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.

December 21, 1990

The Hockey News December 21, 1990

<div class="byline">BY DAVE MOLINARI</div>It was evident after 30 games&mdash;if not before&mdash;that the Pittsburgh Penguins have several pressing problems.They are significantly smaller than nearly every team they play. They haven&rsquo;t found a formula that allows them to play well defensively without sacrificing offense. None of three candidates&mdash;Tom Barrasso, WendellYoung and Frank Pietrangelo&mdash;has been able to seize the No. 1 goaltender&rsquo;s job.And, lest we forget, they can&rsquo;t seem to find the right playing surface. This artificial ice stuff just doesn&rsquo;t seem to be working out.More to the point, they can&rsquo;t find a building in which they can win. Following a 3-1 loss to Hartford Dec. 8, the Penguins had a 2-8-1 record in their previous 11 matches. They had lost four of five on the road and were 1-5-1 in their previous seven at the Civic Arena.All of which prompted defenseman Zarley Zalapski to repeat the line made famous by then-Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; general manager Harry Neale: &ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t win on the road and you can&rsquo;t win at home&hellip;where else can you play?&rdquo; said Zalapski.Although it was a road loss to the Whalers that pushed Pittsburgh three games under .500 (12-15-3) for the first time this season, the Penguins&rsquo; problems at home have been most distressing. When you go 6-8-1 at home, as Pittsburgh did in its first 15 games at the Civic Arena, you can&rsquo;t expect to contend for anything except a top five draft choice.The Penguins&rsquo; record at home was eerily reminiscent of the grim days of 1983-84, when a trip to Pittsburgh was a virtual guarantee of two points for visiting teams.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to start sending some fear into some teams when they come into our building,&rsquo;&rsquo; left winger Phil Bourque said.feeling that way. The only home-ice points Pittsburgh managed during a three-week stretch came in a 3-2 overtime victory against Washington and a 2-2 tie with Vancouver.If anything, the Penguins were more competitive in away games, which is to say their losses on the road tended to be by smaller margins than those at home. Indeed, the Penguins had a better record on the road (6-7-2) than they did at home.The Penguins were struggling with nearly every facet of their game, but their inability to score on the power play was particularly exasperating. The Penguins rely heavily on manadvantage goals, as evidenced by their 0-7-1 record when they fail to score at least one power-play marker.&ldquo;As long as the chances come&mdash;and I think we&rsquo;re getting chances&mdash;that&rsquo;s all that matters,&rdquo; right winger Rob Brown said. &ldquo;The goals eventually will come.&rdquo;Whether they will come soon enough to salvage the season is les certain.The Penguins were seven points ous of a playoff spot with 50 games to play.That&rsquo;s plenty of time to make up the deficit, but only if Pittsburgh improves significantly on its recent play<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 6: Troy Loney, LW, assigned to Muskegon (IHL) for conditioning stint.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;John Cullen. Bryan Trottier, Barry Pederson, Randy Gilhen.LW&mdash;Kevin Stevens, Bob Errey, Brad Aitken.RW&mdash;Mark Recchi, Jaromir Jagr, Tony Tanti, Joe Mullen, Rob Brown, Jay Caufield.LD&mdash;Paul Coffey, Zarley Zalapski, Chris Dahlquist.RD&mdash;Paul Stanton, Jim Johnson, Gord Dineen.G&mdash;Tom Barrasso, Frank Pietrangelo, Wendell Young.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Phil Bourque, LW, sprained wrist, day-to-day. Gilbert Delorme. D, left leg stress fracture, indefinite Randy Hillier, D, bruised foot, day-to-day Mario Lemieux, C, back infection, indefinite. Gordie Roberts, D, bruised foot, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Stevens, 17. A&mdash;Cullen, 39. P&mdash;Cullen, 50. PIM&mdash;Coffey, 55. &#9632;

IN THIS ISSUE

CIVIC ARENA HOME MORE LIKE STATE PENN

<div class="byline">BY TOM MCMILLAN</div>Mark Recchi&rsquo;s junior coach knew he&rsquo;d make it big in the NHL, and not just because of his skill, or his speed, or his grit.It was because of his family.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a competitive instinct there, a burning desire, and if you&rsquo;ve ever met the Recchis you&rsquo;ll know what I mean.&rdquo; says Ken Hitchcock, now an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers. &ldquo;His brothers, his dad, his mom&hellip;it&rsquo;s the same with all of them. Recchi tradition is that you come to play.Mark&rsquo;s father, Mel, confirms Hitchcock&rsquo;s assessment of the Recchi clan. All four Recchi boys&mdash;Mike, 25; Mark, 22; Marty, 21; and Matt, 18&mdash;have a competitive fire that drives them to succeed. All have excelled in competitive sports ranging from softball to football.&ldquo;I guess that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ve tried to instill in Mark and all my boys,&rdquo; says the 50-year-old newspaper advertising representative, who lives in Kamloops, B.C., with wife Ruth. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always had a hard-working, give-it-all-you&rsquo;ve-got attitude. You work hard, you play hard. It&rsquo;s something that runs right through the family. They&rsquo;ve all got the same fire.&rdquo;Throw in soft hands and quick feet and you&rsquo;ll understand why Recchi, a 22-year-old right winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is a burgeoning NHL all-star. He plays pinball hockey at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, zipping up the wing, crashing into the comers, charging the net, banging bodies. Somehow, through the first 20 games this season, he also found time to score 31 points and rank fifth in the NHL scoring race. He was well on his way to a 100-point year.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the one thing about him that&rsquo;s suprised me&hellip;that he&rsquo;s been able to be an offensive force up here so quickly,&rdquo; says Hitchcock, who coached Recchi for two seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western League. &ldquo;Based on his heart and desire and work ethic, I knew he&rsquo;d be an NHL player. That was automatic. I just didn&rsquo;t know if he&rsquo;d be able to do these things offensively.&rdquo;But there&rsquo;s another Recchi tradition: He&rsquo;s been fooling people since he first strapped on skates as a toddler back home in Kamloops.He&rsquo;s always been too small for scouts, who rely solely on numbers and tape measures. He&rsquo;s always had to convince the doubters.No NHL team even took a gamble on him in his first two draft years. Recchi had turned 20 by the time the Penguins plucked him in the fourth round, 67th overall, in the 1988 draft.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really kind of amazing he wasn&rsquo;t picked when he was one of the top junior players in Canada,&rdquo; Mel says. &ldquo;I know scouts are busy, but I don&rsquo;t think they spend enough time looking at what kind of player a kid is or what type of person he is. I think scouts miss a lot of players like Mark.&rdquo;Recchi admits he was upset about the fourth-round selection.&ldquo;I was a little down about it, sure,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;My second year 1 was having a great year until I broke my ankle, and that seemed to turn everybody off. But I knew I could play up here. So I just kept working.&rdquo;That last season at Kamloops was revealing; spurned twice by NHL scouts. Recchi demanded their attention by scoring 61 goals and 154 points in 62 games and leading the Blazers to a WHL West Division title. Mid-way through the year, representing Canada at the World Junior Championships, he showed his versatility by keying a checking line that helped win a gold medal for his country&mdash;in Moscow, no less.Among Recchi&rsquo;s feats: Shutting down the Soviets&rsquo; top guns, Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Mogilny.Still, it wasn&rsquo;t until Pittsburgh picked him in the fourth round that Recchi had an NHL future. And he had to spend a year on the farm with Muskegon of the International League to earn his shot at the big time.Recchi scored 50 goals in 63 games at Muskegon in 1988-89. Not coincidentally, the Lumberjacks won the Turner Cup as IHL champs.Former Penguin coach Gene Ubriaco remained one of the skeptics and shipped him back to Muskegon early in 1989, but after Recchi rang up seven goals and 11 points in his first four games, he got the call.And once Craig Patrick replaced Ubriaco in December of last season, Recchi began to blossom. He made a late bid for rookie-of-the-year honors and finished wih 30 goals and 67 points in 74 games. He had 44 points in the second half of the season.Patrick hired Bob Johnson as his coach this season and Recchi has continued to flourish in Johnson&rsquo;s system, which involves speed, puck movement and a quick transition game.Though Johnson started him at center in an attempt to balance his attack, he noticed an intriguing chemistry when Recchi worked at right wing with center John Cullen and left winger Kevin Stevens.Johnson put them together on a fulltime basis Oct. 25 against Quebec, and The Option Line&mdash;so named because all three players are playing out their options&mdash;had seven points in a 6-3 win. The line exploded for 51 points in the next 10 games.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so important to our line because he&rsquo;s fast and he&rsquo;s got good hands,&rdquo; Cullen says. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got one of the quickest snap shots I&rsquo;ve ever seen. When he gets a good chance, he usually scores.&rdquo;Recchi, however, still thinks of himself as a mucker, a guy who produces goals through sweat and hard work.&ldquo;I like to think I score a lot of working goals,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to get a lot of finesse goals, so I have to create my chances. Of course, it helps playing with Johnny and Kevin. I get chances just by being there.&rdquo;This will be his first full NHL season, but Recchi has already been promoted to the power-play and penalty-killing units, as well as taking a regular shift on the team&rsquo;s top line. He&rsquo;s battled the odds to stand on the edge of pro stardom.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s worked so hard for this, and it&rsquo;s good to see it paying off for him,&rdquo; Hitchcock says. &ldquo;But he won&rsquo;t stop now, he&rsquo;ll keep working. That&rsquo;s just the way Mark Recchi is &ldquo; &#9632;

MARK RECCHIHARD WORK TAKES RECCHI TO THE TOP

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0019-04/5965811-1-eng-US/s0019-042.jpg" title="S0019-04" width="508" height="720"></div>All things considered, it&rsquo;s not a bad first attempt.Topps reintroduced its special Bowman set to the card market through baseball in 1989 and has followed suit with a Bowman hockey set in 1990.Bowman was popular with baseball card collectors in the 1950s. Topps felt the time was right to introduce the name to hockey card collectors. While hockey fans have been slow to embrace Bowman, it&rsquo;s a passable effort.The hockey card issue is a curious, little set of 264 cards, featuring no all-star cards, team cards, prospect cards or any other special cards. What you get are 262 player cards and two checklists.The cards are very plain and simple. Some collectors consider the set boring and unnecessary, but others feel it could be the &ldquo;sleeper-&lsquo;set of the year.Original sales of Bowman are quite low, so if there&rsquo;s not much product out there, the scarcity of the set will lead to an increase in value.The most bizarre aspect of the cards are the backs. In place of the traditional card back stats and write-ups is a statistical breakdown of how the player did last season against each NHL team.Nearly as odd as the card backs is the player selection. Why is St. Louis Blue farmhand Dave Thom-linson in the set? When you only have about 13 cards per team, the set should include NHL players, not International Leaguers. Thomlinson, who is amongst the IHL&rsquo;s scoring leaders this season, played just 19 games with St. Louis last season, 59 with Peoria.Detroit&rsquo;s Randy McKay (33 games), Quebec&rsquo;s Scott Gordon (10 games) and New York Ranger Paul Broten (32 games) are some of the other players who appear only in the Bowman set. Toronto&rsquo;s Tom Kurvers(71 games), Boston&rsquo;s Glen Wesley (78 games) and Edmonton&rsquo;s Conn Smythe Trophy winner Bill Ranford (56 games) are some of the players who appear in every set but Bowman&rsquo;s.As with every set this year, there are some glaring errors. The two biggest ones: a photo of Chris Chelios on Petr Svoboda&rsquo;s card and a photo of Duane Sutter on Al Secord&rsquo;s card.Included in wax packs is a card from the hat tricks subset. Bowman honored the 14 players who had more than one hat trick during the regular season and the eight players who had a hat trick in the playoffs with a 22-card glossy subset. It&rsquo;s an attractive, though rather strange concept. A little like the entire set. &#9632;

S0019-04

FIRST BOWMAN A LITTLE DIFFERENT

<h2>Mon., Dec. 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-0784/5965164-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="592" height="842"></div><h2>Wed., Dec. 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-0875/5965157-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="586" height="918"></div><h2>Sat., Dec. 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-0965/5965150-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="580" height="971"></div> &#9632;

f0040-07

SUPER SERIES

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011324/5963278-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="523" height="615"><figcaption class="caption-body">BOB MCKENZIE</figcaption></div>I like Phil Esposito. He is colorful, quotable and charming. Forthright, energetic and dynamic. He has the ability to adapt to any environment, as much at home with a blue-collar, beer crowd as he is with the strawberries-and-cream, champagne jet set. Moreover, he&rsquo;s successful, a selfmade man on and off the ice.But I must confess: I think Phil Esposito is a lousy general manager.Now, the good news for Phil is two-fold.First, I don&rsquo;t own an NHL team. I know, because I wasn&rsquo;t asked to play in the governors&rsquo; annual croquet match at the Breakers Resort in West Palm Beach, Fla.Second, my track record these days ain&rsquo;t so great.For instance, I never figured Esposito&rsquo;s Tampa Bay expansion bid was for real. When NHL president John Ziegler made it official, and even for a few minutes after that, I was incredulous.One day before the expansion franchises were awarded, each applicant made a presentation to the NHL board of governors. On their way out. they made brief pit stops at the media tent.Esposito&rsquo;s group arrived after the supposed top contenders&mdash;Miami, Ottawa, Hamilton and St. Petersburg. He blew into the tent the way he does every room, smiling, slapping backs, pumping flesh, guffawing and generally yukking it up.The actual press conference was much the same. He talked about going out later for a few &ldquo;drinkie-poohs.&rdquo;He explained, with a surprising degree of earnestness, how playing in a temporary facility in Orlando (if necessary) could actually be a benefit because it would help sell the game in a different market close to Tampa. But then he admitted the Orlando plan was hatched over a few cocktails. &ldquo;The more we drank, the more viable it became,&rdquo; he cracked.It was great comic relief. Everyone enjoyed it, but not many reporters were taking notes. Some weren&rsquo;t even paying attention. Many had dismissed Esposito&rsquo;s bid as a joke. That his business associates were reluctant to reveal details of the bid&rsquo;s Japanese-backed finances only confirmed those suspicions.Surprise, surprise.I did offer Esposito my congratulations. I can&rsquo;t say I was as excited by the prospect of Esposito&rsquo;s return to the league as, say, Boston&rsquo;s Harry Sinden or NHL vice president Brian O&rsquo;Neill. Both jumped out of their seats and cheered when Ziegler announced Tampa Bay was in. But there is something to be said for witnessing a likeable hockey legend in a state of euphoria.&ldquo;In hockey, if the other fellow ever underestimated me, I knew 1 had him,&rdquo; Esposito said.I underestimated him. So did a lot of others. Now, he&rsquo;s the president and GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning.Perhaps it would be prudent to spare you my opinion of Esposito&rsquo;s skill as a GM. He has, after all, defied the odds all his life. He&rsquo;s not so much a survivor as a thriver and one helluva success story.Be that as it may, I&rsquo;m still concerned. Not for Esposito; he&rsquo;ll always land on his feet. I fear for the future of the Lightning.Building an expansion franchise is a tough job, requiring endless patience, strong organizational skills, incredible insight and a lot of luck. You get two years grace. But there had better be improvement in years three and four. By year five, the fans expect some playoff action. If you don&rsquo;t deliver, they just might stay home.Esposito, in his three-season tenure as GM of the New York Rangers, struck me as impulsive and disorganized.He vows that being the owner of an expansion team with minimal expectations will make him a more patient person. But can he stop himself?I look at the situation again and again and I see a blueprint for disaster, an expansion accident waiting to happen.There, I&rsquo;ve done it again. I&rsquo;ve underestimated him.I do hope I&rsquo;m wrong. I&rsquo;d love for Tampa Bay and Esposito to be wildly successful.But consider this: the consequences of underestimating Esposito and being proven wrong are not nearly so grave as those of overestimating him and his abilities to own and operate an NHL franchise.I&rsquo;m not the only one who thinks like that. I&rsquo;m just the only one dumb enough to say it.Bob McKenzie is editor-in-chief of The Hockey News. &#9632;

f0002-01

TIME FOR A CONFESSION: I THINK ESPO IS A LOUSY GM

The Toronto Maple Leafs and my 1974 Chevy Impala have a lot in common.They are both blue in color and in need of repair because of their respective ownership.The car was in mint condition when my father gave it to me; now it&rsquo;s full of rust with parts falling off. We all know what happened to the once proud Maple Leaf franchise when its ownership changed.My car has a foul smell because carbon monoxide leaks in through a hole in the trunk. We can all recall times the team has stunk.People laugh at my car with its rust spots, dents and missing hub caps. People also poke fun at the team with phrases such as &ldquo;Maple Laughs&rdquo; and and the &ldquo;Make Beliefs.&rdquo;My Chevy is expensive to run, it&rsquo;s a real gas guzzler. Tickets at the Gardens are becoming increasingly difficult to come by, especially with the scalpers just outside the door.But, it doesn&rsquo;t really matter what they say about my Chevy&hellip;or the Leafs. I still love them anyway.Gary Travis&nbsp;Blenheim. Ont.<h2>DON&rsquo;T GO</h2>Do you show up at games halfway into the first period? Do you bring a companion to games and talk the entire time about everything but hockey? Do you leave a tie or one-goal game early just to avoid traffic &lsquo;If you answer yes&rsquo; &lsquo;to one or more of these questions, please don&rsquo;t go to any more hockey games. All you&rsquo;re doing is taking away tickets from real fans who want to enjoy the game.Rich Vallier Vienna. Va.<h2>GOING FAST</h2>The Hockey News &ldquo;Year in Photos 1990&rdquo; was great. I loved the action and color.In fact, I&rsquo;m convinced it won&rsquo;t last long on any newsstand. Especially since the cover reads, &ldquo;Display until March 15, 1990.&rdquo;Andy Lutz San Jose. Calif.<h2>VYING FOR NO. 1</h2>Quebec Nordique general manager Pierre Page has publicly stated his team has no intention of finishing last overall simply to gain the first pick in the draft.So I suppose it&rsquo;s just a coincidence the same year Eric Lindros is available, the Nords are going with the poorest goaltending that&rsquo;s ever been iced by an NHL team.While the netminders they&rsquo;ve used over the past couple of seasons are good, young prospects and may go on to have great careers, none are worth of No. 1 goaltender status.I&rsquo;m sure Page intends on securing a top-notch goalie for his club. Apparently, though, not until he secures a top-notch draft pick.Paul Deane&nbsp;Mississauga, Ont.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011487/5963309-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="556" height="540"><figcaption class="caption-body">People have the wrong idea of Troy Crowder, says a reader.</figcaption></div><h2>&lsquo;BIG M&rsquo; FAN</h2>I agree with Paul Leblanc that the Toronto Maple Leafs would do well to retire jersey No. 27 (THN, Letters, Nov. 16), but not Darryl Sittier&rsquo;s No. 27.Indeed. Toronto should have retired the number the day after Punch Imlach&rsquo;s ill-advised trade of Frank Mahovlich to the Detroit Red Wings.In 710 games with the Leafs, the &lsquo;Big M&rsquo; tallied 296 goals, which, at first, seems comparable to Sittier&rsquo;s 389 goals in 844 Leaf games. Sittier&rsquo;s goals, however, were scored in an expanded league wherein the diluted talent resulted in devalued goals. All but 19 of Mahovlich&rsquo;s goals with the Leafs were scored in the six-team league.Most importantly, however, Mahovlich won Stanley Cups; Sittier did not. The &lsquo;Big M&rsquo; helped lead Toronto to four championships. Sittler, on the other hand, was no more than an exceptionally talented leader of a talented group which never realized its potential.The Leafs need, to recognize the fact No. 27 belongs to Mahovlich and should retire the number in an appropriate ceremony.John B. Fretwell&nbsp;Tallahassee. Fla.<h2>NOT A GOON</h2>I hope fans don&rsquo;t get the wrong impression of Troy Crowder and label him a &ldquo;goon&rdquo; just because he can fight.Fans should realize Crowder has not been given an instigator penalty in any of his fights this season and only drops his gloves when someone challenges him.Not only has Crowder scored five goals in his first 20 games this season (a 20-goal pace), but he takes a regular shift and plays an important role on the Devils&rsquo; checking line.So let&rsquo;s not overlook Crowder&rsquo;s hockey skills just because he&rsquo;s a big, tough guy.Tom Accetta&nbsp;Branchville. N.J.Make your feelings known. Send your comments to:&nbsp;Letters, The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont., M3B 2R2 or fax us at (416) 445-0753.&nbsp;Include home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

f0003-01

LOVEABLE LEAFS LIKE A BEAT-UP, OLD CAR

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021211/5963340-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0003-02

ELSTON

&#9632; Ottawa. Now, that&rsquo;s what we call a capital gain. From start to finish, Ottawa&rsquo;s NHL expansion bid masterminded by Bruce Firestone, chairman of Terrace Investments Ltd., was first class in every respect. No bidder exhibited the class, polish and attention to detail of this group. They are to be commended and fans in the Ottawa area congratulated.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03801/5963378-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="372" height="360"></div>&#9632; Tampa Bay. A Florida expansion team was a virtual certainty, but Phil Esposito&rsquo;s Tampa Bay group came from off the pace to pull a major upset. Now. the Florida Gulf Coast must prove it can support the NHL. In the meantime, though, area hockey fans can bask in warm glow of hockey coming to Florida.&#9632; Rick Ley. The Hartford Whalers&rsquo; head coach cannot be criticized for stripping veteran Ron Francis of the captaincy. That is his perogative as coach. But he can be faulted for botching the handling of it. Francis was the one who was left to tell his teammates. Then it was leaked to the media. He deserved better. Ley should have been forthright and up front.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04445/5963371-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="372" height="358"></div>&#9632; The New York Islanders. It may be easy for us to say because it&rsquo;s not our money, but can you imagine the New York Islanders doing anything to seriously irk star center Pat LaFontaine? He&rsquo;s worth $1.5 million a year in our books and if the Isles are to have any future, they had better come to that realization in a hurry. &#9632;

f0003-03

CHEERS JEERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011486/5963423-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="890" height="600"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021341/5963416-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="500" height="258"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031134/5963409-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="576" height="660"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Hayward</figcaption></div>Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; goaltender Brian Hayward, who posted a 2-0-0 record, including one shutout I and a 1.00 goals-against average, was named the NHL Pro Set Player of the Week for the period ending Dec. 9.Hayward, who stopped 48 of 50 shots for a .960 save percentage, edged Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; right winger Steve Larmer to capture the award.Throughout the 1990-91 NHL season, Pro Set, Inc., will donate $500 to the youth hockey organization designated by the Player of the Week. Pro Set will also contribute $1,000 on behalf of the Player of the Month and $7,500 for the Player of the Year Award. As a first-year sponsor of these NHL awards, Pro Set is contributing over $26,000 to youth hockey organizations across North America.Hayward, traded from the Montreal Canadiens to Minnesota on Nov. 7, gained his first win as a North Star in a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (Dec. 5). He then backstopped his club to a 7-0 blanking of the Philadelphia Flyers (Dec. 8) for his first shutout of 1990-91 and seventh of his career.Hayward, the co-recipient of the Jennings Trophy for three consecutive seasons (1986-87 to 1988-89) with Patrick Roy, has registered a 2-3-1 record, a 2.51 GAA and a .907 save percentage through seven games in 1990-91.Larmer registered seven points (4-3-7) in three games, including three power-play and one gamewinning goal. He had two goals and three assists in Chicago&rsquo;s 5-2 win over the New York Islanders (Dec. 6). Larmer also had the decisive goal in a 2-1 triumph over Toronto (Dec. 8).Larmer&rsquo;s 21 goals this season is tied for second best, with Philadelphia&rsquo;s Rick Tocchet, in the NHL behind Brett Hull (29) of the St. Louis Blues. &#9632;

f0004-01

NHL PRO SET SPOTLIGHT

<div class="byline">BY STAN FISCHLER</div>Fallout from NHL expansion meetings will have an affect on the proposed North American and Global Hockey Leagues. Insiders believe the only way they can compete is if they merge. An NAHL official says the league will be called The United Hockey League. The GHL has only Birmingham and Saskatoon lined up in North America, while the NAHL is looking at Cleveland, Dallas, Cincinnati and Atlanta. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll look at all the NHL expansion rejects,&rdquo; the NAHL representative says. &ldquo;We can get Hamilton and we&rsquo;ll talk to Miami and Seattle.&rdquo; Another possibility is exploiting Detroit&rsquo;s hockey mania with a team in the Silverdome&hellip;The NHL is experimenting with advance-design goal nets. They hope to replace the current, easily-dislodged magnet nets. One NHL general manager says wandering nets will be gone next season.<h2>SHORT-CHANGED</h2>The disparity between the Canadian and American dollar has become a serious problem for players. They&rsquo;re considering plans for an &ldquo;NHL Dollar&rdquo;, which would eliminate wide fiscal differences. It would give Canadian clubs a better monetary opportunity in the market&hellip;Mike Shanahan&rsquo;s bid to retain the Blues&rsquo; chairmanship will hinge on his ability to swing the local corporate elite to his corner. Financiers have invested heavily in the club and want to build a new rink without Shanahan.<h2>LAUGHABLE RUMOR</h2>Rangers&rsquo; GM Neil Smith laughs at persistent trade rumors involving Bernie Nicholls and John Vanbiesbrouck to Detroit for Steve Yzerman&hellip;Peter Pocklington&rsquo;s threats to move out of Northlands Coliseum for a better rink have amused NHL owners. &ldquo;If Peter is threatening to build it,&rdquo; says one governor, &ldquo;why doesn&rsquo;t he go ahead and do it?&rdquo; Owners don&rsquo;t take Pocklington seriously because, as one puts it, the Oilers &ldquo;must be enjoying a net profit of five to seven million dollars a year.&rdquo; Pocklington grossed an estimated $20 million last year&hellip;The new Las Vegas ice arena in the Santa Fe Hotel seats 2,500. It hopes to land the L.A. Kings as a training camp tenant next September&hellip;The current Vegas line has the Blackhawks at 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup.<h2>FOG ALERT</h2>Flyers&rsquo; broadcaster Gene Hart, author of a new book, Score!, recalls his favorite Fred Shero story. &ldquo;Freddie was trying to get more out of Bob (The Hound) Kelly, and The Hound insisted he was contributing,&rdquo; Hart says. &ldquo;Freddie said he wanted more than that; he wanted a commitment. So Bob asked what the difference between a contribution and a commitment was. &lsquo;I&rsquo;ll tell you,&rsquo; said Shero. &lsquo;It&rsquo;s all in ham-and-eggs. The chicken makes the contribution but the pig makes the commitment. &lsquo;&ldquo;&hellip; Phoenix Roadrunners&rsquo; GM Adam Keller believes the city has major-league potential. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t rule out an NHL franchise seven to ten years down the road,&rdquo; Keller says. &ldquo;The biggest, mistake Phoenix made was joining the World Hockey Association. At the time, Pheonix was seriously considered for the NHL.&rdquo; Only five non-NHL cities drew more fans last year.<h2>WHALER SEAT WAR</h2>The Nov. 24 Whalers-Bruins war appears to have solidified the long-awaited Hartford-Boston rivalry. The Whalers, who suffered the ignominy of having the Civic Center overloaded with Boston fans, are now distributing brochures with the heading: &ldquo;Kick that Bruins&rsquo; fan out of my seat!&rdquo; The text reads: &ldquo;You know how aggravating it is. You&rsquo;re at a Whalers&rsquo; game cheering your home team. And there, three rows ahead of you, screaming his heart out, is a Bruins&rsquo; fan. In your building. In your seat. Kick that Bruins&rsquo; fan out of your seat!&rdquo;&hellip;According to NHL executive vicepresident Brian O&rsquo;Neill, referees&rsquo; salaries range from $45.000-$90.000. Linesmen are paid between $30,000-$63,000. The salary figures don&rsquo;t include playoff games, exhibition games, or bonuses based on ratings and years of service.<h2>FIGHTING WORDS</h2>Ice cop Ken Baumgartner perceives a change in NHL style which will affect physical players. &ldquo;Fighting isn&rsquo;t as big it has been,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s certainly a change in the works and I&rsquo;m not one who wants to be left behind. If you can&rsquo;t play the game, you&rsquo;ll be left behind.&rdquo;&hellip;Detroit columnist Mitch Albom confronted Blues&rsquo; center Adam Oates about drug rumors when he played in Detroit. Oates heard the rumors, too. &ldquo;You saw me play,&rdquo; Oates says. &ldquo;Did I play like I had a drug problem? I was a single guy. I went out a lot. So what? I never abused myself. I never went out the night before a game. When the rumors came up, 1 didn&rsquo;t want to debate them. If you do, you look cheap. I don&rsquo;t want to be that kind of person. And I was never confronted with rumors by the Wings. As far as I was told, 1 was traded for Bernie Federko&rsquo;s leadership.&rdquo;&hellip;An act of (U.S.) Congress could torpedo Bob Probert&rsquo;s attempt to avoid deportation. If President George Bush signs a provision of the Immigration Act of 1990 to become law, it could be a blow to Probert. He had been hoping to win an outright reversal of his deportation order. The ruling would wipe out the concept of the judicial recommendation against deportation (JRAD), which was made by Judge Patrick J. Duggan of Detroit. &#9632;

LEAGUE MERGER FEASIBLE SOLUTION

<div class="byline">BY GARY LOEWEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011394/5963478-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="552" height="640"><figcaption class="caption-body">Owen Nolan benefitted from a stint in the minors.</figcaption></div>So, how do you handle a rough-edged teenager?The Quebec Nordiques and the Detroit Red Wings have been thrust into the role of guardian as they plot to further the careers of junioraged forwards Owen Nolan and Keith Primeau.It&rsquo;s a situation that calls for caution and diplomacy. Exacerbating the issue is a sensitive agreement between the NHL and the Canadian junior leagues that puts pressure on all sides.Nolan, 18, and Primeau, 19, are a couple of prize prospects who may or may not be prepared to play full-time in the NHL. But because they are of junior age, they cannot be assigned indefinitely to a minor pro league. And, should they play more than 10 professional games in a season, they lose a year of protection from the waiver draft.A ruling (or loophole, depending upon how you view it) introduced this season does allow for some flexibility. NHL teams can demote juniorage players to the farm for two weeks of injury rehabilitation.Both the Nords and the Wings have taken advantage of the rule change. Nolan and Primeau, the first and third picks in the entry draft in June, both recently returned from reconditioning stints in Halifax and Adirondack respectively. Both had been suffering minor back problems.From a statistical standpoint. Nolan and Primeau enjoyed considerable success in the minors&mdash;a direct contrast to their humble NHL beginnings. Nolan had four goals, four assists in six AHL games; Primeau, three goals, five assists in six games.Their play provided ammunition for observers who believe that, ideally, the two young forwards are best-suited for the AHL this season.But the only option their bosses have is to return them to junior (Nolan to Cornwall, Primeau to Niagara Falls of the Ontario League) if they aren&rsquo;t yet adaptable to the NHL.&ldquo;If Nolan goes back to junior, he&rsquo;ll face a lot less pressure,&rdquo; Nordique general manager Pierre Page said.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve made a fairly strong commitment that we were going to keep him. But if we suddenly realize he can&rsquo;t cope with the pressure then we&rsquo;ll make a decision.&ldquo;A lot of hockey people thought he was ready to play in the NHL, physically. Still, the mental part of the game can wear you out if you can&rsquo;t cope.&rdquo;Both Nolan and Primeau are being monitored closely. Red Wing general manager-coach Bryan Murray said Primeau gained a lot of confidence in the AHL. But now that he&rsquo;s back in Detroit. Primeau must adjust to less statistical gratification.It&rsquo;s open to debate as to whether Nolan or Primeau would benefit or be hindered by another year of junior. That&rsquo;s the dilemma Page and Murray must address.Neither GM is pushing for a change in the NHL&rsquo;s four-year agreement with the CHL, which expires after the 1991-92 season.&ldquo;Junior operators would have a tough time if we were to take their best players and move them into the AHL.&rdquo; Murray said.Basically, it is a three-pronged issue. The GMs have to consider what is best for their own team, for the junior operator and, most importantly for the player.&ldquo;If Keith is capable of playing in Detroit, then that&rsquo;s where he should be.&rdquo; Niagara Falls Thunder general manager-coach George Burnett said.&ldquo;But if he&rsquo;s not playing regularly or is sitting in the press box, then it&rsquo;s not beneficial for him.&rdquo;Burnett believes there is room for improvement in the current agreement.It is difficult, though, to create a blanket rule that will work for all junior-age players because some teenagers are better prepared than others to make the jump directly to the NHL.There is a financial aspect, to the equation, too. The junior team gets up to $25,000 as compensation for losing a junior-age player but it&rsquo;s hard to measure the value Primeau, for instance, would have to the Thunder.&ldquo;Primeau might put more people in the stands and we might sell more souvenirs. He might make the team better,&rdquo; Bumett said.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the No. 1 supplier of NHL talent, that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re here for. The most important thing, though, is the development of the player.&ldquo;Whether he&rsquo;s playing 10 or 12 minutes a game at the NHL level or 25 to 30 minutes in the OHL&mdash;it&rsquo;s up in the air as to which is better.&rdquo; Gary Loewen is a hockey writer for the Toronto based Globe and Mail. &#9632;

f0005-01

JUNIOR AGREEMENT ADDED PRESSURE FOR TEAMS, PLAYERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021016/5963509-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="540" height="1190"></div><h2>DARREN TURCOTTE</h2>Born: March 2, 1968. Boston, Mass. Height: 6-feet. Weight: 185 pounds. Team: New York Rangers. Position: Center. Acquired: Rangers&rsquo; 6th choice. 114th overall, in 1986 entry draft.Career highlight: &ldquo;I have two. One was scoring my first NHL hat trick against Allan Bester and the Toronto Maple Leafs two years ago. The other was playing my first home game at Madison Square Garden. The fan support was overwhelming.&rdquo;Boyhood heroes: &ldquo;Wayne Gretzky. I&rsquo;ve always admired the things he does on the ice. especially when he led Edmonton to four Stanley Cups.&rdquo;Biggest disappointment: &ldquo;It may not sound like a big deal, but being picked so low in the draft really upset me. It was hard to take. When you&rsquo;re 18-years-old and you&rsquo;ve put your whole life into something, you can&rsquo;t help feeling hurt. It was as if no one wanted me.&rdquo;Most respected opponents: &ldquo;Calgary. They have so many great players. They work hard all the time, and with guys like Al Maclnnis at the point, you can&rsquo;t help but be good.&rdquo;Toughest goalie: &ldquo;Patrick Roy. He&rsquo;s a big goalie who covers the net well and has excellent reflexes for a big man.&rdquo;Favorite actor: &ldquo;Steven SeigaL I enjoy action films and I particularly like his.&rdquo;Favorite TV show:&nbsp;The Simpsons. &ldquo;I like the attitude on that show. I think a lot of hockey players enjoy it because of the sarcasm.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0005-02

