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.

February 11, 1994

The Hockey News February 11, 1994

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div>The last time he was a national team member, Brad Werenka played himself into a full-time NHL job.The Olympics were still more than a year away then and the likelihood of him ever seeing Lillehammer up close and personal was small.So he didn&rsquo;t give staying with the Canadian Olympic team a second thought when the Edmonton Oilers came calling.But times have changed and the Olympians have come calling again. They need a defenseman who can move the puck and are forced to find a player who has either cleared NHL waivers or doesn&rsquo;t have to clear them.Werenka, 24, fits the bill. The Olympics begin February 12 and general manager-coach Glen Sather said Werenka is here only as an insurance policy for now.&ldquo;When I first took the job, Glen was one of the first people to call. He said he knew the nature of what I was facing and said the Edmonton Oilers will help,&rdquo; said George Kingston, director of hockey operations for the Olympians. &ldquo;We need him (Werenka) now. We want to be a team when we go in there (Lillehammer).&rdquo;Despite the fact Sather coaches the kind of game Werenka loves to play, all signs point to Norway. Werenka played in just eight games through Jan. 31 recording two assists.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to play somewhere I&rsquo;m getting ice time and being a big part of it,&rdquo; Werenka said. &ldquo;Obviously my ultimate goal is to play here (in the NHL), but if there&rsquo;s no room for me, I&rsquo;d definitely like to go there.UPSETTING EXPERIENCE: A two-game goal-scoring streak should have an enforcer grinning from ear to ear.But winger Louie Debrusk&rsquo;s back-to-back, last-second tallies in losses to the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars were nothing to cheer about.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost an embarrassment. I&rsquo;d like to be able to celebrate instead of put my head down,&rdquo; said DeBrusk, who had three goals and eight points in 33 games. &ldquo;You should be able to celebrate goals. The two I&rsquo;ve scored, they really don&rsquo;t mean anything.&rdquo;DeBrusk&rsquo;s goals do mean he&rsquo;s handling the puck a little better around the net, but as an enforcer that isn&rsquo;t his first priority anyway.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s skating and handling the puck better. I think he is becoming better as a player,&rdquo; said Glen Sather, who has been on DeBrusk to play a more physical game.NOTEBOOK: The Oilers went from a high of 10-6-4 under Glen Sather to 10-13-5. The Edmonton coach blasted his team a couple of times, publicly and privately, during the winless stretch. &ldquo;Send them to the minors, that&rsquo;s the next step,&rdquo; Sather said. &ldquo;I told the players, if they don&rsquo;t start doing what they&rsquo;re told, I&rsquo;ll start making deals or sending guys down.&rdquo; Defenseman Dave Manson is the only marketable commodity the Oilers would trade. Sather said he wouldn&rsquo;t deal left winger Shayne Corson and the team would be crazy to send goalie Bill Ranford anywhere.<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 25: Tyler Wright, C, and Brad Werenka, D, recalled from Cape Breton (AHL). Jan. 27: Peter White. C. assigned to Cape Breton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jason Arnott, Doug Weight, Craig MacTavish, Tyler Wright.LW&mdash;Shayne Corson, Scott Pearson, Louie DeBrusk, Vlad Vujtek, Scott Thornton.RW&mdash;Zdeno Ciger, Steve Rice, Kelly Buchberger, Kirk Maltby, Shjon Podein.LD&mdash;lgor Kravchuk, Fredrik CHausson, Brad Werenka, Luke Richardson.RD&mdash;Dave Manson, Bob Beers, Adam Ben eft, Ilya Byakin.G&mdash;Bill Ranford, Fred Brathwaite.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Luke Richardson, D, fractured cheekbone indefinite. &#9632;

IN THIS ISSUE

Restless Werenka eager to join Team Canada

<div class="byline">By Dave Sell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0018-023/6333601-1-eng-US/s0018-022.jpg" title="s0018-02" width="430" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Allison</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0018-017/6333608-1-eng-US/s0018-012.jpg" title="s0018-01" width="200" height="202"></div>If there were as many Washington Capitals near the top of the NHL scoring list as there were future Caps near the top of the World Junior Championship scoring list, they wouldn&rsquo;t be struggling to make the playoffs.Forwards Martin Gendron and Jason Allison helped Canada win the gold medal in the Czech Republic and the Capitals hope they will someday help bring a Stanley Cup to Landover.The Capitals have not had tremendous fortune in the draft in recent years. Most of their successes have been with European picks, such as Michal Pivonka, Dimitri Khristich and Peter Bondra.Some of the recent first-round picks could develop into everyday players, but the last one to make a contribution was defenseman Kevin Hatcher, who was the 17th pick in the 1984 draft.There is plenty of depth in goal, but there&rsquo;s no evidence to suggest any of the prospective netminders will be NHL stars.Here are the top five prospects in order:Jason Allison: He was very impressive in training camp and hasn&rsquo;t let up since returning to London of the Ontario League.Quick hands and a keen hockey sense are the best parts of his game and he used them to score 35 goals and 81 points in his first 34 games.Allison sees the ice well and has the hands needed to feather passes through cracks and crevices in an opponent&rsquo;s defense. The issue will be whether he can skate past NHL defenders.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 17th overall.Brendan Witt: If the Capitals and Witt&rsquo;s agent, Mark Hall, could communicate better, Witt might already be halfway through his first NHL season.Maybe there wasn&rsquo;t enough money, but the Capitals couldn&rsquo;t come to terms with the defenseman before the year started.Coach Terry Murray was planning to use Witt and use him often, perhaps alongside Hatcher.His crunching checks and unflappable poise on the ice impressed many in the Capitals&rsquo; training camp.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 11th overall.Olaf Kolzig: The 23-year-old goalie has been in the organization since 1989, when he was chosen in the first round of the entry draft. The intervening years have been both good and bad, smooth and turbulent.Kolzig played well enough in his first camp to make the opening-day roster, but was returned to his junior team. Two years later, he played poorly enough in training camp to be loaned to Rochester of the American League for the 1992-93 season.He needs to learn to use all of his 6-foot-3, 205 pounds to stop the puck.Acquired: 1989 entry draft, 19th overall.Jim Carey: The Capitals were confident enough in Carey&rsquo;s future they traded a first-round pick in 1992 and selected him with the 32nd overall pick.The Massachusetts native starred as a freshman at the University of Wisconsin during the 1992-93 season. He finished with the best statistics among Western Collegiate Athletic Association goaltenders.His sophomore season has been inconsistent, though, but playing through inconsistency is part of the maturation process.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 32nd overall.Sergei Gonchar: The Capitals&rsquo; top pick in the 1992 draft is a classic stay-at-home defenseman.The 19-year-old is currently in his second season with Moscow Dynamo and has made a name for himself with his physical play. He has actually been chided for his physical style, which is rougher than commonly used by the team.Gonchar is a few years away, but the Capitals are patiently awaiting the day he can provide a physical presence to their blueline corps.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 14th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Jason Allison, C, London (OHL), 18,6-3,192,34-35-46-81-54.2. Brendan Witt, D, Seattle (WHL), 18,6-1,205, 34-7-18-25-132.3. Olaf Kolzig, G, Portland (AHL), 23,6-3,205,6-3-3,3.19.4. Jim Carey, G, Wisconsin (WCHA), 19,6-2, 190,10-6-1,3.33.5. Sergei Gonchar, D, Dynamo Moscow (Rus.), 19,6-0,190,26-0-5-5-N/A.6. Byron Dafoe, G, Portland (AHL), 22, 5-11, 175, 17-9-3, 3.08. Has been in system for five seasons but still trying to establish himself.7. Stefan Ustorf, C, Kaufbeuren (Ger.), 20, 5-11, 169, 26-6-15-21-17. Was Germany&rsquo;s top scorer at World Junior Championships.8. Mark Seliger, G, Rosenheim (Ger.), 19, 5-11,165, N/A. Had strong World Junior Championship behind suspect defense corps.9. Martin Gendron, RW, Hull (QMJHL), 20, 5-8, 182,13-12-8-20-8. Injury woes in training camp hampered progress.10. Jeff Nelson, C, Portland (AHL), 21, 6-0, 180, 47-5-18-23-49. Led Pirates in scoring after first half of season.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Martin GendronStickhandler: Jason AllisonShot: Martin GendronBodychecker: Brendan WittHockey Sense: Jason Allison &#9632;

s0018-02

Scoring help would be nice

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011405/6330898-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="505" height="791"><figcaption class="caption-body">An ankle injury grounds the Finnish Flash. Page 10</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04612/6330891-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="503" height="790"><figcaption class="caption-body">Veteran Kevin Lowe is not washed up. Page 28</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03836/6330884-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="718" height="1272"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Washington Capitals&rsquo; brutal season costs Terry Murray his job. Page 27</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021147/6330877-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="505" height="785"><figcaption class="caption-body">Right wing suits Trevor Linden just fine. Page 19</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-05447/6330870-1-eng-US/f0002-052.jpg" title="f0002-05" width="503" height="786"><figcaption class="caption-body">Norm Maciver worries about his bruised heart. Page 51</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Sometimes you say foolish things and gotta leam by them and that was a very foolish thing, h&rsquo;s almost idiotic.&rdquo;&ndash;Florida&rsquo;s John Vanbiesbrouck responding to Anaheim coach Ron Wilson who said his goalie pads are illegal. Page 6.&ldquo;Sometimes those five-minute power plays are a pain&hellip;I wonder if they&rsquo;re worth the trouble.&rdquo;&ndash;Tampa coach Terry Crisp on his team&rsquo;s ineptness on the power-play. Page 28. &#9632;

f0002-01

QUOTABLE

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div>Mighty Ducks of Anaheim coach Ron Wilson thinks Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; center Wayne Gretzky can influence a game even after a whistle. And Wilson believes Gretzky must have his own special section in the NHL rulebook.Wilson was incensed after a 5-1 loss to the Kings Jan. 29. The turning point was a five-minute major for high-sticking against Don McSween, who got his stick up against Gretzky.The Kings scored twice on the power play to take a 2-0 lead.Wilson was fuming, first because it wasn&rsquo;t referee Kerry Fraser but linesman Shane Heyer who made the call, and because he made it after Gretzky skated by and spoke to him.&ldquo;A five-minute major for high-sticking is when you cut someone maliciously,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have even called a two-minute minor. You can&rsquo;t have a linesman making a call when he&rsquo;s not 100 per cent sure. He said he saw the whole thing and I know he didn&rsquo;t. Wayne must have made the call himself. And they said his gum was bleeding&hellip;give me a break.&rdquo;Kings&rsquo; coach Barry Melrose defended the call: &ldquo;It was a good call. He was cut on the nose. I wouldn&rsquo;t say he was (bleeding) profusely. I&rsquo;d never lie about a thing like that.&rdquo;Wilson thinks Gretzky gets preferential treatment.&ldquo;If it&rsquo;s Shaun Van Allen who&rsquo;s hit in the mouth and he&rsquo;s bleeding, nothing&rsquo;s called,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;Shaun Van Allen has got 10 stitches over the eye from the other night, no call. But Wayne gets hit in the mouth, certainly there&rsquo;s going to be a call. I don&rsquo;t blame them, but at least make sure that there was something there&hellip;and there wasn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;BUSINESS CLASS: Entrepreneurs trying to make a buck on signed first-year memorabilia have competition-from the Mighty Ducks.The team is selling limited-edition, autographed, inaugural-team collect-ibles-for as much as $700, including $600 for a jersey autographed by the original 25 Ducks.&ldquo;We knew these things would be a hot item and we wanted to be involved,&rdquo; said Andy Roundtree, vicepresident, finance and administration for Disney Sports Enterprises. &ldquo;We have a problem with somebody who takes a stick and sells it for $500. They&rsquo;re making money off you.&rdquo;The Ducks enlisted the players in an unusual arrangement under which they will give the players a 50 percent cut of the profit added by their signatures.NOTEBOOK: The Winnipeg Jets became the first team to be swept by the Ducks in a season series, losing all four games. Two nights after the Ducks beat Winnipeg 3-1 Jan. 26, the New York Rangers became the second. losing the second their two-game season series 3-2&hellip;Center Anatoli Semenov scored a goal 30 seconds into his first shift against the Jets Jan. 26 after returning to the lineup from a seven-week layoff with a dislocated elbow.<h2>ANAHEIM</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 25: Jarrod Skakje, C, and Robin Bawa, RW, assigned to San Diego (IHL). Myles O&rsquo;Connor. D, recalled from San Diego.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Anatoli Semenov. Bob Corkum, Patrik Camback, Shaun Van Allen.LW&mdash;Garry Valk, Tim Sweeney. Troy Loney, Stu Grimson,RW&mdash;Peter Douris, Terry Yake, Joe Sacco. Todd Ewen, Steven King,LD&mdash;Bill Houlder, Randy Ladouceur, Mark Ferner.RD&mdash;Bobby Dollas. Sean Hill. Don McSween, Myles O&rsquo;Connor.G&mdash;Guy Hebert, Ron Tugnutt.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Alexei Kasatonov, D, bruised right foot, day-to-day. Jim Thomson, RW, left shoulder surgery, out for season. David Williams, D, hip strain, day-to-day. &#9632;

Wilson says Gretzky gets preferential treatment

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-06325/6330960-1-eng-US/f0002-062.jpg" title="f0002-06" width="373" height="479"></div>Life After Hockey. Mike Smith wrote about it. Now he&rsquo;s living it.The eclectic NHL executive and author was fired as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets with his team nine games under the.500 mark. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like dying,&rdquo; Smith says,&rdquo;except you get to go to your own wake.&rdquo;So, is this heaven?No, it&rsquo;s Martha&rsquo;s Vineyard.Smith is preparing for a train trip through Europe and Asia. He&rsquo;s going to art auctions, working out, reading the New York Times book section and trying not to think about what might have been. Nobody has delivered a eulogy, but supporters have phoned to praise him.&ldquo;A number of people called me this week, including a couple of owners, who felt, in some ways, I was ahead of my time,&rdquo; Smith says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t agree with that. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m ahead of my time, but it may turn out that I was ahead of my time in Winnipeg.&rdquo;True and false.Smith is a man of vision. The people of Winnipeg would surely have accepted that had Smith not only been on the cutting edge, but provided a winning edge. Five years after Smith assumed control of the Jets&rsquo; destiny, Winnipeg wasn&rsquo;t challenging for the Stanley Cup-only a playoff berth. His record just wasn&rsquo;t good enough. Others with worse marks have been given longer chances, but his style doesn&rsquo;t agree with everyone. Smith is an independent and, occasionally, contrary person.His departure is viewed by some as an indictment of his faith in Europeans. Seven or eight play most nights. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a failure of a European experiment,&rdquo; says team president Barry Shenkarow. &ldquo;It may be we ended up with some of the wrong Europeans.&rdquo;Or the wrong players, period. When teams staffed largely with North Americans play miserably, nobody ever says they have too many Canadians and Americans. Why not? It could be a legitimate beef. The Montreal Canadiens are the first team since 1979 to win the Stanley Cup without a significant contribution by at least one European player. Looking for a reason why the Chicago Blackhawks have prospered during the regular season and petered out in the playoffs? How about because they&rsquo;ve never had an impact European? Imports must go through transition periods that domestics don&rsquo;t. Most, however, have the advantage of superior skills.It should be noted Smith&rsquo;s dismissal did not meet with universal approval. Florida Panthers&rsquo; GM Bob Clarke says Smith did a good job of assembling a talented lineup within strict budget limitations.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the manager&rsquo;s fault if a player doesn&rsquo;t play properly,&rdquo; Clarke says. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re supposed to make changes to try and make your team better. Firing the manager after 40 games doesn&rsquo;t make the team better. I think that&rsquo;s just an owner who gave in to pressure from the press, rather than backing his people.&rdquo;Shenkarow says there were mitigating circumstances-including a small season-ticket base and the need for a measure of approval from the media and fans while the Jets&rsquo; survival in Winnipeg is decided.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying the fans run the hockey team,&rdquo; Shenkarow says,&rdquo;but certainly they&rsquo;re the ones who pay the bills and because we don&rsquo;t have the luxury of having 15,000 seasonticket holders, we would soon start (to see a) a drop in attendance and when we go to sell tickets for next year, we would blow our brains out.&rdquo; The Jets couldn&rsquo;t have that. There would be blood all over the place. Instead, Smith&rsquo;s has been spilled. It&rsquo;s not a fatal wound despite what he says. Smith is among the brightest people in the game and he will get another opportunity. He should. &#9632;

f0002-06

Smith gone for now, but should be back in NHL

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</div>Roger Neilson wishes people would shut their traps about the trap. He insists the 1-2-2 checking system known as the neutral zone trap has been around for 40 years. &ldquo;I was doing it in minor bantam,&rdquo; he says. Neilson is annoyed the passive trap-which places a premium on forcing turnovers before teams can cross center ice and not board-crashing forechecking-is blamed for low-scoring, monotonous hockey. The expansion teams are accused of using the trap to compensate for inferior talent. It should be remembered the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup last season because of strict adherence to the trap. Neilson says low-scoring hockey is a product of parity and a league decision to make regular-season games more important with a new playoff system. The result has been fierce competition and fewer goals. The NHL has promised to address the new brand of hockey at the general managers&rsquo; meeting Feb. 7-9. &lsquo;The league is saying we&rsquo;ve got to do something, it&rsquo;s too boring,&rdquo; Neilson says.&ldquo;Come on, give us a break. What do they want? Okay, we&rsquo;ll stop checking and we&rsquo;ll have the 16-6 and 9-8 games. I think the league is great this year. Every time you look, you&rsquo;re in a new set-up, you&rsquo;ve got four teams behind you. Next time you look, you lose two games and they&rsquo;re all ahead of you. What could be better than that?&rdquo; Neilson says people assume the Panthers are a clutch-and-grab, slow team and at the heart of this new trend.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011575/6331012-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="367" height="372"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021405/6331005-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="381" height="596"><figcaption class="caption-body">Number of game-winning goals by Cam Neely: 9</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Baloney,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Out of our 13 forwards, we&rsquo;ve got 10 really fast forwards. Nobody even knows we have good speed. We&rsquo;re not a clutch-and-grab team.&rdquo;&hellip;Four of the top 16 prospects for the 1994 entry draft are named Jason (Bonsignore, Wiemer, Podollan and Botterill). None are goalies. Go figure&hellip;NHL bad guys should be careful not to rough up the Boston Bruins. Massachusetts is the third-most litigious state in America. Sooner or later, someone&rsquo;s going to wise up and hold hockey players accountable for unlawful activities. The league is lucky it doesn&rsquo;t have a team in the District of Columbia. That&rsquo;s the most litigious state. The Capitals play in Landover, Md., Cam Neely update: He had scored in a startling 80 per cent of games he played (24 of 30) and accounted for 32 per cent of Boston Bruins&rsquo; goals (34 of 107) in those games. There are no official standards of excellence in these categories, but Mario Lemieux was at 73 and 24 per cent, respectively, in 60 games last season. Neely&rsquo;s numbers are the most sensational of the season&hellip;Arnold Burns and Yves Fortier were given the wrong assignment last summer. They&rsquo;re the tag-team lawyers retained to investigate allegations the Ottawa Senators threw games in 1992-93. They should have conducted a probe into how a team could be so bad.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031179/6330998-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="1144" height="1746"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s standards of excellence are being challenged.</figcaption></div>The Senators have harmed league credibility more with on-ice performance than suspect off-ice moves&hellip;Panthers&rsquo; GM Bob Clarke has asked the league to consider a unique proposal: When play has to be stopped as the result of injury, the injured player should be forced to sit out remaining time in the period. Clarke says players are prolonging injury timeouts to draw severe penalties or, in some cases, provide time for star teammates to rest. Clarke says if a player is hurt badly enough for play to halt, he should get treatment immediately. The GM acknowledges there are problems with the proposal-not all players shook up on the ice require medical attention-but it highlights a league concern&hellip;One coach says the Montreal Canadiens use picks in the attacking zone more than any team in the NHL&hellip;Why would teams oppose Glenn Anderson representing Canada at the Winter Olympics in Norway? Could it be they feared his replacement on the Toronto Maple Leafs would be better than him? It&rsquo;s an outrage the NHL won&rsquo;t extend courtesy waivers for Anderson. The league worries it would have trouble drawing a line on other requests if Anderson were permitted to go. That&rsquo;s the worst possible reason not to allow it. League and team executives earn a lot of money to come up with creative solutions to problems like this. An aside from THN&rsquo;s Michael Ulmer. He is sympathetic to Anderson, but says he is amused the very fans who shell out $50 to watch him go through the motions during the regular season are rallying behind him in his bid to go all out elsewhere&hellip;Ex-allstar defenseman and NHL Players&rsquo; Association president Doug Wilson has been hired by the players&rsquo; union to explore new business ventures and specialize in international affairs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-04961/6330991-1-eng-US/f0004-042.jpg" title="f0004-04" width="379" height="596"><figcaption class="caption-body">Number of game-winning goals by Ottawa: 9</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0004-01

Shut up about trap already

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, start your tape recorders.Glen Hanlon anticipated he would be in demand more than a year ago, so he went back in time to better remember Oct. 14. 1979. That was the day Hanlon surrendered the first goal of Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s reeordsetting career.Fourteen years later, Gretzky is on the verge of history-again. Hanlon? He&rsquo;s on the verge of telling his story-again and again.&ldquo;Maybe if I&rsquo;d stopped him,&rdquo; Hanlon laughs,&rdquo;he would have had the mediocre career I had and I would have had his career.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-05779/6331043-1-eng-US/f0004-052.jpg" title="f0004-05" width="657" height="803"><figcaption class="caption-body">Glen Hanlon</figcaption></div>Goal 1 was scored at 18:51 of the third period in a game between the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. It was the third game of Gretzky&rsquo;s NHL career, his fourth point and the tying goal in a 4-4 draw.Hanlon, now the Canucks&rsquo; goalie coach, knew questions would arise over the historic first goal so last year he asked for a video copy of it and boned up on the details.&ldquo;He came out from behind the net, held on, gained more ice and went to the center of the slot,&rdquo; Hanlon recalls. &ldquo;By the time he got there, I was lying on my back and he just whipped it into the top part of the net.&rdquo;Long-ago Oilers Blair MacDonald and Brett Callighen earned assists.Gretzky scored 12 career goals on Hanlon, but another player haunted Hanlon even more. New York Rangers&rsquo; right winger Mike Gartner scored the 100th, 200th and 300th goals of his career against Hanlon. &#9632;

f0004-05

GLEN HANLON PART OF HISTORY AGAIN & AGAIN

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011487/6331074-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wavne Gretzky may score his big goal against the San Jose Sharks on March 20.</figcaption></div>Manon Rheaume has conquered a problem unique among goaltenders. She&rsquo;s too fast.Rheaume, expected to be the starting goalie as Canada seeks its third straight Women&rsquo;s World Championship, was porous in her first practices with the national team.The problem? After nearly two years playing in the East Coast and International Leagues, she was out of step when she came back to tend goal against women.&ldquo;The shot is not the same, the speed is not the same,&rdquo; Rheaume said. &ldquo;The girls aren&rsquo;t as big and the shots are different.&rdquo;&ldquo;It was a real adjustment for Manon, she was way ahead of the play,&rdquo; said Team Canada coach Les Lawton.In fact, Rheaume worked with the team psychologist to diffuse her anxiety about the difficulties of adjusting to the women&rsquo;s game.Rheaume, who played at 135 pounds last season with the IHL&rsquo;s Atlanta Knights, is down to 124 pounds and has become a fitness devotee. She has played four games this season with the ECHL&rsquo;s Knoxville Cherokees, posting a 21-0 record, 4.17 goals-against average and.870 save percentage.Rheaume is easily the most recognizable player on the Canadian side, but the lineup is dotted with dominant players.Nancy Drolet, 20, the leading scorer at the 1992 World Championship in Tampere, Fin., is the club&rsquo;s top offensive threat. The Canadian side features enviable depth at center with Angela James, France St. Louis and Margot Page. Hayley Wickenheiser, a distant relative of former NHLer Doug Wickenheiser, cracked the lineup as a winger and was dominating at training camp.Geraldine Heaney and Judy Diduck anchor the defense. The two are among six players with experience on both the 1990 and 1992 champions. &#9632;

f0005-01

Rheaume sets sights on Worlds

Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s march towards Gordie Howe&rsquo;s NHL career goal-scoring record continues. The Great One is on pace to pass Mr. Hockey&rsquo;s NHL record of 801 regular-season goals this season.With 24 goals in 49 games (789 career), Gretzky was on pace to break the mark March 20 against the San Jose Sharks at the San Jose Arena. Below is a list of the Kings&rsquo; remaining games this season, plus Gretzky&rsquo;s season and career goal totals.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021074/6331105-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="722" height="1571"></div> &#9632;

f0005-02

The Gretzky Goal Rush

<div class="byline">By THN Staff</div>Petr Sykora was set become the youngest player in International league history and the first to come with a 30-day guarantee.The 17-year-old Czech center is scheduled to play 15 regular-season games and one exhibition for the Cleveland Lumberjacks.&ldquo;I want to play for Cleveland to prove that I can compete as a professional at this level,&rdquo; Sykora said.His debut was set for Feb. 1.Radek Bonk of the Las Vegas Thunder, now 18, previously held the distinction of being the IHL&rsquo;s youngest-ever player.Bonk is eligible for the 1994 NHL entry draft. Sykora, 51 days younger, isn&rsquo;t eligible until 1995.Sykora is expected to return to Plzen of the Czech Elite League in time for a March 5 game.He will stay for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Sykora had 12 goals and 17 points in 19 games with Plzen.The presence of Bonk and Sykora could be the start of troubling trend for the Czech League if young stars choose to play in North America rather than remain home until ready to make a legitimate run at NHL employment.Sykora is not bound to return to North America after the European season ends.His contract rights as a North American professional will be retained by the Lumberjacks next season, but they have the option of not bringing him over.It&rsquo;s a unique deal, but Sykora is a unique player.He was the youngest player at the World Junior Championship and tied for first place among goal scorers with six.Lumbetjacks&rsquo; general manager Larry Gor-don is confident Sykora will return next season for his showcase draft year. Sykora is wearing No. 95.The Lumberjacks move into a new arena in downtown Cleveland next season and Sykora could provide the same profile Bonk has given Las Vegas.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question that was included in our thinking as well,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;This arrangement is a chance for Petr to look at us and for us to look at him. This way, hopefully, he&rsquo;ll be comfortable for next year&rdquo;SALARY CAP PYRAMID: The latest NHL proposal rejected by the NHL Players&rsquo; Association in collective bargaining talks includes a salary cap based on wage pyramids.The Globe and Mail said 14 per cent of a team&rsquo;s total payroll would be earmarked for its top player, 16 per cent for its second and third highest-paid players. 22 per cent for the next group of four and 48 per cent for the remaining 18.These are the first details of the NHL proposal to leak out. The NHLPA has said it wants no part of a salary-cap. The league had no comment on the Toronto newspaper&rsquo;s report other than to say any proposal it may have made would be framed in more detail than the story indicated.NHL labor and management have been without a collective bargaining agreement since Sept. 15.AMERICAN DOMINANCE: Team USA finished its 11-game pre-Olympic series against Team Canada with an 8-2-1 record. Canada rallied from a 4-1 deficit to win the last game 6-5 at Nassau County Coliseum Jan. 29.Meanwhile, injured Canadian right winger Brett Lindros is back skating after sustaining tom ligaments in his left knee, but is not expected to play in the Olympics. &#9632;

Sykora youngest player in IHL history

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011663/6331160-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Panthers&rsquo; management insists it has no intention of trading John Vanbiesbrouck. (JIM LEARY/BBS)</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s shock jock talk in Miami.Neil Rogers is on WIOD discussing last night&rsquo;s game, another (yawn) victory for the Florida Panthers-who are in the midst of an expansion-record nine-game unbeaten streak.He utters a few mild obscenities to meet minimum Federal Communications Commission-mandated shock standards, but he is no more offensive than the low-scoring Panthers.Panthers&rsquo; director of public relations Greg Bouris is driving and nods to the left.&ldquo;Want a hot dog?&rdquo; he asks. Presiding over a roadside stand is a near-naked woman wearing dental floss disguised as a bathing suit.Our destination: the Panthers&rsquo; practice rink in Pompano.Meanwhile, Rogers fields phone calls. Talk turns to trade rumors and Rogers has only one thing on his mind. He implores,&rdquo;If there&rsquo;s anybody out there from Panthers&rsquo; management listening, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t trade the Beezer!&rsquo;&rdquo;Bouris smiles. The plea is unnecessary.Panthers&rsquo; star goalie John Vanbiesbrouck isn&rsquo;t going anywhere but his new home in Boca Raton. There and 25 NHL cities.Strictly as a touring pro, mind you, not the resident pro.Vanbiesbrouck, 30, is on top of his game and playing pretty good goal, too. He was recently joined at a celebrity golf tournament by twotime Masters champion Bernhard Langer and outplayed him on one hole, scoring a birdie to Langer&rsquo;s par.It was Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s only sub-par performance of the season.Florida is on pace for the first, 500-plus season ever by an NHL expansion team.There are many reasons for its unexpected success-general manager Bob Clarke&rsquo;s cunning, coach Roger Neilson&rsquo;s defensive orientation, high-level commitment by low-level players-but none is more important than the play of Vanbiesbrouck.He is touted as a candidate for league MVP after a sensational first half with the first-year Panthers.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s flattering,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck says,&rdquo;but it doesn&rsquo;t mean your job is finished or the team&rsquo;s job is finished. The only time I rate my performance is at the end of the year.&rdquo;So, too, will NHL general managers who choose the Vezina Trophy winner (best goalie) and reporters who vote on the Hart Trophy (MVP).Only four goalies have won the Hart in the 70-year history of the award. Much will depend on whether Florida makes the playoffs-although precedence suggests that is not crucial.Al Rollins won the Hart in 1953-54 when his Chicago Blackhawks finished dead last.Vanbiesbrouck has re-emerged as a premier NHL goalie after three seasons of sharing first-string responsibilities with Mike Richter on the New York Rangers.His is one of the great comeback stories of the year.The 1985-86 Vezina winner was discarded by the Rangers last season-traded to the Vancouver Canucks so they could leave him exposed in the expansion draft and avoid losing Kay Whitmore.Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s seven-figure contract and uncertain play in recent years made him expendable, but he insists his confidence level (always thought to be expandable) never suffered.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it&rsquo;s a blow to your ego,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a blow to you as a person to say, &lsquo;Hey you didn&rsquo;t get the job done.&rsquo; What I was really dissatisfied with and unhappy about is that I wanted to win the Stanley Cup (in New York) and we definitely had an opportunity to do that.&rdquo;Clarke made Vanbiesbrouck the first pick in the draft and he has become the first choice of fans on Florida&rsquo;s east coast.&ldquo;The Beezer&rdquo; is easily the most popular Panther. But speculation is the Panthers will trade Vanbiesbrouck to a Stanley Cup-contending team and rely on 25-year-old backup Mark Fitzpatrick.Most-likely destination? His hometown Detroit Red Wings.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not trading a goalie,&rdquo; Clarke says. &ldquo;I really like our two goalies. I like their age, the way they compete and eventually John is going to give way to Fitzpatrick.&ldquo;For me to trade Vanbiesbrouck, then I have to go out and look for a goaltender. I want to win just as much as everybody else. Why would I give up a good goaltender? That&rsquo;s crazy.&rdquo;Clarke may not be willing to trade Vanbiesbrouck now, but while GM of the Philadelphia Flyers he once made a trade to the Rangers with him in mind.&ldquo;When I was in Philly,&rdquo; Clarke says,&rdquo;we traded (Bob) Froese to the Rangers. We always had trouble with Vanbiesbrouck.&ldquo;I remember Mr. (Ed) Snider (the Flyers&rsquo; owner) saying to me, &lsquo;How the hell could you trade a goaltender in your own division?&rsquo; I said, &lsquo;Who would you rather play against, Froese or Vanbiesbrouck?&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Good trade.&rsquo;&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a knock on Froese, but from Philadelphia&rsquo;s standpoint, that damn Vanbiesbrouck caused us so many problems.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck is problematic to the opposition once more. The 10-year NHLer has been astonishing in games the Panthers have no business winning this season.He had earned 11 victories and three ties in 19 games the Panthers were outshot by at least nine. Fitzpatrick was 2-0-1 in such games.&ldquo;I feel we&rsquo;ve got the best one-two goalkeeping tandem in the league,&rdquo; Neilson says. &ldquo;We just sort of take it for granted now that our goalie is going to outplay the other team&rsquo;s goalkeeper.&rdquo;With a.933 save percentage and 2.31 goals-against average, Vanbiesbrouck is the undisputed No. 1 goalie and standard-bearer in Neilson&rsquo;s fight to finish the season below the 3.00 mark in GAA.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t get so honed in on statistics such as save percentage and goals-against,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck says. &ldquo;Wins and losses is what we live and die by.&rdquo;The 21-17-10 Panthers (a .542 winning percentage) were on pace for 37 wins, six more than the expansion high of 31 established by the Flyers and Los Angeles Kings in 1967-68. The Flyers and Kings played in a league comprised 50 per cent of expansion teams.None of the nine post-1967 expansion teams who entered alone or in pairs has earned more than 25.Florida is certain to fashion a better debut record than any of its major pro predecessors in Miami, including the baseball Marlins who had a.395 winning percentage in 1993.&ldquo;I liken Vanbiesbrouck to a starting pitcher,&rdquo; Neilson says. &ldquo;So, you&rsquo;ve got a first-year team and not much is expected, but if you have a starting experienced pitcher, then every game he plays you&rsquo;re in and the fans will all be out. Well, we can throw this guy every game.&rdquo;How good has Vanbiesbrouck been this season? Good enough to prompt accusations of cheating by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim coach Ron Wilson.Wilson said Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s pads exceeded the allowable 12 inches in width. He insisted they were at least 14, as if to say the Florida goalie was padding his stats.Subsequent checks found them to be 11-and-a-half.&ldquo;I just chalked it up to his inexperience as a coach,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck says. &ldquo;Sometimes you say foolish things and you gotta learn by them and that was a very foolish thing. It&rsquo;s almost idiotic.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck says opportunity more than equipment has made him a stronger goalie this season. He never lost faith in his ability and pounced like, well a panther, on a chance to prove himself again.&ldquo;The reason for better play is better opportunity,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck says.Florida gave Vanbiesbrouck the puck and challenged him not to drop it-and if so, to smother the rebound. Done.Would you expect anything less from someone on the rebound? &#9632;

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Hail Beezer!

