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.

January 5, 1996

The Hockey News January 5, 1996

I have been a diehard Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; fan forever and I have never seen things in as bad a state with the organization as they are right now.I believe the Canadiens hung on to GM Serge Savard about three years too long. They allowed him to trade away the best defense corps in the league.I am hoping and praying the team will make the right moves, but it doesn&rsquo;t look promising. To bring in a man at this level of hockey who has never coached in his life is a very irresponsible move. This was proven on Dec. 2 when Patrick Roy played his last game for the Canadiens.I am a trainer for the Stratford Cullitons Jr. B team, which won the Ontario championship last season. We have won many championships in the Mid-West (Ont.) League and we know a little bit about the pressure of carrying the honor of past teams.Unfortunately, my two favorite teams have little in common these days. For one, we don&rsquo;t have the president of our team sitting directly behind our bench. I would suggest to Canadiens&rsquo; president Ronald Corey that if he can&rsquo;t find a better seat in the arena, perhaps he should find a different arena.Allan Senior,Stratford, Ont.<h2>Dear Mario</h2>An open letter to Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; coach Mario Tremblay:With all due respect to you and your hockey knowledge, I have to question your motives in humiliating Patrick Roy. I understand that you can&rsquo;t win every game and that individuals sometimes have poor games.But I watched that game from start to finish and I saw a lack of effort from the entire team, not just Roy. I thought after the first period you would quietly replace Roy and allow him to keep his dignity. Much to my surprise, he was left in to give up four more goals and become the target of fan jeering.While Roy&rsquo;s outburst was inappropriate, it was understandable. He is a premier goalie in the league and brought two Stanley Cups to Montreal. Roy deserved better treatment than he received. Even Iron Mike Keenan would not have left Roy out to dry in the manner you did.Hollie Donnon,West Chester, Pa.<h2>No justice</h2>This letter is in response to the comments of readers and columnists pertaining to the accidental high stick by St. Louis Blues&rsquo; defenseman Chris Pronger on Pat Peake of the Washington Capitals.Anyone who saw the incident can see the stick slid up the arm and shoulder of Peake. I don&rsquo;t condone stick infractions and I have no argument with the suspension.But this incident was minor compared to the cross-check Tim Hunter of the Vancouver Canucks gave to Roman Vopat of the Blues on Nov. 23. Vopat lost five teeth and had numerous stitches, but Hunter was not disciplined. All he got was four lousy minutes, but he deserved three times what Pronger got.The officiating in the NHL is outrageous. NHL vice-president Brian Burke needs to open his eyes and realize the problem that needs most to be addressed is the officiating.Rob Harris,Glen Carbon, III.<h2>The new NHL</h2>With the Quebec Nordiques in Denver, the Winnipeg Jets flying off to Phoenix and the Florida Panthers eagerly eying Nashville, the NHL no longer means the National Hockey League. Instead, the letters stand for New Home League.Robert Jarvis,Plantation, Fla.<h2>Rangers will rule</h2>It has been a pleasure to watch the New York Rangers regain some of the confidence they showed in 199394.Those in the New York area who called for coach Colin Campbell&rsquo;s head last season are now calling him a genius. Mike Richter is keeping the team in close games, allowing scorers such as Mark Messier, Pat Verbeek and Luc Robitaille to win games late.The Rangers are no longer losing games they should win and are surprising teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche with awesome displays of offense.When it is all said and done, I believe the Rangers will lay claim to the Stanley Cup in 1996.Andrew Lestingi,Valley Stream, N. Y.<h2>Why even up?</h2>An excellent game between the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers on Dec. 8 was ruined by bad officiating.With 2:21 left to play in the third period, referee Dave Jackson called an interference penalty on Luc Robitaille of the Rangers. No problem, he deserved it.Then with 1:22 left in a tie game, a Ranger was on a breakaway and Paul Coffey dived, knocked the puck away and Coffey&rsquo;s momentum knocked the player down. Coffey was given a bogus tripping penalty.Then with 29 seconds left, the Rangers called for a stick measurement and that gave them a 5-on-3 that carried over into overtime. Pat Verbeek scored the winner 27 seconds into the extra frame.Dave Jackson&rsquo;s call on Coffey cost the Red Wings one point, maybe two. Why must officials always make that even-up call?When players make costly mistakes, they get fined, sent to the minors or suspended. The same should go for the officials.Vincent Korcher,Canton, Mich.<h2>Panthers for real</h2>I would like to applaud The Hockey News for its great coverage of the Florida Panthers.Our team leads the NHL in wins and gives us the best hockey a fan could ask for. Unfortunately, the media here can only talk and write about our losing football team.We South Florida hockey fans are very proud of our team and feel it deserves ample recognition. The Panthers are for real.Jan Orinstein,Homestead, Fla.<h2>Unfair advantage</h2>Three cheers for the letter by S. Madeloni (THN, Dec. 15). To have such an offensively-gifted player as Mario Lemieux roam around the ice virtually untouched is an unfair disadvantage to any of his opponents. Catholic nuns allow students to dance closer than defensive players can skate to Mario.Nancilyn Gatta,Warren, Ohio<h2>Confused thoughts</h2>I&rsquo;m a little confused by Stan Fischler&rsquo;s column in the Dec. 15 issue of THN.He writes in the column: &ldquo;No Brainer Department: Florida Panthers&rsquo; Doug MacLean as coach of the year. And how about Bryan Murray as executive of the year, just for hiring MacLean?&rdquo;Then he says, &ldquo;The Panthers sitting atop the league is a sign NHL talent never was more diluted.&rdquo;Is it me or do these statements not contradict one another?Jim Blair,Levittown. Pa.Make your feelings known. Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 340-1641&nbsp;or write to&nbsp;Letters, The Hockey News, 777 Bay St., Suite 2700, Box 148, Toronto, Ont., M5G 2C8&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;

IN THIS ISSUE

Habs in disarray thanks to Corey

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01956/7074335-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Janney had better show fans respect after he&rsquo;s traded to Montreal.</figcaption></div>Okay, so maybe we did pick Buffalo to win it all for 12 consecutive years. Contrary to our prediction, Al Conroy never became the next Frank Mahovlich, either.But there have been many times it turned out we were right, too. So when we unequivocally predict that this is the Jets&rsquo; final season in Winnipeg, you can take it to the bank. As surely as Orval Tessier will rise again, these will be the big stories of 1996:Jan. 2 The New York Islanders finally trade Kirk Muller, to the Dallas Stars for Greg Adams.Jan. 3 Adams turns down a contract offer from the Islanders, says his heart isn&rsquo;t in playing on Long Island and wants to be traded. The Islanders suspend Adams while they solicit offers.Jan. 10 The Islanders trade Adams to the Florida Panthers for Mike Hough.Jan. 15 During a 14-0 loss in Colorado, Tampa Bay Lightning GM Phil Esposito charges his team&rsquo;s bench, punches Chris Gratton and strangles coach Terry Crisp to death. The media is critical of Esposito&rsquo;s actions, referring to him as a &ldquo;choker&rdquo;.Jan. 18 The Vancouver Canucks trade Esa Tikkanen to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fourth-round pick.Jan. 19 The Leafs trade Tikkanen to Winnipeg for a fifth-round choice.Jan. 21 The Jets trade Esa Tikkanen to the San Jose Sharks for a sixth-round pick.Feb. 5 As his team&rsquo;s losing streak reaches three games, St. Louis Blues&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Keenan again says he will bring in another coach if the team doesn&rsquo;t get turned around. &ldquo;That would be uh, terrible, yeah,&rdquo; says Brett Hull. &ldquo;We certainly would miss a coach with so many, uh, challenging and interesting motivational techniques. We had better snap to it.&rdquo;Feb. 18 After the Blues lose consecutive home-and-home series to Calgary and San Jose by combined scores of 342, Keenan hands in his resignation to himself, but refuses to accept it. &ldquo;There is nothing in our budget for a new coach,&rdquo; Keenan says.March 2 The Islanders&rsquo; attempts to sign Hough to a long-term contract end in failure. He is suspended and leaves in a huff.March 9 Mark Recchi, goalless in five games and being booed by the Montreal fans, skates off the Forum ice in the middle of a game with Ottawa. He brushes past Mario Tremblay, goes right to the seat of team president Ron Corey and announces he has played his last game in Montreal. Before the night is over, Recchi is traded to the San Jose Sharks for Craig Janney and Jeff Odgers. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t tolerate such disrespect for the fans in Montreal,&rdquo; Corey says.March 23 Brian Savage, upset that no one in Montreal has ever asked for his autograph, begins to skate off the ice at the end of his shift. By the time he gets to the blueline, Corey is on the ice with a bus ticket to Ottawa. Savage has been traded to the Senators for Antti Tormanen. Corey savages Savage for not bowing to all four sides of the Molson Centre before asking the fans if he might please leave.March 25 On his first shift with the Canadiens, Antti Tormanen makes eye contact with a fan in the first row of the stands at the Molson Centre and fails to smile. Before he can lean over for the faceoff, Tormanen is traded to Boston by Corey. &lsquo;The fans here are clearly anti-Tormanen,&rdquo; says Corey.April 15 At the end of another disappointing season, the Hartford Whalers fire Paul Maurice, the 28-year-old coach who in November replaced Paul Holmgren. &ldquo;It was the right move at the time, but the game has passed Maurice by,&rdquo; says GM Jim Rutherford. &ldquo;With our attendance problems, we also need some names to sell tickets.&rdquo;April 18 As the New Jersey Devils begin defense of their Stanley Cup, news leaks they are again demanding to renegotiate a lease with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.&lsquo;The NJSEA took advantage of me again when I re-did my deal last summer,&rdquo; says owner John McMullen. &ldquo;Fourteen years ago when I came here, nobody told me that we needed a good, entertaining team to get people to come to games. Last spring, when I was threatening to move to Nashville, not one person at the NJSEA mentioned that if I didn&rsquo;t try to sell one season ticket while we were winning the Stanley Cup, our attendance would not improve.&rdquo;GM Lou Lamoriello says he would have no comment on the rumors.April 20 Word leaks out that a group in Biloxi, Miss., has offered to build the Devils 300 suites. Lamoriello refuses to confirm.April 21 The New York Times reports the Biloxi offer is just for suites, not for an arena or ice in a place where there is absolutely no interest in hockey. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t comment on that,&rdquo; Lamoriello says.June 3 The Devils are eliminated from the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers by what is believed to be a score of 3-2. No one is certain, because with the Flyers ahead in third period of Game 6, the scoreboard at Meadowlands Arena was turned off. Lamoriello refuses to confirm the Devils&rsquo; loss. &ldquo;We never comment on whether we won or lost,&rdquo; Lamoriello says.June 13 The Colorado Avalanche defeats Philadelphia to win the Stanley Cup in the franchise&rsquo;s first season in Denver. &ldquo;Now, I can die in peace,&rdquo; reads a sign held up by a long-suffering Avalanche fan. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m happiest for the people of Denver who stuck with us through all the bad times over the months,&rdquo; says coach Marc Crawford.June 28 Whalers announce the hiring of their new coach, Ty Gretzky, 6.July 1 As the free agent signing period begins, the Whalers make frenzied moves. Within 24 hours, they come to terms with Warren Young, Warren Babe, Jason Kidd and Corey Foster Child.Oct. 2 On the eve of the opening of the 1996-97 season, the Islanders trade Hough to Vancouver for Gino Odjick. &ldquo;By far the best deal available to us,&rdquo; says GM Mike Milbury. &ldquo;This time we got a guy who is always suspended. We won&rsquo;t have to bother.&rdquo;Oct. 5 The Sharks trade Tikkanen to the Dallas Stars for a lOth-round pick in a nine-round draft.Nov. 4 With the Blues slumping and rumors of player disillusionment growing, Keenan threatens to remain as coach of the Blues if they don&rsquo;t begin winning.Dec. 10 The Blues stretch their winning streak to 16 games, all by shutouts. Asked when he is going to keep his promise to step down, Keenan smiles. &ldquo;As soon as I can find room in the budget for another coach.&rdquo;Dec. 20 The Stars trade Tikkanen to the Islanders for an llth-round draft choice. &ldquo;In Tikkanen, I think we finally got a guy who will play for us,&rdquo; Milbury says. &ldquo;Why not? He has played for everybody else.&rdquo;Dec. 27 Tikkanen tells the Islanders his heart is elsewhere, although he has been so many places he can no longer remember where he left it. He is sent home by the team to wait for a trade. &#9632;

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COLUMNISTS

Avalanche will win Cup for ‘long-suffering’ fans

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03782/7073465-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="527" height="921"><figcaption class="caption-body">Norman Green</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021253/7073472-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="150" height="148"></div>The saga of the Dallas Stars&rsquo; sale finally ended when Dallas businessman Thomas O. Hicks announced he had tendered an offer sheet to purchase the team for $84 million-ending a six-month journey.Hicks, who runs an investment group which specializes in leveraged acquisitions and has completed deals in excess of $6 billion, brings to the Stars a solid financial base with which to run the team and also the financial and political clout to help the Stars get into a new arena.He has worked in the past with Donald Carter, owner of the National Basketball Association&rsquo;s Dallas Mavericks, and the two have vowed to begin immediate discussions toward building a new arena in the city of Dallas.Hicks was a late entry into the bidding and beat out fellow Dallas businessman John Spano, who had offered $82.3 million.Hicks&rsquo; offer will pay $79 million for the Stars and an additional $5 million in consulting fees to former owner Norman Green for the next 10 years. Green could earn additional consulting fees.The buyout is expected to satisfy Green&rsquo;s debts to the Alberta Treasury Branches, Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; owners Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg and the NHL. Either side can pull out of the deal by Dec. 22. It is scheduled to close Jan. 31 and requires approval from 20 of the 26 NHL owners.NOTEBOOK: The Stars acquired left winger Brent Fedyk from the Philadelphia Flyers for right winger Trent Klatt in hopes of sparking some offense. Fedyk is expected to see time on the power play and may skate on the first line with center Mike Modano&hellip;The Stars have been a team of streaks. After starting 2-3-0, they went 3-0-2, 0-4-3, 4-0-1 and 0-5-0&hellip;Left winger Mike Donnelly was back practising with the team and hoped to return by-the end of December. Donnelly, who had a goal and five points in 12 games, was out with an intestinal disorder&hellip; On his 31st birthday, Dec. 11, center Dave Gagner tallied his 300th career assist. It was his 10th helper of the season. Earlier this season, he recorded his 250th career goal. &#9632;

f0010-03

New owner; new arena?

Here are the top 20 paid players in the NHL. Salaries are in the team&rsquo;s national currency, except in the case of Canadian-based players paid in U.S. dollars (*) or American-based players paid in Cdn. dollars (**).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04499/7072969-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="381" height="889"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

TOP 20 SALARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="cover" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover40/7076466-1-eng-US/cover2.jpg"></div>Superstar Eric Lindros is THN&rsquo;s player of 1995 &#9632;

cover

YOU GOTTA HAND IT TO ERIC

<h2>Coffey passes way to legend</h2>1. Passing fancy Detroit&rsquo;s Paul Coffey first defenseman in NHL history to record 1,000 assists.2. Get him signed NHL board of governors agree in principal to extend commissioner Gary Bettman&rsquo;s contract.3. No pay for PIMs Arbitrator George Nicolau rules players can&rsquo;t collect bonuses for collecting penalty minutes.4. Nice knowin&rsquo; ya Classy defenseman Gordie Roberts-first U.S. born player to play 1,000 NHL games-retires.5. Player of week Boston&rsquo;s great passer Adam Oates scores four goals, one assist against Florida Dec. 14.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021273/7072838-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="307" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body">Arturs Irbe</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03953/7072831-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="307" height="439"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adam Oates</figcaption></div><h2>Four quarters? It&rsquo;s not hoops</h2>1. Dream on Fox TV executive David Hill&rsquo;s idea for four quarters instead of three periods (for TV purposes) defies tradition.2. Say it ain&rsquo;t so New Montreal arena won&rsquo;t be called Forum, but Molson Centre instead.3. Junior brawl Coaches, five players suspended after Western League brawl between Swift Current, Lethbridge.4. We&rsquo;ll take Johnny Bower San Jose&rsquo;s third goalie, Arturs Irbe, not playing, but fifth in all-star voting.5. Panther problems Florida in first place, owner still talks of moving team elsewhere.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011524/7072824-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="1620" height="2245"><figcaption class="caption-body">Detroit&rsquo;s Igor Larionov, left, helps Paul Coffey celebrate the 1,000th assist of his NHL career. Pg. 10.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0002-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</div>The year 1995 was a good one because:The Game On/Off switch was turned to On, just in the nick of time.We were assured labor peace until at least the year 2000.Peter Bondra, exciting and emotional, emerged as a super-scorer.The groundwork was laid for wider acceptance of facemasks in the NHL.Mario Lemieux came back as good as (better?) than ever.Canada remained one-10 provinces and two territories.Net Worth, a story of 1950s oppression by NHL teams, made it to network television.Sergei Samsonov whetted appetites for 1997-98, his first NHL-eligible year.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04721/7072869-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="325" height="409"></div>The Florida Panthers couldn&rsquo;t do anything wrong, including the firing of a successful coach.Paul Coffey reached a truly remarkable milestone (1,000 assists).Hockey showed signs of making further inroads (in-lines?) in the United States.Canadian teams were granted currency relief in matters of free agency.Friday the 13th never looked so good. The lockout ended Jan. 13, 1995.The hockey world rallied around Travis Roy; some good comes out of terrible bad.Claude Lemieux proved it takes all kinds to make the world go round.Randy Sexton was fired, hopefully ending a monotonous series of Senator rip jobs.Fighting declined in the NHL-although it remains a blight on the game.International hockey got a boost with plans for the World Cup and &rsquo;98 Olympics.Theoren Fleury went on a hot streak after dressing up as Santa Claus for THN.Pat Quinn stood by his man, Rick Ley; right or wrong, what a concept.Casual fans came to appreciate the wondrous skills of Ron Francis.Ticket prices weren&rsquo;t raised by seven NHL teams. Hey, it&rsquo;s a start.Sixteen NHL teams weren&rsquo;t experiencing any attendance problems. Hey, it&rsquo;s a start.Fox Network brought us hockey on Sunday afternoons. Gotta love it.Neil Smith proved he&rsquo;s a pretty good GM, even without Mike Keenan.Defensive defensemen earned recognition-at the pay wicket anyway.Some dumb ideas-i.e. shootouts, different goalie jerseys-were dismissed.Marc Crawford, a good guy, fulfilled lofty expectations as a head coach.Most of all&hellip;You kept reading The Hockey News. Thank you and have a Happy New Year. &#9632;

f0002-04

All the goods on year that was in hockey

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div>The New York Rangers are No. 1 and likely to retain that position next season-in payroll, that is. With the announcement the Rangers have picked up a $ 6-million option on captain Mark Messier next season, they&rsquo;re well on their way to maintaining their position as the NHL&rsquo;s highest-paying team. Their 1994-95 payroll is $31.8 million (U.S.), according to salary figures compiled from documents released by the NHL Players&rsquo; Association to player agents. The Hockey News calculated all 26 unofficial team payrolls based on 24-man rosters. (See pg. 5 for team-by-team listing.) Most team payrolls will likely be higher by season&rsquo;s end because more than two dozen players will be used during the season. Second to the Rangers are the Detroit Red Wings, who are spending $28.5 million. (All figures are in U.S. dollars.) Both teams are getting plenty of bang for their bucks; they are among the league&rsquo;s best teams. Rounding out the top five payrolls, based on 24-man rosters, are the Los Angeles Kings ($26.5 million), Vancouver Canucks ($25.4 million) and St. Louis Blues ($24.9 million). Last among the 26 teams is the Edmonton Oilers, whose projected $11.4-million payroll is 36 per cent of the Rangers&rsquo; payroll. Four other teams have payrolls half as large as the Rangers: the Ottawa Senators, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals. The average payroll is $19.8 million. The unofficial average NHL player salary, then, is $823,000. Last year&rsquo;s official average salary was $733,000. This year&rsquo;s official average won&rsquo;t be calculated until season&rsquo;s end&hellip;According to the NHLPA documents, there are 147 millionaires (mixed dollars) in the NHL, led by Wayne Gretzky ($6.5 million), the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; superstar who continues to more than earn his salary by putting fannies in seats all over the NHL. Messier and Keith Tkachuk of the Winnipeg Jets are each collecting $6 million this season and Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; super-scorer Mario Lemieux is getting $4.6 million. (Lemieux is scheduled to earn $11.3 million next season.) Rounding out the top five is Pavel Bure of Vancouver at $4.5 million. A total of 84 forwards, 47 defensemen and 16 goalies are earning at least $1 million in 1995-96. Tops among defensemen is the Red Wings&rsquo; Paul Coffey ($3.6 million); No. 1 among goalies is Patrick Roy ($4 million, Cdn.) of the Colorado Avalanche&hellip; So, did the players really get their butts kicked at the bargaining table last year as many said? At first glance, it certainly doesn&rsquo;t appear so, but the answer to that question won&rsquo;t be properly answered for several years. For the record, THN called the protracted collective bargaining agreement negotiations a draw&hellip; Bargains of the 3/8 Year: Brian Savage, Montreal Canadiens, $250,000, 19 goals in 28 games; and Steve Rucchin, Anaheim, $300,000, 21 points in 24 games&hellip;Busts of the 3/8 Year (Not including Alexandre Daigle): Kevin Stevens, Boston Bruins, $2.9 million, six goals in 28 games and Brendan Shanahan (with an asterisk), Hartford Whalers, $3.5 million, five goals in 20 games. (The asterisk: he has played with an injured wrist.)&hellip;All but one of 26 teams increased their payrolls, according to a comparison of figures compiled by THN this year and last. Can you guess which team it was? Can you say Alexander Mogilny, Dale Hawerchuk and Doug Bodger? That&rsquo;s right, the Buffalo Sabres are the one team to reduce payroll, from a projected 1994-95 payroll of $19.9 million to a 1995-96 payroll of $18.4 million&hellip;The Pitts burgh Penguins, who purged high-salaried players in the off-season, increased their payroll by about $500,000 this season&hellip;The largest increases have been recorded by the Rangers, Red Wings, Jets and Bruins; all jumped by about $8 million. Others with big increases are the Canucks (about $7 million), Colorado ($6 million) and Philadelphia Flyers ($6 million)&hellip;The lowest-paid NHLer is Jim Sandlak of Vancouver, who is last among 713 players and listed at $125,000 (Cdn.)&hellip;Now for something not related to money. Craig Ludwig&rsquo;s twin boys are chips off the old block-block(ing) shots, that is. The Dallas Stars&rsquo; defenseman is one of the best shot-blockers in NHL history. His 10-year-old sons, Trevor and Tyler, used to be blueline partners and each time opposing forwards crossed into their zone, the brothers dropped to their knees to block opposition shots. Dad looked on proudly and laughed loudly.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011719/7072907-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="351" height="352"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03899/7072900-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="1061" height="1624"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky is the highest-paid player in the NHL at $6.5 million.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

High flying Rangers also high paying

The New York Rangers&rsquo; payroll unofficially leads the NHL at more than $31 million (U.S.). All payrolls listed, including those of Canadian teams, are expressed in U.S. dollars tat a conversion rate of $0.73.).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021375/7072938-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="378" height="1148"></div> &#9632;

f0003-02

NHL TEAM PAYROLLS

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>In a season when NHL coaches and GMs are losing their jobs at a record rate, you may think Jacques Lemaire and Lou Lamoriello of the New Jersey Devils would be watching their backs.But they&rsquo;re not because, in spite of the Devils&rsquo; poor record this season, there&rsquo;s a quiet buzz around the league the team will crank it up when the time is right.The Devils were a game under .500 after 30 games, exactly where they were a year earlier en route to winning the Stanley Cup. That&rsquo;s part of the reason nobody is prepared to get to worked up about it.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-05240/7073007-1-eng-US/f0003-052.jpg" title="f0003-05" width="325" height="392"></div>&ldquo;We&rsquo;d rather not be in the position we&rsquo;re tn right now, but all we can do is look ahead,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;The spirit is good; the attitude is great. I actually think we&rsquo;re a better team than last year. We just haven&rsquo;t shown it yet.&rdquo;Injuries played a role in the Devils struggles. Lost for extended periods of time have been centers Bob Carpenter, Bob Holik and Sergei Brylin, left winger Brian Roiston and defenseman Jason Smith. When you consider right winger Claude Lemieux was traded and veteran defenseman Bruce Driver lost to free agency, that&rsquo;s quite a bit of lineup shuffling with which to contend.The interesting thing about the Devils is, even when you identify something not working for them, there is usually a reason to remain optimistic.For instance, veteran right winger Stephane Richer was a non-factor during the season&rsquo;s first quarter. The talented Richer, who should score 40 goals a year in his sleep, had just six in 26 games before bruising his hand and missing three games. But even though the Devils didn&rsquo;t have a goal scorer in double digits, they had only four fewer goals than at the same time the year before.Also, while goalie Martin Brodeur struggled in allowing too many bad goals, the Devils actually gave up three fewer than last season and had the fourth best goals-against in the league.So what&rsquo;s the big deal?The development of youngsters Petr Sykora, Denis Pederson and Scott Pellerin gives the Devils reason to feel things will get better. We picked the Devils to repeat as champions and while they might not be the favorite at this point, we&rsquo;re not about to jump off the bandwagon yet.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-06151/7073000-1-eng-US/f0003-062.jpg" title="f0003-06" width="338" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body">Martin Brodeur</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0003-05

Don’t write off Cup champion Devils just yet

A weekly compendium of significant events and developments (Dec. 8-15).Dec. 8: Pierre Turgeon named captain of Montreal Canadiens, replacing traded Mike Keane.Arbitrator George Nicolau voids clause in contract of Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; forward Ken Baumgartner which would have rewarded him for penalty minutes.Dec. 9: St. Louis Blues&rsquo; goalie Grant Fuhr records career win No. 303 to move to 10th on all-time list.Dec. 11: Randy Sexton fired as GM of Ottawa Senators, replaced by Mighty Ducks of Anaheim assistant GM Pierre Gauthier. Anaheim director of player personnel David McNab replaces Gauthier.Former Canadien Pierre Mondou appointed scouting director of Montreal. Another former Montreal player, Mats Naslund, named European scout.Dec. 12: New York Islanders&rsquo; coach Mike Milbury named GM, replaces Don Maloney.Dec. 13: Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; defenseman Paul Coffey becomes first NHL defenseman to hit 1,000 assists.Dec. 14: NHL board of governors agrees in principal to extend commissioner Gary Bettman&rsquo;s contract.Adam Oates of Boston Bruins nets four goals in win over Florida Panthers. &#9632;

Gauthier replaces Sexton, Milbury replaces Maloney

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011657/7073093-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"></div>* Asterisk indicates Canadian-team player contract in U.S. dollars.** Asterisks indicate U.S.-team player contract in Cdn. dollars. &#9632;