PRO FILE

<div class="byline">BY BOB MCKENZIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011573/5963547-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">NHL president John Ziegler (center) offers congratulations to franchise bid leaders Ottawa&rsquo;s Bruce Firestone (left) and Tampa Bay&rsquo;s Phil Espostio (right).</figcaption></div>It was unquestionably the most significant decision the National Hockey League would make in more than 10 years.Yet in the end, it was shockingly elementary in both style and substance.The NHL board of governors entered a conference room at the opulent Breakers Resort in West Palm Beach, Fla., at 9 a.m. on Dec. 6. Little more than two hours later, at 11:15, it voted unanimously to grant two conditional expansion franchises for the 1992-93 season.The Tampa Bay bid, led by Hall-of-Famer Phil Esposito and backed by Japanese investors, and the Ottawa bid, spearheaded by local realestate developer Bruce Firestone, were easy winners in what had been whittled down to a six-city race.It was shocking in every aspect, from the amount of time it took to deliberate to the identity of the winners.In the weeks leading up to the league meetings, Esposito&rsquo;s bid seemed in tatters, devoid of financial backing for both the franchise fee and arena. Ottawa, in spite of its slick, professional approach, was expected to fall victim to antiCanadian sentiments if not a potentially stronger bid from Hamilton, Ont. At the very least, it looked to be a tight race that would require detailed discussion and debate.But at 1 p.m., NHL president John Ziegler informed the groups from Hamilton, St. Petersburg, Fla., Miami and San Diego that they were not going to be part of the league&rsquo;s sixth expansion.Thirty minutes later, he announced Tampa Bay and Ottawa as the winners.&ldquo;There was lots of discussion,&rdquo; Ziegler said. &ldquo;But it was obvious that these two groups were much more of a favorite than the others.&rdquo;In fact, no bids other than Tampa Bay and Ottawa were seriously considered in that 135minute meeting.&ldquo;They were the only two bids who met all the criteria,&rdquo; said Toronto governor Don Giffin. &ldquo;The others, all of them, were missing something.&rdquo;Principally, they were without an unflinching commitment to the financial terms and conditions of the $50 million (U.S.) franchise fee. St. Pete&rsquo;s and Hamilton, top contenders coming into the meetings, both requested to negotiate various aspects of the payment plan.But Hamilton spokesman Gerry Patterson suggested his bid was torpedoed at the last minute because of &ldquo;vested interests.&rdquo; (see story on page 7).Miami, San Diego and an unspecified southern California bid from ex-Los Angeles King owner Jerry Buss had many more critical flaws. Seattle had already withdrawn on Dec. 5.&ldquo;The applicants who messed with our money schedule ended up losing in this game,&rdquo; said one governor, explaining the downfall of premeeting favorites St. Petersburg and Hamilton.The addition of Tampa Bay, to be known as the Lightning, and Ottawa, to be called the Senators (team names still require board approval), will swell the NHL to 24 teams for the 1992-93 season.The league has already granted a conditional franchise to the San Jose Sharks for next fall.The addition of the three new clubs resulted in lengthy realignment discussions. No agreement could be reached. So, for next season, San Jose will become the sixth team in the Smythe Division. Realignment for the 1992-93 season, to include Tampa Bay and Ottawa and the desires of some established clubs to switch divisions, will be dealt with at a later board meeting.The expansion announcement was an emotional day for all involved.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very special day,&rdquo; said Firestone, the 38-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Terrace Investments Ltd., who wept when he was told his group&rsquo;s bid had won.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve worked very hard to bring back the Senators. Now, they&rsquo;re back.&rdquo;The Senators were in the NHL until 1934 and won a total of six Stanley Cups. Prior to the Senators, the Ottawa Silver Seven won three Cups. Frank Finnigan, 89, the only surviving member of the Senators&rsquo; last Cup winner in 1927, was on hand for the glorious occasion.As were more than 100 Ottawa boosters, including a 34-member marching band which had rattled the staid, old-money Breakers all week. They cheered wildly when Ziegler made the announcement. They were oblivious to Ziegler&rsquo;s plea to quiet down. &ldquo;Wait,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s one more.&rdquo;When he announced Esposito&rsquo;s Tampa Bay bid, it was the governors&rsquo; turn to cheer. They weren&rsquo;t just adding a new franchise, they were welcoming a close friend and confidante back into their ranks. They seemed as excited as Esposito.&ldquo;Forty-eight days ago we were dead, but we didn&rsquo;t give up,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not my style. I&rsquo;m not a quitter. In hockey, if the other fellow underestimated me, I knew I had him. This was just like playing a game. We just kept plugging&hellip;&ldquo;All I can say to our Japanese investors is. you&rsquo;re going to love hockey, if you think baseball is great, just wait. I know you like sumo wrestling, too. Well, hey, we&rsquo;ve got it all in hockey.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021081/5963540-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="1489" height="1469"><figcaption class="caption-body">Several of the more than 100 Ottawa supporters whoop it up Dec. 6 after NHL president John Zieqlar confirmed the city had won a franchise bid.</figcaption></div>The successful bids had much in common. The mayors from both cities, as well as Hamilton, actively campaigned and were part of the official presentations to the board on Dec. 5. Both Ottawa and Tampa Bay will eventually have luxurious, new arenas.Terrace will be principal owners and operators of the proposed 20,000-seat Palladium. The construction, which is being held up by a rezoning hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board, is expected to be ready by December, 1993.Nevertheless, the Senators will play in the 10,500-seat Civic Centre for the their first two seasons.Esposito is confident a new 18,000-seat arena, on land beside Tampa Stadium, will be ready for the Lightning&rsquo;s NHL debut in October, 1992. The club would own 50 per cent of the facility, as would Tampa Coliseum Inc., but the arena group would manage and operate it.In the event it isn&rsquo;t ready in time, Esposito&rsquo;s group will negotiate a temporary deal for use of the arena in nearby Orlando.Ottawa and Tampa each wrote a non-refundable check for $5 million (U.S.) upon receiving their conditional franchises. In order to be officially accepted, they each must satisfy the following conditions within one year:&#9642; pay the remaining $45-million franchise fee.&#9642; sell 10,000 season tickets to generate gate receipts of not less than $9 million.&#9642; sell 1,000 premium seats for not less than $4,000 per seat.&#9642; purchase or make arrangements with a minor-league club to serve as a development team.Ziegler says the NHL&rsquo;s stated goal is still to have 28 teams by the year 2000.&ldquo;But before we decide to expand again, we will have to lay out all new terms and conditions,&rdquo; the president said. &ldquo;Our plan for sixth expansion is now complete.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0006-01

LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE

<div class="byline">BY BOB MCKENZIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011420/5963578-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Phil Esposito was teary-eyed after hearing of the NHL&rsquo;s decision to accept Tampa Bay into the league in 1992-93. He has done it all in the hockey industry.</figcaption></div>Phil Esposito loves the NHL. The NHL loves Phil Esposito. The result is a new expansion franchise in Tampa Bay on-Florida&rsquo;s Gulf Coast.Is everybody happy? Oh my, yes.&ldquo;To the board of governors, what can I say,&rdquo; a teary-eyed Esposito said moments after NHL president John Ziegler announced two expansion franchises had been granted. Ottawa was the other.&ldquo;A lot of you are great friends of mine. It&rsquo;s good to be back with you lunatics.&rdquo;The feeling was mutual. When Ziegler made the announcement, Boston general manager Harry Sinden jumped out of his chair and punched the air. NHL vice-president Brian O&rsquo;Neill, who politely applauds for every goal scored in a game lest he appear partisan, clapping enthusiastically. Edmonton&rsquo;s Glen Sather and Peter Pocklington positively beamed and patted each other on the back. Other governors gave the thumbs-up sign to the Hall-of-Fame center, who was an alternate governor during his three-season tenure as GM of the New York Rangers.A day earlier, when Esposito&rsquo;s group was making its formal presentation to the board, Sather and Pocklington had a little fun at Esposito&rsquo;s expense.&ldquo;Damn it, I&rsquo;m walking in there and those two guys started chanting, &lsquo;Espo, Espo&rsquo; and then a whole bunch of them joined it. Oh s&mdash;, I couldn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo;.When it came right down to it, Esposito wanted to return to a position of prominence in the NHL. Satisfied that his financing was in order, the league was happy to oblige him.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure I&rsquo;d get another opportunity,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;After my tumultuous tenure in New York, I thought I was finished. I thought I could be happy doing nothing. 1 thought seriously about staying out.&ldquo;But, you know, it was unfinished business. I just couldn&rsquo;t pass up the chance. I&rsquo;m going to be president and general manager of an NHL club.&rdquo; &lsquo;Pending board approval, Esposito&rsquo;s team will be called the Lightning. &ldquo;I saw one lightning storm down there and that was enough for me to know what our name would be,&rdquo; he said.Perhaps fittingly, the announcement that Tampa Bay had won a franchise was like a bolt of lightning. Shocking, to say the least.Originally, Esposito&rsquo;s bid was being bankrolled by the wealthy Tampa-based Pritzker family, which owns the Hyatt hotel chain. But on Oct. 1, the Pritzkers unexpectedly withdrew, leaving Esposito in dire straits.Against all odds and a seemingly superior bid from nearby St. Petersburg, Esposito battled on, rounding up Japanese investors. Still, with time running out, it looked as though there were too many loose ends. But Compuware, the St. Petersburg backer, flinched at the necessary financial commitments and the door opened for Esposito, ever the opportunist.Ownership of the hockey club will be a limited partnership&mdash;Tampa Bay Hockey Inc.&mdash;with four Japanese companies owning at least 50 per cent but likely much more. The companies include: Tokyo Tower Development Ltd., Nippon Meat Packers Ltd., Kokusai Green Ltd. and Amseco International Ltd.The undetermined balance of ownership is expected to be held by U.S. investors, mostly Florida-based. Because the Japanese investors have controlling interests, they designate who operates the club. That is Esposito.Esposito will be president and GM, overseeing all hockey-related matters. Mel Lowell, who worked 13 years for Madison Square Garden Corp, overseeing financial interests of the Rangers and National Basketball Association Knicks, will be the Lightning&rsquo;s treasurer and director of business operations.The Lightning are expected to play out of a new facility that will be built exclusively for them.Fifty per cent ownership and day-to-day operation and management of the 18,000-seat arena, which will be built right next to Tampa Stadium, will be held by the privately-owned Tampa Coliseum Group.It holds the lease rights to the land, which was donated from the Tampa Sports Authority seven years ago for the purposes of constructing a stadium to attract Major League Baseball.Efforts to acquire a baseball team fell by the wayside&mdash;St. Petersburg is now the prime target area&mdash;but the Coliseum group continued to pay rent on the land. The group is headed by Jim Cusack, a former FBI agent and now a Tampa lawyer who, among others, represents the wealthy Mack family (with more than a billion dollars in assets) of Tampa.The arena is expected to cost between $80 million and $90 million. The Coliseum Group is said to have a letter of credit from Fuji Bank of Japan for up to $60 million and another letter of credit for the balance from a Florida-based bank.Esposito said the facility will meet all criteria laid down by the NHL in the terms and conditions of sixth expansion and will be ready for opening day of the 1992-93 season. Failing that, Esposito said a temporary arrangement will be worked out with arena management in Orlando, home of the NBA Magic.All in all, it was a complex deal that came together at the last minute. A low-profile, but integral, player in putting it together was New York City lawyer David Lefevre.Lefevre&rsquo;s business cards are printed in English on one side and Japanese on the other. He specializes in obtaining Japanese investment for mergers and acquisitions in the United States.&ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t have done it without David,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;Forty-eight days ago, we were dead, but we didn&rsquo;t give up. That&rsquo;s not my style. I&rsquo;m not a quitter.&rdquo;The league president concurred.&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t the first time (Esposito&rsquo;s) team has been down three goals and he&rsquo;s brought them back,&rdquo; Ziegler said.Esposito&rsquo;s most pressing concern now is mounting a season-ticket campaign. For the franchise acceptance to become firm, 10,000 season tickets must be sold within one year.Esposito has no qualms.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll sell the tickets,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have no doubt this franchise will be a tremendous success.&ldquo;This is great. I&rsquo;ve been a player, a coach, a GM. Now, I&rsquo;m a part owner and president. I&rsquo;ve done it all in this game.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0007-01

MADE IN JAPAN

The man who worked for more than 12 months to bring an NHL team to Hamilton doesn&rsquo;t believe the southern Ontario city will ever get an expansion franchise.&ldquo;In my lifetime, and I plan to live a long time, it rules out any expansion in Hamilton,&rdquo; 57-year-old Gerry Patterson said of the NHL&rsquo;s decision to reject the city&rsquo;s bid.Some NHL governors alluded that Hamilton fell short because it wanted to negotiate the fixed payment schedule of the $50 million (U.S.) franchise fee.Patterson admitted his group requested negotiation on the payment timetable because it wanted to factor in indemnification fees to Buffalo and Toronto. (Hamilton is within territorial rights of both established clubs.)But he disputed that was the bid&rsquo;s tragic flaw.&ldquo;We had a franchise at midnight (Dec. 5),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t tell you how I knew that, but be assured I knew. We didn&rsquo;t have it at 9 a m. (Dec. 6). I have my theories what happened, but I&rsquo;m not prepared to comment on that.&rdquo;Much of the last-minute lobbying by applicants took place at a Dec. 5 dinner party at the posh 28,(XX)-square foot West Palm Beach mansion of Boston owner Jeremy Jacobs.A Hamilton delegation was there, but Patterson remained at the Breakers Resort. He said he was working the phone all evening and by midnight was convinced Hamilton had the requisite backing of at least 16 governors. He also said he was told to be prepared to negotiate indemnification fees at a meeting the next morning.&ldquo;We never got the chance to negotiate (indemnification), which we understood we would,&rdquo; Patterson said. &ldquo;The first call we received (on decision day) was at noon and we were told to get our group together. We figured it was for the negotiations.&ldquo;Instead, we ended up in a room with the other unsuccessful applicants. At first. I thought we were all (awarded franchises) and then (NHL president) John Ziegler informed us Ottawa and Tampa had been chosen.&rdquo;Hours later, principal investor Tim Donut president Ron Joyce was overcome with emotion and had to leave his own press conference.&ldquo;What happened between midnight and 9 a.m.?&rdquo; Patterson said a day later. &ldquo;I think vested interests took place when the boardroom door was closed and we&rsquo;ll never know what was said. Partners are partners and perhaps partners come first.&rdquo;The theory is that Sabre ownership, surprised at the support of the Hamilton bid and fearful of its impact on business, lobbied fellow governors against it at the last minute. Buffalo, or Toronto, could have vetoed expansion to Hamilton, but the Sabres reportedly didn&rsquo;t want to be put in an on-the-record position of opposition.One NHL governer admitted he was aware of an unspoken understanding that the Sabres were vehemently opposed to the Hamilton bid, but that it was not a last-minute development.There was no immediate reaction from Sabre owner Seymour Knox, but club spokesman Steve Rossi said Knox may make a statement after arriving home to Buffalo during the week of Dec. 10.Patterson said the city of Hamilton will now pursue acquisition of a hockey tenant for the under-utilized Copps Coliseum. He said there are three options, including: purchasing a Canadian-based NHL team and trying to move it; acquiring a franchise in the proposed Global Hockey League; or, acquiring a franchise in the proposed North American Hockey League.Of all the losing bids, Hamilton&rsquo;s was closest to gaining approval.Pre-meeting favorite St. Petersburg crashed and burned when principal investor Peter Karmanos of Michigan-based Compuware sought to negotiate financial terms and conditions.Upon the awarding of a conditional franchise, the Compuware group wanted, among other things, the $5 million downpayment to be refundable in the event a season-ticket drive failed to net the required 10.000 commitments.&ldquo;We have no reason to be bitter,&rdquo; said Compuware&rsquo;s Jim Rutherford. &ldquo;We went in with a plan and it didn&rsquo;t meet the NHL&rsquo;s criteria.&rdquo;Basically, the Compuware bid didn&rsquo;t show ultimate faith in the Florida Gulf Coast market or the unwavering financial commitment of the rival Tampa Bay bid.There were concerns voiced that the St. Pete&rsquo;s bid would be playing out of a baseball facility&mdash;the Florida Suncoast Dome. But when Compuware flinched at the financing, those concerns became a moot point.Miami, a respectable bid backed by south Florida millionarie John Henry, was fatally flawed because of its inadequate arena and lease arrangements and also because Henry balked at the finances.Like Compuware, the Miami bid was apparently committed to the $50 million, but wanted a more favorable payment plan.Henry reacted bitterly to the league&rsquo;s take-it-or-leave-it attitude.&ldquo;Maybe if I would have met all their terms I would have been unfortunate enough to get a franchise,&rdquo; he said.Miami is still targeted as a future site with good potential&mdash;as long as any new bid has its own arena and a backer who won&rsquo;t balk at the payment plan.The San Diego bid, headed by Harry Cooper, came into the meetings with a long-range goal. Cooper wanted a franchise for 1996, but was hoping the league would award it now. While San Diego is an intriguing market for the NHL, it wasn&rsquo;t prepared to make that kind of long-range deal.Former Los Angeles King owner Jerry Buss requested the board grant him a conditional franchise for an unspecified site in either the San Diegp or greater Los Angeles area, likely Anaheim.It was never seriously considered.Seattle withdrew from contention Dec. 5 before making its presentation to the board. Bill Ackerley, son of applicant Barry Ackerley, explained that the bid was pulled because his father, who intends to build a new arena, could not come to terms with a potential ownership group. That ownership group attended the meetings and were granted an informal audience with the governors. Nothing could be pursued, however, because the bid belonged solely to Ackerley.Originally, II applications were filed with the league office. Phoenix withdrew Aug. 16; Milwaukee pulled out Oct. 9; and, Houston called it quits Nov. 28. The remaining eight applicants all attended the Florida meetings. &#9632;

HAMILTON, ST. PETERSBURG STUNG BY NHL’S DECISION

<div class="byline">BY BOB MCKENZIE</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011503/5963633-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bruce Firestone was the driving force behind Ottawa&rsquo;s successful expansion bid. He&rsquo;s described as a man of vision by friends and colleagues.</figcaption></div>It was early on a Saturday morning back in the winter of 1988 when three pals were killing a little time after their weekly pickup game at Lyons Arena in Ottawa.All the other players had left the dressing room and the three just sat there, quaffing a few beers and talking.Randy Sexton remembers it well. So does Cyril Leeder. In fact, they&rsquo;re not ever likely to forget what Bruce Firestone, their friend and employer, said to them that morning.&ldquo;We were just sitting there talking, like we always do,&rdquo; said Sexton. &ldquo;Bruce looked at us and said, &lsquo;The NHL is going to expand soon. When it does, we should get a team for Ottawa. Think about it, it&rsquo;s a natural.&rsquo;&ldquo;I looked at Cyril. He looked at me. And you should know that Bruce isn&rsquo;t the kind of guy who plays practical jokes. He was serious.&rdquo;Was he ever.Firestone, the 38-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Terrace Investments Ltd., dared to dream the impossible dream. And on Dec. 6, it all came true.The NHL awarded a conditional NHL expansion franchise to the Terrace group for the city of Ottawa to begin play for the 1992-93 season.&ldquo;I was summoned for a 1 o&rsquo;clock meeting,&rdquo; Firestone said. &ldquo;They brought us down the fire escape and through the kitchen. I had two speeches ready. One for concession, one for acceptance. I didn&rsquo;t know what to expect.&ldquo;I looked down in front of me and there were two words on a piece of paper, Tampa and Ottawa, and frankly, I just burst into tears. I haven&rsquo;t done that since I was a little boy.&rdquo;Firestone and his executive team of Leeder, the president, and Sexton, the vice president, overcame tremendous odds. First, it seemed the NHL wasn&rsquo;t keen on expanding into Canada. Second, if it did, Hamilton&rsquo;s bid was perceived by many as more attractive.The NHL governors didn&rsquo;t think so. They voted unanimously in favor of the Terrace bid.&ldquo;I would have to thank the Canadian governors,&rdquo; Firestone said. &ldquo;They pushed hard for the league to take a Canadian team and if they hadn&rsquo;t done that, we wouldn&rsquo;t have got the franchise.&rdquo;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there was any one thing that won it for us,&rdquo; said Sexton, 31, a former NCAA hockey player at St. Lawrence University who has an MBA from Clarkson.&ldquo;We just worked hard. Our sincerity and commitment came to the surface. And we have a great market. And Bruce Firestone. He&rsquo;s a very shrewd man, a very solid guy.&rdquo;Leeder, also 31, a chartered accountant and graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, said none of it would have been possible if not for Firestone, known to his friends and colleagues as a visionary and &ldquo;big idea man.&rdquo; Now, he&rsquo;s known to most as the man responsible for bringing the NHL back to Ottawa after a 57-year absence.&ldquo;How would I describe him?&rdquo; Leeder said. &ldquo;I would borrow a line I heard our mayor (Jim Durrell) use the other day: &lsquo;Bruce Firestone is the smartest man I have ever met.&rsquo; That about sums it up.&rdquo;Firestone attended Ashbury College, a local private school, before graduating from McGill University with a masters degree in engineering. He earned his PhD in urban economics at the University of New South Wales in Australia.In 1982, he took over the family business (Terrace), which his father, Jack, founded in 1956.Firestone is married and has five children. He&rsquo;s intense in a quiet, controlled manner.There&rsquo;s not much Terrace did wrong in its two-year campaign to woo the NHL. Firestone took a first-class approach in every way, paying incredible attention to every detail. No bid submitted by any group was as thorough or as professionally prepared.Terrace was able to sell the NHL on an area few thought could support pro hockey.&ldquo;A lot of people don&rsquo;t realize we have a big market,&rdquo; Sexton said. &ldquo;There are more than 900,000 people in Ottawa and, within a one-hour&rsquo;s drive radius, there are 1.7 million.&ldquo;And it&rsquo;s a rich market, too. You need a rich market for pro sports. We attended a game at the Chicago Stadium and sat right behind the players&rsquo; bench. The tickets were $39.50 each. Buy two tickets, park, eat and pay for the babysitter and you&rsquo;re talking well over $100 for a night&rsquo;s entertainment. Our demographics in that area are good.&ldquo;The corporate market in Ottawa is great, too. Our population is increasing at the same time civil service jobs are decreasing. That tells you more private sector business is here than ever before.&rdquo;Terrace owns 600 acres of land in the western suburb of Kanata. Almost 100 is targetted for the building of the 20,000-seat Palladium, although rezoning of the land from agriculture to commercial is hung up at the Ontario Municipal Board level.NHL governors expressed some concern about the rezoning issue, but Firestone convinced them it is part of the normal procedure. Terrace also wants to rezone the other 500 acres and develop it for high-density commercial and residential use.Skeptics insist the plan to court the NHL was little more than a device to get the entire area rezoned and developed. Sexton, however, said the arena will be built regardless of what happens with the other land and one development didn&rsquo;t depend on the other.Terrace said it will have majority interest in both the hockey club and the arena, although as much as 49 per cent of both may be held by minority investors. Terrace has declined to identify them, but the NHL was obviously satisfied.The next order of business for Terrace is to hire a team president. Firestone and Leeder will be involved with the Senators, but their main function will be with the land development company. Sexton, however, may spend more time on hockey business matters.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve already interviewed some people for the president&rsquo;s job,&rdquo; Sexton said. &ldquo;Our president will be a businessman who has some hockey experience. He will then hire his team, which would include a vice president/GM, vice president of marketing and so on.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s funny. We&rsquo;ve worked so hard on this whole project for almost two years. And, really, the job is just beginning.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-01

A CAPITAL IDEA

<div class="byline">BY DON CAMPBELL</div>Sitting at the end of the Canadian team&rsquo;s bench, a 17-year-oId extra named Kris Draper was watching his side take a beating at the hands of the Soviets in the Izvestia Cup.Time was winding down in the 1988 tournament&rsquo;s opening game, when the Canadians took a penalty. Out came the planet&rsquo;s most feared five-man unit&mdash;Igor Larionov, Vladimir Krutov, Sergei Makarov, Viacheslav Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov&mdash;looking to add to a 7 I lead.For the Canadians, it was truly a forgettable evening. For everyone except Draper, that is. The center fresh out of Don Mills (Ont.) midget hockey got the call to help ward off the KLM line.&ldquo;There was maybe three minutes to go and Kinger (national team coach Dave King) says, &lsquo;get out there,&rsquo; &ldquo;remembers Draper. &ldquo;I turned around and said something like, &lsquo;are you sure?&rsquo; I didn&rsquo;t really play too much that first year.&ldquo;He said, &lsquo;Go and have some fun.&rsquo;&rdquo;&ldquo;Now, I knew (King) wasn&rsquo;t expecting me to go out and turn the game around or anything. It was already lost. But I was thinking, &lsquo;geez, the year before at the Canada Cup it was (Wayne) Gretzky and (Mario) Lemieux trying to handle these guys. Now it&rsquo;s me.&rsquo; I guess I got a kick out of it.&rdquo;These days Draper, who will be looking to add a companion in January to the gold medal he earned as member of last year&rsquo;s World Junior Championship team, is still getting his kicks. Only they come in different ways.Instead of playing against the best in the world, he goes against the best of tomorrow&rsquo;s world.That&rsquo;s just the way he had it planned last April when he told King he would be leaving the Canadian national team after two seasons to try junior.&ldquo;We&rsquo;d just finished up the Pravda tournament (in Czechoslovakia) and I was exhausted,&rdquo; says Draper, a third-round Winnipeg Jet draft choice in 1989. &ldquo;I asked myself, &lsquo;Do I really want to go through this again?&rsquo; The answer was &lsquo;no.&rsquo;&ldquo;Winnipeg had a lot to do with it, too. They wanted me to put some points on the board. For two years, I&rsquo;d never been in the position of having a chance to score two-to-three goals a game. A good game for me was one or two shots on goal.&ldquo;I wanted a different pace. I wanted a different role.&rdquo;The Ontario League&rsquo;s Ottawa 67&rsquo;s were only too happy to oblige and obtained his rights from the Dukes of Hamilton. But before the 67&rsquo;s got the 19-year-old man of the world in their lineup, they had to wait for him to make stops in Winnipeg and Moncton (American League).On his journey. Draper accomplished a probable first: He scored his first NHL and AHL goals before scoring his first junior goal.Draper opened the season with the Jets and scored opening night against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In a two-week rehabilitation stint with the Moncton Hawks, he scored twice. On Nov. 8, the Jets returned him to the 67&rsquo;s. One night later, he made his &ldquo;season debut&rdquo; against Hamilton and scored twice on his way to a three-point night.That memorable evening was just the most recent in a series of extraordinary events Draper has experienced in the last 12 months. It all began with the Canadian junior team&rsquo;s gold-medal performance in Helsinki.&ldquo;I remember everything about our final game lastyear,&rdquo; hesays. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s about two minutes to go and the announcement was made that the Swedes had tied the Soviets and we had the gold. The bench just erupted. I will never forget the moment.&ldquo;(Coach) Guy (Charron) had to call a timeout and try to settle us down. We were up 2-1 but it didn&rsquo;t matter any more.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011452/5963664-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="706" height="974"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kris Draper scored in the NHL and AHL before scoring in the OHL.</figcaption></div>That taste of playing with players his own age likely cost the national team one of its brightest young players. But King understands Draper&rsquo;s motives for leaving.&ldquo;Sure, it was disappointing to lose Kris,&rdquo; says King. &ldquo;But when we sat down and Kris explained his side, everything he said made so much sense. He had very logical reasons.&ldquo;In truth, defensemen and goalies get a lot out of our system. A young forward doesn&rsquo;t always get as much. Kris felt he had to play at a level where he could express himself. He needed the puck. I couldn&rsquo;t help but agree with that.&rdquo;And if King agreed, so did the Jets, still in search of their center of the future to replace Dale Hawerchuk.&ldquo;We saw games the national team played where the opposition had the puck all night and the Canadians played the entire game defending,&rdquo; says Winnipeg director of scouting Bill Lesuk. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to improve that way. Wefeltif he went back and played guys his own age he could open things up and take chances.&ldquo;Kris is very close to being able to contribute to us. The national team experience was great. If I had a son. I&rsquo;d wish the same opportunity for him. But we think Kris is better off playing against his own age group.&rdquo;Really, about the only thing left for Draper is a Memorial Cup. He&rsquo;s won a gold medal. In the summer he signed a lucrative contract with the Jets. He&rsquo;s already had a taste of the &ldquo;show.&rdquo; He&rsquo;s experienced the bus rides in the minors. And he&rsquo;s gone head-to-head with Lindros and won&mdash;at least Round I. What&rsquo;s next? Maybe the 1992 Olympics.&ldquo;I talked to Dave in the summer and hinted I&rsquo;d be interested,&rdquo; says Draper. &ldquo;Toplay in the Olympics would be tremendous.&rdquo;A second gold medal wouldn&rsquo;t be bad. either. &#9632;

f0009-01

JUNIOR PARTNERS

<div class="byline">BY LARRY MAHONEY AND JASON KAY</div>Kevin Constantine knows he&rsquo;ll have to be very careful each time he names his starting goaltender at the World Junior Championships. One false move and the American coach could wind up with the wrong man in net.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good thing I talked to you about this,&rdquo; jokes Constantine, &ldquo;so I don&rsquo;t run into any problems.&rdquo;The impending confusion centers around the given names of the U.S. team&rsquo;s two goalies of choice&mdash;Mike Dunham and Mike Heinke.But the Mikes&rsquo; likeness doesn&rsquo;t end with the name. As fate would have it, the two are also:&#9632; 1990 draft picks of the New Jersey Devils. Dunham was taken 53rd overall, Heinke 89th.&#9632; Connecticut prep school grads. Dunham tended net for Canterbury while Heinke turned aside shots for Avon Old Farms.&#9632; Hockey East freshman. Maine is Dunhams domain; Providence is where Heinke calls home.And, in ironic twist, both will be teammates for the U.S. side in Saskatchewan while their college clubs are meeting in New England Jan. 3.The most important similarity in Contantine&rsquo;s mind, however, is that both Mikes are net worthy.&ldquo;When we set out to find our goalies, we were looking for the two who were playing the best at the time,&rdquo; says Constantine, who spends most of the regular season as an assistant for the Kalamazoo Wings (1HL).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021031/5963695-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="704" height="890"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Heinke has received rave reviews for his play in goal this season.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very comfortable with the choices we&rsquo;ve made.&rdquo;Comfortable is hardly how Constantine&mdash;a U.S. national team assistant the past two years&mdash;and the rest of the coaching staff felt about the goaltending at the 1990 WJC. The tandem of Harvard&rsquo;s Chuckie Hughes and Minnesota&rsquo;s Jeff Stolp was considered the achilles heel of a team many felt could make the medal round. Instead, the Americans finished a disappointing seventh, losing a number of close games behind questionable nctminding.Boston University coach Jack Parker, who has had the opportunity to see both Mikes in action, doesn&rsquo;t feel goaltending will be a problem this time around.&ldquo;I think the junior team will be as good as it&rsquo;s ever been in that position because of those two,&rdquo; says Parker. &ldquo;That has been a problem in recent years. You know they&rsquo;re going to be outmanned up front in some games so they have to get good goaltending. Those two have been under the gun right away in Hockey East and have gotten some confidence.&rdquo;Dunham&rsquo;s selection to the national team isn&rsquo;t overly surprising. One of the highest-touted goalies entering the NHL draft, the Endwell, N.Y. native was the first American netminder taken. He&rsquo;s proven his worth in his freshman season, posting a4-1-1 record with a 2.68 goals-against average and .906 save percentage in seven games.Heinke, on the other hand, has seemingly come from nowhere. In actuality, he comes from Southington, Conn., but he had to be considered a longshot for a national team berth entering the season. His sparkling play, however (5-2-1, 3.54 GAA and .868 save percentage, three-time Hockey East rookie of the week winner), swayed some important people.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s played very well for us,&rdquo; says Providence Friar coach Mike McShane. &ldquo;He got off to a good start in our 4-2 win over St. Lawrence, he made some key saves, and he&rsquo;s been consistent ever since. He&rsquo;s quick, he stands up. he&rsquo;s pretty good positionally and he&rsquo;s a heck of a competitor.&rdquo;The Mikes know the competition will be intense at the Dec. 26-Jan. 4 tournament in Saskatoon. But neither first-year collegians are in awe of their international foes.&ldquo;After last year, I&rsquo;d say we&rsquo;re going to be underdogs,&rdquo; says the 18-year-old Dunham. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;d rather be an underdog than the favorite.&ldquo;I think our team is going to do well. We have some quality players and we have a good mix of everything.&rdquo;&ldquo;The team on paper looks really good,&rdquo; echoes Heinke. 19. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it. We&rsquo;ll be playing against a lot of different countries and a lot of big names.&rdquo;The U.S. has some long odds to overcome in order to achieve success at the WJC, having won just one medal in the tournament&rsquo;s history&mdash;a bronze in 1986.But armed with snipers such as Lake Superior State center Doug Weight, Wisconsin left winger Jason Zent and Harvard left winger Ted Drury, the Americans feel they have a legitimate shot at a final-four finish.No matter which Mike they use. &#9632;

