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.

April 7, 1989

The Hockey News April 7, 1989

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div>Glen Sather feels Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s timing is impeccable. So much so, in fact, he smelled a rat in his former ally.&ldquo;What&rsquo;s he saying all this crap for now?&rdquo; scowled the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; general manager-coach, after listening to critical statements made by his former meal ticket in a taped television interview in Los Angeles.&ldquo;Is he getting ready for the playoffs?&rdquo;Gretzky was a guest on the CBS show One on One, with Jim Lampley. The show aired March 25. (See Digest on page 8.)Among other allegations, Gretzky revealed the Oilers attempted to trade him last spring.&ldquo;I knew things were going on,&rdquo; he told Lampley. &ldquo;I have a lot of friends in the NHL that either work in (other) organizations or play in organizations. I knew that during the Stanley Cup semi-finals the Oilers were negotiating with Detroit.&ldquo;I was in a situation where I could either go back and play for a team that was trying to trade me all year. Or, I could say it&rsquo;s time to move on. I chose the latter. I thank the Oilers every day I get up. I just love it in L.A.&rdquo;Gretzky also said intimidation is a big part of the Oilers&rsquo; organization. &ldquo;Every guy who&rsquo;s ever been traded has had something bad to say about the Oilers,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The Oilers have had the last say. Mr. (Peter) Pocklington and Mr. Sather, they dominate the press in that city. You&rsquo;renot going to win a war of words. Both of them had taken shots at me after I left that town.&rdquo;Gretzky&rsquo;s remarks left Sather upset at a time when he was burdened with problems. The Oilers had won just twice in their last 10 games (2-6-2) and had all but blown second place in the Smythe Division to Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.To further complicate matters, with second place on the line, the Kings won the last three meetings between the two teams.&ldquo;If we would have won those last three games with L.A., I&rsquo;m sure it would be a different situation,&rdquo; said Sather. &ldquo;Our players have lost confidence in themselves&hellip;but you can&rsquo;t get down.&rdquo;Sather admitted the Oilers have been a difficult team to coach all year, as repercussions from the Aug. 9 blockbuster deal that sent Gretzky to L.A. continue to be felt.&ldquo;I imagine that&rsquo;s part of it and why this whole thing is becoming so aware now,&rdquo; said Sather, nevertheless perplexed by the recent performances of players such as Jimmy Carson, Craig Simpson and primarily Glenn Anderson. &ldquo;The players who are having problems should get stronger from this (losing to L.A.). They should be even more determined.&rdquo;&ldquo;Look at Mark (Messier) and Grant (Fuhr), how hard they play,&rdquo; he added. Both performed beyond the call of duty during the Oilers 4-2 loss in L.A. March 25.&ldquo;When the trade happened, I knew the effect it would have on our hockey club,&rdquo; said Sather. &ldquo;But players have got to make changes, they&rsquo;ve got to compensate, not just a few of them.&ldquo;How many points did we wind up with last year?&rdquo;Ninety-nine, he was told.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s fitting,&rdquo; frowned Sather, in reference to Gretzky&rsquo;s famous jersey number.The maximum the Oilers could accumulate during this lengthy season of discontent would be 86. With two games left they had 82, two behind the Kings, who had two games in hand.<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jimmy Carson, Craig MacTavish, Mark Lamb, Kevin McClelland.LW&mdash;Mark Messier, Craig Simpson, Dave Hunter, Esa Tikkanen, Kelly Buchberger, John LeBlanc.RW&mdash;Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Normand Lacombe. Dave Brown.LD&mdash;Kevin Lowe, Charlie Huddy, Doug Halward.RD&mdash;Craig Muni, Randy Gregg, Jeff Beukeboom, Tomas Jonsson, Chris Joseph.G&mdash;Grant Fuhr, Bill Ranford.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Miroslav Frycer, LW. aggravated bruised tailbone, indefinite.Steve Smith, D. shoulder surgery, indefinite. &#9632;

THE NHL

SATHER UPSET BY GRETZKY’S OILER-BASHING

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div>Sherbrooke Canadiens&rsquo; rookie center Stephan Lebeau completed his conquest of the AHL record book March 23 when he earned two points against the Halifax Citadels.That raised his league-leading point total to 131&mdash;one more than former Baltimore center Paul Gardner&rsquo;s record of 130, set in 1984-85.Lebeau earned an assist on Jocelyn Lemieux&rsquo;s first-period goal and then scored himself against Mario Brunetta in the third period of a 7-7 draw.The record-setting goal, scored at 8:17, put Sherbrooke ahead 6-5. A win over the Citadels would have clinched first place for the Canadiens.&ldquo;Everything was there except the victory,&rdquo; Lebeau said. &ldquo;First place was more important than any record I could obtain. Winning a (Calder Cup) championship will be an exciting way to finish this year. It was good to have that point on a goal.&rdquo;The Canadiens eventually clinched first with a 6-2 win over Cape Breton the next night. In that game, Lebeau scored his 70th goal.With two games remaining in the regular season, Lebeau had 70 goals and 64 assists for 134 points. Gardner also set the previous record of 61 goals in a season. He did that in 1985-86 while with Rochester.<h2>HAWKS IN</h2>The Moncton Hawks joined Sherbrooke and Halifax by clinching a playoff spot with a 3-1 victory at Binghamton March 18.Defensemen Todd Flichel and Guy Gosselin each scored their second goals of the season in the game, and center Luciano Borsato scored the winner, his first goal in two games since returning from Finland.Borsato, a seventh-round pick by Winnipeg in the 1984 entry draft, had 31 goals and 36 assists in 44 games for Tappara of the Finnish Elite Division.Goalie Daniel Berthiaume, the game&rsquo;s first star, made 34 saves. It was Berthiaume&rsquo;s first victory since he left Moncton in January. He was 0-8-0 in Winnipeg and struggled when he returned to Moncton in late February. Berthiaume played another solid game three nights later, turning aside 41 shots in a 5-5 tie at New-market.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02439/5801427-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="724" height="636"><figcaption class="caption-body">Daniel Berthiaume earned his first victory since January.</figcaption></div>The Hawks followed the tie with a 5-2 loss in Rochester March 22 and 6-4 loss in Utica March 24 to finish the season 17-17-6 on the road. Last season, Moncton set a league record for most road losses (34) in a season.<h2>NIGHTHAWKS STALL</h2>Two months into the season it didn&rsquo;t seem the New Haven Nighthawks would have to worry about securing a playoff spot.They won 17 of their first 27 games and were challenging for first place. But not until their 76th game of the season&mdash;a 6-4 win over Maine March 26&mdash;did the Nighthawks clinch a playoff berth. The victory improved New Haven&rsquo;s fourth-place record to 35-32-10,12 points ahead of Maine.The Nighthawks have been hurt by call-ups to the Los Angeles Kings (left winger Phil Sykes, defenseman Jim Wiemer, centers Sylvain Couturier, Hubie McDonough and right winger Gord Walker) and trades (goalie Mark Fitzpatrick anddefenseman Denis Larocque).<h2>TRIBE ADDS THREE</h2>The Springfield Indians added three New York Islander draft picks from their junior teams: Left wingers Dean Ewen (Spokane) and Wayne Doucet (Kingston), and goalie Dan Lorenz (Seattle)&hellip;The Maine Mariners signed college free agents Graeme Townshend of RPI and Alan Tigert of Cornell. &#9632;

f0027-02

IN THIS ISSUE

LEBEAU BREAKSAHL SCORING MARK

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>At a time when the Calgary Flames wanted to set their lineup for the playoffs, a series of injuries and suspensions forced them to dip into the International League for players.One brawl-filled game against the Los Angeles Kings, a 4-2 victory March 23, resulted in suspensions to three players: Joel Otto received three games for abusing linesman Ron Finn; Tim Hunter received two games for accumulating four game misconducts; and Gary Roberts received one game for getting his third game misconduct. Add in a three-game sentence to Mark Hunter for an unpenalized slash against New York Ranger Michel Petit in a March 13 game and the Flames had four regulars in the press box for a March 24 game at Winnipeg. They lost 4-3.Three regular defensemen&mdash;Gary Suter, Brad McCrimmon and Dana Murzyn&mdash;were all out until the final weekend of the season. But the Flames expected to open the playoffs with everybody on the roster available.How ready they&rsquo;d be was another question.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing that concerns me,&rdquo; said Crisp. &ldquo;This is the time of year you want to get everything together.&rdquo;Part of Crisp&rsquo;s concern stemmed from Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s slow progress in recovering from an abscessed jaw. Gilmour, one of the lightest players on the team, missed six games with the problem. He spent five nights in hospital, four of them on intravenous, and dropped 10 pounds below his playing weight of 165. He returned March 21 in a 4-1 Flames&rsquo; win at home over the New York Islanders. He went pointless in that game, had a goal and assist in the win over Los Angeles, and was shut out against Winnipeg though he and linemates Joey Mullen and Colin Patterson were consistent threats.&ldquo;Game by game I&rsquo;m coming around,&rdquo; said Gilmour. &ldquo;When I first got out of the hospital. I didn&rsquo;t do too much because I didn&rsquo;t feel too good. When I did have a chance to skate, it was just Gary (Roberts) and I and there&rsquo;s not much you can do when you&rsquo;re out there by yourself. We did a lot of off-ice training, but I really only skated three times before I played.&rdquo;&ldquo;The way things are going now, I&rsquo;m getting my wind back,&rdquo; said Gilmour, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m glad to be in the lineup because it&rsquo;s preparing me for the playoffs.&rdquo;Practice, Gilmour found, was no substitute for game action.&ldquo;Even though you want to go and you know what&rsquo;s coming up, it&rsquo;s hard to push yourself when you&rsquo;re by yourself. You are your own worst enemy,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;My biggest thing was to get back in the lineup as quick as possible to get my timing down for the playoffs. Right now though, I have to keep on working to get it all back together.&rdquo;<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 20: Mark Hunter, RW, suspended three games by NHL for stick infraction, returned March 26; Ken Sabourin, D, recalled from Salt Lake (IHL).March 24: Joel Otto, C, suspended three games for abuse of official, eligible to return March 31. Tim Hunter, RW, suspended two games for incurring fourth game misconduct of season, returned March 27. Gary Roberts, LW, suspended one game for incurring third game misconduct of season, returned March 26. Paul Ranheim, LW, Rich Chernomaz, RW, recalled from Salt Lake.March 25:Ranheim and Chernomaz assigned to Salt Lake.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Jiri Hrdina, Theoren Fleury.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, Colin Patterson. Jim Peplinski, Brian MacLellan.RW&mdash;Joey Mullen, Hakan Loob, Tim Hunter, Lanny McDonald, Mark Hunter.LD&mdash;Jamie Macoun. Brian Glynn, Ken Sabourin.RD&mdash;Al Maclnnis, Rob Ramage, Ric Nattress.G&mdash;Mike Vernon, Rick Wamsley.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Brad McCrimmon, D, hairline ankle fracture, day-to-day.Dana Murzyn, D. strained knee, day-to-day.Gary Suter, D, appendectomy. March 31. &#9632;

TRYING TO SET LINEUPEASIER SAID THAN DONE

<h2>NHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06209/5802130-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="574" height="978"></div><h2>TEAM CANADA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07193/5802123-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="594" height="612"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08182/5802116-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="598" height="1398"></div><h2>INTERNATIONAL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-09168/5802109-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="540" height="254"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-10163/5802102-1-eng-US/f0034-102.jpg" title="f0034-10" width="580" height="1726"></div><h2>PRAVDA CUP</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-11153/5802095-1-eng-US/f0034-112.jpg" title="f0034-11" width="586" height="794"></div><h2>AHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-12149/5802088-1-eng-US/f0034-122.jpg" title="f0034-12" width="600" height="790"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-13136/5802081-1-eng-US/f0034-132.jpg" title="f0034-13" width="592" height="1254"></div><h2>IHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-14130/5802074-1-eng-US/f0034-142.jpg" title="f0034-14" width="592" height="400"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01666/5802067-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="610" height="1556"></div><h2>CHL RANKINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02514/5802060-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="594" height="334"></div><h2>OHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03414/5802053-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="602" height="1502"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04330/5802046-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="618" height="1608"></div><h2>WHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05272/5802039-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="616" height="1884"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06245/5802032-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="608" height="600"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07227/5802025-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="564" height="1449"><figcaption class="caption-body">Troy Mick had four goals in three Portland playoff games.</figcaption></div><h2>QMJHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08204/5802018-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="616" height="1316"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09190/5802011-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="608" height="674"></div><h2>NCAA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10168/5802004-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="600" height="1244"></div><h2>ECHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11152/5801997-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="608" height="246"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12136/5801990-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="610" height="980"></div><h2>USHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13122/5801983-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="608" height="1288"></div> &#9632;

f0034-06

DEPARTMENTS

SCOREBOARD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011289/5800377-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="565" height="703"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dino Ciccarelli</figcaption></div>In the April 14 issue of The Hockey News, we will continue our Playoff Preview with the annual ranking of contenders and pretenders.Suffice to say we are looking for redemption after last year&rsquo;s fiasco &mdash; &lsquo;Trust Us, Pick The Flames&rsquo;.Although Calgary and Montreal are undoubtedly the co-favorites to get to the Stanley Cup final this year, there are other considerations. Such as Dino Ciccarelli&rsquo;s Washington Capitals, Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s Los Angeles Kings and let&rsquo;s not forget Mark Messier&rsquo;s Edmonton Oilers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021052/5800370-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="568" height="705"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Messier</figcaption></div>We&rsquo;ll also have a complete package of final regular-season statistics, plus a look at the 1989 World Championships in Stockholm.Our Reader Poll &rsquo;89, which appears on page 9 of this issue, will be back, too. Let your voice be heard. &#9632;

f0002-01

NEXT ISSUE

In his March 17 column on Bob Probert, Barry Meisel lauded NHL president John Ziegler for his hard-line policy against drugs.Making Ziegler out to be some kind of a saint is unwarranted.What upsets me is that if the NHL had the same attitude towards problem drinking as it does towards drug use, Probert and others wouldn&rsquo;t hit rock bottom. That Probert has a serious drinking problem is no news to anyone. Why the laissez-faire attitude? Why didn&rsquo;t the NHL suspend him after previous drinking incidents?What Bob Probert did was stupid. Yes, he was given numerous chances and blew them all. But the fact he had so many chances to begin with makes it apparent he is not the only one at fault.Geoff Westby,Maple Ridge, B.C.<h2>NHL&rsquo;S CORRECT</h2>The NHL should be congratulated for its stand on drugs. I have never been a big fan of NHL president John Ziegler, but his handling of the Bob Probert case should set an example for all professional sports.Ed Forman,Oswego. III.<h2>BAN BOARD ADS</h2>The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders should be commended for not allowing advertising on the boards in their rinks.It may be very expensive to run a hockey team but it&rsquo;s also expensive for a fan to watch. Tickets, parking, refreshments, souvenirs and cable television fees must be paid for. It costs a lot, but fans go for it.After all that, once the puck is dropped, fans are subjected to an endless commercial. If you attend games, you can&rsquo;t change channels or turn the page. You can&rsquo;t shut it off.Board advertising doesn&rsquo;t &lsquo;cost&rsquo; anything directly, but does &lsquo;cost&rsquo; fans enjoyment of the game. Those garish decorations are distracting. They draw attention away from the players and the puck. So keep them off the boards.Annie Finn,Brooklyn. N. Y.<h2>POOR SCOUT</h2>Jay Greenbergs&rsquo;s March 10 column tried to evoke some sympathy for the hard life of hockey scouts, but these &lsquo;sages&rsquo; are overrated and overpaid. It just won&rsquo;t wash, Jay.The fact of the matter is that Jerry Melnyk, the Flyer head scout with whom Greenberg travelled, hasn&rsquo;t done a very good job of selecting talent of use to the Flyers.Melnyk can&rsquo;t blame it all on the crapshoot of the 18-year-old draft. The only impact player the Flyers drafted in the last 20 years was Bobby Clarke, whom Melnyk suggested Philadelphia take in the first round of the 1969 draft. The Flyers selected him in the second round, and Melnyk has been living off that ever since.The Flyers have been lucky with some late-round picks&mdash;Ron Hextall, Derrick Smith and Gord Murphy&mdash;but the track record of the scouting staff, led by Melnyk, speaks for itself. Among the picks are Mark Suzor (1976), Mike Stothers (1980), Glen Seabrooke (1985), Kerry Huffman (1986) and Darren Rumble (1987).Tom Carey.Bryn Athyn. Pa.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011447/5800432-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="565" height="949"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Seabrooke&mdash;not one of the Flyers&rsquo; better picks.</figcaption></div><h2>YEA, HAMILTON</h2>Stan Fischler&rsquo;s reasoning on why Hamilton should not get an NHL franchise (THN. March 3) was weak. Here&rsquo;s why.&#9632; Hamilton is too small: Maybe by NHL standards, but there are many cities within a short drive of Hamilton filled with fans who currently find it difficult to get to a game.&#9632; Too close to Buffalo: If Buffalo must go north of the border for fans, that city is the one that doesn&rsquo;t deserve a franchise.&#9632; Couldn&rsquo;t even support a junior team: Neither could Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton or Calgary. (Ed. Note: Hamilton gets another try at junior hockey next season as the transplanted Toronto Marlboros begin Ontario League play as the Hamilton Dukes).A team in Hamilton would lead to a surge of interest in the NHL in Ontario. The Toronto Maple Leafs would be forced to rise above mediocrity to maintain their share of the market. A Battle of Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton would rival the Battle of Alberta between Calgary and Edmonton. It would be the best thing that ever happened to the NHL.Brian Tanner.Waterloo, Ont.Make 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;

f0003-01

PROBERT NOT THE ONLY ONE TO BLAME

<div class="byline">BOB McKENZIE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021172/5800463-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="526" height="616"></div>Never let it be said yours truly is shortsighted. Here&rsquo;s one man&rsquo;s view of what&rsquo;s in store beyond the playoffs:&#9632; The New York Ranger organization isn&rsquo;t big enough for both general manager Phil Esposito and coach Michel Bergeron.Regardless of what the Blueshirts do in the playoffs, the struggle will eventually lay claim to one man.Bergeron&rsquo;s dislike of Esposito is not believed as great as Espo&rsquo;s animosity towards the coach who cost him a first-round pick. Bosom buddies, they&rsquo;re not.The only question is: Who will go?&#9632; The Pittsburgh Penguins will start next season with a new coach&mdash;for the third consecutive year.Sure, the Pens have finally made the playoffs under Gene Ubriaco, but shouldn&rsquo;t a team with Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey and Tom Barrasso play better than Pittsburgh did in 1988-89?Penguin players have privately questioned Ubriaco&rsquo;s credentials. General manager Tony Esposito has a choice. He can either move the coach or move the grumbling players. You figure it out.While on the subject of Pittsburgh, here&rsquo;s another prediction: Eddie Johnston, usurped as GM by Tony O a year ago, will eventually end up as boss of another NHL club. He&rsquo;s too good a hockey man to remain a No. 2 guy.&#9632; There is no immediate evidence to suggest it, but Glen Sather must be nearing the end as coach of the Edmonton Oilers. Either that or the NHL&rsquo;s longest-running active coach is preparing to dig in for all eternity.In light of The Trade and Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s pre-playoff verbal broadside, Sather&rsquo;s role as a motivator on that club must be taxed to the max. Who would blame him if he took his four Stanley Cup rings and concentrated on being president and general manager?On the other hand, the man appears to enjoy sneering down a challenge. Here&rsquo;s one vote that says he&rsquo;ll kick himself upstairs during the offseason.&#9632; Is it just me or will there be an NHL executive or two who might be concerned about his dealings with Los Angeles King owner Bruce McNall next season?When Gretzky ripped Sather and Oiler owner Peter Pocklington, The Great One revealed McNall allowed him to listen in on conversations concerning himself between the two owners.At the very least, McNall should in the future expect fellow executives to ask, &ldquo;Bruce, are we alone now?&rdquo;&#9632; The future of Maple Leaf Gardens appears even more bleak than that of the hockey club which calls it home.Toronto traditionalists are attempting to have it declared an historical landmark, which would prevent owner Harold Ballard from renovating it without permission, never mind demolishing it to make way for a condo.In spite of the building&rsquo;s historical significance and established place in Canadian society, I&rsquo;m not sure I agree with any level of government telling the old coot what he can or can&rsquo;t do to his property.But when the 85-year-old Ballard expires or sells the team, whichever comes first, the wrecking ball may well be on its way to the corner of Church and Carlton Streets.Galen Weston, one of the wealthier men in the world, has talked about putting a 20,000-seat arena in the heart of North York (a city within Metro Toronto). You can bet any new owner of the Leafs&mdash;the odds-on favorites are Molson&rsquo;s and Labatt&rsquo;s breweries&mdash;would love to move to a new arena that would generate more revenue. And there&rsquo;s no question MLG is worth more dead than alive to its owner.Of course, if the new owners were a brewery, they would have to be sensitive to public opinion.But hey, if it can happen to the Detroit Olympia, Chicago Stadium and Boston Garden, it can happen to Maple Leaf Gardens.It would be a damn shame, though. &#9632;

f0003-02

COLUMNISTS

A LOOK FAR INTO THE FUTURE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03764/5800494-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0003-03

Elston

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031108/5800525-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="595" height="595"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011447/5800539-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="238" height="235"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021313/5800532-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="94" height="85"></div>MONTREAL&mdash;Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center Mario Lemieux, who tallied 11 points (7-4-11) in four games&mdash;including a power-play and game-winning goal&mdash;was named Chrysler Canada Performer of the Week for the period ending March 26.Lemieux, on pace to win his second consecutive Art Ross Trophy with 192 points (79-113192) in 73 games, edged Hartford Whalers&rsquo; right winger Kevin Dineen and Calgary Flames&rsquo; goaltender Mike Vernon.The Chrysler Canada divisions of Chrysler Motors and Dodge will donate $500 to the youth hockey organization of each performer&rsquo;s choice. The Chrysler Canada divisions of Chrysler Motors and Dodge also sponsor the Performer of the Month and Performer of the Year Awards, for which the latter receives the Dodge vehicle of his choice. In four years, Chrysler Canada and Dodge have contributed more than $125,000 to youth hockey associations across North America.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>Lemieux, the NHL leader in goals (79), assists (113), power-play goals (30) and short-handed goals (12), began his week with an assist in a 7-2 loss to the Minnesota North Stars (March 20). He tallied three points (2-1-3) in a 5-4 loss to the Washington Capitals (March 22) before recording his eighth hat trick of the season in a 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils (March 25). Lemieux, last year&rsquo;s Chrysler Canada Performer of the Year, then led his club to a 6-4 victory over the New York Rangers (March 26) with four points (2-2-4).Lemieux registered two-or-more points in a game in 47 of his first 73 games. He had at least one point in his last nine games (23 total points), helping the Penguins clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 1981-82.Dineen recorded seven points (4-3-7) in four games, while Vernon was 3-0-0 with a 2.67 goals-against-average. &#9632;

f0004-03

NHL PERFORMER OF THE WEEK

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>A movement to dump Alan Eagleson as NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director is being fermented by agents Ron Salcer and Rich Winter, who have been holding lengthy meetings with some NHL clubs. The effort to dislodge Eagleson came to light after a New Jersey Devils&rsquo; TV promotion session was cancelled because of Salcer&rsquo;s conference with the skaters. The agent conferred for more than two hours with the Devils. In addition to Eagleson&rsquo;s ouster, the agents are said to be soliciting $100 per player for contribution toward a study by former NFL Players&rsquo; Association leader Ed Garvey on the NHLPA and Eagleson. &ldquo;This is serious stuff,&rdquo; says one insider. &ldquo;With Garvey involved, you know they&rsquo;re not fooling around.&rdquo; The agents are challenging the free agency system, the supplemental draft and the current collective bargaining agreement. &ldquo;It was a very interesting meeting,&rdquo; says Brendan Shanahan of the Devils. Eagleson, who has four years remaining on his contract, was vacationing in Florida at the time of Salcer&rsquo;s visit to Jersey. &ldquo;Comments that they&rsquo;ve been making like, &lsquo;We&rsquo;ve given up everything and got nothing,&rsquo; are lies,&rdquo; Eagleson replies. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s the nicest thing you can say.&rdquo; The Eagle says he&rsquo;s received a number of supportive calls from player reps as well as other agents. One told Eagleson that Garvey, now an independent consultant, is &ldquo;adisaster.&rdquo; Another told him Salcer and Winter are using the antiEagle assault as &ldquo;a means to get more clients.&rdquo; Adds Eagleson: &ldquo;I know Garvey, Winter and Salcer. They&rsquo;re three of a kind.&rdquo; It was believed the threesome had met with six teams.<h2>DALE WANTS OUT</h2>Dale Hawerchuk appears determined to separate himself from the city of Winnipeg. While Jets&rsquo; management keeps insisting Hawerchuk will not be moved, Hawerchuk is concluding his disappointing season with precise stipulations of what would get him out of his rut. &ldquo;First,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to go to the States. And then. I&rsquo;d like to go to a team on the rise; a contending team, a team moving in the right direction. There&rsquo;s a definite possibility I could be moved this summer.&rdquo; And more than a possibility that he&rsquo;ll wind up with the Rangers, who own a pair of marketable Winnipeggers named James Patrick and Carey Wilson&hellip;Pierre Turgeon is drawing formidable comparisons this season. &ldquo;Turgeon has Gretzky and Lemieux-type characteristics along with (Steve) Yzerman and Hawerchuk,&rdquo; says Bruin GM Harry Sinden. &ldquo;That type of ability to use his teammates and be in the right place around the goal. The key is his understanding how much sacrifice and dedication is needed to develop. He&rsquo;s teeming with talent.&rdquo;<h2>VIDEO VIEWS</h2>The Rangers are miffed over Vancouver&rsquo;s distribution of a video touting Trevor Linden for the Calder Trophy. The video calls the 18-year-old Linden a &ldquo;pure&rdquo; rookie, an obvious comparison to the Blueshirts&rsquo; Brian Leetch. 21, and Tony Granato, 24&mdash;neither of whom moved directly into the NHL after being drafted&hellip;The Canucks are planning big things for their 20th anniversary next season. Included will be a reunion of the 1982 Stanley Cup finalists which featured Tiger Williams. Richard Brodeur and Harold Snepsts&hellip;If Glen Sather remains behind the Oilers&rsquo; bench&mdash;as he always does&mdash;Edmonton aides John Muckier and Ted Green could wind up with head coaching posts elsewhere. Green, who makes no bones about his desire to move up, has been eyed by the Jets. And it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising if Bruce McNall tries to import Muckier if the Kings fail to eliminate Edmonton in the opening round. Then again, Sather could promote Muckier, leaving Green open for a possible L.A. vacancy.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011352/5800570-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="553" height="643"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Sather&rsquo;s two assistants could move elsewhere.</figcaption></div><h2>TRADE TALK</h2>More on the Dino Ciccarelli-Mike Gartner trade: In Minnesota, some of Ciccarelli&rsquo;s critics insist that he unfairly overshadowed Dave Gagner, who now has an opportunity to become the North Star leader. &ldquo;Dino was a character,&rdquo; says St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch columnist Eric Kinkopf; &ldquo;Gagner has character. Huge difference.&rdquo; Gartner&rsquo;s knockers in Landover say he was too preachy. The North Stars say Ciccarelli&rsquo;s exit had nothing to do with his September salary strike. &ldquo;That didn&rsquo;t enter into the trade.&rdquo; says GM Jack Ferreira. &ldquo;We were more than satisfied with Dino&rsquo;s play the past couple of months. We didn&rsquo;t actively try to trade him. Washington and Pittsburgh came to us.&rdquo;&hellip;Ferreira is quietly tickled over the steal of Ville Siren from the Penguins. The fleet Finn plugged a gap on the Minny defense, and created a gap that may hurt Pittsburgh in the playoffs. Ferreira believes North Star fans will rally behind the club if it reaches the Norris Division finals. &ldquo;Then,&rdquo; he predicts, &ldquo;the fans will find us.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0005-01

