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.

October 21, 1988

The Hockey News October 21, 1988

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div>The beginning of the Mike Keenan era was decidedly inauspicious as the Chicago Blackhawks stumbled to a 0-2-1 start. Included were home-and-home losses to Toronto by a combined score of 15-8.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not embarrassing, but I&rsquo;m not happy,&rdquo; said Keenan. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re letting the fans down, we&rsquo;re letting our teammates down, we&rsquo;re letting ourselves down.&rdquo;Keenan said the players were pressing, and he took some of the blame for the slow start.&ldquo;They want to win so bad,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re trying to impress. They&rsquo;re trying to start the season off well. They&rsquo;ve got themselves fairly tied up right now. They&rsquo;re making mistakes they normally wouldn&rsquo;t make.&ldquo;Certainly, the team has lost its composure in the last two days. Obviously, I have to take some of the responsibility because the team hasn&rsquo;t kept its focus. We have to go back to square one.&rdquo;The first game was promising, with 19-year-old rookie goalie Jimmy Waite making 31 saves at Chicago Stadium in a 2-2 tie with the New York Rangers in his NHL debut.&ldquo;He was fabulous,&rdquo; said Hawk defenseman Doug Wilson. &ldquo;To play that way in his first game, a 19-year-old kid&mdash;you can see why they picked him No. 1 (in the 1987 draft).&rdquo;&ldquo;I was really nervous, but confident at the same time,&rdquo; said Waite. &ldquo;But when I&rsquo;m nervous, it&rsquo;s good for me. When I&rsquo;m not nervous, I don&rsquo;t play so good.&rdquo;Some surprising things happened in the Toronto series. Keenan pulled Darren Pang from the Oct. 8 game in Toronto, inserted Waite, inserted Pang again and then pulled him for good&mdash;all in the third period. After the game, Keenan said the first move was because Pang wasn&rsquo;t playing well. The second switch was to give the power-play unit some extra rest.Keenan was unhappy with the popular, diminutive Pang, who finished third in rookie-of-the year voting in 1987-88.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to Darren,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;When he gets another opportunity to play, and I&rsquo;m sure he will, he has to prove it to us.&rdquo;The personable Pang was uncharacteristically subdued in his response.&ldquo;I guess I just didn&rsquo;t work hard enough,&rdquo; Pang said. &ldquo;I just have to work harder than that, and that&rsquo;s really all I have to say.&rdquo;But Keenan saw proof the Hawks&rsquo; problems were far more pervasive than goaltending. Waite was hit for eight goals the next night. In the three games, the Hawks allowed 23 powerplay opportunities. They gave up 107 shots on goal, more than 35 per game&mdash;almost exactly what they did last season, when they yielded more shots than any other NHL team.The one bright spot was a Denis Savard specialty in the opening game, when he spun three times away from Ranger checker Lucien DeBlois, circled behind the net, slid to the front and beat goalie John Vanbiesbrouck with a backhander.&ldquo;1 was killing time,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;I saw an opening going by the net. I thought their coverage was going to be all scrambled, and it was.&rdquo;But on the whole, it was the Hawks who were all scrambled.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011020/5489022-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="543" height="1292"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Savard scored a fancy goal against the Rangers.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s part and parcel of a long learning process,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;This team has to learn a lot about winning on the road and winning, period. It may or may not take some time. It depends on the moves we make with personnel, and the application of the people involved.&rdquo;<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 6: Mark LaVarre. RW. traded to Hartford for future considerations.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Denis Savard, Troy Murray. Mike Eagles, Mike Hudson, Jeremy Roenick.LW&mdash;Steve Larmer, Steve Thomas, Dan Vincelette, Glen Cochrane, Jim Playfair, Everett Sanipass.RW&mdash;Rick Vaive, Dirk Graham, Duane Sutter, Wayne Presley.LD&mdash;Doug Wilson, Gary Nylund, Marc Bergevin.RD&mdash;Trent Yawney, Keith Brown, Dave Manson, Bob McGill, Ryan McGill, Bob Murray.G&mdash; Darren Pang, Jimmy Waite.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

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THE NHL

PROMISE FADES QUICKLY FOR HAWKS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02482/5489800-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01596/5489793-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="3394" height="3946"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01571/5489786-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="3362" height="1267"></div> &#9632;

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NHL SUMMARIES

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DEPARTMENTS

TEAM-BY-TEAM RADIO-TV LISTINGS

<h2>NORDIQUES</h2>In the Nordiques&rsquo; 5-2 victory over Hartford Oct. 6, left winger Anton Stastny picked up the 600th point of his NHL career. It was his 596th NHL game and as of Oct. 10 he was four goals short of 250&hellip; Rookie defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn, the Nordiques&rsquo; first pick (third overall) in this summer&rsquo;s draft, and rookie center Joe Sakic, the Canadian junior player of the year for 1987-88, are both being used on the Quebec power play. Leschyshyn is 18 and Sakic 19.No word had been heard from defenseman Stephane Guerard, who left training camp Sept. 19, saying the stress and pressure of hockey was too much for him&hellip; The Nordiques made some inquiries about suspended Detroit Red Wing Petr Klima, but dropped them when the Wings asked for Michel Goulet in return&hellip; Right winger Gord Donnelly was sitting out the remaining six games of a 10-game suspension handed down March 27 of last season for hitting Pittsburgh defenseman Jim Johnson with his stick. Donnelly was eligible to return Oct. 20.<h2>BRUINS</h2>The Bruins&rsquo; home opener against Toronto Oct. 6 was moved up from 7:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to allow fans time to find a TV set and watch the second game of the Boston Red Sox-Oakland A&rsquo;s American League championship series. The baseball game started at 8:20 p.m. The Bruins sold out, nevertheless, with 14,451 in the stands&hellip; Andy Brickley, obtained from New Jersey in the waiver draft, replaced Bob Joyce on left wing with Ken Linseman and Keith Crowder and scored his first goal for the Bruins on a power play in a 6-2 win over Hartford Oct. 8.Joyce was injured during the Bruins&rsquo; 2-1 win over Toronto when he collided with Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; defenseman Brad Marsh. He received 10 stiches in his lip and a concussion. He was listed day-today&hellip; Left winger RobCimetta, Boston&rsquo;s first-round choice in last June&rsquo;s draft, was sent back to Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario League Oct. 4.<h2>SABRES</h2>Buffalo was without the services of right winger Mike Foligno in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 9. Initial reports were that Foligno suffered a hyper-extended left knee during a 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals Oct. 8. The injury was not seen as serious, but Foligno was to be examined again by Sabres&rsquo; physicians. His status was listed as day-today&hellip; Defenseman Calle Johansson was also injured against the Flyers. Johansson suffered a dislocated thumb and was listed as indefinite.The Sabres were awaiting the return of center Dave Andreychuk (80-30-48-78 last season), who missed the first three games of the season with a knee problem&hellip; The early part of the season was not good to the Sabres&rsquo; specialty teams. In the first three games, the Sabres went 0-for-14 on the power play and gave up shorthanded goals against Washington and Philadelphia.<h2>WHALERS</h2>When Arturo Torres would not testify against Terry O&rsquo;Reilly, the Connecticut State&rsquo;s Attorney office decided not to pursue third-degree criminal mischief and tampering with a motor vehicle charges against the Bruin coach. &ldquo;I guess I have a clean record,&rdquo; said O&rsquo;Reilly, who returned to Hartford without incident Oct. 8. When an illegally-parked car prevented the Bruins' bus from leaving the Hartford Civic Center for 30 minutes last April 2, O&rsquo;Reilly took action. Looking for keys, he smashed the window with a tire iron. Then he and six Bruins pushed the car out of the bus&rsquo; path and into traffic.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0376/5489938-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="555" height="732"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ex-Devil Andy Brickley scored his first goal for Boston.</figcaption></div>Right winger Scott Young needed 22 stitches to close a facial gash suffered when Boston defenseman Garry Galley&rsquo;s aluminum stick broke and a piece of the remains caught him above the right eye&hellip; Whaler owner Donald Conrad said he intended to look into how the $800,000 raised by the club for the University of Connecticut Health Center&rsquo;s Children&rsquo;s Cancer Fund was spent. A 900-page state report charged that hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds have, in violation of the law, been systematically steered into a private foundation.<h2>CANADIENS</h2>Mats Naslund, who suffered a mouth injury Sept. 25 in a pre-season game against Pittsburgh, sat out the season opener in Buffalo on Oct. 6, a 3-2 loss&hellip; Claude Lemieux drew the ire of coach Pat Burns when he was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, misconduct and game misconduct by referee Bill McCreary in the Canadiens&rsquo; home opener on Oct. 8 against Minnesota. Lemieux was protesting the lack of a penalty call after he took another of his dives&hellip; Bums has banned beer on the Canadiens&rsquo; post-game charter flights. &#9632;

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ROOKIES POWER NORDIQUES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011254/5488395-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="547" height="648"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Esposito</figcaption></div>Yeah, that's the ticket.In next week's issue of The Hockey News, we present our NHL ticket-price survey.Find out who has the most expensive seat in the house and who's the best bet for a cheap seat.Aside from the team-by-team look at prices, we'll get judgmental and decide which clubs give you, the fan, the best value for your dollar.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021022/5488388-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="546" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body">David Branch</figcaption></div>In our weekly interview, New York Ranger general manager Phil Esposito discusses what prompted him to give Hall-of-Farner Guy Lafleur a chance to launch a celebrated comeback.Plus, we have the first of a three-part series on the future of major junior hockey in Canada. Next week, it's an interview with Ontario League commissioner David Branch.All that plus much. much more in the Oct. 28 issue of The Hockey News. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

NEXT ISSUE

The Hockey News recently quoted Toronto Maple Leaf owner Harold Ballard, explaining why his team did not have a captain. &ldquo;Show me one example of a captain of any team in the league making a difference in the club,&rdquo; Ballard said.Ballard&rsquo;s contention that there is not a captain in the National Hockey League who makes a difference to his team is absurd. Rod Langway has had a tremendous effect on the success of the Washington Capitals. Hardworking Stan Smyl is the heart and soul of the Vancouver Canucks. Furthermore, the impact of former St. Louis Blue captain (and now coach) Brian Sutter cannot be underestimated.The Leafs' lack of leadership has certainly been a factor in their poor showing on the ice in recent years. It is about time Ballard took the 'C' out of the closet and put it on a deserving player's jersey.Sim Shapiro, Boston, Mass.<h2>FANS LEFT OUT</h2>All eyes have been on Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings lately, but the true hockey fans in L.A. deserve to be recognized too before they are forgotten. These diehards supported the Kings through unproductive seasons and some frustrating evenings at the Forum. However, this season will be different for them, because throngs of fickle fly-by-nighters, most of whom are ignorant of the game, will invade their territory because it is now chic.I speak from experience because I lived in Pittsburgh when this happened there. The Civic Arena today is littered with uninformed band-wagoneers who will lose interest once Mario Lemieux retires or is traded, and this is not a sin. What is sinful is the cold shoulder the hockey fans in Pittsburgh now receive from the Penguin organization.When the team was desperate, the real fans were there and the organization was grateful. Now, however, the team can be selective in granting admission to Penguin games and many true fans are being shut out.The most obvious victim is the 15-game season-ticket holder. He was once granted almost all of the benefits bestowed upon full sea or ticket holder (a scheme that quickly deteriorated after Lemieux's arrival) but now feels the Penguins' knife in his back. With cold indifference, the organization revoked his privileges, including a guaranteed seat, and forwarded a letter this season that basically said to not bother renewing if you were not upgrading to a full season plan-a message that obviously conveys sentiments very different from those of the pre-Lemieux organization.The L.A. Kings will hopefully exhibit more compassion for and appreciation of their faithful followers and will not ignore their years of loyalty.Pamela Ann Philips, East Boston, Mass.<h2>WAKE UP ESPO!</h2>Wake up Tony Esposito! If last-place Minnesota can't win with minor league goon Jay Caulfield, how is he going to help the Penguins? You would have been wiser to spend the $40,000 waiver price on unsigned and potential star Dave Capuano.Thomas West, Montreal, Que.<h2>NO FIZZ</h2>If the people at the Coca-Cola bottling company can change their minds and go back to the original flavor, why on earth can't the NHL do the same in their choice of networks which broadcast games?David Greenquist, Kalamazoo, Mich.<h2>THREE STOOGES</h2>Congratulations to Bob Probert for giving North America it newest comedy trio. Probert has succeeded in transforming the Red Wing troika of Ilitch, Devellano and Demers into the 1988 version of the Three Stooges.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011364/5488450-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="547" height="569"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Probert</figcaption></div>Make no mistake about it. He has transformed them all into stooges. Even after sub-par performances over the last few years, the exact number of which the public will never know. Even after numerous visits to rehab clinics. Even after promising to take medication. Even after agreeing to be bird-dogged by assistant coach Colin Campbell. Even after being sent to Adirondack and not reporting.In spite of all that, Bob Probert is still a member of the Red Wings. Gretzky's trade shows every player has a fair market value. Hopefully the Three Stooges will wake up and trade him before his market value diminishes to that of an empty six-pack.Tom Cummings, Granville, N. Y.Make your feelings known. Send your comments to. Letters, The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100. Don Mills, Ont., MJB 2R2. Include home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

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GIVEN BALLARD’S ATTITUDE, NO WONDER LEAFS STRUGGLE

<div class="byline">BOB McKENZIE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021107/5488488-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="504" height="620"></div>A new season &hellip; a new look.Just because The Hockey News is the bible of the sport doesn't mean it has to look like one.So as we enter our 42nd year of publication, THN has undergone an extensive facelift to dramatically-alter the look and feel of the international hockey weekly.By now, that should be as obvious as the nose on Tim Hunter's face, though we hope it's a little prettier.We went to design consultant Bob Torrans of Toronto, a veteran of the publishing industry who has left his mark on numerous publications-from TV Guide to our very own glossy magazine. Inside HOCKEY.We asked him to create a new and exciting look. We believe he delivered, though you will be the ultimate judge.Certainly, THN is no longer a victory of substance over style, which admittedly has been the case at times in the past.But even with our new-found emphasis on looking good, we haven't forgotten you want all the news and views from every level of hockey.You shouldn't be disappointed.As for new features, we've added a weekly interview with an NHL personality, starting this week with Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Doug Wilson. Next week it's New York Ranger general manager Phil EspositoAlso, there are four new notebooks&mdash;One for each NHL division-to go along with our first-rate columnists (Jay Greenberg and Stan Fischler every issue and Steve Dryden, Enc Duhatschck, Barry Meisel and Dave Molinari every other issue) and 21 NHL team reports, which include transactions, injuries and rosters.There will be an added emphasis on the voice of the fan with an expanded letters section and a variety of mini-features. such as Did You Know &hellip;, appearing throughout.We will continue to present the most comprehensive statistics package available not only for the NHL, but minor pro, major junior, college and international hockey.The weekly Minor Pro Report, Major Junior Report and U.S. College Report are back and we'll soon be introducing the monthly International Report.So while the package will undoubtedly be more attractive, we'll have all the same hard-hitting coverage that you have come to expect.Call it a stalemate of substance and style.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03712/5488481-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="698" height="842"></div>In December, we'll unveil THN Year-in-Photos, which as the name suggests is a pictorial retrospective of the calendar year 1988. In April, we'll return with the ever-popular THN Draft Preview, a comprehensive look at the 1989 NHL entry draft.As always. we're interested to get your reaction-good or bad- and suggestions concerning anything and everything we publish or produce. We invite you to send your comments to: Reader Reaction, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills. Ont. M3B 2R2. &#9632;

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COLUMNISTS

IT’S A NEW SEASON … … AND WE'VE GOT A NEW LOOK

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Elston

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>NHL expansion fever is gripping Milwaukee, where the 17,915-seat Bradley Centre has been opened by multi-millionaires Lloyd and Jane Petit. &ldquo;Hockey interest is so high that we sold out our NHL exhibition here (Oct. I, Edmonton vs. Chicago) two months in advance,&rdquo; says Phil Wittliff, general manager of the International League&rsquo;s Milwaukee Admirals. &ldquo;It was the hottest ticket in town since the 1982 World Series (Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals).&rdquo; Petit, the onetime play-by-play voice of the Chicago Blackhawks, has been talking NHL for more than a year, but the league has yet to decide whether it wants to balloon past the 21-club format. &ldquo;If they do,&rdquo; says Wittliff, &ldquo;we feel we have a nice package&mdash;responsible ownership, a first-class building and 13 years of IHL experience.&rdquo; Wittliff says he&rsquo;s not concerned that NHL talk will hurt his minor-league operation. &ldquo;Quite the contrary,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;It helps, because it raises the level of hockey interest in Wisconsin. By the way, we&rsquo;ll play two home games in Green Bay this year. And if we ever get into the NHL, Green Bay would be our natural farm team.&rdquo;<h2>VINDICATION</h2>Former Ranger GM Craig Patrick, now the athletic director at University of Denver, is admiring his once-mocked draft picks from afar. Tony Granato, Ulf Dahlen, Mike Richter, Darren Turcotte and Brian Leetch all were impressive in the Blueshirt camp, along with Patrick&rsquo;s other selections, Tomas Sandstrom, John Vanbiesbrouck and James Patrick. &ldquo;I got heat when I made a lot of those picks,&rdquo; the ex-GM says, &ldquo;and I understand why they were mocked. But I was making long-range picks, doing what I thought would be best for the Rangers. I expected to be around for a long time as well.&rdquo; Patrick says he likes the slower life in Colorado and being around his family, but hasn&rsquo;t ruled out a return to the NHL. &ldquo;I think about it (returning to the NHL) regularly,&rdquo; he says &ldquo;I learned a lot and now I&rsquo;m learning a lot about administration. But someday I&rsquo;d like to come back.&rdquo;<h2>GRETZKY WATCH</h2>Former Washington Cap Yvon Labre tells BLUELINES pressure will be the pivotal factor in determining Wayne Gretzky's future with the Kings. ''Wayne has never felt any pressure before," says Labre, "but he'll begin to feel it if the Kings start losing. And if they bomb then he'll definitely feel it. That could happen. The Kings have a lot of good young players but not the quality they have in Edmonton." &hellip; Two of the hockey-craziest campuses in North America are those of Wisconsin and Maine. Badger tickets were sold out in midsummer. Not only has Maine done as well, but the school tells BLUELINES it has "a long waiting list."<h2>PENSION RIP-OFF?</h2>Some Hall-of-Famers, including Blackhawk immortal Stan Mikita, are miffed over NHL pension benefits and believe they've been ripped off. Which is why enrolment in the NHL Alumni Association, headed by ex-Leaf Larry Regan, is growing. Regan tells BLUELINES his group is working with the league and the NHLPA in an effort to boost payments for stickhandlers who played prior to 1969. "I'm told that $5.4 million has been approved by the NHL governors," says Regan. "and that would be distributed among the players." Regan says technicalities have so far held up the money, and adds that he has no idea when it will be freed. "As Mikita says," Regan continues, "some of the players are getting old and they need the money now."<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011387/5488550-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="552" height="717"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Leetch</figcaption></div><h2>PAY TO PLAY</h2>Coaches get some strange requests for tryouts, but the Blackhawks &middot; Mike Keenan got one of the weirdest of all, from a Chicago-area stickhandler who wrote the coach and enclosed a check for $200. "He wanted a tryout and suggested I send the check to my favorite charity," says Keenan. "He added that there would be two more $200 checks on the way." Keenan wrote back that the roster was full and thanked him for the offer. "I returned the check and told him to end the check to his favorite charity." Herb Brooks, who will be a TV analyst this season, figures the North Stars are good for an 81-point season, compared with 51 under his coaching last season. "With Wayne Gretzky moving to Los Angeles, the North Stars have to pull off only one upset to get to the Stanley Cup finals," reasons Brooks. "They can beat Detroit, St. Louis and Chicago. The playoff structure is made to order for a team coming out of the Norris. All they have to do now is beat Edmonton which is minus Gretzky, and they'll find themselve in the finals." &#9632;

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HOCKEY INTEREST HIGH IN SUDS CITY

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011269/5488595-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"></div>The Stanley Cup will be settled before the final series this season. In the Smythe Division finals, probably.That&rsquo;s the majority opinion of a pre-season poll conducted by The Hockey News.Nine of 22 THN writers surveyed&mdash;one from each NHL city and editor-in-chief Bob McKenzie&mdash;picked the Calgary Flames to win their first-ever Cup. Eight of the remaining 13 said the Edmonton Oilers will win their third straight and fifth in six years.The two teams appear destined to meet in this year&rsquo;s Smythe finals. Last season, Edmonton dispatched the Flames in four games.Calgary correspondent Eric Duhatschek has the Flames winning the regular-season, the Smythe Division and the Stanley Cup, but doesn&rsquo;t have great confidence in his powers of prediction.&ldquo;On paper,&rdquo; he reasoned, &ldquo;the Flames look to have more talent one to 20 than anybody, but then that&rsquo;s what I said last year&hellip; and the year before&hellip; and probably the year before that, too.&rdquo;McKenzie is more certain in representing a contrary viewpoint.&ldquo;If last year taught us a lesson, it was to never count out a champion,&rdquo; said McKenzie. &ldquo;While the defending Cup-champion Oilers will dearly miss Wayne Gretzky, the remaining veterans&mdash;Messier, Anderson, Fuhr, Kurri and Lowe&mdash;will seize the opportunity to establish their place in history as the greatest team ever. That claim will be valid if the Oilers can win two consecutive Cups after losing Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky in successive years.&rdquo;He gets an argument from New York Ranger correspondent Walt MacPeek.&ldquo;Adding Doug Gilmour, Mark Hunter and Jamie Macoun creates awesome depth in Calgary,&rdquo; said MacPeek. &ldquo;Edmonton will regroup but not quite enough.&rdquo;Still, some writers remain respectful of the Oilers and retain misgivings about Calgary&rsquo;s goaltending.Four writers projected the Boston Bruins as Stanley Cup winners. Among them is Al Morganti, a somewhat suspect clairvoyant who covers the Philadelphia Flyers.He picked the Minnesota North Stars to reach the Stanley Cup final last year. The North Stars were the worst team in the NHL in 1987-88.Morganti admitted his faith in Boston is not necessarily a portent of good things to come. &ldquo;This won&rsquo;t make (Boston general manager) Harry Sinden feel good,&rdquo; deadpanned MorgantiThe Montreal Canadiens got Detroit correspondent Keith Gave&rsquo;s vote.Calgary, the choice of 18 writers to win the regular-season championship, held a 13-8 edge over Edmonton in voting on the Campbell Conference championship. Montreal outpolled Boston 12-7 in the Wales Conference.Division choices were Calgary, Detroit Red Wings (Norris), Montreal Canadiens (Adams) and New Jersey Devils (Patrick) by the narrowest of margins over Philadephia Flyers. The only opinion shared by all 22 writers was that Vancouver Canucks will finish last in the Smythe.In the Norris, trouble-filled Detroit is favored. New York Islander correspondent Barry Meisel said, &ldquo;Now we&rsquo;ll see how good a coach Jacques Demers really is.&rdquo; Meisel picked the Red Wings to finish on top.He chose Montreal in the Adams. &ldquo;The Bruins,&rdquo; said Meisel, &ldquo;will miss (defenseman) Gord Kluzak more than the Canadiens will miss (ex-coach) Jean Perron.&rdquo;And in the Patrick, he chose Philadelphia &ldquo;assuming all six teams don&rsquo;t finish 35-35-10.&rdquo;Eight others picked the Flyers to finish first. Only six picked New Jersey to win the pennant but their superior placement among other voters gave the Devils a one-point margin of victory.New Jersey attracted 104 points, Philadelphia 103 on a six-five-four-three-two-one scoring system.&ldquo;Any Patrick Division team can finish first or last,&rdquo; said Mike Perricone of Chicago. &ldquo;Everybody has holes and there is no first-place team.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02926/5488588-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="697" height="556"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux, below, will win the scoring race and MVP award while the Oilers, even without Wayne Gretzky, will retain the Cup&mdash;if they can get past the Flames.</figcaption></div>As for prognosticating individual trends and performances, Mario Lemieux is expected to firmly establish himself as the best player in the NHL.Lemieux won the scoring championship and was named most valuable player last year, but most consider the honors unavoidably tainted.And while he did not suffer a fate similar to Roger Maris in 1962&mdash;nobody put asterisks beside Lemieux&rsquo;s name in the 1988-89 Official Guide and Record Book&mdash;the Pittsburgh Penguin center has yet to receive complete endorsement as the NHL&rsquo;s premier performer.The reason? Wayne Gretzky, who was the defending seven-time scoring champion and eight-time MVP, missed 16 games last season.This year. Lemieux will leave no room for doubt, according to our poll. Eighteen of 22 pundits picked the fifth-year pro to win the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion. Four opted for Gretzky. Eleven of them like Lemieux&rsquo;s chances of winning the Hart Trophy as MVP. Eight prefer Gretzky.&ldquo;Lemieux will rewrite the record book,&rdquo; assured New Jersey correspondent Rich Chere. The current book is authored almost entirely by Gretzky, whose numerous records include most points (212) in a single season.Sophomore Rob Brown, Lemieux&rsquo;s right winger, has consummate faith in his linemate, who dominated the pre-season with 11 goals&mdash;five of them shorthanded&mdash;and nine assists in seven games. (Actually, it was six games and one period.)&ldquo;I thought when Gretzky set his (single-season) record nobody in the world would ever break it but playing day in and day out with Mario,&rdquo; said Brown, &ldquo;I know one day he&rsquo;s eventually going to break that and set records that will never be broken.&rdquo;Somehow it seems none of this is likely to trouble Gretzky, who probably relishes the role of underdog in Los Angeles. Nor does it worry Gretzky&rsquo;s new teammates, who have marvelled at his wondrous skills.&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t even seen him at his best yet,&rdquo; said defenseman Dean Kennedy, &ldquo;and he&rsquo;s setting up guys 12 times a night.&rdquo; In six exhibition games, No. 99 earned four goals and eight assists.Calgary correspondent Duhatschek believes Gretzky&rsquo;s sense of hockey history will help him overcome Lemieux. &ldquo;Gretzky needs 182 points to pass Gordie Howe on the all-time scoring list and it&rsquo;s a record he&rsquo;d like to get this year,&rdquo; said Duhatschek. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a routine season for him. For Mario, 182 is uncharted ground, he may reach it this season. Or maybe not.&rdquo;Gretzky entered his 10th season with 1.669 points. Howe's career total is 1,850.In the only other voting for individual awards, New Jersey Devils&rsquo; goalie Sean Burke was a landslide choice&mdash;earning support from 18 voters&mdash;as rookie of the year.&ldquo;What we saw in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Mac-Peek, &ldquo;was the real thing.&rdquo;Boston Bruin center Craig Janney received two votes, Quebec Nordique center Joe Sakic and Chicago Blackhawk center Jeremy Roenick one each.Tom Henshaw of Boston supported the local gunfighter.&ldquo;Janney and Burke will be far ahead in the rookie race,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;with Janney&rsquo;s 100-plus points attracting the voters&rsquo; attention.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011451/5488581-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="3382" height="3448"></div> &#9632;