Year after year, I read articles dissecting the NHL All-Star Game. Generally, the comments are negative and stress the complete disappointment of the annual event.Just once I&rsquo;d like to see someone write that they enjoyed the event and were awed by the display of talent that makes fans like myself (and I hope others) envious of the skills displayed.A common and quite erroneous assumption is that hockey is supposed to be a physical sport and cannot be enjoyed unless it is.If any of the so-called fans who claim they know something about the game did some research, they&rsquo;d see the game wasn&rsquo;t designed to be rough.The game was developed in Russia in the 1600s and passing and scoring were the main objectives.If fans enjoy physical, rough-and-tumble hockey, don&rsquo;t complain about the All-Star Game, turn off your TV and don&rsquo;t watch it.But let&rsquo;s leave the format alone. It&rsquo;s fine the way it is.Robert Foley,&nbsp; Hyde Park, N.Y.<h2>Bad bounce</h2>I suggest the NHL add yet one more rule to the game. I realize the rulebook is saturated, but I feel this proposed rule should be included.When the puck hits a linesman or referee there should be an automatic whistle to stop the play. Without stopping the play, the outcome of a game can be altered dramatically because of a bad bounce.This actually happened in a recent match when a defenseman shot the puck into the comer only to have it bounce off a linesman right in front of the net, resulting in a glorious scoring opportunity for the other team.Faith Rogers,&nbsp; Kingston, Ont.<h2>Key omission</h2>I recently had the pleasure of reading your feature &ldquo;Top 50 Stories of 1993&rdquo; in the Jan. 7 issue of THN.It was an excellent idea to do a piece on the top stories of the year, but I would like to point out a memorable moment that didn&rsquo;t make the list.Curtis Joseph&rsquo;s performance for the St. Louis Blues in last season&rsquo;s playoffs deserved to be mentioned. What hockey fans witnessed from Joseph was the most incredible display of goaltending in recent memory.Even though the Blues lost, rarely have hockey fans seen such a miraculous display.Carl Lemelin,&nbsp; Aylmer, Que.<h2>Dean of veterans</h2>I feel Dean Prentice deserves to be inducted into the NHL&rsquo;s Hockey Hall of Fame.With the exception of Pete Rose, a player with comparable statistics in another sport would be included in that sports&rsquo; Hall of Fame.At the time of Prentice&rsquo;s retirement in 1974. he was third in seasons played (22), fifth in games played (1,378), 12th in goals (391), 14th in assists (469) and 13th in points (860).After the Gil Stein and Harold Ballard fiascos, maybe Prentice will have to remain behind more &ldquo;deserving&rdquo; people such as Bruce McNall, John Candy, Jim Craig and Richard Dean Anderson.Come on selection committee, open the record book. Prentice is an obvious selection in the veteran&rsquo;s category.Peter Pitts,&nbsp; Springfield, N.S.<h2>Not the Boss</h2>Last season was a great year for rookies, particularly Teemu Selanne. The city of Winnipeg is going crazy for their new superstar and with good reason.But I wasn&rsquo;t thrilled when I saw a picture of Selanne that said &ldquo;The New Boss&rdquo; in reference to him beating Mike Bossy&rsquo;s record for goals by a rookie.Let&rsquo;s not call Selanne the &ldquo;New Boss&rdquo; until he can match what Bossy did for his entire career.In 10 years, when Selanne has four Stanley Cups, one Conn Smythe Trophy, three Lady Byng Trophies and nine consecutive 50-goal seasons, then he can be called &ldquo;The New Boss.&rdquo;Bruce Ockenden,&nbsp; Victoria, B.C.<h2>Very disturbing</h2>I really enjoy reading THN, but Stan Fischler&rsquo;s &ldquo;Hockey Needs Massive Overhaul&rdquo; (Jan. 14, 1994) was greatly disturbing.Fischler&rsquo;s suggestions wouldn&rsquo;t enhance the game, they&rsquo;d kill it. For example, Bodychecker of the Year? Get real!If the NHL would just clamp down on interference, its problems will be solved.Derek Brown,&nbsp; Winnipeg, Man.Make your feelings known. Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 445-2501&nbsp;or write to&nbsp;Letters, The Hockey News, 85 Scarsdale Rd., Suite 100, Don Mills, Ont., M3B 2R2&nbsp;in Canada. In the U.S., write to&nbsp;Letters, The Hockey News, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947.&nbsp;Include home and business phone numbers.&nbsp;THN&nbsp;reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

All-Star format remains exciting

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011511/6331215-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><h2>Panthers on big-time roll</h2>1. Florida Panthers. First-year team sets expansion record with nine-game (5-0-4) undefeated streak.2. Hot stoppers. Boston&rsquo;s Jon Casey (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA), Vince Riendeau (2-0-0. 1.50) take charge.3. S.R.O. NCAA record crowd 20.427 watches Michigan and Notre Dame Jan 29.4. Maple Leafs on roll. Toronto runs undefeated streak to 10 games-seven wins, three ties.5. Player of week. Florida rookie Jesse Belanger scores four goals, eight points in four games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021014/6331246-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="569" height="748"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jesse Belanger</figcaption></div><h2>It&rsquo;s spelled C-a-r-s-o-n</h2>1. Oops. Lineup card miscue causes new Vancouver center Jimmy Carson to be removed from game.2. Home horrors. Calgary Flames win just three of nine starts at Olympic Saddledome.3. Murray bounced. Terry becomes second Murray brother to fry for underachieving Capital woes.4. Wake-up call. Ottawa suspends Scott Levins one game for sleeping through practice.5. Slumping Islanders. Last season&rsquo;s Cup semifinalist dead last in Atlantic Division standings. &#9632;

f0007-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Jeff Gordon</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011574/6331277-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="380" height="534"></div>Most experts agree the St. Louis Blues lack size on the wings, playmaking in the middle and toughness on defense.So what does general manager Ron Caron do at the all-star break? He trades three gritty veterans for still more finesse on defense-Quebec Nordiques holdout Steve Duchesne.What is he, nuts? Is it time to send The Professor out to Gilligan&rsquo;s Island with Ginger, Mary Ann and the Skipper?Nope. This move made total sense, even if it caught Blues&rsquo; coach Bob Berry and his players off-guard. In a two-hour meeting Jan. 23, Berry pleaded with Caron and Blues&rsquo; president Jack Quinn not to deal defenseman Garth Butcher, center Ron Sutter and checker Bob Bassen.They listened to Berry, thanked him for his input, explained the longterm benefits of the trade, reminded him he had a three-year deal, sent him off to run practice&hellip;and then they closed the deal.Why Duchesne? Because he was there. The playmaking center, the big quality wingers and the rugged defensemen weren&rsquo;t available-at least not in a trade for middle-rung veterans. Every other GM was looking for those elements and the price is steep.Given a chance to land a skilled player for three muckers, Caron didn&rsquo;t hesitate. So what if the trade created more short-term questions than answers? Caron can always deal with those problems later. It gives him something interesting to do.He will never be accused of overanalyzing deals or falling hopelessly in love with his players.But why Duchesne? Though he had been available for months, Caron had shown little interest in him until the Friday before the All-Star Game. Nordiques&rsquo; GM Pierre Page was really anxious to complete a deal over the weekend and his potential partners-particularly Bob Pulford of the Chicago Blackhawks-were hemming and hawing.So Caron jumped in. Page wanted Sutter, Bassen and Butcher and Caron didn&rsquo;t flinch. The only hitch came Sunday when Page tried to take banging forward Denis Chasse out of his return package. But Caron held firm and the deal got done.Though the Blues had other needs, Duchesne greatly strengthened the team. Consider the reasons Caron had to take the plunge:Butcher, 31, makes $550,000 this season and the Blues feared he would ask for $850,000 next fall as he entered his option year. Sutter is a bargain at $475,000, but he has a serious injury history. Bassen won his arbitration case and got $400,000 at the same time he was struggling at both ends of the ice.Their forte is defense and hard work, but the sad truth is the Blues weren&rsquo;t defending or outworking teams too often this season. If this was a Stanley Cup finalist, you wouldn&rsquo;t want to sacrifice a big chunk of your character. But with a team in the pack, management can grow impatient with players who are &ldquo;good in the room,&rdquo; but limited on the ice.Especially when their departure creates a salary slot for another star player.&#9633; Duchesne filled a short-term need with Phil Housley sidelined after back surgery and Jeff Brown out of the lineup with a broken thumb. Duchesne became the team&rsquo;s powerplay quarterback though he hadn&rsquo;t played or practised for months.&#9633; Caron wanted Berry to rely on his three Russian forwards and prospects such as Jim Montgomery and Denny Felsner. By trading Sutter and Bassen and not getting a veteran forward back, he gave Berry no choice.Immediately after the deal, the revamped Blues&rsquo; forward lines were flying up and down the ice, completing passes, taking shots and achieving the so-called &ldquo;puck control&rdquo; Caron has been demanding for nearly two years.This question lingers: can Berry coach the up-tempo style Caron envisions for his team? Stay tuned.&#9633; The move fit the Quinn/Caron master plan of enlarging the team&rsquo;s nucleus of skilled players. In a previous cycle, Caron had sacrificed skill (Adrien Plavsic, Geoff Courtnail, Cliff Ronning, Rod Blind&rsquo;Amour) to get grit (Rich Sutter, Butcher, Ron Sutter).With Housley, Duchesne and Brown on defense; Brendan Shanahan, Brett Hull, Craig Janney and Kevin Miller up front; and Curtis Joseph in goal, the Blues have a top eight that compares with anyone.And look how Caron got them: Hull, Brown, Miller, Housley and Duchesne came in trades and Shanahan and Joseph were signed as free agents. Who needs the entry draft with Caron on the loose?You never know when he will strike again. This time, anyway, it appears he hit the target. &#9632;

f0008-01

Duchesne deal not so crazy for Blues

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div>According to hockey&rsquo;s first law of physics, Steve Thomas cannot possibly exist.At 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, Thomas doesn&rsquo;t meet the physical requirements of an NHL power forward. But he accomplishes everything a power forward does.This season, the 30-year-old New York Islanders&rsquo; right winger is on pace for 40 goals and 150 penalty minutes. Among the power forwards who figure to fall short of that standard are Trevor Linden, Shayne Corson, Kevin Stevens, Jeremy Roenick and Gary Roberts.This, of course, is heresy. How can Thomas, such a shrub among the redwoods, be considered one of the NHL&rsquo;s toughest and most talented players?Well, you can start by fighting, hitting and homesteading the NHL&rsquo;s war zones, the corners, crease and slot. Throw in a goal-scorer&rsquo;s innate sense of timing, excellent skating skills, a powerful physique, great hands and a level of desire that is uncommon even among the most accomplished professionals.Once you have assembled every one of those components, it doesn&rsquo;t really matter how high you stack them.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s really important to not only be able to score,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;You have to mix it up, make a good bodycheck, make things happen. That&rsquo;s how I try to play&rdquo;Islanders&rsquo; coach Al Arbour places Thomas among the best.&ldquo;I think he is (a power forward). He&rsquo;s very stocky, very, very strong. He&rsquo;s the type of guy that finishes checks and hurts people.&rdquo;Thomas, the team&rsquo;s leading goalscorer, has fought Dennis Vial of the Ottawa Senators, Peter Taglianetti of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brent Hughes of the Boston Bruins and Chris Joseph, then with the Edmonton Oilers and now with the Tampa Bay Lightning.All four towered over Thomas.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021230/6331308-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="955" height="1962"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Thomas has likely been the Islanders&rsquo; MVP this season.</figcaption></div>That belligerence has not come at the expense of offense. Since both players arrived in New York in separate deals on Oct. 25, 1991, Thomas has been Pierre Turgeon&rsquo;s right winger of choice. He is a also fixture on the Islanders&rsquo; top power-play unit.Thomas scored 65 goals in his first two seasons in New York and should break his single-season high of 40 set in 1989-90, when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks.Thomas is the perfect foil for Turgeon&rsquo;s marvellous playmaking skills. He has excellent straight ahead speed that, when combined with his stubby frame, makes him such an effective player on impact.He has a hard shot and his short game is effective. Thomas can raise a puck over a fallen goalie in a millisecond. Those skills more than compensate for the fact he isn&rsquo;t a gifted playmaker.&lsquo;The way our season has gone, I wouldn&rsquo;t say any player is untrade-able,&rdquo; said Islanders&rsquo; general manager Don Maloney. &ldquo;But if we had untradeable players, he&rsquo;d be one.&rdquo;All this of course, was never supposed to happen. Thomas&rsquo; smallish size discouraged major junior scouts, but the Toronto native starred in Tier II, made the Ontario League&rsquo;s Toronto Marlboros as a walk-on and scored 51 goals in 1983-84.He signed with the Maple Leafs as a free-agent in 1984 and scored 56 goals over parts of three seasons.&ldquo;I never thought about packing it in, never,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;Hockey is my passion, it has always been. I knew I was going to play, I knew I was going to get here.&rdquo;Derek King, the left winger on the Turgeon-Thomas line, figures Thomas is a product of his background.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a high draft pick, it means the job is there if you want it,&rdquo; King said. &ldquo;Myself, at the beginning, I didn&rsquo;t want it bad enough. But when you&rsquo;re not drafted, you have create your chance.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what Steve did and that&rsquo;s what rubs off on other players. I know it rubs off on me.&rdquo;The Leafs traded Thomas, along with Rick Vaive and Bob McGill for Al Secord and Ed Olczyk in September of 1987. It was in Chicago where Thomas, always an aggressive, useful player, put his game in focus.&ldquo;My role in Chicago was to make things happen, be the first guy in the comer, lay a guy out. That was from playing for Mike Keenan. He had me all wired up. I would have jumped through the boards for our guys.&rdquo;That role has remained in Long Island.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m the big guy (on the line),&rdquo; said the 6-foot-l, 203-pound King. &ldquo;But every time someone comes after me, there&rsquo;s Steve sticking up for me.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-02

The exception

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div>The trade that sent alternate captains Garth Butcher and Ron Sutter and center Bob Bassen to the Quebec Nordiques for defenseman Steve Duchesne and Denis Chasse sent the St. Louis Blues into shock.Angry players trashed the Jan. 23 deal, saying it had stripped the Blues of its spine and hadn&rsquo;t addressed any real weaknesses.Coach Bob Berry also opposed the move, which was made against his wishes. He bit his tongue to keep from lashing out after general manager Ron Caron said Berry had approved it.Against that backdrop, the Blues left on a four-game road swing amid predictions of gloom and doom.But then a funny thing happened. The Blues went 3-0-1, their longest unbeaten streak on the road in two seasons and the skeptics were swayed.After the four-game stretch, Berry said of the trade,&rdquo;I like it better.&ldquo;Steve Duchesne has been a very positive influence and I think he has made everyone in the back a better player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And Chasse, he&rsquo;s a competitive guy.&ldquo;Coaches, scouts, reporters and Don Cherry can evaluate players, but when guys come in and play well, and their teammates say, &lsquo;Wow, we&rsquo;re happy to have them here,&rsquo; that&rsquo;s the ultimate barometer or thermometer or reading you can get.&rdquo;Berry also praised the Blues other players, who shook off their depression and anger about losing three friends.&ldquo;The team showed a lot of resiliency to bounce back and accept the situation even though they lost some guys they all cared for,&rdquo; Berry said.TOUCHE DUCHESNE: After going scoreless in his first game, Steve Duchesne put together a three-game point-scoring streak with two goals and two assists.He had a goal and an assist in the Blues&rsquo; 5-3 victory Jan. 29 against the Calgary Flames.&ldquo;Not a bad start,&rdquo; he said.Especially for someone who hadn&rsquo;t played in almost nine months. Duchesne last played April 28, the day the Quebec Nordiques were eliminated from the playoffs.Duchesne, 28, held out in a bitter contract dispute and had a lot of time to think. He realized what hockey meant to him.&ldquo;It was eating me away; it really was,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It was hard for me to watch games in the stands, not competing.&rdquo;He worked out at the skating rink he owns in the Los Angeles area until an earthquake forced the closure of the building.Just as his world seemed to be crumbling, rumors of the impending trade buoyed his spirits. And when the trade finally happened, he was &ldquo;ecstatic.&rdquo;&ldquo;I ran around the house jumping up and down,&rdquo; he said.NOTEBOOK: Rookie Jim Montgomery put together a career-best three-game points streak from Jan. 18 through Jan. 25. He had two goals and three assists during that span.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 23: Denny Felsner. RW. recalled from Peoria (IHL). Jan. 25: Jeff Batters, D. recalled from Peoria. Jan. 31: Rick Zombo, D, serving 10-game suspension. Eligible to return Feb. 5.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jim Montgomery, Craig Janney, Igor Korolev, Nathan LaFayette.LW&mdash;Kevin Miller, Brendan Shanahan. Vitali Prokhorov. Basil McRae.RW&mdash;Brett Hull. Denis Chasse, Philippe Bozon.LD&mdash;Steve Duchesne. Murray Baron. Dan Laperriere.RD&mdash;Tom Tilley, Doug Crossman. Jeff Batters.G&mdash;Curtis Joseph. Jim Hrivnak.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jeff Brown, D. broken right thumb, day-to-day. Kelly Chase, RW. dislocated left elbow, day-to-day. Denny Felsner, RW. sore ankle, day-to-day. Bret Hedican, D, pulled groin, day-to-day. Phil Housley, D, back surgery, indefinite. Vitali Karamnov, RW. sprained ankle, day-to-day. &#9632;

Duchesne’s spirited play helps clear gloomy skies

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>When he added responsibilities as general manager of the Winnipeg Jets, John Paddock was hoping to make a couple of player moves to enhance his team&rsquo;s chances in a fight for a Western Conference playoff spot.Paddock&rsquo;s entire outlook changed Jan. 26 with one stride.That&rsquo;s when Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defenseman Don McSween inadvertently stepped on the back of Teemu Selanne&rsquo;s right leg and sliced the Finnish Flash&rsquo;s Achilles tendon.Paddock, thinking he could deal a forward to get some badly-needed defensive help, saw his task become more complicated.&ldquo;The coach might like that (a quick fix), might want that, but in the bigger picture, I&rsquo;m not sure the GM can do that,&rdquo; Paddock said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s strange. We were going to meet after the (Anaheim) game about things to do. This changes that a bit.&rdquo;Selanne underwent surgery at Winnipeg&rsquo;s St. Boniface Hospital Jan. 27 and Dr. Peter MacDonald said the procedure to repair the tendon, which was 75 per cent cut, was successful.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m shocked,&rdquo; said Selanne, whose target return date is April 10. &ldquo;I felt a sharp pain and it didn&rsquo;t stop. I was thinking on the morning of the game how lucky I was to have played every game since I&rsquo;ve been in the NHL.&rdquo;Paddock was visibly distraught after that game, when he announced the bad news to reporters.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if this can be a positive or help us, but you see things sometimes that makes a group of players become more of a team,&rdquo; Paddock said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know why it would, because Teemu hasn&rsquo;t been able to get the puck from our defense.&rdquo;NEW JOB: You can put to rest any speculation about a comeback.Randy Carlyle has changed jobs to special assistant to John Paddock.Carlyle, 37, retired last summer and took a position in the club&rsquo;s communications department and also as the hockey analyst on CJOB radio. His NHL career spanned 17 years and 1,055 games.&ldquo;They didn&rsquo;t have to ask me twice about doing this job,&rdquo; Carlyle said. &ldquo;This is something I&rsquo;ve longed to do.&rdquo;Carlyle, who will begin with a couple of extensive scouting trips, insisted he&rsquo;ll be more focused on learning about hockey than decision-making.NOTEBOOK: Former Jets&rsquo; owner Michael Gobuty, 53, and his son Mark, 29, are among six people awaiting trial in France following a counterfeit clothing scam. The Toronto Star reported they were arrested Jan. 19 and are being held without bail in Strasbourg prison. Under French law, an accused is presumed guilty until proven innocent. Police said suits were purchased from a tailor for $95 each, a Christian Dior label was added and they were sold in Ukraine for five times that price.Fired GM Mike Smith wouldn&rsquo;t commit to any future aspirations in the game. When he was dismissed Jan. 19, he said his only plans were to take a train trip between London and Hong Kong.<h2>WINNIPEG</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Harijs Vitoiinsh, C. recalled from Moncton (AHL). Yan Kaminsky. RW. and Bryan Erickson. RW. assigned to Moncton Jan. 26: Andy Brickley. LW. recalled from Moncton. Jan. 27: Vitolinsh assigned to Moncton. Jan. 28: Kevin McClelland. LW, recalled from Moncton. Jan. 31: Kaminsky and Erickson recalled from Moncton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Alexei Zhamnov, Thomas Steen. Mike Eagles, Randy Gilhen. Dave Tomlinson.LW&mdash;Keith Tkachuk. Damn Shannon, Kris King. Andy Brickley. Kevin McClelland.RW&mdash;Paul Ysebaert, Nelson Emerson, Luciano Borsato, Tie Domi, Yan Kaminsky. Bryan Erickson.LD&mdash;Teppo Numminen. Sergei Bautin, Igor Ulanov.RD&mdash;Stephane Quintal. Boris Mironov, Dean Kennedy, Arte Blomsten.G&mdash;Bob Essensa. Mike O&rsquo;Neill.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Teemu Selanne, RW, severed right Achilles tendon, April 10. &#9632;

Selanne injury foils re-shuffle

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div>So what do the Chicago Blackhawks really think of Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov?They made it clear during an emotionally charged home-and-home series with Detroit following the allstar break.The Hawks have had hard feelings for Konstantinov he cross-checked Jocelyn Lemieux in the mouth last year. It knocked out several of Lemieux&rsquo;s teeth and opened a 70-stitch cut.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011422/6331387-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="571" height="795"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeremy Roenick is seeing red after being slashed in the face.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the dirtiest man in hockey, without a doubt,&rdquo; said Jeremy Roenick, who jumped Konstantinov in the game Jan. 25 after he was slashed across the side of the face by the Russian defenseman.&ldquo;He does that kind of stuff too much, dangerous stuff, wicked stuff behind the play when the referee&rsquo;s not watching.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll go after him again if I have to. He better watch it because he&rsquo;ll get his someday. He&rsquo;s lucky he has a lot of character guys on that team to watch his back.&rdquo;Lemieux would like to repay Konstantinov for last year&rsquo;s hit, but is in no hurry.&ldquo;Every time I shave, I think about the guy when I see the big scar,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re both going to be in the league a long time, so it&rsquo;s not that I have to get him back right away.&rdquo;And when Lemieux finally does, he says it will be done cleanly.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have to be pretty stupid to want to do the same thing to him,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a mistake to use your stick like he does. A lot of people want to take a run at him and hit him, but you always have to be ready for his stick coming up. You have to protect yourself.&rdquo;Hawks&rsquo; coach Darryl Sutter also got into the dump-on-Konstantinov act.&ldquo;Every time he gets hit, the Zamboni has time to come out to clean the ice while he&rsquo;s laying there,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;I saw a game against Montreal where you would have thought he got shot the way he fell with his gloves flying, and all it was was a little whack. Their trainers probably even get tired going out there.&rdquo;Konstantinov didn&rsquo;t seem worried about what the Hawks were saying.&ldquo;Roenick, he cries like a baby all the time,&rdquo; Konstantinov said. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m the dirtiest player in the league, then (Chris) Chelios is the dirtiest in the universe.&rdquo;LAST WORD?: You&rsquo;ve probably seen this before, but Jeremy Roenick wants to put an end once and for all to the talk of a feud between him and Darryl Sutter.Roenick said the same thing several weeks ago only to repeat many of his feelings about Sutter and the Hawks&rsquo; defensive system at the AllStar Game.&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s put it to rest and go out and win some hockey games,&rdquo; Roenick said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t hate him and he doesn&rsquo;t hate me. We just have a difference of opinion on some things. That doesn&rsquo;t mean I don&rsquo;t respect him or don&rsquo;t like him. He&rsquo;s a good coach.&ldquo;I agree with 99 per cent of the things we do here and I&rsquo;d still go through a wall for him and every man on this team. Everyone is making a bigger deal out of this than it is.&rdquo;Sutter wanted no part of the ongoing soap opera.&ldquo;J.R. is a young guy who is still learning a lot about the game,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;To me, it&rsquo;s a non-issue.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Hawks were interested in Steve Duchesne, backed down when the Quebec Nordiques asked for Steve Smith. &ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s a vote of confidence,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Now it&rsquo;s time to go out and perform to the best of my ability and show them that they made the right decision.&rdquo;&hellip;Michel Goulet collected his 600th career assist Jan. 27 against the Red Wings.<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jeremy Roenick. Brent Sutter. Christian Ruuttu, Brian Noonan, Kevin Todd. Troy Murray.LW&mdash;Michel Goulet. Jocelyn Lemieux. Patrick Poulin, Stephane Matteau. Tony Horacek.RW&mdash;Joe Murphy. Dirk Graham. Rich Sutter, Darin Kimble.LD&mdash;Eric Weinrich. Steve Smith. Frank Kucera.RD&mdash;Chris Chelios. Cam Russell, Neil Eettour, Jeff Hackett.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Greg Smyth, D. pulled rib cage muscle, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0011-01

