make a living, that&rsquo;s fine.&rdquo;&hellip;Tennis ace Ivan Lendl has ordered a set of custom-made goalie pads from Jeff Russell of New Haven. Lendl lives and occasionally plays hockey in Connecticut. Another who ordered a set is the San Diego Chicken, a.k.a. Ted Giannoulas&hellip;As the playoffs evolved, the Devils became known as Team Beard. Defenseman Bruce Driver takes credit for starting the non-shaving trend but admits it was an accident. &ldquo;We had just beaten the Blues in a big game at St. Louis,&rdquo; Driver tells BLUELINES,&rdquo;then we went on to Buffalo (March 25) to play the Sabres. Every time we go to Buffalo, I can&rsquo;t find the kind of razors I like for shaving. Our hotel only seems to cany the single-edged kind. So, I didn&rsquo;t shave there. We came out with a big tie, then kept on winning and I haven&rsquo;t shaved since. By the way, my wife hates it!&rdquo;<h2>ESPO STILL ANGLING</h2>After phoning congratulations to brother Tony on his Pittsburgh appointment, Phil Esposito offered a package deal for Mario Lemieux. &ldquo;Mario,&rdquo; replied Tony,&rdquo;will be in Pittsburgh longer than me.&rdquo;&hellip;John Ferguson told Winnipeg Free Press sports editor Hal Sigurdson a nagging problem for GMs these days is that the administrators have to play second fiddle to agents in the eyes of the players. &ldquo;When the player is unhappy,&rdquo; says Ferguson,&rdquo;his agent starts calling to complain his client isn&rsquo;t getting enough ice time or playing on the power play. That doesn&rsquo;t work with me, though. (Former Jet) Kim Clackson had an agent like that. Finally, I told Kim that if I got one more call from his agent I was going to put a stamp on his forehead and mail him back to him. Then, I did!&rdquo;&hellip;His Whalers are out of the playoffs but boss Emile Francis insists he won&rsquo;t get ulcers over it. &ldquo;Some people wish I did have an ulcer,&rdquo; chuckles Francis,&rdquo;but I give them ulcers.&rdquo;<h2>NOT ONE OF THE FAMILY</h2>Devil playoff hero Pat Conacher spends a lot of time informing inquisitive reporters he is not a member of the famed Toronto-based clan which includes Hall-of-Famers Lionel (Big Train) Conacher and Charlie Conacher.&ldquo;Unlike those Conachers,&rdquo; Pat tells BLUELINES,&rdquo;I grew up in Western Canada (Calgary and Edmonton) and there&rsquo;s no connection between our families whatsoever.&rdquo; Lionel Conacher&rsquo;s grandson, Sean, plays for the Upper Canada College Blues hockey team. Sean&rsquo;s dad, Brian, played for the Maple Leafs last Stanley Cupwinning team in 1967&hellip;L.A. Herald-Examiner columnist Allan Malamud offers an interesting suggestion for changing the NHL system for rewarding goals and assists: &ldquo;A player should get three points for a goal, two points for a first assist and one point for a second assist-.&rdquo;&hellip;Being in the playoffs for the first time has inspired members of the Devil clan to moments of grand wit. For example, when someone pointed out to club executive vice-president Max McNab&mdash;who has been with the club since it moved east from Colorado&mdash;that the franchise hadn&rsquo;t appeared in the playoffs in a decade, or 800 regular-season games ago, McNab smiled. &ldquo;Well,&rdquo; he concluded,&rdquo;we&rsquo;re certainly well-rested.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0003-01

Murphy Won’t Forgive, Forget

HEY, SO PIERRE Creamer didn&rsquo;t know his team needed to win that game. What&rsquo;s the big deal? It&rsquo;s all perfectly understandable.So the guy can&rsquo;t count. So he can&rsquo;t read a newspaper. So he doesn&rsquo;t know a tie counts only one point. So he was under the impression that five teams in each division make the playoffs. That doesn&rsquo;t reflect on Creamer&rsquo;s ability to lead men.Before you are so quick to condemn this man, did you think to call Creamer before that game and tell him a tie was going to eliminate the Penguins from making the playoffs? If not, you have no right to criticize. Haven&rsquo;t you ever made a mistake?Doctors, after all, bury their errors. Lawyers still charge for theirs. General managers blame theirs on coaches. Coaches blame theirs on the general managers.After all, somebody has to be accountable. Somebody, at some point, has to explain why Joe Murphy was the first player taken in the 1986 draft. I&rsquo;m just glad it doesn&rsquo;t have to be me.I remain deeply chagrined, however, that despite my previous beliefs, the Sabres have not won their fourth consecutive Cup by now. And I have decided it is time to set the record straight. The puck stops only when it rests in the Chicago net, but the buck has to stop right here.Yes, incredible as it sounds, newspaper columnists make mistakes, too. We usually don&rsquo;t have to admit them, because we take so many shots at people that some of them turn out to be right. And you either forget about the wrong ones, or use the paper they are printed on to wrap around one of the Minnesota North Stars draft choices before disposal.But I don&rsquo;t forget. I toss and turn at night, just like the Kings trying to leave their own zone, thinking of all the people I have wronged.Someday I will meet my Maker, too. And it is time for me to come clean before I bum forever, like one of Pat Quinn&rsquo;s cigars.Ron Caron, my heartfelt apologies. I gave you a two-hander right behind the knees in suggesting Cliff Fletcher robbed you blind in the Ramage deal. I went for the cheap laugh, even though all the time I thought you did better than most people thought.Brett Hull will be scoring goals for the St. Louis Blues long after they&rsquo;ve erected a statue of Rob Ramage along Calgary&rsquo;s blue 1ine. Oh, he&rsquo;s already become one?Jeez, now I owe Rob Ramage an apology, too. I am out of control begging forgiveness. Perhaps Lou Lamoriello will find it in his heart.Lou, Lou, how could I have questioned you? I wrote in these pages that you naively overrated your talent and fired a perfectly competent coach, Doug Carpenter, on some misguided notion that you had a team strong enough to make the playoffs.How could I have been so wrong? I could sit here insisting that it was Sean Burke who made the difference for the Devils, not Jim Schoenfeld. But I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s completely true. And anyway, the end had to justify the means in this case.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011408/5612686-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="346" height="462"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jay Greenberg</figcaption></div>You rolled the dice, something the Devils had never done before, and you won big. I was wrong. And as for you, Carpenter, I used to think you had the Devils doing the best they could with what they had, but you were boring and now you owe me an apology for defending you.I just hope you&rsquo;re as big a man as I am for admitting my mistakes. Like, I didn&rsquo;t actually write what a disgusting, mercenary slug Bengt Gustafsson was for taking David Poile&rsquo;s money, coming back to the Capitals and floating through the season. But I sure thought it.But the guy played hard and well in that Flyer series and I am now washing my brain out with soap for thinking such terrible things.I might even be willing to apologize to Phil Esposito, if what I think I&rsquo;m seeing continues. People around him say he&rsquo;s spending a lot more time on his team and less on self-glorification. And that he might tum out to be a good general manager after all.After giving away three good players&mdash;Kjell Samuelsson, Kelly Miller and Mike Ridley&mdash;to division rivals, moves Esposito made for Mark Hardy and David Shaw, and maybe even Michel Petit, are beginning to make some sense.The Rangers were clearly a better team in missing the playoffs this year than they were in making them a year ago. Let&rsquo;s not forget, however, that the nucleus Esposito has a chance to build a strong team around&mdash;John Vanbies-brouck, James Patrick, Tomas Sandstrom and Ulf Dahlen&mdash;are all Craig Patrick picks.Perhaps I should apologize for writing two summers ago that Patrick&rsquo;s firing was justified. But he screwed up when he fired Herb Brooks, and I will never say I&rsquo;m sorry for thinking that was a mistake.Now, who else can I confess to? How about anybody who read any publication in which I predicted the Minnesota North Stars could win the Norris Division?I was laboring under the false impression that a good coach like Brooks could make a difference. Now I know that if a team has little talent and no depth, no coach is going to be able to do a damn thing about it.I have reached the conclusion coaches are all overrated and deserve to be treated in the manner in which they&rsquo;ve always been treated.Fire all of them, I say. Bring in a new coach every week if you have to. I bow to the talent god from now on. That&rsquo;s what wins.But I am truly sorry that I feel that way. &#9632;

f0004-01

Columnists

Apologetic Columnist Comes Clean—Finally

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021292/5612717-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="177" height="134"></div>MONTREAL&mdash;It was a shot that might have cost the Montreal Canadiens a berth in the Prince of Wales Conference final.But the shot, delivered April 20, didn&rsquo;t go into the net. It was twohanded blow by Boston&rsquo;s Michael Thelven on Stephane Richer&rsquo;s right thumb in game two of the Adams Division final between the Bruins and Canadiens.&ldquo;It was an accident,&rdquo; insisted Thelven. &ldquo;I was trying to hit his stick. I didn&rsquo;t know I had broken his thumb until after the game. I feel sorry for Stephane Richer. I don&rsquo;t feel sorry for the Montreal Canadiens.&rdquo;In eight playoff games, the regularseason 50-goal shooter had seven goals and five assists. Without Richer in the lineup, the Canadiens&rsquo; offense sagged.When they returned home for game five of their best-of-seven series, they trailed 3-1 and needed three consecutive victories to avoid elimination.With Richer gone in the first period of game two, the Bruins went on to post a 4-3 win. And when the series shifted to Boston, Montreal was limited to one goal in 120 minutes of hockey. Their other offensive guns were silent in 3-1 and 2-0 losses.&ldquo;(Boston goalie Rejean) Lemelin is laughing at us,&rdquo; said Montreal coach Jean Perron. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s having a good time.&rdquo;Lemelin had to face 45 shots in the two games at the Garden. In game four, Montreal had only three good scoring chances in the first two periods.A desperate Perron played Chris Chelios on right wing and Larry Robinson on the left side with the faint hope the two defensemen could generate some offense. It didn&rsquo;t happen.&ldquo;Everyone has to pick it up with Richer gone,&rdquo; said Perron, who got some good news from the infirmary. Mats Naslund was able to dress for game three on April 22, and Bob Gainey and Shayne Corson were back in action two nights later.Although Naslund and Corson were not totally recovered from their knee problems and Gainey had his bruised foot heavily taped, Perron at least had his best players ready. He&rsquo;d need them as the Canadiens faced the prospect of losing a playoff series to the Bruins for the first time in 45 years.There were some major problems that became glaring as the series wore on. The Montreal power play was 0-for-20 in the first four games, although the Bruins were equally poor with the man advantage.&ldquo;We need a little bit of concentration on the power play,&rdquo; said Chelios. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been rough all year.&ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t shooting the puck enough. The main thing is to get the puck to the net. Everybody has been watching the playoffs and there have been a lot of bad goals. We have to get the puck to the net.&rdquo;Getting the puck to the net wasn&rsquo;t enough, though. There also had to be somebody in front to do something once it got there.&ldquo;I am sure you can ask our goaltenders&mdash;if no one is standing in front of your net, if no one is bothering you, you will have an easy night,&rdquo; said center Brian Skrudland.&ldquo;We have to get in there and get in front of him (Lemelin) and make it work.&rdquo;Still, Montreal hockey fans were beginning to wonder if one man&rsquo;s loss could mean that much to a hockey team. Had Stephane Richer becorn that valuable?It certainly appeared so.NOTES&mdash;Jean Perron dressed American League tough guy Steven Fletcher for game three and, predictably, he was involved in a second-period fight with Lyndon Byers which didn&rsquo;t prove anything to anyone&hellip;Patrick Roy played well in goal in games three and four, but had no offensive support&hellip;A Quebec-wide blackout pulled the plug on the telecast of game one. The players hardly noticed the difference and many of the Forum fans were delighted they didn&rsquo;t have to put up with the blaring organ. The Habs were easy winners in that one, a 5-2 decision that saw Andy Moog in net for Boston&hellip;There was some speculation that 1987 first-round draft choice Andrew Cassels would join the club for the trip to Boston, but he didn&rsquo;t.<h2>CANADIENS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 21: Steven Fletcher, LW, and Donald Dufresne, D, recalled from Sherbrooke (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bobby Smith, Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Shayne Corson, Gilles Thibaudeau.LW&mdash;Ryan Walter, Bob Gainey, Mike McPhee, Mats Naslund, Sergio Momesso, Steven Fletcher.RW&mdash;Claude Lemieux, Jose Charbonneau, Kjell Dahlin, Serge Boisvert, John Kordic.LD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Petr Svoboda, Mike Lalor, Larry Trader.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Rick Green, Donald Dufresne.G&mdash;Patrick Roy, Brian Hayward.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Stephane Richer, RW, fractured thumb, out for season. &#9632;

f0004-02

Habs’ Attack Impoverished Without Richer

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011298/5612748-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="176" height="138"></div>BOSTON&mdash;The Boston Bruins may have discovered why they lost 18 straight playoff series to the Montreal Canadiens over 45 years.They didn&rsquo;t have a goalie named Rejean Lemelin.The 33-year-old netminder, who came to Boston as a free agent without compensation last summer, almost singlehandedly revived the Bruins after a first-game defeat&mdash;setting them on course for a 3-1 lead in the best-of-Bhven Adams Division final.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been preaching ever since this thing started,&rdquo; said Lemelin after shutting out Montreal 2-0, to place the Habs on the brink of elimination.&ldquo;I keep saying we have to create a new era. This is new. The new Bruins. Let&rsquo;s do it, baby! We can&rsquo;t let them breathe.&rdquo;It hardly looked like a new era in game one April 18. The listless Bruins submitted quietly 5-2, with Andy Moog in the nets. It was time for Lemelin, 24-17-6 with a 2.93 goals-against average and.889 save percentage, to ride to the rescue.Even the Bruins conceded he stole game two April 20, shutting out the Canadiens until 9:01 of the third period and emerging with a 27-save, 4-3 victory. The Bruins had only 14 shots.&ldquo;I think it was a blessing in disguise that I didn&rsquo;t start the first game,&rdquo; said Lemelin. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t have to suffer through that loss with the other guys. I game in with a clear head.&rdquo;&ldquo;The Bruins, inspired by their goalie&rsquo;s fine performance, followed through two nights later in the third game, the first in Boston. They grabbed the lead with Moe Lemay&rsquo;s goal at 4:07 of the first period, and Lemelin blanked the Habs until 16:18 of the third period in a 3-1 victory.&ldquo;That was the best game the Bruins ever played against us,&rdquo; said Montreal goalie Patrick Roy, who presided over the Bruins&rsquo; last two playoff pastings.&ldquo;Tonight was as close to a perfect game for us as we&rsquo;ve had in a long, long time,&rdquo; echoed Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque, who played one of the finest games of his career.Lemelin came through again in the fourth game. The cut-rate goalie from Calgary, who had something to prove since the Flames rarely let him perform in the playoffs, responded with the second playoff shutout of his 10-year NHL career.The Bruins took the lead with the only goal they needed, when Rick Middleton scored at 11:25 of the second period. Lemelin and the Bruins defense took over. Gord Kluzak hit an empty net with 20 seconds left to make the final 2-0.&ldquo;I kept saying, &lsquo;This is our year,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Lemelin. &ldquo;I kept looking at the clock and saying, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re going to do it.&rsquo; When Kluzak scored, it was like a piano off our backs.&rdquo;Only one victory in three games&mdash;one of them in Boston Garden&mdash;remained for the Bruins to erase 45 years of embarrassment at the hands of the Canadiens.NOTES&mdash;A slash by Michael Thelven broke Stephane Richer&rsquo;s right thumb as the Canadien headed to the Boston net on a partial breakaway, Richer, Montreal&rsquo;s leading playoff scorer at the time (7-5-11) was put out for the season. &ldquo;I tried to slash his stick and I got his thumb,&rdquo; said Thelven. &ldquo;I feel sorry for Richer as a person but I don&rsquo;t feel sorry for the Montreal Candiens at all.&rdquo;&hellip;Thelven was lost to the Bruins in the fourth game, when he suffered a sprained right shoulder. Jay Miller sat out the fourth game under a one-game suspension, for incurring his second game misconduct of the playoffs in game three&hellip;Moe Lemay, acquired from Edmonton in mid-season and brought up from Maine for the playoffs, had two goals, both against the Canadiens.<h2>BRUINS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 22: Jay Miller, LW, suspended one game for second game misconduct; eligible to return April 26.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ken Linseman, Craig Janney, Tom McCarthy, Steve Kasper, Bob Sweeney.LW&mdash;Bob Joyce, Rick Middleton, Randy Burridge, Moe Lemay.RW&mdash;Cam Neely, Keith Crowder, Lyndon Byers, Willi Plett.LD&mdash;Gord Kluzak, Glen Wesley, Allen Pedersen.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque, Reed Larson.G&mdash;Reggie Lemelin, Andy Moog.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tommy Lehmann, C, inflammation under left kneecap, indefinite.Nevin Markwart, RW, groin strain, indefinite.Billy O&rsquo;Dwyer, C, left knee, indefinite.Bruce Shoebottom, D, broken collarbone, out for season.Michael Thelven, D, sprained right shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0005-01

Lemelin Key To Bruins’ Changing Fortunes

THE JURY WILL be out on whether Sean Burke is the second coming of Ken Dryden and won&rsquo;t convene until after the New JerseyWashington playoff. Still, the comparisons are compelling.For someone who witnessed the Dryden saga from the beginning, it is arresting to watch a Dryden-clone emerge so exquisitely close to the original model.Yet, in some ways Burke has already surpassed Dryden.It was exactly 17 years ago when Dryden put his name on the NHL marquee as &ldquo;Student Prince of Goaltending.&rdquo; He had graduated from Cornell and moved up to the Canadian national team. He attended the University of Manitoba while playing for Canada. The similarity between the two begins with the fact both played for Canada&rsquo;s national team. The difference is that virtually nobody knew about Dryden while just about everyone had heard about Burke before the Olympics began.While Dryden was with the national program, Canadiens&rsquo; GM Sam Pollock offered him a contract with the stipulation that he could continue law school at McGill University. In the fall of 1970, he was invited to the Hab training camp where he was competing with Rogatien Vachon and Phil Myre.Unlike Burke, who moved directly from the Canadian Olympians to the NHL, Dryden played 33 AHL games for the Montreal Voyageurs, compiling an admirable 2.68 goals-against average, including three shutouts. Still, nobody in the NHL paid any attention to Dryden&mdash;except the Canadiens.Pollock&rsquo;s club, coached by Al MacNeil, was a much better club than the Devils at the time of Burke&rsquo;s arrival. Montreal was way over.500 and featured Hall-of-Famers Jean Beliveau and Henri Richard up front and a formidable defense anchored by J.C. Tremblay, Guy Lapointe, Terry Harper and Jacques Laperriere. Burke has not enjoyed such luxuries.When Sean was brought to the NHL, he was asked to deliver a playoff berth for the first time to New Jersey. By contrast, Dryden had it easy. When the Canadiens summoned him in March, 1971, they had already clinched a playoff berth and were merely breezing along until playoff time. Pressure on Dryden was absolutely nil because everyone expected Vachon to be in goal for the opening round.Dryden played six regular-season games for the Habs against easy opponents. It was just the opposite for Burke. He faced the toughest foes imaginable with each potential loss being the one that would knock the Devils out of the playoff race.&ldquo;They had me playing on the road against expansion teams,&rdquo; said Dryden. In six regularseason games Ken allowed nine goals but nobody paid much attention to him, whereas everyone focused on Burke when he made his debut against Washington at the Byrne Arena on March 2.It was the third period and the Devils were trailing at the time. During the 20-minute span. Burke seemed totally inept, betraying every conceivable weakness. He gave up goals and most Devil fans gave up hope. But not GM Lou Lamoriello and coach Jim Schoenfeld.&ldquo;I remembered what Dryden had done,&rdquo; said Schoenfeld,&rdquo;and I hoped that Sean could do something like that.&rdquo;Miraculously, he won his next two games while looking shaky against Philadelphia and Boston. On March 8, he faced the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, allowed three goals on the first four shots and was given the hook as the Devils lost.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011481/5612779-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="329" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stan Fischler</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t expect to be the saviour of the team,&rdquo; Burke said at the time. &ldquo;Some adjustment had to be made between Olympic hockey and the way they play in the NHL.&ldquo;In the Olympics and international hockey they don&rsquo;t shoot from the side that much. But in the NHL, they shoot from everywhere, they shoot a lot more, and everybody is willing to shoot, not just one or two guys like in the Olympics or international hockey. And in this league, there are bigger and stronger players.&rdquo;Burke was tutored by Devils&rsquo; goaltending instructor Bob Bellemore who encouraged him to move out of his net a little more. Burke began winning and the comparisons with Dryden mounted.&ldquo;I can see why the media have made some of the comparisons,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We are both from the same area and we&rsquo;re both fairly tall, hopefully, in lOor 12years, I can look back atacareer like he had.&rdquo;The Canadien&rsquo;s first claim to fame was his remarkable seven-game playoff win over Boston in the opening round. Dryden then defeated the North Stars in six and, ultimately, the Blackhawks in seven to win the Stanley Cup.Burke matched Dryden in round one this year (although he was replaced in game two by Bob Sauve), performing brilliantly when it was most necessary. New Jersey&rsquo;s victory over the Islanders gave several experts license to compare Dryden and Burke.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve watched Burke long enough to realize that he could lead the Devils,&rdquo; said former Washington Capital coach Gary Green, now an analyst for The Sports Network in Canada. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very close to Dryden in size, build and style. Burke has tremendous reach and exceptional intelligence. He stands up and covers an. awful lot of room. Besides that, he&rsquo;s very likable. Players enjoy having him in the net.&rdquo;Howie Meeker, another TSN analyst, is reluctant to bestow sainthood on Burke, but acknowldeges the young goalie&rsquo;s potential.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Burke is anywhere close to being a (Hall-of-Famer like) Dryden now but the odds are good that he&rsquo;ll be moving in that direction,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Burke has great movement and that good physical build that Dryden had. Sean&rsquo;s greatest asset is that he has a goalkeeper&rsquo;s mind. In the not-too-distant future he stands the chance of being a great goaltender.&rdquo;It would be too much to expect Burke to match Dryden&rsquo;s 1971 playoff march. But what he did between mid-March and mid-April, with more fanfare and a lesser team, equals anything Dryden accomplished 17 years earlier.Based on the evidence at hand it is safe to say that Sean Burke is dam close to being a latter-day Ken Dryden. &#9632;