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INSIDE HOCKEY

<div class="byline">By Kevin Allen</div>PALM BEACH, Fla.-On a day NHL owners heard the Florida Panthers are serious about moving, they told commissioner Gary Bettman he isn&rsquo;t going anywhere.The board of governors&rsquo; unanimous vote to offer Bettman a contract extension beyond its Feb. 1, 1998 expiration reflected two days of meetings at which &ldquo;stability&rdquo; was a buzzword. Owners clearly would like to have Bettman under contract until 2002 or 2003.Armed with his vote of confidence, Bettman stood firm on his belief the league isn&rsquo;t ready for expansion. &ldquo;There is no sense making additions to our house when our house isn&rsquo;t in order,&rdquo; Bettman said.The messiest area of the NHL&rsquo;s house is South Florida, where local government hasn&rsquo;t come forth with a workable plan to build an arena to house the Panthers. If a plan doesn&rsquo;t develop, the Panthers may be moved, with Nashville the most-talked-about destination.&ldquo;My tolerance is lowering,&rdquo; Bettman said.Yet the Panthers are reviewing a new proposal presented by the city of Sunrise, Fla.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a positive in the fact it&rsquo;s a new proposal,&rdquo; said Panthers&rsquo; president Bill Torrey.Torrey said the Panthers&rsquo; fate will probably be decided by mid-February at the latest.Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers could be heading back on the critical list, even though the board of governors reached an agreement on a plan to help smaller Canadian markets deal with the problem of having the Canadian dollar worth 74 cents (U.S.). The governors are to formerly approve the plan by a phone vote.&ldquo;There were no dissenting voices on the principle,&rdquo; said Ottawa Senators&rsquo; owner Rod Bryden.If a Canadian team is in the bottom half of revenue producers, the league is willing to provide a financial subsidy, provided fans are supporting the team.&ldquo;If a team is drawing 5,000, the dasher boards aren&rsquo;t sold and the suites are empty, it&rsquo;s not going to qualify,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;Owners in the markets that were going to be affected said, &lsquo;We don&rsquo;t want a subsidy if we aren&rsquo;t to get the support in our communities.&rsquo;&rdquo;The subsidy would come from the league&rsquo;s shared funds.Qualifying criteria hasn&rsquo;t been established, although it would presumably be pointed at the Calgary Flames, Senators and Oilers. Given the attendance problems in Ottawa and Edmonton, it appears only the Calgary Flames would qualify for the subsidy as of today. Sources say the first subsidy could come this season, although that hasn&rsquo;t yet been finalized.&ldquo;Does it solve the world&rsquo;s problems? No,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;It does address an important issue that has a posed a hardship on many clubs.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011843/7073124-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="476" height="632"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gary Bettman</figcaption></div>The Oilers say there are no plans to move, but owner Peter Pocklington says he needs to raise his season-ticket sales from 6,500 to 13,000. suite sales from 36 to 54 and sell eight more boards by April.&ldquo;(The subsidy) would add a lot of money&hellip;if people will buy the tickets,&rdquo; Pocklington said.If the Oilers meet the criteria, the subsidy could be as much as $7 million, according to Pocklington.And if enough season tickets aren&rsquo;t sold? &ldquo;If those aren&rsquo;t met by the end of April, I guess they will get to watch junior hockey,&rdquo; Pocklington said.The board reviewed the $84million sale of the Dallas Stars&rsquo; to Dallas resident Tom Hicks and the Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; move to Phoenix, but it won&rsquo;t vote to approve them until Jan. 19. &ldquo;In neither case are we anticipating a problem,&rdquo; Bettman said.Bettman&rsquo;s role in propping up the league&rsquo;s troubled franchises in his three years, plus his work in landing the Fox Television contract and assuring labor peace until 2000 played a major role in the owners&rsquo; decision to come to Bettman with the offer.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s important to us to have strong leadership in place to meet the challenges,&rdquo; said board of governors chairman Harley Hotchkiss.Bettman&rsquo;s original deal-five years for $5.5 million-doesn&rsquo;t expire until Feb. 1, 1998. He is rumored to be seeking in the $2-to $3-million range annually.In comparison, National Basketball Association boss David Stern earns $5 to $6 million annually, while National Football League head Paul Tagliabue earns $1.2 million, but sources say it&rsquo;s closer to $4 million with bonuses.The expectation is Bettman&rsquo;s deal would be at least for another five years for more than double his current salary. Owners want to ensure he will be around for the television negotiations in Canada and U.S. in 1998 and 1999, plus the next collective bargaining agreement in 2000.Bettman wouldn&rsquo;t put a timetable on expansion. A lot depends on what happens with the Panthers.Clearly, the league&rsquo;s image will take a hit if a team has to move three years after being welcomed into the league for a $50 million fee. The Panthers and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim came into the league just before Bettman was hired.&ldquo;Maybe the expansion was too hasty,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;Anaheim was great, but they had the building. Florida has great ownership, the market, the fan interest, but no building.&rdquo;Also, Bettman was adamant about his opposition to relentless proposals by Fox sports president David Hill to change the format of NHL games from three periods to four quarters.&ldquo;I have no intention of considering the notion of four quarters,&rdquo; Bettman said. &#9632;

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Bettman NHL’s 21st century man

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>Phoenix will become the NHL&rsquo;s 20th U.S.-based team following a formal announcement in mid-December.The prospective new owners of the Winnipeg Jets signed a binding letter of intent Dec. 12 to move the NHL franchise to Phoenix for next season.BG Hockey Ventures is believed to be paying a purchase price of at least $65 million. The deal will close at the end of the 1995-96 season.A formal announcement confirming the Jets&rsquo; arrival in Phoenix for next season was scheduled for Dec. 19 at the America West Arena.BLUE CHIPPERS: Josh Holden, Chris Hajt and Darren Van Oene are three rising stars of the 1996 NHL entry draft.Holden, a high-scoring Regina Pats&rsquo; center, rose to No. 4 in Red Line Report&rsquo;s November ranking of 1996 draft-eligible prospects. He was rated No. 7 in October.Hajt, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound Guelph Storm defenseman, moved to No. 6 from No. 9 in one month, while Van Oene, a 6-foot-3, 206-pound Brandon Wheat Kings&rsquo; center, jumped from No. 16 to No. 8 in the rankings.The top three spots in the rankings remained the same. Defenseman Chris Phillips of the Prince Albert Raiders is No. 1, right winger Alexandre Volchkov of the Barrie Colts is No. 2 and defenseman Andrei Zyuzin of Salavat Ufa in Russia is No. 3.FIGHT AGAINST ITP: Bob Nystrom fought many battles as a New York Islander. But now he&rsquo;s taking on a bigger opponent.Nystrom is the celebrity chairman for the fight against ITP (immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura), a bleeding disorder caused by a low blood platelet count. He became involved with ITP because the disease hit close to home: his son Eric had the disease when he was four.People with ITP face difficulty as a result of poor blood clotting, uncontrolled bleeding and excessive bruising. What would be nothing more than an ordinary bruise for most people can become life threatening.The ITP Society is a non-profit group dedicated to spreading the word and looking for a cure.&ldquo;I get involved in fundraising to help with research,&rdquo; Nystrom said. &ldquo;So many times it&rsquo;s misdiagnosed and I think that if we can help educate doctors and people in general we would be much better off.&rdquo;Eric is now 12 and feeling fine.&ldquo;He went through it, he responded, and he came out great,&rdquo; Nystrom said.For information on FTP, call 1-800-ITP-7010 (1-800-487-7010).VIKING CUP: National junior select teams from five countries will be in Camrose Alta., for the annual Viking Cup tournament.The Dec. 28 to Jan. 4 tournament features under-18 teams from Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic and an under-20 team from the United States. Rounding out the eight-team draw are the North Battle-ford Jr. A Stars, the Alberta Jr. League Selects and the host Camrose Augustana Collegiate Vikings.Some top 1996 NHL entry draft-eligible prospects playing in the tournament are Oleg Kvasha, Yuri Babenko and Nikolai Ignatov from Russia, Michal Rozsival, Marek Posmyk and Vladimir Mizera from the Czech Republic and Timo Vertala from Finland.&mdash;With a file from Lou Friedman &#9632;

Phoenix deal signed to buy Winnipeg Jets

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>A Norwegian hockey player, already in the midst of a 20-month suspension, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for an incident that injured two spectators.Tommy Eriksen, a 25-year-old defenseman for Oslo VIF and a member of the Norwegian national team, went into a fit of rage Jan. 19, 1995 when he was given a penalty in a game in Oslo against Stjernen Fred-rikstad.He broke his stick in the penalty box, was issued a 10-minute misconduct and responded by throwing his broken stick into the stands.A 15-year-old youth lost three teeth when hit by the stick and a photographer sustained a minor eye injury.Eriksen is suspended from playing all sports in Norway until September of 1996.QUICK BRET: Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; defenseman Bret Hedican proved himself one of the fastest players in the NHL during the team&rsquo;s SuperSkills competition.Hedican completed a revolution of the ice in 13.477 seconds, the fastest among players in the Western Conference. Eight of 13 teams have completed their competitions.Teammate Alexander Mogilny moved into third place with a time of 13.515. Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings and Darren Turcotte of the Winnipeg Jets were second and fourth, respectively.The top four skaters and shooters from each conference advance to the SuperSkills&rsquo; final during the All-Star Game, Jan. 19 in Boston.Winnipeg&rsquo;s Dave Manson was the hardest shooter in the West with a blast of 100.8 miles per hour.John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers had the hardest shot in the East (98.3 mph), while Scott Niedermayer of the New Jersey Devils had the quickest time (13.470). Seven of 13 clubs in the East have competed.ESPN AWARD: Doug Holmes of ESPN won his second straight award for directing the network&rsquo;s Stanley Cup final coverage.CableAce Awards presented Holmes with the top honor for directing a live sports event. It marked the 10th consecutive year ESPN won the directing award. &#9632;

Norwegian lands in jail for outburst

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011678/7073227-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011736/7073258-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="152" height="150"></div>The only question about who the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim&rsquo;s next assistant GM would be was this: Who&rsquo;s going to break the news to Northwest Airlines?David McNab, the Ducks&rsquo; chief scout and director of player personnel, was the obvious choice to replace Pierre Gauthier when Gauthier took the Ottawa Senators&rsquo; GM job Dec. 11.But it means the end of an era for McNab, notorious for the ground he covered as a scout by land, sea and air. Based near Minneapolis, he has flown more than 1.5 million miles on Northwest and put 275,000 miles on a 1978 Cutlass Calais.McNab will stick with amateur scouting through the crucial period leading up to the draft, then will move his family to Orange County in and take over Gauthier&rsquo;s position full-time.The job puts McNab, 40, one step from following in his father&rsquo;s steps as an NHL GM. Max McNab spent 48 years as player, coach and executive in professional hockey.&ldquo;He was excited because he knows this is what I&rsquo;ve wanted for a long time,&rdquo; David said. &ldquo;My father was a GM for years and years, so I know the pressures that come with winning and losing. I understand the work ethic it takes.&ldquo;I think anybody who has ever scouted knows what a great job, what a fun job that is. To be successful (as an assistant GM), you have to have scouted for a long time. You can&rsquo;t just go from being a player in the NHL to a job like this.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Pierre Gauthier became the first member of the Ducks&rsquo; management team to leave since the organization was founded. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big loss, no doubt about it,&rdquo; said GM Jack Ferreira. &ldquo;From Day 1, he played an integral part in putting this organization together. But it&rsquo;s a great opportunity for Pierre and when a situation like this comes up, you can&rsquo;t hold him back.&rdquo;&hellip;Goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov started six of eight games over Guy Hebert in a December stretch. Coach Ron Wilson said Shtalenkov deserved to play and handles the puck better than Hebert. When obstruction rules are being called, there is more pressure on goalies to handle the puck quickly on dump-ins because defenders can&rsquo;t stall attacking opponents. &#9632;

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McNab obvious choice to become assistant GM

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03963/7073289-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="535" height="919"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dean Chynowth</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021328/7073296-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="152" height="151"></div>Through rain, snow, injury or illness, the Boston Bruins are hoping Dean Chynoweth will make his rounds.Chynoweth, who fought a losing battle with injury, illness and an evergrowing group of defensemen for playing time with the New York Islanders, was obtained by the Boston Bruins Dec. 9 for a fifth-round draft pick in 1996.He waited out a snowstorm that day in Newark, N.J., and caught a flight for Miami in time to make his debut with the Bruins that night.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been on Long Island eight years; the only organization I&rsquo;ve ever been with,&rdquo; said Chynoweth, the Islanders&rsquo; first pick (13th overall) in the 1987 NHL entry draft. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough from that standpoint, but I&rsquo;m extremely excited to be with the Bruins. This is a great organization with a great tradition.&rdquo;The Bruins, who have struggled on the blueline all season, are glad to have him.&ldquo;He is what we perceive to be a very solid, physical individual who gets involved,&rdquo; said Bruins&rsquo; coach Steve Kasper. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t wait forever for people who are playing to get the job done.&rdquo;Boston&rsquo;s defense, already thinned by Al Iafrate&rsquo;s inability to play because of persistent knee problems, was further damaged by the failure of second-year NHLers John Gruden and Jon Rohloff to make progress. Chynoweth, 27, played 147 games over eight seasons for the Islanders.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Blaine Lacher won his first start after a two-week stint with Providence of the American League. He did, however, allow a few soft goals in a 6-4 victory over the Florida Panthers Dec. 14. After the game Lacher let loose on reporters: &ldquo;1 just want to prove all you guys wrong; that&rsquo;s the big thing. A lot of you fools make up little nicknames for me and you know who you are. 1 want to prove you guys wrong; that&rsquo;s what I want to do. I know more about hockey than any one of you.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Adam Oates scored four goals in the win over the Panthers&hellip;Team president-GM Harry Sinden addressed the club Dec. 9 before the game in Miami exhorting his players win more one-on-one battles. &#9632;

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Chynoweth gets chance

<div class="byline">By Budd Bailey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011642/7073334-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="534" height="901"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Holzinger</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021147/7073327-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="153" height="152"></div>When the Buffalo Sabres sent Jason Dawe to the minors, Brian Holzinger got the message loud and clear.The rookie center knows coach Ted Nolan was sending a signal to his players-especially Dawe-when Buffalo&rsquo;s third-leading scorer was assigned to the Rochester Americans of the American League.&ldquo;Jason Dawe has 18 points,&rdquo; said Holzinger, who had just nine himself in 25 games. &ldquo;When a guy like that gets sent down, it&rsquo;s an eye-opener. It tells you that anything can happen.&rdquo;Holzinger, 23, is well aware of his struggles and knows he could be part of a future shake-up. As a first-year pro, he can be assigned to Rochester without clearing waivers.&ldquo;I talked with some of the guys about that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what a rookie goes through. There&rsquo;s always that possibility.&rdquo;The highly touted graduate of Bowling Green was expected to be one of the top rookies this season. Instead, he has come up lacking in one-on-one situations.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing against men now,&rdquo; said assistant coach Terry Martin. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to lose confidence in this league. It&rsquo;s a big jump from college. Very few guys can do it. It takes a while.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: A storm that dumped 36 inches of snow on Buffalo forced postponement of the Sabres&rsquo; game with the Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 10. The game was played the next day with the Lightning winning 6-1. Only 5,462 fans braved the poor weather&hellip;Right winger Rob Ray was cleared to play after recovering from a broken orbital bone. He was expected back in the lineup by Dec. 20. Right winger Donald Audette was also expected back after recovering from soreness in his right knee&hellip; Ted Nolan isn&rsquo;t giving up on Jason Dawe despite his demotion to Rochester. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a skilled player and he has to play that way,&rdquo; Nolan said. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t been going in a while and I had two or three conversations with him about it.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Holzinger gets hint

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03708/7073365-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="154" height="154"></div>His three-year record suggests this is nothing out of the ordinary. For German Titov, it&rsquo;s either feast or famine.Last season, Titov had 10 goals in his first 10 games, then five in seven playoff games to end the year. In between, he scored two goals in 30 games.This season, the Calgary Flames&rsquo; left winger had 11 points in his first 26 games, then 11 more in his next five.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like having a fifth gear on a sports car,&rdquo; said coach Pierre Page. &ldquo;Right now, Titov has an extra gear. I don&rsquo;t know where he found it, but he did.&rdquo;Titov&rsquo;s slow start may have been partly attributable to the fact he lost most of his inner circle on the team. Assistant coach Slava Lener-a Czech who spoke fluent Russian-returned home, while Czechs Robert Reichel and Frank Musil and Russians Andrei Trefilov and Nikolai Borschevsky moved on to other teams.Titov also had to deal with high expectations and a position shift. In September, Page projected Titov as the center on his No. 1 line. The experiment lasted just six games into the regular season when Titov was shifted back to left wing.Then there&rsquo;s the matter of his infant twins. &ldquo;The babies, all night they cry,&rdquo; Titov said. &ldquo;For now, I go to basement for sleeping.&rdquo;&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just have to chip in and finish that basement for him,&rdquo; Page said, &ldquo;or at least make sure he has a good mattress down there.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Of the things that have gone wrong with the Flames this season, their poor home record was most frustrating. Calgary was 2-7-3 at the Saddledome. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a disadvantage at home when you&rsquo;re not playing well,&rdquo; said defenseman Zarley Zalapski. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re afraid of going out and making a mistake because you&rsquo;re going to get ridiculed by the fans.&rdquo;&hellip;Zalapski wasn&rsquo;t playing up to his $l.5-million-a-year (U.S.) contract. He had four goals and seven points in 29 games&hellip;James Patrick was the team&rsquo;s most consistent defenseman and the only member of the blueline corps above sea level at plus-1&hellip;Through Dec. 14, the Flames had just two wins against teams in other divisions, the lowest total in the league. &#9632;

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Titov up to same old trick with hot and cold season

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05411/7073396-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="534" height="931"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Probert</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04546/7073403-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="153" height="152"></div>Bob Probert&rsquo;s much-anticipated return to Detroit was more hype than substance.Probert didn&rsquo;t score, didn&rsquo;t fight and didn&rsquo;t do much to help the Chicago Blackhawks avoid losing to the Red Wings 3-1 Dec. 13.The big left winger received a mixed reaction from the crowd at Joe Louis Arena, where he was a fan favorite for nine seasons before bolting for Chicago as a free agent in 1994.In fact, Probert became a forgotten man in his homecoming after Wings&rsquo; defenseman Paul Coffey picked that night to record his milestone l,000th assist late in the first period.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it was Bob Probert&rsquo;s best game,&rdquo; said Blackhawks&rsquo; coach Craig Hartsburg. &ldquo;Maybe it was a big distraction. For Bob&rsquo;s sake, I&rsquo;m glad the game&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;Probert was relieved as well.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to get that over with because I was a little nervous,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s out of the way now and I hope it won&rsquo;t be as big a deal the next time I go there.&rdquo;Probert didn&rsquo;t speak to one member of the Detroit media before or after the game, rushing in and out of Joe Louis flanked by security.&ldquo;Screw them,&rdquo; Probert said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t owe them (bleep). They didn&rsquo;t do me any favors. They used to find the negative and run with it. They never did anything with the positive.&ldquo;I just wanted to go play and not worry about the media idiots. I went into town, played a hockey game and got the heck out of there.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: It appeared the Hawks weren&rsquo;t in the running for either Kirk Muller or Joe Nieuwendyk. &ldquo;Muller definitely won&rsquo;t help us,&rdquo; said GM Bob Pulford. &ldquo;Nieuwendyk, I don&rsquo;t know. We&rsquo;d probably want somebody younger.&rdquo;&hellip;Pulford spent several days in the hospital for tests on his heart, but pronounced himself fine&hellip;Center Jeff Shantz was scratched for two games following a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators Dec. 7&hellip;In the Hawks&rsquo; skills competition, right winger Tony Amonte was the fastest skater and defenseman Chris Chelios had the hardest shot at 99.7 mph&hellip;Center Bernie Nicholls was given the okay to practice, but not participate in any contact. He was still at least two weeks away from returning. &#9632;

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Tame return for Probert

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011710/7073434-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="152" height="150"></div>Valeri Kamensky has this strange affliction for which nobody around the Colorado Avalanche has a cure.When Kamensky is making small talk with teammates, he&rsquo;ll converse in English. But when a media person approaches him, Kamensky suddenly forgets every English word except these: &ldquo;Sorry, don&rsquo;t understand.&rdquo;The diagnosis for Kamensky&rsquo;s problem seems to be Sportswriteritis.The 29-year-old left winger from Voskresensk, Russia, might be tagged with the nickname &lsquo;Garbo&rsquo; if he doesn&rsquo;t watch out.Kamensky simply doesn&rsquo;t like to talk much to reporters. He&rsquo;s not mean about it, Kamensky is just shy&hellip;or so he would have you believe.&ldquo;He speaks pretty good English,&rdquo; said Avalanche coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;But, hey, he&rsquo;s shy with everybody. He has been here four years and we still can&rsquo;t get two words out of him.&rdquo;Fortunately for the Avalanche, Kamensky has spoken loudly with his play this season. The player who was known in his native country as the &ldquo;Russian Wayne Gretzky&rdquo; is having the best year of his NHL career in 1995-96.Through 31 games, Kamensky had 16 goals and 41 points.One of the league&rsquo;s most elegant skaters, Kamensky has been a great fit with Swedish center Peter Forsberg and French-Canadian right winger Claude Lemieux on the Avalanche&rsquo;s &ldquo;United Nations Line.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The acquisition of goalie Patrick Roy from the Montreal Canadiens set Denver into a hockey frenzy never before seen. The Avalanche pushed the National Football League&rsquo;s Denver Broncos and National Basketball Association&rsquo;s Denver Nuggets onto the bottom of the sports page&hellip;The proposed Pepsi Center got a big boost when Ascent Entertainment Group, owners of the Avalanche, sold all of the five million shares it put out for public offering. The revenue should go a long way toward financing a new arena, which will hopefully open by 1998-99&hellip;,Right winger Scott Young had a string of five goals in four games&hellip;Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh suffered a slightly separated shoulder Dec. 7 against the Edmonton Oilers. &#9632;

f0010-01

Kamensky scoring on ice, but not with local media

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04531/7073510-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="529" height="907"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Coffey</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05394/7073503-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="151" height="153"></div>Paul Coffey stood in the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; dressing room and allowed himself a broad grin.&ldquo;What a relief,&rdquo; said Coffey, who earlier that night, in the Dec. 13 game against the Chicago Blackhawks, registered his 1,000th assist.With the helper on Igor Larionov&rsquo;s goal late in the first period, Coffey became the first defenseman in NHL history to reach 1,000 assists. Only three other players have ever reached the quadruple digit: Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Marcel Dionne.Coffey did it exactly the way he wanted-in front of the home crowd on an important goal. At the time, the Blackhawks led 1-0. Detroit won 3-1.&ldquo;If I had visions of how I would get the 1,000th, I would want it on a nice play and make it a nice goal,&rdquo; Coffey said.Coffey didn&rsquo;t have to wait long for congratulations from his good friend, Gretzky. As he walked into the dressing room after that period, equipment manager Paul Boyer told him he had a phone call.&ldquo;It was Wayne,&rdquo; Coffey said. &ldquo;He was watching in the dressing room in L.A. He congratulated me and told me I only have another 500 or 600 to go to catch him.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Keith Primeau&rsquo;s goal Dec. 13 was his first in 11 games. Eight of those games came after he returned to the lineup from a rib cartilage injury. &ldquo;Hopefully now the puck will have eyes and I won&rsquo;t have to force it like I was,&rdquo; he said. Primeau also was surprised to find out that Chicago&rsquo;s Eric Daze wears No. 55 because of him. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve watched him develop,&rdquo; Daze said of Primeau, who like Daze, stands at 6-foot- 5. &ldquo;His skating is so much better now than when he came into the league. I look at him and try to do the things he has done.&rdquo;&hellip;Right winger Darren McCarty, out with a separated right shoulder, resumed skating on Dec. 11, but was kept on the injured reserve list. &#9632;

f0010-04

Grand play for 1,000th

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011540/7073541-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="152" height="155"></div>Doug Weight isn&rsquo;t on the ballot, but he should be on the ice for the All-Star Game.The crafty 24-year-old center is the obvious choice to represent the Edmonton Oilers in Boston Jan. 20, though not obvious enough to the NHL which failed to include him on the ballot with Oilers&rsquo; defenseman Luke Richardson, goalie Bill Ranford and right winger Jason Arnott.&ldquo;Obviously it would be great to go to the All-Star Game. It would be great to get all those individual things, 100 points, things like that,&rdquo; said Weight, who was on pace for 112 points with 41 in 30 games. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be nervous as hell.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s pretty obvious the Oilers need Weight on the scoresheet. They were 1-7-0 when he didn&rsquo;t register a point.Weight is the model of consistency with 11 multiple-point games, at least one point in 22 of 30 games, and his 41 points gave him one more than he scored in 48 games last season.&ldquo;Consistency, that is something I&rsquo;ve been lacking in my first four years,&rdquo; Weight said. &ldquo;There would be two or three weeks when I&rsquo;d feel like I could play great hockey and be a great contributor then all of a sudden the next three, four games I didn&rsquo;t feel like I was involved.&rdquo;Coach Ron Low provided the environment in which Weight can thrive offensively by giving him Arnott and Ciger as wingers.&ldquo;1 think he showed a lot of confidence in me and that really helped my game right off the bat,&rdquo; Weight said.NOTEBOOK: The Oilers won three consecutive road games in Colorado, San Jose and Anaheim; the first time they managed that feat since 1989-90&hellip;GM Glen Sather&rsquo;s public declaration he wanted to trade struggling defenseman Igor Kravchuk was part truth, part motivation. &ldquo;I gave him hell in the room, I gave him hell in public. If a player doesn&rsquo;t come around after that, then you have to trade him.&rdquo;&hellip;The Oilers did not exercise their option to release left winger Miroslav Satan to his Slovak team, Dukla Trencin, after 30 games. &lsquo;&lsquo;He&rsquo;s a good prospect,&rdquo; Sather said&hellip;Sather was attempting to wrap up the Curtis Joseph trade during the board of governors meetings Dec. 14 and 15 in Palm Beach, Fla. &#9632;

f0011-01

NHL TEAMS

All-star berth weighing on mind of top scorer Weight

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03743/7073572-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="536" height="926"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Vanbiesbrouck</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021100/7073579-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="153" height="153"></div>If the Florida Panthers seemed a little giddy after their first victory at the Meadowlands against the New Jersey Devils, it was for good reason.In their season opener-on the same day the Devils raised their Stanley Cup banner-the Panthers were shut out 4-0. After watching his club&rsquo;s lethargic outing that day, GM Bryan Murray recalled thinking, &ldquo;This is going to be a long season.&rdquo;Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck, however, said the Panthers used that opening game as a barometer.&ldquo;(It showed) us how we had to play to be a playoff team,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;Jersey manhandled us. From that point, we all picked up our game.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck said the Panthers&rsquo; 2-1 victory over the Devils Dec. 11 proved they had met their initial goal.The Panthers continued their surprising play through the middle of December-they were still first overall as of Dec. 15-with strong goaltending, excellent penalty killing and four balanced and tenacious lines. Vanbiesbrouck believes the key to the Panthers&rsquo; success is confidence and that &ldquo;nobody wants to be the weakest link.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to know the whole coaching staff believes we don&rsquo;t have to trap everybody to win the game,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;Now, we&rsquo;ll forecheck. Now we&rsquo;ll hound them and get another goal to drive the nail in. That comes under the headings of &lsquo;killer instinct&rsquo; and &lsquo;confidence.&rsquo;&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Rookie coach Doug MacLean stood a good chance of being behind the bench for the Eastern Conference all-star team. Thanks to a recent rule change, the coach whose team is first in each conference the day balloting closes (Dec. 27) gets the honor&hellip;Rookie right winger David Nemirovsky, who had played in nine games for the Panthers, was sent to the team&rsquo;s American League affiliate in Greensboro for conditioning. After that stint, it&rsquo;s likely he&rsquo;ll be returned to his major junior team, the Ontario League&rsquo;s Ottawa 67&rsquo;s&hellip;Rookie defenseman Rhett Warrener was invited to try out for Canada&rsquo;s World Junior Championship team. Brian Murray guaranteed he would return to the Panthers following his stay. &#9632;

f0011-03

Jersey win great sign

<div class="byline">By Mike Apace</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021090/7073617-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="550" height="676"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Maurice</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011554/7073624-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="152" height="151"></div>Paul Holmgren was 5-6-1 when he was fired as the Hartford Whalers&rsquo; coach.At the time, the Whalers were in the midst of a 1-6-0 skid during which they were outscored 29-9. Five of their nine goals came in a game against the Ottawa Senators. It was a depressing time.A little over a month later, the Whalers hit a 1-6-1 skid during which they were outscored 29-18. Seven of their goals came in a game against the New York Islanders.The depression wasn&rsquo;t easing.New coach Paul Maurice is not about to be fired; he will likely be a long-term company man. But if things remain status quo in terms of wins and losses, the only change the Whalers will see is a change of cities.&ldquo;Team performance is important because people want to see a good product, people want to see a winner,&rdquo; said Whalers&rsquo; president-GM Jim Rutherford.&ldquo;We have good players. We just don&rsquo;t have a good team. We made a (coaching) change and it&rsquo;s still the same thing, night after night. Not enough mental toughness.&rdquo;The search continues for chemistry.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re struggling so bad in front of the net,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;There are just no easy answers.&rdquo;The Whalers were on a pace to be the lowest scoring team in the league. Maurice continued to stress defensive responsibility.&ldquo;Everybody knows the coach is ultimately accountable,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question the team&rsquo;s performance on the ice is my responsibility.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs figured out, since 1991, the Whalers have been rumored to be moving to 22 locations: 1. Miami; 2. Minneapolis; 3. Phoenix; 4. Adjacent to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn.; 5. Stamford, Conn.; 6. Cleveland; 7. Houston; 8. Denver; 9. Las Vegas; 10. Cincinnati; 11. Milwaukee; 12. Orange County, Calif.; 13. Hamilton, Ont.; 14. San Diego; 15. Kansas City; 16. Atlanta; 17. Charlotte, N.C.; 18. Somewhere in Southern Connecticut; 19. Portland, Ore.; 20. Seattle; 21. Nashville; 22. Elsewhere in Hartford&hellip;Goaltender Jeff Reese, traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning Dec. 1 for a ninth-round entry draft pick, beat his former teammates 3-2 Dec. 13 for his third consecutive victory.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03810/7073610-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="548" height="671"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jim Rutherford</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0013-02

