GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Blue day for Plager-P.8 Dream vs. reality-P.17 Playing in Quebec-P.37 Modano aims to deliver on million-dollar hopes Rob Murray of the Moncton Hawks You asked for it, now you’ve got it: Individual AHL, IHL scoring 10 Counting hockey’s magic numbers Minnesota North Star Mike Modano…

CONTENTS

COVER STORIES MAGIC NUMBERS P.3 MIKE MODANO P.11 AHL, IHL STATS P.30 QUOTABLE “Valeri was crying like a baby. He wanted so much to show he war one of the better players in the world. “ -Quebec’s Pierre Page reacting to Valeri Kamensky’s broken ankle. Page 12. “Go manage your damned team and do a good job without the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head.” -Connecticut governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr.’s words of advice to Whalers’ owner Richard Gordon. Pg. 12.…

CHEERS & JEERS

Guy Carbonneau. The new NHLPA negotiator vows to help create a drug policy in a league that needs one. Jari Kurri. The Kings’ center has bounced back and is playing the best hockey of his career. Marty McSorley. The new age of the NHL has no room for careless stickwork. especially to a foe’s face. Valeri Kamensky’s bad luck. Will we ever see the talented Russian grace NHL rinks for a full season?…

Hard hits and feelings good for the NHL

Let’s be clear on something: The Hockey News wants the NFL, not the NHL. That’s right, we think the No Fighting League is infinitely superior to the No Hitting League. There is a substantial difference, despite what some might have you believe. The National Hockey League has acted to minimize fighting, a long overdue concesssion to rational thought. What the NHL hasn’t done is legislate physical play out of the game. Nor should it. Hard feelings and hard checks are at the core of professional hockey and must remain so to keep the sport an entertaining spectacle. Yet, there have been suggestions an onslaught of new rules and new players-most notably an influx of Europeans-have combined to soften the game’s rough edge. Let’s hope that is not a long-term effect. “In the first two weeks…

PICK A NUMBER ANY NUMBER

They are not numbers as much as passports to memories. A white No. 9 emblazoned on the back of a bright red jersey streaking down the Montreal Forum ice. The indefatiguable Gordie Howe, whose career spanned seven presidents and six prime ministers. Wayne Gretzky’s arm pumping, his leg raised, in celebration of another goal. Nos. 9, 26 and 92. They are some of hockey’s magic numbers. A real magic number can’t be rendered obsolete, even if someone betters it. Players and eras may blend into each other, but magic numbers endure, their lustre can only be enhanced by time. Twenty-five years after the league’s most profound expansion, the six-team league is still revered. Fifty goals remains the difference between a great season and a superb one, even though the standard has been met well over 100 times. Here…

All is not fine with NHL fines

A new television contract, more aggressive merchandising and expansion fees have generated a healthy amount of revenue for the NHL. Now if the league could just get its star players to goon it up a little. In NHL president Gil Stein’s new approach to supplementary discipline, all players are created equal. Some are just more equal than others because of the size of their paychecks. With a system based on suspensions without pay for nongame, non-travel days, high-income earners in the NHL stand to lose the most. For example, if Mario Lemieux were suspended seven days, he would lose $91,636 based on his base salary, which is believed to be $3.6 million this season. If Sergei Fedorov were suspended for the same duration, his salary of $270,000 would translate to a $6,872 fine. In…

Stein rejects lobby reports

NHL president Gil Stein wants to set the record straight on media reports that he is positioning himself to become the league’s first commissioner. Stein has been characterized as running a campaign to fill the new role, but he denied that has been his strategy. “I have not lobbied one governor,” he said in an Oct. 28 telephone interview. “It’s true I haven’t taken myself out as a candidate and it’s true whenever someone has asked me if I wanted to stay on, I’d say yes, but I’m not campaigning and I never have.” The job is expected be filled by season’s end. A New York headhunters’ firm is in the process of compiling a slate of candidates and determining a job description.…

Who is ready for prime time?

Just six of 24 players selected in the first round of the 1992 NHL draft were with the team that picked them as of Nov. 2. Three players who opened the season with one team have since moved. Sergei Krivokrasov began the season with the Chicago Blackhawks and is now with the International League’s Indianapolis Ice. Cory Stillman, the Calgary Flames’ first pick, was traded from the Windsor Spitfires to the Peterborough Petes and Brandon Convery, one of two Toronto Maple Leaf first-rounders, was moved from the Sudbury Wolves to the Niagara Falls Thunder. Listed below are the first-rounders and where they are playing this season.…

Arbitration season ready to get started

It took a little longer than expected, but all mechanisms were nearly in place for players who qualify for salary arbitration to have their hearings. About 25 to 30 players were scheduled for arbitration, with all cases expected to take place in November. A total of eight arbitrators, four chosen by the NHL and four picked by the NHL Players’ Association will hear the cases. The four arbitrators chosen by the NHLPA are: Richard Bloch (Washington), Tim Bomstein (Westport, Mass.), Michel Picher (Toronto) and Rolf Valtin (McLean, Va.). Those selected by the NHL are: Alan Beattie (Calgary), Howard Brown (Oakville, Ont.), Claude Foisy (Montreal) and Richard McLaren (London, Ont.). The new arbitration process was agreed upon by the NHL and NHLPA as part of the resolution of April’s player strike. All cases were to be heard…

ESPN’s coverage merits fans’ praise

I think Stan Lilly (Letters, Oct. 23) should stop griping about the hockey coverage on ESPN. I’m one of the millions of hockey fans who had to do without any hockey on TV because for four years I didn’t live in an area where SportsChannel was available. A weekly hockey game surely beats no game at all. I bet there are far more cheers for ESPN than hisses and I’m cheering at the top of my lungs for the return of my favorite sport to national TV. M.A. Harris,Columbia, Miss. Jean still tops Your NHL Preview is excellent as usual, but even the best make mistakes on occasion. On the New York Rangers’ team page, it says that Mark Messier set a New York Rangers’ record for points in a regular season with 107 last year. In…