f0006-01

Burke Brings Back Memories Of Dryden

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03678/5612810-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="591" height="785"><figcaption class="caption-body">Maurice Filion was the Nordiques general manager since their WHA days.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021053/5612817-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="176" height="137"></div>QUEBEC CITY&mdash;After 14 seasons as Quebec Nordique general manager, Maurice Filion has moved into a different office.The 56-year-old Filion, the Nords&rsquo; top hockey man since the 1974-75 season when Quebec played in the WHA, was appointed vice president of hockey operations April 19.Team president Marcel Aubut called the move a promotion, but outside observers viewed it as a firing of sorts.&ldquo;The team needed a new sense of direction, a new approach, a new philosophy,&rdquo; said Aubut. &ldquo;But Maurice will still be a very important cog in our everv-day work.&ldquo;We created a new post in our organization, and it isn&rsquo;t just for show. We couldn&rsquo;t afford to keep someone around just because we think he&rsquo;s a good guy.&ldquo;Maurice has not been sent out to pasture. We still require his services. And if our new general manager agrees, Maurice could still be in charge of contract negotiations.&rdquo;Aubut said Filion didn&rsquo;t hesitate when offered the vice-presidency. His job as GM was insecure from the moment the Nords failed to make the playoffs&mdash;the first time they&rsquo;d missed since 1979-80, their inaugural NHL season.Filion expressed mixed emotions at the move.&ldquo;I have to admit that it&rsquo;s very hard to take,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to leave a post that I&rsquo;ve occupied for so long. But on the other hand, I&rsquo;m very grateful to Mr. Aubut for giving me the chance to continue working with the Nordiques.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to feel that you&rsquo;re still wanted and that&rsquo;s exactly the feeling I have right now. And I&rsquo;m happy that I&rsquo;ll be able to end my active career with a team that I&rsquo;ve lived for for the past 14 years.&rdquo;Filion insisted he&rsquo;ll stay active at the player personnel level. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really convinced that they want me to involve myself actively with the every-day dealings and wheelings of the team,&rdquo; he said.Filion said he believes the Nordiques will rebound next year, and finds it frustrating to know he won&rsquo;t be GM when the team re-establishes itself as an Adams Division power.&ldquo;I would have adored to be there to reap the benefits,&rdquo; said Filion, who was responsible for getting Quebec extra first-round draft picks for both the 1987 and 1988 entry drafts. &ldquo;We started our turnaround about a year ago and I really think you&rsquo;ve seen the worst of us. Things will be going uphill from now on.&rdquo;Quebec finished fifth in the Adams Division this year, with a 32-43-5 record.There was no word on who Filion&rsquo;s replacement would be, though Aubut expected to name one by early May.Two current Nord staffers&mdash;director of personnel development Gilles Leger and director of recruiting Martin Madden&mdash;were under consideration. Others rumored in the running were ex-New York Islander coach-GM Al Arbour, New York Ranger coach Michel Bergeron, Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; director of recruitment Andre Boudrias, ex-Buffalo Sabre GM Scotty Bowman, Detroit Red Wing coach Jacques Demers, Pittsburgh Penguin GM Eddie Johnston, Montreal director of hockey personnel Jacques Lemaire and Calgary Flame assistant coach Pierre Page.NOTES&mdash;Alan Haworth will not be back in a Nords&rsquo; uniform next season. The 27-year-old center, who scored 23 goals and 34 assists in 72 games this season, signed a two-year deal with the Berne club of the Swiss League. He&rsquo;ll join ex-NHL defenseman Reijo Ruotsalainen, who signed with Berne last year&hellip;Andre Savard was rumored to be leaving the Nords&rsquo; organization to coach the Quebec League&rsquo;s Victoriaville Tigres. But Savard denied the reports. Savard has operated chiefly in a scouting capacity since losing his coaching job last December.<h2>NORDIQUES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 19: Maurice Filion promoted from general manager to vice president of hockey operations. &#9632;

f0006-03

Filion ‘Promoted’ Out Of Nords’ GM Post

<div class="byline">BY RANDY SMITH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011323/5612848-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="594" height="1211"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Francis scored a disappointing 25 goals for the Whalers during 1987-88.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02921/5612855-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="177" height="129"></div>HARTFORD&mdash;At the end of every season, Hartford Whaler general manager-president Emile Francis delivers a &ldquo;State of the Whale&rdquo; address.In the past, there have been more fireworks at Francis&rsquo; season-ending press conference than in many Whaler games.Those who thought a fourth-place finish and an early exit from the playoffs would tone down Francis&rsquo; mesage this year were disappointed.&ldquo;This is the best team we&rsquo;ve had so ar because of our depth,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care what the standings say. Boston and Buffalo are no better than we are right now.&rdquo;Francis moved often and in many directions this year. When the season ended, there were 31 players in Hartford.Francis&rsquo; first five-year contract in Hartford has expired. He now embarks on a five-year pact that was signed last June. At 61, he is the NHL&rsquo;s oldest GM.&ldquo;On the bright side, we had three strong areas&mdash;goaltending, our defensive play and, of course, our penaltykilling,&rdquo; Francis said.Two years ago, the Whalers scored 332 goals to lead the Adams Division. This year, they scored 249. Only Minnesota scored fewer.&ldquo;Why our offensive production fell off is a good question,&rdquo; Francis admit-cd. &ldquo;Only Dave Tippett and Paul TacDermid exceeded what their scoring average was over the last three years. The rest all came up short.&rdquo;Francis likes to use a three-year average as a true measuring stick.&ldquo;Easter was a little while ago and we&rsquo;re aware there was a Resurrection,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I would hope that we could resurrect a couple of goalscorers here. I think Kevin Dineen (25 goals), Ronnie Francis (25) and Sylvain Turgeon (23) are capable of scoring more than they did.&rdquo;Turgeon, the second overall draft pick in 1983, scored just seven goals after New Year&rsquo;s. His name has been mentioned often in trade rumors.&ldquo;I never like to give up on a player like Turgeon.&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;Fortygoal scorers don&rsquo;t fall off trees. It would be foolhardy to go shopping Turgeon now because you&rsquo;ll never get true value.&rdquo;Francis did say, however, that he plans on making some moves this summer.&ldquo;Somewhere in the next few months. I intend to make a deal or two,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have nine defensemen who are capable of playing in the NHL and we&rsquo;ve got a couple of good prospects who are coming. If we were to deal from one particular area, defense would be the spot.&rdquo;Neil Sheehy, who was scratched af ter one game against Montreal, is almost certain to be moved.NOTES&mdash;One day after Francis&rsquo; press conference, the Whalers announced the signing of Jay Leach, 35, from the University of Maine, as an assistant coach. What that meant for Claude Larose, the current assistant, was anybody&rsquo;s guess. &ldquo;Everything is status quo,&rdquo; said Pleau, shedding no light on a mysterious situation.<h2>WHALERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 19: Jay Leach, from the University of Maine, hired as assistant coach. &#9632;

f0007-01

Francis Wants Improvement From Big Guns

THAT WAYNE GRETZKY scored more points per game this year than Mario Lemieux (2.33 vs. 2.18) seems a strong-enough argument that Gretzky should win the Hart Trophy, but since it is fashionable these days to emphasize a player&rsquo;s value to his team, consider their relative contributions.The Penguins, playing with Lemieux in 77 of their 80 games, finished last in their division and missed the playoffs; the result would have been the same without Mario.The Oilers, missing Gretzky for 16 games, fell to second in their division and third overall. That great players like Messier, Kurri, Anderson, Lowe and Fuhr couldn&rsquo;t forestall this sagging illustrates the strong dependence on Gretzky the Oilers have developed over the years and his extreme value to the team. Any way you look at it, Wayne Gretzky deserves another Hart Trophy.Paul Murtaugh, Seattle, Wash.<h2>ANOTHER GRETZKY VOTE</h2>I was disappointed with the April 15 THN article about Mario Lemieux being the &lsquo;King of Hockey.&rsquo; You have created too much hype too soon.I hope that when deciding the Hart Trophy winner, the voters will take into account Gretzky&rsquo;s point-per-game average, along with the well-known fact Gretzky is a superior defensive forward. He had 68 less penalty minutes than Lemieux and finished with a better plus-minus of plus-39&mdash;as opposed to Lemieux&rsquo;s plus-23&mdash;and recorded a better shooting percentage of 19.0 to Lemieux&rsquo;s 18.3.Most of the points for Lemieux being labeled &lsquo;indisputably No. 1&rsquo; are invalid. The point about his All-Star Game record is simply a judgment of one game which happened with Gretzky just returning from injury. Lemieux setting franchise records in Pittsburgh is hardly a feat and it was Gretzky who assisted on both his gamewinners in the Canada Cup finals. It was also Gretzky who won the Canada Cup scoring race, not Lemieux.Andrew MacSkimming, Ottawa. Ont.<h2>HOORAY FOR MOLINARI</h2>It is with great amusement that I read letters in Fan Forum from people who are outraged at Dave Molinari&rsquo;s columns. When he began covering the Penguins for the Pittsburgh Press a few years ago, I too, felt the same way. I wrote letters of complaint to him, and corresponded with his editor, asking that he be replaced. He is an excellent writer, but I could not tolerate his biting, caustic style.How times have changed! After reading his articles on almost a daily basis, I now believe he is one of the most talented, forthright sports writers in North America. How I wish everyone could read him more often. You&rsquo;d love him.Lois Thomson, Pittsburgh. Pa.<h2>TICKET TUSSLE</h2>In the April 22 edition of THN. you printed a letter from a Mr. Polizzi of Warren, Mich., who complained about the size of the ticket increases for Detroit Red Wing playoff games.The Ed. Note accompanying the letter was incorrect. As a longtime season ticket-holder, let me try to clear this matter up. First, the price of my season seats for the 1987-88 season were increased $6 per game. Second, for the playoffs I was required to purchase tickets for the first six playoff games with an $8 per-game increase. Lastly, the package for the next four games will be increased again by $8.Jack Vance, Sterling Heights, Mich.(Ed. Note: You&rsquo;re right. Playoff ticket prices for the Norris Division final ranged from $16 to $28, not $16 to $24 as we previously reported.)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;

Gretzky Has More Hart Than Rival Star Lemieux

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011411/5612910-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0008-01

Elston

WITH SCANT SECONDS remaining in Boston&rsquo;s 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens in game four, Bruin coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly permitted himself a smile.Up Interstate 95 about 100 miles or so, O&rsquo;Reilly&rsquo;s kindred spirit was at home in Cape Elizabeth, Me., watching the game on TV, far from the Garden. But Mike Milbury allowed himself a smile, too.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an awfully long time, hasn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; said the former Boston defenseman of the Bruins&rsquo; 45-year playoff jinx against the Canadiens.As Milbury spoke, though, he duly noted that it wasn&rsquo;t over. Boston led 3-1 in the best-of-seven Adams Division final, but the Habs returned home for game five in deep trouble.&ldquo;With the goaltending the Bruins are getting from (Reggie) Lemelin and playing as disciplined as they are,&rdquo; Milbury said,&rdquo;this certainly looks like the year they can do it.&rdquo;That was as bold as Milbury, or any other Bruin alumni, was going to get until the fourth win was in the bag.Guys like Milbury and O&rsquo;Reilly, teammates and friends for many years, know better.O&rsquo;Reilly, in 14 seasons as a Bruin, fell to the Habs in five playoff series. Milbury, in 12 campaigns that ended last spring, experienced seven agonizing eliminations.&ldquo;We unravelled in many different ways,&rdquo; said the 35-year-old native of Brighton, Mass., who is now head coach of Boston&rsquo;s top farm team, Maine Mariners.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question the most painful loss was when we got nailed for too many men on the ice (the 1979 semi-final) but I remember losing a five-game series (in 1985) when Mats Naslund scored with 50 seconds left in the last game. That wasn&rsquo;t too easy to take either.&rdquo;In the 45 years, the Bruins have found a way to lose 18 series. Or the Habs have found a way to win them.For Milbury, though, as much as a Bruin win over the Habs would be cause for jubilation, his prime concern is for his Mariners, who were down 1-0 to Fredericton in Calder Cup playoffs.Ironically, the loss came earlier the same day as the Bruins&rsquo; game four win.&ldquo;I allowed myself to watch and enjoy the Bruin win and I phoned Terry after the game was over,&rdquo; said Milbury, who maintains daily con tact with Bruin management.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021145/5612941-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="385" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie</figcaption></div>&ldquo;But early the next morning I was back at it, preparing for our next game.&rdquo;One that he&rsquo;s doing exceedingly well. In midDecember, the Mariners were in last place. But an 11-game win streak vaulted them on their way to a Northern Division title.No one calls them the Big, Bad Mariners but they were the most-penalized team in the AHL this season. Their 2,615 minutes represent the AHL&rsquo;s third-highest total of all time.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a fine line between playing tough, disciplined hockey and losing it,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;At no time this year did we lose it.&rdquo;Milbury has burst onto the minor-pro scene in a blaze of color. In one game, he protested a referee&rsquo;s call by emptying the bench of sticks. When he visited New Haven after Nighthawk coach Robbie Ftorek moved up to Los Angeles, Milbury wore a sweater&mdash;Ftorek&rsquo;s fashion statement&mdash;rather than sports coat.More importantly, though, he&rsquo;s getting results while delivering a daily dose of Bruin pride and tradition to what has been a successfull minor-pro franchise, first under Philadelphia, then New Jersey and now Boston.A controversy erupted early this season when Mariner president Ed Anderson had the old orange and black championship banners of the Mariners&rsquo; Philadelphia days replaced in Boston&rsquo;s black and gold colors. Longtime Mariner fans felt they were being robbed of their history.But now a 1987-88 Northern Division title banner hangs alongside the others. This one, though, was earned by Boston&rsquo;s Maine Mariners, signalling a new era for the team and its fans.Just as knocking off the Canadiens will undoubtedly herald the arrival of new, happier times for the Bruins. &#9632;

f0008-02

Boston’s Maine Man Milbury A Kindred Spirit

<div class="byline">COMPILED BY JEFF HALE Editorial Staff</div>Vancouver Canucks own the second overall pick in the 1988 NHL entry draft June 11 in Montreal. What they&rsquo;re going to do with it is anybody&rsquo;s guess.Many believe they will trade the choice.But the actions of Canuck president and general manager Pat Quinn suggest otherwise. He recently went on a duting mission.Even if the Canucks hold onto the pick, the question is: How long will they hold onto the player?Of their last nine first-round selections&mdash;the Canucks&rsquo; first-round pick last season went to Boston as part of the Barry Pederson trade&mdash;six have been dealt to other NHL teams. Bill Derlago (1978). Rick Vaive (1979) and Rick Lanz (1980) went to Toronto. Michel Petit (1982) to the Rangers, Cam Neely (1983) to Boston and Jean-Jacques Daigneault (1984) to Philadelphia. Vaive&rsquo;s 47-game stay was the shortest and Lanz&rsquo; six-season tenure the longest.Defenseman Garth Butcher (1981), right winger Jim Sandlak (1985) and center Dan Woodley (1986) are the only first-round picks who have not been traded.Of course, there&rsquo;s new management in Vancouver and its perception of the draft and its fruits is different than precus regimes.&ldquo;Players who are drafted seem to be better in the organization than transients,&rdquo; said Vancouver coach Bob McCammon. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult. He&rsquo;s playing for his livelihood, not for the crest. That&rsquo;s the importance of keeping your draft picks.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011366/5612972-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="600" height="863"><figcaption class="caption-body">A Stanley Cup win will make more money for Jimmy Devella-no than his stocks.</figcaption></div>McCammon isn&rsquo;t buying talk this year&rsquo;s draft prospects are weaker than others.&ldquo;We went through one of those poor drafts (1983) when I was in Philadelphia (as coach and general manager) and we came up with Rick Toc-chet (121st overall), Pelle Eklund (167th overall) and Peter Zezel (41st overall). What they mean is the players are not going to come out at 18 and play in the NHL. If you draft a player like that, you wait two years for him. Look at the guy in New Jersey (Brendan Shanahan, chosen second in last year&rsquo;s draft). What&rsquo;s he done? Three years from now they (this year&rsquo;s picks) will vindicate what happened.&rdquo;<h2>JIMMY D&rsquo;S STOCKS</h2>Detroit Red Wing general manager Jimmy Devellano&rsquo;s playoff bonuses&mdash;which include a $100,000 payoff if his team wins the Stanley Cup&mdash;will net him more than dividends on the slightly less than $1 million of Maple Leaf Gardens stock he owns.Devellano&rsquo;s much-publicized stock ownership came up during the Toronto-Detroit Norris Division semi-final, but Devellano said he won&rsquo;t sell the stocks.He began buying the stock, which is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, 12 years ago when he was a scout for the New York Islanders. He told his bosses there about it, and they didn&rsquo;t mind.The stock was cheap&mdash;$21 a share&mdash;but rose steadily, peaking at $150 per share before it split 5-1. Now those shares are worth $34.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve done very well by it,&rdquo; said Devellano,&rdquo;and I really think there are some jealous people out there who like making a big deal about this.&rdquo;But it doesn&rsquo;t look good. The Leafs needed two points to qualify for the playoffs and got them against Detroit. That meant $900,000 in unexpected Gardens revenue from two home playoff dates. Detroit&rsquo;s loss to Toronto in game five of the Norris semi-final meant another trip back to the Gardens and another $450,000.&ldquo;If you think I&rsquo;d blow a series to the Toronto Maple Leafs or anybody else, you&rsquo;re crazy,&rdquo; said Devellano. &ldquo;The dividends don&rsquo;t come close (to the bonuses he would receive).&rdquo;Devellano said he will continue buying the stock and would recommend it to anyone. He added he&rsquo;d sell it if Red Wing owner Mike Illitch asked him to, but Hitch said &ldquo;good for you&rdquo; when the issue was raised at Devellano&rsquo;s 1982 interview for the Detroit general manager position.<h2>ONLY TWO CAN PLAY</h2>Thunder Bay (Ont.) Twins won the first two games of the best-of-seven Allan Cup Canadian senior men&rsquo;s final over Charlottetown (P.E.l.) Islanders&mdash;6-4 on April 23 and 10-2 on April 24&mdash;after a court ruling allowed the series to begin.The final started one day after Ontario Supreme Court justice James Donnelly ruled against an injuction brought by the Dundas (Ont.) Real McCoys to delay the final.Donnelly agreed with a Canadian Amateur Hockey Association decision to award the fourth game of the Allan Cup eastern final between the Islanders and Real McCoys to Charlottetown. CAHA rules state each team must dress two goaltenders, but when exToronto Maple Leaf goalie Don Edwards couldn&rsquo;t accompany the McCoys to Prince Edward Island for the best-of-seven series, Dundas only, had goalie Chris Pusey.The Islanders disregarded the problem the first three games but protested during the fourth game, a 6-5 Dundas win. A 3-1 series lead for Dundas became a 2-2 series and Charlottetown won the next two games to advance to the final. Thunder Bay defeated Bassa-no, Alta., 4-1 in its semi-final.It was incorrectly reported in April 8&rsquo;s Hockey Notebook that because of the demise of the Ontario senior AAA league, no Ontario-based team would be able to challenge for the Allan Cup if Dundas were eliminated. Of course, Thunder Bay is in Ontario and made it to the finals.<h2>BITS AND PIECES</h2>Mark Morris, 30, an assistant coach for NCAA-finalist St. Lawrence University the last three years, was named head coach at Clarkson College on April 20. Morris replaces Cap Raeder, who announced Feb. 18 he was leaving Clarkson for an assistant coaching job with the Los Angeles Kings&hellip;Bob Gaudet, 29, an assistant coach at Dartmouth College the past five seasons, was named coach at Brown University on April 8. Gaudet replaces Herb Hammond, who resigned Feb. 27&hellip;Charlie Morrison, former coach at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., died of a heart attack April 9 while on a recruiting trip to Ottawa. He was 51.NCAA-champion Lake Superior State was scheduled to visit the White House on May 5. Of the 27 players on the team, 14 are Canadian&hellip;The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has named its playoff championship trophy after retiring University of Michigan athletic director Don Canham. Canham retires June 1 after 35 year-s&hellip;Regina Pat Canadians defeated the Calgary North Stars 7-4 on April 23 to win the Air Canada midget (ages 1617) Cup in Thunder Bay. In the third-place game, Thunder Bay Bearcats defeated Oshawa Kiwanis 5-4&hellip;Rochester (Minn.) Mustangs defeated Detroit Compuware 4-1 to win the U.S. Jr. A (ages 18-19) championship April 16 in Rochester.<h2>OVERHEARD</h2>&ldquo;Maybe I&rsquo;m a little more handsome.&rdquo;&mdash;Referee Paul Stewart on how he&rsquo;s changed after his first NHL season. &#9632;

