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.

November 4, 1988

The Hockey News November 4, 1988

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Kirk Muller, Mark Johnson. Claude Loiselle. Jon Morris, Pat Conacher.LW&mdash;Aaron Broten, David Maley, Brendan Shanahan, Jim Korn.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, John MacLean, Doug Brown.LD&mdash;Bruce Driver, Ken Daneyko, Tom Kurvers, Randy Velischek.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Joe Cirella, Jack O'Callahan.G&mdash;Sean Burke. Bob Sauve.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Perry Anderson, RW, strained left rotator cuff, indefinite.Steve Rooney, LW, aggravated left shoulder strain, day-to-day.Patrik Sundstrom, LW, lower back strain, day-to-day. &#9632;

THE NHL

NEW JERSEY

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01270/5496828-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01234/5496821-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="1818" height="3540"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Bourque&rsquo;s two goals included a shorthanded effort and the game-winner as Pittsburgh whipped the Chicago Blackhawks.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01233/5496814-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="1799" height="3542"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tony Tanti&rsquo;s first-period goal was one of six consecutive Canuck markers as Vancouver beat Edmonton.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011376/5495834-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="467" height="646"></div>Larry Robinson may be one of the NHL&rsquo;s most popular players among his peers, but he has suddenly thrust himself to the top of the hate list among hockey agents.The Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; tall backliner accomplished this with a few strokes of his typewriter in a new book, Robinson: For the Defence. Although the autobiography is not yet in the stores, I obtained an advance copy and was rather surprised at his attitude toward player reps. (Matter of fact, the agents were astonished, too.) Listening to Robinson, you&rsquo;d think the hockey attorney is passe.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have an agent on salary, retainer or commission,&rdquo; writes Robinson, &ldquo;and believe me, it&rsquo;s cheaper that way.&rdquo;In a book conspicuously bland in most areas, Robinson is uncharacteristically harsh when it comes to the ever-growing phalanx of player reps.&ldquo;I could kick myself for paying so much to agents in my earlier years,&rdquo; he writes. &ldquo;Hockey players are ripe fruit for &lsquo;money management&rsquo; experts. Agents might be necessary in baseball or the NFL, because the players earn a lot more money, and contracts might be a lot more complicated. In hockey it seems pretty straightforward and I frankly don&rsquo;t think that the agents do much to earn their cuts, especially if they&rsquo;re getting a percentage.&rdquo;To say Robinson&rsquo;s observations are being scornfully treated by agents would be something of an understatement. Bob Thornton, who represents the Kings&rsquo; John Tonelli among other players, blew a valve when he heard the Robinson putdown.Larry doesn&rsquo;t know what he&rsquo;s talking about,&rdquo; says Thornton, who managed to place Tonelli in the comfort zone with yet another juicy contract. &ldquo;Hockey players need agents more than baseball players. In baseball, every single player&rsquo;s salary is available to other players and agents. This isn&rsquo;t the case in hockey.&rdquo;Adds attorney Art Kaminsky: &ldquo;Robinson obviously has a short memory. (His now-deceased agent) Norm Caplan made a great deal of money for Larry. He represented him for 10 years and did a lot of good work for him. Larry was at Norm&rsquo;s funeral and was absolutely broken up.&rdquo;Some agents say Robinson&rsquo;s comments are the product of fatigue. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been popping off the last few seasons,&rdquo; says one rep. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s tired and disgruntled, not unusual for an older athlete.&rdquo;Steve Freyer, the agent for Boston Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque, shoots down Robinson&rsquo;s claim agent&rsquo;s fees are exorbitant and unnecessary.&ldquo;I will guarantee that I can get a player more in the way of compensation by negotiating for him,&rdquo; says Freyer, &ldquo;than he will ever get himself. And that will be more than he&rsquo;ll have to pay me in fees.&rdquo;Herb Pinder, who represents New York Ranger defenseman James Patrick and Bruin goalie Andy Moog, among others, insists young players are particularly in need of the agent&rsquo;s financial acumen.&ldquo;The most important thing for a young player to establish is proper spending habits,&rdquo; says Pinder, &ldquo;and also how to invest cash for longterm benefit.&rdquo;Larry Rauch must be a pretty good agent, having kept the modestly-talented Nick Fotiu in the bigs for more than a decade. Listening to Rauch, you get the feeling Robinson is talking sour grapes.&ldquo;Robinson must have had the wrong agent. To attribute his bad experience to others is simply unfair and short-sighted. This is a perfect example of what Moliere meant when he said, &lsquo;All generalizations are false including this one.&rsquo; &rdquo;The dean among agents is Alan Eagleson. When pressed about Robinson&rsquo;s agent-routing, Eagleson offers an interesting formula. &ldquo;A young player who's drafted in the top round is better off if represented. But if he&rsquo;s a seventh- or eighth-rounder, I suggest that he see a family lawyer or accountant because he has no negotiating power. They should decide what&rsquo;s best for his future, the NHL or university.&rdquo;Pinder suggests Robinson is too glib in his agents-don&rsquo;t-do-much-to-earn-their-cuts crack.&ldquo;The negotiation process is an art,&rdquo; Pinder explains, &ldquo;and a science. When a team makes an 18- or 19-year-old an offer, he has to know his worth. That&rsquo;s why representation is necessary.&rdquo;There are precious few players, such as Mike Gartner of the Capitals, who spurn agents. Ron Greschner of the Rangers recalled he was burned by agent Dick Sorkin early in his career and has since been very wary of the species.Granted, there are many unscrupulous agents,&rdquo; Freyer acknowledges, &ldquo;so the first challenge for a player is to pick the right one. If a rep doesn&rsquo;t offer a variety of financial management services, he&rsquo;s not doing his job.&rdquo;Ron Salcer, the agent for Minnesota right winger Dino Ciccarelli, was criticized for not doing his job properly by keeping the North Star ace out of most of training camp in a salary dispute. But Salcer finally hammered out a deal for Dino and, apparently, a good one.&ldquo;I object to what Robinson says,&rdquo; Salcer asserts. &ldquo;If he doesn&rsquo;t feel agents are necessary, let him talk to Dino or Pat Verbeek, Dave Taylor and Luc Robitaille. Dave is one of the highest-paid players in the league. Dino got what he deserved and has deserved for years. I get players top dollar. I get blood from stone. Taylor would be making millions less without an agent. Maybe Robinson should have me for a rep.&rdquo;Robinson may disagree, but NHLers believe agents are the way to go. And if you don&rsquo;t believe it, ask Eagleson.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve handled Marcel Dionne, who has done quite well in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York,&rdquo; The Eagle says. &ldquo;He couldn&rsquo;t have done it without an agent.&rdquo; &#9632;

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ROBINSON TAKES ARUN AT AGENTS

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011424/5495707-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Oiler captains present and past met when Mark Messier, left, tried to thread a pass by Wayne Gretzky. (Photo by Bob Mummery)</figcaption></div>Now that The Event has passed, the Los Angeles Kings are determined to concentrate on The Season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time to get on with the season,&rdquo; goalie Glenn Healy said after Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s much-ballyhooed return to Edmonton Oct. 19, where a case of the jitters and some sloppy defense led to an 8-6 loss for the Kings and extended their losing streak to three games.The Kings were outscored 19-10 in their first two road games, prompting general manager Rogie Vachon to call up defenseman Steve Richmond and Paul Guay, a good defensive winger, from their American League affiliate in New Haven Oct. 20.&ldquo;Our team played terribly,&rdquo; Vachon said. &ldquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t have mattered who the goalies were because we gave up too many quality shots. It was awful. We have to play much better if we&rsquo;re going to stop this losing streak.&rdquo;Paying more attention to their defensive assignments upon returning to the Forum, the Kings blew out the Minnesota North Stars 8-2, Oct. 22, and ran their home record to 5-1-0.The Kings tried to downplay homecoming night for Gretzky, left winger Mike Krushelnyski and right winger Marty McSorley, hoping to treat it like any other game.Yeah, right.How many regular-season games neccessitate a press conference the day before? This one did.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t looked forward to it (the game),&rdquo; Gretzky, said at his press conference before the game, which was nationally televised in Canada. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s another situation where all eyes will be on me. It&rsquo;s only game seven of the regular season but it&rsquo;s another one of those &lsquo;everyone-will-be-watching&rsquo; games.&ldquo;For the first game (an 8-2 win over Detroit Oct. 6 at the Forum), I was very nervous, almost confused. It was a strange feeling because 1 was so nervous and yet so excited.&rdquo;Gretzky wasn&rsquo;t looking forward to the game because he had to play against friends and former teammates such as center Mark Messier and right winger Jari Kurri. Defenseman Kevin Lowe was injured and missed the game.&ldquo;The friendships we developed over the years,&rdquo; said Gretzky, &ldquo;&hellip;those types of things I remember more than lifting Stanley Cups. Twenty years from now, we&rsquo;ll still be friends. It&rsquo;ll probably be on my mind throughout the whole game.&rdquo;It certainly appeared to be the case, as The Great One looked tentative and had difficulty controlling the puck, especially on an early power-play chance for the Kings. He finished the game with two assists.&ldquo;I was nervous,&rdquo; said Gretzky. &ldquo;We had two early power plays and I was non-existent. I was just very nervous.&rdquo;With time winding down in the second period, Gretzky had a good scoring chance against Oiler goalie Grant Fuhr. Killing a penalty, he carried in deep to the left on a 2-on-1 with Bernie Nicholls. He deked Fuhr to the ice, but the goalie made the stop.&ldquo;I got beat by the best goalie in the world,&rdquo; said Gretzky. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not a whole lot about it I can say. I thought 1 had him beat.&rdquo;After the game, a reflective Gretzky wondered when the hype following the Kings would end.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what to expect. For the Edmonton people it turned out the way they wanted I guess. It&rsquo;s one game, we have 73 to go and I&rsquo;m sure next Tuesday (Oct. 25 when the Oilers play at the Forum) I will be a lot more calm. But I don&rsquo;t know if this (the hype) is ever going to end. This may go on for a long time.&rdquo;It was as tough for the other ex-Oilers.&ldquo;Actually,&rdquo; Krushelnyski said, &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think I was going to be that nervous at all. But once the game started&hellip; holy moly. A lot of things stemmed from Gretz, of course. We were riding an emotional wave at the start of the year. Maybe now that this is over, we can concentrate more on hockey.&rdquo;McSorley took some solace in the fact he scored the Kings&rsquo; opening goal&mdash;his fourth goal in seven games. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of pride involved,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was very happy to come back and get a goal. When you get traded, you kind of think maybe you didn&rsquo;t do enough for them.&ldquo;There was a lot of pressure playing against the Oilers, especially for Wayne. We got the effort, but you look across the ice and see Mess (Mark Messier), Jari (Kurri) and the rest of the guys and&hellip; it&rsquo;s good to have the game over with.&rdquo;King owner Bruce McNall sat with Peter Pocklington in the Oiler owner&rsquo;s skybox.&ldquo;We discussed the trade a little bit,&rdquo; McNall said. &ldquo;We both have the feeling that the deal will be good for both teams.&rdquo;<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 18: Doug Crossman, D. recalled from New Haven (AHL).Oct. 20: Paul Guay, RW, and Steve Richmond, D, recalled from New Haven. Jim Hofford, D. reclaimed by Buffalo.Oct. 21: Larry Playfair, D, traded to Buffalo for Bob Logan, LW, and late-round draft choice in 1989. Logan assigned to New Haven.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls, Tim Tookey. Mike Allison.LW&mdash;Bob Carpenter, Mike Krushelnyski, John Tonelli, Paul Fenton.RW&mdash;Luc Robitaille, Dave Taylor, Marty McSorley, Ron Duguay, Paul Guay.LD&mdash;Steve Duchesne, Tim Watters, Ken Baumgartner, Steve Richmond.RD&mdash;Doug Crossman, Dean Kennedy, Dale DeGray, Wayne McBean.G&mdash;Rollie Melanson, Glenn Healy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jim Fox, RW, knee surgery, indefinite.Tom Laidlaw, D, pulled hamstring, day-to-day. &#9632;

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GREAT ONE’S RETURN DOESN’T PROVIDE CROWNING GLORY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011256/5495297-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="546" height="577"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Nieuwendyk</figcaption></div>In next week&rsquo;s Nov. 11 issue of The Hockey News, we'll take a look at the National Hockey League's super sophomores. Last year's freshman class is growing up fast and if you thought only Joe Nieuwendyk of the Calgary Flames was hot stuff, think again. Discover why these Sophomores are downright offensive.Plus, we'll have a revealing interview with Vancouver Canuck center Barry Pederson on the trials and tribulations of his NHL career.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021024/5495290-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="541" height="581"><figcaption class="caption-body">Barry Pederson</figcaption></div>There will be the third of the three-part series on the men who run junior hockey in Canada-an interview with Canadian League and Western League president Ed Chynoweth.Our U.S. College Report will take a look at the top IO freshman for the 1988-89 varsity season and the Minor Pro Report focuses on hockey in Milwaukee and whether the Wisconsin city is ready to become a major-league hockey city.Don't miss all that and more in next week's Nov. 11 issue of THN. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

NEXT ISSUE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011366/5495356-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="253" height="252"></div>Official NHL SponsorOfficial Cars and Trucks<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021109/5495349-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="92" height="96"></div>MONTREAL&mdash;Toronto Maple Leaf goaltender Ken Wregget, who led his club to a 3-0-1 record and into first place atop the Norris Division, was named the Chrysler Canada Performer of the Week for the period ending Oct. 23. Wregget, who registered a 2.20 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage in four games, edged Pittsburgh Penguin center Mario Lemieux and New York Ranger goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck to collect the honors.Chrysler Canada will donate $500 to the youth hockey organization of each performer&rsquo;s choice. Chrysler Canada also sponsors the Performer-of-the-Month and Performer-of-the-Year Awards, for which the latter receives the Chrysler Canada vehicle of his choice. In four years, Chrysler Canada has contributed more than $120,000 to youth hockey associations across North America.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04402/5495342-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="643" height="651"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Wregget</figcaption></div>Wregget, a 24-year-old native of Brandon, Man., began the week by backstopping his club to a 6-2 road win versus the Montreal Canadians (Oct. 17). Returning to Toronto, Wregget stopped 39 shots in a 4-2 defeat of the Buffalo Sabres (Oct. 19), before leading his team to another 4-2 decision over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena (Oct. 21). The following night (Oct. 22) versus the Calgary Flames, the Leafs were outshot 33-15, but Wregget carried the team to a 3-3 decision. Now in his fifth season with the Maple Leafs, Wregget shares the lead for wins by a goaltender with five (Philadelphia&rsquo;s Hextall also has five). After eight games thus far, Wregget has compiled a 2.85 average and a save percentage of .901. After only winning seven road games in 1987-88, the Leafs have come back in 1988-89 with a 6-3-1 record including four wins on the road.Dodge Dakota 4x4. The only truck you&rsquo;ll ever need.Dodge Dakota 4x4. The only car you 11 ever need.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03714/5495335-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="3028" height="911"></div>If you&rsquo;re looking for a truck, the new Dakota 4x4 is something else. Pound for pound, it can haul more weight and carry more cargo than any compact truck on the road.And when you consider the raw power of its standard 3 9 litre V-6 engine with electronic fuel injection, it&rsquo;s no wonder the Dakota 4x4 has replaced the conventional truck.And the conventional car.Here&rsquo;s why. Dakota offers you the passenger comfort, easy handling and interior refinements you&rsquo;d expect to find only in today&rsquo;s automobiles.Standard features include 3-across seating, power steering, anti-lock braking and 4-speaker AM/FM stereo radio.But since you can also haul a ton or cross a riverbed in your Dakota 4x4, you&rsquo;ll find it&rsquo;s the most versatile car you&rsquo;ll ever drive.And the most versatile truck.CHRYSLER CANADAChanging the landscape<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-05225/5495328-1-eng-US/f0003-052.jpg" title="f0003-05" width="735" height="172"></div> &#9632;

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NHL PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

It is amazing to read how the acquisition of two players by the St. Louis Blues has altered the complexion of hockey and threatened the world as we know it. Bob McKenzie expressed concern in the Oct. 14 issue of THN about the possibility of another dark age. Even Stan Fischler, who last year wrote that Dave Brown&rsquo;s bashing of Tomas Sandstrom would hardly have raised an eyebrow in the good old days, is suddenly worried the game has to make a choice between artistry and goonism.One would think Craig Coxe and Dave Richter suddenly appeared on Brian Sutter&rsquo;s team from the &lsquo;Galaxy of Goon&rsquo;. These guys played in the NHL last year, for the better part of that time with the Vancouver Canucks. Yet, I don&rsquo;t recall reading about the Canucks threatening the way the game was played. The reason for this is simple: They weren't.Every team, with the exception of Los Angeles, Montreal and the New York Islanders, had at least one player who accumulated at least 200 minutes in penalties.So please, just relax. The game hasn&rsquo;t changed.Chet Rhodes,&nbsp;East Peoria. III.<h2>WELL DONE</h2>A note of congratulations on The Hockey News' new format. After reading the first new issue, I appreciate the effort spent by editor-in-chief Bob McKenzie and his staff. My own writing efforts require attention only to substance. I can only imagine if I also had to be concerned with style. Keep up the good work!Robert W. Goodenow,&nbsp;Dearborn, Mich.<h2>HOWEVER &hellip;</h2>You need two changes only to your new format.The page number should be at the bottom, outer edge of the pagePut the NHL stats as the last thing in the paper, not in the center. Constant reference to them makes finding them difficult in the center of the paper.Betty Hinsley,&nbsp;Detroit, Mich.<h2>PEERLESS PICKS</h2>Thank God for The Hockey News because the national media in the U.S. lacks a modicum of sense when it comes to hockey. Take, for example, the predictions of the Patrick Division dogfight, which were especially ludicrous by Sport., Illustrated and USA Today.SI counts the Rangers and Capitals out of the picture. Did anyone tell them goalies and defensemen mean as much in hockey as pitching in baseball?USA Today has the Islanders and Rangers pegged for fifth and sixth. Are Michel Bergeron and Bill Torrey chopped liver? What makes anyone think Gene Ubriaco will have it any easier than Pierre Creamer''John Hugh Nash,&nbsp;Long Beach, N. Y.<h2>GATE-CRASHERS</h2>As a dedicated. long-time Kings fan, I've stuck with the team through both thick and thin Now, it's going to be interesting, and possibly disgusting, to see how many Los Angele sports 'enthusiasts'-read fair-weather fans- and sportswriters jump on the King bandwagon. I guess these new supporters are the crafty ones who went to games in the past disguised as empty Forum seats.Corey Hayes,&nbsp;Los Angeles. Calif.<h2>STOP GUSHING</h2>I am writing to implore the journalists of THN to stop designating Wayne Gretzky as the greatest ever. Rarely an issue escapes without some erroneous Gretzky gushing. Enough already!There is no doubt, Wayne Gretzky is a great player. but could he have flown with the Rocket. traded elbows with Howe, raced end-to-end with Orr? Logically, these questions can be debated, but not solidly answered. Gretzky is one of the greatest, period.Overstating and overrating is a media menace for every sport today. A player cannot be 'great', they must be 'the greatest' Sportswriters cannot and should not attempt to crown a king when they have not experienced all of the glory of princes past.If Gretzky falls in L.A. he will undoubtedly be beheaded by his servants in the press and probably succeeded by Mario Lemieux, who will not deserve the throne either.Adrienne Monestere,&nbsp;Pembroke, Mass.<h2>KLIMA 'S WOES</h2>It is quite apparent the Red Wings have serious off-ice problems in Bob Probert and Petr Klima. Maybe there is hope for Probert, since he did go for treatment in California. As for Klima, I don't know. Maybe a one-way ticket back to Czechoslovakia will smarten him up. Then he would realize how good he has it. After all, the Wings busted their buns to get him out. I am of Czech descent and it hurts me to suggest such actions, but maybe working for 15-20 crowns an hour (about $3.50-$4 in Canadian funds) back in the old country would soon change his attitude.James Prokop,&nbsp;Blenheim. OntMake your feelings known. Send your comments to:&nbsp;Letters, The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont., M3B 2R2.&nbsp;Include home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

DEPARTMENTS

THESE PLAYERS WON’T UPSET HOCKEY’S BALANCE

<div class="byline">BOB McKENZIE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011389/5495418-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="520" height="629"></div>Ken Dryden is on the comeback trail.But, no, Phil Esposito, he's not interested in joining the New York Rangers.The lanky Hall-of-Fame netminder will return to prominence next fall with a six-part television special and book. both with the tentative title, Ken Dryden's HomeGame.This is bad news for any hockey author who plans to release a book next fall.With his first work, The Game. released five years ago, Dryden established the standard by which hockey books are judged. To call it a bestseller-5,000 hardcover copies earn you that designation in Canada-is a gross under-statement. The last time Dryden checked, The Game was up to 120,000 copies, not including paperback issues in Canada, the United States and Great Britam. A Soviet translation is in the works.He sees no reason why HomeGame can't duplicate or surpass the phenomenal success of The Game."It's like when I was playing hockey," he says. "If I got five shutouts one year, there was no reason for me not to aim for seven the next. It's the same with books. You write a book because you've got a story to tell you believe people think is worthwhile. You don't write a book Just to sell copies, but certainly, you aim to have as many people as possible read your book."HomeGame, Dryden says, will be a look at Canada and Canadians, using hockey as the vehicle. The TV series, with six one-hour episodes, will run on CBC next fall. likely once a week in prime time. Each episode will focus on a different perspective of the game. The book will parallel the structure of the TV series"One episode will be about the business of sport and sport as a spectacle," says Dryden, who was filming in Los Angeles for Wayne Gretzky's regular-season debut for the Kings. "There'll be another on kids growing up with hockey. One will be on Canada and its place in the world We'll go to the Soviet Union for that one."There'll be one on community and how the sport binds families, small communities, cities, regions and the country. A fifth one will be about the playing of the game itself. I'm still working on the concept for the sixth."Filming will take Dryden to Saskatoon, Moscow, Quebec City, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Halifax, Toronto and back to L.A.The idea for the dual print-broadcast project was Dryden's. The TV series, however, is being produced by Star Play Films Inc., an independent production house headed by the critically-acclaimed pair of broadcast journalist Michael Maclear (executive producer) and producer-director Peter Pearson.Star Play. in tum, sold the series to CBC's current affairs department and Maclear expects to deliver the finished product by September.Dryden will write the scripts and the series will largely reflect his perspective on the game and its place in the hearts of Canadians. But the former Montreal Canadien goalie will lean heavily on the broadcast expertise of Maclear and Pearson.As for the book, being published by McClelland & Stewart, it's entirely Dryden's baby."I wouldn't have written the book without doing the television series," Dryden says, "but since there is going to be TV, I wanted the rigor of doing the book. It will give the project that much more depth."Dryden, with his rare blend of insight and perspective. will no doubt make both the TV series and book enormously successful as commercial endeavors.More importantly, though. Ken Dryden's HomeGame may tum out to be the definitive work on what hockey means to Canada and Canadians.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021277/5495411-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="1749" height="904"></div> &#9632;

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COLUMNISTS

KEN DRYDEN PREPARES TO GIVE US THE SEQUEL

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>Los Angeles King Jim Fox on the club's rag-tag practice rink in Culver City: "It's the worst building in the history of architecture and I've seen better ice on my windshield." &hellip; Pat Bums notes that he may be the first coach in Canadiens' history to wear a moustache &hellip; A few year ago," he tells BLUELINES, "I had a beard. Before that I had a pony tail-but that was when I was in the (police) force." Burns adds that too much has been made in the press over his. o-called disciplinary moves. "In Montreal, there's so much media attention over these things," he claims &hellip; Guy Lafleur believes there's "more grabbing and hooking" than in the years preceding his retirement. The Rangers published a special supplement for their 1988-89 yearbook which includes everything there is to know about Lafleur. .. One Detroit reporter tells BLUELINES that the source of Petr Klima's problems could be his poor grasp of the English language. "He just nods his head &middot;yes' even when he doesn't understand what's being said,'' the scribe claims.<h2>WAR IN MINORS?</h2>There hasn't been an inter-league hockey war sinke the NHL-WHA conflict but another could ignite, this time between the International and American Leagues. The detonator, in this case, would be the city of Albany, N. Y., which soon will have a 15,000-seat arena completed and would very much like to install a hockey team to fill dates. The AHL, with a nearby team in Glens Falls (Adirondack Red Wings). is uninterested. But IHL Commissioner Bud Poile tells BLUELINES that he's "heard from" Albany interests. lf the IHL welcomes an Albany group, things would heat up between the leagues since a size-able number of fans would be siphoned off from Adirondack's spectator-base in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Capital District area. "Albany alone would not be good for us geographically," adds Poile, "but we've also had inquiries from Cleveland and Erie (Pa.). Albany, Cleveland and Erie would be a possibility.&middot;&middot; But not if the AHL can help it.<h2>EXPANSION TALK</h2>Rumblings arc being heard in Indiana about Indianapolis bidding for an NHL expansion franchise &hellip; Several Devils have enrolled in a karate school to help themselves with discipline, confidence and flexibility&hellip; The December issue of Goal magazine features an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, a longtime hockey fan. "In the spirit of fairness, we also approached the office of George Bush," Goal editor Michael Berger tells BLUELINES, "but he declined to be interviewed." &hellip; Appointment of former Whalers' boss Howard Baldwin as Flyers' alternate governor has tongues wagging. Baldwin, who broke into the NHL with the Flyers in 1967, would be a logical head of a new Seattle franchise. Baldwin's pal, Flyers' owner Ed Snider, is behind construction of the new downtown Seattle arena &hellip; A North Star source suggests GM Jack Ferreira underestimated the depth of the club disorganization when he took command &hellip; Deposed North Star Brian Lawton tells BLUELINES he bears no grudge against Ferreira or rookie coach Pierre Page. Actually," says Lawton, "I'm thankful that they traded me (to New York Rangers) so fast this season. They were good about it. That (North Stars) club will turn it around because they now have stable management and a stable coach. But it won't happen overnight."<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011271/5495449-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="547" height="934"><figcaption class="caption-body">Shayne Corson may not be a Canadien for too much longer.</figcaption></div><h2>WHALE WATCH</h2>Neil Sheehy's controversial blasting of his former Whaler teammates for dumping on Sylvain Turgeon (because he's French) apparently has had a positive effect. Whaler-watchers say Hartford players have become more cordial to the potential super-star&hellip; The Montreal Forum grapevine has it that Shayne Corson will be dealt providing managing director Serge Savard can get a good return &hellip; One of the closest pals of Wayne Gretzky's wife, Janet Jones, 1s Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White. When Janet's mother-in-law, Phyllis Gretzky, visited L.A., Jones took her around the film sets and introduced her to Vanna &hellip; Among the new NHL beat writers is Lisa Dillman Penner, who covers the Kings for the Los Angeles Daily News. She's the daughter of the late Dick Dillman, who handled public relations for the North Stars. &#9632;