THE DRAW

NHL players taller, heavier The long and short of things

NHL players, on average, are about one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than their predecessors 20 years ago. Here are the average heights, weights and ages every other year since 1972. They may not be scoring leaders, but here are players who lead the NHL in other vital statistics. Tallest: Uwe Krupp (Islanders), Kjell Samuelsson (Pittsburgh), Francois Leroux (Edmonton), 6-foot-6. Shortest: Theoren Fleury (Calgary), 5-foot-6. Heaviest: Shawn Antoski (Vancouver), 240 pounds. Lightest: Ron Tugnutt (Edmonton), Jon Casey (Minnesota), Chris Terreri (New Jersey), 155 pounds. Oldest: Rejean Lemelin (Boston), 37 years, 11 months. Youngest: Roman Hamrlik (Tampa Bay) 18 years, six months.…

NHL numbers game losing proposition for Canadians

Demographic information released by the NHL shows the percentage of Canadian players in the league has dropped below 70 per cent for the first time ever. There has been little change in the number of American-born players over the past six seasons, but the number of Europeans has more than doubled. For the first time since 1970-71, the league has more Europeans (103) than Americans (101). The figures in the demographic chart are in percentages, rounded to the nearest whole point. The leading European nation is the former Soviet Union with 40, followed by Czechoslovakia (26), Sweden (19) and Finland (nine). The study also showed United States colleges trail only the Ontario and Western Leagues in providing players to the NHL. The Quebec Nordiques are collectively the youngest team in the NHL, with an…

THE WEEK IN HOCKEY: OCT. 26-NOV. 1

A weekly compendium of significant events and developments. Oct. 27: Quebec left winger Valeri Kamensky breaks right ankle and will be out three months. Oct. 29: Minnesota officials say they will have no further talks with an Anaheim, Calif., group about moving North Stars there. St. Louis coach Bob Plager resigns. Assistant coach Bob Berry named head coach. Pittsburgh becomes last team to lose game-6-4 to St. Louis. Oct. 30: NHL fines Hartford Whalers $10,000 for instigating fight near end of Oct. 12 game. NHL fines Chicago Blackhawks $10,000 for instigating fight near end of Oct. 21 game. Oct. 31: NHL suspends Los Angeles defenseman Marty McSorley six days without pay and fines him $500. Kings fined $14,130. Nov. 1: St. Louis trades defenseman Paul Cavallini to Washington for center/right winger Kevin Miller.…

Jays’ win not even close to ’72 series

It is probably understandable that a high and prolonged case of Toronto Blue Jay fever would cause delirium. There are persons in Canada comparing the country’s first World Series triumph with any number of the greatest events in Canadian history, including the birth of Don Cherry. Now, a championship sports team is ample reason for a community, even a country, to feel good about itself. There is also no time like the first time, especially for a nation that has been finding more things to divide than unify it. Being new here, it’s hard for me to understand how the Jays’ triumph became a great thing for the nation or even for Canadian baseball, seeing as there wasn’t a Canadian-born player on the team. But I certainly see a World Series victory…

Jerseys ad revenue to coffers of teams in minors

The European tradition of advertising on jerseys hasn’t hit the NHL yet, but it is alive and well in the minor leagues. The Fort Wayne Komets of the International League have displayed advertising for Perfection Bakeries on their sweaters for the last two seasons. The Atlanta Knights of the IHL and Dayton Bombers of the East Coast League also wear ads, but only in pre-game warmups. The Knights have a Coke logo on the back of their jerseys while the Bombers feature White Castle hamburger logos on both sleeves as well as across the jersey’s back below the numbers. The teams change to their regular ad-less jerseys once the game starts. “We expect this to be the portent of things to come,” says Christopher Fischer of Plainsboro, N.J., who markets…

West coast transfer not in works

Minnesota North Stars’ owner Norman Green wants to move his team. But he wants to move it across town, not across the country. Green was responsible for letting out word he was listening to proposals, one of which came from Anaheim, Calif. He was also trying to get a better deal from his landlord at Met Center and trying to coax downtowns Minneapolis and St. Paul into a bidding contest for the Stars. “Minnesota belongs in the NHL and we are determined to find a local solution,” Stars’ senior vice-president Pat Forciea said. “Any decision about relocation within the (Twin Cities) market will be made after the season. “We have had sincere discussions with a variety of local interests and are hopeful that once the season is over, we will make a decision…

Downcast Plager quits job he never wanted

Bob Plager resigned as coach of the St. Louis Blues after only 11 games, even though the team had just started to turn the comer with back-to-back victories after a horrible start. An emotional Plager, who was hired to replace Brian Sutter May 1, resigned following a 6-4 win over the previously unbeaten Pittsburgh Penguins Oct. 29. Plager returned to his old job as vice-president in charge of player development and was replaced by assistant general manager Bob Berry, who had served for four years as an assistant to Sutter. The Blues beat the Philadelphia Hyers 6-4 in Berry’s coaching debut Oct. 31, extending their winning streak to three games. Despite the team’s turn-around, the pressure of coaching in the NHL was too much for Plager, a career scout whose only previous head coaching…

Reliable rearguard not used to smell of pine

Jamie Macoun couldn’t even begin to recall the last time he had been disciplined for poor play. After being benched by Toronto Maple Leaf head coach Pat Bums for half of the second period, all of the third and all of the overtime session in a 4-4 tie with Buffalo Oct. 28, Macoun was left scratching his head over a predicament with which he wasn’t very familiar. “It’s really not something I want to make a big deal out of,” he said. “Everyone has their good days and bad days.” At that point, Macoun was minus-3, awful for a player who had posted numbers such as plus-45 and plus-43 earlier in his career while with the Calgary Flames. After a 7-1 loss to Detroit two nights later, Macoun was down to minus-5. “I’ve gone…