f0009-01

Canuck Draft History Very Unimpressive

<div class="byline">BY KARLO BERKOVICH Editorial Staff</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011452/5613003-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">High-scoring Boston defenseman Ray Bourque is favored to win his second straight Norris Trophy. His competition in cludes Washington&rsquo;s Scott Stevens (inset), one of the most rugged customers in the league.</figcaption></div>Let&rsquo;s play word association.Norris Trophy&mdash;Ray Bourque. Hart Trophy&mdash;Mario Lemieux. Vezina Trophy&mdash;Grant Fuhr. Calder Trophy&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk. Selke Trophy&mdash;Guy Carbonneau. Lady Byng Trophy&mdash;Mats Naslund. Jack Adams Award&mdash;Jacques Demers.There you have it&mdash;the favorites. At least judging by an informal poll of NHL coaches, general managers and reporters covering the league.So why don&rsquo;t we spare the TV people their glitzy June 8 award show and present the envelopes now? It would save the cost of renting the Toronto Convention Centre.Well, because the awards aren&rsquo;t that clearcut. There are other contenders.Okay, give Nieuwendyk the Calder. And Fuhr the Vezina, despite what Calgary folks say about Mike Vernon, who&rsquo;s peeved THE HOCKEY NEWS omitted his name from our all-star ballot. Our mistake. But realistically, the Calder and Vezina were decided by midseason, when Nieuwendyk was on a rookierecord scoring pace and Fuhr had played all but one Edmonton game.And nobody is saying that&rsquo;s wrong. Or that it&rsquo;s wrong that Bourque seems a cinch for his second straight Norris.But what about Gary Suter or Brad McCrimmon for the Norris? Or Hakan Loob, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Howe for the Byng? Howe? How, indeed. Howe&rsquo;s a defenseman and one of that species hasn&rsquo;t won the Byng since Red Kelly in 1954 with the Detroit Red Wings.&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s hope a defenseman never wins,&rdquo; says Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; general manager John Ferguson. &ldquo;You want your defensemen to clear the front of the net.&rdquo;Speaking of the trenches, let&rsquo;s talk about the men who occupy the positions in that vicinity&mdash;defensemen and goaltenders.The Norris Trophy is presented to the NHL&rsquo;s best all-around defenseman.This year&rsquo;s serious candidates are Bourque, Washington&rsquo;s Scott Stevens, Montreal&rsquo;s Chris Chelios and the Calgary trio of Suter, McCrimmon and Al Maclnnis.Bourque is expected to defend his crown, with Suter and Stevens waging a battle for second in the voting. The Norris, like all awards except the Adams and Vezina, is determined in a vote among members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association.Some of those voters think Bourque is simply the best.&ldquo;He has to shoulder the burden offensively and defensively,&rdquo; says the Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer&rsquo;s Randy Smith. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the unquestioned leader of the Bruins and has taken his rightful place among defensemen.&rdquo;Since Bobby Orr&rsquo;s heyday, the Norris Trophy has gone almost exclusively to the league&rsquo;s high-scoring defenseman. In 17 of the last 19 seasons, the top point-producing blueliner doubled as the Norris winner. The string snapped when Washington&rsquo;s Secretary of Defense, Rod Langway, won in 1982-83 and 1983-84. Norris triumphs by Paul Coffey (1984-85 and 1985-86) and Bourque (1986-87) restored the tradition.This season, Bourque (17-64-81) was third on the blueliners&rsquo; scoring list behind Suter (21-7091) and Maclnnis (25-58-83). But he led Boston in scoring and is recognized as more than a point-producer.&ldquo;I can remember as a rookie going in on Bourque,&rdquo; recalls Toronto forward Ed Olczyk,&rdquo;I was thinking, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s Bourque, an offensivetype guy.&rsquo; Then wham! He&rsquo;s a great hitter and he takes a lot of pride in his defense.&rdquo;And, after all, the criteria for the Norris says &ldquo;&hellip;the greatest all-around ability in the position.&rdquo;People often forget that when they argue against a high-scoring blueliner winning the award.&ldquo;With Bourque, you can&rsquo;t assume what he&rsquo;ll do,&rdquo; says Olczyk. &ldquo;He can free-wheel, he can run guys&hellip;He does everything so well.&rdquo;So do the other candidates. Chelios started the season in brilliant fashion and was an early Norris favorite. He tailed off. but still finished with 20 goals and 41 assists. Stevens (12-60-72) matured into the hard-nosed leader of the Capital corps. Suter and Maclnnis had exceptional seasons as wheelhorses on the devastating Calgary power play. McCrimmon (7-35-42) anchored the Flame defense after being acquired from Philadelphia and &ldquo;was responsible for the resurrection of Suter&rsquo;s career,&rdquo; says Calgary general manager Cliff Fletcher.The odds of a Calgary blueliner winning seem slim, however.&ldquo;They bump each other out (of the voting),&rdquo; says Toronto Sun writer and PHWA president Scott Morrison.That could help Bourque maintain a recent trend toward two-year Norris cycles. Langway and Coffey both won it twice in a row. Now will Bourque?Fuhr seems certain to finally win the Vezina Trophy. The trophy is presented to the NHL&rsquo;s best goaltender and is selected in a vote of league general managers.&ldquo;He deserves it,&rdquo; says Boston coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly. &ldquo;He thrives on pressure.&rdquo;And work. Fuhr played each of Team Canada&rsquo;s nine Canada Cup games&mdash;which don&rsquo;t count in the voting&mdash;then worked a record 75 games for the Oilers and was expected to play each of their playoff games. He posted a 40-24-9 record, 3.43 goals-against average, .881 save percentage and four shutouts, tying Detroit&rsquo;sGlen Hanlon and Washington&rsquo;s Clint Malar-chuk for the NHL lead.Playoffs do not count in the voting, but Ferguson says an indication of Fuhr&rsquo;s greatness came in the fourth game of Edmonton&rsquo;s five-game Smythe Division semi-final win over Winnipeg.&ldquo;During one stretch, we outshot them 25-9 and there was no question he was the difference,&rdquo; says Ferguson. &ldquo;He held them in there.&rdquo;Fuhr, whose competition includes Hartford&rsquo;s Mike Liut (a 3.18 goals-against average over 60 games), is the best because he makes the Oilers a better team, says New Jersey general manager Lou Lamoriello.&ldquo;We often lose sight of the fact that his abilities allow Edmonton to take more chances to get an edge up front,&rdquo; says Lamoriello. &ldquo;They can play that style (because of Fuhr).&rdquo;But Edmonton did finish second to Calgary, another team that has favored an offensive style this year. That should be considered when awarding the Vezina, says Fletcher, who is plugging his own 25-year-old puckstopper.&ldquo;Mike Vernon won 39 games, and that&rsquo;s a hell of a lot,&rdquo; says Fletcher. &ldquo;Without him, we wouldn&rsquo;t have finished first overall. Fuhr had 40 wins, but they didn&rsquo;t finish first. So how do you pick?&rdquo;Looks like almost everybody is picking Fuhr. &#9632;

f0010-01

Bourque Best Norris Bet

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Karlo Berkovich</div>It seems inevitable; Mario Lemieux will win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player.The Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; No. 66 was the league&rsquo;s dominant figure during 1987-88. He ended Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s seven-year reign as league scoring champion. And he&rsquo;s the heavy favorite to break the Oiler center&rsquo;s eight-year grip on the Hart.But the Hart Trophy is supposed to go to the player considered most valuable to his team, isn&rsquo;t it? Nowhere does it say the winner should be the best or most dominant player. Or best center. Since the 1967 expansion, centers have won 15 of 20 Hart Trophies.Some suggest that while Lemieux would be a deserving winner, he would not be the most deserving. A pocket of voters say since Lemieux did not carry the Penguins into the playoffs, he&rsquo;s not MVP.&ldquo;He may be the best player in the league, but he&rsquo;s not the most valuable to his team,&rdquo; says Winnipeg Free Press writer Grant McGinnis, who cast his ballot, as a voting member of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association, for Edmonton Oiler goalie Grant Fuhr.&ldquo;People who don&rsquo;t see Fuhr all the time don&rsquo;t realize what he means to that team,&rdquo; says McGinnis.The odds, however, are stacked against Fuhr. A goalie hasn&rsquo;t won the Hart since Jacques Plante in 1962.Lemieux, of course, is not without his supporters&mdash;among them the Penguins&rsquo; 1987-88 GM Eddie Johnston, who thinks failure to recognize his player as MVP would be grounds for an investigation.Randy Smith of the Manchester Journal Inquirer concurs.&ldquo;Mario finally put it all together,&rdquo; says Smith, another voting member of the PHWA. &ldquo;His numbers (70-98-168) are too staggering to overlook. Even though they didn&rsquo;t make the playoffs, he was a genuine hero down the stretch.&rdquo;But not even Lemieux&rsquo;s 12 goals and 21 assists in his final 12 games put the Penguins in the playoffs. And he now faces the same backlash which struck Chicago Cub Andre Dawson last baseball season when he earned National League MVP honors though his team finished last.Still, Lemieux will likely win ahead of Fuhr, Gretzky and Boston defenseman Ray Bourque, another highly-rated candidate.Gretzky didn&rsquo;t score 50 goals for the first time in his career. And he didn&rsquo;t earn at least a share of the scoring championship for the first time in his career. But he did score 40 goals and 109 assists in 64 games. And the 16 games he missed with a sprained right knee and corneal abrasion in his right eye derailed Edmonton&rsquo;s drive for a seventh straight Smythe Division regularseason title.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02976/5613041-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="729" height="1089"><figcaption class="caption-body">In any other season, Ray Sheppard would be a serious Calder candidate.</figcaption></div>On the basis of points per game, Gretzky (2.33) still would have outscored Lemieux (2.18) had he played an entire season.Detroit&rsquo;s Steve Yzerman (50-52-102 in 64 games) will also get some votes, though it could be argued he is not as valuable as others since the Red Wings barely missed a beat when he went down with a knee injury. On the other hand, Winnipeg went winless in 10 games when center Dale Hawerchuk (44-77-121) slumped during March. And some wonder where regular-season champion Calgary would have been without goalie Mike Vernon&mdash;whose 39 victories were second only to Fuhr&rsquo;s.The Frank J. Selke Trophy goes to the NHL&rsquo;s best defensive forward.The New York Rangers are touting Jan Erix-on for the Selke, but he&rsquo;s a longshot. Outside of Pittsburgh, where the Penguins have come to respect the job he does on Lemieux, he doesn&rsquo;t have an established following. And awards of any kind are based almost as much on reputation as performance.Erixon is a good defensive forward. But he scored only seven goals and 26 points. Recent Selke winners have had better numbers. Philadelphia&rsquo;s Dave Poulin, last year&rsquo;s winner, had 25 goals and 45 assists. Two years ago, Chicago&rsquo;s Troy Murray earned 99 points on 45 goals and 54 assists.Which gets one NHL general manager thinking.&ldquo;What about Hakan Loob?&rdquo; asks Calgary&rsquo;s Cliff Fletcher.The man has a point. People look at Loob&rsquo;s 50 goals and 56 assists and think he&rsquo;s strictly an offensive player. But he also had the third-highest plus-minus (plus-41) in the league, killed penalties and had eight shorthanded goals.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always been confused about this award,&rdquo; says Fletcher. &ldquo;Does it have to go to a checker who doesn&rsquo;t contribute offensively as opposed to a forward who plays good defense and scores?&rdquo;This year, it will probably go to the first, rather than second. Low-scoring Montreal center Guy Carbonneau (17-21-38) is the favorite to win, though teammate Mike McPhee (23-2043), a left winger, will provide competition. Carbonneau has been a top candidate for years, and may finally get his due although Boston center Steve Kasper (26-44-70) is a strong candidate with his impressive blend of defensive and offensive skills. Kasper won in 1982.New Jersey right winger Doug Brown (14-1125), center Claude Loiselle (17-18-35) and center Patrik Sundstrom (15-36-51), Philadelphia center Ron Sutter (8-25-33) and center Rick Meagher (18-16-34) of St. Louis have also been mentioned as possible winners.The Calder Memorial Trophy, which goes to the league&rsquo;s top rookie, features a great race-&hellip;for second place.In the running for runner-up are Chicago goalie Darren Pang (17-23-1,.891 save percentage, 3.84 GAA in 45 games), Buffalo right winger Ray Sheppard (38-27-65), St. Louis right winger Brett Hull (32-32-64 with the Blues and Calgary), Ranger left winger Ulf Dahlen (29-23-52), Boston center Bob Sweeney (2223-45) and defenseman Glen Wesley (7-30-37) and Pittsburgh right winger Rob Brown (24-2044 in just 51 games).Unfortunately, they entered the league in the wrong year. The 1987-88 Calder winner is Calgary center Joe Nieuwendyk.No ifs, ands or buts. How do you argue with 51 goals&mdash;among them 31 power-play and three shorthanded&mdash;and 41 assists? It&rsquo;ll be a landslide.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03701/5613034-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="729" height="1089"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike McPhee, above, will take some Selke votes away from Guy Carbonneau.</figcaption></div>The Jack Adams Award, voted upon by NHL broadcasters, is presented to the coach who contributes the most to his team&rsquo;s success. Coach of the year, in other words.Most years, this award goes to the coach who revives a team from the dead. Jacques Demers transformed the Dead Things back into the Red Wings last year and walked off with the honor.Demers is the favorite again this season. After leading the Wings back to respectability, he coaxed them into the NHL&rsquo;s upper echelon. Usually, a team which improves one year regresses the next. Demers sidestepped that statistical pattern&mdash;even with the loss of franchise player Yzerman after 64 games&mdash;and could become the first repeat winner in the award&rsquo;s 15year history.Buffalo Sabre coach Ted Sator guided his club to 85 points and a playoff berth for the first time in three years. He took the Sabres from last place overall to ninth&mdash;an improvement of 21 points, most in the NHL&mdash;and will give Demers a run. There is also support for Boston coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly, the New York Islanders&rsquo; Terry Simpson and Calgary&rsquo;s fiery Terry Crisp. &#9632;

f0011-02

Who Does Lead The League In Hart?

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Karlo Berkovich</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011323/5613072-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="726" height="890"><figcaption class="caption-body">Don Cherry thinks Lady Byng would like to be rescued by his trophy candidates.</figcaption></div>Forget the guys with pint-sized penalty totals. Who says Lady Byng only liked lily-white knights?&ldquo;She would have liked guys coming to her rescue,&rdquo; says TV commentator and former NHL coach and noted hard-hat Don Cherry.The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy goes to the NHL player &ldquo;adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.&rdquo;Discrimination, says Cherry.&ldquo;You gonna tell me Rod Langway&rsquo;s no gentleman?&rdquo; roars Cherry. &ldquo;Let me tell ya, he&rsquo;s an upstanding guy. He&rsquo;s always in there, you know, breaking up fights. They&rsquo;re always giving it to some sweetheart like (Edmonton&rsquo;s Jari) Kurri. I&rsquo;m sure Lady Byng would be more proud of Lang way than some guy who does pirouettes at center ice.&rdquo;Kurri, by the way, would be an excellent choice again this year. So would Montreal&rsquo;s Mats Naslund, Edmonton&rsquo;s Wayne Gretzky, or Calgary&rsquo;s Hakan Loob&mdash;players who epitomize the NHL&rsquo;s criteria for a Byng winner. But they&rsquo;re not among the former Boston Bruin coach&rsquo;s candidates.Here are some of Cherry&rsquo;s other choices:Ed Olczyk, Toronto: &ldquo;A hard-nosed player. He&rsquo;s got gumption. You try getting 30 goals (actually 42) in that disaster. Most guys packed it in.&rdquo;Kirk Muller, New Jersey: &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s a guy, let me tell ya, he&rsquo;s had a tough hockey life. They try to turn him into a checker and he loses 9,000 games in New Jersey. But he didn&rsquo;t become a loser.&rdquo;Kevin Lowe, Edmonton: &ldquo;Let me tell ya, he gets hurt but you never see him pull the ol&rsquo; flamingo. Plus he&rsquo;s good with the media. That&rsquo;s good enough for me.&rdquo;Dave Poulin, Philadelphia: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a hardnosed player but we&rsquo;re not talking about guys who go around murdering guys. He&rsquo;s the John Wayne-silent type.&rdquo;Guy Carbonneau, Montreal: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s never won a Selke and I can&rsquo;t understand it. He sacrifices himself to block shots. He&rsquo;d be there for Lady Byng, too. I don&rsquo;t know how he&rsquo;d sacrifice for her, but he would.&rdquo;What, no Bruins?&ldquo;There&rsquo;ll never be one,&rdquo; says Cherry.But there have been, among them Jean Ratel-le who won in 1976&mdash;while playing on Cherry&rsquo;s Bruins.&ldquo;It was so funny because I said I didn&rsquo;t want any Byngers on my club,&rdquo; Cherry says. &ldquo;Lo and behold, Ratelie wins it. He apologized.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0011-01