Song remains the same under new band leader

<div class="byline">By Lisa Dillman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04685/7073655-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="151" height="149"></div>His predecessors have taken other jobs in the middle of the season, thrown sticks at referees and called in self-styled, selfhelp gurus for sessions in the dressing room.No wonder the shelf life of a Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; head coach is about three seasons.Already, new Kings&rsquo; coach Larry Robinson is growing frustrated-and confounded-before the halfway point of the season. Of the Kings&rsquo; first 12 losses, one-third came to lower-echelon teams-two to the Calgary Flames, one each to the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders.The second loss to Calgary, a 6-2 defeat Dec. 11, sent Robinson over the edge and had him vowing immediate change. It was the Kings&rsquo; sixth consecutive loss on the road.&ldquo;Maybe that&rsquo;s why previous coaches brought in all these head shrinks, to try to find out what is in their mind sometime,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to resort to that. I&rsquo;ll get someone else to do the job before I resort to that.&rdquo;Robinson stuck to his word and immediately called up two players from the Kings&rsquo; International League minorleague affiliate in Phoenix-center Gary Shuchuk and right winger Dan Bylsma. Shuchuk had an assist against Ottawa, but was sent back to Phoenix the next day.&ldquo;At least they have guys (in Phoenix) who come to work and that&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;m asking right now,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not getting guys pulling their share of the load. I can think of five to eight guys and some of our better guys, too.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Rookie right winger Vladimir Tsyplakov&rsquo;s season came to an abrupt end Dec. 14 when he had reconstructive surgery on his right shoulder. Tsyplakov, who signed a two-year deal Nov. 5, injured the shoulder in the first game he played, at St. Louis Nov. 7. In 11 games, he had two goals and three points. He will be out for at least four months, joining defenseman Rob Blake as the second King to suffer a season-ending injury&hellip;Right winger Rick Tocchet received an automatic one-game suspension for his third instigator penalty of the season, against Ottawa Senators&rsquo; Dennis Vial&hellip;The Kings hired goaltending consultant Don Edwards as a full-time assistant coach. He signed a two-year deal that runs through the 1996-97 season. &#9632;

f0013-04

Robinson loses his cool over cold road showings

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03854/7073686-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="149" height="151"></div>Pierre Turgeon-a.k.a. The Tin Man-was accused of lacking heart early in his career.But less than a year after arriving in a trade from the New York Islanders, that clearly isn&rsquo;t the case.Indeed, on most nights, the flashy center is the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; best player. And, following the trade of goalie Patrick Roy to the Colorado Avalanche, Turgeon is the Habs&rsquo; only marquee player.Now, on top of that, he&rsquo;s Montreal&rsquo;s new captain-appointed by coach Mario Tremblay and GM Rejean Houle. Turgeon replaces Mike Keane, who accompanied Roy in the five-player trade.Vincent Damphousse and Lyle Odelein remain as alternate captains.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very proud,&rdquo; said Turgeon, the Buffalo Sabres first overall draft choice in 1987. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much history involved in being captain of the Canadiens.&rdquo;Some would say it also carries a curse.The Canadiens had only five captains over a 28-year period, from 1961-89, but have had five more, including Turgeon, since then. The last four-Chris Chelios, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller and Keane-were all traded. In fact, Muller was part of the deal to the Islanders that landed Turgeon in Montreal last April.Turgeon predictably vowed to break that trend and remain with the Canadiens. Turgeon was Montreal&rsquo;s leading scorer with 13 goals and 22 assists in 26 games.NOTEBOOK: Following the trend of more direct corporate sponsorship in professional sports, the Canadiens&rsquo; new 21,400-seat downtown arena will be known as the Molson Centre-not the new Forum, as expected. The Toronto-based Molson Companies Ltd., the Canadiens&rsquo; owner, footed the entire bill for the $230million arena. The Canadiens have played at the Forum for 71 years. Their final game there is against Dallas, March 11. The first game at the Molson Centre is March 16, against the New York Rangers&hellip;Former Canadiens&rsquo; center Pierre Mondou is the team&rsquo;s new director of scouting. He will oversee the 14-member scouting department, be in charge of the entry draft and co-ordinate work assignments. &#9632;</div>

f0014-03

Turgeon replaces Keane as newest Habs’ captain

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021246/7073717-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="527" height="918"><figcaption class="caption-body">Corey Schwab</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011656/7073724-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="149" height="150"></div>Corey Schwab didn&rsquo;t quite master the art of thrusting his index finger into the air like teammate Mike Peluso. And he didn&rsquo;t have Tie Domi&rsquo;s reel &rsquo;em in routine down well enough to try that as he skated off the ice.But the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; rookie goaltender certainly knew how to fight his way into the NHL.&ldquo;I might be out of work here pretty soon,&rdquo; joked Peluso, the Devils&rsquo; enforcer. &ldquo;I guess you can see why Corey&rsquo;s idol is Ed Belfour. Eddie takes on Bob Probert.&rdquo;In only his second NHL start, Schwab became a cult hero at Meadowlands Arena when he skated the length of the ice to fight New York Islanders&rsquo; counterpart Tommy S&ouml;derstr&ouml;m during a Dec. 9 brawl which started when Islanders&rsquo; defenseman Rich Pilon clotheslined the Devils&rsquo; Bill Guerin.Guerin, who pounded Pilon as the Islanders&rsquo; defenseman turtled near the side of the goal, was then jumped by New York defenseman Darius Kasparaitis. But it was Soderstrom&rsquo;s decision to grab Guerin around the neck that induced Schwab to race down the ice to enter the melee.&ldquo;Anytime our guys get outnumbered, I&rsquo;ve got to help them out,&rdquo; Schwab said. &ldquo;The bottom line is we have to stick together.&rdquo;&ldquo;I never saw him coming,&rdquo; Soderstrom said. &ldquo;I had one hand and he had two. He had his mask on and I didn&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s hockey and I&rsquo;ll get him back one day.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>NOTEBOOK: Center Bobby Holik ($2.2 million over three years) and left winger Valeri Zelepukin (just under $2 million for three years) agreed to new contracts&hellip;Tommy Albelin, who has played left and right wing as well as defense this season, would have gone in goal had Martin Brodeur not been able to finish against the New York Islanders Dec. 9&hellip;Center Bobby Carpenter returned after missing 23 games with a left leg cut and two more with the flu&hellip; Rookie center Petr Sykora had seven goals in six games Nov. 29 to Dec. 9&hellip;GM Lou Lamoriello was reportedly interested in Calgary Flames&rsquo; Joe Nieuwendyk and Boston Bruins&rsquo; Cam Neely to improve the Devils&rsquo; offensive problems. &#9632;

f0014-02

Goalie adds some punch

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021069/7073762-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="551" height="870"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Milbury</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011525/7073769-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="151" height="153"></div>Mike Milbury wasn&rsquo;t the model for that fisherman on the New York Islanders&rsquo; jersey, but he might as well have been. Now that he has taken on the dual role of coach-GM, it&rsquo;s undeniably his team.Ten days after Don Maloney was fired, the 43-year-old Milbury was, as expected, given the job. He&rsquo;ll be assisted by vice-president Al Arbour, assistant GM Darcy Regier and chief financial officer Art McCarthy.&ldquo;My reason for seeking this job, and I did seek it,&rdquo; Milbury said, &ldquo;was because I wanted control of player personnel more than anything else.&ldquo;In a day and age where coaches often have trouble keeping their jobs&hellip;having the dual role gives me a position that makes me feel a little more comfortable and maybe (the players) a little more uncomfortable.But I think I can use that authority properly. I&rsquo;ll know what we have, what we need to have and what&rsquo;s expendable.&rdquo;Milbury, given a five-year, $3.5-million deal July 5 when he was hired as coach, will receive no extra pay for doing the GM job.&ldquo;My Brink&rsquo;s truck came in July,&rdquo; he quipped.Milbury, who has one assistant coach (Guy Charron) and a roving goalie coach (Bob Froese), said he will hire another assistant. Sources said his first two phone calls would be to Boston Bruins&rsquo; chief scout Gord Clark and tired Ottawa Senators coach Rick Bowness.Islanders&rsquo; co-chairman Bob Rosenthal said Milbury satisfied management&rsquo;s concern about being overworked.&ldquo;In Mike&rsquo;s case, the first question was, &lsquo;Can you do both (jobs)?&rsquo; And he had to convince us he could,&rdquo; Rosenthal said. &ldquo;We strongly believed, with the support he has in this organization through Darcy and Al and others, Mike would help us make the progress we hadn&rsquo;t made in the past.&rdquo;Defenseman Mathieu Schneider, in the last year of a contract, said he thinks Milbury will be able to handle both titles.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see it affecting anything immediately,&rdquo; Schneider said. &ldquo;As far as GMs and negotiating, the GM has leeway, but the owner sets the budget. I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s going to affect my negotiations.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: A night after being pounded in a fight by New Jersey Devils&rsquo; goaltender Corey Schwab, netminder Tommy Soderstrom played one of his best games as an Islander in a 6-2 win over his former team, the Philadelphia Flyers Dec. 10&hellip;Defenseman Darius Kasparaitis severed tendons when he was cut by a skate in a game against the Devils Dec. 9. He was expected to be out until early January&hellip;The bus the Islanders chartered to take them to USAir Arena for a Dec. 14 game against the Washington Capitals ran out of gas and the players had to take cabs&hellip;Bob Rosenthal said despite the team&rsquo;s poor attendance (about 11,000 per game) and the fact SportsChannel is trying to restructure its cable rights deal, relocating the Islanders isn&rsquo;t an option.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03762/7073755-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="549" height="870"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tommy Soderstrom</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-02

Milbury expands power base with addition of GM’s duties

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04559/7073800-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="152" height="151"></div>The New York Rangers are a deeper, more skilled and more focused team than the one that failed to defend the Stanley Cup in the lockout-shortened 1995 season.But even with all of that, they&rsquo;d be nowhere without better goaltending. As they rolled to a 7-0-3 streak and a 12-02 home-ice run in the busiest month in team history, the one constant was goaltending.Mike Richter, firmly implanted as the team&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie, went on a tear that put him back up with the league&rsquo;s goaltending elite.Richter played 16 times in a 20-game segment, going 11-2-3. He was unbeaten in his last eight (6-0-2), and had already matched his entire victory total of all of last season with 14.The workload and success are no coincidence.&ldquo;I think they go hand-in-hand,&rdquo; Richter said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not ready to play, the workload is not a good thing for you. But if you start to feel a little good and get a lot of opportunity, you can feel really good in a hurry.&rdquo;The Rangers have had a No.l goalie only twice in the past 10 years. In 1985-86 John Vanbiesbrouck carried the load and won a Vezina Trophy as the league&rsquo;s best goalie, taking a very mediocre team to the semifinal. In 1993-94, Richter won a team-record 42 games, was the All-Star Game MVP and the backbone of the team that won the Stanley Cup.Meanwhile, backup Glenn Healy (61-2) was brilliant in limited action, including a marvelous 2-2 tie against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, when he had to deal with Jocelyn Thibault&rsquo;s debut replacing the traded Patrick Roy.Coach Colin Campbell noticed the difference in Richter&rsquo;s game.&ldquo;Ricky&rsquo;s in much more control right now,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very set. One thing he&rsquo;s doing better is stopping the puck. I know that&rsquo;s a Yogi Berraism. He thrives on work and you can speculate on that. Maybe he does less and accomplishes more by doing what he&rsquo;s doing. But I don&rsquo;t profess to know a thing about goaltending.&ldquo;Goaltending can be 70-80 per cent of your game. It can salvage a lot of things. And if it&rsquo;s not there, that lack of confidence stretches right through your whole team.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Rangers lost left winger Luc Robitaille until the new year when it was discovered Dec. 14 he had suffered a stress fracture above his left ankle about a week earlier. Robitaille said he was hit with a deflected power play shot from a teammate, but couldn&rsquo;t remember in which game. When the pain got worse, Robitaille had x-rays, which revealed the fracture&hellip;The Rangers were to play 17 December games, more than any other NHL team would play in any month this season, and more than any month in team history&hellip; Mark Messier scored his 20th goal Dec. 13. Colin Campbell had penciled him for 17 during the summer. &ldquo;He was trying to take the pressure off me, or something,&rdquo; Messier said. &#9632;

f0015-04

Richter regains Cup form, Rangers look unbeatable

<div class="byline">By Chris Stevenson</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011441/7073831-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="150" height="149"></div>Pierre Gauthier had barely been shown the GM&rsquo;s office with the Ottawa Senators before he started showing members of the old regime the door.Within 24 hours of being named the Senators&rsquo; third GM in just over three years, Gauthier fired director of amateur scouting Barry Long and Quebec scout Andre &lsquo;Moose&rsquo; Dupont.Twenty-four hours later. Western scout Bruce Southern was gone-fired by the Senators for the second time this season. Southern had been let go in the fall, but rehired after director of player personnel John Ferguson and Ontario scout Tim Higgins quit.Gauthier took over for deposed president and GM Randy Sexton, who was fired by majority owner Rod Bryden Dec. 11.&ldquo;How do I view this opportunity? I see this as a great challenge,&rdquo; said Gauthier, whose name had come up of late whenever there was a GM vacancy in the NHL-most recently in connection with Montreal Canadiens after the sacking of Serge Savard. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t take much to get back on the winning track.&rdquo;Gauthier&rsquo;s purge did not affect assistant GM Ray Shero. The coaching staff of Dave Allison and assistants Pierre McGuire and Chico Resch was said to be safe-for the time being.It&rsquo;s believed there was pressure from Ogden Corp., the arena manager on the hook for about $165 million in capital and loan guarantees for the soon-to-open Palladium, to get the club on the road to respectability. There were about 50 unleased suites at the Palladium and season ticket sales had stalled in the 8,500 range.Roy Mlakar, Ogden&rsquo;s hockey consultant, was in Ottawa and was involved in the hiring of Gauthier.Sexton had a tumultuous two years and something to prove, but the club could not escape the NHL&rsquo;s basement under his guidance. His reign was marked by criticism for, among other things:&#9633; Giving Alexandre Daigle a ridiculously over-priced contract.&#9633; A long-standing feud with star Alexei Yashin, which deprived the club of the services of its best player.&#9633; The unpopular decision to fire coach Rick Bowness and replace him with Allison which did not nothing to change the fortunes of the club.Sexton, a member of the original team which brought NHL hockey back to Ottawa, was vilified by the press and fans, who chanted &ldquo;Sexton&rsquo;s gotta go!&rdquo; at what turned out to be his final home game as GM.To his credit, Sexton showed up for the announcement of his firing.&ldquo;This is a very disappointing day for me,&rdquo; Sexton said. &ldquo;You have to show progress and we didn&rsquo;t.&rdquo;&ldquo;I thought he could have done a better job with the people he had around him,&rdquo; Ferguson said &ldquo;He should have trusted people more.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Alexei Yashin, who said repeatedly he had no desire to play for &ldquo;this management&rdquo; of the Senators, hadn&rsquo;t changed his tune after GM Randy Sexton&rsquo;s firing and was continuing his holdout while awaiting a trade. New GM Pierre Gauthier expected to meet with Yashin&rsquo;s agent, Mark Gandler&hellip;Coach Dave Allison had not signed his contract with the Senators at the time Gauthier took over the team, which could have allowed the new GM to make a painless change. But Gauthier said Allison&rsquo;s three-year deal would be honored&hellip;Gauthier also had plans to meet with Tom Laidlaw, the agent for top NHL pick Bryan Berard in the last draft. They&rsquo;ll talk at the World Junior Championship in Boston where Berard will play for Team USA. &#9632;

f0016-01

Gauthier’s turn to save Sens

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021111/7073862-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="150" height="148"></div>Hockey fans can be a tough crowd. John LeClair will vouch for that.The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; left winger enjoyed a breakthrough season last year posting a career-high 26 goals in 46 games (25 in 37 as a Flyer) and was named NHL first-team all-star.But because his previous best was just 19 goals in a full season, lots of seats were filled with skeptics.No matter. LeClair took up right where he left off, scoring 20 goals in the Flyers&rsquo; first 31 games to keep on pace for a 50-plus-goal season.&ldquo;Fluke?&rdquo; said Swedish linemate Mikael Renberg with a grin. &ldquo;Is that what you call it? He&rsquo;s not a fluke. I knew he was a very good player as soon as he came in here. And he&rsquo;s going to be good for many more years.&rdquo;LeClair, 26, begrudgingly admits he still has something to prove.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing,&rdquo; LeClair said. &ldquo;You finally succeed, have a good year and people just say, &lsquo;Aw, it was lucky.&rsquo; It was important for me to get off to a good start. It&rsquo;s not over by any means. I want to have a complete year.&rdquo;Others suggest LeClair&rsquo;s emergence as a star is mostly a product of having Eric Lindros as a center. But statistics show when Lindros went down with a sprained knee in early November, LeClair continued his steady production, notching three goals and seven points in seven games.In fact, LeClair&rsquo;s individual skills are sometimes overshadowed by the overall greatness of Lindros and the flashy talent of Renberg.Part of the secret was let out of the bag during the Flyers&rsquo; portion of the NHL SuperSkills competition at the CoreStates Spectrum Nov. 25.Everyone thought blasters such as Lindros or Shjon Podein might win the hardest-shot competition. Both fired shots in the low 90s.Then LeClair created a buzz among the spectators and his teammates by getting off a 98.3-miles-per-hour blast, the fastest shot in the NHL up to that point.&ldquo;I knew,&rdquo; said center Craig Mac-Tavish. &ldquo;Just ask the goalies, they&rsquo;re constantly placing ice bags on their shoulders due to that 98-, 100-mile-an-hour fastball that Johnny possesses. I&rsquo;ve seen him blow the shoulders off every goalie we&rsquo;ve had here, so it came as no surprise to me.&rdquo;LeClair reached the 20-goal mark Dec. 14 with a two-goal performance against a team he owns, the Tampa Bay Lightning. He had 10 goals and 17 points in his six games over two seasons against the Lightning as a Flyer.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Trent Klatt, acquired in a Dec. 13 trade with the Dallas Stars for left winger Brent Fedyk, made his debut in the Flyers&rsquo; 4-0 win over Tampa Bay Dec. 14. Klatt was placed on a line with fellow Minnesota natives Joel Otto and Shjon Podein. The 24-year-old Klatt said a pre-season contract holdout from the Stars probably paved the way for a trade&hellip;Ron Hextall blanked the Lightning, facing just 18 shots, for his first shutout since last Feb. 25. In his previous start, Hextall was yanked after three goals in a 62 loss to the New York Islanders, his first mid-game exit since March 30. Coach Terry Murray said pulling Hextail was more a reflection on the team&rsquo;s poor play than the goalie&rsquo;s performance. &#9632;

f0016-02

LeClair having a blast-again

<div class="byline">By Dave Molinari</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011290/7073893-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="534" height="897"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Wregget</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02983/7073900-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="152" height="151"></div>Nearly everyone in Pittsburgh with an opinion agrees Ken Wregget is overqualified to serve as a backup goalie.Most also concur he appears doomed to be stuck in that role as long as he and Tom Barrasso are teammates on the Pittsburgh Penguins.Wregget certainly seems to have reached that conclusion, which probably explains why his attitude soured a bit recently.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been putting everything into it,&rdquo; Wregget said as the first full week of December came to a close. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t put in an honest day&rsquo;s work every day and I think it was starting to show.&rdquo;His fears were well-founded-Wregget&rsquo;s goals-against average had ballooned while his save percentage plunged during his previous few starts-but he rebounded quite nicely a little more than 24 hours after his public mea culpa.He made 35 saves in a 6-0 victory against the Hartford Whalers for his third shutout of the season, tying Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; Chris Osgood for the league lead.&ldquo;Hopefully, this will get him going, get him into a little (better) feeling about himself,&rdquo; said Pittsburgh coach Ed Johnston.NOTEBOOK: Pittsburgh&rsquo;s 6-3 loss to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim Dec. 13 snapped a couple of streaks for the Penguins. It ended their eight-game winning run (tying the longest in the NHL this season) and was their first loss to a team with a losing record (they were 9-0-1 in such games). The Mighty Ducks took a streak of their own into that game: they were in an 06-3 slump&hellip;Even though the Penguins were 11-2-0 at home, they were not exactly pleased with the ice at the Civic Arena. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s awful,&rdquo; Mario Lemieux said&hellip;Petr Nedved, who had been centering the No. 3 line, was moved onto left wing alongside Ron Francis and Jaromir Jagr. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty easy playing with those two guys,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

f0017-01

Goalie fights backup blues

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecki&#x3C0;g</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03709/7073931-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="153" height="151"></div>Chris Pronger may have a multi-million-dollar contract, but it can&rsquo;t buy him a break with the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; fans.The 21-year-old defenseman played one of his better games of the season in a 3-3 tie with the Calgary Flames Dec. 14. He scored for the first time in 17 games and assisted on another goal.His reward? Boos from the hometown crowd when he was announced as the third star.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t bother me, (but) I can&rsquo;t say that I don&rsquo;t think about it,&rdquo; Pronger said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to figure out what I can do. I sit at home and I wonder what I&rsquo;m doing sometimes.&rdquo;Pronger arrived in St. Louis with a strike against him because the Blues gave up Brendan Shanahan-one of the most popular players in franchise history-to acquire him. His inconsistent play and perceived nonchalance haven&rsquo;t helped.&ldquo;People say it looks like I don&rsquo;t care, but I try not to show my emotions out there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t want to show the opposition that you feel like spit for making a mistake. Then, they&rsquo;ll keep coming at you.&rdquo;Coach-GM Mike Keenan was cautiously optimistic about what he saw from Pronger in the Calgary game.&ldquo;He played with authority and he played assertively,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;He was our best defenseman tonight without question. If we can build on that, we&rsquo;ll be happy. If he keeps developing, he will be the best defenseman in the league.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Blues, riding a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1), were brought back to earth Dec. 12 when they were pounded 5-2 by the Detroit Red Wings at Kiel Center. &ldquo;We have to apologize to the fans,&rdquo; Mike Keenan said. &ldquo;We were pathetic.&rdquo;&hellip;Goaltender Grant Fuhr was pulled for the fourth time this season in the Red Wings&rsquo; game. Keenan inserted Bruce Racine 53 seconds into the second period because, &ldquo;there was no chance for us to win.&rdquo;&hellip;Rookie right winger Craig Johnson had four goals and six points in six games after being held off the scoresheet in his first 14 games&hellip;Center Adam Creighton&rsquo;s goal against Calgary Dec. 14 was his first in 24 games dating back to Oct. 14 and only his second of the season. &#9632;

f0017-03

Pronger feels fans’ wrath even when he plays well

<div class="byline">By Mike Weaver</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-05368/7073962-1-eng-US/f0017-052.jpg" title="f0017-05" width="532" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body">Viktor Kozlov</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04521/7073969-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="151" height="152"></div>The Legion of Womb. If nothing else, the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; young line of center Viktor Kozlov, right winger Shean Donovan and left winger Andrei Nazarov has a great nickname.Actually, it has a bit more going for it than the moniker coined by director of player personnel Chuck Grillo. The play of rookies Kozlov and Donovan (both 20) and Nazarov, 21, gives interim coach Jim Wiley reason for optimism.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to a point where I can&rsquo;t wait until the next game to see if they can do it again,&rdquo; said Wiley, who came up with the combination shortly after taking his new position Dec. 2.Kozlov, recalled after a stint with the Kansas City Blades of the International League to adjust to a position switch from left wing to center, was feeling more comfortable with his new position.&ldquo;He has been creating opportunities (for his linemates) and getting opportunities for himself,&rdquo; Wiley said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s learning how to make a move and then take his shot.&rdquo;The trio&rsquo;s numbers were far from staggering-Nazarov was tops with 12 points in 31 games-but the unit was providing a spark. The three dominated on occasion, pressuring the opposition with relentless forechecking and coming up with good chances.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty exciting, but I want it to be a low-key kind of excitement,&rdquo; said Wiley, who was 3-3-0 as interim coach, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to let them grow and develop at their own speed.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Arturs Irbe, the Sharks&rsquo; No. 3 goalie, ranked fifth among Western Conference netminders in fan AllStar Game balloting through mid-December&hellip;Defenseman Gord Roberts, who attended training camp with the Sharks in September, announced his retirement Dec. 12. Roberts, 38, played for six NHL teams during a career that started in 1979 with the Hartford Whalers. He appeared in 1,097 NHL games and was the first player bom in the United States to reach the 1,000-game plateau in the league&hellip;After conducting training camp in Brainerd, Minn., the past two seasons, the Sharks have decided to discontinue that trend. GM Dean Lombardi said the decision was made after he polled several players. &#9632;