AGENTS PLOTTINGEAGLE’S OUSTER

<div class="byline">BY STEVE DRYDEN AND BOB MCKENZIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011533/5800622-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Calgary&rsquo;s Doug Gilmour, a proven playoff performer, will contend for post-season MVP honors. Boston&rsquo;s Ray Bourque, inset, won&rsquo;t figure in the race</figcaption></div>Believe it or not, tradition may not be the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; greatest ally during the 1989 Stanley Cup playoffs.The most storied team in hockey history will likely have to break one NHL tradition to win it all this year.No team since the 1967-68 Canadiens has won the Cup without first placing a player among the top 10 regular-season scorers.And every Stanley Cup champion since then has had an elite scorer.As the 1988-89 regular season entered its final week, the Canadiens did not have a scorer among the top 20, let alone the top 10.Mats Naslund, with 82 points on 32 goals and 50 assists, was the Canadiens&rsquo; most prolific scorer.It was 21 years ago that Toe Blake guided Montreal to the Cup with Jean Beliveau as his leading scorer. Beliveau had 68 points. John Bucyk and Ken Wharram rounded out the top 10 that year with 69 each.Current coach Pat Bums, who grew up in the shadow of the Forum, better have learned his lessons well from Blake.Only three times during the past 45 seasons has a championship team prevailed without someone approximating a championship scorer.Three years ago, when the Canadiens won their 22nd Cup, Naslund finished eighth in scoring. The Calgary Flames, losers that year, did not have a top-10 scorer. This year, as they head into the playoffs as co-favorites with the Canadiens to win the Cup, they will.Joe Mullen, enjoying his first 100-point season, fit snugly into seventh place with 48 goals and 57 assists.The Canadiens can find comfort in one team tradition, though. This marks the sixth time they have-won 50 games in one season.Each of the five previous times, they also won the Cup.Here are some other things you should know before the post-season parade gets under way:Two more factors that would mitigate against Montreal winning the Cup: An injury to Guy Carbonneau or Chris Chelios would be devastating. Patrick Roy may be a former Conn Smythe winner and record-setter during the regular season, but he must rebound from two mediocre playoffs.Five teams most likely to win the Cup: Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, Los Angeles and Washington.Five teams least likely to win the Cup: New Jersey, New York Islanders, Quebec, Winnipeg and either Toronto or Chicago. We haven&rsquo;t decided which one yet.One reason why Montreal, Calgary, Philadelphia and St. Louis will win their divisions: Each of them had their division&rsquo;s best intra-division winning percentage. In 21 of 24 intra-division series the past two seasons, the winner has been the team with the best intra-division record.One reason the Rangers won&rsquo;t win the Cup: They are injury-prone.One reason why the revitalized Washington Capitals won&rsquo;t win: They are the masters of misfortune. Nobody loses better than the Capitals.One reason why the revitalized Washington Capitals will win the Cup: There is a God.Five players most likely to be named play-off MVP: Roy, Edmonton&rsquo;s Grant Fuhr, Los Angeles&rsquo; Wayne Gretzky, and the Calgary pair of Mike Vernon and Doug Gilmour.The five best players least likely to be named playoff MVP: Mario Lemieux and Paul Coffey of Pittsburgh, Steve Yzerman of Detroit, Denis Savard of Chicago and Ray Bourque of Boston.Five clutch scorers to watch: Naslund, Washington&rsquo;s Dino Ciccarelli, Edmonton&rsquo;s Craig Simpson, Los Angeles&rsquo; John Tonelli and Buffalo&rsquo;s John Tucker.Clutch scorers whose acts we&rsquo;ll miss this spring: New Jersey&rsquo;s John MacLean and the Islanders&rsquo; Pat LaFontaine.Five other players we&rsquo;ll miss: Fred Olausson, Dale Hawerchuk and Thomas Steen of Winnipeg, Peter Stastny of Quebec, and Patrik Sundstrom of New Jersey.Five players who could redeem themselves with strong playoffs: Edmonton&rsquo;s Glenn Anderson&mdash;the biggest disappointment of the 1988-89 regular season&mdash;Buffalo&rsquo;s Ray Sheppard, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Daye Poulin, Washington&rsquo;s Dale Hunter and Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Randy Cunney worth.Five playoff confrontations worth waiting for: Calgary vs. Montreal, Gretzky vs. Edmonton&rsquo;s EsaTikkanen, Gretzky vs. Fuhr, Boston&rsquo;s Terry O&rsquo;Reilly vs. Montreal&rsquo;s Bums, and Dale Hunter vs. the Canadiens.Five guys we&rsquo;d go to playoff war with: Edmonton&rsquo;s Mark Messier, Boston&rsquo;s Cam Neely, Calgary&rsquo;s Joel Otto, Montreal&rsquo;s Claude Lemieux and Philadelphia&rsquo;s Rick Tocchet.Five unlikely playoff heroes: Boston&rsquo;s Greg Hawgood, L.A.&rsquo;s Mike Allison, Montreal&rsquo;s Mike Keane, Washington&rsquo;s Kelly Miller and Minnesota&rsquo;s Jon Casey.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021070/5800615-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="858" height="870"></div>Two playoff records Wayne Gretzky could establish: Most career goals (85, Mike Bossy) and longest consecutive scoring streak over two seasons (27, Bryan Trottier). Gretzky enters the playoffs with 81 goals and on a 17-game streak. He is certain to pass second-place Maurice Richard (82) on the all-time list.Look out, Willi boy: Dale Hunter is a shoo-in for the career lead in penalty minutes, although he may not pass ex-badman Willi Plett until next year. Plett is the all-time sinner with 466 penalty minutes. Hunter stands (or sits) second at 417.A Robinsonian record: Montreal defenseman Larry Robinson will tie the retired Brad Park for most consecutive playoff appearances this season, with his 17th straight. There is a difference between the two, however. Robinson has won six Stanley Cups, Park none. Canadien captain Bob Gainey joins Hab great Jean Beliveau at second on the list with 15 straight appearances, provided his injured knee comes around in time. Robinson is three games shy of ex-islander Denis Potvin&rsquo;s record for most career playoff games. Potvin played in 185 games. Robinson has played in 182.Is this our last playoff look at: Larry Robinson, Calgary&rsquo;s Lanny McDonald, Ranger Guy Lafleur and Toronto&rsquo;s Botje Salming (if the Leafs make it)?Did you know: The Rangers last won the Stanley Cup in 1940? Of course you did. Everybody knows it has been 49 years since the Rangers won. But did you know Detroit last won 34 years ago, Chicago 28, Toronto 22 and Boston 17? Montreal has upheld the original six&rsquo;s honor, winning six times since the Bruins last won in 1972.Seems hard to believe: But the Blackhawks and Rangers have won the Stanley Cup just three times each during their 62-season histories. Edmonton has won the playoff championship four times in nine years and the Islanders four times in 16.The worst team ever to win the Stanley Cup: Was the 1937-38 Chicago Blackhawks, who won after compiling a 14-25-9 (.385) regular-season record. Second-worst was the 194849 Toronto Maple Leafs, 22-25-13 (.475). They are the only two sub-.500 teams in league history to win the Cup.It will have been: More than 300 regular-season games between playoff appearances for Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Randy Hillier, Philadelphia&rsquo;s Moe Mantha and Vancouver&rsquo;s Stan Smyl, when they perform in the 1989 post-season.<blockquote class="pullQuote">THE ISLES HAVE MORE CUPS THAN THE RANGERS.</blockquote>Four more players unfamiliar with the playoffs: Mario Lemieux, Doug Bodger of Buffalo, Randy Cunneyworth and Dave Shaw of the Rangers have never appeared in a playoff game. Lemieux is the leader among them. As of March 27, he had played in 365 regular-season games. Bodger was No. 2 at 356, Cunneyworth third at 313 and Shaw fourth at 295. None of them, however, have endured the agony of former NHLer Guy Charron, who played 734 regular-season games during a career that spanned 12 years&mdash;but never once appeared in a playoff game. Aaron Broten of New Jersey played in 519 games before finally making the playoffs last season.He would love to be in the playoffs: But ex-Pittsburgh captain William (Fred Mertz) Frawley&mdash;who goes by his middle name, Dan&mdash;has appeared in just one playoff game. He was demoted Feb. 22 to the Muskegon Lumberjacks after 273 career regular-season games. It&rsquo;s not known if he will be back with the Penguins for the playoffs.Five tips to help Mario Lemieux get through his first playoff: Don&rsquo;t expect to set any franchise playoff records for at least two periods. Don&rsquo;t waste time trying to identify the opponents sharing the inside of your sweater. Don&rsquo;t dwell on which of your teammates have earned enough frequent rider mileage from bus companies serving minor-league cities to earn a trip around the world. Don&rsquo;t plan to put in full shifts as an official greeter at Chez Paree in Montreal if the Penguins get to the conference final. Don&rsquo;t try to figure out the cumulative weight of the players you will be expected to carry through the post-season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011377/5800608-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="712" height="920"><figcaption class="caption-body">Watch for referee Kerry Fraser to make a controversial call.</figcaption></div>One question surrounding the Calgary Flames: Has Terry Crisp learned from the playoff coaching lesson administered by Glen Sather last year?Five more questions to be answered: Will the Oilers sell out a playoff game? Will the Minnesota North Stars? Will Phil Esposito and Michel Bergeron make it through the playoffs without killing each other? Will David Poile and Bryan Murray survive if the Caps don&rsquo;t at least win the division? Who, besides the Stars and Blues, are excited about a Minnesota-St. Louis matchup?Sixteen reasons why the Norris Division gives the playoffs a bad name: For the second year in a row, four of five Norris teams will finish below the .500 mark. Three of them will make the playoffs. In 1986-87, all five teams failed to at least break even. Three of five were better than .500 in 1985-86 but just two won more than they lost in 1984-85. Over the past six seasons, Norris teams have finished below .500 on 22 of a possible 30 occasions. That means 16 of 24 playoff participants have had sub-.500 records.Referee most likely to advance to the Stanley Cup final: Andy van Hellemond.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-02943/5800601-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="2216" height="2080"><figcaption class="caption-body">Montreal&rsquo;s Larry Robinson is gunning for his seventh Stanley Cup as he enters his 17th consecutive playoff season with the Canadiens. The Hab defenseman is three games short of the record for career post-season games.</figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">WILL THE FINAL GO SEVEN? NOT LIKELY.</blockquote>Referee least likely to advance to the Stanley Cup final: Paul McInnis, of yellow-shirt fame.Referee most likely to disallow a goal in a crucial situation: Kerry Fraser.Where John Ziegler will be during the playoffs: Near a phone.Playoff history most likely to repeat itself: A Calgary-Montreal final.Playoff history least likely to repeat itself: A wildcat strike by NHL officials and/or a Stanley Cup game called on account of darkness.Does anyone know why: The NHL insists on having out-of-town off-ice officials handle all playoff games? Does that mean homer goal judges are okay during the regular season?Odds of the Stanley Cup final going seven games: Not great. The Oilers and Flyers went to the limit in 1986-87. Before that, it was Montreal and Chicago in 1970-71. Those are the only two seven-game finals since the NHL expanded from the original six.Three playoff predictions from Madison Square Garden Network color commentator John Davidson: Patrick Roy will win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Calgary will win the Stanley Cup. Minnesota North Stars will win the Norris Division.Don Cherry&rsquo;s five favorite playoff suits: The blue crushed velvet jacket. The grey silk suit with pink stripes. The black jacket with silver threads and the &ldquo;sensational&rdquo; silver tie that glows. The black and white check suit, &ldquo;to keep the cartoonists happy.&rdquo; The conservative grey pinstripe, &ldquo;something for Edmonton because that&rsquo;s the one Slats (Glen Sather) likes.&rdquo;Earliest the playoffs could end this year: May 19.Latest the playoffs could end this year: May 30. &#9632;

f0006-01

PLAYOFF PRIMER

<div class="byline">BY THN STAFF</div>Bernie Nicholls doesn&rsquo;t know it but he is the NHL&rsquo;s latest record-setter, albeit unofficially.Nicholls has fashioned the most dramatic single-season improvement in league history, according to statistics compiled by The Hockey News.Last year, the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; center scored 78 points (32 goals and 46 assists) in 65 games. Through 76 games this year, Nicholls had 144 points on career highs of 67 goals and 77 assists. That represented an increase of 66 points, three more than the previous high of 63 recorded by Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens when he rocketed from 56 points in 1973-74 to 119 in 1974-75.Nicholls, who couldn&rsquo;t be reached for comment, was apparently unaware of his accomplishment.Only players who played at least 80 per cent of their teams&rsquo; games in consecutive seasons were included in the THN survey.The study dates to the beginning of the NHL in 1917.New Jersey right winger John MacLean was second to Nicholls on this year&rsquo;s list, registering a 44-point increase (39 to 83) through the second-last week of the season. Buffalo center Pierre Turgeon was next with a 42-point increase (42 to 84). Last season, Calgary right winger Hakan Loob improved by 62 points.<h2>MASTERTON LIST</h2>Detroit superstar Steve Yzerman heads a cast of 21 players who have been nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy.The honor is awarded annually to the player &ldquo;who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.&rdquo; It is voted upon by members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association and presented at the Stanley Cup luncheon held during the final series.Other team nominees are: Rejean Lemelin, Boston; Mark Napier, Buffalo; JamieMacoun, Calgary; Steve Larmer, Chicago; Kevin Lowe, Edmonton; Kevin Dineen, Hartford; John Tonelli, Los Angeles; Dave Gagner, Minnesota; Mike McPhee, Montreal; Patrik Sundstrom, New Jersey; Bryan Trottier, Islanders; Ron Greschner, Rangers; Tim Kerr, Philadelphia; Phil Bourque, Pittsburgh; Randy Moller, Quebec; Rick Meagher, St. Louis; Brad Marsh, Toronto; Stan Smyl, Vancouver, Rod Langway, Washington; and Randy Carlyle, Winnipeg.Masterton, a forward with the Minnesota North Stars, died in 1968 after his head struck the ice during a game.<h2>99 SPEAKS OUT</h2>Los Angeles King center Wayne Gretzky has lashed out at the Edmonton Oilers for the first time since his controversial Aug. 9 trade.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011463/5800653-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="553" height="1207"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Bourque is Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Masterton Trophy nominee.</figcaption></div>In separate interviews March 25 with the Edmonton Journal and the CBS television program One on One, Gretzky accused Oiler management of using intimidation tactics.Gretzky said relations between himself and Edmonton coach-general manager Glen Sather deteriorated after Sather criticized defenseman Paul Coffey and right winger Jari Kurri following the 1986 playoffs.&ldquo;Myself and Coff and Jari always took the brunt,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He never thought I should have limits. If I scored four goals, he thought I should have had five. If I got 215 points one year and only 195 the next, he said it was because I didn&rsquo;t care any more.&rdquo;Gretzky said suggestions Sather had little input into his trade to Los Angeles were false.&ldquo;Slats has made every trade there&rsquo;s been for 10 years. You think he didn&rsquo;t have a hand in this one? It&rsquo;s funny. People have made such a big deal about one argument I had with (L.A. coach) Robbie(Ftorek) in Detroit (but) nobody questioned my relationship with Slats for 10 years. It was never great. But I respected him as a coach and general manager.&rdquo;Gretzky said both Sather and Oiler owner Peter Pocklington underestimated his hockey talent and didn&rsquo;t figure he could substantially improve the Kings. (See Edmonton story on page 23.)<h2>TEAM CANADA</h2>It&rsquo;s unlikely Sean Burke expected to be playing international hockey again so soon, but the former Canadian Olympic team standout has been teamed with Dave King once more.The New Jersey Devils&rsquo; goalie was expected to lead his team to the Patrick Division playoffs this season, just as he did last year. Instead, the Devils have missed the playoffs and Burke will be in goal for Team Canada again, this time at the World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. King, coach of Canada&rsquo;s national team, is head coach of Team Canada.Fifteen other players from non-playoff teams were also invited to try out for the team that will participate in the tournament April 15-May 1.The defensemen chosen are Dave Ellett and Randy Carlyle of Winnipeg, New Jersey&rsquo;s Ken Daneyko, Gerald Diduck of the New York Islanders, and Quebec&rsquo;s Jeff Brown and Mario Marois.Center Dale Hawerchuk of Winnipeg heads the list of forward candidates. Teammates Brent Ashton, a left winger, and Andrew McBain, a right winger, are also among them.Others are New Jersey center Kirk Muller and right wingers John MacLean and Pat Verbeek, Quebec center Joe Sakic and left winger Marc Fortier, and New York Islander center Brent Sutter.More players will be added from teams eliminated after the first round of the playoffs.<h2>FIGHTING BILL</h2>Minnesota North Star co-owners Gordon and George Gund III, and their NHL brethren, would be best advised to get their checkbooks ready should a bill introduced March 20 in the Minnesota legislature become law.The bill calls for a $10,000 civil fine for each fighting major incurred in professional hockey games played in the state. The fine would have to be paid by team owners.The bill was introduced by Democratic Representative Todd Otis of Minneapolis and Democratic Senator Don Frank of Spring Lake Park.&ldquo;I want hockey to remain an outstanding sport and not degenerate into a circus of blood,&rdquo; said Otis, who played hockey at St. Paul Academy high school and then on Harvard freshman and junior varsity teams. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t object to the clean hits in hockey, but I don&rsquo;t want to see our kids get enmeshed in a culture of violence. The players don&rsquo;t want the fighting. It&rsquo;s the owners and the league that keep it going. I hope that if this passes, the hockey referees don&rsquo;t adjust their penalty calling so that fighting is called something else.&rdquo;Four other representatives, all active on the legislature&rsquo;s Golden Horses hockey team, are co-sponsors of the bill.North Star president Lou Nanne said the league and its teams can police themselves. &#9632;

f0008-01

NICHOLLS’ CAREER-HIGH POINT TOTAL REPRESENTSNHL’S BIGGEST INCREASE

Don&rsquo;t be shy, tell us what you really think in The Hockey News&rsquo; Reader Poll &rsquo;89.Below are 20 questions. The first 10 deal specifically with the 1988-89 NHL regular season and the remaining 10 focus on broader issues in the game today.Choose one of the answers provided, or write in your own response. Then tear out the page, or photocopy it if you prefer, and mail it to:THN Reader Poll &rsquo;89The Hockey News85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100 Don Mills, Ont.M3B 2R2Responses can be sent to us by FAX. Our number is (416) 445-0753.We&rsquo;ll compile the results from all surveys received by April 24 and publish them in the May 19 issue of THN.Don&rsquo;t forget to cast your ballots, on pages 12 and 13 of this issue, for THN NHL Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the all-star teams.1. Who is the best player in the NHL this season?a) Wayne Gretzkyb) Mario Lemieuxc) Steve Yzermand) Other: ____________________________________2. The best goalie?a) Patrick Royb) Mike Vernonc) Other: _________________________________3. The best defenseman?a) Paul Coffeyb) Chris Cheliosc) Other:________________________________4. Who is your favorite player?a) Wayne Gretzkyb) Mario Lemieuxc) Steve Yzermand) Other:______________________________5. Your least-favorite player?Name: _________________________6. Your favorite team?Name: _________________________7. Your least-favorite team?Name: _________________________<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011413/5800705-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="712" height="820"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Burns of the Montreal Canadiens is a contender for coach-of-the-year honors.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021006/5800698-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="708" height="1796"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux or Wayne Gretzky? Who is the NHL&rsquo;s best player this season? A difficult choice, but just one of the many we leave to you as THN presents our Reader Poll&mdash;20 questions on various aspects of the NHL and its personalities.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03663/5800691-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="716" height="1804"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04520/5800684-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="700" height="1796"></div>8. If you could be an NHL player for a day, who would it be?Name: _______________________________________________9. Who is the best coach in the NHL this season?a) Pat Burnsb) Terry Crispc) Bob McCammond) Other:_________________________________10. The best GM?a) Cliff Fletcherb) Serge Savardc) David Poiled) Other: __________________________________11. Should the NHL expand from its current 21-team format?a) Yesb) Noc) Don&rsquo;t know12. If yes, by how many teams?a) Oneb) Twoc) Threed) Four or more13. Rank the cities in order they should be accepted.Dallas &mdash;Hamilton &mdash;Milwaukee &mdash;San Francisco/San Jose &mdash;Saskatoon &mdash;Seattle-Tacoma &mdash;Other: __________________________14. How would you rate NHL officiating?a) Goodb) Fairc) Poor15. Should NHL referees use instant replays to assist them in making decisions?a) Yesb) Noc) Don&rsquo;t know16. Should fighting be punished with automatic ejection from the game?a) Yesb) Noc) Don&rsquo;t know17. How do you feel about fighting?a) I am offended by it.b) I enjoy it.c) I have no strong feelings.18. Would you be in favor of:a) More games between NHL and Soviet teams.b) Fewer games between NHL and Soviet teams.c) The same number of games between NHL and Soviet teams.19. Do you welcome the arrival of Soviet players in the NHL?a) Yesb) Noc) Don&rsquo;t know20. Would you be in favor of increasing the standard North American size ice surface (200 by 85 feet) to international proportions (200 by 100)?a) Yesb) Noc) Don&rsquo;t know &#9632;