f0009-02

IT’S THE MIKE AND MIKE SHOW FOR TEAM USA

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011521/5963726-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="491" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body">STAN FISCHLER</figcaption></div>The way it was in hockey (circa 1947) and the way it is now is the difference between 14-carat-gold and car-door chrome; you decide which is which.&ldquo;The way it was,&rdquo; says Dick Beddoes, one of the few remaining media throwbacks, &ldquo;players travelled by train, told story after story and had personality. Real personality.&rdquo;Beddoes should know. Dick is the last of the genuine, old-time hockey journalists, a fedorawearing. high-decibel dressing character who is as different from his grey-flannel contemporaries as McIntosh plaid is from cardboard.Although he just passed the 63-year pole, Beddoes is galloping down the stretch with coltish vigor both in the electronic and print realm. His voice has muscle and his writing the kind of guts that will ensure him a permanent ban from the Hockey Hall of Fame.Proof positive is Beddoes&rsquo; Greatest Hockey Stories, a ribald collection of ice history that is tastefully far removed from traditional NHL-stamped reading.There are no sacred cows in Beddoes&rsquo; literary barn. Exhibit A is Clarence Campbell, the late NHL president after whom a conference was named.&ldquo;Mister Clean,&rdquo; notes Beddoes, &ldquo;turned pretty sleazy.&rdquo;In his new book Beddoes dutifully notes that Campbell handed out lifetime bans to Don Gallanger and Billy (The Kid) Taylor, NHL players who allegedly bet on hockey games. Yet the very same Campbell was found guilty of bribing a Liberal Canadian Senator, Louis Giguere, with $95,000 in return for his influence in getting the federal lease extending at Dorval Sky Shops.&ldquo;Campbell ruined two careers,&rdquo; recalls Beddoes, &ldquo;but Clarence got only one day in jail. It was a monumental irony.&rdquo;Some of Dick&rsquo;s best stories are about my personal, all-time favorite hockey team, the 1947-49 Toronto Maple Leafs.Like myself, Beddoes was attracted to center Ted (Teeder) Kennedy after whom they invented the phrase &ldquo;true grit.&rdquo; To me, Kennedy was the ideal role model for a kid. And still is, except I did a double-take when Dick described Teeder&rsquo;s penchant for betting on his Maple Leafs, something teammate Babe Pratt didn&rsquo;t mind doing himself.&ldquo;If we were a goal behind after two periods,&rdquo; defenseman Pratt once said, &ldquo;(GM) Conn Smythe didn&rsquo;t have to come in the dressing room to chew us out. Kennedy did that. He&rsquo;d rage around the room bawling out the guys who missed his passes. &lsquo;Goddamit,&rsquo; Ted would say, &lsquo;you guys are costing me money!&rsquo; &lsquo;&lsquo;Beddoes: &ldquo;Kennedy to this day fascinates me. He was the quintessential Maple Leaf. 1 remember asking Smythe to name the one Leaf he would pick among all others, if he had a choice of only one. He said, &lsquo;Only Teeder; Only Teeder.&rsquo; Then, I relayed that to Kennedy and asked him what he thought. Teeder just smiled and said, &lsquo;Too bad he didn&rsquo;t pay me like I was the best Leaf of all-time.&rsquo; &ldquo;I respected what Kennedy was&mdash;and is. He has a sense of his own dignity. He knows he was underpaid and feels like he was cheated.&rdquo;Beddoes, himself, is being cheated by not being enshrined in the media section of the Hall of Fame. But Dick&rsquo;s delightful candor is precisely what keeps him out. and that&rsquo;s refreshing.Beddoes&rsquo; irreverence covers the gamut, including the Babe Ruth of hockey, Maurice (The Rocket) Richard, the king of French-Canada and surely the most exciting&mdash;if not productive&mdash;scorer of all time.The Montreal francophones adored Richard. Beddoes tells about the night Richard&rsquo;s linemate Bert Olmstead scored a goal out of a scramble but referee Red Storey gave it to The Rocket. When the teams lined up for the face-off Jimmy McFadden of Chicago looked at Olmstead.&ldquo;For God&rsquo;s sake. Bert,&rdquo; McFadden said, &ldquo;I saw that play. That was your goal. Why don&rsquo;t you own up to it? Tell Storey you scored it.&rdquo;&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be crazy,&rdquo; Olmstead said, &ldquo;if Storey takes that goal from Rocket and gives it to me, these fans&rsquo;ll tear the Forum down and me with it. The hell with it. Let him have it.&rdquo;Like the whooping crane, Beddoes is a vanishing bird in our business. In that sense, he reminds me of NHL Players&rsquo; Association boss Al Eagleson.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a throwback,&rdquo; Beddoes allows, &ldquo;a terrific character, the kind that&rsquo;s declining in the NHL.&rdquo; Then, a pause: &ldquo;You know, there are too many guys around walking with briefcases.&rdquo;Right on. And, I might add, too few Dick Beddoes.Stun Fischler is a freelance writer based in New York City. &#9632;

f0010-01

BEDDOES PART OF A DYING BREED

&hellip;Stephen Patrick, father of New York Rangers&rsquo; defenseman James Patrick, was a defensive lineman with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League? Patrick played 13 seasons with the Bombers from 1951-52 to 1963-64. Following his CFL career, Patrick served in the Manitoba Legislature.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021148/5963757-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="984" height="533"><figcaption class="caption-body">James Patrick</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-02

DID YOU KNOW…

<h2>BRUINS</h2>The Bruins lost left winger Bobby Carpenter for two months after he fractured his left kneecap, crashing awkwardly into the boards in Montreal Dec. 8 (7-1 loss)&hellip;Defenseman Al Pedersen scored his first goal of the year&mdash;only his third in 301 NHL games&mdash;in the Bruins&rsquo; 5-4 win over Detroit Dec. 4&hellip;Defenseman Garry Galley delivered the Bruins&rsquo; hit of the year against the Wings, flipping 6-foot-4 rookie Keith Primeau head-over-heels into the penalty box&hellip;The second annual Bruins Wives Carnival. Dec. 2 raised $187,000, which translated into a post-expenses donation of $140,000 to Boston&rsquo;s Floating Hospital&hellip; Coach Mike Milbury is looking forward to selecting the Wales Conference All-Star squad, and don&rsquo;t be surprised if his picks ruffle a few feathers.<h2>CANADIENS</h2>Rookie defenseman Lyle Odelein is rapidly becoming a favorite of Forum faithful with his robust style. His aggressiveness hasn&rsquo;t been lost on his teammates either who say Odelein gives them some room when he&rsquo;s on the ice&hellip;After struggling on the road earlier this season, the Habs went 4-01 in their five road games between Nov. 17 and Dec. 6&hellip;Defenseman Gerald Diduck continued to struggle for a regular spot on the Habs&rsquo; blue line. He was left out of the lineup for the fifth time this season against Boston Dec. 8&hellip;Petr Svoboda&rsquo;s ulcer is, if you&rsquo;ll pardon the pun, cramping his style. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t drink any more beer and I&rsquo;m going to miss eating chicken wings,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to take a lot of medicine and it&rsquo;ll take several weeks before it disappears completely.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Which team is ahead in the Chris Chelios-Denis Savard trade is a popular topic among fans, but at least one of the principals won&rsquo;t play along. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t look at what Chelios is doing,&rdquo; said Savard.<h2>WHALERS</h2>Defenseman Adam Burt, who had been demoted to Springfield of the American League in mid-November, returned to the Whalers Dec. 8 to score a goal and two points in a 3-1 victory over Pittsburgh. Burt, 21, was the Whalers&rsquo; best defenseman through training camp and the first two regular-season games. But his play quickly declined, as he was a minus-11 in 13 games. &ldquo;Adam&rsquo;s just got to believe in himself and play the way he did in this game,&rdquo; Whalers&rsquo; coach Rick Ley said&hellip;The Whalers set a club record sixth successive road victory with a wild 4-3 overtime victory in Buffalo Dec. 7. After Dale Hawerchuk had put the Sabres ahead 3-2 with 48 seconds remaining, Pat Verbeek tied it 18 seconds later and Scott Young won it 53 seconds into overtime. As such, an otherwise dull game became a barn-burner, which led SportsChannel observers to say it was like an NBA game in which everything happens in the final two minutes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03726/5963788-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="571" height="776"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Young&rsquo;s overtime goal beat Buffalo Dec. 8.</figcaption></div><h2>NORDIQUES</h2>The 5-3 win over Calgary Dec. 7 was probably the Nordiques&rsquo; best game of the season. It was also the first time since October, 1986 that the Nordiques won in Calgary. The Nordiques had been outscored 16-5 in their last three loses in Calgary&hellip;Dave Chambers and the rest of the Nordiques&rsquo; staff were very upset with the way the Edmonton media treated the Nords after their 3-2 loss against the Oilers Dec. 5. The team felt the media ridiculed the club for no reason, a common occurrence in Western Canada. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t accept things like that,&rdquo; said Chambers. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s as if their stories had been written in advance. They have a very bad perception of our team.&rdquo;<h2>SABRES</h2>Injured goalie Daren Puppa has resumed skating and worked out with the team for the first time since he came out of the lineup in early November. Though the Sabres have been going almost exclusively with Clint Malarchuk. Puppa hasn&rsquo;t been rushed back to action. His back injury, though not described in detail by club officials, is said to be minor but the club wants to be certain it doesn&rsquo;t become major&hellip; Right winger Donald Audette was to undergo surgery the week of Dec. 9 for torn ligaments in his left knee suffered in a 4-2 loss at Edmonton Nov. 16. Team officials said they&rsquo;ve had to wait for the swelling in Audette&rsquo;s knee to go down&hellip;Dave Snuggerud scored a shorthanded goal against the Flyers. A standout defensive player, Snuggerud said he&rsquo;s been getting help from just about everyone in his attempts to increase his offensive output. &ldquo;I think the wind helped me by blowing it into the net,&rdquo; Snuggerud said of the effort that saw him notch his second of the season. &ldquo;1 had help though. I&rsquo;ve had 23 guys giving me advice along with three coaches, two goalies and a partridge in a pear tree. With that kind of help it&rsquo;s bound to go in some time.&rdquo; Snuggerud scored again three nights later against the Bruins. &#9632;

f0010-03

BRUINS’ WINGER OUT TWO MONTHS

<div class="byline">BY CHRIS STEVENSON</div>Trying to figure out what the Montreal Canadiens will do next is like trying to anticipate the moves of a Quebec driver.They&rsquo;re both completely unpredictable.The Habs will speed along in the passing lane for a couple of games, racking up wins. Then they&rsquo;ll veer across three lanes of traffic and crash into the loss column.The Habs started the week of Dec. 2-9 with a 4-2 loss to the Hartford Whalers. The loss dropped them to 1-4-0 in their last five home games.The Forum used to be the NHL&rsquo;s unofficial post office: Opponents just kept mailing in two points.But in the past few seasons, the Forum seems to have lost its magical aura.Following the loss to the Whalers, the Habs were faced with the prospect of three games in four nights: Completing a home-and-home set with the Whalers Dec. 3 and then playing a similar set with the Adams Divisionleading Bruins Dec. 6 and Dec. 8.But Montreal rose to the occasion. They reeled off three straight wins for the first time this season: 4-3 over the Whalers. 6-4 over the Bruins in Boston and 7-1 over the Bruins at the Forum.The three-game win streak put the Habs in first place in the Adams Division.&ldquo;I do believe this team is going to just get better and better,&rdquo; said Montreal managing director Serge Savard. &ldquo;You have to look at the whole situation. We&rsquo;ve had a lot of injured players. I know that&rsquo;s true for everybody, but we had nine (players injured) fora while.&rdquo;Stephan Lebeau&rsquo;s three-point performance in the 7-1 pasting of the Bruins, gave him 26 points, tying Denis Savard for the team lead in points.Lebeau, along with rookies Mark Pederson (11 points in eight games, including four against the Bruins) and Tom Chorske (three points in three games), have given the Habs&rsquo; power play&mdash;last in the league for the past two seasons&mdash;some pop.The Habs scored a pair of powerplay goals in each of the Bruin victories, the first time they scored more than one power-play goal in back-to-back games this season.And Matt Schneider and Eric Desjardins, are finally looking comfortable on the Canadiens&rsquo; blue line.&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t just started scoring power-play goals, we&rsquo;re scoring big goals that are burying our opponents,&rdquo; said Schneider, the Habs&rsquo; top-scoring defenseman through Dec. 10 with 15 points.The defense hasn&rsquo;t played poorly in its own zone of late, either. The Habs limited the Bruins to seven shots in the first two periods of the 7-1 win.And then there&rsquo;s the play of Pederson.Pederson entered the season with something to prove. The Canadiens&rsquo; first choice in the 1986 entry draft hadn&rsquo;t made a significant impact in his first four years in the Montreal organization.But his four-point game against the Bruins Dec. 8 opened some eyes.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m starting to feel more at ease,&rdquo; said Pederson, a 53-goal scorer with Sherbrooke, the Habs,&rsquo; American League affiliate last season. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not as nervous around the net and I&rsquo;m playing with more confidence.&rdquo;<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Denis Savard, Guy Carbonneau, Brian Skrudland, Stephan Lebeau.LW&mdash;Mark Pederson, Andrew Cassels. Shayne Corson, Benoit Brunet.RW&mdash;Stephane Richer, Russ Courtnail, Tom Chorske, Mike Keane.LD&mdash;Donald Dufresne, Sylvain Lefebvre, J.J. Daigneault.RD&mdash;Gerald Diduck, Matt Schneider, Lyle Odelein, Eric Desjardins.G&mdash;Patrick Roy, Jean-Claude Bergeron.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Todd Ewen, RW, knee surgery, indefinite. Brent Gilchrist, LW, fractured finger, indefinite. Mike McPhee, LW, pulled groin, indefinite. Petr Svoboda, D. stomach ulcer, day-to-day Sylvain Turgeon, LW, hernia surgery, indefinite. Ryan Walter, LW, broken right wrist, indefinite,<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Richer, 13. A&mdash;Savard. 17. P&mdash;Lebeau, Savard, 26. PIM&mdash;Ewen, 97. &#9632;

YOUNG GUNS FUEL DRIVE FOR FIRST PLACE

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN JOHNSTON</div>Ron Tugnutt may not be the lowest-paid NHL regular much longer. Tugnutt and the Quebec Nordiques were reportedly close to reaching a contract settlement but there were still a few details to be worked out.In the blue corner, there&rsquo;s Quebec general manager Pierre Page. He&rsquo;s not too thrilled about granting oneway contracts that give a player the same salary regardless of whether he&rsquo;s in the NHL or the minor pros.And in the red comer, there&rsquo;s player agent Don Meehan. He isn&rsquo;t very pleased with the Nords because he feels his client had already proven himself to be an NHL goalie.And in the middle, there&rsquo;s Ron Tugnutt, the lowest-paid regular player in the league at $85,000 (Cdn.) per season.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I made last year and I&rsquo;m getting the same amount this season too,&rdquo; said Tugnutt. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for the morale when you&rsquo;re on the bottom of the list. But talks will soon be under way and I hope that things will be settled soon.&rdquo;Tugnutt had a record of 5-10-5, accounting for 15 of the Nordiques&rsquo; 18 points. He had all of the wins except one (John Tanner) and all of the ties except one (Scott Gordon). His goals-against average was 3.83.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve proved 1 can play on a regular basis in the NHL,&rdquo; said Tugnutt. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve logged an awful lot of ice time and I&rsquo;ve faced a tremendous amount of pucks. I&rsquo;m an NHL goalie.&rdquo;Meehan said money is not the only issue where Tugnutt is concerned.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very close in that aspect,&rdquo; said Meehan. &ldquo;The money and the length of the contract are not the problems. I expect Ron to sign a one-plus-one (one-year with an option year) contract. But there is a snag in the minor-league clauses. I admit that much.&rdquo;Pierre Page, back from Palm Beach where he assisted team owner and president Marcel Aubut at the board of governors&rsquo; meetings, said he now had the time to deal with Tugnutt&rsquo;s contract talks.With promising young goaltenders such as Stephane Fiset and John Tanner looked upon as being a part of the Nordiques&rsquo; future, Page doesn&rsquo;t want to have his hands tied by having Tugnutt on a one-way contract.&ldquo;I wish Ron Tugnutt would stop waving around his $85,000 salary,&rdquo; said an angry Page. &ldquo;We offered to more than double his salary this year but he refused to sign. So we definitely aren&rsquo;t the ones that are keeping him as the lowest-paid player in the league.&rdquo;Page went on to say Tugnutt still fears the Nords will get another goaltender before the season is out.&ldquo;And I told Ron to his face that I was giving him the chance to play like I gave Jon Casey the chance to play in Minnesota,&rdquo; said Page. &ldquo;Jon built on that opportunity and he&rsquo;s the Stars&rsquo; No. 1 goaltender right now. So Ron can achieve the same thing with us.&rdquo;<h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 7: Alexei Gusarov, D, and Owen Nolan. RW. recalled from Halifax (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Sakic, Tony Hrkac, Claude Loiselle, Stephane Morin.LW&mdash;Mike Hough, Tony McKegney, Paul Gillis, Jamie Baker.RW&mdash;Mats Sundin, Guy Lafleur, Owen Nolan, Ken Quinney, Mark Vermette.LD&mdash;Bryan Fogarty, Steven Finn, Randy Velischek.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Joe Cirella, Curtis Leschyshyn.G&mdash;Ron Tugnutt, Scott Gordon.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Stephane Guerard, D, arthroscopic knee surgery, indefinite. Alexei Gusarov, D, badly bruised left ankle, day-to-day. Darin Kimble, RW, pulled muscle, lower abdomen, day-to-day Wayne Van Dorp, LW. torn muscle in right shoulder, March 15 Daniel Vincelette, LW, sprained right knee, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Sakic. 18. A&mdash;Sakic, 23. P&mdash;Sakic, 41. PIM&mdash;Kimble. 83. &#9632;

ONE-WAY CLAUSE HOLDS UP TUGNUTT’S CONTRACT

<div class="byline">BY JEFF JACOBS</div>If coach Rick Ley said it once he said it 100 times through the first two months of the season.He was dissatisfied with the leadership on the Hartford Whalers.So he did something about it Dec. 6. He stripped Ron Francis of the captaincy he held since Feb. 21, 1985.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that wasn&rsquo;t decided in one night,&rdquo; Ley said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that has been thought about a long time. It doesn&rsquo;t mean I dislike Ronnie Francis. He is a super person and a super hockey player. I&rsquo;ve been dissatisfied with the direction the team was headed and the leadership.&rdquo;Ley has used tri-assistants, Dean Evason, Randy Ladouceur and Pat Verbeek, since. When Kevin Dineen returns from a hip-pointer, he will take over as an assistant captain.While Ley has repeatedly bashed his club&rsquo;s leadership in the media and has been outspoken in his criticism, he took a most sheepish approach to his change.He told Francis at 10 a.m. Dec. 6, hp didn&rsquo;t want the media tn find nut until the following night when the team played in Buffalo. The media found out before the announcement, however, which set off a disorganized, uncomfortable situation.Ley, in fact, didn&rsquo;t even notify the team. Francis told the players individually. And, publicly, Ley would give only a brief statement that had to be pried from him under coaxing from the club hierarchy.&ldquo;I told him (Ley), that, &lsquo;If you feel this is best for the hockey club, then I&rsquo;m all for it.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s their choice to give the &lsquo;C&rsquo; and it&rsquo;s their decision to take the &lsquo;C&rsquo; away,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to sit back and reflect on a lot of things.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve criticized the leadership on the team and when you lose the pressure falls on the coaches&rsquo; and captains&rsquo; shoulders, &lsquo;&lsquo;Ley said. &lsquo;&lsquo;This may take some pressure of Ronnie. Believe me, this has nothing to do with personal feelings. They don&rsquo;t enter in. It&rsquo;s what makes us a better hockey team. And I have nothing to do with the contract situation. That&rsquo;s Eddie&rsquo;s headache. That wasn&rsquo;t involved in this decision.&rdquo;Privately, Francis, playing out his option at $380,000. was said to be hurt by the decision. The cornerstone of the franchise for a decade, he is the club leader in virtually every offensive category.&ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s pretty shocked,&rdquo; Verbeek said. &ldquo;Ronnie said, &lsquo;Rick wanted to shake things up.&rsquo; Ronnie&rsquo;s a strong individual, but the piano&rsquo;s probably off his back. There&rsquo;s a lot of pressure being captain.&rdquo;&ldquo;Obviously we haven&rsquo;t performed to the level we can,&rdquo; Ulf Samuelsson said. &ldquo;From management&rsquo;s point of view, they&rsquo;re trying to do everything they can to improve the team. But he&rsquo;s always been our leader. And he will still be our leader.&ldquo;He (Ley) will take the &lsquo;C&rsquo; away, but he can&rsquo;t take away the leadership. Without Ronnie&rsquo;s leadership we&rsquo;ll be a worse team.&rdquo;<h2>HARTFORD</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 5: Marc Bergevin, D, and Michel Picard, LW, assigned to Springfield (AHL). Dec. 8: Adam Burt, D, recalled from Springfield. Mark Greig, RW, assigned to Springfield.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ron Francis. Dean Evason, Carey Wilson, Mike Tomlak.LW&mdash;Yvon Corriveau, Mikael Andersson, Paul Cyr, Todd Krygier.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, Scott Young. Ed Kastelic, Bobby Holik.LD&mdash;Ulf Samuelsson, Adam Burt, Randy Ladouceur.RD&mdash;Doug Crossman, Sylvain Cote, Brad Shaw.G&mdash;Peter Sidorkiewicz, Daryl Reaugh.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Babych, D, wrist surgery, indefinite. Randy Cunneyworth, LW, broken left leg, indefinite. Kevin Dineen, RW, hip pointer, day-to-day. Grant Jennings. D, bruised shoulder, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Verbeek, 16. A&mdash;Francis, 16. P&mdash;Verbeek, 28. PIM&mdash;Samuelsson, 80. &#9632;

COACH LEY IN SEARCH OF A NEW LEADER

<div class="byline">BY JIM KELLEY</div>Once again the clock is ticking on Darcy Wakaluk&rsquo;s time in the NHL. Every minute the injured Daren Puppa (back strain) gets closer to putting the pads back on is a minute that brings Wakaluk closer to a return trip to Rochester of the American League.When your minutes are that precious, you learn to make the most of them. Even if they only total 13.&ldquo;Everyone dreams about playing in the NHL or even in an NHL game,&rdquo; Wakaluk said after a 13minute performance in the Spectrum in Philadelphia earned him his first NHL win this season. &ldquo;Everything you do, everything you work for is to get to this point.&rdquo;Wakaluk, with the exception of six games in 1988-89 has been a career minor leaguer. He knows his path to Buffalo is blocked by Puppa and Clint Malarchuk. He is up with the big club because the injury to Puppa has caused last year&rsquo;s Vezina Trophy run-nerup to miss seven games and counting.Malarchuk has started all seven of those games, but an ill-advised spearing penalty with the score tied 3-3 in the third period at the Spectrum Dec. 6 sent Malarchuk to an early shower and brought on Wakaluk.The Pincher Creek, Alta., native shut the Flyers out the rest of the way (including during the five-minute man advantage the Flyers got when Malarchuk was thrown out) and got the win when Rick Vaive scored in the closing minutes of play.&ldquo;I was pretty nervous,&rdquo; Wakaluk said once he realized Malarchuk had been tossed from the contest and he would be coming in to defend a 3-3 tie in front of 17,266 hostile fans. &ldquo;Once 1 got out there though I forgot about the circumstances. The guys started talking to me and were making me feel good and then they played great in front of me. They&rsquo;re the ones that made this happen.&rdquo;Wakaluk, however, did have a hand in it. He acquitted himself well during the five-minute man advantage making three saves and forcing the Flyers to miss on several other attempts.He was called upon to be a hero again late in the game when the Sabres picked up a hooking penalty with less than two minutes remaining. That forced Buffalo to play the final 98 seconds shorthanded and the Flyers added to the tension when they pulled their goalie in favor of the extra attacker.Still Wakaluk persevered.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t worried about Darcy,&rdquo; Sabres&rsquo; coach Rick Dudley said.&ldquo;Darcy&rsquo;s a guy who&rsquo;s played quite awhile and he&rsquo;s been in a lot of pressure situations with Rochester. I wasn&rsquo;t happy when we lost Clint, but I thought Darcy did the job for us.&rdquo;Wakaluk&rsquo;s done that for the Sabre organization for much of his career. Though he is best known as the first goaltender in AHL history to score a goal (Dec. 5, 1987 against Utica), he was the Amerks&rsquo; No. I goalie last season. He even played left wing once, suiting up as a forward Jan. 10, 1988 against Nova Scotia. The Sabres drafted him in the seventh round of the 1984 entry draft.Wakaluk has NHL ambitions, but with Malarchuk and Puppa in front of him he realizes they may not be fulfilled in Buffalo. When Puppa returns it&rsquo;s his ticket back to the minors, but he&rsquo;s not discouraged.&ldquo;Everything I&rsquo;ve done in hockey is with an eye towards getting to the NHL someday,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Even if if sjust for one game it&rsquo;s still a thrill.&rdquo;<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dale Hawerchuk, Christian Ruuttu, Pierre Turgeon. Benoit Hogue, John Tucker.LW&mdash;Dave Andreychuk, Mike Foligno, Mike Hartman, Rob Ray, Mikko Makela.RW&mdash;Rick Vaive, Alexander Mogilny, Dave Snuggerud, Jiri Sejba.LD&mdash;Doug Bodger, Dean Kennedy, Brad Miller.RD&mdash;Uwe Krupp, Greg Brown, Grant Ledyard.G&mdash;Clint Malarchuk, Darcy Wakaluk<h3>INJURIES</h3>Donald Audette. RW, tom knee ligaments, out for season Daren Puppa. G. back strain, day-to-day Mike Ramsey, D. pulled rib, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Andreychuk. 13. A&mdash;Hawerchuk 17. P&mdash;Turgeon. 24. PIM&mdash;Ray, 76. &#9632;

WAKALUK KNOWS HIS NHL CLOCK IS TICKING

<div class="byline">BY STEPHEN HARRIS</div>As the Boston Bruins dropped back-to-back games to the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 6 and 8&mdash;the latter a 7-1 embarrassment at the Forum&mdash;coach Mike Milbury was seriously questioning his team&rsquo;s commitment and effort.The Bruins, who had temporarily slipped out of the Adams Division lead, reclaimed the top spot with a solid 3-2 win in Buffalo Dec. 9.But the fact remained: The Bruins this season have played inconsistent and flat hockey&mdash;a stark contrast to last season, when they established themselves early, had the best regular-season record in the league and came within three wins of the Stanley Cup.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like the inconsistency, which is something we addressed last season,&rdquo; said Milbury. &lsquo;&lsquo;We just can&rsquo;t go from the team we were in Montreal, to the team we were in Buffalo. It&rsquo;s crazy.&ldquo;The problem is that we don&rsquo;t get ready to play as well as we should. 1 have to take the responsibility for that.&rdquo;Though Milbury was feeling better about his Jeckyl and Hyde team after its victory over the Sabres, a few days earlier he&rsquo;d sent a no-nonsense message to the troops:&ldquo;There are a number of people in that room who are running out of chances. I&rsquo;m not going to put up with this (expletive deleted) anymore. There are some guys here who don&rsquo;t want to play with any contact. This is serious.&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t put up with less than maximum effort. There&rsquo;s no more time. We&rsquo;re 30 games into the season, and I don&rsquo;t want to see it anymore. I may want to see some new people here.&rdquo;Indeed, approaching the mid-point of the campaign, few Bruins can claim to be having good seasons. The play of many&mdash;including usually reliable players such as Ray Bourque, Cam Neely, Glen Wesley, Garry Galley. Craig Janney, Bob Sweeney and John Carter&mdash;is clearly down from last season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011471/5963915-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="568" height="664"><figcaption class="caption-body">Reggie Lemelin feels the Bruins are going from bad to worse.</figcaption></div>Complacency, over-confidence and the deceptive winning record&mdash;testimony to the excellence of goalies Andy Moog and Reggie Lemelin&mdash;have led to woefully erratic efforts from individual Bruins.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not playing well, and we&rsquo;re getting worse,&rdquo; said Lemelin after the losses to the Canadiens gave the Bruins reason for major soulsearching.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve talked a lot about individual commitment, about individual preparation,&rdquo; said defenseman Don Sweeney, who scored a goal in the Buffalo victory. &ldquo;I think all the guys feel, that if we prepare right individually, the collective thing will work, too.&ldquo;Everybody was prepared tonight (against the Sabres), and it showed in the end result.&rdquo;Neely returned from a five-game suspension for high-sticking Hartford&rsquo;s Randy Ladouceur and scored against Buffalo. And Bourque was a dominant force at both ends.&ldquo;When Raymond plays like that,&rdquo; said Milbury, &ldquo;we won&rsquo;t lose too often.&rdquo;But the Bruins as a team proved last season that if they play as they&rsquo;re capable, they don&rsquo;t lose often. The questions in Boston: Can and will the Bruins&rsquo; regain that consistency and dedication to hard work?&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been up and down most of the year,&rdquo; said Neely. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t really been solid for any long stretch. It&rsquo;s a long year, yes, but we can&rsquo;t keep being so up and down.&rdquo;Not if they want to stay on top.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 7: Bob Beers, D, recalled from Maine (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Craig Janney, Wes Walz, Ken Hodge. Vladimir Ruzicka, Dave Poulin.LW&mdash;Chris Nilan, Andy Brickley, John Carter, Randy Burridge.RW&mdash;Cam Neely, Lyndon Byers, Dave Christian, Bob SweeneyLD&mdash;Al Pedersen, Don Sweeney, Jim Wiemer.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque, Garry Galley, Glen Wesley, Bob Beers.G&mdash;Reggie Lemelin, Andy Moog.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Bobby Carpenter, LW, fractured left kneecap, indefinite. Michael Thelven. D, chronic right knee pain, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Christian. 13. A&mdash;Bourque, 17. P&mdash;Neely. 24. PIM&mdash;Nilan, 122. &#9632;