Full-fledged hatred for Konstantinov

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div>With their top six defenseman in the lineup, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a winning percentage of.833.And that&rsquo;s one of the reasons why coach Pat Bums believes he has, collectively, the NHL&rsquo;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&rsquo;s best rearguard in last spring&rsquo;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 possible cartilage damage that may knock Rouse out of action until early March.Rouse&rsquo;s injury came 11 games after Ellett returned from a 10-game absence with a rib cage injury. Gill missed 26 games earlier this season with groin and abdominal muscle problems.Drake Berehowsky was recalled from the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs of the American League Jan. 30 to fill in for Rouse.Rouse wasn&rsquo;t the only player to go down after the all-star break. Center John Cullen sustained a sprained right ankle that may sideline him until early March.Cullen, who has had a sub-par offensive season, was hit into the boards by New York Islander defenseman Chris Luongo Jan. 26.With Wendel Clark still out with a deep bone bruise to his right ankle, and center Mike Krushelnyski out indefinitely with back problems, the Leafs are once again missing four regulars.ON THE MARK: It seemed like a no-lose proposition.In exchange for American Olympic team defenseman Ted Crowley, a player who had essentially no future with the Leafs and was headed to free agency, Toronto acquired winger Mark Greig Jan. 25 from the Hartford Whalers.While Greig hasn&rsquo;t exactly set the league on fire since being taken as the 15th selection overall in the 1990 entry draft, he has upside potential the Leafs figure they didn&rsquo;t have in Crowley.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011526/6331418-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="578" height="848"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steady blueliner Bob Rouse is sidelined with a bad knee injury.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;For whatever reason, Mark hasn&rsquo;t been able to get the job done in Hartford,&rdquo; said general manager Cliff Fletcher. &ldquo;But he&rsquo;s young enough to get it done.&ldquo;In our situation, we&rsquo;re not looking for Moses. We only want him to be able to come in and be able to play as a regular, just do a job for us.&rdquo;&ldquo;This is my opportunity,&rdquo; Greig said. &ldquo;Two years ago, I really wondered where my career was headed. But I&rsquo;ve always believed I&rsquo;m going to be a capable NHL player.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Dave Ellett is close to signing a new contract that will earn him in excess of $1 million a season. Ellett was eligible to become a free agent after this season.Damien Cox is a hockey writer for The Toronto Star.<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 23: Alexei Kudashov, C. and Drake Berehowsky, D. assigned to St. John&rsquo;s (AHL). Jan. 24: Alexei Kudashov, C, assigned to Russian Olympic team. Jan. 25: Ted Crowley. D. traded to Hartford for Mark Greig. RW, and sixth-round draft pick in 1994 entry draft. Jan. 27: Yanic Perreault, C. recalled from St. John&rsquo;s (AHL). Jan. 30: Drake Berehowsky. D, recalled from St. John&rsquo;s.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Doug Gilmour. Yanic Perreault, Mike Eastwood, Peter Zezel.LW&mdash;Dave Andreychuk, Ken Baumgart ner, Mark Osborne.RW&mdash;NIkolai Borschevsky, Rob Pearson. Glenn Anderson, Bill Berg, Kent Manderville, Mark Greig.LD&mdash;Sylvain Lefebvre. Jamie Macoun, Todd Gill, Dave Ellett.RD&mdash;Drake Berehowsky. Dmitn Mironov.G&mdash;Felix Potvin, Damian Rhodes.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Wendel Clark, LW. bruised right ankle, day-to-day John Cullen. C, sprained right ankle, indefinite Mike Krushelnyski, C, bulging disc in back, indefinite. Bob Rouse, D, hyperextended right knee, indefinite. &#9632;

f0012-01

Injury to Rouse deals big blow

<div class="byline">By Keith Gave</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011436/6331449-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Even captain Steve Yzerman isn&rsquo;t taking his ice time for granted.</figcaption></div>The Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; players are beginning to admire coach Scotty Bowman&rsquo;s style-even if they don&rsquo;t entirely understand it.Through 47 games this season, the legendary coach was one win short-regular season and playoffs-of 1,000 for his career. Bowman, who came to the Wings from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the off-season, said he wouldn&rsquo;t discuss the achievement until it happened.His players, meantime, appreciate the progress they&rsquo;ve made under him. One problem Bowman corrected quickly involved players overextending their shifts.&ldquo;One day we were practising&hellip;and he skated us,&rdquo; forward Shawn Burr said. &ldquo;We went line by line and he had all the numbers. He&rsquo;d say, &lsquo;Okay, this line averaged 45 seconds a shift last night, so go hard for 45 seconds.&rsquo; And he blew the whistle.&ldquo;Then the next line&rsquo;s up, and he says, &lsquo;This line averaged a minute and 45 seconds,&rsquo; and that&rsquo;s how long they skated. Guys got the message pretty quick.&rdquo;And under Bowman, no one takes his ice time for granted.&ldquo;Before, we&rsquo;d have a power play and I&rsquo;d think, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going out,&rsquo;&rdquo; captain Steve Yzerman said. &ldquo;Or we&rsquo;d have to kill a penalty and I knew I&rsquo;d be going out. This year, I&rsquo;m not (automatically) going out.&rdquo;SHEPPARD EXPRESS: Ray Sheppard&rsquo;s torrid goal-scoring pace continues.The right winger scored twice in a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals Jan. 30 to give him 35, second in the NHL. He was on pace to score 60 this season, but cautioned against that prediction.&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t hold your breath,&rdquo; said Sheppard, who scored a career-high 38 goals in his rookie season of 1987-88 with the Buffalo Sabres. &ldquo;The guys who score 60 and 70 in this league have some legs to get things done.&rdquo;Sheppard isn&rsquo;t known as great skater, but people rave about his hands. He used those hands score six goals in three games after the all-star break and was on a seven-game goalscoring streak as of Jan. 30.But what impressed his teammates more was when he used his hands to quickly wrest the stick out of Winnipeg Jet captain Keith Tkachuk&rsquo;s hands before he had a chance to spear Bob Probert.The incident occurred late in the first period of the Wings&rsquo; 7-1 win over Winnipeg Jan. 29. Tkachuk skated toward the Wings&rsquo; bench to have words with Probert.Probert punched Tkachuk, who responded by spearing Probert. He was about to pitchfork him again when Sheppard reached out, grabbed the stick and threw it to the ice.&ldquo;He speared Bob and I just yanked it away,&rdquo; Sheppard said. &ldquo;He had no business coming over to our bench talking like that.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Red Wings-Chicago Blackhawks rivalry heated up after the all-star break. Both teams accused the other of having the league&rsquo;s dirtiest player. The Wings&rsquo; vote for the Hawks&rsquo; Chris Chelios; the Hawks say it&rsquo;s Detroit&rsquo;s Vladimir Konstantinov. Said Red Wings&rsquo; general manager Bryan Murray: &ldquo;They think Vladdie&rsquo;s dirty. They&rsquo;ve got a couple of guys who all they do is try to hurt people-(Jocelyn) Lemieux and Chelios for starters. And does anybody leave his feet to hit guys more than (Jeremy) Roenick? Hey, you live by the sword, you die by the sword.&rdquo;&hellip;Murray had sympathy for his brother Terry, who was fired as Washington Capitals&rsquo; coach Jan. 27. Terry took over when Bryan was fired by the Capitals in 1990-91. &ldquo;They found out that he wasn&rsquo;t a magician either,&rdquo; Bryan said.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Dallas Drake, LW, assigned to Adirondack (AHL). Kris Draper, C, recalled from Adirondack. Jan. 26: Drake recalled from Adirondack.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Sergei Fedorov, Keith Primeau, Mike Sillinger, Kris Draper.LW&mdash;Slava Kozlov. Steve Yzerman. Bob Probert, Micah Aivazoff, Dallas Drake.RW&mdash;Darren McCarty. Ray Sheppard. Sheldon Kennedy, Martin Lapointe.LD&mdash;Paul Coffey, Steve Chiasson, Steve Konroyd.RD&mdash;Nick Lidstrom, Vladimir Konstantinov, Terry Carkner.G&mdash;Tim Cheveldae, Chris Osgood.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Shawn Burr, LW, sprained lower left leg, day-to-day. Dino Ciccarelli, RW, broken foot, day-to-day. Bob Hatkidis, D, torn left knee ligament, day-to-day. Mark Howe, D, sore back, day-to-day. &#9632;

f0013-01

Players coming around to Bowman’s thinking

<div class="byline">By Steve Huber</div>The Dallas Stars are getting plenty of opportunities to do what they do best-kill penalties.The Stars were the most penalized team in the NHL with more than 1,300 minutes through games of Jan. 30. They&rsquo;re also the top-ranked penalty-killing team, shooting down more than 86 per cent of opposition power plays.&ldquo;When you take as many penalties as we do, your average is going to increase,&rdquo; said defenseman Craig Ludwig. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re trying to cut them down from 10-12 a game to five or six. This is one of the best penaltykilling teams I&rsquo;ve been on.&rdquo;The Stars&rsquo; penalty killing has been among the league leaders all season. It worked to perfection during a sweep of games in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton. Forwards Neal Broten, Mike McPhee, Dean Evason and Brent Gilchrist and defensemen Mark Tinordi, Grant Ledyard, Derian Hatcher and Craig Ludwig killed of all 17 chances.Stellar goaltending from Andy Moog and Darcy Wakaluk also helped, but it&rsquo;s clear the Stars are doing something right.&ldquo;In penalty killing, you need goalies who make the first save and maybe the second,&rdquo; coach Bob Gainey said,&rdquo;and then our defensemen, with their size and reach, are able to take away the rebounds.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011516/6331480-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="598" height="816"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Ludwig says killing penalties has become second nature.</figcaption></div>Gainey gives much of the unit&rsquo;s credit to assistant coach Doug Jarvis, a former defensive specialist in his playing days. The team watches video of other power plays and does much of its work off-ice.Other than that, the strategy is sim-ple-the Stars try to limit scoring chances by taking the &ldquo;good ice&rdquo; away from the attackers, Ludwig said.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re comfortable and confident,&rdquo; Gilchrist said. &ldquo;We watch films of the other teams. There are no secrets when they come in. We don&rsquo;t put a lot of pressure on them until they come into our end.&rdquo;WELL-EARNED BREAK: After winning all three games on their western swing, the Stars took a few days off in Banff, Alta., before heading to Winnipeg to finish a four-game, nine-day Canadian trip.Except for a team practice, Bob Gainey gave the troops time to selves.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a better place to finish the road trip instead of a city environment,&rdquo; Gainey said.While the resort is noted for its skiing, Gainey did not expect many players to test the powder.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t follow the players around but the players understand the risks when you strap on the long boards,&rdquo; Gainey said. &ldquo;Those are the same joints (ankle and knee) that bring home the bread.&rdquo;Winger Brent Gilchrist said he would pass up the slopes.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gone skiing a few times in my career but not this time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s sort of an unwritten rule.&rdquo;But what about Gainey?&ldquo;The coaches? They can go skiing,&rdquo; Gainey said. &ldquo;I can stand behind the bench on crutches as well as anyone can.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Super Bowl winning Dallas Cowboys sport more than a few Stars&rsquo; fans among their ranks. Fullback Daryl Johnston, quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Bernie Kosar and center Mark Stepnowski and lineman Kevin Gogan are frequent visitors to Reunion Arena and the Stars&rsquo; dressing room. The Cowboys beat the Buffalo Bills 30-13 Jan. 30.Center Mike Modano came back from a knee injury a week earlier than expected to score goals in two of three games. He missed just six games instead of the expected 12 to 15&hellip;Defenseman Paul Cavallini, who missed five games after taking a puck in the eye, rejoined the Stars in Winnipeg and will now play with a visor&hellip;The Stars are 9-0 against Western Conference teams this season.<h2>DALLAS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 23: Richard Matvichuk, D. and Tommy Sjodin. D, recalled from Kalamazoo (IHL). Jan. 28: Sjodin assigned to Kalamazoo.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Neal Broten, Dean Evason. Dave Gagner, Dave Barr.LW&mdash;Mike McPhee, Trent Klatt, Ulf Dahlen, Brent Gilchrist, Jim McKenzie.RW&mdash;Russ Courtnall, Mike Craig, Paul Broten.LD&mdash;Mark Tinordi, Derian Hatcher. Craig Ludwig. Richard Matvichuk.RD&mdash;Grant Ledyard, Paul Cavallini, Gord Donnelly.G&mdash;Darcy Wakaluk, Andy Moog.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jim Johnson, D. fractured vertebra, indefinite. &#9632;

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Practise makes perfect for pesky penalty killers

<div class="byline">By Stan Fischler</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011403/6331511-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"></div>A fallout of bitterness among NHL Hall of Famers is part of the All-Star Game residue. Bluelines learned former New York Ranger Andy Bathgate had planned to boycott the Heroes of Hockey event because of Gordie Howe&rsquo;s presence, but was talked out of it by organizer Rod Gilbert. Bathgate says he&rsquo;s disappointed Howe has not been a more ardent supporter of the group in its prolonged pension battle with the league&hellip;A conspicuous no-show at the Madison Square Garden Heroes game was Bobby Orr. &ldquo;The lawsuit has made things uncomfortable,&rdquo; On-says. &ldquo;We thought it would be decided by now, but it hasn&rsquo;t. But with Gary Bettman as commissioner, maybe we can look forward.&rdquo; The tip from league sources is that Bettman would welcome a settlement and wouldn&rsquo;t mind paying off the old-timers, but counsel advised that the case should be pursued.<h2>What&rsquo;s up doc?</h2>While league officials remain alarmed about the injury epidemic, the NHL Physicians&rsquo; Association convened in New York, but failed to isolate any specific causes. &ldquo;We came to no conclusions,&rdquo; one team doctor says,&rdquo;and we&rsquo;ve done nothing about anything.&rdquo; One of the main concerns registered by medics was the recent malpractice lawsuit won by ex-Buffalo Sabre Rick Martin. &ldquo;The threat of malpractice,&rdquo; one NHL orthopedist warns,&rdquo;is like a noose around our heads and some of us are wondering whether we should expose ourselves to it considering that malpractice insurance hardly covers us.&rdquo;&hellip;Certain Chicago Blackhawks are apparently sniping (behind the back, of course) at Jeremy Roenick&rsquo;s quotability. They might have a case if J.R. wasn&rsquo;t carrying the Chicago offense&hellip;Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; general manager Pat Quinn will have his hands full retaining George McPhee as his assistant the way other clubs are ogling his work. McPhee could wind up running the Winnipeg Jets next year.<h2>Bad influence I</h2>Red Wings&rsquo; insiders report that Keith Primeau and Bob Probert have not kissed and made up since their practice tiff, despite the company line to the contrary. Word from Joe Louis Arena is that Primeau&rsquo;s attitude may do the Wings more harm than good and may have to be dealt for that reason alone&hellip;Ottawa Senators&rsquo; goalie Craig Billington is among those promoting AIDS awareness. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure some people might find it difficult,&rdquo; Billington told Ottawa Citizen columnist Roy MacGregor. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t. This is all about lack of knowledge and I&rsquo;ll be the first to admit I don&rsquo;t know enough about the disease. I&rsquo;m pretty strong-willed and I had no problem with it.&rdquo;<h2>Bad influence II</h2>Alexei Kovalev appears to be more trouble than he&rsquo;s worth to the Rangers and still could wind up in Vancouver for Petr Nedved after the Olympics&hellip;If&rsquo;s about time the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators began complaining about how they got hosed. The 1992 expansion cousins had a considerably weaker talent pool from which to select than the Florida Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993. &ldquo;Give us their draft rules,&rdquo; says Lightning coach Terry Crisp, &ldquo;and we&rsquo;d be two years ahead of them right now.&rdquo; Credit Crisp with a neat turnaround of Tampa Bay. And how about Pittsburgh Penguin Eddie Johnston as the most unsung successful coach of 1993-94.<h2>Too much</h2>The NHL Players&rsquo; Association is miffed over Rick Zombo&rsquo;s 10-game suspension for the slash-bump of Kevin Collins. The NHLPA believes the linesman&rsquo;s interference that led to a Dallas&rsquo; game-winning goal should have mitigated the damages&hellip;You have to figure Jeff Brown is gone from St. Louis as soon as Ron Caron finds a taker. He should be looking for a defensive rearguard to replace Garth Butcher now that Steve Duchesne has added more puck-carrying and less hitting to the back line&hellip;It&rsquo;s a good thing People Magazine wasn&rsquo;t checking out all-star uniforms for its Worst Dressed issue. The color selection for both clubs was the most disgusting ever&hellip;The NHL failed to come up with a satisfactory answer for crushing Glenn Anderson&rsquo;s bid to play for Team Canada in the Olympics. Veterans have been allowed to go in the past; what has changed? Some think Anderson be allowed to go, but not allowed to return to the NHL.<h2>THE ROOKIES OF 1993-94</h2>Jason ArnottBorn: Collingwood, Ont.Age: 19Team: Edmonton OilersHeight: 6-foot-3Weight: 193 lbsPosition: CenterHow acquired: Edmonton&rsquo;s first choice (seventh overall) in 1993 entry draft. &#9632;

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Hall of Famers at odds over pension dispute

<div class="byline">By Mike Weaver</div>When the San Jose Sharks obtained winger Gaetan Duchesne from the Dallas Stars last summer, they knew they were getting a strong defensive forward and penalty killer.But lately, he has been giving them a bonus.After scoring a third-period goal in a 3-3 tie against the Florida Panthers Jan. 28, Duchesne scored the gamewinning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning the next night.&ldquo;I like to contribute (offensively) once in a while,&rdquo; said Duchesne, whose goal against the Lightning gave him nine for the season. &ldquo;I know the team wants me to be a leader by my work habits, but I want to contribute to the offense, too. I scored 16 goals last season and if they get 15 out of me this year, I think that will be pretty good.&rdquo;As far as coach Kevin Constantine is concerned, every goal Duchesne scores is significant.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not a team with a ton of offensive players, so it helps when everybody chips in,&rdquo; Constantine said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll forever want him mostly to do what he does best-great penalty killing, anchor a line and use his speed. But he&rsquo;s basically in a second-line role. And when you put a guy in that role, you do ask that he be able to chip in offensively.&rdquo;Duchesne also has done his part defensively and as a penalty killer. He helped the Sharks kill a five-minute Tampa power play during the second period of the Jan. 29 game and also helped kill a minor penalty that gave the Lightning a power play with only three minutes left in the third period.&ldquo;I love to kill penalties,&rdquo; Duchesne said. &ldquo;I take a lot of pride in it. We&rsquo;ve ranked low in the league at it this season, but we&rsquo;ve been a lot better in the last couple of games.&rdquo;EDUCATING NAZAROV: San Jose recalled Russian winger Andrei Nazarov from the Kansas City Blades of the International League Jan. 29, but Kevin Constantine isn&rsquo;t in a hurry to break Nazarov into the lineup.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re bringing him up here as much for education as for ice time,&rdquo; Constantine said. &ldquo;We want him to see NHL cities and experience the environment. We want to expose him to the crowds and the pressure.&rdquo;Sharks&rsquo; director of player personnel Chuck Grillo said Nazarov, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound left winger, can benefit from being on the roster even if he doesn&rsquo;t get much playing time.&ldquo;We want to get him acclimatized,&rdquo; Grillo said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time he begins to rub elbows with the people he&rsquo;s going to have to deal with in life&rdquo;Nazarov, 19, had 11 goals and 22 points in 42 games with Kansas City.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Pat Falloon is on the verge of agreeing to a new contract believed to be worth $3.5 million over four seasons. His first contract with the Sharks earned him $1 million over three seasons&hellip;The Sharks traded left winger Dave Maley to the New York Islanders Jan. 24 for future considerations. In 19 games with the Sharks this season, Maley had no points.<h2>SAN JOSE</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Jay Mora, D, recalled from Kansas City (IHL). Dave Maley, LW, traded to New York Islanders for future considerations. Jan. 29: Andrei Nazarov. LW. recalled from Kansas City.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;lgor Larionov. Todd Elik, Jamie Baker. Dale Craigwell.LW&mdash;Johan Garpenlov, Gaetan Duchesne. Bob Errey. Ray Whitney. Andrei Nazarov,RW&mdash;Sergei Makarov. Pal Falloon. Jeff Odgers, Rob Gaudreau.LD&mdash;Sandis Ozolinsh, Doug Zmolek. Rob Zettier. Jay More, Vlastimil Kroupa.RD&mdash;Jeff Norton, Tom Pederson, Mike Rathje, Mike Lalor.G&mdash;Arturs Irbe. Jimmy Waite.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Shawn Cronin, D, sprained left knee, indefinite. &#9632;

Defensive Duchesne no slouch in scoring dept.

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div>He knew his plus-minus figure had dipped, but when Paul Ranheim found himself sitting in the press box, watching the Calgary Flames play, it caught him a little off guard.Flames&rsquo; coach Dave King decided to sit out Ranheim for games against Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues at the end of January, suggesting the view from upstairs would help him get his edge back.Ranheim usually plays with center Joel Otto and whoever King uses at forward that night.One of King&rsquo;s favorite checking schemes is to use a defenseman up front against the opposition&rsquo;s top line, but swing him back as a third defenseman when they go to the attack. The strategy can be wildly effective, especially against teams that do not see it all the time.The downside? It doesn&rsquo;t do much for Ranheim&rsquo;s-or Otto&rsquo;s-scoring totals. They&rsquo;re asked to sacrifice their offensive numbers for the good of the team. That&rsquo;s why Ranheim found the benching so perplexing.&ldquo;Our line wasn&rsquo;t scoring and we were just struggling,&rdquo; Ranheim said.&ldquo;Part of that is playing against top lines. Part of it was that we were struggling to play as a unit.&ldquo;I honestly didn&rsquo;t think that through the first half this year, I was doing much differently from what I did last year.&rdquo;Ranheim, who turned 28 the day before being scratched, is having a tough time offensively. He had only nine goals and 17 points in 50 games.GENDER RACE: The invitation came from the CBC. Would Theo Fleury, the Flames&rsquo; speedy right winger, be interested in racing Susan Auch, a world-class Canadian speed skater, in a match race to illustrate the difference between the two sports?Of course. Fleury is nothing if not a gamer.The race took place Jan. 27 at the Olympic speed skating oval in Calgary over 250 metres. Auch wore the longer, speedskating blades. Fleury wore hockey skates, sweatpants and carried his stick.The results were pretty much as you might expect. Fleury was fastest off the mark, but lost his lead on the turns. By the end, Auch had left him in her wake.&ldquo;She was laughing at me as she went past and she let up at the end,&rdquo; Fleury said.NOTEBOOK: Gary Suter&rsquo;s return to the lineup from a knee injury was short lived. He bruised his knee in a collision with Los Angeles King Charlie Huddy in a Jan. 24 game in Phoenix and was sidelined until early February.<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 29: Ted Drury, RW. assigned to U.S. Olympic team.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Nieuwendyk. Joel Otto. Robert Relchel, Wes Walz.LW&mdash;Gary Roberts, German Titov, Paul Ranheim, Paul Kruse, Mike Sullivan.RW&mdash;Theo Fleury, Ron Stem. Sandy McCarthy, Guy Larose. Greg Paslawski.LD&mdash;Frank Musil, Trent Yawney, Dan Keczmer, Lee Norwood.RD&mdash;AI Maclnnis. Michel Petit, Chris Dahlquist. Brad Schlegel.G&mdash;Trevor Kidd, Andrei Trefilov<h3>INJURIES</h3>Kevin Dahl, D, separated shoulder, indefinite. David Haas. LW. hip pointer, day-to-day. Kelly Kisio, C. tom rib cartilage, indefinite. Gary Suter, D, tom left knee ligaments, day-to-day. Mike Vernon, G, twisted knee, day-to-day. &#9632;

Struggling Ranheim perplexed about banishment to press box

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div>Trevor Linden claims it&rsquo;s &ldquo;no big deal&rdquo; to be winging it again, even though Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; 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.&ldquo;You know how I feel about Trevor at center,&rdquo; Quinn said. &ldquo;Maybe I&rsquo;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.&rdquo;While Linden is indeed fine without the puck, and an excellent faceoff man to boot, he simply doesn&rsquo;t produce as well offensively from the spot.In his first 32 games this season-as a right winger-he collected 19 goals and 31 points.Then, when injuries forced Greg Adams, Cliff Ronning and Murray Craven out of the lineup, he moved to the middle and went just 7-3-10 in 17 games.The return of Ronning and Craven against the New Jersey Devils Jan. 29 meant a return to the wing for Linden. He picked up a goal and an assist in a 6-3 Vancouver win. It was only the second time in 17 games that Linden had a multiple-point night. He was also plus-three in the game.Coincidence? Or is Linden more confident offensively in his familiar spot?&ldquo;I was getting to the point where I was feeling comfortable at center,&rdquo; Linden said. &ldquo;I thought I played some good games there, especially against Edmonton and St. Louis after the allstar break. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s any big deal.&rdquo;The stats, however, tell a different story.IDENTITY CRISIS: Canuck boss Pat Quinn has often talked about his team&rsquo;s dumb mistakes this season and then proved he was not immune from the affliction.In a game against the Edmonton Oilers Jan. 24, Quinn signed an incorrect lineup card that cost him the services of center Jimmy Carson. Instead of Carson&rsquo;s name, assistant coach Rick Ley had penciled in Dixon Ward, who wore the same No. 17 before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Kings for Carson Jan. 8.Oiler coach Glen Sather dutifully pointed out the error at the eight-second mark of the first period.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s as bad a mistake as you can make,&rdquo; Quinn agreed. &ldquo;What can I say? I screwed up. We had six guys miss it, but it&rsquo;s my fault. I&rsquo;m the guy who signed it.&rdquo;The gaffe seemed to take on a life of its own. Three nights later, the out-of-town scoreboard at Pacific Coliseum credited Carson with a Kings&rsquo; goal when, in fact, Ward had scored.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Kirk McLean stopped his first career penalty shot in four tries when he turned away Dallas Stars&rsquo; forward Brent Gilchrist Jan. 27. McLean&rsquo;s stop was the first by a Vancouver goalie in 12 years and seven attempts&hellip;Right winger Pavel Bure must love Saskatoon cooking. The Russian Rocket scored five goals and had two assists in two neutral-site games there this season.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 28: Dane Jackson, RW. assigned to Hamilton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Jimmy Carson, Murray Craven. Cliff Ronning, John McIntyre.LW&mdash;Geoff Courtnall, Sergio Mom-esso. Martin Gelinas. Greg Adams, Gino Odjick. Shawn Antoski.RW&mdash;Pavel Bure. Trevor Linden. Tim Hunter, Jose Charbonneau.LD&mdash;Dana Murzyn, Robert Dirk. John Namestnikov. Adrien Plavsic.RD&mdash;Jyrki Lumme, Dave Babych, Jiri Slegr.G&mdash;Kirk McLean. Kay Whitmore.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Gerald Diduck, D. fractured left ankle. day-to-day. &#9632;

Linden superb on wing

<div class="byline">By Rick Sadowski</div>Despite scoring only six goals in his first 39 games, Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; right winger Tony Granato believes he can still turn things around.&ldquo;By no means have I given up and written off this year offensively,&rdquo; Granato said. &ldquo;I have a lot of games to play the rest of the year. Even if I don&rsquo;t salvage anything from a points standpoint, I want to contribute by playing hard.&rdquo;No one has ever accused the feisty Granato of being a slacker, but back problems forced him to miss some time this season and, in terms of offensive production, he has never had such a horrible season.Granato averaged 35 goals in his previous three full seasons with the Kings. He scored 37 last year and set career highs for assists (45) and points (82). He also enjoyed a fine post-season with six goals and 17 points in 24 games.Granato was rewarded with a three-year, $3.8-million contract over the summer, but has endured a mostly miserable time this season, which has included missing nine consecutive games with an inflamed disc in his lower back.Granato is one of coach Barry Melrose&rsquo;s favorite players, He&rsquo;s a smallish 5-foot-10, 185-pounder who doesn&rsquo;t back down from anyone and has made a habit of infuriating opponents with his aggressive nature. He averaged 171 penalty minutes the past three seasons and had 118 in 39 games this year.&ldquo;Tony is such a competitor,&rdquo; Wayne Gretzky said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the heart and soul of the hockey club.&rdquo;Granato said the support he has received from the coaching staff and his teammates has meant a lot.&ldquo;The guys have been great,&rdquo; Granato said. &ldquo;With the ice time I&rsquo;ve been getting and the production I&rsquo;ve had, some people on the outside were probably saying, &lsquo;Why is he getting so much?&rsquo; I&rsquo;ve been very fortunate. Barry has stuck with me and so have the guys&rdquo;KNICKLE SUSPENDED: Goaltender Rick Knickle was suspended Jan. 25 for failing to accept a temporary assignment to the Fort Wayne Komets of the International League.Knickle, 33, had a 1-6-2 record, 5.36 goals-against average and.847 save percentage with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL when he was suspended.&ldquo;I guess he has a short memory,&rdquo; said general manager Nick Beverley. &ldquo;He has forgotten where he has come from. He&rsquo;s not stopping the puck, that&rsquo;s the bottom line. He&rsquo;s totally out to lunch.&rdquo;Knickle spent parts of 14 seasons in the minor leagues before the Kings acquired his rights from the San Diego Gulls of the IHL last year.NOTEBOOK: Winger Dave Taylor hadn&rsquo;t played a game since sustaining a concussion Jan. 4 in a collision with teammate Warren Rychel. His headaches had finally disappeared, however. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just trying to be real careful about it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It concerns me, but I hope it will be over soon.&rdquo;<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 25: Rick Knickle. G, suspended indefinitely by team for refusing to report to Fort Wayne (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Wayne Gretzky. Robert Lang, Shawn McEachern.LW&mdash;Tomas Sandstrom, Luc Robitaille. Mike Donnelly. Warren Rychel.RW&mdash;Jari Kurri, Tony Granato. Phil Crowe, Dixon Ward, John Druce.LD&mdash;Tim Watters. Darryl Sydor. Alex Zhitnik, Brent Thompson.RD&mdash;Rob Blake. Charlie Huddy. Doug Houda.G&mdash;Kelly Hrudey. Robb Stauber.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Pat Conacher, C, bruised rib cage, day-to-day. Gary Shuchuk, C, sprained left knee, indefinite. Dave Taylor, RW. concussion. day-to-day. &#9632;

Granato confident he can salvage forgettable season

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01758/6331693-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01884/6331686-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="1275" height="3526"></div> &#9632;

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CLASSIFIED

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01784/6331724-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(DAN HAMILTON)</figcaption></div>The principle, Petr Nedved insists, is the same. Only the dollars are different.Nedved, 22, who fled the former Czechoslovakia in 1989, has lived the immigrant&rsquo;s dream. He has prospered and earned wealth and acclaim in Canada, his adopted country. He has joint citizenship in Canada and the Czech Republic.Now, he says, it&rsquo;s time to give something back, as a Canadian Olympian at the Lillehammer Games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really proud I&rsquo;m able to represent this country,&rdquo; Nedved said. &ldquo;When I was a little kid, playing street hockey, the hockey players from Canada were always the best for me. I hope people don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m using this to escape from (the Vancouver situation). I want people to know that I mean it.&rdquo;But Nedved wears a maple leaf across his heart and skates as an amateur because he and the Vancouver Canucks disagreed sharply about how much money he should make. His agent and former guardian Tony Kondel concedes he is working out a sponsorship deal that would see a corporation underwrite Nedved&rsquo;s Olympic commitment. Media reports have pegged the sponsorship at $250,000.In fact, the ascension of Petr Nedved to the alter of amateurism is all about money.Nedved, the second overall choice in the 1990 entry draft, scored 10 and then 15 goals in his first two NHL seasons before breaking through for 38 last season in his option year. The Canucks offered him a new contract worth $750,000 for each of the next two years plus about $220,000 in performance bonuses that would kick in at 40 goals. The bonuses would have been rolled into salary revisions for the next year.Nedved and Kondel insist that isn&rsquo;t fair market value for a 22-year-old center with premier skating and scoring skills.The Canucks will retain his NHL rights indefinitely and a trade to the New York Rangers for Alexei Kovalev seemed imminent in mid-Jan-uary. But the deal fell through amid reports Nedved was seeking $1.4 million for the first year of the contract plus unusual incentives that included bonuses for first-period goals on the road. Nedved said the $1.4 figure is inflated.The incident was just a further estrangement of Nedved from Vancouver&rsquo;s management and media.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been absolutely incomprehensible&rdquo; said Canucks&rsquo; director of hockey operations George McPhee. &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s a young man who should be playing in the league making about $700,000 this year with a chance to make a million next year. He should be having the time of his life. Instead he has painted himself into a corner where he may not play in the league this season.Nedved received widespread criticism in Vancouver when he asked for a trade in just his second season with the Canucks. He was pilloried for asking Wayne Gretzky for a souvenir stick after the Los Angeles Kings beat Vancouver in the second round last year&rsquo;s playoffs.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m a rebel,&rdquo; Nedved said. &ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t think asking Wayne Gretzky for a stick after the series was over was the reason we lost.&rdquo;Nedved is far from a trailblazer in leaving the NHL to play for Team Canada.Goaltender Sean Burke played in the 1992 Olympics after holding out from the New Jersey Devils and Andy Moog did likewise in 1988 when he wanted to leave the Edmonton Oilers.George Kingston, Team Canada&rsquo;s director of hockey operations, is sensitive to the criticism that Nedved became an amateur solely to improve his stock as a professional.&ldquo;This is not a marriage of convenience,&rdquo; Kingston said. &ldquo;From the beginning, it was clear Petr wanted to be an Olympian because he wanted to do something for Canada.&ldquo;Playing for Canada is a win-win situation for everybody. Vancouver will get more value in a trade if Petr plays well. A trade would be more likely and that what Petr wants.&rdquo;Actually, it&rsquo;s more like win-win-win. Team Canada, a unit achingly absent of scoring punch, is a dramatically different team with Nedved.&ldquo;Without a doubt, Petr brings a real offensive component to the team and he also brings a level of grit and experience,&rdquo; said coach Tom Ren-ney. &ldquo;He has been outstanding for us.&rdquo;Nedved scored 15 goals in his first 12 preOlympic games and immediately became the triggerman the team needed desperately for nifty playmaker Paul Kariya. Nedved has been Team Canada&rsquo;s best player in most of the games he has played.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a very talented all-around player,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re starting to work well together, there has been a period of adjustment but I&rsquo;m starting to know where Petr wants the puck.&rdquo;With Nedved flanked by Kariya and Chris Kontos, the Canadian team boasts a first-rate offensive line. Center Greg Johnson, plucked from the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; roster, upgrades the sluggish speed level of the Canadian team and works the rear point on the power play.Johnson, as well as Brian Savage, a Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; prospect who leads the national team in goals and Jean-Yves Roy, a solid playmaking forward, gives Canada a respectable second offensive unit. But after that the talent level falls off dramatically.Canada&rsquo;s depth at forward was hampered by the refusal of the NHL to grant Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; forward Glenn Anderson special courtesy waivers to play for the Olympic team. The team left a spot open at left wing but it would take a miracle for Anderson to make the club. An injury to strapping forward Brett Lindros will knock him out of the tournament.But Team Canada&rsquo;s greatest weakness is along the blueline where the club has neither premier talent nor satisfactory depth.Derek Mayer, a career minor leaguer, was the team&rsquo;s best offensive defenseman through the exhibition season. Ken Lovsin and national team: veteran Brad Schlegel give the team two reliable: stay-at-home defensemen. Mark Astley an 11th-i hour addition will boost the talent level. David Harlock, a Maple Leafs&rsquo; draft pick, has shown progress but remains inconsistent.Corey Hirsch, a New York Rangers&rsquo; prospect and last year&rsquo;s Hockey News Minor Pro Prospect of the Year, enters the tournament as the undisputed No. 1 netminder. Hirsch, who is backed-up by 1993 World Junior Championship hero Manny Legace, logged a 2.72 goals-against average in the exhibition campaign. For Canada to retain any medal aspirations, Hirsch must perform magnificently.And so must Nedved.&ldquo;I mean it when I want to show I&rsquo;m for real and I mean it when I say I want to bring a medal home,&rdquo; Nedved said.&ldquo;I think we have the talent. It&rsquo;s just going to take some time to make our scoring chances work.&rdquo;Second in a three-part preview of the 1994 Winter Olympics. Next week we will handicap the teams and their chances. &#9632;

