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February 11, 1994
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.
Hole in goal needs filling
Youth is served in Edmonton on a daily basis. The Oilers entered the 199394 season as the NHL’s youngest team with an average age of just over 24. And it appears they have enough young prospects in their system to keep the pipeline flowing from the Cape Breton Oilers of the American League to Edmonton. Provided they don’t all get discouraged by so much losing, the future is much brighter than the present. The Oilers have sufficient depth in their organization at all positions but goal. “I’d have to say our goaltending is our problem now, outside of Billy Ranford, of course,” said Oilers’ director of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast. “We have good goaltenders, but we just don’t have the guy who would take over if Billy was gone. It’s not a panic situation, but…
Future prospects look hazy
There are people in hockey who contend Tom Barrasso is the NHL’s finest goalie when he is on his game. And no one will deny Ken Wregget performed admirably when Barrasso was blindsided by a spate of injuries this season. Clearly, the Penguins don’t have problems in goal. At least not in the short term. The long-range outlook, however, is considerably more hazy. Get past Philippe DeRouville and Patrick Lalime, two draftees from the Quebec League, and there’s little evidence the Penguins’ system features any goalies who can make a bid for an NHL job someday. Conversely, the Penguins know they have at least a couple of NHL-caliber forwards in their system. Right wingers Ed Patterson and Justin Duberman performed well this season when recalled from Cleveland of the International League. But the organization’s greatest…
Injury to Rouse deals big blow
With their top six defenseman in the lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a winning percentage of.833. And that’s one of the reasons why coach Pat Bums believes he has, collectively, the NHL’s best defense corps. Unfortunately, the defense of Dave Ellett, Bob Rouse, Jamie Macoun, Todd Gill, Sylvain Lefebvre and Dmitri Mironov had only been together for 18 games this season through Jan. 30. The Leafs were 13-1-4 in those games, but the six-pack was broken up again Jan. 29 when Rouse sustained a knee injury against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 29-year-old Rouse, probably the club’s best rearguard in last spring’s playoff run, hyperextended his right knee trying to throw a check in the second period of a 4-4 tie. He was to be re-examined several days later, but early indications were of…
Linden superb on wing
Trevor Linden claims it’s “no big deal” to be winging it again, even though Vancouver Canucks’ coach Pat Quinn thinks his young captain should still be the center of attention. Linden has been a right winger for most of his six-year career, but has occasionally played in the middle when injuries created a crisis. “You know how I feel about Trevor at center,” Quinn said. “Maybe I’m being stubborn, but I think he could be a more valuable overall player for us in the middle. I like the way he accepts his defensive responsibilities there.” While Linden is indeed fine without the puck, and an excellent faceoff man to boot, he simply doesn’t produce as well offensively from the spot. In his first 32 games this season-as a right winger-he collected 19 goals and…
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