Pugnacious Cummins lights fire

Left winger Bob Probert has a new tag-team partner. His name is Jim Cummins, a homegrown pugilist whose destructive punch draws comparisons to former Detroit Red Wing hit man Joey Kocur. The Wings recalled Cummins from their American League farm team in Adirondack Oct. 30. The 22-year-old right winger, who grew up in Dearborn about 12 miles from Joe Louis Arena, spent three seasons at Michigan State before moving to Adirondack. The 6-foot-2, 203 pound Cummins is a tough customer. He led the AHL with 34 fights a year ago and has already served a three-game suspension for pushing an AHL linesman so he could continue a fight. In his first NHL game this season (he played one last year) against the Toronto Maple Leafs Oct. 30, he continued to do what he…

String of one-goal defeats halts thundering success

Playing competitive hockey might be the goal of the NHL’s other expansion franchise, but it’s not the goal of the Tampa Bay Lightning. With a lineup laced with youthful experience, coach Terry Crisp expects to win-no matter who the opponent is. And that’s precisely why a string of one-goal losses left his team disappointed and frustrated rather than encouraged and optimistic. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re playing the Pittsburgh Penguins or San Jose Sharks, we go into each game expecting to win,” Crisp said after a 5-4 loss to the Penguins Nov. 1. “We believe we’re talented enough to win any game and there is no reason for us to accept a one-goal loss as a moral victory.” The loss to Pittsburgh was Tampa Bay’s fourth consecutive one-goal defeat. The streak began Oct. 27…

Million-dollar contract a load off Belfour’s mind

Ed Belfour felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he signed a new contract Oct. 30. He went out and proved it the next night by beating Boston 3-2 with a 45-save performance. It was the kind of effort coach Darryl Sutter was expecting but hadn’t been getting out of the former Vezina Trophy winner. “That was vintage Belfour,” Sutter said. Belfour’s new contract is for three years and is worth $3.2 million. He’ll get $1 million this year and $1.1 million each of the next two seasons. He had been earning $800,000 in his option year. “It’s a big load off my mind,” he said. “I was hoping to get it done this summer, but sometimes those things take time. It’s done now and I’m happy and looking…

Phone broadcasts are perfect for homesick fans

Listening to your favorite NHL team is now as easy as picking up the phone. No matter where you live in North America, if you have access to a phone you can listen to live broadcasts of your favorite team. For as little as 20 cents per minute, TRZ Sports Service lets fans listen to their favorite team’s radio broadcasts through their unique Teamline 1-800 telephone service. April Huckaby, TRZ Sports Services’ director of NHL relations, said the service is for displaced fans, players’ parents or people who prefer to listen to their favorite broadcasters while watching televised games. Most fans, said Huckaby, would rather listen to the team’s broadcasters than those from out-of-town. “People just hate bias and people say ‘Forget it,’ and put their fist through the television set,” Huckaby said. “People…

European bashing a sad sign of times

In the 1970s and 1980s, we considered Soviets the hockey equivalent of robots, mercenary drones from an evil empire who could be defeated through the might of our North American passion. If that didn’t work, there was always a righteous two-handed slash to the ankle. Now, only the stereotypes have changed. Russians are lazy and care just about money. When St. Louis Blues’ coach Bob Plager talked about his struggling star Brett Hull he said: “Brett has got a great work ethic and he’s trying real hard. The goals are going to come for him. He’s just having some bad breaks.” This is what he said about Russian rookies Igor Korolev, Vitali Karamnov and Vitali Prokhorov: “Their favorite word is paycheck. I keep trying to tell them, ‘No, first forecheck and backcheck. Then you…

The Mystery Man

Oct. 22 was a good day to be Mike Modano. First, he woke up a million-dollar player following the previous day’s signing of a four-year, $6.75-million contract. Then he went and scored two goals to help the Minnesota North Stars move into first place in the Norris Division with a 5-2 win over Quebec. Minutes after the game he watched his favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, keep their World Series hopes alive with a 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Modano may not be the NHL’s most fearless player, but he was brave enough to wear an Atlanta cap in Toronto during the Series. Modano knows all about championship series. He played the best hockey of his NHL life in the 1991 Stanley Cup finals when he scored eight goals and had…

Frightful streak snapped

It was fitting that on Halloween night the Ottawa Senators exorcised a ghost that had been haunting them since Game 2 of the season. The Senators tied the Buffalo Sabres 2-2 Oct. 31, snapping their nine-game losing streak and scaring away the spectre-for now, anyway-of that spooky 1974-75 Washington team that set the NHL’s all-time losing streak of 17 games. It was starting to look like a losing streak of Capitals’ proportions wouldn’t be out of the question for the Senators. The streak hit eight in a 7-2 loss to Pittsburgh Oct. 27, evaporating coach Rick Bowness’ patience and leading to a 60-minute skate the next morning with no pucks. “Things have to improve and we’ll improve the things we can control,” Bowness said. “We can control the desire with which we play the…

Hard-luck Kamensky felled by injury again

If you’ve ever wondered if lightning strikes in the same place twice, it does. Just ask the Quebec Nordiques. For the second time in the past two seasons, Russian left winger Valeri Kamensky will miss a good portion of the regular season after sustaining a major injury. Kamensky, 26, broke his right ankle Oct. 27 in a freak accident during a routine skating drill at Le Colisee. The winger was alone on the ice with assistant coach Clement Jodoin working on skating drills when the accident occurred. Kamensky was going through the last lap of his final exercise when he brushed the side of the net, lost his balance and slid heavily into the boards. He sustained an oblique fracture to a bone on the exterior of his ankle and also considerable ligament damage.…