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PRACTICE RINK NOT FIT FOR KINGS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-02927/5495480-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patent applied for</figcaption></div>If you're like Wendel Clark and are tired of dumping your sweat soaked equipment on the floor to dry or worse, leaving it in the bag to rot. then the Hockey Hanger&trade; is for youHow does it work? Zipped up, the Hockey Hanger&trade; is a large double ply nylonNOW AVAILABLE IN THESE EXCLUSIVE HOCKEY STORES:National Sports Centre, Just Hockey, Cupola's, Centennial Cycle, D & J Cycle, Canadian Wholesale Sports, The Pro Shop, Finnies, Wilts, Dukes, Humes, The Hockey Shop & The Pro Shop, Check your local yellow pages. bag. Unzipped, it becomes a drying rack &middot; ready to hang neatly in your garage or basement. Don't hesitate-order nowlWendel Clark Signature Edition available at no extra charge.Send for FREE brochure.Bestquipt SportsP. O. Box 219Clarkson. Ont.L5L 3Y1 &#9632;

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INTRODUCING THE BESTQUIPIT ™ SPORTS HOCKEY HANGER ™

<div class="byline">BY JEFF HALE AND DENIS GIBBONS</div>Soviet star Igor Larionov has publicly broken rank with coach Viktor Tikhonov.Larionov was heavily critical of Tikhonov in an open letter published by the Soviet national weekly magazine Ogonyok in its Oct. 12 issue.One of the world&rsquo;s best centers and a captain in the Soviet military, Larionov plays for Tikhonov on the national and Red Army teams.He assailed the Soviet hockey establishment for its restrictive training regimens and disregard for players&rsquo; family lives.&ldquo;Ten months of the year we are away from home and naturally without holiday,&rdquo; said Larionov, 28. &ldquo;Family life is only by telephone. We have become accustomed to this lifestyle, thanks to you Viktor Tikhonov. When our wives give birth to children, the natural interaction of a player with his wife is not part of your program.&rdquo;Players are typically housed at sports bases. They only have time, said Larionov, for brief meetings with their families after games.&ldquo;The life of a sportsman in the Soviet Union is very short,&rdquo; said Larionov.For that, he blamed Tikhonov&rsquo;s oppressive methods. Larionov pointed out Vladislav Tretiak retired at the relatively early age of 32.&ldquo;And where are some of our other great stars, who were here before you (Tikhnov)?&rdquo; he asked.He said Sergei Babinov, Irek Gimaev, Sergei Gimaev, Viktor Zhluktov, Nikolai Drozdetzky, Alexander Tyzhnykh and Vladimir Zubkov all left the national team because of the rigid training routine.Larionov accused Tikhonov of being technically unimaginative.&ldquo;I would take it upon myself to say that during your leadership of both the Red Army and national team, you (have) introduced nothing new,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Whoever has worked with you for one year would know very well the methods that you use.&rdquo;Larionov&mdash;who plays on the famed &lsquo;Green&rsquo; unit with left winger Sergei Makarov, right winger Vladimir Krutov and defensemen Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov&mdash;said all five of them were offered &ldquo;bio-stimulants&rdquo; to improve their play.There was no mention of steriods or other banned substances, just &ldquo;placenta, glucose and other stimulants.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011453/5495511-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="551" height="540"><figcaption class="caption-body">Igor Larionov penned an open letter in a Soviet magazine.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;To the credit of our unit, neither 1 nor Krutov nor Fetisov nor Makarov nor Kasatonov wanted to embark on a new level of play,&rdquo; he said.He was also critical of the national team&rsquo;s handling of Alexander Mogilny. Larionov said the 19-year-old budding superstar forward was left off the national team for a two-game trip to Japan last May because he did not want &ldquo;to become an officer in the Soviet Army.&rdquo;Larionov, somewhat of a free spirit, has spoken his mind in the past. It has not, he said, escaped notice. Two years ago, he advocated an exchange of hockey players between Canada and the Soviet Union in an interview with a Canadian journalist.He said one result of his frankness was being left off the national team for later games in Italy and Sweden.&ldquo;I nearly forgot about that (interview), but you, Viktor Vassilievich (Tikhonov) didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; he said.Larionov, drafted 214th in 1985 by the Vancouver Canucks, helped the Soviets to a gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. &#9632;

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SOVIET STAR SPOUTS OFF

One year, five months and 22 days after his last game in a New York Islander uniform, Mike Bossy cried.The 31-year-old superstar right winger and future Hall of Famer had nearly 18 months to contemplate his inevitable retirement while he waited in vain for his bad back to heal.But the announcement Oct. 24 that Bossy&rsquo;s career was officially over still brought tears to his eyes. Bossy, who missed the entire 1987-88 season, hadn&rsquo;t played since May 2, 1987.The only person who did not consider Bossy retired until Monday was Bossy.&ldquo;That may have been one of the reasons why I did break down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I might not have realized it for sure until I was standing at that microphone.&rdquo;Bossy&rsquo;s back is no better than it was two years ago, when he first noticed pain resulting from two degenerative discs. He saw doctor after doctor, therapist after therapist, and kept hoping that somehow he&rsquo;d get better. He stopped in early October.&ldquo;I finally came to the conclusion that there was no sense (in waiting),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Mentally I just couldn&rsquo;t handle it any more. 1 had to get that weight off my shoulders. But deep down, until I got here and said it, I guess I was still hoping that something was going to happen.&rdquo;Bossy&rsquo;s retirement also brought tears to the eyes of Bryan Trottier, his longtime teammate and friend, and kind words from former coach Al Arbour and general manager Bill Torrey.Torrey handed Bossy his familiar white jersey, No. 22, and announced no Islander will ever wear that number again.That gesture confirmed Bossy and the Islanders have reconciled some of the differences that tore them apart during the summer.Bossy announced then he was through with the Islanders after receiving what he considered an in-adequate offer to remain with the team in promotional and scouting roles.No new plans were announced for Bossy to join the team in any capacity.The Montreal native, who helped guide the Islanders to four straight Stanley Cups, scored 573 goals and 553 assists for 1,126 points in 752 career games.He scored 50 goals an NHL-record nine straight seasons. Bossy, a first or second all-stareight of his 10 seasons, also holds the record for most goals&mdash;-53&mdash;by a rookie.<h2>EMMS DEAD</h2>Hap Emms, former owner, general manager and coach of the Ontario Hockey Association&rsquo;s Barrie Flyers, Niagara Falls Flyers and St. Catharines Black Hawks, died Oct. 23 in Niagara Falls of heart failure.Emms, a hockey legend whose given name was Leighton, was 83.In addition to his 32-year ownership of junior hockey teams&mdash;the Ontario Hockey League&rsquo;s Emms Division is named after him&mdash;Emms played 10 years in the NHL as a left winger with the Montreal Maroons, New York Americans, Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins. He was also general manager of the Boston Bruins from 1965 to 1967.<h2>FOUL MOUTHS</h2>NHL players have been asked to clean up their acts.Abusive language directed at officials will not be tolerated, the league told general managers during August meetings in Chicago.&ldquo;This was just to let everybody know the official doesn&rsquo;t have to take these personal expletives, even if they&rsquo;re done in the heat of the moment,&rdquo; said NHL president John Ziegler.Profanity, he said, has become all too commonplace in the game.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something which I personally have seen kind of grow and it&rsquo;s something which I think has been stronger. Instead of going down it has grown. I just felt that there was no need for that and we should just see if we could minimize the personal type of attack.&ldquo;The other part of it is, as we get more and more television exposure and bring the sounds of the game through electronic pictures, that&rsquo;s not the kind of thing you want to come on the airwaves to a general audience.&rdquo;St. Louis Blues&rsquo; right winger Todd Ewen, who saw a lot of referees after serving 227 penalty minutes in 64 games last season, said he was amazed at the obscene dialogue between players and officials.&ldquo;It was getting out of hand,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Referees and players were yelling back and forth during the game. It was noticeable. In junior, if you said anything to a referee, you were gone. I was surprised when I came up here. You have 34-year-old men telling other 34-year-old men off.&rdquo;Ziegler said he hopes in two or three seasons players will be more respectful.&ldquo;I mean, if you say, &lsquo;Damn,&rsquo; or &lsquo;Hell,&rsquo; that&rsquo;s different. Coaches (were instructed they) should begin to tell players there would be a lower level of tolerance as to personal attacks on officials&hellip; Nobody&rsquo;s trying to limit emotions, because that&rsquo;s an impossible task.&rdquo;<h2>BITS AND PIECES</h2>Some facts and figures on NHL teams: Washington Capitals have the biggest team, with an average weight of 204.3 pounds; Winnipeg Jets are the lightest on average, at 183.3, and shortest, at 71.84 inches; St. Louis has the tallest team (72.95), Los Angeles the oldest (27.25 years) and Pittsburgh the youngest (24.78).The Supreme Court of Canada has upheld a lower-court ruling that stipulates Roger Neilson will get less than half of what he sought in a contract settlement with the Vancouver Canucks. The British Columbia Supreme Court awarded Neilson $173,500 after his firing by the Canucks 48 games into the 1983-84 season. But the province&rsquo;s court of appeal reduced that amount to $64,364, after taking into consideration Neilson was hired by the Los Angeles Kings shortly after his dismissal in Vancouver. Neilson, now a hockey commentator on The Sports Network, appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, contending he deserved the full amount. On Oct. 20, the court refused Neilson a leave to appeal the ruling. The court gave no reasons for its decision.Dave Newell set a record for most games officiated by an NHL referee when he worked the New York Ranger-Quebec Nordique game at Madison Square Garden Oct. 23. It was Newell&rsquo;s 1,076th game, breaking the record of 1,075 held by Ron Wicks. &#9632;

BOSSY MAKES IT OFFICIAL: HE’S RETIRED

<div class="byline">BY KARLO BERKOVICH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011298/5495566-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; defenseman Larry Robinson teamed up with Lions In Winter co-author Chrys Goyens to write his autobiography.</figcaption></div>Hockey books are hot, at least in Canada. A total of 17 new books are due out this fall. Autobiographies, biographies, instructional manuals, statistical analyses, team previews and hockey pool guides fill the shelves.Nobody has any firm statistics to back up the claim, but those in the publishing industry say we are in the midst of a boom in hockey books.And they believe it&rsquo;s a residual effect of the impact made by the best-selling hockey book ever.&ldquo;The Ken Dryden book gave hockey books credibility,&rdquo; says Tanya Long, an editor at Prentice-Hall Canada Ltd. &ldquo;It was one of the myths of the book business that sports books don&rsquo;t sell.&rdquo;Dryden&rsquo;s The Game, published in 1983, was different than most sports books. A literate man, Dryden wrote it without the assistance of a ghostwriter. As Norm Sheinman, director of special sales at Penguin Books says, &ldquo;he looked at hockey from the outside in, even though he was on the inside looking out.&rdquo;The Game was a monster success, selling 120,000 hardcover copies&mdash;5,000 is a best seller in Canada&mdash;across North America. It&rsquo;s even being translated into Russian.&ldquo;I would think there is a certain guaranteed sale for a hockey book in Canada,&rdquo; says Dryden, whose second effort, Ken Dryden&rsquo;s HomeGame (see Bob McKenzie, page 4), will be released next fall. &ldquo;Book publishing is a tough industry in Canada. Even best sellers don&rsquo;t sell a lot of copies&hellip; But hockey, being what it is in Canada, should get a certain guaranteed sale that is acceptable.&rdquo;That guaranteed sale usually runs between 15,000 and 25,000 copies, judging by advance sales of the six autobiographies and one biography available this fall.Figures in the United States are much lower. In fact, most hockey books have a tough time reaching U.S. bookstores. Larry Robinson&rsquo;s autobiography Robinson: For The Defence has a print run of 30,000 and advance sales of 25,000 in Canada. It may not even be distributed south of the border. Likewise for Champions: Story Of A Hockey Dynasty, Kevin Lowe&rsquo;s look at&nbsp;growing up as an Edmonton Oiler, and Gross Misconduct: The Life Of Spinner Spencer, Martin O&rsquo;Malley&rsquo;s story on former journeyman Brian Spencer, who was gunned down in Florida earlier this year.There&rsquo;s just no interest in a hockey player that plays in Canada,&rdquo; says one editor.McGraw-Hill Ryerson of Toronto, which is publishing the Robinson book, is distributing Boss: The Mike Bossy Story in the United States through its U.S. parent McGraw-Htil. But even so, outside the New York area, sales are not expected to be high. The Bossy book already has advance sales of 20,000 in Canada.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not that big a market for hockey books in the U.S.,&rdquo; says Barry Meisel, who covers the New York Islanders and ghosted Bossy&rsquo;s book.The U.S. market exists in pockets, and most American fans get their hockey books by ordering through Canadian outlets or the publishers themselves.&ldquo;In Canada,&rdquo; says Long, &ldquo;hockey has a status that&rsquo;s almost mythological and these books trigger a response. And celebrity books of any kind seem to be incredibly in vogue these days.&rdquo;Bossy&rsquo;s book has obviously attracted large interest in Canada, though Bossy himself says he &ldquo;was afraid my book had nothing to say. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t do it for the money,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There was interest expressed in me doing one, so I did. In today&rsquo;s society, people expect a bing-bang-boom book, but my life hasn&rsquo;t been spectacular. I&rsquo;ve never been suspended or done drugs. All I&rsquo;ve done is score goals. I do have my opinions on certain subjects, but to me it was just my ordinary life.&rdquo;Publishers say the most successful hockey books are about star players, such as Bossy or&nbsp;Robinson or Lanny McDonald, whose Lanny sold 30,000 copies. Other subjects, however, are also doing well.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easier to publish a book on a star player,&rdquo; says Donald Bastion, an editor at Stoddart/General publishing, &ldquo;But if you get a good person and tell the story right, you&rsquo;ve got a good book.&rdquo;Bastion worked with writer Murray Townsend on former NHL referee Bruce Hood&rsquo;s book, Calling The Shots, which has already passed the 10,000 mark in sales and is about to go into a third printing. It is probably the sleeper of the season.&ldquo;(Hood) is not a sports star,&rdquo; says Bastion, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;s a person in the industry and he has an insight into it. We thought it (a book on a referee&rsquo;s experiences) would be a strong project. It&rsquo;s an interesting angle on hockey because he has that perspective.&rdquo;Other new books in that vein include broadcaster Dick Irvin&rsquo;s And Now, Back to You, Dick, the Spencer book and Many Are Called, Few Are Signed, a primer on the ins and outs of pro hockey by former journeyman goaltender Rick Heinz. And Dave Semenko, Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s former protector on the Edmonton Oilers, is writing a book on just that subject. The working title is Looking Out For No. 1.But if you really want to write a best seller, use the Montreal Canadiens as a subject. The Habs sell bundles of books. Lions In Winter, Chrys Goyens&rsquo; and Alan Turowetz&rsquo; probing, affectionate look at the history of the franchise, has sold 30,000 hardcover and over 100,000 paperback copies since being released in 1986.&ldquo;So many people equate the heart and soul of what hockey is with the Montreal Canadiens,&rdquo; says Sheinman. &ldquo;They have that tradition.&rdquo;But that alone isn&rsquo;t what made Lions In Winter so successful.&ldquo;It took a more scientific, businesslike approach,&rdquo; says Sharyn Rosart, a senior production editor at Prentice-Hall Canada who worked on the book. &ldquo;It applied sociological principles to the development of the team. It was more intellectual and had more depth.&rdquo;Hockey fans intellectual and deep? Hey, don&rsquo;t laugh.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been this perception that the sports fan is not intelligent, that he jumps up and down and screams and yells at games,&rdquo; says Sheinman. &ldquo;Yes, he may do that. But come the next day, he puts on his three-piece suit and goes to work at IBM. There&rsquo;s always been a market for these books, but somebody (the publishers) has finally addressed it. There are just a lot of hockey fans out there.&rdquo; &#9632;

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BOYS OF WINTER WRITE ON

The shelves are filling with hockey books just in time for Christmas. Here's a look at seven of the most prominent titles.Boss: The Mike Bossy Story: By Mike Bossy with Barry Meisel/McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 256 pp. $24.95.One of hockey's most articulate and opinionated&nbsp;players takes a look at his life in hockey "from birth to my last game."Calling The Shots: By Bruce Hood with Murray Townsend/Stoddart, General Publishing. 242 pp. $22.95.Retired NHL referee Bruce Hood reflects on his officiating career and provides a different perspective on the game.And Now, Back To You, Dick: By Dick Irvin/McClelland And Stewart, 256 pp, including 32 with black and white photos: $24. 95.Broadcaster Dick Irvin and the Montreal Canadiens are synonymous, but this is more than a Hab book. Irvin gives an overview of the game through his experiences and his relationship&nbsp;with his father. legendary Hab coach Dick Irvin.Champions, Story of a Hockey Dynasty: By Kevin Lowe with Stan Fischler/Prentice-Hall Canada, 368 pp. $22.95.A look at the inner workings of the Edmonton Oilers from the early days to the Stanley Cup dynasty through one of their finer spokesmen, defenseman Kevin Lowe.Gross Misconduct: The Life Of Spinner Spencer: By Martin O'Malley/Penguin Books, 310 pp, $22.95.Veteran Canadian writer O"Malley looks at the life of Brian (Spinner) Spencer from his early days in the wilderness of British Columbia&nbsp;to his tumultuous NHL career to his grisly end in a Florida drug deal gone sour.Hometown Heroes-On The Road With Canada's National Team: By Paul Quarrington/Collins Publishing. 292 pp. $24.95.Award-winning Canadian writer Quarrington spent three years following coach Dave King and Canada&middot;s national team as it prepared for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. A funny and revealing look at the team's drive for glory.Robinson: For The Defence: By Larry Robinson with Chrys Goyens/McGraw-Hill Ryerson. 288 pp. $24. 95.The long-time Montreal defenseman offers a thoughtful account of his NHL career. &#9632;

TAKING A LOOK IN THE LIBRARY

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011386/5495621-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brett Hull says the Blues are making the best use of his talent, which is scoring goals.</figcaption></div>When Brett Hull was dealt to the St. Louis Blues by the Calgary Flames last season. St. Louis general manager Ron Caron was ridiculed for giving up crack defenseman Rob Ramage and veteran goaltender Rick Wamsley.The son of Bobby Hull, hockey&rsquo;s Golden Jet, Brett was depicted as a lazy player, incapable of taking instruction and one who would hardly be any more of an asset in Missouri than he was in Alberta.But no sooner did he don a new uniform, than the Golden Brett began lighting up St. Louis Arena&mdash;in more ways than one. He scored six goals and eight assists in his 14 games and then six goals in the Blues&rsquo; five-game playoff win over the Blackhawks last spring. He finished with seven goals and two assists in 10 playoff games.To show it was no fluke, he opened the season with a pair of goals in St. Louis' 8-3 win over Minnesota Oct. 6.THN: Why are the Blues so different for you?BH: In Calgary I felt like low-man-on-the-totem-pole. In St. Louis I feel really good, like 1 have a position on the team. The difference is that they expect things out of me that I really can give the club. They want me to score, to be a team leader, to work hard. Just playing with a guy like Bernie Federko is a tremendous help in itself.THN: The Flames didn't seem to know what to do with you but the Blues do. Have they found the best part of your game?BH: Scoring goals is the best part of my game and with the Blues I&rsquo;m getting so many more chances during every game than I ever did in Calgary. Plus, with the trade of Mark Hunter to the Flames, there&rsquo;s added pressure on me. I&rsquo;ve got to go out and play loose and everything else will fall into place.THN: Your father&rsquo;s shot was notorious for its ferocity and yours is too. Are you aware of the legend going around that you actually scared a goalie in the World Championship when you faced Poland (1986)?BH: I didn't know he left the game because of me.THN: Some sharpshooters&mdash;your father was one of them&mdash;liked to intimidate goalies early in a game by shooting at their heads, rather than going for goals. How come you don&rsquo;t?BH: I don&rsquo;t but I should. Everyone tells me to do that but, for some reason, 1 haven&rsquo;t. When 1 put the puck on net. I&rsquo;m shooting for only one reason&mdash;to score. And I really don&rsquo;t know half the time where I&rsquo;m shooting at. If my shots happen to go high it&rsquo;s not intentional in the sense that I want to scare the goaltender or hurt him. By shooting at his head I&rsquo;d be wasting a shot and 1 ain&rsquo;t gonna waste one anywhere.THN: Is goal-scoring your only asset?BH: Not at all. I have the ability to make a play. I&rsquo;m not a one-dimensional player. Last year 1 finished with the same amount of assists (32) as I had goals.THN: Wouldn't it have been easier for you if your name had been Brett Smith rather than Brett Hull?BH: It wouldn&rsquo;t have been any easier or harder. Look at the plus side of it: In my first year of junior hockey, I was able to get a little extra look (from the scouts) because of who I was. They knew I had potential but I knew that that break could only take me so far. On the other side, there is a lot of pressure and it was tough. especially when 1 was younger.THN: Do you have any regrets that you&rsquo;re not playing for your dad&rsquo;s original team, the Blackhawks?BH: No, not at all, although I won&rsquo;t tell you I never thought about it. When 1 got my first chance to play pro hockey I figured it would be interesting to play in Chicago. But once I was drafted by Calgary, I said to myself, 'Brett, there&rsquo;s nothing you can do about it. &rsquo; The reason I don&rsquo;t have regrets is that to me, just the chance to play in the NHL was something I dreamed about for years, so I&rsquo;m quite happy where I am right now.THN: Your dad seems mellower these days. Have you seen him?BH: I saw him not long ago in Chicago and he seems more at peace with himself. He has more of a laid-back attitude. you know. not so bitter against everything. He's learned to enjoy life. I guess.THN: Playing less than full-time hockey last year, you scored 32 goals. What can we expect this season?BH: I know I&rsquo;m going to get a lot and I&rsquo;d love to get 50, but 1 don&rsquo;t want to come out and say something and sound cocky because that&rsquo;s a totally different attitude than 1 have. But I'll say this: If 1 don&rsquo;t get over 40 this year I&rsquo;m going to be disappointed. &#9632;

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‘IF I DON’T GET OVER 40 … I’LL BE DISAPPOINTED’