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FOR PETE’S SAKE

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div>In the westerns, they called it the gunfighter&rsquo;s creed: somewhere out there, there&rsquo;s a faster gun.Mike Dunham, the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; 21-year-old goaltending prospect, is learning the hockey version of that creed firsthand.After a career almost bereft of failure. Dunham is struggling to piece his game back together just prior to the Olympics. Despite a string of sterling performances through the fall with Team USA and three straight wins at the Izvestia tournament, Dunham hit a wall around Christmas.Dunham was strafed for eight goals by Sweden in the final game of the tournament.When the tour returned to the U.S., he bottomed out and surrendered 10 goals to the Binghamton Rangers in what amounted to a homecoming for the native of Endwell, N.Y.Dunham pieced together a couple of satisfactory outings as the tour continued, but for the first time in his career a new reality hit home-he was surrounded by equally accomplished players.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re always the best player at your position growing up,&rdquo; Dunham said. &ldquo;You get to this level, there are so many great players, you&rsquo;ve got to understand your role and understand your abilities. The sooner you can face that and realize that, the better off you are.&rdquo;Dunham&rsquo;s mini-swoon may affect his standing for Team USA, where he is being challenged by Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; prospect Garth Snow. But it doesn&rsquo;t diminish his standing in the eyes of scouts.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a superb prospect,&rdquo; said one NHL scouting director. &ldquo;If we could made a trade for him, we would have in a second.&rdquo;&ldquo;As far as ability goes, he could be the best young prospect around,&rdquo; said another scout.The 6-foot-3 Dunham is a goalie who, when playing well, looks like he will never surrender another goal.&ldquo;When Michael&rsquo;s playing his best,&rdquo; said Team USA goaltending coach Joe Bertagna,&rdquo;he&rsquo;s very, very fluid. He looks like he can do whatever he wants to out there.&rdquo;And for the most part he has. In his sophomore season at the University of Maine, Dunham posted a 19-0-1 record and a 2.65 goals-against average. His first year at Maine brought 14-5-2, 2.96 marks.Dunham dominated in prep school, travelled to the 1992 Albertville Olympics as Team USA&rsquo;s third stringer and has consistently shone in the U.S. developmental program.His athletic bloodlines are impeccable. Dunham&rsquo;s father Ron is a golf professional and a vice-president of the Professional Golfers Association. Away from the rink, the young Dunham starred as a high school soccer player and golfer.The Devils selected Dunham 53rd overall in 1990 and signed him this fall. Devils&rsquo; general manager Lou Lamoriello hasn&rsquo;t discounted the possibility of bringing Dunham straight into the NHL should he shine in Lillehammer.&ldquo;We won&rsquo;t interrupt the chemistry of the team, but we won&rsquo;t be afraid to get better,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;A lot will depend on how things are going for us and where we&rsquo;re at after the Olympics are over.&rdquo;On the whole, Dunham can still make an arresting case for being the No. 1 goalie in Lillehammer and perhaps, skipping over the Devils&rsquo; American League affiliate in Albany. He won 20 of his first 30 games he played for Team USA.&ldquo;I am struggling right now but I think I&rsquo;ve gained the confidence back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking forward to going to the Olympics. I&rsquo;m looking forward to playing. It&rsquo;s two weeks and you know, you need a hot goaltender.&rdquo; &#9632;

Dunham trying to hang on as America’s No. 1

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams and Pavel Barta</div>What about The Bear?It&rsquo;s a question that is being asked in all comers of the hockey world as teams vying for Olympic gold prepare for the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway.Once again, the Russian team is surrounded by uncertainty. One thing is certain: the Russians will be a medal contender.&ldquo;None of us knows what they will put in there for a lineup,&rdquo; said U.S. coach Tim Taylor,&rdquo;but based on historical perspective, I take Russia to be a very strong team. They are the defending Olympic champions, they are the defending World Champions. They are going to put a good lineup in these Olympic games and they will be very very tough.&rdquo;Since the floodgates opened after the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, more than 200 players from Russia and other countries which used to make up the Soviet Union fled to teams in North America and Europe.The exodus has set hockey back in Russia. In tournaments leading up to Lillehammer, Russian teams which have competed in preOlympic events have been short in talent. In one instance, the United States beat their longtime nemesis 15-1 at a September tournament in Alaska.Most of the best players from the former Soviet Union are in the NHL. The second tier of talent is skating for clubs in Russia or in Finland, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Italy, France and Austria. Much of the team will be made up of those players.However, the team will likely be without the services of two key performers in Viacheslav Bykov and Andrei Khomutov. Both play for Fribourg in the Swiss Elite League, the only European league that will not shut down during the Games because Switzerland failed to qualify for the tournament.Heading the Russian delegation will be Viktor Tikhonov. The dictatorial coach, who has guided the Russians to three gold medals and eight World Championships, has dropped a peg in the Russian hockey hierarchy, but gained revenge of sorts by guiding the Russian national B team to Izvestia championships in 1993 and 1992, beating the A team both times.&ldquo;He knows how to get a lot from his players,&rdquo; said Calgary Flames&rsquo; coach Dave King, who coached against Tikhonov in the 1984, &rsquo;88 and &rsquo;92 Games.<h2>SLOVAKIA</h2>The first man to represent three countries in international competition, is finally playing for his true homeland.Former NHLer Peter Stastny will be the key player for Slovakia as it enters its first Olympics. Stastny, who played for the former Czechoslovakia in the 1980 Winter Olympics and Canada in the 1984 Canada Cup, is fulfilling a lifelong dream by representing Slovakia.&ldquo;I always dreamed about playing for my homeland and now I really will,&rdquo; said the 39-year-old center. &ldquo;This tournament means much more for me than the Olympics 14 years ago. Slovaks need to show they play a good game. We could have a stronger team than the Czechs this year. Our results speak for themselves.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01768/6331779-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="578" height="1243"><figcaption class="caption-body">Former NHLer Peter Stastny will play for his native Slovakia.</figcaption></div>Since splitting with the Czech Republic last year, Slovakia&rsquo;s rise as a hockey power has been mercurial. Even though it will compete in the C pool of the World Championships, it was allowed to enter an Olympic qualifying tournament over the summer and captured the 12th spot with a 3-0-1 record.In fact, it enters Lillehammer with a 14-0-1 record.The Slovaks will stock their team primarily with players from the country&rsquo;s professional league and others playing in Europe. It is hoping to receive some help from North America. Robert Petrovicky of the American League&rsquo;s Springfield Indians, Zigmund Palffy of the International League&rsquo;s Salt Lake Golden Eagles and Jergus Baca of the IHL&rsquo;s Milwaukee Admirals are expected to be added to the roster.However, the Slovaks will have to do without Anton Stastny, who was suspended for eight months for abusing an official during a tournament in France.Peter Stastny, meanwhile, is putting his faith in a power much higher than Slovak coach Julius Supler.&ldquo;Nothing is definitely sure,&rdquo; Stastny said of his country&rsquo;s medal hopes. &ldquo;I know that God is fair and has His ways to help. And He will help.&rdquo;<h2>CZECH REP.</h2>The Olympic Games couldn&rsquo;t have come at a worse time for the Czech Republic.Infighting in the Czech hockey federation led to the resignation of president Vladimir Subrt and the country&rsquo;s hockey administration is in disarray.Poor efforts have compounded the problems. The Czechs finished fifth in the German Cup tournament in September and were humbled with a 1-1-2 record in the Izvestia Cup. After losing 9-4 to the Americans, coach Ivan Hlinka blasted his team for a lacking professionalism and preparation.But the defending bronze medalists will be bolstered greatly by reinforcements from around Europe, starting with 29-year-old goalie Petr Briza.Briza, who plays in Germany, was the key to his country&rsquo;s success in 1992 and has long been underrated on the world scene. He has represented the former Czechoslovakia in five World Championships.He was also the top goalie in Germany last season and was the best goalie in the Finnish Elite League two straight years.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m proud for every game in the national team sweater, but the Olympics is a very special tournament,&rdquo; Briza said. &ldquo;It means more to me than every medal from the World Championships, league titles, everything.&rdquo;The defense will be led by former New York Ranger Miloslav Hora-va-who plays for MoDo in the Swedish Elite League-and Hartford Whalers&rsquo; prospect Jan Vopat, the top defenseman in the Czech League.The offense will be led by Tomas Srsen, who is among the top scorers in Sweden this season. Former NHL prospects Martin Hostak and Tomas Kapusta will also be counted upon for goals. &#9632;

f0025-01

Will Bear have bite or get declawed?

<div class="byline">By Stan Fischler</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01835/6331810-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="382" height="537"></div>A year after Gary Bettman took office, it can be said that he is not all bad. After all, even Don Cherry has given him his approval.But the commissioner can&rsquo;t be that good either. Forbes Magazine turned thumbs down on him and Newsday says he hasn&rsquo;t done enough.Bettman disagrees.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve put hockey on the right path,&rdquo; Bettman says. &ldquo;That includes a reorganization, hiring people like Brian Burke with in-house expertise needed for a business-like, stable organization.&rdquo;True. But his critics charge his administration is top-heavy with nonhockey people giving the NHL an NBA-with-skates image.Bettman has smarts, is a fast learner, good listener and moves swiftly. He handled the Gil Stein Hall of Fame fiasco with dispatch, did likewise with the Ottawa Senators dumping disaster and the 21-game Dale Hunter suspension.&ldquo;The Islanders fans wanted summary execution of Hunter,&rdquo; Bettman chuckles,&rdquo;and the Capitals have continued to say that I was much, much, much too severe. That tells me we hit it on the mark.&rdquo;Bettman&rsquo;s first major head-on challenge was the officials&rsquo; strike. He tough-mindedly gambled on the substitute officials. Had they cracked in the first days, it would have been bye-bye Gary. But the replacements performed nobly under adverse conditions.&ldquo;We got all the games played and we didn&rsquo;t miss a beat,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;We had competent replacement officials who came under the most intense and unfair scrutiny. If this scrutiny was placed on any of our existing officials, I don&rsquo;t know that they could fare better.&rdquo;The anti-Bettman bloc chided him for stubbornness and his iron-fisted handling of the officials who, in some cases, remain bitter about their boss.&ldquo;In terms of the residue of bad feelings, I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s widespread among all the officials,&rdquo; he argues. &ldquo;It was business and people can&rsquo;t confuse that. I was charged to run this place in a credible way. When someone comes in and says, &lsquo;I want a hundred percent raise,&rsquo; and my response is, &lsquo;here&rsquo;s 29 per cent the first year and 65 per cent over four years,&rsquo; I don&rsquo;t have to apologize for that.&rdquo;Nor does he have to apologize for beefing up the league&rsquo;s public relations and marketing brigade although they have made no noticeable impact in print. On All-Star Game day, for example, the New York Times had one story and it was buried in the basement of the sports section.&ldquo;New York Magazine did a feature on the Rangers and the New Yorker did a piece on the Mighty Ducks and the Wall Street Journal had an article on us,&rdquo; boasts Bettman.True, but New York Magazine did Rangers&rsquo; pieces long before Bettman and the New Yorker did Mike Richter before Bettman and the Wall Street Journal periodically runs hockey pieces. ESPN ratings remain mediocre and a spate of &ldquo;boring hockey&rdquo; stories haven&rsquo;t helped the NHL&rsquo;s image. So far. the jury is out on the new NHL public relations although Bettman has been eminently available.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very nice to say you want to market,&rdquo; Bettman says,&rdquo;but you don&rsquo;t just throw a light switch and reach that market.&rdquo;Bettman has had months to cultivate a relationship with his negotiating adversary, Bob Goodenow. A strike is a possibility, especially based on Bettman&rsquo;s cross-checking of the referees.&ldquo;Sometimes you have to have a strike because peoples&rsquo; expectations are a little out of whack,&rdquo; Bettman suggests. &ldquo;And they need to be out of work to lower those expectations.&ldquo;Bob and I may not agree with everything, but that&rsquo;s what collective bargaining is all about.&rdquo;Bettman&rsquo;s future hangs on hammering out a CBA that&rsquo;s palatable to his owners. Goodenow, as tough an adversary as the commissioner, will provide the ultimate test. If the commissioner is lucky, he&rsquo;ll have a deal before the playoffs-without a strike.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have to see what the players want to do,&rdquo; he asserts. &ldquo;If they want to get aggressive, that will be their call. I&rsquo;m committed to getting a framework in place that will enable us to stabilize the sport and I&rsquo;m always optimistic about everything.&rdquo;If he pulls off the CBA, he&rsquo;ll get an A. But as John Ziegler learned in 1992, a strike can result in an F, as in Forget-it. This much is certain: Bettman can&rsquo;t be judged fairly on only a year in office. He needs three-to-five to make the desired impact.&ldquo;For people to think we were going to duplicate what the NBA did in a year or two years or five years is silly,&rdquo; he concludes. &ldquo;It took the NBA well in excess of a decade. David Stem was NBA commissioner three years before anyone knew who he was. I don&rsquo;t have apologies for what we&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-01

More time needed to evaluate Bettman

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div>Somewhere between the American ideal that hard work nets success and the sainted life of the lucky lies the story of Pierre McGuire.The 32-year-old New Jersey native is the youngest coach in the NHL because he is astute, ambitious and most of all, driven.&ldquo;We all love hockey,&rdquo; said Hartford Whalers&rsquo; general manager Paul Holmgren. &ldquo;But Pierre loves it more.&rdquo;It has been a lifelong love affair. When McGuire was named to succeed Holmgren behind the Hartford bench Nov. 16, his high school football coach wrote him a letter of congratulations and enclosed a yellowed copy of an athletic aptitude test.The Institute of Athletic Motivation assessed the teenaged McGuire at 85 per cent, almost thirty per cent higher than average.They affixed his drive at 95 per cent. Aggressiveness was assessed at 95 per cent. Leadership, ability to accept blame, confidence, emotional control, coachability, all rated in at 100 per cent.And yet, despite all this, Pierre McGuire is a head coach in the NHL because one day, Scotty Bowman decided to go for a walk.Bowman&rsquo;s daughter Alicia attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. during the fall of 1988 and her father, en route to a broadcast assignment in Montreal, dropped her off at school.Bowman had a little time to kill so he ambled over to the hockey office. &ldquo;I knew the head coach Joe Marsh and I thought I might as well stop in and say hello,&rdquo; Bowman said.McGuire was an assistant and he was hunting for players. He had a coach from Alberta on one phone, a coach from Saskatchewan on another.&ldquo;I looked up, and there standing in my door was Scotty Bowman,&rdquo; McGuire said. &ldquo;My jaw hit the floor.&rdquo;For McGuire, who lived in Montreal from the age of six to 17, that moment was a professional epiphany.&ldquo;All you can do in life is prepare, to take advantage of the opportunity,&rdquo; McGuire said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d probably still be a college coach if I hadn&rsquo;t met Scotty, but when I was given the opportunity, I took advantage of it.&rdquo;Bowman began to stop in regularly and talk hockey with McGuire. In 1990, Bowman, then the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; director of player development and recruitment, hired McGuire as a scout. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup that year and McGuire distinguished himself analyzing the tactics of opponents.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02548/6331841-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="970" height="1839"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre McGuire won&rsquo;t hesitate to sit out his star players.</figcaption></div>When coach Bob Johnson was stricken with brain cancer. Bowman took over and promoted McGuire to assistant coach.Bowman&rsquo;s wife lived in Buffalo during the season so McGuire moved in and teacher and student talked hockey non-stop.For a host of NHL players, living with Bowman would be like bunking with Captain Bligh. For McGuire, it was a 24-hour scholarship to Hockey Harvard.&ldquo;It was a treat,&rdquo; McGuire said,&rdquo;if you love hockey. His mind is on hockey, 24 hours a day.&rdquo;McGuire, restless to carve out his own identity, left the Penguins in the summer of 1992 to take an assistant coaching job under Holmgren.&ldquo;We had won two Stanley Cups but I was perceived as Scotty&rsquo;s boy,&rdquo; McGuire said. &ldquo;I wanted to work in a different environment.&rdquo;He left with Bowman&rsquo;s blessing.&ldquo;Pierre is a good man,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very intelligent, very hard working and very fair. He&rsquo;ll make a good coach.&rdquo;When Brian Burke, then the Whalers&rsquo; GM, left to take the job as NHL vice-president, McGuire was promoted to assistant GM.When Holmgren bumped himself upstairs to general manager, McGuire got the head coaching job.Not surprisingly, everything McGuire does in the NHL has a dash of Bowman. McGuire, like his mentor, is obsessed with orchestrating the right match-ups.And like Bowman, he won&rsquo;t hesitate to bruise the ego of a well-paid star.But McGuire&rsquo;s approach is relentlessly upbeat. One Hartford writer labelled him Pollyanna Pierre, a label McGuire typically. enthusiastically endorses.McGuire even married a hockey player. He met his wife, Joan, at Babson College. McGuire, then the school&rsquo;s hockey and lacrosse coach, had a date that night, but cancelled to give a power skating demonstration to a group of female hockey players.&ldquo;I looked at him and I saw this guy with a baseball cap on and sweats and his tooth was out,&rdquo; Joan McGuire said. &ldquo;It was love at first sight.&rdquo;Once again, luck found McGuire at a hockey rink. Of course, with Pierre McGuire, luck has always known where to look. &#9632;

f0026-02

Good and lucky

<div class="byline">By Dave Sell</div>The Murray era is over in Washington.The Washington Capitals&rsquo; inconsistent play cost coach Terry Murray his job Jan. 27, thus ending a string of nearly 1,000 regular-season games in which either Terry or Bryan Murray was in charge of the team.Jim Schoenfeld was announced as Murray&rsquo;s replacement before a game in Buffalo, Schoenfeld&rsquo;s adopted hometown.&ldquo;This is something that has been building over the last couple of weeks,&rdquo; Capitals&rsquo; general manager David Poile said. &ldquo;We have not been able to reach any level of consistency. There has been a loss of confidence, a loss of belief among the players.&rdquo;Poile insisted the timing and place of the change were circumstantial. He said he contacted Schoenfeld Jan. 26, after the Capitals had lost their third straight game and fifth in six outings. The axe fell on Murray the next day.Murray had the second-longest tenure with the same team among active coaches. His brother, Bryan, coached the Capitals from Nov. 11, 1981 until Terry replaced him Jan. 15, 1990. Terry had been in the organization as a player or coach for 12 years.Gracious in accepting his fate, Murray did not display any bitterness about management or the quality of players with which he was provided.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed I didn&rsquo;t get a better job done this season and that is the responsibility you have as a coach,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;David Poile has been great to me and I had a tremendous run with the Capitals of more than 12 years.&rdquo;The Capitals were 20-23-4 under Murray this season and 163-144-28 since he took over. Murray&rsquo;s contract runs through the end of the 1994-95 season and Poile said Murray was offered a job in the organization.Assistant coach John Perpich was also let go and his contract expires at the end of this season. Fellow assistant Keith Allain was re-assigned as coach for all goaltenders in the organization. Replacements had not been named as of Jan. 30.Schoenfeld, who was working as an ESPN hockey analyst, went 2-1-0 in his first week as Capitals&rsquo; coach.The 41-year-old has had two coaching stints in the NHL. He coached the Buffalo Sabres to a 19-19-5 record in the 1985-86 season and had a record of 50-59-15 with the New Jersey Devils in 1987-88 and&rsquo;88-89.NOTEBOOK: The Capitals&rsquo; list of injured and ailing grew over the all-star break. Prior to the break, only Jason Woolley was out of action with a tom abdominal muscle. But three others missed most of the first four games after the break. Enrico Ciccone aggravated a pulled groin muscle in the Jan. 25 game against the Boston Bruins. Dave Poulin missed four games with a flu virus. Keith Jones sprained his wrist in December and tried to play with the injury, but when it failed to improve and his play slipped, he was told to rest.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 26: Brian Curran. D. assigned to Portland (AHL). Jan. 27: Terry Murray, coach, and John Perpich, assistant coach, fired. Keith Allain. assistant coach, named goaltending coach. Jim Schoenfeld hired as head coach.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Date Hunter. Mike Ridley. Michal Pivonka. Steve Konowalchuk.LW&mdash;Dimrtri Khnstich, Kelly Miller, Randy Burridge, Craig Berube.RW&mdash;Peter Bondra, Pat Peake. Todd Krygier, Alan May.LD&mdash;Al lafrate. Calle Johansson. John Slaney.RD&mdash;Kevin Hatcher, Sylvain Cote, Shawn Anderson.G&mdash;Don Beaupre. Rick Tabaracci.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Enrico Ciccone, D, pulled groin muscle, day-to-day Keith Jones, RW, sprained wrist, day-to-day. Dave Poulin, C. flu virus, day-to-day Jason Woolley, D, tom abdominal muscle, indefinite. &#9632;

Murray takes fall, Schoenfeld takes charge

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div>There were many questions surrounding New York Rangers&rsquo; rearguard Kevin Lowe entering this season.Was he finished? How limited would his role be? Would he remain in New York?Lowe was 34 years old and coming off the worst campaign of his 14-year NHL career. He managed just 15 points in 49 games and missed the playoffs for the first time.The Rangers, meanwhile, were expected to have a starting six on defense of Brian Leetch, Jeff Beukeboom, James Patrick, Doug Lidster, Jay Wells and Sergei Zubov, with loads of backup in Alexander Karpovtsev, Mattias Norstrom, Joby Messier and Peter Andersson.There were also rumors the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres were interested in him.Lowe fielded all the questions like the team player he is. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do whatever they want,&rdquo; Lowe said.Well, it&rsquo;s mid-season and Lowe has not only been a regular, he has been a stalwart. He played in 41 of 45 games, missing four due to injury.&ldquo;After last year&rsquo;s disaster we all have a lot to prove,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;I feel good about it. I know what my job is, I&rsquo;ve been given a role, and I know what I have to do.&rdquo;Playing mostly alongside Zubov, Lowe was plus or even 25 times in a recent 28-game stretch.Last year, after a holdout and midseason acquisition from the Edmonton Oilers, it seemed every time Lowe went down to block a pass or shot, it got past him. This year, just the opposite is happening. Lowe said it was a matter in believing in himself.&ldquo;I just kept my faith in the game, my faith in enjoying the game and my faith in my talent,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully we can prove last year was some sort of whacko happening.&rdquo;UNUSUAL VICTORY: The Rangers&rsquo; 5-4 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings Jan. 27 at the Forum was one for the books.For starters, the Rangers, who were 24-0-1 when they led entering the third period, had blown a 4-1 lead. Then, with 10.7 seconds to go in OT, Tony Amonte was stopped on a penalty shot by Kelly Hrudey.The Rangers lost the ensuing faceoff, but forced a turnover and Mark Messier scored the winner with 1.5 seconds remaining.NOTEBOOK: Mike Gartner, who had arthroscopic surgery to remove four bone chips from his right elbow Jan. 19, returned to the lineup eight days later in Los Angeles. He missed just one game&hellip;The Rangers were 24-1-1 in games of Jan. 30 when Adam Graves scored a goal.GM Neil Smith is attempting to trade left winger Ed Olczyk, as per the request of agent Ron Salcer.<h2>N.Y. RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 31: Dan Lacroix, LW, recalled from Binghamton (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Mark Messier, Esa Tikkanen, Sergei Nemchinov, Mike Hudson.LW&mdash;Adam Graves. Alexei Kovalev, Nick Kypreos, Phil Bourque, Mike Hartman. Daniel Lacroix.RW&mdash;Steve Larmer. Tony Amonte. Mike Gartner, Joey Kocur.LD&mdash;Brian Leetch, Kevin Lowe, Jay Wells, Peter Andersson.RD&mdash;Jeff Beukeboom, Sergei Zubov, Alexander Karpovtsev, Doug Lidster.G&mdash;Mike Richter. Glenn Healy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Greg Gilbert, LW, sprained right knee, Feb. 14. Ed Olczyk, LW, sprained right thumb, day-to-day. &#9632;

Kevin now tower of strength after sinking to career Lowe

<div class="byline">By Roy Cummings</div>It will take a few years before they&rsquo;re proved correct, but the Tampa Bay Lightning completed what they feel is a major heist when they signed junior forward Aaron Gavey to a multi-year contract Jan. 26.Gavey, who helped lead Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships, was Tampa Bay&rsquo;s fourth-round pick in the 1992 entry draft. Since his selection, though, Gavey has emerged as one of the top prospects in hockey.The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds&rsquo; center is ranked 13th among NHL prospects in The Hockey News&rsquo; Future Watch.Scouts and rival general managers have lauded his ability for two years now and many have said the Lightning pulled off the steal of the draft when they selected Gavey-a 6-foot-2, 185-pound center-74th overall.Lightning GM Phil Esposito believes Gavey, who signed a four-year pact worth about $900,000, would have been a first-round pick had he re-entered this year&rsquo;s draft.Such high praise improved Gavey&rsquo;s negotiating position markedly in recent months and for a time that put his signing in jeopardy.Gavey was looking for first-round dollars and the Lightning refused to meet those demands. For a while it looked as if Tampa Bay might lose its prized prospect; had the Eightning not signed him, Gavey would have gone back into the draft.&ldquo;Going back in the draft was the last option,&rdquo; Gavey said. &ldquo;I really wanted to go to Tampa Bay. I&rsquo;m looking forward to the day 1 finally play with the Lightning.&rdquo;There&rsquo;s a chance that day may not be too far away. Should Gavey&rsquo;s junior club fall out of the Memorial Cup race this spring, the Lightning said it will bring Gavey to Tampa or send him to its International League affiliate in Atlanta so he could get a head-start on his pro career.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt he can play,&rdquo; Esposito said. &ldquo;But we know he needs a little more upper body strength so we&rsquo;d like to get a look at him if we can.&rdquo;POWER SHORTAGE: The Lightning&rsquo;s once-dismal power play is on the rise.Through games of Jan. 30, the Lightning had scored 15 power-play goals in its last 16 games. The surge elevated the team&rsquo;s power play from league-worst to 25th.All the Lightning&rsquo;s power-play problems are not solved yet, though. It is still struggling to score during five-minute power plays and that has coach Terry Crisp frustrated.&ldquo;Sometimes those five-minute power plays are a pain,&rdquo; Crisp said. &ldquo;Guys don&rsquo;t act like they do on a normal power play. They think they have all kinds of time. I sometimes wonder if they&rsquo;re worth the trouble.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Lightning attracted a crowd of 26,652, the second largest in NHL history, to its Jan. 29 home game against the San Jose Sharks. The Lightning have drawn five crowds of more than 22,000. The team is 1-4-0 in those games&hellip;Rookie center Chris Gratton had 12 points in a recent 15-game stretch.<h2>TAMPA BAY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 28: Chris LiPuma, D, recalled from Atlanta (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Brian Bradley. Denis Savard. Chris Gratton, Marc BureauLW&mdash;Rob Zamuner, Tim Bergland, Petr Klima, Adam Creighton, Gerard Gallant.RW&mdash;John Tucker. Pat Elynuik. Danton Cole, Mikael Andersson, Rob DiMaio.LD&mdash;Joe Reekie, Marc Bergevin, Shawn Chambers, Rudy Poeschek.RD&mdash;Chris Joseph. Roman Hamriik, Chris LiPuma.G&mdash;Daren Puppa, Pat Jablonski.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Donald Dufresne, D. sprained left knee, indefinite. Wendell Young, G. right shoulder surgery, Indefinite. &#9632;

Great Gavey robbery

<div class="byline">By Rich Chore</div>Claude Lemieux was back from his mid-season hiatus and with him came the familiar mixture of brilliance and trouble.Having completed a one-week, unpaid vacation in Florida to escape the pressure of an ongoing divorce and sluggishness on the ice, Lemieux returned to the New Jersey Devils Jan. 19 in Winnipeg and immediately enjoyed his most productive offensive stretch of the season.He had two goals and five points in back-to-back road victories.But when the Devils completed their longest road trip of the season with a 6-3 loss in Vancouver Jan. 29, it was a third-period unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from Lemieux which hurt the most.It was a simple case of taking the good with the bad.Lemieux scored 28 seconds into the Devils&rsquo; 4-0 win in Winnipeg and followed that performance with a goal and three assists in a 6-2 win over the Stars in Dallas Jan. 24.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re struggling and it becomes painful to go out and play, the best thing to do is to get away,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;It did me a lot of good. I didn&rsquo;t see any light going to the rink each day. It was painful. Now I feel good again.&rdquo;The flip side occurred late in the game against the Canucks. The Devils trailed by a goal early in the third period when Valeri Zelepukin took a roughing penalty.During the penalty kill, Bernie Nicholls questioned an offside call by linesman Brad Lazarowich at the Canucks&rsquo; blueline. Lemieux also complained and was slapped with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.With a two-man power play advantage for 31 seconds, Pavel Bure scored his second goal of the game and the Devils went down to defeat.AT WITS END: Little-used goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz has somehow managed to keep his cool during a frustrating season, but he admitted,&rdquo;It&rsquo;s getting tough.&rdquo;Sidorkiewicz, who had appeared in three games (all in relief) and was 03-0, said he wasn&rsquo;t interested in the compensation ruling involving the Ottawa Senators and the off-season trade with the Devils.He added that he was healthy enough to see regular action.&ldquo;What does (the ruling) have to do with me?&rdquo; asked Sidorkiewicz. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m so hurt, why am I not seeing doctors? And if I&rsquo;m hurt, why have I played three games?&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Winger Stephane Richer decided against sinus surgery during the all-star break. He was told to correct the problem, doctors would have to break his nose and it would take a month to heal.<h2>NEW JERSEY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 25: Jim Dowd. C. and Ben Hankinson, RW. assigned to Albany (AHL).C&mdash;Corey Millen, Bernie Nicholls. Bob-Bobby Carpenter, Alexander Semak, David Emma.LW&mdash;Valeri Zetepukin Stephane Richer, Tom Chorske, Mike Peluso.RW-Bill Guenn, John MacLean. Randy McKay, Claude Lemieux. Bobby Holik.LD&mdash;Scott Stevens. Bruce Driver. Via-cheslav Fetisov, Jaroslav Modry.RD&mdash;Ken Daneyko, Scott Nieder-mayer, Tommy Albelin, Jason Smith.G&mdash;Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri, Peter Sidorkiewicz.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