Cherry’s Choices For Lady Byng

CLEARING THE DESK on another hockey season, with questions, answers, snap shots, slap shots and cheap shots&hellip;&#9633; Any day now I figure I&rsquo;ll wake up and Edward DeBartolo, Sr., will admit it&rsquo;s all been a bad joke. Tony Esposito? Come on, Eddie. Grow up.&#9633; Ranger fans, don&rsquo;t distress. Not only did Trader Phil give up your first-round pick this year for coach Michel Bergeron, but he swapped picks next season with Montreal in the Chris Nilan trade. Conceivably, the Rangers could again wind up losing out on one of the top five picks.&#9633; Those who credit Lou Lamoriello for the turnaround of New Jersey Devils are missing the point. Make no mistake, this team was put together by Max McNab, and any praise should be directed towards him.&#9633; If Harold Ballard really wants a general manager all he has to do is pick up the telephone. Dial 1-403-261-0475 and ask for Al MacNeil. There&rsquo;s not a more qualified man in hockey.&#9633; With all the GM action going around, why no noise in Chicago? If ever there&rsquo;s a situation begging for a change, it&rsquo;s in the Black hawks&rsquo; front office.&#9633; Assistant coaches may be the most underrated people in hockey. In a lot of cases, the assistants do more coaching than the head men. The most active may be Pierre Page in Calgary, John Muckier in Edmonton (who&rsquo;s really head coach without portfolio), John Cunniff in Boston and Charles Thiffault with the Rangers.&#9633; How long will it take before every team in the NHL has a full-time goaltending instructor? For years, goaltending has been the great untaught art. Now, with innovators such as Warren Strelow in Washington, coaching the netmin-ders has made a difference.&#9633; Say what you want about Robbie Ftorek, but any coach who doesn&rsquo;t wear socks to a playoff game is fine with me. It makes him distinctive. But Robbie, lighten up.&#9633; The Professor is having the last laugh, or is it the first laugh? Almost everyone jumped on Ron Caron when he traded Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley to the Calgary Flames for Brett Hull and Steve Bozek. With Wamsley out for an extended stretch and Ramage only ordinary, the deal could turn out to be a Hull of a steal for the Blues.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011423/5613103-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="358" height="453"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Simmons</figcaption></div>&#9633; Someone wrote that I never mention anything about Buffalo Sabres. There, I did it.&#9633; Do you ever wonder if Jimmy Carson would have developed in Detroit the way he&rsquo;s worked out in Los Angeles? I do. Carson may have been fit into a defensive role with the Wings, and that may have stifled his offensive skills. It makes for interesting debate, nonetheless.&#9633; In these days of special-teams hockey, has there ever been a more productive 23-goal scorer than Montreal&rsquo;s Mike McPhee? The guy could play on my team, if I had one.&#9633; Under the department of dull, file the Winnipeg Jets. Under the department of hopeless, file the Vancouver Canucks.&#9633; Worst economic decision of the hockey season? Bobby Clarke&rsquo;s failure to pay Brad McCrimmon what he wanted. With McCrimmon, the Flyers would have beaten the Capitals, which would have led to additional home playoff dates. So much for skimping. If Rogie Vachon, or whoever is making the decisions in Los Angeles, goes out and finds some role players, the Kings could become an NHL contender. They have some of the league&rsquo;s best young talent.&#9633; Still can&rsquo;t understand why there hasn&rsquo;t been a Players&rsquo; Association uproar over Alan Eagleson&rsquo;s pro-Soviet viewpoint. Watch out for this battle to develop.&#9633; Another battle on the horizon looms between the league and its officials. The officials, the only people in hockey more underpaid than scouts, are demanding more money&mdash;and deserve it. One veteran linesman has a base salary of $30,000. A bench-warmer in the league earns more than $100,000, and if his name is John Tonelli, triple that. &#9632;

f0012-01

McNab Deserves The Praise, Not Lamoriello

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03785/5613134-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sabre defenseman Phil Housley will try to build up his strength and stamina during off-season workouts.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021186/5613141-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="175" height="131"></div>BUFFALO&mdash;In the end. the Buffalo Sabres lost the Adams Division semifinal to the Boston Bruins in six games&mdash;and when it was over, fingers were pointed at the. Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; defense.Particularly the right side of that defense.Specifically the right-side defense slot occupied by Phil Housley.The veteran defenseman knew he was in for brickbats and said he would accept his share. No more, no less.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an impact player,&rdquo; Housley said matter-of-factly. &ldquo;I know that if I don&rsquo;t have an unbelievably spectacular series, then I&rsquo;m just an average player.&ldquo;An impact player is going to have to make a difference in winning or losing.&rdquo;Housley said he didn&rsquo;t have a spectacular series against the Bruins, but said he didn&rsquo;t feel he should have to shoulder all of the blame, either.&ldquo;If you look at the stats it&rsquo;s fair to say that, as a team we were minus overall,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not just me, everyone&mdash;and if you look at them (the Bruins), they were a plus.&ldquo;I thought I had a fair series. I know that&rsquo;s not enough when you&rsquo;re supposed to be an impact player, but I would think a point a game is a good contribution from an offensive defenseman.&rdquo;Housley did average one point a game (two goals and four assists) in the six-game series, but he was also minus-five. Several of those minus points were the direct result of bodywork on Housley in the Buffalo end, but the defenseman also took some ill-timed penalties. And he allowed Bruin forward Rick Middleton to break away for a crucial shorthanded goal in game five.But when you consider Buffalo&rsquo;s three top scorers in the series&mdash;John Tucker (10 points), Pierre Turgeon and Christian Ruuttu (seven apiece) were all minus, Housley&rsquo;s argument is fortified. And when you consider no Sabre in the series was a plus, the argument becomes even stronger.Housley, 24, acknowledged the physical series went against his style of play.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anyone took advantage of me per se, but I should have been more aggressive. I should have done more to indicate that, flash my stick more to keep people aware that I was there.&ldquo;I try to be a complete defenseman, but I also have a role as a take-it-and-go kind of player. I do a lot of skating out there and I have to if I&rsquo;m going to be a part of the attack.&ldquo;I have to get up the ice and I have to get back down. To do that in this league, to be an offensive defenseman like that, can be a tough situation.&rdquo;It can also be exhausting. The fatigue question cropped up repeatedly during the second half of the season.Though he got off to the best start of any defenseman in NHL history (10 goals in his first 15 games), Housley&rsquo;s goal production dropped dramatically in the second half of the season and was virtually non-existent in the closing games of the regular season. He ended his sixth NHL season with 29 goals and 37 assists in 74 games and scored twice in the playoffs, but never did move with the speed and timing of the early months.A small man (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) in a big man&rsquo;s game, the 24-year-old stopped short of addressing the fatigue question, but did acknowledge he played a lot of hockey this season.&ldquo;I started with the Canada Cup (with Team USA in early August) and I played a lot there and I played a lot here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I played hockey for nine months and that&rsquo;s a lot.&rdquo;Overall, he was happy with his year.&ldquo;I thought I accomplished a lot this season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I learned a lot from this (the playoffs) too and I know what I have to do. I have to come back stronger next season. I have to work on building up strength and stamina and be more aggressive.&ldquo;I can still do that. I still think mid best years are in front of me.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Veteran center Doug Smith, who did not play in the closing days of the regular season and saw action in just one playoff game, said he was &ldquo;disappointed&rdquo; and did not know what was in store for him next season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for me to answer any questions right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really say what&rsquo;s going to happen, but I know I&rsquo;ve got a lot of talking and thinking to do.&rdquo;<h2>SABRES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 18: Daren Puppa, G, assigned to Rochester (AHL). &#9632;

f0012-03

Housley Accepts His ‘Fair Share’ Of Blame

Early in the season, when Greg Adams appeared headed for a 50-goal year in Vancouver and Patrik Sundstrom a 15-goal year in New Jersey, a lot of people were shaking their heads.How could the Devils forsake Adams, a proven scorer, plus Kirk McLean, a goalie of some potential, for Sundstrom. a strong twoway playmaking forward?As the season wore on, however, the trade evened out.Adams finished with 36 goals. More was expected after his hot start. McLean finished on the bench as No. 2 man to Steve Weeks. More was hoped for after an early-season stretch of 10 straight starts.And, of course, Vancouver missed the playoffs.Meanwhile, Sundstrom quietly scored 15 goals and 36 assists.And, of course, New Jersey made the playoffs for the first time since moving to the Meadowlands.Then, while Adams and McLean did whatever Canucks do every April, Sundstrom played a pivotal role in New Jersey&rsquo;s first-round upset of the New York Islanders.The line of Sundstrom, John MacLean and Mark Johnson was more prominent than the team&rsquo;s No. 1 line of Kirk Muller, Pat Verbeek and Aaron Broten.They continued their superb play as New Jersey and the Washington Capitals played to a 2-2 draw through four games of the Patrick Division final series.None more so than Sundstrom, who scored a playoff-record eight points in New Jersey&rsquo;s 10-4 triumph April 22.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011336/5613179-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="729" height="1275"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrik Sundstrom established a singlegame record with eight points.</figcaption></div>The 26-year-old Swede accounted for three goals and five assists to better the single-game mark of seven set and tied by Wayne Gretzky (1983, 1985 and 1987).An assist on the Devils only goal in a 4-1 loss to Washington on April 24 earned Sundstrom a fifth point on New Jersey&rsquo;s last five goals and gave him six goals and nine assists in 10 playoff games.(In 11 career post-season games entering this year&rsquo;s playoffs, Sundstrom had two points to his credit.)Sundstrom also scored the Devils&rsquo; final goal in a 5-2 game-three victory. Through three games, Sundstrom had a part in 10 of New Jersey&rsquo;s last 12 goals.Yet it was Peter Sundstrom, Patrik&rsquo;s twin brother, who was the hero of game four. His second goal of the playoffs proved to be the winner in Washington&rsquo;s series-evening win.The Capitals not only shut down Patrik Sundstrom, but they stopped Johnson, whose four goals in the fractious 10-4 rout represented a record for American-born players.His three power-play goals tied a playoff record shared by seven others.In the other Wales Conference divisionfinal, the Boston Bruins were on the verge of ending a 45-year nightmare. Not since 1943&mdash;18 series losses ago&mdash;had Boston knocked off the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs.Strong goaltending by Reggie Lemelin and impressive team defense gave the Bruins a 3-1 lead and put Boston in a position to do what last happened when Harry Sinden was berating officials as a 13-year-old.With one goal in their last two games&mdash;and four in three&mdash;Montreal had failed to score a goal in seven of nine periods.Both power plays had been pathetic. Through 41 man-advantage situations in the series not a single goal had been scored.Elsewhere, another upset was in the making as the Edmonton Oilers grabbed an imposing 3-0 lead on the Calgary Flames.Stymied by the Oilers&rsquo; new-found patience, the regular season&rsquo;s highest-scoring team managed just seven goals through three games.Nineteen times during the 80-game schedule, Calgary scored at least seven goals in one game.Controversy engulfed the series in game three when Oiler defenseman Marty McSorley speared Mike Bullard in a senseless and unprovoked attack on the Flames&rsquo; 48-goal scorer.Moments later, with play still going on, Charlie Huddy scored the Oilers&rsquo; critical second goal in a 4-2 triumph.Referee Andy van Hellemond, whodidn&rsquo;t see the spearing incident, retroactively handed McSorley a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct after consultation with linesman Gord Broseker.The Flames argued the goal shouldn&rsquo;t have been allowed to stand. An investigation into the incident was scheduled for April 25.Of equal concern to the Flames was the shortage of firepower provided by their big guns. Through three games, Hakan Loob, Joe Nieuwendyk, Mike Bullard, Al Maclnnis (out with a groin injury) and Gary Suter had combined for one goal.And in the Norris Division, St. Louis battled back from a humiliating 6-0 defeat in game two of their final series with the Detroit Red Wings to double up the Red Wings 6-3.Detroit held a 2-1 lead.Petr Klima paced the shutout win for Detroit, scoring his second hat trick of the playoffs. The outburst gave him a playoff-leading nine goals.<h2>Road To The Stanley Cup</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-02971/5613172-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="2938" height="1556"></div> &#9632;

f0013-01

Sundstrom Imposes Capital Punishment

THE YELPS OF protest began weeks ago, and probably won&rsquo;t die down until sometime after the NHL&rsquo;s annual congress in June.For whatever reason, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Quebec Nordiques seem moderately dismayed by having to sit out the playoffs.They appeared particularly piqued when Toronto got in with a slightly lower point total. A few dozen or so.Picky, picky, picky.Seems those franchises must not have read, or at least believed, the fine print&mdash;down where it says the top four teams from each division go to the playoffs and the handful of others go golfing.So dismayed were they that they didn&rsquo;t even bother giving the Leafs credit for their spectacular late-season surge, when they locked up the final Norris Division playoff berth by winning all but eight of their final nine regular-season games.And they wouldn&rsquo;t publicly acknowledge later that Toronto had proven it deserved a spot in Springfest &rsquo;88.Not even after that memorable game four of its series with Detroit, when Toronto came within a touchdown and two-point conversion of tying the Wings.So it has again fallen to this rectangle to save the free world as we know it, by offering these alternatives to the format now in effect:&#9633; If the league is intent on sticking with 16 teams in the playoffs, it should take the bottom four teams from each division.Think about it. If a team wins its division during the regular season, it has already had a successful year. The fans will be happy, and there will be a new banner to pull into the rafters the next fall.If it&rsquo;s not allowed into the playoffs, there will be no disappointments about failing to win the Cup, no criticism or cruel talk about choking with a championship on the line.Furthermore, the teams that were less successful during the regular season will have a chance to redeem themselves, to say nothing of filling whatever seats might have been empty during the regular season.One possible drawback: A late-season game between division leaders who have no chance of losing ground in the standings could be pretty boring. Picking the playoff teams alphabetically would solve a lot of problems&mdash;arenas could be booked years in advance&mdash;but might upset the good folks in St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011404/5613210-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="356" height="454"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Molinari</figcaption></div>That could be solved by using reverse alphabetical order in alternate years, although Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Calgary and Detroit likely will have at least minor objections to such a plan.&#9633; Let the top eight teams in overall standings pick their first-round opponent, with the No. 1 team in the regular season getting the first choice.That way, if the Flames wanted to play, say, Los Angeles&mdash;What&rsquo;s that? You say they did?&mdash;in the first round, they would only have to say so.Would that be incentive for the regular season, or what?&#9633; Use a lottery system to pick the playoff teams, with each franchise getting one entry for every $1,000 ticket it buys.You know how much suspense the NBA&rsquo;s lottery system for its top seven draft choices generates every year. Just imagine the suspense of using that method to choose playoff teams.There&rsquo;d be no limit to how much the television networks would offer for the right to carry such an event.Besides, just think how much money teams would save on regular-season travel costs.Okay, so it might give an edge to teams able to buy more lottery tickets than some of the others, but nobody ever said owning a team was a cheap proposition.&#9633; Let all 21 teams in the first round, and give a bye to whichever team Brent Ashton happens to be playing for at the time.Eventually, just about every team will have had a chance to rest while the other 20 are having at it in the first round.In the unlikely event the board of governors declines to adopt one of the above proposals, the Rangers, Penguins and Nordiques have one more option to avoid being victimized by the current system.They could try winning when it matters. &#9632;

f0014-01

Alternative Playoff Svstem As Easy As ABC

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021091/5613241-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="176" height="136"></div>&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t play, you cannot produce. And if you don&rsquo;t produce, people say you&rsquo;re finished. &ldquo;&mdash;Marcel DionneNEW YORK&mdash;When you&rsquo;re a center, one of the best in the history of the game, and your ice time diminishes on a team with a glaring weakness at center, the message is hard to misinterpret.The day after the New York Rangers&rsquo; season ended in disappointment, coach Michel Bergeron skated elusive-ly around the issue of Dionne&rsquo;s place on the team.Bergeron acknowledged cutting the 36-year-old veteran&rsquo;s playing time but didn&rsquo;t spell out his reasoning&mdash;or what it meant for the future.&ldquo;The thing is, I didn&rsquo;t use Marcel too much the second half,&rdquo; Bergeron said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough. For 16 years, he played between 25 and 30 minutes a game, and the last part I didn&rsquo;t use him too much.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really hard to come from the bench and play the power play, because when you play the power play, you got the pressure,&rdquo; the coach conceded. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to go, you&rsquo;ve got to score.&rdquo;In 1987-88, his first full season as a Ranger, &lsquo;Little Beaver&rsquo; finished fourth in team scoring with 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points in 67 games. He also led the team with 22 power-play goals, but his minus-14 was the Rangers&rsquo; worst.And after moving past his boss, Phil Esposito (717), into second place (724) on the all-time goal scoring list behind Gordie Howe (801), Dionne has put the quest for records virtually out of his mind.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have to sit down this summer and just try and focus on what I can do and, if they feel I can help, well, that&rsquo;s fine,&rdquo; Dionne said in a telephone conversation a few weeks after the end of his ninth non-playoff season in a 17-year NHL career.&ldquo;If I cannot, then we&rsquo;re going to have to talk about it&hellip;certainly. But I left with a positive attitude.&rdquo;Dionne insisted he can accept either outcome.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t lose any sleep over it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Phil is the person who came and got me. Whatever is in the best interest of the New York Rangers is fine with me. You don&rsquo;t have control over those things. You just hope that whatever is done is the best for everybody.&rdquo;Bergeron was not certain of what might prove to be best for everybody.&ldquo;I feel he had a great year for us,&rdquo; Bergeron stressed. But then, the coach talked about the effect that reduced ice time can have on veteran players.&ldquo;I always remember I was coaching Marian Stastny, who was one of the best players in Czechoslovakia. The last year. I didn&rsquo;t use him that much. He played maybe six or seven minutes a game and he couldn&rsquo;t play that way.&ldquo;But he (Dionne) is going to come back,&rdquo; the Ranger coach said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind he is going to come back. He is going to play the power play. But I don&rsquo;t want to hurt him. He was too great for the game.&rdquo;What might the proposed cutdown in roster size mean to Dionne?&ldquo;It is hard to answer that question. If it&rsquo;s 17 (skaters) and two (goaltenders), he&rsquo;s going to play more than the power play,&rdquo; the coach said. &ldquo;And if it stays at 18-2, we&rsquo;ll see.Dionne also seemed to take a wait-and-see posture on the future.&ldquo;After they had the night for me (mid-March), it seemed like from that point on I was still playing on the power play. But the problem was I was not getting a shift.&ldquo;I was not asking to play regularly, but at least if you get a couple (of) shifts, then I could manage if I go on the power play and have a little bit of momentum, and at least get going.&rdquo;Dionne admitted he was perplexed by the change.&ldquo;That was very difficult to deal with until I realized that was the way it was,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was a little confused for awhile.&rdquo;Dionne said the Rangers&rsquo; goal should be to eliminate further confusion, as much as possible.&ldquo;It depends on how they want to do it,&rdquo; Dionne noted. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t know.We played with three lines. I think when Lucien (DeBlois) and Kelly (Kisio) got hurt, then we had to make Paul Cyr into a center.&ldquo;You think, &lsquo;Well, if I&rsquo;m not used there, then where am I going to be used?&rsquo; There were some crucia faceoffs and I have the experience&hellip;IT I&rsquo;m not used there, I thought, &lsquo;Well, what do you do next? Do you wait for the next year?&rsquo;&rdquo;It is a question many will ponder for the remainder of the off-season.NOTES&mdash;Ranger GM Phil Esposito said he was surprised but &ldquo;overjoyed&rdquo; to learn his brother Tony, on whom he scored many of his 717 career NHL goals, was named the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; director of hockey operations&hellip;Marcel Dionne&rsquo;s 22 power-play goals were the second-most he has scored in a season. In 1980-81, he counted 23 for the Los Angeles Kings. &#9632;

f0014-02

Uncertainty Gnawing Away At Little Beaver

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03763/5613272-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="177" height="137"></div>UNIONDALE, N.Y.&mdash;It was not a happy anniversary.April 18, 1987: Patrick Division semi-finals, game seven, New York Islanders versus Washington Capitals. Pat LaFontaine ends the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup history when he scores at 8:47 of quadruple overtime, at 1:58 a.m. on the morning of April 19.April 18, 1988: Nassau Coliseum, Islanders&rsquo; dressing room. Bags are being stuffed, boxes are being packed, players are going home. Pat LaFontaine and his teammates are in street clothes. At 1:58 the following morning, they&rsquo;ll be on vacation.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t feel good today,&rdquo; said Denis Potvin, who was more touched by this day than his teammates, since his Hall-of-Fame career was officially over. &ldquo;Probably after a few beers with the boys 1&rsquo;11 feel a little better. But I don&rsquo;t know, it&rsquo;s tough right now. Everything I&rsquo;m looking at I won&rsquo;t be seeing again.&rdquo;Potvin missed game six against the Devils, the 6-5 loss on April 14 that meant playoff elimination. His bad back still bothered him on breakup day. &ldquo;I guess this is kind of an omen,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In many ways, the game was getting too physically demanding.&rdquo;Potvin departed the way he wanted, though. He had an excellent season, his team finished first in the division, and Denis Potvin Night was a touching finale to his 15th regular season.&ldquo;It ended perfectly,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I mean the regular season. You can&rsquo;t control the playoffs.&rdquo;The playoffs ended far from perfectly for the Islanders. General manager Bill Torrey&rsquo;s post-season address was brief. Torrey wished his players a pleasant summer, because it&rsquo;s going to be a long one.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t think of a bigger disappointment in all the years I&rsquo;ve been here,&rdquo; Torrey said he told his players. &ldquo;I think somebody&rsquo;s going to steal the Stanley Cup. It could be the Devils.&rdquo;Torrey was intimating that it could have been the Patrick Divisionchampion Isles.Now comes the administrative work. Torrey will first meet with owner John Pickett. Then the entire staff will meet to assess what went wrong.Then, the negotiating. Coach Terry Simpson&rsquo;s two-year contract is up. Torrey said he has expressed interest in retaining Simpson. He said Simpson has expressed interest in staying.But he has been vague. So has Simpson, who has not announced he wants to remain.Assistant coach Bob Nystrom&rsquo;s second one-year contract is up, but Nystrom&rsquo;s status won&rsquo;t be determined until after Simpson&rsquo;s is.NOTES&mdash;Free agents Billy Smith, Brent Sutter, Mikko Makela, Tomas Jonsson, Ken Morrow, Greg Gilbert, Dale Henry and Mike Bossy have all played out their options&hellip;Bossy won&rsquo;t definitely decide to retire until the fall. Smith can become a free agent with a limited form of compensation and will seek a two-year contract elsewhere. &#9632;