f0009-01

IT’S YOUR CALL

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>Norman (Bud) Poile has spent nearly a half-century in pro hockey. He broke into the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 and played center for coach Hap Day&rsquo;s Stanley Cup-winners in 1947. He&rsquo;s still going strong, with much to recall.In November, 1947 he was involved in one of hockey&rsquo;s biggest trades when Leaf general manager Conn Smythe sent the line of Poile, Gus Bodnar and Gaye Stewart as well as defensemen Bob Goldham and Emie Dickens to Chicago for superstar center Max Bentley and third-stringer Cy Thomas.Poile&rsquo;s NHL career ended in 1950 with the Boston Bruins. He then became GM of the Edmonton Flyers, a senior team which included such future Hall of Famers as Glenn Hall, Norm Ullman and Johnny Bucyk.When the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967, Poile was named GM of the Philadelphia Flyers before moving on to the same position with the Vancouver Canucks in 1970. After four years in Vancouver, he became commissioner of the Central League. When that league folded after the 1982-83 season, he joined the International League as commissioner. Now 65, he will retire June I but remain with the IHL as a consultant. The Hockey News recently spoke with Poile, with emphasis on his NHL days.THN: What was it like winning the Stanley Cup in 1947?BP: Nobody thought we&rsquo;d do it because the Canadiens had the Punch Line (Maurice Richard, Toe Blake, Elmer Lach), a good defense and a great goalie in Bill Duman. We had a bunch of kids like Howie Meeker, Vic Lynn, Bill Ezinicki, Gus Mortson and Jim Thomson but we also had some good veterans like Syl Apps, Turk Broda and Nick Metz. Hap Day was the coach and this was the closest-knit team I&rsquo;ve ever been associated with. Our manager was Conn Smythe and he&rsquo;d give us between-period tongue-lashings. That had as much to do with winning that series as the players.THN: What was it like being involved in one of the biggest trades in hockey history?BP: I was shocked at first, but in retrospect it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn&rsquo;t have any family at the time so moving was no big deal. When I got to Chicago, (Blackhawk GM) Bill Tobin said, &lsquo;That Smythe is really cheap.&rsquo; I was making $5,800 in Toronto and Tobin said that he&rsquo;d raise me to $10,000 if I made the all-star team. Nobody dreamed of money like that in those days but, sure enough. I made the all-star team.THN: How upsetting was it to go from the Cup-winners to a non-playoff team like Chicago?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011492/5800736-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="548" height="1256"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bud Poile was the first GM of the Philadelphia Flyers.</figcaption></div>BP: We really enjoyed it. The fans at Chicago Stadium were just as they are today, full of enthusiasm. They&rsquo;d sell out. The biggest problem I had was getting tickets for my relatives when they came to town.THN: You were one of the earlier &lsquo;specialists&rsquo; in hockey, weren&rsquo;t you?BP: I played on the power play a lot because I had a good shot and I could score goals. I was a little before my time. I couldn&rsquo;t catch a regular spot with Detroit, Rangers or Boston but I could score goals. Today, I guess, I&rsquo;d be a role player and just work the power plays.THN: What was your biggest hockey disappointment?BP: I worked for the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; organization for 14 years, coaching and managing the Edmonton teams. I thought I was being groomed for Jack Adams&rsquo; job as general manager of the Red Wings but I didn&rsquo;t get it. Jim Norris owned the Red Wings and he picked Sid Abel. I&rsquo;d been out west for years and developed a lot of players for them. I was very close to Adams and he always thought I&rsquo;d replace him, but it didn&rsquo;t happen.THN: How did you recover from that?BP: I was upset for a while but. again, good came of it just like it did with the Chicago trade. I was offered the job of general manager and coach of the San Francisco Seals of the professional Western League and that was great. We had five great years out there and a couple of championships. My son, David (Washington Capital GM) met his wife (Elizabeth) there and then another good thing happened. The NHL passed over our group for an expansion franchise but it turned out that I got the GM&rsquo;s job in Philadelphia. Another disappointment results in another good move.THN: Did you groom David for hockey?BP: Not really. He went to Northeastern University and I wanted him to go still further and become an attorney. But he and Bill Putnam, the former president of the Flyers, got together and Bill hired him for the Atlanta Flames (as assistant general manager).THN: Who are your all-time favorites?BP: Hap Day, my first coach, would be the Tom Landry of hockey. He was very thorough, dedicated, a no-nonsense person. Smythe was supposed to be hard to get along with but he was very fair with me I still have the gold pass he gave me for Maple Leaf Gardens if I ever want to use it. Turk Broda, our goalie when we won the Cup, was the best clutch goaltender of that era. He kept the kids together. You get him a goal or two and he&rsquo;d win the game. The toughest bodychecker was Wild Bill Ezinicki. He was very tense, an off-the-wall kind of guy but the toughest fore-checker I&rsquo;ve ever seen. &#9632;

f0010-01

BUD POILE

<div class="byline">JAY GREENBERG</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011353/5800767-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="456" height="648"></div>The flashlight of the customs agents beamed light into Bob Probert&rsquo;s car, but could not illuminate the darkness in his soul.Unlike the people who have tried to help Probert, however, the border cops found enough to keep looking. They had to go only skin-deep before two bags of cocaine fell out of his underwear. That wasn&rsquo;t far enough to save Probert from himself, of course, but the National Hockey League has felt no need to go any farther.Most of us are ignorant about drug and alcohol abuse. It wasn&rsquo;t until Probert&rsquo;s arrest, for instance, that we learned cocaine has a use as a cleansing agent. The 14 grams that fell out of Probert&rsquo;s shorts was more than enough for the league to wash its hands of him.To be fair. Probert provided the soap. Just how many chances could the Red Wings give him? Five different times he entered alcoholic treatment centers and each occassion he basically refused the help.When Probert crossed the line and began to do his lines, he knew what John Ziegler had said: Get caught with illegal drugs and you&rsquo;re gone. And Good Lord, how much more could you ask Probert&rsquo;s teammates and coaches and the Red Wing management to put up with?Thus, in a pre-dawn hour on the U.S. side of the Detroit-Windsor tunnel, the officer read Bob Probert his rights. The last rites, we presume, on a lost cause.No, says Morley&rdquo;Gustway. No. No. No. It is not lost. It is never lost. Someone has to reach under the rug where Probert has been swept by the NHL while he awaits trial and offer him one more hand.As co-chairman of the Saskatchewan Alcohol and Drug Commission and a board member of Whitepsruce, an adolescent substance abuse center. Gustway says he has seen that hand been slapped away 10 times and still be accepted the 11th. As a recovering alcholic and part-owner of the Regina Pats of the Western League, he knows where the problem of alcohol and drug abuse begins. However bad that problem is in hockey&mdash;and who really knows that?&mdash;it is not going to be controlled by the league putting its image ahead of its people.John Ziegler, who as a lawyer knows the difference between legal and illegal, says there are two separate problems here. Since alcohol is legal, alcoholics need counsel. Since drug use is not, drug users deserve punishment. Morley Gustway, who is not a lawyer, but who deals with both kinds of abusers, says he can&rsquo;t see the difference at all.&ldquo;Alcohol is a drug,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;And to the lives of these people who need help, it&rsquo;s not a question of what&rsquo;s legal and what isn&rsquo;t. It&rsquo;s a question of what hooks you. Whether it&rsquo;s glue, or vanilla extract or cocaine or alchohol, I put them all in the same box. When people can&rsquo;t control it, there&rsquo;s no difference. I&rsquo;ll take you or John Ziegler through a treatment center to see the ones who are burned out from drugs and alcohol. If you can see the difference you&rsquo;re a smarter guy than me.&ldquo;The league probably did the only thing it thought it could do in Probert&rsquo;s case. It has its image to keep. I understand that has to be a priority for Mr. Ziegler. He may believe this has a deterrent value for other players. But my opinion is that it doesn&rsquo;t. To kick him out isn&rsquo;t doing anything for the person. Isolating Bob Probert doesn&rsquo;t help him. Where&rsquo;s the human part of it?&rdquo;There is one, but it applies only to alcohol. Ziegler allows no exceptions for players caught with drugs, but considers each Driving While Intoxicated case on its particular circumstances. Both charges are illegal. Only one, he is saying, calls for understanding.&ldquo;If we didn&rsquo;t think we were helping people (with alcohol problems), we&rsquo;d do something different,&rdquo; Ziegler says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve looked at a thousand pieces of advice on the matter over the last eight years. Not one of them suggested centralized treatment. An alcohol problem has to be treated in a very supportive, almost family situation. That means it is best left to the clubs. We make recommendations. But they must have their own outreach programs.&rdquo;In some cases, on some teams, the outreach program consists of a training-camp talk and that&rsquo;s it. The Ontario League works with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a meaningful follow-up program that keeps RCMP counsellors in constant touch with their teams. According to Western League president Ed Chynoweth, three WHL clubs test for drugs and several have education programs of some sort, but the league has let its drug program lapse.NHL players, trainers, and coaches insist fewer players drink their lunch every day after practice than was the case even a few years ago, that the alcohol problem is diminishing, not increasing. Let&rsquo;s hope they are not being naive. Why would the visible tip of the iceberg, a substantial number of impaired driving arrests involving hockey players, be a different color than what&rsquo;s under the water?Even though substance abuse is a societal problem, it is no less hockey&rsquo;s problem. Turning alcohol and drug-abuse education over to 21 NHL clubs is the right thing to do as long as the league is doing everything possible to make certain those clubs are following up. If the NHL does not go to the WHL and say, &lsquo;We don&rsquo;t want our teams to draft even one more Bob Probert. so we will fund and set up your drug education program.&rsquo; then one of the roots of the problem remains untreated.&ldquo;It should actually start at the bantam and midget level.&rdquo; says Gustway. &ldquo;There are kids 10-11 years old already hooked on something.&rdquo; With the kind of charges Bob Probert faces and the weight of the evidence against him, issues of due process and whether he should be allowed to play hockey again become secondary considerations to his recovery.The larger concern is what a hockey player beginning to understand he has a drug problem does about it when he knows what the league&rsquo;s reaction to coming forward is going to be. The problem doesn&rsquo;t end with punishment, but with understanding. &#9632;

f0011-01

NHL SHOULD REALIZE PROBERT NOT LOST CAUSE

<h2>NORDIQUES</h2>Right winger Walt Poddubny had his season end prematurely when he was hit in the face by an Ulf Samuelsson shot in a 6-3 win over Hartford March 23. Poddubny, 38-37-75 in 72 games this season, was cut for 20 stitches and suffered a fractured nose, but there will be no permanent damage&hellip;Left winger Michel Goulet picked up his 900th career point when he assisted Mike Hough&rsquo;s goal in a 4-1 win over Buffalo March 25. In 752 career games, Goulet had 440 goals and 460 assists. He was 26-3864 in 65 games this season. The subject of constant trade rumors, Goulet vowed he&rsquo;ll get his 1,000th point in a Nordiques&rsquo; uniform&hellip;After being officially eliminated from post-season play with a 2-2 tie against Boston March 16, the Nordiques won three of their next four games.<h2>CANADIENS</h2>Patrick Roy&rsquo;s 8-0 triumph over Quebec March 22 was the first for the Canadiens&rsquo; goaltender over the Nordiques since Jan. 10, 1987. Roy, now 5-9-0 lifetime against Quebec, snapped a four-game losing streak against the Nords&hellip;Right winger Claude Lemieux, who had 20 goals at midseason, admitted he put too much pressure on himself to have a 40-goal campaign. Lemieux, who had 28 goals, three shy of his personal NHL high, is looking forward to the beginning of the Stanley Cup playoffs. &ldquo;You know you have to go all out in the playoffs,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The games are tougher both mentally and physically.&rdquo;&hellip;In a poll conducted by Le Journal de Montreal, Patrick Roy was named the Canadiens&rsquo; most valuable player followed by Chris Chelios, Guy Carbonneau and Russ Courtnall.<h2>BRUINS</h2>A 3-2 loss in Hartford March 22 ended Reggie Lemelin&rsquo;s 12-0-2 unbeaten streak&hellip;Left winger Randy Burridge reached 30 goals March 25 against Chicago for the first time in his four-season NHL career. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m surprised,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Twenty-nine is great, but 30 is 100 times better.&rdquo;&hellip;Fans voted Burridge winner of the Bruins&rsquo; Seventh Player Award, for performing beyond expectations&hellip;The Bruins were 7-15-7 against the Adams Division&hellip; Defenseman Michael Thelven returned March 19 after missing 12 games with a flare-up of right knee tendinitis, though the problem may still require surgery&hellip; Center Bob Carpenter was back March 23 after missing five games with a cracked thumb bone.<h2>WHALERS</h2>Defenseman Brad Shaw, signed earlier in the month after playing in Italy, scored his first NHL goal in a 4-0 win over St. Louis March 25. &ldquo;The intensity level over there (in Italy) wasn&rsquo;t what it is in the NHL,&rdquo; said Shaw. &ldquo;In training camp, there&rsquo;d be two-a-day workouts and the guys would go to lunch in between them and drink beer.&rdquo;&hellip;Brian Lawton helped set up Ron Francis&rsquo; 29th goal early in the 4-0 victory over the Blues, but rammed into the boards and suffered a sprained ankle that will keep him out indefinitely&hellip;The Binghamton Whalers have been in last place in the American League&rsquo;s Southern Division all season, but Whalers&rsquo; GM Emile Francis does not expect to replace Claude Larose as coach. His contract is up June 1&hellip;Brent Peterson woke up with back pains March 23 and was listed as day-to-day.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-02993/5800798-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="560" height="1448"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Turgeon doubled his offensive output this season.</figcaption></div><h2>SABRES</h2>Buffalo&rsquo;s offense came under fire for its slim output on the road. The Sabres were shutout 3-0 at Minnesota March 18, won a 4-1 game at Winnipeg March 20 and lost 4-1 at Quebec March 25&hellip;Mark Napier played in his 1,000th professional game, including his WHA career, March 22 against St. Louis&hellip; Pierre Turgeon scored his 84th point of the season in the win against Vancouver, doubling his offensive output of a season ago. This year, he had 32 goals and 52 assists in 76 games&hellip;Left winger Darrin Shannon of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Windsor Spitfires, obtained Nov. 12 from Pittsburgh in the Tom Barrasso trade, joined the Sabres for workouts after Windsor was eliminated from the OHL playoffs March 24. He was awaiting assignment, probably to Rochester of the AHL. &#9632;

f0011-02

NORDS’ PODDUBNYENDS SEASON EARLY

<div class="byline">BY STEPHEN HARRIS</div>Greg Hawgood may be one of the smallest players in the NHL, but he&rsquo;s put up big numbers in his rookie season.With three games remaining in the regular season, the 5-foot-8, 175-pound Boston Bruin blueliner had 15 goals and 22 assists in 53 games. He needed two goals to match Ray Bourque&rsquo;s 1979-80 team record for goals by a rookie defenseman.Hawgood&rsquo;s explosive offensive style has captured the fancy of Boston hockey fans. The Boston Garden Gallery Gods honored Hawgood as their favorite Bruin this season.All this for a 20-year-old who played the first two months of the season with the American League&rsquo;s Maine Mariners, and might still be awaiting his big league opportunity had the Bruin defense not incurred so many injuries.&ldquo;The injuries forced us to take a look at Hawgie,&rdquo; said Bruin coach Terry O&rsquo;Reilly. &ldquo;In that sense, they were a blessing in disguise.&rdquo;The Bruins figure Hawgood should be a cinch for a spot on the all-rookie team beside New York Ranger Brian Leetch, who has matched former Ranger Barry Beck&rsquo;s league mark of 22 goals by a first-year defensmman.Hawgood shows no bitterness about the 24 games he missed in the minors. It may have cost him a shot at Beck&rsquo;s record.&ldquo;Who knows, if I would have started the year here, I might only have 10 goals now,&rdquo; said the 20-year-old Hawgood, Boston&rsquo;s ninth choice in the 1986 entry draft. &ldquo;Hindsight is easy. I really think my time in Maine helped me, helped me adjust. Maybe I would have struggled if I came up right away.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s hard to imagine Hawgood even having much problem creating offense. At every step up the hockey ladder, even as critics told him he was too small, his skills in handling, passing and shooting the puck have made him impossible to ignore.With the Kamloops Blazers of the Western League last season, he went 48-85-133 in 63 games and was named the best defenseman in major junior hockey.Though Hawgood has problems at times moving bigger forwards away from the Bruin net, he&rsquo;s taught several opponents that he can fight. Quebec&rsquo;s Walt Poddubny (6-foot-l, 205 pounds) and Gaetan Duchesne (5-foot-11, 197 pounds) and Mike Bullard (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) of Philadelphia lost decisions to Hawgood.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to back down,&rdquo; said Hawgood, after his bout with Duchesne March 18. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he thought I&rsquo;d fight. But I called his bluff, and it worked out.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a rookie, you have to prove you can&rsquo;t be pushed around. I had my fair share of fights in junior. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I think showing up is what&rsquo;s important.&rdquo;Hawgood&rsquo;s showing up this season has been vitally important for the Bruins.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 20: Carl Mokosak. LW, assigned to Maine (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Craig Janney, Ken Linseman, Bobby Carpenter, Tommy Lehmann.LW&mdash;Randy Burridge, Bob Joyce, John Carter. Andy Brickley.RW&mdash;Keith Crowder, Greg JohnstonLD&mdash;Allen Pedersen. Glen Wesley, Bruce Shoebottom.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque, Greg Hawgood, Garry Galley, Michael Thelven.G&mdash;Andy Moog. Reggie Lemelin.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Lyndon Byers, RW, right shoulder separation, indefinite.Gord Ktuzak, D, left knee surgery, out for season.Nevin Markwart, LW, abdominal pull, indefinite.Cam Neely, RW, strained right shoulder. day-to-day.Ray Neufeld, LW, torn left knee ligament, day-to-day.Bill O&rsquo;Dwyer, C, left knee inflamation, indefinite. &#9632;

HAWGOOD BECOMES BRUIN MIGHTY MITE

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div>The Quebec Nordiques have missed the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight year, but five players will be involved in post-season play.Defensemen Mario Marois and Jeff Brown, left winger Marc Fortier and center Joe Sakic have all accepted invitations from Team Canada general manager John Ferguson to report April 4 for a pair of exhibition games in West Germany.They are a prelude to the World Championships, which get under way April 15 in Stockholm, Sweden.Right winger liro Jarvi was invited to play for his native Finland and he, too, accepted.Left winger Michel Goulet was also contacted by Ferguson, but he declined the invitation.&ldquo;In any other circumstance, I would have been pleased to go,&rdquo; said Goulet. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve just went through the worst season of my career (26-3864 in 65 games) and I don&rsquo;t want the same thing to happen next year.&rdquo;Goulet injured a knee during his first game of the season and never did regain his familiar 50-goal form.&ldquo;The most important thing for me to do right now is to get back into my usual shape,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to rest until June and then will train intensively until training camp.&rdquo;But Marois jumped at the chance.&ldquo;I said, &lsquo;Yes,&rsquo; right away when John Ferguson called me,&rdquo; said Marois, who played under Ferguson with the Winnipeg Jets. &ldquo;This is the first time in my career that I&rsquo;m going to miss the playoffs. This is going to help compensate a little.&ldquo;And I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;m going to love the experience. I have never had the chance to play on one of those big European ice surfaces. It&rsquo;s going to be fun.&rdquo;Fortier (20-19-39 in 56 games) said he was &ldquo;more surprised than honored&rdquo; by the invitation. &ldquo;Neverin the world had I ever thought of being invited. I&rsquo;ve only been in the NHL for two seasons.&rdquo;Brown, however, had been anticipating Ferguson&rsquo;s call. And he was pleased when it came.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m convinced this will be the experience of a lifetime,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to playing the best players in the world.&rdquo;Sakic was less enthusiastic, but finally agreed to go. A meeting with general manager Martin Madden and team captain Peter Stastny changed his mind.&ldquo;I injured my ankle halfway into the season and came back too fast,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It caused some problems for a while. And I want to be in tip-top shape for next September.&rdquo;Stastny, who played for Czechoslovakia at the World Championships before defecting in 1980, is not eligible to play although he is a Canadian citizen. The International Ice Hockey Federation doesn&rsquo;t permit players to represent more than one country at the World Championships, no matter how much time has elapsed between tournaments.But Stastny was permitted to play for Team Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup.Veteran defenseman Randy Moller would have been invited, but contacted Team Canada officials to tell them he couldn&rsquo;t play, because his wife was having complications with her pregnancy.<h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Peter Stastny. Paul Gillis, Ken McRae, Joe Sakic.LW&mdash;Gaetan Duchesne, Alain Cote. Michel Goulet, Marc Fortier.RW&mdash;Anton Stastny, liro Jarvi, Mike Hough, Darin Kimble, Trevor Stienburg.LO&mdash;Jeff Brown, Curtis Leschyshyn, Steven Finn.RD&mdash;Randy Moller, Robert Picard, Mario Marois.G&mdash;Mario Gosselin. Ron Tugnutt.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jett Jackson, LW, left knee, out for season.Walt Poddubny, RW, nose and eye, out for season. &#9632;

MORE HOCKEY AHEAD FOR FIVE NORDIQUES

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div>There have been times during Mike Liut&rsquo;s decade-long career he has not dressed for games.But before March 22, the reason was always illness or injury.While rookie Kay Whitmore was busy stopping 22 shots in his successful NHL debut, Liut watched the 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins from the Civic Center trainer&rsquo;s room, in street clothes. Peter Sidorkiewicz, who watched from the bench that night, has taken Liut&rsquo;s job as the Whalers&rsquo; top goalie.For a few years, Liut carried the Whalers. Now, perhaps they are carrying him.Although Whaler coach Larry Pleau announced Liut &ldquo;will play again this season,&rdquo; Liut did not dress the next night for the 6-3 loss in Quebec, or for the 4-0 shutout Sidorkiewicz posted against St. Louis March 26.Liut is 33 and admittedly past his prime, but hardly ancient.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s too premature to divulge what I feel inside,&rdquo; said Liut, an articulate man usually unafraid to do exactly that. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a frustrating year; most athletes go through them. I really don&rsquo;t care to share my feelings. I don&rsquo;t care for people to know right now.&rdquo;With the Whalers heading into the final four games of the regular season, however, Pleau&rsquo;s decision not to dress Liut needed little explanation. It spoke volumes.Liut was 13-19-1 with a 4.25 goals-against average. Sidorkiewicz, who might beat out New Jersey&rsquo;s Sean Burke for the NHL all-rookie team, was 21-17-4 and sported a 3.05 GAA.The playoffs were only a week away and Liut was in street clothes. Is Liut, who has two years left on a $450,000-a-year contract, near the end of the road in Hartford?Not necessarily.&ldquo;The difference between fans and players, possibly, is players don&rsquo;t get caught up in, &lsquo;What&rsquo;s the message here?&rsquo;&rdquo; Liut said.&ldquo;If they had an intent, they would tell you.&rdquo; As Liut&rsquo;s stature has shrunk on the ice, so has his persona in the dressing room. Three seasons ago, he was a powerful voice, steadying kids one minute and angrily kicking trash cans to incite them the next.&ldquo;You can say whatever you want in the locker room,&rdquo; Liut said, &ldquo;but you always must be able to back it up on the ice.&rdquo;Whitmore, 22 on April 10, was called up from Binghamton of the American League. For the last two years, he was considered the Whalers&rsquo; ace goalie of the future. But he is an emotional, reflex goalie and the finer, technical points still must be polished in the NHL.Sidorkiewicz, meanwhile, used his fourth shutout of the season to pull the Whalers within one game of .500 (35-36-5) and two points of third-place Buffalo, in the race to avoid playing powerful Montreal in the first round.Sidorkiewicz, 25, has pushed Liut out of the limelight. Liut, meanwhile, has taken to wearing new, lighter pads and now is carrying a lighter role.The burden of age and reality, however, is getting heavier.&ldquo;The hardest thing about switching roles,&rdquo; Liut said, &ldquo;is the endless questions that go along with it.&rdquo;<h2>HARTFORD</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 21: Kay Whitmore, G, recalled from Binghamton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ray Ferraro, Ronnie Francis, Dean Evason.LW&mdash;Dave Tippett, John Anderson. Tom Martin, Sylvain Turgeon.RW&mdash;Kevin Dineen, Paul MacDermid, Jody Hull. Jim Thomson, Scott Young.LD&mdash;Joel Quenneville, Randy Ladouceur. Jim Pavese, Grant Jennings.RD&mdash;Ulf Samuelsson, Sylvain Cote, Brad Shaw, Norm Maciver.G&mdash;Peter Sidorkiewicz, Kay Whitmore, Mike Liut.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Babych, D, 18-stitch gash on right hand, day-to-day.Brian Lawton, C-LW, sprained right ankle, indefinite.Don Maloney, LW, sprained left shoulder, day-to-day.Brent Peterson, C, sore back, day-to-day. &#9632;

LIUT ODD MAN OUTIN NET PICTURE

<div class="byline">BY GLENN COLE</div>It&rsquo;s the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; unofficial credo: Personal statistics win individual awards, but it takes a team effort to win Stanley Cups.Several members of the Canadiens have good personal statistics. But once again, there will not be a 100-point man on the club. One of the closest men to that mark didn&rsquo;t seem to mind, however.&ldquo;On our team we have a lot of things to play for,&rdquo; said Bobby Smith, 32-49-81 in 77 games. &ldquo;I think that keeps everybody from thinking it&rsquo;s time to look after the personal side.&rdquo;Smith&rsquo;s 32 goals represented his best total since he popped 43 for the Minnesota North Stars in his 114-point 1981-82 season. But the lanky 31-year-old center had other targets on his mind.&ldquo;The goals-against total is a very big goal for all 24 members of our team.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We are all depending on each other for that.&rdquo;With the Canadiens so dependent on each other, no one player has emerged as a most valuable player. Smith has made significant contributions offensively as has left winger Mats Naslund, 32-50-82 in 74 games.Patrick Roy. who ran his undefeated record on home ice to 27 (24-0-3) with an 8-0 shutout over Quebec March 22 and a 1-1 tie against Minnesota three nights later, may be in line for the Vezina Trophy, given to the outstanding goaltender.Guy Carbonneau&mdash;who could be in line for his second consecutive Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward&mdash;and Norris Trophy hopeful Chris Chelios could also be considered team MVPs.&ldquo;When the team plays well, everybody seems to shine,&rdquo; said Chelios. &ldquo;When the team struggles individual players seem to struggle.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m only as good as our team and we all work together. Overall, I&rsquo;m happy because our team hasn&rsquo;t had many off nights. I feel the same way about the way I&rsquo;ve played.&rdquo;On some nights. Craig Ludwig can be the best defenseman on the ice or Shayne Corson the top forward. Brian Hayward has come up with key goaltending efforts.&ldquo;We have been able to be a consistent team because of that.&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;There have been stretches when some key players have played poorly and we kept on winning. We have had two goaltenders who could step in and eight defenseman that can do the job.&ldquo;We have had four lines that can do the scoring. It&rsquo;s been good for that all year.&rdquo;A second straight team scoring title would mean little to Smith.&ldquo;Seventy-seven games is enough to make it a good regular season for me.&rdquo; he insisted. &ldquo;If I get shut out in the last three games. I have still had a good regular season. If I get 17 points in the last three games, it&rsquo;s not going to change my season at all because it is all on the line in the playoffs.&ldquo;We are all going to be judged on how well this team does in the playoffs this year. There is not much I can do about that in the next three games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going to try and go out and get my game in line, doing the things I have to do in the playoffs and that means playing well in both ends of the rink.&rdquo;<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bobby Smith, Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Brent Gilchrist, Gilles Thibaudeau.LW&mdash;Mats Naslund. Ryan Walter, Mike McPhee, Shayne Corson, Steve Martinson.RW&mdash;Mike Keane, Russ Courtnall, Claude Lemieux, Stephane Richer.LD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Larry Robinson, Petr Svoboda, Donald Dufresne.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Eric Desjardins, Rick Green.G&mdash;Patrick Roy, Brian Hayward.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Bob Gainey, LW, knee, indefinite. &#9632;

