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.

October 1, 1996

The Hockey News October 1, 1996

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0068-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-0231/6816035-1-eng-US/f0068-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Capitals are pleased with Sergei Gonchar&rsquo;s developing offensive skills.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by John Glamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-0168/6816042-1-eng-US/f0068-012.jpg" title="f0068-01" width="192" height="190"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ergei Gonchar was seven years old in Chelyabinsk, Russia, when he first started asking his parents about playing soccer. His father said he wasn&rsquo;t fast enough and led the youngster to the nearest rink.</p><p>The Washington Capitals will be eternally grateful for the senior Gonchar making that decision. The younger Gonchar is happy about it now, too, although he probably wasn&rsquo;t at the time.</p><p>Not that many Russian soccer players get to come to North America, play a sport they have come to love and get paid handsomely at the same time.</p><p>And for the Caps, the best part of it is Gonchar has been in the United States only two years, has now mastered what he thought might be the toughest part, the language barrier, and is picking up his hockey skills at a rapid pace.</p><p>He missed four games last season, his first full one in the NHL, and still led all Cap defensemen in goals (15), points (41) and was second at plus-25, one fewer than veteran Mark Tinordi.</p><p>He turned 22 in mid-April, but coach Jim Schoenfeld still entrusted him with assignments reserved for more proven blueliners. Truth be told, Schoenfeld really had no choice towards the end of the regular season with the Caps hemorrhaging from the sudden loss of veteran defensemen due to injuries, but it also gave the coach a chance to learn more about Gonchar.</p><p>Gonchar&rsquo;s first true test came in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the night both Calle Johansson and Joe Reekie were lost for the season. With the score tied in the closing seconds, Gonchar was trying to do too much and let Mario Lemieux slip in behind him. End of story, but start of career.</p><p>&ldquo;Physically, he&rsquo;s very gifted,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;He has real good size (6-foot-2, 212 pounds), he&rsquo;s strong, an excellent skater, he&rsquo;s mobile and very agile, which is a very big asset for a defensemen. Even as a young player when we drafted him (14th overall in 1992), he was very sound in his hockey sense, knowledge of the game and very good defensively.&rdquo;</p><p>The other part, the offense, is something that is still new for Gonchar.</p><p>&ldquo;Since he has been over here he has really improved his shot and his offensive instincts to where he&rsquo;s now getting to be a good all-around defenseman,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;And the experience he went through with his native country in the World Cup has got to bode well for his future and confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>Typically, Gonchar was having none of that talk. He is shy and easily embarrassed and the quickest way for that to happen is to praise a performance.</p><p>&ldquo;I felt comfortable, but the season started so early I was not in my best shape,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But when you play against the U.S. and Canada, you get into shape quickly.&rdquo;</p><p>Two years of exposure has left him at ease with English, which was not exactly the case when he joined the Caps from the American League&rsquo;s Portland Pirates during the lockout 1994-95 season.</p><p>&ldquo;I just didn&rsquo;t know what people were saying to me, what the coach was saying,&rdquo; Gonchar said. Schoenfeld was giving orders during practice and Gonchar was returning a blank stare until it became apparent what the problem was. &ldquo;Now it is much, much easier,&rdquo; said the defenseman.</p><p>Gonchar is a willing student. He has no idol, but followed the careers of Slava Fetisov and Alexei Kasatonov while they were in Russia.</p><p>&ldquo;I always tried to pick things up from every defensemen I see,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There are times when you can learn something from a defenseman in a (lower) league, something you can use.&rdquo;</p><p>But he guards against losing his concentration on his game, the one he is playing at that time.</p><p>&ldquo;If you spend so much time watching other defensemen, you don&rsquo;t pay proper attention to the game and your mind becomes tired,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>The same thought process holds true for things like the Norris Trophy.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say I would do everything to win it,&rdquo; he replied without hesitation. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to do that because when you think about the Norris you&rsquo;re forgetting about teammates.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not my way. I just try to do my best and if people think I deserve Norris, that&rsquo;s fine.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-039/6816028-1-eng-US/f0068-032.jpg" title="f0068-03" width="678" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Washington&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-046/6816021-1-eng-US/f0068-042.jpg" title="f0068-04" width="676" height="999"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-053/6816014-1-eng-US/f0068-052.jpg" title="f0068-05" width="676" height="129"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0068-062/6816007-1-eng-US/f0068-062.jpg" title="f0068-06" width="676" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0068-02

NHL TEAMS

Sergei surges forward

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011487/6813668-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="354" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrick Roy</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021062/6813661-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="355" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Daren Puppa</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03732/6813654-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="351" height="438"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Sean Burke</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04570/6813647-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="351" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Felix Potvin</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05457/6813640-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="353" height="441"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ron Hextall</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Roy king of goaltending</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06392/6813633-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="1801" height="1247"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