f0017-05

Shark guppies provide spark

<div class="byline">By Boy Cummings</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011324/7074000-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="149" height="148"></div>Michel Petit may not have been the perfect fit for six other NHL teams, but as far as the Tampa Bay Lightning are concerned, he has the right stuff.In need of a solid right defenseman to stabilize the blueline corps, the Lightning acquired Petit from the Los Angeles Kings for defenseman Steven Finn Nov. 13. The Lightning proceeded to go 9-2-1 in Petit&rsquo;s first 12 games.&ldquo;A good right defenseman is hard to find,&rdquo; said coach Terry Crisp.Petit&rsquo;s effectiveness in Tampa Bay begs the question why he wasn&rsquo;t able to stick elsewhere. A first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks in 1982, Petit said run-ins with coaches over playing time and management over contracts often times expedited his departures.Lightning assistant coach Wayne Cashman, who was an assistant with the New York Rangers during Petit&rsquo;s stint there, has another theory. He said that because of Petit&rsquo;s speed and hands, the 31-year-old rearguard has always been projected as a big point-producer. His highest point total was 36 with the Quebec Nordiques in 1989-90.&ldquo;He can move the puck and he does have a good shot, but he&rsquo;s at his best in his own end,&rdquo; Cashman said.Perhaps, but Lightning forwards are applauding Petit&rsquo;s offensive capabilities. They say his crisp tape-to-tape outlet passes and his offensive awareness are a welcome change.&ldquo;He has made a difference in helping us get the rush started,&rdquo; said winger Petr Klima, &ldquo;because he doesn&rsquo;t panic when he gets the puck and he can really move it up the ice in a hurry. He&rsquo;ll put that puck right on your stick, not just bang it off the glass and out.&rdquo;Petit did that in a Dec. 13 game against the Hartford Whalers, setting up a second-period goal by Brian Bradley with a pass into the low slot. He later scored the winner in a 3-2 triumph to give him his first goal and five points in 22 games.Petit becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, but said he has grown to like the area and, all things being equal, would like to stick around awhile.&ldquo;If I have a choice,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to stay and finish my career here.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: An arthroscopy performed on Daren Puppa&rsquo;s ailing right knee showed the Lightning goalie was suffering from a tom ligament. He was expected to miss two weeks&hellip;In Puppa&rsquo;s absence, Jeff Reese allowed four goals in three starts as Tampa Bay ran off four straight victories. The Lightning reached that plateau in their 30th game. It was the first time the Lightning had ever been .500 or better that late in the season&hellip;Petr Klima scored his 300th career goal in the victory over the Whalers&hellip;Defenseman Enrico Ciccone, playing with a cast to protect his injured right thumb, had a two-point game in a 6-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 11&hellip;A Lightning penalty-kill streak was stopped at 32 by the Philadelphia Flyers Dec. 14. &#9632;</div>

f0018-01

Petit’s play powers surge

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02988/7074031-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="150" height="151"></div>Eighteen months after the fact, the decision to let defenseman Bob Rouse escape to unrestricted free agency is still haunting the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; front office.Rouse bolted the Leafs two summers ago to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, and the Leafs sorely missed his presence last season after failing to adequately replace him.Earlier this fall, the Leafs inked defenseman Todd Gill to a three-year, $3.9-million contract that will prevent him from exploring unimpeded free agency until 1999. Then, with 34-year-old blueliner Jamie Macoun set to hit the open market at the end of this season, the Leafs bit the bullet and signed Macoun for two more years at $1 million per campaign.&ldquo;All you have to do right now is examine the six-man units around the league and look at all the glaring holes,&rdquo; said Leafs&rsquo; GM Cliff Fletcher. &ldquo;That tells you everything you need to know. If we let Jamie go, who would we get to replace him? And how would we get that person? Solid defensemen are not easy to come by.&rdquo;Macoun was thrilled with the deal and the increase on his $687,500 salary, particularly since he wasn&rsquo;t expected to get more than one year and hasn&rsquo;t played that well this season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very pleased,&rdquo; Macoun said. &ldquo;What I do is not glamorous. This is a reinforcement in their eyes, that they appreciate what I&rsquo;m trying to do.&rdquo;A contractual arrangement between the Leafs and Ken Baumgartner, meanwhile, hit a snag Dec. 8 when arbitrator George Nicolau struck down clauses in Baumgartner&rsquo;s 14-month-old contract that would have paid him bonus money for accumulated penalty minutes.The bonuses would have paid Baumgartner $10,000 for 170 penalty minutes, or five goals, or 10 points. There were four levels of bonuses for greater numbers of penalty minutes and offensive totals, but the news focused on the penalty increments.&ldquo;His agent (Bob Murray) came up with the idea,&rdquo; said assistant GM Bill Watters. &ldquo;I said it probably wouldn&rsquo;t be accepted, but I put it in anyway.&rdquo;Baumgartner wasn&rsquo;t embarrassed or upset by the ruling.&ldquo;It was just a creative attempt at an achievable bonus that would reward me for playing my role,&rdquo; said Baumgartner, who had 83 minutes in 29 games.NOTEBOOK: Center Paul DiPietro was a surprise recall from Houston of the International League Dec. 13. The Leafs tried, but failed to rid themselves of the 25-year-old and his $450,000 contract during the pre-season. DiPietro showed offensive skills in Houston with 16 goals in 25 games. The recall was also a reflection of the poor season youngster Brandon Convery is having with St. John&rsquo;s of the American League&hellip;Center Mike Hudson was left red-faced Dec. 13 when he missed a team flight to San Francisco. First Hudson&rsquo;s cab ran out of gas, then he went to the wrong departure terminal&hellip;Defenseman Todd Gill&rsquo;s new deal pays him an extra $500,000 this season, then $3.3 million over the next three seasons. &#9632;

f0018-02

Macoun in millionaire’s club

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011114/7074062-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="151" height="152"></div>The snout of Jeff Brown was seen emerging from coach Rick Ley&rsquo;s doghouse.The Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; defenseman, who ripped into his coach after being scratched two games in October, is quietly rounding into form while other controversies rage about him. After 29 games, he led the team in plus-minus at plus-7.&ldquo;I thought Jeff Brown played his best game of the season in Calgary,&rdquo; Ley said of the Canucks&rsquo; 4-3 victory over the Calgary Fames Dec. 9.A noted offensive defenseman, Brown found himself in a key defensive role that game and was on the ice facing a Calgary 6-on-4 power play with six seconds remaining. Brown blocked a shot and managed to chuckle about it later.&ldquo;So did you like my save?&rdquo; said Brown, who admitted it was pure desperation on his part.Brown needs to become an even more desperate player if the injury-riddled Canucks are to make a move in the Pacific Division.&ldquo;I feel I&rsquo;m playing better, but I&rsquo;m still not where I want to be,&rdquo; said the 29-year-old Ottawa native. &ldquo;The Canucks didn&rsquo;t get me to lead the team in plus-minus, they got me to help the power play. I&rsquo;m supposed to be the quarterback and I&rsquo;m not playing like it.&rdquo;In three previous seasons, Brown collected 175 points in 178 games, so he was disappointed with just 17 points in his first 27 this season. He had only one goal.NOTEBOOK: After waiting two weeks for left winger Esa Tikkanen&rsquo;s medical records from the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues, the Canucks finally received the information, which meant he was one step closer to returning to the lineup. Tikkanen had declared his intention to play on his wonky right knee and was fully aware of the possibility he may suffer further damage to the joint&hellip;Canucks&rsquo; trainer Mike Burnstein, who is supervising Pavel Bure&rsquo;s rehabilitation, gave the Russian Rocket a four-week program to follow while Bure visits his homeland. Bure&rsquo;s father and personal trainer, Vlad, will be in weekly contact with Bumstein&hellip;The Canucks&rsquo; power play, ranked sixth in the last full game Bure played, dropped as low as 15th. &#9632;

f0020-01

Brown contributing now, still looking for offense

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03519/7074093-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="534" height="918"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Klee</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02759/7074100-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="149" height="150"></div>When Ken Klee comes to work these days he doesn&rsquo;t ask if he&rsquo;ll be playing, but where.A defenseman by trade, Klee was converted to a winger by Washington Capitals&rsquo; coach Jim Schoenfeld, then moved back to the blueline in practice after playing more than two dozen games up front.His versatility paid off in a game against the Buffalo Sabres Dec. 8 when Klee started the match as a right winger, but was moved back to defense when rearguard Calle Johansson was ejected in the first period.With defenseman Sergei Gonchar out a few games with the flu, Klee spent more time on the blueline and had the tying goal in a 4-3 overtime win over the New York Islanders Dec. 14.Klee was moved up primarily because the Caps are thin when it comes to NHL-calibre forwards and he was able to beat out a host of wannabes in training camp.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a real good skater,&rdquo; Schoenfeld said. &ldquo;He has pretty quick hands, is a real good bodychecker and playing as a wing gives you the opportunity to use all those talents.&ldquo;So with a surplus (of defensemen), I thought he was a better forward than some of the forwards we had. We tried him there and he proved us right.&rdquo;Klee has no complaints about being shifted back and forth and said he feels comfortable in both roles.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve told (Schoenfeld) before, I&rsquo;ll play anywhere I can,&rdquo; Klee said.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Kelly Miller&rsquo;s streak of 322 consecutive games played, second longest in Cap history, came to an end Dec. 14 when a groin injury kept him out of the lineup. He was originally hurt Nov. 11, but the injury didn&rsquo;t heal. Since joining the Caps Jim. 1, 1987, Miller had missed just five games to injury and two more in a contract dispute. The club record is 422 held by Bobby Carpenter&hellip;Left winger Steve Konowalchuk had five goals and seven points in two games after being moved from the first line to center Dale Hunter&rsquo;s checking unit. Konowalchuk&rsquo;s parents, who had driven from Lethbridge, Alta., to Winnipeg, watched him get his first NHL hat trick Dec. 10 against the Winnipeg Jets. &#9632;

f0020-03

Klee pulls double duty

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04329/7074131-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="530" height="892"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Doig</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05179/7074138-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="151" height="151"></div>It&rsquo;s only a number, but the Winnipeg Jets fell through the .500 barrier for the first time this season and were coming to a crossroad for their year.A 6-5 home loss to the Montreal Canadiens Dec. 12 sent the Jets to 1314-3. Seven previous times when the Jets had faced the situation where a loss would have sent them below, they came up with either a tie or a win.Losing to Montreal extended the Jets&rsquo; losing streak to a season-long four games. A bad run of injuries was a major factor in the streak, but the psychological edge of staying above .500 was clearly a key issue with the team.&ldquo;The further you fall below, the harder it is to get back above it,&rdquo; said coach Terry Simpson. &ldquo;We need to have more of a consistent game in terms of execution and stop concerning ourselves with things we don&rsquo;t have control over, such as who the crowd is cheering for or who is injured.&rdquo;The reference, of course, was to the number of Habs&rsquo; fans among a season-high crowd of 14,321 at the Arena Dec. 12.&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t played well lately, not consistently well and it has cost us games,&rdquo; Simpson added.NOTEBOOK: Center Ed Olczyk continued to be the hottest thing going for the Jets. His hat trick Dec. 13 against the Montreal Canadiens gave him 13 goals in 13 games. He also had a five-game goals streak (eight goals) and seven-game points streak alive (12 points). Olczyk&rsquo;s shooting percentage of 31.3 as of Dec. 15 was highest in the NHL&hellip;Center Mike Stapleton returned to the lineup Dec. 12, one day after having the wires removed from his broken jaw. That injury occurred Nov. 1 when he was hit by a puck on the chin&hellip;The Jets allowed defenseman Jason Doig. 18, to try out for Canada&rsquo;s national junior team for the World Junior Championship. Right winger Shane Doan, however, couldn&rsquo;t be sacrificed. &#9632;

f0020-04

Team comes to crossroad

<div class="byline">Compiled by Jason kay</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01880/7074176-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"></div>2. Led by the inspirational two-way play of playoff MVP Claude Lemieux and the solid goaltending of Martin Brodeur, the New Jersey Devils sweep the Detroit Red Wings to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.3. Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; superstar center Mario Lemieux fashions one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history as he returns from a 16-month leave of absence to score at a record-challenging pace.4. Montreal is up in arms as goaltending hero &#316; Patrick Roy demands a trade following a humiliating incident during an 11-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Canadiens quickly move Roy to the Colorado Avalanche.5. Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; center Eric Lindros puts any lingering doubts about his potential to rest with a breakthrough 199495 season and is voted winner of the Hart Trophy as league MVP.6.An agreement involving the International Ice * Hockey Federation, NHL and NHL Players&rsquo; Association paves the way for NHL participation in a Dream Tournament at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.7. Labor peace in the NHL is virtually guaranteed for the rest of the decade when a clause allowing either side to re-open the collective bargaining agreement is waived by players and owners.8. The Canadiens execute a startling front office purge as GM Serge Savard and coach Jacques Demers are replaced six games into 1995-96 by Rejean Houle and Mario Tremblay, men with no NHL managerial experience.9. The Panthers prove U Florida isn&rsquo;t just a haven for the elderly as Doug MacLean&rsquo;s upstart team, i expected to take a step backwards because of its new i approach, contends for first &rsquo; overall as 1995 draws to a close.10. The Ottawa Senators continue as the NHL&rsquo;s laughing stock thanks to Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s holdout, John Ferguson&rsquo;s departure, Alexandre Daigle&rsquo;s poor play and the firings of coach Rick Bowness and GM Randy Sexton.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011007/7074169-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="2445" height="3372"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s remarkable comeback has been great news for Pittsburgh and the NHL.</figcaption></div>11. Respected Ottawa sportscaster and former NHL journeyman Brian Smith, 51, is shot and killed in his TV station&rsquo;s parking lot. A man who &ldquo;wished to harm a media personality&rdquo; is charged with murder.12. The NHL crackdown &#316; J on obstruction fouls leads to higher scoring and more penalties, but both numbers decline-and criticism increases-as the season progresses.13. NHL Canadian content f &equiv; is reduced to seven teams as the Quebec Nordiques move to Colorado. It will be down to six next season when the Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix.14. Plans are made for a new and improved version of the Canada Cup-now known as the World Cup-to be played every four years, starting with the summer of 1996.15. Tied in points with Lindros, Penguins&rsquo; right winger Jaromir Jagr becomes the first born-and-trained European player to be awarded the Art Ross Trophy. Jagr wins on the basis of more goals.16. Front offices absorb attacks as 13 coaches and four GMs-including Doug Risebrough of the Calgary Flames and the Don Maloney of the New York Islanders-are fired or resign.17. It&rsquo;s no looking back for the Flyers after they acquire left winger John LeClair and defenseman Eric Desjardins from the Canadiens in a blockbuster deal for right winger Mark Recchi.18. Kussians Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Vancover are reunited with the Vancouver Canucks, but the reunion doesn&rsquo;t last long as Bure sustains a season-ending knee injury.19. Net Detective Jim Carey emerges from the American League to save a dismal Washington Capitals&rsquo; season. Carey records a 60-1 record in his first seven NHL games.20. Limbo gets four lengthy dwellers as star players Joe Nieuwendyk, Alexei Yashin, Kirk Muller and Curtis Joseph wait on the sidelines for trades to new teams.21. Alan Eagleson is served extradition papers to face charges in U.S. federal court and is at the center of a retired players lawsuit for wrongdoing as NHL union leader.22. A stunning three-way trade prior to the season sees Claude Lemieux land with the Avalanche, Wendel Clark go to the Islanders and Steve Thomas end up with the Devils.23.In moves designed to lower payrolls and average age, the Penguins unload six big-ticket star players-including left winger Luc Robitaille-prior to the start of the 1995-96 season.24.Boston University forward Travis Roy is rendered a quadriplegic 11 seconds into his first collegiate shift when he crashes head-first into the boards during a game against North Dakota.25. Whispers of collusion are heard as high pro-file Group II free agents such as Theoren Fleury of the Flames and Martin Brodeur of the Devils, receive little interest.26.Attendance becomes concern in several NHL markets (New Jersey, Edmonton), while statistics reveal the league has the highest average ticket price in pro sports.27. Tie Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs is given Mf an eight-game suspension by league vice-president Brian Burke for sucker-punching Ulf Samuelsson of the New York Rangers.28. Referee Andy Van Hellemond is disciplined by the NHL for blowing a call that resulted in a disallowed goal in a playoff game between the New York Rangers and Quebec Nordiques.29. Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; super star goaltender Dominik Hasek makes headlines on and off the ice as he wins his second straight Vezina Trophy after being convicted of impaired driving.30. Just the fax tas on a new meaning when Red Wings&rsquo; goaltender Mike Vernon is declared a free agent after an arbitrator decides the contract Vernon said he faxed to the team isn&rsquo;t valid.31. The Jets match a five-year, $17.2 million offer made by the Chicago Blackhawks to Keith Tkachuk, then strip the league&rsquo;s top power forward of his captaincy.32. Jets&rsquo; Rented center Alexei Zhamnov puts on one of the most impressive individual shows of the year as he scores five even-strength goals in a 7-7 tie with the Kings.33. Bengt Akerblom, a 28-year-old forward with Mora IK of the Swedish First Division, dies when his carotid artery is cut accidentally by a teammate&rsquo;s skate in an Oct. 15 game.34. The Red Wings boast two major milestone men as Scotty Bowman becomes the all-time games-coached leader and Paul Coffey becomes the first defenseman to record 1,000 assists.35. The Mike Keenan turmoil file includes his threatened resignation, stripping Brett Hull of the captaincy, trading local hero Brendan Shanahan and health wars with Grant Fuhr and Chris Pronger.36. Defenseman Bryan Berard becomes the third American-born player to go first overall in the NHL&rsquo;s entry draft when the Senators select the Woonsocket, R.I., native.37. David-Alexandre Beauregard, then of the St-Hyacinthe Laser, completes an inspirational comeback three months after losing an eye in a Quebec League game.38. The Los Angeles Kings win the first ever draft lottery and move up four spaces to third overall. They use the selection on highly regarded Finnish defenseman Aki Berg.39. Devils&rsquo; GM Lou Lamoriello makes his most important acquisition of the year when he picks up veteran center Neal Broten from the Dallas Stars for seldom-used center Corey Millen.40. A rejuvenated Wayne Gretzky and spirited play from rookies Byron Dafoe and Vitali Yachmenev keep the Kings afloat despite losing Rob Blake to injury for the season.41. Former Bruin Normand Leveille and legend Bobby Orr steal the show with their appearance at Boston Garden&rsquo;s last game, a pre-season match between the Bruins and Canadiens Sept. 26.42. Kings&rsquo; coach and former Canadiens&rsquo; great Larry Robinson and Panthers&rsquo; president and former Islanders&rsquo; GM Bill Torrey headline a group of four men inducted into the Hall of Fame.43. One-time Flyers&rsquo; draft /&#316; &frac34; pick Glen Seabrooke is &ldquo;fVl awarded $5.5 million in a malpractice lawsuit against the former team doctor. It&rsquo;s believed to be the largest injury award in NHL history.44. One-time Red Wings&rsquo; star Bob Probert returns at the start of the 1995-96 season for the Chicago Blackhawks after completing a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.45. Local and national news reports of Rick Ley&rsquo;s death as coach of the Canucks are greatly exaggerated as Ley stays behind the bench of the underachieving team.46. The Ontario League&rsquo;s sadsack London Knights lay claim to the &lsquo;Worst Team in Hockey&rsquo; title by failing to win in their first 29 games (and counting) in 1995-96.47. Free agent forwards Peter Bondra and Michal Pivonka start 199596 with the Detroit Vipers of the International League before coming to terms with the Capitals.48. Twenty-four-year-old Mighty Ducks of Ana-heim defenseman Milos Holan is stricken with leukemia, but continues to play while a bone-marrow donor is sought.49. M&rsquo;ke Keane, then Can adiens&rsquo; captain, says *f Vi during the heat of the Quebec referendum campaign he doesn&rsquo;t see a need to speak French. He later apologizes and enrolls in French lessons.50. Jeremy Roenick makes Mil a playoff return from what seemed a season-ending knee injury, then criticizes Darryl Sutter&rsquo;s coaching strategy after the Blackhawks are eliminated. &#9632;

f0021-01

FEATURES

INSTANT REPLAY

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01896/7074228-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alexei Yashin lost his bid to have his contract declared null and void.</figcaption></div>Not everything that happened in the hockey world last year made sense, but it sure made for good reading. Here are 95 slices of hockey history from 1995.1. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim mascot Wild Wing is shaken up during ceremonies to open the 1995-96 season when he stumbles on a trampoline and into a gas-powered wall of fire. The Ducks spell Paul Kariya&rsquo;s name as &lsquo;Paul Karpov&rsquo; during light-show introductions.2. The American League board of governors holds an emergency conference call after the Rochester Americans pull their goalie in overtime against the Binghamton Rangers and are scored on. It votes to ban the practice, saying it compromises the integrity of the game.3. The NHL Players&rsquo; Association tries to get Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s contract invalidated through a loophole that, if accepted, would throw free agency into chaos. It loses the case.4. The NHL replaces individual team logos on pucks with a league emblem.5. The league and players have a year to put together a comprehensive drug and alcohol policy, but don&rsquo;t.6. After two years of posturing, frantic agents and GMs spend the last moments of July 7 trying to get contracts for unsigned 1993 draft picks before the deadline to go back into the draft.7. Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Witt, the two most high-profile deadline signees, score a collective eight goals and 24 points in their first 59 games.8. Claude Lemieux fights to have a contract worth $5.2 million declared void because he signed a faxed copy.9. Bobby Orr returns.10. Fans in New Jersey don&rsquo;t.11. Kent Nilsson can&rsquo;t find the magic to succeed in his comeback attempt.12. David-Alexandre Beauregard can.13. Joey and Brian Mullen are honored for outstanding service to hockey in the U.S.14. Sheldon Kennedy is charged New Year&rsquo;s Day with possession of marijuana after police stop his car in a road check.15. Alexander Selivanov gets five traffic tickets in one week.16. The Buffalo Sabres lose in the first round of the playoffs. The St. Louis Blues lose in the first round of the playoffs. The Calgary Flames lose in overtime of the seventh game of the the first round of the playoffs-again.17. Neutral-site games are scrapped, which the players see as a victory over unsafe ice.18. Bob Probert scraps on his return to the NHL after missing 1994-95 while in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. His on-ice victories are less decisive.19. Dallas Stars&rsquo; TV and radio analyst Ralph Strangis gives fans the office phone number for NHL vice-president Brian Burke. Strangis is angered at what he sees as inconsistent disciplinary measures against the Stars. Three fans call late at night. Burke is not amused.20. One game is snowed out in Buffalo, one is rained out in San Jose.21. Manon Rheaume plays on four teams in 12 months: Feldkirch of the Austrian League, the East Coast League&rsquo;s Charlotte Checkers, Roller Hockey International&rsquo;s New Jersey Rockin&rsquo; Rollers and the Las Vegas Aces, an independent club team.22. Steven Finn passes through four cities in four months: Quebec City, Denver, Tampa and Los Angeles.23. Esa Tikkanen passes through three cities in two months-St. Louis, East Rutherford and Vancouver.24. The NHL loses Michel Goulet, Thomas Steen, Steve Larmer and Mario Roberge to retirement.25. The NHL gains Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Daniel Alfredsson and Dennis Bonvie.26. Washington Capitals&rsquo; winger Keith Jones responds to an interview request from THN senior writer Mike Brophy&rsquo;s with a suspicious, &ldquo;I have just one question. Is this Rob Pearson?&rdquo;27. Rob Pearson is sent to the minors.28. The Dallas Stars trade for Kevin Hatcher, who with brother Derian immediately becomes half of the largest, heaviest sibling tandem ever to play on the same team.29. The San Jose Sharks send their assistant coaches to the Kansas City Blades of the International League and call up Kansas City coach Jim Wiley to San Jose. Wiley becomes Sharks&rsquo; head coach when Kevin Constantine is fired.30. Mike Keenan trades Tikkanen, Craig Janney, Brendan Shanahan, Kevin Miller, Guy Carbonneau, Steve Duchesne, Dan Laperriere, Doug Lidster, Pat Jablonski, Rick Zombo, Mike Grier and Curtis Joseph.31. In March, Keenan rips the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; management for handing out too many big contracts. Over the summer he signs five free agents to deals totalling $8.8 million in 1995-96. In the autumn, Blues&rsquo; ownership tells Keenan he has to slash $3.5 million off a $24million payroll.32. Roger Neilson turns into the invisible man: Keenan&rsquo;s associate coach.33. Greg Johnson turns from stationary bike rider-&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a hockey player, not a bicyclist&rdquo;-to a swift-skating sniper by scoring in 12 of 14 games.34. The NHL has the highest average ticket cost in professional sports.35. GM Randy Sexton says the Ottawa Senators are after a long-term fix when they hire minor league coach Dave Allison.36. Eight games (and one win) later, owner Rod Bryden decides the fix is to fire Sexton and hire Pierre Gauthier.37. Former NHLer Ric Seiling, coach of the Colonial League&rsquo;s Utica Blizzard, has three shots and is minus-1 in his first game in seven years.38. Neil Broten is reborn as a New Jersey Devil.39. Dave King and Tom Kurvers are reborn in Japan-which is where the 1996-97 and 1997-98 NHL seasons will open.40. Hockey loses two greats with the deaths of Anatoli Tarasov, the godfather of Russian hockey, and former Canadien star Toe Blake.41. Jim Sandlak, 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, has one goal and one assist in 29 games with the Hartford Whalers and Vancouver Canucks, and at $125,000, the lowest salary in the league.42. Thirty-six-year-old Al Secord is mobbed by fans as a player-pensioner with Chicago Wolves of the IHL.43. Linesman Ron Finn, 54, doesn&rsquo;t make the cut past the first round in the playoffs, but returns for another try.44. Al Iafrate doesn&rsquo;t skate a single minute for the Boston Bruins, but takes shots at Bruins&rsquo; management for questioning his motivation. Iafrate and the Bruins argue over whether the Bruins are on the hook for his $900,000 salary.45. Ray Bourque skates 30 minutes a game and leads the league in shots in the 1994-95 season.46. Larry Murphy moves into fourth place on all-time defense scoring with more than 970 points.47. Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman on his policy for dealing with media: &ldquo;If I think a question is unfair or if I think a question is going to start controversy or if it&rsquo;s counterproductive to what we&rsquo;re trying to do here, then I won&rsquo;t answer it.&rdquo;48. Former Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; coach Darryl Sutter on why he sent home forward Darin Kimble: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t need a guy who hardly plays causing problems.&rdquo;49. Granby Predateurs&rsquo; coach Michel Therrien on Quebec League referee Luc Lachapelle: &ldquo;(He is) a thief, a double-crosser, a liar and a man who perjured himself in the witness stand.&rdquo;50. Pierre Turgeon is traded from the New York Islanders because of, among other things, poor leadership qualities, and is later named captain of the Montreal Canadiens.51. Jeff Odgers, Randy Cunney-worth, Randy Ladouceur, Kelly Buch-berger and Paul Ysebaert are captains.52. The new collective bargaining agreement allows teams to walk away from arbitration decisions they don&rsquo;t like in certain situations. None do.53. John Ferguson walks away from the Ottawa Senators. The Senators say he quit while Ferguson claims he was fired and plans to sue for the balance of his contract.54. Bryan Fogarty, a first-round NHL pick in 1987, walks out on the Minnesota Moose-in the middle of a game.55. Detroit&rsquo;s major junior team changes its name from Jr. Red Wings to Whalers because of a feud between two NHL owners. Guess which teams.56. Peter Bondra scores exactly one of every four goals scored by the Capitals during the 1994-95 season.57. Denis Savard becomes the 10th player to collect 100 playoff assists.58. Paul Coffey becomes the first defenseman to collect 1,000 assists.59. Harry Sinden becomes the first GM to collect 1,000 wins.60. The Sharks become the first team to fire a coach seven weeks after giving him a three-year, $1-million contract extension.61. One of the worst plus-minus players January to May: Wayne Gretzky.62. One of the best plus-minus players October to December: Wayne Gretzky.63. Grant Fuhr checks into the Blues&rsquo; training camp 15 pounds overweight and performs well.64. Marcel Aubut sells out.65. John LeClair comes to training camp without a contract.66. Trent Klatt, Dallas Drake and Adam Bennett are training-camp holdouts.67. Free agent goalie Curtis Joseph plays in the IHL for expense money.68. Million-dollar players say a $1 nose clip improves their game.69. Scott Mellanby is awarded $521,043.25 for injuries suffered in a 1989 bar fight. He later one-times a rat into the Florida Panthers&rsquo; dressing room wall and starts scoring at a career-best pace.70. Dale Hunter moves into second spot on the all-time penalty minute list, climbing past Chris Nilan&rsquo;s 3,043. Hunter has 3,142 by mid-December. Tiger Williams appears safe at 3,966.71. Chris Chelios goes from sinner to saint. In 78 games, he has 98 PIM. His previous low for a full season was 192 in 1990-91.72. Mark Messier reaches 500 goals, Steve Larmer 1,000 points and Wayne Gretzky 2,500 points.73. The Quebec Nordiques announce they will have a new logo in 1996-97.74. Table dancers in Winnipeg shake it un to save the Jets.75. Quebec/Colorado has a league-best home record of 28-3-6.76. Kamloops Blazers&rsquo; GM Bob Brown is fired after winning the Memorial Cup three times in four years.77. Western League president Ed Chynoweth receives a WHL expansion franchise in Edmonton beginning 1996-97 after he retires as WHL and Canadian Hockey League president. &ldquo;I take this as a compliment and a thank-you for 23 years of service,&rdquo; Chynoweth says.78. The Central Army junior team makes the comeback of the year by scoring seven unanswered third period goals-five shorthanded-to defeat the Stratford Cullitons Jr. B team 8-5.79. Byron Dafoe gets a break and becomes the biggest trade throw-in since Shawn McEachern.80. Darcy Wakaluk breaks his knuckle punching a door.81. Tie Domi nearly breaks Ulf Samuelsson&rsquo;s jaw with a left hook sucker punch to Samuelsson&rsquo;s chin.82. The NHL&rsquo;s first five-man Russian unit comes to Detroit when the Wings acquire Igor Larionov from San Jose.83. Mike Keenan gets his team to play better by threatening to quit as coach.84. Former Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; coach John Muckler slaps a fan who works for district attorney&rsquo;s office.85. Talk about lacking direction. The Senators fire their western scout, Bruce Southern, twice.86. Rob Blake continues to watch his slide from promising youth to injury-riddled middle age. Assorted injuries limit him to only 30 games in 1995.87. Oklahoma City defenseman Chris Byrne&rsquo;s season ends when he suffers a knee injury during a youth hockey clinic.88. Arturs Irbe falls off I the face of the earth: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s I like I&rsquo;ve been put in a closet and stored away.&rdquo;89. Goalies Robb Stauber (Rochester Americans) and Paul Groeneveld (Fort I Worth Fire) score empty I net goals.90. Jr. A player Mike Majewski is banned for I life from the Ontario Hockey Association for assaulting a referee and linesman.91. Rod Taylor of the East Coast League&rsquo;s Hampton Roads Admirals receives an eight-game suspension for shooting a puck at referee Paul Mariconda. Other players are suspended for throwing a water bottle and a helmet at referees.92. The Denver Grizzlies win the IHI championship, then move to Utah.93. There are more NHL players in the World Junior Championship than the World Championship.94. The Utica Blizzard is fined $5,000 for tanking a game.95. THN receives a fax, sent by the Muskegon Fury and intended for all Colonial League teams, advising teams of three Fury players available for trade. Interested parties are instructed to call head coach Bill Stewart. Yeah, Bill, THN could use a few good men for our company tournament in April.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01966/7074221-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="385" height="475"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Kariya</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02647/7074214-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="1194" height="2331"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Turgeon was named new captain of the Montreal Canadiens.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03512/7074207-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="388" height="478"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0023-01