STATISTICS MEAN LITTLE TO CUP-HUNGRY HABITANTS

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div>Clint Malarchuk imagined the worst March 22 following a frightening neck injury that left him lying in a pool of his own blood.&ldquo;I thought I was dying,&rdquo; Malarchuk said one day after a skate slashed across his neck in a game against the St. Louis Blues.The result was a gruesome scene witnessed by 14,448 fans at Memorial Auditorium and a local television audience. Blood squirted out of a six-inch cut to the right side of his neck.&ldquo;I knew it was my jugular vein and I didn&rsquo;t have long to live,&rdquo; said the 27-year-old.The injury happened when the skate of St. Louis left winger Steve Tuttle slipped under Malarchuk&rsquo;s mask and above a protective collar while Tuttle was being checked into the goal by Buffalo defenseman Uwe Krupp.&ldquo;I recall everything,&rdquo; said Malarchuk. &ldquo;I came across, I was kind of on my knees. I saw the guy&rsquo;s skate come up, and it hit me on the facemask. For some reason I checked for blood with my hand. And when I saw the blood, I flipped my mask off.&rdquo;Malarchuk didn&rsquo;t just see the blood, he felt it. Tuttle&rsquo;s skate cut deep into his throat, partially severing the external jugular vein and just missing the interior jugular and the goalie&rsquo;s vocal cords. When he put his hand to his neck he could feel the blood gushing out between his fingers.&ldquo;I knew it was the jugular because I could feel the blood squirting out in time with my heart beat,&rdquo; he said.The scene was so distasteful most newscasts and the Sabre telecast crew refused to show replays. However it was shown on many network sports broadcasts in the United States and Canada.Amazingly enough, Malarchuk skated off the ice with the help of Sabre trainers Jim Pizzutelli and Rip Simonick.&ldquo;I remember the trainer coming out,&rdquo; recalled Malarchuk from the Buffalo General Hospital. &ldquo;I said &lsquo;Jimmy, it&rsquo;s my jugular vein. I know I&rsquo;ve got three minutes.&rsquo; I don&rsquo;t know why three minutes. I&rsquo;ve heard that. I thought that&rsquo;s what I had. When they got us into the dressing room, I said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve got 2/2 minutes now.&rsquo; It was scary. I remember asking, &lsquo;What are my chances? Am I going to make it?&rsquo; They were working on it really fast.&rdquo;The bleeding was controlled even before Malarchuk arrived at the hospital and after undergoing repairs and brief exploratory surgery, he was released from the hospital.Doctors had Malarchuk stablized even before he reached the hospital. Exploratory surgery was conducted to ensure there was no damage to any of the other vital organs, nerves and blood vessels.He was released from the hospital March 23 and said he &ldquo;definitely&rdquo; expects to be ready when the playoffs begin April 5.<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 22: Richie Dunn, D, and Ken Priestlay. C. assigned to Rochester (AHL).March 23: Darcy Wakaluk, G, recalled from Rochester.March 24: Priestlay, Scott Metcalfe, LW, recalled from Rochester. Joe Reekie, D. assigned to Rochester.March 25: Trent Kaese, RW. recalled from Rochester.March 26: Priestlay, Metcalfe. Kaese, assigned to Rochester.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Pierre Turgeon, Christian Ruuttu, Benoit Hogue.LW&mdash;Scott Amiel, Dave Andreychuk, Mike Hartman.RW&mdash;Mike Foligno, John Tucker, Mark Napier.LD&mdash;Doug Bodger, Mike Ramsey. Uwe KruppRD&mdash;Shawn Anderson. Grant Ledyard, Larry Playfair.G&mdash;Jacques Cloutier, Darcy Wakaluk.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Phil Housley, D, bruised back, day-to-day.Clint Malarchuk, G, cut neck, day-to-dayKevin Maguire, RW, cut hand, day-to-day.Jeff Parker, C, sprained knee, day-to-day.Daren Puppa, G. broken arm, indefinite.Ray Sheppard, RW, bruised instep, day-to-day.Rick Vaive, RW, pinched nerve, day-to-day. &#9632;

MALARCHUK LUCKY AFTER NECK SLASHED

<div class="byline">STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011336/5800956-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="480" height="616"></div>Some pre-playoff punditry:&#9632; Nothing is more demeaning than seeing a superstar like Steve Yzerman take a dive that produces a penalty for the foe. And another thing: It&rsquo;s time the NHL sanctioned a new rule&mdash;two minutes for taking a dive. I&rsquo;m sure the refs would approve. &#9632; The time has come to change the rule back to where it was in 1955: Have every player who serves a minor penalty stay in the box for a full two minutes, no matter what. &#9632; My favorite new referee is rookie Mark Faucette. He&rsquo;s cool and a consummate professional. &#9632; How&rsquo;s this for loyalty? Ranger games are televised all season live on Madison Square Garden Network. In the playoffs, if there&rsquo;s a conflict with Yankee games, the stickhandlers get bumped to delayed tape while the Bronx Bombers get prime time. &#9632; Since Mike Keenan is staying in Chicago, figure Denis Savard to be on the block. But at Savard&rsquo;s age (28), he&rsquo;s a bit of a gamble, which means his wheels had better be A-1. Quebec or Montreal should make a good pitch. &#9632; Some of the NHL&rsquo;s best interviews are enforcers. Bright guys like Marty McSorley, Craig Berube. Rudy Poeschek and Lyndon Byers. &#9632; Bobby Orr is waxing eloquent about cleaning up hockey&mdash;something he wasn&rsquo;t doing when he had the Big, Bad Bruins behind him. &#9632; Some of the classiest acts on ice belong to linesmen Kevin Collins. Dan McCourt and Pat Dapuzzo. &#9632; Colin Patterson is the most underrated defensive forward in the league. &#9632; Pretty soon the NHL may have to put a price ceiling on the amount of money clubs spend on lobbying for player awards. Imagine, the Canucks doing a video on Trevor Linden and the Rangers publishing two huge clipping booklets on Tony Granato and Brian Leetch. &#9632; Come out, come out. wherever you are, Montreal writers who scoffed at Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s comeback last September. &#9632; If I had to pick one and only one coach I&rsquo;d like to see do well in the playoffs this spring, it would be Bryan Murray. &#9632; April will be the litmus test for Ron Hextall. &#9632; Why doesn&rsquo;t Harold Ballard name Garry Lariviere head coach and get it over with? &#9632; Pat Quinn. Brian Burke and Bob McCammon make a great advertisement for front office brains producing results against tough odds. &#9632; The sooner they build a new arena in San Francisco the better. &#9632; Sure, Mario orchestrated the Penguins&rsquo; playoff berth. But Pittsburgh fans shouldn&rsquo;t forget Wendell Young&rsquo;s clutch pinch-goaltending when it was most needed in midseason. &#9632; Does anyone&mdash;especially Dale Hawerchuk&mdash;know what Dale Hawerchuk wants to do next season? &#9632; Nice to know Richard Gordon and Don Conrad settled their Whalers&rsquo; differences with a top-level compromise. Too bad Howard Baldwin.who set up the franchise for those chaps, wasn&rsquo;t included in a triumvirate. &#9632; I could do without TV cameramen invariably giving us a close-up of Brian O&rsquo;Neill&rsquo;s sphinx imitation every time I see a game from the Forum in Montreal. &#9632; If the Rangers escape the opening round&mdash;which, I promise, they will&mdash;it will be because of an immense effort from Tomas Sandstrom. &#9632; A few guys who deserve Stanley Cup rings but will never get them: Peter Stastny. Denis Savard, Mark Howe and Paul Reinhart. &#9632; Robbie Ftorek should wear a tuxedo in the second round if his Kings eliminate Edmonton. &#9632; How come David Maley&rsquo;s name is never mentioned in any discussion of the top 10 fighters? He&rsquo;d get Joey Kocur&rsquo;s vote. &#9632; Kevin Dineen&rsquo;s 40-plus goals are the best-kept secret of the hockey season. &#9632; If sentimentality has anything to do with Cup-winning, this will be the year for Lanny McDonald and the Flames. But we cynics know better, don&rsquo;t we? &#9632; Bob McCammon is my coach of the year, but I&rsquo;ll switch to Jacques Demers if he gets his Red Wings out of the Norris Division playoffs again. &#9632; I have a friend who believes Jari Kurri is the best two-way forward in hockey. Any objections? &#9632; Curt Giles and Ray Ferraro make an awfully good case for little men in the game. &#9632; Gord Stellick&rsquo;s gift of gab should ensure one more season as Leaf GM. But one of these days he&rsquo;s going to have to make a good move instead of merely producing good talk. &#9632; The hockey media is darn lucky it deals with such a nice bunch of athletes compared with the prima-donna oafs in baseball, football and roundball.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02940/5800949-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="764" height="984"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Howe deserves a Stanley Cup ring, but will never get one.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

CRAIG BERUBE IS A GREAT INTERVIEW, AND OTHER OPINIONS

<h2>DEVILS</h2>Some angry Meadowlands Arena fans displayed their disappointment over a non-playoff season with a banner directed at GM Lou Lamorielio, reading &ldquo;Max got the axe. Lou may, too.&rdquo; Max, of course, is Max McNab, ex-GM and current executive vice president of the Devils. McNab, incidentally, was honored for his service to New Jersey hockey with the John J. McMullen Award March 21&hellip;Tom Kurvers broke Dave Pichette&rsquo;s record for points in a season for a Devil defenseman when he collected his 58th point with an assist on Aaron Broten&rsquo;s goal in a 3-1 win over the Canucks March 20. Pichette set the record in 1984-85; Rob Ramage holds the franchise record of 62 points, set with the Colorado Rockies in 1980-81. Kurvers had 15 goals and 54 assists in 70 games this year&hellip;Patrik Sundstrom was voted the Devils&rsquo; Masterton Trophy nominee.<h2>FLYERS</h2>Goalie Ron Hextall was tossed out of a 6-1 loss against the Caps March 24, when he struck Washington center Bengt Gustafsson in the face with his stick. Hextall was taking a wild swing with his stick as he tried to bat the rebound of a shot out of mid-air. It was his first high-sticking major of the season&hellip;The Flyers&rsquo; 6-1 victory over the Rangers March 26 gave them a 3-3-1 record in the season series, after losing the first three games of the season against the Rangers&hellip;The Flyers&rsquo; 3-2 victory over Chicago gave the Flyers a 3-0-0 season sweep over the Blackhawks and former coach Mike Keenan. The Blackhawks are the only team the Flyers swept this season&hellip;Left winger/center Murray Craven was expected to return from a fractured wrist injury by the final weekend of the season. Craven, hampered by injuries all season, hadn&rsquo;t played since Feb. 24 because of the injury.<h2>RANGERS</h2>Following the Rangers&rsquo; ninth loss in 12 games (3-9-0), 6-4 to Pittsburgh March 26, coach Michel Bergeron said rookie Tony Granato would be given a week off. Granato, the team&rsquo;s Calder Trophy candidate, was the team&rsquo;s leading goal scorer with 36 in 76 games. &ldquo;Tony&rsquo;s not a big boy,&rdquo; Bergeron said of the 5-foot-10, 168-pound left winger. &ldquo;Lately, he is always in-between. He&rsquo;s not playing his game, not using his speed the way he did earlier.&rdquo; After48 games, the University of Wisconsin grad had 31 goals but, in the next 28, scored only five goals, one into an empty net&hellip;The Rangers&rsquo; 6-1 loss to Philadelphia March 25 was their fifth straight on the road&hellip;With three games remaining, the Rangers were 9-16-0 in their previous 25 games.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>Islanders&rsquo; general manager Bill Torrey said he and Chicago GM Bob Pulford swapped X-rays in an attempt to settle the Blackhawks&rsquo; contention that Greg Gilbert&rsquo;s foot was broken before their March 7 trade. Pulford wants the-future considerations reduced. According to an official list of transferred draft choices circulated to the 21 GMs, the Isles get a 1989 fifth-round pick for Gilbert&hellip;David Volek, who has played both wings and is listed by NHL as a left winger for purposes of all-rookie team vote, became the fifth Islander rookie to score 25 or more goals when the Isles snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Minnesota, 3-1. Volek was 25-30-55 in 73 games.<h2>CAPITALS</h2>Geoff Courtnall and Dino Ciccarelli recorded their 40th goals just 44 seconds apart in a 6-1 victory over Philadelphia March 24. It was the first time at that level for Courtnall, who had 36 goals last season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big plateau for me to reach 40,&rdquo; said Courtnall. &ldquo;I was frustrated not getting to it last year after being so close.&rdquo; Ciccarelli said: &ldquo;It feels good to get 40. If you&rsquo;d asked me a couple of weeks ago if I&rsquo;d get 40, I&rsquo;d have said you were crazy.&rdquo; Ciccarelli, minus-16 when he arrived from Minnesota, was plus-12 in eight games with Washington and had not been on the ice for an opposition goal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03688/5800987-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="548" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body">Geoff Courtnall scored 40 goals for the first time.</figcaption></div><h2>PENGUINS</h2>The Penguins set an NHL record for power-play goals in a season when they scored their 112th in a 5-4 loss to Washington March 22. The Rangers had set the previous record last season&hellip; Rob Brown clinched the most productive season ever by a Pittsburgh right winger when he got his 105th point of the season in the Capitals game. Brown, who missed 12 games with a shoulder injury, broke the record set 13 years earlier by Jean Pronovost and was closing in on a 50-goal season. He was 48-61-109 in 65 games&hellip;Edward DeBartolo Jr., son of the team&rsquo;s owner, made his annual vow to become more involved with the operation of the Penguins. DeBartolo Jr., who owns the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, said: &ldquo;I hope (hockey) becomes as big for me as football.&rdquo; He has not been seen at the Civic Arena this season. &#9632;

f0015-03

DEVIL FANS SHOWSIGNS OF IMPATIENCE

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div>This was supposed to be the turning point in Claude Loiselle&rsquo;s career, the season in which he and the New Jersey Devils made the rest of the NHL stand up and take notice.During last spring&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs, Loiselle seemed to peak as a face-off specialist, defensive forward and timely goal-scorer. He had four goals and six assists in 20 games as the Devils advanced to the Wales Conference finals.One year later, the Devils are out of the playoffs. That was confirmed March 22, when Philadelphia clinched the fourth and final Patrick Division playoff spot by beating Chicago 3-2. Loiselle? He&rsquo;s about to close out his most disappointing season in New Jersey and will spend the off-season wondering if he will be traded.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I could be satisfied with this season,&rdquo; said Loiselle, who had seven goals and 14 assists in 74 games compared to 17-18-35 totals in 68 games last season. &ldquo;Offensively, I would&rsquo;ve liked to produce a lot more. Getting into the playoffs last year and playing well, I would&rsquo;ve thought I was over that hump.&rdquo;The Devils had hoped for 20 to 25 goals from Loiselle and continued excellence on faceoffs. But not only did he fail to score, he also lost his touch on draws.&ldquo;In some games I was just as good on draws, but the consistency wasn&rsquo;t there, the confidence wasn&rsquo;t there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I kind of pride myself on being a consistent player. Not outstanding in any field, but consistent in several. It didn&rsquo;t happen this year.&ldquo;With my style of play as a role player, when we win a game and I haven&rsquo;t scored a goal they say I won some face-offs and killed penalties. When we lose a game, they look at the stats and say I didn&rsquo;t score any goals.&rdquo;Loiselle&rsquo;s stock had risen steadily since he was acquired June 25, 1986 from Detroit for right winger Tim Higgins. Teamed with right winger Doug Brown and left winger Pat Conacher, Loiselle drew the praise of opposing coaches during the 1988 playoffs.He put too much pressure on himself to duplicate his performance offensively.&ldquo;In the first 10 games of the season I got four points and I started saying, &lsquo;That&rsquo;s not me,&rsquo;&rdquo; Loiselle said. &ldquo;Then you start changing your game and all of a sudden you&rsquo;re struggling defensively as well.&rdquo;Loiselle had just four points (3-1) in his first 16 games. After 20, he had four goals and four assists and was in the midst of a 17-game streak without a goal.&ldquo;Right off the bat things weren&rsquo;t going well this year and I started pressing and letting it get to me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a worrier. If something is not going right I worry about it and my whole game is affected.&rdquo;Had the Devils been playing well, Loiselle might&rsquo;ve relaxed and played his way back into a groove. But he and the team sank together.&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t there from day one,&rdquo; said Loiselle. &ldquo;It was a totally new experience for us. Maybe we didn&rsquo;t handle it that well. Next time we will.&rdquo;Whether Loiselle will be there for &ldquo;next time&rdquo; is debatable. He played much of this season hearing his name as part of trade rumors.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m definitely more concerned (about being traded). Last year five or six guys were trying to make the team. Next year it&rsquo;ll be 10 or 12,&rdquo; he said.<h2>NEW JERSEY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Kirk Muller. Mark Johnson, Claude Loiselle, Anders Carlsson, Paul Ysebaert.LW&mdash;Patrik Sundstrom, Brendan Shanahan, Aaron Broten, Pat Conacher, Perry Anderson, Steve Rooney.RW&mdash;John MacLean, Pat Verbeek. Doug Brown, Jim Korn. David Maley.LD&mdash;Ken Daneyko, Randy Velischek, Tommy Albelin.RD&mdash;Joe Cirella, Tom Kurvers, Craig Wolanin, Jack O&rsquo;Callahan.G&mdash;Sean Burke, Bob Sauve<h3>INJURIES</h3>Bruce Driver, D, broken right leg. out for season. &#9632;

LOISELLE DIDN’T LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS

<div class="byline">BY BARRY MEISEL</div>Billy Smith has always been one of the game&rsquo;s nonconformists. So it came as no great surprise when the last of the original New York Islanders, at 38 the NHL&rsquo;s oldest player, rejected the opportunity to enjoy a sentimental end to his 18-year Hall-of-Fame career.In March, coach Al Arbour offered Smith&mdash;who almost definitely won&rsquo;t be back as a player next season&mdash;a start in one of the team&rsquo;s last two home games.Smith said &ldquo;No, thanks.&rdquo;&ldquo;I thought about it,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I really did think about it. For one thing, I&rsquo;m not sentimental. For another, what if I get hurt? I&rsquo;m not ready to play in an NHL game right now. I haven&rsquo;t played and I haven&rsquo;t practised in too long.&rdquo;Smith last played Feb. 2, in a 4-1 loss to Toronto at the Coliseum. He has hardly practised since Feb. 23, the day the Islanders traded Kelly Hrudey to Los Angeles and turned the position over to two 20-year-old rookies, Jeff Hackett and Mark Fitzpatrick.Smith, who expects to have the final year of his contract bought out over the summer, would like to remain with the organization as goalie coach. He was asked why he wanted to deprive the fans&mdash;and himself&mdash;of a warm farewell.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve given the fans quite a bit over the years,&rdquo; he said, conjuring memories of four Stanley Cups. &ldquo;I know what my capabilities are. I don&rsquo;t have an ego that says I have to go out there one more time.&rdquo;Pat LaFontaine, Bryan Trottier and Brent Sutter probably will say no to a different set of invitations. The three Islander centers are undecided whether they&rsquo;ll accept anticipated offers to play in the World Championships for Teams USA (LaFontaine and Trottier) and Canada (Sutter).&ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to represent my country, but the Islanders come first and it might not be in the team&rsquo;s best interests because of health reasons,&rdquo; said LaFontaine, who might need offseason surgery on his left wrist (he has calcium deposits) or sinuses (he has a deviated septum).&ldquo;Mentally, it&rsquo;s been a long year, a difficult year,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;And we just had a little baby. He&rsquo;s a month old and I&rsquo;ve hardly seen him.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to have to think about it,&rdquo; Trottier said.Team USA coach Tim Taylor paid a visit to Long Island after the Isles were officially eliminated from a playoff berth and said he&rsquo;d like Trottier, LaFontaine, Jeff Norton, Randy Wood and Tom Fitzgerald on his squad.Raimo Helminen, playing for the Islanders&rsquo; AHL farm team in Springfield, Mass., said he thinks he&rsquo;ll be invited to play for Finland. He wasn&rsquo;t sure if Mikko Makela, who had a horrible season in New York, would be asked to play.&ldquo;It would be rather ironic,&rdquo; GM Bill Torrey admitted, &ldquo;for them to take Raimo and leave Mikko home.&rdquo;<h2>N.Y. ISLES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 23: Mike Stevens, LW, recalled from Springfield (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Pat LaFontaine, Brent Sutter, Tom Fitzgerald, Mike Walsh.LW&mdash;Randy Wood, Derek King, Dale Henry, Mike Stevens.RW&mdash;David Volek, Alan Kerr, Mikko Makela, Mick Vukota.LD&mdash;Marc Bergevin, Gary Nylund, Richard Pilon, Bill Berg.RD&mdash;Gerald Diduck, Jeff Norton, Wayne McBean, Ken Morrow.G&mdash;Jeff Hackett, Mark Fitzpatrick, Billy Smith.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dean Chynoweth, D, Osgood-Schlatter Disease, out for season.Brad Dalgarno, RW, fractured orbital bone, out for season.Patrick Flatley, RW, right knee, day-to-day.Brad Lauer, LW, left knee, out for season.Bryan Trottier, C, back spasms, day-to-day. &#9632;

DON’T CRY FOR SMITH, ISLES’ FAITHFUL

<div class="byline">BY WALT MacPEEK</div>Just when the New York Rangers were convinced they&rsquo;d bottomed out and survived the tough times, their morale took another beating during a lost weekend.Back-to-back losses to Philadelphia (6-1) and Pittsburgh (6-4) March 25 and 26 not only halted a two-game winning streak but also left them without defenseman Ron Greschner.The 34-year-old veteran was clearly New York&rsquo;s best defensemen in a 7-4 victory over St. Louis March 20 and again in a 3-1 triumph over Minnesota March 25, but he was suspended for the final three games of the season early in the Pittsburgh loss.&ldquo;We start the game with only three regular defensemen,&rdquo; said Bergeron, &ldquo;and one guy gets kicked out because they (referee Ron Hoggarth and linseman Ron Asselstine) miss a call.&ldquo;The guy (Penguin defenseman Rod Buskas) pulled Greschner&rsquo;s hair (in a second-period fight) and they knew I was right. That&rsquo;s why they threw me out at the end of the game too.&rdquo;Greschner apparently spit some water in the direction of Asselstine after complaining about the non-call.&ldquo;If they (the officials) make the right call,&rdquo; Ranger defenseman Michel Petit said, &ldquo;then Gresch doesn&rsquo;t get upset and nothing happens. They&rsquo;ve got to understand it&rsquo;s emotional out there.&ldquo;Now we&rsquo;ve got to play the last three without him and we needed Gresch. He was playing great and so many guys are hurt.&rdquo;Bergeron has simply run out of experienced bodies. After Greschner&rsquo;s expulsion, he was forced into using David Shaw, coming back from a shoulder injury, for about 30 minutes. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s too much,&rdquo; said Bergeron.&ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve got Lindy Ruff, who played forward most of the year, having to play 30 minutes as a defenseman. It is very tough on my team. It is very difficult to finish the season this way.&rdquo;Both the Flyers and the Penguins took advantage of the rookie errors, the fatigue of the over-worked veterans and the general confusion.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011118/5801066-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="720" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Greschner was suspended three games for abusing an official.</figcaption></div>Rookie defensemen Jeff Bloemberg and Rudy Poeschek, who did remarkably well against St. Louis and Minnesota, encountered problems against the Flyers and Penguins.<h2>N.Y. RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 27: Ron Greschner, D, suspended three games by NHL for abuse of official. Eligible to return in playoffs.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Carey Wilson, Kelly Kisio, Lucien DeBlois. Darren Turcotte, Jason Lafreniere.LW&mdash;Brian Mullen, Ulf Dahlen, John Ogrodnick, Mark Janssens, Marcel Dionne.RW&mdash;Tomas Sandstrom, Guy Lafleur, Tony Granato.LD&mdash;Lindy Ruff, David Shaw. Miloslav Horava.RD&mdash;Michel Petit, Jeff Bloemberg, Rudy Poeschek.G&mdash;John Vanbiesbrouck, Bob Froese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Paul Cyr, LW-C, surgery on right knee, out for season.Jan Erlxon, RW. strained back, indefinite.Mark Hardy, D, sprained wrist, indefinite.Brian Leetch, D, hip pointer, indefinite.Chris Nilan, RW, strained ligament, front pelvic bone, indefinite.James Patrick, D, groin pull, indefinite.Normand Rochefort, D, surgery on right knee, out for season. &#9632;

f0018-01

RANGERS SKIDDINGINTO PLAYOFFS

<div class="byline">BY AL MORGANTI</div>The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; up-and-down season continued&mdash;literally&mdash;through a week of wins and losses and hairy plane rides.First there was a hard landing at Logan Airport in Boston March 18 followed by a 6-3 loss to the Bruins. Three days later, the Flyers&rsquo; flight to Chicago was forced to return to Philadelphia when the pilot believed one of the tires in the landing gear had blown. It turned out a fuel line had popped, and the Flyers found fire trucks waiting on the runway in Philadelphia.Eventually, they got to Chicago, where they spotted the Blackhawks a two-goal lead before rallying with three third-period goals for a 3-2 victory.That victory not only clinched the fourth and final Patrick Division playoff spot, it also kept alive faint hopes of catching the third-place New York Rangers in the Patrick Division.&ldquo;It might have been our best 60 minutes of the season,&rdquo; said Ron Sutter. &ldquo;Now.we&rsquo;ve got to try to build upon it.&rdquo;The construction plans went awry March 24 in Landover, Md., where the Flyers were shelled 6-1 by the Washington Capitals&mdash;only hours after another scary trip.The Flyers&rsquo; plane was caught in a wind sheer on approach to Washington&rsquo;s National Airport.&ldquo;You could see the left wing almost touch the runway,&rdquo; said assistant trainer Kurt Mundt. &ldquo;And all of a sudden we&rsquo;re heading back up again. I&rsquo;ll tell you, this is getting a little scary.&rdquo;More than a little scary was the Flyers&rsquo; effort against the Capitals&mdash;their probable first-round playoff opponent.&ldquo;To me this was an aberration,&rdquo; said Flyer coach Paul Holmgren. &ldquo;We just had a lot of no-shows. It&rsquo;s the coach&rsquo;s job to make sure his team is ready to play, and I take responsibility. This is as disappointed as I&rsquo;ve been in this club all season.&rdquo;inside the locker room, the Flyers were as meek as they had been out on the ice. They had a chance to make up some points in the standings, and make a point against the Caps, and they came out as flat as Kansas.However, with that game fresh in their minds they arrived at the Spectrum the following night and did unto the Rangers what the Caps had done to them&mdash;blitzed them 6-1.&ldquo;Maybe it was good that we only had 24 hours to think about that mess in Washington,&rdquo; said captain Dave Poulin, who scored two goals. &ldquo;We sure didn&rsquo;t want too much time to dwell on that.&rdquo;The victory over the Rangers raised the club&rsquo;s record back over .500 (35-34-7). More importantly, it gave the club a positive outlook for the final week of the season and games against New Jersey, Washington, Montreal and the regular-season finale against Pittsburgh at the Spectrum.&ldquo;The important thing now,&rdquo; said Poulin, &ldquo;is not to be worried about who we&rsquo;ll match up against in the playoffs, but just worrying about getting our game in order for whoever we play in the playoffs.&rdquo;That, and maybe getting an opponent which requires only a bus ride, not a flight.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 21: Marc D&rsquo;Amour, G, assigned to Hershey (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ron Sutter. Dave Poulin, Mike Bullard. Keith Acton.LW&mdash;Brian Propp, Pelle Eklund, Derrick Smith, Craig Berube. Al Secord.RW&mdash;Tim Kerr, Rick Tocchet. Scott Mellanby.LD&mdash;Mark Howe, Jay Wells, Terry Carkner, Moe Mantha.RD&mdash;Jeff Chychrun, Gord Murphy, Kerry HuffmanG&mdash;Ron Hextall, Ken Wregget.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Murray Craven, C-LW, fractured wrist, day-to-day.Ilkka Sinisalo, RW, multiple fracture of left wrist, indefinite. &#9632;