Connecticut governor vows to keep Whale a float

Connecticut Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., has sent a message to Hartford Whalers’ owner Richard Gordon, the NHL and groups in cities around the country looking to move the team out of the state. “I’m telling you right now: the Whalers are not going anywhere,” Weicker said. “Everybody is out of the picture. I don’t care if it’s Miami, Dallas, Denver or wherever. “I want the players, Richard and everybody else to get it through their heads. This team is staying. I told Richard. ‘Go manage your damned team and do a good job without the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head.’ “You don’t have to worry that you’re going down the drain. And I don’t have to worry about running around the countryside blocking attempts to raid the Whalers.” Weicker is doing…

Roberts not getting headlines for rock-solid work on blueline

One good way to know a stay-at-home defenseman is doing his job? “You don’t notice them,” said Boston Bruins’ assistant general manager Mike Milbury. This is not intended as a slight. It’s just that the chores of a defensive defenseman-clearing rebounds, battling along the boards and making breakout passes-are overshadowed by the flashier plays of the game. “When you’re one of those guys who plays steady, you don’t get headlines,” said Gordie Roberts, one of the NHL’s classic stay-at-home blueliners of the past two decades. “If you took a poll of Boston fans,” said Roberts, “I doubt many of them would know who Gordie Roberts is. But as long as Mike Milbury and (GM) Harry Sinden and (coach) Brian Sutter know, I’m happy.” Adam Oates, Dmitri Kvartalnov, Joe Juneau and Vladimir Ruzicka are hogging headlines,…

Ramsey puts ‘C’ aside

For a long time, wearing the ‘C’ on a Buffalo Sabres’ sweater eventually meant C-Ya later. You were the captain until management didn’t want you anymore and then you were traded. Not this time. In one of the more orderly and civilized transfer of duties, the Sabres relieved defenseman Mike Ramsey of the ‘C’ and transferred it to Pat LaFontaine. It was as simple as it was inevitable. “I said when I took the job that if they didn’t want me to do it anymore just step right up and come to me,” Ramsey said. “If they wanted someone else that’s their right. Just tell me and I’ll give it up. They did.” The decision was announced Oct. 31, the night Ramsey returned after missing all season while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.…

Securing new drug policy Carbo’s goal with NHLPA

Montreal Canadiens’ player representative Guy Carbonneau has been asked by the NHL Players’ Association to join its negotiating committee. If he accepts, one thing the Canadiens’ veteran captain will be pushing for is a new league-wide drug policy. “It’s a problem to have drugs being used, but I don’t think it’s a huge problem around the league,” Carbonneau said. “If we know someone has a problem, we should be able to help them. Right now teams are scared. If they know a player is using drugs, they can’t do anything about it. If they get caught helping him, it’s worse for the team.” Although the NHL has no drug-testing policy, either for illegal narcotics or for steroids, it also isn’t lenient, suspending players indefinitely if they are caught or even admit to having…

New game simulates coaching

So you think it looks easy being a NHL coach. Well, take your shot behind the bench with Hat Trick Hockey, a computer hockey simulation for the personal computer that puts you in the coach’s hot seat. Determining who plays, picking the offensive lines and the defensive pairs and when to make line changes are some of the decisions players must make. The game comes with the rosters of every NHL team from last year and all the Stanley Cup finalists since 1960. NHL teams from other years are also available along with every World Hockey Association and international teams such as the 1972 Canada-Soviet squads. New data disks featuring current NHL teams are available two weeks after the regular season ends. “You can see if you can coach them to a better record,”…

Mulvey entered Chicago lore with five-goal performance

When it comes to great Chicago Blackhawks’ scorers, names such as Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull and Denis Savard come to mind. But Grant Mulvey has them all beat. Mulvey is the only Blackhawk to score five goals in one game. He accomplished that incredible feat against St. Louis on Feb. 3, 1982. “Everything I touched went in the net,” Mulvey said. “I ended up scoring four goals in the first period.” Mulvey didn’t even score his first goal until the game was nearly 10 minutes old. Then he went on a tear, firing four goals in under nine minutes. He also found time to add a first-period assist. “It was happening so quickly you didn’t realize it,” he said. “It was one of those games you have once in your career.” Mulvey added an assist in…

CLASSIFIED

Winning Cup makes lots of cents for Pens

Has it ever occurred to you that winning the Stanley Cup is the worst thing that could happen to a hockey team? You could get that impression if you believe the figures being bruited about. According to published reports, after winning their first championship, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ payroll was a trifling $9,184,000. Now it has orbited to a reported record $ 15,612,000. That’s a staggering leap of $6,428,000, almost more than the entire payroll of the Ottawa Senators. Considering that the Mario & Co., conglomerate has not added any seats to the Civic Center, and that they play in one of the NHL’s smallest markets, it makes one wonder how in the name of Mario, the Penguins can possibly make a profit. Penguins’ president Howard Baldwin has the answer; the reported salaries are…

Olympic ordeal

No issue has stirred the passion of NHL president Gil Stein more than the thought of NHLers representing their countries in the 1994 Winter Olympics. But after an NHL board of governors meeting convened in New York Oct. 27, Stein adopted a far more measured tone. “I’ve always been enthusiastic for the project and I continue to be enthusiastic,” Stein said in a telephone interview Oct. 28. “I’ve also always recognized it’s not a presidential decision, it’s a board of governors decision.” That reality was driven home by the league’s owners who, behind closed doors, are believed to have admonished Stein over his zeal to make Dream Teams a reality. “Sure, there are people who are against it and I don’t think they’re happy about me expressing enthusiastic public support for it,” Stein said.…