f0005-01

OUR PICKS AND PANS

<div class="byline">BY JEFF HALE</div>Calgary Flame center Doug Gilmour and his wife Robyne filed a $4-million lawsuit Oct. 4 in St. Louis Country Court, charging a St. Louis couple with slander and libel in a suit they filed Aug. 30.Gilmour was accused of having sex with their 14-year-old daughter.The latest suit identifies the minor&rsquo;s parents&mdash;identified only as John and Mary Doe&mdash;and their attorney, Richard Schwartz. In addition, it seeks to dismiss Robyne Gilmour from the original suit.Gilmour was traded to Calgary Sept. 6 by the St. Louis Blues.<h2>CHL RULES</h2>The Canadian Hockey League has made several rule changes for the 1988-89 season. The changes are designed to speed up the game and eliminate stick infractions. Among them are:&bull; An automatic delay-of-game penalty to any goalie who shoots the puck directly out of the playing surface. Should the puck hit the glass and deflect out or be shot out of an area where there is no glass, a penalty will not be assessed.&bull; An automatic delay-of-game penalty to any team not on the ice or seen heading onto the ice when the clock is at 0:00 to start the second and third periods.&bull; Stricter enforcement of the two minute penalty awarded for the first player punching or shoving a player following a stoppage in play.&bull; A four-minute penalty for high sticking with intent to injure, even if no injury resulted. Depending on the referee's judgment, the penalty can be also be a major or match penalty.&bull; A two-minute penalty for the instigator of a fight, which can be increased to a major or game misconduct depending on the referee&rsquo;s discretion.&bull; An automatic game misconduct to a player receiving a major for spearing or butt-ending.<h2>CASE REMANDED</h2>The 12 Kent State hockey players charged in the Sept. 16 hazing incident&mdash;which caused the school to cancel its 30-game schedule for 1988-89&mdash;appeared in court Sept. 29, pleaded not guilty and were remanded to Oct. 11.Charged with underage consumption of alcohol are Timothy Evans, 19, Roger Gill, Jr., 19, Michael Gregorio, 19, John Petropoulos, 19, and Ross Antonini, 19. The legal drinking age in Ohio is 19 for beer and 21 for hard liquor. The five face possible sentences of six months in jail and $1,000 in fines.Charged with furnishing alcohol to minors are Kirk Aldridge, 24, and Timothy Presta, 21. They face a maximum sentence of six months in jail and $1,000 in fines.Charged with hazing arc Matthew Wiljanen, 20, Richard Carter, 20, Brian Dawson. 19, Phillip Doyle, 20, and Michael Busche, 21. They face a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.<h2>GAVIN&rsquo;S WAKE</h2>Fans of left winger Stew Gavin would not let him go quietly into the night, after the Hartford Whalers left him unprotected in the waiver draft Oct. 3.Minnesota North Stars made him the first player chosenBefore his final Whaler appearance, a pre-season game against the New York Rangers Oct. 2, about 500 people signed a petition protesting the decision to leave Gavin unprotected.Gavin, asked to play against the Rangers because of injuries, made his last game with the Whalers at Hartford Civic Center a memorable one. He went end to end to score an unassisted goal and earn the game&rsquo;s second star. In the locker room, afterwards, he broke down.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011296/5488626-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="544" height="800"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hartford fans were angry at the waiver loss of Stew Gavin.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I was stunned, floored when I found out I wasn&rsquo;t protected,&rdquo; said Gavin. &ldquo;An awful lot of emotions ran through my mind. I was humiliated, mad. But you regain a sense of pride when you hear somebody wants to take you right away.&ldquo;I really didn&rsquo;t want to leave Hartford. I thought I belonged. I obviously disagreed with their decision and I told (Hartford general manager) Mr. (Emile) Francis and (Hartford coach) Larry Pleau that.&rdquo;Pleau said the Whalers wanted youth, size, and aggressiveness, protecting 6-foot-4, 220-pound defenseman Grant Jennings (2-12-14 and 195 penalty minutes in 56 games with Binghamton of the American League last year) and 6-foot-4, 225-pound right winger Ed Kastelic (1-0-1, 78 PIM in 35 games with the Washington Capitals), both obtained in a trade with Washington. Jennings is 23, Kastelic, 24.The 28-year-old Gavin, 11-10-21 in 56 games last season, was a top penalty-killer and had 20 and 26 goals the previous two seasons.<h2>NO FIGHT RULING</h2>The NHL was dragging its feet on an investigation into the Sept. 24 preseason bench-clearing brawl between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils. Sixteen days later, no decision had been announced.The incident at Brendan Byrne Arena occurred at the end of the game and resulted in referee Bob Myers calling 220 penalty minutes. Earlier in the game. New Jersey defenseman Craig Wolanin cross-checked Ranger right winger Tomas Sandstrom and Ranger left winger Joe Paterson slammed Devil left winger Steve Rooney&rsquo;s head into the boards. Rooney, whose shoulder was injured, had not played since then.Wolanin and New Jersey defenseman Ken Daneyko were ejected from the game after Myers called high-sticking penalties on each of them.New Jersey right winger Brendan Shanahan and New York center Doug Wickenheiser were identified as first off their respective benches.<h2>GRETZKY BEST</h2>In a recent Canadian Gallup poll, 48 per cent of the respondents said Wayne Gretzky has been the top NHLer over the last 50 years.Former Montreal Canadien right winger Maurice Richard was favored by 15 per cent, followed by Gordie Howe (10), Bobby Orr (seven). Guy Lafleur (four), Bobby Hull and Jean Beliveau (three each) and Phil Esposito (one).Seventy-one per cent of respondents said criminal charges should be laid for violence on the ice.<h2>POWER FAILURE</h2>The Oct. 9 Ontario League game between the Niagara Falls Thunder and Guelph Platers was postponed because of a power failure with five minutes left in the first period&hellip; Czechoslovakian center Dusan Pasek listed Michael Jackson as the person he&rsquo;d give anything to meet. Asked to finish the sentence, "I wish I could stop,&rdquo; Liba responded, &ldquo;Missing the net when I try to score.&rdquo; Left winger Igor Liba, cut by the North Stars, listed his favorite rock band as The Scorpions. And if he had 30 minutes to talk with anyone in history, Liba said it would be with&mdash;you guessed it&mdash;The Scorpions&hellip; Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for steroids at the Seoul Olympics, attended the Toronto Maple Leaf home opener Oct, 8 as a guest of Leaf owner Harold Ballard. Johnson, accompanied by his parents, left at the end of the first period. &#9632;

f0007-01

GILMOURS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST ST. LOUIS COUPLE

<div class="byline">DOUG WILSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011384/5488657-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago defenseman Doug Wilson promises the Blackhawks will be better this season than last.</figcaption></div>Nothing says more for Doug Wilson&rsquo;s value to the Chicago Blackhawks than last season&rsquo;s numbers.He led all Chicago defensemen in goals (eight), assists (24) and powerplay goals (six), and was tied for most game-winning (one) and game-tying (one) scores. And he played only 27 games.Think the disappointing Blackhawks&mdash;who were smothered by St. Louis in the playoffs after a regular season nine games under .500&mdash;didn&rsquo;t miss him when he was sidelined with a shoulder injury? If Wilson&rsquo;s surgically-repaired shoulder remains A-l this season, the sky may again be the limit for the former Norris Trophy winner. Stan Fischler talks to the 30-year-old Wilson about his chances for another top-flight year in his 12th NHL season.THN: Ray Bourque is talking up a third straight Norris Trophy. Where does that leave Doug Wilson?DW: Sometimes the awards are a lot of crap. Take myself as an example. 1 honestly feel that the best year I ever had was the one following the year I won the Norris (in 1982). My goal this year, first of all, is to stay healthy and get back to the level I&rsquo;m capable of playing at, the level of Ray (Bourque), Paul (Coffey) and Scott (Stevens). But I find that the awards are often hype.THN: You missed 53 games last year. What does that do to your psyche?DW: You have to be patient because these things are not going to progress the way you want them to all the time. I talked to (Blues&rsquo; coach) Brian Sutter, who had a similar shoulder problem, and got some advice. He told me the surgery worked out well for him. He came back ready to go and it also gave him new insights into the game. It helps when you&rsquo;re distracted from the injury. My wife was expecting a baby at the time and we have two other kids, so that helps. But the worst part is not knowing whether you&rsquo;re going to play again and, in essence, not being part of the team. To stay positive I&rsquo;d tell myself that, &lsquo;Hey, I still have my health and that this (injury) won&rsquo;t affect me for the rest of my life.&rsquo;THN: Name the one person who has done the most for your career.DW: My wife, Kathy. We were married in 1981 and in 1981-82 1 won the Norris Trophy. After we got married, everything fell into place for me and she changed a lot of my perspectives, the way I look at things. She&rsquo;s my best fan.THN: With its foghorn, the loudest organ in the league and overhanding balcony, Chicago Stadium can be an intimidating rink for the Hawks as well as visitors. Does it make a difference to you as opposed to, say, playing at Vancouver&rsquo;s Coliseum?DW: When our fans get going, you&rsquo;ve got to check your heartbeat every once in a while. There&rsquo;s nothing in the league quite like the atmosphere in our building but, oddly enough, we didn&rsquo;t take advantage of that edge in the past five years. By that I mean that we didn&rsquo;t grind and show hard work, the kind that gets the fans going. If we play physically and show the good work ethic, the Stadium rocks. But when we didn&rsquo;t do that over the past few seasons, other teams would come in here and feel comfortable. We took the crowd out of the game. We have to change that this yearTHN: How upset were you over the firing of coach Bob Murdoch?DW: I didn&rsquo;t like to see it, but I&rsquo;ve been around the game long enough to know that it&rsquo;s a business and when a guy like Mike Keenan becomes available, well, business is business. You&rsquo;ve got to (make the move). Bob didn&rsquo;t think (the firing) was up front. He didn&rsquo;t think it was right. 1 think all any of us wants is honesty.THN: The talk after Keenan was hired was that many of your teammates were worried about his tough coaching reputation and that he&rsquo;d end the country-club atmosphere with the Blackhawks.DW: There was laziness. You look at our team on paper and we&rsquo;re a little above middle-of-the-road. We used to frustrate not only ourselves but the fans as well. We&rsquo;d lose to teams that were, talent-wise, not as good as us. We weren&rsquo;t playing up to our capabilities. Mike (helped) change that attitude before he got to Chicago Stadium&hellip; just from his reputation. Our team went into the season in the best shape it&rsquo;s been in since I&rsquo;ve played here. It&rsquo;s not even close. With Mike, guys who really want to play are going to play. In the past I don&rsquo;t think anybody had what Mike&rsquo;s got.THN: If you were asked to make one guarantee about the Blackhawks this year, what would it be?DW: Position-wise, I guarantee one thing&mdash;we&rsquo;ll be a lot better hockey team than we&rsquo;ve been in the last three years. &#9632;

f0008-01

‘MY GOAL IS TO STAY HEALTHY’

<div class="byline">JAY GREENBERG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011422/5488695-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="446" height="643"></div>I carry tablets of stone down from Mount Greenberg. On them are the teachings of Pierre Creamer, but now I catch you in the act of worshiping false idols: The Ram Tough Award.Listen up all you sinners out there. Here is The Word. Actually, it&rsquo;s about 900 of them, give or take a few, to set you straight on various and sundry topics that I have deemed of relative importance:&#9633; So they throw Dino Ciccarelli in the slammer for an hour because he freaked out on Luke Richardson. And now we have to endure more lectures about how if the NHL doesn&rsquo;t clean itself up, the civic authorities will have to take matters into their own hands.Puhhhhhleeeeeeez. It&rsquo;s hard to see how arbitrary enforcement&mdash;the New York fuzz was understandably tied up in other matters the night Dave Brown assaulted Tomas Sandstrom&mdash;will have any deterring effect on a game that has already been making a sincere attempt to eliminate stick fouls.There is another new rule this season that is going to cost teams good players for at least a game because of what will be nothing more than careless accidents. Has anyone who has been watching the tedious parade to the penalty box over the last two seasons&mdash;call after call after call that turn games into power-play contests&mdash;really questioned whether the NHL is trying to police itself?Let&rsquo;s go over this one more time: Hockey is a game played in a small space, at a high rate of speed, by people who carry sticks in their hands. It is also a sport that allows body contact. Thus the frustration level is high. And the temptation for players to snap a little and use these sticks on each other is, while not condonable, understandable to a certain extent.In the meantime, the macho posturing that has long been criticized in hockey&mdash;this covers everything from after-the-whistle shoves to John Kordic vs. Jay Miller, Round 576&mdash;has become almost as big a part of baseball. If a batter takes one in the ribs and doesn&rsquo;t go to the mound, he thinks he&rsquo;s going to get labelled a wimp and be sent to Hershey.And football? Recently, I saw a Minnesota Viking defensive lineman, Al Baker, end an after-the-whistle yapping session by blatantly, purposely, sticking his finger in Philadelphia tackle Ron Heller&rsquo;s eye. Heller suffered damage to his cornea, was completely blinded, hospitalized five days, and had missed one game and counting. He is expected to recover fully, thankfully.What I can&rsquo;t believe was the NFL&rsquo;s response&mdash;a one-game suspension of Baker&mdash;and the response to that response. Maybe because it was during the Olympics and everybody was in Seoul watching boxing riots, but I did not read a single columnist voicing righteous indignation.Which proves again that if you like football and baseball, you learn to overlook their faults. Fewer people like hockey, at least in the United States, so it is an easier target.Hockey is the only sport that allows players to try to do harm to each other without automatic ejection from a game. And although you can argue about how dangerous fighting really is or about whether it sells tickets or not, the concept of allowing it is virtually indefensible. It is beyond me how the owners can&rsquo;t see the obvious public-relations value of getting rid of it once for all.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021090/5488688-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="708" height="686"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Brown</figcaption></div>Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Ciccarelli and the courts. Fourteen years after that notorious felon, Don Saleski, was led out of Maple Leaf Gardens in chains, I hardly see Judge Sidney Harris&rsquo;s ruling in the Ciccarelli case as precedent-setting. Or that sport stands convicted of anything worse than one of its players briefly losing it.&#9633; Now that I&rsquo;ve washed the blood from my hands (just between you and me and all us closet neanderthals, I never saw a better one than the night Jim Kyte and Dave Brown beat each other silly), I must say something about a matter that deeply offends me: Seeing guys who can play a little bit being left off protected lists and then not being claimed in the waiver draft, because everyone is worried about having one more tough guy. Just in case.Best reason I can think of for getting rid of fighting. We&rsquo;re being serious now.&#9633; With the possible exception of Olympic weightlifting, absolutely the worst thing anybody has ever charged anybody else to watch is exhibition hockey. The combination of half-interested veterans, playing on lines with career minor-leaguers, and 20-year-old no-talents trying to slug their way onto teams during a sixth game in eight nights in eight different cities, makes for the most laborious three hours known to man.At the same time, the fact that some people come to see these games in Richmond and San Diego and Houston underscores a strong point made by all those letters to The Hockey News complaining about the NHL&rsquo;s switch from ESPN to SportsChannel. Hockey must be a great game to inspire such a loyal, devout following. &#9632;

f0010-01

HERE, SINNERS, IS A SERMON FROM THE MOUNT

<h2>FLAMES</h2>On Oct. 5, NHL president John Ziegler checked into Calgary to present the Flames with the President&rsquo;s Trophy, awarded to the NHL regular-season champions. Ziegler offered his opinion on a number of issues facing the game, including the suggestion violence sells hockey. Ziegler said &ldquo;anybody who would go to a game just to see a hockey fight (is) an idiot&hellip; If (people) come to see a fight, it&rsquo;s usually a waltz anyway. They probably see 10 seconds of players trying to get at one another&mdash;or pretend they are. If you pay $25 a ticket to see 10 seconds of that, then I think you&rsquo;re an idiot. I don&rsquo;t think that brings people to a game.&rdquo;The Flames&rsquo; opening-night crowd of 19,013 on Oct. 6 marked the first time since the team moved to Calgary in 1980 they didn&rsquo;t sell out the opener. Calgary tied the New York Islanders 4-4&hellip; The Flames sent defenseman Brian Glynn and goalie Doug Dadswell to Salt Lake of the International League Oct. 5. Calgary coach Terry Crisp said he wanted the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Glynn to be more aggressive&hellip; Dadswell lost his place to Rick Wamsley, acquired March 8 from St. Louis Blues&hellip; Defenseman Jamie Macoun played his first regular-season game since April, 1987 in Calgary&rsquo;s home opener. Macoun finished the 11-game pre-season with a plus-six rating, highest on the team.<h2>OILERS</h2>Oiler defenseman JeffBeukeboom was suspended for 10 games and cocoach John Muckier drew a five-game suspension as the result of an incident during the final pre-season game in Calgary Oct. 2. Beukeboom came on the ice following Glenn Anderson&rsquo;s goal during the Oilers&rsquo; 5-3 win, only to become involved in an altercation with Flame Joel Otto. &ldquo;All I&rsquo;ve got to say is if somebody cracks somebody over the head this year, puts them in the hospital and gets three or four games, that&rsquo;s ridiculous compared to what happened in Calgary," said Beukeboom. Muckier&rsquo;s suspension was automatic as coach of the offending player. &ldquo;The rule is good,&rdquo; shrugged Muckier. &ldquo;But, in this instance, it was too severe. When both teams are changing lines and there&rsquo;s an altercation, there&rsquo;s not much a coach can do. You&rsquo;re guilty and that&rsquo;s it.&rdquo;<h2>KINGS</h2>The Kings averaged crowds of 13,690 for first three games, up from 9,826 through three games a year ago&hellip; The shoulder injury that cost Bob Carpenter eight games last year and affected his play after his return&mdash;three goals in the final 28 games&mdash;has completely healed. Carpenter had two goals and two assists in his first three games&hellip; Goalie Rollie Melanson sprained his left knee against Detroit Oct. 6, prompting the Kings to recall Bob Janecyk from New Haven as Glenn Healy&rsquo;s backup.Left winger Phil Sykes, 29, wasn&rsquo;t on the L.A. protected list for the Oct. 3 waiver draft. He called the experience &ldquo;really humiliating.&rdquo; In 40 games last year, he was 9-12-21 and considered the consummate team player. On Oct. 4, Sykes was cut by the Kings. He was trying to hook up with another NHL team. The Chicago Blackhawks had shown some interest &hellip;Defenseman Dale DeGray, picked up from Toronto in the waiver draft, made his debut in the Kings&rsquo; 6-5 overtime win over the Islanders Oct. 9.<h2>CANUCKS</h2>Goaltender Frank Caprice lost the battle to be Kirk McLean&rsquo;s backup, even though he had a much better pre-season record than Steve Weeks. Caprice was 3-0-0 with a 2.40 goals-against average, Weeks 0-1-1 and 4.84. &ldquo;&hellip; In my heart I know I&rsquo;m and NHL goalie,&rdquo; said Caprice, assigned to Milwaukee of the International League Oct. 4. &ldquo;I just want a chance to play&hellip; The Canucks became embroiled in a squabble with Molson&rsquo;s Breweries when the beer company refused to let The Sports Network telecast the Los Angeles Kings-Detroit Red Wings opening-night game Oct. 6 from the Forum and received a lot of bad publicity. They relented and let Hockey Night in Canada show the Canucks&rsquo; Oct. 8 game against Detroit locally.The Canucks have a promotion in which the most aggressive player, as judged by team management on a game-by-game basis, receives a GMC vehicle at the end of the season&hellip; The Canucks will try a hockey platoon theory, shuttling extra players in and out of the lineup depending upon the opponent. In addition to right winger Rich Sutter and defenseman Jim Benning sitting out opening night, they also had defenseman Kevan Guy, right winger Ken Berry, right winger Ronnie Stern and defenseman Daryl Stanley watching.<h2>JETS</h2>When the Jets claimed left winger Dave Hunter from Edmonton in the waiver draft, it was the first time the team had obtained a player that way since former Canadien defenseman Serge Savard became a Jet in 1981. Hunter was immediately inserted on the fourth line, but played on Dale Hawerchuk&rsquo;s line in the team&rsquo;s second regular-season game Oct. 9&hellip; Alfie Turcotte finished the exhibition season as the team&rsquo;s No. 4 center but suffered a bruised sternum in the Jets&rsquo; final exhibition game Oct. 1 at Oakland, Calif. Turcotte was expected to miss 10 days and was replaced by versatile Randy Gilhen. &#9632;

‘YOU’RE AN IDIOT’ IF YOU ATTEND GAMES FOR FIGHTS—ZIEGLER

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011297/5488750-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky isn't Kings' captain, despite evidence to the contrary. He was just acting captain for an exhibition game.</figcaption></div>For two months, Wayne Gretzky has been saying that no player can turn an unsuccessful franchise into a winner all by himself.True, but Gretzky certainly was the catalyst behind the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; best start in their 22-year history. The Kings jumped out to a 3-0 record, in no small part due to the efforts of the Great One.&ldquo;My responsibility is to help the club win,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been real fortunate to have played on some great teams and to have won a lot of individual awards. But you haven&rsquo;t done anything until you&rsquo;ve had your name on that big silver cup. I&rsquo;ve been fortunate to get my name on it four times. Hopefully, I can get it on there "at least one more time here.&rdquo;No one is predicting a Stanley Cup championship for the Kings this season, not even after an emotional 8-2 thrashing of Detroit in the opener and consecutive 6-5 overtime victories over Calgary and the New York Islanders Oct. 8 and 9.But even Gretzky, who had four goals and six assists in his first three games as a King, was excited about how things were going.&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re going to surprise some people,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think we have a much better team than people think.&rdquo;Speaking of people, 16,005 jammed the Forum Oct. 6 for the opener, which proved to be an historic and festive occasion. It was the first time in team history the home opener attracted a sell-out crowd.During pre-game ceremonies in the darkened building, team broadcaster Bob Miller introduced owner Bruce McNall, the coaching staff and every Kings&rsquo; player. The team wore its new white, silver and black home uniforms for the first time.Gretzky was introduced last, to a thunderous ovation.&ldquo;I just didn&rsquo;t want to fall down,&rdquo; he said later.Then, after Steve Yzerman gave Detroit an early 1-0 lead. No. 99 scored the Kings&rsquo; first goal of the season with his first shot as a King.It came on a 5-on-3 power play at 12:54 of the first period. Dave Taylor, from the base of the left circle, slid the puck through the slot to Gretzky driving down right wing. Goalie Greg Stefan didn&rsquo;t have a chance to get over in time as Gretzky popped the puck into a half-open net.The crowd went crazy, of course, and before the evening was over Gretzky added three assists, two of them helping Luc Robitaille to his fifth career hat trick.&ldquo;The only other time I was this excited or this nervous was when I played in my first all-star game with Gordie Howe in the WHA, and then in my first all-star game in the NHL,&rdquo; said Gretzky, who added two goals and as many assists 48 hours later against Calgary.But the Kings&rsquo; most significant win came against the Islanders because they overcame a three-goal deficit and major high-sticking penalty to John Tonelli late in the second period.Trailing 5-2 in the second period, Gretzky and Bernie Nicholls scored 57 seconds apart as the period was winding down. Then the penalty-killers and Marty McSorley, with his second goal of the game, sent matters into overtime. Steve Duchesne provided the heroics by scoring his first of the season 3:17 into the extra period.The Kings went 1-3-8 in overtime games a year ago and 1-33-4 in games they trailed after two periods.&ldquo;This is a new team, a different team,&rdquo; said goalie Glenn Healy, who stopped 74 shots in two games. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a whole different year.&rdquo;<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Phil Sykes, LW, released outright.Oct. 7: Bob Janecyk, G, recalled from New Haven (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky. Bernie Nicholls, Tim Tookey, Ron Duguay.LW&mdash;Luc Robitaille, Bob Carpenter, John Tonelli. Paul Fenton.RW&mdash;Dave Taylor. Mike Krushelnyski, Marty McSorley, Larry Playfair.LD&mdash;Tom Laidlaw, Tim Watters, Wayne McBean, Ken Baumgartner.RD&mdash;Steve Duchesne, Doug Crossman. Dean Kennedy, Dale DeGray, Jim Hoff ord.G&mdash;Glenn Healy, Bob Janecyk.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mike Allison, C, sprained wrist, day-today.Jim Fox, RW, knee surgery, indefinite.Rollie Melanson, G, sprained knee, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0011-01