1995’s wonderful, weird and wacky

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div>VOORHEES. N.J.-The first thing you see when Eric Lindros bears down on you in full flight is the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; crest growing larger and larger as he devours the space between you and him.The second thing you see is your life flashing before your eyes.And then it&rsquo;s over. Not your life, but the sensation, as Lindros wooshes past. It is replaced by one of immense relief.&ldquo;When you stand there watching him,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; GM Bob Clarke, &ldquo;it looks like an apartment building coming at you.&rdquo;Even Clarke, one of the most I fearless players in hockey history, was scared the last time he went &#316; on the ice with Lindros.Imagine how 1 felt.Author George Plimpton got in I the ring with boxer Archie I Moore. Magazine writer E.M. I Swift swam with the sharks.Kid&rsquo;s stuff. I played hockey I with Eric Lindros.It was Dec. 13 at the Flyers&rsquo; I practice facility and the team had I just finished a workout. Lindros I disappeared and returned sans I shoulder pads and helmet. I liked I that.&ldquo;Here&rsquo;s the plan, Eric,&rdquo; I began. &ldquo;I want to get an idea of what it&rsquo;s like to be on the ice with you. You know, taking a pass, giving one, going into the comer with you. You know, just like Mark Cornforth.&rdquo;&ldquo;No you don&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Lindros said.Cornforth is the Boston Bruins&rsquo; rookie defenseman who was stapled to the comer boards by Lindros during an early-December game. The collision was beamed across North America in highlight packages that night. ESPN announcers described it predictably: Eric Lindros hits Mark (Cream) Cornforth. What would they say about this one? Lindros smashes Steve (Hung Out To) Dryden?We skated into the comer talking casually. He about body contact tactics and techniques. I about life after death.Lindros, 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, lunged into the boards, testing their whip. The force sent them undulating in wave-like fashion. I had visions of my body doing an involuntary wave.I was a foot from the boards and Lindros was upon me in a flash. He made a tight turn in the faceoff circle to generate power, drove toward me-I couldn&rsquo;t see (through my closed eyes) whether he bent his knees for added leverage-and rattled me off the glass.I heard bells. Christmas bells. They were doing a holiday season photo shoot on the ice at the same time.No injuries sustained, frayed nerves only.Mothers, don&rsquo;t let your sons grow up to be defensemen in the NHL.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re on the ice against (Lindros), you&rsquo;re always looking to see where he is,&rdquo; said Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sylvain Lefebvre. &ldquo;He has got a killer instinct. Everybody should have it. He has hurt some guys. He&rsquo;s fair, though.&rdquo;A killer with a sense of fair play?Contradictory and accurate.Don&rsquo;t misunderstand, Lindros plays hard and generally takes no prisoners-&ldquo;I gotta figure out some way to hurt that guy,&rdquo; said one victim who requested anonymity under the witness protection program-but he&rsquo;s not disrespectful of the game or its players.The NHL can be a cruel league and there have been players who consistently tried to hurt others.Lindros isn&rsquo;t one of them.&ldquo;What goes around comes around,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true in all walks of life. There&rsquo;s always opportunities through the course of your career for someone you did something to that might have been cheap, for him to get you back-and it might be tenfold. You never forget when something happens to you. (Former Flyers&rsquo; teammate) Dave Brown always talked about his little black book and you don&rsquo;t want to be in his little black book. I don&rsquo;t want to be in a black book.&rdquo; I didn&rsquo;t want to be in a black box.Lindros, The Hockey News player of the year for 1995, is so much more than the most imposing physical presence in NHL history.Lindros has elite-level skill, skating ability and imagination and it blossomed in 1995 when he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, becoming the second-youngest winner ever.Lindros, 22, would have won the scoring title, too-but missed two games with a late-season eye injury and finished at 29 goals and 70 points in 46 games, the same number as Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; star Jaromir Jagr, who played the full 48 games and scored three more goals to claim the Art Ross Trophy.Meanwhile, Philadelphia made the playoffs for the first time in six years and reached the Stanley Cup semifinals before losing to the eventual playoff-champion New Jersey Devils.It was a coming-out party for I Lindros, whose turbulent years (pockmarked by his refusal to play for the Quebec Nordiques who drafted him No. 1 overall in 1991) seem finally to have ended. He is a hockey player now, not a cause celebre. The most heralded player to enter the NHL since Mario Lemieux in 1984 lived up to inflated expectations.&ldquo;Last year I just played,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t care about a damn thing.&rdquo;As 1995 came to a close, he seemed a different person than his first two seasons-more relaxed, more open, more like he used to be before the hyper attention of his late teenage years led to conflict over every misstep or perceived misstep.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not any different,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t have my back up as much because (people are) not down my throat every time 1 turn a comer.&rdquo;Why are things so much better?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01979/7074273-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="710" height="1089"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02665/7074266-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="1825" height="3292"></div>Greatest strength at even strength&ldquo;I&rsquo;m in a great organization. I play for a great team. I&rsquo;ve got great line-mates.&rdquo;Indeed, the Legion of Doom is a leading contender for the label of hockey&rsquo;s best line. It scored more than half of all Flyer goals last season and continued the trend this season. Through 31 games, left winger John LeClair led with 20 goals; Lindros had 19 (in 24 games); and Mikael Renberg, 18 for a combined total of 57. The rest of the team had 56.It would be a higher proportion if Lindros hadn&rsquo;t missed seven games with a knee injury. For No. 88. if it&rsquo;s November in the NHL. it&rsquo;s time for a knee injury. Left knee, 1992. Right knee, 1993. Left knee, 1995. There was a lockout in November. 1994.Lindros started out 1995-96 with goals in 10 of 12 games, missed seven, and returned with goals in five of 12 games as the Flyers&rsquo; schedule got tougher and Lindros went through a mini-slump. He was second in the league in plus-minus (plus-18) and with 39 points in 24 games, fifth in points per game (1.63).Most concede Mario Lemieux has been the best player in hockey this season and there is no denying he is the NHL&rsquo;s most prolific scorer. But Lindros and Avalanche center Peter Forsberg (who was traded by Philadelphia to Quebec for Lindros) are more accomplished two-way players.&ldquo;Mario is so good on the power play because of his talent,&rdquo; said Florida Panthers&rsquo; head coach Doug MacLean, &ldquo;but 5-on-5 (Lindros) is the most dominant player in the league. No doubt about it.&rdquo;Lindros takes immense pride in even-strength performance.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a power play expert,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not a penalty killing expert. I&rsquo;m a hockey player. I&rsquo;m trying to improve in those other two areas, but I&rsquo;m pretty confident 5-on-5. I feel good about all situations 5-on-5.&rdquo;What Lindros doesn&rsquo;t feel good about is having his success explained away as a product of physical stature, with only a nod to skill level. And sometimes, watching Lindros work with LeClair and Renberg, you get the feeling the Flyers&rsquo; captain is as interested in establishing his finesse game as in scoring goals.It looks like a 6-foot, 195-pounder is trying to burst out of his body.Lindros has been the best at every level of hockey he has played. He has also been the biggest and one wonders if he tired of hearing words to the effect: &ldquo;Sure, you&rsquo;re the best, but it&rsquo;s because you&rsquo;re the biggest.&rdquo;He is clearly determined to prove his success is predicated on more than a unique combination of size and skill; it&rsquo;s founded also on an intuitive grasp of the game and instinctive understanding of how and when to do the right thing. &ldquo;One of the things that makes him and is going to help him become a truly great player,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; head coach Terry Murray, &ldquo;is that he&rsquo;s so unpredictable. There are no patterns.&rdquo;Well, there is one. A tendency to overpass.It&rsquo;s the Doomsters&rsquo; only real flaw. They pass too much and, in Clarke&rsquo;s estimation, the more times you pass, the more likely you are to screw up. Lindros is the worst offender and Murray is trying to drill it out of him, literally, figuring more practice drills that emphasize shooting will help change Lindros.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such an unselfish player and that&rsquo;s really why his teammates love him,&rdquo; Murray said.Lindros considers himself one of the boys, not above them. A clause in his contract stipulates he must be joined by teammates in any team promotional endeavor.He doesn&rsquo;t want to be separated from his peers, no matter what his talent and income-$4.2 million (U.S.) this season-suggest. Lindros is a frequent and enthusiastic host of gatherings at the home he bought last year. He loves puttering around his property. Lindros and close friend-mentor Craig MacTavish split 800 feet of Christmas lights; the two borrowed one of neighbor Kjell Samuelsson&rsquo;s sticks (the longest in the NHL) to help string them up outside Lindros&rsquo; home.Debbie MacTavish, Craig&rsquo;s wife, contributed a wreath to Lindros&rsquo; front door and bows for lights on either side.Bows? Is there a softer, gentler Lindros emerging? Not on the ice, although Clarke said Lindros has learned to play a physical game without being reckless.&ldquo;What I like about him as much as anythins.&rdquo; MacLean said, &ldquo;is the fire in his eyes. It&rsquo;s easy for me. I&rsquo;m always 100 feet from him during a game. For a player to go 1-on-l with this guy, I don&rsquo;t know, I&rsquo;m glad it&rsquo;s them.&rdquo;Murray occasionally has to stoke the fires in Lindros, but loves the way No. 88 responds to big occasions.&ldquo;He wants to not only win the game,&rdquo; Murray said, &ldquo;but he wants to send a message that&rsquo;s going to last a long, long time. When he matches up against good players 1-on-l, he wants to really do a job on (them) and that&rsquo;s an attitude hard to find.&rdquo;Equally hard to find is a hunger to improve among superstars. Lindros has it.&ldquo;Eric wants to listen,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He wants to get better. He wants to be the best. He has a tremendous desire to be the best and he will be.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to change a lot of stuff,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to get better. I&rsquo;m 22 years old. I&rsquo;ve got a lot of time to improve.&rdquo;Lindros is better on faceoffs this year and learning to be a force on the power play and in penalty killing situations.For the past two seasons, he has been working to upgrade his skating. He loves the way Paul Coffey skates and, taking cues from the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; star defenseman, has taken some hollow out of his blade (to improve glide and keep from digging so deeply into the ice), lowered his center of gravity two to three inches and lengthened his stride.Chances are Clarke is the only league GM with a bucket of Dubble-Bubble gum in his office. It sits on a window sill overlooking the ice surface at Voorhees. Clarke reclined in his chair, offered a cup of coffee and. when turned down, said, &ldquo;Good, that means you won&rsquo;t be staying long.&rdquo;Then he grinned. Not the gap-toothed grin made famous during his playing career-after all, he&rsquo;s an executive now-but the kind that said he had all the time in the world to talk about Lindros.There has been a special bond between Lindros and Clarke since the current and past superstars were brought together in 1992-93, Lindros&rsquo; first season in the NHL. Clarke was a vice-president then, but left to become GM of the Panthers. He returned after one season and engineered the trade with the Montreal Canadiens that brought LeClair, defenseman Eric Desjardins and Cup contender status to the Flyers.Clarke is an old-time hockey man with a keen eye for what&rsquo;s best for the future of hockey. He&rsquo;s not stuck in the past, but has a fine appreciation for things that age well and belong in the game. Lindros, too, is an old-time hockey man. It may be the 1990s, but Lindros could have played for the Flyers and fit in two decades ago.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just one of the guys,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a half-ton truck. He&rsquo;s got the dog. He&rsquo;s just so much like Clarkie, it&rsquo;s unbelievable. He&rsquo;s just an ordinary guy trying to do extraordinary things out there.&rdquo;Lindros and Clarke are soulmates, even if separated by 24 years.&ldquo;For all the demands put on Eric,&rdquo; Clarke said, &ldquo;and how closely he&rsquo;s watched, he&rsquo;s pretty uncomplicated. He just wants to play hockey and enjoy his life.&rdquo;Who&rsquo;s to stop him?<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01876/7074259-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="1154" height="1254"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mikael Renberg is a perfect fit on the Flyers&rsquo; Legion of Doom line.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0024-01

TAKING FLIGHT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01919/7074304-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Holik and the Devils enjoyed the NHL&rsquo;s ultimate high in 1995.</figcaption></div>From the depths of a season in peril to the highs of a New Jersey Devils&rsquo; Cup sweep. 1995 proved to be a year of extremes. Here are the best and worst developments for each NHL team over the past 12 months.Anaheim Best: Right winger Paul Kariya emerges as a franchise player, leading the team in all offensive categories. Worst: Defenseman Milos Holan, 24, is diagnosed with leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant.Boston Best: Rookie defenseman Kyle McLaren surprises as he helps stabilize a shaky defense. Worst: Left winger Kevin Stevens goes from hometown h&#281;ro to goat as he struggles after a heralded off-season trade from Pittsburgh.Buffalo Best: Goaltender Dominik Hasek, owner of back-to-back Vezina Trophies, continues to be the reason the Sabres can even think about the playoffs. Worst: Economic realities force the Sabres to cut payroll and trade Alexander Mogilny.Calgary Best: Right winger Theoren Fleury joins the league&rsquo;s elite and is recognized with a 1994-95 second-team all-star berth. Worst: Management loses contributors such as Robert Reichel, Joel Otto and Frank Musil and gets virtually nothing in return.Chicago Best: Right winger Eric Daze quickly develops into the kind of scorer the Blackhawks desperately need. Worst: The Winnipeg Jets match a free agent offer sheet to left winger Keith Tkachuk, who may have been able to put Chicago over the top.Colorado Best: The acquisition of goalie Patrick Roy takes the Avalanche from possible Stanley Cup contender to one of the favorites. Worst: Fans in Quebec City lose their team as it moves to Denver after the 1994-95 season.Dallas Best: The purchase of the franchise by Thomas O. Hicks figures to give the team solid financial footing and the ability to compete economically. Worst: The Stars&rsquo; goal-scoring woes continue as the team sinks to the bottom of the Central Division.Detroit Best: The team cruises to first place overall in the regular season and its first appearance in the Stanley Cup final since 1966. Worst: The Wings are easily swept aside in the final by the Devils to extend their Stanley Cup drought to 40 years, longest in the league.Edmonton Best: The Oilers finally come up with a first line that can compete with most teams as center Doug Weight, left winger Zdeno Ciger and right winger Jason Arnott become a force. Worst: Attendance hits rock bottom, spawning rumors the team will not be in Edmonton for the 1996-97 season.Florida Best: A youth, movement under new coach Doug MacLean is supposed to mean growing pains, but instead it means big gains as the Panthers contend for first overall. Worst: With no progress on a new arena project, owner Wayne Huizenga considers relocating the franchise.Hartford Best: The acquisition of Brendan Shanahan for Chris Pronger gives the Whalers hope, a proven star and leader. Worst: A small ligament tear in Shanahan&rsquo;s left wrist limits his effectiveness through the first third of 1995-96.Los Angeles Best: Rookie goalie Byron Dafoe, an apparent afterthought in the Dimitri Khristich trade, provides the Kings with stellar netminding in Kelly Hrudey&rsquo;s absence. Worst: The team&rsquo;s loyal fan base is alienated when it takes more than two months for former owners Jeffrey Sudikoff and Joe Cohen to refund playoff ticket money.Montreal Best: A 12-2-0 run in coach Mario Tremblay&rsquo;s first 14 games turns what appears to be a disastrous season into a promising one. Worst: After allowing nine goals in a game, an embarrassed Patrick Roy confronts team president Ronald Corey and informs him it&rsquo;s his last with the Canadiens.New Jersey Best: The Devils win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history in convincing fashion. Worst: Playoff MVP Claude Lemieux is traded after demanding to renegotiate, a contract that had been agreed upon just months earlier.New York Islanders Best: Todd Bertuzzi, who agreed to a contract just prior to a deadline which would have made him eligible to be re-drafted, emerges as a solid contributor in his rookie season. Worst: Kirk Muller goes through the motions for 15 games before being banished to await a trade.New York Rangers Best: The Rangers clearly become Colin Campbell&rsquo;s team in 1995-96 following a rocky rookie season for the coach. Worst: Right winger Alexei Kovalev, expected to become an elite player, remains an underachieving puzzle.Ottawa Best: Right winger Daniel Alfredsson surprises everyone by making the team and developing into a Calder Trophy candidate. Worst: Center Alexei Yashin, the Senators&rsquo; leading scorer the past two seasons, holds out and demands a trade when management refuses to renegotiate his contract.Philadelphia Best: A trade in which the Flyers net left winger John LeClair and defenseman Eric Desjardins ignites a turnaround and helps make the Flyers a Stanley Cup threat. Worst: The Flyers come up short in their Cup quest, losing the Eastern Conference final to New Jersey in six games.Pittsburgh Best: Center Mario Lemieux comes back after a 16-month leave of absence and instantly returns to superstar form. Worst: Economic considerations force the trades of key players such as Ulf Samuelsson, Luc Robitaille, Kevin Stevens and Larry Murphy.St. Louis Best: Free agent goalie Grant Fuhr overcomes a training camp chew out to become a pillar of strength in net. Worst: Defenseman Chris Pronger continues to disappoint and is the target of criticism from coach-GM Mike Keenan.San Jose Best: David strikes again as the underdog Sharks knock off Calgary in the first round of the playoffs for their second Goliath killing in two years. Worst: A horrendous 3-18-4 start in 1995-96, featuring a fall from grace for goaltender Arturs Irbe, prompts the firing of coach Kevin Constantine.Tampa Bay Best: Defenseman Roman Hamrlik starts to deliver on the promise that made him the first overall pick in the 1991 entry draft. Worst: Following a 10-0 loss to Pittsburgh in October, GM Phil Esposito jokes he &ldquo;wanted to go through the TV and strangle (coach) Terry Crisp,&rdquo; and &ldquo;punch (center) Chris Gratton in the face.&rdquo;Toronto Best: The acquisition of veteran Larry Murphy gives the Leafs a bonafide power play quarterback and a great tutor for steadily developing rearguard Kenny Jonsson. Worst: Star center Doug Gilmour has a terrible 1994-95 season, scoring just 10 goals in 44 games and none in the playoffs as the Leafs are bounced in the first round.Vancouver Best: Newcomer Alexander Mogilny proves to be as good as advertised, scoring 22 goals in his first 27 games with the Canucks. Worst: Just as star winger Pavel Bure is rounding into form after a pre-season finger injury, he tears the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is lost for the season.Washington Best: With the Capitals floundering at 3-10-5, goalie Jim Carey arrives from the Portland Pirates of the American League and leads the team to the playoffs. Worst: Despite high hopes youngsters such as Jason Allison might finally start coming through, the Capitals continue to get woefully little offensive help from homegrown players.Winnipeg Best: The Jets&rsquo; future as a competitive team becomes dramatically brighter when they match an offer sheet left winger Keith Tkachuk signs with the Blackhawks. Worst: Winnipeggers lose their franchise to Phoenix for 1996-97 after local businessmen and politicians fail to put together a deal to keep the team in Manitoba.&mdash;compiled by THN staff &#9632;

f0027-01

Mario, Claude Lemieux hit hiqhs and lows in ’95

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01845/7074366-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Craig Redmond is making a pro comeback after six idle seasons.</figcaption></div>Recognition and acclaim came early for Craig Redmond. When he was only four years old, he was the subject of an intermission feature on Hockey Night in Canada.The accolades continued through minor hockey and two productive seasons at the University of Denver. By the time he was drafted sixth overall in 1984 by the Los Angeles Kings-ahead of Shayne Corson, Doug Bodger, Sylvain Cote and Kevin Hatcher-after playing for the Canadian Olympic team, he was ticketed for stardom.As an NHL rookie in 1984-85, he scored six goals and 39 points in 80 games. Redmond was on his way.But on his way to where? His career took a nosedive. Injuries, unfulfilled promise, a trade to the Edmonton Oilers and self doubt put Redmond at a crossroads by 1988-89.After playing 44 games with the Cape Breton Oilers of the American League and only 21 with Edmonton that season, Redmond chose the road home, content to walk away from hockey.Now, six years later and 30 years old, he&rsquo;s back in Cape Breton.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t just want to be a player who looks good despite being out five years, I want to be a good player,&rdquo; said Redmond, who had one goal, 13 points and was minus-6 in 20 AHL games.&ldquo;I had time to think. I didn&rsquo;t give it all I could, I didn&rsquo;t do everything I could to overcome obstacles.&rdquo;Most of those obstacles were in the mind. There were too many times when the game wasn&rsquo;t fun.I had the talent,&rdquo; said the Dawson Creek, B.C., native who had 16 goals, 84 points and 134 penalty minutes in 191 NHL games. &ldquo;It came down to the mental aspect. I wasn&rsquo;t progressing.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d have flashes where, for a 20-game stint, I&rsquo;d play like an all-star. Then I&rsquo;d struggle. I lost confidence. I wasn&rsquo;t enjoying the game. It was difficult to put my heart and head into it.&rdquo;Redmond knew he could survive without hockey. He always spent off-seasons working for the family business, a land development and residential construction firm in Vancouver.&ldquo;Leaving wasn&rsquo;t a tough decision,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;My father always prepared me for that day.&rdquo;Redmond got on with that other life. He became a contractor for the family business, overseeing the building of homes. He and his wife, Lisa, whom he met after he left the game, started their family. Between work and the three kids-five-year-old Nicole, three-year-old Connor and year-old Kristin-he didn&rsquo;t miss hockey. He didn&rsquo;t even look at summaries in the paper to see how former teammates were doing.But in 1994, the real estate market soured. Construction of new homes in Vancouver fell off. Redmond filled some idle time last summer playing senior hockey, the first time he put skates and equipment on since 1989.Guess what? The itch came back.But not for senior hockey. He was thinking NHL again. His wife backed him fully, even though she had never seen him play. She knew of him only as a contractor, not a hockey player.Redmond called the Oilers and asked to attend training camp.&ldquo;Had it not been for the support of my wife, I wouldn&rsquo;t have come back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I guess she knew it was something that was eating away at me.&rdquo;Training camp went well. He impressed Edmonton enough to earn a contract and a trial in Cape Breton.&ldquo;He has done things we thought he could,&rdquo; said Cape Breton coach Lome Molleken. &ldquo;He has provided leadership and done a good job offensively. He has brought a lot of positives.&rdquo;Redmond&rsquo;s skating is as masterful as the day he quit the game.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s early, but the reports are good,&rdquo; said Edmonton assistant GM Bruce MacGregor. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s face it. Six years is a long time between shifts. He&rsquo;ll need time, maybe a full year.&ldquo;He is a gifted player, though. He offers us something we could use here-an offensive-type defenseman. The timetable is his, though. He&rsquo;ll know better than anyone else.&rdquo;Redmond has struggled in his own end. That will have to improve if he&rsquo;s to see the NHL again.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;d be the first guy to tell you he can get better,&rdquo; Molleken said. &ldquo;His plus-minus isn&rsquo;t what it should be and he knows he has to keep working hard in the 1-on-l situations.&rdquo;Redmond didn&rsquo;t end his retirement to be an AHLer.&ldquo;My intention is to take this as far as I can; I don&rsquo;t think I would continue at this level if I knew I would never get an opportunity at the next level.&ldquo;Maybe I could be a sixth or seventh defenseman. I don&rsquo;t feel I&rsquo;m far away.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0029-01