Explosive power play could be best ever

There were numerous reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to win all but one of their first 12 games. Like all the goals Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens scored, and all the ones goalie Tom Barrasso prevented en route to a 9-1-2 record. The Penguins had no glaring flaws and several breathtaking strengths. But nothing was more spectacular, volatile or productive than their power play. The Penguins’ power play converted 25 of 67 chances-a staggering 37.3 per-cent success rate-and was on pace for a 175-goal season. To put that in perspective, consider the NHL record, held by the Penguins, is 120 set in 1988-89. The Penguins didn’t expect to sustain their early level of production “It’s not going to be like this for the whole year,” defenseman Larry Murphy said-but maybe that goal wasn’t…

Turcotte seeking a raise

You don’t hear many contract rumbles out of the New York Rangers’ camp. The team is owned by a wealthy company that spends freely and has little choice but to admit so. You also don’t hear much baout the team having a salary structure. A flap with center Darren Turcotte has changed those circumstances. Turcotte, in his option year at $225,000, has chosen salary arbitration. He is believed to be asking $700,000 while the Rangers are thought to be offering $400,000. All NHL cases are expected to be heard in November. According to Turcotte’s agent, Jay Grossman, Turcotte will be an exRanger if the figure awarded by the arbitrator is on the high end. “We have received a statement or an opinion from the club that if Darren ends up on the high…

McKay shows scoring punch without punching out others

The NHL’s tougher fighting rules seemed to spell doom for notorious brawlers such as Randy McKay. But instead of hastening the end of McKay’s career with the New Jersey Devils, the rules change and added playing time from coach Herb Brooks helped the winger develop into one of the club’s most valuable forwards. While John MacLean struggled in his comeback from knee surgery, McKay flourished as the team’s leading even-strength goal-scorer (five) and top plus-minus forward (plus-4). His 22 penalty minutes placed him fourth on the team. McKay sustained a slightly separated left shoulder in the Devils’ 5-3 win over the New York Islanders Oct. 31 when he was hit from behind by defenseman Darius Kasparaitis. He was expected to be sidelined until mid-November. The Sept. 9, 1991 arbitration ruling by Judge Edward J.…

Goalie still battling

Mark Fitzpatrick knows every game in the Patrick Division is a battle. But the bottom line for him is every game, period, is a battle. When Fitzpatrick was the winning goalie in the New York Islanders 4-1 win over New Jersey Oct. 30, he won both a game and another round in his battle with a rare blood disease. The disease, eosinophilia myaglia syndrome (EMS), causes severe fatigue and swelling of tissue. It threatens his career and even his life. He contracted the disease in September of 1990 and it caused him to miss nearly all of that season. A flareup in training camp in 1991 meant he could play in only one of the team’s first 41 games. He finished strongly last season, then started this one slowly. He wasn’t sharp in camp…

Refined, mature Cavallini returns to Washington

It was December, 1987 when Paul Cavallini walked into the office of Washington Capitals’ general manager David Poile and demanded more ice time-or so the story goes. Poile had 30-year-old Rod Langway leading his defense and, among others, Scott Stevens, Kevin Hatcher and Larry Murphy. So the Capitals’ GM explained to the 22-year-old Cavallini he wasn’t likely to get much more ice time. The story suggests Cavallini stormed out of the office, slamming the door on his way out. A few days later, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for a second-round draft pick. “It never happened,” Poile said Nov. 1, when he re-acquired Cavallini in a trade with the Blues for cen-ter/right winger Kevin Miller. Cavallini concurred. “Stories get blown out of proportion,” the 27-year-old defenseman said. “Not to set the record straight,…

Recchi still adjusting to life in low-rent district

Once you get a taste for success, it’s difficult to forget. Mark Recchi can’t. Recchi went from first to worst last season, starting the year with the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and finishing it with the Patrick Division’s last-place Philadelphia Flyers. That was hard enough to take. What made things tougher was the result of an off-season trade to get Eric Lindros. Losing four veteran players in that deal put even more pressure on Recchi to spark a team looking for direction and identity. On top of that, the Flyers are looking to Recchi to help Lindros make the adjustment to pro hockey. So they made Recchi Lindros’ permanent right-hand man. Coach Bill Dineen was satisfied with Recchi’s play through the first 13 games. Recchi had at least a point in 12…

Can’t Beat the Real Thing

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS Statistics provided by National Hockey League; P-position, C-centre, L-left wing, R—right wing, D-defense, G-goaltender; NO.-uniform number; GP-games played; G-goals; A-assists; P-points; +/-—plusminus; PM-penalties in minutes; PP-power play goals; SH-short-hand goals; GW-game-winning goals; GT-game-tying goals; S-shots on goal; PCT-shooting percentage. Players indicated by an asterisk (*) are eligible for the Calder Trophy.…

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS Statistics provided by National Hockey League; GP-games played; MIN-minutes played; AVG-goals against average; W-wins; L-losses; T-ties; EN-empty-net goals; SO-shutouts; GA-goals against; SA-shots against; PCT-save percentage. Players indicated by an asterisk (*) are eligible for the Calder Trophy.…

NHL SUMMARIES

NOTE Unofficial game summaries provided by National Hockey League; (shots on goal/plus-minus); SA-shots against; GA-goals against; ENG-empty net goals; DEC-decision, charged to goaltenders of record when deciding goal is scored. MONDAY, OCT. 26 TUESDAY, OCT. 27 WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 THURSDAY, OCT. 29 FRIDAY, OCT. 30 SATURDAY, OCT. 31 SUNDAY, NOV. 1…