<div class="byline">JAY GREENBERG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011342/5495652-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="456" height="645"></div>Around and around Wayne Gretzky skated, while stopwatches ran and time stood still. Around and around he circled a hockey world that, in the black-and-white proof of his Los Angeles King uniform, had been turned upside down.Around and around the Northlands Coliseum Gretzky glided, while his eyes misted and Edmonton let him know just how much it had cared about him. They were finished cheering and starting to chant &ldquo;Gretzky! Gretzky!&rdquo; when the public-address cue for the anthem singer cut them off.Time of ovation: 3:30. Length of time covered in Mark Messier&rsquo;s thoughts: 10 years. Distance travelled: To the end of the world and back to where maybe, just maybe, life without Gretzky wouldn&rsquo;t be so bad, after all.&ldquo;I was thinking about 20,000 thoughts over 10 years,&rdquo; said Messier. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t help thinking he used to be on our side skating around.&rdquo;That was five months, $15 million, one of four sweet championships, and one utopia, ago. It shattered on Aug. 9, when an unprecedented talent and a priceless hero turned out, like most everything else in this world, to have a monetary value.Gretzky&rsquo;s first trip back to Edmonton provoked two completely opposite emotions. In a melancholy way it declared that nothing is forever. In the way Edmonton reached out to him, it reaffirmed that the best parts of a strong relationship don&rsquo;t end with a physical separation. They last.The fans went back in time when Gretzky first stepped on the ice. Then they reached out for him for one last time, for 3/2 minutes. And then Messier reached down into his soul and snapped them back to reality. &ldquo;I thought if we got off to a good enough start,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;the fans would be on our side.&rdquo;They were. The people left as Oiler fans again, at least for now, because Messier, the team&rsquo;s second-best skater through the Gretzky era, played like the new era is going to be named after him.But it&rsquo;s not going to be easy. Not for Messier, not for the Oilers. Despite the outward appearance on one special night that Edmonton&rsquo;s loyalties ran deeper than just one great player, patching things up will not be as simple as collecting good young players and high draft choices.Because the money was due before Aug. 9, the 500-or-so season tickets the Oilers were down this year were more a reflection of the depressed Alberta economy than the trade of Gretzky. While the Oilers calmed the irate 113 persons who called to demand their checks back, anger is a lot easier to deal with than apathy.We&rsquo;ll get a much better reading of the damage next season. It took another year or two, remember, for the full effect of the loss of Bobby Hull in Chicago and Bobby Orr in Boston to be felt at the gate.The Oilers will remain a good team. Whether they will remain champions is another matter. And whether they can ever be loved as well, at least as long as Peter Pocklington owns them, just doesn&rsquo;t seem possible.In trading Wayne Gretzky at age 27, right after the Oilers won their fourth Stanley Cup in five years, Pocklington chopped at the cord that runs to the very base of why people pay to watch games. And that is the sense of identification they receive for their money.Fans can accept the fact that an owner has bills to pay and understand that favored players get old and that teams have to think ahead. But the customers must believe that you care. The ones in Edmonton bonded with Gretzky. Not just because his name made Edmonton&mdash;previously known as just some city somewhere in Canada&mdash;a major-league name, but because the unprecedented magic No. 99 performed on the ice was backed by his exemplary behavior off of it.Wayne Gretzky is very deservedly a hero, one of the very few in professional sports who earned untouchable status. And the full measure of the gall of Peter Pocklington was not just that he sold a superstar away. It was that he had the nerve to call his private enterprise the Edmonton Oilers, not the Pocklington Oilers. In effect, he did a profitable business trading off the city&rsquo;s name, and then sold its civic treasure away.It&rsquo;s not just the fans who deserve to feel betrayed, either. So should the Oilers&rsquo; core veterans. It&rsquo;s going to take more from the nucleus players than they have ever been required to give to keep the Oilers on top.Every core veteran on the team has taken less money on a contract than he likely could have gotten elsewhere because he was sold by Glen Sather on the privilege of playing for a team this good. Now that the Oilers&mdash;no matter how well they took care of their future in the deal&mdash;significantly reduced their chances of winning this year by trading Gretzky, the players have a right to feel suckered. Pocklington made the best deal he could for himself. Why didn&rsquo;t they when they had the chance?The Oilers had a real opportunity to nominate themselves for serious consideration as the best team ever. Certainly there were no guarantees. But the Oiler players certainly preferred the vision of five championships in six years, or six in seven, or eight in 10, over the vision of Gretzky playing in a Los Angeles uniform.&ldquo;We had something very few teams ever had,&rdquo; Gretzky said in Calgary, two days before his homecoming. &ldquo;We were the Green Bay Packers of our time. We were in a small city and we grew up together and we had a great relationship with each other and the city. But how can you go on playing for an organization when the day after you win the Stanley Cup they are trying to trade you?&rdquo;And how can that organization, having traded away not just an irreplacable talent, but that sense of community, too, convince its followers that it still cares? &#9632;

f0009-01

OILERS AND THEIR FANS SUCKERED BY POCKLINGTON

<h2>CANUCKS</h2>Rich Sutter's face suffered a nasty meeting with Mark Messier's high stick Oct. 23, a bit of work which went undetected by referee Rob Schick. Sutter suffered four broken teeth and the Canucks will end tapes of the incident to the league office. Canuck vice president Brian Burke said the dentist's report will tell how tape from the Oiler's stick had to be scraped from the roof of Sutler's mouth, the force of the blow was so severe &hellip; Defenseman-left winger Daryl Stanley announced his retirement from hockey Oct. 18, returning home to Stonewall, Man., after not suiting up for the opening game of the season. The Canucks have put him back on the suspended list. "I just wasn't enjoying the game anymore," he said.<h2>KINGS</h2>New York Ranger GM manager Phil Esposito sat next to Rogie Vachon during the Minnesota game, feuling speculation they were working on a John Vanbiesbrouck-for-Bernie Nicholls trade, which had been rumored for several weeks. Esposito was at tending league marketing meetings in Palm Springs, however, and both parties denied a deal is in the works. ''We talked about it in training camp, but we haven't discussed it since," Vachon said. "Right now, nothing is going on." Said Esposito: ''To be honest, nothing is going on. Rogie is happy with the way things are going and I am happy with the way things are going. For me to trade one of our goalies, I would have to be unhappy." &hellip; Larry Playfair, who had been playing fourth-line right wing, was dealt back to Buffalo in exchange for minor-league winger Bob Logan. Playfair, 30, was originally acquired from the Sabres Jan. 30, 1986, along with Sean McKenna and Ken Baumgartner for Doug Smith. Coach Robbie Ftorek on his club's early-sea on success at home: '' A lot of teams come in here and play a little bit better so they'll get a chance to stay in town longer. Our philosophy is, 'Let them get their points in other places and let them lick their wounds here.' We want to be more dominant here.''<h2>OILERS</h2>The Oilers' defense corps continued to operate on a revolving-door basis. Steve Smith, who had missed IO days after aggravating a sprained left shoulder, returned on Oct. 19. But a pulled groin that Randy Gregg had suffered earlier acted up during the pre-game warmup, and the Good Doctor was a scratch. Gregg joined veterans Kevin Lowe (concussion) and Jeff Beukeboom (suspension) on the sideline &hellip; The knock on the noggin Lowe took, courtesy of Calgary's Mark Hunter Oct. 14, appeared more serious than originally diagnosed and may sideline the blueliner until Oct. 29. Doctors have said Lowe faces permanent disability if he returns to the lineup too soon. "They've recommended I stay out another week," Lowe said. '' I talked to Randy Gregg and he said, 'Forget your career, it' your life.' As athletes we have this silly notion that we're indestructible. That's why there's professionals around to look after us. It's really not worth it to possibly lose half your brain."<h2>CALGARY</h2>The Flames lost right winger Tim Hunter for two games when Los Angeles King forward Marty McSorley gouged his right eye in an 11-4 Calgary win Oct. 17. It took six days for Hunter's vision to clear up. "The doctor (Merv Kirker) told me that he's never seen a finger go that far into an eye socket," Hunter said. The Flames sent a videotape of the incident to NHL supervisor of officials, John McCauley, but did not expect that their protest would succeed &hellip; The Flame ' 5-1-2 start was their best in nine years in Calgary, in part because of improved defensive play. They had lopped a goal a game off their cumulative goals-against average.<h2>JETS</h2>Defenseman Peter Taglianetti, out since the pre-season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, resumed skating Oct. 19 and was expected back for a pair of games with Los Angeles beginning Oct. 28 &hellip; Winnipeg management had a change of heart regarding the demotion of center Alfie Turcotte. Turcotte had a tremendous training camp and most thought he deserved an NHL job, but he was sent down after just one game in the lineup. The Jets, hungry for offense, recalled him after just two minor-league games. &#9632;

CANUCKS AIM TO NAIL OILER MESSIER FOR HIGH STICK

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div>All that was required for the Edmonton Oilers to get their stagnant offence back on track was the presence of a scrawny chap with a pair of '9s' on his back.Never mind the fact that Wayne Gretzky was making his first Northlands Coliseum visit on behalf of the Los Angeles Kings. The mere fact he was on hand seemed to signal a return to good old-fashioned Oiler shootout hockey.After scoring only nine goals while going winless (0-2-2) in four previous starts, the Oilers erupted to outgun Gretzky and the Kings 8-6 in a highly-emotional Oct. 19 homecoming. The entire National Hockey League had awaited the game since the blockbuster trade of Aug. 9."It's kind of crazy," said Craig MacTavish, who set up three goals. "He comes back, he's not on our team, but it's still a shootout. When he's on the other team, you'll need a lot of goals. We had a tough time putting the final nail in the coffin. When we scored, they came back.""I thought it would be a rollercoaster of emotions &hellip; and it was," chipped in Kevin Lowe, Gretzky's former roommate, who watched from the sideline aftmr suffering a nasty concussion three games earlier. "The tempo of the crowd was something. You could hear a buzz."The game of hockey needs this. Everybody hyped it. Maybe we should trade guys all the time."While Edmonton's first SRO audience of 1988-89 came to see Gretzky perform hi. magic, the man of the hour was another personal friend who, like Lowe, was a member of Gretzky's wedding party in Edmonton, July 16."I didn't feel I had to prove anything," said the ever-pugnacious Mark Messier, who scored twice including once while killing a penalty. "I didn't feel it was me versus Wayne. I didn't think I had to play the game of my life because I was playing against Wayne."I was more concerned with winning."If the Oilers could have been justifyably accused of displaying a lack of emotion during previous outings, such was hardly the case on this night.''There wasn't a guy in the dressing room who didn't know this one was going across Canada and into the States," said Messier, the heir to Gretzky's team captaincy. "Everyone wanted to see what was going to happen. I think we started toward establishing our own identity without Wayne. We have to be a totally different team now."Facing Gretzky for the first time was a unique experience for a number of the Oilers."He's a heck of a lot quicker than I thought he was &hellip; said defenseman Steve Smith. "It was tough to play against him &hellip; and not only from an emotional standpoint. He's such a great player, he makes the plays when you think he's never going to &hellip; and that's a lot more evident when you're playing against him."Smith, in his first game back from a shoulder injury, had his fill of No. 99: "I was out against him quite a bit and he's darned tough to check.""When you've never checked him before, you don't realize how fast he is," said rearguard Charlie Huddy. "Every game I played with him, there was always something different he did &hellip; and he threw a few surprises in this game, too. Now I know how the other guys felt playing against him."The Oilers were delighted with the rousing ovation given to their former teammate."He certainly deserved it, I couldn't have been happier," said Messier, whom Gretzky described as the Oiler friend he'd miss most following the trade. "When the crowd was giving him the ovation, I had 20,000 thoughts and memories about the times we had together and the Stanley Cups."But when the game got going, we had to win the fans to our ide. I think they found the way we played exciting."Perhaps the most relieved Oiler was the unflappable Grant Fuhr."I wasn't really nervous about facing him," shrugged the veteran goaltender matter-of-factly. '&middot;Actually, I'd been looking forward to it. ft was a good challenge and we held him down (to two assists)."Mind you, he had me swimming near the end of the second period. I was crawling around in the crease doing the breaststroke &hellip; But I do take pride in that he till han't scored on me.',All in all, there were a lot of relieved people."I thought it worked out well, it's behind us now," said Lowe. "I think Wayne can breathe a lot easier. I'm sure there are a lot of people in the Oiler organization who can, too."<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C:--Mark Messier, Jimmy Carson, Craig MacTavish, Doug Smith, Keith Acton.LW-Craig Simpson. Greg Adams, Martin Gelinas, Esa Tikkanen, Kelly Buchberger.RW-Jan Kurri, Glenn Anderson Kevin McClelland, Normand Lacombe.LO-Steve Smith, Charlie Huddy, Ken Hammond.RD-Craig Muni, Chris Joseph, Reed Larson.G-Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Nick Fotlu, LW, twisted knee, day-to-day.Randy Gregg, D, groin pull, day-to-day.Kevin Lowe, D, concusson, day-to-day. &#9632;

FANS CHEERED GRETZKY BUT OILERS WON GAME

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>The message plays through Calgary Flame center Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s head, home and away. Don&rsquo;t listen. Tune out. Just play the game.On Aug. 30, Gilmour was handed a $1-million civil suit charging he had sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl.Now he must endure public scrutiny, catcalls from the stands, baiting from opposition players.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s happened already,&rdquo; said Gilmour. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to expect that wherever I go right now. If I look to see where it comes from, it just makes it worse. So I just keep going like I didn&rsquo;t even hear it.&rdquo;Gilmour and his wife Robyne filed a $4-million countersuit charging the girl&rsquo;s family with slander and libel Oct. 4. On Oct. 22, Richard Schwartz, the attorney acting for the teenager&rsquo;s family, was indicted in St. Louis and charged with concealing a suspected offense. Schwartz is alleged to have tried to obtain hush money from the St. Louis Blues, who traded Gilmour to the Flames Sept. 6.Detroit Red Wing coach Jacques Demers, Gilmour&rsquo;s former coach in St. Louis, said the center is the type of player who would have a hard time putting the matter out of his mind.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known him for six years,&rdquo; said Demers, &ldquo;and I don&rsquo;t believe the charges brought against him. He&rsquo;s a good family man and a sensitive man. Until this thing is settled, of course, it&rsquo;s going to bother him. That&rsquo;s the type of individual he is.&ldquo;Once he gets this behind him, watch out, because he&rsquo;s a great hockey player. He can do it all.&rdquo;&ldquo;It bothers me, yes,&rdquo; acknowledged Gilmour, &ldquo;but what can I do about it? I&rsquo;ve got to go out and do my job, that&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;m thinking about. There&rsquo;s times when somebody&rsquo;s going to say something and I&rsquo;m going to hear it while I&rsquo;m playing. I can&rsquo;t let it get to me.&rdquo;Even if Gilmour started slowly in training camp, his 10 points in eight games (2-8) represent one of his fastest starts ever. He was also plus-three after eight games.&ldquo;The first couple of games I was nervous,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;because when you come here, you&rsquo;re trying to prove that you&rsquo;re a good player and that you can do well with another team. That&rsquo;s a hard adjustment, especially when it&rsquo;s the first time you&rsquo;ve been traded.&rdquo;Perhaps the biggest adjustment is coming from a team that plays .500 hockey to a team that expects to win every night.&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to look at the difference in players,&rdquo; said Gilmour. &ldquo;If I had a bad night in St. Louis, there were only two or three other guys that could help pick the team up. That&rsquo;s not a lot. Here, you&rsquo;ve got three strong lines and the fourth line is good too, compared to what I&rsquo;ve been used to.&ldquo;So you go into the games knowing you can win. Before, I&rsquo;d go in hoping we could win.&rdquo;<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Joel Otto, Jiri Hrdina.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, Colin Patterson, Perry Berezan, Jim Peplinski.RW&mdash;Joe Mullen, Hakan Loob, Mark Hunter, Tim 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;

GILMOUR SLOWLY MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div>What&rsquo;s wrong with Dale Hawerchuk?If it&rsquo;s been repeated once, it&rsquo;s been repeated a thousand times since the Winnipeg Jets entered their 10th season in the National Hockey League this fall.The Jet captain, the only real star to wear the Winnipeg jersey since the days of the World Hockey Association, has been in a dreadful slump.Some questioned his health. Others targeted his desire. Still others wondered about his leadership.&ldquo;I feel good,&rdquo; Hawerchuk insisted when pressed on the issue. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been struggling along with everybody else. They&rsquo;re checking me tight and there&rsquo;s not a lot of room and if we don&rsquo;t balance the scoring out, they just sort of try and hover on our line. Eventually, we&rsquo;ve got to do our damage on the power play.&rdquo;In seven games (2-4-6 and a minus-three), Hawerchuk had yet to dominate a game. In one particularly embarrassing incident, he missed an opportunity for a breakaway by falling flat on his rear end.Like their leader, the Jets suffered, going 2-3-2 to begin the year and drawing a pitiful average of just 10,275 through four home games at the 15,401-seat Winnipeg Arena.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s just a question of everybody working together and getting a few breaks here and there,&rdquo; Hawerchuk said. &ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s lacking in the confidence department right now including myself. But everybody goes through that.&rdquo;After missing a good portion of the pre-season with a virus, Hawerchuk hadn&rsquo;t been able to get wound up. A steady left winger had yet to be found to play alongside Hawerchuk and right winger Andrew McBain.Some blamed Jet coach Dan Maloney&rsquo;s defense-first philosophy for hindering the captain&rsquo;s offensive style.&ldquo;It does cramp my style a little bit but if that&rsquo;s what you&rsquo;ve got to do for the team, then you&rsquo;ve got to do it,&rdquo; Hawerchuk shrugged.To make the slow start even worse, Hawerchuk was involved in trade rumors, a first in eight seasons in Winnipeg. One tale had him heading to the New York Rangers, another to the Montreal Canadiens.His reaction to the proposed deals came as somewhat of a surprise.&ldquo;Maybe the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; hockey club needs more than one player,&rdquo; Hawerchuk said. &ldquo;Maybe two or three good players could come in here and maybe some team is looking for one type of player like myself. All you can do is just play as hard as you can and not worry about it.&rdquo;Hawerchuk insisted he was happy in the city."I&rsquo;m very comfortable here. I like it here. You know eventually, I&rsquo;d like to stay here. But if in the future Dale Hawerchuk is traded. I&rsquo;ll move on. Right now I&rsquo;m happy but they may feel that&rsquo;s best for the hockey club. I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;Jet general manager John Ferguson refused to discuss the stories, calling them &ldquo;a waste of time, mine and yours.&rdquo;<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 20: Stu Kulak, RW. Steven Fletcher, LW, and Darren Boyko, C, assigned to Moncton (AHL). Gilles Hamel. LW. Pat Elynuik, RW, and Alfie Turcotte. C, recalled from Moncton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Laurie Boschman. Alfie Turcotte. Randy Gilhen.LW&mdash;Brent Ashton, lain Duncan. Doug Smail, Dave Hunter, Markku Kyllonen, Gilles Hamel.RW&mdash; Andrew McBain. Hannu Jarvenpaa, Pat Elynuik, Ray Neufeld.LD&mdash;Randy Carlyle, Dave Ellett, Jim Kyte.RD&mdash;Fredrik Olausson, Teppo Numminen, Peter Taglianetti. Mario Marois.G&mdash;Pokey Reddick, Alain Chevrier.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

HAWERCHUK SLUMP REMAINS UNSOLVED

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>When Brian Bradley hears the constant refrain about his size, it ticks him off.He&rsquo;s not very big. But he&rsquo;s not as small as people believe. The NHL&rsquo;s Official Guide and Record Book has him at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, The Hockey News 1989 Year book at 5-foot-9 and 163.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds,&rdquo; he said with considerable conviction. &ldquo;You can come in and look at the weight charts since I&rsquo;ve been here. You guys said I was 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds and it&rsquo;s not right. That hurts me. Somebody sees that and thinks, &lsquo;What&rsquo;s this guy doing out there?&rsquo; My dad called me and said, &lsquo;Yeah, maybe you were that size when you were 13 years old.&rsquo;More important than Bradley&rsquo;s size is his skill.His second goal of the season, which accompanied two assists, led the Canucks to their second straight victory over the Edmonton Oilers, 6-5 at the Pacific Coliseum Oct. 23.With Tony Tanti on his right side and rookie Rob Murphy on the left, Bradley&rsquo;s job was to make everyone forget he isn&rsquo;t the biggest guy in the world, just a player earning his keep.&ldquo;Look around the league and you see lots of the good centers no bigger than me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s Dan Quinn and (Steve) Yzerman, Neal Broten, Doug Gilmour, Keith Acton, Ken Linseman, and (Mark) Johnson. You can go on and on. I just get a little fed up with hearing it.&rdquo;Why he keeps hearing it has more to do with the overall size of the Vancouver forwards than his own stature. But so far, the Canucks were coming up big where it counted&mdash;on the scoresheet.&ldquo;As a pure offensive talent there aren't many better in the National League (than Bradley),&rdquo; coach Bob McCammon said of Bradley. &ldquo;Of course, there&rsquo;s the size factor and some nights they&rsquo;ll neutralize him. But he&rsquo;s got great offensive skills and on nights when he gets some room, he&rsquo;s really going to help us.&rdquo;In coming over from the Flames in the deal for Craig Coxe last year, Bradley got out of a heavy traffic jam at center.&ldquo;When I first got there, they had (Carey) Wilson, (Joel) Otto, Quinn and then (Mike) Bullard, (Joe) Nieuwendyk, (Jim) Peplinski and (Jiri) Hrdina coming,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;They just didn&rsquo;t have room for me. I had 28 points in 40 games or so, but they had to do something. They just had too many guys who could play center.&rdquo;The Vancouver situation is a little more secure.&ldquo;One good night doesn&rsquo;t make a season,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I enjoy playing with the guys I&rsquo;m with on this line and if we stick together I&rsquo;m certain the points will come. We have to keep winning to stay together.&rdquo;The victory over Edmonton followed a 4-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils. Goaltender Kirk McLean joined Sean Burke as the only goalies to have recorded NHL shutouts.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 18: Darryl Stanley, LW/D, announced his retirement.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Barry Pederson, Brian Bradley, Greg Adams, Steve Bozek.LW&mdash;Rob Murphy, Petri Skriko, Ken Berry, Stan Smyl, Todd Hawkins.RW&mdash;Tony Tanti, Rich Sutter, David Bruce, Trevor Linden, Ronnie Stern.LD&mdash;Paul Reinhart. Larry Melnyk, Harold Snepsts, Jim Benning.RD&mdash;Robert Nordmark, Garth Butcher, Kevan Guy.G&mdash; Kirk McLean. Steve Weeks<h3>INJURIES</h3>Doug Lidster, D, hyperextended elbow, day-to-day.Jim Sandlak, RW. bruised back, day-to-day. &#9632;

BRADLEY COMES UP BIG FOR CANUCKS

<h2>TORONTO</h2>The Maple Leafs were obviously putting their nose to the grindstone in their 3-3 tie with Calgary Oct. 22. Three players came out of the game with damage to their beaks: Al lafrate had his broken, Daniel Marois and Derek Laxdal suffered fractures&hellip; Gary Leeman, the team&rsquo;s top scorer (6-10-16 in 10 games), was struck in the side of the head with a deflected puck in the first-period of the Calgary game and did not return. However, he was expected to play against the Islanders Oct. 25 in Uniondale&hellip; The Leafs&rsquo; four straight road victories (8-4 against Chicago, 3-1 over Washington, 6-2 against Montreal and 4-2 over Detroit) was a feat they hadn&rsquo;t accomplished in 11 seasons&hellip; Defenseman Rick Lanz had missed five straight games with a sprained shoulder&hellip; Russ Courtnail missed games Oct. 21 and 22 with the flu. Even when healthy Courtnall hadn&rsquo;t been getting a lot of ice time and was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the situation.<h2>BLUES</h2>Herb Raglan missed four of the Blues&rsquo; first seven games with a sprained right wrist. He hurt it early in the second game of the season against New York, sat out two games, then reinjured it during a fight against Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Rod Buskas&hellip; Left winger Doug Evans returned to the Blues Oct. 20 after spending a week with his family, following the death of his 11-year-old nephew, Chris Fee. Fee was killed in a car accident&hellip; Blues&rsquo; equipment manager Frank Burns was making a slow but steady recovery from meningitis that put him in a coma for a week.<h2>NORTH STARS</h2>North Star goaltender Jon Casey, who had been splendid in an earlier victory over Boston and tie with Edmonton in three previous games, was removed from a game for the first time this season midway through the second period of an 8-2 loss at Los Angeles Oct. 22. Casey, who had started four straight games, allowed four goals on 17 shots. Kari Takko saw his first action of the season, allowing four goals on 18 shots he faced in 27 minutes&hellip; Left winger Larry DePalma&rsquo;s power-play goal against the Kings ended the Stars&rsquo; 0- for-22 slump on the power play, dating back four games to a 7-6 loss to Philadelphia Oct. 13. The Stars were 7-for-55 on the season&hellip; Defenseman Mark Hardy suffered a wrist injury when he was hit by a shot during a 2-1 loss at Calgary Oct. 19. He returned to the Twin Cities for examination but was expected to miss only about a week. Defenseman Gord Dineen was recalled from Kalamazoo to replace Hardy&hellip; Defenseman Craig Hartsburg was released from the hospital after five days of intravenous antibiotics treatments. He was admitted because of a staph infection in his ankle and had not played since the third game of the season, at Quebec. He remained out on a day-to-day basis.<h2>CHICAGO</h2>Hawk coach Mike Keenan said he was encouraged by his team&rsquo;s hard work in a 2-0 loss at St. Louis. But he said he wasn&rsquo;t satisfied with it. &ldquo;Never put it in print that I&rsquo;m satisfied,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m never satisfied. I&rsquo;m not satisfied at all. It&rsquo;s just more palatable when you work hard-.&rdquo; &hellip; Left wingers Steve Thomas and Jim Playfair were injured in the game at Detroit that opened the seven-game road trip. Thomas suffered a pulled back muscle and Playfair suffered a bruised left shoulder in a fight. Each missed one game. Left winger David Mackey was called up from Saginaw-&hellip;The Hawks&rsquo; poor showing on the road trip was predicted by their history. Since 1984-85, when they began taking two long road trips early in the season, they have a 13-34-5 record in 52 games on those trips. They were 1-10-1 on two six-game trips last season. They face another seven-game trip Nov. 19 to Dec. 10&hellip; After nine games last season, the Hawks were 5-4-0 and had begun a seven-game winless streak (0-5-2) that dropped their record to 5-7-2.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021073/5495865-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="552" height="638"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman beat the buzzer in a win over Chicago.</figcaption></div><h2>RED WINGS</h2>Twice in their first six games, the Wings pulled their goaltender in the final moments for an extra attacker and scored the tying goal. Paul Mac-Lean scored both, including the one against Chicago with 1:29 left that set up Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s dramatic winning goal with the last second ticking off the clock in overtime. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we got him,&rdquo; coach Jacques Demers said of MacLean, who had six goals, four on the power play, in eight games&hellip; Yzerman set a club record by scoring a goal in Detroit&rsquo;s first six games. His season-opening, seven game scoring streak ended in a 3-3 tie Oct. 23 with New Jersey&hellip; The 8-8 tie between the Wings and St. Louis in Detroit&rsquo;s season opener was the first by that score in Detroit&rsquo;s 63-year history, which has included more than 4,050 games. &#9632;

f0014-02

LEAFS HAD NOSES TO THE GRINDSTONE

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div>In the latest installment of As The Red Wing Motors, left winger Joe Murphy&rsquo;s attempt to stay in the NHL didn&rsquo;t last long, left winger Petr Klima&rsquo;s stay in the American League may be longer than he thinks and right winger Bob Probert is longing for a paycheck.Murphy, the first player selected in the 1986 entry draft, was assigned Oct. 20 to Detroit&rsquo;s AHL affiliate in Adirondack.In four games, during which he averaged 18 minutes of ice time, he accomplished nothing.Coach Jacques Demers&rsquo; great experiment&mdash;using Murphy, a natural center, at left wing on the Steve Yzerman line&mdash;fizzled after about a game and one period. Murphy was scoreless with four penalty minutes in four games.Despite Murphy&rsquo;s insistence he can play in the NHL, Demers and general manager Jimmy Devellano are no longer as certain. When they assigned Murphy to Adirondack, both acknowledged he could be there a long time.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s possible Joe could spend the rest of the year there,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;We want him. We have not lost faith in him. We still believe he could come back and play.&ldquo;I know he&rsquo;s PO&rsquo;d at me. He thinks we didn&rsquo;t give him a chance. But we gave him the same chance we&rsquo;re giving Adam Graves (another center converted to left wing) right now, and Adam is making the best of it.&rdquo;Graves, who had one goal in five games, was the Wings&rsquo; second choice the year they took Murphy first.Meanwhile, Klima scored two goals in two games with Adirondack.Everything is so different here,&rdquo; Klima said after a six-hour bus ride from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Hershey, Pa., for his first AHL game Oct. 19. He had the only goal in a 5-1 loss.Before he even played his first minor-league game however, Klima admitted he was anxious to return to Detroit. He was scheduled to be back in Motown Oct. 26 to face a charge of drunken driving, but Demers warned his return to Joe Louis Arena might not be as soon.&ldquo;If he thinks he&rsquo;s going to come back here after a few games, he better think again,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s down there to get his act together.Klima will have as long as neccessary since he cleared waivers before his assignment.Klima and Probert were suspended Aug. 23 for breaking a variety of team rules, including missing practices and team flights. Probert remains suspended, losing $1,300 a day. A Wings&rsquo; source said Probert is penniless and desperate to get back on the payroll.He has moved out of his apartment and now shares a home with two recovering alcoholics. His $40,000 Corvette was for sale. Probert, who was 15 pounds overweight when the season started, was working out by himself.He has also resumed taking the medication Antabuse&mdash;which makes a person violently ill whenever alcohoi is consumed&mdash;and continued therapy through Alcoholics Anonymous to help him control his alcoholism, a source said.Probert was hoping to have joined the team by late October, but he&rsquo;s not expected back until at least mid November.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 20: Joe Murphy, LW, and Doug Houda, D, assigned to Adirondack (AHL).Oct. 24: Bob Probert, RW, serving indefinite team suspension.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Steve Yzerman, Adam Oates, John Chabot, Shawn Burr.LW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Kris King, Adam Graves. Jim Nill, Tim Higgins.RW&mdash;Paul MacLean, Miroslav Frycer, Dave Barr, Joe Kocur.LD&mdash;Steve Chiasson, 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>None. &#9632;