Vacation in sunny Florida helps Lemieux see the light

<div class="byline">By Jeff Williams</div>The New York Islanders are desperately trying to add a hard-nosed player with character.And general manager Don Maloney would love to trade for Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; center Mike Ricci, a player the Islanders&rsquo; GM feels will bolster his team&rsquo;s toughness and add skill at the same time.Maloney has coveted Ricci ever since he took over the GM&rsquo;s job in August of 1992. The 6-foot, 190-pounder plays much bigger than his size and coach Al Arbour is in favor of getting him.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been talking with Pierre (Page, Nordiques&rsquo; coach-GM) and nothing is imminent,&rdquo; Maloney said. &ldquo;Ricci is the style of player we like. He&rsquo;s a complete player, a leader, the kind of guy who will captain a team in three or four years.&rdquo;Maloney would not discuss who he might trade to the Nordiques for Ricci, but a persistent rumor has the Nordiques trying to get both defenseman Uwe Krupp and winger Benoit Hogue.That is a very high price and one the Islanders aren&rsquo;t likely to pay. They could trade one of those players-most likely Krupp-and a player of lesser stature or a draft pick.The Nordiques obtained Ricci from the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eric Lindros trade on June 30, 1992. The Scarborough, Ont., native had his best season in the league a year ago with 27 goals and 78 points in 77 games.This season hasn&rsquo;t been quite so rosy for both Ricci and the Nordiques. He had 13 goals and 26 points in 47 games and was minus-10. He has struggled for ice time behind centers Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin and was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.Plus, there will be a logjam at center when Peter Forsberg, considered a sure thing, comes to the Nordiques after the Olympics.TURGEON OUT: The Islanders lost the services of star center Pierre Turgeon until early February. Turgeon sustained a broken cheekbone Jan. 26 in Toronto. A puck caromed off the crossbar during the pre-game warmup and hit him on the right cheekbone.He sustained a depression fracture and underwent surgery Jan. 29.Darius Kasparaitis was also knocked out of the game by a puck in Toronto. He was hit above the right eye while sitting on the bench during the third period, opening a cut that took nine stitches to close.Kasparaitis did not miss any games.&ldquo;NOTEBOOK: The Islanders dropped back-to-back games to the Boston Bruins on Jan. 28-29 meaning they dropped the four-game series against the Bruins. The Islanders haven&rsquo;t beaten the Bruins since November, 1991&hellip;The Islanders had a 24-0 record against expansion teams through Jan. 31.<h2>N.Y. ISLANDERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Dan Plante. RW, and Jamie McLennan, G, recalled from Salt Lake (IHL). Dave Maley, LW, acquired from San Jose for future considerations.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ray Ferraro, Travis Green. Keith Acton.LW&mdash;Derek King, Benoit Hogue. Marty McInnis, Joe Day.RW&mdash;Steve Thomas. Pat Flatley, Brad Dalgamo, Mick Vukota, Dan Plante. Dave Maley.LD&mdash;Scott Lachance. Darius Kasparaitis, Wayne McBean, Dennis Vaske.RD&mdash;Uwe Krupp. Vladimir Malakhov, Tom Kurvers, Dennis Vaske. Dean Chy-noweth, Chris Luongo.G&mdash;Ron Hextall, Jamie McLennan.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Claude Loiselle, C. left knee surgery, out for season. Brian Mullen, RW, recovering from stroke, indefinite. Rich Pilon, D, separated left shoulder, indefinite. Pierre Turgeon, C, broken cheekbone, Feb. 10. David Volek, LW, lower back strain, day-to-day. &#9632;

Maloney covets Ricci

<div class="byline">By Craig Dolch</div>There was a time when Jesse Belanger wasn&rsquo;t happy about being selected by the Florida Panthers in last year&rsquo;s expansion draft.That time has passed.&ldquo;Getting taken by the Panthers turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to my career,&rdquo; Belanger said.The 24-year-old center has risen from a part-time, defensive-minded player with the Montreal Canadiens to someone who is challenging Ottawa Senator Alexei Yashin for rookie-of-the-year honors.Belanger had 14 goals and 44 points in 46 games, second to Yashin&rsquo;s 51 points. He was named NHL player of the week for the period ending Jan. 30.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re letting me be an offensive player here and that allows me to show my abilities,&rdquo; Belanger said. &ldquo;In Montreal, they wanted me to concentrate on playing defense.&rdquo;The Panthers took Belanger as their second forward selection.It wasn&rsquo;t easy for Belanger, a French-Canadian, to leave the stability of the Canadiens for the uncertainty of south Florida. He grew up idolizing the Canadiens and had just won his first Stanley Cup ring.Belanger has had little trouble acclimating to Florida. Prior to the acquisition of Bob Kudelski, Belanger had battled veteran Scott Mellanby for the team scoring lead.Kudelski&rsquo;s arrival may mean Belanger won&rsquo;t lead the Panthers in scoring, but it certainly has ignited him. Playing on the same line as Kudelski and Andrei Lomakin, Belanger scored 12 points in a five-game stretch from Jan. 15 to Jan. 30.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve put Jesse in a lot of different situations and he has handled them all,&rdquo; said coach Roger Neilson. &ldquo;He has killed penalties, played the point and forward on power plays and taken important faceoffs. He has deceptive speed.&rdquo;ON A ROLL: The Panthers set another NHL expansion record with a nine-game unbeaten streak (5-0-4) through Jan. 30.They passed the previous mark of seven set by the Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues during the 196768 season.The Panthers also ended another dubious streak when they rallied from a 1-0 deficit against the Buffalo Sabres to win 3-2 Jan. 30. It marked the first time in their brief history they had won a game when the other team scored first. The Panthers were 0-9-4 in those situations.NOTEBOOK: While Jesse Belanger was excelling, fellow rookie Rob Niedermayer was struggling to regain the form he had before missing 15 games with a separated shoulder. Niedermayer had one goal and four assists in his 11 games after returning.<h2>FLORIDA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Rob Niedermayer. Brian Skrud-land, Jesse Belanger, Stu Barnes. Tom Fitzgerald.LW&mdash;Dave Lowry. Mike Hough. Andrei Lomakin, Bill Lindsay.RW&mdash;Scott Mellanby. Jody Hun. Bob Kudelski, Mike Foligno.LD&mdash;Geoff Smith, Brian Benning. Greg Hawgood. Brent Severyn.RD&mdash;Kelth Brown. Joe Cirella. Gord Murphy. Paul Laus.G&mdash;John Vanbiesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None. &#9632;

Surprising Belanger has shot at NHL rookie-of-year honors

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div>Kevin Dineen is one of those captains who plays with a lot of emotion and gets others to follow by example.The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; veteran right winger put everything he had into a game at Montreal Jan. 30 and when the Flyers lost 5-4 in overtime, he couldn&rsquo;t hide his disappointment.It was the Flyers&rsquo; third straight loss. In all three games, they fell behind by at least two goals, rallied to tie or go ahead, then lost.Dineen, who missed a Jan. 29 game against the Washington Capitals due to the flu, hinted that the Flyers were in trouble.&ldquo;What it comes down to is that everybody has to pull a little harder,&rdquo; said Dineen, who scored a pair of goals against Montreal.If not?&ldquo;The season slips away,&rdquo; he said.Defensive lapses have hurt the Flyers all season and never more so than in losses to the Quebec Nordiques (64 Jan. 25), Washington (4-2 Jan. 29) and Montreal.&ldquo;The effort has been there,&rdquo; Dineen said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re making cardinal mistakes at inopportune times that are costing us games and points in the standings.&rdquo;The Flyers began the season with an 11-3-0 run, but lost momentum when Eric Lindros missed 14 games (5-8-1) with a knee injury.They were expected to get going again upon his return, but the loss at Montreal dropped their record to 7-9-2 since Lindros&rsquo; re-entry into the lineup.LINDROS APPEALS: Eric Lindros has appealed to an Ontario civilian police board after an internal police investigation failed to take action against any officers over the handling of his arrest in Whitby, Ont., in 1992.Lindros was involved in a November, 1992 incident in a Whitby nightclub in which he was accused of spitting beer on a woman.When he went to turn himself in, he reported to the wrong police station. An officer offered to drive him to the right station and required him to put on a pair of handcuffs.Photos of Lindros wearing handcuffs made newspapers, television reports and magazines all over North America.The Lindros family is upset that no action has been taken. The Durham Regional police has admitted its error, but Lindros wants to make sure it doesn&rsquo;t happen again. An investigation is under way.Lindros was found not guilty of the charges.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Milos Holan will not play for the Czech Republic at the Olympics. The young Czech said he missed the deadline for joining the team. Holan, who has been in and out of the lineup since his recall from the Hershey Bears of the American League Jan. 3, had hinted he might return to his native country to play in the Olympics and World Championships. Now he wants to finish the season with the Flyers.Rookie Andre Faust aggravated the abdominal strain that kept him out of the lineup for two months in the game against Quebec. He received a cortisone injection and was back in the lineup for the game against Washington.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Eric Lindros, Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, Vi-acheslav Bufsayev. Dave Tippett.LW&mdash;MIkael Renberg, Andre Fausl, Josef Beranek. Claude Boivin, Pelle Eklund.RW&mdash;Mark Recchl. Kevin Dineen. Dave Brown, Brent Fedyk, Al Conroy, Jim Cummins.LD&mdash;Garry Galley. Yves Racine. Jeff Finley, Stewart Malgunas. Mitos Holan.RD&mdash;Dimitri Yushkevich. Ryan McGill. Rob Ramage.G&mdash;Dominic Roussel. Tommy Soderstrom.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jason Bowen, D, separated left shoulder, indefinite. &#9632;

Season slipping away?

LOUISVILLE HOCKEY CONGRATULATES JASON ALLISON, NICK STAJDUHAR AND JASON BOTTERILL OF THE CANADIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR TEAM FORTHEIR COLD MEDAL PERFORMANCE.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02552/6332068-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="504" height="459"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01803/6332061-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="3072" height="3005"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01724/6332054-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="3079" height="3580"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01812/6332047-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="3073" height="3550"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01774/6332040-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="3045" height="1225"></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02570/6332099-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0035-02

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-09" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09184/6332368-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vancouver&rsquo;s Pavel Bure had a hat trick Jan. 24 against Edmonton.</figcaption></div><h2>NOTE</h2>Unofficial game summaries provided by National Hockey League; (shots on goal/plus-minus); SA-shots against; GA-goals against; ENG-empty net goals; Dec-Diecision, charged to goaltenders of record when deciding goal is scored.<h2>MONDAY, JAN. 24</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01729/6332361-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="598" height="3079"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02514/6332354-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="593" height="563"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03416/6332347-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="587" height="1654"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04319/6332340-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="592" height="559"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05264/6332333-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="587" height="1672"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06231/6332326-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="584" height="1431"></div><h2>TUESDAY, JAN. 25</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07212/6332319-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="590" height="1965"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08196/6332312-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="594" height="3503"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01653/6332305-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="591" height="3518"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02461/6332298-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="585" height="267"></div><h2>WEDNESDAY, JAN. 26</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03355/6332291-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="589" height="3154"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04293/6332284-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="581" height="1472"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05261/6332277-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="1192" height="1203"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan had two goals in a 3-2 win Jan. 28 over Edmonton.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06228/6332270-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="591" height="766"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07203/6332263-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="583" height="1458"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08168/6332256-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="580" height="405"></div><h2>THURSDAY, JAN. 27</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09144/6332249-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="578" height="254"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10131/6332242-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="590" height="3521"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01727/6332235-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="594" height="3505"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02538/6332228-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="588" height="456"></div><h2>FRIDAY, JAN. 28</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03434/6332221-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="588" height="392"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04338/6332214-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="1196" height="1273"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan had two goals in a 3-2 win Jan. 28 over Edmonton.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05255/6332207-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="590" height="1229"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06215/6332200-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="590" height="938"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07199/6332193-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="592" height="1237"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-08170/6332186-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="588" height="2159"></div><h2>SATURDAY, JAN. 29</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-09154/6332179-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="596" height="1247"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-10137/6332172-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="596" height="3503"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01692/6332165-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="590" height="3515"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02473/6332158-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="586" height="3523"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03360/6332151-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="600" height="3013"></div><h2>SUNDAY, JAN. 30</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04292/6332144-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="584" height="402"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05240/6332137-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="588" height="3513"></div><h2>NHL SCHEDULE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06206/6332130-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="566" height="3559"></div> &#9632;

f0036-09

NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01397/6332406-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01338/6332399-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="3062" height="3551"></div> &#9632;

f0040-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01348/6332437-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0042-01

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02257/6332475-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01361/6332468-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="3071" height="3046"></div> &#9632;

f0043-02

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01268/6332506-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="378" height="533"></div>When Canada&rsquo;s newest government took its place in the House of Commons for the first time recently, Canadians got a glimpse of the new political reality.Now an unemployed fisherman from Newfoundland can make himself heard during Question Period. Overnight, Canada went from a three-party country to one that has five.But, thankfully, some things never change. Petty politics is still alive and well.Take Roger Pomerleau, for example. The Bloc Quebecois member of parliament used his first question to rip the Canadian Olympic team because of its dearth of Quebec players.&ldquo;Quebecers once again have been the victims of discrimination based on prejudicial and racial stereotypes,&rdquo; Pomerleau said. &ldquo;In the name of all Quebecers and Canadians, I require and demand that the government take necessary measures to put an end to such discrimination and to enable all Quebecers to have an opportunity just like everybody else of being a member of the team.&rdquo;When Pomerleau made his remarks, the only Quebecer with the Olympic program was associate coach Dany Dube. Jean-Yves Roy of Rosemere, Que., was picked up by the team from the Binghamton Rangers of the American League shortly after.Members of the Quebec media picked up on the story and began referring to Team Canada as Team English Canada.And they didn&rsquo;t let facts get in the way of a good story.Pomerleau failed to mention there are also no players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Prince Edward Island on the team. And isn&rsquo;t it a little curious that a member of a political party whose main objective is the breakup of Canada would even care about the number of Quebecers on Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team.What&rsquo;s even worse is he&rsquo;s dead wrong. If there had been any Quebecers who were good enough to play and weren&rsquo;t contractually bound to another team, there&rsquo;s no doubt they would have been invited.Canada was so desperate for scoring it signed Petr Nedved, a player who was born and trained in the former Czechoslovakia and played his major junior hockey in the United States. Believe me, after the Canadians scored just four goals in the Izvestia tournament, they would have been willing to take a team of cloistered nuns from Chibougamau as long as they could play effectively in traffic and would be available for the Winter Olympics in February.But as Canada&rsquo;s two solitudes move further apart and the prospect of a sovereign Quebec becomes more realistic, it poses an interesting hockey question.If Quebec separates, what will be the impact on Canada&rsquo;s hockey program? Will there be a Team Quebec in the next Olympics?&ldquo;I would assume we would look at it exactly the same way we have done with other countries recently,&rdquo; said Gordon Renwick, Canada&rsquo;s representative with the International Ice Hockey Federation and the person many are predicting will be the IIHF&rsquo;s next president.That means Quebec would have to take the same route as countries such as Slovakia and the republics in the former Soviet Union. Those teams were granted status by the IIHF, but were placed in the lowest World Championships pool and must work their way up. Because of its high number of players, Slovakia was granted permission to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament and it won a spot.Quebec would also have to break ties with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association. It&rsquo;s hard to believe Canadians would accept the prospect of their tax dollars going to develop players from another country.&ldquo;The bottom line is the CAHA is what our name suggests, Canadian,&rdquo; said CAHA president Murray Costello. &ldquo;But it isn&rsquo;t something we&rsquo;ve even discussed at this point.&rdquo;The most interesting aspect of the debate is which players would represent Quebec in international competition. Those who have represented Canada in the past would have the choice of representing either Canada or Quebec, but once the choice is made, there would be no turning back. Players who held Quebec citizenship and hadn&rsquo;t played in international competition would have to play for Quebec.New York Islander Pierre Turgeon, who could have a chance to represent Quebec before his career ends, doesn&rsquo;t know which country&rsquo;s colors he would wear.&ldquo;If you ask me right now I would have no idea,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I would like to represent both. I feel like I owe something to Canada, but I owe something to Quebec, too.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0044-01

What will happen if Quebec separates?

<div class="byline">By THN staff</div>The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds face a tough grind if they want to four-peat as Emms Division champions in the Ontario League.Pushing the three-time defending division champs to the limit will be the Detroit Jr. Red Wings. They are sure to battle neck and neck through the final weeks of the season.The Greyhounds are looking to gain a fourth straight berth in the Memorial Cup tournament. They won the title last season after two previous years in the final four.Winners from the OHL, Western League and Quebec League along with the QMJHL regular-season champs meet in a yet-to-be-determined Quebec site for the Memorial Cup tournament May 14-22.Here&rsquo;s a look at the contenders.<h2>QMJHL</h2>The Laval Titan, who won the QMJHL title last season, have been the best team again this year. Why? They have talent at every position.Laval has: the league&rsquo;s leading scorer in center Yanick Dube; the top-rated QMJHL prospect for this year&rsquo;s NHL entry draft in left winger Daniel Goneau; and goalie Emmanuel Fernandez, who was part of Canada&rsquo;s gold-medal team at this year&rsquo;s World Junior Championship.The Titan also added defenseman Michal Gaul in early January. He missed the first half of the season due to injury.General manager Pierre Creamer built a strong team at College Francais and coach Alain Rajotte continues to get the most out of his players.After acquiring center Stefan Simoes from the Val d&rsquo;Or Foreurs in January, Rajotte has one of the best trios of 20-year-olds in the league along with Jocelyn Langlois and Francois Leroux. College Francais also has the QMJHL&rsquo;s top defenseman in Joel Bouchard and one of the top goalies in Philippe DeRouville.Sherbrooke Faucons&rsquo; coach Guy Chouinard continues to have success by stressing team defense in an offensive-minded league.Hugo Hamelin led the league with a 3.08 goals-against average as his teammates regularly held the opposition to fewer than 30 shots.While the Faucons are strong defensively, they lack offensive firepower. Tthey didn&rsquo;t have a player among the top 10 scorers through late January.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02165/6332537-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="567" height="899"><figcaption class="caption-body">QMJHL scoring ace Yanick Dube leads the Titan attack.</figcaption></div><h2>WHL</h2>The Kamloops Blazers caught fire after a mediocre 4-4-2 start. They went 25-1-1 in 27 games to move ahead of the Portland Winter Hawks into first place in the West Division.The Blazers&rsquo; strengths are a balanced offense-led by Darcy Tucker, Rod Stevens and Louis Dumont-a superb young defense and stellar goaltending from Steve Passmore.The defending West Division kingpin Winter Hawks should battle Kamloops down the stretch.As is the case with Kamloops, there aren&rsquo;t any major weaknesses.Portland boasts incredible depth at forward, led by 20-year-old Lonny Bohonos who became the first WHL player to hit 100 points this season.On defense, Brandon Smith, Jason McBain and Brad Symes lead a solid crew. If you get past the defense, goalie Scott Langkow is hard to beat.The Saskatoon Blades loom as the main title threat from the East Division, barring a surge by the Brandon Wheat Kings. Blades&rsquo; coach Lome Molleken presides over a workmanlike crew which isn&rsquo;t flashy, but is usually victorious.The Blades carried an 11-game winning streak into late-January on the strength of tenacious defense and goaltending from Norm Maracle.<h2>OHL</h2>Once upon a time there were as many as six teams in contention for first place in the Leyden Division.It&rsquo;s interesting what a 12-game winning streak, plus a couple of red hot rookies, will do to a race.The North Bay Centennials have left the rest of the division behind. Amazingly enough they&rsquo;ve been led by rookies Vitali Yachmenev and Lee Jinman. Their 16-5-2 road record through late January was a bonus.Will the real Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds please stand up?The defending Memorial Cup champions could make it a whole lot easier on themselves in the Emms Division if only they could win on the road.The Greyhounds are were 18-3-1 at home but a dreadful 7-11-3 on the road. It has helped keep the Detroit Jr. Red Wings in the hunt for first.Led by Kevin Brown, the Wings had six players with 50-plus points. The team is still trying to figure out why Brown wasn&rsquo;t good enough to earn an invitation to Canada&rsquo;s junior team selection camp.&ndash;with files from Stuart Cowan, Rob Vanstone and Jim Cressman &#9632;

f0044-02

Next stop, Quebec

<h2>QMJHL</h2>1. Laval TitanKey players: Yannick Dube, Manny Fernandez, Daniel Goneau.2. College FrancaisKey players: Jocelyn Langlois, Joel Bouchard, Philippe DeRouville.3. Sherbrooke FauconsKey players: Hugo Hamelin, Hugo Turcotte, Stephane Julien.<h2>WHL</h2>1. Kamloops BlazersKey players: Steve Passmore, Louis Dumont, Darcy Tucker, Rod Stevens.2. Saskatoon BladesKey players: Andy MacIntyre, Mark Wotton, Norm Maracle.3. Portland Winter HawksKey players: Lonny Bohonos, Jason McBain, Scott Langkow.<h2>OHL</h2>1. North Bay CentennialsKey players: Vitali Yachmenev, Jeff Shevalier, Lee Jinman.2. Sault GreyhoundsKey players: Aaron Gavey. Steve Sullivan. Dan Cloutier.3. Detroit Jr. Red WingsKey players: Kevin Brown, Mike Harding, Todd Harvey, Jason Saal. &#9632;

Memorial Cup contenders at a glance

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Citing disagreements with management, Bryan Maxwell resigned as the Spokane Chiefs&rsquo; head coach.Maxwell, who stepped down Jan. 21, compiled a 165-155-12 regular-season record in 4 1/2 years with the Western League team. He also guided the Chiefs to the 1991 Memorial Cup title.Maxwell&rsquo;s two-year contract extension was to expire after this season.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to hurt anybody because they treated me very well, but I knew they wouldn&rsquo;t re-sign me,&rdquo; said Maxwell, 38. &ldquo;They told me that two days before I resigned. That was a real kick.&ldquo;I figured that if they weren&rsquo;t going to re-sign me, why go through the last half-year unhappy? I didn&rsquo;t want to wreck the first 4 1/2 years.&rdquo;Maxwell said differences between himself and the front office-general manager Tim Speltz and governor Bobby Brett-hastened his departure.&ldquo;We had a couple of meetings that weren&rsquo;t all positive,&rdquo; Maxwell said. &ldquo;I thought it would be best for them to move on without me. My value had decreased, at least in their minds, so it was certainly time to move on.&rdquo;According to Speltz, Maxwell was never told point blank that he would not return.Speltz said he merely inquired whether Maxwell, who usually entertains pro offers during the off-season, was committed to the Chiefs for the long haul.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be more interested in anybody than they are interested in us,&rdquo; Speltz said.Maxwell did not have an assistant coach, so Speltz led the team Jan. 22, when Spokane defeated the visiting Tacoma Rockets 8-5.Three days later, Speltz appointed Parry Shockey, 40, as an assistant in charge of the team&rsquo;s day-to-day operations-particularly coaching. The Chiefs, meanwhile, continued to search for a full-time successor to Maxwell.Shockey is in his fourth season as a scout with the Chiefs. He doubles as an assistant coach with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns. He has taken temporary leave from that position.Maxwell denies reports that he has the inside track on a pro job.&ldquo;My wife would feel better if that was true,&rdquo; Maxwell said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have any plans. Nothing is clear. Hopefully something will come about.&rdquo;TOUGH TO FIGURE: The Lethbridge Hurricanes have struggled after starting the season with a 9-1-0 record.In their next 39 games, the Hurricanes went 12-24-3. They look good on paper, but&hellip;&ldquo;People have been saying that all year,&rdquo; Lethbridge center Domenic Pittis said. &ldquo;Maybe we&rsquo;re relying on that too much instead of relying on our effort.&ldquo;There are a lot of good teams on paper, but there aren&rsquo;t as many good teams out there. Other than (Saskatoon, Brandon, Kamloops and Portland), there&rsquo;s a lot of parity.&ldquo;When it&rsquo;s like that, you can&rsquo;t go on what you have on paper. You have to go hard every night.&rdquo;DOUBLE THE PLEASURE: Jeff Helperl of the Regina Pats waited until his 106th game to register his first WHL goal.Helperl broke the ice by scoring twice against the host Saskatoon Blades, who posted an 8-3 victory over Regina Jan. 25.The 19-year-old Helperl was moved from defense to right wing for that game. At one point, the score was Saskatoon 2, Helperl 2.&ldquo;It was some feeling,&rdquo; said Helperl of Goal No. 1. &ldquo;Everything started tingling. After I scored, I didn&rsquo;t know what to do.&ldquo;Everyone was telling me to ride my stick over to the other team&rsquo;s bench and put on some kind of show, but it&rsquo;s all blurry.&rdquo; &#9632;

‘Slapped’ Maxwell gives up Chiefs’ coaching post

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>When Trevor Gallant reports to training camp, he tells Kitchener Rangers&rsquo; trainer Rick Chambers to forget measuring him, just weigh him.Gallant, 19, is only 5-foot-7 but the center has been standing tall again this season as he leads his Ontario League team in scoring. The third-year junior had 65 points in 60 games. Last year, he finished with 86 points.&ldquo;It has been three years and I&rsquo;ve been at the same height. I&rsquo;m not expecting to get any taller,&rdquo; said Gallant, Kitchener&rsquo;s first-round pick in the 1991 OHL draft.That draft was held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium and when Rangers&rsquo; coach-general manager Joe McDonnell picked Gallant, a spectator in the seats shouted,&rdquo;Hey, Joe! Where do you get these guys?&rdquo;Gallant has been busy making McDonnell look like a genius and is one of the reasons the Rangers went on a six-game winning streak and were 7-3-0 in a recent 10-game stretch.He&rsquo;s a solid 180 pounds, but Gallant isn&rsquo;t expecting to be drafted by an NHL team. He will, however, be watching the mail for an invitation to some training camp after junior.&ldquo;Five-foot-six or five-foot-eight, it&rsquo;s not going to make much difference,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But definitely I have to do something every time I&rsquo;m on the ice to let the scouts know I&rsquo;m here.&ldquo;I want to play hockey somewhere and to make a long and safe living at it. All I want is a fair shake. I think I&rsquo;ll get one if I work. They&rsquo;ll have to give me a shot.&rdquo;Gallant hasn&rsquo;t been contacted from any pro teams yet, but that doesn&rsquo;t worry him.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not looking for them to talk to me now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re talking to the guys who are bigger and stronger. I think it&rsquo;ll come.&rdquo;McDonnell got some welcomed news when the Quebec Nordiques said right winger Todd Warriner will rejoin the Rangers Feb. 28 after playing for Canada at the Winter Olympics.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if we&rsquo;ll have a spot for him,&rdquo; McDonnell said, with tongue in cheek. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t wait for that day. I&rsquo;ve been going to bed every night with his picture beside my bed.&rdquo;UNDER REVIEW: OHL commissioner Dave Branch launched an investigation into a wild first-period donnybrook between the London Knights and Windsor Spitfires Jan. 21 which saw seven players, including both starting goaltenders, ejected.Referee Dean Warren called 166 minutes in penalties. The focal point of Branch&rsquo;s review is Spitfires&rsquo; left winger Cory Evans, who roughed up a linesman and then came back out of the penalty box.The goalies, Jordan Willis of the Knights and Shawn Silver of the Spitfires, squared off in front of the London bench.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think Cory would be a good guy to have skating around loose,&rdquo; Willis said. &ldquo;When I started, I was coming out just to tie him up. My expectations of going out weren&rsquo;t to fight. It probably wasn&rsquo;t the smartest thing to do.&rdquo;OHL CSB STAYS MUM: The OHL won&rsquo;t follow the NHL and make its central scouting ratings public.The NHL held a conference call with 45 media members as senior vice-president Brian Burke said it was fruitless to try and keep the ratings confidential.But Ted Baker, director of hockey operations for the OHL, said minor hockey people have requested that the major junior league not make its list public.&ldquo;(They say) jealousies develop in the dressing rooms if the list comes out,&rdquo; Baker said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to be the cause of any problems.&ldquo;When the media gets the list and prints it, we get calls from the parents of the 15-year-old kid who&rsquo;s not on it. That&rsquo;s the type of thing we&rsquo;re trying to minimize. The OHL players are more mature and they understand what&rsquo;s happening when they see the NHL ratings.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Knights&rsquo; center Jason Allison was player of the week for the period ending Jan. 23. He had five goals and five assists in two games for the Knights. &#9632;

Size only shortfall for Gallant

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div>When College Francais traded tough winger Matthew Barnaby to the Victoriaville Tigres last season, a number of players and fans were upset. But no one is complaining now.&ldquo;I think now they realize why we did it,&rdquo; College Francais coach Alain Rajotte said.Barnaby has moved onto the NHL, while the two players College Francais received in retum-Daniel Guerard and Jocelyn Langlois-continue to play key roles. Guerard is a solid two-way forward with strong leadership qualities, while Langlois was second in Quebec League scoring with 32 goals and 96 points in 53 games.Langlois scored his 32nd goal and Guerard picked up his 20th in a 5-2 victory over the Laval Titan Jan. 23. The win moved Colege Francais within five points of the first-place Titan in the overall standings.The QMJHL&rsquo;s regular-season champion will host this year&rsquo;s Memorial Cup tournament.&ldquo;Concerning the importance of the standings, it was a pressure game for us and we reacted well,&rdquo; Rajotte said. &ldquo;At one point in the season everyone thought it would be Laval all the way because they got off to such a great start, but I thought that we could compete with them.&rdquo;Rajotte said the Barnaby trade was the starting point to rebuilding a team which finished with a 34-34-2 record last season.&ldquo;It was the first step to what&rsquo;s happening with our team now,&rdquo; Rajotte said. &ldquo;We started one year ago to make sacrifices to compete this year.&rdquo;College general manager Pierre Creamer engineered another trade to improve the team in January when he sent enforcer Louis Bedard and center Yannick Gaucher to the Val d&rsquo;Or Foreurs for center Stefan Simoes.&ldquo;We made a trade that showed the players we were serious about our chances this year,&rdquo; Rajotte said.Simoes, who picked up his 26th goal and 74th point in College&rsquo;s victory over Laval, has been used on a line with another pair of 20-year-olds-Langlois and Francois Leroux.&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re playing well as a team,&rdquo; Rajotte said. &ldquo;Our team spirit is exceptional. We have a quality group of players this year.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have to scream at them in practice. They listen and they respect the coaching staff and the organization.&rdquo;SHERBROOKE SAVIOR: Goaltender Hugo Hamelin has turned out to be a savior for the Sherbrooke Faucons this season.When Jocelyn Thibault made the Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; lineup as an 18-year-old this season, the Faucons were left without a No. 1 goaltender and a major hole to fill.Big things were expected from Thibault in Sherbrooke this season. Without him, it looked like the Faucons would struggle.But Hamelin, 19, has made Sherbrooke fans forget about Thibault. After posting a 4.04 goals-against average in 17 games last season as Thibault&rsquo;s backup, Hamelin was leading the league this year with a 3.08 average in 41 games. His play is a big reason why Sherbrooke was on top of the Dilio Division standings.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure nobody thought the (goaltending) results would be the same this year as last year,&rdquo; said Sherbrooke coach Guy Chouinard. &ldquo;Our goalie has the best goals-against average in the league, which is surprising to a lot of people.&rdquo;Chouinard deserves credit for Hamelin&rsquo;s success. The coach has built a team which excels defensively.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve only been giving up 24 or 25 shots a game,&rdquo; Chouinard said. &ldquo;Our players take a lot of pride in their defense.&rdquo;HULL HUMILIATED: The Hull Olympiques suffered an embarrassing 11-2 loss to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens Jan. 23. It marked the first time the Olympiques had allowed that many goals since Feb. 27,1987.Left winger Eric Lecompte was sent home to Montreal. Hull GM Charles Henry could not be reached for comment. Lecompte, a first-round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1993, had 19 goals and 44 points in 39 games. &#9632;