SCOREBOARD

NOTE: STATISTICS THROUGH GAMES OF SUNDAY, NOV. 1. NHL AFFILIATIONS OF MINOR PROFESSIONAL TEAMS APPEAR IN BRACKETS; INDEPENDENT TEAMS WITH NO NHL AFFILIATION ARE INDICATED BY (IND).…

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Reaching for the Top

The Peterborough Petes made a bid for the 1990 Memorial Cup, but were beaten out by fancy stickhandling in the comers of a boardroom. Ontario League commissioner David Branch admitted the city of Peterborough made a strong presentation at the time and the Petes would have been worthy hosts. However, his league faced pressure to top-or at least match-the fine job done of running the tournament by host Saskatoon the previous season. So it was awarded to Hamilton, site of the 17,091-seat Copps Coliseum. That, despite the fact Hamilton’s OHL entry, the Dukes, were among the worst teams in the Canadian Hockey League. Eventually they were replaced as host team but the tournament remained in Hamilton. Four seasons later, the Petes are making another serious bid at hosting the Cup. Not in the…

Injured fan files lawsuit

A Seattle man is suing the Seattle Thunderbirds and the City of Seattle for more than $2 million two years after suffering a serious injury at a game at the Seattle Coliseum. Curtis Dennison, now 25, was in a semi-coma for three months following an incident in which he was struck in the jaw by Glen Pettibone and hit his head on the concrete floor during a Thunderbirds’ game Sept. 29,1990. Michael Tomkins, the lawyer for the injured man, said the team and city failed to provide adequate security during the Western League game. The personal injury suit seeks damages for past and future medical care, pain, suffering and future lost earnings. “We have what amounts to a 9,000-guest tavern selling virtually unlimited beer during a sport that is known to incite and even…

Records made to last forever

Victoriaville’s Alexandre Daigle has been the talk of junior hockey with his run at Mario Lemieux’s single-season record of 282 points. Daigle had 64 in 17 games-a pace for 264. As tough as Lemieux’s record will be to break, there are others which are tougher. Here’s a look at some other CHL records which you can bet will stand for a long time: Fewest wins, one season. Shawinigan had three wins in 1977-78 and all but five CHL teams have more than three this season. Fewest goals allowed, one season. We guarantee no one will ever allow fewer than the 143 given up by Flin Flon in 1967-68. Most assists, career: Patrice Lefebvre of Shawinigan had 394 from 1984-85 to ’87-88, 48 more than runner-up Patrick Emond. Most points, one season, by a rookie. Pat…

Savoie following Daigle on record assault pace

Victoriaville Tigres’ coach Pierre Aubry was expecting big things from right winger Claude Savoie this season. But nothing like this. Savoie scored twice in Victoriaville’s 11-4 victory over St-Jean Oct. 25, giving him 33 goals and at least one in each of 15 games. “I didn’t expect this much offense from him,” Aubry said. “I figured he’d have a good season and score 50-to-60 goals.” At the pace he’s scoring, Savoie will eclipse Mario Lemieux’s single-season Quebec League record of 133 goals, set with Laval in 1983-84. Lemieux had 27 goals after 15 games. Savoie, a 19-year-old Montreal native missed two game this season, but was on pace to score 136 goals. “I don’t think about Lemieux’s record,” Savoie said. “I come to every game and do my best. I don’t want to set…

Blockbuster deal for Convery Falls into place

Brandon Convery has already marked off Jan. 22, 1993 on his calendar. That’s the day he makes his return to Sudbury as a member of the Niagara Falls Thunder. Convery was the centerpiece of an Ontario League blockbuster trade Oct. 26 when he was dealt for 19-year-old defenseman Steve Staios and 18-year-old left winger Dennis Maxwell. “The first thing I did was check the schedule to see when we play in Sudbury,” Convery said. “Getting up for that one won’t be a problem.” The Wolves were willing to trade one of the league’s best offensive players for help on defense. Convery, drafted eighth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs this past June, had 40 goals in 44 games last season and had seven goals and 16 points in seven games this season. The Wolves…

Curran impressive in comeback bid with Oilers

When the 1991-92 season ended, Brian Curran was a very happy man. Hockey had been great, but he knew it was time to move on. The game was no longer fun. The World’s Gym franchise he opened in Portland, Ore., would become his full-time vocation. “I told my agent I was retiring and said that’s it,” the 29-year-old said. Curran had good reason to be fed up. He played 36 games last season with the Rochester Americans and collected three assists and 122 penalty minutes. By the end of the year, the onetime NHL tough-guy (1,400 minutes in 355 games) was a practice player and didn’t appear in one of the Americans’ 16 playoff games. Curran’s nine-year NHL career with Boston, the New York Islanders, Toronto and briefly Buffalo appeared to have mercifully ended. But…

Gulls keep soaring at record pace

There was a time when the San Diego Gulls played like clay pigeons. But this season they have a bird’s-eye view of the International League. The Gulls, with a dismal expansion year in 1990-91 and a playoff collapse in ’91-92 behind them, have soared to new heights. The Gulls rattled off eight straight wins to start the season, averaging a three-goal victory margin along the way and setting themselves up for a run at a couple of records. The IHL mark for consecutive victories to start a season is 10, set last season by eventual Turner Cup champion Kansas City Blades. The pro record for consecutive wins is 18, set by Peoria during its Turner Cup season two years ago. “The reason this team has done so well is we wanted to build a…