MURPHY DEMOTION LIKELY A LONG ONE

<div class="byline">BY DAVE LUECKING</div>St. Louis Blues&rsquo; left winger Gino Cavallini usually gets a lot of room on the ice because of his 6-foot-l, 215-pound build.Since the season started, he&rsquo;s been using that room to carve out a new role as the Blues&rsquo; scoring machine.After five games, he was tied with right winger Greg Paslawski for the team scoring lead with seven points. Cavallini had three goals and four assists. He was held pointless in games six and seven.His battering-ram style of play has earned him various nicknames. General manager Ron Caron calls him &lsquo;Horse.&rsquo; Center Tony Hrkac prefers &lsquo;The Italian Stallion.&rsquo; And captain Bernie Federko favors &lsquo;The Tank.&rsquo;&ldquo;He creates room for himself by banging people,&rdquo; Federko said. &ldquo;He works real hard. He&rsquo;s played real well.&rdquo;Being a point-producer is a new role for him. Cavallini&rsquo;s career best was 18-26-44 in 1986-87. Last year, he went 15-17-32.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just doing my job and things are happening,&rdquo; Cavallini said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going up and down, bumping and grinding. I&rsquo;m not doing anything differently at all.&rdquo;Just playing his typical, hard-nosed style.&ldquo;He gets involved in the comer and makes things happen,&rdquo; said his center, Mike Bullard. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big boy. With his strength and size, he has a lot of people looking over their shoulder to see if he&rsquo;s coming.&rdquo;In the past, Cavallini played with center Rick Meagher on a checking line. He started the season on a defensive line with Meagher and right winger Herb Raglan, but joined Bullard and right winger Paslawski in the second game.That trio accounted for eight of 16 goals at one point, but Blues&rsquo; coach Brian Sutter juggled lines, aligning Paslawski with Federko and Tony McKegney and putting Brett Hull at right wing with Bullard.Sutter cautioned not to get too excited about Cavallini&rsquo;s early point explosion.&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t judge Gino on how many points he gets,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;Gino&rsquo;s got to be a banger. He&rsquo;s got to go up and down, bump and grind. The points are a bonus.&ldquo;The day Gino thinks he&rsquo;s a goal-scorer is the day he won&rsquo;t be in the NHL.&rdquo;Cavallini, 25, was acquired in a February, 1986 trade with Calgary, after the Flames signed him as a free agent in May, 1984.The Blues acquired his 23-year-old defenseman brother, Paul, last season from the Washington Capitals.St. Louis made the elder Cavallini an assistant captain. Federko, who replaced Sutter as captain, said picking Cavallini was a good move.&ldquo;The additional responsibility of assistant captain has done wonders for a lot of people,&rdquo; Federko said. &ldquo;You have to make sure you give everything you&rsquo;ve got. He&rsquo;s going to push himself to go harder.&rdquo;<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 19: Rob Whistle, D, traded to Washington for a fifth- or sixth-round draft choice in 1989, conditional upon Whistle playing 20 games.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mike Bullard. Bernie Federko, Rick Meagher, Tony Hrkac.LW&mdash;Gino Cavallini, Tony McKegney, Sergio Momesso, Craig Coxe, Doug Evans.RW&mdash;Greg Paslawski, Brett Hull, Steve Tuttle.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>Todd Ewen, RW, groin pull, day-today.Herb Raglan, RW, sprained right wrist, day-to-day. &#9632;

CAVALLINI RAMS WAY ONTO SCORESHEET

<div class="byline">BY RICK MATSUMOTO</div>First overall.Wow! Alert the cardiac units!Toronto Maple Leaf followers just aren&rsquo;t use to such dizzying heights.But first overall was where the Leafs soared, after successive victories over the Montreal Canadiens (6-2), Buffalo Sabres (4-2) and Detroit Red Wings (4-2), followed by a 3-3 stalemate with the powerful Calgary Flames.That left Toronto with a 6-3-1 record, good for 13 points, most in the league.The Leafs have come out of the starting blocks in equally impressive fashion the past two years, only to stumble. In 1986-87 they led the division at Christmas but finished fourth. Last year, Toronton was 8-4-0 after 12 games but slipped to 20th overall by season&rsquo;s end.The Leafs are confident they can avoid another collapse.A much calmer coach John Brophy said he feels one reason is they&rsquo;re simply a better team.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011022/5495944-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="560" height="535"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Wregget&rsquo;s confident play has helped the Leafs start well.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We have a much more experienced team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have (goaltender) Ken Wregget playing with much more confidence. We have a bigger, stronger defense.&rdquo;Gary Leeman said the team is more consistent.&ldquo;Last year we were trying so many different things we had no chance to gain any consistency,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So far this year I see no signs of anything changing. When you realize things are being changed all the time, you can&rsquo;t develop any consistency. It makes it hard for the players to play; they don&rsquo;t know what is expected of them.&rdquo;Leeman, who had 16 points in 10 games, suffered a painful injury when struck behind the left ear by a dek fleeted puck in the Oct. 15 tie with Calgary at Maple Leaf Gardens.There&rsquo;s no doubt the Leafs acquired much-needed leadership through the addition of veterans Laughlin, Brad Marsh, Reid and Darren Veitch.&lsquo;They all come from winning organizations,&rdquo; said Leeman. &ldquo;They know how to win. Their leadership will be particularly valuable when you come down to those difficult days of January and February.&rdquo;Leeman also credited first-year general manager Gord Stellick with the team&rsquo;s improved performance.&ldquo;He sat everyone down and told them what their roles would be on the club,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Everyone knows his job so no one can blame anyone but himself if there&rsquo;s a foul-up. No one can point a finger. That&rsquo;s a healthy attitude; a more professional approach.&rdquo;<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ed Olczyk, Vincent Damphousse, Tom Fergus, Dan Daoust, Russ Courtnail.LW&mdash;Mark Osborne, Dave Reid, Al Second, Scott Pearson.RW&mdash;Gary Leeman, Daniel Marois, Craig Laughlin, Derek Laxdal.LD&mdash;Brad Marsh, Borje Salming, Brian Curran, Todd Gill, Luke Richardson.RD&mdash;Al lafrate, Chris Kotsopoulos, Darren Veitch.G&mdash;Ken Wregget, Allan Bester.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Wendel Clark, LW, back muscles, Indefinite.Rick Lanz, D, sprained shoulder, dayto-day.Sean McKenna. RW, tom ligaments in right hand, indefiniteChris McRae. LW, broken left hand, indefinite. &#9632;

f0017-01

SURPRISE—LEAFS ON TOP AND LOOKING DOWN

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div>Chicago Blackhawk coach Mike Keenan probably didn&rsquo;t think it would get this bad when he became coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.When a five-game losing streak dropped their record to I-7-1, the Hawks plummeted not only to the bottom of the Norris Division but to the bottom of the entire NHL.Keenan said it was &ldquo;a challenge&rdquo; to keep his patience.&ldquo;You just try to keep educating and teaching,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully, some day they&rsquo;ll get the message.&rdquo;Until that happens, captain Denis Savard was more blunt about the state of the Hawks.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a disgrace, to be honest,&rdquo; Savard said after a 7-4 loss at Pittsburgh Oct. 22. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not fun.&rdquo;The 1-7-1 start was the worst for the Hawks since 1967-68. They allowed 48 goals in their first nine games, the NHL&rsquo;s worst defensive record. They allowed more than 36 shots per game, most in the NHL.&ldquo;Maybe the other clubs are better than us,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to face facts once in a while.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what it is. I believe we&rsquo;re a good club. But it hasn&rsquo;t been working. It hasn&rsquo;t been working here for about four years now.&rdquo;Keenan has been looking for a goaltender to lead the Hawks out of the wilderness. He called up Ed Belfour from Saginaw Oct. 18 to start the seven-game road trip in Detroit, and Belfour lost 4-3 in overtime in a game Chicago led 3-0, After being shut out 2-0 in St. Louis Oct. 20, Belfour and the Hawks were shelled in Pittsburgh.&ldquo;The team didn&rsquo;t give him much help,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;It would be unfair of me to make a comment on how he played. The poor guy faced 10 power plays.&rdquo;Belfour faced 123 shots in his first three starts. In Belfour, 22, Jimmy Waite, 19, and Darren Pang, 24, the Hawks have three young goaltenders who face an avalanche of shots every night.&ldquo;It is very difficult for them, there&rsquo;s no question about it,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;When a team repeatedly puts itself-in that bad a position, it makes it very difficult on a young goaltender.&rdquo;Waite, the youngest goaltender in the league, has a year of junior eligibility remaining. He remained with the Hawks beyond the Oct. 17 cut-off date for junior prospects, when NHL teams must pay the $20,000 rights fee to the junior club. Keenan said there were no plans to send Waite back to Chicoutimi.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no hurry to make a decision on Waite at all,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing pressuring us to make a decision. We want to be sure we&rsquo;re making the proper decision for our club before we think about sending him back.&rdquo;But the Hawks&rsquo; problems go far beyond any inconsistency in their goaltending. Their problems seem to recycle each season. They take too many penalties, and far too many bad penalties, they do not move the puck out of their own zone, they give up too many shots night after night, and they simply do not win on the road.&ldquo;I wish I knew what was wrong,&rdquo; Savard said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way we&rsquo;re that bad a club. But we&rsquo;re playing like the worst team in the NHL right now, no doubt about it.&rdquo;<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Oct. 18: Ed Belfour, G. recalled from Saginaw (IHL).Oct. 20: David Mackey, LW, recalled from Saginaw.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Denis Savard, Troy Murray, Mike Eagles, Mike Hudson.LW&mdash;Steve Thomas, Dan Vincelette, Jim Playfair. Glen Cochrane, David Mackey.RW&mdash;Steve Larmer, Rick Vaive, Dirk Graham, Wayne Presley, Duane Sutter.LD&mdash;Doug Wilson. Gary Nylund, Dave Manson, Marc Bergevin.RD&mdash;Trent Yawney, Keith Brown, Bob McGill, Bob Murray.G&mdash;Ed Belfour, Darren Pang, Jimmy Waite.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

HAWKS BOMBARDED INTO LAST PLACE

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div>It took just eight games, six of them losses, before Minneosta North Star coach Pierre Page held his first major closed-door meeting.He locked the dressing room for more than 20 minutes after an 8-2 loss at Los Angeles on Oct. 22, and even the Fabulous Forum ushers, standing outside in the hallway, remarked about the noise emerging from the room.&ldquo;The players had lots to say,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;I made sure they had some things to say.&rdquo;The North Stars put together three pretty good games&mdash;a 5-1 win over Boston, 3-3 tie with Edmonton and 2-1 loss at Calgary&mdash;but it all came undone against the Kings.Page was particularly upset with the Stars&rsquo; big-name players. Center Neal Broten was on the ice for five Los Angeles even-strength goals, right winger Dino Ciccarelli four, and right winger Brian Bellows two. Defensemen Bob Rouse and Shawn Chambers were on for four and three goals, respectively.&ldquo;Our best players have to play better,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;Our checkers have to play better. Why some people take nights off, I don&rsquo;t know. Tonight showed that this team has to play as a team. We&rsquo;ve got a fragile team that cannot afford to be fragile.&ldquo;We need some tough-character people. I've said it before and 1&rsquo;11 say it again: It seems when you berate people, when you give them constructive criticism or give them hell, they get worse. They have to get tougher. You may upset some people but, on winning teams, you&rsquo;re tough on people. You demand more. Here you&rsquo;re tough and they crack.&rdquo;Page said the only &ldquo;common denominator&rdquo; of the evening was that the Basil McRae-Dave Gagner-Stewart Gavin line again played well. Gagner scored the game&rsquo;s first goal, giving him four goals and six points in five games since returning from the minors. The nine points put him second in team scoring behind Dino Ciccarelli. McRae (3-2-5) was tied with Brian Bellows for third.&ldquo;When was the only time McRae and Gavin were on the ice for a goal against?&rdquo; Page said. The answer was when they played on a line with Ciccarelli.The only time Gavin was on for a Kings&rsquo; goal was when he played with Broten and Bellows.&ldquo;The thing everyone has to realize is that what they do individually means nothing,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the toughest thing to get over that hump. If we win 3-1, they&rsquo;ve got to be happy like they had scored two goals. Until that comes, this is what&rsquo;s going to happen.&rdquo;Page promised changes, but admitted the Stars were in a tough spot. It&rsquo;s difficult to make a major trade when few, if any, players have high market value. And it&rsquo;s hard to bench players because then their market value drops.&ldquo;No fans have to put up with this,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;Just let them know that we will rectify the situation. Some serious decisions will have to be made. There&rsquo;s got to be that fear that if don&rsquo;t play well, you won&rsquo;t have a job. I don&rsquo;t think that fear has been here, but it's going to be.&ldquo;We beat Boston, tied Edmonton and played Calgary close, so we showed we can play well. We just don&rsquo;t sustain it. The one thing we got out of this game was that McRae, Gagner and Gavin showed the work ethic. That&rsquo;s something to build on. Now maybe you go to the minors and bring up two or three guys and build on it. When we started the season, we didn&rsquo;t think all the solutions were here. The season&rsquo;s just starting. We&rsquo;ll find the answers somewhere.&rdquo;Said general manager Jack Ferreira: &ldquo;We definitely have to make some decisions, but it's a lot easier said than done. We can make changes, but there&rsquo;s no simple remedy. Whether it&rsquo;s a trade or benching, it&rsquo;s a series of things that will make the difference. We&rsquo;re not in the greatest position right now. Ideally, you want to be making moves from a position of strength. We&rsquo;re not in that position.&rdquo; &#9632;

TOP STARS ‘CRACK UNDER PRESSURE’: PAGE

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 18: Gcrd Dineen, D, recalled from Kalamazoo (IHL).<h2>ROSTER</h2>C-Ne al Broten, Dusan Pasek, Dave Gagner, Marc Habscheid, Larry DePalma.LW-Basil McRae. Brian Maclellan, Dave Archibald, Tom Martin, Terry Rus kowskiAW-Omo Ciccarelli, Brian Bellows, Stewart Gavin, Bob Brooke, Wally Schreiber, Richard Zemlak.LD-Frantisek Musil, Curt Giles, Shawn Chambers, Link Gaetz.RD-Bob Rouse, Moe Mantha, Gord DineenG-Jon Casey, Kari Takko.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Curt Fraser, LW, stretched rib cartilage. indefinite.Mark Hardy, D, wrist, day-to-dayCraig Hartsburg, D, ankle infection, Indefinite. &#9632;

MINNESOTA

<div class="byline">BARRY MEISEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01854/5496054-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="487" height="653"></div>Players and agents make the same charge every October, a few days after the waiver draft. They say the 21 gentlemen who run this game conspire to abuse the waiver rules.&lsquo;I&rsquo;ll show you mine if you show me yours. You don&rsquo;t touch mine, I won&rsquo;t touch yours.&rsquo;The general managers never say this, of course, and they don&rsquo;t dare put it in writing. But they do it every year. It&rsquo;s known as recallable waivers. And it stinks.&ldquo;We're totally against recallable waivers,&rdquo; says Sam Simpson, the right-hand man to NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Alan Eagleson. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re misusing it. They&rsquo;ve done it in the past, but they haven&rsquo;t been as blatant as this year. That list is sent to us right after the waiver draft. There&rsquo;s an average of six or seven names on every team.&rdquo;Unlike straight waivers, which allow teams to claim unprotected players with three or more years of professional experience, recallable waivers permit teams to expose players once a season without risk. If a player is claimed, a team can pull its player off the list, telephone the GM who made the claim, and talk trade.Maybe that&rsquo;s why Calgary&rsquo;s list had Perry Berezan, Shane Churla, Dana Murzyn, Ric Nittress, Colin Patterson and Rick Wamsley on it.Eagleson told The New York Post the owners are exploiting the system. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s getting ridiculous,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The current collective bargaining agreement is the last one that will allow recallable waivers. The unfairness of it is that if a guy is on a two-way contract, and they sneak him through these waivers and he&rsquo;s sent down, his salary could drop $100,000. Some of these players would never get put on regular waivers. The owners have always done this, but this is the first time they&rsquo;ve been so blatantly obvious about it.&rdquo;I asked Brian Burke of the Canucks, Jimmy Devellano of the Red Wings and Bill Torrey of the Islanders if there is such a thing as a gentleman&rsquo;s agreement, a.k.a. courtesy waivers. They all said no. You expected something else?Just 17 months ago, Burke was a sports attorney from New England, and one of the most outspoken critics of the NHL&rsquo;s restrictive player rules. Now Burke is the Canucks&rsquo; vice-president of player development. He likes the waiver rules.&ldquo;Having looked at the other side, at development costs, I understand,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to lose a guy you&rsquo;ve spent money on to develop. A first-round pick can cost six figures to sign. It&rsquo;s tough to lose him trying to get him to the minors. The alternative is football, where if a player can&rsquo;t make the club he gets cut and they don&rsquo;t have to pay him anything.&rdquo;A team has three years of professional service before a player is susceptible to waivers. Any organization that can't develop a player in three years&mdash;more if the player played all his junior or college eligibility after being drafted&mdash;stinks. If it&rsquo;s the player who stinks, he won&rsquo;t get claimed, anyway.A pretty dramatic about-face, Brian.Didn&rsquo;t Quebec goalie Mario Gosselin play in the 1986 All-Star Game? Isn't he only 25 years old? What is he doing in the minors? How did Pittsburgh or Los Angeles let him slip through waivers?&ldquo;That&rsquo;s typical of the player we&rsquo;re upset about,&rdquo; Simpson said.Devellano, of course, disagreed with the beef. "I think teams should have the right to move players up and down,&rdquo; said Jimmy D, who denied the accuracy of his reported list of players on recallable waivers: Dave Barr, John Chabot, Gilbert Delorme, Mirko Frycer, Doug Halward, Tim Higgins, Petr Klima, Joe Kocur, Paul MacLean, Lee Norwood, Adam Oates and Bob Probert. &ldquo;I think the rules are too restrictive.&rdquo;Burke admitted one problem is &ldquo;we tend to fall in love with our teams, 19th place or not. Everyone overrates his talent.&rdquo;1 find it hard to believe it wasn&rsquo;t worth it for Vancouver to try to claim Petr Klima, seven-year contract, alcohol problems and all.&ldquo;If I want to hang around drunks,&rdquo; Burke said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll go to a bar.&rdquo;Paul MacLean scored 40 goals for Winnipeg last season. Wasn&rsquo;t he worth claiming? Burke, again: &ldquo;We had no interest.&rdquo;Of course he didn&rsquo;t. If he did, he&rsquo;d force Jimmy D to pull MacLean back. Then Jimmy D might get mad. And when the Canucks try to sneak a guy to the minors, maybe Jimmy D will claim one of their guys.That wouldn't be too gentlemanly, now, would it?<h2>DID YOU KNOW&hellip;</h2>&hellip;that four of 21 NHL head coaches&mdash;Buffalo&rsquo;s Ted Sator, Hartford&rsquo;s Larry Pleau, L.A.&rsquo;s Robbie Ftorek and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Paul Holmgren&mdash;were born in the United States.&hellip;that the WHA&rsquo;s last MVP was a goalie. Edmonton Oiler Dave Dryden had a 2.89 GAA in 63 games during the 1978-79 season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02578/5496047-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="974" height="501"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ted Sator</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0020-01

COZY NETWORK WAIVES RULES

<h2>SABRES</h2>The work of referee Bob Myers in the Oct. 22 game at Montreal was expected to be brought into question by the Buffalo Sabres. Sabre coach Ted Sator refused comment on Myers&rsquo; performance, but said he would likely review tapes of the game and discuss them with GM Gerry Meehan. Only on Meehan&rsquo;s approval would the tapes be sent to the league. After sorting out penalties in a first-period melee, Myers left the Sabres shorthanded for seven consecutive minutes&mdash;despite the fact the entire incident was instigated by Montreal forward Claude Lemieux. At another point in the game, Myers raised his hand to signal a delayed penalty against the Canadiens. Goaltender Tom Barrasso left the crease for the bench and an extra skater was about to come on when Myers stopped play and penalized a Sabre&hellip; Rumors of an on-again, off-again deal between the Sabres and the Chicago Blackhawks surfaced again after Hawk GM Bob Pulford took in the Oct. 21 game between the Sabres and Canadiens in Buffalo. Center-left winger Adam Creighton, who had not dressed for the three previous games, dressed that night. Creighton then sat out the rematch the following night in Montreal. Meehan acknowledged he and Pulford were set to meet, but no details have since been forthcoming-Mike Foligno tied and passed Ric Seiling for seventh place on the Sabres&rsquo; all-time goal scoring list with a two-goal performance against the Canadiens Oct. 21, giving him 177 Sabre goals to that point.<h2>WHALERS</h2>When goalie Mike Liut outlasted Philadelphia 8-6 at the Civic Center Oct. 22, it was his first victory over the Flyers since Nov. 5, 1983. He's 3-12-2 lifetime against Philly. Said Liut: "When I was with St. Louis and we went into the Spectrum, it was lambs to the slaughter. If we happened to score, one of them would give us a karate chop and we'd disappear."&hellip; The Whalers relieved a goal tending glut in the minors by keeping Kay Whitmore and Richard Brodeur in Binghamt, on, assigning Sean Evoy to the Virginia of the East Cost League, and Ross McKay to Indianapolis of the International League&hellip; Howard Baldwin, former Whalers' chairman, and managing general partner, made his first visit to the Civic Center Oct. 22 since being ousted by the new Ownership. Bald-win, who still owns siightly less than one per cent of the Whalers, recently was named to the Flyers' advisory board&hellip; In a surprise turnabout, finesse player Sylvain Turgeon attacked rough-and-ready Flyer Rick Tocchet with a flurry of punches. "He sticked me in the back of the head," said Turgeon, who had been badgered by Tocchet. "If he thinks I'm going to take that, he's Crazy.&middot;'Observed Gordie Howe:'Tm wondering if Torrie Robertson is going to lose his job to Sly?''<h2>CANADIENS</h2>Stephane Richer caused a minor crisis when he told CKAC radio reporter Charles-Andre Marchand that he wanted to play more on the point on the power play, and was unhappy when coach Pat Bums had shifted him to the left side. Bums replied: "He'll play where we want him to play."&hellip; Nine of Richer's 11 points had come on the power play, and he had the second worst plus-minus on the team with a minus-9&hellip; Guy Carbonneau let it be known he was upset at spending most of the third period on the bench in a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs Oct. 17. Earlier in the game. Carbonneau picked up his 300th career point with an assist&hellip; Shayne Corson had three goals in the Oct. 21-22 weekend series against the Sabres&hellip; Watch for rookie right winger Mike Keane to be utilized a great deal on the Canadiens' penalty-killing unit. He has worked very well with Corson in that area.<h2>BRUINS</h2>Tommy Lehmann started the season as left winger on the Bruins' top line. Five games later he was playing on the fourth line. Then he had no line at all. "Maybe it sounds funny that after six games you &middot;ve lost your confidence," said the Swedish rookie. "I think I've lost that little edge you need if you're going to be in the lineup. "&hellip; The 5-1 loss to Minnesota Oct. 15 represented the first time the Bruins had bowed to the North Stars at the Met Center in exactly eight years&hellip; Rick Middleton turned down an offer to play-second division hockey in West Germany, and was helping coach the Bruins while waiting for another opportunity.<h2>NORDIQUES</h2>Goalie Mario Gosselin. who didn't dress for the first six games of the season, was assigned to Quebec's American League farm team in Halifax Oct. 18. He briefly threatened not to report, but eventually did&hellip;Right winger Gord Donnelly returned to the lineup Oct. 20 against Philadelphia after serving a JO-game suspension that began with four games to play last season. Donnelly scored in the Flyer game&hellip;Rookie center Joe Sakic netted his first career hat trick in a 7-3 loss against the Islanders Oct. 22. Through his first eight games. he had eight goals&hellip; The 5-2 setback in Philadelphia Oct. 20 was the Nordiques' first road loss of the season. It was followed by two more road defeats, 7-3 to the Islanders Oct. 22 and 8-2 to the Rangers Oct. 23. Quebec allowed an average of 40 shots on goal in the three games, including 48 by the Rangers. &#9632;