f0014-03

Marathon Victory A Distant Memory

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011192/5613303-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="176" height="136"></div>PHILADELPHIA&mdash;Mike Keenan insists he&rsquo;ll be back to coach the Philadelphia Flyers next year, lucrative new contract in hand, despite rumors he&rsquo;ll wind up as coach and/or general manager in Toronto, Chicago, Pittsburgh or Minnesota.&ldquo;I expect to be coach of the Philadelphia Flyers next year,&rdquo; said Keenan, after his team was eliminated by Washington in the first round,&rdquo;and I have no indication that I won&rsquo;t be.&rdquo;Keenan still has a year to serve on his existing contract, but he has been the subject of whispers since last summer&rsquo;s Canada Cup, when he coached Team Canada to victory over the Soviets.He expects a new financial arrangement will be negotiated this summer.And although he would not speak about length of a new contract or its possible value, Keenan said Detroit&rsquo;s Jacques Demers set a precedent when he signed for $1.5 million over five years.Keenan, 38, has aspirations to be a general manager. And that door is clearly closed in Philly where local hero Bob Clarke, who is also 38, will likely be GM for a long time.Just two days after the Flyers were eliminated by the Washington Capitals, Keenan was firm in his denials of friction between himself and Clarke. He also said he didn&rsquo;t have a burning desire to be a GM&mdash;at least not right away.&ldquo;I think what started the rumours,&rdquo; said Keenan,&rdquo;is that if you look at all the people who have coached Team Canada, they all became general managers.&rdquo;Scotty Bowman, who coached the 1976 team, jumped from his post as coach in Montreal to become GM at Buffalo three years later. In &rsquo;81, he returned as Team Canada coach. Edmonton&rsquo;s Glen Sather was coach-GM at the time he handled Team Canada &rsquo;84.&ldquo;Somewhere along the line, if I get tired of coaching, I might make the decision to be a general manager,&rdquo; said Keenan. &ldquo;But I can&rsquo;t put my finger on when.&rdquo;As for his supposed rift with Clarke, Keenan said reports were off-base.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no basis to those rumors at all,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have a good working relationship with the general manager.&ldquo;First of all, he gives me a lot of leeway in coaching. The other thing is that he involves the coaching staff in discussing decisions that involve the team.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy here. I&rsquo;m dealing with a solid organization. Right now. I&rsquo;d like to win the Stanley Cup as a coach, and I&rsquo;d like to coach the Philadelphia Flyers next year.Known as one of the NHL&rsquo;s toughest taskmasters, Keenan did not apologize for his abrasive style, but said he realized coaches must change their bedside manner from time to time.&ldquo;The trick is for the coach to learn to say the same things in different ways,&rdquo;he said, pointing to a pair of coaches who led their clubs to four consecutive Stanley Cups, neither of whom could be confused with Mr. Rogers.&ldquo;The Montreal Canadiens proved they could do it (from 1976 to 1979) under a fierce taskmaster (Bowman) who was much more harsh and terse with his troops than I am,&rdquo; said Keenan.&ldquo;And Al Arbour (who led the New York Islanders to Cups from 1980 to 1983) may not have had the same public impression, but he was tough on his team. He demanded a lot, you don&rsquo;t win four Stanley Cups in a row without demanding a lot.&rdquo;Keenan has the public support of club owner Ed Snider. Snider is on record as saying that he thinks Keenan is the best coach in any sport, not just hockey.And by the end of the season, Clarke was suggesting Keenan get some consideration as coach of the year. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; said the GM,&rdquo;if anybody else could have gotten as much out of a team with so many injuries as Mike did with this team.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;In their first post-season deal, the Flyers signed defenseman Michael Boyce of Merrimack College as a free agent. Boyce, 23, scored 53 points in 40 games for Merrimack. The-6-foot-2 player, a native of Oshawal Ont., also finished as the school&rsquo;s alltime leading scorer as a defenseman with 130 points in 134 games.<h2>FLYERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 19: Michael Boyce, D, signed to contract from Merrimack College. &#9632;

f0016-01

Keenan Saus He’ll Be Back As Flyer Coach

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03724/5613334-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="581" height="907"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tony Esposito&rsquo;s first few day: with the Penguins were spent it Muskegon.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02950/5613341-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="180" height="133"></div>PITTSBURGH&mdash;His pride has been dented and self-esteem shaken, but Eddie Johnston seems to be recovering from the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; stunning reorganization April 14.That&rsquo;s when Tony Esposito was named the Penguins&rsquo; director of hockey operations and inherited powers formerly held by Johnston and Paul Martha, the former club vice-president now responsible for running the Civic Arena as its president.Johnston retained his title as general manager, although the extent of his authority still is uncertain.Even so, Johnston insists he will be willing to work under Esposito, whom he coached for one season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1979-80.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got no problem,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve coached Tony and he and I get along very well, so there&rsquo;s no problem there whatsoever.&ldquo;I coached him and it (the rela tionship) was excellent and we&rsquo;ve gotten along since then, since he has been out of the game.&rdquo;Both Esposito, 45 on April 23, and Johnston, 49, are former NHL goalies.A few days after assuming his new job, Esposito went to Muskegon for a week to study the Penguins&rsquo; International League operation.Johnston, at Esposito&rsquo;s behest, made a trip of his own at the same time&mdash;to Florida, for a few days of golf and soul-searching.Both were due back in Pittsburgh during the final week of April, at which time they were expected to begin forging Johnston&rsquo;s new job description.One topic that figures to be on their agenda is a proposal Johnston consider coaching the team he has built.&ldquo;We really haven&rsquo;t discussed that,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m sure when we get together&hellip;there will be some discussions.&rdquo;Those talks almost certainly will be less traumatic than Johnston&rsquo;s conversation with Esposito on the night of April 12, when Johnston learned in a telephone call Esposito had assumed total control of the hockey operation.&ldquo;Well, yeah, I was shocked,&rdquo; Johnston said. &ldquo;He called me at home and let me know what was going on.&ldquo;Basically, (that) was a situation where I don&rsquo;t think anybody knew who was coming in.&rdquo;Esposito has clearly&mdash;and repeatedly&mdash;stressed his desire to have Johnston remain with the Penguins.The logical reasons would be to retain some semblance of continuity and to exploit Johnston&rsquo;s knowledge of talent in the June 11 entry draft, although Esposito said the latter issue was of no consequence.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that would be a factor at all,&rdquo; Esposito said,&rdquo;because you have a whole organization that has scouted and prepared everything (for the draft).&rdquo;Also to be determined is the future of coach Pierre Creamer.Esposito said he would not rule out the possibility of having Creamer stay with the organization in some capacity besides coach, although it is likely Creamer&rsquo;s contract obliges him only to serve as coach of the Penguins.&ldquo;Anything is conceivable,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what direction I&rsquo;m going yet.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t talked to him personally I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;s a little nervous. I&rsquo;ll taking my time, checking with person nel and that.&rdquo;Creamer has declined to discuss hi situation until after he has a chance to confer with Esposito.The purpose of Esposito&rsquo;s trip to Muskegon was to assess the prospect in the Penguin system, including Lum berjack coach Rick Ley.They spent the better part of at leas one day together, and Esposito had a chance to watch Ley work in two of the Lumberjacks&rsquo; first-round playof games against Flint.&ldquo;Mostly, we talked about the players here,&rdquo; Ley said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s here asses&rsquo; sing the talent and was talking to me about my philosophies.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;New York Ranger general manager Phil Esposito told a U.S. television audience he is trying to work out his first deal with his brother. Tony. It involves the Rangers and Penguins playing an exhibition game in Colorado, where New York&rsquo;s International League farm team is based-&hellip;Defenseman Paul Coffey still is trying to decide whether to have arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, injured shortly after the Penguins acquired him from Edmonton lasl November. &#9632;

f0016-03

ESPO Pays Visit To The Farmhands

<h2>TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE&hellip;</h2>1. Name the four current OHL coaches who are former NHL head coaches.2. Which current IHL coach led the NHL with 409 penalty minutes in 1981-82?3. In how many Stanley Cup finals did Scotty Bowman coach?4. Who succeeded Keith Allen to become the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; second coach?5. Who coached seven AHL Calder Cup-winning teams?6. What Smythe Division coach recently won his 400th NHL game?7. Name the last coach to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup title.8. Name the two current NHL GMs who have coached Stanley Cup winners.9. Which NHL team has had the most coaches win the Jack Adams Award?10. Who was the first coach of the St. Louis Blues?<h2>ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ</h2>1. Tom Webster, Bill LaForge, Orval Tessier, Wayne Maxner. 2. Salt Lake City's Paul Baxter. 3. Eight. 4. Vic Stasiuk. 5. Bun Cook. 6. Glen Sather. 7. Rudy Pilous. 8. Glen Sather, Harry Sinden. 9. Philadelphia Flyers, three times: Fred Shero, 1974; Pat Quinn, 1980; Mike Keenan, 1985. 10. Lynn Patrick. BONUS ANSWER: Earl Ing-arfield.<h2>BONUS QUESTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04535/5613372-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="576" height="954"><figcaption class="caption-body">BONUS: He was the New York Islanders&rsquo; second coach.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0016-04

THN HOCKEY TRIVIA

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011085/5613403-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="180" height="135"></div>LANDOVER, Md.&mdash;The Washington Capitals lost captain Rod Lang way in the opening game of the Patrick Division final series against the New Jersey Devils. Then the Capitals lost Their heads.The result was a highly-competitive, physically-bruising series that was even at 2-2 when the teams returned to Capital Centre for game five, April 26. There also was little doubt a rivalry between the teams, heretofore unnoticed, had been established.Langway suffered a severe cut in the muscle of the left calf when he was kick-tripped by New Jersey winger Pat Verbeek. Washington management reacted by calling a press conference during which it condemned Verbeek and announced it was forwarding videotape to the NHL for action.When there was no action by the league, the Capitals responded with their hands, sticks, elbows&mdash;every part of them but their brains. The second game, April 20, set club marks for penalty minutes by the Capitals (80) and both teams (162) in a Caps&rsquo;game. Two nights later, game three went even farther. The Caps got 123 minutes, the Devils 108. and the 62 penalties (32 to New Jersey) assessed by referee Denis Morel constituted an all-time Stanley Cup mark.It was an atypical performance by the team that recorded the lowest regular-season penalty total in the NHL. Not wholly by coincidence, the Capitals lost both games&mdash;including an embarrassing 10-4 rout in game three.The Capitals were seemingly disorganized beyond redemption. However, they resumed their disciplined play in game four at the Meadowlands and earned a 4-1 victory that restored home-ice advantage to Washington.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be drawn into a lot of altercations if we can help it,&rdquo; said coach Bryan Murray. &ldquo;I asked the guys to play our style. We were the least-penalized team in the league and we have to play our style to give ourselves our best chance.&rdquo;The most remarkable turnabout was effected by defensemen Scott Stevens who had to be pulled back into the penalty box by a linesman during a particularly wild scene in game three. Stevens took only one minor in game four, for words directed at Claude Loiselle after Stevens backed off from a confrontation.&ldquo;We were embarrassed Friday and we had to prove we could come back,&rdquo; Stevens said.General manager David Poile took responsibility for the backfiring of the anti-Verbeek campaign and said,&rdquo;It&rsquo;s not what I intended. It was an emotional thing after losing one of our best players and if there&rsquo;s blame. I&rsquo;ll take it. But we&rsquo;re told to do something like this (submitting videotape for review) by the league, if we feel it&rsquo;s something that should be looked at.&rdquo;While management was casting aspersions on Verbeek. Langway called the Devils&rsquo; forward to tell him he knew the incident was accidental.NOTES&mdash;Goalie Pete Peeters and defenseman Garry Galley were both wheeled off the ice on stretchers after being struck on their heads by New Jersey shots during game four. Neither was seriously injured&hellip;Clint Malarchuk, who yielded seven goals in the third-game rout, relieved Peeters and flawlessly handled 13 shots. &ldquo;Maybe I think too much and get too prepared when I&rsquo;m starting.&rdquo; Malarchuk said. &ldquo;This came so suddenly. I didn&rsquo;t have time to think.&rdquo;&hellip;Dave Christian, with only two goals in the previous 10 playoff games, added two in game four&hellip;Peter Sundstrom, whose twin brother Patrik had a record eight points for New Jersey in game three, responded with the winner in game four.<h2>CAPITALS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 18: Shawn Simpson, G, recalled from Sault Ste. Marie (OHL).April 24: Alain Raymond, G, and Chris Felix, D, recalled from Fort Wayne (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bengt Gustafsson, Mike Ridley, Dale Hunter, Bob Gould, Tim Bergland.LW&mdash;Michal Pivonka, Kelly Miller, Yvon Corriveau, Greg Adams, Jeff Greenlaw.RW&mdash;Dave Christian, Mace Gartner, Peter Sundstrom, Lou Franceschetti, Steve Leach, Ed Kastelic, John Druce.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Greg Smith, Grant Jennings.RD&mdash;Kevin Hatcher, Larry Murphy, Grant Ledyard, Chris Felix.G&mdash;Clint Malarchuk, Alain Raymond, Shawn Simpson.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Gary Galley, D, concussion, day-to-day.Rod Langway, D, severe cut in left leg, indefinite.Pete Peeters, G, concussion, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0018-01

Langway Injury Triggers An Ugly Response

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011004/5613434-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="175" height="133"></div>EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.&mdash;How fitting that Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s record for most points in a Stanley Cup playoff game should be broken by a New Jersey Devil.Never mind that Patrik Sundstrom didn&rsquo;t suffer through the period during which Gretzky called the Devils a &ldquo;Mickey Mouse&rdquo; operation.Sundstrom&rsquo;s eight-point performance (three goals and five assists) April 22 in game three of the Patrick Division finals had New Jersey fans dreaming of meeting Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. Of course, there was the small task of getting past the Washington Capitals, who bounced back from a 10-4 trouncing to even the best-of-seven series 2-2, two nights later at the Meadowlands Arena.&ldquo;We let them off the hook,&rdquo; Pat Conacher said after a 4-1 loss in game four. &ldquo;From the drop of the puck we were playing catch-up. We weren&rsquo;t prepared and they took full advantage of us. They knocked us off our game.&rdquo;Two nights earlier, it was a different story. Sundstrom erased Gretzky&rsquo;s standard of seven points in a playoff game (accomplished three times, most recently April 9, 1987 against Los Angeles) from the record books.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of strange to get eight points in a game.&rdquo; said Sundstrom, who scored 15 goals and 36 assists in 78 regular-season games. &ldquo;Some games you play really well and you don&rsquo;t get any. Sometimes you play really well and get eight.&rdquo;Sundstrom assisted on all four goals by linemate Mark Johnson&mdash;including three on the power play, to tie a singlegame record shared by seven others.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen Gretzky score seven points,&rdquo; said Pat Verbeek. &ldquo;To see a guy like Patrik do it is great. I&rsquo;m glad I was in the game and part of it.&rdquo;Sundstrom tied Gretzky with almost 11 minutes remaining in the game.Teammate Claude Loiselle, fearful that the unselfish Sundstrom might be happy enough with the Devils ahead by five, told the 26-year-old Swede he was staring at a once-in-a-lifetime moment.&ldquo;I reminded Sunny that not too many guys ever get in a situation where they have seven points and there&rsquo;s that much time left in a game,&rdquo; said Loiselle. &ldquo;I was afraid he might say, &lsquo;Oh, well, it&rsquo;s 9-4 and we don&rsquo;t really need another goal. I&rsquo;ll just make sure I back-check.&rsquo;&rdquo;The record-tying point came on Johnson&rsquo;s fourth goal at 9:03 of the third. Point No. 8 completed Sundstrom&rsquo;s own hat trick at the 14:14 mark.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to get eight points,&rdquo; Sundstrom said,&rdquo;but you&rsquo;re not thinking about it on the ice. Probably thissummer I&rsquo;ll look back and say, &lsquo;Wow, eight points!&rsquo; Right now we&rsquo;re in the middle of the playoffs.&rdquo;And the Capitals weren&rsquo;t going easily.NOTES&mdash;Kirk Muller suffered a deeply bruised right upper arm from a Kevin Hatcher cross-check in game three, missing the final two periods, but he played in game four&hellip;Perry Anderson sat out the third game with an automatic one-game suspension for his second playoff game misconduct-&hellip;Brendan Shanahan was fined $500 and Washington&rsquo;s Greg Smith $300 by the NHL, but neither was suspended for their stick-swinging incident in game three. Both did get match penalties for attempt to injure&hellip;The 10 goals were the most ever in a game, regular season or playoffs, by the Devils&hellip;Aaron Broten scored New Jersey&rsquo;s first playoff hat trick in game two, adding an assist&hellip;The Devils dressed 6-foot-4, 227-pound rookie Troy Crowder for pre-game warmups in both home games, but Jim Schoenfeld scratched him when the Caps did not dress tough Ed Kastelic.<h2>DEVILS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 24: Perry Anderson, RW, returned from one-game suspension.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Kirk Muller, Mark Johnson, Claude Loiselle, David Maley.LW&mdash;Aaron Broten, Patrik Sundstrom, Doug Sulliman, Pat Conacher, Jim Korn, Anders Carlsson.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, John MacLean, Doug Brown, Perry Anderson, Brendan Shanahan, Troy Crowder.LD&mdash;Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko, Randy Velischek, Tom Kurvers.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Joe Cirella, Jack O&rsquo;Callahan.G&mdash;Sean Burke, Bob Sauve, Alain Chevrier.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Andy Brickley, LW, groin pull, indefinite.George McPhee, LW, groin pull, out for season. &#9632;