Nobody whining about Barnaby trade anymore

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>When Grant Fuhr turns down the opportunity to go golfing, it&rsquo;s pretty obvious he&rsquo;s serious about regaining his status as one of the game&rsquo;s best goaltenders.So in order to return to the level that helped him earn five Stanley Cup rings with the Edmonton Oilers, Fuhr volunteered to join the Rochester Americans for a 10-day conditioning stint in the American League starting Jan. 20.In doing so, he passed up the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; all-star break golfing expedition to Florida. Considering that the golf course is Fuhr&rsquo;s second home from the time the snow melts to the time the greens freeze, you know he&rsquo;s committed to a comeback.&ldquo;I need work and this is the only way I&rsquo;ll get it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I could easily be golfing in Florida. But if I want my job back, I have to work.&rdquo;Fuhr, 31, has been out of action since late November, when he re-injured his troublesome left knee. It was believed that rest was all he needed. But when he continued to have problems, arthroscopic surgery was performed Dec. 22 to remove floating debris from behind the kneecap.It was the same knee that required arthroscopic surgery in October of 1992 when he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.Fuhr&rsquo;s first game was Jan. 21 against the Hershey Bears. He made 36 saves in a 3-3 tie, allowing two goals during a 19-shot barrage in the third period.He played at Cornwall Jan. 26 and was scheduled to play three games in three days on the weekend to end the rehab assignment.&ldquo;The knee feels good. There&rsquo;s no pain, there aren&rsquo;t any twinges,&rdquo; Fuhr said.The 1988 Vezina Trophy winner has had two previous rehab stints in the AHL: two games in 1989-90 with Cape Breton and four games there the next season.Even when he is ready, there is no guarantee what his role will be with the Sabres. Dominik Hasek has become the NHL&rsquo;s hottest goalie, playing every minute since Fuhr went down.Because Hasek has been brilliant, Fuhr said he hasn&rsquo;t had to rush back. But Hasek&rsquo;s great play fueled trade speculation. Why do the Sabres need Fuhr and his $1.6 million salary if Hasek can do the job? The most popular trade rumor had Fuhr going to the Detroit Red Wings, with the Sabres seeking center Keith Primeau in return.ALL-STAR GO-AHEAD: The AHL&rsquo;s board of governors, meeting in New York during the NHL&rsquo;s all-star weekend, gave unanimous approval to the implementation of an All-Star Game for the 1994-95 season.However, the proposal is contingent upon a television package, presumably with The Sports Network in Canada and NESN or SportsChan-nel in the U.S.&ldquo;If I had to say yes or no, I would say, &lsquo;Yes, we&rsquo;ll have an All-Star Game next year,&rsquo;&rdquo; said vice president Gord Anziano.The league is considering a two-day, early-week period in late January or early February, with a skills competition on Monday and the game on Tuesday. Players from Canadian-based teams would face those from U.S.-based teams. There currently are eight teams in each country.League cities are expected to submit bids to be the host. Five teams reportedly have interest: Hershey, Portland, Providence, Rochester and Saint John.MUSICAL GOALIES: With Kevin Hodson still out with a broken hand, the Adirondack Red Wings continued their goalie shuffle.The trade of Vincent Riendeau to Boston forced Adirondack to bring in Duane Derksen on loan from the Washington Capitals.Derksen became the eighth goalie used by the Red Wings, who remain in a battle for first place in the Northern Division. &#9632;

Fuhr proves he’s serious about returning to form

<div class="byline">By Dave Eminian</div>Another big market expansion team has appeared on the International League horizon.After weeks of reports anticipating the event, a three-man group from suburban Chicago was granted an IHL expansion franchise Jan. 28, joining a 1994-95 class that already includes Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Houston.The Chicago Wolves will come dressed to kill in burgundy and gold with silver accents. The team&rsquo;s logo is a wolf baring its fangs.The Wolves are owned by former Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; right winger Grant Mulvey-who will be its president and general manager-and partners Donald Levin and William Meyers.Levin is founder of a Chicago company named D.R.L., which has holdings in tobacco processing and distributing, aircraft and medical equipment leasing, licensed sports products and motion picture production.Meyers is a Chicago attorney and certified agent of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.The trio, according to league sources, received a 12-1 approval vote by the board of governors at their Palm Springs, Calif., meetings in early January, although the IHL owners did not acknowledge the team until after the All-Star Game Jan. 26.The lone no-vote was cast by the Indianapolis Ice, whose parent club is the Chicago Blackhawks.The new team-which has done a market study and will offer tickets ranging in price from $11-20&mdash;will be located at the 18,000-seat Rosemont Horizon. That venue is reportedly offering a rent-free arrangement for up to five years.Part of that arrangement would also include eventual re-locating of the IHL&rsquo;s current league office from Indianapolis to suites in the Rosemont Horizon.&ldquo;We are very proud to be a part of the International Hockey League,&rdquo; said Mulvey, who was in attendance at the IHL All-Star Game in Fort Wayne where league owners conducted meetings.&ldquo;I believe the league has vision, leadership and honesty about maintaining the quality and integrity of the game of hockey to the fans of hockey.&ldquo;Ever since my retirement (from the NHL in 1984), my dream has been to be a part owner of a professional hockey team. Being a part of the Chicago Wolves is the realization of that dream.&rdquo;SKILLS COMPETITION: The IHL All-Star festivities included an oldtimers game and a skills competition Jan. 25 in Fort Wayne. The event was staged by the same people who produce the NHL&rsquo;s annual skills contest.The West beat the East 15-14 overall. There were several notable outcomes in individual categories.The hardest shot was no surprise, going to Phoenix Roadrunners&rsquo; defenseman Dominic Lavoie, whose winning blast was clocked at 100.7 miles per hour.The fastest skater competition was won by Kansas City Blade Kip Miller, who skated his lap in 13.81 seconds.Peoria Rivermen center Michel Mongeau won the individual puck control event while Cincinnati Cyclone Len Barrie won the accuracy category, hitting four of five targets.The West won the game 14-11.I-OPENERS: Las Vegas has been chosen to host the 21st IHL All-Star Game next season&hellip;The IHL All-Star Game was a testing ground for a product called the Firepuck. It is a reflective hockey puck system geared to enhance visibility on television broadcasts.Peoria Rivermen right winger Denny Felsner returned Jan. 20 from an ankle injury that had sidelined him 70 days. He scored five goals in three games before being recalled by the parent St. Louis Blues. &#9632;

Mulvey’s Chicago Wolves newest expansion team

<div class="byline">&#x2014;Brendan Savage</div>The Colonial League has rarely seen a scorer as gifted as John Vecchiarelli of the Chatham Wheels.Despite missing the season&rsquo;s first 15 games while he was playing in Italy, Vecchiarelli was primed to make a run at the CHL scoring crown.Vecchiarelli had 36 goals and 82 points in 31 games. That was good for fifth place and was 16 points behind leader Kevin Kerr of the Hint Generals, who had played eight more games.The 29-year-old Vecchiarelli spent the past eight years playing in Italy, where he was a member of that country&rsquo;s Olympic team. But when contract problems arose, he decided to return to his native Canada and give North American hockey another shot.Chatham, which has spent most of the season atop the CHL&rsquo;s West Division, is happy Vecchiarelli did.&ldquo;He has always been a good scorer,&rdquo; said Wheels&rsquo; coach Tom Barrett. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a hell of a hockey player.&rdquo;Vecchiarelli has played in the International League with Flint and Peoria. &#9632;

Vecchiarelli rolling along

<div class="byline">By Nick Gates</div>Wheeling Thunderbirds&rsquo; coach Doug Sauter reached into his wallet, removed a bill and pushed it into the outstretched palm of Toledo Storm coach Chris McSorley.The rival East Coast League All-Star Game coaches made a friendly wager on the outcome of the second annual game played at The Scope in Norfolk, Va., Jan. 25 and it was time for Sauter to pay up.The West rallied from a 2-0 deficit and held off the East 7-6 before a crowd of 6,361.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s wasn&rsquo;t much,&rdquo; Sauter said, referring to his monetary loss. &ldquo;But anything more than 10 cents is a lot of money to me.&rdquo;McSorley, released by two ECHL teams before finding a home with Toledo, added to his growing list of achievements. Toledo won the Riley Cup last season and he directed the Anaheim Bullfrogs to a championship in the Roller Hockey International league this past summer.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve waited four years for this,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This was a great honor.&rdquo;The East lineup was stacked with five players from the powerhouse Hampton Roads Admirals and was a prohibitive favorite.Joe Cook of the Columbus Chill. Erie Panther Jeff Whittle and Birmingham Bull Joe Flanagan scored two goals each for the winners. Knoxville Cherokee goalie Cory Cadden and Birmingham netminder Brad Mullahy faced a record 70 shots. Cook was selected the most valuable player. Cadden was chosen the most valuable defensive player.MORE THE MERRIER: Expansion appears to be on hold, although the league would like to add a 20th team next season.A Columbia. S.C., group has filed an application and made a deposit, but commissioner Pat Kelly said other cities-Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa., Macon, Ga., Mobile, Ala., and Tallahassee, Fla.,-have shown interest.Last year, the expansion fee was doubled by the ECHL board of governors to $2 million. A vote was taken to reduce the fee to $1 million, but it was defeated. Other news from the meetings:&#9633; The league is working on a syndicated 14-game TV package for next season that is expected to be available in all ECHL markets. Games will be shown on Friday nights. The All-Star Game and two playoff games will also be aired.&#9633; Health-care insurance for the players also was discussed. The plan would cost each team at least $60 per player per month.NO PROBLEM: Putting on an All-Star Game is nothing new for Hampton Roads&rsquo; owner Blake Cullen. He coordinated the National League baseball teams for 11 Major League All-Star Games&hellip;Former Chicago Blackhawk Dennis Hull spoke at the all-star luncheon. He said he was impressed by the caliber of ECHL play. &#9632;

East outclasses West in annual All-Star duel

<div class="byline">By Andy Baggot</div>He has been coaching in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for 16 seasons, but North Dakota Fighting Sioux coach Gino Gasparini has never seen anything like it.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know of any time where we&rsquo;ve had an injury situation like we&rsquo;ve had this year,&rdquo; he said.Along with the Denver Pioneers, the Fighting Sioux have had to endure the worst run of bad health in the WCHA. Both teams have been hit particularly hard on defense.The Fighting Sioux played a series against the St. Cloud State Huskies Jan. 20-21 with only three healthy defensemen-Brad Bombar-dir, Dane Litke and Jarrod Olson. The Sioux dressed Darren Bear, who was bothered by back problems, and converted forward Brett Hryniuk.The biggest name missing from the blueline was sophomore Nick Naumenko, considered one of the most versatile performers in the WCHA.Naumenko sustained a severely sprained ankle in practice Jan. 18 and was expected to be out until late February.In a series split with the Northern Michigan Wildcats earlier this season, Naumenko played well enough for NMU coach Rick Comley to say he was perhaps the best player he had seen in the league.The next week against the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves, the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; draft pick was credited with an incredible 24 shots on goal during the two-game series.Gasparini said one of the reasons his club has been unable to get untracked this year is injuries to Naumenko, winger Chris Gotziaman (strained shoulder) and standout freshman forward Landon Wilson (sore back, concussion).&ldquo;Our frustration is reflected in the fact we haven&rsquo;t been able to score,&rdquo; Gasparini said.The Fighting Sioux played 17 games that were decided by two goals or less heading into a series against the Wisconsin Badgers Jan. 2829. They were 5-10-2 in those games.WILD SIDE: One of the wildest games in WCHA history was staged in Colorado Springs Jan. 20. In a battle of title contenders, the host Colorado College Tigers scored seven goals in the first period against Northern Michigan, but had to hold on for an 11-9 win.The league record for goals by two teams is 22. The last time it happened was Feb. 9, 1990, when Denver defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies 15-7.COMMISSIONER SEARCH: Hiring criteria has been established by WCHA officials in the ongoing search for someone to replace retiring commissioner Otto Breitenbach.During a teleconference Jan. 19 involving faculty representatives, athletic directors and coaches, it was determined the league would seek a full-time commissioner. They set a target date of July 1 for filling the position.Breitenbach, whose retirement after 10 years on the job takes effect that day, is now classified as a part-time employee. &#9632;

Sioux fighting injuries

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div>The Bell is tolling at precisely the right time for the Providence College Friars.Sophomore goalie Bob Bell helped the Friars put together a 6-2-0 streak in late January to place them within striking distance of the top teams in Hockey East.The 22-year-old from North Vancouver, B.C., had a 1.17 goals-against average and.957 save percentage during the streak.He was named co-player of the week for the period ending Jan. 23 after making 52 saves in 3-1 and 4-1 wins over the Merrimack Warriors. It marked the first time Providence had swept a series in league play since Feb. 14-15,1992.The key to Bell&rsquo;s success, according to coach Mike McShane, is his increased confidence and stand-up style.&ldquo;Bob has been staying up more on the first shot,&rdquo; McShane said. &ldquo;He used to go down in the butterfly and be out of position so he&rsquo;d get beat on a lot of rebounds. Now his positioning is very good.&rdquo;Bell has also benefitted from the Friars&rsquo; commitment to defense. Providence had allowed only 12 goals in their past six games.&ldquo;The team is playing well defensively,&rdquo; McShane said. &ldquo;They aren&rsquo;t turning their backs to the play (waiting for a break-out pass) in the defensive zone as much.&rdquo;Despite the fact Bell starred early in the second half, McShane is not giving up on freshman goalie Dan Dennis, who split the goaltending duties with Bell in the first half.The dependable rookie had a 3-4-0 record in eight games with a 4.68 goals-against average and.862 save percentage.UNDER REVIEW: The Friars will move up in the standings once they are awarded three forfeit wins over the Maine Black Bears.The Bears used an ineligible player-defenseman Jeff Tory-in their victories over Providence earlier this season. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has yet to implement the forfeits, but it is expected to happen in the near future.&ldquo;I would rather win on the ice,&rdquo; Mike McShane said. &ldquo;But if you play an ineligible player and you know it, you have to forfeit. If I had done the same thing, I would expect to forfeit.&rdquo;BEAR TO ARMS: The Boston College Eagles made their trip to the University of Maine a success.The Eagles took three of four points from the Bears with a 4-4 tie and 5-3 win Jan. 21-22. It marked the first time a team took more than two points in a two-game series at Maine since Dec. 1-2, 1989.KILLER CHIEFS: The UMass-Lowell Chiefs have the best penalty-killing unit in the nation.The Chiefs killed off 11 of 12 power plays in a pair of games against the Northeastern Huskies Jan. 21-22 to push their efficiency rating to 90.3 percent. &#9632;

Bell rings in second half to jump-start Providence

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggie</div>It&rsquo;s not unusual for siblings to play on the same team or even to play against each other during a game.But what are the chances of two brothers-or sisters, for that matter-playing in opposite goals during a college game?The odds are pretty good, if you happen to be in Canton, N.Y., where that scenario took place twice in one week.The St. Lawrence Saints&rsquo; women&rsquo;s team defeated Middlebury College 6-3 Jan. 19. Anchoring the win was St. Lawrence senior goalie Kelly Picard. The goalie at the other end of the ice was Picard&rsquo;s younger sister, Christy, a freshman at Middlebury College. While Kelly made 13 saves, her sister was much busier, stopping 37 shots.Three nights later, Saints&rsquo; freshman goalie Jon Bracco helped his team snap a nine-game losing streak in a 5-3 win over the Dartmouth Big Green.Starting in goal for the Big Green was Jon&rsquo;s older brother, Mike, a senior.The Bracco brothers are natives of Manhasset, N.Y., and nephews of former NHL defenseman Bob Murdoch.They followed similar paths prior to college, playing for the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior League.Playing against his big brother for the first time didn&rsquo;t give Jon Bracco extra incentive. He had enough to worry about. It was his first career start.Bracco didn&rsquo;t see much action in the first half but with Paul Spagnoletti struggling, Saints&rsquo; coach Joe Marsh felt it was time for a change.Bracco responded and was named Eastern College Athletic Conference rookie of the week for his effort. Not to be outdone, his brother was named ECAC player of the week.TIE ONE ON: The Cornell Big Red set a school record Jan. 22 by recording their fifth tie of the season, 3-3 against the Colgate Red Raiders.The teams played a pair of 3-3 ties in a four-day span and each time, Cornell squandered big leads. The Big Red had a 3-0 lead in the first game and jumped in front 3-1 in the rematch.The ECAC record for ties in a season is seven set by the Yale Bulldogs two years ago.LOSING BIG TIME: The 1993-94 season has seen several long winless streaks.The Bulldogs&rsquo; losing skid hit 11 games in a row when they lost back-to-back games to the Union College Skating Dutchmen and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers the weekend of Jan. 21-22.The St. Lawrence Saints also lost nine games in a row before they beat Dartmouth and Cornell.OUT OF BASEMENT: Union College climbed out of the ECAC cellar for the second time in its history with the win over the Bulldogs. The Skating Dutchmen were one point ahead of struggling Yale. &#9632;

Sibling rivalry at its best

<div class="byline">By Matt Carlson</div>Jeff Jackson isn&rsquo;t about to push the panic button.But the coach of the Lake Superior State Lakers admits he is quite concerned about the progress of his team.The Lakers won the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship in 1992 and advanced to the final a year ago. But the Lakers are struggling to keep up with the leaders in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. They were third after 19 games, 12 points behind the league-leading Michigan Wolverines.The Lakers are missing two elements that helped them become a top team the past two years-consistent goaltending and a game-breaking player.Junior goaltender Blaine Lacher has impressive statistics-a 2.58 goals-against average and.891 save percentage-but has allowed soft goals and hasn&rsquo;t made timely saves when needed.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still trying to get his confidence back from when he was injured,&rdquo; said Jackson, noting that Lacher missed much of the first half with a tom hamstring muscle. &ldquo;But I think it&rsquo;s something he&rsquo;ll be able to work his way out of. He&rsquo;s a street fighter and will be back.&rdquo;Consistent production from the offense has also hurt. The Lakers lack a star player like center Brian Rolston, who joined the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; organization last summer after his sophomore season. He scored 33 goals and 64 points in 39 games a year ago.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not always scoring that big goal,&rdquo; Jackson said. &ldquo;Some players haven&rsquo;t been scoring the way we expected they would.&rdquo;GUN OF A SON: When Western Michigan Broncos&rsquo; coach Bill Wilkinson needed help up front, he looked to the son.That&rsquo;s Wilkinson&rsquo;s son, Peter, a junior center who moved up from his third-line spot to the top unit against the Illinois-Chicago Flames Jan. 15. He scored two goals and added an assist in a 7-3 win playing on a line with slick wingers Chris Brooks and Colin Ward. Unfortunately, he sustained a knee injury in his next game and is sidelined indefinitely.BURNING BRIGHTER: The Flames are much improved this season and coach Larry Pedrie couldn&rsquo;t be happier.&ldquo;You always think your players are a little better than they really are,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;but I think we have more depth than the teams bunched in with us.&rdquo;With 5-1 and 6-3 road wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes and Kent State Golden Flashes Jan. 21-22, the Flames moved closer to the pack.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had trouble beating the teams we need to or should beat,&rdquo; Pedrie said. &ldquo;This helps. Our goal for the second half of the season was to be a.500 team and now we&rsquo;re 3-3-0 since the (Christmas) break.&rdquo; &#9632;

Key components missing for struggling Lake State

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01168/6332856-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="380" height="536"></div>I had always heard the media crush at the Super Bowl made an NHL event look like a Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; rally of support for Mike Smith.Doing hockey for so long, my idea of hype had always been Dave Schultz&rsquo;s eyes when he was looking for Keith Magnuson. I would go to the Stanley Cup finals every year and do the same interview with Rejean Houle. It was never a very big deal.The NHL would not even require the visiting team to stay over between games. Sean Shanahan was declared off-limits to the media. Photo opportunities like Billy Smith and Bob Pulford sharing a laugh were rare. There were press conferences, but they were usually held by Toronto prosecutors while laying charges against members of the Philadelphia Flyers.The NHL attitude has always been that if the media wants to know something, then the league should be hiding it. The league used to even make a secret of plus-minus statistics. Of course, the year Glen Cochrane wound up plus-41 there was good reason. Nevertheless, the NHL developed the reputation of not being userfriendly.Things have improved a great deal under the new regime, however. Now, after hush-hush events like an All Star Game in New York, the league only keeps the dressing rooms closed for 30 minutes.It is a tradition that interest be held to a minimum. One playoff, the big whoop was Red Kelly droning on about pyramids. When the Red Wings went to Goose Loonies in Edmonton, they never passed out quote sheets. Sometime around closing, they simply passed out.Otherwise, nothing much went on at night, so we would crash even earlier than the Capitals. The only things that happened late were Mario Tremblay hits. Even when Grant Mulvey would go out on the town, he was always under coach&rsquo;s instructions not to dance.As a result, we would read about movie stars and celebrities coming to Super Bowls and be envious. For too long, the most beautiful person to descend upon a Stanley Cup final was Kevin McClelland.So, when this old hockey scribe got the assignment for Super Bowl XXVIII, he was pretty excited. Normally my preference runs to XXX, but in this case I made an allowance.I hadn&rsquo;t been to Atlanta since they were chasing Harold Phillipoff out of town. I was also curious to see if doing a Super Bowl was like Gary Rissling&rsquo;s head: all it was ever cracked up to be.I was not let down. The Super Bowl turned out to be bigger than even Barry Melrose&rsquo;s ego. The press center was as massive as Andre Raci-cot&rsquo;s five hole. And even with more than 1,000 credentials issued, three was still more working room than the Leafs ever give you.All the events going on around one football game were mind-boggling. There were announcements three-to-five times an hour and not all of them were about Blues&rsquo; trades, either. There were more buses carrying reporters around than Tommy McVie ever rode in his life. Yet, everything was extremely well-organized.At the Stanley Cup finals, they&rsquo;ll give you stats, as long as you promise to keep them off the record. At the Super Bowl, handouts were coming at a Gilles Marotte rate. The sheets contained the wit and wisdom of everyone from Troy Aikman to the bus driver. The ones that ever drove for Scotty Bowman made better stories than Aikman, too.At a Super Bowl, there are more news conferences in one day than Lou Nanne ever called in his life. Upstairs, the Falcons&rsquo; new defensive co-ordinator was in one salon. Joe Namath was on a conference call in another.Naturally, after awhile, it got to be like the third period of Senators&rsquo; games: overkill. There were releases detailing the average daily calorie counts of players at NFL training camps, pitches for everything from Super Bowl-related comic books to videos to computer games to the distributions of seat cushions at the game.Practically every network was in Atlanta, pushing its own pregame coverage. At least 10 all-sports radio stations were doing shows from the lobby outside the media center. At an NHL final, all you see you see are Grapes and Ron MacLean talking to each other through cans tied together with a string.The Super Bowl was big time, Bubba. There was one party that lasted four days, even longer than it takes the Senators to clear their own end. I would type a paragraph, go to the next news conference, eat, type another paragraph, and await the next announcement of another free meal. By kickoff, I looked like Darius Kas-paraitis reporting for training camp.Man, I used to think Kjell Samuelsson was big. But that was until I went to the Super Bowl. &#9632;

f0048-01

No covert operations at Super Bowl

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div>That thud you hear is the sound of another joke about the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hitting the ground.Right about this time, the hockey world figured to be choked with wise guys cracking jokes about the Ducks.The notion of Disney owning a hapless expansion team, (expansion teams are always called hapless, it&rsquo;s the equivalent of calling somebody&rsquo;s wife lovely) tickled the imagination of headline writers, columnists and reporters in cities throughout the NHL and beyond.When Disney played along with a cheeky logo and a rink nicknamed the Pond, the stage seemed set for years of snickers.And yes, for a few months, the gags about Goofy knocked witty stuff like &ldquo;Hull of a Contract&rdquo; off the landscape.But no matter how the rest of the season treats them, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have blown our image of them out of the sky.&ldquo;People, especially in the East, think we&rsquo;re a cartoon character and a joke,&rdquo; said forward Troy Loney. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a good story all right, but it&rsquo;s because we&rsquo;re a good, strong team with a lot of guys whose talents were hidden in other organizations.&rdquo;Principal among those players is center Bob Corkum, a Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; reject who had 16 goals at the all-star break. The defense, anchored by Alexei Kasatonov, a former New Jersey Devil, and Detroit Red Wing castoff Bobby Dollas has been effective. Goalies Ron Tugnutt and Guy Hebert have played well.The Ducks don&rsquo;t have a player on pace for as much as a 30-goal season, but they hang on their opponents like a bad smell.It&rsquo;s clear now nothing about the Ducks is as expected.They were expected to be the Daddy Warbucks of the NHL, but the Ducks&rsquo; payroll is the lowest in the league. Team Moneybags was unable to sign Valeri Karpov, their third choice in last year&rsquo;s entry draft, although they hope to land him after the Olympics.They were supposed to be crummy, but the Ducks have already exceeded the headiest of expectations. They&rsquo;re threatening to challenge the best ever mark for an expansion team; the Philadelphia Flyers recorded 73 points in 1967-68.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02108/6332887-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="956" height="2051"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Corkum has emerged as Anaheim&rsquo;s leading goalscorer.</figcaption></div>What would make that accomplishment more remarkable is that the Flyers, unlike the Ducks, played half their games against expansion brethren.The Ducks are even talking postseason.&ldquo;You bet we&rsquo;ll make the playoffs,&rdquo; Loney said.The Ducks expect Anatoli Semenov, their best offensive player, back in the lineup in early February. He has been sidelined since Dec. 7 with a dislocated elbow.Olympian and future franchise player Paul Kariya could be signed and playing by early March. Karpov may be brought aboard at about the same time.That&rsquo;s a good infusion of talent for a team that has managed pretty well with very little.&ldquo;Why isn&rsquo;t making the playoffs realistic?&rdquo; asked Ducks coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;If we can get up close to.500 and add three players of that skill level, anything can happen.&rdquo;The most jarring irony about the Mighty Ducks is that a team owned by Disney would get in trouble when they try to entertain.The Ducks were the first team in the NHL to gain a dozen road wins. Their laconic defensive style travels better than Samsonite. But home isn&rsquo;t so sweet. The Ducks were well below.500 at the Pond as of late January.&ldquo;We can relax on the road,&rdquo; said goalie Guy Hebert. &ldquo;The people on the road don&rsquo;t expect a big show.&rdquo;Wilson said the problem starts in goal and works its way out.&ldquo;Both our goalies should be used to playing on the road since they were back-up goalies on their previous teams,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it seems we give up one bad goal a game at home.&ldquo;On the road, we&rsquo;re able to get into the opposition&rsquo;s face and defend their blueline or the center line. At home, we seem to be defending the center line or our blue line.&rdquo;The Ducks have proven themselves impervious to even natural disasters. The Jan. 17 earthquake that rocked southern California inflicted damage estimated at more than $3 million on Anaheim Stadium, home of baseball&rsquo;s California Angels and the NFL&rsquo;s Los Angeles Rams.A stone&rsquo;s throw away, the Pond was unscathed. &#9632;

f0048-02

The last laugh

<div class="byline">By Kevin Johnston</div>The Quebec Nordiques breathed a sigh of relief when the three players they obtained from the St. Louis Blues in the Steve Duchesne trade finally reported to the team.Persistent rumors suggested centers Bob Bassen and Ron Sutter and defenseman Garth Butcher would not report. The three were traded from the Blues to Quebec Jan. 23 for holdout defenseman Duchesne and minor-league forward Denis Chasse.Bassen was the first to report. The 28-year-old hopped on a plane with coach-general manager Pierre Page and assistant GM Sherry Bassen in St. Louis and played against the Philadelphia Flyers Jan. 25.Sutter joined the team Jan. 26 in Pittsburgh for the game against the Penguins the next day. And Butcher arrived Jan. 28 in Hartford after briefly threatening not to report.Page was thrilled to have gritty trio in the lineup.&ldquo;We were looking for the special ingredients that will get this team back on track and I&rsquo;m sure that we found them in these players,&rdquo; Page said.Page was very pleased with the impact his new players had on his young team.&ldquo;Ron Sutter told me he would like to sit back and observe for a while before taking an active part motivating the team,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;But as I speak, it seems as if he were a member of the Nordiques for the past two or three years. The same goes for Garth and Bob.&rdquo;In fact, assistant coach Andre Savard told Page he had never seen the Nordiques&rsquo; bench so lively.&ldquo;Butcher talked with his defensive partner Alexei Gusarov non-stop during his whole first game,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;And Sutter was always talking on the bench, looking at the guys in the eyes, telling them to step their play up a notch or two. It was very impressive. We needed guys like that.&rdquo;NOT RELATED: Swedish center Mats Sundin is not having a banner year, but insists it has nothing to do with his on-going contract problems with the Nordiques.Sundin scored just two goals in a 20-game stretch from Dec. 13 to Jan. 29. He had 21 goals and 51 points in 49 games.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not happy with what I&rsquo;m doing,&rdquo; Sundin said. &ldquo;This is quite a slump. It reminds me of my second year in America. I couldn&rsquo;t do anything right.&rdquo;Sundin&rsquo;s agent Mark Perrone was supposed to go to Quebec and renegotiate Sundin&rsquo;s contract in early January, but at the last minute-after reports appeared in newspapers-he was told to remain home in Boston.&ldquo;My troubles aren&rsquo;t contract related,&rdquo; Sundin said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the kind of guy who would drag his feet over something like this. The whole team is going through a slump. I guess I&rsquo;m no exception.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Russian winger Valeri Kamensky is in Pierre Page&rsquo;s doghouse. He was scratched for the second time in three games Jan. 29 against the Hartford Whalers. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to get in a groove when you don&rsquo;t play enough,&rdquo; Kamensky said. &ldquo;In this league, you need to be warmed up when you jump on the ice. You can&rsquo;t be if you only play every five minutes.&rdquo;<h2>QUEBEC</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Mike Ricci.LW&mdash;Ron Sutter, Bob Bassen, Claude Lapointe, Martin Rucinsky. Tony Twist.RW&mdash;Reggie Savage, lain Fraser, Scott Young, Paul MacDermid.LD&mdash;Steven Finn, Curtis Leschyshyn, Alexei Gusarov.RD&mdash;Craig Wolanin, Mike McKee, Garth Butcher.G&mdash;Jacques Cloutier. Stephane Fiset. Jocelyn Thibault.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Adam Foote, D, pulled groin, indefinite. David Karpa, RW. broken right wrist, indefinite Owen Nolan, RW. left shoulder surgery, indefinite. Chris Simon, LW. sprained back, indefinite. &#9632;