REFEREE MYERS GETS HEAT FROM BUFFALO

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div>There aren&rsquo;t a lot of players who would be pleased to walk away from a lineup that includes Wayne Gretzky, but Larry Playfair did it virtually overnight.The veteran defenseman, a Los Angeles King on Oct. 21, was playing for the Buffalo Sabres in Montreal Oct. 22.It was a quick turn of events, but Playfair, who started his 10-year NHL career with the Sabres in 1978, said he was pleased.&ldquo;I had some mixed feelings, but 1 can&rsquo;t say they lasted all that long,&rdquo; said the 30-year-old Playfair, dealt by the Sabres to L.A. in 1986 along with defenseman Ken Baumgartner and right winger Sean McKenna for defenseman Brian Engblom and center Doug Smith. &ldquo;Los Angeles was nice and playing with Gretzky was certainly a thrill, but this is home. I liked the guys out there and they treated me very, very well, but I&rsquo;m back. I never wanted to leave in the first place.&rdquo;The Sabres sent Bob Logan, a left winger with the team's American League affiliate in Rochester, and an undisclosed late-round draft choice in 1989 to the Kings for Playfair.Though the trade was considered a minor transaction in Los Angeles, Sabre general manager Gerry Meehan was thrilled to get Playfair back and acknowledged he had been trying to make such a deal for a long time.&ldquo;When you consider what he has been to this team in the past, what he gives to the players, he is the kind of guy you want on your team,&rdquo; Meehan said of Playfair. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been a big part of this team in the past, a good guy to have in the locker room.&rdquo;The acquisition of the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Playfair, 54-0-7-7 with 197 penalty minutes last season, gives the Sabres a presence on the blue line they have not had since he was traded away.Lindy Ruff was moved from the forward ranks to help and Meehan drafted 6-foot-4, 200-pound Brad Miller from the Western League&rsquo;s Regina Pats in 1987. The Sabres also attempted to groom 6-foot-2, 210-pound free agent Steve Dykstra, but traded him to Edmonton last season. Joe Reekie, a 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, had the position for parts of two seasons, but has been plagued by knee troubles.Playfair figures to be an elder statesman who can provide experience, a settling influence on younger players and physical presence. He said his debut game with the Sabres, a 4-3 loss to Montreal Oct. 22, represented a homecoming.&ldquo;I had almost forgotten how tough the games are in this division and there were times 1 felt a little unsure of myself out there. But there were other times when it felt like I had never left. I&rsquo;d be out there and it was the Forum and I&rsquo;d look over and there was Rammer (Mike Ramsey), Lindy (Ruff) or Mike (Foligno).&rdquo; &#9632;

PLAYFAIR GLADLY WELCOMED BACK

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 19: Brad Miller, D, recalled from Rochester (AHL). Jim Hofford, D, reclaimed from Los Angeles Kings and assigned to Rochester.Oct. 21: Bob Logan, LW. and an undisclosed late-round 1989 draft pick traded to Los Angeles for Larry Playfair, D. Mike Donnelly, LW, and Steve Smith, D. assigned to Rochester.Oct. 22: Mark Ferner, D, assigned to Rochester.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Christian Ruuttu, John Tucker, Pierre Turgeon, Ken Priestlay.LW&mdash;Dave Andreychuk, Scott Amiel, Benoit Hogue, Jan Ludvig, Adam Creighton.RW&mdash;Mike Foligno. Mark Napier, Kevin Maguire. Ray Sheppard, Mike Hartman.LD&mdash;Mike Ramsey, Lindy Ruff, Bob Halkidis, Larry Playfair.RD&mdash;Uwe Krupp, Phil Housley, Brad Miller.G&mdash;Tom Barrasso, Daren Puppa.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Calle Johansson, D, sprained thumb, day-to-day.Joe Reekie, D, knee, indefinite. &#9632;

BUFFALO

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div>Don&rsquo;t it make your Brown eyes blue.On Oct. 18, Jeff Brown was delighted to sign a one-year (plusoption) contract with the Quebec Nordiques. Four days later, he was having second thoughts.The young defenseman, among the NHL&rsquo;s top scoring rearguards with three goals and seven assists in eight games, was benched Oct. 22 for a road game against the New York Islanders.Quebec lost 7-3, their second of three straight setbacks on the road.Two nights earlier, Brown played poorly in 5-2 loss to Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum. Coach Ron Lapointe cited defensive shortcomings for Brown&rsquo;s one-game absence.Brown reacted angrily.&ldquo;If I would have known, I would have thought twice before signing my contract,&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a real farce. I didn&rsquo;t play very well in Philadelphia and I&rsquo;m man enough to admit it. But I wasn&rsquo;t the only defenseman to have a hard night. Why should I be the scapegoat?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01668/5496157-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="541" height="663"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeff Brown was relegated to the press box for one game.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t accept this decision without speaking out. I&rsquo;m not a rookie any more. I want someone to explain to me my defensive problems so we can try and work them out. Otherwise, let me play.&rdquo;Calm was restored the next night, when Brown played in an 8-2 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.The contract was put off until Oct. 18 because the Nordiques and Brown were far apart on its length. Brown was the only Nordique playing out his option and might have remained so, had the team not agreed to a short-term deal.&ldquo;We would have liked to get Jeff under contract for a lot longer,&rdquo; said Quebec general manager Martin Madden, &ldquo;but he and his agent, Alan Eagleson, thought otherwise. Finally, after reviewing everything, we came to the conclusion that a short-term contract would be the best arrangement for everyone.&rdquo;Brown insisted on a short-term deal.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m only 22,&rdquo; said Brown before the benching, &ldquo;and I didn&rsquo;t want to be tied down. But I&rsquo;m also sure I&rsquo;ll keep on progressing on a steady pace so I&rsquo;ll be in an even better position to bargain with Mr. Madden next summer.&rdquo;Brown said he never considered trying free agency.&ldquo;I would have been crazy to think of playing elsewhere,&rdquo; said Brown. &ldquo;This is where I&rsquo;m comfortable. We have a very talented young team that will only get better.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0023-01

BROWN’S JOY VANISHES AFTER BENCHING

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 18: Mario Gosselin, G, and Joel Baillargeon, LW, assigned to Halifax (AHL).Oct. 20: Gord Donnelly, RW, returned from 10-game suspension<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Peter Stastny, Walt Poddubny, Joe Sakic, Paul Gillis.LW&mdash;David Latta, Gaetan Duchesne, Anton Stastny, Jeff Jackson.RW&mdash; Mark Vermette, liro Jarvi, Lane Lambert, Alain Cote, Gord Donnelly, Trevor Stienburg.LD&mdash;Jari Gronstrand, Robert Picard, Steven Finn, Tommy Albelin.RD&mdash;Curtis Leschyshyn, Jeff Brown, Randy Moller, Greg Smyth.G&mdash; Mario Brunetta, Bob Mason.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Michel Goulet, RW, sprained ligaments in left knee, indefinite. &#9632;

QUEBEC

The young lad tucked himself in bed, laid his head on the pillow, and began to drift off to sleep.As drowsiness overcame him, his dreams came to life. The scene was familiar&mdash;Maple Leaf Gardens, he had seen it on TV hundreds of times&mdash;but something was different. Why, he was on the ice! Playing left wing for the Maple Leafs.He took the pass from center, skated in on goal and lifted the puck to the top corner. Goal! More than 16,000 fans cheered wildly.He remembered the dream as he woke the next morning and smiled at the thought.&ldquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll be famous,&rdquo; he said to himself.Jimmy Vlajkov knows about such dreams.Vlajkov, a Stoney Creek, Ont., man, created &ldquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll Be Famous&rdquo; posters for young dreamers of all ages.&ldquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll Be Famous&rdquo; posters feature the image of a big-league hockey star in a celebratory pose, as part of a promotion for an upcoming &ldquo;game.&rdquo; The star of the show, whose name is printed in big block letters at the bottom is&mdash;you guessed it&mdash;the hockey fan himself.If baseball&rsquo;s your game, Someday Products Inc. has that covered, too. Just think&mdash;you, starring for your favorite major league ball team, for all the world to see.Vlajkov recognizes that the fan is a big part of sports, and wants his own kind of recognition.&ldquo;There have been many great names in sports,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Some were hitters, some were great goal-scorers&hellip;We could properly call them famous names in the game. But standing head-and-shoulders above all of these are a special group, the people that never did play.&ldquo;The famous? Well, their names and achievements will forever be recognized and discussed in the lore of the game. The not-so-fortunate become statistics. We here at Someday Products Inc. intend to deliver a positive vision of becoming famous to the masses&mdash;the young boys or girls, men or women, who haven&rsquo;t or won&rsquo;t succeed.&rdquo;So what can a poster like this give to Joe or Joanne Average?&ldquo;What we give them,&rdquo; Vlajkov continues, &ldquo;is a positive attitude, a dream&mdash;or even call it a miracle&mdash;to everyone, healthy or handicapped. Give them all their moment in history.&rdquo;The posters are licensed in Canada by both the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball, and use logos and uniforms of teams therein.&ldquo;In order to sell it had to look authentic,&rdquo; Vlajkov says. &ldquo;No imitations. Kids are pretty sharp; they know what the real thing looks like.&rdquo;The posters are printed in Hamilton by Staz Communications.&ldquo;Quality and service is what these people go by,&rdquo; says Vlajkov. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you, without the help of Mr. Bob McLaughlin from LCA of America, and Mr. Bruce Staz, as well as the graphic artist, Mr. Drasko Bilic, we wouldn&rsquo;t be where we are today.&rdquo;Distribution throughout Canada is being handled by Big League Posters of London, Ont. Craig Morrow of Montreal handles national sales. Former Maple Leaf great Darryl Sittier has joined the staff as promotional sales director.Applying your name to a &ldquo;Someday I&rsquo;ll Be Famous&rdquo; posters is simple. Just peel off the backing and stick. Presto. Instant fame.Other projects are also in the works for Someday Products Inc.&ldquo;Well, we have applied to the NFL and the NBA,&rdquo; says Vlajkov, &ldquo;and have other avenues to go. Next is the USA. and who knows after that?&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had so much enjoyment creating this whole package. I just hope the people who buy them get the same feeling.&rdquo; &#9632;

Fame Can Be Yours On Realistic Poster

<div class="byline">BY TOM HENSHAW</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01639/5496236-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Wesley is blossoming into an offensive force, as demonstrated by a six-point night against Chicago.</figcaption></div>A year and a month into his pro hockey career, defenseman Glen Wesley was being touted as a future Norris Trophy winner&mdash;by Ray Bourque, a two-time Norris winner himself.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got unbelievable potential offensively,&rdquo; said Bourque, who frequently pairs with Wesley on the Boston Bruins&rsquo; power play. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great skater. He has great skills. He moves the puck really well. And he&rsquo;s big and strong.&ldquo;He really surprised me by the way he was playing defensively last season as a 19-year-old rookie. He&rsquo;s good now, but he&rsquo;s going to keep getting a lot better.&ldquo;I really think he&rsquo;s going to win the Norris one day.&rdquo;Wesley, who was the Bruins&rsquo; top draft pick, third overall, in 1987, demonstrated his offensive powers Oct. lb, with a goal and five assists in a 10-3 romp over Chicago.But it was the circumstances under which he did it that impressed his teammates.Wesley sprained his left knee in the opening game of the season Oct. 6. He was off skates until Oct. 14, when he practised with the team for 90 minutes in Minnesota. He played the next night, then had the biggest game of his pro career the following night.&ldquo;He certainly didn&rsquo;t look like a guy who had been through just one practice and was playing back-to-back games,&rdquo; coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly said. &ldquo;You know, a lot of defensemen don&rsquo;t get six points all season.&rdquo;Wesley did not play a significant role in the Boston offense last season (7-30-37 in 79 games) as the Bruins brought their prize freshman along slowly.But he was good enough to win a spot on the all-rookie team, and really blossomed offensively in the playoffs, with six goals and eight assists in 23 games. Two of the goals came against Edmonton in the game that was wiped out by a power failure in Boston Garden.&ldquo;They took their time breaking me in,&rdquo; said Wesley. &ldquo;It was frustrating at times coming out of junior hockey, going from playing 40 or 45 minutes a game down to 15 or 20 minutes.&ldquo;But it was great for me. A lot of players get ruined by being broken in too soon with so much pressure on them. As the year went on I got more ice time and I got more opportunities to get on the power play and kill penalties. It was a big plus.&rdquo;Wesley said he doesn&rsquo;t feel any different about entering his second year in the NHL.&ldquo;You still have to go out there and prove to yourself that you belong here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You have to go out and prove that to everybody. You&rsquo;ve got to have a better year than last year.&ldquo;Everybody has to improve on his defensive game. I&rsquo;m always going to be improving mine, learning new things in my own zone and learning to follow up the play.&rdquo;For Wesley, as for all the Bruins, last year was a long season followed by a short vacation.&ldquo;There wasn&rsquo;t much time to relax this summer, maybe a month and a half,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I worked out for the last six or eight weeks.&rdquo;But Wesley put his month and a half off to good use. He got married in July. He and wife Barb spent their honeymoon in Jamaica. &#9632;

f0025-01

GREAT THINGS PREDICTED FOR WESLEY

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Craig Janney, Ken Linseman, Steve Kasper. Billy O'Dwyer.LW&mdash;Bob Joyce, Andy Brickley, Randy Burridge. Jay Miller, Tommy Lehmann.RW&mdash;Cam Neely. Keith Crowder. Lyndon Byers. Bob Sweeney. Greg Johnston.LD&mdash;Glen Wesley, Al Pedersen, Don Sweeney, Alain Cote.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque, Michael Thelven, Garry Galley.G&mdash;Reggie Lemelin. Andy Moog.<h2>INJURIES</h2>David Jensen, C, shoulder surgery, indefinite.Gord Kluzak, D, left knee arthroscopy, indefinite.Nevin Markwart, RW, stomach muscle/groin pull, indefinite.Stephane Quintal, D. left knee injury, indefinite. &#9632;

BOSTON

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01677/5496291-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Liut&rsquo;s goals-against average was more than a goal a game worse than his career mark as the Whalers stressed offense.</figcaption></div>Hartford Whalers are letting in more goals this year&mdash;nearly five a game through the first seven games&mdash;but they&rsquo;re scoring more.And the results have been positive.Last season, the Whalers didn&rsquo;t win a game when an opponent scored more than four goals. In successive Saturday home games this year, the Whalers outgunned Chicago 7-5 and Philadelphia 8-6.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t play the same style as in the last few years,&rdquo; said goalie Mike Liut, whose goals-against average ballooned to 4.82, well above his career mark of 3.48. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re pursuing more. And in the course of an adjustment if one guy breaks down, it affects the whole process and the other team can get a layup.&rdquo;The Whalers finished with a franchise-best 267 goals (3.26 average) allowed and franchise-worst 249 (3.08) goals for last season. When the team scored five goals (only one even strength) in opening 0-3 this season, a vicious re-run appeared to be under way.But hold on. The Whalers followed by scoring 23 goals in winning three of four games. There has been little change in offensive personnel, but the team has shown a new-found capability of winning a wide-open game. There was concern about a need for another center, but Carey Wilson, Ron Francis and Ray Ferraro were at the top of the team point list after the first three weeks. There was concern about Sylvain Turgeon&rsquo;s ability to bounce back from a wretched 1987-88 season, but he was also doing fine.The scary part was that the team held its opponent under five goals only twice in seven games, and had an inflated 4.91 goals-against average.&ldquo;The difference in our coverage is in the defensive end,&rdquo; defensive forward Dave Tippett said. &ldquo;Larry (coach Pleau) wants to play more of a man-on-man situation. With Jack (former coach Evans), he always was kind of old school where you always have one defenseman in front of the net. It was a kind of zone. Larry&rsquo;s stressed a lot of quick pressure on the puck.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good feeling to know we can win a wide-open game, but five goals a game is too many. I think we&rsquo;ll lose more than we win that way.&rdquo;Pleau downplayed the change, professing ignorance to Evans&rsquo; tactics. He said his defensive-end coverage is similar to that of many NHL teams.&ldquo;The concept is (to) find the third guy before he gets the puck and gets into a position to hurt you,&rdquo; Pleau said. &ldquo;If the puck&rsquo;s in your defensive corner, our defenseman goes in there. Our center is helping out because nine times out of 10, they&rsquo;re going to have two guys in there on the puck. The game is so quick and the guys so big these days a lot of teams will even throw three guys down low to apply pressure on the puck.&ldquo;So maybe the only other difference I have is that I teach that the defenseman away from the play locate the third guy as quick as he can. He doesn&rsquo;t wait until that guy gets the puck and starts coming at him. Depending where he is, he&rsquo;ll go cover him.&rdquo;Pleau has preached commitment and concentration to 1-on-l coverage. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t get beat in an isolated 1-on-1 battle and you trust your teammate won&rsquo;t either,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;the system will work.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t panicked, because I just believe in what I&rsquo;m doing. I&rsquo;m not telling you I&rsquo;m right all the time. I just believe in the guys, myself. I think we can be a heck of a hockey team, but all this just doesn&rsquo;t happen overnight.&rdquo;When the team started out dreadfully in what ended as a 5-4 loss in Montreal on Oct. 19, however, he called a timeout early in the second period. It wasn&rsquo;t a strategy session, folks. Until they beat the Flyers on Oct. 22, the Whalers hadn&rsquo;t scored the first goal of a game. Perhaps the most patient, understanding coach in the NHL lost his cool.&ldquo;He told us if we want to watch, it will cost us 20 bucks for a ticket,&rdquo; Ferraro said.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-01

DEFENSIVE STYLE DESTINED FOR SCRAPHEAP

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Ron Francis, Carey Wilson. Ray Ferraro, Dean Evason, Brent Peterson.LW&mdash;John Anderson, Sylvain Turgeon, Torrie Robertson, Dave Tippett.RW&mdash;Kevin Dineen, Paul MacDermid, Scott Young, Ed Kastelic, Jody Hull.LD&mdash; Joel Quenneville, Grant Jennings. Randy Ladouceur-RD&mdash;Dave Babych, Sylvain Cote. Ulf Samuelsson.G&mdash; Mike Liut, Peter Sidorkiewicz.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Scot Kleinendorst, D, sprained right knee, indefinite. &#9632;

HARTFORD

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01627/5496353-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hab coach Pat Burns said his team has to remember to play a more physical game in its own end of the rink.</figcaption></div>Craig Ludwig can usually be counted on as a calming influence, someone whose efficient defensive play can turn around his Montreal Canadien teammates when they lose a game or two.With the Canadiens off to a so-so start (4-5-0 in their first nine games), Ludwig&rsquo;s coolness was needed. But the ordinarily-steady defenseman had to be reminded by coach Pat Bums to play his game&mdash;staying at home and clearing the zone.The message was delivered (calmly) to Ludwig after the Canadiens dropped a 5-3 decision to the Buffalo Sabres, Oct. 21. Bums felt Ludwig was among a group of Canadiens who had forgotten what they were supposed to do and when they were supposed to do it. The result was a couple of stinkers&mdash;the loss to Buffalo and, earlier, a 6-2 home-ice thrashing at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big physical guy,&rdquo; said Bums. &ldquo;In our own end, there has to be some hits, there has to be some physical actitivity.&ldquo;Craig is not an offensive defenseman. He is not a puck-carrier. When the play is going back into our end, he can&rsquo;t stand there. He tends to want to be the goalie a lot and throw himself down.&ldquo;When a defenseman throws him-self down a lot, he can take himself, out of the play. I want to see him standing up, keeping his stick on the ice and checking and pinning guys in our end.&rdquo;Ludwig agreed with Burns&rsquo; assessment.&ldquo;Things aren&rsquo;t going that well for us on this team,&rdquo; the 27-year-old rearguard said. &ldquo;I think we have to realize that there are only three or four guys who take the puck and can handle the puck and control the game.&ldquo;The rest of us have to realize that to play well, we have to bump and play physical. We are just trying to do more than we are supposed to, and maybe some of us aren&rsquo;t doing what we are supposed to do.&rdquo;In the case of Ludwig, he must make sure to use his 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame. Not that he should be bodychecking indiscriminately.&ldquo;You have to be kind of choosy with the people you really take advantage of hitting,&rdquo; Ludwig said. &ldquo;If you start to hit a guy like (Cam) Neely (of Boston), for example, that&rsquo;s not taking him out of his game. He&rsquo;s a physical player and, when you go after him, that gets him going.&ldquo;(Buffalo&rsquo;s Christian) Ruuttu is the type of guy who controls the puck for a team and so is (Dave) Andreychuk (also of the Sabres). If you start to bump those type of guys, maybe you will take a second away from them. The next time they get the puck they will have to look around and wonder where you are coming from.&rdquo;For a few games this season, the hits weren&rsquo;t coming from too many Canadiens, particularly in the loss against Toronto. Ludwig said the reason was a lack of confidence among the players in their own abilities.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02413/5496346-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="531" height="1000"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Ludwig realizes he isn&rsquo;t an offensive defenseman.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I talked to Chelly (Chris Chelios) about it after the Buffalo game,&rdquo; said Ludwig. &ldquo;What we felt is that it wasn&rsquo;t a case of us not hitting enough, but we weren&rsquo;t hitting in the right spots.&ldquo;We were worried about just bumping somebody and getting back in the play. We weren&rsquo;t taking the man out and keeping him out of the play&rdquo; &#9632;

f0027-01

LUDWIG, HABS BACK TO DEFENSIVE BASICS

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Bobby Smith, Shayne Corson, Brian Skrudtand, GuyCarbonneau, Gilles Thibaudeau.LW&mdash;Mats Naslund. Stephane Richer, Mike McPhee, Bob Gainey:RW&mdash;Mike Keane, Jose Charbonneau, Claude Lemieux. Ryan Walter.LD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Petr Svoboda, Mike Lalor.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Eric Desjardins, Rick Green,G&mdash;Brian Hayward, Patrick Roy.<h2>INJURIES</h2>None. &#9632;

MONTREAL

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01650/5496408-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Los Angeles King farmh and Dan Gratton says he&rsquo;s finally in the right frame of mind to pursue his hockey career. (Photo by Steven Somerville)</figcaption></div>Three years after that Saturday in June they are still pursuing the dream that follows the dream come true: Making the NHL after selection in the first round of the league&rsquo;s entry draft.Twenty-one 18-year-olds were chosen that June 15 in Toronto to lead the Class of 1985. Some, like Toronto&rsquo;s Wendel Clark and Edmonton&rsquo;s Craig Simpson, have already achieved the stardom predicted for them.Here&rsquo;s a look at four that haven&rsquo;t met expectations and began this season in the American League.Brent Fedyk is losing a race against time.&ldquo;Brent Fedyk has two years to go on a contract. He has this year and next year to make it,&rdquo; says Detroit GM Jimmy Devellano of the 6-foot, 190-pound right winger taken eighth overall.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been told that by us and that&rsquo;s where it stands. We're going to give him both years to attempt to get his game in order so he can play here.&rdquo;The Red Wings desperately need a high scoring right winger in light of Bob Probert&rsquo;s, troubles. Fedyk can score&mdash;he had 35 and 43 goals his last two full seasons with Regina of the Western League. He scored 19 goals and 21 assists in 36 games split between the Pats, Seattle and Portland in 1986-87, his final WHL season.Injuries limited his playing time that year and have since. Fedyk has played an average of only 40 games over the last three years. Last season, hand and ankle problems reduced his playing time to 36 games, 34 of them with Adirondack, where he went 9-11-20 in his first AHL season. He had an assist in two games with the Wings.&ldquo;They (the Red Wings) want me to produce, which is right of them. I should be producing,&rdquo; says Fedyk. &ldquo;They put themselves out on a limb to pick me and I haven&rsquo;t come through yet for them. Sure, I&rsquo;d like to have a good season and turn some of the bad thoughts in their minds into good ones.&rdquo;After failing to win a job in three straight training camps, his intensity and desire were questioned and Devellano made trades to acquire two veteran right wingers, Paul MacLean and Miroslav Frycer, last summer. It seems Detroit has almost given up on him.&ldquo;The guy that got drafted eighth overall in &rsquo;85 is still there,&rdquo; says Fedyk. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just got to put it to use.&rdquo;Craig Duncanson, a 6-foot, 195-pound left winger, was taken ninth overall by the Los Angeles Kings. Errors in judgment and a reputation for being undisciplined off the ice stalled his progress.He says he didn&rsquo;t prepare himself properly for his first two training camps, and spent much of last season in a funk after being assigned to New Haven.&ldquo;I came down and I was a little bitter and I was more concerned with my pride being hurt than anything,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Now, I&rsquo;m just playing. There are a lot of great hockey players in this league who never make it. I&rsquo;m just going to work hard and do the best job for the team and maybe things will work out for me individually.&rdquo;Duncanson was a bruiser and a scorer in the Ontario League with Sudbury and Cornwall. He had 43 goals, 67 assists and 190 penalty minutes in 61 games in 1985-86 with Cornwall. But he&rsquo;s never come close to those numbers', except in penalty minutes. He had 15 goals, 25 assists and 170 penalty minutes in 57 games last year with New Haven, but concedes he spent most of the time nursing a bruised ego.Now he has to make up for wasted time.&ldquo;I think I can contribute,&rdquo; says Duncanson.&ldquo;I think I can help some team. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve proven that a whole lot. I think there is more for me to do to show people I can help. This is probably the best development league in the world so if I can&rsquo;t do it here where can I show it?&rdquo;Dan Gratton&rsquo;s tale is one of double jeopardy.The 6-foot, 185-pound center, chosen 10th overall by Los Angeles&mdash;immediately after Duncanson&mdash;has great ability. But he hasn&rsquo;t taken care of himself and seems plagued with bad luck.&ldquo;There seems to be a black cloud following Danny around,&rdquo; says Rick Curran, his agent.It must have been hovering nearby Sept. 4 when Gratton was involved in a freak accident in Barrie, Ont. While helping to paint a summer cottage he lost his balance on the ladder and plunged his right arm through a window. He needed 70 stitches to close the wounds. He missed all of training camp and the first month of the AHL season with New Haven.The setback came when he finally appeared ready to contend for a job with the Kings. He made significant strides last season, his second in New Haven, in performance (57-18-28-46) and commitment.&ldquo;The first couple of years I felt a bit of pressure,&rdquo; says Gratton, who much of the time has been his own worst enemy. &ldquo;The first two years I went to L.A.&rsquo;s camp I didn&rsquo;t prepare myself properly and I made the mistake of not coming to camp in the right frame of mind to play there.Gratton says two years in New Haven helped him get his life together. He didn't endear himself to Kings&rsquo; management when he arrived for his first training camp overweight and out of shape. He&rsquo;s had to contend with a less-than-rosy reputation since then.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the rap,&rdquo; says L.A. executive vice-president Roy Mlakar. &ldquo;I more or less blame it on immaturity, the age (21) of the boy.&rdquo;Gratton, who scored 97 goals in 175 Ontario League games over three seasons with Oshawa and Belleville, says he now has his priorities in order.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s just actually realizing what you want to do in life,&rdquo; he Says. &ldquo;1 can say I want to be a hockey player and I&rsquo;ve been saying that since I was 14. But, I think now, finally, that&rsquo;s what I want to do and I'm going to do it.&rdquo;Scott Metcalfe, Edmonton&rsquo;s first choice, 20th overall, was anxious to begin his NHL career.More than three years after his draft day, he&rsquo;s played two NHL games.A grinder, the 6-foot, 195-pound left winger never fit into the Oilers&rsquo; more offense-minded approach. After finishing his junior career with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Windsor Spitfires in 1986-87, he played just two games for Edmonton last season and 43 for the Oilers&rsquo; AHL affiliate in Nova Scotia.&ldquo;Scott is like a lot of guys who are picked in the first round,&rdquo; says Buffalo Sabre GM Gerry Meehan, who acquired Metcalfe last Feb. 11 for defenseman Steve Dykstra and a seventh-round draft pick, &ldquo;they expect to get into the league pretty quickly and establish their careers in the NHL fairly quickly. For some players that doesn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;&ldquo;When you get traded you always wonder if the other team has given up on you,&rdquo; says Metcalfe, &ldquo;but I think that the trade was good for my career in the sense that it brought me to a team that plays more conducive to my style.&rdquo;Metcalfe finished last season with Rochester (65-11-32-43) and was sent down again this year.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not the way a first-rounder should be playing or should be scoring,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I think I have to work on my scoring touch around the net. I think I have all of the skating skills and all of the head skills. Now I just have to get that touch around the net. I get chances. I&rsquo;ve just got to bury them.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0028-01

