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June 1, 1992
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.
Building solid base won’t be easy
Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Phil Esposito has a simple philosophy for building a competitive team: acquire a quality goaltender. Abiding by that philosophy may prove difficult, however, when the Lightning begin selecting players at the 1992 entry draft June 20 in Montreal. This year’s crop of players isn’t exactly brimming with top-notch goalies. “I firmly believe when you’re starting from scratch, the best way to go and build a team is from the goal on out,” Esposito said.’You go out, get a good, solid goaltender and some defensemen to protect him, and then you worry about the goal-scorers. You get them last. At least that way, you’re giving yourself a good chance to stop the other team from scoring.” Having said all that, don’t be surprised if Esposito and the Lightning opt…
SIMPLY THE BEST
The Edmonton Oilers may have been the team of the 1980s on the ice but they certainly weren’t at the draft table. They earned that distinction at the end of the ’70s. The Oilers, under the guidance of general rangger Glen Sather, won five Stanley Cups in seven years from 1984 to 1990. But during the last decade Sather and his scouting staff ranked near the bottom of the league in terms of drafting NHL-bound players. The draft years 1981 through ’89 were a stark reversal of fortune for the Oilers from their first two years in the NHL. In 1979 and 1980 Sather built the foundations of an empire that is still thriving. Those two drafts for the Oilers rank as the top two for any team in NHL history. The following…
Sun setting on Wild West
The entry draft has always been the New York Islanders’ most valued tool and accurate barometer. Stellar draft picks once put them on top of the NHL and kept them there for four years. Two of their top picks, Denis Potvin and Mike Bossy, were elected into the Hall of Fame last year. And the Stanley Cup teams of the early ’80s were built on a foundation of scouting and development. But some argue the Islanders lingered too long with that theme. They kept relying on the draft to rebuild, even when it became apparent the organization’s young players were not developing in the late 1980s. The result was a decline that has kept the Islanders out of the playoffs three times in the past four seasons. With two blockbuster deals last October and another…
NHL’s consolation prize
In theft first 11 seasons in Calgary, the Flames never had a top 10 pick in the NHL entry draft. The closest they came was No. 11-Trevor Kidd in 1990-and to move that high in the draft they needed to make a trade with New Jersey Devils. That all changed this season as the Flames plummeted from fourth to 18th place overall in the standings. If there was a positive to emerge from their brutal season, it was this: They have their highest entry-draft choice in 19 seasons, sixth overall. In the past, the Flames didn’t pay much attention to the top prospects. They knew it didn’t matter where Wendel Clark or Joe Murphy or Mario Lemieux were going, they weren’t coming to Calgary. This year, it does matter and according to general manager…
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