LEAGUES

Redmond back for another try

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>When Brad Bombardir tried out for the New Jersey Devils last season, he wasn&rsquo;t considered a blue-chip, can&rsquo;t-miss prospect.But in a year and a half of play with the Albany River Rats of the American League, Bombardir has established himself as yet another high-quality young defenseman in the Devils&rsquo; system.In fact, he&rsquo;s at the top of the list.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best defenseman in the league,&rdquo; said Albany coach Robbie Ftorek, who is judicious when it comes to handing out praise. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;s not on the all-league team, it will be a disgrace.&rdquo;For the 23-year-old Bombardir, defense comes first. He had the AHL&rsquo;s best plus/minus (plus-15), while chipping in with about a point every other game (three goals, 12 points).&ldquo;I can contribute more offensively,&rdquo; Bombardir said, &ldquo;but I pride myself on defensive play.&rdquo;The Devils third-round pick in the 1990 NHL entry draft, Bombardir went from Jr. A in his native Powell River, B.C., to the University of North Dakota for four season.&ldquo;One of the reasons the Devils drafted me was because I was going to North Dakota,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I could play tour years and develop and play at the American League level and maybe someday in the NHL.&rdquo;While Bombardir grew with I the Western Collegiate Hockey &rsquo; Association&rsquo;s Fighting Sioux, his real development came last season when then-New Jersey assistant coach Larry Robinson worked with the River Rats defensemen during the NHL lockout.&ldquo;It was a phenomenal experience,&rdquo; Bombardir said. &ldquo;I learned more in two months from Larry about defense than 1 learned in 10 years before.&rdquo;One thing he learned: block every shot you can. While no statistics are kept, the River Rats defense blocks more shots than any AHL team. That&rsquo;s one reason Albany goalies face an average of only 26.7 shots per game.AT A CROSSROADS: Decision time is drawing close for Baltimore Bandits&rsquo; defense man Doug Crossman.Crossman, 35, signed a 25-game tryout contract Nov. 1 and has been a steadying influence for a young defense.But when his tryout ends Jan. 1, the veteran of 914 NHL games must decide it he wants to continue playing in Baltimore. His family remains in Denver and he doesn&rsquo;t want to uproot daughter Jaclyn, 6, from school.&ldquo;Family comes first, at my age,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to see if it would be enjoyable and it has been. I&rsquo;ll probably go home and see the family for a little bit and decide what to do.&rdquo;Crossman had no team when the year began. He played for the International League&rsquo;s Denver Grizzlies last season, his first full minor league season since 1980-81. In between he scored 105 goals and 464 points for eight NHL teams.Bandits&rsquo; coach Walt Kyle said the addition of Crossman has been monumental. Baltimore started 1-9-1 and went 8-5-1 in 14 games with Crossman (one goal, 10 points, minus-6). &ldquo;Doug could run an NHL power play,&rdquo; Kyle said.AHL TIDBITS: Goalie John Tanner, once a highly touted prospect, is trying to revive his career with the Rochester Americans. He was with Detroit in the Colonial League&hellip;Fredericton Canadiens&rsquo; winger Chris Murray enjoyed a big night in the Montreal Forum, scoring three goals and six points in an 8-6 win over the Providence Bruins Dec. 4&hellip;Cornwall Aces&rsquo; goalie J.F. Labbe posted three one-goal games, stopping 64 shots in wins over the Cape Breton Oilers, Hershey Bears and Adirondack Red Wings.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02544/7074397-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="502" height="340"></div> &#9632;

f0029-02

Bombardir ‘best’ in the league

<div class="byline">By Dave Eminian</div>Darren Veitch went from one International League city with an uncertain future to another when the Peoria Rivermen traded him to the Phoenix Roadrunners.Peoria made the trade on the same day the IHL board of governors voted to block owner Bruce Saurs&rsquo; proposed move to Winnipeg next season. The Minnesota Moose, instead, received approval to shift to Winnipeg in the wake of the-NHL Jets&rsquo; move to Phoenix next season.Phoenix owner Lyle Abraham, who attended the approval vote meeting, also was interested in moving to Winnipeg and is now believed to be considering a move elsewhere.&ldquo;This is a frustrating situation,&rdquo; said Veitch, 35, a veteran of more than 1,100 pro games. &ldquo;Saurs is doing what he thinks he has to do to make things right for himself and his team. The way this league is growing, maybe Peoria is too small. Even Phoenix may need a new home.&rdquo;Veitch carries IHL all-star credentials and was the league&rsquo;s top defenseman in 1992-93. The Rivermen dented the trade was designed to reduce payroll. Peoria got 27-year-old defenseman Steve Wilson-an ECHL player the past two seasons-for Veitch. &Lambda;&ldquo;This was in no way a cost-cutting move,&rdquo; said Rivermen coach Paul MacLean. we accommodated a veteran player and helped our team. It was win-win for both teams. We felt i we needed a physical presence on our blueline.&rdquo;Veitch asked the Rivermen for a trade to one of five warm-weather teams back in training camp.&ldquo;I was surprised,&rdquo; said Veitch, who hadn&rsquo;t played since mid-November while recovering from a stress fracture in his right arm. &ldquo;Phoenix wanted a veteran to settle things down. This gives me a chance to be with an NHL-affiliated team (Los Angeles Kings) where I can work with kids.&rdquo;POOR MONTH: Turnins the page on the calender was the best thing to happen to Wendell Young and the &rsquo; Chicago Wolves.After an impressive 8-4-0 October, the Wolves stumbled to a 2-10-2 record &rsquo; in November. Young&rsquo;s goals-against average rose from 3.35 to 4.79.But Chicago went 3-0-0 to open December and Young led the way with a 0.50 goals-against average and 97.6 save percentage. He won goalie-of-the-week honors for the period ending Dec. 11&ldquo;The shots on goal have been down,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been keeping them around 20. While we were on our losing streak, I think we were keeping them under 50.&rdquo;I-OPENERS: The Minnesota Moose drew a crowd of 836 to a Dec. 8 game against the Los Angeles Ice Dogs, one day after the league approved the franchise&rsquo;s sale and move to Winnipeg for next season. A snowstorm also contributed to the low turnout&hellip;The Cleveland Lumberjacks were not panicking over rumors the Hartford Whalers will move to Cleveland. The NHL denied the reports and the Lumberjacks said they hold an exclusivity clause in their Gund Arena lease&hellip;Phoenix goalie Jamie Storr posted his first pro shutout in an 8-0 win over the Kansas City Blades Dec. 8&hellip;Kansas City winger David Bruce scored his 300th pro goal Dec. 9. Bruce had 184 goals in 217 career IHL games&hellip;The Houston Aeros traded defenseman Jim Paek to Minnesota for blueliner Mike Hurlbut&hellip;Cleveland left winger Jeff Christian had 10 points in three games and was named player of the week for the period ending Dec. 11.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01957/7074428-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="366" height="406"></div> &#9632;

f0030-01

Veitch in middle of Peoria/Phoenix mess

<div class="byline">By Dave Eminian</div>Rod Langway, at one time, was among the best defensemen in the world. Today, he ranks behind Mario Doyon as a seventh defenseman for the International League&rsquo;s San Francisco Spiders.While that may sound like a pathetic plight for the likely Hall of Famer, he&rsquo;s not apologizing for his fall from stature. Making a comeback as a player following a two-year retirement is just a means to an end for the 38-year-old Langway.He&rsquo;s on a mission to return to the game. His desire is coaching. A sometimes humbling attempt as a playing coach is part of his apprenticeship.&ldquo;They yell, &lsquo;Get the old man off the ice,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hey, I heard that in the NHL, too.&rdquo;Make no mistake, Langway is not the defenseman that won the Norris Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s best defenseman in 1983 and 1984 and made seven All-Star Game appearances with the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. Ask Ron Hoover.On a November night in Peoria, the Rivermen winger weaved through three Spiders&rsquo; defenders straight down the slot and scored. One defender that looked like a pylon was Langway.&ldquo;His skill level may not be as high as it was, but whose is after 15 years?&rdquo; Hoover said. &ldquo;It was incredible to see him, to be able to say you played against him. He&rsquo;s one of the greatest.&rdquo;So why tarnish that image? Why play? Why not just coach?&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always a question about me out there now,&rdquo; Langway said. &ldquo;I had no inkling of playing again. I might have made a mistake in walking away (in 1993), because I lost contacts of what you need politically to move on,&rdquo;Langway retired from the Capitals following the 1992-93 season after feeling shoved aside while the club went with younger players.He spent months sequestered at a resort in Hilton Head, S.C., thinking, thinking. He emerged to skate in an alumni game last Christmas and found a fire still burned. A close friend and former teammate, Craig Laughlin, was GM of the East Coast League&rsquo;s Richmond Renegades and he talked Langway into joining that team as a coach, then later as a player in the playoffs. He won a Riley Cup ring to go along with his Stanley Cup ring.Langway wants to get into coaching, but his absence from the game first requires him to take a step back. He finished runner-up for two coaching jobs in the ECHL. So he signed as a player-assistant in San Francisco, hoping his coaching stock would rise.For one great season, we get to watch one of the best defensive defensemen ever, skating helmetless in rinks from Peoria to Las Vegas. Sort of a farewell tour. There&rsquo;s nothing cooler happening in the IHL.At 6-foot-3, Lang way is about 10 pounds over his NHL playing weight of 220. His knees aren&rsquo;t the best from a career that required six scopes, and he wears a brace on one of them.He skates side-by-side with the youngest guys during conditioning drills. His contract is reportedly a modest $75,000, but Langway says money isn&rsquo;t an issue or a problem.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t ready for this league, this is talented hockey,&rdquo; Langway said. &ldquo;Some of these guys could play on any NHL team. As for me, I expect no red carpet treatment.&rdquo;Knowledgeable fans aware of Langway&rsquo;s resume cheer him around the IHL. He has Montreal defense prospects Brent Bilodeau and Christian Proulx under his wing.And you should know Langway was a plus player-one of nine on the Spiders&rsquo; team-after skating in 17 of 32 games. He had one goal, three points and 20 penalty minutes.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not the fastest guy, but I don&rsquo;t embarrass myself,&rdquo; Langway said. &ldquo;I teach these younger guys the importance of understanding the game and having confidence in yourself. You can lose games if you get burned. You have to have a short memory to play this game.&rdquo;Especially if you&rsquo;re playing three times in four days, a pace Langway concedes needing a day to recover from. Welcome to the IHL.&ldquo;No, actually, that&rsquo;s welcome to age 38,&rdquo; Langway fires back quickly.Langway would have been eligible for Hockey Hall of Fame induction next September had he not come out of retirement. By returning to the ice, his eligibility is delayed three years. Does playing as a spare part in the minors tarnish the image of a good bet to enter the Hall?Only a fool would think so, one Hall of Fame selection committee member said.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not even worried about that,&rdquo; Langway said. &ldquo;Something like that is out of my hands. I want to be around this game. So this is what I have to do right now.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02638/7074466-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="363" height="479"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03440/7074459-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="1442" height="1807"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Langway is behind the bench about half the time for the San Francisco Spiders.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0030-02

Long way removed from Rod Langway

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>The Richmond Renegades enjoyed living the life of Riley last season so much they&rsquo;re intent on making another run at the East Coast League&rsquo;s Riley Cup championship.Winning back-to-back titles in the ECHL is not unusual. The Hampton Roads Admirals and Toledo Storm each did it already in the 1990s.More than one-third of the way through 1995-96, the Renegades were 18-3-4 and leading the East Division by five points over Hampton Roads. In a 13-game stretch from midNovember to mid-December, Richmond went 9-0-4.Half of coach Roy Sommer&rsquo;s club is made up of holdovers from the 1994-95 team, including left winger Scott Gruhl and goalie Grant Sjerven. Gruhl, 36, led the Renegades in scoring last season, while Sjerven played in the All-Star Game.&ldquo;The experience we&rsquo;ve got is excellent,&rdquo; said Sommer, in his fourth season as Richmond&rsquo;s coach. &ldquo;Guys like Darren Wetherill and Garett MacDonald. They&rsquo;re great leaders.&rdquo;Another key performer was Brendan Flynn, Richmond&rsquo;s leading scorer (37 points) and one of the top assist men in the ECHL (27). But he signed a 25-game tryout contract with Providence of the American League Dec. 11 and may be gone for the season.&ldquo;He was a big asset, but I don&rsquo;t think we&rsquo;ll miss a stroke,&rdquo; Sommer said. &ldquo;This team has a will to win. They don&rsquo;t accept defeat lightly.&rdquo;Gruhl, who had 19 goals in 20 games, and center Mike Taylor were expected to shoulder the scoring burden. Other threats are center Greg Hadden, defenseman Mike Burman and left winger Dmitri Pankov, who had back-to-back hat tricks recently.In addition to scoring and defense, the Renegades were the most physical team in the ECHL and on pace to set a record for penalty minutes in a season. Right winger Trevor Senn led the league with 227 minutes, but also had 19 points in 22 games.&ldquo;This team has a big heart,&rdquo; Sommer said. &ldquo;Last year, we had guys who took a night off. This year, not many guys take the night off.&rdquo;The team&rsquo;s success has spilled over at the gate, where Richmond was averaging more than 6,000 per game.NEW LOGO: Erie introduced its new logo Nov. 23. It&rsquo;s a growling Panther inside a triangle, with Erie emblazoned across the top. The logo was designed by the Panthers in conjunction with NHL Enterprises, Inc.The logo is part of the team&rsquo;s celebration of the 20th anniversary of hockey in the Pennsylvania city. Earlier this season, the Panthers changed their colors, adding purple to their traditional white, black and silver.FIVE-GOAL GAME: Louisiana left winger Bob Berg scored five goals in the IceGators&rsquo; 8-5 victory over the Mobile Mysticks Dec. 6. The outburst was one short of the league record shared by Brad McCaughey of Toledo (1991) and Tom Bissett of Hampton Roads (1989).ANOTHER RECORD: Huntington ended its league record-tying 16-game losing streak, but the Blizzard broke another ECHL mark-most consecutive losses at home (12). The previous record was set by the Raleigh (10) IceCaps last season.Huntington won only once at home in its first 13 games, a 4-3 triumph over Erie in its home opener Oct. 14.COAST LINES:Mobile Mysticks&rsquo; right winger Dean Sylvester was player of the week for the period ending Dec. 3 after scoring four goals and adding four assists in leading the Mysticks to a 3-0-0 record&hellip;A sports memorabilia auction by the Nashville Knights raised more than $3,000 for Boston University&rsquo;s Travis Roy, who was paralyzed from the neck down when he crashed headfirst into the boards during the first shift of his collegiate career Oct. 20. &#9632;

Renegades on target to repeat as league champs

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>Windsor Spitfires&rsquo; GM-minority owner Mike Awender told coach Mike Kelly during training camp the team was looking to develop players and Kelly wouldn&rsquo;t be judged on wins and losses.Then, a week into the Ontario League season, owners Steve Riolo and Vic Gabriele said they wanted to host the Memorial Cup. The Spitfires would have to be one of the top two teams in the West Division after 40 games to have a chance to host the Canadian Hockey League event.&ldquo;I knew there would be a little problem,&rdquo; Kelly said.That came Dec. 10 when he was fired. The Spitfires were beaten 13-2 by the Detroit Whalers and fell to 10-20-3. Windsor was 4122-3 last season.Assistant coach Dave Prpich was named interim coach.Kelly was in his second season with Windsor. Despite having 14 rookies on the roster, a minimum of 10 in each game, and trading overage goalie Travis Scott to the Oshawa Generals, &ldquo;we didn&rsquo;t feel it was unreasonable to expect this club to be in the. .500 range,&rdquo; Awender said.&ldquo;We measured how we did against teams early and how we&rsquo;re doing against the same teams now. If the gap didn&rsquo;t widen, then I don&rsquo;t think you can blame it all on the talent. It seemed like things were gradually slipping.&rdquo;Kelly wondered it he should be the only one to shoulder the blame.At what point does the GM take responsibility for decisions, such as trading your goalie?&rdquo; Kelly said.Scott has posted a league-best 2.23 goals-against average for the surging Generals.The Windsor franchise has made 23 coaching changes in its 21-year history. This is the third change under Awender in less than three seasons, seventh since 1991 and the 11th in 11 years.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01943/7074521-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="700" height="244"></div>&ldquo;It goes back to losing the sixth game (of the quarterfinal) to Sudbury last season,&rdquo; Kelly said. &ldquo;The owners talked to people about making a coaching change before training camp.&rdquo;JUST SAY NO: No wins, no permanent coach, no GM, no direction, no comment.But the London Knights do own five OHL records and were closing on three Canadian Hockey League futility marks.The Knights lost 9-2 to the Niagara Falls Thunder Dec. 10, London&rsquo;s 29th game without a win (0-28-1). That eclipsed the Kingston Canadians&rsquo; 28-game winless streak (all losses) in 1987-88.The Knights also own the longest winless streak to begin a season, the longest losing streak to start a season (17 games), the longest home losing streak (18 games) and the longest home winless streak.The Knights could own six more futility records by season&rsquo;s end, but owner Doug Tarry isn&rsquo;t in a rush to hire a GM or name a coach.&ldquo;No comment,&rdquo; was Tarry&rsquo;s reply three times when asked about the team&rsquo;s plans. At the moment, Tarry, assistant GM Buck Higgins and advisor Paul McIntosh, a Calgary Flames parttime scout, form the Knights&rsquo; GM committee.INSTANT CELEB: Rookie center Joe I Thornton has made such an impact on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the 16-year-old can&rsquo;t even make it through a shopping mall without being asked to sign autographs.Thornton, the Greyhounds&rsquo; first pick and second overall, was leading the team with 13 goals and 36 points in 28 games. He was named OHL rookie of the month for November and helped the Greyhounds move to within four points of West Division-leading Detroit.The 6-foot-4, 186-pound St. Thomas, Ont., native was third in rookie scoring behind Alexandre Volchkov of the Barrie Colts and Herberts Vasiljev of the Guelph Storm. &#9632;

f0032-01

Kelly bitter about early firing as Spitfires’ coach

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div>When the Montreal Canadiens drafted Hull Olympiques&rsquo; right winger Jonathan Delisle, it was a dream come true for the 18-year-old native of Ste-Anne des Plaines, Que.&ldquo;The Canadiens were always my team,&rdquo; said Delisle, a fourth-round selection in 1995. &ldquo;My father had season tickets for the Canadiens and I would go to a lot of games with him when I was young. It was a dream to be drafted by them. I&rsquo;m very happy.&rdquo;The Canadiens are also happy with the way Delisle has been playing this season.Delisle, 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, is a rugged winger who has been called a pitbull because of his aggressive style. In 33 games, he had 23 goals and 59 points to 20 alone with 107 penalty minutes and a plus-22.While Delisle didn&rsquo;t receive an invitation to Canada&rsquo;s national junior team evaluation camp this summer, his play in the first half of the season earned him a spot at the final selection camp Dec. 13-18 in Campbellton, N.B.&ldquo;Obviously I had a say seeing as I&rsquo;ve seen him play more than the other (national) coaches have,&rdquo; said Blair Mackasey, who coaches the Drummondville Voltigeurs and will be an assistant to Marcel Comeau with Team Canada.&ldquo;I thought he was Hull&rsquo;s best player in Kamloops last year in the Memorial Cup. I liked the way he played and I liked the way he competed&hellip;I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of that again this year. Our scouting staff was quite impressed with him.&rdquo;Mackasey said Delisle, 18, was added when it became apparent wingers Mathieu Dandenault (Detroit Red Wings) and Shane Doan (Winnipeg Jets), among others, weren&rsquo;t going to be returned from their NHL teams.&ldquo;He was a logical candidate,&rdquo; Mackasey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very competitive. He has good speed, he&rsquo;ll hit, he&rsquo;ll grind it out and he can score.&rdquo;As a youngster watching the Canadiens, Delisle&rsquo;s favorite players were Stephane Richer and Shayne Corson. But he compares his style to that of Mike Keane, the former Habs&rsquo; captain now with the Colorado Avalanche.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the same size and he plays the same style as me,&rdquo; Delisle said. &ldquo;He always works hard and he&rsquo;s good in both ends of the ice.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02643/7074552-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="581" height="294"></div>STREAK ENDS: Drummondville is going to have to learn to live without league scoring leader Daniel Briere-at least for a little while.Briere&rsquo;s consecutive game streak came to an end at 110 when he left the Volts to attend Canada&rsquo;s selection camp for the WJC. It marked the first time Briere had missed a game since entering the league last season.Briere, with 42 goals and 54 assists, had a hand in 56 per cent of Drummondville&rsquo;s goals.&ldquo;Obviously you can never replace Briere,&rdquo; Blair Mackasey said. &ldquo;But (David) Lessard, (Mathieu) Sunderland. (Chad) Murray and (David) Thibeault are 2uvs who can score and pick up the slack. Sometimes when you lose a guy like that it gives the other guys a little more room and it s amazing what they can do.&rdquo; Voltigeurs&rsquo; captain Denis Gauthier Jr., who was a rock on defense while adding 18 goals and 45 points in 31 games, was also invited to the WJC camp.&ldquo;In the short term this might hurt us,&rdquo; Mackasey said, &ldquo;but I think in the long term the experience is going to help. The kids are going to get an opportunity to play under that kind of pressure and it can only help you down the line going into the playoffs.&rdquo;HULL ON A ROLL: The Hull Olympiques (29-9-1) extended their win streak to nine games and moved within one point of the Granby Predateurs (29-6-2) for first place in the overall standings after a 5-2 victory over the St-Hyacinthe Laser Dec. 10. Hull outscored its opposition 46-20 during that span while goalie Jose Theodore went 7-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average. But the Olympiques will have to live without Theodore for a while, since he was expected to make the Canadian team for the WJC. &#9632;

f0032-02

Delisle’s aggressive style makes people take notice

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>A bench-clearing brawl between the Swift Current Broncos and Lethbridge Hurricanes resulted in 23 games worth of suspensions and $6,750 in fines.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the very thing we&rsquo;re trying to eliminate,&rdquo; Western League president Ed Chynoweth said of the Dec. 10 incident in Lethbridge. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re obviously deeply concerned.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had at least six governors phone me and say, &lsquo;Ed, there is no room for this in the league.&rsquo; They have strong feelings about curbing violence and they want some action.&rdquo;The coaches, Lethbridge&rsquo;s Bryan Maxwell and Swift Current&rsquo;s Todd McLellan, were each suspended for five games and fined $1,000. Each team was fined $2,000 for having all players involved.The incident erupted when, during a line change, a scrum started and extra bodies were on the ice. That prompted players from both sides to leave the benches and get involved. Maxwell and McLellan also were on the ice, trying to stop the brawl.Swift Current left winger Jeremy Rondeau was suspended for five games and fined $500 for being the first player to leave the bench.Lethbridge defenseman Dale Purinton was suspended three games and fined $250. He was the second player to leave the bench.Hurricanes&rsquo; winger Dave Taylor was suspended two games for leaving the penalty box. Broncos&rsquo; winger Tyler Willis also received a two-game sentence for leaving the bench.Lethbridge winger Kirby Law was handed an automatic one-game suspension for receiving his third game misconduct of the season.STREAK ENDS: The Kamloops Blazers&rsquo; streak of consecutive regular-season home sellouts ended at 67.Kamloops drew 4,906 fans to the 5,000-seat Riverside Coliseum Dec. 12 for a 3-2 overtime loss to the Prince George Cougars. The last nonsellout was Jan. 2, 1994, when 4,928 watched Kamloops blank the Spokane Chiefs.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03453/7074583-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="357" height="363"></div>Prince George, meanwhile, won its third straight game for the first time since October 1992. The Cougars (then based in Victoria) posted four straight victories during a period spanning Oct. 2-10, 1992.ROCKETS&rsquo; LOSS: The death of Randy Lindros has effects which transcend hockey.Lindros, a 15-year-old prospect with the Kelowna Rockets, died suddenly Dec. 5 from a congenital heart defect.&ldquo;What&rsquo;s sad is how it has been blown out of proportion with regards to the hockey club,&rdquo; said Rockets&rsquo; GM and governor Bruce Hamilton. &ldquo;Certainly, it&rsquo;s a loss to us in the future, but it&rsquo;s a tragic loss to his family. It&rsquo;s a terrible, terrible tragedy. Our concern is for the family.&rdquo;The Rockets selected Lindros-a cousin of Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; star Eric Lindros&mdash;in the first round of the WHL&rsquo;s 1995 bantam draft.Randy Lindros was a highly touted defenseman in the Kamloops bantam ranks. He experienced chest pains during a Dec. 3 practice, was checked at hospital and released.Two days later, he collapsed and died. &ldquo;Randy was such an excellent young man,&rdquo; said Lome Frey, Kelowna&rsquo;s assistant GM and director of player personnel. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to fathom. Initially, when we heard, we couldn&rsquo;t believe it.&rdquo;FIRING BLANKS: The Tri-City Americans had not been shut out for 225 games until Prince George recorded a 2-0 home-ice victory Dec. 9.Until then, Tri-City had not been blanked since Nov. 15, 1992, when Seattle defeated the visiting Americans 2-0.Chris Mason earned the shutout for Prince George, making 46 saves.YOUNG A SECOND SLOW: Red Deer Rebels right winger BJ. Young almost set a WHL record. He scored six seconds into a Dec. 6 game against the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers, which ended in a 4-4 tie.The WHL mark for the fastest goal at the start of a game is five seconds-set Jan. 31, 1987 by Dean Sexsmith of the Seattle Thunderbirds. &#9632;

f0032-03

Coaches, five players suspended after brawl

<div class="byline">By Chris Miller</div>O, say, can you stop &lsquo;em? That is the rallying cry of Minnesota-Duluth opponents this season.The team&rsquo;s O&rsquo; boys-Mike Peluso, Jeff Romfo, Joe Ciccarello and Brad Federen- ko-have been major threats in the Bulldog offense, combining for more than half the team&rsquo;s goals in a 13-4-1 start.Peluso was the hottest of the group, scoring 10 goals in a five-game stretch. The sophomore center had 17 goals in 18 games, tying for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association lead.After scoring 11 goals as a freshman, Peluso has made an effort to shoot more this season.&ldquo;Some of my best shots are ones that aren&rsquo;t going in,&rdquo; said Peluso, who is a second cousin of the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; winger with the same name. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting a lot of shots and part of it is confidence, too.&rdquo;Halfway through the season, Peluso had 10 power-play goals, five multiple-goal games, two hat tricks and a single-game high of 12 shots.Peluso played high school in Bismarck, N.D., setting a state record with 50 goals and 99 points in 23 games as a junior. He bypassed his senior year and joined the Omaha Lancers of the U.S. League, where he was a two-time all-star.A lOth-round selection of the Calgary Flames in the 1994 NHL entry draft, Peluso was on the WCHA&rsquo;s all-rookie team after a 34-point freshman season with the Bulldogs.Romfo, who had 10 points over a four-game stretch in early December, and Ciccarello are both penalty-killing senior wingers.<h2>WCHA</h2>Federenko was slumping a bit after a 30-goal sophomore season, but remained a consistent threat.&ldquo;We have a lot of balance,&rdquo; Romfo said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t key on one guy or one line. Everyone&rsquo;s contributing.&rdquo;SNOW JOB: In no college hockey town does it snow more than in Houghton, Mich., so it&rsquo;s not surprising Michigan Tech finally had a game postponed by a blizzard.The surprise was the game was in St. Cloud, Minn. A Dec. 8 blizzard hit central Minnesota hard and when Gov. Arne Carlson ordered all state facilities closed and sent employees home, that included staff at the National Hockey Center.The Tech-St. Cloud State series was played Dec. 9-10. It&rsquo;s believed to be the first time a WCHA game was postponed by weather.ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGHS: Colorado College started with a 15-game unbeaten streak (12-0-3), breaking the school record of 12 set 39 seasons ago.Their 14-game unbeaten streak in league games was three away from the league record set in 1960-61 by Denver.Denver, meanwhile, was off to its best start in 19 seasons at 13-2-1. The Pioneers were 9-0-1 at home. &#9632;

