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April 9, 1993
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.
DIGEST
Bob Essensa has received the highest award in NHL arbitration history. The Winnipeg Jets’ goalie was awarded a salary of $1,125 million (Cdn.), plus bonuses, for 1992-93. He will earn the same salary in 1993-94, his option year. It is twice the amount offered by the club. Winnipeg submitted an offer of $564,000. Essensa asked for $1.26 million. Arbitrator Michel Picher of Toronto ruled on the case March 29, two days after a nine-hour hearing in Winnipeg. “We’re pleased,” said Essensa’s agent, Michael Barnett, “because we feel he has been given an award commensurate with where he fits into the market today.” Barnett said Essensa becomes the 16th NHL goalie to earn the equivalent of at least $1 million (Cdn.). Essensa is now the 11th highest-paid goalie in the league. Grant Fuhr of the Buffalo…
WHL
Rookie goaltender Mike Walker may be the best kept secret in the Western League. Walker posted the best goals-against average in the Canadian Hockey League this season playing behind starter Norm Mara-cle with the Saskatoon Blades. The Beaverlodge, Alta., native had a 2.91 GAA,.907 save percentage and 15-9-0 record. Former Blades’ goalie Trevor Robins finished second in the WHL with a 3.16 GAA in Brandon, while Maracle was third at 3.27. “The thing with Mike is he maintained a great attitude throughout the season,” Blades’ coach Lome Molleken said. “His work ethic at practice was there at all times. He knew he was going to play 20 to 25 games and when he got the opportunity, he did an outstanding job.” Maracle is the top-ranked WHL goalie, sixth overall among North American prospects, eligible…
BLUELINES
NHL governors predict Disney CEO Michael Eisner will become an instant force on the league’s board of governors. And if his mark on the entertainment industry is any indication, the owner of the Might Ducks of Anaheim will do just that. Eisner was recently dubbed the third-most powerful person in Hollywood by Premiere magazine, behind Terry Semel, president of Warner Brothers, and Bob Daly, Warner Brothers’ chairman. The Ducks have ruffled a few feathers with their nickname, but players don’t seem to mind. “They paid big bucks to get in the league,” said Mike Ricci of the Quebec Nord-iques, “so they can call their team whatever they want. I wouldn’t rip them on that; heck I might be playing for Disney one day.” Piece of cake South Florida owner H. Wayne Huizenga…
LIGHTNING
As far as Tampa Bay Lightning coach Terry Crisp is concerned, the summer is for playing golf, laying by the pool and running out of propane in the middle of a weekend family barbecue. It’s not the time to wonder whether youngsters like Keith Osborne and Dave Capuano can score in the NHL. The time for that, Crisp says, is now, when the regular season is winding down. “We have to go into next season knowing whether some of the kids that have been doing the job in the minors all year can help us out or not,” Crisp said. “We have to because how they perform is going to determine what we do as an organization in the off-season.” The Lightning had little choice but to look at their prospects after a battery…
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