GRETZKY LEADS WAY AS KINGS FLY FROM STARTING BLOCKS

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div>Life continues on without Wayne Gretzky.But can the Edmonton Oilers continue to live in the lavish manner to which they&rsquo;ve become accustomed?The $64,000 question will be answered throughout the NHL&rsquo;s 80-game season. But, if opening night may be taken as an indication, the Oilers&rsquo; reign as Stanley Cup champions may not be terminated as quickly as some believe.The night after Gretzky launched a successful four-point debut with the Los Angeles Kings in a stunning 8-2 romp over the Norris Division-champion Detroit Red Wings, the Oilers raised their fourth Stanley Cup banner high into the rafters of the Northlands Coliseum.Only a few feet away, the Cup itself was also hoisted to the roof in what appeared to be a message to the 10 Oiler newcomers, six of whom suited up opening night: It&rsquo;s there to be won, but only if you reach above and beyond.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure there wasn&rsquo;t a person in this building not thinking about him (Gretzky) when the banner was being raised,&rdquo; said new captain Mark Messier, after the Oilers disposed of the New York Islanders 5-1 before a crowd of 17,322&mdash;180 shy of capacity in what is supposed to be the year of the boycott. The Oilers followed with a 5-4 win two nights later against the Winnipeg Jets, during which they overcame a 3-0 deficit.&ldquo;I was thinking what a great 10 years we had together, what good times we had on and off the ice,&rdquo; added Messier. &ldquo;I was thinking about the Cups, the camaraderie&mdash;just everything. He was a pretty big part of this franchise&hellip;&rdquo;Messier is one of only two players who opened the Oilers&rsquo; first NHL season 10 years ago in Chicago. The other is defenseman Kevin Lowe, Edmonton&rsquo;s first-ever NHL entry draft selection.&ldquo;Wayne made one point when he went to L.A.,&rdquo; said Lowe. &ldquo;It was not so much his talent that was going there. What he was trying to lend to the organization was a winning attitude.&ldquo;There are some great guys coming in here&mdash;Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas&mdash;with lots of talent. They might be able to generate a winning attitude.&rdquo;Lowe admitted the banner-raising ceremony had him choked up.&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s the first time that&rsquo;s happened to me,&rdquo; said Lowe. &ldquo;I was thinking, &lsquo;Man, we&rsquo;ve been through a lot.&rsquo; &rdquo;Then he thought of his old roommate&hellip;&ldquo;It also went through my mind that he might be watching on TV.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02964/5488781-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="543" height="678"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin Lowe wondered if Wayne Gretzky saw the Oiler opener.</figcaption></div>Craig Simpson seconded the motion.&ldquo;As much as we hate not having him here, we have to get on with our lives,&rdquo; said the 56-goal left winger. &ldquo;I think everybody&rsquo;s really separated it now. We have a job to do. I&rsquo;m sure everybody on this team watched him on TV for L. A. &rsquo;s opener. But he&rsquo;s not here. Past is past.&rdquo;<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Sept. 30: Free agent Reed Larson. D, signed contract.Oct. 4: Jeff Beukeboom, D, suspended for 10 games: John Muckier, co-coach suspended five games.Oct. 5: Mark Lamb, C. assigned to Cape Breton (AHL); Peter Soberlak, LW. assigned to Swift Current (WHL); Francois Leroux, D, assigned to St-Jean (QMJHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mark Messier, Jimmy Carson, Craig MacTavish, Doug Smith, Keith Acton.LW&mdash;Craig Simpson, Esa Tikkanen, Greg Adams. Martin Gelinas. Kelly Buchberger, Nick Fotiu.RW&mdash;Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Kevin McClelland, Normand Lacombe.RD&mdash;Craig Muni, Randy Gregg. Chris Joseph, Jeff Beukeboom, Reed Larson.LD&mdash;Kevin Lowe, Steve Smith, Charlie Huddy, Ken Hammond.G&mdash;Bill Ranford, Daryl Reaugh.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Sept. 29&mdash;Grant Fuhr, G, wrenched right knee, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0011-02

RAISING OF BANNER BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>It was as though the Pacific Coliseum slipped into a time warp. There it was, opening day and Harold Snepsts was playing like he'd discovered the elixir of youth. The veteran defenseman&mdash;he turned 34 on Oct. 24&mdash;was dashing about like a young buck and the Vancouver Canucks were loving it.The crowd, some 12,229 on opening night Oct. 6, cheered every shift. Every time he touched the puck they chanted, &ldquo;Har-old, Har-old.&rdquo;The tremendous showing by Snepsts, after stops in Minnesota (1984-85) and Detroit (1985-86 to 1987-88), didn&rsquo;t help the Canucks hang onto a 2-1 lead. A shorthanded goal by Teppo Numminen at the 1 9:00 mark of the third period gave the Winnipeg Jets a 2-2 tie. But teaming with Doug Lidster. Snepsts was out-standing.&ldquo;It felt great to hear the fans getting so involved,&rdquo; said Snepsts. &ldquo;I know the last couple of years when I came in with Minnesota and Detroit, the fans were incredibly quiet. Any time they can get involved like that, it has to be a help to us. It&rsquo;s nice to see the fans enjoy themselves like that.&rdquo;The Canucks&rsquo; fourth-round choice in 1974, Snepsts played 10 seasons with Vancouver before being traded to Minnesota for Al MacAdam in 1984. He then signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 1985 and played three seasons there before returning to the Canucks as a free agent over the summer.When the Canucks first gave Snepsts an offer, they weren&rsquo;t sure how much he&rsquo;d play or whether he&rsquo;d even make the team. But he had such an outstanding pre-season, it was as though he had no intention of making the one-year contract he signed turn out to be his last. He was also a stalwart in the Canucks&rsquo; second game, a 3-3 tie with Detroit, a game in which they surrendered a two-goal lead in the third period.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be taking it game by game really,&rdquo; says Snepsts. &ldquo;The only real problem I&rsquo;ve noticed now is playing the games back-to-back. I don&rsquo;t know how many times I&rsquo;m going to be able to get away with that. I guess I&rsquo;m playing a fair bit on emotion right now and I won&rsquo;t we able to do it all season. But I&rsquo;m enjoying it now.&rdquo;.&ldquo;We got Harold wondering whether he&rsquo;d be able to play 40 games but the way he was tonight I&rsquo;m going to want him for 80,&rdquo; said coach Bob McCammon of the No. I star on opening night.The first game also marked the start of right winger Trevor Linden&rsquo;s NHL career, Vancouver&rsquo;s first-round choice (second overall) in the 1988 entry draft.Linden didn&rsquo;t earn any points in his first two games.What really needs improvement is the Canucks&rsquo; power play, which went one-for-13 in the first two games. With Reinhart and Robert Nordmark on the points, the Canucks moved the puck well but they weren't getting enough shots.Two surprise sitters on opening night were right winger Rich Sutter and defenseman Jim Benning. Benning sat out the first two games while Sutter got the start in the second game over center Brian Bradley.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Frank Caprice, G. Darren Jensen, G. Randy Boyd, D, Paul Lawless, LW, Dan Hodgson, C, assigned to Milwaukee (IHL).Oct. 5: Trevor Linden, RW, signed contract.Oct. 6: Steve Veilleux, D, returned to Trois-Rivieres (QMJHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Barry Pederson, Brian Bradley, Rob Murphy, Greg Adams.LW&mdash;Rich Sutter, Petri Skriko, Steve Bozek. Todd Hawkins. Tony Tanti, Ken Berry, Daryl Stanley.RW&mdash;Stan Smyl, Jim Sandlak, David Bruce, Ronnie Stern, Trevor Linden.LD&mdash;Harold Snepsts, Jim Benning, Larry Melnyk, Paul Reinhart.RD&mdash;Doug Lidster, Garth Butcher, Robert Nordmark, Kevan Guy.G&mdash;Kirk McLean, Steve Weeks.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

SNEPSTS RAISES RAFTERS IN VANCOUVER

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div>One year ago, the Winnipeg Jets without Daniel Berthiaume would have been sunk, a floundering team destined for the National Hockey League scrap heap.The Jets opened the NHL season Oct. 6 without the 22-year-old Berthiaume and they did so by choice. The third-year goalie, No. 1 in the franchise last spring and at times a savior, was suspended Oct. 4 after failing to report to the Jets&rsquo; American League affiliate at Moncton, N.B.&ldquo;Daniel Berthiaume is suspended without pay until further notice,&rdquo; said a seething John Ferguson, Winnipeg general manager, just hours after Berthiaume failed to show up for his trip to the minors. &ldquo;We are not going to waste any more time with him. We are going to lock his equipment up, lock his skates and sticks and everything else until such time as he comes around and apologizes for his behavior.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to take any more of it.&rdquo;With that announcement, one of the most promising players in the Winnipeg organization was sent packing. Through 87 NHL games, Berthiaume had a 40-26-10 record and 3.39 goals-against average. Last season, he was 22-19-7 in 56 games, with two shutouts and a 3.51 average.Berthiaume and his agent, Larry Rauch of New York, demanded a trade once Berthiaume was demoted. Ferguson said there will be no deal.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re definitely not going to trade him. We have enough depth in our goaltending system between (Tom) Draper, (Bob) Essensa and (Stephane) Beauregard that he&rsquo;ll just have to do what he&rsquo;s told,&rdquo; said Ferguson. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a personal insult to the whole organization.&rdquo;Berthiaume can thank starting goalies Alain Chevrier, Pokey Reddick and&mdash;particularly&mdash;himself for his situation. The goalie wrote his own ticket to the farm.Other than signing a fat contract, Berthiaume did little over the summer to prepare himself for the season. The first time he took to the ice was the day training camp opened Sept. 9 and it showed.By the end of the exhibition season, Berthiaume was No. 3 at best. While his play would have been good enough to secure employment last year, the arrival of Chevrier from the New Jersey Devils and the resurgence of Reddick meant Berthiaume had to go.He maintains he wasn&rsquo;t given an opportunity to show what he could do in the regular season. The Jets weren&rsquo;t about to take that risk.Rauch blamed himself for not defusing the situation earlier and said he expected a long stand-off.&ldquo;This is between two strong-willed, high-strung people,&rdquo; Rauch said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying not to inflame it in any way. In both corners, 1 don&rsquo;t know if they can get in any deeper than they&rsquo;re in now.&rdquo;Berthiaume wasn&rsquo;t the only veteran to get the axe before the season-opener. With the acquisition of left winger Dave Hunter in the Oct. 3 waiver draft, eight-year veteran Gilles Hamel was made expendable and sent to Moncton.<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 3: Mark Kumpel, RW, assigned to Moncton (AHL).Oct. 4: Daniel Berthiaume, G. suspended indefinitely for failing to report to Moncton. Gilles Hamel, LW. Kent Carlson, D, assigned to Moncton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Laurie Boschman, Randy Gilhen, Darren Boyko.LW&mdash;Doug Smail, Brent Ashton, lain Duncan, Dave Hunter, Steven Fletcher.RW&mdash;Andrew McBain, Hannu Jarvenpaa, Markku Kytlonen, Ray Neufeld, Stu Kulak.LD&mdash;Dave Ellett, Randy Carlyle, Jim Kyte, Bryan Marchment.RD&mdash;Fredrik Olausson, Mario Marois, Teppo Numminen.G&mdash;Alain Chevrier, Pokey Reddick.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Peter Taglianetti, D, arthroscopic surgery, Oct. 17Alfie Turcotte, C, bruised sternum, Oct. 14. &#9632;

BERTHIAUME SUSPENDED FOR REFUSING DEMOTION

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011374/5488860-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Calgary center Joe Nieuwendyk is not setting any goal-scoring objectives this season. He says he just wants to play well.</figcaption></div>On the matter of the sophomore jinx, there are two possible examples for Calgary Flame center Joe Nieuwendyk to follow, one good, one bad.A year like Gary Suter&rsquo;s 1986-87 season would be bad news. Suter followed up an excellent first season by slumping dramatically in his second year, in part because the Flames tried to change his style.By contrast, a year like Luc Robitaille&rsquo;s 1987-88 would be good news. Robitaille followed up an excellent first year with an outstanding second.So which will it be? Well, even if one game does not a season make. Nieuwendyk started off on the right foot by scoring the tying goal in the Flames&rsquo; season opener, a 4-4 tie with New York Islanders.The Flames, however, found themselves in an early-season hole by losing 6-5 in overtime the next night in Los Angeles. While the Wayne Gretzky-led Kings soared to a 3-0-0 start and first place in the competitive Smythe Division, the Flames were left five points down at 0-1-1."The sophomore jinx has been brought up time and again, but I&rsquo;m not worried about it,&rdquo; said Nieuwendyk, 22. &ldquo;We have such a good club here. If I just work hard and play my game, everything&rsquo;s going to fall into place with the talent we have here. I have the same outlook as last year: Come in, earn my spot and play hard and consistent.&rdquo;Still, the 51 goals he scored last season, the second-highest total ever by a rookie, will be difficult to duplicate&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;m trying to repeat,&rdquo; said Nieuwendyk. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not looking down the road at all. I&rsquo;m not setting any goals. I never worried about it last year; I took it one game at a time. I know that sounds like the thing to say, but if I score 30 goals and play solid all year long, that&rsquo;s a good year for me.&ldquo;Too much emphasis is placed on repeating. I just want to play good hockey and contribute to the team."One of the people who believes Nieuwendyk can play just as effectively is Robitaille, the Kings&rsquo; left winger, who finished fifth last year in league scoring.&ldquo;For sure there&rsquo;s pressure," said Robitaille, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;d rather have that pressure than the pressure of people asking, &lsquo;You had a bad year, why can&rsquo;t you do better?&rsquo; I liked the pressure of, &lsquo;You had a good year, can you have a better year?&rsquo; &rdquo;Robitaille should know. He played against Nieuwendyk 13 times last season, and played with him for Canada at the 1986 World Junior Championships.&ldquo;The way he plays,&rdquo; said Robitaille, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s going to have any problems. 1 know he works hard all the time.&ldquo;When you see guys playing only on talent, some games they&rsquo;re in and some games they&rsquo;re not. Those guys have problems. If you keep working, that&rsquo;s the kind of guy who&rsquo;s always successful.&rdquo;In the off-season, Nieuwendyk pinpointed two areas of his game that needed improving&mdash;conditioning and faceoffs.&ldquo;I'm a lot stronger in terms of endurance this year,&rdquo; said Nieuwendyk. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t get as tired. I can stay out there longer now. I think I really worked on that part of it this summer, doing a lot of running and stuff.&rdquo;On the Flames, the key face off man is Joel Otto. Nieuwendyk can learn some things from him, but because he shoots lefthanded and Otto righthanded, the technique differs.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a matter of bearing down,&rdquo; said Nieuwendyk. &ldquo;My last two games, I really picked it up and won the majority of my draws. 1 did a few things differently and they seemed to be paying off.&rdquo;<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct 5: Doug Dadswell, G.Brian Glynn, D, assigned to Salt Lake (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Joel Otto. Jiri Hrdina, Perry Berezan.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, Colin Patterson, Jim Peplinski, Tim Hunter.RW&mdash;Hakan Loob, Joey Mullen. Mark Hunter, Lanny McDonald, Shane Churla.LD&mdash;Gary Suter, Jamie Macoun, Dana Murzyn.RD&mdash;Brad McCrimmon, Al Maclnnis. Rob Ramage, Ric Nattress.G&mdash;Mike Vernon, Rick Wamsley.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

f0014-01

NIEUWENDYK PRIMED FOR SECOND SEASON

<div class="byline">STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011284/5488898-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="476" height="622"></div>Everybody knows Mario Lemieux is the most important member of the Penguins and Wayne Gretzky is ditto with the Kings.But there are other less-obvious skaters who, in the long run, will prove just as decisive in determining whether their clubs make it big or fall on their noses.Who are the key&mdash;yet not patently obvious&mdash;men on each of the 21 NHL clubs?BOSTON BRUINS: Gord Kluzak. It was no coincidence the Bs went to the Stanley Cup finals with Kluzak being a major contributor and deflector of attention from Ray Bourque. But Kluzak&rsquo;s oft-wounded wheels needed more surgery this fall. If Gord is not A-l, the Bruins will fall.BUFFALO SABRES: Christian, Ruuttu. It&rsquo;s as hard to stop this Finn as it is to spell his name. This is Ruuttu&rsquo;s third NHL season&mdash;usually a breakthrough year. His time has come.CALGARY FLAMES: Mike Vernon. Reviled for his play during the Edmonton playoff rout, the little guy has a lot of proving to do.CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Doug Wilson. Virtually forgotten last season after injuries sidelined him for 53 games, Wilson is desperately needed to front a questionable defense and uncertain goaltending.DETROIT RED WINGS: Gerard Gallant. By far, the club&rsquo;s most underrated player and one of the NHL&rsquo;s best left wingers. If Bob Probert does not return, Gallant will have to provide more muscle as well as leadership on a club facing a very critical season.EDMONTON OILERS: Steve Smith. Last year he emerged as a mean, efficient presence. He is Norris Trophy material.HARTFORD WHALERS: Sylvain Turgeon. Sly became the center of controversy when ex-teammate Neil Sheehy said Whaler teammates insulted Turgeon over his. French background. If the club backs him and Sly gets serious about his potential, the Whalers will roll.LOS ANGELES KINGS: Tom Laidlaw. His plus-three-on the inept Kings last year testifies to his value. But age is creeping up, so the question now is a physical one. If Laidlaw, 30, can&rsquo;t keep up, all the Gretzkys in the world won&rsquo;t help.MINNESOTA NORTH STARS: Moe Mantha. Much-travelled Moe adjusted remarkably well and quickly to his new environment after being dealt to Minnesota in mid-season. He provided a disintegrating team with stability and above-average offense for a defenseman. Given a stay-at-home partner, Mantha could be an ace this term.MONTREAL CANADIENS: Claude Lemieux. We&rsquo;re talking about two players, actually, because Claude has the capability of stirring kid brother Jocelyn to bigger and better heights. This will be a make-or-break year for Claude, who&rsquo;ll either prove he&rsquo;s a run-of-the-rink troublemaker or a truly superior toughie in the Rick Tocchet mold.NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Patrik Sundstrom. The slick Swede disappointed Meadowlands fans during the regular season (15-36-51 in 78 games) and then came on like gangbusters (7-13-20 in 18) in the playoffs. If he can keep it up, the Devils will be in business.NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Gerald Diduck. The Isles need leadership and the gifted Diduck appears ready to provide physical power on both sides of the blue line.NEW YORK RANGERS: Ulf Dahlen. He can be the key to the Ranger offense. Equally adept at center or wing, he scored 29 goals last year and could be the scoring sleeper of the Patrick Division.PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Jay Wells. Wells was a better defenseman in Los Angeles than people realize and could be an all-star on Broad Street.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02915/5488891-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="690" height="590"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Smith</figcaption></div>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Rob Brown. Somebody has to support the Mario Lemieux-Paul Coffey scoring machine. Brown played just 51 games but had 24 goals and 20 assists. A big Brown-Lemieux-Coffey year could put the Pens in the playoffs.QUEBEC NORDIQUES: Anton Stastny. The &ldquo;other&rdquo; Stastny unobtrusively does a lot of things right while skating in brother Peter&rsquo;s shadow.ST. LOUIS BLUES: Greg Millen. Millen is the only Blues&rsquo; netminder with experience.TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Vincent Damphousse. Toronto&rsquo;s top choice of three years ago has all the gifts that could improve in the right circumstances. Lord knows, the Leafs can use them.VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Greg Adams On a club where goals are like manna from heaven, another superior year from Adams is imperative.WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Mike Ridley. The assets are all there but Ridley must learn not to get so far down on himself.WINNIPEG JETS: Andrew McBain. General manager John Ferguson has patiently awaited the ripening of McBain. Last year McBain responded with a career-high 32 goals and tied for the team lead in game winners (five). He has arrived. &#9632;

f0015-01

THESE ARE THE PLAYERS WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

<h2>BLUES</h2>Three veterans felt the axe when the Blues made their final roster cuts before the season opener. Centers Perry Turnbull (51-10-9-19 last season) and Ron Flockhart (21-5-4-9) cleared waivers without right of recall and were sent to Peoria of the International League, as was defenseman Tim Bothwell (78-6-13-19), who cleared waivers with right of recall. Bothwell and Turnbull remained in St. Louis; Bothwell because of a bad back and Turnbull to discuss his future with the team &hellip;Center Mike Bullard received a game misconduct for bonking Minnesota&rsquo;s Dino Ciccarelli on the helmet with his stick 5:32 into the season opener. &ldquo;I really didn&rsquo;t mean to hit him on the head,&rdquo; said Bullard.Four rookies made the team. Defensemen Robert Dirk and Tom Tilley, right winger Steve Tuttle and goaltender Vincent Riendeau are all in the lineup. Tilley and Tuttle are true rookies with no NHL game experience. They also have no pro experience, with Tilley jumping from Michigan State and Tuttle from Wisconsin. Tilley had two assists and Tuttle a goal in their first NHL game, the Blues&rsquo; season-opening 8-3 victory over Minnesota.<h2>MAPLE LEAFS</h2>Right winger Gary Leeman collected eight points (three goals, five assists) in two victories over Chicago&hellip; Rookie right winger Dan Marois had two goals in the first three games.Right winger Craig Laughlin suffered a broken nose when struck by Hawk defenseman Gary Nylund&rsquo;s stick on Oct. 9. Nylund received a five-minute major penalty as well as a game misconduct&hellip; Sophomore defenseman Luke Richardson did not play in the first three games and there was speculation he&rsquo;ll be returned to Peterborough Petes of the Ontario League.<h2>BLACKHAWKS</h2>Despite the Hawks&rsquo; 0-2-1 start, players expressed support for Mike Keenan. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great coach. He&rsquo;s going to win some games for us,&rdquo; said Denis Savard, who was named Hawk captain. Chosen as assistants were veteran defensemen Doug Wilson and Keith Brown&hellip; Veteran center Troy Murray missed the opening game, against the New York Rangers, with a cut over the right eye, suffered in practice when he was hit with a stick. Murray took several stitches and was wearing a patch over the eye. He returned Oct. 8 at Toronto.Hawk GM Bob Pulford was apparently trying to trade veteran defenseman Bob Murray. Murray, 33, was unclaimed in the waiver draft. He has a year to go on his contract. Murray had not practised with the Hawks since the waiver draft&hellip; Veteran defenseman Bob McGill sat out the first three games for the Hawks. Also sitting out were rookie defenseman Ryan McGill, Bob&rsquo;s cousin, leftwinger Everett Sanipass and left winger Jim Playfair. Playfair served a three-game suspension for shoving a linesman during an exhibition game.<h2>RED WINGS</h2>Detroit goalie Greg Stefan faced 40 shots in losing the team&rsquo;s opener 8-2 to the Los Angeles Kings Oct. 6. After the game Stefan was asked when he last faced a barrage like that. &ldquo;Edmonton with Wayne Gretzky,&rdquo; he replied without a moment&rsquo;s hesitation. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why he&rsquo;s the greatest hockey player in the world. I think he&rsquo;s getting better.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03678/5488929-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="542" height="1120"><figcaption class="caption-body">The North Stars demoted Scott Bjugstad to the IHL.</figcaption></div><h2>NORTH STARS</h2>Craig Hartsburg, Curt Giles, Jarmo Myllys, Dean Kolstad and Bob Rouse were returning from dinner the night before an Oct. 8 game against the Canadiens, when a man charged past them on a Montreal street. Two policemen, their revolvers drawn, followed. The chase turned onto a side street and the players heard gunshots. They followed the commotion and saw a bystander lying in a pool of blood. The gunman was killed by police. The bystander and a police officer were injured.Left winger Curt Fraser suffered stretched rib cartilage against the Canadiens and could miss two to three weeks&hellip; North Stars&rsquo; coach Pierre Page on sending nine players, including Brian Lawton, Scott Bjugstad and Don Beaupre to the minors: &ldquo;What&rsquo;s so bad about the minors? If you work for a company and they release you, they don&rsquo;t find a job for you and give you a plan to make it back. They just say, &lsquo;See you.&rsquo; &rdquo; &#9632;

f0015-03

CICCARELLI BONKED BY BULLARD

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div>Detroit Red Wing left winger Petr Klima, a previous offender for drunken driving, faces the strong possibility of a jail sentence after a second arrest on the same charge, Oct. 9.District Judge Edward Sosnick, who presided over Klima&rsquo;s first case last year, said he will order the Red Wing to court for a hearing. If Sosnick determines Klima violated terms of his probation by drinking and driving, he could order Klima to jail to serve the 29 days of his suspended sentence.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take the appropriate action,&rdquo; Sosnick said. He would not elaborate.Sosnick amended the terms of Klima&rsquo;s probation after a curfew-breaking drinking session with five Red Wing teammates on the eve of the fifth game of the Campbell Conference playoff final last spring. Sosnick said the only reason he didn&rsquo;t send Klima to jail then was because the alleged drinking did not involve additional driving.&ldquo;If it had involved driving,&rdquo; said Sosnick, &ldquo;he would be in jail, period. Absolutely.&rdquo;Sosnick said a date for the hearing hadn&rsquo;t been set, but both Klima and his attorney, William Evo, would be served soon with the appropriate documents.Klima was first arrested for drunken driving on May 27, 1987, near his Birmingham, Mich., home. He spent six hours in jail, and eventually pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of impaired driving.He was arrested for drunken driving again Oct. 9, was charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, and for improperly backing up a vehicle. A woman he was with. Maureen Curran, 23, of Dearborn Heights, Mich., was charged with interfering with a police officer. Klima was arrested by police at 2:07 a.m. He was released at about 9 a.m., after his blood-alcohol level fell under the .10 legal limit.According to police reports, Klima was in a U-turn lane, preparing to head south instead of going north. He backed up, striking another vehicle, then proceeded southward. Officers in a nearby patrol car witnessed the accident, and stopped Klima about a quarter-mile later.As the officer was walking toward Klima&rsquo;s vehicle&mdash;a new GMC Jimmy&mdash;he noticed a shuffling of bodies in the front. When he arrived at the driver&rsquo;s side, Curran was behind the wheel. By then, a witness in the car that was hit by the Klima vehicle arrived, and identified Klima as the driver, the police report said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011165/5488960-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="549" height="730"><figcaption class="caption-body">Petr Klima was arrested and charged with three offences.</figcaption></div>He and Curran were subsequently arrested.Klima was booked on his three charges and eventually left after posting bond. He faces a hearing on these charges Oct. 26 at 48th District Court.The 23-year-old Klima was suspended by the Red Wings Sept. 23 with right winger Bob Probert for a series of infractions against team rules, including missed curfews, practices and scheduled team flights. Evo said Klima has sought professional help for a behavior disorder, and seemed to be making progress. He and Red Wing officials were to meet sometime between Oct. 10 and 15 to discuss Klima&rsquo;s return to the team.Detroit coach Jacques Demers greeted the news with disbelief.&ldquo;Why, Petr? Why would you do that?&rdquo; Demers said to himself. &ldquo;I just can&rsquo;t understand why young people like that who could have everything would ruin their lives.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s mind-draining on all of us,&rdquo; said Demers, whose Wings were 1-0-1 after two games. &lsquo;Our team is making terrible mistakes, the kind of mistakes we never make. We&rsquo;re very distracted right now. Maybe I&rsquo;ve been too positive about it all. Maybe I haven&rsquo;t been truthful with myself. I believed things were okay. But deep down inside. I&rsquo;m troubled. And the players are troubled.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe two players can have such a negative impact. The guys here, their teammates, don&rsquo;t deserve this.&rdquo;Demers has seriously starting talking about life in the NHL without either Klima or Probert.It was item No. 1 in a team meeting after practice Oct. 9, when the team learned of Klima&rsquo;s latest indiscretion.Probert has checked into a rehabilitation center&mdash;rumored to be the Betty Ford Clinic at Rancho Mirage, Calif.&mdash;but Demers is careful to guard against getting his, and the other players&rsquo; hopes too high.Demers said he understands Probert&rsquo;s treatment will last from 30 to 42 days, depending on his progress. Probert could return to the Wings as early as Dec. 1, after a conditioning stint at the team&rsquo;s American League affiliate in Adirondack.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Steve Yzerman, AdamOates, John Chabot, Shawn Burr.LW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Joe Murphy, Kris King, Adam Graves. Jim Nill. Tim Higgins.RW&mdash;Paul MacLean, Miroslav Frycer, Dave Barr, Joe Kocur.LD&mdash;Jeff Sharples, Doug Halward. Lee Norwood.RD&mdash;Rick Zombo, Gilbert Delorme. Mike O'Connell, Jim Pavese.G&mdash;Greg Stefan, Glen Hanlon.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Steve Chiasson, D, groin, indefinite.Doug Houda, D, fractured left cheekbone, indefinite. &#9632;