f0019-01

Sundstrom Sets Standard For Playoff Points

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03412/5613465-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jets&rsquo; center Dale Hawerchuk acknowledges the club was adversely affected by lack of fan support in Winnipeg.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02594/5613472-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="175" height="135"></div>WINNIPEG&mdash;The hockey fans of Winnipeg are sending a message to their hometown heroes&mdash;improve your act, or we&rsquo;re staying home.The alarming attendance drop of the past year became strikingly obvious during the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; Smythe Division semi-final series with the Edmonton Oilers. Fewer than 13,000 showed up at the 15,250-seat Arena for each of the two home games.To make matters worse, only 12,491 came to game four of the series, 322 fewer than the previous night, when the Jets scored an impressive upset of Edmonton.That sent Jets&rsquo; president Barry Shenkarow into a rage.&ldquo;They played a great hockey game last night, they played a great hockey game tonight,&rdquo; Shenkarow told reporters in the Winnipeg dressing room. &ldquo;Every other building in the league is sold out.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very disappointed, not for myself, but for the players&mdash;because the players have all commented to me, &lsquo;Where the hell are the fans?&rsquo;&ldquo;Maybe if the building was full&mdash;I&rsquo;m not saying for sure, I&rsquo;m saying maybe&mdash;maybe the outcome would have been different.&rdquo;While Shenkarow acknowledged the support from those who were at the game, he made no bones about his feelings for those who stayed home.When the series was over, Winnipeg captain Dale Hawerchuk joined Shenkarow in his critical attitude, although Hawerchuk was more subtle.&ldquo;The fans don&rsquo;t have faith in our hockey club. It&rsquo;s obviously a problem,&rdquo; Hawerchuk said, after the Jets returned to the Arena to clean out their lockers.&ldquo;I heard a lot of comments by the players when they skated on to the ice and saw all those empty seats.&rdquo;In the 1985-86 season, Winnipeg drew 547,778 fans, an average of 13,694 per game. In 1986-87, the average declined slightly to 13,593. But this season, only 12,677 paid to attend each game&mdash;dangerously near the club&rsquo;s break-even point of about 12,500.The playoff numbers were the lowest of all playoff teams. Already one of the worst road draws in the league, the Jets&rsquo; situation should be a concern to the league as a whole.&ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t in a panic but we certainly don&rsquo;t like to see the trend that&rsquo;s taking place,&rdquo; said Madeline Hanson, the Jets&rsquo; vice-president of marketing. &ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t panicking, but no one likes to see their revenues drop year after year.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure if either you or I were an owner, we wouldn&rsquo;t be smiling.&rdquo;And neither are the Jet fans.Winnipeg has always been a tough sell. That&rsquo;s no secret. But this year, as the team&rsquo;s prowess declined to a point where the Jets went winless in 10 games through March, the rumblings of discontent erupted into a roar.NOTES&mdash;The Jets immediately dispatched all of their management personnel on scouting assignments once the season ended. The club hopes intense scrutiny of playoffs in the junior and minor leagues will pay off at the entry draft in June, and in trade talks prior to September. Insiders say as many as six or eight core players will not be back when Winnipeg opens camp Sept. 9 in Moncton, N.B. &#9632;

f0020-03

Jet Stream Of Fans Flows Away From Rink

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04259/5613503-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="182" height="129"></div>LOS ANGELES&mdash;Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; general manager Rogie Vachon had it easier when he stopped pucks for a living.During his first four full seasons as Los Angeles GM, the Hall-of-Fame candidate ex-goaltender watched his team finish 34-32-14, 23-49-8, 31-418 and 30-42-8 for an overall 118-16438 record.In that time, the Kings have made three trips to the playoffs, winning two games, losing 11 and getting bounced in the first round all three times.In those four seasons, they have allowed 326 goals, a club-record 389, 341 and 359. The latter was the most in the league this season.Vachon lost one head coach&mdash;Pat Quinn to Vancouver&mdash;halfway through the 1986-87 season and fired replacement Mike Murphy 27 games into this season.When the Kings open training camp in the fall under Murphy&rsquo;s successor, Robbie Ftorek, it will be the sixth time in nine years they begin a season with a new coach.&ldquo;I hope one day we get off to a good start and keep a coach for years,&rdquo; Vachon said. &ldquo;It (constantly changing coaches) is so hard for everyone to get over. But since Robbie took over, I was really pleased with the progress of the team.&ldquo;Everyone points to the playoffs (failures), but it seems we always play the best team.&rdquo;The Kings have met the Edmonton Oilers twice and the Calgary Flames once in their past three post-season series after finishing fourth in the Smythe Division. The Oilers finished first overall and won the Stanley Cup both times after disposing of Los Angeles.It was Vachon who boldly said last September he would be &ldquo;very disappointed&rdquo; if the Kings didn&rsquo;t finish second. The Kings haven&rsquo;t done that well since 1980-81, when they compiled 99 points in the Norris Division.It&rsquo;s a division they&rsquo;d like to rejoin. That isn&rsquo;t likely to happen, though new owner Bruce McNall has said he&rsquo;ll campaign for the division switch and for West Coast expansion, which would help alleviate the Kings&rsquo; outrageous travel problem.McNall, the first Kings&rsquo; owner without an interest in another sports franchise, has formed an executive committee which will address,&rdquo;what we&rsquo;ve got and what we need,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The first thing I have to do is evaluate each and every person and role we have in the organization.&rdquo;He strongly backs Ftorek, who took over as coach Dec. 9 and went 23-254. The Kings allowed nearly one fewer goal per game under Ftorek, but they still gave up an average of 4.2.Having Ftorek, assistant Bryan Maxwell and new assistant Cap Raeder in training camp from the start should be a plus.Then again, having Murphy from the start was supposed to be a plus. The Kings were 7-16-4 at the time of his dismissal.&ldquo;I made some mistakes,&rdquo; Ftorek said of his first season as an NHL coach.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot to learn as you go on. But I put some things down and there are others in my head, things that I can work on.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;The Kings will pick seventh overall in the June 11 draft&hellip;Players entering option years on their contracts are left winger Bobby Carpenter, right wingers Bob Bourne and Craig Laughlin, defenseman Larry Playfair and goaltender Bob Janecyk&hellip;The Kings used 41 players this season. They lost 264 man-games due to injury or illness, an increase of 76 over the 1987-88 season. Only left winger Luc Robitaille and Jimmy Carson played all 80 games. &#9632;

f0020-04

Kings Searching For Breakthrough

THERE COMES A time in every man&rsquo;s career when he knows he has chosen the wrong path.The question is, what should he do about it?This will probably shock you, but writers are human beings, too. Therefore, writers must insist on being treated with a modicum of respect. It isn&rsquo;t any more complicated than that and never has been.Listen, this is what I&rsquo;ve chosen to do. My life. My turn. My at-bat. If I had five or six different tries, I might feel differently. But I only get one.I fully intended to do this right from the beginning. My father wanted me to be a baseball player. He settled for a sports writer and so did I. Happily.But a sports writer who commands no respect is not much of a sports writer. That&rsquo;s why, in all the little ways, I have always insisted on being treated with the basic minimum.That&rsquo;s it, pure and simple.In NHL circles, however, insisting on respect is one thing. Getting it is an altogether different proposition.President John Ziegler understands all too well that the basic relationship between his game and the media is broken, but thus far has shown no interest in trying to fix it.Heck, for more than a year, Ziegler conveniently cited seldom-used bylaws as the reason why he couldn&rsquo;t open the Toronto locker room to reporters.I think to myself, what can I do to improve the situation? Learn the game better? Spend extra hours at the rink? Attend more games? Travel with the team? Get close to the players? Take writing lessons?Watch it.If I were Hartford Whaler general manager Emile Francis, I&rsquo;d know exactly what to do. I&rsquo;d put my head down and plow straight ahead. Those people who happened to be in the way would get hurt, but in the Cat&rsquo;s peculiar view of the universe, that would be their problem.The Cat&rsquo;s a special case. In 24 years of running NHL teams, he has won all the battles and none of the wars. In fairness, he has not run in $2,000 claimers but in 24 Kentucky Derbys. He has gone up against the biggest and the best, and in several of those races, he has been a forward factor. Still, he has never won.Not that it matters, of course. With the Cat keeping score, he always wins. It has become painfully apparent that nothing can humble the Cat, not even a fourth-place finish and an early exit from the playoffs. What the Cat has established in five years in Hartford is a closed society, one in which freedom of speech and freedom of thought have been virtually eliminated.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01881/5613534-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="417" height="473"><figcaption class="caption-body">Randy Smith</figcaption></div>&ldquo;This is the best team we&rsquo;ve had so far,&rdquo; the Cat purred in the wake of a 35-38-7 season and 4-2 loss to Montreal in the first round of the playoffs. &ldquo;You wouldn&rsquo;t know it by looking at the standings, but that&rsquo;s how I feel. And we&rsquo;re going to get better.&rdquo;The Cat is one story. Larry Pleau is another.When Pleau&mdash;whom I first met as a player in 1974 and with whom I&rsquo;ve had countless conversations, on both a professional and personal level&mdash;starts telling fibs to my face, I want to go home and start again. Get into real estate, maybe, or insurance.&ldquo;Listen, Larry, have you decided on an assistant coach?&rdquo; I asked one day.&ldquo;No,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t had time to think about it all.&rdquo;The next day, I mean, the very next day, the Whalers announced they had hired Jay Leach from the University of Maine as an assistant coach. Leach said the deal was consummated in April.Ah, Pleau-sy. The Cat&rsquo;s got you, too.Now, people, you&rsquo;ve got a decision to make. Either I&rsquo;m making most of this up because I&rsquo;m a vindictive SOB who is out to undermine Francis and the entire Whaler program, or I&rsquo;m telling the truth. And if I am, you must decide what place truth holds in the NHL scheme of things.Truth in the NHL? What a riot.My father was right. I should have been a baseball player. &#9632;

f0020-01

Truth Be Known? Seldom With The Whalers

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01656/5613589-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="175" height="131"></div>VANCOUVER&mdash;One of the most unpleasant aspects of the Vancouver Canuck season was watching defenseman Doug Lidster play.Once a dominant defenseman, the 25-year-old native of Kamloops, B.C., labored through a dreadful year, with four goals and 32 assists in 64 games. He was invited to the Canadian Canada Cup training camp last summer, but was cut adrift.His year went downhill from there. Through his first 21 games he had a goal and eight assists.By year&rsquo;s end, his fourth in the NHL, Lidster was a shell of the man who used to play 30 minutes a game when Tom Watt coached the Canucks last season.There were stories his relationship with coach Bob McCammon wasn&rsquo;t the greatest. In one celebrated incident early in the year, Lidster made a suggestion on what might be ailing the power play and essentially was told to keep quiet; the coaches would do the coaching.Whatever the reasons, Lidster found himself totally bereft of confidence, his desire to play the game slipping away.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never experienced anything like this before,&rdquo; said Lidster. &ldquo;This is the lowest I&rsquo;ve ever felt. It&rsquo;s been my toughest year in organized hockey, no doubt. One thing I&rsquo;ve discovered this year is how big a factor confidence is. You really don&rsquo;t appreciate how important it is until you lose it.&ldquo;Mentally, I was so unsure and mixed up that I wasn&rsquo;t able to cope with injury or anything that went wrong this season.&rdquo;A mid-season knee injury cost him 16 games and he returned to the lineup too soon. He denies this, but his mobility&mdash;one of his strongest assets&mdash;was inhibited by a knee brace and sore joint he iced down after every game.Lidster, who holds the team record for points by a defenseman (12-51-63 set last season), finished with a minus-19. Ironically, he was minus-35 last season.&ldquo;When things were going better, I was able to make a mistake and learn from it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I was dwelling on the mistakes and repeating them. I would feel good in the first period and then make one bad play. The next two or three shifts, I would make half a dozen bad plays. It&rsquo;s been just a terrible year, and I&rsquo;ll have to try to forget about it and start all over again right from training camp.&ldquo;The number one reason we did worse this season than last is underachieving,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You look around the room and there would be lots of guys who had disappointing seasons, and I&rsquo;m probably at the top of the list.&rdquo;Getting Lidster back to a peak performance level would help the Canucks cut their 3.96 goals-against per game and maybe even climb a little in the Smythe Division.&ldquo;Last year we finished with a bit of a flurry,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This year we were on the skids most of the second half. We didn&rsquo;t have the confidence level we had last year.&rdquo;NOTE&mdash;Club president and general manager Pat Quinn had been out personally looking at top draft prospects Mike Modano of Prince Albert and Trevor Linden of Medicine Hat, both from the Western League. The Canucks are serioiisly considering trading the the No. 2 overall pick to improve the team immediately, though it&rsquo;s not clear whether they have received any offers. &#9632;

f0021-01

Canucks Need A Confident Lidster

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02362/5613620-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="176" height="133"></div>EDMONTON&mdash;Red Deer sits halfway between Calgary and Edmonton on Highway No. 2.The city is Alberta&rsquo;s answer to the Mason-Dixon Line.North of Red Deer, there&rsquo;s long been this snickering over Calgary&rsquo;s NHL franchise.Question: Why are the Flames like a jockstrap?Answer: Plenty of support, but no cup.With the Edmonton Oilers taking a commanding 3-0 lead into game four of the Smythe Division final April 25 in Edmonton, it appeared the Stanley Cup would elude the Flames for another season at least.The main reason was the Oiler big guns. They were burning the Flames.&ldquo;What wins for you in the Stanley Cup playoffs are gamebreakers,&rdquo; said Oiler co-coach John Muckier. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t win the Cup without one.They&rsquo;ve got to come through for you&hellip;and they&rsquo;ve done it for us in each game.&rdquo;Muckier was speaking of Oiler stars Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson. That was up front. In goal, Grant Fuhr was outplaying Calgary&rsquo;s Mike Vernon.In game one, Kurri snapped a 1-1 tie with 6&frac12;minutes left and added an insurance goal on a breakaway three minutes later in Edmonton&rsquo;s 3-1 win April 19.&ldquo;Those guys only need so many chances,&rdquo; sighed Flames&rsquo; coach Terry Crisp. &ldquo;Bing, bing&hellip;and two pucks were in the net.&rdquo;Two nights later, Kurri capped Oiler comebacks from 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3 deficits by pulling Edmonton even at 4-4 with 3:59 left in regulation time.Gretzky&rsquo;s shorthanded goal&mdash;set up by Kurri&mdash;at 7:54 of OT gave the Oilers the victory.&ldquo;That shot was 280 yards right down the middle,&rdquo; grinned Oiler goalie and avid golfer Fuhr of Gretzky&rsquo;s 30-foot slapshot past Vernon.&ldquo;If Wayne has ever shot the puck any harder, I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve ever seen it,&rdquo; observed Muckier. &ldquo;But, all night long he was superior. He was quick, as quick as I&rsquo;ve ever seen him. Every time he got the puck over their blue line, it seemed like they didn&rsquo;t know what to do with him.&rdquo;The talk after Edmonton&rsquo;s 4-2 win in game three centered around Oiler defenseman Marty McSorley&rsquo;s spear of Flame center Mike Bullard.The incident occurred just before Edmonton defenseman Charlie Huddy scored at 8:54 of the second period, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead. McSorley, who was headed to his bench after being flattened into the boards by Gary Roberts, speared Bullard in the groin as the latter stepped on the ice from the Calgary bench.Huddy&rsquo;s goal stood because no whistle had sounded before the puck entered the net. Referee Andy van Hellemond, who was following the play up ice and missed the incident, assessed McSorley a major for spearing and game misconduct when informed of the play by linesman Gord Broseker.The Flames, who didn&rsquo;t score during McSorley&rsquo;s major, were livid over the incident. They felt McSorley deserved a suspension and asked NHL executive vice-president Brian O&rsquo;Neill to review videotapes of the incident.As far as hockey went, the Oiler gunners were again prominent in game three. Messier was the most dominant player on the ice and had three assists. Gretzky set up two goals, Anderson scored the winner and Kurri had the insurance goal.NOTES&mdash;NHL executive vicepresident Brian O&rsquo;Neill was to fly to Edmonton prior to game four April 25 to review film of the Marty McSorley-Mike Bullard incident&hellip;Bullard was taken from the ice on a stretcher, but spent the remainder of the game in the dressing room.<h2>OILERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 18: Mark Lamb, C, Kelly Buch-berger, LW, Dan Currie, RW, Alan May, RW, Selmar Odelein, D, Jim Wiemer, D, Warren Skorodenski, G, recalled from Nova Scotia (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Craig MacTavish, Mike Krushelnyski, Keith Acton.LW&mdash;Craig Simpson, Dave Hannan, Esa Tikkanen, Geoff Courtnall.RW&mdash;Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Kevin McClelland, Normand Lacombe.LD&mdash;Kevin Lowe, Steve Smith, Randy Gregg, Steve Dykstra.RD&mdash;Charlie Huddy, Marty McSorley, Craig Muni, Jeff Beukeboom, John Miner.G&mdash;Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford, Daryl Reaugh.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

f0021-02

Edmonton Gamebreakers Burning Calgary

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01689/5613651-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="589" height="981"><figcaption class="caption-body">Coach Bob Murdoch remained accessible to the media despite a playoff defeat.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02452/5613658-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="177" height="137"></div>CHICAGO&mdash;The end result was similar, but some things may be changing about the Chicago Blackhawks.For the first time in three years, a Blackhawk coach went on the ice to take part in the traditional handshake after the final loss to St. Louis in the Norris Division semi-final April 14.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tradition, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; said Hawk coach Bob Murdoch. &ldquo;They beat us. I don&rsquo;t like it, but they beat us.&ldquo;And I know some of their guys. I know Brett Hull, Steve Bozek, a couple of others (when he was an assistant coach with the Calgary Flames). They&rsquo;re good people. They compete like everybody else.&rdquo;Murdoch was also the first Blackhawk coach in three years to meet with the press after the final game. General manager Bob Pulford coached the Hawks during the 1985-86 and 198687 seasons when they lost Norris Division semi-final playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.Pulford did not appear on the ice for the post-game handshake following final-game losses against Toronto and Detroit in those seasons. Nor did he meet with the press.After the Blackhawks were swept by Detroit last year. Pulford explained his aversion to post-game handshakes.&ldquo;I never did that, even as a player,&rdquo; said Pulford, who played 16 NHL seasons with Toronto and Los Angeles. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s supposed to be the sportsmanlike thing to do. But to compete with somebody the way we&rsquo;re supposed to compete, and to have him take money out of your pocket, then to shake his hand after he just beat your brains in, I always thought that was phony.&rdquo;Pulford, who will return for his 12th year as general manager, is in a select group. Only Boston&rsquo;s Harry Sinden, Calgary&rsquo;s Cliff Fletcher and the New York Islanders&rsquo; Bill Torrey have been general managers of their present teams longer than Pulford has run the Hawks.The difference is they have winning records.In 16 years, Sinden&rsquo;s Boston teams are 715-396-165, a.645 winning percentage. In 16 years, Torrey&rsquo;s Islanders are 638-441-197, a.591 winning percentage. In 16 years. Fletcher&rsquo;s Flames are 577-499-200, a.536 winning percentage.In 11 years, Pulford&rsquo;s Hawks are 369-374-137, a.497 winning percentage. And in the last two years, they have a combined record of 59-78-23, a.431 winning percentage.This year, they finished 17th overall and would have made the playoffs in only one other division, the Smythe. Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers both had better records than the Hawks, but missed the playoffs in the Patrick Division.So, while others plotted playoff strategy, the Blackhawk management was ensconced in scouting meetings with an eye towards the June 11 draft.The Hawks draft eighth in the first round of the draft. They also drafted eighth last year, coming up with goal tender Jimmy Waite.NOTES&mdash;Murray Bannerman, the Blackhawk goaltender for seven years, becomes a free agent June 1. Bannerman. 31, spent the year in the minors, nearly all of it with Baltimore in the American League&hellip;Chicago did not sell out either of their home games in the first round of the playoff&rsquo;s against St. Louis. Their announced attendance was 15,764 for game three and 15,207 for game four. Those figures represent tickets sold. The actual attendance was less. &#9632;