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF UP-AND-DOWN FLYERS

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div>The season that began with such sweet promise was souring, Fast.With 10 days left in the regular season, there was little reason to believe the Penguins would do anything in the playoffs to make their seven-year absence worth the wait.They still might not&mdash;this is a team capable of exaggerated highs and lows&mdash;but at least the Penguins no longer figured to stagger into the post-season.Not if their stunning burst on the next-to-last weekend of the season is any indication.Pittsburgh used two dramatic victories to leapfrog past the New York Rangers into second place in the Patrick Division as the season entered its final week.The first was particularly stunning, as Mario Lemieux lifted in a Zarley Zalapski rebound with five seconds to play in regulation for a 5-4 decision over New Jersey.It was Lemieux&rsquo;s third goal of the game, giving him eight hat tricks for the season and 77 goals, third-highest total in NHL history.Lemieux didn&rsquo;t let up the next night, scoring two goals and assisting on two others as the Penguins beat the Rangers 6-4 in Madison Square Garden.Two games, five goals, two public-address announcements proclaiming him No. 1 star of the game.Defenseman Paul Coffey was only slightly less spectacular, piling up four assists for the weekend. He was the Penguins&rsquo; most consistent performer during a six-week slump and recognizes that the team&rsquo;s nucleus of key players must accept the burden of carrying the Penguins as far as they can go.&ldquo;In order to win, it takes 20 guys,&rdquo; Coffey said. &ldquo;But definitely, you&rsquo;ve got to have your big guys producing.&rdquo;Not many of the Penguins, no matter how large their reputation or role, were producing with regularity during their extended slump.At one point, they won just five of 20 games and were on a free-fall from the top of the Patrick Division.That slump cost them any chance for the Patrick title, but the Penguins seemed to be recovering after the wins against the Devils and Rangers. The improvement was especially obvious in their defensive play.That new-found passion for defense allowed the Penguins to hold off the Rangers, who beat them in two previous meetings at Madison Square Garden.Of course, that victory came with an asterisk. The Rangers did not have defensemen Brian Leetch, James Patrick and Mark Hardy, all of whom are expected back for the playoffs.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not stupid,&rdquo; Coffey said. &ldquo;We know the Rangers have a few injuries, that that&rsquo;s not their hockey club. But it&rsquo;s still a big win for us.&rdquo;<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 25: Frank Pietrangelo, G, recalled from Muskegon (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mario Lemieux, Dan Quinn, John Cullen, Dave Hannan, Dave McLIwain.LW&mdash;Bob Errey, Kevin Stevens, Randy Cunneyworth, Phil BourqueRW&mdash;Rob Brown. Jock Callander, Troy Loney, Jay Caufield.LD&mdash;Paul Coffey, Zarley Zalapski. Chris Dahlquist, Steve Dykstra.RD&mdash;Randy Hillier, Gord Dineen, Jim Johnson, Rod Buskas.G&mdash;Wendell Young, Frank Pietrangelo.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tom Barrasso, G, shoulder, day-to-day. &#9632;

PENS OUT OF DOLDRUMS IN TIME FOR PLAYOFFS

<div class="byline">BY BOB FACHET</div>The Washington Capitals claimed their first championship banner on Easter Sunday, riding an eight-game winning streak to the Patrick Division title.The clinching victory came on Fan Appreciation Day, an annual occasion marked for so many years by disappointment.This time the Capitals rallied with three third-period goals, climaxed by Dino CiccareIli&rsquo;s 41st with 2:48 remaining, to defeat the New York Islanders 3-2.Afterward, the players stood on the ice, signing autographs and posing for pictures, while above them the Capital Centre TelScreen showed action from the Pittsburgh-New York Rangers game that would eventually produce the final piece in the pennant puzzle.The players and their families dined in the Blue Line Club while awaiting news of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s victory. Meanwhile, a few diehard fans watched the TelScreen action and cheered when Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s empty-net goal wrapped things up.For coaches and players, the clinching was a mere formality, since the Capitals were the only Patrick team on any kind of a roll in March, except for rolling over.Coach Bryan Murray had said he was more concerned about preparations for the playoffs and proved it by giving defenseman Kevin Hatcher an extra week of practice time before permitting him to return from a fractured foot.Still. Murray was pleased with the first-place finish.&ldquo;It means a lot to me personally,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It means a lot to the players and it means a lot to the organization.&ldquo;For five years we&rsquo;ve been in second place. We didn&rsquo;t talk about it much, but there was concern when the Rangers got six points ahead. We weren&rsquo;t given high marks early in the year and after our problems in the playoffs, this team could have gone either way.&rdquo;Added defenseman Scott Stevens: &ldquo;It means a great deal. We&rsquo;ve been in the playoffs seven years (this is the seventh), but we&rsquo;ve never been in first place. Now we can look forward.&rdquo;Stevens took a brief look back at the first half of a season that was looming as a disaster, following his selection last spring as a first-team all-star. On Dec. 29, Stevens was minus-22. The plus he earned on Ciccarelli&rsquo;s goal boosted him to plus-1.&ldquo;I came a long way,&rdquo; Stevens said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t believe it was possible. It was tough to do. but now I&rsquo;m back where I like to be.&rdquo;Geoff Courtnall, a member of Edmonton&rsquo;s 1988 Stanley Cup champions, savored career highs of 40 goals and 76 points.&ldquo;This has been an exciting year with the team playing so well.&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just hope we can keep it going in the playoffs. If we can play like this for two months, we can win the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bengt Gustafsson, Dale Hunter. Mike Ridley, Doug Wickenheiser.LW&mdash;Dave Christian, Geoff Courtnall, Michal Pivonka, Lou Franceschetti, John Druce.RW&mdash;Dino Ciccarelli, Bob Gould. Kelly Miller, Steve Leach. Peter Sundstrom.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Rod Langway, Calle Johansson.RD&mdash;Kevin Hatcher, Neil Sheehy, Bob Rouse.G&mdash;Pete Peeters. Don Beaupre.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Scot Kteinendorst, D, back spasms, indefinite &#9632;

EASTER BUNNY BRINGS CAPITALS A TITLE

<div class="byline">STEVE DRYDEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01913/5801176-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="540" height="616"></div>The temptation is to herald Eric Lindros as one of hockey&rsquo;s future superstars.It is one best resisted, in fairness to a teenager who has the body of a man and skills to match.He only seems bigger than life, because at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, the St. Michael&rsquo;s Buzzer center is bigger than almost everybody else in the Metro Toronto Jr. B League.Lindros is widely regarded as the most exciting NHL prospect in North America.And he just turned 16 on Feb. 28. No pressure.&ldquo;If I keep working hard and I keep my head on straight, things will work out,&rdquo; says Lindros.The hockey establishment is counting on it after the Toronto resident&rsquo;s dizzying season. He scored 25 goals and 42 assists in 36 regular-season games with the Buzzers, and added, perhaps, the most memorable goal of his career during a two-game audition with the Canadian national team.Team Canada was facing off against a touring Soviet senior team. Lindros was 15 at the time.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got everything you&rsquo;re looking for in a youngster,&rdquo; says one scout. &ldquo;He got two goals the other night that were just pro goals.&rdquo;That was during the Metro Jr. B playoffs. Lindros had ninm goals and II assists in 12 games. Oh yeah, he also had 80 penalty minutes to go along with 168 during the regular season.Lindros, you see, has a mean streak. He inherited that from his father. Carl, who played briefly for St. Catharines in the old Ontario Hockey Association.&ldquo;I was not a very good hockey player.&rdquo; says Carl. &ldquo;The only reason I was there was to beat up people. I had pretty good wheels but cement hands.&rdquo;The highly-prosperous chartered accountant who had cement hands is no cementhead.Frustrated by what he perceived as lack of attention paid to fundamentals, Carl and a neighbor rented ice time at a local rink and conducted their own clinics. A backyard rink provided further opportunities to fine-tune a very fine player.The family still maintains its rink, but most of Lindros&rsquo; time is spent indoors with the Buzzers. He is closely followed by his parents, who long ago overcame nervousness about their son playing against opponents as much as five years older.&ldquo;Carl used to say. &lsquo;I&rsquo;m so worried for Eric,&rsquo;&rdquo; recalls Bonnie, his mother. &ldquo;Now, he says, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m worried for the other kid.&rsquo;&rdquo;The right-shooting Lindros has the ability to play both a finesse and physical game. He is a deft puck-handler, although not yet a gifted goal-scorer. Lindros is a punishing hitter. Just like Mark Messier, a player he admires.&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re going to hit somebody,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;you&rsquo;re just not going to take them out of the play. You&rsquo;re going to run them out of the rink.&rdquo;Even his mother admits Lindros has a sour disposition on the ice. She remembers watching her son purposely play croquet with a defenseman and his goalie.&ldquo;He knocked the defenseman straight into the goalie,&rdquo; says Bonnie, a registered nurse. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s mean.&rdquo;&ldquo;There are two ways to skin a cat,&rdquo; says Lindros, who doesn&rsquo;t always live up to the St. Michael&rsquo;s school sports motto. On one side of the Catholic institution&rsquo;s ice resurfacing machine are the words, &ldquo;Good sportsmanship is a way of life.&rdquo;Lindros&rsquo; ultimate goal is to play in the NHL, but how he&rsquo;ll get there remains to be determined. His 1989-90 options include joining the national team, playing half a year of Michigan Jr. A hockey and then enrolling at the University of Michigan or signing with an Ontario League team.He is expected to be the last-place Sault Ste. Marie franchise&rsquo;s first pick in the OHL spring draft.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02613/5801169-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="700" height="916"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Lindros has been compared to Edmonton&rsquo;s Mark Messier, above.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;He is the second coming of Mark Messier,&rdquo; says general manager Mike Desjardins, &ldquo;and that&rsquo;s exactly what the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds need. He deserves to be No. 1.&rdquo;Coach Ted Nolan compares Lindros&rsquo; potential impact on the Greyhounds to one of his former Soo teammates&mdash;Wayne Gretzky. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a franchise player,&rdquo; says Nolan.Before Nolan gets Lindros in his lineup, however, the Greyhounds must sell the Lindroses on Sault Ste. Marie, a Northern Ontario blue-collar city.Education is a key concern. Lindros carries an average of better than 80 per cent in high school. By attending summer school, he could finish up in the Detroit area and graduate next Christmas to Michigan.The Lindros family is determined to pack as much education into the next two years as possible.Because in 1991, Lindros will be eligible for the NHL draft and if forecasts hold true to form, he will be able to skate directly into the league.Those are commonly-held expectations for an uncommon player. &#9632;

f0020-01

BIG: A NEW HOCKEY HIT STARRING ERIC LINDROS

<h2>FLAMES</h2>Until the last three weeks of the season, it looked like a pipe dream. Then Lanny McDonald, a player held to four goals through the first 66 games of the Flames&rsquo; regular-season, reeled off seven in the next seven games to become only the 14th player in league history to score 500 goals. The historic goal came in a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders in Calgary March 22. It came against rookie goalie Mark Fitzpatrick and was virtually identical to the one he scored two weeks earlier for his 1,000th point. It came on a wraparound from behind the goal. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t care how it came,&rdquo; said McDonald. &ldquo;It was just an unbelievable feeling of peace. I never doubted I could do it. There&rsquo;s something about a challenge. I knew if I could get on a streak, I&rsquo;d be okay.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Joe Nieuwendyk became only the third player in history (after Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky) to score 50 goals in each of his first two NHL seasons, scoring the fourth goal in the Flames&rsquo; win over the Islanders. Two nights later, Joey Mullen reached the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career, assisting on Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s goal in a 4-2 win over the Kings March 23. Mullen then scored four goals March 25, in a 7-5 victory over Chicago. That gave him a career-high 48 (with 57 assists) in 76 games.<h2>JETS</h2>Two Jets had their seasons end March 21. Rookie right winger Pat Elynuik underwent shoulder surgery and veteran left winger Doug Smail was told he couldn&rsquo;t risk further damage to his left eye. Elynuik first injured his right shoulder a year ago while playing for Moncton of the American League, and re-injured it Feb. 19 against Hartford. He came back for four games, was hurt again March 7 in Calgary, and was operated on two weeks later. Smail suffered a fractured orbital bone Feb. 13 in Detroit. After taking a slapshot from teammate Fredrik Olausson in the eye, he suffered multiple fractures and remained in hospital for a week. The headaches have only recently subsided and doctors felt there was a substantial risk of more serious injury if Smail returned to action&hellip;Brent Ashton missed three games with strained ligaments in his knee, but returned wearing a cumbersome brace March 24 to set up the winning goal in overtime in a 4-3 defeat of the Calgary Flames. Two nights later, in his 73rd game of the season, Ashton recorded his 30th goal in a 7-3 loss to Vancouver.<h2>KINGS</h2>No one is more pleased with the Kings&rsquo; probable second-place finish than owner Bruce McNall. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m thrilled to death,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The team has just been incredible, especially the past few weeks. Every game seemed to be a big one and we won our fair share. It really shows the kind of character we have.&rdquo;&hellip;It has taken Steve Duchesne only three seasons to tie Mark Hardy&rsquo;s club record for career goals (53) for defensemen. It took Hardy, now with the New York Rangers, eight-plus seasons and 589 games to score 53. Duchesne set a single-season club record for goals with 24 and, with 73 points, needed four to break Larry Murphy&rsquo;s 1980-81 team record for points by a defenseman&hellip; Defenseman Jim Wiemer, acquired from Edmonton March 7, scored the game-winning goal in a pivotal 4-3 victory over the Oilers March 21. &ldquo;The most important thing is that we won,&rdquo; Wiemer said. &ldquo;It was nice to score the goal, but it didn&rsquo;t really matter to me who it came against.&rdquo;<h2>OILERS</h2>Lump Kevin Lowe in with those who are against the NHL&rsquo;s strict policy against accidental high-sticking. The veteran defenseman sat out a 4-2 loss in Los Angeles March 25 after picking up his second such infraction during a 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets two nights earlier. He clipped Winnipeg&rsquo;s Brent Hughes on the lip, drawing a major penalty and game misconduct, along with an automatic one-game suspension. &ldquo;I went to hit him on the arm, he ducked and the stick deflected off his arm onto his lip. It&rsquo;s brutal,&rdquo; said Lowe, who also was ejected Oct. 25 in L.A. for clipping former teammate Mike Krushelnyski&hellip;Oilers&rsquo; captain Mark Messier, who drew his 500th career assist March 21 in a 4-3 home loss to the Kings, has long maintained he doesn&rsquo;t consider second place in the Smythe the end-all. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t thought second place has been a big thing for quite some time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The big thing is for us to get playing well and cut down on our mistakes. We feel confident going on the road.&rdquo; The Oilers were 16-17-5 away, 21-16-3 at home.<h2>CANUCKS</h2>Jim Sandlak had a hat trick in a 7-3 win over Winnipeg March 26, only the fifth three-goal performance of the season for the Canucks, 21st in goals scored (241). The other hat tricks came from Tony Tanti, Greg C. Adams and Trevor Linden, who did it twice&hellip;Center-left winger Mel Bridgman scored in the Winnipeg game, his third goal of the season and 700th NHL point&hellip;Rich Sutter was not happy about the broken nose and cuts sustained in his altercation with 6-foot-4, 200-pound Buffalo defenseman Larry Playfair during a 5-2 loss to Buffalo March 24. Playfair was given a game misconduct, but the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Sutter was not appeased. &ldquo;He high sticks me, breaks my nose, cuts my mouth and weighs 80 pounds more than me and still won&rsquo;t drop his stick,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

McDONALD WRAPS UPMILESTONE MARKER

<div class="byline">BY TONY GALLAGHER</div>After amassing their highest point total since 1982-83 and most wins since 1983-84, the Vancouver Canucks would liked to have clinched a Smythe Division-playoff spot early and earn a well-deserved rest.But Vancouver couldn&rsquo;t nail down the fourth playoff spot on its own. The Canucks clinched when Winnipeg lost 5-4 to Edmonton March 23. They blew a chance March 22 in Toronto, but lost 5-3 to the Leafs.The Canucks will make their second playoff appearance in the last five seasons and first since 1985-86, when they were fourth in the Smythe Division with a 23-44-13 record.It was just as well the Canucks relied on Winnipeg, since the Leaf loss was the second in a four-game skid&mdash;the sixth straight on the road&mdash;which was snapped with a 7-3 win at Winnipeg March 26.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s uncommon what&rsquo;s happening to our hockey team,&rdquo; said coach Bob McCammon. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had to be so tough mentally all year. We had to be disciplined. We&rsquo;ve had to check hard because we don&rsquo;t have a high-powered offensive team.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had to work and scrape and claw our way into the playoffs and I think it takes its toll. I don&rsquo;t think any team can keep it up for 80 games. And right now we&rsquo;re bottoming out.&rdquo;Captain Stan Smyl agreed: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just not playing with the same level of intensity but I think given the situation it&rsquo;s not surprising. We&rsquo;ll get back to doing what we do best.&rdquo;Or would they? Since the Canucks clinched with six games to play, wouldn&rsquo;t they let up? While Smythe rivals Edmonton and Los Angeles clinched playoff spots long ago, at least they had a battle for home-ice advantage to keep their game sharp.The Canucks had nothing of the sort, being eight points behind the Oilers.Putting the team on cruise control before opening their Smythe semifinal against the Calgary Flames didn&rsquo;t seem to bother the Canucks.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s much better going into the playoffs without having to strain for every point down the stretch,&rdquo; said center Steve Bozek, who was with Calgary last year.&ldquo;The important thing is to get a few guys rested for the playoffs and enter in the right frame of mind mentally. Last year in Calgary they were going for first overall and we had guys going for personal records like Joe Nieuwendyk.&ldquo;And that may not have made much difference in how they did&mdash;but I know the year before&rdquo;, when we went in against Winnipeg after battling them for second, we were so banged up we lost to them with much more talent.&rdquo;The Canucks were not healthy, though, entering the season&rsquo;s final week. Right winger Tony Tanti twisted his knee in a 5-2 loss to Buffalo March 24 and went home, although he was listed as day-to-day. Center Rich Sutter broke his nose in a fight with Buffalo&rsquo;s Larry Playfair and Greg G. Adams tried skating for the first time on his fractured ankle, which was still sore.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s still pretty tender but I&rsquo;ll give it a couple of days and try again,&rdquo; said Adams, who is supposed to return for the beginning of the playoffs April 5.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Doug Smith. Brian Bradley, Steve Bozek, Trevor Linden.LW&mdash;Ken Berry, Petri Skriko. Greg C. Adams, Daryl Stanley, Mel Bridgman.RW&mdash;Jim Sandlak, David Bruce, Stan Smyl, Rich Sutter.LD&mdash;Paul Reinhart, Larry Melnyk, Jim Benning, Harold Snepsts.RD&mdash;Doug Lidster, Garth Butcher, Kevan Guy, Robert Nordmark.G&mdash;Steve Weeks, Kirk McLean.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Greg G. Adams. C. fractured ankle, indefinite.Barry Pederson, C, fractured collarbone, out for seasonTony Tanti. RW, twisted knee, day-to-day. &#9632;

CANUCKS EARN REST AFTER TURNAROUND

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div>Bernie Nicholls&rsquo; first seven NHL seasons seemed more like 70. Personal satisfaction aside, the 27-year-old center didn&rsquo;t have much to smile about playing for the Los Angeles Kings.&ldquo;It became a job,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You came to work every day and did your best, but you were only kidding yourself if you thought you could win.&rdquo;Nicholls&rsquo; outlook on life changed Aug. 9, when Wayne Gretzky became a King. The exclamation point was added seven months later, on March 25 at the Forum, when the Kings virtually clinched second place in the Smythe Division along with home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series with the Edmonton Oilers.Nicholls, enjoying his finest season with a club-record 67 goals, contributed a pair of goals and an assist as the Kings defeated Edmonton for the third consecutive time, 4-2.The three points gave Nicholls 144 points and the unofficial NHL record for largest increase in points from one season to the next. Last year, Nicholls scored 78 points. The jump of 66 eclipsed Guy Lafleur&rsquo;s 63-point leap from 56 to 119 in 1973-74. (See Digest on page 8.)The win left the season series teams even, 4-4-0, and put Los Angeles two points ahead of Edmonton. The Kings had four games remaining, the Oilers two. One more King victory, or one more Oiler loss, and second place belonged to Los Angeles.&ldquo;You play your whole career to win a Stanley Cup and now we&rsquo;ve got a chance,&rdquo; Nicholls said. &ldquo;This is the best team I&rsquo;ve ever played on. We&rsquo;re close now. Looking back, the chances of winning a Stanley Cup were very slim.&rdquo;While Gretzky remains the catalyst, Nicholls has contributed more than his share to the Kings success, especially down the stretch.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01780/5801303-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="540" height="1124"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bernie Nicholls can finally talk of winning in realistic terms.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Bernie has had a great year, and the last two weeks he has dominated,&rdquo; Gretzky said of Nicholls, who had 10 goals and nine assists in his last 10 games. &ldquo;He has really picked up the slack, scored some big goals.&rdquo;Nicholls has always had the ability to play well in big games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt, down the stretch, that I&rsquo;m a guy who comes to play,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t get excited at this time of the year, you shouldn&rsquo;t put on a sweater and go out there.&rdquo;But it&rsquo;s an ability, until now, the Kings rarely displayed.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see,&rdquo; Nicholls said. &ldquo;But we have a lot of experience. The guys know what it takes. In a big game, we all show up.&rdquo;Gretzky, for one, has enjoyed watching this team grow up.&ldquo;We gained some respect around the league,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There wasn&rsquo;t a lot of that in the beginning of the year. We&rsquo;ve created a great deal of character in the locker room, on the ice and with the people we have.&ldquo;The (Steve) Kaspers, (John) Tonellis and (Marty) McSorleys&hellip;those kind of guys don&rsquo;t always get the credit they deserve, but they are so important when it comes to winning Stanley Cups.&ldquo;Guys diving in front of shots late in periods, taking big hits and giving them&hellip;come playoff time those guys are going to be so important to our team.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re pretty proud of how far we&rsquo;ve come in just one year,&rdquo; Gretzky said with a smile. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty exciting. And the way people are thinking and talking about hockey in L.A. now, it&rsquo;s kind of neat.&rdquo;<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 24: Sylvain Couturier. C, Hubie McDonough. C, Gord Walker, RW, recalled from New Haven (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky, Bernie Nicholls, Steve Kasper. Sylvain Couturier. Hubie McDonoughLW&mdash;Mike Krushelnyski, Igor Liba, John Tonelli, Jay Miller.RW&mdash;Dave Taylor, Luc Robitaille. Marty McSorley, Ron Duguay, Gord Walker.LD&mdash;Steve Duchesne, Tim Watters, Jim Wiemer. Ken Baumgartner.RD&mdash;Tom Laidlaw, Dean Kennedy. Doug Crossman, Dale DeGray.G&mdash;Kelly Hrudey, Glenn Healy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mike Allison, RW. strained knee, indefinite.Jim Fox, RW, knee surgery, out for season.Chris Kontos, C, flu, day-to-dayPhil Sykes, RW, groin pull, indefinite. &#9632;

f0024-01

NICHOLLS NO SECRETIN KINGS’ SUCCESS

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div>For the first time since 1981, the Winnipeg Jets will not be in the playoffs.But there is a consolation prize for seven members of the team. At least that many Jets will participate in the World Championships beginning April 15 in Stockholm, Sweden. The total was revealed immediately following the Jets&rsquo; official elimination from the National Hockey League playoff race following a 5-4 defeat by the Edmonton Oilers March 23.Team Canada general manager John Ferguson, fired as Winnipeg GM nine games into the season, said he selected defensemen Randy Carlyle and Dave Ellett, center Dale Hawerchuk, right winger Andrew McBain and left winger Brent Ashton for the team. Center Thomas Steen and defenseman Fredrik Olausson have indicated they&rsquo;ll play for Sweden in the tournament.&ldquo;A complete surprise,&rdquo; said Carlyle, the 32-year-old former Norris Trophy winner. &ldquo;It will be the first time for me. I&rsquo;m just going to try and be positive about it. Nobody is guaranteed a spot. I&rsquo;ll just go out and try to contribute.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a thrill. You never expect something like that the way my season has gone. I&rsquo;m going. It&rsquo;s as simple as that.&rdquo;Ferguson has always had a soft spot for Carlyle, who was the backbone of his defense during the four full seasons they spent together in Winnipeg. He suffered through a difficult year, however (6-38-44 in 74 games), having been demoted from the power play and watching his ice time diminish along with his speed.But nobody has questioned his desire or leadership, qualities which no doubt made him qualified for Team Canada.The other choices were not unexpected.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited about the whole thing,&rdquo; said Ashton, completing his first season in Winnipeg (30-37-67 in 73 games) and playing for Canada for the first time. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never had a chance to play over there. It&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve always wanted to do. It&rsquo;s an honor being picked to represent your country.&ldquo;This is kind of the start of a new season for us. It&rsquo;s a challenge and as a professional athlete, you always enjoy a challenge.&rdquo;Ellett, who had a team-record 21 goals for a defenseman this season, could have played for either Canada or the United States. Born in Cleveland but raised in Ottawa, Ellett chose Team Canada.&ldquo;I had both options available to me but I talked to Fergie and he assured me that I would play. I think we&rsquo;re going to have a pretty good team. I don&rsquo;t know what players the U.S. has invited.&ldquo;My feeling is that Canada is going to have a better chance of winning a medal and that&rsquo;s one of the main reasons for going over there.&rdquo;Ellett tried out for Team USA at Canada Cup &rsquo;87.The five Canadians and two Swedes may not be the only Winnipeg players to participate. Right winger Hannu Jarvenpaa and defenseman Teppo Numminen may be invited to play for Finland, while left winger Paul Fenton is expected to get the nod from Team USA.Team Canada begins exhibition play April 6 in West Germany before starting tournament play April 15 against Finland.<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 25: Guy Larose, C, assigned to Moncton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Laurie Boschman, Brad Jones.LW&mdash;Brent Ashton, lain Duncan, Brent Hughes, Paul Fenton, Randy GilhenRW&mdash;Andrew McBain, Gord Donnelly, Hannu Jarvenpaa.LD&mdash;Dave Ellett, Randy Carlyle, Jim Kyte, Todd Flichel.RD&mdash;Fredrik Olausson, Brad Berry, Teppo Numminen.G&mdash;Bob Essensa, Eldon (Pokey) Reddick.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Pat Elynuik, RW, shoulder surgery, out for season.Doug Small, LW, fractured orbital bone, out for season.Peter Taglianetti, D, hernia, indefinite. &#9632;