f0016-01

KLIMA’S LATEST EPISODE COULD PUT HIM BEHIND BARS

<div class="byline">BY DAVE LUECKING</div>Bernie Federko became captain of the St. Louis Blues with little fanfare.There was no coronation ball, no official swearing in and no ceremonial passing of the &lsquo;C&rsquo; from Brian Sutter's old sweater to Federko&rsquo;s.Federko simply showed up before the Blues season-opener at Minnesota and pulled on his No. 24 sweater with the &lsquo;C&rsquo; stitched on the front.That&rsquo;s the first his teammates knew about it, although there were strong suspicions.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way 1 wanted it,&rdquo; Federko said. &ldquo;Low key.&rdquo;Federko, 32, becomes the ninth captain in Blues&rsquo; history, following his friend and former teammate, Brian Sutter.Sutter was captain for nine years before retiring this summer when he was hired to replace Jacques Martin as Blues&rsquo; coach.Federko, in his 13th season with the Blues, was the logical choice.&ldquo;Who else would you pick?&rdquo; asked Brett Hull, the right winger on Federko&rsquo;s line. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question it had to be Bernie.&rdquo;Sutter agreed. That&rsquo;s why he approached Federko two days before the opening game and asked him to take on the role of captain.&ldquo;Bernie&rsquo;s been a leader on the ice and he&rsquo;s a leader away from the ice,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;Being captain has a lot of responsibility.&ldquo;No. 1, you have to put the team in front of yourself. No. 2, there&rsquo;s a lot of responsibility off the ice, and that can take away from the performance on the ice.&ldquo;I look at Bernie and I know I don&rsquo;t have to worry about that.&rdquo;Despite Federko&rsquo;s more low-key approach to the game, Sutter said he knows Federko is the right man for the job.&ldquo;Sure, we think differently,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;Put it this way: We take different roads, but we end up in the same town.&rdquo;And if the players need a fire-and-brimstone speech, assistant captains Gino Cavallini and Dave Richter can supply that.&ldquo;The captain doesn&rsquo;t have to be noisy,&rdquo; Hull said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why you have assistants.&rdquo;Sutter said it was easy to pick his successor because he knew the job qualifications.&ldquo;Nobody knows better than myself,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not easy. A lot of times you go home crying inside, but you can&rsquo;t let anyone know about it.&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t worry about yourself. You&rsquo;ve got to keep your mouth shut. We have a lot of leaders, but you have to be careful how you go about things.&ldquo;The coach can&rsquo;t be with the players all the time, so it&rsquo;s up to the captain to keep them together.&rdquo;Federko said wearing the &lsquo;C&rsquo; was an honor, but he tried to downplay the significance.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a leader, but we&rsquo;ve got 20 leaders; we expect all of them to lead,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s no big thing. Very honestly, I&rsquo;m just another player who wants to win hockey games.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-02931/5488991-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="543" height="1288"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bernie Federko leads the Blues in career points.</figcaption></div>Sutter couldn&rsquo;t ask for more. He wants desperately to win and despises losing, hardly ever saying the word &lsquo;lose&rsquo; without preceding it with an expletive.&ldquo;I hate that word,&rdquo; he said.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 6: Tim Bothwell. D. Perry Turnbull, C. Ron Flockhart, C. Cliff Ronning. C, Glen Featherstone. D, Dave Lowry. LW. Peter Douris, C, assigned to Peoria (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bernie Federko. Mike Bullard, Tony Hrkac. Rick Meagher.LW&mdash;Sergio Momesso, Gino Cavallini, Tony McKegney, Craig Coxe, Doug Evans.RW&mdash;Brett Hull, Greg Paslawski. Steve Tuttle. Herb Raglan, Todd Ewen.LD&mdash;Brian Benning, Gordie Roberts, Robert Dirk.RD&mdash;Dave Richter, Paul Cavallini, Tom Tilley. Gaston Gingras.G&mdash;Greg Millen. Vincent Riendeau.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

f0016-02

FEDERKO LOGICAL CHOICE AS BLUES’ CAPTAIN

<div class="byline">BY RICK MATSUMOTO</div>It&rsquo;s quite possible Brad Marsh would still be in a Philadelphia Flyer uniform had he been wearing a helmet in a game last December against the Boston Bruins.Instead, a head injury suffered in that game ultimately put the 30-year-old London, Ont., native in a Toronto Maple Leaf jersey.The veteran defenseman was obtained by Toronto after he was dropped from the Flyers&rsquo; protected list in the sixth round of the Oct. 3 waiver draft. Philadelphia made the move after taking right winger Doug Sulliman from the New JerseyDevils.Marsh joined the Leafs in time for their season opener in Boston and played solidly in a 2-1 loss to the Bruins Oct. 6.His robust play was evident in Toronto&rsquo;s home-and-home sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks, 7-4 at home Oct. 8 and 8-4 in Chicago Oct. 9. He was, however, on the ice for Chicago&rsquo;s first three goals in the Oct. 8 game.As well as sweeping goalie Ken Wregget&rsquo;s doorstep clear of Hawk forwards, he picked up his first point as a Leaf, assisting on rookie Derek Laxdal&rsquo;s first NHL goal, in Chicago.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got arms four feet long, size 12'/a feet and he digs a trench around the front of the net,&rdquo; joked assistant coach Garry Lariviere when asked to list Marsh&rsquo;s assets.In a more serious vein, Lariviere added, &ldquo;He knows how to play within himself. And he comes to play every night. He&rsquo;s not a God-gifted offensive defenseman like Paul Coffey, but he&rsquo;s a God-gifted defensive defenseman&ldquo;His enthusiasm and desire rubs off on everybody. He does a lot of things right for others to go by.&rdquo;Marsh hurt his head on one of the metal uprights holding the plexiglass in place at the Spectrum Dec. 8,1987.Incredibly, Marsh missed only four games. But he was unable to regain his regular place on the Flyer defense and at training camp this year his days with the team were numbered.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02803/5489053-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="551" height="1343"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ex-Flyer Brad Marsh&rsquo;s first Leaf point helped beat Chicago.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I thought something(trade) might happen during the summer or at training camp,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If it hadn&rsquo;t happened when it did it might have happened next week, next month or in two months time. I&rsquo;ve been around long enough to know what&rsquo;s what.&rdquo;Marsh&rsquo;s position became more precarious when rookie defenseman Gord Murphy and sophomore Kerry Huffman had outstanding training camps.&ldquo;Competition. That&rsquo;s what sports is all about,&rdquo; said Marsh. &ldquo;When you see a couple of young guys playing like that you don&rsquo;t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.&ldquo;If it hadn&rsquo;t happened this year it would definitely have happened next year.&rdquo;In retrospect Marsh said he should have stayed out a little longer and worked his way back gradually after the injury.&ldquo;They could have played me a little bit and once I got my legs back we could have gone from there. Maybe I was a step off and I might have been shying away from the comers because of the injury.&rdquo;Even though he knew time was running out in Philadelphia, Marsh said he was still upset when he learned he&rsquo;d been drafted by the Leafs.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t mad at anyone in particular, just mad,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You expect it, but still when it happens you feel that all those years you put in for the Flyers were for naught.&rdquo;Once he got over his initial feelings of anger, however, Marsh realized the move to Toronto was perhaps the best one.And he&rsquo;s playing again without a helmet. Marsh finished up 1987-88 wearing a helmet but has discarded it to begin this year.Why, especially after suffering what could have been a very serious injury?&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; he said.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s probably a stupid decision. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just something I decided to do. I talked it over with a lot of people including my wife and here I am.&rdquo;<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Mike Blaisdell, RW, assigned to Newmarket (AHL); Derek Laxdal, RW, recalled from Newmarket.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Tom Fergus, Ed Olczyk, Vincent Damphousse, Russ Courtnall. Dan Daoust, Ken Yaremchuk.LW&mdash;Al Secord, Mark Osborne, Dave Reid, Scott Pearson.RW&mdash;Craig Laughlin, Gary Leeman, Daniel Marois, Derek Laxdal.LD&mdash;Brad Marsh, Borje Salming, Brian Curran, Todd Gill, Luke Richardson.RD&mdash;Al lafrate, Rick Lanz. Chris Kotsopoulos, Darren Veitch.G&mdash;Ken Wregget. Allan Bester.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Wendel Clark, LW, damaged back muscles, indefinite.Sean McKenna, RW, torn ligaments, right hand, indefinite.Chris McRae, LW. broken right hand, indefinite. &#9632;

f0017-02

MARSH SWEEPS FRONT OF NET AS LEAFS SWEEP HAWKS

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div>In the days preceding their regular-season opener, the Minnesota North Stars made more than their share of news.On Oct. 3, the North Stars acquired left wingers Stewart Gavin and Tom Martin from the Hartford Whalers and retired defenseman Ken Leiter from the New York Islanders in the waiver draft.Later that evening. North Stars made their most significant move, signing holdout right winger Dino Ciccarelli to a four-year contract.Two days later, general manager Jack Ferreira and coach Pierre Page shocked the players by sending veteran goalie Don Beaupre as well as centers Brian Lawton and Scott Bjugstad, rookie left winger Igor Liba and five other players to Kalamazoo of the International League.For Lawton (74-17-24-41 last year), the first player selected in the 1983 draft, it likely means the end of his career with the Stars and it also could mean retirement at age 23. Lawton refused to report to Kalamazoo and his agent, Neil Abbott, said Lawton will never play for the Stars again.Ferreira suspended Lawton, Bjugstad and Liba without pay for not reporting to Kalamazoo. Bjugstad (33-10-12-22), who scored 43 goals in 1985-86 but has scored just 14 times in 72 games since then, was taking a few days to consider his options. Liba is expected to return to Czechoslovakia.With the Stars keeping rookie goaltender Jarmo Myllys, Jon Casey and Kari Takko, Beaupre (10-22-3, 4.70 goals-against average) said he would report to Kalamazoo not because he had any great hopes of playing for the North Stars again, but because &ldquo;it&rsquo;s easier to find another job if you&rsquo;re playing somewhere. I can tell you I won&rsquo;t be spending the year there.&rdquo;Ciccarelli (67-41-45-86 last year) ended his 24-day holdout just two days before opening day. His agent, Los Angeles-based Ron Salcer, flew to Minneapolis and met with Ferreira and assistant GM Dean Lombardi for four hours before reaching agreement on a contract that will pay Ciccarelli an estimated $350,000 a year plus incentive bonuses.Three days after signing, Ciccarelli scored the Stars&rsquo; first goal of the season against St. Louis. Less than a month before, Ciccarelli said he would never play for the North Stars again and suggested that the organization does not take care of its players.&ldquo;Maybethere&rsquo;s a little bad blood,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;Some things got said that were taken out of context, but that&rsquo;s part of negotiations.&rdquo;Even with Ciccarelli, the Stars still have a ways to go to improve. They fell behind 4-0, 3-0 and 3-0 in losses to St. Louis (8-3), Montreal (4-3) and Quebec (4-1) and their special teams floundered. Penalty-killers allowed seven goals in 20 situations and the power play was 2 for 17.<h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 3: Oino Ciccarelli, RW. signed four-year contract.Oct. 5: Don Beaupre, G, Neil Wilkinson, D, Gord Dineen, D. Brian Lawton, LW, Scott Bjugstad, LW, Igor Liba, LW, Scott Robinson. RW, Warren Babe, LW. Dave Gagner, C, assigned to Kalamazoo (IHL).Oct. 8: Lawton, Liba and Bjugstad suspended for not reporting to Kalamazoo.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Neal Broten, Dusan Pasek, Marc Habscheid, Kevin Kaminski.LW&mdash;Basil McRae. Brian MacLellan. Larry DePalma. Dave Archibald. Tom Martin.RW&mdash;Richard Zemlak, Wally Schreiber, Brian Bellows.LD&mdash;Link Gaetz. Curt Giles. Dean Kolstad, Craig Hartsburg, Frantisek Musil.RD&mdash;Mark Hardy, Bob Rouse.G&mdash;Jarmo Myllys, Jon Casey, Kari Takko.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Bob Brooke, C, separated left shoulder, indefinite.Shawn Chambers, D, separated right shoulder, day-to-day.Curt Fraser, LW, stretched rib cartilage. indefinite.Moe Mantha, D, separated left shoulder, day-to-day.Dennis Maruk, C, broken knee cap, indefinite. &#9632;

STARS MAKE NEWS, BUT STILL LOSE

<div class="byline">ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-01984/5489108-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="536" height="637"></div>First, a confession.In Canada, the National Hockey League&rsquo;s new television deal with SportsChannel rated a footnote, nothing more.We have our Hockey Night In Canada, our Sports Network and our local telecasts and they are basically all great. Want to spend a week on a hockey vacation? Fly to Toronto, rent a hotel room and live it up. Some weeks, you can get four games in seven nights, expertly produced and interestingly packaged.Judging from the response in The Hockey News Fan Forum, the same cannot be said for the state of hockey broadcasting in the United States.Right now, American viewers in non-hockey centers are mad as hell at the NHL for dumping ESPN, a national cable system, to sign with SportsChannel America.So in the interests of fair comment and giving the league&rsquo;s side of the story, I waded through a lengthy interview with president John Ziegler to hear his explanation of the NHL&rsquo;s controversial and unpopular decision.As always, Ziegler prefaced his comments by alluding to the bottom line. The bottom line on SportsChannel versus ESPN is $27 million, the difference between the two bids.In the Ziegler scheme of things (&ldquo;hockey is first and foremost a business&rdquo;), that means case closed.There&rsquo;s more though. Apparently, Ziegler&rsquo;s read all your letters and is aware of your displeasure. His response?&ldquo;We have to get people in the United States to understand that with our new television contract there are some short-term negatives, all of which were known to us,&rdquo; said Ziegler.Right.&ldquo;SportsChannel made an investment in the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League made an investment in them.&rdquo;Right again.&ldquo;We recognized that we were going to have less coverage in numbers in the beginning years of our relationship. But this agreement brings us an opportunity to deliver the kinds of games to fans in certain areas and regions that we&rsquo;ve never been able to do in our history.&rdquo;Get that?&ldquo;There&rsquo;ll be problems,&rdquo; continued Ziegler. &ldquo;While SportsChannel is out trying to get systems to sign up, the numbers of people who&rsquo;ll be getting NHL games on a shotgun basis will be less than we had in our last year with ESPN.&rdquo;So why do it? Apart from money, the other reason appears to be the league&rsquo;s fascination with the National Football League&rsquo;s television package.In effect, the NHL is trying to mimic that arrangement. If SportsChannel signs up enough local cable companies, then&mdash;in the longterm&mdash;viewers in the Midwest may get to see mainly midwestem teams, viewers on the west coast mainly Smythe Division teams and viewers in the east, their choice of teams from up and down the eastern seaboard.If you&rsquo;re lucky enough to be in the right area, you may get doubleheader games a la the NFL.In the past, that wasn&rsquo;t possible. One of ESPN&rsquo;s only failings was it rarely left the U.S. to broadcast a game until the playoffs started.&ldquo;Now this is not original thinking,&rdquo; said Ziegler. &ldquo;If you look at the history of the NFL and how they built their great television package, it was just this way, except they&rsquo;re on national TV.&ldquo;But what they did was provide a series of local broadcasts followed by a national game. So the fans in Los Angeles watched the Rams and the Raiders. I, in Detroit, watched the Lions. In Buffalo, they saw the Bills. And soon. They were a series of local packages put into a national network.&ldquo;One of the things our market research has shown us is that hockey fans, particularly in the United States, identify with teams more than they identify with the sport.&ldquo;For example, I&rsquo;m a Ranger fan or I&rsquo;m a Red Wing fan or I&rsquo;m a Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; fan. In Canada, probably because of the history and the fact that it&rsquo;s a national sport, you find more people identity with the sport itself. You can sell a national game across the country more easily than you can in the States.&ldquo;Short run, we&rsquo;re going to lose some coverage. Long run, we think this is going to be the best thing that happened to us. And immediately we&rsquo;re going to be able to test out this theory that we&rsquo;ve always had&mdash;that if we can deliver the right games to the right areas&mdash;we&rsquo;ll have strong interest everywhere.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s the theory anyway. Do you buy it? No? Can you do anything about it? Get serious. &#9632;

f0019-01

THE U.S. TV DEAL, ACCORDING TO ZIEGLER

<h2>DEVILS</h2>Devils&rsquo; right winger Doug Brown suffered a broken nose in Quebec when he was hit accidentally and right winger Brendan Shanahan broke his right pinky in a pre-season fight with Buffalo&rsquo;s Mark Ferner. Both were still playing&hellip; Lost in the waiver draft, right winger Doug Sulliman said he was flattered to be picked by the Philadelphia Flyers but did not want to leave New Jersey. &ldquo;It breaks my heart to leave, but I&rsquo;m proud I took part in the beginning of what the Devils accomplished,&rdquo; he said.The Devils felt referee Kerry Fraser misinterpreted the league&rsquo;s new high-sticking rule by ejecting John MacLean in Philadelphia. MacLean was hooked down by Jay Wells and his stick flipped into the air and accidentally hit Wells in the face. One period later, Mark Howe opened a nine-stitch cut on Kirk Muller&rsquo;s upper lip with his stick and did not receive a penalty.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>Islander left winger Richard Kromm, who had not scored a goal in 58 regular-season and playoff games, was sent to Springfield of the American League&hellip; The 6-5 overtime loss to Los Angeles Oct. 9 was the Islanders&rsquo; first in 27 OT games. They were 7-0-19 counting playoffs since Dec. 31, 1986. The Wayne Gretzky trade may help both the Kings and Oilers this season, but it&rsquo;s killing the Islanders. In the Islanders&rsquo; 5-1 loss to the Oilers Oct. 7, Jimmy Carson scored two goals and Martin Gelinas had two assists. In their 6-5 to Los Angeles, Marty McSorley scored two goals and an assist, Gretzky had a goal and an assist and Mike Krushelnyski had a goal and an assist.<h2>RANGERS</h2>After scoring an NHL-record 111 power-play goals last season, the Rangers began the season by going O-for-8 with the extra man&hellip; Defenseman Craig Redmond, claimed from Edmonton in the waiver draft, joined the Rangers in Chicago for the season opener but did not suit up for either of the first two games and there was some question about how New York planned to use him.A reliable source in St. Louis acknowledged that the Rangers came close to acquiring Doug Gilmour and Mark Hunter. The deal apparently fell through because of right winger Tomas Sandstrom&rsquo;s (69-28-40-68) decision to not sign a new contract. He is playing out his option, a circumstance that makes New York GM Phil Esposito nervous. Esposito and Sandstrom have agreed not to discuss the subject until next spring.<h2>FLYERS</h2>Flyers&rsquo; defenseman Kjell Samuelsson missed the first two games because of a herniated disc in his lower back. He was due back in the lineup Oct. 13. For a short time there was concern he would need surgery, but the injury responded well to rest&hellip; After playing nine seasons and collecting over 1,400 minutes in penalties with the Los Angeles Kings, Jay Wells can be excused for his error when he headed for the visiting team&rsquo;s penalty box in his first game as a Flyer&hellip; Coach Paul Holmgren put together a bumper-carline with center Peter Zezel, Tocchet on the right wing and Scott Mellanby on the left. Mellanby is making his first attempt to play the off wing.<h2>PENGUINS</h2>Wendell Young is the apparent winner in the Penguins&rsquo; goaltending race. He started the opener (a 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals) Oct. 7 and was scheduled to play in the home opener against the Capitals Oct. 11. Young and a seventh-round choice in the 1990 draft were traded to Pittsburgh from the Flyers for a third-round choice in 1990 on Sept. 1. The win in Washington raised Pittsburgh&rsquo;s opening-night record to 10-8-4 and it came despite the fact Mario Lemieux was held to one assist&hellip; Local cable TV officials had not reached an agreement with the Penguins or SportsChannel America by Oct. 10.<h2>CAPITALS</h2>In the Washington Capitals&rsquo; 6-2 victory over Buffalo on Oct. 9, Dave Christian produced the first goal of the game with 6:51 elapsed and the last goal with 6:51 remaining&hellip; The Capitals&rsquo; victory over Buffalo was only their sixth in 54 meetings. The two teams had tied on eight previous occasions&hellip; Center Mike Ridley, playing for peanuts ($80,000 a year) since being traded to Washington by the Rangers on Jan. 1, 1987, agreed to a three-year contract two days before the season began. &#9632;

SULLIMAN SAD ABOUT LEAVING

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div>In less than a week, the Philadelphia Flyers changed their lineup, their outlook and probably their prospects for the 1988-89 season.As the regular season opener drew near, it was beginning to look as if general manager Bob Clarke was going to stand pat with a defense roundly criticized as &lsquo;&lsquo;questionable.&rsquo;&rsquo;And then he finally made the trade which everybody had been waiting for since the end of last season&mdash;he sent unhappy and absent defenseman Doug Crossman to the Los Angeles Kings for rearguard Jay Wells.No sooner had everybody adjusted to that when a second shoe dropped&mdash;he lost popular veteran defenseman Brad Marsh, 30, in the waiver draft.So when the Flyers opened their season at the Spectrum, the Philadelphia crowd was taking a look at a seriously altered blue-line group. Not only had Wells been added, but rookies Gord Murphy and Jeff Chychrun were also in the lineup, as was Terry Carkner, acquired in a deal with Quebec over the summer.The Flyers responded with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The victory served as a winning start for new coach Paul Holmgren, and ended a seven-game winless streak against the Devils, who owned the Flyers with a 5-0-2 record last season.&ldquo;I know it was only the first game,&rdquo; said goalie Ron Hextali, &ldquo;but I really think it was important to win this game, especially since it was against the Devils.&rdquo;Hextail was impressed with the defense&mdash;particularly Murphy, who picked up two assists while paired with Mark Howe in place of the injured Kjell Samuelsson.&ldquo;I really think we&rsquo;ve made some good moves with our defense,&rdquo; said Hextail. &ldquo;When I came to camp and saw Murphy, I kind of just watched him. I was wondering to myself, &lsquo;Who is this guy? He&rsquo;s got so much poise.' And he&rsquo;s just a rookie.&rdquo;Hextail also expressed a liking for Wells, a veteran of nine NHL seasons. &ldquo;In certain situations,&rdquo; said Hextail, &ldquo;you&rsquo;ve got to have veterans, and I think Wells is a veteran we can count on.&rdquo;The good feeling also continued in the second game, when Peter Zezel scored with 30 seconds remaining in regulation, and Ron Sutter scored his second goal of the game in overtime to defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve really got a good feeling,&rdquo; said Rick Tocchet. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a real good atmosphere.&rdquo;&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve just got to like the additions we made on defense. I think we might have the best defense in the league now&mdash;and I know we&rsquo;ve got to have about the toughest, just by adding Carkner and Wells.&rdquo;The addition of those two physical players&mdash;plus Chychrun, who had 210 penalty minutes in 55 games with Hershey last year&mdash;should put an end to the problem of opposing forwards running at Hextail.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t get those defenseman specifically for that situation, but it was a consideration, yes,&rdquo; said Clarke.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: J.J. Daigneault. D, assigned to Hershey (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>G&mdash;Ron Hextail, Mark Laforest.LD&mdash;Mark Howe, Jay Wells, Terry Carkner.RD&mdash;Gord Murphy. Kerry Huffman, Jeff Chychrun.C&mdash;Dave Poulin, Ron Sutter, Peter Zezel, Pelle Eklund.RW&mdash;Tim Kerr, Rick Tocchet. Dave Brown, Brian Dobbin, Ilkka Sinisalo. Doug Sulliman.LW&mdash;Brian Propp. Murray Craven, Scott Mellanby, Derrick Smith. Magnus Roupe.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Kjell Samuelsson. D. herniated disc in back, Oct 13. &#9632;

NEW-LOOK DEFENSE COMES THROUGH

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div>Watch Rob Brown play this game for a while, and you understand why he can be every coach&rsquo;s nightmare.That&rsquo;s right, every coach.The Pittsburgh Penguin right winger skates like a man running on a beach in combat boots. He finds the very idea of practice slightly less pleasant than a tax audit. There is nothing about his defensive play to suggest he could even recognize the Seike Trophy, let alone contend for it.Now, with all those shortcomings duly exposed, it should be remembered there is a reason Brown, 20, is Pittsburgh&rsquo;s No. I right winger.Brown is a member of that rare species of player capable of scoring goals almost at will. Nobody knows quite why.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those intangibles,&rdquo; Pittsburgh coach Gene Ubriaco said.&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t like to practise, a lot of guys say he doesn&rsquo;t like to sweat&hellip; but he does the job,&rdquo; said Mario Lemieux, his center. &ldquo;When it&rsquo;s time to play, he plays hard and does his job.&ldquo;He can score 50. He&rsquo;s good around the net and, especially on the power play.&rdquo;Brown got 13 of his 24 goals on the power play last season, despite dressing for just 51 games and getting only a shift or two in about half of those. He added 20 assists to finish with 44 points.The Penguins were desperate for goal scoring from the wings, but the idea of using Brown with Lemieux did not seem to occur to then-coach Pierre Creamer until the final weeks of the season, about five months after it was put forth by the press and public.&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t understand a lot of things that happened last year, and for the first time in my life, 1 doubted myself and my hockey abilities,&rdquo; Brown said.&ldquo;When someone&rsquo;s telling you, over and over again, that you&rsquo;ve got these flaws and they keep pointing them out to you, you start looking at yourself and say, &lsquo;Maybe I do,&rsquo; and you&rsquo;re not sure whether you&rsquo;re good enough to play.&ldquo;It was hard, because I&rsquo;ve never had my confidence shattered like that. The best thing to come out of last year was the way the fans and media took to me. There was a lot of criticism toward Creamer, and I think one of the ways they took it out on him was being more positive toward me.&rdquo;Ubriaco is positive about Brown, too&mdash;provided he works toward becoming a more complete player.&ldquo;I told him, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re not going to be Backchecker of the Year, but you&rsquo;ve got to do an adequate job, because I want to be able to use you all the time,&rsquo;&rdquo; Ubriaco said.&ldquo;1 see him sometimes coming back (on defense) and he doesn't know where to put his stick. If he had a pocket, I think he&rsquo;d put it in there.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like he doesn't know what to do with it until he&rsquo;s around the net. Thank God he knows what to do with it there.&rdquo;<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 3: Wayne Van Dorp, LW, traded to Buffalo for future considerations.Oct. 4: Assigned Lee Giffin, C, and Jock Callander. C, to Muskegon (IHL); Steve Gotaas. C, voluntarily reported to Muskegon to continue shoulder rehabilitation.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mario Lemieux, Dan Quinn. Dave Hannan, John Cullen.LW&mdash;Bob Errey, Randy Cunneyworth, Troy Loney, Mark Kachowski, Kevin Stevens.RW&mdash;Rob Brown, Dan Frawley, Phil Bourque, Jay Caulfield.LD&mdash;Paul Coffey, Steve Dykstra. Ville Siren, Jim Johnson.RD&mdash;Rod Buskas, Zarley Zalapski, Randy Hillier, Chris Dahlquist.G&mdash;Wendell Young, Steve Guenette. Richard Tabaracci.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Doug Bodger, D, strained left knee, day-to-day.Perry Ganchar, RW, broken ribs, day-to-day. &#9632;