f0023-01

Hawk Changes Are Subtle, But Noticeable

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN Associate Editor</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01745/5613689-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="175" height="145"></div>TORONTO&mdash;The first part was easy enough to figure out.Gord Stellick was expected to be named acting general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs some time during the week of April 25.The second part demanded some thought.Should the promotion from assistant GM come to pass, what would wellwishers be best advised to offer&mdash;their congratulations&hellip;or condolences?Stellick, after all, would be inherit ing the second-worst team in the NHL, a coach at loggerheads with many of his players, and a meddlesome owner.He would also be doing so at the youngest age of any GM in NHL history. Stellick is 30, three years younger than David Poile was when he took over the Washington Capitals in August, 1982.All of this, of course, was academic until team owner Harold Ballard officially appointed Stellick. A flurry of newspaper reports suggested that move was imminent&mdash;but not even Stellick knew for sure.&ldquo;The important thing,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;is that he (Ballard) delegate one person who is responsible for the club&hellip;If he&rsquo;s going to go with me, I feel I&rsquo;m ready for it.&rdquo;Stellick&rsquo;s background is more on the administrative side than hockey side of an NHL operation. He served as GM Gerry McNamara&rsquo;s assistant until McNamara&rsquo;s firing in February.Stellick then joined coach John Brophy and scout Dick Duff in a managing triumvirate.Some have wondered whether he possesses adequate hockey experience to take over the Leafs. But the Toronto native has worked to shore up that perceived shortcoming.The past season was his first at the helm of a professional team. He was general manager of the American League South&rsquo;s sixth-place Newmarket Saints (33-39-8).Much uncertainty surrounded the expected promotion.Not only was there no guarantee that Stellick would be named acting GM, but there was none he would start the 1988-89 season at the post.&ldquo;I have a lot of confidence in Stellick,&rdquo; Ballard told the Toronto Star, &ldquo;but I still want to survey the field of possible candidates for the job.&rdquo;Stellick, himself, acknowledged it could be a short-term move.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;d like to see how I do the first six or seven weeks,&rdquo; he said.One thing Stellick said he won&rsquo;t do is dismantle the Maple Leafs. Player dissatisfaction with Brophy and the coach with them has led some to believe significant changes are in the offing.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t mean that I won&rsquo;t be making trades,&rdquo; said Stellick,&rdquo;but I won&rsquo;t be dismantling the Toronto Maple Leafs.&rdquo;The prospective GM recently submitted an evaluation of the organization. Included in his assessment was an appraisal of Brophy, whom Ballard fully supports.&ldquo;My analysis on him was critical,&rdquo; said Stellick, a University of Toronto economics graduate. &ldquo;He (Ballard) wanted a critical analysis of him. So I touched on his positive points and I also touched on points that I felt had a negative tinge to them and have to be improved upon over the summer.&rdquo;As for his priorities in upgrading the Maple Leafs, Stellick mentioned several areas of concern&mdash;among them the need to bring in another full-time scout to help out chief scout Floyd Smith.He doubted Ballard would go for a second assistant coach to help out Brophy and current assistant Garry Lariviere.Most of all, he would like to formulate a team blueprint &ldquo;dealing on a constructive course rather than the last month where our ideas have changed week to week and day to day.&rdquo;Stellick said he believes he has the necessary attributes to sort out the mess that has become the Leafs.&ldquo;My strengths are people skills and organization skills,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;and in the past maybe we lacked a little of both.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;One player who impressed during a brief playoff stint was 19-year-old Daniel Marois, a right winger chosen second in the 1987 entry draft. He scored one goal in three games&hellip;The crowd of 15,668 at Toronto&rsquo;s final-game loss to Detroit was the first non-sellout in the playoffs since the 1930s. Team officials are anxious to see what impact Toronto&rsquo;s poor season has on its subscriber base of 13,500&hellip;It isn&rsquo;t known if agent Bill Watters, who has done radio color commentary to Joe Bowen&rsquo;s play-byplay on CJCL the past two seasons, will be asked to return next year. He was highly critical of John Brophy this past season and the coach isn&rsquo;t keen on his rehiring. &#9632;

f0024-01

Leafs’ Stellick In Line To Take Lead Role

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02436/5613720-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="593" height="1341"><figcaption class="caption-body">Quebec farmhand Ken Quinney scored in overtime to give the Express a win.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01659/5613727-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="178" height="131"></div>And then there were four.The Hershey Bears and Fredericton Express gained the early advantage with victories in the first games of their best-of-seven American League Calder Cup semifinal playoff series.The Bears, idle for 12 days after a quarter-final sweep over Binghamton, were sharp in a 5-1 win over the Adirondack Red Wings at home on April 23.Fredericton took the home-ice advantage away from the Maine Mariners in their best-of-seven semifinal, with a 6-5 overtime win at Portland on April 24. Ken Quinney&rsquo;s power-play goal at 6:43 lifted Fredericton to victory.The Express built an early 5-1 lead, but the Mariners battled back in the second half of the game. Dale Dunbar and Gord Hynes started the rally with power-play goals in the second period. Greg Johnston&rsquo;s power-play goal in the third period cut the Express lead to 5-4, and Dave Reid tied it with his goal at 15:56.In the other semi-final game, Hershey scored three times in a span of 3:36 in the third period to blow open a 2-1 game. The turning point came at 4:47 of the third period when Adirondack defenseman Serge Roy received a major penalty for high-sticking Hershey&rsquo;s Nick Kypreos. Mitch Lamoureux scored on the power play and Don Nachbaur scored the fourth Hershey goal 12 seconds after Roy came out of the penalty box. Lamoureux added his second goal of the game at 11:32.The Bears forged a 2-0 lead in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Steve Smith and a power-play goal by Ray Allison. Yves Racine managed Adirondack&rsquo;s only goal on a power play midway through the second period.In the remaining two quarter-finals, Fredericton ousted Sherbrooke in six games on April 19 and Adirondack wiped away seven years of frustration at Rochester with a 6-4 victory over the Amerks in the seventh game of their quarter-final series on April 21.Adirondack, which lost the first two games of the series and trailed 3-2 after five games, snapped a 0-20-3 winless streak at Rochester&rsquo;s War Memorial Arena that began in April, 1981.The Red Wings forced a seventh game against the Amerks with a dramatic comeback and 5-4 overtime victory in the sixth game at Glens Falls on April 19.Rochester took a 4-3 lead at 15:22 of the third period when Benoit Hogue knocked down a clearing attempt by Kris King and drilled a slap shot from the right point past Adirondack goaltender Darren Eliot.A tripping call against Rochester center Grant Martin at 17:30 gave the Red Wings a power play. Eliot was then pulled for an extra attacker. As he did in the fourth game, Glenn Merkosky scored a power-play goal that sent the game into overtime.Murray Eaves scored the game winner at 5:32, when his shot from the slot hit the right post and slid behind goaltender Daren Puppa, making his first appearance in the series.Goalie Darcy Wakaluk started the first five games of the series, but Rochester coach John Van Boxmeer made the goaltending change when Puppa, the star of Rochester&rsquo;s Calder Cup championship team in 1986-87, returned from the parent Buffalo Sabres once they were knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins.Puppa was scheduled to start the final game of the series, but he told Van Boxmeer he was unable to play because he had been weakened by a bout with the flu. Wakaluk started instead and gave up five goals on the first 10 shots he faced. He was lifted for Puppa at 16:39 of the first period with the Wings holding a 5-2 lead.The Amerks pressed hard in the final two periods and took 31 shots on Eliot, but were unable to tie the game. Rochester&rsquo;s Gates Orlando scored his first goal of the series in the second period and picked up another with 2:40 to play in-the third. With Puppa off for a sixth attacker, Krentz completed his hat trick into an empty net at 19:53.Meanwhile, Fredericton wrapped up its series with the Canadiens at Sherbrooke in a stunning 4-3 victory.Express defenseman Daniel Poudrier tied the game 2-2 at 8:58 of the third period and Fredericton appeared on its way to the semi-finals when Max Middendorf scored at 18:22. But Sherbrooke pulled goaltender Randy Exelby and Stephane Lefebvre got the tying goal at 19:14. Twenty-five seconds later, however, Jay Mazur scored the game-winner for the Express on a backhand shot from the slot. &#9632;

f0025-02

The Minors

Express, Bears Take Early Leads In Semis

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03282/5613758-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="178" height="131"></div>Roy Mlakar had only one regret on becoming executive vice-president of the Los Angeles Kings. He had to leave New Haven.It was his home for the past 11 seasons, the last four as general manager of the American League&rsquo;s Nighthawks. No replacement had been named as of April 21.&ldquo;You cannot realize how difficult it will be to leave New Haven and people that have been so much help to me and have affected me in so many ways,&rdquo; Mlakar said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be real tough.&ldquo;There was not a dry eye in the joint (the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, site of Mlakar&rsquo;s April 18 press conference). We&rsquo;ve been here 11 years.&rdquo;In his new position, Mlakar operates the business and financial aspects of the Kings. He, along with King GM Rogie Vachon, will be involved with player development.Mlakar, 37, began his hockey career with the AHL&rsquo;s Cleveland Barons in 1971, starting in sales, promotion and later public relations. He worked for the Providence Reds before arriving in New Haven for the 1977-78 season.He was picked the AHL&rsquo;s executive of the year for 1981-82, but his fondest memory of New Haven was last spring&rsquo;s season-ticket drive to keep the Kings in New Haven. The Kings said they&rsquo;d stay only if 1,300 season tickets were sold; the Nighthawks matched and surpassed the challenge by selling 1,761.&ldquo;To see players like Terry Carkner, Paul Fenton, Ken Baumgartner, Lyle Phair and Glenn Healy pick up the telephone to sell tickets was great,&rdquo; Mlakar said.<h2>INJURY UPSETS GAGE</h2>Rochester American right winger Jody Gage, who scored 60 regularseason goals, missed the final two games of the series against Adirondack with a bruised kidney. Gage was injured late in the second period of game five, when he slid into the boards after being slashed by Red Wing defenseman Dennis Smith.Smith received a major penalty for slashing from referee Lance Roberts.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t try to put him out of the playoffs or anything like that,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I was just trying to hold him up and knock him off the puck a little bit.&rdquo;Gage, 28, spent the next few nights in a Rochester hospital.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m depressed now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The anger is starting to set in. At first you realize you can&rsquo;t play, then you realize why. You start thinking of revenge but there is nothing I can do now.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just the one slash. It&rsquo;s all the slashes the whole series. On my legs I&rsquo;ve got a thousand from coming out in front of the net on the power play. My legs and feet are as much in pain as my kidney.&rdquo;<h2>STICKING IT TO &lsquo;EM</h2>Maine Mariner coach Mike Milbury didn&rsquo;t care if it was midway through the first period April 16. He caught Nova Scotia defenseman Mike Ware using an illegal stick, and the resulting penalty left the Mariners with a 5-on-3 power play.Shortly afterward, Greg Johnston scored the Mariners&rsquo; third goal in a 3-1 Calder Cup quarter-final series clincher over the Oilers. The Oilers had just been called for having too many men on the ice when Milbury asked referee Rob Shick to measure Ware&rsquo;s stick.Milbury said Ware&rsquo;s own carelessness was to blame.&ldquo;He broke a stick this morning (at the team&rsquo;s warm-up skate) and left it lying around,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;I just saw the blade and thought it was illegal, so I measured the stick.&rdquo;That made the Mariners 4-for-4 on stick checks this season. The other three victims were Adirondack&rsquo;s Randy McKay. Moncton&rsquo;s Don McLaren and Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Martin Desjardins. &#9632;

f0025-03

Tearful Sendoff For Mlakar, New Haven GM Off To L.A.

<div class="byline">BY BOB WAGNER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01698/5613789-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="590" height="816"><figcaption class="caption-body">Saginaw&rsquo;s Mark LaVarre scored three goals, then was thrown out of a game.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02484/5613796-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="153" height="132"></div>It was the most startling upset in the International League&rsquo;s recent history.The upstart Flint Spirits not only eliminated the favored Muskegon Lumbejacks 4-2 in the best-of-seven opening round of the Turner Cup playoffs, but they did it with a rousing 9-0 victory April 23 in Flint.Goalie Ray LeBlanc applied the whitewash and left wingerTodd Hawkins got the big goals, his first 29 seconds into the game, and his second putting the Spirits up 3-0 in the second period.Muskegon rolled to the IHL regularseason and East Division championships, stacking up record totals along the way&mdash;126 points and 58 wins.Flint finished fourth in the division, earning 93 points&mdash;33 less than Muskegon.&ldquo;When we came into this series I don&rsquo;t think many people thought we had a chance against Muskegon,&rdquo; said Spirit coach Rick Dudley.Saginaw Hawk coach Dennis Desrosiers, whose Hawks play Flint in the semi-final round, was among those whose respect for the Spirits grew suddenly.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if Flint improved or what but they certainly-smoked Muskegon,&rdquo; Desrosiers said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t understand Muskegon. Who can figure it? They lose 9-0. That&rsquo;s amazing.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;I can&rsquo;t understand Muskegon.&rsquo; &mdash;Desrosiers</blockquote>It was the most startling reversal of form since 1970-71, when the sixthplace Port Huron Flags eliminated the champion Muskegon Mohawks in the first round.&ldquo;The pivotal game was that goaltenders&rsquo; game (April 17 in Muskegon),&rdquo; said Dudley. Flint won it 3-2 to go up 2-1 in the series, with LeBlanc stopping 42 shots.Muskegon won 6-3 on home ice April 22, as mayhem reigned and the &lsquo;Jacks narrowed the Spirits&rsquo; series lead to 3-2.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no love lost between Muskegon and Flint,&rdquo; admitted Dudley. &ldquo;We were the two most-penalized teams in the league and that (the fifth) was the only game that kind of wound up in a war&mdash;300 and some minutes in penalties (actually 311, with 171 going to Flint).&rdquo;Flint center Mario Chitaroni was suspended indefinitely after receiving a match penalty. Chitaroni allegedly bit Muskegon&rsquo;s Mike Rowe. The league planned a hearing for late April. Another Spirit pivot, Dan Woodley, was suspended one game for pushing linesman Dave Cassidy.Flint advanced to an &ldquo;1-75 series&rdquo; against Saginaw, which ousted favored Fort Wayne Komets 4-2 in their best-of-seven series.The Hawks won game six 5-3 on home ice April 23, but never felt secure until left winger Dave Mackey scored into an empty net with four seconds left. Right winger Mark LaVarre had the Hawks&rsquo; first three goals, then was ejected from the game after disputing a penalty assessed him for using an illegal stick.The Kalamazoo Wings, who finished fifth in the East but qualified for the playoffs and were placed in the West Division, nearly made it three-of-four for the East in the semi-finals.But Colorado, No. I in the West, finally ousted the Wings with a 5-4 overtime win April 24, in game seven at Denver Coliseum.Right winger Todd Elik scored two goals in the climactic game for the Rangers, the second coming at 3:29 of overtime after Kalamazoo was penalized for having too many men on the ice.The other series also went to the seventh game, with second-place Salt Lake City hammering Peoria 9-6 at the Salt Palace. Centers Rick Barkovich and Theoren Fleury each had two goals for the Golden Eagles.Game three of that series, April 13&rdquo; in Peoria, was preceded by a series of five fights during the warmup. When the damage was assessed, 136 minutes in penalties were dispensed, including eight game misconducts, four against each club. Peoria won 5-2. &#9632;

f0026-01

Spirited Flint Upsets Favored Lumberjacks

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Bob Wagner</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03394/5613827-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="153" height="132"></div>Flashy Muskegon Lumberjack blueliner Phil Bourque was surprised to learn he had won the Governors&rsquo; Trophy as the International League&rsquo;s outstanding defenseman for 1987-88.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a shock to me, if it&rsquo;s true,&rdquo; said the 25-year-old on hearing the news.It was true.Bourque succeeds Fort Wayne veteran Jim Burton, whom IHL coaches voted top defenseman the previous two seasons, and was the Komets&rsquo; leading scorer this season with 87 points (13-74).Bourque made a definite impact this season, scoring 52 points (16-36) in 52 games for the Lumberjacks. That he missed 30 games while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins didn&rsquo;t deter his supporters.Bourque, not related to Boston Bruin star Ray Bourque (last year&rsquo;s Norris Trophy winner as the NHL&rsquo;s top defenseman), produced 16 points (4-12) in 21 games for Pittsburgh.The IHL also announced winners of two other awards for 1987-88.John Cullen, record-scoring center of the Flint Spirits, and Ed Belfour of Saginaw, the league&rsquo;s winningest goaltender, shared the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as outstanding rookie. And Flint center Dan Woodley won the Ken McKenzie Trophy as outstanding American-born rookie. In both cases, winners were voted on by league coaches.Cullen, 24, had 109 assists and 157 points in 81 games to shatter IHL records in both categories. Both marks, of course, were new standards for a rookie.Belfour, 23, won 33 games for the Hawks, while posting a 3.19 goals-a against average and an.892 save per centage.The 20-year-old Woodley, born in Oklahoma City, Okla., had 66 points (29-37) in 70 games for the Spirits this season.Other major awards, including the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy for most valuable player, Commissioners&rsquo; Trophy for coach of the year and Andy Mulligan Trophy for outstanding executive, will be announced before the playoffs are over.No presentation ceremonies are planned, said IHL director of information Mike Myers. &#9632;

f0026-03

Rearguard Bourque Tops In The League

<div class="byline">BY KARLO BERKOVICH Editorial Staff</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02423/5613872-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="568" height="139"></div>Peterborough Petes showed their age during the first two games of the Ontario League championship series.So did the Windsor Spitfires.And the Petes gained new respect for their elders. The Spits, who feature 15 players in their final year of junior hockey, took a 2-0 lead into game three April 26 at Windsor. The Emms Division-champion Spitfires opened the best-of-seven series with a 7-4 win at home before beating the Petes 5-3 at Peterborough.&ldquo;Whenever the score is close they (Windsor) respond because their experience comes through,&rdquo; said Petes&rsquo; coach Dick Todd, whose club has 15 players aged 16 or 17.Todd said experience accounted for the fact Windsor&rsquo;s David Haas (a three-year veteran) scored with two seconds left in what had been a scoreless first period in game one. Haas killed Peterborough with three goals in the 7-4 win.Inexperience, Todd said, was the leason Peterborough blew numerous 2-on-1 and 3-on-1 breaks while being outscored 3-0 in the second period of game two.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01647/5613865-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="587" height="807"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marc Saumier had five points as Hull won the first game of the Quebec League final.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We have to play less of an anxious game,&rdquo; Todd said. &ldquo;We have to play a smarter game, get back to playing a confident game.&rdquo;The Spitfires, meanwhile, were brimming with confidence. They were 10-0 in the playoffs and two more victories would earn them a berth in the Memorial Cup May 7 to 14 in Chicoutimi. Que.<h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>Kamloops Blazers keep running into hot goaltenders.They overcame the spectacular play of Spokane Chief Troy Gamble in winning the Western League&rsquo;s West Division best-of-nine final series 5-2.Enter Medicine Hat Tiger puckstopper Mark Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick blocked 73 of 75 shots as the defending Memorial Cup-champion Tigers whipped Kamloops 4-1 and 5-1 in the first two games of the best-of-seven league final.The Medicine Hat line of Trevor Linden, Rob Dimaio and Mark Pederson combined for five goals and five assists in the first two games.Meanwhile, the Tigers got physical with Blazer defenseman Greg Hawgood and right winger Mark Recchi. holding Recchi scoreless and Hawgood to one assist in the first two games. Before facing Medicine Hat, the5-foot-8, 180-pound Hawgood had nine goals and 11 assists in 10 playoff games while Recchi, a5-foot-10, 185-poundcr, had six goals and 19 assists in 11 games.&ldquo;We want them to know they&rsquo;re in a series,&rdquo; said Medicine Hat coach Barry Melrose. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a big team, but also a very mobile team, and they haven&rsquo;t had to deal with that.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03270/5613858-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="591" height="810"><figcaption class="caption-body">Greg Hawgood was held to one assist as Kamloops fell behind Medicine Hat.</figcaption></div>The Tigers would have to deal with three straight games in the Kamloops Memorial Arena beginning April 28 as the WHL followed a 2-3-2 format for the final series.<h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>The Drummondville Voltigeurs&rsquo; first win of the season against the Hull Olympiques came at an opportune time&mdash;the second game of the Quebec League final.The LeBel Division-champion Olympiques won the first game 7-5 at Hull behind the three-goal, two-assist performance of Marc Saumier.That win extended Hull&rsquo;s mastery over Drummondville to seven games, including a 4-0-2 mark in the regularseason series.But right winger Daniel Dore&rsquo;s two-goal, one-assist effort in game two paced the Volts to a 4-3 win.Hull coach Alain Vigneault, whose team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Laval in a seven-game LeBel final, was unconcerned. He said his team had yet to play its best.&ldquo;We came off a very emotional series with Laval, and we&rsquo;re not playing up to our proper level yet,&rdquo; he said.Vigneault was hopeful high-scoring forward Benoit Brunet (54-89-143 in 62 regular-season games) would return later in the final. Brunet had missed every playoff game with a shoulder injury. &#9632;

f0027-02

Petes Learn While Losing To Windsor

APRIL 18-24<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05125/5613948-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="361" height="471"><figcaption class="caption-body">JEAN-PAUL GORLEY Windsor</figcaption></div><h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2>The 21-year-old forward scored two goals and three assists to help Windsor to victories in the first two games of the OHL final series against Peterborough. Gorley had seven goals and 10 assists after 10 playoff games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0696/5613941-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="358" height="469"><figcaption class="caption-body">DANIEL DORE Drummondville</figcaption></div><h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>The 17-year-old Drummondville right winger had two goals and three assists as the Voltigeurs split the first two games of the Quebec League final series with Hull. Dore had five goals and 10 assists after 12 playoff games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0780/5613934-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="359" height="470"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARK FITZPATRICK Medicine Hat</figcaption></div><h2>WESTERN LEAGUE</h2>The 19-year-old Medicine Hat goaltender stopped 73 of 75 shots as the Tigers won the first two games of the WHL final series against Kamloops. Fitzpatrick had a 3.25 goals-against average after 12 playoff games. &#9632;