CHASING THE DREAM

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div>Peter Klima, given another chance by the Detroit Red Wings, made his chances count in his debut with the Wings&rsquo; Adirondack farm team.Klima had just two shots on goal, but scored on one as the Red Wings&rsquo; lost 5-1 to the Bears at Hershey on Oct. 19. The goal came at 19:45 of the first period.&ldquo;He was clearly the most skilled player on the ice. Head and shoulders,&rdquo; said Hershey coach John Paddock.Klima, 23, reported to Adirondack Oct. 16. He took part in two workouts before the game against the Bears. Klima was suspended Sept. 23 by Detroit coach Jacques Demers for failing to arrive in Glens Falls before the deadline set by the team, but the Wings reinstated him Oct. 13, four days after he was arrested for drunken driving. Klima, who was charged with the same offense in May of 1987, faces a possible jail sentence.Klima had no trouble telling the AHL from the NHL, especially after the 350-mile bus trip to Hershey.&ldquo;Everything about it is different,&rdquo; Klima said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad they sent me down because I wasn&rsquo;t playing anyway in Detroit. I&rsquo;m going to try. After the six-hour bus ride back tonight I&rsquo;m going to skate and work out tomorrow even though the team has the day off.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to do everything I can to change things and I&rsquo;ve started already.&rdquo;<h2>WAIVER WOES</h2>Rochester Americans came under fire from within and without on Oct. 17.The Americans&rsquo; NHL parent, the Buffalo Sabres, claimed former Rochester defenseman Jim Hofford from the NHL waiver wire with the intention of returning him to Rochester, where he was team captain. Also on the same day, center Jeff Parker quit the Amerks, returned to his home in Minnesota and asked the Sabres to trade him.Both moves came as the Americans began the season 0-5-0, the worst start in the franchise&rsquo;s 32-year history.Hofford, 24, was acquired by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL waiver draft Oct. 3. At the time, Buffalo general manager Gerry Meehan said he would exercise his right to a priority claim if the Kings tried to send Hofford to their New Haven affiliate.Los Angeles recalled Hofford after asking waivers on him during the week of Oct. 9, when the Sabres made a claim. A week later when Los Angeles asked waivers a second time, the Sabres got Hofford back.Under NHL rules, a team that loses a player in the waiver draft has the right of first refusal on him should he be placed on waivers.Kings&rsquo; executive vice-president Roy Mlakar was critical of the Sabre move. He said Buffalo doesn&rsquo;t regard Hofford as an NHL prospect and the Kings do.&ldquo;We are strictly in the business of development,&rdquo; said Mlakar. &ldquo;We feel he will develop. We only have two right-handed shooting defensemen, but right now he&rsquo;s not one of our best six so we wanted to send him to New Haven to play.&rdquo;Parker, 24, left the Amerks after playing in three games. He said he was unhappy with the criticism he received from coach John Van Boxmeer and Joe Crozier, Buffalo&rsquo;s coordinator of minor-pro development.Parker said Crozier and Van Boxmeer told him between periods of a game at Utica Oct. 15 he was never going to do anything or go anywhere.Van Boxmeer had a different version: &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re counting on you to do something. You&rsquo;re supposed to be a big-league centerman, but you&rsquo;re not going back to Buffalo playing like this.&rsquo;&rdquo;Said Parker: &lsquo;'They say they have a winning organization. Well, they should have a winning attitude. Maybe they should be pumping us up instead of cutting us down.&rdquo;<h2>GOALIE SHUFFLE</h2>After veteran Richard Brodeur was assigned to Binghamton by Hartford Oct. 11, the Whalers sent second-year goaltender Sean Evoy from Binghamton to Virginia of the East Coast League. &#9632;

KLIMA COMES THROUGH IN FIRST GAME

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div>Sherbrooke Canadien defenseman Scott Sandelin wants to be traded and the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him in the third round in 1982, are trying to oblige.&ldquo;They said they are looking for a place,&rdquo; said Sandelin, a first team Western Collegiate Hockey Association all-star in 1986 for the University of North Dakota, chosen 48th overall by Montreal. &ldquo;But I guess it&rsquo;s taking some time. I&rsquo;m just taking it day by day.&rdquo;Sandelin played the last two years for the Canadiens&rsquo; American League farm team (58-8-14-22 last season), but watched as younger players such as Donald Dufresne, Sylvain Lefebvre and Jyrki Lumme moved ahead of him on the depth chart.&ldquo;I know I can play in the NHL,&rdquo; Sandelin said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t fit into their plans.&rdquo;Sandelin had said he wasn&rsquo;t going to play for Sherbrooke, but decided to report to keep in shape and try to impress other organizations.According to his agent, Don Meehan, New Jersey and Minnesota have expressed interest. Sandelin grew up in Hibbing, Minn., and played high school hockey here.<h2>ZERO DEBUTS</h2>Two rookie goalies notched their first pro shutouts at the expense of the Maine Mariners.Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Francois Gravel,&nbsp;who played for Shawinigan of the Quebec League, was a 4-0 winner Oct. 14. He stopped 24 shots.Two nights later, New Haven&rsquo;s Mark Fitzpatrick, who played for Memorial Cup-champion Medicine Hat last year, stopped 33 shots in blanking the Mariners 7-0.<h2>SHORTHAND SALVO</h2>Halifax Citadels tied a league record by scoring four shorthanded goals in a 12-3 rout of the Cape Breton Oilers Oct. 16.The defunct Fredericton Express scored four shorthanded goals in a game last season against the Newmarket Saints.The Citadels got shorthanded goals from Ken Quinney, Marc Fortier, Dean Hopkins and Jaroslav Sevcik. Ironically, three of those players&mdash;Quinney, Fortier and Sevcik&mdash;played for Fredericton last season when Quebec shared a farm team with Vancouver.<h2>SYKES RETURNS</h2>Left winger Phil Sykes, left unprotected in the Oct. 3 waiver draft by the Los Angeles Kings and sent to New Haven, reported to the Nighthawks Oct. 14 after spending two weeks at home.&ldquo;I think some things got misconstrued,&rdquo; said Sykes, who picked up an assist Oct. 16 in his first game with the Nighthawks in four years. &ldquo;What the Kings advised me to do was just go home and contact my agent. I was just sitting at home waiting for the Kings to make a deal. I wasn&rsquo;t pondering anything.&rdquo;Still, he&rsquo;s not happy to be back in the minors.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to get paid, I have financial obligations,&rdquo; said Sykes, who has two years remaining on a four year, one-way contract negotiated by his agent, Bill Watters. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed, I&rsquo;m embarrassed and I feel degraded.&ldquo;They have a couple of injuries so they have no extras there. It&rsquo;s a situation where 1 think it&rsquo;s just a poor decision on their behalf because once they send me down here I think they devalue me as a commodity and find that I&rsquo;m not worth as much.&rdquo;<h2>SUSPENSIONS</h2>The first suspensions of the season were handed out to Springfield right winger Kerry Clark, younger brother Of Toronto Maple Leaf Wendel Clark, and Moncton right winger Neal Meadmore. Both received automatic six-game sentences for fighting before the start of the second period in an Oct. 15 game at Moncton. The two had words in the first period and fought in a game earlier this season&hellip; Three New Haven players had five-point games on consecutive nights. Left winger Craig Duncanson had a goal and four assists in a 9-2 victory over Adirondack Oct. 15. In the 7-0 win over Maine, Paul Guay had two goals and three assists and Hubie McDonough had a goal and four assists. &#9632;

HABS LOOKING TO GRANT SANDELIN TRADE WISH

<div class="byline">BY JEFF HALE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01587/5496487-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">You&rsquo;ve got three guesses to pick out the real Archie Henderson. Give up? He&rsquo;s second from left. (Photo by Mark wick)</figcaption></div>There was nothing two-faced about Archie&rsquo;s Army.In fact, at the Oct. 15 International League game between the Saginaw Hawks and Indianapolis Ice, the entire crowd of 1,780 in the 5,369-seat Saginaw Civic Center was all one-faced, that of Ice coach Archie Henderson.The Hawks&rsquo; public relations department held an Archie Henderson look-a-like contest and all the fans who attended the game were given Henderson cut-out masks to wear during the game.&ldquo;It was a good likeness,&rdquo; said Henderson, 31, who drew 231 penalty minutes in 55 games for Saginaw last season and quickly became a fan favorite with his robust, no-holds-barred play.He was named coach of the Ice during the off-season.&ldquo;It was beautiful,&rdquo; said Henderson. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the best-looking crowd they&rsquo;ve had in Saginaw in a hundred years.&rdquo;The Ice won 3-2 for its first road victory of the season. Indianapolis was 2-4 through Oct. 19.Henderson said the &rsquo;night&rsquo; was taken in the spirit it was intended.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m dedicated and determined at the rink, but away from the rink I like humor and that was humorous. I think they did it because they enjoyed me.&rdquo;Saginaw GM Denis Desrosiers, a Henderson nemesis from their playing days in the IHL, said it was a success-ful promotion because Henderson is &ldquo;a character of the game.&rdquo;&ldquo;As big and tough as he was a player, he&rsquo;sabit of a showman,&rdquo; said Desrosiers, who scored 51 goals in the 1977-78 season for Saginaw but was held pointless in a five-game playoff courtesy a Henderson checking job.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get him back,&rdquo; Henderson said of Desrosiers. &ldquo;We may have a Dennis Desrosiers-look alike night. He&rsquo;s going bald, eh. Everyone will have to pull out all their hair.&rdquo;After the game Henderson couldn&rsquo;t get into the Ice dressing room.&ldquo;The team kept me out and then they let me in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re all sitting there in their stalls with these masks on. They were wearing them on the bus on the way home.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0031-01

ARCHIE’S ARMY PUTS ON ‘GAME’ FACE

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01619/5496518-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A Quebec-based team hasn&rsquo;t won the Memorial Cup since 1971 but Gilles Courteau says his league is equal to the OHL and WHL. (Photo by Denis Brodeur)</figcaption></div>Even if it does seem to provide a steady diet of chicken. Gilles Courteau doesn&rsquo;t seem to mind life in major junior hockey.&ldquo;The difference between here and the NHL," said the Quebec League president, &ldquo;is that after a game here you eat chicken and take the bus. In the pros you eat steak and take the plane.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m very happy with this job, it provides a new challenge every day. At 9:30 a.m. I could be talking to the general manager of the Quebec Nordiques and then a trainer or a player who&rsquo;s having problems. I like meeting people, that&rsquo;s the best part of the job."Spoken like a true public relations expert. In fact, before taking the job as QMJHL president in 1986. Courteau worked in the Nordiques&rsquo; public relations department. A former league statistician and general manager of the Quebec Remparts, Courteau is quick to dispel many of the beliefs that the league takes a back seat in talent to the OHL and WHL.The Hockey News spoke with the 31-year-old father of two recently about some of the issues facing the league. This is the second in a three-part series. Next week, an interview with Western League president Ed Chynoweth, who is also president of the Canadian Hockey League&mdash;which oversees the major junior game.THN: You had a good draft year with six first-round choices, but a Quebec-based team hasn't won the Memorial Cup since 1971. How would you assess the quality of the QMJHL?GC: We have spectacular offensive players, good goalies and not bad defense. But we're still looking for the answers as to why we don&rsquo;t win the Memorial Cup. We haven't found the answers and I don&rsquo;t know exactly when we will, but I feel we&rsquo;re close. Our teams are more disciplined. We used to be satisfied with winning the President&rsquo;s (QMJHL) Cup, realizing we were one of the three or four best teams.Now our teams are being prepared from the beginning of training camp that (winning) the Memorial Cup is the goal.THN: The knock on the Quebec League has always been that the players are too small and can&rsquo;t take the physical play. How do you respond to that?GC: First of all. I think the mentality of the NHL people is changing. And I don&rsquo;t think we have only small hockey players here. We have some guys who are 6-foot-l, 200 pounds. But most of all, I think we have the talented hockey player. We have the good skater, the good puck handler and the guy who can put the puck in the net.THN: Do you think your league is perceived to be as good as the other two?GC: Yes, because 1 think each league has different types of players. The NHL scouts look at the players in our league for offense and goaltending. In the Western League they go for size and guys who can play the game in places like Boston and Buffalo on the small ice. But in our league they look for the top player. Have a look at almost all the NHL teams. The first five players are usually from the Quebec League because they are the top players.THN: What changes in the QMJHL would you like to see?GC: Right now, 1 would bring more people to the stands, especially in Longueuil (where the expansion College Francais team is averaging 655 spectators). I'm mad because there's no people there, yet they don&rsquo;t have a bad team and (they) put on a good show and product. I&rsquo;m disappointed in the population of Longueuil.THN: Since 1983, attendance throughout the league has steadily dropped and this year the league has adopted an aggressive marketing campaign to boost numbers. Is the lack of attendance a concern?GC: Yes, we are concerned. We have to have special promotions because we&rsquo;ve begun to realize that just because we dropa puck at 7:30 some night, the fans aren&rsquo;t going to come out. The fans need promotions and special things to get them to come to the rink. But it&rsquo;s not a major problem. Over the last few years we&rsquo;ve been keeping the same numbers.THN: You were one of the driving forces behind Sports-Etude, a program which helps the players in school and gives them specific help learning English. How has it worked out so far?GC: Right now, I think the players are very happy with it. It&rsquo;s not just for hockey players and I think it has worked out well.THN: With your Sports-Etude program and trading only permitted at certain times of the season, coinciding with the end of school semesters, do you think education is one area where your league is ahead of the other two?GC: There&rsquo;s no doubt we &rsquo; ve jumped ahead of the other two leagues there with the special program but 1 don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re ahead by far. What we have is good for the player. I heard something last year that Dave Branch (OHL commissioner) was interested in our program. I think we have to be a little more intensive on the English program because we want all the players to be learning English throughout the hockey season. It&rsquo;s difficult to bring into Quebec a full English course for the year but we&rsquo;re working on it.THN: Is there a violence problem in the QMJHL?GC: No. In the last five years you don&rsquo;t see many fights. Players will always have their disagreements, but they want to play. They understand they don&rsquo;t have to fight to impress the scouts. They want to show their ability to the scouts and fans.THN: What has been the effect, if any, of the full facemasks?GC: They&rsquo;ve had no effect. The game is fast. The players are good. If a player makes a good move he isn&rsquo;t punched in the nose. The sticks aren't being carried any higher, either.THN: Some players have complained about it, though.GC: I'm surprised that they would have problems because they&rsquo;ve played with them since peewee. I don&rsquo;t think the players have a problem and for the good hockey player it helps even more.THN: How will the new agreement signed between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League affect the QMJHL?GC: Last year was one of our best years in the draft (with 22 players selected), so the result, in terms of money, will be good. Above that, the agreement is good for junior hockey. The NHL is interested in the junior level and they understand our position in terms of development.THN: Are you qualified for the president&rsquo;s job, especially at such a young age?GC: My age isn&rsquo;t a problem. I've been in the league since 1975-76 and have lots of experience. I&rsquo;m young but I have experience. My qualifications are no problem because I love hockey.THN: What are the league&rsquo;s and your future plans?<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;NHL SCOUTS LOOK AT OUR PLAYERS FOR OFFENSE AND GOALTENDING&rsquo;</blockquote>GC: First of all we must solidify our existing franchises before we look at expansion. I'm not closing the door on expansion, but we have to go to a small city where we are sure it will be a major event. Vai d&rsquo;Or has expressed an interest, but I feel the Quebec City-area is a priority. As for myself, my contract expires at the end of May and I want to sign another one. If the governors want to see me for three, five, eight or 10 years as president. I&rsquo;ll be the president. I&rsquo;m in love with this job. Hockey is my life. It&rsquo;s my bread and butter. I&rsquo;m happy here. I hope to keep this chair for a long time.THN: What challenges keep you in the job?GC: I have challenges every day&mdash;our school program, relations with the Quebec Ice Hockey Federation and the Quebec midget AAA league as well as the CHL and NHL. It&rsquo;s not a routine for me. The morning I get up and don&rsquo;t want to go to work, that&rsquo;s the end for me.THN: How accessible are you and do you enjoy the publicity?GC: I like the personal publicity and the publicity the league gets. The fact that I&rsquo;m a public man pushes me to be better every day. I&rsquo;m accessible to everyone&mdash;especially the fans. I don&rsquo;t go to games specifically Jo talk with spectators, but if you want to talk to me, no problem. I talk to them because they pay the price. &#9632;

f0032-01

COURTEAU COMMENTS

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>The Hull Olympiques have proven to be the Quebec League&rsquo;s early-season enigma.No one expected the Olympiques to duplicate last year&rsquo;s championship season. But then again, nobody expected them to be 3-8-1 either after 12 games or to be 10th in an 11-team league.But help arrived on Oct. 19 with the addition of center Jeremy Roenick, Hull&rsquo;s third-round midget draft pick last May out of Thayer Academy in Massachusetts, who began the season in the NHL with Chicago. The Blackhawks selected him in the first round (eighth overall) last June.The 5-foot-l 1, 170 pounder scored 65 goals and 149 points in just 48 games over the last two seasons. He went pointless in three games with Chicago, with a plus-minus rating of minus-3.With the losses of snipers Marc Saumier, Martin Gelinas and Benoit Brunet. Roenick could be exactly what the Olympiques require.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll add the offense we&rsquo;re lacking,&rdquo; said Hull governor Charlie Henry. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll create the difference because when he has the puck the other team won&rsquo;t.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very exciting and is a (hell of a player. He&rsquo;s got that inner drive and off the ice he&rsquo;s so positive. You can&rsquo;t help but get on his bandwagon.&rdquo;Roenick, 18, said he wasn&rsquo;t disappointed with his demotion. Rather, he was looking forward to his new experience and hoped to be the team&rsquo;s catalyst.&ldquo;The Quebec League is offense-oriented, run and gun. My style is fast,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll love it here. Pressure is good. It&rsquo;s a good feeling if a team relies on you.&rdquo;The Blackhawks could have opted to send Roenick to Saginaw of the International League, but chose Hull instead because the players are the same age.<h2>FOUR STRIKES</h2>Trois Rivieres businessman Denis Methot has lost his action against the QMJHL and Quebecor Inc., which owns and publishes Le Journal de Montreal newspaper.Methot was seeking damages of $700,000, holding the league and newspaper responsible for the folding of his QMJHL franchise, the Plattsburgh Pioneers, following 17 consecutive losses by the team in 1983.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01554/5496549-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="542" height="521"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeremy Roenick is pleased to be in the Quebec League.</figcaption></div>Quebec Superior Court Judge Rene Letarte, in a 31-page written judgment filed Oct. 12, said the allegations of conspiracy were purely fabricated.&ldquo;These far-fetched accusations and the demands that (Methot) is asking for are very serious and are completely unacceptable,&rdquo; Letarte wrote in his judgment.Letarte said the Pioneers had four strikes against them: a lack of players, inexperienced administration, poor financial structure and lamentable performance.&ldquo;You need a lot less than that to put an end to a dream,&rdquo; Letarte continued, adding the alleged conspiracy &ldquo;clearly would have been against the interests of the league.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not an ounce of proof to the contrary. The formal allegations are simply pure speculation.&rdquo;<h2>LEAN MACHINE</h2>Not only was the Laval Titan without a general manager, but as of Oct. 18, it was without a GM&rsquo;s assistant as well.Fabien Chouinard, who had been the assistant to the GM, announced his resignation that day. He&rsquo;s returning to Quebec City to work in communications and marketing, claiming that profession is more secure.Meanwhile, Jacques Brassard turned down the Titan&rsquo;s offer&mdash;for a second time&mdash;to become their GM.Brassard, Laval&rsquo;s GM in the early 1980s, cited work conflicts behind his decision. He is a public works official in the Montreal suburb of St. LaurentSo the Titan continued operating without a GM. All decisions will be made by the Morissette family, which owns the team, and former GM Richard Lafreniere, who remained with the organization as vice president, hockey. Ironically, Lafreniere left the GM&rsquo;s post before the season, claiming the job was too time consuming.<h2>STILL RETIRED</h2>Disgruntled forward Neil Carnes, who quit Verdun in early October, told Jr. Canadiens&rsquo; GM Jacques Lemaire on Oct. 17 he&rsquo;s decided to remain retired&mdash;at least for the time being. Carnes, if he doesn&rsquo;t play again, will be turning his back on a potentially good pro career. He was drafted in the third round last June by the Montreal Canadiens&hellip; Verdun finally won its first game of the season, 6-4 over Granby on Oct. 16, following eight losses and a tie. Meanwhile, Laval stretched its winning streak to 11 games with an 8-4 victory over Granby on Oct. 18. The longest winning streak in QMJHL history is 25, set by Sorel in 1973-74. &#9632;

f0033-01

HULL HOPES ROENICK IS ALL IT NEEDS

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div>Toronto Marlboros will be moving to Hamilton, if the Copps Coliseum rental price doesn&rsquo;t scare off the club&rsquo;s tentative new ownership group.Hamilton businessmen Mario Cupido and John Pelech purchased the Toronto Marlboros from Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd. on Oct. 19&mdash;for a reported $500,000&mdash;but the deal is conditional on their ability to reach a satisfactory lease agreement with the operators of the 17,500-seat arena.Hamilton lost its last Ontario League team just before the start of the current season when the owner of the Steelhawk franchise, Jack Robillard, moved it to Niagara Falls and renamed it the Thunder.Robillard had cited an unsatisfactory rental agreement at the Copps as the reason for the transfer. And Copps Coliseum managing director Brian Conacher offered the same package to Pelech and Cupido&mdash;$3,000 per game, plus $400 to cover box-office costs.Conacher said the pair asked for a reduction in the price, but added that he couldn&rsquo;t give it to them. Still, he didn&rsquo;t discount the possibility that the arena&rsquo;s board of directors might consider renegotiating.&ldquo;If they (the board members) want to give it to them for less, fine,&rdquo; Conacher said. &ldquo;But my responsibility is as director of the facility.&rdquo;Pelech, meanwhile, said he was confident he and Cupido can reach a satisfactory rental agreement at Copps.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see a problem. The city is behind us. It wants a team back at the Copps.&rdquo;The move must also be approved by league governors, but that was expected to be a rubber-stamp operation.Hamilton&rsquo;s first franchise, called the Red Wings, was renamed the Fincups in 1974 when Nick Durbano sold it to Cupido, his brother Ron and Joe Finocchio.The Fincups left Hamilton for St. Catharines in 1976, only to move back to Hamilton in 1977. In 1978, Robillard bought the Fincups, moved them to Brantford and renamed them the Alexanders. Robillard then shifted the franchise back to Hamilton in 1984 and changed the name to Steelhawks.The sale of the Marlies does not include the team name. The Marlies, who&rsquo;ve had an OHL franchise for 62 years, will continue to operate minor hockey teams in Toronto from novice to midget.<h2>GENERAL SIMPSON</h2>Washington Capitals&rsquo; goaltending prospect Shawn Simpson is now an Oshawa General.The Generals acquired Simpson, 20, from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Oct. 18 for an unspecified priority selction draft choice, thought to be a fourth- or fifth-rounder in 1990.The overage Simpson, Washington&rsquo;s third-round pick (60th overall) in the 1986 NHL draft, lost out to veterans Alain Raymond and Doug Keans in his bid for a spot on Washington&rsquo;s American League affiliate at Baltimore.Soo coach Don Boyd said the Greyhounds, with the maximum two overagers allowed in defenseman Peter Fiorentino, 19, and center Kelly Cain, 20, moved Simpson because they were satisfied with 19-year-old rookie netminder Graeme Harvey and holdover 17-year-old Steve Udvari.Simpson joins 19-year-old Dave Humphreys and 18-year-old Kevin Butt in the Oshawa nets.At the time of the deal, Oshawa was atop the Leyden Division with a 7-3 record. The rebuilding Greyhounds were a surprising 6-6 and in second place in the Emms when Simpson was dealt.<h2>TRADING POST</h2>Struggling in last place of the Emms Division with a 2-9 record, the North Bay Centennials swapped rugged 18-year-old left winger Mark Major (16-17-33 with 272 PIM in 57 games last season) to the Kingston Raiders for 18-year-old centre Joel Morin and right winger Frank Melone, 20. Major was a second-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1988 NHL entry draft-Kingston added 18-year-old center Joey Simon from the Sudbury Wolves for future considerations-Sudbury, meanwhile, obtained 18-year-old left winger Rob Knesaurek from the Oshawa Generals for a six-thround draft choice, and acquired the rights to left winger Dan Resko, 20 on Nov. 8, from the Toronto Marlies for future considerations. &#9632;