f0014-01

CHANGES THREATENED OVER INCONSISTENCY

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011357/5963946-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="502" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">STEVE DRYDEN</figcaption></div>If you want to know who will be the next young Soviet to leave the motherland for the land of Muchmusic and much money, the best clue may reside on an office wall in Ottawa.There, behind Mike Murray&rsquo;s desk at the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association headquarters, are two framed pictures.In one, the CAHA public relations officer is pictured with Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov. Both are now in North America.In the other, Murray is flanked by Alexander Godynuik, Pavel Bure, Sergei Zubov, Igor Ivanov and Sergei Martynuik following the 1990 World Junior Championships. Godynuik, of course, is the latest Soviet to make his way to North America.That leaves Bure, Zubov, Ivanov and Martynuik to complete the coincidence. Three of the four have more than friendships with Murray in common with Godynuik. Bure, Zubov and Ivanov were on the 1986 Soviet midget team that travelled across Canada. One of the volunteers to act as translator for the teenagers was a young man named Vitali Shevchenko.Four years later, Shevchenko is acting as Godynuik&rsquo;s agent and talking as though he would like to be Bure&rsquo;s. Shevchenko is a smooth Soviet operator whose grasp of English is strong. So is his physique.He could pass for Charles Atlas&rsquo; little brother&mdash;although little is a relative term. Shevchenko is 6-foot-2, 215 pounds and his shoulders are so wide he has trouble getting through anything but garage doors without first turning sideways. If Vladimir Krutov, another client, were in the same shape as his agent, he would be playing in the NHL right now.Shevchenko, 25, is anxious that Godynuik get a chance to play with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But the league has said the 20-year-old defenseman is not eligible because his contract with Sokol Kiev is valid. Shevchenko accompanied Godynuik the day he and the Maple Leafs met in Vancouver.&ldquo;When (Shevchenko) first came into the rink,&rdquo; Bob Stellick says, &ldquo;I thought he was the player.&rdquo;Shevchenko appears more a Soviet entrepreneur than prospect. He carries a day planner, totes around a cellular phone and drives a Jaguar. He has come a long way since leaving the Kiev phone company (Ma Bellov?) five years ago to marry a British Columbia woman who had been studying in the Soviet Union.Shevchenko says you learn to be self-sufficient in the Soviet Union. Asked if that means he knew his way around the Black Market, he is vague. Asked what his sources of current income are, he is equally vague. He arrived in Canada with $ 160 and got his start as a carpet cleaner. Later, Shevchenko sold used cars. Now, the Vancouver resident is a hockey agent who says he is investigating NHL broadcast possibilities in the USSR.He also says that he has plans to bring over a top-ranked Soviet heavyweight for a real-life Rocky rumble with the help of Don King.Shevchenko spends most of his money on clothes and cars. &ldquo;That is the way I do business,&rdquo; he says. Shevchenko adds that he must play the part in order to be part of the action. He has yet to be nominated for an Oscar. The Canucks, unavailable for comment, would probably give him an Oscar Mayer weiner.&ldquo;They hated me and I hated them,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Everybody knows that.&rdquo;The callouses on Shevchenko&rsquo;s hands are evidence he is an avid weightlifter, but that is nothing&mdash;he implies&mdash;compared to the callous disregard with which the Canucks treated Vladimir Krutov.It wasn&rsquo;t Vancouver management that fed Krutov all those eggs and potatoes during the off-season. Some say Krutov was also fed bad advice. Maybe Shevchenko was more hindrance than help in Krutov&rsquo;s preparation for the new season. But surely Shevchenko didn&rsquo;t counsel Krutov to return here as he left last spring&mdash;an overweight underachiever. That would not suit Shevchenko&rsquo;s purposes.He says Bure, a Canucks&rsquo; draft choice, does not want to play for the Canucks. The highly-touted forward wants to play with Wayne Gretzky in Los Angeles. (Who doesn&rsquo;t?) Vancouver has gone to great lengths to protect its draft choice. The Canucks will not relinguish his rights.Shevchenko would seem to have no business commenting on Bure&rsquo;s status. Or at least, he should know enough that it doesn&rsquo;t matter where the Soviet speedster wants to play. He is Canuck property.Comments of that sort do not strengthen Shevchenko&rsquo;s credibility and makes you wonder how much of what he says can be believed. Shevchenko, though, suggests complete confidence is deserved.Trust me, says the former used car salesman. Steve Dryden is managing editor of Inside Hockey. &#9632;

f0015-01

THIS IS THE MAN BEHIND NEW SOVIET GODYNUIK

<h2>CANUCKS</h2>The Canucks&rsquo; battle with Vladimir Krutov looks as if it&rsquo;s heading to arbitration. A representative of Cansovus Consultants of Hamilton, Ont., Roman Dacyshyn, said he was &ldquo;disappointed and surprised&rdquo; by the intransigence of Canuck management following a meeting with assistant GM Brian Burke Dec. 6. Dacyshyn, representing Krutov, is seeking a full payment for two years and the waiving of the third year of the $375,000 per season, three-year contract Krutov signed with the Canucks in 1989. Dacyshyn said the Canucks have taken the stance that, because Krutov&rsquo;s contract wasn&rsquo;t registered with the NHL, it is not valid and the club is not obligated to buy out his contract. Krutov was cut by the Canucks Oct. 2 after the club deemed he was not in proper physical condition to play in the NHL. He still lives in Vancouver but is not being paid by the Canucks&hellip;Trevor Linden scored his 15th goal in the Canucks&rsquo; 28th game, a 4-2 win over the Islanders Dec. 4. Linden didn&rsquo;t score his 15th goal last season until Feb. 26, the Canucks&rsquo;&rsquo; 66th game.<h2>OILERS</h2>Soviet right winger Igor Viazmikin was slated to make his Oilers&rsquo; debut Dec. 7 against the New York Rangers, but required some emergency dental work and was scratched. &ldquo;He had a tooth drained. I can smy-pathize with him, that can be painful,&rdquo; said coach John Muckier, who was confronted with the same problem last season&hellip;Viazmikin, a 12th-round draft choice in 1987, joined the team at practice Dec. 4 on a tryout basis. The 24-year-old was a rightwinger with Khimik. The 6-foot-l, 194-pounder had 11 goals and 13 assists in 34 games last season. One of his goals was against the Oilers during an exhibition game in Edmonton&hellip;In another player move, Max Middendorf was sent to Cape Breton (AHL). Middendorf had one goal in three games. &ldquo;There are too many centers here,&rdquo; explained Muckier. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s better off playing and if we need emergency help, he&rsquo;ll be fit to play-.&rdquo;&hellip;Long-time Oilers&rsquo; all-purpose man Bob Freeman was resting comfortably in University Hospital after suffering a heart attack following the Dec. 7 game.<h2>FLAMES</h2>Left winger Colin Patterson underwent major reconstructive surgery on his right knee Dec. 7 and will be out for a minimum of six months. The Flames&rsquo; orthopedic surgeon, Lowell Van Zuiden, said Patterson&rsquo;s situation was similar to Mark Hunter&rsquo;s a year ago. Hunter was skating by playoff time after having his knee surgically rebuilt in December, 1989. &ldquo;Now, it&rsquo;s a question of rehab,&rdquo; Van Zuiden said, &ldquo;which we don&rsquo;t start for six weeks. First, we concentrate on getting the range of motion back in his knee.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Right winger Tim Hunter will be lost to the team for up to eight weeks with a recurrence of the shoulder injury that kept him out of the lineup for all but two of the team&rsquo;s first 30 games. Hunter has a torn muscle in his shoulder-&hellip;To replace Hunter on the roster, the Flames called up right winger Martin Simard from their minor-league affiliate in Salt Lake. Simard scored 16 goals in 18 games with the Golden Eagles and just as pertinently, Simard had 53 penalty minutes. If the Flames cannot trade for an aggressive winger, the thinking is they&rsquo;ll give Simard a look, just in case they had one under their noses all the time.<h2>KINGS</h2>Coach Tom Webster held a skateathon, 20 minutes of non-stop sprints, after practice Dec. 6, the day after a 3-3 tie with Winnipeg stretched the club&rsquo;s winless streak to 0-2-3. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good for the oxygen supply, and to get the impurities out,&rdquo; he said, smirking. Right winger Dave Taylor said, &ldquo;It was good for conditioning, but I think it also got a message across.&rdquo;&hellip;Left winger Luc Robitaille was on a streak with five goals and three assists in four games. Robitaille was moved to Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s line because Tomas Sandstrom has been out with a fractured vertebra in his back. The experiment lasted one game, with Robitaille returning to the second line with center Todd Elik. Webster then put Mike Donnelly on Gretzky&rsquo;s line&hellip;Goaltender Kelly Hrudey was involved in an unusual streak: Four starts, four ties. Three of them were 3-3 scores, the other 4-4&hellip;Several players distributed toys at Los Angeles Children&rsquo;s Hospital and at Children&rsquo;s Hospital of Orange County for the holidays.<h2>JETS</h2>Winnipeg&rsquo;s request to return to the Norris Division was put on hold for another year. After agreeing to admit Tampa Bay and Ottawa into the NHL in 1992, the NHL Board of Governors failed to resolve the realignment question. That left the Jets in the Smythe Division with Los Angeles, Edmonton, Calgary, V ancou ver and San Jose for the 1991-92 season with a promise of an option to move to the Norris the following year. The Jets agreed with the placement of San Jose in the Smythe. But they also agreed on a resolution that puts in writing &ldquo;the agreement we made with the league in 1982 when we moved from the Norris to the Smythe Division,&rdquo; said Jets&rsquo; president Barry Shenkarow of the governors&rsquo; decision. &ldquo;It means if we want to move back to the Norris, the league must accommodate us in the 1992-93 season.&rdquo;&hellip;Jets&rsquo; coach Bob Murdoch has broken with his game in/game out goalie rotation, but has yet to settle on a new system. He played Bob Essensa in four straight games before going with Rick Tabaracci on three occasions in a row. &#9632;

KRUTOV CASE STILL UNRESOLVED

A defenseman with six teams from 1963-64 to 1978-79, Bryan Watson owns a restaurant in Alexandria, Va. He also directs the NHL Heroes portion of the All-Star Game. &ldquo;It gets me back in hockey in an enjoyable way,&rdquo; Watson says. &ldquo;With this, I don&rsquo;t have to wake up in the morning and read about how we lost the night before.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02951/5964001-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="586" height="410"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Watson</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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THEN & NOW

Adam Solnik eats, sleeps and breathes hockey.The 4-foot-7, 76-pound center from Rexdale, Ont. is currently an underage player with the Don Mills Flyers&rsquo; novice major team.The eight-year-old scoring machine played for the North York Downsview Beavers last season, scoring 187 goals and 231 points.He picked up several awards for his outstanding play, including the league&rsquo;s most valuable player and top scorer.This season, Adam has made a smooth transition to the novice major level. His coach is Paul Fenton.When he&rsquo;s not playing for the Flyers, Adam hones his skills at the Super Eight Hockey School. The Super Eight program lets him work on stamina and hockey skills.A dedicated student, Adam attends Elmlea Junior Public School in Rexdale.His favorite team is the Philadelphia Flyers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011247/5964032-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="552" height="1130"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adam Solnik</figcaption></div>You or someone you know can be part of the JOFA-TITAN Minor Hockey Showcase. Just send a photograph (non-returnable), along with biographical information (age. height, weight, team, coach&rsquo;s name, school and grade, as well as favorite NHL team and player) to JOFA-TITAN SHOWCASE, c/o The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont. All entries submitted will be eligible for selection as THN JOFA-TITAN Minor Hockey Player of the Year. &#9632;

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PLAYER OF WEEK JOFA TITAN

<div class="byline">BY DICK CHUBEY</div>Crunch time. That&rsquo;s precisely what December means to the Edmonton Oilers.The Oilers have been steadily digging themselves out of an early-season hole, that included a team record nine-game losing streak and a stint at the bottom of the NHL standings.Early on, the Oilers were last in the Smythe Division and had a miserable 1-6-2 divisional log.But December presents an opportunity to make amends. The resurgent Oilers face divisional opponents on nine straight occasions.Before the new year, they meet the Vancouver Canucks four times, the Calgary Flames three times and have an important home-and-home series with the Los Angeles Kings.The Oilers lost their first intradivisional game, 3-2 to Calgary Dec. 9. It dropped their Smythe record to an abysmal 1-7-2.&ldquo;This schedule could either make or break us,&rsquo;&rsquo; said coach John Muckier.And the Smythe Division swing couldn&rsquo;t have come at a better time.Prior to the Calgary game, the Oilers were riding a four-game winning streak. And they were 9-3 since captain Mark Messier returned to the lineup Nov. 14.Messier had missed four weeks because of a sprained left knee he suffered Oct. 16 against St. Louis.Before departing for Calgary, the Oilers Finally vacated the Smythe Division cellar with a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers Dec. 7.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not happy with fourth place, we&rsquo;ve got to string together a bunch of games,&rdquo; said assistant captain Craig MacTavish. &ldquo;Right now we&rsquo;re looking at Vancouver.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re back in the (divisional) race&hellip;if we can put together a good December. If we keep playing like we have so far this month (4-0), we&rsquo;ll be back in the thick of it by New Year&rsquo;s Day.&rdquo;While the Oilers&rsquo; seemed to be putting things back together. Messier felt there was room for improvement.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure everybody in this room will tell you we can play better,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re playing as well as we were during the playoffs last spring. And, as a team, it&rsquo;s nice to know we can do better.&rdquo;Messier&rsquo;s return was one of the key reasons for the team&rsquo;s improved play.&ldquo;What some people don&rsquo;t understand is that it isn&rsquo;t just Mark Messier, but how he affects everybody else,&rdquo; said MacTavish. &ldquo;A player in a slump isn&rsquo;t in a slump if Messier makes a great play and feathers him a pass that he slips into the net. All of a sudden the player who scored says, &lsquo;Hey, I&rsquo;m playing well. &lsquo;And he&rsquo;s not in a slump any more.&ldquo;When you have a star player like that, you have to have him in the lineup to win.&rdquo;But Muckier was still uncertain about his team&rsquo;s progress.&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t going well, but we&rsquo;re still Stanley Cup champions and other teams felt this was a good time to get a piece of our hide,&rdquo; said Muckier.<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 3: Igor Viazmikin, RW. signed to a tryout contract. Max Middendorf, RW, assigned to Cape Breton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mark Messier. Mark Lamb, Craig MacTavish. Ken Linseman.LW&mdash;Craig Simpson, Petr Klima, Martin Gelinas, Kelly Buchberger. Adam Graves.RW&mdash;Glenn Anderson, Joe Murphy, Esa Tikkanen, Dave Brown, Igor Viazmikin.LD&mdash;Kevin Lowe. Steve Smith, Geoff Smith.RD&mdash;Craig Muni, Charlie Huddy, Jeff Beukeboom, Chris Joseph.G&mdash;Bill Ranford. Karl Takko.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Anatoli Semenov, RW. pulled groin, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Simpson, 13. A&mdash;Messier, 17. P&mdash;Simpson, 24. PIM&mdash;S. Smith, 81. &#9632;

SMYTHE SHOWDOWNS MEAN CRUNCH TIME

<div class="byline">BY GRANT McGINNIS</div>It felt like a victory. Yet the semieuphoric atmosphere lasted less than half an hour.That&rsquo;s how long it took the Winnipeg Jets to come tumbling down from a post-game buzz after a solid 4-4 draw with the New Jersey Devils Dec. 3. That&rsquo;s how long it took team doctors to make the diagnosis official.Dave McLlwain, with slightly tom ligaments in his right knee, is out six to eight weeks. Mark Osborne, with a broken left thumb with ligament damage, is out until March.It is the price one pays when one pays the price. And on that night&mdash;it has become a rare occasion for the long-suffering outfit&mdash;the Jets pulled out their billfolds and offered all they had.It may have marked a turning point of sorts even though it failed to produce a victory and the club was still winless in six by week&rsquo;s end.But it did seem to redefine the Jets&rsquo; work ethic and yielded consecutive ties in Los Angeles, where the Kings boast a sparkling 11-2-3 home record.&ldquo;I think the confidence was at an all-time low,&rdquo; defenseman Randy Carlyle said. &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t just losing, we were embarassing.&rdquo;The three consecutive ties were in stark contrast to recent outings in which the Jets&rsquo; most obvious skill was rolling over and playing dead.&ldquo;I think the guys have got a little pride in themselves,&rdquo; defenseman Fredrik Olausson said. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t roll over and die every time we get a goal scored on us even if it&rsquo;s a bad goal. We&rsquo;ve got to show some character and bounce back.&rdquo;He should know.It was Olausson who turned the puck over midway through the opening period to fall behind, coughing it up in neutral ice to New Jersey&rsquo;s John MacLean. Up to now, that&rsquo;s been the story of Olausson&rsquo;s season.Yet, there was no quitting.The Jets fought their way back against the Devils, came up with a solid effort two nights later in L.A. and then climbed back from a 3-0 first-period deficit in the second Kings&rsquo; tie.It was a whole different approach.&ldquo;We talked it over with the guys and we just try to keep it positive and go and play and not think about it. Just play hockey, not think about hockey,&rdquo; defenseman Teppo Numminen said. &ldquo;After these few weeks it feels good. I think we got a little more closer to the game we can play.&rdquo;McLlwain had his best game of the season against the Devils, even playing the overtime portion of the contest on the bad knee. Osborne has brought them determination and a physical presence.Both will be missed.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re getting minimal results for our efforts where before we weren&rsquo;t getting any results,&rdquo; Carlyle said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through a stretch where you could say we weren&rsquo;t working hard when in fact the problem was we weren&rsquo;t working together.&ldquo;We were in a hole and we&rsquo;re not out of it yet.&rdquo;<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 4: Guy Larose, LW-C, recalled from Moncton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ed Olczyk, Brent Ashton. Danton Cole, Guy Larose.RW&mdash;Pat Elynuik, Paul MacDermld, Greg Paslawski, Mark Kumpel.LW&mdash;Scott Arniel, Phil Sykes, Doug Evans, Don Barber.LD&mdash;Phil Housley, Fredrik Olausson, Randy Carlyle. Shawn Cronin.RD&mdash;Teppo Numminen, Moe Mantha, Gord Donnelly.G&mdash;Bob Essensa, Rick Tabaracci.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave McLlwain, C, torn right knee ligaments, indefinite. Mark Osborne. LW, broken left thumb, indefinite. Thomas Steen, C, fractured ankle, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Elynuik, 12. A&mdash;Housley, 20. P&mdash;Housley, 28. PIM&mdash;Donnellv. 82. &#9632;

INJURIES DAMPEN WINNING FEELING

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BEAMISH</div>It&rsquo;s nothing if not ironic.Bob McCammon, the NHL&rsquo;s longest active coach in terms of continuous service, has held his job through mediocre season after mediocre season.But this year, with the Vancouver Canucks finally looking like a team on solid ground, McCammon is sitting on the bubble, his future uncertain beyond this campaign.Perhaps general manager Pat Quinn, like a lot of Canuck fans, was waiting to see what would happen in the 10-game segment between matches No. 20 and 30, the point at which the Canucks collapsed last season.Weil, it hasn&rsquo;t happened. The Canucks were 14-13-3 after 30 games (25-22-8 in their past 55 games dating to last season) and showed no signs of folding.Last season, the Canucks were 9-9-2 after 20 games but went 1-7-2 in their next 10 to tumble into last place in the Smythe Division. This season, the Canucks were 10-10-0 in their first 20 games and 4-3-3 in the next 10.Showing the resilience that is becoming a team trademark, the Canucks bounced back from a shattering 9-4 defeat to the New Jersey Devils Dec. 5 to play the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 2-2 overtime tie Dec. 7 in the final game of a four-game road trip.The Canucks looked primed against the Penguins, and had enough scoring chances to bury them. But Vancouver settled for the tie to end the road swing at 2-1-1.McCammon seems to be pushing all the right buttons, juggling his lineup to ice the best combinations. His team looked well prepared.It hasn&rsquo;t been easy. McCammon has had to deal with disenchanted players, integrate eight rookies into the lineup and overcome disruptions such as the Brian Burke-Doug Lidster affair, in which the assistant GM publicly criticized the veteran defenseman for playing out his option.McCammon has helped revive Stan Smyl&rsquo;s career, by knowing when to play the veteran right winger to get the most out of his crash-bang style, and he acted decisively in his decision to play without Petri Skriko in favor of rookies Garry Valk and Gino Odjick.&ldquo;I think about the performance of our players. I don&rsquo;t think anything about my own performance,&rdquo; said McCammon. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d hate to rate myself. The players are playing better; it&rsquo;s not the coaching.&rdquo;<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 7: Rob Murphy, C, and Jay Mazur, RW. recalled from Milwaukee (IHL). Dec. 8: Steve McKichan, G. assigned to Milwaukee.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Dan Quinn, Igor Larionov, Brian Bradley, Petr Nedved, Rob Murphy.LW&mdash;Greg Adams, Garry Valk, Steve Bozek, Gino Odjick, Petri Skriko, Craig Coxe.RW&mdash;Trevor Linden, Dave Capuano. Robert Kron, Jim Sandlak, Stan Smyl, Andrew McBain, Jay Mazur.LD&mdash;Doug Lidster, Kevan Guy, Don Gibson, Adrien Plavsic.RD&mdash;Garth Butcher, Jyrki Lumme. Robert Nordmark.G&mdash;Kirk McLean, Troy Gamble.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jim Agnew, D. sprained knee, indefinite. Ron Stem. RW, broken wrist, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Linden, 15. A&mdash;Quinn, 15. P&mdash;Linden, 21. PIM&mdash;Butcher, 86. &#9632;

WINS HAVEN’T EARNED COACH NEW CONTRACT

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div>Slowly and with the developing confidence that comes from playing with little or no pressure, Calgary Flames&rsquo; rookie center Robert Reichel is adjusting to life in the NHL.Reichel is the least-known member of the Czechoslovakian Kid Line that surfaced in the NHL this season. He centered Bobby Holik and Jaromir Jagr on the national team last season and actually overshadowed the pair in his own country.Not only did Reichel win the Czech league scoring title, he played 30 minutes a game, killed penalties, played the power play and received all the ice time a dominant player can expect.Now that he&rsquo;s in Calgary, however, he plays on the fourth line, behind Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour and Joel Otto. This development bothered him at first. Reichel spent much of October moping about his limited role with the team. He spent November trying to do something about it.&ldquo;It is like my first year in the Czech league,&rdquo; Reichel said. &ldquo;I be 16 years old and get 17 goals. Second year, 23 goals. Third year, 49.&ldquo;For me is good now. I have eight goals and four assists. I play a little power play. No penalty killing. 1 think 12 points is good for me. Maybe next year, when I&rsquo;ve been here a little bit more, 1 play more on the power play. I am 19 years old. I have a long career before me.&rdquo;To overcome the language barrier, Reichel signed up for Berlitz courses when he came to Calgary in the summer. He dropped them once the season started.&ldquo;Now, I learn from the guys in the dressing room,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s too hard for me when I come here. I can no speak English. Before the season, I go to practice and school.&rdquo;Since the Flames acquired defenseman Frank Musil from the Minnesota North Stars, he has become Reichel&rsquo;s unofficial advisor. Musil went through the same process six years ago as a 19-year-old with Minnesota North Stars after he defected to the United States.Musil lives in the same apartment complex as Reichel. He told his young teammate not to get frustrated.&ldquo;After being a star in international hockey, all of a sudden, he comes here and he&rsquo;s playing on the fourth line,&rdquo; Musil said. &ldquo;I keep telling him this is just the way it goes here. He has to prove himself first and then he can be on the power play and show the skills he&rsquo;s got.&rdquo;<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 6: Martin Simard, RW, recalled from Salt Lake (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, Joel Otto, Robert Reichel, Jiri Hrdina.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, Paul Ranheim, Brian MacLellan. Stephane Matteau, Tim Sweeney.RW&mdash;Theoren Fleury, Sergei Makarov, Mark Hunter, Sergei Priakin, Martin Simard.LD&mdash;Gary Suter, Jamie Macoun, Frank Musil.RD&mdash;Al Maclnnis. Ric Nattress, Ken Sabourin.G&mdash;Mike Vernon, Rick Wamsley.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tim Hunter, RW, torn shoulder muscle, indefinite. Roger Johansson, D, viral infection, day-to-day. Dana Murzyn, D, dislocated shoulder, indefinite. Colin Patterson, LW, reconstructive knee surgery, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Nieuwendyk. Fleury. 17. A&mdash;Maclnnis, 31. P&mdash;MacInnis, 44 PIM&mdash;Roberts, 73. &#9632;

PATIENCE THE KEY TO REICHEL EVOLUTION

<div class="byline">BY RICK SADOWSKI</div>In a way, Rogie Vachon feels vindicated.Among other things, the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; general manager has been called weak and unqualified by more critics than he would care to count since taking over the position from George Maguire Jan. 30, 1984.Reports of his impending demise never seem to end.Yet Vachon, 45, always manages to maintain his dignity even while the slings and arrows are hurled at his head.The reward came Dec. 8 when Kings&rsquo; owner Bruce McNall announced Vachon had agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that will run through the 1993-94 season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very pleased with the direction our hockey club has taken under Rogie&rsquo;s guidance,&rdquo; McNall said. &ldquo;His hard work and dedication to the job has helped the Kings reach the level of success we now enjoy.&rdquo;&ldquo;Obviously, I&rsquo;m very pleased with the way the team has played this year, &lsquo;&lsquo;Vachon said. &ldquo;We made some moves in the last several months and, so far, they&rsquo;ve been very positive. I really like the way the team is shaping up. We&rsquo;ve gotten better and we&rsquo;ve gotten younger.&rdquo;Vachon has made 40 trades during his time as GM&mdash;strangely, he never seems to receive credit for any of the good ones&mdash;none better than the deals which brought wingers Tomas Sandstrom and Tony Granato from the New York Rangers, and goaltender Daniel Berthiaume from the Minnesota North Stars.Vachon came under fire last Jan. 20 when he sent center Bernie Nicholls to New York for Sandstrom and Granato. As Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s bookends this year, they&rsquo;ve combined for 30 goals and 57 points even though Sandstrom has missed three games with a fractured vertebra in his lower back.Even Nicholls called it &ldquo;a dumb deal&rdquo; at the time.On Sept. 6, the day before training camp began, Vachon sent minorleague winger Craig Duncanson to the North Stars for Berthiaume, who has posted a 9-3-0 record and 2.83 goals-against average.&ldquo;I knew it was going to be a rough road for a while when we traded Bernie Nicholls,&rdquo; Vachon said. &ldquo;There was a lot of criticism, even from the fans. But in Sandstrom and Granato we got something we desperately needed&mdash;speed. That trade also enabled us to give (center) Todd Elik a chance to play. I think the whole deal has worked out very well for us.&rdquo;Of Berthiaume, who has been alternating with Kelly Hrudey (he was acquired from the New York Islanders Feb. 22, 1989), Vachon said:&ldquo;He really gives us good balance in goal. Now we don&rsquo;t have to play one guy all the time. Daniel is a heck of a goalie. He&rsquo;s a guy who had some outstanding seasons in the past but who had to straighten out his life.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to look at the future, four or five years down the road,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A lot of people questioned trading Mike Krushelnyski (to Toronto) for John McIntyre, but he&rsquo;s a 21-year-old kid.&ldquo;There are going to be times when I make a deal and some people aren&rsquo;t going to like it. I can take the heat. I think my track record is pretty good. &ldquo;<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 5: Bob Halkidis, D, recalled from Phoenix (IHL) on emergency basis. Dec. 8: Rogie Vachon, GM, signed three-year contract extension.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky, Todd Elik, Steve Kasper, Scott Bjugstad.LW&mdash;Mike Donnelly, Luc Robitaille, John Tonelli, Brad Jones, Jay Miller.RW&mdash;Tony Granato, Dave Taylor, Bob Kudelski, Frank BreaultLD&mdash;Tim Watters, Larry Robinson, Bob Halkidis.RD&mdash;Rob Blake. Steve Duchesne, Rod Buskas.G&mdash;Kelly Hrudey, Daniel Berthiaume.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Brian Benning, D, back spasms, day-to-day. Tom Laidlaw, 0, bulging disc in back, indefinite. John McIntyre. C, left shoulder contusion, day-to-day. Marty McSorley. D, bruised ribs, day-to-day. Tomas Sandstrom. RW, fractured vertebra. indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Gretzky. Sandstrom, 17. A&mdash;Gretzky, 36. P&mdash;Gretzky, 53 PIM&mdash;Granato, 82. &#9632;

VACHON REWARDED WITH NEW CONTRACT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0019-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011066/5964183-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Grafton and Co. tournament champions are, front row (from left): Cliff Freckelton, Derek Booth, Rob Benson, Eric Rudd, Keith Reed, Bruce Kinsman, Graham Hall. Back row Garnet Lyons (manager), Terry Lyons, Jim File (MVP), Dave Harland, Barry Rooney, Shawn Cosby, Cary Booth, Scott Howe, Randy Strong and Darren Lyons.</figcaption></div>The File is closed on The Hockey News Classic Cup tournament in Wasaga Beach, Ont., Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. Grafton and Co.&rsquo;s Jim File did the closing.The 29-year-old defenseman set up three goals as Grafton (Toronto) scored an 8-1 win over the Los Angus Kings (Angus) in the final. File was named the tourney&rsquo;s most valuable player and is invited to the televised Hockey News awards luncheon in Toronto.Bruce Kinsmen led Grafton in the championship game with three goals. Grafton picked up $1,000 and Classic Cup hockey equipment bags for winning. Los Angus was consoled with $700 and Classic Cup golf shirts.File was the key in an exciting semifinal game, the tourney highlight. He scored the winning goal in Grafton&rsquo;s 3-2 win over John&rsquo;s Car Wash (Collingwood). Los Angus beat the Wasaga Captains 9-3 in the other semifinal.In the consolation final, John&rsquo;s Car Wash blitzed Wasaga 12-5 and collected $300.Other squads involved in the three-day 12-team tournament were: Acadia Auto (Etobicoke), South Lambton Thunder (Petrolia), Swannees (Waterford), Blues (Toronto), Ralph&rsquo;s Auto Supply (Oshawa), Cannon Hawks (Oshawa), Georgian Flyers (Collingwood) and Weekenders (Barrie).The tournament consisted of 20 games, a Saturday night social for players and their dates, contests and prizes. The Wasaga Beach Minor Hockey Association assisted in the operations.The Classic Cup tournament in Wasaga Beach was the second of 12 hosted by The Hockey News. Other tourneys are in Nepean and Newmarket (Dec. 28-30), Tillsonburg (Feb. 8-10), Niagara Falls (March 29-31). Rexdale and Orangeville (April 5-7), Lindsay (April 12-14), North Bay and London (April 26-28). &#9632;

f0019-01

GRAFTON CAPTURES HOCKEY NEWS TOURNAMENT

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01941/5964214-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="475" height="631"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVE MOLINARI</figcaption></div>The man in the television commercial tells us &ldquo;this is an exciting time to be alive,&rdquo; and it&rsquo;s doubtful any of us would argue.After all. there can be no better source of insight on the human condition than an actor trying to hock computer equipment.But you might have noticed that no one ever says this is an easy time to be alive, probably because our day-to-day existence is so full of urgent questions that haven&rsquo;t been answered.What, for example, is going to be the outcome of the conflict the Middle East? What do Milli and Vanilli really sound like? How can we be sure they weren&rsquo;t leg-synching their dance routines, too?Excruciating stuff, isn&rsquo;t it? Hockey can provide a bit of a respite from such grueling issues now and then, but there are a lot of pressing uncertainties surrounding the game, too.When was the last time any of us got out of bed and didn&rsquo;t, in our first few waking moments, wonder how you get a job as one of those Smythe Division insiders who spend so much of their time whispering, and how much the position pays?Yeah, there are some gut-wrenching issues hovering over North America these days. So, as a public service to anyone whose life isn&rsquo;t complicated enough already. The Hockey News offers the following questions for your consideration.Anyone coming up with three or more answers is advised to seek immediate professional assistance, or at least to look into the possibility of getting a life. With that proviso firmly attached, can you figure out:&#9632; Why some coaches are so reluctant to identify their starting goalie the day before a game? Do they really think keeping that morsel of information secret baffles the opposition? If so, why don&rsquo;t those coaches really screw up the other team by changing goalies during the first stoppage in play?&#9632; What the odds were a few months ago that Troy Gamble would be an early front-runner for the Vezina Trophy? And that one of his main competitors would be Pete Peeters?&#9632; Why Calgary general manager Cliff Fletcher, one of the most astute men in the game, would allow himself to be quoted as saying, &ldquo;you know for sure a team in Canada is going to be a success.&rdquo;? Now, it&rsquo;s entirely possible Ottawa&rsquo;s expansion team will thrive&mdash;one in Hamilton might, too&mdash;but when was the last time anyone had trouble finding an available ticket in Winnipeg or Quebec or Vancouver? Or were they turned over to the United States as part of the free-trade agreement?&#9632; Precisely what type of mirror Philadelphia coach Paul Holmgren has been using to make it look like his team, which was supposed to be disintegrating, is challenging for first place in the Patrick Division?&#9632; When the Minnesota North Stars will start personally introducing each of the fans who attend their games?&#9632; How the poor guys who end up playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning are ever going to take it? Can you imagine how awful it will be to play in a place where there is almost no pressure to succeed, where every piece of ice is artificial and where the beach is a good 30 seconds from your back door?&#9632; Why Sergei Fedorov doesn&rsquo;t realize that he&rsquo;s supposed to be struggling with the language and culture in North America and that he&rsquo;s not supposed to have a serious impact until his second season, at the earliest?&#9632; What event would have a better chance of attracting a capacity crowd to the Hartford Civic Center than a tag-team match pitting Eddie Johnston and Rick Ley against Harry Sinden and Mike Milbury? And has the pro wrestler ever been bom who can give a more inflammatory interview than those guys did when discussing each other&rsquo;s teams recently?&#9632; When the Canadian government will simply begin to confiscate paycheques the moment they&rsquo;re issued, rather than go through the charade of taking out various taxes that add up to approximately 99.7 percent of an individual&rsquo;s gross income?&#9632; Whether this winter&rsquo;s tours by Soviet teams actually are a conspiracy to turri the people of North America against the idea of improved East-West relations?&#9632; What accounts for the perverse symmetry in the production by the principals in the six-player deal Vancouver and Pittsburgh made last January? Was it mere coincidence that Dan Quinn and Tony Tanti had two goals each as the season skidded into its 10th week, or is it some cosmic quirk whose real significance won&rsquo;t be clear for years?&#9632; If anyone cares about any of this?&#9632; If so, why?Dave Molinari is a hockey writer for the Pittsburgh Press. &#9632;

f0020-01

NHL IS TRULY A WORLD OF WONDERS

<h2>PENGUINS</h2>Mario Lemieux, who has played only one game since mid-February because of a series of back problems, could rejoin the Penguins in late January. Dr. Charles Burke, who is overseeing Lemieux&rsquo;s recovery from a back infection, said Lemieux should get approval to begin dry-land workouts on or around Dec. 19. If he has no pain, Lemieux could resume skating around the first of the year and, if he remains pain-free, might be back with the team around the All-Star break&hellip;Coach Bob Johnson, trying to diversify his offense, broke up the league&rsquo;s most productive line&mdash;John Cullen centering for Kevin Stevens and Mark Recchi. Phil Bourque moved into Stevens&rsquo; spot and got his first career hat trick in a 9-4 victory against the Rangers in New York Dec. 3. Stevens, playing with Bryan Trottier and Joe Mullen. had a goal and an assist in that game. The Stevens-Cullen-Recchi line was reunited two games later, after Bourque sprained a wrist&hellip;The Penguins sold out just eight of their first 15 home games, and thus will have fewer than 34 sellouts for the first time in three seasons.<h2>FLYERS</h2>Defenseman Kerry Huffman, who left the Flyers Nov. 16 and was suspended without pay, was scheduled to meet with GM Russ Farwell Dec. 10 to discuss a possible return to the team. A team source said Huffman was eligible to be assigned to Hershey of the American League for a two-week conditioning period if the two sides could reach an agreement&hellip;Pete Peeters&rsquo; 17-game consecutive-starts streak ended Dec. 9 when Ron Hextall played at Chicago (5-4 win). Ken Wregget dressed as backup and Peeters was back to No. 3&hellip;A 7-0 loss at Minnesota Dec. 8 was the first time the Flyers had been shut out since November, 1989 and the first time by the North Stars since 1975&hellip;The line of Rick Tocchet-Mike Ricci-Pelle Eklund registered 39 points in a recent 12-game stretch.<h2>CAPITALS</h2>Right winger Dino Ciccarelli returned to action Dec. 7 after missing 21 games with a fractured right thumb. He scored a goal in his &lsquo;second debut&rsquo;, a 5-2 win over New Jersey. &ldquo;It felt great to be back. When the guys are going well, you want to be a part of it.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Michal Pivonka took a stiff check from Devils&rsquo; defensman Lee Norwood Dec. 8 (a 4-2 loss) and was able to walk out of the dressing room without help, but complained of soreness&hellip;Goalie Don Beaupre won three games in a row before losing to New Jersey Dec. 9. The impressive string lowered his goals-against-average to 2.07.<h2>ISLANDERS</h2>The Islanders&rsquo; apparent final game against a visiting Soviet team was far less urgent, exciting or tense than the first. Only 2,752 people watched a 2-2 tie with Khimik Dec. 8, a far cry from the roaring capacity crowd that watched a 2-1 loss to the Soviet Wings Jan. 10, 1976&hellip;Dr. Andrew Chalmers, the doctor treating goalie Mark Fitzpatrick for an illness that is diagnosed as eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (EMS), said the 22-year-old has achieved about 50 per cent improvement. &ldquo;His strength is coming back, his mobility is limited but it is improving gradually. And his bloodwork is normal,&rdquo; Chalmers said, adding that the goalie has reduced his daily dosage of prednisone (a cortisone-type medication with potentially harmful side effects) and supplemented it with plaquenil, which does not have the same side effects. Mindful that 27 people died of EMS last year, Chalmers said: &ldquo;I do not fear the worst for Mark. He&rsquo;s clearly turned the comer.&rdquo; There still is no telling when, or if, Fitzpatrick can resume his hockey career, but he has been cleared to do cross-country skiing.<h2>RANGERS</h2>The Rangers crammed a league-high 33 games into the first 65 days of season and complete the first half with seven games in 22 days. In the second half, their pace slows from a game every two days to a game every three days&hellip;Defenseman Brian Leetch had 31 assists in his first 33 games. If he maintains that pace he&rsquo;ll finish the season with 75 helpers&mdash;10 more than the club mark of 65 set by center Mike Rogers in 1981-82&hellip;Center Kelly Kisio suffered a charley horse in his left leg from a check by Jeff Beukeboom in a 4-3 loss at Edmonton Dec. 7. He returned to New York, but already had been scheduled to do so to join wife Linda after the delivery of their third child&hellip;After collecting 13 goals and 33 points in 25 games, center Darren Turcotte had three points over the next eight games&hellip;The nogoal streak for right winger Brian Mullen had reached 19 games through the Edmonton match.<h2>DEVILS</h2>Right winger John MacLean scored his 20th goal in the Devils&rsquo; 31st game Dec. 8 (a 4-2 win over Washington). MacLean reached the 20-goal mark in the team&rsquo;s 36th game last season while on his way to a 41-goal campaign&hellip; An eight-game scoring streak (through Nov. 8) moved center Peter Stastny just 12 points behind Frank Mahovlich (1,103) and into 19th place on the NHL&rsquo;s all-time scoring list&hellip;Devils&rsquo; equipment manager Bo Riendeau, who joined the team in late October, suffered a stroke Dec. 4 while unpacking and remained hospitalized&hellip; Defenseman Ken Daneyko played in his 400th NHL game Dec. 8&hellip;Walt Poddubny said reconstructive surgery on his right knee is imminent but planned to discuss the matter with GM Lou Lamoriello. &#9632;