Sweet 16 takes on San Diego

With 16 players boasting NHL experience, the International League’s San Diego Gulls may well be the NHL’s 25th team. The 16 Gulls combined for 4,036 NHL games, as much experience as the Ottawa Senators-sans seldom-used Brad Marsh. Here’s the breakdown of the Sweet 16 and their NHL experience. John Anderson, 814 games in 12 seasons. Scott Arniel, 730 games in 11 seasons. Lindy Ruff, 691 games in 12 seasons. Gord Dineen, 410 games in 10 seasons. Perry Anderson, 400 games in 10 seasons. Clint Malarchuk, 338 games in 10 seasons. Hubie McDonough, 165 games in four seasons. Dale DeGray, 153 games in five games. Bill Houlder, 96 games in five seasons. Daniel Shank, 77 games in three seasons. Mitch Lamoreaux, 73 games in three seasons. Steve Martinson, 49 games in four seasons. Sergei Starikov, 16 games in one season. Larry Floyd, 12 games in…

Buckeridge’s last hurrah a record-breaking affair

Peter Buckeridge’s farewell season in the East Coast League could be his most memorable. The Erie Panthers’ right winger, who has indicated he will retire after this season, shattered his team’s career points record in a 4-3 loss to Raleigh Oct. 24. He also led the ECHL in scoring with two goals and 16 points after five games. “I don’t consider myself a playmaker,” Buckeridge said. “It has been kind of a strange season. I’ve had my scoring chances, but I’ve been dishing off more than shooting.” Buckeridge, 26, has had a very successful four-year ECHL career with Knoxville and Erie. His accomplishments include: □ The league’s fifth all-time goal-scorer with 118. Barring serious injury, he will be second to Nashville’s Trevor Jobe before the season is over. □ Was fourth in career assists with 148.…

League playoffs altered

A change in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff format for 1992-93 will make it more difficult for weaker teams to emerge as Broadmoor Trophy winners. The addition of Alaska-Anchorage on a conditional basis-the Seawolves will take part in the playoffs only this season before being added as a full-fledged member in 1993-94—will make for a 10-team format. Last season, eight of the nine teams qualified for the playoffs. The system works like this: The top five finishers during the regular season will host the other five teams March 12-14 in a best-of-three series. Anchorage will automatically be seeded 10th. The winners will advance to St. Paul, Minn., where the surviving No. 4 and 5 teams play March 18 for the right to advance to the semifinals March 19. Winners in the semifinals advance…

Foreign relations class of ’92-93

Europeans have been making an impact in the NHL for more than a decade and now the college ranks are taking on a European flavor. Fourteen Europeans will play for Division I schools this year. Here’s a look at the best. Ulvis Katlaps, D, Jr., Wisconsin. Latvian spent two seasons with Dynamo Riga before joining Badgers. Was ineligible last year. Petteri Koskimakf, C-LW, Sr., Boston U, Terriers counting on flashy Finn’s scoring ability. Had 37 points in 33 games last season Mikhail Lapin, D, Fr., W. Michigan. Seventeen-year-old Russian was with Thornhill of the Metro Toronto Junior League last season Kaj Linna, D, So., Boston U. Durable native of Helsinki. Fin., was one of only three Terriers to play all least 12 games last season. Lars Oxholm, D, So., North Dakota. Great Dane from Heming,…

Plugging holes in goal of upmost importance

Finding a reliable goaltender remained a top priority for five schools as the 1992-93 season began. Defending Central Collegiate Hockey Association champion Lake Superior State, Michigan State, Bowling Green, Miami and Ohio State were all searching for a No. 1 goalies. Of the five teams, the Spartans were in the best shape. Sophomores Mike Buzak and Eric Kruse, who backed up Mike Gilmore a year ago, returned to share netminding duties. “I’m not concerned about our goaltending situation at all,” said MSU coach Ron Mason. “It’s not like we’re breaking in a pair of freshmen. I at least have a feeling for what they can do.” Buzak and Kruse appeared in seven and eight games respectively a year ago. At Bowling Green, sophomore Will Clarke is the best of a group that includes senior Angelo…

Rensselaer goalie the Little Engineer who could

Neil Little wants to be a big shot this season and that’s good news for the RPI Engineers. Little, a junior goaltender from Medicine Hat, Alta., will be counted on to lead the rebuilding Engineers this season. The 21-year-old got off to a slow start last season, mainly because he didn’t concentrate in practice. He was pegged as the No. 1 goalie at the start of the year, but lost his job to senior Sean Kennedy. He won back the starting role in January and was one of the hottest goalies in the Eastern College Athletic Conference down the stretch. And even though the Engineers finished 10th in the 12-team league. RPI was able to advance to the semifinals, thanks to Little’s strong play. “There was a lot of mental pressure on me last year,”…

Fabulous freshmen outstanding in head-to-head confrontation

Two of the most prominent rookies in Hockey East had successful debuts against each other in the first weekend of play. Providence left winger Joe Hulbig, the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round choice in the 1992 entry draft, and Maine center Peter Ferraro, the top pick of the New York Rangers lived up to high expectations. Ferraro scored two goals and added four assists in a 9-3 win Oct. 23 and 3-3 tie the next night against Providence. He centered a line with his twin brother Chris and last season’s Canadian Tier II player of the year, Paul Kariya. Peter Ferraro was named Hockey East player of the week for his effort. Kariya, a left winger, had three goals and one assist and was named Hockey East co-rookie of the week. Right winger Chris Ferraro, the…

Degner out until January

The one-man cavalry came riding across the plains just in the nick of time. The only trouble was, he fell off his horse and got hurt. Alberta Golden Bears’ forward Terry Degner sustained a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his knee Oct. 16 in the Bears’ season opener against Calgary. He won’t play again until early January. Head coach Bill Moores recruited Degner from the Western League after all-Canada center Adam Morrison left school to join the Edmonton City Police. CWUAA Degner, 21, finished second in scoring in the WHL last season with the Tri-City Americans, earning 139 points in 72 games. He scored in the first period of his first Canada West Universities Athletic Association game, but sustained the knee injury when he was hit from behind and slid into the boards. “The ironic…