Peluso leads O’ boys to Bulldog-like start

<div class="byline">By Matt Carlson</div>As the Central Collegiate Hockey Association season wears on, Western Michigan Broncos freshman goalie Marc Magliarditi continues to stand-up mechanically and mentally.&ldquo;He cuts down the angles, doesn&rsquo;t get out of position and stands up well,&rdquo; said Broncos&rsquo; coach Bill Wilkinson. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re going to beat him, you have to do it with a good shot.&ldquo;He seems to play better under adverse conditions. In the bigger games, he rises to the occasion and he doesn&rsquo;t get bent out of shape if he makes a mistake.&rdquo;The 19-year-old Niagara Falls, N.Y., native had played all but one of 18 games this season and was the CCHA&rsquo;s most visible rookie-a 2.16 goals-against average and 92.8 save percentage prove that.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m all that surprised,&rdquo; said Magliarditi, a 1995 Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; draft pick. &ldquo;The position here was open. With two freshmen goalies (Matt Barnes is the other), it was a good situation to come into.&rdquo;Magliarditi, who was recruited by other schools including Notre Dame, Clarkson and Providence, said becoming a No. 1 collegiate goalie was his long-term goal. He spent last season with Des Moines of the U.S. League after graduating from Nichols Prep School in Buffalo, N.Y. in 1994.Among Magliarditi&rsquo;s achievements are a team record three shutouts (eclipsing Glenn Healy&rsquo;s old mark), two wins over Michigan and wins over Lake Superior and Bowling Green.<h2>CCHA</h2>&ldquo;I focus the same way every game, whether it&rsquo;s against a bottom team or a top team,&rdquo; said Magliarditi, who was invited to the U.S national junior team&rsquo;s training camp. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just that against the top teams, you&rsquo;re really going to stand out because they&rsquo;ll get more chances.&rdquo;ROACH JUMPING: According to Ferris State coach Bob Daniels, few CCHA players have been busier than Bulldogs&rsquo; junior defenseman Andy Roach.&ldquo;He plays 35-40 minutes a game,&rdquo; Daniels said of the 22-year-old rearguard. &ldquo;He plays even strength, the power play, penalty killing. Sometimes on the power play, he&rsquo;s on both of the units so he&rsquo;s out the entire two minutes.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just one of those guys who was born with a great cardiovascular system. He gets better the more ice he sees.&rdquo;Roach, who converted from forward in junior hockey, is an offensive threat from the blueline. He led the team with six goals and 17 points in 16 games. The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Mattawan, Mich., native has improved his overall play.&ldquo;He used to rely on stick checking and not the body,&rdquo; Daniels said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;d miss coverage or get beat by the guy coming off the boards and going to the net. But now he&rsquo;s a lot more physical and playing the body. He might have the strongest upper body on our team.&rdquo; &#9632;

Broncos’ Magliarditi stands up to challenge

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggie</div>Gregor Baumgartner became the youngest player to play a Division 1 college hockey game in October. Now he&rsquo;s the youngest to quit.The 16-year-old Clarkson freshman forward left the Golden Knights because of a difference in opinion regarding his development.Baumgartner finished his semester of classes at Clarkson in mid-December and returned to Quebec to play midget AAA hockey. His Canadian Hockey League rights will be determined at the 1996 European draft. He&rsquo;s not eligible for the NHL entry draft until 1997.&ldquo;He felt being here was hurting his development,&rdquo; said Clarkson coach Mark Morris. &ldquo;By returning, he feels he&rsquo;ll be able to work at penalty killing and playing on the power play.&rdquo;Baumgartner, a native of Kapfenberg, Austria who played midget AAA for Ste-Foy last year, thought he would get more ice time at Clarkson, a situation Morris said he never promised.&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t know much about college hockey, about paying a price to earn your keep,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;We told him when we recruited him that it would take a while for him to fit into the mix.&rdquo;Clarkson got off to an 0-3 start, but then went on a 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2) that carried the Knights to the top of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Morris wasn&rsquo;t about to tamper with his winning formula.&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t going to alter our plans to accommodate one player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re certain he&rsquo;s going to be a great player, but we can&rsquo;t accommodate him at this time.&rdquo;<h2>ECAC</h2>Baumgartner&rsquo;s final appearance for the Golden Knights came Nov. 25 at Boston University. He played in seven games, with no goals and one assist. He was unavailable for comment.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s leaving on good terms,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing great in school and he&rsquo;s going to take courses at Ottawa University.&rdquo;The 6-foot, 170-pound center scored 106 points (51 goals, 55 assists) for the Gouvemeurde Ste-Foy last season. But as a stipulation of his returning to the midget AAA league, he will have to play for Gatineau, the last-place team.WINGING IT: Union senior defenseman Reid Simonton hadn&rsquo;t played forward since his days in junior hockey, but his move to right wing paid off for the Dutchmen.In his second game as a right winger-Dec. 10-Simonton scored two goals, including the tying goal with 1.9 seconds left, as the Dutchmen snapped a five-game losing streak with a 55 tie with Cornell.STILL LOOKING: Brown sophomore goalie Jeff Holowaty didn&rsquo;t have an ECAC victory, but he wasn&rsquo;t complaining. In three starts, Holowaty had a 0-0-3 record with a 3.09 goals-against average. He was superb on the Bears&rsquo; North County trip, stopping 76 of 82 shots (92.7 save percentage) as Brown tied Clarkson (4-4) and St. Lawrence (2-2). &#9632;

Young ace Baumgartner leaves Golden Knights

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div>Chris Drury and Jay Pandolfo are making up for lost time with the Boston University Terriers this season.Sophomore center Drury was Hockey East&rsquo;s leading point-getter with 14 goals and 31 points in 14 games and linemate Pandolfo was right behind him with a league-leading 17 goals and 27 points in 14 games.Last year it was a different story. Drury was a freshman adjusting to life as a third liner for the national champion Terriers. Junior left winger Pandolfo was fighting off nagging injuries that limited him to just 20 games.&ldquo;Both of them work hard on every shift in practices and games,&rdquo; said Terriers&rsquo; coach Jack Parker. &ldquo;Chris was a wing for two-thirds of the season last year, then I moved him to center and he played better. He&rsquo;s more confident. He&rsquo;s getting more ice time and has come into his own.&rdquo;Parker said Pandolfo, a second-round draft pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1993, is much more focused now that he&rsquo;s healthy.&ldquo;And the puck has been jumping into the net for him,&rdquo; Parker said.Together, they helped lead the Terriers&rsquo; to an 8-1 league record, one point ahead of Providence and three ahead of Maine.Drury, a 1994 draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche, was Hockey East player of the week for the period ending Dec. 10. He had two goals and five points in two games. &raquo;<h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>SLOW PROGRESS: Doctors monitoring the progress of paralyzed Boston University freshman Travis Roy were encouraged to detect slight sensory feeling in the player&rsquo;s arms.Doctors told Jack Parker that messages are being sent to Roy&rsquo;s arms meaning he could possibly regain the feeling in both arms. There are no guarantees, however.Roy, 20, fell awkwardly into the boards Oct. 20 after trying to check an opponent. He sustained a fracture of his fourth cervical vertebra.With assistance, Roy was able to call Parker, several of his friends and they visited him in the Boston University Medical Center.&ldquo;He enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice,&rdquo; a pleased Parker said. &ldquo;You couldn&rsquo;t shut him up. It was hilarious.&rdquo;EVEN STEVEN: Talk about a close series. New Hampshire and Boston College split a two-game series Dec. 8-9. Both teams scored seven goals, BC outshot UNH 48-47. Each team was whistled for eight penalties and both teams went 2-for-6 on the power play&hellip;Northeastern scored three goals in the last seven minutes to earn a 6-6 Dec. 9 tie with Providence. Senior defenseman and captain Dan McGillis tied the game with eight seconds remaining&hellip;New Hampshire left winger Derek Bekar was Hockey East rookie of the week. He scored all three goals in UNH&rsquo;s 3-2 win over BC Dec. 9. &#9632;

Drury, Pandolfo join fun keeping Terriers on top

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01902/7075123-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="495" height="457"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-14122/7075116-1-eng-US/f0035-142.jpg" title="f0035-14" width="2290" height="306"></div><h2>STANDINGS</h2>NHL Standings through games of Dec. 14/95 (82-game regular season). GP-games played; W-wins; L-losses; T-ties; GF-goals for; GA-goals against; Diff.-difference between goals for and against; P-points; Pct.-percentage of actual points versus possible points.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02639/7075109-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="1358" height="1199"></div><h2>PLAYOFF RACE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-16100/7075102-1-eng-US/f0035-162.jpg" title="f0035-16" width="888" height="686"></div><h2>OVERALL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03521/7075095-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="439" height="784"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-13143/7075088-1-eng-US/f0035-132.jpg" title="f0035-13" width="440" height="714"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jet&rsquo;s Nikolai Khabibulin</figcaption></div><h2>RESULTS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04417/7075081-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="477" height="1443"></div><h2>TOP SCORERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05349/7075074-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="615" height="1407"></div><h2>TOP DEFENSEMEN</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06317/7075067-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="598" height="321"></div><h2>TOP ROOKIES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07293/7075060-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="598" height="345"></div><h2>GOALS-AGAINST AVG.</h2>GP-games played; Min.-total minutes; GA-goals-against; SO-shutouts; GAA-goals-against average; League average is average GAA of all goalies who have played minimum 360 minutes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08262/7075053-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="604" height="927"></div><h2>SAVE PERCENTAGE</h2>GP-games played; Min.-total minutes; SA-shots faced; GA-goals against; SP-save percentage: League average is average save percentage of all goalies who have played minimum 360 minutes. Save percentages are now expressed as actual percentages (i.e. 97.9), rather than averages (i.e. .979) as they were in the past.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-09239/7075046-1-eng-US/f0035-092.jpg" title="f0035-09" width="603" height="936"></div><h2>TEAM PENALTIES</h2>PIM-total penalty minutes including BMI bench penalty minutes; Avg.-average penalty minutes per game.League Average &hellip;&hellip; 21.0 min.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-10209/7075039-1-eng-US/f0035-102.jpg" title="f0035-10" width="1067" height="489"></div><h2>POWER PLAY</h2>Adv-total advantages; PPG-power-play goals; Pct.-power-play goals divided by total advantages.League Average &hellip;&hellip; 17.4%<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-11182/7075032-1-eng-US/f0035-112.jpg" title="f0035-11" width="1008" height="492"></div><h2>PENALTY KILLING</h2>TSH-total times shorthanded; PGA-power-play goals allowed; Pct-Penalty-killing percentage.League Average &hellip;&hellip; 82.6%<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-12161/7075025-1-eng-US/f0035-122.jpg" title="f0035-12" width="969" height="473"></div><h2>POINTS PER GAME</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01867/7075018-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="377" height="1039"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-13165/7075011-1-eng-US/f0036-132.jpg" title="f0036-13" width="356" height="460"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wings&rsquo; Sergei Fedorov</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-14155/7075004-1-eng-US/f0036-142.jpg" title="f0036-14" width="356" height="472"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jets&rsquo; Eddie Olczyk</figcaption></div><h2>PLUS/MINUS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02584/7074997-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="379" height="1135"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-15151/7074990-1-eng-US/f0036-152.jpg" title="f0036-15" width="356" height="502"><figcaption class="caption-body">Leafs&rsquo; Kenny Jonsson</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-16147/7074983-1-eng-US/f0036-162.jpg" title="f0036-16" width="354" height="516"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bruins&rsquo; Rick Zombo</figcaption></div><h2>PENALTY MINUTES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03480/7074976-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="386" height="1098"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-17138/7074969-1-eng-US/f0036-172.jpg" title="f0036-17" width="355" height="495"><figcaption class="caption-body">Flames&rsquo; Paul Kruse</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-18130/7074962-1-eng-US/f0036-182.jpg" title="f0036-18" width="354" height="493"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stars&rsquo; Grant Ledyard</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-19125/7074955-1-eng-US/f0036-192.jpg" title="f0036-19" width="1531" height="2323"><figcaption class="caption-body">German Titov&rsquo;s early-December scoring spree was welcomed by the struggling Flames.</figcaption></div>KEY TO ABBREVIATIONSStatistics provided by National Hockey League: PLAYER-listed by uniform number, position (F-forward; D-defenseman; G-goalie), name; GP-games played; G-goals; A-assists; P-points; +/- -plus/minus; PIM-penalties; PP-power-play goals; SH-short-handed goals; GW-game-winning goals; GT-game-tying goals; S-shots; PCT-shooting percentage. Players indicated by an asterisk (*) are eligible for the Calder Trophy.<h2>ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04364/7074948-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="752" height="681"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05306/7074941-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="752" height="125"></div><h2>BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06264/7074934-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="758" height="757"></div><h2>BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-07243/7074927-1-eng-US/f0036-072.jpg" title="f0036-07" width="756" height="129"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-08222/7074920-1-eng-US/f0036-082.jpg" title="f0036-08" width="753" height="636"></div><h2>CALGARY FLAMES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-09205/7074913-1-eng-US/f0036-092.jpg" title="f0036-09" width="761" height="809"></div><h2>CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-10192/7074906-1-eng-US/f0036-102.jpg" title="f0036-10" width="760" height="709"></div><h2>COLORADO AVALANCHE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-11184/7074899-1-eng-US/f0036-112.jpg" title="f0036-11" width="765" height="890"></div><h2>DALLAS STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-12174/7074892-1-eng-US/f0036-122.jpg" title="f0036-12" width="752" height="175"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01775/7074885-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="773" height="562"></div><h2>DETROIT RED WINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02532/7074878-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="762" height="708"></div><h2>EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03410/7074871-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="767" height="707"></div><h2>FLORIDA PANTHERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04337/7074864-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="759" height="676"></div><h2>HARTFORD WHALERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05302/7074857-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="756" height="551"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06266/7074850-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="751" height="270"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1580/7074843-1-eng-US/f0037-152.jpg" title="f0037-15" width="1533" height="2126"><figcaption class="caption-body">Petr Sykora, right, has been a productive rookie for Stanley Cup champion New Jersey.</figcaption></div><h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-07239/7074836-1-eng-US/f0037-072.jpg" title="f0037-07" width="752" height="958"></div><h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-08200/7074829-1-eng-US/f0037-082.jpg" title="f0037-08" width="755" height="986"></div><h2>NEW JERSEY DEVILS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-09171/7074822-1-eng-US/f0037-092.jpg" title="f0037-09" width="753" height="162"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-10152/7074815-1-eng-US/f0037-102.jpg" title="f0037-10" width="781" height="742"></div><h2>NEW YORK ISLANDERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-11128/7074808-1-eng-US/f0037-112.jpg" title="f0037-11" width="758" height="843"></div><h2>NEW YORK RANGERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-12111/7074801-1-eng-US/f0037-122.jpg" title="f0037-12" width="750" height="665"></div><h2>OTTAWA SENATORS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-13101/7074794-1-eng-US/f0037-132.jpg" title="f0037-13" width="753" height="818"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-1492/7074787-1-eng-US/f0037-142.jpg" title="f0037-14" width="755" height="171"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01845/7074780-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="762" height="778"></div><h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02598/7074773-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="758" height="724"></div><h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03481/7074766-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="766" height="830"></div><h2>SAN JOSE SHARKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04376/7074759-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="756" height="960"></div><h2>TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05289/7074752-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="759" height="873"></div><h2>TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06246/7074745-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="753" height="743"></div><h2>VANCOUVER CANUCKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07226/7074738-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="758" height="872"></div><h2>WASHINGTON CAPITALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-08192/7074731-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="760" height="704"></div><h2>WINNIPEG JETS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-09173/7074724-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="762" height="784"></div><h2>NHL SCHEDULE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-10153/7074717-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="775" height="2578"></div><h2>NHL SCHEDULE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-11140/7074710-1-eng-US/f0038-112.jpg" title="f0038-11" width="798" height="3552"></div> &#9632;

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REVOLUTIONARY REPLACEMENT BLADE SYSTEM.

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONSStatistics provided by National Hockey League; Players are listed by uniform number, name, games played (GP), minutes played (MIN), goals-against average (GAA). wins (W) losses (L) ties (T). empty-net goals (EN), shutouts (SO), goals against (GA), shots against (SA), save percentage (SP). Players indicated by an asterisk (*) are eligible for the Calder Trophy. Numbers beside teams Indicate rankings for the Bill Jennings Trophy. For goalies&rsquo; individual rankings see page 35.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01796/7075161-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="776" height="623"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02528/7075154-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="2321" height="971"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

f0039-03

NHL SUMMARIES

NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

(OT) denotes overtime gameTeam affiliations are listed in parentheses under names<h2>AHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01446/7075961-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="519" height="684"></div>ResultsDec. 7: Cornwall 4, Hershey 1. Dec. 8: Binghamton 9, Carolina 7; PEI 5. Cape Breton 4: Adirondack 4. Rochester 1; Fredericton 4, St John&rsquo;s 1; Hershey 5, Syracuse 2; Saint John 2, Portland 1; Worcester 3, Springfield 3; Albany 4, Providence 1. Dec. 9: St John&rsquo;s 4, Fredericton 1; Baltimore 7, Hershey 6 (OT); Providence 2, Worcester 2; Cape Breton 5, PEI 3; Springfield 2, Saint John 0; Cornwall 2, Adirondack 1 (OT). Dec. 10: Providence 3, Saint John 2; Binghamton 4, Carolina 2; Rochester 7, Baltimore 4. Dec. 12: Cape Breton 5, Fredericton 3; St John&rsquo;s 5, PEI 2. Dec. 13: Albany 7, Cornwall 3; PEI 4. St. John&rsquo;s 3; Saint John 5, Worcester 2; Baltimore 4, Binghamton 3.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02302/7075954-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg" title="f0043-02" width="525" height="1654"></div><h2>ADIRONDACK RED WINGS</h2>(Detroit)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03245/7075947-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="495" height="464"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04166/7075940-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="500" height="274"></div><h2>ALBANY RIVER RATS</h2>(New Jersey)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05143/7075933-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="502" height="835"></div><h2>BALTIMORE BANDITS</h2>(Anaheim)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06115/7075926-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="494" height="820"></div><h2>BINGHAMTON RANGERS</h2>(NY Rangers)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07103/7075919-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="498" height="696"></div><h2>CAPE BRETON OILERS</h2>(Edmonton)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-0890/7075912-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="497" height="511"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-0982/7075905-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="506" height="331"></div><h2>CAROLINA PANTHERS</h2>(Florida)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1073/7075898-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="495" height="661"></div><h2>CORNWALL ACES</h2>(Colorado)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1163/7075891-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="502" height="972"></div><h2>FREDERICTON CANADIENS</h2>(Montreal)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1258/7075884-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="506" height="718"></div><h2>HERSHEY BEARS</h2>(Philadelphia)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1353/7075877-1-eng-US/f0043-132.jpg" title="f0043-13" width="497" height="476"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1451/7075870-1-eng-US/f0043-142.jpg" title="f0043-14" width="494" height="280"></div><h2>PEI SENATORS</h2>(Ottawa)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1547/7075863-1-eng-US/f0043-152.jpg" title="f0043-15" width="471" height="590"></div><h2>PORTLAND PIRATES</h2>(Washington)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1644/7075856-1-eng-US/f0043-162.jpg" title="f0043-16" width="506" height="836"></div><h2>PROVIDENCE BRUINS</h2>(Boston)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1740/7075849-1-eng-US/f0043-172.jpg" title="f0043-17" width="501" height="784"></div><h2>ROCHESTER AMERICANS</h2>(Buffalo)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1835/7075842-1-eng-US/f0043-182.jpg" title="f0043-18" width="499" height="428"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1932/7075835-1-eng-US/f0043-192.jpg" title="f0043-19" width="514" height="352"></div><h2>SAINT JOHN FLAMES</h2>(Calgary)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2024/7075828-1-eng-US/f0043-202.jpg" title="f0043-20" width="500" height="902"></div><h2>SPRINGFIELD FALCONS</h2>(Hartford/Winnipeg)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2117/7075821-1-eng-US/f0043-212.jpg" title="f0043-21" width="503" height="818"></div><h2>ST. JOHN&rsquo;S MAPLE LEAFS</h2>(Toronto)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2216/7075814-1-eng-US/f0043-222.jpg" title="f0043-22" width="505" height="700"></div><h2>SYRACUSE CRUNCH</h2>(Vancouver)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2315/7075807-1-eng-US/f0043-232.jpg" title="f0043-23" width="505" height="412"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2413/7075800-1-eng-US/f0043-242.jpg" title="f0043-24" width="507" height="328"></div><h2>WORCESTER ICECATS</h2>(NY Islanders/St. Louis)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-2512/7075793-1-eng-US/f0043-252.jpg" title="f0043-25" width="517" height="3111"></div> &#9632;

f0043-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Team affiliations are listed in parentheses under names (OT) and (SO) denote overtime and shootoutIHL<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01340/7076160-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="510" height="763"></div>Dec. 7: Cincinnati 5. Houston 2; Las Vegas 5, Orlando 3. Dec. 8: Utah 5, Indianapolis 4 (SO); Cincinnati 6, Michigan 4; Fort Wayne 5, Atlanta 4 (SO); Phoenix 8, Kansas City 0; Los Angeles 6, Minnesota 5 (OT); Cleveland 6, Detroit 5; San Francisco 6. Milwaukee 5 (SO). Dec. 9: Cleveland 3, Indianapolis 2; Cincinnati 3. Atlanta 0; Milwaukee 3. San Francisco 1; Kansas City 5, Phoenix 4; Las Vegas 4, Houston 3; Minnesota 4, Peoria 1; Chicago 2, Los Angeles 1 (SO); Orlando 5, Fort Wayne 4 (SO); Michigan 4, Utah 3. Dec. 10: Utah 4, Detroit 1. Dec. 12: Phoenix 4, Milwaukee 3. Dec. 13: Utah 4. Los Angeles 0; Peoria 6, Michigan 3; Houston 7, Atlanta 5; Detroit 4, Fort Wayne 2; Minnesota 3, Phoenix 2; Cincinnati 6. Cleveland 3.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02188/7076153-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="516" height="1608"></div><h2>ATLANTA KNIGHTS</h2>(Tampa Bay)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03135/7076146-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="498" height="538"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04101/7076139-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="509" height="203"></div><h2>CHICAGO WOLVES</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0586/7076132-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="502" height="635"></div><h2>CINCINNATI CYCLONES</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0677/7076125-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="502" height="609"></div><h2>CLEVELAND LUMBERJACKS</h2>(Pittsburgh)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0772/7076118-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="507" height="652"></div><h2>DETROIT VIPERS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0860/7076111-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="496" height="752"></div><h2>FORT WAYNE KOMETS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0956/7076104-1-eng-US/f0044-092.jpg" title="f0044-09" width="506" height="210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1048/7076097-1-eng-US/f0044-102.jpg" title="f0044-10" width="517" height="501"></div><h2>HOUSTON AEROS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1140/7076090-1-eng-US/f0044-112.jpg" title="f0044-11" width="497" height="629"></div><h2>INDIANAPOLIS ICE</h2>(Chicago)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1237/7076083-1-eng-US/f0044-122.jpg" title="f0044-12" width="502" height="566"></div><h2>KANSAS CITY BLADES</h2>(San Jose)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1334/7076076-1-eng-US/f0044-132.jpg" title="f0044-13" width="514" height="628"></div><h2>LAS VEGAS THUNDER</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1432/7076069-1-eng-US/f0044-142.jpg" title="f0044-14" width="499" height="608"></div><h2>LOS ANGELES ICE DOGS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1532/7076062-1-eng-US/f0044-152.jpg" title="f0044-15" width="490" height="127"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1630/7076055-1-eng-US/f0044-162.jpg" title="f0044-16" width="501" height="505"></div><h2>MICHIGAN K-WINGS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1729/7076048-1-eng-US/f0044-172.jpg" title="f0044-17" width="494" height="705"></div><h2>MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1827/7076041-1-eng-US/f0044-182.jpg" title="f0044-18" width="496" height="574"></div><h2>MINNESOTA MOOSE</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1924/7076034-1-eng-US/f0044-192.jpg" title="f0044-19" width="484" height="707"></div><h2>ORLANDO SOLAR BEARS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2022/7076027-1-eng-US/f0044-202.jpg" title="f0044-20" width="492" height="618"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2118/7076020-1-eng-US/f0044-212.jpg" title="f0044-21" width="497" height="736"></div><h2>PEORIA RIVERMEN</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2218/7076013-1-eng-US/f0044-222.jpg" title="f0044-22" width="497" height="631"></div><h2>PHOENIX ROADRUNNERS</h2>(Los Angeles)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2316/7076006-1-eng-US/f0044-232.jpg" title="f0044-23" width="506" height="577"></div><h2>SAN FRANCISCO SPIDERS</h2>(Independent)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2415/7075999-1-eng-US/f0044-242.jpg" title="f0044-24" width="502" height="1171"></div><h2>UTAH GRIZZLIES</h2>(NY Islanders)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-2515/7075992-1-eng-US/f0044-252.jpg" title="f0044-25" width="498" height="1615"></div>ScheduleDecemberWednesday. Dec. 20: Detroit at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Atlanta at Fort Wayne, 7:30 pm; Orlando at Kansas City, 7:30 pm; Peoria at Milwaukee. 7:00 pm; Michigan at Phoenix, 7:00 pm; Los Angeles at Utah, 7:00 pm. Friday, Dec. 22: Detroit at Chicago. 7:30 pm; Atlanta at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Minnesota at Fort Wayne, 8:00 pm; Cincinnati at Houston. 7:00 pm; Peoria at Kansas City. 7:30 pm; Orlando at Milwaukee, 7:00 pm; Michigan at San Fran., 7:30 pm; Los Angeles at Utah. 7:00 pm. Saturday, Dec. 23: Milwaukee at Chicago. 7:30 pm; Atlanta at Cleveland, 12:15 pm: Minnesota at Detroit. 12:30 pm; Cincinnati at Houston, 7:00 pm; Fort Wayne at Indianapolis, 3:00 pm; Kansas City at Peoria, 7:30 pm; Las Vegas at Phoenix, 7:00 pm; Los Angeles at San Fran., 6:00 pm; Michigan at Utah, 7:00 pm. Tuesday. Dec. 26: Orlando at Atlanta, 1:00 pm; Indianapolis at Cincinnati, 7:30 pm; Michigan at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Detroit at Fort Wayne, 7:30 pm; Milwaukee at Kansas City, 7:30 pm; Minnesota at Las Vegas, 7:00 pm; Chicago at Peoria. 7:00 pm; Los Angeles at Phoenix, 7:00 pm; Utah at San Fran., 7:30 pm. Wednesday, Dec. 27: Peoria at Chicago, 7:30 pm; Cleveland at Indianapolis, 7:00 pm; Fort Wayne at Michigan. 7:00 pm; Kansas City at Milwaukee, 7:00 pm; Houston at Orlando. 7:00 pm. Thursday, Dec. 28: Houston at Atlanta, 7:30 pm: Detroit at Orlando. 7:00 pm; Las Vegas at San Fran.. 7:30 pm. Friday, Dec. 29: Los Angeles at Chicago, 7:30 pm; Indianapolis at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Atlanta at Detroit. 7:30 pm: Milwaukee at Fort Wayne, 8:00 pm; Utah at Houston, 7:00 pm: Minnesota at Kansas City. 7:30 pm; San Fran, at Las Vegas, 7:00 pm; Cincinnati at Michigan, 7:30 pm; Phoenix at Peoria, 7:30 pm Saturday. Dec. 30: Michigan at Chicago, 7:30 pm; Fort Wayne at Cincinnati, 8:00 pm: Indianapolis at Cleveland. 12:15 pm; Atlanta at Detroit, 12:30 pm; Phoenix at Milwaukee, 1:30 pm; Kansas City at Minnesota, 7&Lambda;O pm; Utah at Orlando, 7:30 pm; Los Angeles at Peoria. 7:30 pm Sunday, Dec. 31: Utah at Cincinnati, 6:00 pm; Cleveland at Fort Wayne, 8:00 pm; Orlando at Houston, 8:00 pm; Michigan at Indianapolis, 6:00 pm; Phoenix at Kansas City, 6:00 pm; San Fran, at Las Vegas, 5:00 pm; Los Angeles at Minnesota, 6:00 pm.JanuaryTuesday, Jan. 2: Detroit at Peoria. 7:00 pm; Chicago at Utah, 7:00 pm Wednesday, Jan. 3: Milwaukee at Minnesota, 7:00 pm: Chicago at San Fran., 7:30 pm. Thursday, Jan. 4: Michigan at Orlando, 7:00 pm. Friday. Jan. 5: Michigan at Atlanta, 7:30 pm: Milwaukee at Chicago, 7:30 pm; Cincinnati at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Indianapolis at Detroit 7:30 pm; Phoenix at Fort Wayne. 8:00 pm; San Fran, at Houston, 7:00 pm; Peoria at Las Vegas, 7:00 pm; Kansas City at Minnesota, 7:00 pm. Saturday, Jan. 6: Michigan at Atlanta. 7:30 pm; Cleveland at Chicago. 7:30 pm; Phoenix at Cincinnati, 7:30 pm; Indianapolis at Kansas City, 7:30 pm; Peoria at Los Angeles, 7:00 pm; Fort Wayne at Milwaukee. 7:00 pm: San Fran, at Minnesota. 7:00 pm; Detroit at Orlando. 7:30 pm; Los Angeles at Utah, 7:00 pm Sunday, Jan. 7: Phoenix at Cleveland, 7:00 pm; Cincinnati at Fort Wayne, 6:00 pm; Peoria at Los Angeles. 3:00 pm Tuesday. Jan. 9: San Fran, at Cincinnati. 7:30 pm; Fort Wayne at Las V&theta;gas, 7:00 pm. Wednesday, Jan. 10: Detroit at Indianapolis. 7:00 pm; Houston at Kansas City, 7:30 pm; Fort Wayne at Los Angeles, 7:00 pm; Cleveland at Michigan, 7:00 pm; Minnesota at Utah. 7:00 pm. Saturday, Jan. 13: All-Star Game at Houston, Texas. Monday. Jan. 15: Las Vegas at Utah, 7:00 pm. Tuesday. Jan. 16: Orlando at Atlanta. 7:30 pm; Minnesota at Las Vegas. 7:00 pm; Michigan at Peoria, 7:00 pm. &#9632;