MARLIES GOING TO HAMILTON—IF PRICE IS RIGHT

<div class="byline">BY ED WILLES</div>Mired in a 1-4 slump early in the season, the Spokane Chiefs were quick to make changesOf the four trades the Chiefs made in a two-day period, the biggest saw them move 18-year-old left winger Murray Duval (70-26-37-63 last season) and 19-year-old right winger Gregg Dalcourt (64-12-41-53) to the Tri-Cities Americans on Oct. 14, for 19-year-old right winger Mike Hawes (72-38-36-74 with New Westminster last year) and 18-year-old defenseman Milan Dragicevic (72-10-25-35).&ldquo;We had a lot of complacency,&rdquo; said Chiefs&rsquo; general manager Bob Strumm &ldquo;We needed a fresh start. Somewhere along the line, we made an error and the players didn&rsquo;t show they were going to do the job.&rdquo;The same day, the Chiefs also traded 17-year-old defenseman Chris Lafreniere (58-4-8-12) to the Medicine Hat Tigers for 18-year-old goalie John Colvin (8-7, 4.73 goals against-average) and 18-year-old defenseman Mike Berlage (47-0-1-1). Also on Oct. 14,19-year-old left winger Dean Ewen (49-12-12-24, 302 PIM) went to the Smattle Thunderbirds for 18-year-old defenseman Jon Clemm (68-6-7-13). A day earlier, defenseman Craig Kalawsky (67-2-13-15 with Regina) went to the Kamloops Blazers for 19-year-old left winger L. B. (Larry) McNab, who was playing for Salmon Arm of the British Columbia Junior League.In other trades, the Brandon Wheat Kings acquired 19-year-old right winger Mark Bassen (70-19-28-47), the younger brother of New York Islanders&rsquo; Bob, from the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Oct. 15, for 18-year-old rookie right winger Doug Barrault.<h2>KAMINSKI BACK</h2>Feisty center Kevin Kaminski is back with the Saskatoon Blades, but the Blades might have lost two other frontliners for the rest of the season.Minnesota North Stars returned Kaminski Oct. 10, less than one week into the NHL schedule. The 19-year-old then began serving a five-game suspension for incidents &ldquo;showing a lack of respect for league officials&rdquo; during last season&rsquo;s East Division final with the Medicine Hat Tigers. Kaminski, 55-38-61-99 with the Blades last season, was eligible to begin play Oct. 21, when the Blades visited the Moose Jaw Warriors.The news wasn&rsquo;t nearly as good for the Blades elsewhere. Though they were off to a 5-3 start, it appeared 19-year-old defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn and 20-year-old goalie Tim Cheveldae would spend the rest of the season with pro teams.Leschyshyn, 56-14-41-55 last season, cracked the Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; lineup.&ldquo;Our scouts told us he (Leschyshyn) was probably the most ready player out of last year&rsquo;s crop to step into the NHL,&rdquo; said Nordiques&rsquo; coach Ron Lapointe.Meanwhile, Cheveldae made the American League's Adirondack Red Wings. Cheveldae, 44-19-3, with a 3.71 goals-against average last year, was Detroit&rsquo;s fourth choice (64th overall) in the 1986 draft.<h2>MILLERSTALE</h2>Defenseman Brad Miller, 19, returned to the Buffalo Sabres Oct. 19 after a stint with the Rochester Americans of the American League. Miller&rsquo;s initial assignment to Rochester drew the ire of his junior team, the Regina Pats. According to the NHL-Canadian League agreement, 19-year-olds with four years junior experience are eligible for minor-pro assignment. However, Miller has played only three full years of junior.There is a clause in the agreement which allows players to be sent to the minors for a two-week conditioning period but they must be recalled to the NHL team. According to the Sabres, Miller had an injured finger.&ldquo;The spirit and intent of the clause was not for this,&rdquo; said CHL/WHL president Ed Chynoweth. Miller is one of nine defensemen who were vying for a position with the Sabres. The Pats ended up with $20,000, the developmental fee from the CHLNHL agreement.&ldquo;The $20,000 is nice but that&rsquo;s the least of our worries,&rdquo; said Pats&rsquo; coach Dennis Sobchuk. &ldquo;Money can&rsquo;t win hockey games.&rdquo;<h2>BUCKING BRONC</h2>Swift Current Bronco right winger Sheldon Kennedy grabbed the early lead in the scoring race with 10 goals and 11 assists as the Broncos won their first eight games. &#9632;

CHIEFS SHUFFLE BODIES AFTER SLOW START

<div class="byline">BY BILL HUNT</div>The beginning of the Atlantic Universities Athletic Association hockey season was put on ice for the Mount Allison Mounties.Problems with the ice plant at Allison Gardens, the Mounties&rsquo; home rink, led to the cancellation of the club&rsquo;s first two home games, Oct. 22 against St. Mary&rsquo;s and Oct. 25 against Moncton. And Oct. 28 and 29 dates against St. Francis Xavier were listed as tentative, said coach Jack Drover.The Sackville, N.B.-based club has been without ice since Oct. 5, when the chiller in their newly-installed ice plant first started malfunctioning. And while Drover succeeded in putting together a piecemeal training camp in nearby Memramcook, he said it was hardly an ideal situation.&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t too bad for the first week or so,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but minor hockey started in the area on Oct. 15 and we&rsquo;ve had trouble getting ice since, except for late at night.&rdquo;That meant the veteran coach had to pick his team largely on the basis of their play in a pair of road exhibition losses&mdash;19-5 to the Hockey East champion Maine Black Bears Oct. 14, and 5-4 to the New Brunswick Red Devils the following night.Drover pared down after that to 23 players&mdash;13 forwards, even defensemen and three goalies. A dozen of the players are returning veterans.&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s been difficult,&rdquo; said Drover. &ldquo;Basically, it&rsquo;s been a write off of a month.&rdquo;<h2>ABRIC BACK</h2>Dalhousie coach Darrell Young had good reason to give thanks on Thanksgiving.That&rsquo;s when veteran goaltender Peter Abric, a former Ontario League all-star with the North Bay Centennials and one of the better goal tenders in the conference for the past three seasons, returned to the Tigers&rsquo; training camp.Abric, 23, had planned to finish his commerce degree at Dalhousie and combine it with his qualifying year for law school. At the time, he felt he wouldn&rsquo;t have time for hockey.But he had a change of heart &ldquo;and now he feels he can do both,&rdquo; said Young. Abric&rsquo;s return solved a goaltending situation Young admitted had been &ldquo;a major concern.&rdquo; Rookies Eric Leger and Rene LeBlanc had not been satisfactory.<h2>BIRNIE HEALING</h2>The Tigers also got an optimistic report on 23-year-old right winger Scott Bimie, who had slipped a disc when he stumbled while carrying a vacuum cleaner downstairs in his home.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s skating, and we&rsquo;re thinking he&rsquo;ll be back by Christmas,&rdquo; said Young.Birnie&rsquo;s return would help the young Tigers, who are in the midst of a rebuilding process. He scored seven goals and four assists in 15 games last year. &#9632;

HOMELESS MOUNTIES OFF TO ROCKY BEGINNING

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01598/5496652-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Winning the NCAA hockey title last season put Lake Superior State on the map and filled residents of the Soo with pride.</figcaption></div>The clock edges towards 5:30 p.m. as the patron enters the crowded Palace Saloon on Portage Ave. and orders a cold one. The local CBS affiliate is blaring the news of the world, but only one story counts this evening in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.&ldquo;Got time for a few before the game,&rdquo; the customer tells the bartender, who nods and says, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re lucky you've got tickets. 1 hear it&rsquo;s a sellout.&rdquo;This is Smalltown, USA. A quaint, tourist town of about 14,000, the Michigan Soo&mdash;nicknamed so by Canadians as to distinguish it from its much larger twin city of 80,000, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.&mdash;is nestled on the south shore of the St. Mary&rsquo;s River, connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron.The Upper Peninsula town&mdash;325 miles north of Detroit and the starting point for an Interstate highway (75) that ends in Florida&mdash;proclaims to be home to the famous Soo Locks, which allow Great Lakes freighters to skirt the river rapids.But it&rsquo;s also home to the Lake Superior State University Lakers, defending NCAA Division I hockey champions.Quite an accomplishment for the small school, student population 2,800, that sits at one end of the International Bridge connecting the two Soos.It&rsquo;s 6:45 p.m. at the Saloon. Deciding he has time for some Mexican food&mdash;a Palace specialty&mdash;before departing to watch the Lakers, the patron takes note of the number of Canadians at the bar.They&rsquo;ve come to drink cheap American draft, lined three-deep at the rail and shouting orders at the bartender. Usually, this same crew spends its Friday nights shouting, lately anyway, in anger at the Greyhounds, the Ontario League team. But the &rsquo;Hounds are out of town and the Canadians have paid the $ 1.50 toll (each way) to trek across the bridge to see the Lakers open their Central Collegiate Hockey Association season against the Michigan State Spartans.&ldquo;This is the best hockey around,&rdquo; says a Canadian. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather see the Lakers play than the Greyhounds. The games are faster and there&rsquo;s no fighting.&ldquo;Plus, the beer and food is cheaper on this side of the river and the fans make more noise at the games than they do at home. It&rsquo;s more of a party here.&rdquo;On the face of it, Lake Superior vs. Michigan State looks like a David-and-Goliath confrontation.MSU, located in East Lansing, Mich., has a student population of 42,096&mdash;roughly 14 times the size of LSSU. The Michigan State campus has been around since 1855, the hockey program since 1921. The Spartans are a perennial college hockey power (112-40-6 with three first-place finishes in CCHA play over the last five seasons and two NCAA titles, to boot). They play out of the 6,255-seat Munn Ice Arena and are regarded by many as having the premier program in all of U.S. college hockey.LSSU, on the other hand, has been an independent school since only 1970, when it broke away after 24 years as a satellite campus of Michigan Tech. The Lakers play out of a nice facility&mdash;the 3,200 seat Norris Center and although they struggled early in their days of being an independent, they&rsquo;ve recorded a more-than-respectable 91-57-9 record over the past five seasons.Neither school will reveal its hockey budget, but one suspects MSU has far greater resources available to it than its neighbour to the north. How does LSSU compete, especially at recruitment time?"We don't," says stoic Laker coach Frank Anzalone, who handles recruitment with his assistants, Jeff Jackson and Jim Roque. "It's a foregone conclusion that the top 15 players are going to go to the big schools like Michigan State, Michigan, Bowling Green and the top ECAC, WCHA and Hockey East schools. What we try and do is get the best of the rest. We sell them on me as a coach, the smallness of our school and its small classrooms and the fact that since I've been here (his first full season was I 983-84) every player that's played the full four years has graduated."Plus, we've had players drafted by the NHL every year I've been here and all the graduates who didn't get drafted played at least one season of hockey in Europe."Obviously, the "best of the rest" are still pretty good. Using a diamond-in-the-rough scouting philosophy, Anzalone and his crew have brought in their share of all-Americans, including last year's top college scorer, Mark Vermette, now with the Quebec Nordiques.Which is why MSU's coach, Ron Mason&mdash;who, ironically enough, began his college coaching career at Lake Superior and went 129-47-8 from 1966-67 through 1972-73&mdash;doesn't go for the David-and-Goliath stuff."I don't buy that," he says. "You can't compare schools. Sure, we've got more students, but we also have more ports. You're comparing hockey programs here."Frank likes to use the David-vs.-Goliath thing to motivate his players, but it's bull. Basically. we've got a good hockey program and so does LSSU. Don't let Frank kid you about this David-Goliath bull.''But it sells tickets. The Spartans arc always a big draw in these parts.It's 7:38 p.m. at Norris Center. The game is a few minutes late starting to allow PASS-TV to present its CCHA game-of-the-week pre-game show. It's the first time the network has ever appeared at a Laker home regular-season game.The overflow crowd of 3,511 is impatient, waiting for PASS to dispense with ceremony and get on with the game, which usually starts at 7:30. The Lake Superior band whips the crowd into a frenzy as the Lakers skate on to the ice amid a mighty roar.The action is fat, the game hard-hitting and emotional. Michigan State scores first. But the foghorn which accompanies each Laker goal sounds for the first time when Jeff Napierala ties it for Lake Superior midway through the period.Anthony Palumbo gives the Lakers a 2-1 lead with five minutes left in the opening frame and the home side rolls on to a 5-2 victory. It has taken just two hours and twenty minutes for MSU to lose its first opening night game since 1980.The crowd goes wild, the Laker players throw their hands in the air and congratulate one another.But Anzalone doesn't look impressed. There is no smile on his face. But then again, word is the 33-year-old Brooklyn, N. Y., native didn't smile for the cameras when he and the Lakers were White House guests of President Ronald Reagan. The Lakers earned the Oval Office invitation May 5 following their stunning 4-3 overtime win over St. Lawrence on April 2. That win, at Lake Placid, N.Y., gave the Lakers the NCAA title.It's 10:30 p.m. at the Palace Saloon, where a packed house watches the post-game show."Gimme a Corona," calls the patron. The Mexican import sells for $1.50 a bottle but the fan says he's treating himself for the Laker win.&ldquo;But you know, no matter what happens this year&hellip; or any other year &hellip; no one here will ever forget last April," he adds. "I watched the game on PASS and I'll never forget the (winning) goal by Vermette. I've got it on tape at home. I've watched it maybe 100 times. My son i &middot; only five, but he's watched it with me 50 times."Friends who didn't tape the game still come by the house to watch Vermette' goal. It made the rest of America stand up and take note of Sault Ste. Marie."The next night is not as kind to the Lakers. The Spartans silence the crowd, rolling to a 6-1 win and looking very much like the Goliath they are supposed to be. When the game ends, there is little noise on the Laker side.Anzalone is in a rage. He bars the media from the Laker dressing room for a half-hour after the game and refuses a photo request.After their opening-series split with MSU, the Lakers head for Miami of Ohio for two games, to return home the following week for a pair against Michigan.Things will be a little quieter until then. But you can bet on at least one scenario when the Lakers return to the Norris Center ice on Oct. 28-the beer will be flowing at the Palace Saloon and the talk will be of David. &#9632;

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LOVE THOSE LAKERS!

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01573/5496690-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01578/5496683-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="3010" height="1633"></div> &#9632;

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NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

John Kavanaugh is an eight-year-old who plays several positions for the Indianapolis Mite Racers of the Indianapolis Youth Hockey Association.John will be playing all positions, in addition to serving as the backup goalie for the Racers this season. Last season, John played in the A mite league with eight- and nine-year-olds and won all four games he started in goal. He also posted a shutout.This is his fourth season in organized hockey. As a six-year-old, he tied for the B mite scoring lead, playing against seven-year-olds. With the A mites, he helped the team to a regular-season and playoff championship.The 4-foot-2, 72-pound Kavanaugh has no preferred position, although he was chosen as the most improved goalie at the University of Miami-Ohio goaltender camp.A grade three student at Skiles Test school, John's favorite players are Boston Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque and Bruin goalie Reggie Lemelin. Not surprisingly, the Bruins are his favorite 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/f0038-02452/5496721-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="528" height="1275"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Kavanaugh</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0038-02

PLAYER OF WFFK JOFA TITAN

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01546/5496752-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

SCOREBOARD

1. Which two current Toronto Maple Leaf properties were traded to the New York Rangers by Detroit on June 14, 1983?2. Who holds the Maple Leaf record for most consecutive games played, 486?3. Which Maple Leaf is known as 'Skis' to his teammates?4. Which current International League coach was drafted by the Leafs in 1966 and later played in the WHA5. Who set the Toronto single-season record for points by a defenseman, totalling 79 in 1976-77?6. Who former Maple Leaf stalwart holds the Toronto club record of 11 20-goal seasons?7. Which Maple Leaf played for Acadia of the Atlantic Universities' Athletic Association?8. Where does veteran Maple Leaf defenseman Borje Salming rank on the Maple Leafs' all-time scoring list?9. Who ranks ahead of Salming on the scoring list?10. Who played his first game as a Maple Leaf in 1957 and his last in 1980? He was bald and wore a helmet during his last season.ANSWERS: 1. Mike Blaisdell and Mark Osborne. 2. Tim Horton. 3. Al lafrate. 4. Rick Ley. 5. lan Turnbull. 6. Ron Ellis. 7. Chris Kotsopoulos. 8. Third (748 points going into this season). 9. Darryl Sittler (916 points) and Dave Keon (858 points). 10. Carl Brewer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02380/5496783-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="609" height="835"></div>BONUS QUESTION: His beard was once air-brushed out of a Maple Leaf team photo.BONUS ANSWER: Gord McRae. &#9632;

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TRIVIA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01185/5496859-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0044-01

BAUER COLLEGE SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01157/5496897-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="518" height="627"></div>Everybody agrees: The reason right winger Jiri Hrdina is off to such a good start this season is because he spent two months of last season with the Calgary Flames.The Flames negotiated the unprecedented deal&mdash;enabling Hrdina to move into their lineup following the 1988 Olympics&mdash;with Sparta Praha, his club team in Czechoslovakia.The price was 25 sets of hockey equipment. That was Sparta Praha&rsquo;s compensation for playing without Hrdina in the final month of the season.&ldquo;Asa club team, they have difficulty getting the hard currency necessary to buy the equipment from the Western world,&rdquo; explained Flames&rsquo; general manager Cliff Fletcher.To date, the time and effort he put into acquiring the NHL&rsquo;s oldest rookie appears to be paying off for Fletcher.In the pre-season analyses, the 30-year-old Hrdina was largely overlooked. Much of the focus was on Calgary&rsquo;s acquisition of Doug Gilmour and Mark Hunter from St. Louis Blues. Or Jamie Macoun&rsquo;s return following a year on the sidelines.In the early going, however, the Prague native was keying the offense (6-5-6-11) on the league&rsquo;s highest-scoring team (33 goals in its first six games). The Flames put him on a line with Hakan Loob and Jim (&ldquo;just us Europeans&rdquo;) Peplinski and watched them go.Hrdina and Loob first crossed paths in the 1987 World Championships when Loob scored three times&mdash;including the winner with under a minute remaining&mdash;to give Sweden a 3-3 tie with Czechoslovakia. Ultimately, that result allowed the Swedes to win the gold and forced the Czechs to settle for the bronze.&ldquo;I wanted to play with Loob,&rdquo; said Hrdina. &ldquo;It has been great for me. I have always played with very good technical players. Hakan is very smart and Jim is so strong, he helps us in the corners.&rdquo;The decision to pursue Hrdina represents a good example of the way Fletcher runs a hockey team. In 1969, he first met Vladimir Kostka, who eventually ended up as the administrator of Prago Sport, the Czech company in charge of exporting athletes in exchange for hard currency.Fletcher remained friends with Kostka and Ludek Bukac, the former national coach, through two decades. In 1984, sensing a change in the way Czechoslovakia was to do business, the Flames used four of their draft choices on Czechoslovak players. Hrdina was selected in the eighth round, 159th overall.&ldquo;That year, for the first time, we felt there was a legitimate chance to get players out of there at a younger age,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;In talking to the people in their federation that we were close to, they realized they had a problem: Losing players through defection. They were looking to come up with an incentive to keep their players at home by making them available through legitimate channels at an early age and making more of them available.&rdquo;Fletcher made some discreet inquiries through 1985 and then started serious negotiations a year later.&ldquo;They told us straight out that he would be available to us for the 1988-89 season. As we got into 1987, we were able to strike the arrangement that would allow him to remain here after the Olympics ended. That was a major concession on their part.&rdquo;And a major break for the Flames. See, the Flames didn&rsquo;t just draft Hrdina on the strength of his impressive numbers. They also chose him, in part, because of his personality.The lesson of Petr Klima may well be that it isn&rsquo;t enough just to set up a player and his family with a house and an interpreter.&ldquo;You can do all the setting up in the world, but a lot depends upon the individual,&rdquo; said Fletcher. &ldquo;We thought he would assimilate more than most players would into our city and team. There was always the question of how he could perform on the ice, but we felt his chances of adjusting to the lifestyle and the different hockey would be better than most players from the Eastern bloc.&ldquo;He is energetic and entrepreneurial. He thinks in a fashion that&rsquo;s more comparable to someone in the Western world.&rdquo;Can Hrdina become the first European since Quebec&rsquo;s Peter Stastny to win the Calder Trophy? Clearly, it is too early to tell. The grind of an 80-game schedule could take its toll by March.Still&hellip;&ldquo;I would like to score 30 goals,&rdquo; said Hrdina. &ldquo;I think I can do it. For a rookie, that&rsquo;s not so bad, is it?&rdquo;No, not bad at all<h2>ODDSMAKER</h2>What are the odds of the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup?According to Las Vegas oddsmakers. the Leafs have one chance in 60 of going all the way this season. But Vegas isn&rsquo;t renowned for its generosity&mdash;or hockey knowledge. Last season, one oddsmaker had the audacity to offer Toronto at 2-to-1 to win the Cup after the Leafs went on one of their rare winning streaks. Outspoken TV analyst Don Cherry makes the Leafs 500-to-l shots, but says he still wouldn&rsquo;t bet them at those odds.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02104/5496890-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="493" height="443"></div> &#9632;

f0045-01

EQUIPMENT SWAP PAYING OFF

<h2>DEVILS</h2>After the Devils&rsquo; 2-4 start, coach Jim Schoenfeld broke up the team&rsquo;s No. 1 line of center Kirk Muller, left winger Aaron Broten and right winger Pat Verbeek. Muller centered a line with Brendan Shanahan and John MacLean, while Broten and Verbeek skated with Mark Johnson. However, Schoenfeld&rsquo;s most intriguing experiment was playing defenseman Craig Wolanin at right wing in two straight games. Aside from a short-lived assignment to stand in front of the net on a power play during last spring&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoff series against the Islanders, Wolanin has not played forward at any level in more than 15 years.&ldquo;When I was five years old I played center,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t win any games, but I led the team with five goals. 1 need one of those &lsquo;You Are Here&rsquo; maps. That&rsquo;s a different experience out there. You&rsquo;ve got to think when you play forward. After years of playing defense, it&rsquo;s drilled into your head. All of a sudden you&rsquo;re thrown into a different position and you don&rsquo;t know if you should be the first man in.&rdquo; Although Schoenfeld called the move positive in helping a struggling Wolanin relax, it also raised the question of whether the Devils were giving up on the 1985 first-round draft choice (third overall) as a defenseman. &ldquo;Obviously, that&rsquo;s entered my head,&rdquo; said Wolanin. &ldquo;I hope that&rsquo;s not the case and I don&rsquo;t think it is the case.&rdquo;<h2>RANGERS</h2>Ranger coach Michel Bergeron was generally unhappy about the trade rumors which follow his team everywhere and, specifically, upset with THN columnist/SportsChannel broadcaster Stan Fischler. &ldquo;Only one guy is starting all these rumors and he is working for SportsChannel,&rdquo; Bergeron charged. How come he never says a word, never has a trade rumor about the Islanders or New Jersey? It is because he works for them.&rdquo; Fischler hosts Devil and Islander broadcasts&hellip;Hall-of-Famer Guy Lafleur still has a lot of zip in those 37-year-old hands. He drilled a sinking 65-footer past Clint Malar-chuk in Washington Oct. 21&hellip;Lafleur, Brian Lawton and Brian Mullen seemed to display almost instant chemistry when they were put together as a line&hellip;In his first game against his former team, the Quebec Nordiques, Ranger defenseman Normand Rochefort collected a career-high three assists.<h2>CAPITALS</h2>Grant Ledyard was cut in the mouth by the stick of the Rangers&rsquo; Jan Erixon Oct. 21, but Erixon escaped the newly mandated major and game misconduct because referee Kerry Fraser and his linesmen did not see the foul&hellip;Murray and assistant coach Doug MacLean did not have to endure a post-mortem of their 3-2 afternoon loss to Winnipeg Oct. 23. On the flight to Vancouver that night, a professional psychic was seated between them and he provided each with a lengthy free analysis.<h2>PENGUINS</h2>Center Mario Lemieux had 21 points in his first four home games, but was held to five in his first three on the road&hellip;Rookie goalie Richard Tabaracci&rsquo;s first NHL start, Oct. 21 in New Jersey, was memorable, although hardly pleasant. Tabaracci lasted 33:05 before being replaced by Wendell Young. In that span, Tabaracci was beaten on his first NHL save attempt, flattened by a hit from Devil right winger Pat Verbeek, and had two teammates, Paul Coffey and Steve Dykstra, put pucks behind him in a 45-second span&hellip;The Penguins attracted capacity crowds of 16,025 to their first four home games. The Penguins won all of four and scored an average of seven goals.<h2>FLYERS</h2>Flyer owner Ed Snider has expressed some casual interest in buying the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Even if he doesn&rsquo;t purchase them, it&rsquo;s possible the Spectacor Management Group (SMG) might manage Texas Stadium-&hellip;Brian Propp scored his 329th career goal Oct. 23 in a 5-4 loss to Calgary, moving him into third place on the Flyers all-time list ahead of Rick MacLeish (328). He is still behind Bill Barber (420) and Bobby Clarke (384)&hellip; After watching Mario Lemieux light up the Flyers for three goals, captain Dave Poulin came up with this assesment: &ldquo;Mario is the closest thing in the NHL to Orel Hershiser in baseball.&rdquo; &hellip;An early candidate for the Lady Byng Trophy? Believe it or not, Flyer tough guy Dave Brown did not have a fight in the first eight games&hellip; The Flyers, who led the NHL in road attendance last season, played in front of seven sellouts in their first eight games. Each of their first four home games were sellouts, and they also sold out in L.A., Pittsburgh and New Jersey. The only non-sellout was a woeful crowd of just more than 6,000 in Minnesota.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>Seven of the Isles&rsquo; first eight games were against Canadian-based clubs-&hellip;Barring injury or other unforeseen circumstance, center Bryan Trottier was set to become the 64th player in NHL history to play 1,000 games, at Philadephia on Oct. 27&hellip;Coach Terry Simpson was experimenting with right winger Mikko Makela on left wing, with Trottier and Brad Dalgarno. &ldquo;I prefer right if it&rsquo;s up to me, but it doesn&rsquo;t matter too much,&rdquo; Makela said. &#9632;