LEMIEUX AIMS FOR JANUARY RETURN

Dec. 23, 1978: New York Islanders&rsquo; center Bryan Trottier sets an NHL record for the most points in a period. Trottier scored three goals and three assists in the second period of a 9-4 win over the New York Rangers. Chicago&rsquo;s Les Cunningham, who had five points in the third period against Montreal Jan. 28, 1940. held the record before Trottier.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02628/5964269-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="642" height="411"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Trottier</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0020-02

FLASHBACK

<div class="byline">BY WAYNE FISH</div>With the Philadelphia Flyers in the throes of a three-game losing streak, including a 7-0 humiliation by the Minnesota North Stars Dec. 8, it was time to call for the masked man.Sure, there are 42 or so guys wearing masks and guarding nets around the NHL. But only one goalie creates the kind of stir, the ripple of excitement that went through Chicago Stadium Dec. 9.Ron Hextall was back.The decision to start Hextall in a game for the first time since Oct. 27 was made shortly after the Flyers arrived at their Chicago hotel carrying their baggage and some bruised egos.Hextail, who missed 21 games after spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, strapped on a brace and said he was ready to play.Then he proved it by leading the Flyers to a 5-4 victory over the Blackhawks.It was Hextall&rsquo;s first win since Feb. 22 of last season and left him with a big smile. Since signing a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract in September, Hextali didn&rsquo;t have much to grin about.&ldquo;The knee held up great,&rdquo; said Hextall. &ldquo;Physically, I felt fine. I was extremely tired in the second period (when Chicago fired 18 shots). I didn&rsquo;t have a lot of quality shots but I was moving around a lot. But we got the win and my body held up, so it feels great.&rdquo;The Flyers underwent a complete character change with Hextall behind them. Unlike the previous night, when they showed hardly any life in front of starter Pete Peeters and relief goalie Ken Wregget, the Flyers were hitting anything that moved.&ldquo;I think Ron does give us some spark, some emotion,&rdquo; said coach Paul Holmgren. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a very intense player and he means a lot to us in the room.&rdquo;Not that Peeters and Wregget had been doing a sub-par job for the Flyers. Peeters was the NHL player of the month for November after going 8-3-1 with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. And Wregget was 8-4-0 before missing 14 games with a strained hip flexor muscle.It&rsquo;s just that the Flyers seem to play with a more intense style when the pipe-banging, puck-clearing Hextall is in goal.&ldquo;People know what (team management) has been waiting for,&rdquo; said Wregget, gesturing toward Hextall&rsquo;s dressing area.Hextali did give up a pair of goals to Dave Manson and Steve Farmer&rsquo;s goal in the final minute made it closer than the 26-year-old goalie would have liked. What Hextail lacked in sharpness, though, he made up with his patented stickhandling and clearing plays.&ldquo;There were some goals they scored tonight that, when he&rsquo;s sharp, aren&rsquo;t going to get into the net,&rdquo; said Holmgren. &ldquo;But what he did for us in terms of getting out of the net, handling the puck, shooting it out of danger, more than made up for the other part.&rdquo;<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 3: Bruce Hoffort, G, and Darren Rumble, D. assigned to Hershey (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ron Sutter, Keith Acton, Mike Ricci, Martin Hostak.LW&mdash;Murray Craven, Pelle Eklund, Craig Berube, Tony Horacek. Derrick Smith.RW&mdash;Rick Tocchet, Scott Mellanby, Norm Lacombe, Dale Kushner.LD&mdash;Terry Carkner, Jiri Latal, Murray Baron.RD&mdash;Kjell Samuelsson. Gord Murphy, Scott Sandelin.G&mdash;Ron Hextali, Ken Wregget, Pete Peeters.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jeff Chychrun, D, broken left wrist, indefinite. Mark Howe, D, strained lower back, indefinite. Tim Kerr, RW, right knee surgery, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Tocchet. 21. A&mdash;Eklund. 21. P-Tocchet, 36. PIM&mdash;Berube, 93. &#9632;

LONE STRANGER BACK IN THE NETMINDING SADDLE

<div class="byline">BY RICH CHERE</div>Throughout his illustrious career with the Central Red Army and the Soviet national team, Alexei Kasatonov remained in the background while his longtime friend and defense partner, Viacheslav Fetisov, was regarded by many as the best defenseman in the world.In the NHL, however, Kasatonov has clearly stepped forward as the most consistent of the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; two Russian defensemen. With Fetisov sidelined with bronchial pneumonia which required hospitalization, Kasatonov remained the workhorse of the Devils&rsquo; defense during a recent 4-1-3 stretch.&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t he playing great? Right now he&rsquo;s the No. 1 defenseman for us,&rdquo; said coach John Cunniff. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s giving us everything, offensively and defensively.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m more happy that the team is winning than any personal success,&rdquo; Kasatonov said with the help of interpreter Dimitri Lopuchin.Individual glory never interested Kasatonov, a strict believer in the Soviet system which discourages individual stardom and rewards team success. The 31-year-old-native of Leningrad cited his two Olympic gold medals (1984 and &lsquo;88) as his greatest achievements, but believed he may not yet have experienced his top thrill in hockey.&ldquo;There have been so many great moments, but in the Soviet Union the two Olympic victories stand out in my mind,&rdquo; Kasatonov said. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t had my greatest thrill here yet. I&rsquo;m counting on the Devils making a run at the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;Kasatonov could not single out a favorite Olympic triumph.&ldquo;Both had their special moments and both are tough to compare,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The one we lost in &lsquo;80 (to the U.S. in Lake Placid) will also always be something to remember. When we won at Calgary in &lsquo;88 that was satisfying because of where it was and the people we played in front of.&rdquo;Kasatonov, who signed his first NHL contract Dec. 11, 1989 and made his debut with the Devils Jan. 4 of last season, found out international success did not translate into success in the NHL.Although he played well in 39 games as a rookie, the 6-foot-l, 215-pound Kasatonov did not begin to control the flow of a game until this season. It took months to overcome the pressure he felt in 1989-90.&ldquo;There were some elevated expectations. People wanted us to come in and they expected miracles,&rdquo; Kasatonov said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a lot more confident now than when I first got here. I felt a lot more insecure last year. I think I went through the adaptation period and I&rsquo;ve got the hang of it. I knew what I had to do last summer specifically for the NHL style of play&rdquo;While Fetisov remains outspoken against fighting in the NHL, Kasatonov actually enjoys getting into scraps on the ice. He has often instigated shoving matches, used a head lock on opponents standing in front of the net and is willing to bang in the comers in addition to using his stickhandling skills.&ldquo;The majority of NHL defensemen have to play an aggressive style,&rdquo; Kasatonov said. &ldquo;Even in Europe, Slava and myself were considered more physical for that style of play. Here, it&rsquo;s escalated. I knew what it was like here because I played against NHL teams. It was no surprise.&rdquo;In 24 games this season, Fetisov had six assists but no goals and he was a plus-1. He has also suffered more from the wear and tear. Sidelined for seven straight games since Nov. 28, he was hospitalized twice to combat pneumonia.Kasatonov had 4-11-15 totals in 31 games, along with a plus-15 rating. Since joining the Devils last season, he had not missed a single game, playing in 70 straight. He had, without a doubt, emerged from Fetisov&rsquo;s shadow.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01830/5964324-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="559" height="1026"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alexei Kasatonov enjoys the physical aspect of the NHL.</figcaption></div><h2>NEW JERSEY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Patrik Sundstrom, Peter Stastny, Jon Morris, Laurie Boschman.LW&mdash;Kirk Muller, Brendan Shanahan, Pat Conacher, Al Stewart, Zdeno Ciger.RW&mdash;Claude Lemieux, John MacLean, Doug Brown, Troy CrowderLD&mdash;Ken Daneyko, Bruce Driver. Lee Norwood, Tommy Albelin.RD&mdash;Alexei Kasatonov, Eric Weinrich, Myles O&rsquo;Connor.G&mdash;Chris Terreri, Sean Burke.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Viacheslav Fetisov, D, bronchial pneumonia, indefinite. Dave Maley, C, sprained left ankle, indefinite. Walt Poddubny, LW, sore right knee, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;MacLean, 20.A&mdash; Muller, 26. P&mdash;MacLean, 36.PIM&mdash; Stewart, 110. &#9632;

f0022-01

KASATONOV NO LONGER THE ‘OTHER’ SOVIET

<div class="byline">BY THN STAFF</div>Cathy Gainey, 35, wife of Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; coach Bob Gainey, is in stable condition and resting comfortably at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis following surgery Dec. 5 to remove a brain tumor.The surgery became necessary following a seizure Nov. 30. There is a history of similar illnesses in her family.Dr. Harry Rogers confirmed that the mass on the right side of Cathy Gainey&rsquo;s brain was a tumor and, according to a statement by team officials, he was able to remove most of it.A biopsy of the tissue will determine the long-range prognosis and the course of the treatment.Bob Gainey said he expected his wife to be released from the hospital sometime during the week of Dec. 9.&ldquo;Bob&rsquo;s first priority is to his family,&rdquo; general manager Bob Clarke said. &ldquo;The North Stars give their complete support to any decision he makes concerning practice, games and his responsibilities as coach. He can do whatever he has to do.&rdquo;Gainey missed two games, both against Toronto, to be with his family&mdash;he and Cathy have four children between five and 12 years old&mdash;but returned to the bench for the 7-0 victory over Philadelphia Dec. 8.In his absence, assistants Doug Jarvis and Andy Murray coached the North Stars.<h2>SUPER SERIES</h2>A dismal turnout overshadowed the New York Islanders&rsquo; third-period comeback tie with Khimik Voskresenk in Game 3 of the Soviet Super Series Dec. 8.Just 2,752 were on hand at the Nassau Coliseum to see the Isles score two late power-play goals&mdash;by Dave Chyzowski and Bill Berg&mdash;and gain a 2-2 draw with the touring Soviet club.The tie with the Islanders left Khimik with a 0-2-1 record through its first three games.Khimik kicked off the three-team Soviet tour with a 5-1 loss in Los Angeles Dec. 3 (before roughly 8,000 fans), then dropped a 4-2 decision to St. Louis Dec. 5.<h2>FAN VOTING</h2>St. Louis right winger Brett Hull continued his domination of the AllStar Game fan balloting, amassing 236,547 votes through Dec. 5. That was 60,000 more votes than Boston&rsquo;s Ray Bourque had (168,662)&mdash;the player with the second-highest total.Voting at the 21 NHL rinks closes Dec. 17. Fans are casting ballots this season for a goaltender, two defensemen, two wingers and one center for each conference.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02576/5964355-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="556" height="1235"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Sakic leads Wales&rsquo; centers in All-Star Game balloting.</figcaption></div>Hull had a 138,000-vote lead on Los Angeles left winger Luc Robitaille, who was second among Campbell Conference wingers. Robitaille&rsquo;s teammate Wayne Gretzky led all Campbell centers with 131,074 votes, while Chicago&rsquo;s Chris Chelios (116,436) and Calgary&rsquo;s Al Maclnnis (104,334) were the top defensemen.Flame Mike Vernon was the top goalie (79,063).Joining Bourque as Wales Conference leaders were Pittsburgh defenseman Paul Coffey (106,995); Quebec center Joe Sakic (73,843); Boston right winger Cam Neely (122,496); Philadelphia right winger Rick Toc-chet (72,044); and Montreal goalie Patrick Roy (100,444).The All-Star Game will be played Jan. 19 in Chicago.<h2>CANADA&rsquo;S CAMP</h2>Six returnees from last year&rsquo;s gold-smedal squad are among 34 players invited to Canada&rsquo;s national junior team selection camp in Kindersley, Sask., Dec. 13-18.Goalie Trevor Kidd, defenseman Patrice Brisbois. and forwards Eric Lindros, Steven Rice, Kris Draper and Mike Craig were members of last year&rsquo;s championship team in Finland. They&rsquo;re also six of 31 Canadian Hockey League players invited to camp.A final roster of 22 players will compete in the 1991 World Junior Championships in Saskatoon Dec. 26-Jan. 4. Canada&rsquo;s national team will be coached by Dick Todd of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Peterborough Petes and assisted by Alain Vigneault of the Quebec League&rsquo;s Hull Olympiques.Below is the Canadian junior team roster with each player&rsquo;s present club in parentheses:F&mdash;Dale Craigwell (Oshawa, OHL); Eric Lindros (Oshawa); Yanic Perreault (Trois-Rivieres, QMJHL); Jarrod Skalde (Belleville, OHL); Scott Thornton (Belleville; Toronto, NHL); Mike Craig (Oshawa; Minnesota, NHL); Pat Falloon (Spokane, WHL); Martin Lapointe (Laval, QMJHL); Steven Rice (Kitchener, OHL); Mike Sillinger (Regina, WHL); Kris Draper (Ottawa, OHL); Brad May (Niagara Falls, OHL); Patrick Poulin (St-Hyacinthe, QMJHL); Geoff Sanderson (Swift Current, WHL); Pierre Sevigny (St-Hyacinthe); Scott Scissons (Saskatoon, WHL).D&mdash;Adam Bennett (Sudbury, OHL); Drake Berehowsky (Kingston, OHL); Patrice Brisbois (Drummondville, QMJHL); Karl Dykhuis (Canadian Olympic Team); Adam Foote (Sault Ste. Marie, OHL); Scott Neidermayer (Kamloops, WHL); Jason Marshall (TriCity, WHL); John Slaney (Cornwall, OHL); Chris Snell (Ottawa); Darryl Sydor (Kamloops); Brent Thompson (Medicine Hat, WHL).G&mdash;Yanick Degrace (Trois-Rivieres); Trevor Kidd (Brandon, WHL); Felix Potvin (Chicoutimi, QMJHL); Mike Torchia (Kitchener).<h2>BERGERON OKAY</h2>Doctors say Michel Bergeron can expect a full recovery and return to coaching as long as he quits smoking and maintains a healthy diet.The former coach of the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques, Bergeron, 44, was listed in good condition at the Montreal Heart Institute after suffering a heart attack Dec. 1. Bergeron was scheduled to be released from hospital Dec. 10 or 11.<h2>DATEBOOK</h2>Dec. 21: For the only time this season, the three teams in the Capital District of New York State all play at home. Adirondack and Capital District of the AHL will be facing off against Albany of the IHL for the areas&rsquo; fans.Dec. 23: Toronto at New Jersey. The Maple Leafs&rsquo; Wendel Clark and the Devils&rsquo; Viacheslav Fetisov will have the opportunity to renew their rivalry as the teams meet for the first time this season. In their first meeting last season, Clark gave Fetisov his NHL fighting initiation. The second time they played one another, Fetisov put Clark out of action for nearly half a season with a body check.Dec. 26-Jan. 4: World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, Sask., featuring junior national teams from the Soviet Union, Canada, the United States, Finland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. &#9632;

f0022-02

GAINEY’S WIFE STABLE FOLLOWING SURGERY TO REMOVE BRAIN TUMOR

<div class="byline">BY FRANK BROWN</div>Normand Rochefort is battling to win the age-old battle of mind over matter. In Rochefort&rsquo;s case, the mind is the one that constantly tries to play tricks on him; the matter is the struggling New York Ranger team for which he plays.The mind keeps telling Rochefort his left knee is fine&mdash;that if he leaves position to try to hit somebody, the knee will carry him back to where he should be on the ice. But that is not always the case as the 29-year-old defenseman continues his comeback from early-season arthroscopic surgery.The matter is the continued struggle of the Rangers team that started the season as a house on fire and lately has been getting scorched from its own heat.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re in first place, everybody wants to beat you,&rdquo; Rochefort said. &ldquo;Everyone wants to beat the best team; you have to play a big game every night.&rdquo;Until recently, the best team, the top team overall in the 21-team standings, had been the Rangers. But after a 2-5-3 slump ended a weak November and stamped a poor start on December, even the Rangers&rsquo; hold on first place in the Patrick Division was placed in jeopardy. The New Jersey Devils would not go away; the surprising Washington Capitals tied the Rangers in victories (17) at one stage and the Philadelphia Flyers nipped at the Rangers&rsquo; heels as well.None of this sat well with coach Roger Neilson, who took a rare opportunity to make public some private opinions. Usually, Neilson will go as far as to confirm that the sun is out; he may admit Thursday falls between Wednesday and Friday. But don&rsquo;t expect a candid answer if you ask whether a player&mdash;or the team&mdash;might be struggling.Neilson made an exception, though, after a come-from-ahead 4-2 loss in Edmonton Dec. 7, the fourth game this season the Rangers had failed to win after leading through two periods.&ldquo;I just thought we played a lousy game. Fortunately for us, they weren&rsquo;t much better, so it was close,&rdquo; Neilson said, sarcasm clearly creeping into his voice. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to see the odd body check. And I would like to win the odd battle along the boards. And we&rsquo;d like to see somebody driving to the net.&rdquo;Left winger Troy Mallette has been the only consistent banger. Right winger Paul Broten regularly scraps for the puck, but doesn&rsquo;t play much. Mike Gartner, slowed by an early-season groin pull, has started driving to the net again, but he doesn&rsquo;t have much company.So the pressure was on, and indirectly, that pressure put Rochefort in the unacceptable position of trying to do too much, too soon With Randy Moller (shoulder) not expected back until Dec. 11, with Mark Hardy suspended five games, with James Patrick and Brian Leetch playing too much, Rochefort tried to pick up some &lsquo;slack on defense.&ldquo;With the team struggling,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;you want to help in different ways.&rdquo;For Rochefort, that generally means trying to throw the big bodycheck that wakes up the bench. And when Rochefort is healthy, few NHL players throw bigger or better hits.But Rochefort played only 31 games last season and 11 games the year before, and knee troubles cost him another six weeks this campaign. There is trying to help, then there is overdoing it&mdash;with no identifiable results.His conditioning, Rochefort said, was &ldquo;not too bad.&rdquo; His mobility, Rochefort said, was &ldquo;not too bad.&ldquo;I get stronger and stronger every week,&rdquo; said the defenseman the Rangers obtained from Quebec in August, 1988. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to play some games.&rdquo;Most of the other Rangers had been playing quite enough, thank you, and the schedule finally afforded the team a chance to get away from the game in the winter holiday haven of Los Angeles. After the loss in Edmonton, the Rangers travelled to California. They were given a weekend off, given time to re-charge the physical and emotional batteries.Some of the players took advantage of the 85-degree weather to get in some golf. Another small group went to Las Vegas. Others did some shark fishing. Rochefort just some shopping, some sight-seeing, some thinking.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to play better, just do the little things,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to win the battles on the boards and in the comers. We&rsquo;ve got to win some games.&rdquo;<h2>N.Y. RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Bernie Nicholls, Darren Turcotte, Kevin Miller. Mark Janssens.LW&mdash;John Ogrodnick. Kris King, Troy Mallette, Lindy Ruff.RW&mdash;Brian Mullen, Ray Sheppard, Mike Gartner, Tie Domi. Paul Broten.LD&mdash;Brian Leetch. Dennis Vial, Normand Rochefort.RD&mdash;David Shaw, James Patrick, Miloslav Horava.G&mdash;Mike Richter, John Vanbiesbrouck, INJURIESJan Erixon, LW, sprained right knee, indefinite. Bob Froese, G, ligament surgery, right shoulder, out for season. Kelly Klsio, C, Charley horse, left leg, indefinite. Randy Moller, D, dislocated left shoulder, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Gartner, 16. A&mdash;Leetch, 31. P&mdash;Leetch, 39. PIM&mdash;Mallette, 91. &#9632;

TRICK KNEE NO FUN AND GAMES FOR ROCHEFORT

<div class="byline">BY DAVE SELL</div>New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach John Cunniff stood outside the visitor&rsquo;s dressing room at Capital Centre Dec. 7, peering at the score sheet. He wasn&rsquo;t pleased.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what they&rsquo;ve been living off all season,&rdquo; said Cunniff of the Washington Capitals&rsquo; special teams. &ldquo;At 5-on-5, we win 2-1.&rdquo;As it happened, the Capitals won 5-2. Two power-play goals and two shorthanded markers by the Caps made the difference. It&rsquo;s a scenario that has occurred repeatedly this season. Through 32 games, the Capitals had outscored their opponents 108 to 99, but in even-strength situations, they were out-scored 77-65.The Capitals have been a defense-oriented team for years, so to see their penalty-killing unit ranked in the top three is not a shock. But the power play was ranked 19th at the end of the 1989-90 season. It was routinely booed at home.This season has been different and the league&rsquo;s top-ranked power play has helped the Capitals to one of their better starts. The victory over the Devils was their third in a row. The Devils came back the next night to win 4-2 in East Rutherford, but even that game illustrated the improvement and the team&rsquo;s dependence on the power play.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hasn&rsquo;t been clicking and not just tonight,&rdquo; coach Terry Murray said after the loss. But his anguish has to be put in context. The power play has been ranked first in the league long enough that Murray and the team have come to expect it to perform well. Even after going O-for-5 in the New Jersey loss, it was still working 26.4 per cent of the time.The top three point men on the power play are Kevin Hatcher, Calle Johansson and Mikhail Tatarinov, and they have been effective.Hatcher, awarded a big contract early in the season, has not let his new-found wealth affect his game. He was the team&rsquo;s leading scorer through 32 games with 12 goals and 21 assists. He&rsquo;s never had more than 14goals ina single NHL season.Johansson has seen some of his powe&play time given to Tatarinov, but only three Caps had more assists than Johansson. Tatarinov, meanwhile, seems to improve by the game, though not at a steady pace. He played a big role in Cunniff&rsquo;s unhappy evening with three assists.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting more comfortable after each game,&rdquo; Murray said.Among the forwards, rookie Peter Bondra and Michal Pivonka have been sharp. Pivonka was tied with Hatcher for the team lead in points (31) until the Dec. 8 game in New Jersey.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a matter of good passing, being under control and shooting the puck at the net,&rdquo; Hatcher said of the power play&rsquo;s success.Two other encouraging things happened in the New Jersey victory. Right winger Dino Ciccarelli returned to the lineup after missing 21 games with a fractured thumb and scored a goal. The other was that Mike Ridley, who had just six goals in 29 games, had a hat trick. Two of the goals were shorthanded, the other on the power play.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 4: John Slaney, D, signed contract. Dec. 6: Olaf Kolzig, G, assigned to Baltimore (AHL). Rob Murray, C, assigned to Baltimore for a two-week conditioning assignment.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Michal Pivonka, Dale Hunter, Mike Ridley, Alfie Turcotte.LW&mdash;Kelly Miller. Bob Joyce. Steve Maltais, Nick Kypreos.RW&mdash;Peter Bondra, John Druce, Dino Ciccarelli, Steve Leach.LD&mdash;Rod Langway, Calle Johansson. Mike Lalor.RD&mdash;Kevin Hatcher, Bob Rouse. Mikhail Tatarinov.G&mdash;Don Beaupre, Mike Liut.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Alan May. RW, strained shoulder, day-to-day Neil Sheehy, D, broken leg and ankle, indefinite. Dave Tippett, LW, slightly separated shoulder, indefinite. Peter Zezel. C, sprained ankle, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Druce. 15. A&mdash;Hatcher, Pivonka, 21. P&mdash;Hatcher, 33. PIM&mdash;Hunter, 86. &#9632;

STRONG POWER PLAY MAKES CAPS A SPECIAL TEAM

<div class="byline">BY MARK HERRMANN</div>Pat LaFontaine, who remained silent for two months while contract talks with the New York Islanders remained stagnant, finally admitted he is disappointed by offers from general manager Bill Torrey and remarks from owner John Pickett.The superstar center and only prolific scorer on an offensively weak team, left most of the talking to agent Don Meehan, who flew from Toronto to Long Island specifically to talk with the media Dec. 4. But, for the first time since leaving the team for four days at the end of training camp, LaFontaine spoke of his contractual situation.&ldquo;I know business is business and hockey is hockey, and I can truly separate the two now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My main concern is my commitment to the coaching staff and players. It is important to me to know where I stand with Mr. Pickett and Mr. Torrey. Now, 1 know where I stand, and I&rsquo;m disappointed. But it&rsquo;s something I have to face.&rdquo;He asserted he will honor the remainder of a contract that will earn him $425,000 this season and next. Neither the player nor his agent would indicate whether LaFontaine will be more inclined to play for another team once his contract expires. &ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s an issue for another day,&rdquo; Meehan said.The agent said offers from Torrey have not acknowledged LaFontaine&rsquo;s status as one of the league&rsquo;s elite players. Meehan believes LaFontaine should be in the same salary bracket as Detroit&rsquo;s Steve Yzerman (who is receiving an average of $1.5 million over five years). Instead, LaFontaine is paid on par with players such as Hartford&rsquo;s Doug Crossman.&ldquo;It leads me to believe that, somehow the priorities are confused,&rdquo; Meehan said, adding Crossman was paid $350,000 by the Islanders before he was traded to the Whalers.Meehan said he was &ldquo;embarrassed&rdquo; to convey Torrey&rsquo;s first offer&mdash;a six-year deal that would begin at $450,000, escalate to $575,000 and include a $3-million signing bonuse which would not be payable until five years after LaFontaine retired.Torrey, who was attending the NHL board of governors meetings in Florida, could not be reached for a reply to Meehan&rsquo;s comments.Remarks during a rare newspaper interview from Pickett inflamed the situation. Meehan said LaFontaine was most upset after the Florida-based owner said: &ldquo;Several years ago, we negotiated a very fair contract with him. We always honor our contracts. When a player is having a hard time, I can assure you he still comes up to the office and gets his paycheque every two weeks.&rdquo;Meehan called the criticism &ldquo;absurd&rdquo; because it was the Islanders who initiated talks about a new contract last May, following LaFontaine&rsquo;s 105-point season. The agent added: &ldquo;In my view, in the seven years he&rsquo;s been with the franchise, I can&rsquo;t think of one occasion when this organization should have been reluctant to give him his paycheque.&rdquo;<h2>N.Y. ISLES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 4: Alan Kerr. RW, assigned to Capital District (AHL) for conditioning.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Pat LaFontaine. Brent Sutter. Ray Ferraro, Hubie McDonough.LW&mdash;David Volek, Dave Chyzowski, Derek King, Bill Berg. Don Maloney.RW&mdash;Patrick Flatley, Brad Dalgamo, Brad Lauer, Randy Wood. Mick Vukota.LD&mdash;Jeff Norton, Rich Pilon, Ken Baumgartner.RD&mdash;Craig Ludwig, Joe Reekie, Gary Nylund.G&mdash;Glenn Healy. Jeff Hackett.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mark Fitzpatrick. G, eosinophilia myalgia syndrome (swelling of muscles and tissues), indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;LaFontaine, 16. A&mdash;LaFontaine, 16. P&mdash;LaFontaine, 32. PIM&mdash;Baumgartner, 58. &#9632;