f0027-05

MEGA JUNIOR PLAYERS 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/f0028-01671/5613979-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="179" height="134"></div>Greg Hawgood&rsquo;s flight through the friendly skies forced a crash landing on his Kamloops Blazer teammates.Defenseman Hawgood missed games three and four of the best-of-nine Western Division final with the Spokane Chiefs when he flew 3,000 miles to join the Boston Bruins as an emergency replacement for the fifth game of Boston&rsquo;s Adams Division semi-final with the Buffalo Sabres on April 12. The Bruins were without defensemen Al Pedersen, Bruce Shoebottom and Reed Larson for the game.While Hawgood played a handful of shifts in the game, the Blazers lost both games of their series in Spokane. 3-0 on April 12 and 7-4 the next night.When Hawgood returned to the lineup. Kamloops won the next two games to take a commanding 4-2 series lead.&ldquo;It was unfortunate timing,&rdquo; said Kamloops coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;Greg was playing so well (five goals and two assists in the first two games of the series), I really thought we had a chance to win in Spokane. But without him, and with that damned (Spokane goalie Troy) Gamble, our chances were slim and none. And slim just left town.&rdquo;Although he dreads the thought, Hitchcock is aware he may lose Hawgood again before the Blazers&rsquo; playoff season ends. &ldquo;We have to deal with that reality,&rdquo; said Hitchcock. &ldquo;With Boston and Montreal playing (in the Adams Division final series), it can be like World War VI. You never know what can happen.&rdquo;<h2>WORTHY BAD BOY</h2>Spokane general manager Bob Strumm said defenseman Link Gaetz&rsquo;s recent suspension by the team shouldn&rsquo;t hurt his stock in the NHL draft June 11 in Montreal.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a handful and he needs direction, but the NHL is very interested,&rdquo; said Strumm. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve watched this league for 20 years and, without question, he&rsquo;s in a class with the all-time tough guys. The NHL sees him as another Bobby Probert (Detroit Red Wing right winger). He&rsquo;s come miles this year as a person and a player. The problem is he had a lot farther to go than most.&rdquo;Gaetz was suspended by the team for undisciplined play and missing a team meeting after the second game of the Western Division final on April 9. Strumm said Gaetz will not be reinstated this season.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been given a lot of chances to play with more discipline on the ice and with more discipline off the ice,&rdquo; said Strumm. &ldquo;The thing that finally led to the suspension (the missed team meeting) wasn&rsquo;t a major thing. It was the culmination of a number of things.&rdquo;Gaetz has been suspended four times by the league this season for a total of nine games, six of those meted out for the five game misconducts he accumulated by Feb. 22. The other three games were for a match penalty for slashing on March 9.He was suspended once before by the Chiefs, a two-game suspension on Jan. 31 for improper conduct off the ice.In 59 games with the Chiefs this season, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Gaetz had nine goals, 20 assists and 506 penalty minutes. In the first two Western Division final games against Kamloops, Gaetz had seven minors, a major, a misconduct and game misconduct.<h2>PEDERSON POWER</h2>Medicine Hat Tiger left winger Mark Pederson&rsquo;s game-winning goal in game two of the Eastern Division final April 13 against the Saskatoon Blades broke the WHL&rsquo;s career mark for playoff goals. Pederson&rsquo;s 42nd playoff marker surpassed the old mark of 41 by former Flin Flon Bomber Reg Leach, who did it in 50 games between 1967 and 1970. Pederson did it in 63 games&hellip;In game three of the Eastern final, the Tigers&rsquo; Trevor Linden scored seven seconds into the game, establishing a new mark for the fastest goal in a playoff game. The old mark of eight seconds was established by the Blades&rsquo; Perry Ganchar in 1983 and Darren Galley of the Regina Pats in 1981. &#9632;

f0028-01

Hawgood’s Flight Plans Unsettle Kamloops

<div class="byline">BY RICK MAYOH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02477/5614010-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="180" height="133"></div>Were the Quebec League intent on being thrifty, it could save itself a lot of time and money on a championship series.Before the puck was even dropped in the best-of-seven final between Hull Olympiques and Drummondville Vol-tigeurs, both teams had qualified for the Memorial Cup, May 7-14 in Chicoutimi, Que.But neither team was looking past the final.&ldquo;When we started the year, our No. I objective was to win the league championship,&rdquo; said Olympique coach Alain Vigneault. &ldquo;We want those championship rings.&rdquo;Volts&rsquo; coach Jean Begin, who coached Hull in 1982-83, agreed.&ldquo;I think it will be the same for us,&rdquo; said Begin.The Memorial Cup rotates through the Quebec. Ontario and Western Leagues. This year it&rsquo;s the QMJHL&rsquo;s turn and the board of governors opted for a four-team tournament, with two representatives&mdash;the overall regularseason points champion and the playoff champion&mdash;participating. If the regular-season champion also made it to the playoff final, the league ruled the other playoff finalist would qualify for the Cup.Hull advanced to the Cup by capturing the regular-season title. Drummondville qualified when the Olympiques reached the league final. Hull rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Laval Titan 4-3 in the LeBel Division final.<h2>SAUMIER PLAYER OF YEAR</h2>The QMJHL selected Hull center Marc Saumier its player of the year.Saumier, 20, was third in league scoring with 166 points (52-114) in 59 games. He led playoff scoring (12-2436 in 12 games) heading into the league final.<h2>HIGH-SCORING CATS</h2>Drummondville&rsquo;s4-1 elimination of Shawinigan Cataractes 4-1 in the Dilio Division final ended a prolific era.&rdquo;Shawinigan linemates Patrice Lefebvre and Stephan Lebeau, both 20, finished their junior careers as the all-time leading scorers in major junior hockey.In four seasons, the 5-foot-5, 165-pound Lefebvre scored 187 goals and a record 408 assists for 595 points. The right winger intends to play in Europe next season.Lebeau, 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, signed with Montreal Canadiens as a free agent and may play for Sherbrooke of the American League next year. The center scored 281 goals and 299 assists for 580 points. &#9632;

f0028-02

QMJHL Cup Representatives Settled Before Championship

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02400/5614041-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="584" height="698"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit&rsquo;s Shawn Burr suffered a concussion in a collision during practice.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01578/5614048-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="177" height="137"></div>DETROIT&mdash;Detroit Red Wing coach Jacques Demers was coaching with his fingers crossed, trying to cope with the loss of center Shawn Burr.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to have Shawn Burr back,&rdquo; Demers said April 24, between games three and four of the Red Wings&rsquo; best-of-seven Norris Division final with the St. Louis Blues. &ldquo;But I know we can&rsquo;t force him back.&rdquo;Burr, who anchors Detroit&rsquo;s top checking line with wingers Brent L\shton and Tim Higgins, suffered a concussion in a frightening collision with teammate Rick Zombo in practice April 20. Burr missed games two and three, April 21 and 23, and Demers was hoping he would return for game four April 25. Detroit led the series 2-1.He didn&rsquo;t return, even though team physician Dr. John Finley gave him a clean bill of health.&ldquo;Physically, he&rsquo;s ready, but mentally he&rsquo;s not,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got to get it out of his system that he&rsquo;s nervous about coming back. He took a heckuva hit there.&rdquo;On April 24, Burr said he was still feeling a little woozy,&rdquo;like I should have drank 10 beers to get to feeling this way.&rdquo;He said he was still having trouble reacting to certain situations on the ice.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d see a rebound, but before I could do anything about it, the puck was already by me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of hard to explain&hellip;&rdquo;&ldquo;Burr&rsquo;s presence in the lineup makes coaching so much easier,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;Right now, I&rsquo;m limited in my strategy. All I have is two centers (John Chabot and Adam Oates).&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to have Shawn Burr back, no question. You don&rsquo;t realize how valuable he is to this team until you don&rsquo;t have him in there.&rdquo;NOTES&mdash;Red Wing coach Jacques Demers said he is flattered he&rsquo;s being mentioned as a candidate for the general manager&rsquo;s job with the Quebec Nordiques, but added he&rsquo;s not interested and has not been contacted by the Nordiques. Demers coached Quebec for two seasons, from 1978 to 1980. He said he&rsquo;d like to be a general manager but not right now. &ldquo;A GM&rsquo;s job wil I come one day,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Owner Mike Hitch gave injured center Steve Yzerman a $50,000 bonus for scoring 50 goals. Yzerman, who tore ligaments in his knee March 1, was still two weeks away from recovery.Demers didn&rsquo;t have kind words to say about St. Louis left winger Jocelyn Lemieux and his facemask after Red Wing right winger Dave Barr cut his hand on Lemieux&rsquo;s shield, during a fight in game one April 19. &ldquo;I have no respect at all for Lemieux, and you can write that,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;You want to fight, take off that damn mask. In two years, he&rsquo;s fought a lot of our players, and he always keeps that mask on&hellip;I&rsquo;ll tell you one thing, I wouldn&rsquo;t let (Bob) Probert or (Joe) Kocur wear one. If you want to go out and stick people and fight, take the damn helmet off.&rdquo;<h2>RED WINGS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Adam Oates, John Chabot, Mel Bridgman.LW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Petr Klima, Brent Ashton, Joe Murphy.RW&mdash;Bob Probert, Dave Barr, Tim Higgins, Jim Nill, Joe Kocur.LD&mdash;Doug Halward, Lee Norwood, Harold Snepsts, Steve Chiasson, Jeff Sharpies.RD&mdash;Rick Zombo, Gilbert Delorme, Jim Pavese, Mike O&rsquo;Connell, Darren Veitch.G&mdash;Greg Stefan, Glen Hanlon.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Shawn Burr, C, concussion, day-to-day.Sam St. Laurent, G, knee, out for season.Steve Yzerman, C, knee, May 15. &#9632;

f0029-02

Demers Needs Burr In Opponents’ Saddles

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03262/5614079-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="178" height="135"></div>BLOOMINGTON, Minn.&mdash;Frantisek Musil has always used just one method to measure personal success. But under those guidelines, his second NHL season was a bust.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really hard year to judge because I was always brought up as a team player,&rdquo; said the Minnesota North Star defenseman, who defected from Czechoslovakia in 1986. &ldquo;You can only be happy if the team does well.&rdquo;That philosophy leads only to trouble when you play for the NHL&rsquo;s worst team. It can also be inaccurate. Granted, Musil has yet to fulfil the enormous expectations of scouts, but there was improvement in his second season.Considering his surroundings, two of his accomplishments were notable. While the North Stars were piling up 495 man-games lost to injury and ill ness, Musil was one of only two Stars&mdash;Basil McRae was the other&mdash;to play all 80 games. And on a team that allowed 107 more goals than it scored, Musil was the team leader in plusminus with a minus-2.&ldquo;T guess I can be pleased in one way because I made an improvement and I felt a lot more comfortable this season, both on and off the ice,&rdquo; Musil said.Musil improved his offensive statistics from two goals and and nine assists in his rookie season to nine goals and eight assists this season. And although he still tried to charge around the ice too often, he showed signs that, given time, he will develop into a fine NHL player.&ldquo;I am and always will be a defensive defenseman,&rdquo; he said.Musil, 23, credited his improvement to a natural adjustment to North American life and hockey, and to the North Stars&rsquo; November acquisition of defenseman Curt Giles. Giles, a nine-year veteran who replaced the injured Craig Hartsburg as team captain, was Musil&rsquo;s roommate.&ldquo;He really gave me a lot of confidence on and off the ice,&rdquo; Musil said. &ldquo;I felt I could talk to someone besides my close friends at home. He made me feel at home.&rdquo;And after a few days rest at home, Musil was back working out, thinking about the summer and next season. He took a job as a maintenance man at a local park to keep himself busy and, after a brief Florida vacation, he planned to take summer courses at a local private college.NOTES&mdash;The Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; front-office shakeup brought Pens&rsquo; GM Eddie Johnston on to the list of candidates for the North Stars&rsquo; GM job. Team president Lou Nanne said he would &ldquo;strongly recommend&rdquo; Johnston if owners George and Gordon Gund asked him for an opinion. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;d also strongly recommend four or five (other) candidates,&rdquo; Nanne said. Nanne said he didn&rsquo;t expect a new GM would be hired until June, probably after the draft&hellip;Nanne went to Florida to negotiate with the agent for Czech national team center Dusan Pasek, whom Nanne hoped to have in a Stars&rsquo; uniform next season. But the deal may have hit a snag because, Nanne said, Czechoslovak officials demanded financial compensation for the Stars&rsquo; signing of Frantisek Musil two years ago. Nanne hoped to travel to Czechoslovakia in May to complete the arrangement&hellip;The Stars will open the 1988-89 regular season Oct. 6 at home against St. Louis. Among their exhibition games will be meetings in Saskatoon against the Canadian national team, in Sacramento against Vancouver, and in Kalamazoo, Mich, (where the Stars will spend the first 10 days of training camp) against Winnipeg and Chicago. &#9632;

f0029-03

While Stars Slid, Musil Improved

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01661/5614155-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01610/5614148-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="3069" height="1884"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

NHL PLAYOFF REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02423/5614186-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0031-02

STANLEY CUP SCOREBOARD

<h2>Mon., Apr. 18</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01645/5614329-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="582" height="404"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02472/5614322-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="589" height="440"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03322/5614315-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="589" height="702"></div><h2>Tue., Apr. 19</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04204/5614308-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="601" height="1401"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05138/5614301-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="588" height="212"></div><h2>Wed., Apr. 20</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06107/5614294-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="605" height="1902"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0788/5614287-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="368" height="92"></div><h2>Thur., Apr. 21</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0876/5614280-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="611" height="2017"></div><h2>Fri., Apr. 22</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01573/5614273-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="602" height="1610"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02410/5614266-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="594" height="956"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gord Kluzak&rsquo;s empty-net goal iced a 2-0 Boston victory over Montreal.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03299/5614259-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="582" height="533"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04237/5614252-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="577" height="238"></div><h2>Sat., Apr. 23</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05194/5614245-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="594" height="1339"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06162/5614238-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="588" height="954"><figcaption class="caption-body">New Jersey&rsquo;s Mark Johnson scored four goals in a 10-4 rout of Washington.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07145/5614231-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="579" height="350"></div><h2>Sun., Apr. 24</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08120/5614224-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="573" height="145"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-09103/5614217-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="591" height="1641"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-10" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1095/5614360-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0033-10

The Hockey News Classified (416) 445-5702

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01657/5614391-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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The Hockey News SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY LARRY HUMBER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01622/5614429-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. He succeeded Harry Neale as coach of the Canucks.4. He was drafted in the first round by the Bruins in 1984, Dave.7. Fold under.8. British Columbia birthplace of former Flyers Jim and Joe Watson.10. Veteran Flame, a Nova Scotia native (2,8).12. This former Whaler was named Hobey Baker Award winner in 1983, Mark&mdash;.13. He succeeded Scott Bowman as the NHL&rsquo;s coach of the year in 1978.14. Raw, untested.18. Non-professionals.19. Red Wing drafted seventh overall in 1984.20. First name of the Caps&rsquo; general manager.21. Michigan State-educated Oiler.<h2>DOWN:</h2>1. Quebec&rsquo;s first choice in the 1985 draft, David.2. Jacques Plante was among the first to sport one.3. The Islanders&rsquo; director of scouting.4. One of eight Canadiens named Corin Smythe Trophy winner (7,3).5. The Whalers&rsquo; Gavin.6. He netted the first of four Cup-winning goals for the Islanders.9. He replaced Doug Carpenter as Devils&rsquo; coach midway through the 1987-88 season.11. The Red Wings&rsquo; arena (3,5).12. A center, left winger or right winger.15. Veteran blueliner Kotso-poulos.16. Netminder Puppa.17. Former Penguin, Leaf and Seal netminder Edwards.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1191/5614422-1-eng-US/f0033-112.jpg" title="f0033-11" width="565" height="563"></div> &#9632;

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CROSSWORD

<h2>20 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; coach Toe Blake announced his retirement, moments after the Habs beat St. Louis Blues 3-2 to complete a4-0 sweep of the Stanley Cup final. &ldquo;This is my last year,&rdquo; Blake said. &ldquo;The tension is too much&hellip;I&rsquo;m quitting, for good.&rdquo; Blake coached the Canadiens for 13 seasons, winning eight Stanley Cups.&bull; Chicago Blackhawk center Stan Mikita was named winner of the Hart and B-ady Byng trophies for the 1967-68 season. Mikita, 27, also won his second straight Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer. It was the second consecutive season Mikita won all three awards. Other award-winners were Boston Bruin center Derek Sanderson, rookie of the year, and defenseman Bobby Orr, best defenseman. It was the first time in 27 years two Boston players won trophies in a single season.<h2>10 YEARS AGO:</h2>&bull; The Pittsburgh Penguins lost $2.3 million during the 1977-78 season and principal owner Edward DeBartolo. Sr., who acquired his majority interest in the team midway through the season, wasn&rsquo;t too happy. He called the team, which finished 25-37-18 and out of the playoffs,&rdquo;a bunch of babies.&rdquo;&bull; Swedish stars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson made their final games in Winnipeg Jet uniforms triumphant appearances as they led the Jets to the World Hockey Association&rsquo;s Avco Trophy championship. Winnipeg swept their best-of-seven final with the New England Whalers 4-0, taking the final game 5-3. Hedberg had two goals and two assists in the game, while Nilsson contributed three assists. The pair joined the NHL&rsquo;s New York Rangers the next season. &#9632;

THIS WEEK…

<div class="byline">BY HOWARD BERGER</div>When Bryan Campbell reflects on his 11-year career in pro ockey the names Bobby Hull and Derek Sanderson come to mind most prominently.Campbell began his pro career with the expansion Los Angeles Kings in 1967-68. He played three seasons for the Kings before a trade sent him to the Chicago Blackhawks. Campbell, defenseman Bill White and goalie Gerry Desjardins went to the Windy City in exchange for defenseman Gilles Marotte, goalie Denis Dejordy and center Jim Stanfield in February, 1970.In Chicago, he centered a line with Bobby Hull and Chico Maki and he helped Hull move ahead of Montreal&rsquo;s Maurice (Rocket) Richard on the alltime goal-scoring list. The Golden Jet scored twice&mdash;goals No. 544 to tie the Rocket for second place behind Gordie Howe, and 545 to pass Richard&mdash;against Vancouver on Feb. 14, 1971.&ldquo;I assisted on both his goals that day and was so thrilled for Bobby,&rdquo; said Campbell, a Sudbury, Ont., native. &ldquo;He was such an unselfish player and he made me feel welcome when I was traded to the Blackhawks.&ldquo;That afternoon was the highlight of my NHL career.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03386/5614515-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="588" height="1121"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Campbell</figcaption></div>In 1972-73, Campbell jumped to the Philadelphia Blazers of the World Hockey Association&mdash;a team that included Johnny (Pie) McKenzie, Bernie Parent, and the irrepressible Derek Sanderson.The Blazers&rsquo; first home game&mdash;Oct. 13, 1972 against New England&mdash;was postponed because of poor ice conditions at the Philadelphia Civic Center.Campbell recalled Sanderson took charge of the situation&hellip;sort of.&ldquo;All the fans attending that first game were given a bright orange puck with the Blazers&rsquo; emblem on it,&rdquo; Campbell remembered.&ldquo;After the pre-game skate, the Zamboni went out and tore up whole chunks of the ice surface; there was no way we could play a game.&ldquo;Pie came in and said the game was cancelled and Derek, being the team captain, decided to go out on the ice and make a speech to the disappointed fans.&ldquo;They brought out a carpet for Derek and as soon as he started saying, &lsquo;Gee folks, we&rsquo;re sorry we have to postpone tonight&rsquo;s game,&rsquo; all the fans began throwing the orange pucks.&ldquo;They almost killed him!&rdquo;Campbell also played for Vancouver, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Edmonton in the WHA before retiring in 1978.He had 35 goals and 71 assists in 259 NHL games; 123 goals and 253 assists in 433 WHA matches.At 44, he lives in Florida and coowns Pickle&rsquo;s Pub in Pompano Beach, Fla., with former NHL coach and player Lou Angotti. &#9632;

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May 6, 1988

THE WAY WE WERE

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