BROWN KNOWS HIS WAY AROUND NET

<div class="byline">STEVE DRYDEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01743/5489225-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="504" height="616"></div>Mike Modano expected Oct. 6 would mark his NHL debut.Instead, he spent opening night of the regular season watching another first&mdash;Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s debut with the Los Angeles Kings&mdash;on television.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shock that it has come to this,&rdquo; admitted Modano over the telephone.Modano, first overall pick in the 1988 entry draft, is back in Prince Albert for a third year because he and agent Howard Gourwitz could not come to terms with the Minnesota North Stars.Dollars, not defensemen. have blocked the slender center&rsquo;s path to the NHL.At the heart of the impasse are four NHL rookies&mdash;first-year general manager Jack Ferreira, his assistant Dean Lombardi, Gourwitz and his client Modano. Obviously, rookie mistakes have been made.The four of them have combined to make history. Modano is the first No. I selection not to appear at his first NHL training camp. Minnesota was counting on him to make history on the ice, not off it.&ldquo;Maybe I should have gone to camp,&rdquo; said Modano. &ldquo;Maybe I should have skated with the guys.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02523/5489218-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="696" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano, left, and Trevor Linden</figcaption></div>That&rsquo;s what the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; Trevor Linden did. Chosen second behind Modano, Linden played through much of training camp without a contract. He said his dream was to play in the NHL, not sign an NHL contract.Modano, a 6-foot-2 pivot from Westland, Mich., worked out on his own and eventually returned to Prince Albert, where he will play this year. Three games into the 1988-89 season, Modano had five goals and three assists.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad to be in P.A. where somebody wants me,&rdquo; said Modano, 18. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t seem like Minnesota wanted me.&rdquo; Of course, the North Stars wanted him. Just not at his price.Gourwitz was asking in the neighborhood of $775,000, perhaps as high as $800,000. over four years. Minnesota was offering in the vicinity of $700,000. As a point of comparison, Brendan Shanahan, the second choice in the 1987 entry draft, received No. 1 money from New Jersey when he agreed to a deal reportedly worth a little more than $700,000.Gourwitz&rsquo;s expectations are high, especially for the North Stars who are not one of the NHL&rsquo;s traditional big spenders. Lombardi suggested Modano is the victim of an agent with limited experience. "We wanted to make him the highest-paid player in the draft,&rdquo; said Lombardi.Modano is Gourwitz&rsquo;s first and only client of consequence. "I don&rsquo;t want to be the biggest in this business,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I only want to be the best.&rdquo; Many insiders whisper the successful Detroit-area tax lawyer is out of his element.&ldquo;This is my first major hockey contract,&rdquo; he countered. &ldquo;(But) I negotiate every day for many. many, many dollars, many million dollars.&rdquo;Nobody disputes that Gourwitz knows business. They&rsquo;re just not sure if he knows the hockey business. Among his first requests was for an attendance clause. Only the very best players merit that kind of consideration. Lombardi said Gourwitz also talked about the North Stars establishing a charitable foundation of sorts in Modano&rsquo;s name. Premature and presumptuous.Modano. who is giving up $100,000-plus in salary this year and risking injury in the WHL, has kept the faith, though. &ldquo;Howard has confidence in me and I&rsquo;ve got confidence in him,&rdquo; he said. Where their partnership will lead them in the future is unknown, but for now it&rsquo;s clear.Five mornings a week, while the North Stars practise being one of the worst teams in the NHL, Modano drives a one-ton truck on deliveries for a Prince Albert lumber yard.During the afternoon, he attends Raider workouts and at night, when he isn&rsquo;t playing, Modano returns to the home of Ralph and Carole Ring, his billets."I&rsquo;m just happy to be in P.A. where people like me,&rdquo; said the teenager. In Prince Albert, Mike Modano is the undisputed Ring-leader. The NHL has yet to be convinced.<h2>MILESTONES</h2>&#9632; Pittsburgh defenseman Paul Coffey needs 26 goals to become the third defenseman in NHL history to score 250 regular-season goals. Denis Potvin had 310 and Bobby Orr 270.&#9632; Heading into this season. Montreal defenseman Larry Robinson needed only 47 points to move into third place on the all-time defensemen scoring list. Robinson, with 853 points, can move ahead of Brad Park (896). Bobby Orr (915) is No. 2 and Denis Potvin (1,052) is No. 1.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03395/5489211-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="488" height="388"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Coffey</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0022-01

IMPASSE REACHED, SO MODANO KEEPS ON TRUCKIN’

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div>If Phil Esposito views the videotapes of the Washington Capitals&rsquo; first two games, he&rsquo;ll appreciate what he lost when the Capitals stole left winger Geoff Courtnall from his New York Rangers.For Washington general manager David Poile, who trumped the Rangers&rsquo; offer sheet by trading for Courtnail&rsquo;s rights with the Edmonton Oilers, the controversial deal has turned into a midsummer night&rsquo;s dream.Washington obtained Courtnall&rsquo;s rights in exchange for left winger Greg Adams last July. After almost four seasons with the Boston Bruins, Courtnall (74-36-30-66 last season), was traded to the Oilers last March with goaltender Bill Ranford for goalie Andy Moog and future considerations. Courtnall collected two goals and two assists while compiling a plus-five rating in the Capitals&rsquo; first two games.In a 6-2 victory over Buffalo on Oct. 8, the line of Courtnall, Bengt Gustafsson and Dave Christian was the best on the ice, accounting for three goals while blanking the Buffalo threesome of Benoit Hogue, Pierre Turgeon and Ray Sheppard.&ldquo;That line looks terrific,&rdquo; said coach Bryan Murray. &ldquo;Gus is playing well, apparently back to where he was before he left for Sweden (after the 1985-86 season), and Geoff Courtnall and Dave Christian are getting a lot of scoring chances.&ldquo;When your first line is doing what they&rsquo;re doing, you're in good shape. They played so well matched against Sheppard and Turgeon, after a while Ted (Sator) wouldn&rsquo;t play them much.&rdquo;The night before, in a 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh. Murray moved Kelly Miller onto the line in Christian&rsquo;s spot for defensive purposes. Courtnall collected a goal and two assists, while the trio limited Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mario Lemieux to an inconsequential second assist on Zarley Zalapski&rsquo;s first goal. Neither of Lemieux&rsquo; linemates, Bob Errey or Rob Brown, managed a shot on goal.Courtnall felt the defensive responsibilities given him by Murray were critical to his offensive success and he was pleased with Murray&rsquo;s line combinations.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re worrying about playing defense, you get a lot more chances,&rdquo; Courtnall said. &ldquo;The puck seems to squirt free and you get away on a three-on-two. That&rsquo;s been happening a bit for us.&ldquo;Last year (at Boston) I played a lot with Ken Linseman and he&rsquo;s a lot like Bengt. He likes to hit the blue line, stop and make a play. Bengt is so shifty, he can hang onto the puck until the best time to make a move. But where I&rsquo;ve really been surprised by Bengt is how well he&rsquo;s played on defense.&ldquo;I played with Dave (Christian) a lot during camp and we seem to suit each other. Bengt makes the plays and if they cover me, Dave seems to be open and if they cover Dave, I&rsquo;m open. We&rsquo;re getting a lot of chances.&rdquo;Courtnall enjoyed considerable success with Boston last season, recording 32 goals in 62 games. But after he went to Edmonton in the Andy Moog deal, his numbers went downhill in a hurry. He had four goals in 12 regular-season games and none in 19 play off contests. Still, he was not afraid his scoring touch had deserted him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04273/5489256-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="540" height="1239"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ex-Oiler Geoff Courtnall had four points in two games.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I never thought I lost the touch,&rdquo; Courtnall said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t getting the chances I got in these two games. I could have had a couple more. If I work on what they want me to do, the chances should come.&rdquo;<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Lou Francesehetti, LW, assigned to Baltimore (AHL).Oct. 5: Mike Ridley, C, signed three-year contract.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bengt Gustafsson, Date Hunterr Mike Ridley. Bob Gould. Peter Sund-strom.LW&mdash;Geoff Courtnall. Yvon Corriveau. Michal Pivonka. Mike Millar. John Druce.RW&mdash;Dave-Christian, Mike Gartner) Kelly Miller, Steve Leach, Jim Thomson.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Rod Langway. Grant Ledyard.RD&mdash;Larry Murphy, Kevin Hatcher, Neil Sheehy.G&mdash;Pete Peeters. Clint Malarchuk.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

f0022-04

COURTNALL MAKES GOOD ON INCREASED CHANCES

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div>New York Islander general manager Bill Torrey had just seen his team blow its second 6-5 in overtime to the hometown Los Angeles Kings.While his players showered quietly after the Oct. 8 setback, Torrey stalked the hallway outside the dressing room, arms folded, head bowed, lips pursed. His face grew redder with each stride. Up and back he paced, up and back. His bow tie looked like it was ready to ignite.On Oct. 6, the Islanders blew a 4-1 lead in the final 10 minutes of the third period and were tied 4-4 by Calgary. On Oct. 7 they were blitzed 5-1 by Edmonton. In Gretzky-hot L. A., they were burned again, leaving them 0-2-1.&ldquo;The guys that didn&rsquo;t work in training camp are the ones having horsebleep starts,&rdquo; Torrey bellowed, loudly enough for any Islander walking through the hallway to hear. &ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t work in training camp and it&rsquo;s costing us right now. Did they think they&rsquo;d just start the season and it would be different?&rdquo;After a 2-7-1 pre-season, the Islanders were off to their worst start since 1973-74&mdash;their second season in the league&mdash;when they were 0-3-4. That Islander team finished 19-41-18 for 56 points, last in the eight-team East Division.The Islanders opened the season with seven rookies&mdash;defensemen Jeff Norton, Richard Pilon, Dean Chynoweth and Jeff Finley, right winger David Volek, left winger Rod Dallman and right winger Mick Vukota&mdash;but they weren&rsquo;t the problem in the team&rsquo;s opening games.&ldquo;Damn right about that,&rdquo; Torrey said. &ldquo;Just take a look and see who was on the ice.&rdquo;Seven-year defenseman Steve Konroyd was on the ice for four of L.A.&rsquo;s six goals and was minus-five after three games. With the Islanders killing a penalty late in the third period, defenseman Gerald Diduck put his team two men down by taking a boarding penalty. L.A.&rsquo;s Marty McSorley tied the game 5-5 before Diduck stepped out of the penalty box.Left winger Brad Lauer, one of the few players whom Islander coach Terry Simpson criticized for having an unimpressive camp, was on the ice for the Kings&rsquo; overtime goal. So were defenseman Tomas Jonsson, center Brent Sutter and right winger Alan Kerr, all of whom were off to poor starts.The Lauer-Sutter-Kerr line was also on the ice for Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s goal, which cut the Islander lead to 5-4 with 14 seconds left in the second period.<h2>N.Y. ISLES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 7: Rich Kromm, LW, assigned to Springfield (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Pat LaFontaine, Bryan Trottier, Brent Sutter, Raimo Helminen, Bob Bassen.LW&mdash;Derek King, Greg Gilbert, Randy Wood, Brad Lauer, Rod Dallman.RW&mdash;David Votek, Mikko Makela, Brad Dalgamo, Alan Kerr, Mick VukotaLD&mdash;Steve Konroyd, Jeff Norton, Jeff Finley, Richard Pilon.RD&mdash;Gerald Diduck, Tomas Jonsson, Ken Morrow, Dean Chynoweth.G&mdash;Kelly Hrudey, Billy Smith.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Patrick Flatley, RW, knee, Nov. 15.Dale Henry, sprained left ankle, Oct. 15. &#9632;

TORREY BLOWS UP AFTER ISLES BLOW LEAD

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div>The New York Rangers found some encouraging signs and earned three points out of a possible four when they opened the 1988-89 season with road games in Chicago and St. Louis.&ldquo;There are 78 games to go,&rdquo; Ranger coach Michel Bergeron said after a 4-2 triumph at St. Louis on Oct. 8, &ldquo;but getting a tie and a victory in our first two games, especially on the road, makes me very pleased.&ldquo;A lot of the good things I saw in the pre-season (when the Rangers went 5-4-1) have been there in the first two games. A good start is very important for us. It&rsquo;s important for everybody in the Patrick Division because the teams are so close.&rdquo;Last year, in his first season as coach of the Rangers, Bergeron&rsquo;s troops stumbled to a 4-11-3 start and never completely recovered. The Rangers finished 36-34-10 and while they tied the New Jersey Devils in points, they missed out on the final playoff spot in the division because they had two fewer wins than the Devils.So when left winger Ulf Dahlen scored a pair of third-period goals to gain a season-opening 2-2 tie at Chicago on Oct. 6, the Rangers were relieved.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be in a lot of close games this year,&rdquo; said captain Kelly Kisio. &ldquo;And it is important that we play with poise, right from the beginning.&rdquo;Three of the major reasons why New York failed to gain a playoff spot last season were its road record (14-21-5), its record in one-goal games (8-17) and its record when trailing after two periods (1-25-3).Trailing 1-0 going into the third period at Chicago, Bergeron juggled his lines and came up with a combination of Kisio. Tomas Sandstrom and Dahlen.After two games, this unit had accounted for five of six Ranger goals and 12 of the team&rsquo;s 17 points.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy playing with two veterans,&rdquo; said the 21-year-old Dahlen, who is starting his second NHL season. &lsquo;&lsquo;They talk to me a lot and tell me where to go.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little more difficult to understand Tomas because he speaks Swedish,&rdquo; joked Dahlen, who is also Swedish but very proud of his fast improving English.Chicago has been Dahlen&rsquo;s favorite opponent in his brief NHL stay. After being scratched for five of the Rangers&rsquo; first seven games a year ago, Dahlen finally got Bergeron&rsquo;s attention by scoring three goals&mdash;his first three in the NHL&mdash;against the Black Hawks in a 7-3 rout at the Garden last Oct. 23. The Rangers&rsquo; first choice in 1985 finished with 29 goals and 23 assists in 70 games.The native of Ostersund skated primarily the at center for Bjorkloven in the Swedish Elite League but his strong, aggressive work in the comers allows three forward positions. the Rangers to use him at any of the three forward positions.Dahlen isn't as swift or as slick as some other European imports but he has outstanding balance, plays well in traffic and has exceptional stamina.&ldquo;Last year,&rdquo; said Bergeron, &ldquo;we noticed that Ulf scored a lot of goals in the second and third periods. He seems to get stronger as the game goes on and that is a nice quality. He is one of those players who doesn&rsquo;t mind taking the hit to make a play.&rdquo;Bergeron tried to break Dahlen in slowly last season and, at times, seemed reluctant to give him the responsibility his strong efforts called for.Playing with minimum ice time, Dahlen finished the first half with 10 goals and five assists while playing in 30 of 40 games. During that time, he played two games with Colorado of the International League, collecting two goals and two assists. But Colorado coach-general manager Pete Mahovlich sent him back, saying Dahlen had &ldquo;too much ability&rdquo; for the IHL.Over the second half, Dahlen proved Mahovlich correct. Playing primarily as a right winger, he notched 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 40 games.Dahlen&rsquo;s 29 goals last season was the fourth-highest total of any rookie in Rangers&rsquo; history and ranked fourth among all rookies in 1987-88.<h2>N.Y. RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 5: Mike Richter. G, assigned to Denver (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Kelly Kisio. Lucien DeBlois, Darren Turcotte, Doug Wickenheiser. Marcel Dionne.LW&mdash;Ulf Dahlen. Jan Erixon, Brian Mullen, John Ogrodnick, Don Maloney, Joe Paterson.RW&mdash;Tomas Sandstrom, Chris Nilan, Guy Lafleur, Tony Granato, Rudy Poeschek.LD&mdash;Normand Rochefort, Brian Leetch, Ron Greschner, Norm Maciver, Craig Redmond.RD&mdash;James Patrick. Michel Petit, David Shaw.G&mdash;John Vanbiesbrouck, Bob Froese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Paul Cyr, LW, strained rigt knee ligaments, Jan. 15.Jason Lafreniere, C, fractured cheekbone, Nov. 5. &#9632;

RANGERS TAKE STEPS TO IMPROVE ROAD RECORD

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div>In five months, Jon Morris has gone from a seat in the crowd to a significant role on the ice for the New Jersey Devils.As the Devils were battling the Boston Bruins in the first two games of last spring&rsquo;s Wales Conference finals, Morris and a University of Lowell buddy watched from the stands in steamy Boston Garden. He viewed the remainder of the play-offs on TV.&ldquo;I guess it is a kind of a dream when you picture it,&rdquo; said Morris, who surprised many when he won a spot with the Devils after arriving at training camp without a pro contract. He celebrated his NHL debut with a third-period play that sparked New Jersey to a come-from-behind 5-3 victory in Quebec City on Oct. 8.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a different kind of player than a lot of guys on this team,&rdquo; said the 22-year-old center, who was discovered by Russ LeClair, the same scout who urged the Devils to sign Doug Brown as a free agent out of Boston College. &ldquo;This is a hard-hitting team. They kept telling me they needed a guy like me who could handle the puck. I don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;ll happen down the road. I&rsquo;ll take it as it comes.&rdquo;New Jersey&rsquo;s fifth choice in the 1984 entry draft, Morris played four years at Lowell, earning second team All-American status in 1986-87 when he went 28-33-61 in 35 games.Although Morris&rsquo; style is more suitable to a wide-open skating game than many Patrick Division brawls, he showed that he is an NHL-caliber player.Centering a line with sophomore right winger Brendan Shanahan and veteran left winger Pat Conacher, Morris saw extensive ice time on the Devils&rsquo; power play.Just 52 seconds into the third period, with the Devils trailing 3-1, referee Don Koharski called a bench minor on the Devils for having too many men on the ice. Coach Jim Schoenfeld sent Morris to the penalty box to serve the two minutes.&ldquo;When he sent me to the penalty box he said, &lsquo;Look for a breakaway. Maybe you&rsquo;ll get the puck coming out of the box,&rsquo; &rdquo; said Morris. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if he was trying to make me feel good or what.&rdquo;He didn&rsquo;t get a breakaway but when Morris came out of the box, he intercepted a pass from Quebec defenseman Tommy Albelin intended for Jeff Brown. Morris sent Aaron Broten in for a breakaway on Bob Mason and Broten tucked his first goal of the season under the crossbar at 3:02.&ldquo;I was extremely happy because we were down 3-1,&rdquo; said Morris. &ldquo;We needed to get something going. I was thrilled for myself and the team.&rdquo;Exactly two minutes later, center Patrik Sundstrom scored his first of two power-play goals and the game was tied 3-3. Sundstrom snapped the tie at the 16:25 mark and John Mac-Lean scored two minutes later as the Devils left the Nordiques reeling.<h2>NEW JERSEY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Sept. 28: Marc Laniel, D. assigned to Utica (AHL).Sept. 29: Jon Morris. C, recalled from Utica; Janne Ojanen, C, assigned to Utica.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Kirk Muller, Mark Johnson, Claude Loiselle, Jon Morris.LW&mdash;Aaron Broten, Patrik Sundstrom, David Maley, Pat Conacher, Jim Korn.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, John MacLean. Doug Brown, Brendan Shanahan, Perry AndersonLD&mdash;Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko, Tom Kurvers, Randy Velischek.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Joe Cirella, Jack O'Callahan.G&mdash;Sean Burke, Bob Sauve.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jamie Huscroft, D. fractured right wrist, indefinite.Steve Rooney. LW, strained left shoulder, indefinite. &#9632;

MORRIS MAKES MOST OF OPPORTUNITY

<div class="byline">BY BOB WAGNER</div>Bud Poile is retiring after this season, his sixth as commissioner of the International League.When he took the job. he didn&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;d last nearly that long. There was a time when Norman Robert Poile&mdash;Bud, after the nickname his grandmother gave him&mdash;wondered if taking the job hadn't been a mistake.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01637/5489366-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="690" height="1072"></div>After the 1983-84 season, his first as IHL commissioner, Poile had second thoughts. He doubled as IHL and Central League boss that season and presided over the CHL&rsquo;s last rites. He thought the same fate would befall the IHL because of some owners he felt were more concerned for their own welfare than for the well-being of the league.&ldquo;There was a time when I thought I made a mistake,&rdquo; he says.Poile was in his ninth and final season as Central League commissioner when he accepted the IHL post. Muskegon Lumberjack owner-general manager Larry Gordon, who owned the CHL&rsquo;s Montana Magic at the time, urged Poile to try both jobs.&ldquo;He is a tremendous administrator, a hockey man who understands the business side of the game, too,&rdquo; says Gordon. &ldquo;I thought it was a good idea that both leagues have a commissioner who was experienced and who had proven himself.&rdquo;It was a trying time for Poile.&ldquo;Balancing two leagues, it was an experience,&rdquo; Poile says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s one that 1 would never do again.&rdquo;Why even attempt it?&ldquo;The master plan was if something happened to both leagues, we would have enough teams to get one good league,&rdquo; says Poile.&ldquo;It was a situation where I thought, &lsquo;What the hell, I&rsquo;ll give it a try.&rsquo; It was a lot of work.&rdquo;But to no avail. The six-team CHL was on its last legs and folded after that 1983-1984 season.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02420/5489359-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="1452" height="2408"><figcaption class="caption-body">Not everybody in the IHL jumped for joy when Bud Poile, in picture at left, made a crusade of NHL affiliation for league teams.</figcaption></div>Poile has been harpooned by critics over his failure to save the CHL, but he says it was a matter of circumstances.&ldquo;The Central League was having a lot of problems and starting to look to the west coast when we got caught in a cycle,&rdquo; says Poile. &ldquo;Teams were getting together to sponsor development clubs, the Canadian dollar wasn&rsquo;t flowing too good, and Canadian (NHL) clubs like Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto, among others, decided to stay (with affiliates) in Canada.&rdquo;Poile set to work solidifying the all-independent IHL. His method was to aggressively pursue NHL sponsorship. The strategy was not embraced by some IHL owners.Each CHL team had NHL sponsorship and the league&rsquo;s demise added fuel to the anti-NHL feeling in the IHL. If an NHL-sponsored league could fold, what was the use of pursuing NHL sponsorship?Poile was considered an NHL man because of his stints as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers (1967-69) and Vancouver Canucks (1970-74).&ldquo;They resented my philosophy of working with the NHL,&rdquo; says Poile. &ldquo;Once I had the league to myself, I was able to convince them (owners) they needed the NHL to survive.Poile, who will be 65 in February, says the frustration of the early years has disappeared.&ldquo;A lot of good things have happened. We have a solid 10-team league. They still tag us with a minor-league hockey label, but we might take the liberty of saying that we are major minor-league hockey.The league is richer for hiring him, boasting more NHL ties than at any other time in its history. Seven of the league&rsquo;s 10 teams carry NHL affiliations.Average attendance during Poile&rsquo;s six years with the IHL has gone from 2,766 in 1983-84 to a high of 3,263 in 1986-87. It dipped slightly to 3,069 last season.Poile still has things to accomplish before he leaves.&lsquo;&lsquo;What we have to do before we get out of it is to get (independent franchises) Fort Wayne, Flint and Indianapolis No. 1 (NHL) affiliations and then everything will be 110 percent. That&rsquo;s my priority.&rdquo;Indianapolis returned to the league this season after a one-year absence.Poile&rsquo;s crusade for IHL affiliation with NHL teams is still regarded with skepticism by some.&ldquo;The biggest problem we have is the infiltration of the NHL influence on this league,&rdquo; says Fort Wayne Komet owner David Welker. &ldquo;Seven teams are No. 1 affiliates and three are not. We have unlimited rosters. That&rsquo;s not fair to the teams that are not No. 1 affiliates.&rdquo;Don Chambers, president of the Flint Spirits and one of the team&rsquo;s 19 owners, says NHL affiliation is a &ldquo;double-edged sword. 1 have feelings both ways. It can help financially, being No. 1, but I feel you lose control of your own hockey club. I&rsquo;m an independent cuss. I really don&rsquo;t like to be told what to do, not that I would turn down a No. 1 affiliation. I wouldn&rsquo;t. But I&rsquo;m going to look for some control.&rdquo;Gordon, whose team is affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins, says the relationship is a plus.&ldquo;How in heck can a team go out and pay for talent like we have?&rdquo; asks Gordon.The Lumberjacks feature Penguin farmhands Frank Pietrangelo in goal, left wingerss Dave Michayluk and Scott Gruhl and center Glen Mulvenna, who scored 21 goals and 38 assists in just 38 games with the Western League&rsquo;s Kamloops Blazers last season.Poile points to successful minor-league franchises such as Hershey (Philadelphia Flyers), Springfield (New York Islanders) and Adirondack (Detroit Red Wings) of the American League as examples NHL affiliation is beneficial and says the greatest compliment to the idea is the seven IHL affiliations with the NHL.Although the expense of air travel in the far-flung CHL (Dallas to Billings was the farthest trip) was prohibitive and said to be too large a burden to carry, Poile denies it was responsible for the league&rsquo;s collapse. &ldquo;The biggest problem was the lack of practice ice and the availability of buildings. Air travel was a very minor factor.&rdquo;He proved it with the IHL. Poile was influential in getting Salt Lake City and Indianapolis to join the IHL in 1984-85 once the CHL collapsed, introducing the formerly all-bus IHL to the friendly skies of air travel.Denver joined for the 1985-86 season and expansion talk during the off-season mentioned western U.S. cities Sacramento and Phoenix.Poile, an NHL center for seven seasons with Toronto, Chicago, Detroit, Boston and the New York Rangers and vice-president of the World Hockey Association in 1973-74, says the time is right to retire as IHL commisioner.&ldquo;To do a good job in any league you have to travel quite a bit,&rdquo; says Poile. &ldquo;Outside of Salt Lake and Denver, the travel is all by car and I&rsquo;m a little weary of it. I think everybody needs a change.&rdquo;He will serve as a league consultant for three years. A search committee is looking for a successor. The league hopes to have the replacement in place by February, to serve a get-acquainted term the remainder of the season alongside Poile.&ldquo;I think he has tried to be as fair as a fellow can be,&rdquo; says Chambers. &ldquo;I feel he has done basically a good job. Matter of fact, 1 think we&rsquo;re going to miss him.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0025-01