IN THIS ISSUE

NHL’S TOP 20 GOALIES

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011609/6813727-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>War of the World: United States and Canada battled for three games, but the U.S. reigned supreme.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Team USA left no stone unturned. Not a Hopi Indian pebble or a big Rocky.</p><p>But when the World Cup was won by coach Ron Wil-son&rsquo;s young Americans at Montreal&rsquo;s Molson Centre Sept. 14, it had less to do with quaint philosophies or cinem-atic inspiration than it did with a seismic experience that hit new heights on the Richter scale.</p><p>The Mike Richter scale.</p><p>The New York Rangers&rsquo; netminder was the difference as Team USA scored a stunning 5-2 victory over Team Canada in the third and deciding game of the World Cup championship final.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Mike Richter should never have to buy another drink in his whole life,&rdquo; said Canada&rsquo;s Theo Fleury. &ldquo;If ever there was a national hero&hellip;he was everything for them.&rdquo;</p><p>Fine by Richter, who walked away with a new Harley Davidson motorcycle as the tournament MVP.</p><p>Given Team USA&rsquo;s previous victories over Team Canada-5-3 in the round robin and 5-2 in Game 2 of the final series-the overall outcome could not be considered shocking, but the manner in which it was accomplished most certainly was.</p><p>Team USA took a 1-0 lead, on a goal by Brett Hull, into the second period when Canada&rsquo;s big guns launched an all-out offensive, outshooting the Americans 22-9, but only managing to score one goal, by Eric Lindros with five seconds left in the period.</p><p>&ldquo;Hurricane Canada blew through the U.S. tonight,&rdquo; Wilson said,&rdquo;but thanks to Mike Richter, he kept us in the game.&rdquo;</p><p>The Lindros goal, Wilson said, may have been a blessing in disguise for the U.S. Canada had to work so hard for so little that when it finally had something to show for its efforts the emotional release may have been draining, especially heading into an 18-minute intermission that gave the Americans an opportunity to compose themselves.</p><p>&ldquo;I challenged the players,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;I told them we&rsquo;d been working 33 days for this moment and it&rsquo;s not much to ask of them (for) 20 minutes effort to put to rest what a lot of people were saying, first openly and then in hushed tones, that the Americans don&rsquo;t have what it takes to play this great game.&rdquo;</p><p>Message received.</p><p>In the third period, in spite of Adam Foote&rsquo;s go-ahead goal at 12:50, the Canadians looked weak and drained, the Americans cool and confident.</p><p>Amid the crazed, flag-waving atmosphere at the Molson Centre, Team USA mounted a stunning comeback with two goals-Brett Hull&rsquo;s deflection of a Brian Leetch shot and Tony Amonte&rsquo;s cashing in of a rebound-in 43 seconds.</p><p>An empty-netter and a blast by Adam Deadmarsh sealed the victory and American bragging rights until the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.</p><p>Hull&rsquo;s goal, which went to video review, was arguably tipped in with a high stick, but it stood up.</p><p>Cliche that it may be, Team USA snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. And Wilson never missed a trick while searching for a victory that is no less significant in hockey terms than the celebrated Miracle on Ice gold medal win at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid.</p><p>He borrowed from Chicago Bulls&rsquo; coach Phil Jackson&rsquo;s autobiography.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a Hopi Indian saying in there, &lsquo;One finger cannot lift a pebble.&rsquo;&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We talked about that before the game and we agreed that if we get 20 guys pulling together, they can lift the World Cup.&rdquo;</p><p>Then there was the cinematography.</p><p>Team USA watched scenes from the famous 15th round of the Apollo Creed-Rocky Balboa bout in the movie <i>Rocky II.</i> The boxing scenes-Creed and Rocky beating each other into submission-were interspersed between snippets of Team USA goals, hits and nice plays.</p><p>The game script played out eerily similar to the <i>Rocky II</i> screenplay, with Canada (Creed) pounding the U.S. (Rocky), only to have the Americans get up off the canvas when it looked like they were done and deliver the knockout punch.</p><p>Of course, that all paled in comparison to Wilson&rsquo;s fortune-telling prowess.</p><p>It was at the game-day skate that Wilson pulled Amonte aside and asked him a question.</p><p>&ldquo;Do you know who Paul Henderson is?&rdquo; Wilson said to Amonte.</p><p>Amonte said he was familiar with the hero who scored the most famous goal in Canadian hockey history against the Russians in 1972.</p><p>&ldquo;Well, you&rsquo;re going to be our Paul Henderson tonight,&rdquo; Wilson told him.</p><p>&ldquo;I mostly said it just to pump him up.&rdquo; Wilson added. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think it would turn out to be true.&rdquo;</p><p>Richter, however, was the real hero. If not for him. Canada would most certainly have won the Cup and reinforced its grasp on the game. In truth, though, whether the U.S. had won or lost, it&rsquo;s clear now there is little to choose between the two North American hockey-playing nations.</p><p>That may be cause for Canadian concern, but not necessarily panic.</p><p>&ldquo;It hurts big time,&rdquo; Fleury said of the loss. &ldquo;But to say Canada&rsquo;s hockey program is doomed because we lost two minutes of a hockey game is pretty harsh.&rdquo;</p><p>In hindsight, it turns out that Canada&rsquo;s depth, especially in the area of pure goal scoring, wasn&rsquo;t good enough to overcome the absence of NHL superstars Mario Lemieux and Paul Kariya.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011507/6813720-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1192" height="909"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tony Amonte became &lsquo;USA&rsquo;s Paul Henderson&rsquo; with his winner.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Robert Laberge/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I wish I knew, I wish I knew,&rdquo; said Canadian coach Glen Sather when asked why his team had such a difficult time scoring goals. &ldquo;There were a lot of great goal scorers, but we just couldn&rsquo;t seem to score at will.&rdquo;</p><p>A U.S. victory on Canadian ice was sweet for the Americans, whose previous two shining Olympic moments came at home (1980 in Lake Placid and 1960 in Squaw Valley). It made defeat that much more bitter for a proud Canadian team that may have signalled the end of the Mark Messier-Wayne Gretzky-Paul Coffey triumvirate that has led Canada internationally for the past dozen years.</p><p>Gretzky had a tear in his eye. Coffey a pained expression.</p><p>But the young Canadians were equally upset at being second best.</p><p>&ldquo;I wish we could go right back out and keep on playing,&rdquo; said defense man Lyle Odelem.</p><p>A U.S. reporter made the mistake of telling Eric Lindros that Philadelphia Flyer teammate John LeClair, a tower of power for the Americans, wouldn&rsquo;t let No. 88 forget this loss, to which Lindros responded with a curt, unprintable reply.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021062/6813713-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="1837" height="2461"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Buy that man a drink: Mike Richter turned in an all-World goaltending performance in the final game.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Even the normally talkative Brendan Shanahan ran out of things to say, although he did declare as he stormed out of the Canadian dressing room: &ldquo;I want the (expletive deleted) Olympics to start right now.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011474/6813706-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="580" height="1052"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Gretzky has likely played his last game for Canada.</b></figcaption></div><p><b>NOTEBOOK:</b> Game 3 of the World Cup final averaged 3.9 million viewers in Canada, the second-highest rating ever since the CBC network began tracking audiences in 1989. The highest ever was 4.95 million for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final between the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers in 1984. The first two games pulled in audiences of 2.47 million and 2.87 million, respectively&hellip;U.S. cable ratings were a disappointment. Game 3 of the final had just a 0.8 rating, equivalent to 767,200 households. The 19 tournament games averaged a mediocre 0.23 rating-just 221,000 households.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021027/6813699-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="586" height="1056"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Joel Otto and his teammates shut down Canada&rsquo;s offense.</b></figcaption></div><p>The all-World Cup team was almost all-American.</p><p>Team USA dominated the World Cup all-star team with four berths, including tournament MVP Mike Richter in goal. Richter led USA over Canada in Game 3 of the final and posted a 5-1-0 record with a 2.43 goals-against average and 92.3 save percentage.</p><p>Brett Hull and John LeClair of USA were named at forward and Chris Chelios was chosen on defense. Hull led all scorers with seven goals and 11 points in seven games and LeClair finished second with six goals and 10 points.</p><p>Sweden occupied the other two spots. Mats Sundin (four goals and seven points in four games) was named at forward and Calle Johansson earned a berth on defense.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Dearth of offense mystery to Sather</b></p></div><div class="sidebar"><p><b>CBC final huge hit</b></p></div><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Cup Dream Team an American dream</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-01