New blood finally arrives

<div class="byline">By Viv Bernstein</div>In the midst of a nine-game winless streak, Hartford Whalers&rsquo; coach Pierre McGuire managed to deflect attention from his team&rsquo;s struggles.He criticized local TV stations and declared the Whalers would make the playoffs.&ldquo;Yeah, we&rsquo;re going to make the playoffs,&rdquo; McGuire said after a 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins Jan, 24. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to think if we get between 81 and 84 points, we&rsquo;d be able to make it, We&rsquo;ve got to get on our horse now, We&rsquo;ve got a lot of riding to do.&rdquo;The Whalers followed that statement by losing to the Montreal Canadiens, tying the lowly Senators in Ottawa and falling to the struggling Quebec Nordiques.With the Whalers floundering, McGuire drew increased attention from the media after berating the team&rsquo;s coverage.&ldquo;The Whalers don&rsquo;t get a fair shake from the TV people in town,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Not even close.&rdquo;The Whalers have played second fiddle to the University of Connecticut men&rsquo;s basketball team in recent years. UConn is ranked in the top 10 in the country this year and there is talk of a trip to the Final Four, drawing even more attention to the Huskies.McGuire&rsquo;s statements drew an immediate reaction from local media.&ldquo;Pierre should look at the attendance figures,&rdquo; said Bob Picozzi, a local TV sports director.Added Beasley Reece, the sports director on another station: &ldquo;If UConn and the Whalers are playing at the same time, it&rsquo;s UConn first. That&rsquo;s what the public wants. The way they do it is by winning. Pierre should concentrate on coaching and not worry about the media.&rdquo;GREIG GONE: Tired of waiting for right winger Mark Greig to blossom into an NHL regular, the Whalers traded their 1990 first-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Ted Crowley.The Whalers have only two first-round picks remaining in the organization: Robert Petrovicky (1992) and Chris Pronger (1993).&ldquo;Mark has unique gifts,&rdquo; Pierre McGuire said. &ldquo;He has speed and a good shot. I don&rsquo;t know if he likes to use them, though. If he utilizes his skills, he&rsquo;ll be a good player.&rdquo;Crowley, who is with the U.S. Olympic team, is expected to join the Whalers following the Games in Lillehammer, Norway.NOTEBOOK: Whalers&rsquo; owner Richard Gordon met with Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. and staff and discussed a scenario in which the state would purchase 26 per cent of the team and line up investors to buy it. Gordon currently owns 76 per cent. Avice Meehan, Weicker&rsquo;s press secretary, called the talks &ldquo;theoretical.&rdquo; &ldquo;No way would I characterize it as an indication it&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; he said. Gordon and the state are continuing to work on increased corporate support for the team.<h2>HARTFORD</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 20: Mike Lenarduzzi, G, assigned to Springfield (AHL) Jan. 24: Scott Morrow. LW. traded to Calgary for Todd Harkins. C. Harkins assigned to Springfield. Jan. 25: Mark Greig. RW. and sixthround pick in 1995 draft traded to Toronto for Ted Crowley. D. Jan. 26: Kevin Smyth, LW. recalled from Springfield. Jan. 28: Harkins recalled from Springfield. Igor Chibirev. C, assigned to Springfield.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Andrew Cassels. Michael Nylander, Mark Janssens, Todd Harkins.LW&mdash;Jim Storm. Geoff Sanderson. Randy Cun-neyworth, Brian Propp, Kevin Smyth.RW&mdash;Pat Verbeek, Robert Kron, Marc Potvin, Jim Sandlak.LD&mdash;Adam Burt. Chns Pronger, Bryan Marchment, Bob McGill.RD&mdash;Zartey Zalapski, Alexander Godynyuk. James Patrick, Brad McCrimmon.G&mdash;Sean Burke. Jeff Reese.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mario Gosselin, G, left knee surgery, out for season. Darren Turcotte, C. left knee surgery, indefinite. &#9632;

McGuire berates media for not covering team

<div class="byline">By Mike Loltus</div>The NHL&rsquo;s rookie crop of 1993-94 isn&rsquo;t as star-studded as last season&rsquo;s edition, which included Teemu Selanne, Joe Juneau, Eric Lindros and Felix Potvin.When names are tossed around as Calder Trophy candidates among this season&rsquo;s thinner first-year group-Alexei Yashin, Alexandre Daigle, Jason Arnott, Jesse Belanger-Bryan Smolinski&rsquo;s name is often omitted.Is Smolinski offended?Not at all. In fact, though the Boston Bruins&rsquo; center entered February with top-five or top-10 totals in most major offensive categories, Smolinski almost agreed he should be overlooked.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not satisfied,&rdquo; Smolinksi said Jan. 29, after scoring his 16th goal and third winner of the season in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s still a long way to go.&rdquo;There really wasn&rsquo;t much room for advancement on Boston&rsquo;s scoring list, though. Through 49 games, Smolinski was behind only Cam Neely (34) and Adam Oates (18) in goals, and his three game-winners were second only to Neely&rsquo;s nine. He had 16 goals and 30 points in 49 games.&ldquo;It has been a respectable year so far,&rdquo; Smolinski said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been allowed to play in some big situations.&rdquo;Smolinski has been thrown by coach Brian Sutter into pressure situations despite his lack of experience.The 22-year-old has responded well enough to get a regular assignment killing penalties, and occasional shifts at right wing on power plays when Neely&rsquo;s ailing knee won&rsquo;t allow him to play.The Bruins&rsquo; top pick in the 1990 entry draft seems to thrive when things are tightest, too. He helped Boston extend their 5-0-1 unbeaten streak by scoring critical goals against the Washington Capitals Jan. 25 (3-1 win) and the Islanders.AM I BLUE?: One of the few long faces during Boston&rsquo;s unbeaten streak belonged to John Blue, the odd man out in an unworkable three-goalie situation once Vincent Riendeau was obtained from the Detroit Red Wings.The Bruins, who recalled Blue last January after he spent more than five seasons in the minor leagues, assigned him to their American League affiliate in Providence Jan. 26.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disappointing,&rdquo; said Blue, who had a slightly better save percentage and a goals-against average (2.99) identical to Jon Casey&rsquo;s at the time of the demotion.&ldquo;I did everything I thought I could do. They asked me to play the role of backup and I thought I did that. It&rsquo;s frustrating.&rdquo;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end of the line for him by any stretch of the imagination,&rdquo; coach Brian Sutter said.NOTEBOOK: Rookie left winger Cam Stewart snapped a 26-game scoreless streak with an assist Jan. 25 in the win over the Capitals&hellip;Right winger Cam Neely continued on a torrid pace, scoring goals in the first two games he played after the all-star break. He had scored at least once in the last five games he played, with two game-winners.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 26: John Blue, G, Grigori Panteleev, LW, and Jozef Stumpei, C, assigned to Providence (AHL). Jan. 27: Stumpel recalled from Providence. Jan. 29: Jamie Huscroft, D, and Sergei Zhoitok. C, recalled from Providence.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Adam Oates. Bryan Smolinski, Andrew McKim. Sergei Zholtok.LW&mdash;Joe Juneau. Ted Donato, Cam Stewart, Brent Hughes, Dave Reid.RW&mdash;Cam Neely. Steve Heinze. Glen Murray, Jozef Stumpel.LD&mdash;Don Sweeney. Glen Wesley, Gord Roberts.RD&mdash;Ray Bourque. Paul Stanton. Jamie Huscroft.G&mdash;Jon Casey, Vincent Riendeau.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Glen Featherstone, D, bruised left shoulder, day-to-day. Steve Leach, RW, sprained left knee, indefinite. Daniel Marois, LW. left shoulder surgery, indefinite. David Shaw, D, sprained left knee, day-to-day. &#9632;

Sensational rookie Smolinski toiling in anonymity

<div class="byline">By Dave Molinari</div>The Pittsburgh Penguins went to great trouble to avoid setting a target date for Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s return to the ice.But they probably didn&rsquo;t have to bother. Anyone who watched him practice in the waning days of January could see his return was imminent.&ldquo;He looks great out there,&rdquo; said right winger Rick Tocchet. &ldquo;I hope he&rsquo;s encouraged, because I know the guys around him are.&rdquo;Lemieux, who had sole responsibility for deciding when he would play, would say only that he planned to return in early February.The unofficial consensus, however, was that barring a last-minute setback, he figured to report for work Feb. 1 when the Florida Panthers visited the Civic Arena.Lemieux had played in just four games, recording one goal and seven points. He had not played since Nov. 7, when he left midway through a 5-4 win in Anaheim. A few days later, thePenguins announced he would not play again until he had gotten over back and conditioning problems. All indications are he has.&ldquo;I feel fine,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;My back is very strong. There&rsquo;s no pain. I feel very comfortable right now with the progress I&rsquo;ve made.&rdquo;Not coincidentally, Lemieux looks to be as well-conditioned as he has at any point in his career. He has shed several chins during the past few months and has reached his playing weight of slightly more than 220 pounds.Much of the credit goes to his newfound interest in off-ice workouts, a facet of the game he had ignored since entering the league in 1984.&ldquo;I never used to go in the weight room,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;I used to go to ride the bike, but not to lift weights. Now I have to do that every day.&rdquo;NEW COACH: Assistant coach Rick Kehoe will coach the Pittsburgh Phantoms in the Roller Hockey International league.That team is owned by Penguins&rsquo; owners Howard Baldwin, Morris Belzberg and Thomas Ruta. The group also owns the Pittsburgh Stingers of the Continental Indoor Soccer League. Both franchises are scheduled to begin play this summer.Warren Young, a former NHL forward and coach of the Louisville IceHawks of the East Coast League until being fired this season, will be the Phantoms&rsquo; director of player personnel and assistant coach.NOTEBOOK: Center Martin Straka. who has developed into a quality player during Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s absence, will lose much of his ice-time when Lemieux returns. Coach Ed Johnston, however, insists &ldquo;we&rsquo;ll try to get him in there as much as we possibly can.&rdquo;&hellip;Goalie Ken Wregget recorded his first shutout since Feb. 19, 1988 when he stopped 38 shots en route to a 3-0 win against the Quebec Nordiques Jan. 27.<h2>PITTSBURGH</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Markus Naslund. LW. Ed Patterson, RW. and Roberto Romano, G, recalled from Cleveland (IHL). Jan. 25: Ladislav Karabin. LW, recalled from Cleveland.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Ron Francis, Martin Straka. Mike Stapleton.LW&mdash;Kevin Stevens. Markus Naslund, Jeff Daniels. Ladislav Karabin.RW&mdash;Joe Mullen. Doug Brown. Ed Patterson. Mike Needham.LD&mdash;UII Samuelsson, Jim Paek, Mike Ramsey. Grant Jennings.RD&mdash;Larry Murphy, Marty McSorley, Peter Taglianetti.G&mdash;Ken Wregget, Roberto Romano.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tom Barrasso, G, sprained left knee, day-to-day Jaromir Jagr, RW, strained groin, day-to-day. Mario Lemieux, C, back rehabilitation, day-to-day. Kjell Samuelsson, D, sore groin, day-to-day. Rick Tocchet, RW. bulging disc in back, day-to-day Bryan Trottier, C, back spasms, day-to-day. &#9632;

Well-conditioned Lemieux back in the saddle

<div class="byline">By Chris Stevenson</div>Norm Maciver&rsquo;s nagging doubt about his sluggish condition, diagnosed as a bruised heart, is rapidly growing into a full-blown worry.The Ottawa Senators&rsquo; veteran defenseman returned to the lineup Jan. 27 against the Hartford Whalers after being sidelined for three games with a hyperextended knee.But rather than being anxious about how his knee would respond, Maciver was more interested in seeing what, if anything, the 13 days off did for his bruised heart.Maciver sustained the bruised heart when he was struck in the chest with a stick in a pre-season game.If his recent rest has no affect, Maciver is considering getting a second medical opinion to either confirm he indeed has a bruised heart or, if not, to find out what the real problem may be.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve been thinking about a lot lately. It might not be a bad idea for my own personal peace of mind,&rdquo; said Maciver, who has been working with the Senators&rsquo; team doctors and Ottawa Civic Hospital physicians.&ldquo;It would just make me feel better if another doctor said the same thing. I&rsquo;d feel more comfortable for myself.&rdquo;General manager Randy Sexton said the club will offer its full support to Maciver if he should decide to seek out a second opinion.&ldquo;Absolutely,&rdquo; Sexton said. &ldquo;This is not an ankle or a knee. It&rsquo;s his heart.&rdquo;Maciver has missed 10 games because of the injury. Rest has been prescribed, but the club&rsquo;s busy schedule has made that difficult.LATE LEVINS: Newcomer Scott Levins, picked up in a trade with the Florida Panthers Jan. 6, is rapidly wearing out his welcome.Levins missed one practice and was late for another within a week. He did not travel with the team to Chicago to face the Blackhawks Jan. 29.He claimed he overslept on both occasions, missing a flight back to Ottawa after the all-star break and then missing the start of an 11 a.m. practice Jan. 28.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the way you want to establish yourself with a new club,&rdquo; said coach Rick Bowness.It was suggested the club could take Levins&rsquo; fine money (about $2,000 total for the two incidents) and buy him a few alarm clocks. &ldquo;For the money it&rsquo;s costing him, he could hire someone to wake him up,&rdquo; Bowness said.Levins declined comment.NOTEBOOK: Alexandre Daigle, the top pick in the 1993 entry draft, received just one third-place vote in The Hockey News poll of writers who vote on the Calder Trophy. &ldquo;(Alexei) Yashin and (Mikael) Renberg had strong first halves,&rdquo; Daigle said. &ldquo;They had great starts and now it&rsquo;s up to me to finish strong. I&rsquo;ve still got 34 games to play. I&rsquo;ll work to have a good second half, then a good second year and then a good third year.&rdquo;<h2>OTTAWA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 25: Francois Leroux, D. recalled from P.E.I. (AHL). Jan. 27: Jarmo Kekalainen, LW. assigned to P.E.I.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Alexandre Daigle. Alexei Yashin, Mark Lamb.LW&mdash;Sytvain Turgeon, Vladimir Ruzicka, Troy Malletts. Brad Lauer, Bill Huard.RW&mdash;Scott Levins. Evgeny Davydov. Andrew McBain, Herb Raglan.LD&mdash;Dennis Vial. Kerry Huffman, Norm Maciver. Darren Rumble.RD&mdash;Brad Shaw. Brian Glynn, Gord Dineen. Francois Leroux.G&mdash;Craig Billington, Darrin Madeley.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Archibald, RW. pulled groin, indefinite. Darcy Loewen, LW. tom left knee ligaments, indefinite. Dave McLIwain, C/LW. separated left shoulder, indefinite. &#9632;

Prolonged heart problems starting to worry Maciver

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div>The Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; once again looked to the Rochester Americans of the American League in their season-long search for more offense.And this time, they recalled 20-year-old winger Jason Dawe, a former scoring sensation with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario League.Dawe was recalled Jan. 27 after the Sabres sandwiched the all-star break between a 1-1 tie with the Edmonton Oilers and a 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.The Sabres&rsquo; second-round pick in the 1991 entry draft scored his first NHL point-an assist-in a 7-2 win over the Washington Capitals Jan. 28.Dawe was held pointless in a 3-2 win Jan. 30 against the Montreal Canadians, but got his first NHL goal the following night in a 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.Coach-general manager John Muckier was not disappointed with Dawe&rsquo;s play.&ldquo;I like what I see,&rdquo; he said.Dawe played right wing on a line with center Bob Sweeney and Randy Wood as Muckier shook up the lineup. He moved rookie center Derek Plante between right winger Alexander Mogilny and placed center Dale Hawerchuk between right winger Donald Audette and Brad May.Dawe was penciled in as a regular in the Sabres&rsquo; lineup before the start of training camp. He had 58 goals and 126 points for the Petes in the OHL last season and established the franchise record of 313 career points. He was also a proven playoff performer with 18 goals and 51 points in 21 games.But he struggled on offense in training camp and looked lost defensively. Like a lot of players trying to make the jump from junior to the NHL, it was simply too big a leap.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t ready coming out of training camp; I knew that,&rdquo; Dawe said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t ready for the professional game.&ldquo;I think going to Rochester for the first half really helped me a lot. Just getting to learn the pro game with the Rochester Americans was good for me.&rdquo;Dawe had 19 goals and 32 points in 33 games for Rochester. He was also very strong playing without the puck.INFIRMARY UPDATE: The Sabres are finally returning to full strength after a bout of injuries.Goaltender Grant Fuhr rejoined the team Jan. 31 following a rehabilitation assignment in Rochester.Fuhr is returning following surgery on his left knee. He was expected to start Feb. 2 against the New Jersey Devils or two nights later against the Florida Panthers. Dominik Hasek made 29 consecutive starts in Fuhr&rsquo;s absence.Winger Craig Simpson is also making progress with his ailing back. He was due to return during the first week of February.NOTEBOOK: The Sabres have their work cut out for them the rest of the season. As the month of February began, they were in a tight battle with the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 24: Todd Simon, C, recalled from Rochester (AHL). Jan. 25: Simon assigned to Rochester. Jan. 27: Jason Dawe. RW. recalled from Rochester. Scott Thomas. RW, assigned to Rochester. Jan. 31: Grant Fuhr recalled from Rochester.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;Derek Plante, Dale Hawerchuk. Bob Sweeney. Dave Hannan.LW&mdash;Yuri Khmylev, Brad May. Randy Wood, Matthew Barnaby.RW&mdash;Alexander Mogilny, Donald Audette, Jason Dawe. Rob Ray.LD&mdash;Doug Bodger, Richard Smehlik, Petr Svoboda, Randy MollerRD&mdash;Ken Sutton. Craig Muni, Denis Tsygurov.G&mdash;Dominik Hasek, Grant Fuhr. Markus Ketterer.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Pat LaFontainio, C. tom anterior cruciate ligament in right knee, out for season. Wayne Presley, RW. ankle fracture, day-to-day Craig Simpson, LW, sore back, day-to-day. &#9632;

Slick Dawe impresses in debut

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div>Andre Racicot&rsquo;s rollercoaster career with the Montreal Canadiens appears to be over.The backup goaltender, whose competency has long been a hotly debated issue, was demoted to Montreal&rsquo;s American League affiliate in Fredericton Jan. 31 after clearing waivers. Les Kuntar, Fredericton&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie, was recalled to back-up Patrick Roy.Should Kuntar not be the answer, Racicot may return to Montreal after serving his penance or the Canadiens will have to make a trade.&ldquo;We need strong backup goaltending,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Demers.Montreal had 33 regular-season games left when the move was made.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how much we can expect Patrick to play,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;We have situations coming up where we have three games in four nights and five games in eight, and Patrick will need a rest.&rdquo;Racicot&rsquo;s start against the Florida Panthers Jan. 24 spoke volumes about his season and career. He allowed four goals on 11 shots in slightly more than a period-including three in a span of 1:49-before being replaced. He returned for the third period and relinquished two more goals in an 8-3 loss.Racicot, 24, has a 2-6-2 record this season with a 4.44 goals-against average. He said he hasn&rsquo;t changed his style, nor is he doing anything differently.Backing up Roy, arguably the NHL&rsquo;s premier netminder, is one of hockey&rsquo;s most difficult jobs. It was hard for Racicot to remain sharp playing so infrequently. The game against the Panthers was his first start since Dec. 29.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough job in Montreal. They expect you to do the same thing (as Roy) and perform at the same level,&rdquo; Racicot said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough when you don&rsquo;t play.&rdquo;SPECIAL DUTY: Gary Leeman has been a right winger for most of his NHL career, but now he&rsquo;s seeing spot duty as a checking center and a point man on the power play. The infrequently used player isn&rsquo;t complaining.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m beyond trying to figure it out,&rdquo; Leeman said.Leeman, who dressed for only 28 of the Canadiens&rsquo; first 51 games, played in three straight games in late January on a line with Ron Wilson and Ed Ronan.The three players clicked immediately. Ronan scored twice in the games, with Wilson and Leeman each contributing an assist.In an effort to get Montreal&rsquo;s power play untracked, Leeman also saw special-team duty on the point.&ldquo;I just want to contribute,&rdquo; he said.NOTEBOOK: Brian Bellows scored twice, including his 400th career goal, in a 3-0 win over the Hartford Whalers Jan. 26. He rejoiced in setting the mark for only a short time before announcing he was embarking on notching his 500th career goal. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t get me wrong. Scoring 400 is great, but 500 is magical,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Only 18 or 19 players have done it. It&rsquo;s like the Holy Grail for a scorer.&rdquo; It took Bellows 11 seasons to reach 400.<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>Jan. 31: Andre Racicot, G, assigned to Fredericton (AHL). Les Kuntar, G, recalled from Fredericton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C&mdash;John LeClair, Kirk Muller. Guy Carbonneau, Gary Leeman.LW&mdash;Vincent Damphousse. Gilbert Dionne. Benoit Brunet, Ron Wilson, Mario Roberge.RW&mdash;Brian Bellows, Oleg Petrov. Mike Keane, Ed Ronan.LD&mdash;Peter Popovic. Kevin Haller, Mathieu Schneider.RD&mdash;Eric Desjardins, Jean-Jacques Daigneault, Patrice Brisebois.G&mdash;Patnck Roy, Les Kuntar<h3>INJURIES</h3>Paul DiPietro, C, separated right shoulder, indefinite. Stephan Lebeau, C, sprained right ankle, indefinite. Lyle Odelein, D. bruised left shoulder, day-to-day. Pierre Sevlgny, LW. tom left knee ligaments. indefinite. &#9632;

Kuntar in, Racicot out as Roy’s understudy

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-029/6334086-1-eng-US/s0002-022.jpg" title="s0002-02" width="388" height="484"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Campbell Future Watch Editor</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-0116/6334093-1-eng-US/s0002-012.jpg" title="s0002-01" width="198" height="202"></div>Eric Lindros will never score a goal, make a pass or throw a check for the Quebec Nordiques. But that hasn&rsquo;t stopped No. 88 from making the Nordiques No. 1 in the NHL.They share with the New York Rangers top honors in this year&rsquo;s ranking of the organizational depth of NHL teams.The Nordiques and Rangers are considered to have the best groups of prospects in the league, according to our panel of 10 NHL chief scouts and directors of player personnel.That lofty standing is nothing new to the Nordiques. In 1992, they were the No. 3 team with Lindros as top prospect. The Nordiques have been No. 1 in 1993 and 1994 largely because of super Swede Peter Forsberg. He was obtained from the Philadelphia Flyers in a multi-player and multi-million-dollar deal for Lindros two years ago.Quebec and New York both earn grades of A-, but the Nordiques get the nod as No. 1 overall because they placed a league-high five prospects on our exclusive listing of the world&rsquo;s Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects. (See the THN Top 50 on page 12.)All players who are NHL property and not in the league as of Jan. 24 were considered prospects. Some have since been recalled, but still are considered prospects.The 10 NHL executives were asked to evaluate each team&rsquo;s top 10 prospects and assign a collective grade. Overall grades were determined by averaging the marks. Each letter grade was given a numerical value from 12 for an A-plus to one for a D-minus.Our panel was also asked to rank the 50 best prospects. Scores, from 50 for No. 1 to one for No. 50, were added to determine rankings.Forsberg was chosen top prospect in the league and one of at least a half-dozen Nordique prospects expected to ultimately play in the NHL. They are Forsberg, Adam Deadmarsh, Todd Warriner, Rene Corbet, Garth Snow and Janne Laukkanen.That Quebec has been so highly rated for so long yet continues to struggle says two things: good prospects are of little value unless they become good pros and Forsberg is still in Sweden.Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils dropped from an A team last season to a B-plus club, but their future continues to be bright. They would have fared better had they not recalled top-rated defenseman Jason Smith from Albany of the American League.Making the biggest jump from last season are the Dallas Stars, who moved from Minnesota to the Lone Star State and from a D to B in our rankings. A strong 1993 entry draft produced toprated prospects Todd Harvey and Jamie Langenbrunner.The largest drop was recorded by the Philadelphia Flyers-from B-minus to C-minus-but there&rsquo;s a good explanation. Their prospects became players and they didn&rsquo;t have a first-round pick in 1993. Four players listed as prospects last season-Mikael Renberg, Jason Bowen, Viacheslav But-sayev and Andre Faust-are regulars with the team this season.Also significant is that the Detroit Red Wings recorded a grade of B-minus-a respectable ranking in itself, but more impressive given the fact six of their top 10 prospects from last season are NHLers now.Of course, being labeled a prospect means little unless the player becomes an NHLer. Of the 240 prospects identified in Future Watch &rsquo;93, 45 had played at least 20 games this season. That&rsquo;s a graduation rate of about 19 per cent.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-032/6334079-1-eng-US/s0002-032.jpg" title="s0002-03" width="1637" height="2697"><figcaption class="caption-body">(DAN HAMILTON)</figcaption></div><h2>TEAM GRADES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-04/6334072-1-eng-US/s0002-042.jpg" title="s0002-04" width="482" height="1327"></div><h2>FUTURE WATCH &rsquo;94</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-05/6334065-1-eng-US/s0002-052.jpg" title="s0002-05" width="520" height="684"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0002-06/6334058-1-eng-US/s0002-062.jpg" title="s0002-06" width="500" height="686"></div> &#9632;

s0002-02

NORDS NO. 1

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0003-028/6334124-1-eng-US/s0003-022.jpg" title="s0003-02" width="433" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nikolai Tsulygin</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0003-0111/6334131-1-eng-US/s0003-012.jpg" title="s0003-01" width="192" height="200"></div>The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim would like their No. 1 prospect to be signed, sealed and in an NHL uniform in March.Whether that happens is all up to Paul Kariya, the fourth overall pick at the June draft.While many players from the top of the 1993 draft class have jumped to the NHL, Kariya chose to return to the University of Maine for a semester before playing for Team Canada in the Olympics, something the Ducks encouraged.But they want him in Anaheim as soon as possible after that to bolster a team thin on offense.The players likely to help the Ducks soonest-Kariya and right winger Valeri Karpov-are still unsigned. And with only one draft behind them, the Ducks&rsquo; list of talent drops off quickly.But with the No. 2 pick overall in the June draft, general manager Jack Ferreira and assistant GM Pierre Gauthier ought to be able to add another premier talent shortly as the Ducks continue to build their organization.Here are the top five prospects in order:Paul Kariya: Some teams questioned Kariya&rsquo;s size and three of them passed on skilled playmaker, but Ferreira and Gauthier were thrilled to take him.They hope to build their franchise around the clean-cut, creative left winger who fits the Disney entertainment image to a T.With bursts of speed and supreme passing skills, Kariya will be the Ducks&rsquo; most skilled player on arrival, perhaps with the exception of Anatoli Semenov.Ferreira saw Kariya playing with Team Canada during its preOlympic tour, centering Petr Nedved and Chris Kontos.His only disappointment?&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he handled the puck as much because of who he was playing with,&rdquo; Ferreira said.Kariya hasn&rsquo;t decided when he&rsquo;ll turn pro. When will Ferreira start negotiations? &ldquo;Any time they want.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, fourth overall.Valeri Karpov: The 22-year-old European was supposed to have immediate impact for the first-year team. But Anaheim was unable to reach a financial agreement with Karpov.Though he would have been recovering from shoulder surgery at the start of camp, his signing the team much more offensive depth.A broken wrist sustained during his team&rsquo;s North American tour set him back, but the Ducks are counting on him next year.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 56th overall.Nikolai Tsulygin: When Anaheim picked him in the second round in June, the 6-foot-3 defenseman didn&rsquo;t yet weigh 200 pounds and didn&rsquo;t speak a word English.He&rsquo;s still at least a year away from the NHL, but the pounds and words will come. He&rsquo;s described as a rangy defenseman who needs to mature, but Gauthier said he&rsquo;s progressing very well. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not as raw anymore,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s half-cooked now.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 30th overall.Scott Chartier: After one season at Western Michigan, Chartier, 22, was a sought-after free agent because of his size, defensive skills and big shot.But a severe ankle sprain early in training camp kept him out of competition and a recurrence of the injury has kept him out of more than half of the San Diego Gulls&rsquo; games.&ldquo;It has really set him back,&rdquo; Ferreira said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d hoped he&rsquo;d be challenging for a spot (in Anaheim) by Christmas.&rdquo;Acquired: Signed as free agent, July 30, 1993.Scott McKay: Another free-agent pickup, McKay played as an overage junior with the London Knights in the Ontario League last season and has played well with San Diego in the International League.&ldquo;McKay is a good solid player who&rsquo;s at his best when he&rsquo;s playing physical,&rdquo; Ferreira said.Acquired: Signed as a free agent, Aug. 2,1993.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Paul Kariya, C, Canadian Olympic, 19,5-10,160, 19-4-27-31-2.2. Valeri Karpov, RW, Chelyabinsk (Rus.), 22,5-10, 176,15-8-5-13-N/A,3. Nikolai Tsulygin, D, Salavat Ufa (Rus.), 18,6-3,195,27-1-5-6-N/A.4. Scott Chartier, D, San Diego (IHL), 22,6-1, 200, 16-0-0-0-31.5. Scott McKay, C, San Diego (IHL), 22,5-11,200, 39-6-4-10-18.6. Mike Maneluk, RW, Brandon (WHL), 20, 6-0, 188, 50-41-39-80-96. Free-agent signee will get chance to show he can score in NHL next year.7. Mikhail Shtalenkov, G, San Diego (IHL), 28, 6-2, 180, 9-7-2, 3.40. Waiting in wings for chance should Guy Hebert or Ron Tugnutt falter.8. Anatoli Fedotov, D, San Diego (IHL), 27, 5-11, 178, 36-8-5-13-19. Exciting player to watch, but tends to do too much on-ice gambling.9. Antti Aalto. C, TPS Turku (Fin.), 18, 6-2, 185, 26-3-7-10-14. Good raw talent has put him in Elite League at 18. Still two or three years from NHL. 10. Denny Lambert, LW, San Diego (IHL), 24, 5-H, 200, 42-4-6-10-167. Power forw ard who can play it tough. Another free agent signing.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Paul Kariya Stickhandler: Paul Kariya Shot: Scott Chartier Bodychecker: Scott McKay Hockey Sense: Paul Kariya &#9632;