IHL BOSS POILE PACKING IT IN AT END OF SEASON

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div>A bad story turned into a sad story for promising right winger Mark Vermette, when the Quebec Nordiques him to the Halifax Citadels for disciplinary reasons.&ldquo;I made a big mistake,&rdquo; said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m paying for it. I hate the minors.&rdquo;He didn&rsquo;t have to tolerate them for long. Vermette was recalled by 10 to help fill the void left by a knee injury to left winger Michael Goulet.Vermette, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year at Lake superior State last season, was almost a cinch to start the season with the Nordiques. He was even playing on a line with Peter Stastny early in the exhibition season. Vermette never made it past the second week, though.Vermette spread the word that his girlfriend had a serious car accident in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., and when the Nordiques heard about it, they let him visit her. When he rejoined the team three days later, the team tried to send flowers to his girlfriend in the hospital, but soon discovered the story was a hoax. So, on Sept. 22, Vermette became a Citadel.&ldquo;I just had personal problems,&rdquo; Vermette said. &ldquo;I had things I had to work out. It was all new to me. I didn&rsquo;t know what to do and I did the first thing that came to mind. I went back there for support.&rdquo;Vermette spent his 21st birthday in the minors.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to say anything to anybody. I should have talked to my parents, I should have talked to my agent. It was a brutal mistake.&rdquo;Vermette led the Citadels in preseason scoring with five goals and five assists in five games.<h2>DUAL ROLE</h2>Ron Wilson, a left winger in Winnipeg&rsquo;s organization since 1979, figured he&rsquo;d spend this season with the Jets&rsquo; farm team in Moncton.So, he decided he might as well go with a title.Wilson accepted the job of Hawk player/assistant coach. The decision enabled Wilson to plan a move during the summer, making the transition more convenient for his family.&ldquo;I had a choice of a few things this summer,&rdquo; said Wilson, 32. &ldquo;I could have quit (playing) hockey and stayed with the organization. I could have stuck it out another year and tried to stay in Winnipeg, but 1 probably would have ended up here. So I came down three weeks before training camp.&ldquo;I know I can&rsquo;t play forever and I know this is a good way to stay in hockey. I&rsquo;m not the head coach. I&rsquo;m learning and this is a good way to learn because I&rsquo;m not running the whole show.&rdquo;In fact, Wilson, who has 75 goals and 134 assists in 536 career NHL games, will probably play a lot early in the season. But he says he will not play ahead of youngsters the Jets are trying to develop.So, is he a player or is he a coach?&ldquo;We had a little meeting with the players to say that I&rsquo;m still a player,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;The players can say things to me and I&rsquo;m not going to go to Rick (Bowness, the head coach) and blab to him.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still more of a player. I practise the same as they do, and I run warmups. I&rsquo;ll be more of a coach when I take off the equipment and go behind the bench or in the press box.&rdquo;<h2>MAINE EXODUS</h2>A week after defenseman Dorn Campedelli quit hockey, three other players left the Maine Mariners. All were on tryouts and walked when they were offered tryout contracts instead of regular contracts.Two of the three were Boston Bruins' draft picks&mdash;center Kevin Heffernan (ninth round in 1984) and defenseman Darwin McPherson (fourth round in 1987). The third, Tim Foley, was a free agent who played at the University of Lowell last season.&ldquo;I was hoping to get a contract,&rdquo; McPherson said, &ldquo;but the way I played in camp, I don&rsquo;t blame them.&rdquo;The Mariners were so short on players that Ed Harding, an intern in the office last season, practised with the team before the season opener. &#9632;

VERMETTE PAYS FOR HIS HOAX

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div>John Paddock knows all too well how difficult it is for Calder Cup champions to repeat. Paddock, 34, was a prominent player on the last back-to-back winners, the 1977-78 and 1978-79 Maine Mariners. He&rsquo;s been in the finals five times since&mdash;twice as a player and three times as a coach&mdash;and is familiar with the problems faced by defending champions.Last season, Paddock&rsquo;s Hershey Bears were the class of the American League. They won 50 regular-season games and the South Division title, then swept undefeated through three playoff rounds to the Calder Cup title&mdash;the first team to accomplish the feat.This year will not be an easy one.The Bears lost four players to NHL teams. Right winger Brian Dobbin, and defensemen Jeff Chychrun and Gord Murphy have joined the Philadelphia Flyers, Hershey&rsquo;s parent team. And goal tender Wendell Young is now with the Pittsburgh Penguins.In addition, forwards Mitch Lamoureux and Ray Allison have gone to Europe while defensemen Kevin McCarthy and Kevin Maxwell have retired.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have about half our team back, about 10 guys,&rdquo; said Paddock. &ldquo;There are new guys coming in and, if the older guys pass along their attitude and work habits, they should have that enthusiasm to feel the same and to desire another year like last year.&ldquo;When the guys get their (Calder Cup) rings, they&rsquo;ll see that, and they should provide whatever is possibly lacking from a motivational aspect. They should be interested enough to provide some spark.&ldquo;In the minors there is a turnover of players and it hurts you some, but we still have a pretty good core of veterans and we still expect to be competitive and challenge anyway.&rdquo;Veteran right winger Warren Harper, a free agent who scored 24 goals with Adirondack last year, and rookies Tony Horacek and Jeff Harding are among the newcomers on the Hershey roster. Harding, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right winger from Michigan State, has been particularly impressive.<h2>WAIVER WOES</h2>The Rochester Americans lost their captain, defenseman Jim Hofford, in the NHL waiver draft Oct. 3, but Hofford may not be gone forever.Buffalo Sabre general manager Gerry Meehan said he will not permit the Los Angeles Kings, who claimed the 24-year-old defenseman, to ship him to New Haven, their AHL affiliate.&ldquo;I will exercise a challenge against any attempt to send him to the minors,&rdquo; Meehan said. &ldquo;My feeling is that this gives Jimmy the chance to prove he belongs in the NHL. If he doesn&rsquo;t make it in Los Angeles then he&rsquo;ll be back in an Amerks&rsquo; uniform or a Sabres&rsquo; uniform.&rdquo;A similar situation developed last year when Los Angeles claimed center Tim Tookey from the Philadelphia Flyers in the draft. The Flyers said they would reclaim Tookey, the AHL scoring champ at Hershey in 1986-87, if the Kings asked waivers on him. The Flyers later changed their position after Tookey suffered a knee injury.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01625/5489421-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="552" height="763"><figcaption class="caption-body">Toronto assigned Greg Terrion to the Newmarket Saints.</figcaption></div>Under NHL rules, a team that has lost a player in the draft has the right of first refusal if he is put on waivers by his new team. That would make Hofford available to the Sabres if he is unable to earn a job with the Kings.<h2>SLOW RECOVERY</h2>Veterans George McPhee and Dan Dorion were on the injured list when the Utica Devils opened the season. McPhee was still recovering from a serious groin injury that limited him to five games with New Jersey last year. Dorion fractured his wrist in training camp&hellip; The Devils opened the season with a strong lineup filled with young players including rookies Neil Brady, Janne Ojanen, Kevin Todd, Marc Laniel, Eric Weinrich and Troy Crowder. Three players who had been expected to start the season in Utica did not for different reasons: defenseman Gord Mark retired, left winger Andy Brickley was picked by Boston in the waiver draft, and center Anders Carlsson balked at another assignment to the AHL.Newmarket picked up more experienced players when Peter Ihnacak and Greg Terrion joined the team from Toronto. The Saints have one rookie forward, right winger Trevor Jobe, and three rookie defensemen&mdash;Jack Capuano, Brian Hoard and Darryl Shannon&hellip; Binghamton&rsquo;s defense was strengthened by the addition of veterans Charlie Bourgeois and Larry Trader, who were assigned by Hartford. Binghamton also received veteran left winger Lindsay Carson from the parent club. &#9632;

f0027-01

NEW-LOOK BEARS FACE DIFFICULT TASK

<div class="byline">BY BOB WAGNER</div>Tom Berry put a whistle where his mouth was.Berry, who retired from an Indianapolis electronics business 10 years ago, became so annoyed with officiating he decided to take charge of it.&ldquo;One of my four boys started to play as a young man,&rdquo; said Berry, majority owner of the WHA&rsquo;s India-napolis Racers for three years. &ldquo;One day 1 went to a game and there was warfare out there and I thought &lsquo;There has got to be better officiating.&rsquo; &rdquo;An Indianapolis resident, his closest opportunity was the IHL, which has its league offices in the Indiana capital. This marks his third season as director of officiating for the IHL. And it&rsquo;s not as if he walked into the league offices one day and sat in the director&rsquo;s chair. Berry, 54, is qualified for the job. His resume details a 14-year officiating career in the WHA, Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Central League.&ldquo;We work hand-in-glove with the NHL,&rdquo; said Berry, &ldquo;to try and develop a program which would permit gradual entrance into the NHL ranks of officials. This is the grassroots' end.&rdquo;Among the minor pro graduates working in the NHL are Kerry Fraser. Don Koharski. Don Marouelli. Mark Faucette. Paul Stewart. Bill McCreary. Bob Hall and Terry Gregson. Each worked both IHL and American League games during their climb to the major leagues.IHL trainees Dave Cassidy and Russ Johnson were enrolled in the NHL training program this year, and Steve Piotrowski went last year.Fifty-six prospective officials attended the 1987 IHL training camp. The number increased to 75 this year, though they were split between a camp in Kalamazoo (34 in attendance) and Denver (41). Sixty of the 75 hopefuls will be used in the IHL this season.<h2>FOGGY TIE</h2>The Canadian national team under coach Dave King went 3-0-1 in a four-game exhibition swing through the IHL Sept. 30-Oct. 3. Team Canada tied Muskegon 4-4 before beating Flint 5-3, Milwaukee 5-4 and Fort Wayne 5-3 in overtime.The Muskegon game finished under unusual circumstances. Fog rose from the ice after the air conditioning failed in Muskegon&rsquo;s Walker Arena. By mutual agreement, the clock ran continuously through the third period and an overtime session was scrubbed.The IHL has been negotiating for a Jan. 18 all-star game against Team Canada in Kalamazoo.<h2>WINGING IT</h2>Kalamazoo Wings are having their problems. Not only was center Bill Terry, the team&rsquo;s leading scorer last season (31-54-85 in 77 games), a hold out, but 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman Jay Caulfield was put on waivers by the parent Minnesota North Stars and claimed by Pittsburgh. Caulfield went 5-10-15 with 273 penalty minutes in 65 games last season&hellip; Kalamazoo got a boost from rookie goaltender Larry Dyck from the University of Manitoba. Dyck made 37 saves in a 2-1 exhibition win over Muskegon, Oct. 1&hellip; Dave Fisher, an IHL on-ice official for 20 years, joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association as supervisor of officials. He was honored at the IHL officials&rsquo; training camp banquet Oct. 1 along with another 20-year officiating veteran, Fred Maindonald. &#9632;

UPSET AT OFFICIALS, BERRY BLEW THE WHISTLE

<div class="byline">BY ED WILLES</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01648/5489483-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div>Gerry James, a curious hybrid of Canadian sports legend and itinerant hockey coach, walked into a nightmare last season.After taking over as coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors, he watched the James gang win just six of 41 regular-season games.And while the Warriors struggled on the ice, problems mounted in the team&rsquo;s front office. By season&rsquo;s end, the team&rsquo;s bank account was soaked in red ink.The Warriors would have been laid to rest over the summer had the Western League believed in euthanasia.Ultimately the franchise survived through the league&rsquo;s compassion, an understanding group of creditors and its own perseverance. Now the question is, can the Warriors return to health or did the off-season simply forestall the inevitable?&ldquo;The fans want results,&rdquo; James says bluntly. &ldquo;They want to know if they&rsquo;ve been strung along a line of crap.&rdquo;Warrior fans have seen plenty since the team transferred from Winnipeg four years ago.Before James&rsquo; arrival&mdash;he replaced former NHLer Jim Harrison&mdash;there had been four head coaches and five general managers in Moose Jaw. Twice, including last year, the Warriors finished in last place.Still, the Warriors&rsquo; average attendance was 2,200 in 1987-88. There have been some individual heroes to cheer but limited team success.Despite producing players such as Calgary Flame farmhand Theoren Fleury, Mike Keane of the Montreal Canadiens and Kelly Buchberger of the Edmonton Oilers, the Warriors have never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs. The Warriors&rsquo; best season was 1986-87, when, they finished 38-31-3. They have a record of 102-177-9 to show for their four seasons in the league.This season, the Warriors have not exactly been on the warpath. The team was 0-7 during the pre-season and 0-3 after three regular-season games. But Warriors&rsquo; veteran defenseman Jerome Bcchard puts the situation into perspective.&ldquo;After what happened in the off-season,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re just happy to have a team here.&rdquo;James stepped into the chaos Dec. 8, 1987, when he replaced Harrison as head coach. Harrison replaced Greg Kvisle. who was fired after leading the Warriors to their most successful season in 1986-87.Shortly after making comments critical of the team&rsquo;s ownership&mdash;until this year the community-owned team was controlled by a 30-member board of directors&mdash;and general manager Harvey Roy, Harrison was fired. His dismissal came just four days after the board made Harrison director of hockey operations. Harrison learned of the news from reporters.The Warriors finished 6-33-2 under James. On the season, they were 18-52-2. The only bright spot was the play of Fleury, who scored 160 points to share the scoring championship with Swift Current&rsquo;s Joe Sakic. He was also captain of Canada&rsquo;s gold medal team at the World Junior Championships.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what happened but when you play 6-33-2 it&rsquo;s pretty obvious you&rsquo;re not doing anything right," says James. &ldquo;There was all that turmoil and that was right around the time Theoren went to play at the World Championships. We went on a six-game road trip on the west coast and we got killed. Right then we just wanted to finish the games and get home.&rdquo;But the team&rsquo;s uncertain play under James has not undermined his authority. He is in control of the Warriors. James assumed the general manager&rsquo;s duties when Roy was released in the off-season. His wife, Marg, runs the Warriors&rsquo; office and the team pays the couple a reported $50,000 per year to run the hockey operations.This year the Warriors are counting on James&rsquo; larger-than-life-reputation to help turn around the franchise.As a teenager, James jumped from high school football to a job as fullback with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League, twice rushing for 1,000 yards. Along the way, he picked up five Grey Cups and Schenley Awards in 1954 and 1957 as the league&rsquo;s outstanding Canadian player. In 1981 he was elected to the CFL Hall of Fame.Two years after joining the Blue Bombers, James made the Toronto Maple Leafs as a right winger. In five seasons, he scored 14 goals and 26 assists.&ldquo;I liked both (sports) the same,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I had to play both because neither of them paid enough.&rdquo;James&rsquo; coaching career began in the Saskatchewan Jr. League, where he coached 15 seasons, in Melville, Yorkton and Estevan. He quickly established himself as a no-nonsense disciplinarian whose teams play very tough hockey. Twice, his clubs won SJHL titles and between 1979 and 1983 he was owner, general manager and coach of the Yorkton franchise.It was during his tenure with Yorkton that, ironically, James was banned from the Moose Jaw Civic Arena for one year. He was found guilty of two counts of common assault in a game during the 1980-81 season, when Moose Jaw was in the SJHL.&ldquo;In those days and even now, the security wasn&rsquo;t very good here,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The fans have easy access to the corridor where the players come and go. Well, a couple of fans got into it with us and I punched both their lights out.&ldquo;The judge didn&rsquo;t like that too much so he banned me from the arena for a year.&rdquo;James, a 54-year-old native of Regina, expects his players to be just as tough on the ice. In a pair of curious moves last year, James dealt proven scorers Trevor Jobe (to Prince Albert) and Bob Foglietta (to Victoria) in return for Greg Batters and Scott Turnbull respectively, a pair of rugged players.Last season the Warriors took their nickname to heart, leading the East Division in penalty minutes with 3,472 to rank third in the league behind Seattle and Spokane.&ldquo;Some people call me a dinosaur and that my method of coaching is extinct,&rdquo; says James. "There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with the rough, aggressive style of game. Lots of teams have been successful with that.&rdquo;Despite the circumstances, both on the ice&mdash;where Blair Atchenym is the team&rsquo;s only player with a 20-goal WHL season to his credit&mdash;and off, James argues there is reason for optimism.&ldquo;The most positive thing is we have a closely-knit team,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the first step. The second step is getting some wins. We can say we&rsquo;re close but close only counts in hand grenades.&ldquo;What happened here in the off-season has given the coaching staff something to work for. A lot of people worked very hard to keep this franchise alive. We want the same kind of player.&rdquo;The franchise almost collapsed under a staggering debt load, cash flow problems and internal dissension. By the end of the 1987-88 season, the Warriors owed about $150,000 in Moose Jaw and $213,000 from a previous incarnation in Winnipeg.On May 12, the team&rsquo;s board of directors held a public forum to address the Warriors&rsquo; problems. Instead of receiving sympathy for their plight, the board was bombarded with criticism. Three days later, the board resigned en masse and a five-man committee, headed temporarily by Moose Jaw businessman Toby Tobias, was struck to save the Warriors.On May 17. WHL president Ed Chynoweth delivered an ultimatum. Raise sufficient funds and restructure the organization within two weeks or lose the franchise. With the help of city hall, the Warriors met the deadline. A public drive raised $100,000 and the City of Moose Jaw forgave a $45,000 ice-rental debt. The remainder of the debt was refinanced and the Warriors were in business.Before Tobias stepped down, he and the committee presented a threadbare budget. One of the most drastic cost-cutting measures was to drop the Moose Jaw AAA midget team which the Warriors sponsored to the tune of $50,000 annually.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02458/5489476-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="700" height="1104"><figcaption class="caption-body">High-scoring Theoren Fleury is Moose Jaw&rsquo;s most prominent grad, but there will be few to follow if Gerry James, above, can&rsquo;t turn the team around.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We were the only team in the league sponsoring a midget team so this year we gave $5,000 and told them to run with it,&rdquo; James says. &ldquo;Forevery player that came to our team from there, it was costing us about $20,000 and I think we could hire some pretty good scouts for that kind of money.&rdquo;Austerity is the buzzword around Moose Jaw this season. During training camp the players were billeted in local homes instead of hotels. The Warriors&rsquo; booster club handled preparation of the meals.&ldquo;Last season we spent about $12,000 on training camp,&rdquo; says James. &ldquo;This year if we spend $1,000, that&rsquo;s a lot. The country club atmosphere is gone here. We&rsquo;re not going to take the easy way any more.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-01

THE JAMES GANG

<div class="byline">BY ED WILLES</div>Since moving from New Westminster where they played as the Bruins last season, the Tri-Cities Americans have encountered one obstacle after another.But beyond the prolonged road swing which opens their season; beyond the smurf-sized practice rink; beyond the cancellation of an exhibition game because of a corn surplus; the Americans see brighter days ahead."Whenever we want to get pumped up we go down to Kennewick (which comprises the Tri-Cities with Pasco and Richland in eastern Washington state) and look at the new facility,&rdquo; said Americans&rsquo; assistant general manager Kevin Gallant. The Americans won&rsquo;t move into the Tri-Cities Coliseum until their home opener on Nov. 20. In the meantime, the team faces a 17-game stretch on the road which includes eight games in 11 days during a swing through the East Division.&ldquo;We've told the players the road to success is rockiest when it's under construction," said Gallant. "This is a test of their character."That test reached absurd limits during the early stages of the Americans&rsquo; first season. The closest accessible practice rink to the Tri-Cities is in the poetically-named community of Walla Walla, Wash. Unfortunately, that surface is 120-by-60 feet, considerably smaller than a regulation 200-by-85 surface.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01559/5489521-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="540" height="931"><figcaption class="caption-body">Saskatoon's Curtis Leschyshyn started the year in Quebec.</figcaption></div>"When I lie down with my toes on the blue line, I can touch the other blue line with my fingertips." said Gallant.As if that&rsquo;s not enough, the ceiling for the facility is only about 10 feet high. Rising from the end boards is a wall of chicken wire.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re handling the puck a lot better in traffic," Gallant deadpanned.The Walla Walla facility, used pre-dominantly for public skating, is still about an hour&rsquo;s drive from Kennewick. The next-closest facility is 216 hours away in Spokane."The players do get a little frustrated." he said. "They want to be professionals and one day they want to be treated like professionals."<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02388/5489514-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="553" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body">Coach Ken Hitchcock led Kamloops to a 5-2 pre-season record.</figcaption></div>On Sept. 21, an exhibition game with the Seattle Thunderbirds at Wenatchee. Wash., was corned out.The local rink shares its ice plant with the agriculture department. Farmers in the Wenatchee area produced a bumper crop of corn this year. In order to freeze the entire crop, the rink's ice plant was pressed into service.But the Americans may wind up with the last laugh in this one. They&rsquo;ve already sold 3,200 season tickets and the new facility features a weight room, 12-man sauna, whirlpool, players&rsquo; lounge and classroom complete with a tutor.&ldquo;It might be the best facility in junior hockey when it&rsquo;s completed,&rdquo; said Gallant.<h2>UP AND DOWN</h2>The Lethbridge Hurricanes, seventh in the East Division with a 20-48-4 record last season, went 6-0 in exhibitions but lost their first three regular-season games. The Kamloops Blazers, under coach Ken Hitchcock, led West Division teams with a 5-2 pre-season record. The two-time defending Memorial Cup-champion Medicine Hat Tigers went 2-3.<h2>TOUGH TICKET</h2>Saskatoon Blade general manager Daryl Lubiniecki is expecting a sell-out for the Memorial Cup tournament at Saskatchewan Place. The new arena will add 1.180 seats for the Memorial Cup, raising capacity to 8,936 seats&hellip; Blade defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn (14-41-55 in 56 games) started the season with Quebec Nordiques. Lubiniecki said Nords&rsquo; general manager Martin Madden told him Leschyshyn is one of the six best defensemen on the team. Quebec started the season with eight rearguards. Leschyshyn. 18. was Quebec's first choice, third overall in the 1988 draft. &#9632;

f0029-01

AMERICANS RUNNING OBSTACLE COURSE

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>Denis Methot has had his day in court. Now, Methot. the Quebec League and Le Journal de Montreal anxiously await its outcome.The Trois-Rivieres businessman, who owned the ill-fated Plattsburgh Pioneers, charged the league and newspaper conspired to put himself and the Pioneers out of business in his 1984 lawsuit.He is seeking $750,000 in damages. The case was heard in Quebec Superior Court Sept. 26 to 28.The Pioneers were in the league briefly during the 1983-84 season, losing all 17 of their games before folding Nov. 6. Methot lost $575,000 in six months.Court heard Plattsburgh dressed only 13 or 14 players for many games and often dressed more than the two overage players then permitted. (Teams can now carry three overagers). It was also reported Plattsburgh failed to respect regulations of the Quebec Ice Hockey Federation requiring the team to deposit copies of player contracts with the QMJHL office.None of those involved in the court action would comment on the case before a decision was reached.<h2>JR. HABS DEAL</h2>The Verdun Jr. Canadiens traded seldom-used defenseman-forward Jim Moore (66-1-11-12. 172 penalty minutes) to Hull on Sept. 30 for a pair of rearguards&mdash;Mark McLane (64-1 - 7-8) and Finnish rookie Mikko Auranen.The Baby Habs, in desperate need of help on the blue line, had 20-year-old defenseman Guy Darveau (57-19-16-35) returned from the Calgary Flame camp at the end of September. Verdun acquired Darveau in a trade with Victoriaville Tigres for future considerations last May.Darveau, however, was temporarily unavailable. He was sidelined on a day-to-day basis with a shoulder injury.<h2>COLLEGE CRISIS</h2>Yvon Pedneault has the first crisis on his hands since becoming general manager of the expansion College. Francais de Longueuil.Defenseman Claude-Charles Sauriol (12-17-29 in 62 games last year), acquired by College Francais in a trade with Hull at last May's draft, told Pedneault he wants to be traded back to the Olympiques.Pedneault turned down a deal that would have seen his team receive QMJHL newcomer Franz Demmel, who played last year with SC Bad Tolz in his native West Germany, and defenseman Benoit Poulin.<h2>QMJHL</h2>Pedneault blamed Hull governor Charlie Henry with instigating Sauriol's trade request."When we were playing in Hull last week, we were talking with Henry and (Hull coach and GM) Alain Vigneault and they were telling us that Sauriol wanted to go back to Hull." said Pedneault. "And we have observers that told us that Sauriol&rsquo;s father was meeting with Henry the week before that. We&rsquo;ve tried to trade him to Granby, Shawinigan and Verdun and he&rsquo;s turned down every one. He wants to go back to Hull."Meanwhile, Henry said the Hull people haven&rsquo;t spoken with Sauriol."There's never been anything like that going on," said Henry. "From what I understand, he&rsquo;s supposed to go back (to College Francais). I have better things to do than those kinds of things."In the meantime. Sauriol has been suspended by College Francais while he sits at home in Ottawa.<h2>LOYAL WORKER</h2>Denis Baillairge has turned down an offer to become general manager of the Laval Titan.The 31-year-old Baillairge, commissioner of the Quebec Midget AAA League, said the timing of the move wasn't right. He believed bolting from the midget league, which is breaking in a new executive this season. wouldn&rsquo;t be fair.But Baillairge did tell Titan co-owner and governor Jean-Claude Morissette he would be interested in the job next year if it's still available.Morissette said he planned to meet with his co-owners&mdash;his Five brothers and a brother-in-law&mdash;Oct. 10 to discuss options open to the team.Morissette said he was uncertain whether the team would hire another GM, give coach Paulin Bordeleau added responsibilities, or simply reorganize the front office on a shortterm basis until Baillairge becomes available.Meanwhile, the Titan lost 20-year-old defenseman Martin Lauzon. He quit the team Oct. 3, complaining about limited icetime.Laval brass isn&rsquo;t pleased. Not only did the Titan release overage goaltender Alain Dubeau to get Lauzon on its roster, it also had to convince the 10 other team governors to allow a 20-year-old rookie in the league. Last year Lauzon played with College Francais. then of the Quebec Collegiate AAA League. &#9632;