SEASON WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVEN JETS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01737/5801365-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adirondack&rsquo;s Glenn Merkosky is considered the best player in minor pro hockey by his own coach, but Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Stephan Lebeau, inset, tops The Hockey News poll.</figcaption></div>The Great One was outgunned by a minor-leaguer on March 15. Mind you, he was no ordinary minor-leaguer.Stephan Lebeau, the Sherbrooke Canadiens&rsquo; record-setting center, was matched against Wayne Gretzky during a one-game recall with the Montreal Canadiens.Lebeau won 12 of 16 faceoffs against Gretzky. Both earned one assist.&ldquo;Who was that guy?&rdquo; asked the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; superstar.Stephan Lebeau, 21, is the American League&rsquo;s leading scorer and, according to a Hockey News survey, the leading player in the minor leagues.Lebeau emerged tops in a poll of AHL and International League coaches, general managers and players.Considering his scoring accomplishments this season, small wonder. Which is what the 5-foot-10 native of Sherbrooke, Que, has become in the hockey world.1. Stephan Lebeau, C, 5-10, 180, Sherbrooke Canadiens (AHL): Signed as a free agent by the Montreal Canadiens in 1986, Lebeau has excelled during his first pro season&mdash;setting four AHL records.With 70 goals and 134 points in 78 games, Lebeau had broken AHL records for goals (61) and points (130) set by Paul Gardner. Gardner, now coach of the Newmarket Saints, set the goal record with Rochester in 1985-86, a season after establishing the points mark with Binghamton.Earlier, Lebeau shattered the rookie standards in the same categories. Mitch Lamoureux, now with Hershey, set the previous records of 57 and 107 in 1982-83 while with Baltimore.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very much the guy responsible tor us being in first place,&rdquo; says Sherbrooke coach Jean Hamel. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got good quickness, good speed, good hands and good knowledge.&ldquo;I saw him at training camp and I didn&rsquo;t know how he&rsquo;d react in the AHL. He definitely did more than I thought he&rsquo;d do.&rdquo;2.Murray Eaves, C, 5-10, 185, Adirondack Red Wings (AHL): The 28-year-old Eaves is in his ninth pro season and had 38 goals and 105 points in 72 games. He has already broken Adirondack records for assists (58) and points (93) in a season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not only what he does for himself, it&rsquo;s what he does for people who play with him, too,&rdquo; says Adirondack coach Bill Dineen. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s made scorers out of (Rob) Doyle (23-5275 in 68 games) and (Miroslav) Ihnacak (33-3568 in 59).&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a leader,&rdquo; says Baltimore Skipjack coach Terry Murray. &ldquo;He works hard every night with a great attitude. He would make every minor-league team an automatic contender.&rdquo;3.Benoit Brunet, LW, 5-10, 180, Sherbrooke Canadiens: Lebeau&rsquo;s linemate for most of the season, the 20-year-old Brunet has also eclipsed the 100-point mark, with 38 goals and 70 assists in 68 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02504/5801358-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="664" height="800"></div>&ldquo;He does not have as much speed (as Lebeau),&rdquo; says Hamel, &ldquo;but he&rsquo;s smart and has good hands. He&rsquo;s a good complement to Lebeau&rsquo;s game because he&rsquo;s the one who goes to the comers.&rdquo;4.Dave Michayluk, RW, 5-10, 180, Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL): Michayluk has hit the 100-point plateau four straight seasons. After finishing second to John Cullen in the IHL scoring race last season with a career-high 56-81137 in 81 games, Michayluk was leading the IHL this season with 44 goals and 66 assists in 68 games. He&rsquo;s been an IHL first-team all-star the last two seasons.The 26-year-oId free agent doesn&rsquo;t do it with blinding speed, overpowering brawn or a natural scoring touch. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a real smart player,&rdquo; says Salt Lake&rsquo;s Pete Lappin.5. Paul Ranheim, C, 6-0, 195, Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL): Ranheim has drawn enthusiastic reviews all season long for his speed and scoring prowess. His 56 goals in 64 games led the IHL and were second to Lebeau among minor-pro players. He also had 25 assists.&ldquo;A lot of those goals are because of his speed,&rdquo; says Kalamazoo coach John Marks. &ldquo;He manages to get to the net faster.&rdquo;The 23-year-old St. Louis native, a University of Wisconsin grad, was picked 38th overall in the 1984 entry draft by the Calgary Flames. He went pointless in a four-game stint with Calgary earlier this season.6.Randy Exelby, G, 5-9, 170, Sherbrooke Canadiens: Exelby led the league with 30 victories, a 2.90 goals-against average and six shutouts.A 7-10-0 record and 2.80 GAA last season convinced Montreal to let go two goalies ahead of him, Vincent Riendeau and Jocelyn Perreault.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a stand-up goalie,&rdquo; says Hamel. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not the type who goes with the fancy stuff. He&rsquo;s mobile and aggressive when he&rsquo;s out there. He&rsquo;s like having a third defenseman.&rdquo;Exelby, 23, was chosen in the 1986 supplemental draft from Lake Superior State.7. Simon Wheeldon, C, 5-11, 170, Denver Rangers (IHL): Wheeldon&rsquo;s numbers don&rsquo;t tell the full story. Though he was fourth in league scoring (47-49-96 in 65 games), his leadership is the most important part of his game.Wheeldon was drafted 231st overall by Edmonton in 1984 but never stuck with the Oilers. The New York Rangers signed him as a free agent in 1987. He had one assist in six games with New York this season.8. Brian Dobbin, RW, 5-11, 195, Hershey Bears (AHL): The 22-year-old Dobbin is one of the fastest guns in the AHL. In 52 games he had 41 goals and 84 points.&ldquo;He shoots the puck quicker or as quick as anybody I&rsquo;ve ever seen,&rdquo; says Hershey coach John Paddock. &ldquo;Somebody like (Hershey center) Ross Fitzpatrick shoots it quickly but he doesn&rsquo;t get a lot on it, whereas Dobbin shoots it quickly and he can score from 40 or 50 feet sometimes because he gets so much on it.&rdquo; Dobbin, taken 100th overall in 1984 by Philadelphia, had earned one assist in 14 games with the Flyers this season.9. Jeff Rohlicek, LW, 5-11, 165, Milwaukee Admirals (IHL): Admiral coach Rick Ley is credited with restoring the 23-year-old Rohlicek&rsquo;s confidence. Rohlicek had three excellent seasons in the Western League but was a disappointment in his first two seasons of minor pro. He produced 56- and 57-point campaigns with the AHL&rsquo;s Fredericton Express and went pointless in seven games with the Vancouver Canucks.This season, he was third in IHL scoring with 40 goals and 97 points in 69 games.10. Glenn Merkosky, C-RW, 5-10, 175, Adirondack Red Wings (AHL): Where the 28-year-old Merkosky has gone, success has followed. He has been in the playoffs eight of his nine seasons as a pro. His teams have won four division titles and two Calder Cups.In 623 minor-pro games, Merkosky&rsquo;s totals were 289-312-601, including 30-42-72 in 69 games this season.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best player in minor-league hockey,&rdquo; says Dineen. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s easy to overlook because what he does for a team doesn&rsquo;t always show up in the statistics.&rdquo;&mdash;With files from Paul Abramowitz, Mike Kane and Bob Wagner. &#9632;

f0026-01

MINOR-PRO MARVELS

<div class="byline">BY MIKE KANE</div>Ask Adam Graves about his success with the Adirondack Red Wings and he politely talks about his teammates. Ask anyone else and you get a different story.&ldquo;This kid is just awesome in every area of his game.&rdquo; said Adirondack coach Bill Dineen.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re talking about a player who has skill, the strength, the speed, the hockey sense&hellip;and he&rsquo;s a hard worker,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; veteran Glenn Merkosky.Graves, assigned to Adirondack by the Detroit Red Wings March 1, scored one goal in each of his first nine games&mdash;a team record for consecutive games with at least one goal&mdash;and picked up six assists. The streak came to an end March 24, when he was held pointless in a 4-2 loss to Rochester. The league record is 14 straight games with at least one goal, set by Moncton&rsquo;s Brett Hull in 1986-87.Graves. 20. was Detroit&rsquo;s second pick, 22nd overall, in the 1986 NHL entry draft. He completed his junior career with Windsor last season by helping the Spitfires reach the Memorial Cup final. He made the Detroit roster in training camp but. as the season progressed, his playing time diminished. He had seven goals and 12 points in 54 games with Detroit.&ldquo;I still wasn&rsquo;t in great game shape because I hadn&rsquo;t been playing that much up there.&rdquo; Graves said. &ldquo;I kind of missed not playing hockey, because I still love it and I enjoy playing. That&rsquo;s maybe why things worked out a little quicker&hellip;because I was looking forward to playing so badly. I wanted to play. Then when I got the opportunity I tried to work at it.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had fun so far. It&rsquo;s a really good atmosphere here. It&rsquo;s not that I don&rsquo;t want to be back in Detroit, because that is my goal. I want to play for the Detroit Red Wings. This (Adirondack) is a great place to play and I think it can only help me. It can&rsquo;t hurt me.&rdquo;Graves fit in quickly with an Adirondack lineup that includes other young Detroit prospects such as Joe Murphy. Brent Fedyk. Randy McKay and Tim Cheveldae. Dineen first used Graves at left wing on a line with Murphy and J. F. Sauve. Then he moved him to Murray Eaves&rsquo; line, with Rob Doyle on the right side.&ldquo;He is potentially a superstar.&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;He is a guy, that big, strong centerman that you are looking for. We&rsquo;ve got him playing wing, but he can play center, too. He&rsquo;s going to be a real factor in Detroit&rsquo;s future.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01688/5801396-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="708" height="894"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit prospect Adam Graves is grateful for increased ice time in the AHL.</figcaption></div><h2>SAINTS ALIVE</h2>Newmarket broke a six-game losing streak March 19 with a 7-5 victory over Hershey. Two days later, the Saints tied Moncton 5-5 to move into a tie with Rochester for the fourth and final playoff berth. The point was a costly one, though, since center Marty Dallman&rsquo;s season ended with a broken bone in his wrist.<h2>JENSEN BACK</h2>Forward Chris Jensen returned to the Hershey lineup March 22 after missing five weeks while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery&hellip;Right winger Jeff Madill helped keep Utica in the playoff picture with four goals and three assists in three consecutive victories. Craig Billington continued as the workhorse in Utica with 16 consecutive starts through March 18. During that stretch. Billington was 7-9-0 with a 3.94 goals against average. With 73 points in 72 games, the Devils were third but in a dogfight with Rochester and Newmarket (each with 71 points) for the fourth and final playoff spot. &#9632;

f0027-01

GOAL-A-GAME GRAVESWOWS ‘EM IN ADIRONDACK

<div class="byline">BY BOB WAGNER AND JEFF HALE</div>A year ago, Peter Lappin was the talk of the International League.Lappin went from a solid performance in the NCAA Final Four&mdash;he scored all three St. Lawrence goals in a 3-2 semi-final win over Minnesota&mdash;to most valuable player in the IHL&rsquo;s Turner Cup playoffs.In 17 playoff games, the 5-foot-11. 185-pound center-right winger scored 16 goals and 12 assists as the Salt Lake Golden Eagles won their second consecutive Cup.This season hasn&rsquo;t been the same. Other teammates have taken the spotlight. Center Theoren Fleury led the IHL in scoring when he was recalled Jan. 1 by the Calgary Flames. Left wingerPaul Ranheim has blitzed Eagle rivals with his speed and scoring ability (56 goals in 64 games).But that doesn&rsquo;t mean Lappin hasn&rsquo;t produced. He had 80 points (43-37) in 70 games and was tied for 10th in league scoring with Muskegon&rsquo;s Scott Gruhl.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m having a pretty good year,&rdquo; said Lappin. &ldquo;The team is doing pretty well and that&rsquo;s the most important thing. The scoring is a lot more distributed this year than it was during the pliyoffs. I just think we have a more talented offensive team with Ranheim. (Rich) Chernomaz. (Randy) Bucyk and (Jim) Johannson.&rdquo;<h2>COACH HURTING</h2>Indianapolis Ice coach Archie Henderson, recovering from surgery on a ruptured colon Feb. 15, told the team March 10 he would not be able to return as coach this season but would continue as director of hockey operations.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03280/5801458-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="558" height="626"><figcaption class="caption-body">Peter Lappin hasn&rsquo;t commanded the limelight this season.</figcaption></div>Reg Thomas was named interim coach Feb. 18, when it was expected Henderson, 32. would be able to return to the team before the end of the season April 9.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trying to fool a lot of people, myself included, since I got back here,&rdquo; Henderson said. &ldquo;The fact is. I&rsquo;m not as strong as I have tried to appear. I don&rsquo;t feel well. I&rsquo;m a very competitive person and I wanted to come back this season, but this is an opportunity for me to wear my other hat.&rdquo;<h2>NO RETURN</h2>The Toledo Goaldiggers, who suspended operations after the 1985-86 season, will not return to the league for the 1989-90 season.The Goaldiggers remain on the IHL&rsquo;s &lsquo;suspended&rsquo; list. The team still pays league dues&mdash;in &ldquo;five figures&rdquo; according to incoming IHL commissioner Tom Berry&mdash;and attends league meetings, but cannot vote.<h2>BLUE ON GREEN</h2>The ice was green March 17 for the eighth annual St. Patrick&rsquo;s Day game in Wings Stadium, but blue figured prominently in Kalamazoo&rsquo;s 3-2 victory over IHL leader Muskegon before a standing-room-only crowd of 5,397. Goaltender John Blue, a 1988 U.S. Olympian, made 41 saves to lead the Wings&hellip;The Salt Lake Golden Eagles extended a team record with their 31st home victory March 21.8-1 over Peoria. The Eagles were 16-1-0 in their last 17 home games. At 48-20-3.they were one win short of the team record for victories, set in 1979-80&hellip;Kalamazoo center Wally Schreiber separated his shoulder in a 4-3 overtime win over Flint March 18. He&rsquo;s out for the season. &#9632;

f0027-03

LAPPIN HAVING A FINE SEASON—QUIETLY

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01715/5801489-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Reggie Savage scored four goals to power Victoriaville past Drummondville 10-4 in the opener of a Quebec League quarter-final series.</figcaption></div>The Moose Jaw Warriors have done what no other team in Canadian major junior hockey has done since 1986&mdash;they eliminated the Medicine Hat Tigers.The sixth-place Warriors, who were 16 points out of a playoff spot in early January, defeated the two-time Memorial Cup champions in three straight games in their Western League best-of-five East Division series.The Tigers finished third in league play.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do anything differently, we just tried to do the things that got us here.&rdquo; said Warriors&rsquo; coach Lorne Molleken. &ldquo;And in any series, the key is goaltending. Stan (Smokey) Reddick was the bottom line for us. He&rsquo;s the kind of goaltender who thrives on a heavy workload and the more he plays, the better he gets.&rdquo;Reddick, the 19-year-old brother of Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; goalie Eldon (Pokey) Reddick, kept busy in the final game March 24, stopping 41 shots in a 5-4 overtime win to clinch the series.Trailing 4-2, the Warriors got a goal from left winger Jerome Bechard at 17:13 of the third period but were called for delay of game after an unsuccessful stick measurement on Tiger defenseman Ryan McGill. Center Rob Harvey tied the score with a shorthanded goal at 18:45, before Bechard scored the winner at 1:42 of sudden-death overtime.The Warriors won the first two games of the series, 5-2 in Medicine Hat March 21 and 6-3 in Moose Jaw March 24.The loss ended the Tigers&rsquo; dream of winning three straight Memorial Cups, something no team has ever done.The Warriors take on the first-place Swift Current Broncos in a division semi-final beginning March 31.The fifth-place Lethbridge Hurricanes were the architects of another East Division upset, defeating the fourth-place Prince Albert Raiders 3-1 in their best-of-five series. The Hurricanes now meet the second-place Saskatoon Blades, who will automatically advance to the Memorial Cup as host team.After two overtime games&mdash;the Raiders won the first 4-3 March 21 and the Hurricanes won the second 3-2 the next night&mdash;Lethbridge took control of the series. The Hurricanes won the third game 12-3 at home March 24, and then clinched the series with a 7-3 home-ice win March 26.In the West Division, the first-place Portland Winter Hawks jumped to a 3-0 lead in their best-of-nine semi-final against the Tri-City Americans. The Winter Hawks took the first two games at home by scores of 6-5 March 23 and 7-6 in overtime March 25 before winning 5-2 in Tri-City March 26.In the other West Division semi-final, the Kamloops Blazers and Victoria Cougars were tied 1-1 after swapping 6-5 wins. The Blazers took the first game in Victoria March 24 before the Cougars came back with a home-ice win March 25.<h2>ONTARIO LEAGUE</h2>The North Bay Centennials picked the perfect time to live up to pre-season expectations.The Centennials, picked by many to challenge for first place in the Ontario League&rsquo;s Emms Division, scored the upset of the year, knocking off the first-place Kitchener Rangers in five games of their best-of-seven series.Sitting in last place overall in mid-January, the Centennials grabbed the sixth and final playoff spot in the Emms Division with a 24-36-6 record.But against the Rangers, they showed they may have been playing possum during the regular season. After dropping a 3-2 decision in Kitchener in game one March 19, the Centennials reeled off four straight victories, beginning with a 12-1 rout March 21. They followed with a 5-4 overtime win March 24, 4-2 victory March 25 and 3-2 triumph March 26.&ldquo;Our guys were extremely happy because they weren&rsquo;t satisfied with the type of year we had,&rdquo; said North Bay coach Bert Templeton. &ldquo;I think we did well because we played the series on the terms we wanted. We didn&rsquo;t take many bad penalties and our power play was effective.&rdquo;The Centennials were 9-for-25 on the power play and scored two game-winners with the man advantage.They were led by overage right winger John Purves, who had six goals and four assists. Purves is one of 10 players the Centennials acquired through trades this season.&ldquo;Purves doesn&rsquo;t belong in this league, period,&rdquo; said Kitchener coach Joe McDonnell. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pro. I&rsquo;m pleased with our effort. We had a lot of chances but we just couldn&rsquo;t score goals.&rdquo;In the only sweep of the first round, the Niagara Falls Thunder defeated the fifth-place Windsor Spitfires in four games.The Thunder was led by overage right winger Stan Drulia, who had six goals and 12 assists. The Thunder won 8-5 March 19, 7-6 March 21, 9-3 March 23 and 6-3 March 24 to take the series over the defending league champions. Left winger Keith Osborne added seven goals and eight assists, and defenseman Bryan Fogarty had four goals and nine assists.Windsor right winger Jim Revenberg and Niagara Falls defenseman Dennis Vial earned indefinite suspensions from league commissioner Dave Branch for coming off their respective benches to fight during the third game. Both players sat out game four.With the win, the second-place Thunder earned a bye into the league finals and will play the winner of the series between North Bay and the London-Guelph winner. After taking a 3-0 lead in their series, the Knights were beaten two straight games by the Platers. London won the first game 4-2 March 19 and followed with a 6-5 win in overtime the next night and a 5-2 win March 22. Guelph responded with an 11-4 win March 23 and a 7-5 victory March 26.<blockquote class="pullQuote">NORTH BAY UPSET KITCHENER IN A FIRST-ROUND OHL SERIES.</blockquote>In the Leyden Division, the first-place Peterborough Petes earned a bye to the division finals with a five-game victory over Belleville.After dropping the first game 3-2 March 20, the Petes won 3-1 March 22, 9-3 March 23, 5-4 March 25 and 6-4 March 26.The Toronto Marlboros, who were playing their last season of junior hockey after 63 years of existence, lost in six games to the Cornwall Royals. Tied 2-2 in the series, the fourth-place Royals beat the third-place Marlies 8-5 March 25 and 12-3 the next day to clinch the series. The Royals opened with a 6-2 win March 19 and won the third game 5-4 March 22. The Marlies won the second game 4-3 March 20 and the fourth game 6-4 March 23.The Marlies will move to Hamilton next season and will be known as the Dukes of Hamilton.Meanwhile, after spotting the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s a 3-0 lead, the Oshawa Generals came back with two straight wins. The 67&rsquo;s took control of the series with wins of 4-2 March 19, 5-4 March 21 and 4-3 March 22. But the Generals replied with a 4-0 win March 26 and 5-4 overtime victory March 26.<h2>QUEBEC LEAGUE</h2>Led by a three-goal performance from center Reggie Savage, the fourth-place Victoriaville Tigres took a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Quebec League quarter-final with a 10-4 win over the fifth-place Drummondville Voltigeurs March 26.Elsewhere, the first-place Trois-Rivieres Draveurs take on the eighth-place Shawinigan Cataractes, the second-place Laval Titan plays the seventh-place Granby Bisons and the third-place Hull Olympiques go against the fifth-place St-Jean Castors. &#9632;

f0028-01

BAD MEDICINE

<div class="byline">BY RANDY RUSSON</div>After 16 years in the Ontario League, the Kingston franchise is moving.Or so says team owner Lou Kazowski. Charging that &ldquo;the city of Kingston doesn&rsquo;t deserve an OHL franchise,&rdquo; Kazowski removed all the team&rsquo;s equipment from the Kingston Memorial Arena March 20 and vowed never to return.&ldquo;For the past five years the franchise has averaged fewer than 1,500 fans per game and lost more than $500,000,&rdquo; said Kazowski, who estimates he lost between $150,000 and $175,000 this season.The Peterborough. Ont., developer bought the franchise in February, 1988 and changed its name from Canadians to Raiders to start the 1988-89 season. This season, the team finished last in the Leyden Division for the second straight year, with a record of 25-36-5.Kazowski wouldn&rsquo;t say where the Raiders would relocate but said the issue should be resolved by mid-April.Owen Sound. Barrie and North York have been rumored as possible transfer sites for the franchise. Owen Sound&rsquo;s city council has already submitted a proposal to Kazowski.Kazowski, who earlier threatened to remove the team because of the alleged poor condition of the home arena, reached an agreement for a three-year deal with the Memorial Centre in December but never signed it.League commissioner Dave Branch, who met with Kazowski March 20, would only say he hopes the situation is resolved soon.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s essential for the member teams and everyone involved in that organization that this be dealt with as soon as possible,&rdquo; said Branch.<h2>OUT AGAIN</h2>One new owner, two general managers and two coaches later, the Sudbury Wolves find themselves in the same place.Out of the playoffs. It&rsquo;s been that way for eight of the past nine seasons.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t explain it,&rdquo; said Wolves&rsquo; owner Ken Burgess. &ldquo;In January we were a point out of fourth and ended up out of it. I don&rsquo;t know what it is. Our fans deserve better.&rdquo;Buraess bought the team midway through the 1986-87 season and hired Marcel Bedard as director of operations. Coach-general manager Guy Blanchard was fired after that season and was replaced by John Wallin. Wallin resigned midway through last year amid controversy over his Viet Nam War record and was replaced by assistant coach Ken MacKenzie. Bedard resigned after the season and Sam McMaster took over.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01618/5801520-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="712" height="832"><figcaption class="caption-body">Lou Kazowski says his team should have a new home by mid-April.</figcaption></div>Despite the team&rsquo;s 23-36-7 record and sixthplace finish in the Emms Division, McMaster said MacKenzie&rsquo;s job is safe.<h2>NICE GUYS</h2>Despite his team&rsquo;s last-place finish, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds&rsquo; governor Angelo Bumbacco gave coach Ted Nolan and director of operations Mike Desjardins a ringing endorsement.&ldquo;They (Nolan and Desjardins) have restored some peace and order to the team and have us headed in the right direction,&rdquo; said Bumbacco. &ldquo;We no longer resemble a concentration camp.&rdquo;Nolan replaced the fired Don Boyd behind the bench in early December and Desjardins, formerly a trainer with the team, was promoted two weeks later. The Greyhounds finished the season with a 21-43-2 record. &#9632;