s0003-02

All eyes looking to Kariya

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0003-043/6334162-1-eng-US/s0003-042.jpg" title="s0003-04" width="436" height="616"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevyn Adams</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0003-033/6334169-1-eng-US/s0003-032.jpg" title="s0003-03" width="199" height="201"></div>There was once a time when the Boston Bruins had difficulty getting prized prospects into the NHL. From Bob Joyce to Robert Cimetta to Wes Walz, the late 1980s were lean times.Those days are over. Ask assistant general manager Mike Milbury to name Boston&rsquo;s top 10 prospects, and he says &ldquo;Ten? I don&rsquo;t even know if we have 10. Most of our best prospects are already here.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s true. Seven of Boston&rsquo;s 12 forwards at the mid-season mark were first-or second-year pros.There&rsquo;s at least one more on the way: Polish right winger Mariusz Czerkawski, currently playing in Sweden and Boston&rsquo;s hottest prospect, signed a contract in the fall and will join the Bruins after the Swedish season.The Bruins have a couple solid prospects on defense. First-year pro Jon Rohloff, who had reconstructive knee surgery in the offseason, is with the Providence Bruins of the American League. John Gruden is a smooth-skating senior at Ferris State University.Here are the top five prospects in order:Mariusz Czerkawski: Coach Brian Sutter still raves about the week Czerkawski had during Boston&rsquo;s 1992 training camp. The Bruins have tried more than once to get him out of his Swedish contract.&ldquo;His skill level warrants his being here,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;He could be a very exciting player for us and we&rsquo;re looking forward to him getting here.&rdquo;One question is how the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Czerkawski will react to the NHL&rsquo;s clutching and grabbing. The Bruins think he&rsquo;s fast and smart enough to handle it.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 106th overall.Kevyn Adams: The Miami of Ohio sophomore center&rsquo;s stock rose when he led the United States in scoring at the World Junior Championship.&ldquo;He thrived on the competition,&rdquo; said Bob Tindall, Boston&rsquo;s scouting director. &ldquo;He was very good in all areas of the game.&rdquo;The Bruins are willing to wait for Adams to get to Boston.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d compare him to Bryan Smolinski as far as his development at this point,&rdquo; Tindall said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re more than pleased with where he is, but we don&rsquo;t want to rush him.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 25th overall.John Gruden: Milbury and Tindall are impressed with the Gruden&rsquo;s skills.&ldquo;He isn&rsquo;t the biggest guy in the world,&rdquo; Tindall said,&rdquo;but he&rsquo;s an excellent skater and does a lot of nice things with the puck. He really moves it around well.&rdquo;Gruden will complete his career at Ferris State this season. Depending on what he wants to do with his schooling, the Bruins may have him in for a look before the end of the season.Acquired: 1990 entry draft, 168th overall.Shawn Bates: A popular pick last June because he played at nearby Medford (Mass.) High School, Bates has made the Bruins look smart by getting his collegiate career off to a great start at Boston University.&ldquo;He has a lot of potential,&rdquo; Tindall said. &ldquo;He looks like a good prospect based on what he has done at BU, which a lot of freshman aren&rsquo;t able to do.&rdquo;A project for Bates is to add muscle mass to his 5-foot-l1 frame. He weighs just 160 pounds.Acquired: 1993 entry draft. 103rd overall.Joakim Persson: The goalie came into attention last year as a teammate of Czerkawski&rsquo;s with Hammarby in Sweden and had an excellent playoff.&ldquo;He played against better competition than he had seen during the season,&rdquo; Milbury said,&rdquo;and he held up well. I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m sky-high on him, but we&rsquo;ve also had a lot of good reports.&rdquo;Persson was supposed to attend camp this season, but a groin injury cancelled those plans. The Bruins may try to lure him to Providence when his Swedish season ends.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 259th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Mariusz Czerkawski, RW, Djurgar-den(Swe-), 21,5-11, 185,21-7-6-13-6.2. Kevyn Adams, C, Miami (CCHA), 19,6-1, 182,17-5-11-16-16.3. John Gruden, D, Ferris State (CC-HA), 23,6-0, 180,23-10-16-26-36.4. Shawn Bates, C, Boston U. (HE), 18, 5-11,160,19-6-10-16-16.5. Joakim Persson, G, Hammarby (Swe.), 23,5-11,172, N/A.6. Jon Rohloff, D, Providence (AHL), 24, 5-11, 200, 21-4-8-12-25. Very strong, has big shot. Has had no problems from knee reconstruction.7. Mattias Timander, D, Husum (Swe.), 19, 6-1, 194, 5-0-0-0-0. Will get look next year when contractual and military obligations expire.8. Mike Bales, G, Providence (AHL), 22, 6-1, 180, 20, 6-8-4, 4.08. Starting to turn season around after difficult start.9. Charles Paquette, D, Sherbrooke (QMJHL), 18, 6-1, 193, 47-5-11-16110. Likes to play physical, is still growing into frame.10. Scott Bailey, G, Providence (AHL), 21, 6-0, 195, 6, 2-1-2, 3.59. Solid start in ECHL earned him midseason promotion to AHL.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: John Gruden Stickhandler: Marius Czerkawski Shot: Jon Rohloff Bodychecker: Jon Rohloff Hockey Sense: Marius Czerkawski. &#9632;

s0003-04

Slim file from Pole to Rohl

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-026/6334200-1-eng-US/s0004-022.jpg" title="s0004-02" width="436" height="626"><figcaption class="caption-body">Philippe Boucher</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-0116/6334207-1-eng-US/s0004-012.jpg" title="s0004-01" width="190" height="198"></div>It was just this time last season the Buffalo Sabres were promoting their new commitment to speed, high-tempo, hockey.Of course all that was in 1993, before Pat LaFontaine&rsquo;s injury. But even before the season-ending knee surgery that sidelined their captain and best player, it appeared the Sabres were getting away from a run-and-gun game.They traded speedy Jozef Ciemy, their No. 1-rated prospect last year, to the Edmonton Oilers for the slower Craig Simpson. They also gave up their No. 1 draft pick in the Grant Fuhr package, then drafted plodding defenseman Denis Tsy-gurov with their No. 2 pick.The Sabres have revamped their game plan into a defense-first style and put an emphasis on all the things fired coach Rick Dudley said they would have to do to compete in today&rsquo;s NHL.So which way is the team going in the future?Here are the top five prospects in order:Matthew Barnaby: He was nowhere to be found on last year&rsquo;s top-10 list, which is a credit to his improvement over the last season.Somewhat on the small side, Barnaby plays larger than he is.He skates well, shoots well and knows what to do both in the comers and in front of the net. The Sabres like his work ethic, intensity and willingness to play the same rough-and-tumble style at home and on the road.Barnaby scored Buffalo&rsquo;s first goal of the season, but needed refining with the Rochester Americans of the American League. Ideally, the Sabres want to keep him in Rochester all season, but with injuries in Buffalo, he might finish the season here.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 83rd overall.Philippe Boucher: Were it not for the fact the Sabres gave Tsygurov a one-way contract, Boucher would likely be with the big club right now.As it is, the year or so in Rochester won&rsquo;t hurt as Boucher needs to improve his defensive game and learn how and when to use his booming slapshot.Boucher is one player other teams talk about when they want to deal with the Sabres. The consensus is he&rsquo;ll be a complete player once he refines the defensive part of the game.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 13th overall.Jason Dawe: Maybe too much was expected too soon from Dawe, especially from Dawe himself.Everyone expected him to jump from the Ontario League&rsquo;s Peterborough Petes to the NHL, but Dawe is learning the gap is a large one. He must concentrate more on his defensive responsibilities, how to cover his point and not leave his own end too soon. His progress is on track.His assets are undeniable. He is a great skater, has a great shot and is a player who passes the puck well.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 35th overall.Sergei Petrenko: At 26, Petrenko is expected to jump to the NHL soon. He&rsquo;s a good skater and scorer, but has a knack for making glaring mistakes.Petrenko will find his way back to Buffalo once he understands the concept of checking and defensive zone play.He so impressed in the 1992 Olympics that the Sabres took a chance on him at the draft despite his age.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 168th overall.Mark Astley: The Sabres haven&rsquo;t seen enough of this Canadian Olympic team defenseman to get a good grip on where his career is going, but they like the basic tools.Astley might have problems with the game the Sabres are playing now. He&rsquo;s not a physical player, but that should be offset by the fact he&rsquo;s a very competitive person.His performance at the Olympics will do a lot toward determining where he fits in once the Games are over.Acquired: 1989 entry draft, 194th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Matthew Barnaby, LW, Rochester (AHL), 20,6-0, 170,29-4-25-29-122.2. Philippe Boucher, D, Rochester (AHL), 20,6-3,190, 17-8-8-16-31.3. Jason Dawe, LW, Rochester (AHL), 20,5-10,195,45-18-13-31-40.4. Sergei Petrenko, LW, Rochester (AHL), 26,5-11, 167,11-6-7-13-0.5. Mark Astley, D, HC Ambri Piotta (Switz), 25,5-11, 185, N\A.6. David Cooper, D, Rochester (AHL), 20, 6-2, 204, 41-5-14-19-48. Talented first-round pick has to overcome reputation for poor work habits.7. Doug Macdonald, C, Rochester (AHL), 25, 6-0, 192, 32-18-7-25-30. Unspectacular player who had good career as a college scorer.8. Peter Ambroziak, LW, Rochester (AHL), 23, 6-0, 206, 22-3-4-7-53. Hard worker, but lack of scoring touch hinders chances for NHL.9. Viktor Gordiouk, LW, Rochester (AHL), 23, 5-10, 176, 40-16-20-3614. Swift, smart playmaker. Small, lacks commitment.10. Todd Simon, C, Rochester (AHL), 21, 5-10, 188, 45-27-44-7171. Very good scorer and playmaker whose skating is not yet at NHL level.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Matthew Barnaby Stickhandler: Philippe Boucher Shot: Jason Dawe Bodychecker: Doug Macdonald Hockey Sense: Todd Simon &#9632;

s0004-02

Team reduces speed limit

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-04/6334238-1-eng-US/s0004-042.jpg" title="s0004-04" width="432" height="622"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jesper Mattsson</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-033/6334245-1-eng-US/s0004-032.jpg" title="s0004-03" width="199" height="198"></div>For much of January, many of the top prospects in the Calgary Flames&rsquo; system were actually on the NHL team&rsquo;s roster.A massive run of injuries gave the Flames a chance to look at half-a-dozen players from the Saint John Flames, their top minor-league affiliate, of the American League.The best thing to come of the situation was the play of Andrei Trefdov. Rated No. 5 with a bullet in last year&rsquo;s rankings, Tre-filov may be ready for prime time.He recorded back-to-back shutouts in a pair of mid-January games.In all, four of the players rated in last season&rsquo;s top 10 were with the Rames, including two goal-ies-Trefilov and Trevor Kidd. The other graduates to move up were, right wingers Ted Drury and Sandy McCarthy.The new No. 1 is a player who wasn&rsquo;t even in the system a year ago-Sweden&rsquo;s Jesper Mattsson, their top choice in the 1993 entry draft.The Flames had rated Mattsson sixth overall and were so anxious to get him that they gave up a player-Craig Berube-to the Washington Capitals to ensure they could choose him.The rest of the system is still well-stocked. After general manager Doug Risebrough had come up with his top 10 list, he had five more players he wanted to discuss. In the past two years, coming up with 10 names was a chore.Here are the top five prospects in order:Jesper Mattsson: He made a cameo appearance at training camp this season and left a good first impression.On his draft day, the Flames crossed their fingers and said they hoped Mattsson would evolve into the next Hakan Loob. The skill elements-speed, hockey sense-are there in abundance. To play at the NHL level, he must learn to fight through traffic a little better.That could come as he physically matures.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 18 th overall.Cory Stillman: The team&rsquo;s No. 1 choice in the 1992 entry draft, Stillman is in Saint John this season.He has shown flashes of the playmaking potential that made him so highly rated in the first place.In order to play in the NHL, Stillman needs to improve his skating.His small stature is another obstacle he must overcome.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, sixth overall.Jason Muzzatti: Muzzatti played one NHL game this season in October and then lost his chance for more ice time by getting sick with the flu.As much as anything, bad luck-as well as the team&rsquo;s depth in goal-has kept him from cracking the lineup.He&rsquo;s a stand-up goalie with good-puckhandling skills and a real aggressive streak. Essentially, he lacks only one commodity: NHL experience. Unfortunately, that has been hard to come by in recent years.Acquired: 1988 entry draft, 21st overall.Vesa Viitakoski: Viitakoski will likely play in the NHL as the triggerman on whatever line he ends up on because of his great touch around the net and good size.To be more effective, he needs to improve his skating so he can get into scoring position more frequently.Acquired: 1990 entry draft, 32nd overall.Niklas Sundblad: The Flames don&rsquo;t expect Sundblad to be an impact player in the NHL, but they think he can make it as an up-and-down winger.He needs to play even more physically than he has in order to move up the ladder.In addition, the Flames also want him to improve upon the thankless things small, defensive wingers need to do well to succeed in the NHL: chip the puck out, block shots and make the simple plays.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 19th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Jesper Mattsson, C, Malmo (Swe.), 18,6-0,176,22-1-2-3-6.2. Cory Stillman, C, Saint John (AHL),&rsquo; 20,6-0,174,44-15-22-37-22, 3. Jason Muzzatti, G, Saint John (AHL), 24,6-1,190,9-8-1,3.41.4. Vesa Viitakoski, LW, Saint John (AHL), 23,6-2,200, 34-11-19-30-8.5. Niklas Sundblad, RW, Saint John (AHL), 21,6-1, 196,43-7-15-22-41.6. Joel Bouchard, D, College Francais (QMJHL), 20, 6-0, 180, 42-1340-53-35. Good skater has quickness, but needs to be more consistent.7. Jamie Allison, D, Detroit (OHL), 18, 6-1, 188, 34-2-22-24-58-0. Unspectacular stay-at-home defenseman extremely hard worker.8. Marty Murray, C, Brandon (WHL), 19,5-8, 164,43-30-50-80-21. Like Theoren Fleury in size; unlike Fleury in explosive skating ability.9. David Struch, C, Saint John (AHL), 23, 5-10, 180, 22-7-3-10-53. Could play in NHL as defensive center, but must learn that style.10. Robert Svehla, D, Malmo (Swe.), 25, 6-0, 190, 22-9-14-23-60. Offensively gifted enough to play in NHL; defense another matter.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Jesper MattssonStickhandler: Cory StillmanShot: Vesa ViitakoskiBodychecker: Jamie AllisonHockey Sense: Marty Murray &#9632;

s0004-04

Praying at Saint John altar

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0005-025/6334276-1-eng-US/s0005-022.jpg" title="s0005-02" width="434" height="625"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeff Shantz</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0005-0116/6334283-1-eng-US/s0005-012.jpg" title="s0005-01" width="200" height="203"></div>The future might not be as gloomy as it appears for the Chicago Blackhawks.While the signs are everywhere on the NHL level that this is an aging club on decline, there are a handful of prospects on the junior level and on the Indianapolis Ice in the International League that has management optimistic.&ldquo;I truly believe we&rsquo;ve got good prospects,&rdquo; said Bob Murray, the Hawks&rsquo; director of player personnel.This is an organization that desperately needs to produce its own players. On the roster, only Jeremy Roenick, Brian Noonan, Frank Kucera, Troy Murray were produced via the draft.But Murray thinks the Hawks have drafted up to 10 forwards in the last three years who could be solid NHL players. But the team is weak on defense, especially if Ivan Droppa and Karl Dykhuis fail to make it.Here are the top five prospects in order:Sergei Krivokrasov: The 19-year-old right winger is getting closer to a job in Chicago, particularly since he has made strides in his defensive game at Indianapolis.But it&rsquo;s Krivokrasov&rsquo;s offensive ability that could make him a star in the NHL. He is exactly what the Hawks&rsquo; dull offense needs. He&rsquo;s a creator with terrific speed and a solid shot.&ldquo;Will he be a high impact guy? No, but he is very skilled,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He can score goals and that&rsquo;s what we need.&rdquo;At some point this season Krivokrasov will be brought to Chicago and given a long look.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 12th overall.Jeff Shantz: After starting the season in Chicago, Shantz was sent to Indianapolis for more experience.He&rsquo;s close. Real close. Shantz is the kind of solid two-way center who could be a mainstay for for 10 years and be a perfect compliment to Jeremy Roenick.Shantz played 25 games with the Hawks and had three goals and eight points. But he was minus-11 and lost his spot when Christian Ruuttu and Kevin Todd returned from injuries.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be back,&rdquo; promised coach Darryl Sutter. &ldquo;We like everything about him.&rdquo;Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 36th overall.Andy MacIntyre: Next to Patrick Poulin, MacIntyre is the best left wing prospect in the organization. He made a good impression at camp last fall and is having a solid season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western League.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; style player,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He won&rsquo;t have to make many adjustments. He&rsquo;s a good up-and-down winger.&rdquo;Murray envisions the day MacIntyre and Shantz comprise two-thirds of a checking line.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 89th overall.Eric Lecompte: The Hawks think they got a steal with the 24th pick in the first round in last June&rsquo;s draft. Lecompte is a 6-foot-4, 190-pounder who can play left wing and center.Lecompte has shown he can score and play a tough game. He had 149 penalty minutes in 66 Quebec League games last year with the Hull Olympiques.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a talent,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;At 6-foot-4, you don&rsquo;t find guys who can skate like him. The big question is, will be be a center or a wing? He grew up a center, but Hull made him a wing.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 24th overall.Mike Pomichter: The 20-year-old Pomichter is completing his junior season at Boston University. He&rsquo;s a 6-foot-1, 200-pound center who has the ability to also play left wing.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a scorer,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He tends to dominate games.&rdquo;Pomichter is another prospect who could come to camp next fall with a chance to make the club.&ldquo;If we can sign him, then he definitely has a chance to make the team next year,&rdquo; Murray said.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 39th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. S. Krivokrasov, RW, Indianapolis (IHL), 19,5-11,175,42-15-20-35-116.2. Jeff Shantz, C, Indianapolis (IHL), 20,6-0, 185, 11-2-6-8-12.3. Andy MacIntyre, LW, Saskatoon (WHL), 19,6-1, 190, 54-43-28-71-43.4. Eric Lecompte. LW, Hull (QMJHL), 18,6-4,190,39-19-25-44-115.5. Mike Pomichter, C, Boston U. (HE). 20,6-1,200,21-20-13-33-19.6. Eric Manlow, C, Kitchener (OHL), 18, 6-0, 190, 28-16-16-32-15. Hardnosed center was best prospect during training camp.7. Eric Daze, LW, Beauport (QMJHL), 18, 6-4, 202, 46-41-35-7621. Big-time prospect who has size, can skate and score.8. Ivan Droppa, LD. Indianapolis (IHL), 21,6-3, 209,42-7-9-16-69. Has all the tools, but Hawks wondering about desire.9. Karl Dykhuis, LD, Indianapolis (IHL), 21, 6-3, 195, 41-3-10-13-90. Shows flashes of brilliance, but has trouble being consistent.10. Bogdan Savenko, RW, Niagara Falls (OHL), 19, 6-1, 192, 41-25-3358-20. Offensively great player, but must Erase defensive aspect of game.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: Sergei KrivokrasovStickhandler: Eric DazeShot: Eric LecompteBodychecker: Andy MacIntyreHockey Sense: Jeff Shantz &#9632;

s0005-02

Cupboard not bare, after all

<div class="byline">By Steve Huber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0005-04/6334314-1-eng-US/s0005-042.jpg" title="s0005-04" width="433" height="625"><figcaption class="caption-body">Richard Matvichuk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0005-032/6334321-1-eng-US/s0005-032.jpg" title="s0005-03" width="200" height="201"></div>There are no rookies on the Dallas Stars this season and that suits coach-general manager Bob Gainey just fine.Gainey has done his best to stock his club with veteran players such as Grant Ledyard, Paul Cavallini and Gord Donnelly so promising draft picks don&rsquo;t have to be rushed into service before they are ready. It is a luxury the team has not had recently.&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re in much better shape than this franchise has been in in some time,&rdquo; Gainey said. &ldquo;We went out and secured some veteran defenseman to give some players like (Richard) Matvichuk time to mature and get in tune with where he really is.&ldquo;In the last couple of years, we could look to Kalamazoo and not see a prospect there.&rdquo;That has changed, with the Stars&rsquo; International League farm team ready to help on a moment&rsquo;s notice.Here are the top five prospects in order:Todd Harvey: Harvey is ranked in the Stars&rsquo; system by Gainey as an &ldquo;A&rdquo; prospect.He started slowly with theDetroit Jr. Wings of the Ontario League this season, but has played better of late and was a force for Canada at the World Junior Championship.Gainey likes his competitive fire and sees this young center making a bid for a spot on next season&rsquo;s Stars.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s going to be a good NHL player,&rdquo; Gainey said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to take some time.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, ninth overall.Richard Mat-vichuk:This hulking defense-man with the Kalamazoo Wings of the International League remains a top prospect.He spent last season with Stars because of draft rules that prevented the team from sending the junior-age player to the minors. Gainey felt another year with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western League would not have helped Matvichuk.He is now playing 20-30 minutes a game for the K-Wings in all situations and was chosen for the IHL All-Star game. Gainey also lists Matvichuk as an &ldquo;A&rdquo; prospect.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll play for the team (next season),&rdquo; Gainey said.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, eighth overall.Jamie Lang-enbrunner: Unless he takes some tremendous strides, Langen-brunner will likely remain with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario League next season.He was a member of the U.S. team at the WJC and the team&rsquo;s scouts liked what they saw.&ldquo;He has good skills and he&rsquo;s a good competitor,&rdquo; Gainey said. &ldquo;He deserves to be a pro player.&rdquo;Gainey said the young Minnesota native is two years away.Acquired 1993 entry draft, 35th overall.Jarkko Varvio: A natural goalscorer, Varvio started the season with the Stars, but was sent to Kalamazoo with the hope he would improve other parts of his game.Wings&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock said Varvio has made some progress, but his scoring production has tailed off of late.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still making the adjustment to the North American game,&rdquo; Hitchcock said of the Finland native. &ldquo;He still has a lot to learn. This game is more physical than he&rsquo;s used to.&rdquo;Varvio faces a tough task in cracking the Stars&rsquo; lineup at right wing with Russ Courtnall, Shane Churla and Mike Craig ahead of him.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 34th overall.Mark Lawrence: A late-round pick who started out in the East Coast League, Lawrence has made great progress at every level.Gainey likes the winger&rsquo;s Ornery play and touch around the net. The Stars would now like to see him improve his skating.&ldquo;I think you&rsquo;ll see him playing for our team before the year is through,&rdquo; Gainey said.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 118th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Todd Harvey, C, Detroit (OHL), 18,5-11, 190,34-26-35-61-54,2. Richard Matvichuk, D, Kalamazoo (IHL), 21,6-2,190,43-8-17-25-84.3. Jamie Langenbrunner, C, Pete. (OHL), 18,5-11, 180,41-21-44-65-35.4. Jarkko Varvio, RW, Kalamazoo (IHL), 21,5-9, 175, 36-17-12-29-10.5. Mark Lawrence, RW, Kalamazoo (IHL), 22,6-4, 215, 33-12-10-22-49.6. Mike Kennedy, LW, Kalamazoo (IHL), 21, 6-1, 183, 40-11-11-22-24. Has shown improvement after slow start to season.7. Jere Lehtinen, LW, TPS (Fin.), 20, 6-0, 185, 30-13-14-27-2. Strong, twoway forward rated as &ldquo;B&rdquo; prospect by organization.8. Jeff Bes, C, Kalamazoo (IHL), 20, 6-0, 183, 21-2-7-9-14. Struggled early with pro pace, but has shown good hockey sense.9. Juha Lind, C, Jokerit (Fin.), 20, 511. 172. 30-11-9-20-33. Highly skilled offensive center plays much like 1993 first-rounder Saku Koivu.10. Mike Torchia, G, Kalamazoo (IHL), 21, 5-11, 230, 15-8-1, 3.81. Has dropped 20 pounds, but still needs to get in better playing condition.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Mike KennedyStickhandler: Jeff BesShot: Jarkko VarvioBodychecker: Richard MatvichukHockey Sense: JeffBes &#9632;

s0005-04

Kids allowed to take time

<div class="byline">By Keith Gave</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-028/6334352-1-eng-US/s0006-022.jpg" title="s0006-02" width="434" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Anders Eriksson</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-0116/6334359-1-eng-US/s0006-012.jpg" title="s0006-01" width="201" height="198"></div>How&rsquo;s this for success? Four of the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; top five prospects listed a year ago are now in Detroit.Two others also are playing in the NHL.Martin Lapointe, Slava Kozlov, Chris Osgood and Darren McCarty are regulars in the Detroit lineup.Gary Shuchuk is playing for the Los Angeles Kings and Stewart Malgunas is with the Philadelphia Flyers.And there&rsquo;s a new batch coming, though it may be unreasonable to suggest six of Detroit&rsquo;s current top-10 will be in the NHL next season.Particularly because the Wings are widely considered to be the most talented team in the league.Then again, who thought a team that had a franchise record 103 points and 46 wins would be able to absorb five rookies, as the Wings have done in the 1993-94 season?A review of this season&rsquo;s top prospects shows five of the top 10 are defensemen, the position where the Wings will need the most help in coming years.Also noteworthy: All the prospects listed either were drafted or acquired under Bryan Murray&rsquo;s tenure as general manager.Here are the top five prospects in order:Aaron Ward: The 20-year-old defenseman is talented, intense and an enthusiastic bodychecker, similar to Scott Stevens, according to Murray.Ward started the season in Detroit, but it was obvious he needed time to mature. A month into the season, he was assigned to the Adirondack Red Wings of the American League. He sustained a knee injury in December, but it wasn&rsquo;t very serious.Ward could be ready to join the Wings when depth on the blueline is needed during the playoffs.Acquired: Trade with Winnipeg, June 11, 1993.Anders Eriksson: The Swedish rearguard impressed many scouts while helping his country to the silver medal at the World Junior Championship in January.Eriksson is big-6-foot-3, 218 pounds-and has excellent hands, but management feels he&rsquo;s at least two years away from joining the team.He is ticketed to play another season with Modo of the Swedish Elite League before the Wings bring him over for training camp.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 23rd overall.Mike Knuble: The Michigan Wolverines&rsquo; right winger has just what many NHL teams covet-size, strength and the ability to score goals.The 6-foot-3, 208-pound right winger was among the top scorers in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The Wings seem even more pleased with his ability to lead the No. 1 ranked Wolverines.The Wings won&rsquo;t say so, but Knuble is a good bet to turn professional after his season at Michigan.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 76th overall.Curtis Bowen: The 6-foot-1, 189-pounder is slowly making progress after suffering through injury trouble last season.Bowen is not a flashy player by any means, but he is a decent skater and likes to throw his weight around.He was fourth on last season&rsquo;s list of Detroit prospects and the Wings like his ability to bump and check. He is a good candidate for the third-line and would make a good defensive specialist in the NHL.Acquired: 1992 entry draft, 22nd overall.Jamie Pushor: Detroit&rsquo;s second pick in the 1990 entry draft is working on his skating as a rookie in Adirondack.Pushor has good hands and moves the puck well, but he&rsquo;ll likely make his living in the NHL as a rangy stay-at-home defenseman.Chances are good he will get his first audition sometime this season.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 32nd overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Aaron Ward, D, Adirondack (AHL), 21, 6-2,200, 30-1-7-8-33.2. Anders Eriksson, D, MoDo (Swe), 19,6-3,219,20-1-4-5-8.3. Mike Knuble, RW, Michigan (CCHA), 21,6-3,208,25-24-164049.4. Curtis Bowen, LW, Ottawa (OHL), 19,6-1, 189, 30-19-27-46-50.5. Jamie Pushor, D, Adirondack (AHL), 20, 6-3, 192, 39-1-8-9-63.6. Jason MacDonald, RW, Owen Sound (OHL), 19, 6-0, 195, 44-364783-132. One of OHL&rsquo;s top scorers after having great training camp with Wings.7. Kevin Hodson, G, Adirondack (AHL), 21, 6-0, 178, 124-3, 2.85. Free agent acquisition has style that reminds some of Ed Belfour.8. Norm Maracle, G, Saskatoon (WHL), 19, 5-9, 175, 30-10-1, 2.89. Scrambling battler who almost made Canada&rsquo;s WJC team.9. Dan McGillis, D, Northeastern (Hockey East), 21, 6-2, 220, 21-3-1518-52. Big hitter whose toughness gives him edge.10. Jon Coleman, D, Boston U. (Hockey East), 18,6-0, 194, 18-0-7-716. Very raw talent, but has good size and is great skater.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Aaron WardStickhandler: Mike KnubleShot: Anders ErikssonBodychecker: Dan McGillisHockey Sense: Anders Eriksson &#9632;

s0006-02

Blueline like deep blue sea

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-046/6334390-1-eng-US/s0006-042.jpg" title="s0006-04" width="431" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Nick Stajduhar</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-036/6334397-1-eng-US/s0006-032.jpg" title="s0006-03" width="202" height="198"></div>Youth is served in Edmonton on a daily basis.The Oilers entered the 199394 season as the NHL&rsquo;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&rsquo;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.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have to say our goaltending is our problem now, outside of Billy Ranford, of course,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; director of hockey operations Kevin Prendergast. &ldquo;We have good goaltenders, but we just don&rsquo;t have the guy who would take over if Billy was gone. It&rsquo;s not a panic situation, but it wouldn&rsquo;t hurt to have a couple more.&rdquo;Here are the top five prospects in order:Nick Stajduhar: The 6-foot-2, 194-pound defenseman played very well for the Canadian junior team during its gold medal performance earlier this season.A strong skater with a long, smooth stride, the London Knights&rsquo; rearguard was one of the Ontario League&rsquo;s top-scoring defensemen.While his offen-sive game is sound, some have questioned his de-fensive play and lack of strength.&ldquo;Everything there is NHL calibre,&rdquo; Prendergast said. &ldquo;All he has to do is work on his upper body strength and he&rsquo;ll be with us next season.&rdquo;Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 16th overall.Tyler Wright: The combative center has struggled offensively in Cape Breton, but remains a top prospect.He has battled a back injury and a lack of offensive touch this season, but nobody questions his work ethic. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound native of Carona, Sask., is one of the most courageous players in Cape Breton.&ldquo;His heart is there and it&rsquo;s going to be there every shift,&rdquo; Prendergast said.The Oilers will likely recall Wright in the second half. They have him penciled in as a fourthline center.Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 12th overall.Dean McAmmond: The Oilers can use speed up front and McAmmond can certainly deliver.The 5-foot-11, 185-pound center came over in the Joe Murphy deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.He started the year with the big club, but his blazing speed that earned him a spot on the roster disappeared as the travel and pace of the NHL lifestyle sapped his energy. He is currently honing his skills in Cape Breton.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s loaded with talent,&rdquo; Prendergast said,&rdquo;and he just got tired, ran out of gas.&rdquo;Acquired: Trade with Chicago, Feb. 24, 1993.Jozef Cierny: The Oilers had offense in mind when they picked up the 6-foot-2, 183-pound left winger in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres for Craig Simpson.Ciemy hasn&rsquo;t disappointed. He chipped in with 16 goals and 29 points for Cape Breton in 37 games. He made a strong recovery from a knee injury and was recalled by the Oilers in January.&ldquo;This kid has as much skill as anybody,&rdquo; said coach-general manager Glen Sather. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great playmaker.&rdquo;Acquired: Trade with Buffalo, Sept. 1, 1993.David Oliver: The Michigan Wolverines&rsquo; senior right winger is making a run at the Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the top player in U.S. college hockey.The Courtenay, B.C., native is a gifted scorer with excellent vision and playmaking ability.&ldquo;He skates well and handles the puck well. He has gotten better every year,&rdquo; Prendergast said. &ldquo;I think he could help our team right now.&rdquo;Acquired: 1991 entry draft, 144th overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Nick Stajduhar, D, London (OHL), 19,6-2, 194, 30-21-31-52-38.2. Tyler Wright, C, Cape Breton (AHL), 21, 5-11, 175, 35-9-15-24-84.3. Dean McAmmond, C, Cape Breton (AHL), 20, 5-11,185, 16-3-6-9-24.4. Jozef Ciemy, LW, Cape Breton (AHL), 19, 6-2, 183, 40-17-14-31-59.5. David Oliver, RW, Michigan (CCHA), 22, 5-11,185, 25-20-33-53-10.6. Joe Hulbig, LW/C, Providence (Hockey East), 19, 6-3, 212, 16-2-2418. Rugged, banging forward needs time to develop.7. Marko Tuomainen, RW, Clarkson (ECAC), 21,6-2,190, 18-14-17-31-38. Finnish native has big shot, was second on team in scoring.8. Andrew Verner, G, Cape Breton (AHL), 21, 6-0, 194, 5-8-3, 4.52. Third-ranked goalie in system has great glove, but wanders too much.9. Roman Oksiuta, RW, Cape Breton (AHL), 22, 6-3, 210, 17-11-10-21-36. Showed up at camp out of shape, has had much off-ice turmoil.10. David Vybomy, C, Sprata Prague (Czech.), 19, 5-10, 172, 31-9-15-24-N/A. Second-rounder in 1993 struggled at World Junior Championship.<h2>The Best</h2>Skater: Tyler WrightStickhandler: Roman OksiutaShot: Nick StajduharBodychecker: Joe HulbigHockey Sense: David Oliver &#9632;

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February 11, 1994

Restless Werenka eager to join Team Canada

Scoring help would be nice

QUOTABLE

Wilson says Gretzky gets preferential treatment