COURT HEARS LAWSUIT

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON AND LARRY MAHONEY</div>Kingston Raiders' owner Lou Kazowski is threatening to sue the National Collegiate Athletic Association and University of Maine over the eligibility of right winger Steve Widmeyer.Widmeyer, Kingston&rsquo;s first choice in the 1987 entry draft, is with Maine on a hockey scholarship but Kazowski claims Widmeyer signed a contract to play with his team and had dealings with Toronto-based lawyer-player agent Anton Thun.He turned the contract over to the NCAA, which ruled Widmeyer ineligible on Sept. 28 but Maine athletic director Kevin White and coach Shawn Walsh have appealed the ruling. Kazowski has said he plans to sue both Maine and the NCAA if the ruling is overturned.Under NCAA rules, players are not permitted to sign or negotiate a professional contract but may field offers from professional teams. They may have a lawyer review a contract but cannot have anyone act as an agent in contract negotiations.The NCAA considers the OHL a professional league because it pays players, albeit a token amount.At the 1987 draft two summers ago, the 17-year-old-Bedford, N.S., native was undecided about his future. Widmeyer said he and his father, Gary, contacted Thun, among others, to inquire about educational opportunities in the OHL. After deciding he wanted to pursue an athletic scholarship, Widmeyer went to Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Jr. League to retain his eligiblity.Although Widmeyer refused to sign a playing card at the draft, he admits that he signed a contract but was under the impression it wouldn&rsquo;t commit him to play for Kingston, then known as the Canadians<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01639/5489576-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="555" height="781"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sean Whyte is out of Guelph's lineup until November.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;They (Kingston officials) told me it just meant that if I decided to come to training camp I would be in good health and I would have a good attitude," explained Widmeyer, who said he and his father glanced at the contract briefly before signing.But Gord Wood, who was general manager of the Canadians at the time and is currently a part-time scout with the Cornwall Royals, said Widmeyer signed a bona-fide contract. He also said the Widmeyer family visited Kingston two weeks before training camp and Widmeyer only notified Wood of his intentions not to play for Kingston two days before camp opened.Meanwhile, the Widmeyers have filed an affidavit insisting Thun was not asked to represent them as an agent and was only consulted for advice.Thun refused to comment on the matter.<h2>HANNIGAN GONE</h2>Right winger Jason Hannigan. 19. and the Cornwall Royals have parted company.Hannigan, who was 40-26-66 in 56 games with the Royals last season, left the team Sept. 30 and returned to his home in Stoney Creek. Ont.Royals' coach-general manager Orval Tessier refused to discuss specifics but said &ldquo;it wasn't the first time with Jason."I&rsquo;m close friends with Jason's parents and they've tried to help and we've tried to help," said Tessier. "Now 1 think it&rsquo;s time Jason helped himself.&rdquo;Tessier said that several teams have expressed interest in Hannigan but none were willing to meet Tessier&rsquo;s demand for two players or one player and a high draft choice.<h2>WHYTE HURT</h2>An injury has broken up the OHL&rsquo;s top scoring partnership.Right winger Sean Whyte. 18, of the Guelph Platers was atop the OHL scoring parade when he stretched ligaments in his left knee during a game against the Oshawa Generals, Oct. 2.At the time of the mishap. Whyte and linemate Rob Zamuner shared the league scoring totals with identical 3-10-13 totals. Whyte is expected back in early November.<h2>BACK HOME</h2>Overage defenseman Steve Hemiman has joined his hometown team, the Kitchener Rangers. Kitchener acquired Herniman from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Sept. 30, for an eighth-round pick in next year&rsquo;s draft and an undisclosed amount of cash. Herniman is under contract to the NHL&rsquo;s Vancouver Canucks&hellip; London acquired overage left winger Craig Booker from Kitchener for a fourth-round pick in the 1989 draft. Booker was 33-23-56 with 137 PIM in just 39 games with the Rangers last season. &#9632;

f0030-01

RAIDER OWNER THREATENS LAWSUIT OVER WIDMEYER

1. Which Vancouver player is known to his teamates as &lsquo;The Strangler&rdquo;?2. Who is the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; all-time penalty-minute leader, with 871?3. Who recorded the first hat-trick in St. Louis Blues&rsquo; history, on Nov. 3, 1967?4. How many times did Dave Semenko record 200 penalty minutes in a single NHL season?5. Which team ended the 1987-88 Ontario League season with 28 straight losses?6. Which Washington defenseman once worked out as a boxer at Detroit&rsquo;s famed Kronk Gym?7. Which minor league club plays its home games at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena?8. What former NHL head coach is GM of the Quebec League&rsquo;s Verdun Jr. Canadiens?9. What ex-NHL defenseman is head coach of the AHL&rsquo;s Baltimore Skipjacks?10. What was the last NHL team to win the O&rsquo;Brien Trophy, in 1949-50, as losing Stanley Cup finalist?ANSWERS: 1. Garth Butcher. 2. Bryan Watson. 3. Camile Henry. 4. None 194 PIM in 1980-81 was his career high. 5. Kingston Canadians. 6. Kevin Hatcher. 7. Binghamton of the AHL. 8. Jacques Lemaire. 9. Terry Murray. 10. New York Rangers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02464/5489607-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="546" height="703"></div>BONUS QUESTION: He shares the Penguin record for assists in one game, with six. Who is he?BONUS ANSWER: Ron Stackhouse. &#9632;

f0030-02

TRIVIA

<div class="byline">BY CLAUDE SCILLEY</div>Four teams will have different coaches behind the bench in the Ontario Universities Athletic Association this season, but two of them are hardly new faces to the league.Returning to Trois-Rivieres is Clement Jodoin. who spent last year as an assistant to ex-Pittsburgh Penguin head coach Pierre Creamer.Jodoin, national university coach of the year in 1986, directed the Patriotes to a national championship in 1987.Marlin Muylaert takes over the program at Guelph, replacing Bud Folusewych, the dean of OUAA coaches who has taken a year&rsquo;s sabbatical. Muylaert is a former assistant at Wilfrid Laurier and was head coach at the University of Ohio.Jim Webster, who presided over a successful college program at Mount Royal College in Calgary, succeeds Tony Zappia at Ottawa. Webster played four seasons at Sir George Williams in the Quebec Universities Athletic Association during the early 1970s and won a conference scoring championship with McGill.McGill replaced Ken Tyler with Al Grazys and former NHLer Jean Pronovost. Grazys is the head coach and Pronovost associate head coach. Tyler left McGill for a coaching post in Switzerland.The coaching staff at Ryerson has been beefed with the addition of Vern Buffey and Jim Park to head coach Jim Cairns&rsquo; staff. Buffey, an NHL referee for 12 seasons, is a former head coach of Seneca College in Toronto. Park, who will be the goaltending coach, played three seasons in the World Hockey Association.<h2>YEOMAN TASK</h2>The York Yeomen will have to do without the goaltending tandem that took them to the national championship last year.Mark Applewhaite (3-1-3, 2.95 goals-against-average), chosen outstanding player in both the 1986 and 1988 national championships, has graduated.Scott Mosey, (17-0-3, 2.08 GAA), has decided to sit out the season to remain eligible for possible fourth and fifth years elsewhere should he leave York to attend law school. Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union rules prescribe five years of eligibility, but an athlete can only play a fifth year if he remains at the school where he played his fourth.They&rsquo;re being replaced by two graduates from the Metro (Toronto) Jr. B League, Tim Robertson of Henry Carr and Rob Swastek of Bramalea.<h2>NO MOANING</h2>Guelph coach Marlin Muylaert, whose team is expected to have a tough time escaping last place in the tough Central Division, isn&rsquo;t about to make any excuses for the Gryphons. &ldquo;We have proud players on the team. They want to prove they&rsquo;re not the worst team in the division. They didn&rsquo;t have a good year last year and they want to do something about it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no crying and moaning. They see it as a challenge.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip; The Toronto Blues will get plenty of experience this year with the addition of 23-year-old Dave McLean. A two-time 50-goal scorer with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Belleville Bulls, MacLean had knee surgery and missed most of last season. &#9632;

NEW COACHES ARE NOT ALL NEW FACES

Jason Bosak is an eight-year-old who plays defense for the Pickering, Ont., rep team of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.A Grade 3 student at Gandatsetiagon Public School, the minor novice player is in his third year of organized hockey.Coached by John Templeman, Jason&rsquo;s favorite NHL player is Los Angeles King superstar Wayne Gretzky, although his favorite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs.The 52-pound defenseman attends power-skating school in the summer months and is a member of his school&rsquo;s cross-country team.You or someone you know can be part of the JOFA-TITAN Minor Hockey Showcase. Just send a photograph, along with biographical information (age, height, weight, team, coach's name, school and grade, as well as favorite NHL team and player) to JOFA-TITAN SHOWCASE, c/o The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont. All entries submitted will be eligible for selection as THN/JOFA-TITAN Minor Hockey Player of the Year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03318/5489662-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="546" height="673"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Bosak</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0030-03

PLAYER OF WEEK JOFA TITAN

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01585/5489693-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bowling Green&rsquo;s Nelson Emerson, tying up Michigan State&rsquo;s Shawn Heaphy last season, is a top Hobey Baker candidate. (Photo by Jeff Hall/Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune)</figcaption></div>Robb Stauber says he never considered not returning to the University of Minnesota.But there are likely a few players who wish he had. If Stauber had turned pro with the Los Angeles Kings, who own his NHL rights, it would have made life easier for shooters in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. And it would have made a handful of candidates for the Hobey Baker Award a little more confident about their chances to win U.S. college hockey&rsquo;s most coveted individual honor.Stauber, a junior goaltender with the Golden Gophers, stands a good chance of becoming the first player in history to win two Baker Awards. But not only will he have to duplicate his record-breaking season, he&rsquo;ll encounter some stiff competition from some of the nation's most prolific scorers.What&rsquo;s more, players such as Harvard&rsquo;s Lane MacDonald and Boston College&rsquo;s Greg Brown have returned to school after a year with the U.S. Olympic team and should make repeating more difficult for Stauber.What follows is a league-by-league look at the early favorites to be top candidates for this year&rsquo;s award.<h2>ECAC</h2>LANE MacDONALD, C, Harvard: The 22-year-old senior left for the U.S. Olympic team as one of the best players in the ECAC and may return this season as best in the nation. The ECAC championships&rsquo; MVP in 1987, MacDonald is recognized as one of the best stickhandlers in the country. After scoring 67 points (37-30 in 34 games) during the 1986-87 season, he goes into his final year at Harvard fourth on the Crimson's all-time scoring list with 165 points. He only needs 31 points for second but would require 76 points to pass No. I man Scott Fusco (241).MacDonald. 23-28-51 in 50 pre-Olympic games and 6-1-7 in six Olympic games, was Calgary&rsquo;s fourth-round choice, 58th overall, in the 1985 entry draft, but had his rights traded to the Hartford Whalers last season.JOHN MESSURI, C, Princeton: Messuri has been an offensive force at Princeton, the school that produced the player for whom the trophy is named, since stepping on campus four years ago. A rugged 5-foot-8, 170-pounder, he is known for his tenacity and hard-nosed play as well as his finesse. He already holds school records for most assists in a game (four), assists in a season (33) and career assists (80). Four more points will give him 132 and allow him to pass John Cook as the all-time leading scorer in Princeton history.<h2>CCHA</h2>NELSON EMERSON, C, Bowling Green: A second-team All-American last season, Emerson is one of the most dominant offensive players in the country.In two seasons, the 21-year-old junior has totaled 60 goals and 84 assists for 144 points. He was second in CCHA scoring last season with 83 points on 34 goals and 49 assists.One of 10 finalists for the Hobey Award last season, Emerson is becoming a solid defensive player and will help kill penalties for the Falcons this season. A first-team all-CCHA forward last season, Emerson was St. Louis&rsquo; second choice, 44th overall, in 1985.PAUL POLILLO, C, Western Michigan: In only two seasons, the junior has established himself as one of the premier centers in the CCHA.A smooth skater and talented playmaker, the 21-year-old has collected 1 51 points in only two seasons, 108 of them assists. Last season he led the CCHA with 85 points on 20 goals and 65 assists. In his first year he was the top-scoring freshman, with 16 goals and 48 assists.BOBBY REYNOLDS, LW, Michigan State: Reynolds, a senior, is one of the most complete players in the CCHA.Last year the 21-year-old had 42 goals and 67 points to rank second in the country in goalscoring behind Mark Vermette of Lake Superior State. The second-team all-CCHA forward had 13 power-play, seven shorthanded and seven game-winning goals. Reynolds was Toronto&rsquo;s 10th choice, 190th overall, in the 1985 entry draft.MIKE de CARLE, LW, Lake Superior: One of the most potent offensive players in the CCHA, the 22-year-old senior helped the Lakers to both the CCHA regular-season and NCAA championship with 27 goals and 39 assists.No longer skating in the shadow of teammate Mark Vermette, de Carle will be counted upon heavily for offense as the Lakers defend their title. He was a second-team all-CCHA pick last season as well as being named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA championships. He was Buffalo&rsquo;s second choice, sixth overall, in the 1987 supplemental draft.<h2>WCHA</h2>ROBB STAUBER, G, Minnesota: The 2.0-year-old junior is coming off a tremendous sophomore season in which he won numerous honors. He set a WCHA record with 28 wins and had the best goals-against average in the league at 2.91. Also named WCHA goalie of the year and league player of the year, he set a Minnesota school record with five shutouts last season&mdash;including a string of 207 minutes and 27 seconds without allowing a goal. Stauber was the L.A. Kings&rsquo; fifth choice, 107th overall, in 1986.PHIL BERGER, RW, Northern Michigan: A Hobey Baker finalist a year ago and the top goal-scorer in the WCHA with 37 goals in 34 games, the 21-year-old senior is known to Northern Michigan fans as &ldquo;Berger Bundles&rdquo; for his habit of scoring goals in bunches. His 40 goals were third-best in the nation last season. Only LSSC&rsquo;s Vermette (45 goals) and MSU&rsquo;s Reynolds (42) finished ahead of him. The knock on Berger is that he needs to consult a road map to find the defensive zone. Berger was Quebec's first choice, third overall, in the 1988 suppmental draft.DARYN McBRIDE, RW, Denver: The 20-year-old junior is considered one of the quickest forwards in college hockey. He led Denver in scoring last season with 30 goals and 28 assists in 39 games. A second team all-WCHA selection, he finished third in WCHA scoring with 54 points, behind North Dakota&rsquo;s Steve Johnson and NMU&rsquo;s Berger.DEREK PIZZEY, G, Colorado College: Pizzey, 22, has to be considered a longshot when you consider the team he plays for. Last season Colorado College won only four games, but it wasn&rsquo;t Pizzey&rsquo;s fault. The Tigers, who scored just 102 goals in 35 league games, were unable to give Pizzey much relief. The senior logged a 4-23-1 record with a 5.22 GAA last season. The numbers don&rsquo;t tell how good Pizzey can be.<h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>DAVID CAPUANO, RW, Maine: An NCAA tournament all-star and Hockey East first-team all-star, the 20-year-old-junior had 34 goals and 51 assists last season to lead his team in both departments. He finished second in the nation in scoring. Capuano. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s second choice, 25th overall in 1986, finished fifth in Hobey Baker balloting last season.GREG BROWN, D, Boston College: One of the several U.S. Olympians to return to college, Brown went 10-27-37 in his freshman year with the Eagles. With the Olympians, Brown was 6-29-35 in 55 pre-tournamcnt games and picked up four assists in six games during the Olymnpics. The 20-year-old sophomore is the top defenseman rated as a Hobey candidate. The Hartford native was Buffalo&rsquo;s second choice, 26th overall, in the 1986 entry draft.SCOTT KING, G, Maine: Black Bear fortunes in goal look promising with King coming off an outstanding sophomore season. In 33 games last season, the 21-year-old junior compiled a 25-5-1 record, 3.10 goals-against-average and .896 save percentage. He was chosen in the 10th round, 190th overall, by Detroit Red Wings in 1986.With contributions from Kevin Gordon, Tom Boggie, Virg Foss and Larry Mahoney. &#9632;

f0031-01

BAKER’S DOZEN

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01617/5489724-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01630/5489755-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">BY KARLO BERKOVICH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01233/5489831-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stephane Richer and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens can be seen a total of 32 times on CBC and TSN in Canada.</figcaption></div>Canadian viewers are in hockey heaven for the next six years.Thanks to a six-year renewal of marriage vows between the NHL and Molson Breweries, and a five-year agreement between Molson&rsquo;s and The Sports Network (TSN), Canadian fans are assured of extensive coverage through the 1993-94 Stanley Cup playoffs.Their American counterparts? That depends on how successful SportsChannel America is in establishing a national network.SportsChannel&mdash;a group of regional sports services offering viewing in New York. the New England states, Chicago, Philadelphia and Florida&mdash;and the NHL are confident such a network can be established.U.S. fans bombarding The Hockey News with letters and telephone calls in protest of the NHL&rsquo;s move from ESPN&rsquo;s coast-to-coast coverage to SportsChannel are less optimistic.It&rsquo;s not hard to understand why U.S. fans are upset.Those living in regions not serviced by SportsChannel, which outbid previous rights-holder ESPN $51-to-$24 million on a three-year NHL contract, are out of luck.That is, unless SportsChannel can convince existing regional sports networks to take its services. In areas lacking a regional sports network, SportsChannel plans to offer its services directly to cable operators as a stand-alone basic service. As well, SportsChannel will carry NHL games free for three months before asking companies to begin paying for the service.SportsChannel representatives spent the first week of October at a U.S. cable TV convention in Atlantic City, chasing signatures from regional sports networks.On Oct. 4, they landed one. SportsChannel announced the addition of Washington, D.C.-based Home Team Sports (HTS) to its network. HTS, which has 1.2 million subscribers, extends SportsChannel&rsquo;s reach into eastern Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina.&ldquo;The inevitable process (of signing cable systems) has begun,&rdquo; said a pleased Joel Nixon, vice-president of broadcasting for the NHL.Nixon attended the Atlantic City convention and believes the signing of HTS will spur more activity for SportsChannel.&ldquo;The sense I had,&rdquo; said Nixon, &ldquo;was that things are starting to move. It&rsquo;s going to happen every week. It will get better as the season progresses and get even better for the playoffs.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new concept that's beginning to come through. It&rsquo;s a missionary service and we&rsquo;re delighted to be part of it.&rdquo;SportsChannel spokesman Dan Martinson said Oct. 5 the cable network was in the process of finalizing a deal with Viacom cable system in Cleveland.The network was also pursuing Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Pro-Am Sports Systems (PASS) network&mdash;which services Michigan and northwest Ohio, and Prime Ticket (which carries Los Angeles Kings games) or Z Channel (a movie channel) in Los Angeles.&ldquo;We have five million (subscribers) on board and expect 10 million,&rdquo; said Martinson.ESPN, with 49 million subscribers, easily topped that figure. But the NHL rationale is that not all 49 million watched hockey. In fact, the average audience for regular-season games on ESPN was 369,000 homes, a .8 Neilsen rating. Those numbers increased to 800,000 homes and 1.7 rating for playoff games.In theory, subscribers to SportsChannel will tune in to watch hockey, though fans in areas like the western states, currently not serviced by the network, are shut out.Martinson admitted SportsChannel must fill a &ldquo;hole&rdquo; in the west.&ldquo;It will be an ongoing, continual pursuit,&rdquo; he said.In Canada, the race is over. Molson&rsquo;s has reasserted its historical dominance of coast-to-coast coverage on CBC&rsquo;s English- and French language broadcasts of Hockey Night In Canada and La Soiree Du Hockey.The NHL and Molson&rsquo;s agreed to a six-year contract in June, giving the brewery exclusive national NHL television rights in Canada. The agreement covers all forms of telecasting, including cable.The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, with Molson&rsquo;s approval, sold TSN exclusive Canadian cable rights. The five-year TSN package of 40 games includes division semi-final playoff games. Next season, when TSN becomes available on basic cable in Canada, the network will provide coverage of the NHL All-Star Game.Below is a complete schedule of games to be televised this season on CBC, TSN and SportsChannel.<h2>CBC</h2>Hockey Night In Canada &mdash; Play-by-Play: Bob Cole, Chris Cuthbert, Dick Irvin, Don Wittman. Color: Scott Bowman, Harry Neale. Hosts: Steve Armitage, Ron MacLean, Brian McFarlane; John Garrett. Studio Analyst: Don Cherry. La Soiree Du Hockey(French-language telecasts of Montreal Canadiens on Radio-Canada)&mdash;Play-by-Play: Richard Garneau. Color: Gilles Tremblay. Hosts: Lionel Duval, Jean Page.Games: Oct. 15&mdash;Detroit at Toronto; Oct. 19&mdash;Los Angeles at Edmonton; Oct. 22&mdash;Calgary at Toronto, Buffalo at Montreal; Oct. 29&mdash;Pittsburgh at Montreal; Nov. 5&mdash;Los Angeles at Toronto, Winnipeg at Montreal; Nov. 12&mdash;Edmonton at Toronto; Nov. 19&mdash;Toronto at Edmonton, Chicago at Montreal; Nov. 26&mdash;Los Angeles at Calgary, Edmonton at Montreal, Minnesota at Toronto; Dec. 3&mdash;Buffalo at Montreal; Dec. 10&mdash;Detroit at Toronto, Washington at Montreal, Winnipeg at Edmonton; Dec. 17&mdash;Philadelphia at Toronto, New York Rangers at Montreal; Dec. 31&mdash;Montreal at Edmonton, Quebec at Toronto, Winnipeg at Calgary; Jan. 7&mdash;Boston at Montreal, Buffalo at Toronto, Edmonton at Calgary; Jan. 14&mdash;Montreal at Toronto; Jan. 21&mdash;Toronto at Montreal, Philadelphia at Winnipeg, Pittsburgh at Edmonton, New York Rangers at Vancouver; Jan. 28&mdash;New York Rangers at Toronto, Buffalo at Montreal, Chicago at Calgary; Feb. 4&mdash;Chicago at Toronto, New York Rangers at Montreal, Vancouver at Calgary; Feb. 11&mdash;New Jersey at Montreal, Philadelphia at Toronto; Feb. 18&mdash;Boston at Calgary, Montreal at St. Louis, New Jersey at Toronto; Feb. 25&mdash;Buffalo at Montreal, St. Louis at Edmonton; March 4&mdash;Chicago at Toronto. Montreal at Hartford; March 11&mdash;Calgary at Edmonton, Hartford at Montreal, Detroit at Toronto; March 18&mdash;Winnipeg at Toronto, Montreal at Pittsburgh, New York Islanders at Vancouver; March 25&mdash;Minnesota at Montreal, Detroit at Toronto; April 1&mdash;Philadelphia at Montreal.<h2>TSN</h2>Play-by-Play: Jim Hughson. Color: Gary Green, Roger Neilson. Host: Jim Van Horne.Games: Oct. 16&mdash;Boston at Chicago; Oct. 27&mdash;New York Islanders at Philadelphia; Oct. 28&mdash;Los Angeles at Winnipeg; Nov. 3&mdash;Winnipeg at New Jersey; Nov. 7&mdash;St. Louis at Montreal; Nov. 10&mdash;Toronto at Pittsburgh; Nov. 18&mdash;Toronto at Winnipeg; Nov. 24&mdash;Edmonton at St. Louis; Dec. 1&mdash;New York Rangers at Calgary; Dec. 5&mdash;Detroit at Montreal; Dec. 9&mdash;Toronto at Detroit; Dec. 15&mdash;Toronto at New Jersey; Dec. 22&mdash;Montreal at Boston; Dec. 29&mdash;Montreal at Calgary; Jan. 2&mdash;Edmonton at Minnesota; Jan. 5&mdash;Los Angeles at Calgary; Jan. 6&mdash;Los Angeles at Winnipeg; Jan. 12&mdash;Montreal at Boston; Jan. 17&mdash;Calgary at Detroit; Jan. 20&mdash;Philadelphia at Edmonton; Jan. 23&mdash;Calgary at Montreal; Jan. 26&mdash;Winnipeg at New York Islanders; Jan. 27&mdash;Toronto at Detroit; Feb. 2&mdash;Detroit at Calgary; Feb. 9&mdash;Winnipeg at New York Rangers; Feb. 16&mdash;Montreal at Philadelphia; Feb. 19&mdash;Boston at Edmonton; Feb. 23&mdash;Toronto at Vancouver; March 5&mdash;Toronto at Hartford; March 12&mdash;Los Angeles at Edmonton; March 13&mdash;New York Islanders at Montreal; March 17&mdash;Montreal at Washington; March 20&mdash;Buffalo at Winnipeg; March 24&mdash;Calgary at Winnipeg; March 30&mdash;Montreal at Buffalo; March 31&mdash;Winnipeg at Calgary; April 2&mdash;To be announced.<h2>SPORTSCHANNEL</h2>Play-by-Play: Jiggs McDonald, Gary Thorne, Mike Emrick, Rick Peckham, Pat Foley. Color: Ed Westfall, Peter McNab, Bill Clement, Gerry Cheevers, Herb Brooks. Studio Analysts: Scotty Bowman, Denis Potvin.Games: Oct. 12&mdash;Quebec at Montreal, Boston at Los Angeles; Oct. 15&mdash;Montreal at New York Islanders, Chicago at Hartford, Philadelphia at Los Angeles; Oct. 16&mdash;Vancouver at New York Rangers; Oct. 19&mdash;Los Angeles at Edmonton; Oct. 22&mdash;Philadelphia at Hartford; Oct. 23&mdash;Calgary at Philadelphia; Oct. 26&mdash;Montreal at Detroit, Oct. 29&mdash;New York Islanders at Quebec, New Jersey at Hartford; Oct. 30&mdash;Boston at Buffalo, Chicago at Edmonton; Nov. 2&mdash;Los Angeles at Montreal; Nov. 5&mdash;Vancouver at Hartford; Nov. 6&mdash;Pittsburgh at Philadelphia; Nov. 9&mdash;Edmonton at New Jersey; Nov. 12&mdash;Buffalo at New York Islanders, Pittsburgh at Los Angeles; Nov. 13&mdash;Edmonton at Buffalo, Detroit at New York Rangers; Nov. 16&mdash;Pittsburgh at Toronto; Nov. 19&mdash;: Pittsburgh at New York Islanders; Nov. 20&mdash;New Jersey at Philadelphia; Nov. 23&mdash;Chicago at Toronto; Nov. 24&mdash;Montreal at Quebec, Edmonton at St. Louis; Nov. 26&mdash;New York Rangers at New York Islanders; Nov. 27&mdash;Philadelphia at Buffalo, New York Islanders at New York Rangers; Nov. 30&mdash;Montreal at Hartford; Dec. 3&mdash;New York Islanders at Pittsburgh, Chicago at Los Angeles; Dec. 4&mdash;New Jersey at Philadelphia. Dec. 7&mdash;Washington at New Jersey, Dec. 10&mdash;Los Angeles at New York Islanders; Dec. 11&mdash;Washington at Buffalo, Dec. 14&mdash;Los Angeles at Pittsburgh; Dec. 17&mdash; Edmonton at Hartford; Dec. 18&mdash;Winnipeg at Philadelphia; Dec. 20&mdash;New York Islanders at Pittsburgh; Dec. 21&mdash;Boston at Hartford; Dec. 22&mdash;Philadelphia at New York Islanders, Detroit at St. Louis; Dec. 28&mdash;Hartford at Quebec; Dec. 31&mdash;New Jersey at Pittsburgh; Jan. 4&mdash;St. Louis at Detroit; Jan. 7&mdash;New York Rangers at New York Islanders; Jan. 8&mdash;Calgary at Edmonton; Jan. 11&mdash;New Jersey at Montreal; Jan. 14&mdash;Chicago at New York Islanders; Hartford at Los Angeles; Jan. 15&mdash;Detroit at Philadelphia, Calgary at Buffalo; Jan. 18&mdash;Hartford at Montreal; Jan. 21&mdash;Los Angeles at Hartford; Jan. 22&mdash;Boston at Buffalo, Detroit at Washington; Jan. 25&mdash;Chicago at Edmonton; Jan. 28&mdash;New Jersey at Minnesota, Edmonton at Los Angeles; Jan. 29&mdash;Calgary at Vancouver; Feb. 1&mdash;Buffalo at Minnesota; Washington at New York Rangers; Feb. 4&mdash;Chicago at Toronto; Feb. 5&mdash;New York Islanders at Quebec; Feb. 7&mdash;NHL All-Star Game at Edmonton; Feb. 11&mdash;New York Islanders at St. Louis; Feb. 12&mdash;Calgary at Pittsburgh; Feb. 15&mdash;Buffalo al New Jersey, Boston at Los Angeles; Feb. 18&mdash;New Jersey at Toronto, Quebec at Los Angeles: Feb. 19&mdash;Boston at Edmonton, Washington at Vancouver; Feb. 22&mdash;New York Islanders at Buffalo, Washington at Los Angeles; Feb. 25&mdash;Pittsburgh at New York Islanders; Feb. 26&mdash;Los Angeles at New Jersey; March 1&mdash;New Jersey at Pittsburgh; March 4&mdash;Chicago at Toronto, Philadelphia at Los Angeles; March 5&mdash;Edmonton at Pittsburgh; March 8&mdash;Edmonton at Hartford; March 11&mdash;New Jersey at New York Islanders; March 12&mdash;Los Angeles at Edmonton; March 15&mdash;Los Angeles at Montreal; March 18&mdash;Chicago at New Jersey; March 19&mdash;New York Islanders at Edmonton; March 22&mdash;Washington at Pittsburgh, St. Louis at Buffalo. Boston at Hartford; March 25&mdash;New Jersey at Pittsburgh, Los Angeles at Edmonton; March 26&mdash;New York Islanders at Washington; March 29&mdash;New York Islanders at New Jersey. &#9632;

f0042-01

NETWORKS SET IN CANADA, BUT NOT IN U.S.