Oilers’ behavior is Lowe with Kevin

First, a disclaimer. I agree with almost everything the Edmonton Oilers are doing to keep their financial house in order these days. They are one of the few NHL members who acknowledge that, in this day and age, small-market teams have hard choices to make. The one exception: the Kevin Lowe situation. Somewhere in this business of professional sport, sentiment must still count for something. In Lowe, you have a player who played 966 regular-season and 170 playoff games for Edmonton. As everybody else abandoned ship, looking for their personal pot of gold, Lowe stayed on and helped guide the Oilers through the transition years; from the multi-talented teams of the early ’80s to the defensive-oriented teams of the early ’90s. The only constant in that period was the Oilers’ remarkable ability to win.…

La Belle Province

When an NHL player is on the move, the words from a coach or a general manager are always the same, “You’ve been traded to.…” At that moment, one thought always raced through a player’s mind. “The saying used to be,” goalie Ron Hextall said, “as long as it isn’t Quebec or Winnipeg.” Hextall can’t speak for life with the Jets, but he has quickly come to love Quebec City. Long known as the least-desired NHL posting, Quebec is winning converts, in part because the Nordiques are a radically improved team, in part because Quebec City is an exotic place to live. French is spoken almost exclusively in Quebec City, but the language gap is either a barrier or an incentive to learn, Hextall said. “I look at this as a broadening experience,” Hextall said.…

Quinn puts blame on forwards

Ten games into the season and everyone in Vancouver is dredging up the old familiar question: What’s wrong with the Canucks? A year ago, they were an astonishing 8-1-1 at the 10-game mark and they never looked back, winning the Smythe Division in a romp. This season, they began impressively enough at 4-0-0 before things began to unravel. They went 1-4-1 in the next six and were clearly outworked in at least four of them. Coach Pat Quinn laid most of the blame at the feet of his forwards. He felt they were making poor decisions offensively and not being industrious enough without the puck. Pavel Bure was among those singled out in an interview with the Vancouver Sun, although Quinn later said it wasn’t his intention to focus his unhappiness on the Russian…

Slicker, quicker Gelinas gets vote of confidence

Martin Gelinas got something off his chest again. But this time it was 13 pounds, not a load of frustration. And unlike the play-me-or-trade-me demand he made Oct. 10 in Vancouver, Gelinas has helped his game by losing upper-body bulk. He’s lighter and much quicker. “Marty has been skating very well and I like his attitude on the ice,” said coach Edmonton Oilers’ coach Ted Green, who scorned the left winger for putting on too much muscle mass over the summer. “He’s more disciplined. He’s skating like the Martin Gelinas we all know. “I think Marty should be in the lineup. We need people who have speed.” Green’s assessment was a vote of confidence for Gelinas, who was down in the dumps after sitting out the first two games. Life off the ice has also…

Vernon injury gives Reese piece of the action

In the week before Halloween, Mike Vernon figured there was something appropriate about the mess his face became. “I looked like the Elephant Man-or the Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Vernon said. “I didn’t need a mask for Halloween. I could scare people just walking down the street. Vernon’s troubles stemmed from a seemingly innocuous injury in the morning skate Oct. 25 before the game against Edmonton. The Calgary Flames’ goalie took a one-timed wrist shot from Joe Nieuwendyk on the forehead. The result was a 15-stitch pressure cut that was supposed to keep him out one game. Instead, the cut became infected, thus puffing up the right side of Vernon’s face. By midweek, his eye was swollen shut, which is when he started to resemble legendary, mis-shapen characters out of literature’s past. The week on…

Win and tie end losing skid, but groin pains still persist

On the way to salvaging self respect, the San Jose Sharks lost a goalie. The Sharks boosted their self esteem by beating Tampa Bay 2-1 Oct. 30. But along the way, goalie Jeff Hackett suffered a groin pull that could sideline him until mid-November. Hackett made 21 saves in half a game when he was forced to leave. He was replaced by Brian Hayward, who stopped 17 shots. The win snapped a nine-game losing streak. “We felt a lot of pressure to win that game,” center Mike Sullivan said. The Sharks followed that win with a 4-4 tie in Chicago, giving the team some momentum to carry home at the end of the seven-game trip. “Our fans would have to be pleased with the way we ended this trip,” said Dean Evason. FAST START: When Larry…

Meetings can’t cure road woes

They can’t seem to win anywhere but in Winnipeg Arena, but the Jets do lead the NHL in one category so far this season-team meetings. The doors were shut for 15 minutes following a Oct. 31 loss in Quebec, where the Jets dropped their sixth straight road game-3-2 to the Nordiques. Earlier in the week, doors were closed and words flying after a 7-5 loss to Calgary. Despite all the trouble of a 4-8-0 start, there isn’t a member of the Jets that disputes the criticisms. “We’re too soft and weak, not willing to pay the price to get hurt to win a hockey game,” coach John Paddock said. He called his team too easy to play against and was angry enough after the Calgary loss to label some of the goals allowed…

McSorley’s Banks account takes dip after charge

The six-day suspension Marty Mc Sorley received Oct. 31 is hardly the longest penalty in NHL history. But it may seem like that for the Los Angeles Kings because it will be nearly three weeks before McSorley completes his sentence. It is NHL president Gil Stein’s policy to suspend players for non-game and non-travel days, which means McSorley won’t complete his sentence until Nov. 20. He was fined $14,130 of his $650,000 salary for cross-checking Boston Bruin Darren Banks in the face Oct. 29. The Kings’ defenseman was also assessed a match penalty by referee Dan Marouelli, which will cost him an additional $500. Banks needed six stitches to close two cuts near his left eye. “This is not the first time McSorley has attempted to injure another player with his stick,” Stein said. “It…