f0029-01

KINGSTON OWNER VOWS TO MOVE FRANCHISE

<div class="byline">BY ED WILLES</div>Making the playoffs meant more than a few extra home dates for the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Moose Jaw Warriors this season.It meant survival.The Hurricanes, who dropped five consecutive overtime games in February, clinched a playoff berth with a 9-6 win over Brandon March 12. Lethbridge, which finished fifth in the East Division with a 27-39-6 record, played the Prince Albert Raiders in one best-of-five first-round series, (see page 28 for playoff update).&ldquo;It was a very big win for the franchise,&rdquo; said Hurricanes&rsquo; coach Blaine Galbraith. &ldquo;If we hadn&rsquo;t made it to the playoffs this year, it would have been tough to sell junior hockey in Lethbridge.&rdquo;Selling the game has been difficult in the southern Alberta city. The Lethbridge Broncos packed up and moved to Swift Current after the 1985-86 season. After a year without a Western League team, Lethbridge welcomed the transplanted Calgary Wranglers last season.The Hurricanes&rsquo; second season in Lethbridge was better all-round. They improved on the ice&mdash;they went 20-48-4 and finished seventh last season&mdash;and at the gate. Average attendance improved from 1,994 to 2,383 per game in the 5,043-seat Coaldale Sportsplex.The Warriors, meanwhile, were 8-27-0 and last in the East in early January. But they went 19-15-3 the rest of the way to claim the sixth and final playoff spot, three points behind Lethbridge. They finished 27-42-3 and met third-place Medicine Hat in the other first-round series. Swift Current and Saskatoon, which finished first and second, respectively, in the division, received first-round byes.Moose Jaw general manager Greg Kvisle said making the playoffs will help the club next season.&ldquo;It told the people of Moose Jaw that the Warriors are back and it&rsquo;s given us a strong case to sell the hockey club over the summer,&rdquo; Kvisle said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a vast difference when you compare what the people have to look forward to this summer after what they had to look forward to after last summer.&rdquo;Suffering from financial problems after finishing last with an 18-52-2 record in &rsquo;87-88, the Warriors almost folded in the off-season. After starting this season 5-12-0, they fired coach-general manager Gerry James and replaced him with Kvisle. In early December Kvisle was named general manager and Lome Moelleken head coach.<h2>TOUGH TIMES</h2>Three of the league&rsquo;s notable personalities missed the playoffs for the first time in their careers.Spokane Chief general manager Bob Strumm missed post-season play for the first time in 11 seasons. Strumm previously coached Billings and Regina Pats. This season, his Chiefs finished last in the West Division with a record of 25-45-2.Brandon head coach Doug Sauter, whose team finished seventh in the East at 25-43-4, was out of the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.After taking Medicine Hat to six straight playoffs and two Memorial Cups, Seattle general manager Russ Farwell was on the sidelines after his team finished 33-35-5, fifth in the West.<h2>NOMINEES ARE&hellip;</h2>Two centers with virtually identical statistics have been named finalists for the league&rsquo;s most valuable player award.Tim Tisdale, 20, was 57-82-139 in 68 games for the Swift Current Broncos this season, while co-nominee Stu Barnes, 18, was 59-82-141 in 70 games for the Tri-City Americans.A pair of pivots were also named finalists for rookie-of-the-year honors&mdash;Wes Walz of Lethbridge and Pat Falloon of Spokane. Frederic Chabot of Prince Albert and Danny Lorenz of Seattle are best goaltender finalists; best defenseman nominees are Swift Current&rsquo;s Dan Lambert and Tri-City&rsquo;s Steve Jaques; most sportsmanlike player finalists are Moose Jaw right winger Blair Atcheynum and Victoria center Jackson Penney. Coach-of-the-year honors will go to either Medicine Hat&rsquo;s Ron Kennedy or Portland&rsquo;s Ken Hodge.The award winners will be announced during the division finals in April. &#9632;

PLAYOFFS PAINT A PLEASANT PICTURE

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>The St-Jean Castors&rsquo; hopes for playoff success took a turn for the worse March 20, when captain Francois Leroux suffered a separated shoulder in an 11-5 loss to Laval.Leroux, Edmonton&rsquo;s first choice (19th overall) in 1988, had surgery the next day and is out for the regular season. The injury occurred early in the third period when the 6-foot-6, 219-pound defenseman was hit by Titan center Neil Carnes. Trailing 54 when Leroux was injured, the Castors gave up six goals in the next 10 minutes.In 70 games&mdash;57 with Leroux in the lineup&mdash;the sixth-place Castors allowed a league-high 386 goals. Leroux had eight goals, 34 assists and 185 penalty minutes on the season.But paced by the line of center Patrick Lebeau (62-87-149 in 66 games), right winger Jan Alston (5986-145 in 69) and left winger Pierre Millier (39-47-86 in 60), along with second-line center Stefan Figliuzzi (46-62-108 in 59), the 33-34-3 Castors were fourth in goals with 345.<h2>HULL-BOUND</h2>For the Los Angeles Kings, it&rsquo;s one Hull of a deal.The NHL team, which has conducted 13 of its last 16 training camps in Victoria, B.C., announced March 16 it will relocate its pre-season camp to the Arena Robert-Guertin, home of the Quebec League&rsquo;s Hull Olympiques.The Olympiques are owned by Wayne Gretzky, the King superstar whose box-office appeal is tops in hockey.Not only will the Kings have complete control of the 3,500-seat facility from Sept. 7 to 20, but they&rsquo;re getting the arena rent-free. Hull&rsquo;s city council also agreed to pay for minor modifications to the dressing rooms.The Kings moved from Victoria to ease travel burdens during the exhibition schedule and maximize media coverage.That means while the Kings hold camp, the Olympiques will have to practise in community rinks. But Hull general manager Charlie Henry, who did most of the negotiating for the deal, said that won&rsquo;t be a problem because the regular season doesn&rsquo;t begin until late September.&ldquo;The impact it&rsquo;s going to have on hockey in the area is going to be worth it, no question,&rdquo; said Henry. &ldquo;The Kings are now a big machine in the NHL and they&rsquo;re very popular around here.&rdquo;With good reason. Gretzky has owned the team since 1985, and all-star left winger Luc Robitaille played his junior hockey in Hull from 1983-84 to 1985-86.Despite Gretzky&rsquo;s association with the Olympiques, the Kings&rsquo; first choice for training camp was the 17,000-seat Copps Coliseum in Hamilton. But the Kings were rebuffed by Toronto Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard. The Leafs&rsquo; territorial rights extend to Hamilton.Henry said he&rsquo;s optimistic some of the daily training sessions will be open to the public, but he&rsquo;s waiting to see what the Kings&rsquo; plans are.&ldquo;Nothing has been settled but we&rsquo;re taking our directions from the Kings,&rdquo; said Henry. &ldquo;If they say the practices aren&rsquo;t open, then they won&rsquo;t be open. But they&rsquo;ve been really cooperative so far and I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;ll want to put a few things on for the kids.&rdquo;Henry said Kings&rsquo; pre-season games will not be played in Hull because of Arena Robert-Guertin&rsquo;s small seating capacity. He had hoped to use the 9,355-seat Ottawa Civic Centre, but it has been booked by the Moscow Circus in September.<h2>A REAL SWINGER</h2>Trois-Rivieres&rsquo; center Sebastien Parent received a two-game suspension March 16 for attempting to attack a spectator after a 4-2 loss to the Olympiques in Hull March 7. Parent swung his stick at the fan from the Draveurs&rsquo; bench. No criminal charges were laid.The game against Hull was Parent&rsquo;s first after completing a five-game suspension for a stick-swinging incident with Victoriaville&rsquo;s Reginald Savage in a game Feb. 19.Parent missed a 5-4 loss to Victoriaville March 17 and a 6-4 win over Verdun March 19. He returned for a 5-2 win over Drummondville March 21. &#9632;

LEROUX INJURY BLOW TO CASTORS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01705/5801599-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Vukonich was one of four Harvard scorers in the Crimson&rsquo;s first-game victory over Lake Superior State.</figcaption></div>The Minnesota Golden Gophers have high hopes of being poor hosts.Minnesota will have the advantage of hometown support March 30 when the National Collegiate Athletic Association hockey championship takes place in St. Paul.The Michigan State Spartans, Maine Black Bears and Harvard Crimson are the other teams advancing to the Final Four at the Civic Center.MSU will meet Harvard in one semi-final March 30, while Minnesota tackles Maine in the other, March 31. The winners play for the championship April 1.Here&rsquo;s how each team advanced from the best-of-three quarterfinal round:<h2>GOPHERS TRIUMPH</h2>Minnesota qualified for its fourth straight appearance in the Final Four by beating the Wisconsin Badgers 4-2 at home March 25 to win the series 2-0.Minnesota also won 4-2 in the series opener March 24.The Minneapolis school has lost in the semi-finals the last three years&mdash;its first three years under coach Doug Woog.&ldquo;I think these guys want to win a national championship for Doug,&rdquo; said Gopher junior center Dave Snuggerud. &ldquo;We want to win for him so he doesn&rsquo;t have to go through all the criticism from the WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) and the media that he&rsquo;s not good enough.&rdquo;The big names had big games for the Gophers. Last season&rsquo;s Hobey Baker Award winner, junior goalie Robb Stauber, was steady as the Gophers beat Wisconsin for the sixth time in seven meetings.Junior right winger Tom Chorske had a goal and two assists in the first win, and assisted on Jason Miller&rsquo;s game-winning goal with 6:48 remaining in the second game to snap the 2-2 tie. It was the second goal of the game for Miller, a sophomore center-winger.<h2>SPARTAN EFFORT</h2>The power or positive thinking propelled hometown Michigan State past Boston College before a sellout crowd of 6,382 at Munn Arena March 26.Spartan freshman Mark Hirth, a fourth-line left winger, scored 5:57 into the first overtime period to give the Spartans a 5-4 third-game victory over BC and berth in the Final Four for the fourth time in the last six seasons.Following a faceoff in the BC end, MSU defenseman Don Gibson gained possession along the boards and dumped the puck towards Hirth, who was standing at the hash marks.Hirth swept the puck into the right side of the net past BC goalie David Liftman.&ldquo;One of the last things coach (Ron) Mason told us was to envision ourselves scoring a goal,&rdquo; said Hirth. &ldquo;I saw myself taking a pass in front and scoring that way, but I&rsquo;ll take this one.&rdquo;Hirth&rsquo;s goal, his second of the series and sixth of the season, capped a tense, Spartan-dominated game.Spartan freshman Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour forced the overtime when he scored from a goalmouth scramble at 5:23 of the third period.MSU won the second game 7-2 March 25 after losing the opener 6-3 one night earlier.<h2>CRIMSON SWEEP</h2>Harvard powered its way past defending NCAA-champion Lake Superior State to advance to the Final Four for the third time in four years.The Crimson scored five of their nine goals on the power play en route to a 4-2, 5-2 sweep of the Lakers March 24-25 at Harvard&rsquo;s Bright Arena.Harvard scored three straight power-play goals to open up a 3-0 lead in the opener and never looked back. Junior right winger C.J. Young, sophomore right winger John Weisbrod, junior left winger Ed Krayer and sophomore left winger Mike Vukonich scored for Harvard, which outshot Lake Superior 44-23.Junior defenseman Dan Keczmer and senior right winger Mike de Carle gave Lake Superior a 2-1 lead midway through the second period of game two. But sophomore center Peter Ciavaglia, who scored the first Harvard goal, completed a hat trick with two goals within three minutes. Ciavaglia then set up Krayer for a breakaway at 17:12 of the second period to give Harvard a 4-2 lead. Lane McDonald scored into an empty net to complete the scoring for the Crimson.<h2>MAINE IN OT</h2>Freshman center Martin Robitaille had an Easter Sunday to remember.His goal 5:28 into the second overtime period gave the hometown Maine Black Bears a 4-3 win over the Providence Friars in game three and berth in the Final Four.Vince Guidotti shot the puck towards the net from the right point and Friar goalieMark Romaine made the save.&ldquo;The puck was in my skate,&rdquo; said Robitaille. &ldquo;Everybody was lying down on the ice and I put it to my backhand. I didn&rsquo;t have much room to shoot because I was almost on the goal line (to the right of the cage). The goalie wasn&rsquo;t in the net and I shot it up about four feet. That was the biggest goal I&rsquo;ve ever scored.&rdquo;The teams were scoreless through the first 10-minute overtime period.Scott Pellerin&rsquo;s goal with 2:22 remaining sent the game into overtime. He took a long pass from Robitaille and unleashed a 35-footer into the far comer.Robitaille&rsquo;s game-winner was his second in as many nights; he also evened the series March 25 with the decider in Maine&rsquo;s 3-2 win.Providence won the first game of the series 8-6 March 24.&mdash;With files from Virg Foss, Kevin Gordon, Tom Boggie and Larry Mahoney. &#9632;

f0030-01

FINAL FOUR SET

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01649/5801952-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><h2>STANDINGS</h2><h2>RESULTS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02445/5801945-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="491" height="985"></div><h2>POINTS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03319/5801938-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="501" height="594"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04239/5801931-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="218" height="223"></div><h2>FUTURE GAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05190/5801924-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="372" height="565"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06155/5801917-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="374" height="564"></div><h2>HOME-ROAD RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07133/5801910-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="992" height="257"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-08117/5801903-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="1015" height="645"></div><h2>DIVISIONAL RECORDS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-09102/5801896-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="1013" height="821"></div><h2>TEAM POWER PLAY</h2>(ADV) TOTAL ADVANTAGES (PPGF) POWER-PLAY GOALS FOR (PCT) ARRIVED BY DIVIDING NUMBER OF POWER-PLAY GOALS BY TOTAL ADVANTAGES<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1088/5801889-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="1019" height="630"></div><h2>TEAM PENALTY KILLING</h2>(TSH) TOTAL TIMES SHORT-HANDED (PPGA) POWER-PLAY GOALS AGAINST (PCT) ARRIVED BY DIVIDING - TIMES SHORT MINUS POWER-PLAY GOALS AGAINST - BY TIMES SHORT<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1175/5801882-1-eng-US/f0031-112.jpg" title="f0031-11" width="1026" height="628"></div><h2>TEAM PENALTIES</h2>(GP) GAMES PLAYED (PEN) TOTAL PENALTY MINUTES INCLUDING BENCH MINUTES (BMI) TOTAL BENCH MINOR MINUTES (AVG) AVERAGE PENALTY MINUTES/GAME ARRIVED BY DIVIDING TOTAL PENALTY MINUTES BY GAMES PLAYED<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1251/5801875-1-eng-US/f0031-122.jpg" title="f0031-12" width="458" height="336"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1340/5801868-1-eng-US/f0031-132.jpg" title="f0031-13" width="461" height="350"></div><h2>LEADING SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1437/5801861-1-eng-US/f0031-142.jpg" title="f0031-14" width="1019" height="388"></div><h2>INDIVIDUAL LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1534/5801854-1-eng-US/f0031-152.jpg" title="f0031-15" width="1020" height="443"></div><h2>LEADING ROOKIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1630/5801847-1-eng-US/f0031-162.jpg" title="f0031-16" width="1015" height="330"></div><h2>TEAM-BY-TEAM SCORING</h2><h3>BOSTON BRUINS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1728/5801840-1-eng-US/f0031-172.jpg" title="f0031-17" width="996" height="841"></div><h3>BUFFALO SABRES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-1827/5801833-1-eng-US/f0031-182.jpg" title="f0031-18" width="995" height="88"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01692/5801826-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="990" height="1002"></div><h3>CALGARY FLAMES</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02495/5801819-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="994" height="814"></div><h3>CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03339/5801812-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="998" height="918"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-04221/5801805-1-eng-US/f0032-042.jpg" title="f0032-04" width="1012" height="212"></div><h3>DETROIT RED WINGS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-05151/5801798-1-eng-US/f0032-052.jpg" title="f0032-05" width="992" height="790"></div><h3>EDMONTON OILERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-06120/5801791-1-eng-US/f0032-062.jpg" title="f0032-06" width="996" height="972"></div><h3>HARTFORD WHALERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-07100/5801784-1-eng-US/f0032-072.jpg" title="f0032-07" width="990" height="688"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0887/5801777-1-eng-US/f0032-082.jpg" title="f0032-08" width="984" height="388"></div><h3>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-0975/5801770-1-eng-US/f0032-092.jpg" title="f0032-09" width="984" height="1084"></div><h3>MINNESOTA NORTH STARS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1070/5801763-1-eng-US/f0032-102.jpg" title="f0032-10" width="984" height="1018"></div><h3>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-1163/5801756-1-eng-US/f0032-112.jpg" title="f0032-11" width="986" height="168"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01617/5801749-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="998" height="640"></div><h3>NEW JERSEY DEVILS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02433/5801742-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="996" height="872"></div><h3>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03314/5801735-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="1002" height="1020"></div><h3>NEW YORK RANGERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04250/5801728-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="1004" height="454"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05204/5801721-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="1008" height="566"></div><h3>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06172/5801714-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="1026" height="1050"></div><h3>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07155/5801707-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="1004" height="868"></div><h3>QUEBEC NORDIQUES</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08130/5801700-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="1028" height="506"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-09113/5801693-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="1000" height="234"></div><h3>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h3><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-10105/5801686-1-eng-US/f0033-102.jpg" title="f0033-10" width="1004" height="850"></div><h3>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-11101/5801679-1-eng-US/f0033-112.jpg" title="f0033-11" width="990" height="944"></div><h3>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1297/5801672-1-eng-US/f0033-122.jpg" title="f0033-12" width="998" height="816"></div><h3>WASHINGTON CAPITALS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-1380/5801665-1-eng-US/f0033-132.jpg" title="f0033-13" width="980" height="68"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01701/5801658-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="984" height="954"></div><h3>WINNIPEG JETS</h3><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02526/5801651-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="986" height="634"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03410/5801644-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1002" height="252"></div><h2>GOALTENDING</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04307/5801637-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="1000" height="1362"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05242/5801630-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="994" height="1682"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<h2>Mon., Mar. 20</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01635/5802448-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="596" height="732"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02462/5802441-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="590" height="882"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03372/5802434-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="602" height="694"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04281/5802427-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="598" height="930"></div><h2>Tues., Mar. 21</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05228/5802420-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="596" height="176"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06197/5802413-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="588" height="592"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07182/5802406-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="590" height="716"></div><h2>Wed., Mar. 22</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08173/5802399-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="598" height="674"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09165/5802392-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="594" height="668"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10160/5802385-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="586" height="788"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11155/5802378-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="594" height="674"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12147/5802371-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="592" height="726"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13142/5802364-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="598" height="902"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-14134/5802357-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="602" height="904"></div><h2>Thur., Mar. 23</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-15133/5802350-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="598" height="210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-16130/5802343-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="602" height="714"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-17123/5802336-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="596" height="876"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-18116/5802329-1-eng-US/f0036-182.jpg" title="f0036-18" width="588" height="696"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-19112/5802322-1-eng-US/f0036-192.jpg" title="f0036-19" width="588" height="816"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-20107/5802315-1-eng-US/f0036-202.jpg" title="f0036-20" width="584" height="384"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2197/5802308-1-eng-US/f0036-212.jpg" title="f0036-21" width="588" height="620"></div><h2>Fri., Mar. 24</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2294/5802301-1-eng-US/f0036-222.jpg" title="f0036-22" width="586" height="816"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2387/5802294-1-eng-US/f0036-232.jpg" title="f0036-23" width="593" height="876"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2479/5802287-1-eng-US/f0036-242.jpg" title="f0036-24" width="594" height="728"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-2574/5802280-1-eng-US/f0036-252.jpg" title="f0036-25" width="584" height="406"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01548/5802273-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="608" height="452"></div><h2>Sat., Mar. 25</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02400/5802266-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="608" height="944"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03310/5802259-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="598" height="704"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04255/5802252-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="606" height="798"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05224/5802245-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="626" height="630"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06195/5802238-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="614" height="904"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07172/5802231-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="608" height="1054"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08143/5802224-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="596" height="416"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09124/5802217-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="618" height="614"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10114/5802210-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="1160" height="1768"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Mullen scored four goals, including three straight in the third period, as Calgary came back to beat Chicago 7-5.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1195/5802203-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="608" height="476"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1285/5802196-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="616" height="422"></div><h2>Sun. Mar. 26</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1378/5802189-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="608" height="646"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1471/5802182-1-eng-US/f0037-142.jpg" title="f0037-14" width="550" height="124"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1564/5802175-1-eng-US/f0037-152.jpg" title="f0037-15" width="606" height="1026"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1657/5802168-1-eng-US/f0037-162.jpg" title="f0037-16" width="608" height="672"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1752/5802161-1-eng-US/f0037-172.jpg" title="f0037-17" width="604" height="788"></div> &#9632;

f0036-01

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">DAVE MOLINARI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01638/5802479-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="463" height="637"></div>The regular season is in its final hours, and some intriguing races&mdash;for second place in the Smythe, the top three spots in the Patrick, etc.&mdash; are about to be decided.A few months and 15 playoff rounds from now we&rsquo;ll learn the identity of the sole survivor in the greatest and most grueling tournament in organized sport, the Stanley Cup playoffs.But perhaps the most compelling competition of the season&mdash;for the Hart Trophy&mdash;will not be resolved, at least publicly, until the NHL awards dinner June 8.The season opened with 420 or so candidates, but the list was whittled to three&mdash;Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman&mdash;long ago.They arc, by most accounts, the three most accomplished players on the planet. Just how those players deserve to be ranked is what 63 members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association will decide.Preliminary indications, provided in a survey conducted Keith Gave of the Detroit Free Press, are it while Lemieux will win his second straight scoring championship, he is no better than long shot to pick up his second consecutive Hart Trophy.In Gave&rsquo;s survey of 26 voters, Yzerman nudged past Gretzky for top spot, while Lemieux was an afterthought on most ballots.The balloting was unscientific and the results far from firm&mdash;most of those polled reserved the right to alter their opinion before formal voting at the end of the season&mdash;but the lack of support for Lemieux was noteworthy.Assessing the relative merits of players on different teams is of course, the most subjective of judgments. Trying to compare the abilities of players in different circumstances has countless built-in problems.But, even allowing for such differences, the point totals of Detroit. Los Angeles and Pittsburgh suggest the teams are roughly equal, at least as much as could be hoped for in trying to compare the relative values of Yzerman. Gretzky and Lemieux.That is why, considering all the evidence at hand. Lemieux&rsquo;s poor showing in the Free Press poll is more than a little surprising.As the season skidded toward its final week. Lemieux was leading the league in points, goals, assists, power-play goals, shorthanded goals and game-opening goals. He was the only one of the three to be among the top five in shots and shooting percentage, a terribly lethal combination.Lemieux had scored or assisted on 192 of the Penguins&rsquo; 331 goals in their first 77 games, 58 per cent. Yzerman had been in on 50 per cent of Detroit&rsquo;s goals to that point, Gretzky 45 per cent of the Kings&rsquo;.Nice numbers like Lemieux&rsquo;s mean a lot, but another statistic was even more impressive &mdash; and indicative of his overall play. Lemieux&rsquo;s plus-minus rating was plus-40. Yzerman was plus-21, Gretzky plus-14.The Hart is supposed to go to the player who is &ldquo;&hellip;adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.&rdquo;Does anyone care to dispute that Gretzky might be more valuable to the Kings this season than he ever was to the Oilers? Does anyone think all those bodies in the seats at the Forum are there to see Dean Kennedy, on those occasions when he&rsquo;s not a Ranger?And is there anyone who believes Detroit would be getting even a sniff of first place in the Norris if Yzerman played in, say. Vancouver? Yzerman&rsquo;s play has been a bond that has held the Wings together when a spate of off-ice incidents could have torn the team apart.But if voters adhered to the &ldquo;most-valuable-to-his-team&rdquo; mandate. Lemieux would have been the Hart winner every year he&rsquo;s been in the league.Who could possibly be more valuable to his team than the player who kept it from moving?Picking between these three is a problem no one should mind, since the only issue is determining degrees of magnificence.Yzerman is having an extraordinary season, and deserves every shred of praise he has received. and probably more.And Gretzky, well, he&rsquo;ll always be The Great One.But once again this season, the translation of Lemieux&rsquo;s surname says it all. He has been the best. &#9632;