<div class="byline">BARRY MEISEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01156/5489907-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="492" height="662"></div>Professional hockey isn&rsquo;t for every physically gifted young man who can skate, shoot and sculpt his body well enough to convince an NHL team he&rsquo;s worth more than $100,000 a year.Some people don&rsquo;t like the lifestyle, don&rsquo;t want the pressure, need something more out of life than 180 days feeling like a transient in your own home.Ken Leiter&mdash;healthy, strong and 27 years old&mdash;was a defenseman with the New York Islanders until Sept. 28. That&rsquo;s the night he walked away.On Sept. 28, Leiter dutifully played in an exhibition game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. He counted every second off the clock while he was on the bench. The game in front of him was a blur. When it ended, he peeled off his sweaty uniform, showered, boarded the bus, climbed off when it returned to Long Island, and told general manager Bill Torrey that he was retiring.&ldquo;My heart wasn&rsquo;t in it anymore,&rdquo; Leiter said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t fun.&rdquo;How can that be? Millions of young men in Canada, the U.S. and Europe dream of playing in the NHL. Isn&rsquo;t it glamorous? Isn&rsquo;t it one huge ego massage? Wasn&rsquo;t $105,000, Leiter&rsquo;s salary last season, worth the 7 a.m. wake-up calls and four-hour flights?Here was a guy from Detroit, a reasonably-talented defenseman who played four years at Michigan State and three in Springfield of the American League before making the Islanders in 1986-87 and 1987-88, who was good enough to be the Isles&rsquo; fifth, sixth or seventh defenseman.What more did he need?&ldquo;I really started thinking about it seriously at the end of last year,&rdquo; Leiter said from his home outside Springfield, Mass. &ldquo;It was at the end, when I was being sat out a lot. I kind of wondered, do I want to go through life doing that? 1 was miserable doing that.&ldquo;There were a lot of points collectively as to why I retired, but the biggest point was the uncertainty of the game, of waking up in New York one day and Vancouver the next, although Bill Torrey isn&rsquo;t known for making trades. And in my case, fighting for a job year in and year out. Worrying about making the team. It got to me. Why bother torturing yourself?&rdquo;Leiter never considered reporting to Minnesota, which chose him in the waiver draft&mdash;even after Torrey notified his 20 colleagues that Leiter didn&rsquo;t want to play anymore.&ldquo;They (the North Stars) called me, but I told them I wasn&rsquo;t interested,&rdquo; he said.Leiter is a worrier. Although he played five games for the Isles in 1984-85 and nine the following season, he didn&rsquo;t make it fulltime until two years ago. After he won a job with a great camp, he credited his wife Kathy with suggesting a book on positive thinking that helped his confidence and suppressed a constant fear of failure.Thinking about it now, it was a glimmer of a hint that hockey wasn&rsquo;t what Ken Leiter&rsquo;s life was all about.&ldquo;My wife and I are real close,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been married four years. She was probably the key ingredient in me getting to the NHL. No matter how bad or how good I was in the minors, she made me believe in myself.&rdquo;In February of 1986, Kathy and Ken lost a baby that was born prematurely. Kathy has a physical problem that makes pregnancy difficult. She sees a doctor three times a week and is being monitored very closely now that they&rsquo;re trying again. They expect their first child in four months.When Kathy had trouble the first time, Leiter was shuffling back and forth between Springfield and the Isles. This time he&rsquo;ll be there, in a sense repaying Kathy for her support when he was giving birth to an NHL career.He wants more from life than a plus-minus rating. He plans to start his own business one day, remodeling homes. He started work Oct. 10 for a West Springfield, Mass., swimming pool company.So he won&rsquo;t make $105,000 a year. Big deal.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really happy now,&rdquo; he said, two weeks after he said goodbye. &ldquo;I feel great. When I told Bill after the Ranger game, I was emotionally tom up. That night, during the whole game, all I could think about was all the time I put into the game. I cried about it.&ldquo;But after I told him, I called my wife. I felt like a 1,000-pound weight was off my back. I felt like a million bucks.&rdquo;<h2>DID YOU KNOW&hellip;</h2>&hellip;Wayne Gretzky, Bryan Trottier, Dave Andreychuk, Bengt Gustafsson. Jari Kurri and John Tonelli are the only active players who have scored five goals in an NHL regular-season game. Gretzky has done it four times and Trottier twice.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02103/5489900-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="990" height="502"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Tonelli</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0045-01

THE THRILL IS GONE, AND SO IS KEN LEITER

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01157/5489969-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cam Neely, above, was a calming influence on his new linemate, Tommy Lehmann. The two worked well with center Craig Janney.</figcaption></div>The best line the Boston Bruins had, as the successful 1987-88 season drew to a close, featured Craig Janney centering Cam Neely and Bob Joyce.So what does coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly do for the opening games of the 1988-89 season?He breaks them up&mdash;and it works!Janney and Neely scored the goals as the Bruins opened with a 2-1 victory over Toronto, and their new linemate, Tommy Lehmann, tallied on a rejuvenated power play in a 6-2 win over the Hartford Whalers.&ldquo;That line looked pretty good, didn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo; said O&rsquo;Reilly. &ldquo;I think Tommy had a very good game. He made a lot happen.&rdquo;Lehmann, a Swedish center converted to left wing this fall, missed all but nine games due to knee injuries last season, his first as a North American pro.His second training camp with the Bruins also was shortened when he hurt his knee again, less seriously this time.Lehmann said he wasn&rsquo;t sure exactly what contribution he was making to the Janney-Neely combination.&ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t think I add so much,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t stand here and say what I&rsquo;m good at. I need a lot to work on. I think we need a few games under our belt.&rdquo;Neely, the Bruins&rsquo; leading goal-scorer last season with 42, was not so shy in analyzing Lehmann&rsquo;s contribution.&ldquo;Tommy looked good,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s good with the puck and he moved it well&hellip; The more he plays, the more relaxed he&rsquo;s going to be. He&rsquo;s going to be a good one, if he stays healthy.&rdquo;Lehmann was far from relaxed prior to the Toronto game. In fact, he was so nervous that Neely, who is a year younger but has five years experience in the NHL, had to talk to him before the game.&ldquo;He tried to make me a little calmer,&rdquo; said Lehmann, 24. &ldquo;I was pretty nervous. You&rsquo;re always nervous for the first game and if you play with two big shooters like Cam and Craig, you&rsquo;ve got to be a little extra nervous.&rdquo;The Janney-Neely-Lehmann line was scheduled to play together for the first time in the last exhibition game against Washington in Worcester. But the game was cancelled when a pipe broke in the Centrum&rsquo;s ice-making system.As a result, the trio skated together for the first time in practice three days before the opening game.&ldquo;I think it will be better if we play together some more,&rdquo; said Lehmann. &ldquo;It was okay today, but we only practised since Monday.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Reilly indicated before training camp opened that he might break up his best holdover line in order to build a second scoring combination around center Ken Linseman.That&rsquo;s exactly where Joyce wound up until a third-period collision with linemate Keith Crowder and the Leafs' Brad Marsh left him with 10 stitches on his upper lip, a slight concussion and a seat on the sidelines for the Hartford game.The Bruins also lost second-year defenseman Glen Wesley with a mildly sprained left knee, which put him on the shelf for a couple of games, along with defensemen Gord Kluzak and Stephane Quintal.That opened the door for rookie Don Sweeney, who was playing for Harvard last season, to see a lot of ice time in his NHL debut. He played alongside Ray Bourque.&ldquo;I thought he played a super game, really solid,&rdquo; said Bourque. &ldquo;He played with a lot of poise. He didn&rsquo;t look like a rookie at all.&rdquo;&ldquo;Everybody looks good when you play with Ray,&rdquo; said Sweeney modestly.Sweeney connected for his first NHL goal in the Hartford game.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Rob Cimetta, LW. returned to Toronto (OHL).Oct. 9: Bruce Shoebottom, D, recalled from Maine (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Craig Janney, Ken Linseman, Steve Kasper, Billy O'Dwyer.LW&mdash;Tommy Lehmann, Randy Burridge, Jay Miller, Andy Brickley.RW&mdash;Cam Neely, Keith Crowder, Bob Sweeney. Greg Johnston, Lyndon Byers.LD&mdash;Al Pedersen. Garry Galley. Don Sweeney, Bruce Shoebottom.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque. Alain Cote.G&mdash;Reggie Lemelin. Andy Moog.<h3>INJURIES</h3>David Jensen, C. left shoulder surgery, indefinite.Bob Joyce, LW, mild concussion, day-to-day.Gord Kluzak, D. left knee surgery, indefinite.Moe Lemay, LW. right knee surgery, day-to-day.Nevin Markwart, LW, abdominal muscle strain, indefinite.Stephane Quintal, D, left knee injury, indefinite.Michael Thelven, D, Charley horse in left thigh, day-to-day.Glen Wesley, D, sprained left knee, Oct. 16-23 &#9632;

f0046-01

LEHMANN LOOKING GOOD ON LINE WITH JANNEY AND NEELY

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div>Eric Desjardins is doing his best to give Montreal Canadien management a tough time.The 19-year-old defenseman has a year of junior eligibility remaining with Granby Bisons of the Quebec League, but is looking for a full-time job in the National Hockey League.Last season he was named the Quebec League&rsquo;s best defenseman and a first-team all-star after going 18-49-67 in 62 games with Granby.This is like a dream come true for me,&rdquo; said Desjardins, who made an impressive NHL debut with seven shots and an assist in the Canadiens&rsquo; 4-3 victory over Minnesota in their home opener Oct. 8. &ldquo;This is too good to be true.&rdquo;Most impressive about Desjardins was the way he handled himself in critical situations. It is seldom a rookie Montreal defenseman finds himself playing the point on the power play.Defenseman Petr Svoboda received a cross-checking major and an automatic game misconduct in the Minnesota game, which meant more ice time for the rookie.&ldquo;They told me to shoot the puck at the net and that&rsquo;s what I did,&rdquo; said Desjardins, who admitted to a touch of nervousness in front of the home crowd. &ldquo;Even if everyone is saying that I looked calm, believe me, I was nervous at the start of the game.&ldquo;My legs were trembling. If I looked better it&rsquo;s because I wasn&rsquo;t running all over the place like I did here in the exhibition game against Pittsburgh. I just did my job.&rdquo;There were a number of things coach Pat Burns liked about Desjardins, Montreal's third choice and 38th overall in the 1987 draft.&ldquo;His passes were on the mark and he reads the play well,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid of the heavy traffic either.&rdquo;Bums had Desjardins on the ice in the last two minutes of the third period with the Canadiens holding a one-goal lead.&ldquo;I was a little surprised when the coach put me out at the end,&rdquo; Desjardins said. &ldquo;It was a good sign that he had confidence in me.&ldquo;He must have felt that I had played well enough during the game, so it was logical for him to put me out there I guess.&rdquo;The Canadiens are also trying 21-year-old rookie defenseman Donald Dufresne, who played 47 games last season for Burns at Sherbrooke in the Ameircan League. A 1985 Montreal draft choice, 117th overall, Dufresne was 1-8-9 with Sherbrooke after four seasons in the Quebec League. More defensive-minded, he spent his first three Quebec League seasons with Trois-Rivieres and his final year with Longueuil.With Desjardins and Dufrense being tested, someone had to sit and through the first three games of the season it was three-year veteran Mike Lalor.The 25-year-old Lalor was disappointed when he found out Dufrense would start in his place for the Oct. 6 season opener at Buffalo because Lalor&rsquo;s family lives in Fort Erie, Ont., just across the border from Buffalo.<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bobby Smith, Gilles Thibaudeau. Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland.LW&mdash;Mats Naslund, Shayne Corson, Bob Gainey, Ryan Walter, Jocelyn Lemieux.RW&mdash;Claude Lemieux, Mike McPhee, Mike Keane. John Kordic, Jose Charbonneau.LD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Petr Svoboda, Rick Green, Donald Dufrense.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Eric Desjardins, Mike Lalor.G&mdash;Bnan Hayward, Patrick Roy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

DESJARDINS SHARP IN HAB DEBUT

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01131/5490024-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Sabres are a good third-period team because they take a more cautious approach, says defenseman Uwe Krupp.</figcaption></div>The bright promise that was brought on by an undefeated pre-season dimmed rather suddenly for the Buffalo Sabres.After winning their season opener 3-2 on Oct. 6 against Montreal Canadiens, the Sabres were trounced by the Capitals 6-2 in Washington and defeated 4-3 by the Flyers in Philadelphia.At the Spectrum, Buffalo led 3-2 until the Flyers scored with 30 seconds remaining in regulation time. Ron Sutter scored his second goal of the game, in overtime.The losses did not sit well with Sabre coach Ted Sator.&ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve got to establish a mindset, an idea of what we want to do out there,&rdquo; said Sator. &ldquo;We have to make something happen instead of letting it happen to us.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s been one of the Sabres&rsquo; problems for several seasons now. Attempts to build a team identity have met with occasional success, but nothing enduring. Against Buffalo, especially on the road, most teams set the tone and the Sabres seem willing to play to their opponents&rsquo; tune.It&rsquo;s been most noticeable against the Flyers. The Sabres' record of 7-25-6 at the Spectrum is evidence of that. Surprisingly, it&rsquo;s almost exactly the opposite at the Capital Centre, where even the most recent loss left the Sabres with a lifetime record of 19-3-5.The loss to Philadelphia was galling to the young Sabre defense corps which had reason to believe it could protect even the slimmest of leads.Last season, the Sabres were 27-0-3 in games they led going into the third period. That record held firm despite the fact the Sabres gave up more goals than they scored last season. They extended that mark to 28-0-3 in the game against the Canadiens and though the string technically was still intact despite the loss at Philly (the two teams were tied at 1-1 after two) losing with 30 seconds to play took some of the lustre off the mark.&ldquo;The key to our success has been to just go back to basics, said defenseman Uwe Krupp. &ldquo;We play our best in the third period when we&rsquo;re ahead by one goal because we don&rsquo;t do anything dangerous.&rdquo;<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 5: Ed Hospodar, D, Bob Logan, LW, and Jacques Clouthier, G, assigned to Rochester (AHL). Joel Savage. RW, returned to Victoria (WHL).Oct. 6: Mikael Anderson, LW, Brad Miller, D. assigned to Rochester.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Christian Ruuttu, John Tucker, Pierre Turgeon, Jeff Parker.LW&mdash;Jan Ludvig, Mike Donnelly, Adam Creighton, Benoit Hogue.RW&mdash;Mark Napier, Scott Amiel, Kevin Maguire, Ray Sheppard.LD&mdash;Mike Ramsey, Lindy Ruff, Mark Ferner. Bob Halkidis.RD&mdash;Uwe Krupp, Phil Housley.G&mdash;Tom Barrasso, Daren Puppa.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Andreychuk, C, knee, day-todayMike Foligno, RW, knee, day-to-dayMike Hartman, RW, knee, day-to-day.Calle Johansson, D, thumb, indefiniteJoe Reekie, D, knee, indefinite &#9632;

f0048-01

SABRES MUST SET TEMPO ON ROAD

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01123/5490055-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hartford coach Larry Pleau juggled his forward lines trying to find some offense for the punchless Whalers.</figcaption></div>After three games, Hartford Whaler coach Larry Pleau was still looking for a team personality.The Whaler fans were looking for a victory.Hartford started last season 0-5-0. From the top of the Whaler hierarchy to the end of the team bench, everyone swore there would be no repeat this time around.Except for oft-injured defenseman Scot Kleinendorst, everybody was healthy and rarin&rsquo; to go for the Oct. 6 opener against Quebec. Then, they dropped the puck.Nordique center Peter Stastny, the all-time Whaler nemesis with 95 points in 55 games, scored two goals and added two assists as Quebec won 5-2.Boston defenseman Raymond Bourque set up four goals in a 6-2 rout of Hartford Oct. 8.Bourque returned the next night in Boston to score two goals in a 3-1 Bruin victory.It was fast becoming deja vu.&ldquo;I think it was Torrie Robertson who yelled it out at the start of the second game, &lsquo;Get some personality!&rsquo; &rdquo; Pleau said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need. Some personality. I&rsquo;m not worried about the score. We&rsquo;ve got to worry about how we play. We do that, boy, we can be a heckuva team.&rdquo;The Whalers scored five goals in their three opening games, including only one even-strength goal, that by brawler Robertson.Although they responded with a strong performance killing off six of seven power-plays in the third game, the Whalers allowed five man-advantage markers in the initial 14 chances.Top goalie Mike Liut allowed 10 goals in the first two games. The best performance came from 25-year-old backup Peter Sidorkiewicz, who has bumped 36-year-old veteran Richard Brodeur to No. 3. Sidorkiewicz faced 40 shots in the third game in Boston. That game clearly was the Whalers&rsquo; most competitive.Pleau put left winger Sylvain Turgeon, 5-3-8 in seven pre-season games, on a No. 1 ling with center Ron Francis and right winger Kevin Dineen as he hoped to breathe life into an offense that scored 249 goals (only Minnesota was worse, with 242) last season. Through three games, Turgeon, Francis, Dineen and center Ray Ferraro scored once each on the power play, but that was the extent of the offense. Pleau was juggling lines towards the end of the third game.&ldquo;Absolutely, I&rsquo;m worried," said Whaler defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, who played with a badly-bruised shoulder after he was hit by Quebec&rsquo;s Jeff Jackson in the opener. &ldquo;Everybody remembers last year. It&rsquo;s frustration. After five games, the frustration grew this high (waist) in the locker room. Oh and three just shouldn&rsquo;t happen, particularly with all the games in the (Adams) Division.&rdquo;"No doubt there&rsquo;s some frustration," Pleau said. &ldquo;But the main thing for us is to keep working. There&rsquo;s no sure answers in this game, except to keep working. If anyone has the answers, please call me&hellip; I can&rsquo;t be worried about the offense. We&rsquo;ve got 77 games to go. You guys worry about the offense.&rdquo;<h2>HARTFORD</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 4: Larry Trader, D, Charlie Bourgeois, D. and Lindsay Carson, LW. assigned to Binghamton (AHL).Oct. 8: Al Tuer, D, recalled from Binghamton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ron Francis, Carey Wilson, Ray Ferraro, Dean Evason, Brent Peterson.LW&mdash;Sylvain Turgeon, John Anderson, Dave Tippett. Torrie Robertson.RW&mdash;Kevin Dineen, Paul MacDermid, Jody Hull, Ed Kastelic.LD&mdash;Joel Quenneville, Randy Ladouceur, Al Tuer.RD&mdash; Ulf Samuelsson, Dave Babych, Sylvain Cote.G&mdash;Mike Liut, Peter Sidorkiewicz, Richard Brodeur.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Grant Jennings, D, jammed left hand, day-to-day.Scot Kleinendorst, D, sprained right knee, indefinite.Scott Young, RW, 22-stitch facial cut, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0049-01

WHALERS ADOPT LOSING PERSONALITY

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div>It didn&rsquo;t take long for a season which began with several new faces and a fresh outlook to have that renewed spirit dampened.Quebec Nordique all-star left win-ger Michel Goulet was hurt in the Nordiques&rsquo; 5-2 1988-89 season-opening win over the Whalers at Hartford.Goulet will be out four to six weeks with a stretched ligament in his left knee. Hooked from behind by Hart-ford defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, Goulet crashed knee first into the goal post. &ldquo;I was going way too hard for the goal," said Goulet, who had a goal and two assists in the game. &ldquo;My desire to score was probably too strong."Arthroscopic surgery was performed the next night in a Quebec City hospital."The results confirm what we expected when we first examined Michel&rsquo;s knee,&rdquo; said Dr. Pierre Beauchemin, the Nordique team doc-tor. &ldquo;But even though there is bad damage, there is no tear. That&rsquo;s why we were able to avoid major surgery.&rdquo;After a few days of-rest, Goulet will begin exercising his knee under the supervision of team physiotherapist Jacques Lavergne. He&rsquo;ll have to wear a brace during rehabilitation.This is Goulet&rsquo;s first major injury. In nine seasons in the NHL, he&rsquo;d only missed 33 games.The last time Goulet missed a long stretch of games was in 1984-1985 when he broke his thumb in a fight with Hartford&rsquo;s Kevin Dineen. He was out for 11 games.&ldquo;This really is a big loss," said Quebec coach Ron Lapointe. &ldquo;He was in top shape and big things were expected of him. Our offense will deeply feel his absence.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0290/5490086-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="552" height="573"><figcaption class="caption-body">Michel Goulet has suffered his first serious injury.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;But on the other hand, we have to thank God that we have much more depth at forward than last year. And better he be injured now than in February.&rdquo;Goulet was naturally disappointed.&ldquo;This is the first time that I&rsquo;ve had problems with a knee,&rdquo; said Goulet, 28.' &lsquo;The doctor told me I could be out for as long as six weeks. But I hope I can come back before that.&rdquo;With Goulet gone, Lapointe pressed second-year pro David Latta, 21, into service and called up left winger Mark Vermette from the American League&rsquo;s Halifax Citadels. Vermette had been demoted earlier after concocting a story about his girlfriend being involved in a car accident and leaving the team for Sault Ste. Marie. Mich.<h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 10: Mark Vermette, LW, recalled from Halifax (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Peter Stastny, Walt Poddubny. Joe SakTC.FaulGillisLW&mdash;David Latta, Gaetan Duchesne, Anton Stastny, Joel Baillargeon.RW&mdash;liro Jarvi. Lane Lambert, Jeff Jackson, Alain Cote.LD&mdash;Jari Gronstrand, Robert Picard, Steven Finn, Tommy Albelin.RD&mdash;Curtis Leschyshyn. Jeff Brown. Robert Picard, Greg Smyth.G&mdash;Bob Mason, Mario Gosselin, Mario Brunetta.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Michel Goulet, LW. strained ligament in his left knee, indefinite.Trevor Stienburg, RW, sprained left ankle, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0050-02

GOULET GONE AFTER HITTING GOALPOST

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01108/5490117-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"></div>Jim Lorentz of the Buffalo Sabres appears to have a goal in this game against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1974-75 season. Defenseman Dave Burrows is too late to prevent Lorentz from releasing his shot against Penguin goaltender Bob Johnson. &#9632;

f0051-01

WAY WE WERE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0282/5490155-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. Pictured &lsquo;French Connection&rsquo; member.4. Harold Snepsts doesn&rsquo;t wear one.9. Where Mark Howe began his professional career.10. Unite.11. Take puck from an opponent.12. Canadien named Masterton Trophy winner in 1968, the first year the trophy was awarded.13. Color once worn by the Canucks.15. Defeat.18. Nickname of the Islanders&rsquo; American League affiliate.21. He became a St. Louis Blue in the deal that sent Red Berenson to Detroit in 1971.23. He led NHL defensemen in scoring last season.24. He preceded John Ferguson as coach of the Rangers.25. Wanders.26. Birthplace of veteran tough guy Nick Fotiu. Island.<h2>DOWN:</h2>1. Go over again.2. First name of the Kings&rsquo; new owner.3. He won the Lady Byng Trophy as a Ranger and a Bruin.5. The best man at Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s recent wedding (2,3).6. Nickname of the Winnipeg team that captured the 1964 Allan Cup.7. Number worn by L.A. King Luc Robitaille.8. Break14. Canuck previously with Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team.15. Veteran minor league netminder Sam St........16. Opposite of hits.17. North Star named Hobey Baker Trophy winner in 1981.19. Known as &lsquo;Elbows,&rsquo; he was with the Bruins from 1963 to 1973.20. Brian Propp's province of birth (abbrev.).22. A Detroit Red Wing at the time, he was just one of four NHL 50-goal scorers in 1974-75.<h2>CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0289/5490148-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="572" height="568"></div> &#9632;

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October 21, 1988

PROMISE FADES QUICKLY FOR HAWKS

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