LaFONTAINE NOT AMUSED OVER NEGOTIATIONS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01718/5964531-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="286" height="292"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02450/5964524-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="408" height="366"></div>The defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers got off to a slow start this season, but the play of goaltender Bill Ranford has kept them from sinking into oblivion.Through the second segment of the Molson Cup three-star race (up to games of Nov. 30), the 24-year-old netminder had 40 points. That gave him a wide 20-point margin over left winger Petr Klima.Two other goaltenders led their teams in three-star picks. Montreal&rsquo;s Patrick Roy (30 points) had a 10-point lead over center Denis Savard and Winnipeg&rsquo;s Bob Essensa (30 points) had a 10-point lead over fellow goalie Stephane Beauregard.<h2>TORONTO</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03285/5964517-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="578" height="338"></div><h2>MONTREAL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04194/5964510-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="578" height="258"></div><h2>EDMONTON</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05135/5964503-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="576" height="252"></div><h2>VANCOUVER</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-06104/5964496-1-eng-US/f0027-062.jpg" title="f0027-06" width="572" height="210"></div><h2>WINNIPEG</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0786/5964489-1-eng-US/f0027-072.jpg" title="f0027-07" width="580" height="214"></div><h2>CALGARY</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-0878/5964482-1-eng-US/f0027-082.jpg" title="f0027-08" width="576" height="302"></div> &#9632;

f0027-01

OILER GOALIE STOPS SLIDE

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>The Dudley &ldquo;Red&rdquo; Garrett Memorial Trophy carries with it not only the distinction of being the American League&rsquo;s rookie of the year. It has also meant an immediate ticket to the NHL for five of the past six winners.The string started in 1984-85 with Steve Thomas of St. Catharines, then Toronto&rsquo;s affiliate. In 1985-86, it was Hershey&rsquo;s Ron Hextall. Then came Moncton&rsquo;s Brett Hull in &lsquo;86-87. Sherbrooke&rsquo;s Stephan Lebeau in &lsquo;88-89 and Rochester&rsquo;s Donald Audette in &lsquo;89-90. The lone exception was Mike Richard, who won in &lsquo;87-88 with Binghamton and is now playing in Europe.Who earns this season&rsquo;s one-way pass isn&rsquo;t known yet. But there&rsquo;s a great list of nominees.1. Mark Greig, 20, right winger, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Springfield. Hartford&rsquo;s first-round pick, 15th overall, in 1990.The Whalers did what few teams have dared to do by drafting a 20-year-old junior player in the first round. Greig was passed over in the previous two drafts, having played the past two seasons with Lethbridge of the Western League.Greig, with 16-24-40 totals in 27 games, has certainly shown he has NHL potential leading the AHL in scoring through Dec. 3 for the first-place Indians.&ldquo;He has excellent speed, great hands and he&rsquo;s as good a stick-handler as we&rsquo;ve had in Springfield in a long time,&rdquo; Indians&rsquo; general manager Bruce Landon says. &ldquo;But like most young players. he still has to learn the pro game from a defensive standpoint.&rdquo;2. Patrick Lebeau, 20. left winger, 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Fredericton. Montreal&rsquo;s eighth-round pick. 167th overall in 1989.Domination of the AHL seems to run in the Lebeau family. Patrick&rsquo;s brother, Stephan, smashed AHL scoring records as the landslide rookie-of-the-year winner in 988-89 with 7064-134 totals.While Patrick isn&rsquo;t scoring at that pace, he&rsquo;s shown great skills with the puck with 18-12-30 totals in 25 games.&ldquo;(Patrick) has great hands, he knows where the net is and he knows where the holes are,&rdquo; Fredericton coach Paulin Bordeleau says. &ldquo;He has the same kind of moves as his brother, but maybe not as fast, and he&rsquo;s been working hard on his defense.&rdquo;3. Dave Gagnon, 23, goalie, 6-foot, 185 pounds, Adirondack. Signed as a free agent after leading Colgate University to the NCAA title game last season.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a pro-type goalie; big and solid with good mental make-up,&rdquo; Adirondack coach Barry Melrose says. &ldquo;He struggled for a short stretch, but that&rsquo;s not uncommon for a young, college goaltender because they&rsquo;re not used to playing that much or in empty buildings where you have to get yourself into the game.&rdquo;Gagnon, who was a Hobey Baker finalist last season, had a 6-2-2 record in 11 games with a 3.84 goals-against average.4. Reggie Savage, 20, center, 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Baltimore. Washington&rsquo;s first-round pick, 15th overall in 1988.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01748/5964569-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="712" height="976"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrick Lebeau is the second Lebeau to be an AHL rookie contender.</figcaption></div>To be a successful goal-scorer, especially in the NHL. a player has to put up with a great deal of abuse. Savage is willing to do that to score. He had 14-14-28 totals in 26 games.&ldquo;He really pays a price to score and he&rsquo;s showing a lot of courage to finish plays,&rdquo; Skipjacks&rsquo; coach Rob Laird says. &ldquo;Maybe being a first-round pick he gets more attention, but he takes a lot of abuse and it doesn&rsquo;t seem to discourage him from coming back.&rdquo;5. Tom Bissett, 24, left winger, 6-foot, 180 pounds, Adirondack. Detroit&rsquo;s 11th-round pick, 211th overall in 1986.Bissett has great hands, skates particularly well and has an abundance of slick moves. He was the league&rsquo;s leading scorer for much of the first two months as he and John Chabot formed a potent 1-2 punch.Bissett had 18-15-33 totals in 22 games and had a brief recall to Detroit. But in order to earn a long stay in Detroit. Bissett must prove he can play in traffic and improve defensively.6. Travis Green, 20, center, 6-foot, 195 pounds, Capital District. New York Islanders second-round pick, 23rd overall in 1989.Capital District coach Butch Goring says a player often must specialize to earn a spot in the NHL. He says Green&rsquo;s specialty will be scoring.It has been so far in the AHL. with 11-16-27 totals in 25 games.7. Ric Bennett, 23, left winger, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, Binghamton. Minnesota&rsquo;s fifth-round pick, 54th overall, in 1986; obtained by New York in a multi-player trade in 1988 while still at Providence College.Bennett hasn&rsquo;t put up the impressive numbers as some rookies&mdash;he has 11-7-18 totals in 24 games&mdash;but he&rsquo;s the prototype NHL winger. He&rsquo;s big, strong, has good hands and is smart.8. Sergei Kharin, 27, right winger, 5-foot-8, 163 pounds, Moncton. Winnipeg&rsquo;s 12th-round pick, 240th overall in 1989.The AHL didn&rsquo;t adopt the NHL&rsquo;s Makarov Clause, so he&rsquo;s eligible for rookie honors despite being 27 and a veteran of the top Soviet league.Kharin, who had 11-9-20 totals in 27 games, has great speed and adds intangible elements to the Hawks. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an NHL-skill type player and unlike some Europeans who are stone-faced, he&rsquo;s got a great sense of humor,&rdquo; says Hawks&rsquo; coach Dave Farrish.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02507/5964562-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="706" height="906"><figcaption class="caption-body">Moncton&rsquo;s Sergei Kharin, 27, is giving younger rookies competition.</figcaption></div>9. Craig Fisher, 20, center, 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Hershey. Philadelphia&rsquo;s third-round pick, 56th overall in 1988.The Flyers like his offensive talents&mdash;13-14-27 totals in 27 games&mdash;both as a playmaker and goal-scorer. Bears&rsquo; coach Mike Eaves says his play away from the puck is the thing he must work on.10. Matt Delguidice, 23, goalie, 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, Maine. Boston&rsquo;s fourth-round pick, 77th overall in 1987.Delguidice initially planned to return for another year of college with the Maine Black Bears, then changed his mind during the summer.It would appear he made the right choice. He had a 5-4-2 record and 3.18 GAA in 12 games, including one AHL SherWood player-of-the-week award. &#9632;

f0028-01

YOUNG AND RESTLESS

<div class="byline">BY NICK GATES</div>The Richmond Renegades were in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and there was speculation those losses could add up to the loss of coach Chris McSorley&rsquo;s job.Renegades&rsquo; owner Allan Harvie put that rumor to rest prior to a 6-4 loss to the Nashville Knights Nov. 28. In a dressing room speech, he told players: &ldquo;I just wanted to let you know Chris is my coach&hellip;and he&rsquo;s going to be here a long time. Just go out and play.&rdquo;Richmond (7-9-3) snapped the drought with an 8-7 shootout win at Erie Dec. 1 but continued to shuffle in new faces.The Renegades signed Pat Szturm&mdash;who went to Pittsburgh&rsquo;s training camp&mdash;to bolster their goaltending and picked up center Mark Holmes, who played against McSorley in the International League.&ldquo;I hated him,&rdquo; McSorley said of the former Colgate star whose contract was bought out by Calgary after a knee injury.Defenseman Todd Wittemore was signed and center Terry McCutcheon left for England.In other changes, left winger Doug Pickell was named captain and defenseman Brad Beck was named assistant coach.<h2>CHEROKEES CHARGE</h2>East Coast League commissioner Pat Kelly expressed some concern over Knoxville&rsquo;s dominance&mdash;the Cherokees had scored a league-high 128 goals while allowing the fewest (63). The Cherokees, who were leading the West Division by four points, were 14-2-2 and showed no signs of letting up. &ldquo;I hate to see one club run away with everything,&rdquo; Kelly said&hellip;Erie&rsquo;s Barry Chyzowski was named ECHL player of the week. The center, who was drafted in the eighth-round by the New York Rangers in 1986, is the brother of New York Islanders&rsquo; left winger Dave Chyzowski. Chyzowski had eight goals and six assists in five games to vault into fifth in the league scoring race with 39 points&hellip;Goalie Scott King was assigned to Hampton Roads Nov. 28 by Detroit, replacing Scott Luce, who was promoted to Rochester of the American League. King picked up his first win Nov. 29 when the Admirals beat Roanoke Valley 4-3&hellip;The league single-game attendance mark&mdash;8,918 at Hampton Roads earlier this season&mdash;was shattered Nov. 3 in Cincinnati when 9,647 watched the Cyclones defeat Louisville 5-2&hellip;Knoxville ended Greensboro&rsquo;s eight-game unbeaten streak at home with an 8-1 victory over the Monarchs Nov. 29. The game was delayed more than two hours because the Cherokees&rsquo; bus broke down en route. The Blaze Baptist Church of Greensboro supplied a replacement bus complete with Christmas lights. A fraternity broomball game between UNC-Greensboro and High Point College kept the crowd of 3,208 entertained&hellip; Boston assigned right winger Brian Ferreira to Johnstown Nov. 28 and the Chiefs waived defenseman Steve Chelios, who was picked up by Richmond&hellip;Defenseman Bob Woods rejoined Johnstown from Utica (AHL), where Chiefs&rsquo; goalie Stan Reddick was assigned Nov. 30&hellip; Mired in last place, Nashville coach Peter Horachek asked Kansas City (IHL) for help and the Blades responded by sending right winger Kurt Semandel, left winger Kevin Sullivan and center Mark Karpen and defensemen Ron Pessetti&hellip;Cincinnati won three games to run its winning streak to four. The Cyclones posted their first road victory Dec. 1 by erupting for seven third-period goals to beat Louisville 8-5. &#9632;

LOSING RENEGADES’ COACH GETS REPRIEVE

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ AND KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div>When the Los Angeles Kings fired New Haven coach Marcel Comeau Nov. 29, the Nighthawks weren&rsquo;t doing well on the ice or at the box office.The Nighthawk; were five games below .500, but in a fifth-place tie in the Northern Division. The more alarming statistic was that in Comeau&rsquo;s final game as coach&mdash;against Springfield Nov. 28&mdash;there were only 1,631 at the New Haven Coliseum to watch a 6-3 loss.&ldquo;The Kings made quite an investment in planning in Phoenix (of the International League) and New Haven,&rdquo; said New Haven director of operations Pat Hickey. &ldquo;They added a lot of depth to the organization and it wasn&rsquo;t working out for them in New Haven.&ldquo;New Haven was going in the wrong direction and Rogie Vachon pulled the trigger.&rdquo;Sealing Comeau&rsquo;s fate was the Nighthawks&rsquo; poor play at home and equally poor attendance. With that loss to Springfield, the Nighthawks were 3-9-1 at home. Their attendance was the worst in the league&mdash;an average of 2,633.&ldquo;I worked the hardest that I could to get the talent out of what was available to me,&rdquo; said Comeau, the first coach fired during an AHL season since Hershey canned Gary Inness in 1984-85. &ldquo;You think about what you might do differently, but at this point I couldn&rsquo;t come up with anything.&rdquo;Comeau, who took over in New Haven when Rick Dudley left for Buffalo after the 1988-89 season, had a 40-54-11 record in one-plus seasons in New Haven.&ldquo;Marcel is a hard worker and gave it everything he had,&rdquo; Vachon said. &ldquo;But the team wasn&rsquo;t where we felt it should be. We thought we had a better team.&rdquo;Garry Unger, assistant coach in Phoenix&mdash;Los Angeles&rsquo; other farm team&mdash;was sent to New Haven as an interim coach.<h2>PLAN OF ATTACK</h2>Steve Maltais is following the 4-S plan to get to the NHL.The first three have to do with natural attributes: Size, speed and skill. Maltais has them all, according to Baltimore Skipjacks&rsquo; coach Rob Laird.The fourth &ldquo;S&rdquo; is statistics. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Maltais is amassing impressive ones in helping the Skipjacks contend for the American League&rsquo;s Southern Division lead.Through 25 games, the second-year left winger had 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points, including a two-goal, five-assist game in a 10-5 victory over the Utica Devils Nov. 30.In three games during the week, Maltais and linemates Tim Taylor, the center, and John Purves, the right winger, combined for 11-13-24 totals. And in between Friday and Sunday games, Maltais played for the parent Washington Capitals against the New York Islanders&mdash;a 3-1 win.<h2>WORST TO FIRST</h2>Hartford&rsquo;s farm team left Binghamton at the end of last season as the league&rsquo;s worst team, but returned as the league&rsquo;s best Dec. 2 when the Springfield Indians visited. Hartford moved its team from Binghamton during the summer after a 10-year relationship. The Indians won that game, 5-3, as goalie Kay Whitmore improved his record to 6-0-0. Whitmore was 3-19-2 with a 4.72 goals-against average in 24 games with Binghamton last season&hellip;Newmarket forward Greg Johnston had an 11-game point streak (8-8-16) going into the Saints&rsquo; game Nov. 6&hellip;Former Soviet national defenseman Alexei Gusarov made his AHL debut for the Halifax Citadels Dec. 2 and had two assists in a 12-3 rout of Cape Breton. &#9632;

NIGHTHAWKS’ COMEAU FIRED BY PARENT KINGS

<div class="byline">BY ADAM TEICHER AND BILL PICKETT</div>The surprise team in the International League&mdash;the San Diego Gulls&mdash;got a few surprises of their own in early December.The Gulls were stripped of leading scorer Brent Sapergia, who abruptly left Dec. 3 to play in England. The same day No. 1 goaltender Alain Chevrier&mdash;who had replaced Glen Hanlon&mdash;was recalled by the Detroit Red Wings.All of a sudden, the independent team that had startled the league by posting a 13-11-2 record and holding down second place in the West Division had developed a few cracks.Sapergia, who has had problems with alcohol and resultant brushes with the law in his often-spectacular minor-league career, was by all accounts a model citizen in San Diego. The Gulls, in the view of some hockey people, took a big gamble signing him to a 25-game contract this summer.&ldquo;It couldn&rsquo;t work out any better than it has so far,&rdquo; said general manager Don Waddell, who offered Sapergia a contract for the remainder of the season.<h2>IHL</h2>But Sapergia, who led the Gulls in scoring with 27 points in 26 games and was third in the IHL with 15 goals, had other ideas.&ldquo;Basically, it came down to money,&rdquo; said Sapergia, who signed a two-year deal with a team based near Birmingham with the financial terms undisclosed. &ldquo;It was too good of a deal to pass up.&rdquo;Losing Chevrier meant the Gulls were left with only Mark Brower in goal. So as a backup, they signed Scooter Henson, a 23-year-old assistant tennis pro at a resort hotel in San Diego. Henson, who was with the Gulls in training camp, had a 29-0-1 record the past two seasons for a local semi-pro team, the San Diego Surf.<h2>JACK FROST</h2>The Muskegon Lumberjacks turned the comer into December looking up instead of down for the first time in several seasons.Usually, the Lumberjacks have the East Division lead by Thanksgiving and build on their lead. They&rsquo;ve won six straight division pennants and three regular-season IHL championships in a row.This December, the Lumberjacks were on a six-game losing streak and were fourth in the five-team East, 20 points behind Kalamazoo and just five in front of the expansion Albany Choppers.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a combination of things,&rdquo; said, coach Blair McDonald. &ldquo;We have some new faces, we&rsquo;ve had some injuries.&ldquo;Jock Callander had a knee &lsquo;scoped, but he&rsquo;s back. Scott Gruhl was out with a cracked bone in his wrist.&rdquo;On top of that, Gruhl&mdash;who hadn&rsquo;t started a game this season&mdash;was claimed on waivers (Dec. 3) by Fort Wayne.<h2>ROADRUNNER RAN</h2>The promotion of Garry Unger to head coach with the American League&rsquo;s New Haven Nighthawks left the Phoenix Roadrunners without an assistant coach. Unger, the head coach in Phoenix last season, was demoted to assistant when the Los Angeles Kings came in this summer and hired ex-King Ralph Backstrom as head coach. When the Kings fired Marcel Comeau, head coach at New Haven, Unger was on the move and Backstrom was left scrambling without an assistant. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll manage,&rdquo; Backstrom said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re part of the Kings&rsquo; organization. If they send players or coaches somewhere else, wedon&rsquo;tlookatthatasaproblem. We look at that as our obligation.&rdquo;&hellip;Peoria&rsquo;s attendance surged as the Rivermen compiled their winning streak. The Rivermen averaged 5,590 fans for the first 11 home games, compared to 3,786 for the same period last season&hellip;Kansas City was loaned Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; prospect Link Gaetz Dec. 4. Gaetz should add size (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and toughness (319 penalty minutes with Kalamazoo last season) to the Blades&rsquo; defense. Gaetz, 22, had been suspended after leaving the Wings in early November and then returning. &#9632;

GULLS LOSE LEADING SCORER

<div class="byline">BY ERIC DEGERMAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01744/5964672-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kyle Reeves, left, and Brian Sakic of the Tri-City Americans are scoring at a record clip this season. Reeves is the triggerman on pace to score 118 goals. Sakic is the playmaker on target for 149 assists.</figcaption></div>Kyle Reeves and Brian Sakic are a couple of old fishing buddies. If they fish anything like they play hockey, Sakic baits the line and Reeves pulls in the catch.That&rsquo;s the way their friendship is. Sakic is the set-up man. Reeves deals the punchlines.At the pace the two Tri-City Americans are scoring, they would shatter Western League single-season scoring records&mdash;Sakic for assists, Reeves for goals.Their chemistry is based on friendship. These guys spend so much time together, they often grate on each other&rsquo;s nerves.&ldquo;I know Kyle better than I&rsquo;ve known anybody else,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be doing stuff together for a week straight, but then we get tired of each other.&rdquo;Other WHL teams get the same feeling every time they face the Americans and attempt to neutralize Reeves and Sakic. Their accomplishments have the Americans challenging for the Western Division lead with a 17-10-1 record.The tandem has already managed to record their friendship in the WHL record book. Through the help of Reeves scoring goals, Sakic set a league mark with eight assists in a 19-3 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds Oct. 3. Sakic also tied records with 10 points in the game and five assists in one period.&ldquo;Twenty-eight of my goals have been assisted by Brian, so he has to get a certain amount of credit,&rdquo; Reeves understated.Their relationship is one of give and take. Center Sakic does the giving, right winger Reeves the taking. After 27 games, they were one-two in league scoring, Sakic with 58 assists and 76 points, Reeves with 46 goals and 65 points.It sounds terribly one-sided, but that&rsquo;s the beauty of it. Theirs is a perfect match. Sakic is the natural playmaker&mdash;much like his older brother Joe of the Quebec Nordiques&mdash;who prefers assists to goals. Reeves is a Stonewall, Man., native who rarely gets stonewalled by goalies.&ldquo;Kyle is a guy with fine goal-scoring abilities, but he can&rsquo;t initiate and create plays like Brian can,&rdquo; Tri-City coach-general manager Rick Kozuback said. &ldquo;However Brian, with his vision, has such tremendous ability to create plays that he sometimes can&rsquo;t finish. That&rsquo;s why they work so well together.&rdquo;Sakic is the most reclusive player on the Americans. He passes off attention about as good as he passes off pucks.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t worry about the spotlight,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;I just do my job and try to stay away from that stuff. Anyway, Kyle is a better speaker. It&rsquo;s not my nature to go looking for (attention). Kyle goes looking for it.&rdquo;Reeves willingly plays up his role as a yappy goalscorer.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m all right at it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think I can talk as well as anybody in the league, except maybe for (Swift Current&rsquo;s) Kimbi Daniels.&rdquo;Daniels, Reeves and Sakic were teammates with the Swift Current Broncos in 1988-89. The Broncos traded Reeves to Tri-Cities two games into last season and he went on to score 67 goals in 67 games with the Americans.Eight games into last season, Sakic followed Reeves. Sexual assault charges against Sakic and teammate Wade Smith forced the hand of Broncos&rsquo; coach-GM Graham James. The charges were eventually stayed, but James thought Sakic would be better off with a fresh start in a new community&mdash;and a place where they don&rsquo;t know who Joe Sakic is.&ldquo;When we played in the Tri-Cities (as members of the Broncos), Kyle and I thought how great it would be to play there,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;Swift Current has great people, but it&rsquo;s cold. The Tri-Cities is a desert. It&rsquo;s beautiful and the weather is warm.&rdquo;Inside the Tri-Cities Coliseum, conditions are hot. During the Americans&rsquo; inaugural season in 1988-89, the club&rsquo;s power play ranked 12th in the league at 20.9 per cent. Last season with Reeves and Sakic, the power play turned into the league&rsquo;s best at 33.7 percent. This season, the numbers are the same.Sakic was the fourth highest scorer in the WHL last season with 53 goals and 152 points. At the NHL draft in June, the Washington Capitals selected him in the fifth round. Even though it&rsquo;s inevitable, Brian avoids comparisons to his famous sibling, a former first-rounder of the Nordiques.The brothers played together during the 198788 season when Brian was tagged with the nickname &lsquo;Sleepy.&rsquo; Some say Sakic lived up to the label on draft day when he left the proceedings at Vancouver&rsquo;s B.C. Place, went back to his parents&rsquo; home in nearby Burnaby, B.C., and fell asleep. Sakic claims the pressure just got to him.&ldquo;I was getting nervous and excited (as the draft went on),&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;The tension was unbearable. M^.agent said he didn&rsquo;t even think I should go to the draft, so I left. I was watching TV when (the Capitals) called.&rdquo;Draft day for Reeves was a waste. He ranked third in the WHL with 68 goals, but as an 18-year-old could be drafted in the first three rounds only. No team drafted him. One-third of the way through the season. Reeves is on pace to score 118 goals.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll get that many but if have a 100-point season there shouldn&rsquo;t be any reason not to get drafted,&rdquo; Reeves said. &ldquo;Getting drafted is my No. 1 priority.&rdquo;If Reeves is to attract NHL attention, he knows he will have to improve his defense and work on his playmaking. His goal total more than doubles his assists.&ldquo;I deserve some of the criticism,&rdquo; Reeves said. &ldquo;Almost every team has said something bad about me in the newspaper. 1 just go out and play my game and they can do what they want to.&rdquo;If Sakic has his way, this will be his last season with Reeves. He would prefer a position in the Capitals&rsquo; organization rather than return for an overage season.And what if Reeves doesn&rsquo;t get drafted?&ldquo;I see him in the Arctic fishing,&rdquo; Sakic imagined. &ldquo;His home will be this shack in the middle of nowhere.&rdquo;Reeves claims jabs from his buddy are based on jealousy.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been fishing a couple times,&rdquo; Reeves said. &ldquo;And I won the smallmouth bass derby. It was 4-3 in overtime.&rdquo;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only thing Kyle can do with his small muscle size,&rdquo; Sakic said with a laugh&rdquo;It&rsquo;s not often Reeves can set up Sakic like that. &#9632;

f0030-01

AMERICAN DREAMERS

At the pace they&rsquo;re scoring, Brian Sakic and Kyle Reeves of the Tri-City Americans will shatter several WHL records.With 58 assists in 27 games. Sakic is on target for a 149-assist season. The WHL record for assists in one season is 136, set by Rob Brown of the Kamloops Blazers in 198687.Reeves had 46 goals in 27 games, a pace that would give him 118 goals at the end of the season. Ray Ferraro of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the only player to score more than a 100 goals in one season&mdash;he had 108 in 198384.Sakic and Reeves played in all but one of the Americans&rsquo; first 28 games this season.Reeves could be the second fastest 50-goal scorer in league history. It took Brandon&rsquo;s Bill Derlago 27 games to score 50 goals in 1977-78 and Ferraro 32 games to score 50 in 1983-84.Reeves could also break records for most goals and points by a right winger in a single season. Don Murdoch had 88 goals for the Medicine Hat Tigers in 1975-76 and Dave Michayluk had 173 points for the Regina Pats in 1981-82. Reeves is on pace for 167 points.Sakic is challenging Brown&rsquo;s records for most assists by a center and most points in one season and most assists in a career.Brown had 212 points in 1986-87 and 343 assists throughout his WHL career. Sakic is on pace to finish with 195 points this season and 349 career assists. &#9632;

TRI-CITY RECORD BREAKERS

<div class="byline">BY VANCE OLIVER</div>Portland Winter Hawks&rsquo; general manager Brian Shaw points the finger for the demise of the once-proud franchise at one person&mdash;himself.Portland captured the Memorial Cup championship in 1983 and have finished first in the Western League&rsquo;s West Division six times in 14 seasons. But the 1989-90 Winter Hawks finished ahead of only the lowly Victoria Cougars and, this season, Portland has the worst record in the entire WHL.The Winter Hawks were winless in eight games dropping their record to 4-15-1.&ldquo;I have to accept responsibility,&rdquo; Shaw said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my fault. I haven&rsquo;t provided the players for the coach (Ken Hodge) to coach. He&rsquo;s proven that if you give him reasonably good players, he will win. You can&rsquo;t give him what we have given him and expect to win.&rdquo;Hodge has a 652-498-66 coaching record in 18 seasons. No coach in Canadian major junior hockey has more wins than him.Strangely, Shaw points to the successful 1988-89 season as a prelude to the fall of Portland&rsquo;s empire. The Winter Hawks missed the playoffs for the first time in their history the previous season, then dealt for older players to put together a competitive team.Portland won the West Division that season, but were rapidly dispatched in the WHL final by eventual Memorial Cup champion Swift Current Broncos in four straight games.The Winter Hawks haven&rsquo;t iced a contending team since.&ldquo;Finishing first (in 1988-89) was our biggest mistake because we put together a patchwork (team),&rdquo; Shaw added. &ldquo;We tried the same thing last year, but it didn&rsquo;t work.&ldquo;Our organization as a whole has gone to the tank for the last couple of years and now we&rsquo;re paying the price for it.&rdquo;<h2>OWNER DIES</h2>Medicine Hat Tigers&rsquo; owner George Maser died Nov. 29 following a massive heart attack.Maser, 63, was one of three original founders of the team when it was granted an expansion franchise for the 1970-71 season. He became sole owner in 1979.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost unbelieveable,&rdquo; Medicine Hat GM Jack Shupe said. &ldquo;Everything seems to be going so well with the hockey club and George was pretty happy with the whole thing and, then, bang.&rdquo;The Tigers, who captured back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1986 and 1987 will wear a crest on their jerseys for the rest of the season to honor Maser.<h2>REIMER MOVING</h2>Everybody in Moose Jaw knew right winger Rob Reimer would score his share of points this season, but nobody expected he would need a calculator.The 20-year-old Reimer is sixth in league scoring with 26 goals and 55 points in 27 games and is on target to match his three-year output&mdash;62-84-146&mdash;with the Warriors.&ldquo;We thought for sure he would be a 100-point man,&rdquo; Warriors&rsquo; coach-GM Greg Kvisle said. &ldquo;But on his current pace he will be way above that. That&rsquo;s a bit of a surprise to us.&rdquo;More important to Kvisle is the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Reimer hasn&rsquo;t hurt the team in his efforts to score goals. The Warriors are sitting in fifth place in the tight East Division with a near .500 (13-14-0) record.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you can single one guy out,&rdquo; Kvisle said. &ldquo;But we needed leadership in the scoring department and he certainly has provided that.&rdquo;<h2>TOP DOGS</h2>Cal McGowan of the Kamloops Blazers and Jason Miller of Medicine Hat are Greyhound Lines of Canada Ltd. WHL players of the month for November.McGowan scored 14 goals and 31 points in 10 games to win the award in the West Division. A fourth-round pick of the Minnesota North Stars in June, McGowan had 29 goals and 60 points after 27 games&mdash;third in the league.Miller had a point in 23 straight games since returning to the Tigers from the New Jersey Devils Oct. 13. In that time, he has 20 goals and 52 points. New Jersey picked Miller 18th overall in 1989.<h2>THE GRADUATE</h2>Former Prince Albert Raiders&rsquo; right winger Wayde Bucsis is the WHL graduate of the month for November. Bucsis had 10 goals and 17 points in eight games for the Saskatchewan Huskies of the Canada West University Athletic Association. He receives $500 from the WHL. &#9632;

WINTER HAWKS’ RICH TRADITION ENDANGERED

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div>Ottawa 67&rsquo;s rookie defenseman Grant Marshall is expected to make a full recovery after breaking his neck during a game against the Sudbury Wolves.Marshall was checked from behind by Wolves&rsquo; center Jason Young and slid into the boards, suffering a fracture of the fifth vertebra in a Dec. 4 game.&ldquo;Fortunately, there was no paralysis,&rdquo; 67&rsquo;s coach-general manager Brian Kilrea said. &ldquo;Grant will regain full control of everything&mdash;his arms, legs, movement, thoughts. It could have been a lot worse.&rdquo;The injury isn&rsquo;t expected to threaten Marshall&rsquo;s career. The 17-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native could be back in the Ottawa lineup as early as February. Marshall was picked 10th overall by the 67&rsquo;s in the 1990 OHL midget draft.Young received a checking-from-behind major and game misconduct on the play and the Ontario League was to review the case. Kilrea doesn&rsquo;t blame Young, Sudbury&rsquo;s leading scorer who has 22 penalty minutes in 30 games this season.&ldquo;It was an awkward situation,&rdquo; Kilrea said. &ldquo;Grant was just caught off balance. A collision like that happens 100 times a game. You can&rsquo;t fault anyone.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01688/5964751-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="546" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">67&rsquo;s defenseman Joni Lehto tried his hand at coaching.</figcaption></div><h2>FATHER FLOYD</h2>If two Crawfords are better than one, the Cornwall Royals will be doubly tough now that Floyd Crawford is working for son Marc.Floyd, 60, is Cornwall&rsquo;s new director of player personnel following a bizarre deal between the Royals and Kingston Frontenacs. Ross Ainsworth, Cornwall&rsquo;s former director of player personnel, takes over the same position in Kingston, replacing Floyd Crawford.&ldquo;My father helped get me to where I want to be,&rdquo; Royals&rsquo; coach-GM Marc Crawford said, &ldquo;so it makes sense that he work with me in Cornwall rather than against me in Kingston. Both Ross and my father are well-respected around the league.&rdquo;Floyd Crawford coached the Royals for two seasons (1984-86) and the Guelph Platers for one season (1986-87). He also served as an assistant with the Belleville Bulls before joining Kingston.Marc Crawford, 29, is confident the unique working arrangement will work out.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played for and respected a lot of great coaches and my father is in that group,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;We get along well. He knows exactly the things I&rsquo;m looking for.&rdquo;<h2>HERE&rsquo;S JONI</h2>If Joni Lehto never makes it as a professional hockey player, he could always find work as a coach.The injured all-star defenseman stepped behind the bench as an assistant Dec. 1 against Kingston and became the acting head coach the next night against Cornwall when Kilrea was thrown out for arguing with referee Steve Wiffen.Kilrea drew a two-game suspension and with regular assistant Bert O&rsquo;Brien on vacation, it was up to Lehto to take over. Ottawa beat Kingston 6-3 and rallied to defeat Cornwall 5-4 in overtime. Lehto&rsquo;s run came to an end Dec. 4 when Sudbury beat Ottawa 3-2.Lehto, 20, is sidelined with an injured left knee. The sixth-round New York Islanders&rsquo; pick is out until February.<h2>SNELL&rsquo;S PACE</h2>Ottawa defenseman Chris Snell had his scoring streak snapped at 19 games. Snell had 12 goals and 31 points during the run&hellip;The New York Rangers returned right winger Steven Rice to the Kitchener Rangers Nov. 26&hellip;Darcy Cahill remains a free agent after clearing waivers. The Dukes of Hamilton cut Cahill, although he scored 49 points in 25 games.&mdash;With a file from Randv Russon &#9632;

f0031-01

67’s ROOKIE SUFFERS SCARY INJURY

<div class="byline">BY HERB ZURKOWSKY</div>Gilbert Perreault was one of the least-penalized players during his 17-year career with the Buffalo Sabres. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s surprising that as a Quebec League coach, he has a love-hate relationship with the officials.Perreault resigned as Victoriaville coach following a seven-game series loss to Laval in the 1989 QMJHL finals. During the series, referees disallowed two Tigres&rsquo; goals.Perreault is back with Victoriaville this season as coach, general manager and minority owner, but his opinion of the officials is unchanged. He says they&rsquo;re brutal and biased.&ldquo;If we all shut up and say nothing, how will they improve?,&rdquo; Perreault said. &ldquo;Are they satisfied (with their performance)? I&rsquo;m not. Maybe it will cost me. Maybe I&rsquo;ll be suspended or out on the street, but I hope I&rsquo;ll have done something good.&rdquo;Perreault says the officials are out to get his team, in general, and himself, in particular, for earlier disparaging remarks. The Tigres are last overall with a 6-26 record.Hoping that out of sight would be out of mind, Perreault started watching games from the press box, leaving the coaching duties to assistant Yves Lambert. But nothing changed. Victoriaville lost 8-3 at Laval Dec. 2 and 5-2 at Hull two nights later.Doug Hayward, the QMJHL&rsquo;s referee&rsquo;s councillor, defends his officials.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very proud of our staff. I&rsquo;m more than pleased with the way things are going,&rdquo; Hayward said. &ldquo;Perreault is frustrated because his team is losing. If that&rsquo;s his attitude, that they&rsquo;re all no good&hellip;well, I&rsquo;m not going to get into a jousting match with him.&rdquo;<h2>TO THE RESCUE</h2>For the second time in nine months, the Morrissette family&mdash;which owns the Laval Titan&mdash;has bailed out Steven Demers, proprietor of the Laval Sports Centre, from financial hardships.The Morrissettes paid between $15,000 and $20,000 on an outstanding Hydro Quebec bill.Last March, after the power was cut off to the arena and the ice began melting, the Morrissettes paid another electricity bill so the Titan could play its regular-season finale against St. Hyacinthe.The family has made an undisclosed offer to Demers to purchase the arena. Meanwhile, the Morrissettes are operating the arena&rsquo;s bar, restaurant and are paying the employees.&ldquo;I feel a little crazy, but we like hockey and our team. And we&rsquo;d like our team to be there and be able to play in front of our fans,&rdquo; Jean-Claude Morrissette said.The Titan&rsquo;s three-year lease at the Laval Sports Centre expires at the end of the season. Morrissette said it was possible the team would relocate rather than sign a new lease with the unreliable Demers.<h2>BRETON BREAK</h2>A potential five-game suspension to College Francais left winger Christian Breton was overturned Dec. 3 by the QMJHL&rsquo;s appeal committee. The Longueuil-based team will have the $1,000 bond it posted to launch the appeal refunded.Breton was to be suspended for his part in a post-game brawl Oct. 26, following a game against St-Hyacinthe. The league&rsquo;s discipline committee said Breton was first off the bench and caused the free-for-all to be prolonged.The Laser lost rearguard Serge Labelle to a 14-game suspension for molesting an official during the same incident. They launched an appeal seeking a five-game suspension against College Francais&rsquo; Robert Guillet, who, the team contended, twice was third-man-in and first off the bench.But St-Hyacinthe dropped its appeal when its GM, Michel Rousseau, was told by QMJHL president Gilles Courteau that Breton&rsquo;s suspension would be upheld.The Laser are furious.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a joke,&rdquo; coach Norman Flynn said. &ldquo;We figured they&rsquo;d penalize (Breton), but now (Courteau) will wash his hands. He&rsquo;ll say the appeal committee doesn&rsquo;t come under his jurisdiction.&rdquo; &#9632;