f0038-01

LEMIEUX HAS THE MOST HART OF ALL

<h2>RED WINGS</h2>Captain Steve Yzerman is the leading candidate to win the Hart Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player, according to a Detroit Free Press poll of writers who regularly cover the NHL. Of 26 voting writers polled, Yzerman was named first on 11 ballots, second on 13 and third on two, for 96 points. A candidate earned five points for each first-place vote, three for a second-place vote and one for a third-place vote. Los Angeles&rsquo; Wayne Gretzky, first on 10 ballots, second on 11 and third on five, had 88 points. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mario Lemieux was first on five, second on two and third on 17 for 48 points. The Hart Trophy is awarded, according to its definition, &ldquo;to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.&rdquo; The NHL honors its award recipients at a dinner in Toronto on June 8, two days before Yzerman is to marry Lisa Brennan in Ottawa&hellip;With a goal and five assists in a two-game weekend series March 24 and 25 with Toronto, Yzerman pushed his season point total to 153(64-89 in 76 games), becoming only the fourth player in NHL history to score 150 points in a season. The others: Gretzky (seven times), Lemieux (twice) and Phil Esposito.<h2>BLUES</h2>Through March 26, the Blues rested veteran goaltender Greg Millen for four of five games, including three in a row on the road in New York (March 20), Buffalo (March 22) and Hartford (March 25). He compared his situation with that of Detroit center Steve Yzerman, given a paid vacation to Florida by the Red Wings. &ldquo;Maybe if I score 65 goals some day, I&rsquo;ll go to Florida, too,&rdquo; Millen said&hellip; Millen was 4-1-2 in his last seven starts before the rest. Riendeau was 2-2-0 as his replacement..Brett Hull&rsquo;s point-scoring streak stopped at 12 games when he was shut out at Buffalo on March 22. Hull had 11 goals and 10 assists during his streak &hellip; Veteran center Rick Meagher served as captain while Bernie Federko was out with an infected cut above his left elbow. Meagher, at 35 the oldest player on the team, is the only Blue to appear in every game this season.<h2>MAPLE LEAFS</h2>Leaf tough guy John Kordic didn&rsquo;t return after the first period of a 6-5 victory over Detroit March 25 when he became violently ill with suspected food poisoning. Kordic scored his first goal of the season in the Leafs&rsquo; 5-3 win over Vancouver March 22&hellip;Left winger Wendel Clark missed the victory over Detroit because of his chronic back injury. He was expected to play in the Leafs&rsquo; March 29 game against Minnesota at Maple Leaf Gardens&hellip;Defenseman Brad Marsh is the only Leaf regular without a goal this season. He went scoreless with Philadelphia in 1985-86&hellip;Chris Kotsopoulos missed eight of the last nine games with a badly bruised left ankle&hellip;Ed Olczyk, who scored three goals March 25, needed just one point to become only the 10th Leaf player to register 90 or more in a season&hellip;The Leafs have lost at least half their games (40) or more for eight straight seasons.<h2>BLACKHAWKS</h2>Center Adam Creighton sat out a March 22 3-2 loss to Philadelphia with an automatic one-game suspension, incurred when he received his second major penalty and game misconduct for a stick-related infraction March 19 against Detroit. Creighton received the penalties for attempting to spear a player on the Detroit bench. The Hawks sent tapes to NHL exeuctive vice-president Brian O&rsquo;Neill showing Detroit defenseman Lee Norwood, seated on the bench, buttending Creighton to provoke the spearing attempt&hellip;Center Denis Savard returned March 22 from an ankle injury after missing seven games. Savard has missed 22 games this season, after missing a total of just 21 games in his first eight seasons with the Hawks&hellip;Steve Larmer, the Hawks&rsquo; candidate for the Masterton Trophy, scored his 40th goal March 22 against Philadelphia. This is his second straight 40-goal season, his fourth in seven seasons with the Hawks.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02490/5802510-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="550" height="606"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Larmer has scored 40 goals two straight seasons.</figcaption></div><h2>NORTH STARS</h2>Goaltender Jon Casey&rsquo;s five-game winning streak ended with a 3-1 loss at New York against the Rangers March 22, but he came back three nights later and kept the Stars in a 1-1 overtime tie at Montreal by making 36 saves. The Stars finished their season series with Montreal with two ties (22 at Met Center Dec. 7 and the 1-1 game) and a loss in the season&rsquo;s second game&hellip;Including the Montreal game, the Stars have allowed three goals or fewer less in 11 of their last 12 games. On a three-game swing to New York and Montreal, they allowed just seven goals but scored only three. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing playoff-type hockey,&rdquo; coach Pierre Page said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s good to see.&rdquo;&hellip;The Stars will finish the season with their first winning home record in three seasons. They were 17-14-8 with one home game remaining. &#9632;

f0038-02

POLL PREDICTING YZERMAN FOR HART

<div class="byline">BY RICK MATSUMOTO</div>Tom Fergus is the epitome of the enigmatic Toronto Maple Leafs.So it was perhaps fitting he should be the one to revive the Leafs&rsquo; playoff hopes, 24 hours after they appeared to have drowned, once and for all, in a sea of ineptitude.At Detroit&rsquo;s Joe Louis Arena March 24, Fergus was on the ice for the first three Red Wings&rsquo; goals as the home side went on to rout the Leafs 6-2.But the next night at Maple Leaf Gardens, Fergus set up four goals and won several key faceoffs in leading the Leafs to a 6-5 triumph over the Red Wings.Fergus, 26, admitted he&rsquo;d played poorly in Detroit and attempted to explain the dilemma of his inconsistent play.&ldquo;I sucked (in Detroit),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind saying it. For me to play well, I have to get the puck&mdash;and I don&rsquo;t mean along the boards or in the comers. I have to get the puck in open ice.&ldquo;Last night (March 24) was a bad night, but that&rsquo;ll&rsquo;happen from time to time during a season. I think I&rsquo;ve been more consistent in my play of late.&rdquo;Fergus, who went into the second game with a league-worst minus-41, reduced that number to minus-39 when two of the five Leaf goals for which he was on the ice came in even-strength situations.He also increased his points total to 21 goals and 42 assists in 77 games.That equalled his third-best career points total (1982-83), surpassed only by the 73 he recorded in both 1984-85 and &rsquo;85-86. Many observers, however, feel he has the talent to get 30 or 40 points more if he puts his heart and mind into each game.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01599/5802548-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="553" height="889"><figcaption class="caption-body">Toronto won&rsquo;t give up the playoff chase, says Allan Bester.</figcaption></div>The victory over the Wings, coupled with the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; 6-3 loss to the Boston Bruins, left the Leafs just two points back of the floundering Hawks with three games remaining.The race for the final playoff berth in the Norris Division appeared likely to be settled on the last night of the regular season, when the Leafs meet the Blackhawks in Chicago.No one seemed more baffled by the team&rsquo;s inconsistent play than coach George Armstrong.&ldquo;Maybe they&rsquo;re a better team than we give them credit for,&rdquo; said Armstrong. &ldquo;Every time they&rsquo;re down, they get up. How many times this season have they been down for the nine count? They seem ready for the knockout punch, but they haven&rsquo;t been knocked out yet.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02420/5802541-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="565" height="880"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Fergus&rsquo;s play has been wildly inconsistent.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Maybe we have to look at them from a different angle.&rdquo;Goalie Allan Bester, who made several superb saves March 25, especially against high-scoring Wings&rsquo; captain Steve Yzerman, said the team hasn&rsquo;t given up hope of making the playoffs.&ldquo;Everyone else is giving up on us,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but the only time we&rsquo;re out is when we give up on ourselves. And we&rsquo;re not going to do that.&rdquo;<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ed Olczyk, Peter Ihnacak, Tom Fergus, Dan DaoustLW&mdash;Mark Osborne, Vincent Damphousse, Paul Lawless.RW&mdash;Daniel Marois, Gary Leeman, Dave Reid, John Kordic.LD&mdash;Borje Salming, Luke Richardson, Al lafrate.RD&mdash;Brad Marsh, Darryl Shannon, Ken Hammond.G&mdash;Allan Bester, Jeff Reese<h3>INJURIES</h3>Wendel Clark, LW, back, day-to-day.Brian Curran, D, dislocated right wrist, out for seasonChris Kotsopoulos, D, bruised ankle, day-to-dayRick Lanz.D, bruised shoulder, day-to-day.Craig Laughlin, RW, separated shoulder, indefinite.Doug Shedden, RW, knee, out for season. &#9632;

f0039-01

HOT AND COLD FERGUS MIRRORS THE LEAFS

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div>If Bob Probert is convicted on charges of smuggling cocaine into the United States, he will have a difficult time resuming his NHL career even if the league lifts his expulsion.Federal officials say Probert, 23, a native of Windsor, Ont., will be deported&rsquo;to Canada and banned from re-entering the United States if convicted of the felony charge.&ldquo;If convicted on a narcotics charge, I know of no provision for him to enter the U.S.,&rdquo; said James Montgomery, district director of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Detroit.Probert has been expelled by the NHL, but his attorneys believe he could be reinstated. A ban from entering the United States, however, would make it impossible for Probert to play a majority of Red Wing games and would greatly restrict his play even with a team based in Canada.Montgomery&rsquo;s comments came after a federal grand jury returned an indictment March 21, formalizing charges brought against Probert. He was arrested March 2 by U.S. Customs agents, who found 14.3 grams of cocaine in his underwear during a strip search at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.The charges against Probert carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years and $1 million fine. But he could get off with probation as well. Under federal sentencing guidelines, however, Probert would serve at most 18 months in prison.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01318/5802579-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="552" height="612"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Probert was indicted by a federal grand jury.</figcaption></div>Before the March 2 incident, Probert had been banned from entering the country because of three previous arrests on charges of driving while intoxicated&mdash;two in Windsor after one in suburban Detroit. A waiver on that ban was granted after Probert&rsquo;s Windsor-based lawyer, Patrick Ducharme, indicated his client was seeking professional help.But that waiver was lifted after Probert&rsquo;s latest arrest. Although a defendant who is a certified alcoholic can seek a waiver to enter the United States, someone convicted of a felony cannot.After Probert exhausted his appeals on a felony conviction, Montgomery said, an immigration judge would then rule on any deportation proceedings. Probert can then appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court.&ldquo;When it comes to that point, we&rsquo;ll deal with it,&rdquo; said Harold Fried, Probert&rsquo;s Detroit attorney.Ross Parker, head of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney&rsquo;s office in Detroit, said his office decided to charge Probert with the felony of smuggling rather than the misdemeanor of possession, which carries a maximum one-year prison sentence, because a misdemeanor &ldquo;did not adequately represent the nature of his conduct.&rdquo;Said Fried: &ldquo;I guess it will be a question of whether someone believes he was importing it, or whether he was simply in possession.&rdquo;Fried and Ducharme both said Probert had sought help for his substance abuse problem.&ldquo;We believe his major problem to be alcoholism,&rdquo; Fried said.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Steve Yzerman, John Chabot, Adam Oates.LW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Adam Graves, Kris King, Petr Klima, Dale Krentz, Torrie Robertson.RW&mdash;Paul MacLean, Dave Barr, Tim Higgins, Joe Kocur, Jim Nill.LD&mdash;Steve Chiasson, Doug Houda, Lee Norwood, Jim Pavese, Jeff Sharpies.RD&mdash;Gilbert Delorme, Mike O&rsquo;Connell, Rick Zombo.G&mdash;Glen Hanlon, Greg Stefan.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

f0040-01

PROBERT COULD FACE DEPORTATION TO CANADA

<div class="byline">BY JERRY ZGODA</div>The accomplishment did not inspire a flow of champagne or any parades, perhaps because missing the Norris Division playoffs three consecutive seasons would be a mathematical impossibility.But even though a playoff spot is a modest step, it is the first concrete sign the Minnesota North Stars are moving in the right direction.They clinched their first playoff appearance since the 1985-86 season in true Norris Division fashion: After losing back-to-back games on the road against the New York Rangers and Islanders March 22 and 23, the Stars needed Toronto&rsquo;s 6-2 loss to Detroit March 24 for the clincher.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01264/5802610-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="553" height="738"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stewart Gavin is proud of the North Stars&rsquo; improvement.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I would have rather had us won to clinch it than to have Toronto lose,&rdquo; said coach Pierre Page.But who are the Stars to argue? Anyway, Page said just to make the playoffs was never their goal in the first place.&ldquo;We said when the season started that we wanted second place and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Of course, you always want to win the division, but when you&rsquo;re coming off a 51-point season, you also have to be realistic.&rdquo;With four games left in the regular season, that goal was still within reach. The Stars&rsquo; 1-1 overtime tie at Montreal March 25 pulled them within two points of second-place St. Louis with four games remaining. But the Stars must catch and overtake the Blues if they are to open the playoffs April 5 at the Met Center because the Blues won the season series 3-2-3 and would get the home-ice advantage if the teams tie.Minnesota was 26-34-16, while St. Louis was 29-35-12.For the Stars, the bad news was if they were to jump from fifth to second in one season, they would have to do it the hard way. Three of their last four games were on the road. The Blues finished with three straight home games.&ldquo;We know the odds, but we&rsquo;ve beaten the odds before,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;If we get it, we get it. If we don&rsquo;t, we don&rsquo;t. We keep trying to tell the players that with this schedule, it&rsquo;s like we&rsquo;re playing our playoffs now. The first round won&rsquo;t be as tough as this.&rdquo;But either way, second or third, the Stars can&rsquo;t complain. Not after the past two seasons, when they were sitting and watching by the second week of April. And certainly not after the way the Stars started this season, with just one victory in their first 10 games (1-8-1).&ldquo;I think just making the playoffs is a big deal, if only because of the way we started the season,&rdquo; left winger Stewart Gavin said. &ldquo;We were down, but we kept battling back and we made up a lot of ground (they were 25-24-15 since then). Maybe some people think it&rsquo;s easy making the playoffs. But we struggled, we hung in there together and we&rsquo;ve been playing some pretty good hockey. I think it&rsquo;s something you should be proud of.&rdquo;<h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>C&mdash;Dave Gagner, Neal Broten, Perry Berezan, Bob Brooke, Dusan Pasek.LW&mdash;Basil McRae, Stewart Gavin, Marc Habscheid, Dave Arcbibaid.RW&mdash;Mike Gartner, Don Barber, Shane Churla.LD&mdash;Frantisek Musil, Mark Tinordi, Shawn Chambers, Ville Siren.RD&mdash;Larry Murphy, Reed Larson, Curt Giles.G&mdash;Jon Casey, Kari Takko.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Brian Bellows, RW, groin, day-to-day.Larry DePalma, LW, sprained ankle ligaments, indefinite.Curt Fraser, LW, wrist surgery, out for season.Steve Gotaas, C, sore knee cap, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0041-01

STARS IN THROUGH BACK DOOR, BUT THEY’LL TAKE IT

<div class="byline">BY MIKE PERRICONE</div>Former Chicago Blackhawk coach Bob Murdoch was running a car leasing agency in Kirkland Lake, Ont., while the Blackhawks were running out of gas. And excuses.Due to another late-season slump, the Hawks cannot match their 69 points of 1987-88, which got Murdoch fired following just one season behind the benph. After winning just three times in their last 17 games (3-95), the Hawks were clinging to a two-point lead over Toronto for the final Norris Division playoff spot with three games left. Chicago was 25-4012 for 62 points, while Toronto was 27-44-6 for 60 points.Looming over the Hawks was a game against Toronto, at Chicago Stadium April 2, the final night of the season. With Toronto having two more victories than the Hawks, a tie in points would leave the Hawks out of the playoffs.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to depend on anyone else beating Toronto for us to get into the playoffs,&rdquo; goaltender Alain Chevrier said. &ldquo;We have to get going. You want to be on an upswing going into the playoffs.&rdquo;Even Chevrier&rsquo;s quick return from a back problem could not turn the Hawks around, but he did not think the cause was lost.&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s plenty of time,&rdquo; Chevrier said. &ldquo;If you win your last two games, you&rsquo;re going into the playoffs on a pretty good streak.&rdquo;Chevrier began having back spasms in a 3-2 loss to Philadelpha March 22 at Chicago Stadium. It was the result of an old condition which periodically flares up.Flaring up too was Chicago&rsquo;s penchant for blowing leads. The Hawks had a 2-0 lead against Philadelphia and blew it. They lost their next game 6-3 at Boston with Chevrier in goal, then came back with Darren Pang March 26 in Chicago against Calgary. They had a 4-2 lead and blew it, losing 7-5.Since Feb. 19, they had blown seven two-goal leads for a 0-4-3 record, all in home games. The Hawks had a home record of 14-14-10 with two home games left. They were headed for their lowest home win total since 1958-59, when they won 14 in a 70-game schedule with 35 home games.&ldquo;Winning on the road is more of a problem,&rdquo; coach Mike Keenan declared cryptically.Whatever the Hawks&rsquo; problems, 19-year-old center Jeremy Roenick was not part of them. Roenick had 18 points (9-9) in 20 games with the Hawks while recalled on an injury emergency basis, but was sent back to Hull of the Quebec League March 25.Roenick has a chance to play for a Memorial Cup championship with Hull, though he was disappointed at leaving the Hawks.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just starting to get real comfortable here,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know the system and I&rsquo;ve gotten to know the guys. Going back to junior might be a little difficult. It might be a little hard. But there are no hard feelings. That&rsquo;s how it goes.&rdquo;Keenan said Roenick was &ldquo;one of our better players,&rdquo; and Roenick said his five weeks with the Hawks were valuable.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been very positive,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think these couple of months have been a great experience for me. Looking ahead&rsquo; to next year, I&rsquo;ll be that much more experienced. I&rsquo;ll have my nose in it, and I won&rsquo;t be going in blind. I&rsquo;ll know what&rsquo;s going to happen. I think it&rsquo;s going to help me next year.&rdquo;<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>March 20: Adam Creighton, C, suspended one game for second major stick penalty.March 23: Jeremy Roenick, C, assigned to Hull (QMJHL).March 24: Ed Belfour, G, recalled from Saginaw (IHL).March 25: Belfour assigned to Saginaw.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Troy Murray, Adam Creighton, Denis Savard, Bob Bassen.LW&mdash;Dan Vincelette, Dirk Graham, Mike Hudson, Everett Sanipass. Wayne Van Dorp.RW&mdash;Steve Larmer, Wayne Presley, Duane Sutter, Brian Noonan.LD&mdash;Doug Wilson, Steve Konroyd, Trent Yawney.RD&mdash;Dave Manson, Keith Brown, Bob McGill, Bob Murray.G&mdash;Darren Pang, Alain Chevrier.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mike Eagles, C, broken hand, indefinite.Greg Gilbert, LW, broken foot, indefinite.Warren Rychel, LW, hyperextended left knee, indefinite.Steve Thomas, LW, shoulder surgery, out for season.Jimmy Waite, G, broken collarbone, indefinite. &#9632;

HAWKS BLOW SEVEN LEADS DURING SLIDE

For the period March 20-26AHL: Ray Podloski, Maine. Five goals, four assists in three games. IHL: Lonnie Loach, Flint. Five goals, five assists in two games.QMJHL: Reginald Savage, Victoriaville. Three goals, no assists in one game.OHL: Stan Drulia, Niagara Falls. Six goals, nine assists in three games.WHL: Bryan Bosch, Lethbridge. Five goals, four assists in four games.Hockey East: Matt DeIGuidice, Maine. Two games (136 minutes), five goals against.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01285/5802665-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="379" height="559"><figcaption class="caption-body">Reginald Savage</figcaption></div>ECAC: Peter Ciavaglia, Harvard. Three goals, one assist in two games.CCHA: Mark Hirth, Michigan State. Two goals, no assists in three games.WCHA: Tom Chorske, Minnesota. One goal, three assists in two games.Major junior players are eligible for the THN-Micron-Mega Junior Player of the Year award. U.S. college players are eligible for the THN-Bauer U.S. College Player of the Year award. Canadian university players are eligible for the THN-Bauer Canadian University Player of the Year award. &#9632;

f0043-01

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02213/5802696-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Silence is golden on the golf course, but nobody said you can&rsquo;t wear loud clothing. Then again, such was style in the early 1970s. From left, Nick Libett, Tim Ecclestone, Mickey Redmond and Don Luce of the Detroit Red Wings model their threads before taking to the links.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0043-02

WAY WE WERE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03180/5802734-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg"></div><h2>ACROSS:</h2>1. Nickname or former Flyer pictured.4. Makes a mistake, -----up.9. 4 Pennsylvania Plaza is this team&rsquo;s address.10. One of four 50-goal scorers in 1974-75.11. This famed defenseman was a four-time winner of the Hart Trophy.12. The only player to win the Lady Byng Trophy the same season he was traded.13. He had a brief stint as Kansas City Scouts&rsquo; coach, Eddie ------.15. This defenseman played 60 games for the Canucks in 1987-88, Randy ----.18. A member of the like Line.21. Terry O&rsquo;Reilly&rsquo;s hometown, Niagara -----.23. The first player taken in the 1985 entry draft.24. One of seven Bruins whose number has been retired.25. Ron Hextall did this once last season.26. A Winnipeg Jet from 1983-84 to 1985-86, Bobby -----.<h2>DOWN:</h2>1. Pester.2. He was with the Canucks, Leafs and Red Wings between 1976-77 and 1984-85, Bob -----.3. This Minnesota town is the home of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.5. Barclay Plager&rsquo;s number, it&rsquo;s been retired by the St. Louis Blues.6. Montreal A.A.A. was the first winner of this prestigious Cup.7. He succeeded Jacques Martin as Blues&rsquo; coach.8. Winner of the second Canada Cup.14. One of eight rookie NHL coaches this season.15. Site of the final game of the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs.16. Covers closely.17. Bob Bourne was once sought after by this major league baseball team.19. Joint connecting the foot and leg.20. He was with Montreal and St. Louis in the NHL and Winnipeg in the WHA, Fran -----.22. He was with the Canucks from 1979-80 to 1985-86, Gary -----.<h2>CROSSWORD SOLUTION</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01276/5802727-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="565" height="562"></div> &#9632;

f0043-03

CROSSWORD

<div class="byline">BY DAVE LUECKING</div>St. Louis clinched a Norris Division playoff spot with a 2-1 victory over the Sabres in Buffalo March 22, but there was no celebration in the dressing room.No champagne. No high-fives. Not even a smile.There was only concern for Sabres&rsquo; goaltender Clint Malarchuk, who suffered a six-inch cut on the right side of his neck in a goal-crease collision with Buffalo&rsquo;s Uwe Krupp and the Blues&rsquo; Steve Tuttle. (For more on the incident, see Buffalo story on page 14.)It was a chilling scene, with blood pouring from Malarchuk&rsquo;s partially-severed jugular vein.Blues&rsquo; center Rick Meagher was one of the first players on the scene. He stayed there until Buffalo trainer Jim Pizzutelli arrived to perform lifesaving measures.&ldquo;I was shaken up,&rdquo; Meagher said. &ldquo;I had to come off the ice. I didn&rsquo;t want to see any more. Something like that scares you to death.&ldquo;My wrist was cut one time and the blood was squirting out. That scared me to death. The wrist is bad enough, but when you get the throat&mdash;that&rsquo;s something you don&rsquo;t want to see.&rdquo;Tuttle was shaken more than anyone. It was his skate that accidentally hit Malarchuk&rsquo;s neck as he charged to the net to receive a centering pass from Meagher. Krupp hooked Tuttle as they converged in front of the net and the pair crashed into Malarchuk as the goalie slid across the crease.&ldquo;It was scary,&rdquo; Tuttle said. &ldquo;I was just praying that he&rsquo;d be okay. At first, I didn&rsquo;t know what happened, but then I saw all the blood.&rdquo;Tuttle described the play:&ldquo;Mickey (Meagher) was going into the comer, and I skated as hard as I could to the net,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The guy (Krupp) hit me from behind. My skate went up toward the net. I don&rsquo;t know if I hit him or what happened. It was 10 seconds before I realized what happened.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01206/5802765-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="550" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Tuttle was involved in a near-tragic collision.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;My first reaction was I hoped everything was okay. It was scary, really scary.&rdquo;Some players had trouble continuing. Blues&rsquo; rookie goaltender Vincent Riendeau was shaken. He saw the accident from the far end of the ice.&ldquo;It took me another 10 minutes to get back into the game,&rdquo; Riendeau said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing a game, and this was someone&rsquo;s life. If it can happen to him, it can happen to anybody else.&rdquo;Veteran goaltender Greg Millen, who was Riendeau&rsquo;s backup, turned away to avoid watching the horror.&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t even look,&rdquo; Millen said. &ldquo;I stood up on the bench, everybody stood up, and I sat back down. I decided I&rsquo;d better not watch.&rdquo;Malarchuk underwent exploratory surgery, but doctors found no additional damage and closed the wounds. He was released from the hospital the next day, 21 hours after the injury.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Peter Zezel, Cliff Ronnlng, Rick Meagher, Tony Hrkac.LW&mdash;Oave Lowry, Gino Cavallini, Steve Tuttle, Tony McKegney, Doug Evans. Sergio Momesso, Craig Coxe.RW&mdash;Brett Hull, Greg Paslawski, Herb Raglan, Todd Ewen.LD&mdash;Mike Lalor, Gordie Roberts, Glen Featherstone, Brian Benning.RD&mdash;Tom Tilley, Gaston Gingras, Dave Richter, Tim Bothwell.G&mdash;Greg Millen, Vincent Riendeau.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Paul Cavallini, D, dislocated left shoulder, April 2.Bernie Federko, C, infected cut on left elbow, day-to-day. &#9632;

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April 7, 1989

SATHER UPSET BY GRETZKY’S OILER-BASHING

LEBEAU BREAKSAHL SCORING MARK

TRYING TO SET LINEUPEASIER SAID THAN DONE

SCOREBOARD