WOLANIN NEEDS A MAP UP FRONT

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div>It came after two minutes and 21 seconds of sudden-death overtime on the final night of the regular season and immediately became the most important goal in franchise history.But while the goal changed the course of a franchise by putting the New Jersey Devils into the playoffs for the first time, it did not change John MacLean&rsquo;s life. The television talk shows never called and, if Mac-Lean&rsquo;s face were ever going to be on the cover of any magazine, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and even teammate Sean Burke easily changed those plans.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s really changed me that much,&rdquo; the 23-year-oldright winger said of the goal he scored against Blackhawk goalie Darren Pang on April 3. &ldquo;I just happened to be there at the right time. Everyone played well. I was just the one who scored.&rdquo;The Chicago goal, along with his series-clinching playoff goal against the Capitals, may not have made Mac-Lean a celebrity&mdash;even in New Jersey&mdash;but it has made him a different player on the ice. Never a quick starter and often a notoriously slow starter, MacLean scored five goals in the Devils&rsquo; first eight games this season.Starting his sixth NHL season with overwhelming confidence, MacLean led all New Jersey scorers with 13 points. That was one-third of his point total for the entire 1987-88 regular season (39 points) and his eight assists were half of his final total last season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01158/5496952-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="550" height="1380"><figcaption class="caption-body">John MacLean has been hot since last season&rsquo;s final game.</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s a carry-over from his finish during the regular-season stretch drive (15 goals in the Devils&rsquo; final 30 games) and his success in the Stanley Cup playoffs (7-11-18 while sparking New Jersey&rsquo;s top playoff line of Mac-Lean-Patrik Sundstrom-Mark Johnson).&ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting the opportunity to play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I never got that until the end of last season. I got goals last year just by shooting, and I&rsquo;m shooting a lot this year. That&rsquo;s one of my strong assets. I gained confidence by scoring goals late last season.&rdquo;&ldquo;He certainly came into the season with a lot of confidence,&rdquo; said coach Jim Schoenfeld, who turned both MacLean&rsquo;s and Johnson&rsquo;s seasons around with increased ice time. &ldquo;He certainly has worked his tail off and that is what has carried him.&rdquo;Drafted sixth overall by New Jersey in the 1983 NHL entry draft, Mac-Lean&rsquo;s rookie season was a disaster. He scored just one goal in 23 games before being returned to Oshawa of the Ontario League.MacLean&rsquo;s goal totals increased steadily each season until he scored 31 two winters ago. Perched on the edge of stardom, his slump early last season paralleled ex-coach Doug Carpenter&rsquo;s downfall. He scored just eight goals in 46 games before the team&rsquo;s coaching change on Jan. 26.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy with my start this season,&rdquo; said MacLean, whose fifth goal earned a 3-3 tie in Detroit Oct. 23. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a matter of the coach showing confidence in me and letting me play the game.&rdquo;But he&rsquo;s not thinking about big numbers.&ldquo;I just want the team to do well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just as long as we get first place and make the playoffs I&rsquo;ll be happy. It would be kind of selfish for me to set goals for myself. If we win, my goals and assists will take care of themselves.&rdquo;Last season it was the other way around. When MacLean scored goals, the Devils won.&ldquo;It was nice to score the (overtime) goal, but that happened last year,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;I knew I couldn&rsquo;t live off last season&rsquo;s goals. Maybe when I retire I can look back and enjoy it. Right now I&rsquo;ve got to help the team. We want to get to the Stanley Cup finals this year. That&rsquo;s got to be what we&rsquo;re shooting for.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0046-01

MACLEAN RIDES WAVE OF MOMENTUM

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div>Had it happened on national TV, it would have been the play of the month. Had it happened during the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NHL would be hearing about it for years.But it happened Oct. 22, with 5:29 remaining in the New York Islanders&rsquo; 7-3 rout of the Quebec Nordiques.Introducing New York Islander right winger Randy Wood and the lonely breakaway:The puck slid to the side boards near the player benches, so Quebec left winger Jeff Jackson and Islander defenseman Dean Chynoweth grappled for it. When it came loose to Quebec center Paul Gillis, Islander left winger Derek King rammed him into the boards.Gillis objected. He shoved King. Chynoweth jumped in. So did Quebec defenseman Greg Smyth, who immediately targeted Chynoweth. Those two dropped their gloves and sticks.While linesman Wayne Bonney shielded Smyth and linesman Mark Pare handled Chynoweth, Islanders Tomas Jonsson and Pat LaFontaine skated over. So did Nordiques Tommy Albelin and Mark Vermette. Players pushed and shoved. It looked like the type of senseless scrum you&rsquo;ve seen countless times.This one was different, though. Referee Andy van Hellemond wasn&rsquo;t around. And neither was Wood, who picks up our amazing but true story&hellip;&ldquo;I was backchecking,&rdquo; Wood explained to a pack of notepads and microphones after the game. &ldquo;I picked up the puck in our zone and saw everybody pushing and shoving. I looked at the ref and said, &lsquo;Has the whistle blown?&rsquo; He shook his head no, so I took a couple of strides.&ldquo;Then I said, &lsquo;Are you sure?&rsquo; He shook his head again, so I kept going.&rdquo;LaFontaine was the only player alert enough to get into the Wood work. He jumped out of the pack&mdash;a startled Jackson tugged on LaFontaine&rsquo;s jersey as he escaped at Quebec&rsquo;s blue line&mdash;and trailed Wood&rsquo;s breakaway on Quebec goalie Mario Brunetta. With 13,420 fans gazing in disbelief, Brunetta stuck his left pad out to block Wood&rsquo;s backhander.&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t believe it was happening,&rdquo; Wood said.Van Hellemond didn&rsquo;t exactly echo Wood&rsquo;s description of their conversation.&ldquo;He never said anything to me,&rdquo; the veteran referee insisted. &ldquo;Not a word. I was skating with him and I was watching to find something to blow the whistle for. He said he asked me if the whistle blew? Ask him why he didn&rsquo;t score.&rdquo;Okay.&ldquo;I was laughing too hard,&rdquo; said Wood. &ldquo;I just lost my composure, I was so shocked by what happened. And 1 did ask him. And he did shake his head no.&rdquo;According to van Hellemond and supervisor John Ashley, a gathering of players and linesmen does not automatically necessitate a play stoppage. &#9632;

WOOD A LONELY GUY ON ODD PLAY

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 21: Dale Henry, LW, assigned to Springfield (AHL) for two-week conditioning program.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Pat LaFontaine, Bryan Trottier, Brent Sutter, Bob Bassen.LW&mdash;Derek King, Mikko Makela, Greg Gilbert, Brad Lauer.RW&mdash;Brad Dalgarno, Alan Kerr, Randy Wood, Mick Vukota.LD&mdash;Steve Konroyd, Jeff Norton, Richard Pilon.RD&mdash;Ken Morrow, Gerald Diduck, Tomas Jonsson, Dean Chynoweth.G&mdash;Kelly Hrudey, Billy Smith.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Patrick Flatley, RW, knee, Nov. 30.Raimo Helmlnen, C, irritated hip and buttocks, Nov. 1.David Volek, RW, separated right shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

N.Y. ISLES

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div>To understand where Randy Cunneyworth is and where he wants to go, one must first comprehend where he has been.And how badly he wants to never go back there, for it was a long, bumpy ride to the NHL.He spent five winters bussing around the backroads of the east, laboring for the greater glory of the Rochester Americans, before coming to Pittsburgh in a complicated deal.In essence, the Penguins received Cunneyworth and Ted Nolan, both left wingers, for doing Buffalo the favor of holding the Sabres' Mike Moller on the Pittsburgh roster long enough to keep him out of the 1985 waiver draft. Moller was later dealt to Edmonton for Pat Hughes, who was in turn passed back to Buffalo to complete the favor.Nolan&rsquo;s career was ended shortly thereafter by a back injury; Cunney worth&rsquo;s has continued to blossom.Still, it didn&rsquo;t matter this autumn that he scored a career-high 35 goals last year, more than any Penguin except Mario Lemieux and Dan Quinn.Cunneyworth went through the preseason without a goal, and that was enough to spawn a downpour of despair.&ldquo;Everyone is looking to impress the new (management) people who came in,&rdquo; the 27-year-old said, "and you&rsquo;re hoping to get your confidence ievel up to a point where you get off to a good start.&ldquo;And I certainly didn&rsquo;t achieve that.&rdquo;But he did save his achievements for when they counted.He had seven goals in the Penguins&rsquo; first seven games, tying Rob Brown for second on the team behind Lemieux (13).Striking as those numbers are&mdash;to say nothing of the ones he put up last year&mdash;Cunneyworth didn&rsquo;t need them to make an impression on Pittsburgh coach Gene Ubriaco.Ubriaco was well aware of Cunneyworth long before either of them escaped the American League.&ldquo;I've always believed in Cunneyworth," Ubriaco said. "We played Rochester in some tough games and he always showed up, played hard."I really, fully believe in the kid. Pound-for-pound. there aren't too many better in the league."Given that Cunneyworth weighs 190 pounds, that is no small compliment.But such compliments haven't gone to Cunneyworth&rsquo;s head. He continues to play the game with the fury of a wounded wolverine.&ldquo;I've got to impress every game. Cunneyworth said. "For me to be satisfied with my production and to satisfy the people who pay me&hellip;if I don't score points. I&rsquo;ve got to help out somehow.&ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t want to have any games where 1 have an empty feeling, where 1 didn't hit a guy or take a man out to make a play or be taken out to make a play."<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01132/5497055-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="541" height="807"><figcaption class="caption-body">Randy Cunneyworth had seven goals in his first seven games.</figcaption></div>It is unlikely that will happen any time soon. Ubriaco is reluctant to use Cunneyworth. an accomplished penalty-killer, in that role because of Cunneyworth&rsquo;s unwavering intensity."He plays so hard, I think you have to be careful about how much he gets out there." Ubriaco said.&ldquo;Because when he gets out there, he does more in one shift than some guys do in four.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0048-01

CUNNEYWORTH SCORES WHEN IT COUNTS

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 18: Perry Ganchar. RW, assigned to Muskegon (IHL)Oct. 22: Jock Callander, C, recalled from Muskegon.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Mario Lemieux, Dan Quinn. John Cullen, Jock Callander.LW&mdash;Bob Errey, Randy Cunneyworth, Troy Loney, Mark Kachowski.RW&mdash;Rob Brown, Dan Frawley, Phil Bourque.LD&mdash;Paul Coffey, Steve Dykstra, Jim Johnson.RD&mdash;Rod Buskas, Zarley Zalapski, Randy Hillier, Ville Siren.G&mdash;Steve Guenette, Richard Tabaracci.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Doug Bodger, D, stomach, day-to-day.Jay Caufield, RW, ankle, day-to-day.Dave Hannan, C, hip pointer, day-to-day.Wendell Young, G, ankle, day-to-day. &#9632;

PITTSBURGH

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div>Pick out the real Bengt Gustafsson from the following choices:Hockey Night In Canada gadfly Don Cherry: &ldquo;Can you believe a guy like Gustafsson getting paid $450,000 and he hasn't scored a goal?&rdquo;Washington coach Bryan Murray, asked to find something positive after a 3-2 defeat Oct. 23 in Winnipeg: &ldquo;Gus was limping before the game and he couldn&rsquo;t push off, but he played the whole game with a lot of heart.&rdquo;Washington winger Dave Christian: &ldquo;Gus handles the puck like a magician. He can fake out three guys while he&rsquo;s standing still and then give you a perfect pass with that nice soft touch of his.&rdquo;Washington broadcaster Ron Weber: &ldquo;I look at that guy playing with all those injuries and all I can think to say is that he&rsquo;s one tough Swede.&rdquo;It already has proven an eventful season for Gustafsson. Playing in seven of the Capitals&rsquo; first eight games, he compiled nine assists and a plus-three rating that stood out on a 2-6-0 team with some major minuses. He had also suffered a series of debilitating injuries.Rammed into the boards from behind by New Jersey&rsquo;s Claude Loiselle in a home game against the Devils, Oct. 15, Gustafsson suffered muscle spasms in his back. That forced him out of Washington&rsquo;s next game, which Gustafsson passed by manning the walkie-talkie behind the bench.The Capitals lost 5-1 to the New York Rangers and Gustafsson said, &ldquo;I like the job, but with my record I&rsquo;ve got a feeling I&rsquo;m going to be fired.&rdquo;He was right. Two nights later, although hardly fluid, he was back in action for a return match against the Rangers at the Capital Centre. It proved a memorable occasion. In the pre-game skate, a puck deflected off the stick of goalie Pete Peeters and struck Gustafsson on the upper lip.After six stitches closed the gash, Gustafsson started the game and in the first period took a shot on his ankle. He finished the game in considerable pain.&ldquo;That was a tough night,&rdquo; Gustafsson said. &ldquo;My ankle just kept swelling up, bigger and bigger. The next game (in Winnipeg) I could barely get my foot in the skate to begin with. I tried to lock the foot in it, but I couldn&rsquo;t stop and start; I was just cruising.&rdquo;The injuries occurred at the worst possible time, because the line of Gustafsson, Geoff Courtnall and Dave Christian was the Capitals&rsquo; best.Murray said, &ldquo;Until the injuries took a toll, I thought Gus was right back to where he was before he left for Sweden (after the 1985-86 season, when he went 23-52-75 in 70 games). That line was getting a lot of chances and giving up very little defensively.&rdquo;After a year with Bofors in Sweden's second division, Gustafsson returned to Washington in September, 1987, and struggled through a subpar regular season (78-18-36-54). However, he had 13 points (4-9) in 14 playoff contests, sharing team scoring honors with linemate Michal Pivonka (4-9). Christian, the other winger, had 11 (5-6). &#9632;

GUSTAFSSON WALKING, BUT HE’S WOUNDED

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 19: Rob Whistle, D, obtained from St. Louis for sixth-round 1989 draft pick. Whistle assigned to Baltimore (AHL).Oct. 21: Kent Carlson, D, and Shawn Cronin. D, recalled from Baltimore.Oct. 22: Shawn Cronin, D, assigned to Baltimore.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Bengt Gustafsson, Dale Hunter, Mike Ridley, Bob Gould.LW&mdash;Geoff Courtnall, Yvon Corriveau, Michal Pivonka, Peter Sundstrom.RW&mdash;Dave Christian, Mike Gartner. Steve Leach, Kelly Miller.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Rod Langway, Grant Ledyard.RD&mdash;Larry Murphy, Kevin Hatcher. Neil Sheehy, Kent Carlson.G&mdash;Pete Peeters, Clint Malarchuk.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Jim Thomson, RW, bruised shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

WASHINGTON

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div>In their first stretch of games under new coach Paul Holmgren, the team in orange and black certainly looked like Born-Again Philadelphia Flyers.But the biggest improvement from a year ago was the guy wearing No. 14, who looked like a Born-Again Sutter.&ldquo;Ron Sutter sure is playing more like a Sutter,&rdquo; said Holmgren.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;Sutter and five NHL-playing brothers represent a modern hockey legend. The six Viking, Alta., brothers are famous for their hustling, grinding, never-say-die style&mdash;characteristics lacking in Ron&rsquo;s game last year.Sutter, who scored only eight goals all of last season, scored his sixth goal of the Season during the Flyers&rsquo; 8-6 loss at Hartford Oct. 22, giving him at least one goal in four consecutive games. He led the team with 10 points.It took Sutter, 24, until early February to score just five goals in 1987-88.&ldquo;The way he&rsquo;s going,&rdquo; said Holmgren, &ldquo;it looks as if he&rsquo;s chasing Mario Lemieux.&rdquo;Not even Sutter&rsquo;s goal helped the Flyers, Oct. 18, when they watched Lemieux score a hat trick during a 5-2 loss in Pittsburgh.&ldquo;The biggest difference,&rdquo; Sutter said, &ldquo;is that I&rsquo;m playing on a line which can score some goals. I&rsquo;m with (Brian (Propp) and Ilkka (Sinisalo) or Brian (Dobbin). You play with guys like Propp, and the puck just goes toward the net. That&rsquo;s the big thing&mdash;you start thinking offense.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m playing any differently, it&rsquo;s just that the guys I&rsquo;m playing with are more offensive-minded.&rdquo;Last season, Sutter was benched once for allegedly not putting out enough effort, a charge which stabbed like a knife.But there were worse moments for Sutter under since-fired coach Mike Keenan. Especially when twin brother Rich was still with the team and, according to Ron, not being deal with fairly.Rich was traded to Vancouver in June, 1986. Ron did not play well after the trade.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve talked to Mike about it,&rdquo; said Ron Sutter, &ldquo;and I think he realizes he made some mistakes. The trade was part of the business. I understood that. It was what went on before that 1 didn&rsquo;t like.&ldquo;This season, it&rsquo;s like the whole team has a new attitude. It&rsquo;s a fresh start. I think we all feel that way. I know I do.&rdquo;Sutter had his scoring streak broken when the Calgary Flames came into the Spectrum Oct. 23 and defeated them 5-4 in overtime, giving the Flyers their first back-to-back losses of the season, and their first home loss.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all more relaxed,&rdquo; said Sutter. &ldquo;Paul isn&rsquo;t easy, not by any means. He&rsquo;ll scream just like Mike, but when you do something right, you hear about that, too.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the difference.&rdquo; &#9632;

REJUVENATED SUTTER TAKES CHARGE AGAIN

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>Oct. 23: Dave Fenvyes, D, recalled from Hershey (AHL).<h2>ROSTER</h2>G&mdash;Ron Hextall, Mark Laforest.LD&mdash;Kerry Huffman, Terry Carkner. Dave Fenyves.RD&mdash;Kjell Samuelsson, Gord Murphy, Jeff Chychrun.C&mdash;Murray Craven, Ron Sutter, Peter Zezel, Pelle Eklund.RW&mdash;Tim Kerr, Rick Tocchet, Dave Brown. Brian Dobbin, Ilkka Sinisalo. Doug Sulliman.LW&mdash;Brian Propp, Dave Poulin. Scott Mellanby, Derrick Smith, Magnus Roupe.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Mark Howe, D, bruised right foot, day-to-day.Jay Wells, D, bruised right shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

PHILADELPHIA

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01109/5497206-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"></div>The puck that dethroned Maurice (Rocket) Richard as king of NHL goal scorers was presented to Gordie Howe by Detroit Red Wing coach Sid Abel after Howe scored his 545th career goal in a game against Montreal in November of 1963. Red Wing goaltender Terry Sawchuk shared the moment. &#9632;

f0051-01

WAY WE WERE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0283/5497244-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. Former Maple Leaf blueliner pictured coached the WHA&rsquo;s Toronto Toros in 1975-76 (3,4).4. First name of the Isles&rsquo; second Smythe Trophy winner.7. Use up the playing time of a penalty.8. Delaying.10. The first player drafted by the Maple Leafs in 1987.12. Play poorly in a crucial situation.13. Nickname of Soviet team that toured the U.S. in 1978-79.14. This veteran referee hails from Sudbury, Ont. (4,6).18. He was with the Isles during their Cup-winning years.19. Nickname of the Rangers&rsquo; GM.20. First name of the Kansas City Scouts&rsquo; only captain.21. Home of the Amateur Hockey Association of the U.S., Colorado -------.<h2>DOWN:</h2>1. Trophy awarded the outstanding U.S. college player, Hobey -----. 2. He topped NHL scorers twice, in 1926-27 and 1932-33 (4,4).3. Famous.4. This Boston-born center appeared in 77 games for the Bruins last season (4,6).5. Cause to stumble.6. He was the first pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1978 amateur draft.9. He was the Canucks&rsquo; first-ever draft pick but was later dealt to Chicago (4,6).11. He was the first pick of the Maple Leafs in the 1977 amateur draft.12. Runs at an opponent.15. Oiler farmhand Jim -----, a defenseman who played at Boston University.16. Nickname of Washington&rsquo;s short-lived AHL entry.17. Stuff.<h2>CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02408/5497237-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="606" height="607"></div> &#9632;

f0051-02

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div>Sounding a little like a French version of pop singer Bobby McFerrin, New York Ranger coach Michel Bergeron sang a happy tune Oct. 23, following an 8-2 Ranger rout over his former team, Quebec Nordiques.&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry, be happy,&rdquo; Bergeron chirped. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing well, we&rsquo;re not worrying any more and we&rsquo;re in first place (in the Patrick Division).&rdquo;He thought for a second and added, &ldquo;&hellip;but who knows in two weeks in this division?&rdquo;After a 1-2-1 start, four straight Ranger victories put Bergeron in such a good mood, he declared: &ldquo;I love my players&hellip;all my players.&rdquo;Although &lsquo;Bergeron&rsquo;s Buddies&rsquo; are one of only two teams in the NHL (Hartford is the other) without a returning 35-goal scorer, the Rangers outscored their opponents 20-6 during the four-game streak.The winning streak began with a 3-2 victory Oct. 16 over Vancouver and was followed with a 5-1 win over Washington Oct. 19, a 4-1 win over the Capitals Oct. 22 and the Quebec rout.&ldquo;We stick with the game plan, everybody believes in the game plan and everybody&mdash;whether itis Guy Lafleur or Rudy Poeschek&mdash;plays the same way because it is easier for everybody that way,&rdquo; said Bergeron.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m playing everybody: four lines and six defensemen and everybody is working hard,&rdquo; Bergeron said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing well because we&rsquo;ve had discipline and we&rsquo;ve had patience.&rdquo;One of the most encouraging aspects of the streak was that it was accomplished without injured center Kelly Kisio&mdash;out for three games&mdash;and defenseman James Patrick, out for two.Bergeron&rsquo;s considerable input into the trade with Quebec for defenseman Normand Rochefort was partly based on a desire to emphasize defense, discipline and consistency. After eight games, he was pleased with the early returns on those aspects.&ldquo;This was a big week and this was a big win,&rdquo; Bergeron said, &ldquo;and not only because we played the Nordiques. It is (big) because we played two emotional games against Washington&hellip;and Quebec had lost two in a row, so I knew they&rsquo;d be ready for us.&rdquo;During the second half of last season, much of the Rangers&rsquo; success was due to the solid contribution of a checking line made up of left winger Jan Erixon, center Lucien DeBlois and right winger Don Maloney and, after three games, Bergeron reunited it.&ldquo;The way those three work,&rdquo; Bergeron said, &ldquo;is a great example for everybody on this team.&rdquo;Ranger goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, who stopped 85 of 90 shots in winning the first Washington game, defeating Vancouver and Quebec, said a strong checking line not only takes away another team&rsquo;s strength but dominates part of the game.&ldquo;Against Quebec, for instance, keeping (Peter) Stastny&rsquo;s line off the board is worth two goals by itself,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &#9632;

BERGERON DELIGHTED WITH TURNAROUND

<h2>TRANSACTIONS</h2>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C&mdash;Lucien DeBlois, Darren Turcotte, Brian Lawton, Marcel Dionne.LW&mdash;Ulf Dahlen, Jan Erixon, Brian Mullen, John Ogrodnick, Don Maloney.RW&mdash;Tomas Sandstrom, Chris Nilan, Guy Lafleur, Tony Granato, Rudy Poeschek, Igor Liba.LD&mdash;Normand Rochefort, Brian Leetch, Ron Greschner, Norm Maciver.RD&mdash;James Patrick, Michel Petit, David Shaw.G&mdash;John Vanbiesbrouck, Bob Froese.<h2>INJURIES</h2>Paul Cyr, LW, surgery on right knee, out for season.Kelly Kisio, C, fractured left hand, Dec. 1. &#9632;

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November 4, 1988

NEW JERSEY

NHL SUMMARIES

ROBINSON TAKES ARUN AT AGENTS

GREAT ONE’S RETURN DOESN’T PROVIDE CROWNING GLORY