PERREAULT CLAIMS OFFICIATING BIASED

The Brandon University Bobcats are the Canada West Universities Athletic Associations&rsquo; version of the Pittsburgh Penguins.At the beginning of the season, the Bobcats believed a good offence would provide a good defense.But the theory hasn&rsquo;t worked.Through the Christmas break, the Bobcats were second last in the conference with a 3-8-3 record.One of four Great Plains Athletic Conference teams to merge with the CWUAA five years ago, the Bobcats have never made the playoffs? And if the defense doesn&rsquo;t improve, that trend will continue.<h2>CWUAA</h2>Through Dec. 5, the Bobcats led the conference with 72 goals. Gary Gaudet (11-16-27), Dave Schettler (13-11-24), and David Whistle (8-15-23), were the team&rsquo;s main offensive weapons.But a terrible 5.14 goals-against average could lead to their demise. &bdquo;<h2>AUAA</h2>The Dalhousie Tigers vaulted to the top of the Atlantic Universities Athletic Association standings at the Christmas break.The Tigers, who finished 10-9-2 last season and bowed to the Moncton Blue Eagles in the semifinals, have a 9-2-2 record.They&rsquo;re four points up on the second place Cape Breton Capers, who are 8-5-0.The New Brunswick Red Devils lead the MacAdam Division with 17 points (7-3-3).Dalhousie, The Hockey News&rsquo; pre-season favorite, has played up to expectations despite missing four key starters.Centers George Wilcox and Scott Meek, rookie left winger Colin Ford and defenseman Paul Kleinknecht haven&rsquo;t played a shift this season.&ldquo;With four impact players out of the lineup, we were hoping to have 15 points at the break,&rdquo; says Dalhousie coach Darrell Young. &ldquo;To have 20 points shows what kind of team we have.&rdquo;Young recruited top major junior players this season to bolster his line-up. Recruits include: center Joe Suk; left winger Ken MacDermid; and rearguard Todd Monger.The new players have blended well with veteran right wingers Craig Morrison and Derrick Pringle and defenseman Brian Melanson. All are fifth-year players.Sophomore right winger Mike Griffith leads the team with 20 points (7-13) and goaltenders Pat McGarry and Kevin Stairs have combined for the best GAA (3.44) in the conference.<h2>OUAA</h2>The rookie head coach of the McGill Redmen has faced a tough chore this season.It&rsquo;s not often a team must replace three allstars. But that&rsquo;s precisely what Jean Pronovost did, after center Tim Iannone, goaltender Jamie Reeve and defenseman Alain Cusson graduated.Iannone was McGill&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer with 136 goals and 241 assists in 136 games.The Redmen immediately felt the effects of the loss. They won just once in their first six conference games, a 4-1 win Nov. 2 against Toronto.But they&rsquo;ve rebounded since, and were 4-3-2 at the Christmas break.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been inconsistent,&rdquo; said Pronovost. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had our ups and downs. We play well one game and the next game, we think &lsquo;hey, we&rsquo;re on our way. &lsquo;And then we go flat. I&rsquo;m not quite sure why.&rdquo;Pronovost doesn&rsquo;t bemoan the loss of his talented veterans.&ldquo;But I think we&rsquo;ve replaced them, if (the new players) play to their potential,&rdquo; he said.Redmen right winger Patrice Tremblay will play with the Canadian National Team in the USA Cup Dec. 26-30 in Albany, N.Y. Tremblay had 13 goals and 11 assists in 15 games this season.&mdash;With files from Claude Scilley, Mark Spector and Bruce Hallihan. &#9632;

BOBCATS BURNED BY POOR DEFENSE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01651/5964830-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Saints&rsquo; defenseman Chris Lappin and his brother Mike (inset) weren&rsquo;t happy at Boston University, so they followed their older brothers&rsquo; footsteps to Canton, N.Y.</figcaption></div>In an age where once is not enough, sequels have become a way of life.Sylvester Stallone has pulled Rocky Balboa out of the streets of south Philly for the fifth time. Don Corleone (the Godfather) is back for a third time, making us yet another offer we can&rsquo;t refuse.But the sequel everyone in the Eastern College Athletic Association is talking about is playing in Canton, N.Y. The same people who brought us The Lappins I are now producing Return Of The Lappins.No, Peter and Tim Lappin haven&rsquo;t found a loophole in the NCAA rules and come up with another year of eligibility at St. Lawrence University. After sitting out a season because of the NCAA transfer rule, Mike and Chris Lappin are now following in their brothers&rsquo; very deep footsteps in the North Country.Mike and Chris took the circuitous route to Canton. After starting in their hometown of St. Charles, Ill., they made stops at The Canterbury School in Connecticut, The Northwood School in Lake Placid (both prep schools) and Boston University before finally arriving &ldquo;home&rdquo; in Canton.And there was never any question about staying together.&ldquo;When we were in high school, we had always wanted to play together and we kept that in mind,&rdquo; said Mike. &ldquo;We wanted to pick a school that we could go to together.&rdquo;They&rsquo;ve done nothing to hurt the Lappin reputation at St. Lawrence. Through games of Dec. 1, Mike, a junior center, was the Saints&rsquo; leading scorer with 21 points in 11 games. Chris, a 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman, scored his first goal of the year Dec. 1 against Brown and also had seven assists.&ldquo;After the paint dries, the Lappin name will be indelible in the hockey record books here,&rdquo; said Saints&rsquo; coach Joe Marsh. &ldquo;Having them has been absolutely great for us.&rdquo;<h2>ECAC</h2>Both Lappins lettered at BU during their first two seasons, but simply weren&rsquo;t happy playing or Terrier coach Jack Parker, even though Mike had 11 goals and 16 assists in 27 games as a sophomore.&ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t like his style,&rdquo; said Chris Lappin of Parker.They don&rsquo;t have that problem with coach Marsh, and their new coach is ecstatic about having them. He does have one regret, however. Marsh wishes he could have had all four brothers at once.&ldquo;If you could ever get Peter and Mike on the same line together&hellip;,&rdquo; he dreamed. &ldquo;I think Peter and Mike would be unbelievable together.&rdquo;Harvard seniors Peter Ciavaglia, Ted Donato and Mike Vukonich put together one of the cost incredible weeks ever as the Crimson beat Dartmouth (8-1 Nov. 27) Cornell (8-3 Nov. 30) and Colgate (9-8 in overtime Dec. 2) to vault to the top of the ECAC standings.The line scored an amazing 35 points in the three games, getting 16 goals and 19 assists.Donato, a left winger, was red-hot. He had a hat trick against Dartmouth, picked up four assists against Cornell and came through with a goal and three assists against Colgate.<h2>WCHA</h2>Newell Brown, the rookie coach at Michigan Tech, has been asked one particular question with regularity this season:As a former player and assistant coach in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (Michigan State), is there a significant difference between the CCHA and WCHA?&ldquo;The basic thing is each league is dictated by the top teams,&rdquo; Brown said, referring to perennial powers MSU, Lake Superior State and Bowling Green in the CCHA and Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin in the WCHA.&ldquo;Teams in the CCHA play a real defensive-oriented style where as the WCHA is a more free-wheeling style. There is more free flow and a little more lane movement. More offensive flair.&rdquo;Is that to say the WCHA plays a more exciting brand of hockey?No, not if you like your hockey to go bump and bang in the night.&ldquo;The CCHA is more physical,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;There is more body contact. More bump-and-grind.&rdquo;In the pre-season WCHA coaches&rsquo; poll, Wisconsin left winger Jason Zent was pegged as the rookie-of-the-year favorite. That Zent was the leading freshman scorer after 15 games (6-9-15) shows the coaches knew what they were talking about.But Zent and people such as North Dakota right winger Chris Gotziaman and Minnesota forward Craig Johnson are not the only highly-publicized rookies making their presence felt. In fact there are a few surprises.Like Minnesota defenseman Chris McAlpine. &ldquo;I was real impressed with him,&rdquo; Tech&rsquo;s Newell Brown said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a real physical force on the ice. He made himself very noticable.&rdquo;Another is Michigan Tech goaltender Jamie Ram, an 18-year-old who was 2-2-0 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .930 save percentage after his first five appearances. &ldquo;He was great against us,&rdquo; Minnesota coach Doug Woog said.<h2>CCHA</h2>Junior center Martin Jiranek is off to a hot start for the Bowling Green Falcons with 15 goals (including five game winners) and 11 assists in 16 games. Those numbers ranked him second to Brett Harkins in team scoring and fourth in the CCHA.But then, it only figured that Jiranek would bloom on the ice. Although he doesn&rsquo;t come from a hockey family, he has exceptional skating roots.His father, Michael, rates as one of Canada&rsquo;s premier figure skating instructors. Among Michael Jiranek&rsquo;s pupils are international stars Kurt Browning and Lisa Sargeant.&ldquo;He wanted me to enter figure skating classes,&rdquo; recalled Martin. &ldquo;From there I turned to hockey, but still went to figure skating classes in the summer until I was about 10.&rdquo;Jiranek, who says he&rsquo;s not overly speedy in open ice, is quick and he credits that to having first figure skated.&ldquo;A lot of things carry overy to hockey,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Because of figure skating, I learned to change directions really fast, twist and turn in the comers and along the boards and move side to side. Stopping and turning also are well trained.&rdquo;With 4-2 and 5-4 wins over Michigan State Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, surprising Ferris State extended its unbeated streak to nine games (7-02). In the sweep, senior left winger Rod Taylor had two goals each night to boost his totals to 17-4-21 and earn CCHA player-of-the-week honors for the period ending Dec. 2&hellip;With its losses to Ferris State, Michigan State fell to 5-6-3 and sixth place in CCHA play. The Spartans haven&rsquo;t been below .500 this late in any season since 1980-81 when they were 4-11-1 after 16 contests.<h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>Boston University&rsquo;s Terriers were not exactly in the best of spirits after blowing a 6-1 lead in an 8-6 home loss to Michigan Nov. 30. So. they got down and dirty in their next two contests, taking out their frustrations on Maine (7-4 win Dec. 2) and Merrimack (7-1 Dec. 5).&ldquo;We were so embarrassed by the way we misrepresented ourselves against Michigan, it was to our advantage to play a game two days later instead of stewing for a week,&rdquo; said BU coach Jack Parker.The catalyst behind BU&rsquo;s 3-1 week&mdash;the Terriers beat Northeastern 8-5 Nov. 27&mdash;was junior center Shawn McEachern, who had five goals and seven assists in the four games. That raised his season totals to 14-16-30 in 12 games.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a dominant player in this league,&rdquo; said Parker. &ldquo;I like the fact he&rsquo;s gotten much better defensively. He&rsquo;s always had offensive skills. He&rsquo;s always been able to skate, bump and score. But he has worked hard on his play away from the puck and has really become a complete player now.&rdquo;Maine sophomore center Jim Montgomery&rsquo;s two goals against BU Dec. 2 extended his pointscoring streak to all 12 of Maine&rsquo;s games. He had seven goals and 15 assists during that stretch. &ldquo;He may be the most underrated player in this league,&rdquo; said Maine coach Shawn Walsh. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our unsung hero.&rdquo;&mdash;with files from Tom Boggie, Andy Baggot, Matt Carlson and Larry Mahoney &#9632;

f0033-01

SAINTS ELSEWHERE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01738/5964875-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01703/5964868-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="3100" height="3614"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01667/5964861-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="3115" height="3626"></div> &#9632;

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NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; goaltender Ed Belfour continues to lead the NHL with a 1.53 earned goals-against average through Dec. 10.The earned goals-against average is calculated by dividing even strength-time by even strength goals. Vancouver&rsquo;s Troy Gamble is second to Belfour with a 1.63 EGA.The Washington Capitals continue to lead the NHL in team power play percentage with a 6:17 average. Team power play percentage is calculated according to how many minutes of power play time a team requires to score a goal. The NHL average is 8:38.The Buffalo Sabres lead the NHL in penalty killing percentage. Penalty killing percentage is calculated according to the amount of time a team plays shorthanded before yielding a goal. The Sabres have a 14:07 average, while the NHL average is 8:38.Capitals&rsquo; goalie Don Beaupre leads the league in the Hot Seat category. The Hot Seat statistic ranks goaltenders on the amount of power-play time it takes before they surrender a power-play goal. Beaupre has a 21:46 average. The NHL average is 8:38.<h2>POWER PLAY</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08153/5965119-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="547" height="538"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09131/5965112-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="544" height="156"></div><h2>PENALTY KILLING</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10120/5965105-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="547" height="680"></div><h2>HOT SEAT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11101/5965098-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="547" height="448"></div><h2>EGA LEADERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1290/5965091-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="542" height="447"></div> &#9632;

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CHICAGO’S BELFOUR LEADS NHL GOALIES

<h2>Mon., Dec. 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01583/5965060-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="592" height="3450"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02421/5965053-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="583" height="161"></div><h2>Tues., Dec. 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03327/5965046-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="591" height="2157"></div><h2>Wed., Dec. 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04271/5965039-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="580" height="995"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05240/5965032-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="583" height="3490"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06209/5965025-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="578" height="1184"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07184/5965018-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="593" height="1144"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01669/5965011-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="588" height="634"></div><h2>Thur., Dec. 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02512/5965004-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="596" height="2861"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04318/5964997-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="586" height="1627"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03414/5964990-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="1180" height="1551"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago&rsquo;s Steve Larmer had two goals and three assists in a 5-2 win over the New York Islanders Dec. 6. He led Chicago with 44 points.</figcaption></div><h2>Fri., Dec, 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05236/5964983-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="584" height="224"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06197/5964976-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="584" height="1935"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01632/5964969-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="587" height="1985"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02444/5964962-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="583" height="1985"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03335/5964955-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="585" height="486"></div><h2>Sat., Dec. 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04271/5964948-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="581" height="1378"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01343/5964941-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="586" height="1144"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02227/5964934-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg" title="f0040-02" width="590" height="1132"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03161/5964927-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="608" height="3574"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04127/5964920-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="580" height="756"></div><h2>Sun., Dec. 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05107/5964913-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="586" height="2767"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-0693/5964906-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="584" height="626"></div> &#9632;

f0037-01

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01283/5965195-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0041-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01310/5965226-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="559" height="619"><figcaption class="caption-body">KEVIN DUPONT</figcaption></div>Now wait just a minute. Don&rsquo;t file away your map of North America just yet, content that you&rsquo;ve got your multicolored pushpins stuck in the appropriate 24 places of the NHL&rsquo;s heartland.In fact, go get a bigger map. Just when you thought San Jose, Tampa and Ottawa would be the end of it, here comes another wave of hockey hopefuls.In the next four to six weeks, the Global League intends to announce, once and for all. its plans for 10-12 franchises that will begin play in 1991-92. According to Bill Putnam, the league&rsquo;s commissioner, four to six European teams will be named by the end of January, with up to a half-dozen North American franchises soon to be designated.&ldquo;And I think the key to our concept is having the European teams,&rdquo; said Putnam, speaking from his office in Pelham, N.H. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t particularly relish the idea of going head-to-head with the NHL. That doesn&rsquo;t seem like the smartest move.&rdquo;The GHL, of course, will always be knocking noggins with what is now the NHL&rsquo;s Original 24. Like the World Hockey Association of the &lsquo;70s, the GHL will have to try and muck along the boards with Big Brother, vying for entertainment dollars with an entrenched business that often says it struggles to make a buck even now as a monopoly.What makes the GHL think it can make it?&ldquo;Well, those of us involved believe we&rsquo;ve taken the best of new-league experiences,&rdquo; said Putnam, who was instrumental in years past in starting up NHL franchises in Philadelphia and Atlanta. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have gate-sharing, a concept we&rsquo;ve borrowed from the NFL. We&rsquo;ll have a salary cap, much like the NBA. We know we&rsquo;ve got to control that, so one franchise doesn&rsquo;t go hog wild and drive another out of business.&ldquo;And once we get our European division in place&mdash;I know this sounds cocky&mdash;but 1 think people in North America will be calling us. I mean, all of a sudden we&rsquo;ll be going from the conceptual to a reality.&rdquo;But how realistic? Certainly, the GHL startup numbers are more fathomable than the NHL&rsquo;s $50-million entry fee. For $400,000, you too can be a big-league club owner. Each team won&rsquo;t be able to exceed a $2.4-million annual payroll under the salary-cap limitations. There will be a draft this spring, and hockey players everywhere, amateur or pro, will be eligible.In Birmingham, they love the Governor, and they&rsquo;d probably like Brett Hull, too.&ldquo;Sure, he could be drafted,&rdquo; laughed Putnam. &ldquo;But from a practical standpoint, given our salary cap&hellip;well, it&rsquo;s hard to play by yourself.&rdquo;For the most part, said Putnam, it will be the same game. The nets will be shifted a foot or two closer to the neutral zone. Penalty shots will be awarded more liberally. Like the college game, their red line won&rsquo;t factor into offside calls.Putnam isn&rsquo;t alone in assembling his worldwide dream, which will likely include clubs in both western and eastern Europe. Charles Hodgins, part of a venture capital firm that wants to bring pro hockey to Saskatoon, is chairman of the board. Richard Gerry, who operated Roanoke in the East Coast League, is league president. Dennis Murphy, who founded the American Basketball Association and WHA, is executive vice-president. Joe Bucchino, an assistant to Phil Esposito in their days with the Rangers, is director of scouting. And Marc Cloutier, former marketing director of the Winnipeg Jets, will hold the same position in the GHL.For the moment it doesn&rsquo;t sound like big business, with new arenas planned and seasonticket commitments, parking lots and luxury boxes a must. More than anything, it is probably a place to lose a lot of money for a long time, unless the dimension of including Europe untaps big TV revenue.But there is something refreshing about almost every start-up operation in any business. It is that same enthusiasm that could be heard in the voices of all those who came before the NHL board of governors in Florida. A dream is a dream, whether it&rsquo;s in Tampa or Timbuktu.What you will hear most in the next few weeks is a lot of skepticism, among both the old-guard and new-guard NHL. They&rsquo;ll call it a minor league, shake their heads, and keep one eye trained on its progress.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a commissioner of a league to be formed,&rdquo; said Putnam, a man who can save a laugh for himself. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m the only idiot who&rsquo;s ever started two expansion franchises. That&rsquo;s some claim to fame, I think.&rdquo;Sign me up. Two in the balcony, center ice. Kevin Dupont is a hockey writer for the Boston Globe. &#9632;

f0043-01

DON’T DISMISS GLOBAL LEAGUE

<h2>MAPLE LEAFS</h2>Right winger John Kordic&rsquo;s days as a Maple Leaf appear to be over. Kordic was asked by Toronto Dec. 5 not to report for duty any longer with the Newmarket Saints of the American League and to simply stay at home and await word regarding his future. &ldquo;It was felt that John&rsquo;s heart was no longer in it and that he had become a disruptive influence on the Saints,&rdquo; said Leafs&rsquo; spokesman Bob Stellick. Kordic was outraged when he learned of the edict and swore that he would fight it, but quietly left the next day. He did say, however, that it would do him no good to go home to Edmonton. &ldquo;All you can do at this time of year in Edmonton is shovel snow or milk cows and I don&rsquo;t do either of those,&rdquo; said Kordic. The Leafs said they will continue to pay Kordic his $145,000 salary and are trying to trade him&hellip;Veteran Brad Marsh, who missed only one game in his first two seasons in Toronto, had been benched for nine straight games through Dec. 8.<h2>BLUES</h2>Though his goal-scoring pace indicates otherwise&mdash;he had 29 through Dec. 10&mdash;Brett Hull says the big contract he signed in the off-season has been a hindrance at times. &ldquo;I always feel like I have to do it all,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not so much that I don&rsquo;t rely on the other guys. It&rsquo;s just that I want to do it all and prove to everybody that it wasn&rsquo;t a waste of money.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Cliff Ronning replaced Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour on the Blues&rsquo; first line with Hull and Gino Cavallini. producing two assists and a goal in back-to-back wins over Detroit (6-3 and 2-1 Dec. 7-8)&hellip;Through Dec. 10, center Adam Oates had missed 15 consecutive games with a partial tear of the abdominal muscle, and coach Brian Sutter was becoming exasperated by his absence. &ldquo;Oatsie&rsquo;s going to have to come to us and tell us when he can play.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Blues&rsquo; GM Ron Caron is trying to acquire disgruntled Islanders&rsquo; center Pat LaFontaine. but Sutter said he&rsquo;s not the only one. &ldquo;Hey, I&rsquo;m sure every team in the National Hockey League has inquired,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If they don&rsquo;t, there&rsquo;s something wrong.&rdquo;<h2>BLACKHAWKS</h2>Head coach Mike Keenan and goalie Ed Belfour had words on the bench Dec. 9 after Keenan pulled Belfour midway through the first period against Philadelphia (5-4 loss). Keenan made the move after Belfour allowed two goals on four shots. Belfour stormed toward the bench, slammed his stick against the boards at the doorway and took a seat. Keenan called to Belfour several times, and when the goalie didn&rsquo;t respond, Keenan walked down to the end of the bench, grabbed Belfour by the sweater and shook him while yelling into the goalie&rsquo;s mask. The crowd in Chicago Stadium chanted &ldquo;Eddie! Eddie!&rdquo; until Keenan put Belfour back in the game 50 seconds later. &ldquo;1 was mad. He yelled at me. I yelled back. We yelled at each other,&rdquo; Belfour said afterward. &ldquo;Nobody likes to be pulled, but it&rsquo;s something that&rsquo;s a part of this team, part of the coaching. I&rsquo;ve seen it the last three years, so I know it&rsquo;s going to take place. &lsquo;&lsquo;Keenan said he lifted Belfour to deliver the team a message that it wasn&rsquo;t playing very well, adding that he &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t care less&rdquo; if people think he has a quick trigger finger with his goalies. &ldquo;What&rsquo;s important is what the team thinks,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;My comment is not directed at the fans. It&rsquo;s directed at anyone who writes about Keenan pulling his goalies.&rdquo; He added that the fan reaction had nothing to do with putting Belfour back in the game. &ldquo;What am I supposed to do, let the crowd coach now?&rdquo; Keenan said.<h2>RED WINGS</h2>Alain Chevrier&rsquo;s stay in Detroit was short after a 10-day conditioning stint with San Diego (IHL). Chevrier had expected to return to the Wings and assume his job as caddy for Tim Cheveldae. But by the time Chevrier returned, Glen Hanlon had reclaimed the job for himself with some sterling work in three starts, which included a 5-1 win at Chicago (Nov. 29), a 3-3 tie at Buffalo (Dec. 2), followed by a 2-1 loss to St. Louis (Dec. 8). Before re-assigning Chevrier to the minors, coach and GM Bryan Murray placed him on waivers, hoping to find him a job with an NHL team. Murray even placed several calls to other NHL clubs, including Toronto, but found no takers.<h2>NORTH STARS</h2>Goalie Jon Casey signed a two-year, $700,000 contract Dec. 3, one month after he suggested he might be through talking with the North Stars. The deal, which is retroactive to the start of this season and extends through next season, includes a $50,000 signing bonus and a $325,000 annual salary. It&rsquo;s a considerable raise from the $145,000 he was getting under the option year of his old contract&hellip;Defenseman Shawn Chambers had surgery to tighten ligaments in his left knee and repair a small fracture of his kneecap Dec. 10 and will be out until February. The injury, which happened Dec. 5 in a game against Toronto (3-2 win), is similar to one he suffered during the pre-season tour of the Soviet Union. He had arthroscopic surgery before the season and missed the first 11 games&hellip;Link Gaetz, the Stars&rsquo; second-round pick in the 1988 draft, is on loan to Kansas City of the International League. Gaetz, who repeatedly missed practices and games with the Stars&rsquo; IHL team in Kalamazoo, had asked to move to another team. A condition of the deal is that Kansas City provide Gaetz with treatment for his alcohol-related problems. &#9632;

LEAFS RUN OUT OF PATIENCE WITH KORDIC

Denis Savard and the Montreal Canadiens are not the only players struggling with inept power plays this season. Through Dec. 5, five teams had power play percentages that would place them among the ten worst since the 198081 season: Montreal (11.5 per cent), Toronto (13.8 per cent), Detroit (14.5 percent). Boston (15.8 per cent), and Hartford (15.9 per cent).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02230/5965281-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="716" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body">Denis Savard</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0043-02

NUMBERS

<div class="byline">BY MARK HARDING</div>It spoke volumes about the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; plight earlier this season when, on many nights, rookie Scott Thornton was the club&rsquo;s best player.Call it unabashed youthful enthusiasm, determination to show he belonged or just old fashioned hard work, but the club&rsquo;s No. 1 draft pick in 1989 always made his presence felt.Whether sandwiched by the club&rsquo;s top wingers, Vincent Damphousse and Daniel Marois, or seeing spot duty on the fourth line, Thornton&rsquo;s energy level never wavered.Sure, he made mistakes. Lots of them. His minus-11 rating will testify to that, but it certainly wasn&rsquo;t the worst on the team. He didn&rsquo;t often make the same mistake twice and that&rsquo;s always encouraging to see in a rookie.Still, despite his indefatigable work ethic and determination to improve his game, Thornton found himself spending more time in the press box than on the ice towards the latter part of November and early December.With the influx of such veterans as Lucien DeBlois, Aaron Broten and Paul Fenton, Thornton found himself one of several odd men out in coach Tom Watt&rsquo;s game strategy.Because of these circumstances, Thornton found it very easy to decide when the Canadian national junior team came inquiring about his availability for the World Championship which begins Dec. 26 in Saskatoon, Sask.&ldquo;If I was playing, or if I thought I would be playing every game here for the next few weeks, then I&rsquo;d probably opt to stay with the Leafs, but the way things are right now 1 think it would be best for me to go with the juniors,&rdquo; said Thornton.Despite having a chance to get some much-needed playing time against the best junior players on the planet, there&rsquo;s another reason for Thornton&rsquo;s desire to represent Canada in the seven-country tournament.When last year&rsquo;s squad was named to wear Canadian colors at the championship in Finland. Thornton had the dubious honor of being the last player cut from the team before it went overseas. The snub hurt Thornton far more than he let on.&ldquo;For whatever reason, the coaches thought I had a questionable attitude, I guess,&rdquo; said the 19-year-old center. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what I did to give them that impression, because I really wanted to go and was very disappointed that I didn&rsquo;t get to go.&rdquo;When the Canadian juniors defeated Czechoslovakia 2-1 and Sweden tied the Soviets 5-5 on the final day of the tourney, the gold medal belonged to Canada.-Thornton obviously felt even worse about not having made the squad.Dick Todd, coach of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Peterborough Petes and an assistant coach with the national junior team last year, called Leafs&rsquo; general manager Floyd Smith recently and asked if Thornton might be available.&ldquo;I think basically Mr. Smith told him that he would never stand in the way of one of his players from competing in this kind of tournament, and that the decision was entirely up to me,&rdquo; said Thornton.The process involved in Thornton making up his mind lasted oh, perhaps three seconds.It&rsquo;s still possible that when Thornton returns from the world junior tournament sometime in mid-January the Leafs could return him to his junior team in Belleville of the OHL.&ldquo;My No. 1 goal is to be here, with the Leafs, even if I&rsquo;m not playing,&rdquo; said Thornton. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve learned a lot just from practising with the Leafs and from watching them play.&ldquo;This is where I want to be, but if they decide that I&rsquo;m not ready yet then I&rsquo;ll do whatever they want me to do.&rdquo;Thornton won&rsquo;t be the only Leaf property at the junior&rsquo;s camp. He&rsquo;ll be joined by defenseman Drake Berehowsky, who rejoined his Kingstor(OHL) club earlier this season, and goaltender Felix Potvin of the Quebec League&rsquo;s Chicoutimi Sagueneens.<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 5: John Kordic, RW, suspended indefinitely with pay.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mike Krushelnyski, Paul Fenton. Dave Hannan, Lucien DeBlois, Scott Thornton.LW&mdash;Wendel Clark, Vincent Damphousse, Dave Reid. Aaron Broten, Joe Sacco.RW&mdash;Doug Shedden, Daniel Marois, Lou Franceschetti, Kevin Maguire.LD&mdash;Dave Ellett, Luke Richardson, Todd Gill, Brad Marsh, Tom Kurvers.RD&mdash;Rob Ramage, Al lafrate, Michel Petit.G&mdash;Peter Ing, Allan Bester, Jeff Reese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tom Fergus, C, groin surgery, indefinite. Gary Leeman. RW, separated shoulder, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Damphousse, Reid, Clark, 10. A&mdash;Damphousse, 15. P&mdash;Damphousse, 25. PIM&mdash;lafrate, 95. &#9632;

THORNTON RESCUED BY NATIONAL TEAM

<div class="byline">BY GARY OLSON</div>Warren Babe was hit so hard during an exhibition game in Winnipeg 15 months ago that it almost knocked him out of hockey.Babe, the Minnesota North Stars&rsquo; first-round pick from the 1986 draft, was checked by the Jets&rsquo; Shawn Cronin. Clean, but hard. Real hard.In the next few days, the concussion he incurred became an injury that put his career in jeopardy. It was the 10th concussion in two seasons for the 6-foot-3, 200-pound left winger and each needed less impact and more time to heal.Doctors said, &ldquo;Hey Babe, take a walk on the mild side.&rdquo; Forget hockey for a year. Tough news for a 21-year-old soon-to-be NHLer.&ldquo;It was more than a little scary. I didn&rsquo;t know what I&rsquo;d do,&rdquo; Babe said, looking back after being recalled by the North Stars 15 months after he was told to put his career on hold.&ldquo;At first I was mad, said, &lsquo;Why me?&rsquo; Now I know the injury is in the past and I have to keep going forward.&ldquo;I went home (to Medicine Hat, Alta.) and went to college. I took my first year of business administration classes but I still didn&rsquo;t know what I&rsquo;d do with my life if the doctors wouldn&rsquo;t let me come back. I&rsquo;d dreamed of playing hockey from the time I was six years old.&rdquo;Babe, restricted to non-contact sports, tried to skate once a week last winter but couldn&rsquo;t always find ice for a guy who needed to be alone. He rode a stationary bicycle and played a little basketball.&ldquo;I missed my teammates and the camaraderie of the dressing room,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but what I really missed was the competition. It got to the point where playing cards with my wife (Paige) was a big deal. She really helped hold me down, kept me from going crazy. I didn&rsquo;t want to do anything that could ruin my chance to come back.&ldquo;The doctors only told me to take a year off, rest my head. There were no promises. I wasn&rsquo;t cleared to play hockey again until August. I was concerned the North Stars might shy away from me.&rdquo;Not long after the North Stars went to the Soviet Union, Babe went back to Kalamazoo (International League) to try to rebuild a career.After 22 games with the Wings he had 11 goals and 21 points and had earned a ticket back to Minnesota Dec. 7. The Stars needed size&mdash;with Basil McRae on the shelf, bodychecks had become a rarity&mdash;and they needed scoring. In his first game back&mdash;a 7-0 blanking of Philadelphia Dec. 8&mdash;he earned one assist.&ldquo;I had been afraid that the time away would cause my skills to drop off a little,&rdquo; Babe said. &ldquo;I felt a little rusty at first but (Kalamazoo coach John Marks) was patient with me.&rdquo;<h2>MINNESOTA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 3: Jon Casey. G, signed two-year contract. Dec. 4: Link Gaetz, D, loaned to Kansas City (IHL) from Kalamazoo (IHL). Dec. 7: Warren Babe, LW, Neil Wilkinson, D. recalled from Kalamazoo.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Neal Broten, Dave Gagner. Mike Modano, Bobby Smith, Perry Berezan.LW&mdash;Doug Smail, Warren Babe. Brian Propp, Gaetan Duchesne, Larry DePalma.RW&mdash;Brian Bellows, llkka Sinisalo, Shane Churla, Ulf Dahlen, Mike Craig.LD&mdash;Mark Tinordi, Brian Glynn, Rob Zettler, Neil Wilkinson.RD&mdash;Peter Taglianetti, Larry Murphy, Curt Giles.G&mdash;Jon Casey, Brian Hayward.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Shawn Chambers, D, left knee surgery, indefinite. Kevin Evans. LW, reconstructive knee surgery, out for season Stewart Gavin, RW. torn left knee ligaments, indefinite. Basil McRae. LW, torn abdominal muscle, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Gagner. 13. A&mdash;Broten, 25. P&mdash;fl Broten, 30. PIM&mdash;Churla, 162. &#9632;