f0044-01

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

NHL affiliations are given in parentheses beside names(OT) and (SO) denote overtime and shootout<h2>ECHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01275/7076387-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="488" height="705"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Wheeling 5, Toledo 3; Roanoke 3, South Carolina 0; Erie 2, Dayton 1 (SO); Richmond 4, Raleigh 3 (SO); Birmingham 6, Raleigh 5 (SO); Johnstown 7, Huntington 3; Jacksonville 5, Louisiana 2; Nashville 4, Tallahassee 3; Knoxville 4, Columbus 3. Dec. 9: Huntington 7, Wheeling 4; Louisville 7, Johnstown 1; Erie 4, Dayton 2; Knoxville 5, Toledo 3; Louisiana 8, Jacksonville 3; Nashville 5, Birmingham 4; Charlotte 4, Roanoke 1; Columbus 5, Hampton Roads 4: Richmond 7, Raleigh 3. Dec. 10: Toledo 3, Johnstown 2 (SO): Hampton Roads 7, Huntington 2. Dec. 12: Nashville 4, Jacksonville 3; Charlotte 2, Raleigh 1; Richmond 4. South Carolina 2. Dec. 13: Louisiana 5, Knoxville 3; Huntington 3, Louisville 2; Columbus 4, Dayton 3 (SO).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02150/7076380-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="480" height="638"></div><h2>COLONIAL LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03109/7076373-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="459" height="354"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Flint 3, Muskegon 2 (SO); Detroit 6, Thunder Bay 3; Saginaw 6, Utica 5; Quad City 6, Madison 3. Dec. 9: Flint 5, Saginaw 4; Brantford 4, Quad City 2; Muskegon 7. Utica 3; Thunder Bay 5, Detroit 3. Dec. 10: Brantford 6, Quad City 3. Dec. 13: Quad City 4. Thunder Bay 3 (SO); Brantford 6, Utica 3.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0485/7076366-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="476" height="860"></div><h2>CENTRAL LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0572/7076359-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="469" height="209"></div>*64 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Tulsa 5, Fort Worth 4; Oklahoma City 4, Wichita 3; Memphis 7, San Antonio 4. Dec. 9: Tulsa 7, Wichita 5; Oklahoma City 6, Fort Worth 2; San Antonio 8, Memphis 5. Dec. 10: Tulsa 3, Oklahoma City 2 (SO). Dec. 12: San Antonio 3, Fort Worth 2. Dec. 13: Wichita 7, Fort Worth 6 (SO). MemDhis 7. Oklahoma Citv 5.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0663/7076352-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="469" height="429"></div><h2>WEST COAST LEAGUE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0757/7076345-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="472" height="203"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Anchorage 5, Reno 4; Alaska 5, San Diego 4 (SO); Fresno 9, Bakersfield 1. Dec. 9: Fresno 5, Bakersfield 4; Alaska 6, San Diego 5; Anchorage 8, Reno 7.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0843/7076338-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="467" height="506"></div><h2>QMJHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0939/7076331-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="469" height="476"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 7: Drummondville 7, Sherbrooke 3. Dec. 8: Shawmigan 3, Halifax 0; Beauport 2, Laval 1; Hull 6, Rimouski 2; Chicoutimi 6, Victoriaville 4; Granby 4, Sherbrooke 3; Drummondville 6, St-Hyacinthe 6. Dec. 9: Shawinigan 6. Moncton 3. Dec. 10: Hull 5. St-Hyacinthe 2; Beauport 2, Sherbrooke 1; Rimouski 3, Victoriaville 3; Chicoutimi 6, Laval 2; Halifax 4, Moncton 4; Granby 4, Drummondville 0 Dec. 11: Sherbrooke 10, Laval 4. Dec. 12: Drummondville 3, Beauport 0; Hull 1, St-Hyacinthe 3; Chicoutimi 2, Victoriaville 2. Dec. 13: Rimouski 3, GranVai (fOr 5 Victoriaville 3.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1033/7076324-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="480" height="612"></div><h2>OHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1130/7076317-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="472" height="610"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Brandon 5, Portland 3; Kamloops 8, Tri-City 5; Lethbridge 3, Red Deer 1; Prince George 6, Medicine Hat 1; Prince Albert 6. Regina 3; Saskatoon 7, Calgary 4; Seattle 5. Kelowna 4; Swift Current 5, Moose Jaw 1. Dec. 9: Kamloops 5, Medicine Hat 1; Moose Jaw 4, Portland 3; Prince Albert 7, Calgary 0; Prince George 3, Tri-City 0: Kelowna 2, Spokane 2. Dec. 10: Lethbridge 6, Swift Current 4; Regina 5, Portland 1: Saskatoon 10, Red Deer 4; Spokane 2, Seattle 2. Dec. 11: Medicine Hat 7, Kelowna 5. Dec. 12: Prince George 3. Kamloops 2 (OT); Brandon 7, Moose Jaw 5; Prince Albert 6. Regina 3; Seattle 4, Medicine Hat 1; Tri-City 4, Swift Current 2. Dec. 13: Calgary 4, Red Deer 3; Portland 3, Medicine Hat 2 (OT); Prince Albert 6, Brandon 5; Lethbridge 6, Regina 5; Spokane 4, Swift Current 3.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1226/7076310-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="469" height="532"></div><h2>WHL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1322/7076303-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="472" height="615"></div>*70 game regular seasonResultsDec. 1: Red Deer 7, Brandon 6, Spokane 5, Kamloops 3; Lethbridge 5, Prince Albert 4; Kelowna 3, Prince George 2; Tri-City 6, Regina 0 Dec. 2: Red Deer 4, Moose Jaw 3 (OT); Seattle 8. Portland 1; Kelowna 3, Prince George 1: Spokane 5. Regina 1; Kamloops 6, Tri-City 5. Dec. 3: Brandon 6, Moose Jaw 0; Lethbridge 6, Calgary 3; Prince Albert 6, Medicine Hat 5 (OT); Kamloops 4, Seattle 3 (OT); Swift Current 7, Red Deer 4 Dec. 5: Portland 5, Saskatoon 3 Dec. 6: Calgary 4, Lethbridge 3; Tri-City 4, Kelowna 3; Prince Albert 6, Portland 5 (OT): Medicine Hat 4, Red Deer 4; Saskatoon 7, Re&alpha;ina 2: Spokane 4, Seattle 0<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1418/7076296-1-eng-US/f0045-142.jpg" title="f0045-14" width="470" height="614"></div><h2>NCAA TOP 10</h2>The following Top 10 listing is compiled by Tim Leonard of the Record, a Trov, N.Y. newspaper<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1516/7076289-1-eng-US/f0045-152.jpg" title="f0045-15" width="471" height="319"></div><h2>ECAC</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1611/7076282-1-eng-US/f0045-162.jpg" title="f0045-16" width="467" height="370"></div>*28 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Brown 4, Clarkson 4; St. Lawrence 7, Harvard 3. Dec. 9: Brown 2, St. Lawrence 2: Clarkson 4. Harvard 2; Colgate 5, Union 2; Cornell 5, Rensselaer 3; Yale 4. Princeton 1. Dec. 10: Cornell 5, Union 5.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1710/7076275-1-eng-US/f0045-172.jpg" title="f0045-17" width="479" height="769"></div><h2>WCHA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1810/7076268-1-eng-US/f0045-182.jpg" title="f0045-18" width="472" height="306"></div>*32 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Denver 4, Northern Michigan 1; Colorado College 4, Wisconsin 2; Minnesota-Duluth 6, Alaska Anchorage 4 Dec. 9: Denver 5, Northern Michigan 0; Colorado College 2, Wisconsin 1; St. Cloud State 3, Michigan Tech 2; Minnesota 4, North Dakota 2; Minnesota-Duluth 3. Alaska Anchorage 3. Dec. 10: St Cloud State 3, Michigan Tech 1: Minnesota 6, North Dakota 1.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1910/7076261-1-eng-US/f0045-192.jpg" title="f0045-19" width="478" height="854"></div><h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-209/7076254-1-eng-US/f0045-202.jpg" title="f0045-20" width="460" height="281"></div>*24 game regular seasonResultsDec. 7: Providence 4, Northeastern 2 Dec. 8: Maine 6, UMass.-Lowell 1: Boston University 6, Merrimack 1; Boston College 5, New Hampshire 4; UMass.- Amherst 4, Yale 0. Dec. 9: Maine 3, UMass. Lowell 3 (UMass.-Lowell wins shootout 3-2); Boston University 8, Merrimack 6; New Hampshire 3. Boston College 2; Providence 6, Northeastern 6 (Northeastern wins shootout 2-1); Vermont 4, UMass.-Amherst 3 (OT).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-218/7076247-1-eng-US/f0045-212.jpg" title="f0045-21" width="480" height="794"></div><h2>CCHA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-226/7076240-1-eng-US/f0045-222.jpg" title="f0045-22" width="474" height="354"></div>*30 game regular seasonResultsDec. 8: Alaska Fairbanks 8, Ohio State 4; Miami 7, Bowling Green 4; Michigan 8, Lake Superior 2; Michigan State 3, Western Michigan 0. Dec. 9: Alaska Fairbanks 5, Miami 4; Ferris State 3, Notre Dame 3; Lake Superior 3, Michigan State 0; Western Michigan 5, Michigan 0. Dec. 10: Ohio Stete 4, Bowling Green 1.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-236/7076233-1-eng-US/f0045-232.jpg" title="f0045-23" width="491" height="1274"></div><h2>OUAA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-246/7076226-1-eng-US/f0045-242.jpg" title="f0045-24" width="474" height="657"></div>*26 game regular seasonResultsNo conference games played.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-255/7076219-1-eng-US/f0045-252.jpg" title="f0045-25" width="477" height="526"></div><h2>AUAA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-263/7076212-1-eng-US/f0045-262.jpg" title="f0045-26" width="462" height="411"></div>*26 game regular seasonResultsNo conference games played<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-273/7076205-1-eng-US/f0045-272.jpg" title="f0045-27" width="466" height="464"></div><h2>CWUAA</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-283/7076198-1-eng-US/f0045-282.jpg" title="f0045-28" width="460" height="277"></div>*28 game regular seasonResultsNo conference games played.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-293/7076191-1-eng-US/f0045-292.jpg" title="f0045-29" width="470" height="493"></div> &#9632;

f0045-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">By Larry Starks</div>San Antonio Iguanas&rsquo; coach John Torchetti loves the position he finds himself in these days.He is coaching the first place team of the Central League. And he is happy about that-as much about the coaching as being in first place.But he says San Antonio and the minor leagues is not something he would like as his long-term address. Torchetti, 33, is almost obsessive about trying to get to the NHL.He spends most of his time figuring out how the Iguanas, in their second year in the league, will win the championship. He spends the rest of his time figuring out how he can become an NHL coach.&ldquo;I just want to get there,&rdquo; said Torchetti, the CHL coach of the year last season. &ldquo;I just don&rsquo;t know how I&rsquo;m going to do it yet.&ldquo;You hear all the time that you&rsquo;re still young. But there&rsquo;s a guy in Hartford (Paul Maurice) who&rsquo;s just 31. The guy in Colorado (Marc Crawford) is just 34. So now is the time. I don&rsquo;t care what I have to do. As long as I&rsquo;m learning, I&rsquo;ll pick up towels.&rdquo;Memnhis RiverKines&rsquo; coach Herb Boxer thinks Torchetti is one of the few coaches in the U.S. who is deeply committed to the profession.&ldquo;USA Hockey should look at him to be one of their coaches,&rdquo; Boxer said. &ldquo;He has done that good a job. I eniov coaching against him because when you&rsquo;re playing his team, you have to be on top of your game.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Oklahoma City Blazers became the fastest team in minor league hockey to draw one million fans. With a crowd of 9,889 Dec. 9 against the Fort Worth Fire, the Blazers reached the million mark in 107 games&hellip;In his first 12 games, Memphis forward Derek Grant had 12 goals in 35 shots on goal, a 34 per cent shooting percentage&hellip;Tulsa Oilers&rsquo; goalie Tony Martino played in 19 of the team&rsquo;s 20 games. &#9632;

Torchetti sets sights beyond Central League

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>In the unpredictable world of the Colonial League, one thing remains constant-seeing Paul Polillo atop the list of leading scorers.The Brantford Smoke center led the ColHL the first three months of the season and was headed for his third straight crown. In 26 games, Polillo racked up league-leading totals of 21 goals and 63 points.At that pace, Polillo would break the ColHL records of 99 assists and 146 points he set last season. The 28-year-old Western Michigan graduate is the ColHL&rsquo;s all-time points leader.What makes Polillo&rsquo;s exploits more enjoyable is the team&rsquo;s success. Brantford missed the playoffs last season, but was the ColHL&rsquo;s secondbest team with a 17-8-1 record this season.&ldquo;I thought last year if you stopped Polillo, you shut down the Smoke,&rdquo; said Brantford coach Larry Trader, who guided London last season. &ldquo;But this year, there are other players than Paul Polillo to worry about.&rdquo;Joe Hawley had 43 points in 26 games to rank second behind Polillo in scoring and ex-NHLer Herb Raglan was among the leading goal scorers with 20 in 23 games.NOTEBOOK: After a 1-3 start, the Flint Generals won 20 of 23 games to shoot to the top of the overall standings&hellip;Two-time defending champion Thunder Bay, off to a dismal 9-14-3 start, hired Ron Talakos- ki as an assistant coach&hellip;Thunder Bay was 0-8-2 in 10 home games before beating Detroit 5-3 Dec. 9. &#9632;

Polillo improves with age

<div class="byline">By Bob Vanstone</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01174/7076584-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Daymond Langkow will provide experience and talent for Canada.</figcaption></div>Major junior operators have seen it a thousand times before. It is one of the rites of fall in junior hockey.Player leads the league in scoring, gets picked in the first round, signs the big ticket and spends just enough time in the NHL to forget what it&rsquo;s like to ride a bus across the prairies on a cold winter night.NHL team decides player will be great someday, but not today. Player goes back to junior with all the enthusiasm of a patient going for a root canal.But usually if the player is worth his salt, reality sets in and he&lsquo;s back on track in no time. Daymond Langkow was the poster boy for that kind of player this season.Langkow, who began the season with the Tampa Bay Lightning, is back to his old self in junior hockey. And that&rsquo;s great news for Canada&rsquo;s entry at the World Junior Championship.The NHL lockout and Langkow&rsquo;s age of 17 conspired to freeze him out of the tournament last season. Despite the fact the Tri-City Americans&rsquo; center led the Western League in goals with 67 and points with 140. he wasn&rsquo;t even invited to Canada&rsquo;s selection camp.But as Canada tries to win its fourth straight gold medal, the inexperienced Canadian team will be counting on Langkow to be one of its go-to players.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it,&rdquo; said Langkow, a 5-foot-l I, 170-pound product of Edmonton. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t in on it last year. This is a good opportunity for me to go and have some fun and play some hockey.&ldquo;Obviously, it&rsquo;ll be a learning experience for me. It&rsquo;ll be good competition playing against the best junior-age players around the world. It&rsquo;ll be a great experience.&rdquo;Canadian coach Marcel Comeau feels much more comfortable going for gold with Langkow in his lineup.&ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be very nice to have him on my side,&rdquo; said Comeau, who coaches the rival Kelowna Rockets. &ldquo;At the summer camp, he made a good account of himself. The times we&rsquo;ve played Tri-City, we could have used two pucks on the ice-one for him and one for the rest of us.&rdquo;Langkow was chosen fifth overall by the Lightning in the July 8 entry draft and had one assist to show for the five games he played in Tampa Bay. When the Lightning returned him to Tri-City for a fourth year of junior hockey Oct. 23, there was the predictable and understandable letdown. After all, he had already played three seasons in the WHL and there was little left to accomplish.&ldquo;It was tough coming back. It&rsquo;s a big difference,&rdquo; Langkow said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a bigger adjustment to come back than to go and play there. I was there for two months. I had made the adjustment. To come back here (to Tri-City) was really difficult. It took about a week to get comfortable again.&rdquo;The Americans saw and understood, but they also realized Langkow had to get with the program. When Langkow showed up late for a team meeting Nov. 18, Americans&rsquo; coach Bob Loucks took action.The Americans were playing a road game that evening against the Spokane Chiefs and Langkow was left out of the lineup. The Americans won 6-4 and won over their star player.&ldquo;It was good that Coach Loucks did that and got me on the right track right away,&rdquo; Langkow said. &ldquo;It was a wakeup call.&rdquo;Loucks has had nothing but praise for Langkow since. There certainly hasn&rsquo;t been anything wrong with Langkow&rsquo;s play. He had 13 goals and 42 points in 18 games.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s always going to get his points. He can get points without putting out an effort some nights and that was what was happening,&rdquo; Loucks said. &ldquo;Now he&rsquo;s doing a better job all over the ice and in the dressing room. He&rsquo;s being a leader like he&rsquo;s supposed to be.&rdquo;With only Jason Botterill returning at forward with WJC experience, Langkow will be looked upon to be one of the offensive leaders on the team. He could even be their No. 1 center when Canada faces the United States in its first game of the tournament Dec. 26.There was some second guessing last year when Langkow was left off the team, but the abundance of NHL talent made it impossible to include him. To his credit, Langkow didn&rsquo;t spend a lot of time dwelling on it.&ldquo;Obviously, it was tough not to go last year,&rdquo; Langkow said. &ldquo;I was a little bit surprised, but I was over that a long time ago. I&rsquo;m looking forward to new things.&rdquo;Most of all, he&rsquo;s looking forward to a gold medal. &#9632;

f0050-01

Daymond in rough ready for gold rush

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div>Marcel Comeau doesn&rsquo;t expect any more from his players than he does from himself. That should ensure Canada has the hardest-working team at the World Junior Championship.Comeau, the head coach of the Kelowna Rockets of the Western League, is known by friend and foe for his meticulous attention to detail, devotion to his craft and a quiet intensity that bums inside him.It has been that way as long as anyone can remember. In fact, the last two years Comeau played for the Saginaw Gears of the International League in the late 1970s, he was also head coach, GM and bookkeeper. In his 11 years in Saginaw, he played on two Turner Cup champion teams and compiled 938 career points, good for seventh on the IHL&rsquo;s all-time list.&ldquo;Marcel&rsquo;s work ethic is second to none,&rdquo; said Rockets&rsquo; GM Bruce Hamilton. &ldquo;Nobody prepares his team better than this guy.&rdquo;Comeau is a relative unknown outside the WHL because he&rsquo;s a good coach and a lousy self-promoter. Like last year&rsquo;s Canadian coach Don Hay, Comeau enjoys being in the spotlight as much as an odd-man rush against. But he won&rsquo;t be able to avoid it as he tries to lead Canada to its fourth straight WJC title.Winning gold for Canada is nothing new for Comeau. He and WJC assistants Terry Bangen and Blair Mackasey guided Canada to the gold medal at the under-18 Mexico Cup in 1994.&ldquo;Hearing that national anthem after we won our last game in Mexico was probably the most satisfying moment of my coaching career,&rdquo; said the 43-year-old native of Pinoka, Alta. &ldquo;And God willing, we&rsquo;ll be able to do it again in Boston.&rdquo;Comeau began his coaching career with the Saskatoon Blades in 1983 and led them to the 1989 Memorial Cup final. He then joined the New Haven Nighthawks of the American League, but was fired shortly into his second season and joined the Rockets, who were then based in Tacoma, Wash., in 1991.Comeau is enjoying his most successful season with the Rockets, but life away from the rink has been trying. When the franchise moved to Kelowna in the off-season, Comeau didn&rsquo;t want to uproot his family, so his wife and two daughters stayed behind in Tacoma. His mother had a brain aneurism in August and his father&rsquo;s health has also declined in recent months.Through it all, Comeau has used his faith as a pillar. He is a devout Catholic who attends church every Sunday, even the ones when the bus pulls into a motel on the road at 5 a.m.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a Catholic and I&rsquo;m very proud of it,&rdquo; Comeau said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way my parents raised me.&rdquo; &#9632;

Low-key Comeau thrust into limelight

<div class="byline">By Viv Bernstein</div>As. the Ottawa Senators stumble and bumble their way through yet another horrible season, Bryan Berard is miles away from the mess.And better off for the distance between them.So what if defenseman Aki Berg, drafted third by the Los Angeles Kings, is on the ice with Wayne Gretzky nightly? Or that Kyle McLaren, taken ninth overall, is manning the blueline with Ray Bourque and the Boston Bruins?Berard, selected first overall by Ottawa, will get there eventually.&ldquo;I want to play in the NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my dream. I want to be an impact player in the NHL. I want to be a player the kids look up to. So I think another year hopefully will help me and if 1 play next year in the NHL, hopeful I&rsquo;ll be a little stronger and ho&oelig;fully make more of an impact coming in.&rdquo;In the meantime, Berard is dominating the Ontario League with the Detroit Whalers and preparing for his second stint with Team USA in the World Junior Championship starting Dec. 26 in Massachusetts.Berard had 18 goals and 48 points with 73 nenaltv minutes and was plus-18 in 31 games with the Whalers. He&rsquo;s the OHL&rsquo;s top scoring defenseman and some argue the best player.&ldquo;There have been games this year where you look at the guys on the ice and he&rsquo;s head and shoulders the best player on the ice,&rdquo; said Whalers&rsquo; coach Peter DeBoer. &ldquo;A lot of people say it&rsquo;s a shame he&rsquo;s not playing in the NHL. There&rsquo;s some nights when I agree.&rdquo;Not that DeBoer is disappointed to have Berard in the lineup nightly. The Whalers were 19-12-2 and atop the West Division.And when Boston University coach Jack Parker found out Berard would not play for Ottawa this season, he let Berard know he wanted him for Team USA. Berard was one of several players named to the team in September.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great skater,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s so strong on his skates that even when he makes a mistake he can recover and he can bounce people and physically make up for a mental mistake he might have made. I think that&rsquo;s why he&rsquo;s such a good offensive defenseman.&rdquo; -Berard is looking forward to the tournament. He didn&rsquo;t play particularly well last year. He was victimized on several plays and finished with one assist in seven games. Team USA finished out of medal contention at 3-4-0. This time around Berard will be the linchpin and captain and will lead a defense corps that includes two high school players. Berard, who grew up in Woonsocket, R.I., will play in front of family and friends in Massachusetts.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s close to my hometown so hopefully I&rsquo;ll have a good tournament,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just going to go out there and show that I can play.&rdquo;Of course, there wasn&rsquo;t much doubt of that when Ottawa drafted Berard No. 1 overall last July. Things started to go downhill with the Senators shortly after.Berard&rsquo;s agent, Tom Laidlaw, said he told the Senators Berard would not come to training camp without a contract completed. Berard had attended a conditioning camp before training camp opened, but walked out, he said, to jump-start negotiations. The Senators sent one proposal and after Laidlaw and Berard looked at it, they decided it would be best if Berard spent the season in Detroit.The sides were miles apart on bonus dollars allowed under the rookie salary cap. But that was only half of it.&ldquo;As far as hard dollars and cents goes, we never really got into it that much,&rdquo; Laidlaw said. &ldquo;By that time, we had seen enough to make us believe it was not right for Bryan Berard to be part of that organization.&ldquo;You look at what they&rsquo;ve done with Daigle and Bonk and the mess with Yashin. Why would we now let the same thing happen to Bryan Berard? It&rsquo;s a young organization and they&rsquo;ve got to get it straightened out.&rdquo;That organization has changed dramatically since training camp and finally took a turn in the right direction when it hired Pierre Gauthier as its GM in early December.But Laidlaw still held out little hope his client would play in Ottawa. He claims it&rsquo;s not an issue of whether or not the Senators can pay Berard, it&rsquo;s whether they have the resources to build a team that will be good enough for a high-risk, high-return defenseman such as Berard to develop properly.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01163/7076646-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="434" height="552"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Gauthier</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02113/7076639-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="1735" height="2570"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Berard will be looking to rebound from a sub-par tournament last year with the American team.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;As many great things as I&rsquo;ve heard about Pierre Gauthier, I don&rsquo;t think this changes things a whole lot,&rdquo; Laidlaw said. &ldquo;The problems (former GM) Randy Sexton had, Pie&sigma;e Gauthier inherited.&rdquo;Laidlaw won&rsquo;t come out and say it, but he&rsquo;s certainly leaving the perception that Berard will never play for the Senators. How much of that is posturing is open to debate. Should the Senators not sign Berard or trade him to someone who can by the 1997 draft, Berard would re-enter. But the 1997 draft is being touted as the deepest since 1979 and Berard would likelv eo no higher than fourth overall. That s quite a risk for any player.Gauthier said he had a cordial chat with Laidlaw shortly after he took the job, but doesn&rsquo;t want to speculate on how things will play out.&ldquo;I am dedicated to focussing totally on the positive,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;There has been too much controversy, turmoil and insecurity with this club. I&rsquo;ve got a five-year guaranteed contract and we&rsquo;re going to go forward with that.&rdquo;In the meantime, Berard is trying to make the best of it in Detroit. DeBoer said Berard was distracted by the situation early in the season, but has since accepted it and set out to improve himself. Among other things, Berard is working with a personal trainer.&ldquo;We sat down at the beginning of season and decided there were four or five things we wanted to get out of this year coming back to junior,&rdquo; DeBoer said. &ldquo;Consistency is the first Second is leadership. Like anybody, you have to learn how to be a captain of a team.&rdquo;While Laidlaw works on the game plan, Berard can work on his game.&ldquo;I guess in the long run, playing here another year I think is going help me,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I could have played in the NHL this year. Now that I look back, what&rsquo;s another year? Hopefully, it can be beneficial in the long run.&rdquo; &#9632;

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January 5, 1996

Habs in disarray thanks to Corey

Avalanche will win Cup for ‘long-suffering’ fans

New owner; new arena?

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