ANEW, HEALTHY BABE’S IN TOWN

<div class="byline">BY KEITH GAVE</div>The Detroit Red Wings are living, insufferable proof of that old hockey axiom: One hundred per cent of the shots you don&rsquo;t take won&rsquo;t go into the net.An unwillingness to shoot the puck has compromised the Wings&rsquo; manpower advantage on the power play. They might as well&mdash;as Joe Louis Arena fans are screaming every time he referee&rsquo;s arm goes up these days&mdash;decline the penalty.The Wings&rsquo; impotent power play cost them another two points in the standings in the finale of a home-and-home series with St. Louis, which the Blues swept (6-3 and 2-1 Dec. 7-8). The Wings held a two-man edge for the first 1:28 of the third period of Game 2&mdash;with the Blues&rsquo; best two penalty killers in the box&mdash;and managed one shot on goal.&ldquo;The game was on the line, no question.&rdquo; coach Bryan Murray complained, &ldquo;and we got off one shot. It cost us the game.&rdquo;When the 5-on-3 ended, Detroit still held a one-man advantage for 3:28 on Dave Lowry&rsquo;s high-sticking major on Steve Chiasson. In that span, the Wings managed one more shot on goal.&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t shooting the puck,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Jimmy Carson&mdash;because the puck&rsquo;s not going in for him&mdash;passed up three or four great chances. That&rsquo;s not Jimmy.&rdquo;Reasons vary for such ineptitude on the power play: No booming shot at the point; defensemen expected to quarterback the play are talented but inexperienced; little emphasis by the coaching staff on special teams until about the 20-game mark; and lack of production from key players including Carson.While his ice time on the power play isn&rsquo;t bountiful, he admits he should be scoring more; he didn&rsquo;t have a man-advantage marker through 28 games. No goals for a player who traditionally gets 40 per cent of his points on the power play.&ldquo;If it doesn&rsquo;t happen for us early,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;it seems like we get frustrated with ourselves and nothing happens.&rdquo;The double dip left the Wings closer to fourth place than to second in the Norris Division race.Two Wing victories over St. Louis would have put Detroit in second place. Instead, the Wings trailed the Blues by seven points while fourthplace Minnesota was only six points back. Blame the power play, which had produced just one goal in 17 chances during a four-game winless streak (0-3-1). And that goal came when Blues&rsquo; defenseman Scott Stevens inadvertantly shot the puck into his own net in the opener of the series.Captain Steve Yzerman, who logs more ice time on the power play than any other Red Wing, echoed Murray&rsquo;s theory regarding the team&rsquo;s lack of power-play production.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not shooting it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We move the puck out of our end okay and we move it into their zone okay. But we&rsquo;re not shooting the puck and getting it at the net. We don&rsquo;t seem to have a big blast from the point.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s called a man advantage, but I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;re taking advantage of it. I can sit here and dictate to you guys (reporters) what I think is wrong, but going out and making it work is another thing.&rdquo;<h2>DETROIT</h2>TRANSACTIONSDec. 3: Daniel Shank, RW, recalled from Adirondack (AHL). Dec. 7: Alain Chevrier, G, assigned to San Diego (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Steve Yzerman, Jimmy Carson, Sergei Fedorov, John ChabotLW&mdash;Gerard Gallant, Shawn Burr, Johan Garpenlov, Randy McKay, Keith Primeau.RW&mdash;Paul Ysebaert, Dave Barr, Marc Habscheid, Joe Kocur. Daniel Shank.LD&mdash;Steve Chiasson, Bobby Delias, Per Djoos.RD&mdash;Brad McCrimmon, Rick Zombo. Rick Green. Yves Racine.G&mdash;Tim Cheveldae. Glen Hanlon.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Brent Fedyk, RW, sore back, day-to-day. Sheldon Kennedy, RW, shoulder surgery, indefinite. Bob Probert. RW. broken left arm, indefinite. Greg Stefan, G. right knee surgery, indefinite.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Yzerman, 15. A&mdash;Yzerman, 21. i P&mdash;Yzerman, 36 PIM&mdash;Kocur. 134. &#9632;

POWER PLAY SHOOTING NOTHING BUT BLANKS

<div class="byline">BY DAVE LUECKING</div>The St. Louis Blues made the Detroit Red Wings pay twice for starting their recent six-game winless streak.On Nov. 23, the Red Wings beat the Blues 5-3 at Joe Louis Arena, starting an 0-4-2 slide. Two weeks later, on Dec. 8, the Blues rebounded with a 6-3 whipping of the Wings at Joe Louis Arena.The following day. they added an exclamation point, grinding out a 2-1 victory over Detroit at home to sweep the home-and-home series.With the sweep, the Blues led the third-place Red Wings by seven points through Dec. 10.&ldquo;We needed to win, bad,&rdquo; left winger Sergio Momesso said.But the Blues&rsquo; power play troubles disappeared against the Red Wings. They scored twice on the power play in the first period Dec. 8, to overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Brett Hull scored the first one and defenseman Glen Featherstone added his second career NHL goal.But the Blues success on the power play wasn&rsquo;t the only bright spot. They held leads in both games, something they hadn&rsquo;t done for some time.On Dec. 8, the Blues held a 4-3 lead early in the third period. Instead of folding, Rich Sutter scored two goals in a 10-second span to put the game ice.The next night, the Blues led 2-1 after two periods but faced a two-man advantage for 1 minute, 21 seconds, followed by a high-sticking major to Dave Lowry to start the second period.But it didn&rsquo;t matter. The Blues allowed just two shots on net. Veteran defenseman Harold Snepsts blocked three shots.&ldquo;That was the key point in the game,&rdquo; Snepsts said. &ldquo;We were sitting in the dressing room a little down between periods because we knew we were facing the five-on-three. But we were ahead, and said &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s play with confidence.&rsquo; &ldquo;It was a big weekend for Snepsts On Dec. 8, he scored a rare goal which proved to be the game winner. It was only his fourth goal since 1984.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t expect to score that early in the season,&rdquo; he said, with a laugh. &ldquo;My goals aren&rsquo;t pretty, but 1&rsquo;11 take them as they come&mdash;one at a time&hellip;one per year.&rdquo;The next night, Snepsts starred defensively. It was his 1,000th career game.&ldquo;It couldn&rsquo;t have happened in a better way on a night like that,&rdquo; Blues&rsquo; coach Brian Sutter said. &ldquo;Harold exemplifies what pro athletes are all about. He plays hard every night.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of skill in handling the puck, but he works hard, and that to me, is a skill. He&rsquo;s got a big heart, too, and that&rsquo;s a skill a lot of people don&rsquo;t have.&rdquo;The big-hearted Snepsts deflected praise to his teammates.&ldquo;The most important thing is the two points,&rdquo; Snepsts said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the biggest accomplishment of the night.&rdquo;<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Cliff Ronning, Bob Bassen, Ron Wilson. Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour.LW&mdash;Gino Cavallini. Geoff Courtnall, Dave Lowry. Sergio Momesso.RW&mdash;Brett Hull, Rich Sutter, Paul MacLean, Herb Raglan.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Harold Snepsts. Glen Featherstone, Robert DirkRD&mdash;Jeff Brown. Paul Cavallini, Mario Marois.G&mdash;Vincent Riendeau, Curtis Joseph.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Rick Meagher. C. surgery on right knee, indefinite. Adam Oates, C, strained lower abdominal muscles, day-to-day.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Hull, 29. A&mdash;Oates, 18. P&mdash;Hull. 41 PIM&mdash;Featherstone, 69. &#9632;

AGELESS SNEPSTS HELPS END LOSING STREAK

<div class="byline">BY STEVE SIMMONS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01210/5965408-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="429" height="610"></div>Cries and calls for the implementation of an Eric Lindros lottery are misguided at best, and at worst simply misinformed.There is a strong feeling among many hockey people that a draft-style lottery, similar to that used by the NBA, should replace the longstanding system in which the worst picks first.This, of course, is typical hockey thinking. Make the rules for the day. Forget about yesterday. Forget about tomorrow. Today there is an Eric Lindros. An unfair advantage. We can&rsquo;t have unfair advantages. This is hockey.The problem is, the NHL can&rsquo;t possibly introduce a lottery system without altering its playoff system, its schedule and just about everything else it does between October and April.Under the current system, the five NHL teams which don&rsquo;t make the playoffs get the first five picks in the draft. That makes sense, except in the years where some teams make the playoffs while other teams with more points in other divisions do not.Who do you include in the lottery? The five teams which don&rsquo;t make the playoffs? Or the five teams with the worst records?And what do the records mean if the schedules aren&rsquo;t balanced?There is an unfortunate feeling around hockey that there are teams actually trying to finish last. I&rsquo;ve heard it. You&rsquo;ve heard it. It&rsquo;s bunk. Nothing but bunk.Who&rsquo;s trying to finish last? Not the Nordiques, no matter what kind of nonsense is being spread by Michel Petit. Look Pierre Page in the eye and ask him about finishing last. See how much losing hurts him. See how much he detests this growing period.Sure, the Nordiques are going to wind up with Lindros and they deserve to. They&rsquo;re the worst team in the NHL. They should get the best player available in the draft.That&rsquo;s the way the system was devised. That&rsquo;s the way it was intended. And the funny thing is, it works. People are all caught up in this lottery business because this happens to be a season in which a superb junior is emerging. But last year, when no one was quite sure who would go first, there was nary a mention of such a notion.Go through the last five drafts and try and find a real difference in the first pick. The best player from the 1988 draft is Jeremy Roenick, drafted eighth. The best player to emerge from 1987 is Joe Sakic, picked 15th. In 1986, Brian Leetch looks like the best of the bunch. He was taken ninth. And to find the best player from the 1985 draft, you have to go to the second round, where Joe Nieuwendyk was taken.The fact is, the draft is nothing if not unpredictable. Once in a while a Lindros or a Mario Lemieux comes along, but that&rsquo;s only once in a while. You can&rsquo;t tear up the whole process in the years you suspect a superstar is on the way.Rebuilding in hockey is more difficult than rebuilding in other sports. It takes longer. There hasn&rsquo;t been free agency to rely upon. There is only the draft.The team that finishes last&mdash;and be honest, no one is trying to finish last&mdash;at least deserves the opportunity to make the first selection in the draft. They don&rsquo;t always make the right one. Most of the time they&rsquo;re wrong. But it&rsquo;s their choice and they can&rsquo;t claim they lost out on Lindros or even Owen Nolan because of a lottery system.There will be no NHL black eye, as some observers have naively predicted this year. No team will roll over and play dead waiting for Lindros to bring them to life.Page has too much pride. Floyd Smith is afraid of the legacy. Bobby Clarke is too worried about the state of the franchise and too reliant upon the playoff revenue. Al Arbour gets more out of the Islanders than any coach alive could. Which raises the question: Who&rsquo;s playing dead?The answer: No one.The NHL is not the NBA. One player cannot appreciably change a franchise the way Lew Alcinder (the latter day Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) changed the Milwaukee Bucks, the way David Robinson changed the San Antonio Spurs.Brian Bellows hasn&rsquo;t made the North Stars appreciably better. Neither has Mike Modano. Mario Lemieux put fans in the stands but has led the Penguins to fewer playoff games than Kirk Muller has led the Devils to.If the NHL really wants to accomplish something, it should consider disallowing any trade that involves a first-round draft pick. History has proven this to be an exercise in selfdestruction.But don&rsquo;t alter the draft format. The draft is one thing about the NHL that works. One of the things that work best.Steve Simmons is a feature writer/columnist for the Toronto Sun. &#9632;

f0047-01

LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE

Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; left winger Mark Osborne had an embarrassing moment after a Jets&rsquo; practice last week. Osborne was walking along the ice, joking with reporters behind the boards, when he innocently threw a puck in their direction. Osborne thought the puck would bounce off the protective glass, but it shattered, showering the reporters with glass. No one was hurt, but Osborne received a $475 repair bill.<h2>HEALTH HAZARD</h2>Watching a perennial loser can be hazardous to your health. Just ask sports broadcaster Dave Quinn, who covers the Toronto Maple Leafs for CFRB. Following a recent game, Quinn dislocated his jaw after an unusally wide yawn. He was forced to go to the hospital to have it popped back in place.<h2>DRAFT PROSPECT WATCH</h2>Kamloops&rsquo; defenseman Scott Niedermayer has forged into the lead of the Western League&rsquo;s top prospect rankings.The 17-year-old native of Cranbrook, B.C., jumped from fifth place to first in the standings, passing Prince Albert center Jeff Nelson.Niedermayer joins Oshawa center Eric Lindros (Ontario League) and Trois-Rivieres&rsquo; center Yanic Perreault (Quebec League) as top prospect leaders through the second segment of the season. The top prospect standings are sponsored by Valvoline Canada Ltd.ONTARIO LEAGUE: 1. Eric Lindros, C, Oshawa. 2. Pat Peake, C, Detroit. 3. Dennis Purdie, RW, London. 4. John Porco, C, Belleville. 4.(tie) Jason Dawe, LW, Peterborough. 6. Kevin MacKay, RW, Windsor. 7. Jamie Caruso, C, North Bay. 7.(tie) Justin Morrison, C, Kingston. 7.(tie) Jason Weaver, RW, Oshawa.QUEBEC LEAGUE: 1. Yanic Perreault, C, Trois-Rivieres. 2. Martin Lapointe, LW, Laval. 3. Philippe Boucher, D, Granby. 4. Rene Corbet, LW, Granby. 4.(tie) Patrick Poulin, LW, St-Hyacinthe. 6. Francois Groleau, D, Shawinigan. 7. Carl Boudreau. C, Victoriaville. 8. Jean-Francois Gregoire, RW, Granby.WESTERN LEAGUE: I. Scott Niedermayer, D, Kamloops. 2. Jeff Nelson, C, Prince Albert. 3. Pat Falloon, C, Spokane. 4. Brent Bilodeau, D, Seattle. 5. Richard Matvichuk, D, Saskatoon. 6. Lee Leslie, C. Prince Albert. 7. Ray Whitney, C, Spokane. 8. Chris Osgood, G, Medicine Hat.<h2>TICKET MASTER</h2>The bus driver taking the Minnesota North Stars to Maple Leaf Gardens for a Dec. 5 game against Toronto got a $40 ticket for parking in a rush-hour zone. Team executives on the bus jokingly offered the police official a ticket to the next North Stars-Maple Leafs game if she&rsquo;d tear up the parking ticket. Even in hockey-mad Toronto, it didn&rsquo;t work.<h2>STONEHANDS KLIMA</h2>Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; right winger Petr Klima says he has missed about 10 breakaways in the last five games, and it&rsquo;s starting to get on his nerves. &ldquo;If I get one next game. I&rsquo;ll just dump it in and go for a change,&rdquo; he said.<h2>QUESTION OF THE WEEK:</h2>Are more players running down goalies this season because of the extra space behind the net?&ldquo;I think so,&rdquo; says Quebec goaltender Ron Tugnutt. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s more traffic in front of the net now.&rdquo;&ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s happened a few times more this season,&rdquo; says Boston goaltender Andy Moog. &ldquo;But I think the rules they have are fine. Unfortunately, most of the time they (the referees) choose not to call it.&rdquo; &#9632;

SHATTERING NEWS FOR JETS’ OSBORNE

&#9632; We&rsquo;ll examine the issues covered at the NCAA convention in Nashville. Tenn. Jan. 7-11, including proposals that could kill smaller college hockey programs.&#9632; Nelson Emerson and Dominik Hasek have taken the International League by storm, and are challenging for the league&rsquo;s rookie of the year honors. We&rsquo;ll outline the early contenders for the award.&#9632; A profile of New Jersey Devils&rsquo; tough guy Troy Crowder.&#9632; A profile of the Toronto Maple Leaf&rsquo;s goalie of the future, Felix Potvin.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03119/5965463-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="560" height="627"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nelson Emerson</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0047-03

NEXT WEEK

Before Bryan Fogarty joined Quebec last season, his career plus-minus rating was impressive. His 155 points for Niagara Falls (Ontario League) in 1988-89, set a single season scoring record for defensemen. But in 45 games last season, Fogarty had the worst plus-minus rating in the NHL (minus-47). This season, he&rsquo;s improved to minus-3. Through Dec. 5, teammate Joe Sakic is the worst at minus-16.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02152/5965494-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="561" height="413"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Fogarty</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0047-02

ODDITIES

<div class="byline">BY TIM SASSONE</div>Jeremy Roenick is not Denis Savard.And he&rsquo;s not putting extra pressure on himself to pick up where Savard left off.Perhaps that is what&rsquo;s enabled Roenick to post Savard-like numbers over the first two months of the season.It was Roenick&rsquo;s potential that allowed the Hawks to trade Savard to Montreal in the off-season for defenseman Chris Chelios.And the 20-year-old sophomore has justified the faith the club had in him.Through 32 games, Roenick was second behind Steve Larmer in goals with 14, tied for second on the team in scoring with Chris Chelios with 34 points, the club&rsquo;s co-leader in gamewinning goals with four and second in power-play goals with six. In addition, he topped everyone with a plusminus rating of plus-14.&ldquo;Yeah, it&rsquo;s gone well so far. but I can get better,&rdquo; Roenick said. &ldquo;I never felt any pressure on me to replace Savvy and I still don&rsquo;t. Everybody has stepped up and contributed offensively on this team, and that&rsquo;s the way if was supposed to happen.&rdquo;But it hasn&rsquo;t been all open nets and red lights for Roenick. Like Chelios and the rest of his teammates, he&rsquo;s spent time in Mike Keenan&rsquo;s doghouse.Roenick was introduced to Keenan&rsquo;s wrath, when he was benched for large portions of back-to-back games with Detroit Nov. 29 and Dec. 1.But it didn&rsquo;t take Roenick long to get back on Keenan&rsquo;s good side. He scored a key goal in a 3-2 win Dec.2 over St. Louis, and then tied a career high for points in a game with fo assists in a 5-2 victory over the Islan. ders Dec. 6.In addition to his goal against St. Louis, Roenick hit everything that moved.Associate coach Darryl Sutter said Roenick&rsquo;s physical play was missing in the Detroit games.&ldquo;I had to come back and prove something to myself (against St. Louis),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I owed the team one. I wasn&rsquo;t playing well, and when you&rsquo;re not playing well you&rsquo;re not going to play. I&rsquo;m no different than anybody else. It&rsquo;s not the first time it happened to me, nor will it be the last. It happens with everybody.&rdquo;Roenick may think he&rsquo;s just like every other player, but the Hawks know he&rsquo;s not. And they&rsquo;re also aware he&rsquo;s still only 20-years-old.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we ever forget that,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;But at the same time, he&rsquo;s being thought of around the league as a top player and he&rsquo;s got to accept the challenge. Detroit considers him a top player based on the fact they play (Steve) Yzerman and (Sergei) Fedorov against him. He has to prepare himself to outplay centermen like that.&rdquo;Roenick credits a talk he had with&rdquo; Sutter for helping him out of his minislump. Sutter told Roenick he&rsquo;s got to be more of a jerk on the ice.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to go out and stir the pot,&rdquo; Roenick said. &ldquo;It gets me going and it gets the team going. As long as the other teams don&rsquo;t take too much offense, because I&rsquo;m not a bad guy and I&rsquo;m not out there to injure anybody. I just want to frustrate them, provide a spark and get our team going.&rdquo;<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Dec. 3: Mike Peluso, LW, assigned to Indianapolis (IHL)<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jeremy Roenick. Troy Murray, Adam Creighton, Jocelyn Lemieux.LW&mdash;Michel Goulet, Greg Gilbert. Steve Thomas, Mike Hudson, Stu Grimson.RW&mdash;Steve Larmer. Dirk Graham, Wayne Presley. Bob McGill, Mike McNeill.LD&mdash;Frantisek Kucera, Doug Wilson, Steve Konroyd.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios, Dave Manson, Keith Brown, Trent Yawney.G&mdash;Ed Belfour, Jacques Cloutier. Greg Millen.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None.<h3>LEADERS</h3>G&mdash;Larmer, 21. A&mdash;Chelios, 26. P&mdash;Larmer, 44. PIM&mdash;Grimson, 98. &#9632;

SAVARD-LIKE ROENICK PICKS UP THE SLACK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="S0001-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0001-014/5965549-1-eng-US/s0001-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

S0001-01

COLLECTORS WORLD

<div class="byline">BY PAUL ABRAMOWITZ</div>Slowly, but surely, Ken Hodge Jr., is trying to make people in Boston forget about his last name.It&rsquo;s not easy, especially playing in the city where his father was part of one of the most famous lines in NHL history&mdash;Wayne Cashman. Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge.Fifteen years after Hodge&rsquo;s career with the Bruins ended with a trade to the New York Rangers, his son is starting a new career in the organization.It began last August, when Hodge was traded from the Minnesota North Stars to the Bruins for future considerations. It was a deal Hodge requested because after three years in the Minnesota organization, he had played only five NHL games.Being dealt to the Bruins was a bonus for him and his family, who live in nearby Lynnfield, Mass.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s carried the name all his life,&rdquo; says Hodge Sr., a print salesman in Chelmsford, Mass. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s always felt the pressure, but maybe it was a little more magnified coming to Boston.&ldquo;People think that every time he steps on the ice, he has to prove himself because of his name and I don&rsquo;t think that&rsquo;s fair.&rdquo;The pressure was a lot for Hodge to handle in the first few days of training camp. &ldquo;I wanted to try and live up to the billing,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t work out.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0010-017/5965587-1-eng-US/s0010-012.jpg" title="S0010-01" width="562" height="770"></div>But then he settled down, played more effectively and made a good impression on head coach Mike Milbury and assistants Gordie Clark and Ted Sator.It still didn&rsquo;t save him a trip to the minors. Hodge started the season with the Maine Mariners, but his stay in the American League was brief.In eight games with Maine, Hodge had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) including four three-point games. On Oct. 27. he was recalled by the Bruins and played against the Blackhawks that night at Boston Garden. He had an assist in a 6-5 win.&ldquo;I always wanted to play in the NHL,&rdquo; Ken Jr., says. &ldquo;1 always thought it&rsquo;d be nice to play in the black and gold like my dad.&rdquo;The next milestone in Ken Jr. &lsquo;s season came Nov. 5, when Milbury put him at center on the No. 1 line between left winger Bob Carpenter and right winger Cam Neely. Five nights later, he had three assists in a 3-3 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Garden.&ldquo;I was a little bit more relaxed after that game,&rdquo; Ken Jr., says.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0010-023/5965580-1-eng-US/s0010-022.jpg" title="S0010-02" width="562" height="774"></div>But his first goal as a Bruin was still missing. Then the lowly Quebec Nordiques came to Boston Nov. 15 and Hodge got his goal in a 6-0 win. Unfortunately, his dad was not at the game as he took 12-year-old son Brendon to hockey practice. Ken&rsquo;s mother and sister, however, were at the game.&ldquo;That was a big thing,&rdquo; says Ken Jr., whose only other NHL goal came during the 1988-89 season with Minnesota. &ldquo;It was a long time coming.&ldquo;It was great for it to come at Boston Garden in front of the people who supported my dad all those years.&rdquo;Especially for dad, who was watching at home.&ldquo;I was relieved that it finally came,&rdquo; Ken Sr. says. &ldquo;He had had a lot of golden opportunities. Hopefully, this will relieve some of the pressure.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s very exciting all the things that have been happening to him. Sooner or later, that will wear off and the only thing that will count is his ability as a hockey player.&rdquo;Ken Sr., played nine season with the Bruins and scored 289 goals and 674 points in 652 games.Shortly after Ken Jr., established himself as a regular with the Bruins, he became an NHLer on cardboard. Score announced he would appear in its updated and traded set of rookies and other players not in its first set.Ken Sr., first appeared on a hockey card in the 1965-66 Topps set when he was with the Blackhawks. Card No. 65 is now worth $ 12 according to The Hockey News Collectors World price guide in the Dec. 7 issue of THN.The Ken Hodge Sr., Checklist: O-Pee-Chee: 1968-89 (No. 8), 196970 (No. 27), 1970-71 (No. 8), 197172 (No. 115, 254 AS), 1972-73 (No. 49), 1973-74 (No. 26), 1974-75 (No. 230, 128 AS), 1975-76 (No. 215), 1976-77 (No. 25), 1977-78 (No. 192); Topps: 1965-66 (No. 65), 196667 (No. 114), 1967-68 (No. 98), 1968-69 (No. 8), 1969-70 (No. 27), 1970-71 (No. 8), 1971-72 (No. 115), 1972-73 (No. 166), 1973-74 (No. 133), 1974-75 (No. 230), 1975-76 (No. 215), 1976-77 (No. 25), 197778 (No. 192).The Ken Hodge Jr., Checklist: Pro Cards: 1989-90 (No. 89); Score: 1990-91 (No. 85T). &#9632;

S0010-01

HODGE TRIES TO MAKE NAME FOR HIMSELF

<div class="byline">BY BRIAN COSTELLO</div>Make no mistake, you wouldn&rsquo;t want to be serving spaghetti on these plates.Collector plates featuring images of Gordie Howe, Darryl Sittier, Vladislav Tretiak and others are the hottest dishes on the menu. Some are selling for up to $200 a serving.D.H. Ussher, Ltd., in North Vancouver, B.C., and Gartlan, USA, in Huntington Beach, Calif., are two companies producing and distributing the latest in hockey collectible items.The limited-edition plates are made from high-quality porcelain and are bordered with a 22-karat gold rim set in an NHL wood-stained frame. Action images of each subject are crafted on the face of the plate with a list of individual accomplishments on the back. The displays are meant to hang on walls.Three plate sizes&mdash;101/4-inch. 81/2-inch and 41/4-inch&mdash;are produced, but only the largest is personally signed by the subject and numbered. They&rsquo;re the most expensive, naturally.The Lanny McDonald plate sold out 1,500 pieces in 90 days, while the Howe, Sittier and Tretiak plates are going fast. A Dave (Tiger) Williams plate is next in line.&ldquo;The idea is to capture the legends of hockey,&rdquo; says Des Ussher. &ldquo;Well-known individuals who were colorful, but are no longer playing are most marketable.&rdquo;Ussher started producing collectible plates 18 months ago after the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup and McDonald became an obvious starting point. He markets the plates in Canada and distributes them in the United States through Bob Gartlan. At first, Gartlan, USA, was skeptical.&ldquo;We honestly didn&rsquo;t think hockey (plate collectibles) would sell,&rdquo; says Gartlan USA marketing director Bob Martin. &ldquo;Baseball was a natural for us. Basketball and football were next on the list. Hockey didn&rsquo;t make a lot of sense to us at the time.&rdquo;Gartlan got together with Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s agent, Michael Barnett, and started a line of ceramic hockey cards, plates and figurines. What Gartlan USA learned was priceless.&ldquo;I lost four weeks sleep worrying about how they would go over,&rdquo; Martin says. &ldquo;Even though the hockey market is not as big as baseball, basketball or football, the fervor of the hockey core collector eclipses all others. They want a constant update of what&rsquo;s on the market.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got six or seven guys calling me all the time and they all know each other. They&rsquo;re like a fraternity trying to outdo one another. That phenomenon never happens outside hockey.&rdquo; vBoth Ussher and Martin say their companies don&rsquo;t promote secondary values on the plates. But it&rsquo;s clear the items are investments as well as collectibles. Why else would the Gretzky plates be listed on the Bradford Exchange?Ussher&rsquo;s l01/4-inch Howe plates&mdash;2,421 of them signifying total career games&mdash;retail for $150 apiece now, but will appreciate in value.The McDonald plate retailed for $125 last year, but is now trading for up to $200 in some places.In addition to the limited-edition numbered legend plates produced by Ussher, generic murals are also favorites. The &lsquo;Winning Goal&rsquo; from the 1987 Canada Cup, &lsquo;Faceoff&rsquo;, &lsquo;He Shoots, He Scores&rsquo; and &lsquo;Goalies&rsquo; are plates that reflect the beauty of hockey rather than simple investment potential.In the future, plate subjects miglinclude: Maurice (Rocket) Richarc Bobby Orr, Bobby and Brett Hui and Phil and Tony Esposito. &#9632;

‘HOT’ PLATES BECOME POPULAR WITH COLLECTORS

<div class="byline">BY SHERRY ROSS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="S0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0013-015/5965642-1-eng-US/s0013-012.jpg"></div>Timing has never been Pat LaFontaine&rsquo;s forte. While he appears to be a master of precision on the ice&mdash;always in the right place at the right time with his quickness and anticipation&mdash;his career has been dogged by a series of missed connections.First, LaFontaine joined the United States Olympic team in 1984 to play for the club which had the unenviable task of following the Miracle On Ice at Lake Placid in 1980.Then he turned pro in March 1984, just in time to see the end of the New York Islanders&rsquo; streak of four consecutive Stanley Cups.To top off his string of bad timing, he signed a four-year contract in 1987 which keeps his salary at a relatively low amount while lesser players are benefitting from the escalating pay structure.He can do nothing about the disappointing Olympics, but he may yet lead the Islanders out of the Patrick Division wilderness. And he is trying to do something about his paycheck. He and agent Don Meehan of Toronto are renegotiating to bring his salary to superstar status.LaFontaine has emerged as the Islanders&rsquo; quiet leader and because of his commitment to coach Al Arbour and teammates, he shocked the Islanders when he missed the end of training camp in a bid to force renegotiation of his contract. He won&rsquo;t call it a walkout, saying he asked for a few days off to discuss some matters with his family. But he sent a clear message that he is serious about his financial future.The gap between what LaFontaine wants and what the team is offering, however, is a large one to say the least. LaFontaine, who has a year and an option left on a contract that pays him an estimated $450,000 (U.S.) annually, is seeking a five-year deal worth roughly $1.5 million per season&mdash;similar to what Detroit&rsquo;s Steve Yzerman earns. The Isles have countered with a six-year, $500,000-per-campaign offer.While he says he will honor his contract, LaFontaine is bothered by the lagging negotiations and it&rsquo;s possible he will request a trade or play out his option.That wouldn&rsquo;t bode well for the Islanders. Statistically, few teams in the NHL rely on one player as much as the Islanders do on LaFontaine. (He was in on 105 of the team&rsquo;s 281 goals last year.) Islander general manager Bill Torrey admitted as much when LaFontaine took his leave of absence at the season&rsquo;s start.&ldquo;If he&rsquo;s going to stay away,&rdquo; quipped Torrey at the time, &ldquo;tell him not to do it for half the year&mdash;but for the whole year&mdash;so we can get Eric Lindros.&rdquo;Part of LaFontaine&rsquo;s firmness in contract matters may be due to his new status as a father. On Nov. 10, his wife Marybeth gave birth to a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth, and the proud daddy promptly went out and celebrated by scoring a pair of goals in a 5-1 win over Calgary.The fans&rsquo; affection for LaFontaine goes beyond his considerable talent. In an era where most stars often respond to requests by asking, &ldquo;What&rsquo;s in it for me?,&rdquo; LaFontaine is refreshingly different. Unfailingly polite and warm to his fans, the 25-year-old recalls it wasn&rsquo;t all that long ago that he was trailing around after hockey stars.&ldquo;I think athletes should be role models,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;When I was six years old, I went to (former New York Ranger) Walt Tkaczuk&rsquo;s hockey school. I remember standing in line to get some Red Wings&rsquo; autographs and I just missed. They turned and went into the dressing room. I try not to forget what that feeling was like. It&rsquo;s great to see little kids enthusiastic about sports.As much as he&rsquo;s admired by fans, LaFontaine is even more appreciated by his teammates. Last season he scored 50 goals for the first time and almost single-handedly took the Islanders into the playoffs.By mid-season a year ago he was a leading contender for the Hart Trophy as the league&rsquo;s most valuable player. A late-season bone chip in his left hand limited him to 74 games and dropped him to fifth in the Hart voting. His quick start this season has him again being mentioned as an MVP candidate.LaFontaine has long merited special attention from the opposition. He was a phenom in youth hockey, took the Quebec League by storm with 234 points in 70 games, scored 56 goals in 58 pre-Olympic games with the U.S. national team and broke through in the NHL with 47 goals in 1987-88.When the Islanders were upset by the New Jersey Devils in the 1988 playoffs, it was largely because New Jersey keyed on LaFontaine. New Jersey defenseman Bruce Driver still draws the task of being on the ice whenever the clever LaFontaine is during their frequent Patrick Division meetings.&ldquo;When we have the puck and I&rsquo;m not involved in the rush. I&rsquo;m always looking around to see where he is,&rdquo; Driver says. &ldquo;Rather than waiting for the turnover and trying to find him&mdash;when it&rsquo;s too late&mdash;we want to take as much of his game away as possible. He&rsquo;s getting more recognition these days, but he&rsquo;s still underrated. He&rsquo;s a game-breaker.&rdquo;&mdash;With a file from Mark Herrmann. &#9632;

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December 21, 1990

CIVIC ARENA HOME MORE LIKE STATE PENN

MARK RECCHIHARD WORK TAKES RECCHI TO THE TOP

FIRST BOWMAN A LITTLE DIFFERENT

SUPER SERIES