FEATURES

On Top of the World

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02299/6814179-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Goalie Guy Hebert&rsquo;s numbers improved in the final weeks of the 1995-96 season.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01464/6814186-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="193" height="192"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ure, Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne led the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim&rsquo;s sprint to the finish line last season, which saw them fall one point shy of the playoffs.</p><p>But goaltender Guy Hebert was an overlooked catalyst with his play down the stretch.</p><p>While Kariya and Selanne put the final touches on 100-point seasons, Hebert buckled down and held opponents to a 1.99 goals-against average with a 93.7 save percentage over the final 17 games-a stretch during which the Ducks went 12-3-2.</p><p>Hebert also remembers the team the Ducks were at the start of the season.</p><p>There was no Selanne, of course. He was on the other side, playing for the Winnipeg Jets in a 4-3 Ducks&rsquo; loss in the season-opener.</p><p>It wasn&rsquo;t exactly the same Hebert, either. He had a 3.82 goals-against and 88.6 save percentage over the first 10 games-a 2-8-0 Duck start.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve thought about what has happened the last three seasons at the start of the year,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to go look up the exact numbers, but I knew it was pretty poor.</p><p>&ldquo;That first game against Winnipeg ended up being what broke our season.</p><p>If you look at it, even one point in that game would have gotten us into the playoffs.&rdquo;</p><p>That realization should be in the minds of all the Ducks-the first two points of the season matter as much as the last two. For the record, the Ducks got off to a 2-8-2 start in 1993-94, a 48-1 start in the lockout-shortened 1995 season and then the 2-8-0 start last year.</p><p>Hebert, maybe most of all, wants to pick up where last season left off and not where it began.</p><p>&ldquo;My dad said he read somewhere I had a &lsquo;tumultuous&rsquo; season,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a pretty good description. Everything from my contract not going as smoothly as I hoped to getting to training camp and hurting my ankle in the first couple of days. It was one thing after another. And once things start slipping away it gets easier for them to keep slipping.&rdquo;</p><p>His grip on the starting job slipped, too.</p><p>Twice, Mikhail Shtalenkov became the No. 1 man while Hebert sat and waited, appearing in four games over the course of a month.</p><p>Coach Ron Wilson criticized Hebert-more often publicly than face-to-face-and it wasn&rsquo;t until a marathon meeting with the entire coaching staff late in the season that Hebert and Wilson finally saw eye-to-eye.</p><p>&ldquo;I learned an awful lot over the course of the season,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough job for a coach to try to motivate a player and I&rsquo;ve always thought I was my own worst critic. A coach can be down on me, but I&rsquo;m going to go home and be miserable all night long.</p><p>&ldquo;I think Ron had a lot of good points during the year. Maybe I lost focus. It&rsquo;s hard to be objective. As the season wound up and things fell into place, I decided maybe Ron was right a little more often than I had thought.&rdquo;</p><p>Hebert&rsquo;s torrid finish earned him respect (and about $300,000 in bonuses and salary revision). But the next thing he did was turn down an invitation to play for the U.S. in the World Championships-a team coached by Wilson.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a pretty unpopular decision, mainly with USA Hockey,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;My fear was I had finally gotten back to the point where me and Ron had a good understanding and I was afraid it would put a damper on that.&rdquo;</p><p>Instead, Wilson and Ducks&rsquo; GM Jack Ferreira, an assistant GM with Team USA, backed Hebert&rsquo;s decision based on concern for his ankle, which had been sore all season after the training camp injury.</p><p>But when John Vanbiesbrouck pulled out of the World Cup, Team USA called Hebert to back up Mike Richter.</p><p>Ferreira and Wilson couldn&rsquo;t help but think they might reap rewards by selecting Hebert. This way, he was in a training camp more than a month early, facing shots against all-stars and gaining inspiration from the Americans&rsquo; victory over Canada, even if he played a backup role.</p><p>&ldquo;I was fortunate to get to play in the World Cup and that gives me a great start getting ready for the beginning of the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Perhaps it will help the Ducks be ready for the beginning of the season this time, too.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03217/6814172-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="684" height="335"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Anaheim&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04172/6814165-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="673" height="972"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05149/6814158-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="680" height="130"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06131/6814151-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="675" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0040-02

No more false starts

<p><b>Editor-in-Chief</b></p><p>Steve Dryden</p><p><b>Associate Editor</b></p><p>Bob McKenzie</p><p><b>Editorial Department</b></p><p>Senior Editors: Ken Campbell. Jason Kay</p><p>Senior Writer: Mike Brophy</p><p>Editor: Brian Costello</p><p>Writer: Mark Brender</p><p>Production Co-Ordmator: Trevor de Boer</p><p><b>Contributors</b></p><p>Eric Duhatschek, Stan Fischler. Jay Greenberg,</p><p>Al Morganti. Michael Ulmer</p><p><b>Photographer</b></p><p>Bruce Bennett</p><p><b>Production Department</b></p><p>Manager: Dave Bean</p><p>Assistant: Carol Holland</p><p><b>Publisher</b></p><p>Ed Pearce</p><p><b>Controller:</b> Wendy Currie-Mills</p><p><b>Marketing Manager:</b> Esther Sumka</p><p><b>Merchandising Manager:</b> Joe DiLosa</p><p><b>Circulation Supervisor:</b> Birute Marcinkevicius.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

The Hockey News

<div class="byline">By Keith Gave</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011658/6813311-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Sergei Fedorov keeps putting up impressive numbers, but his detractors say he doesn&rsquo;t play the game with enough passion.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>ergei Fedorov won the Selke Trophy last season, when by most accounts around his own dressing room he was the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; <i>third-best</i> defensive forward, behind Bob and Selke finalist Steve Yzerman.</p><p>Such is the reputation Fedorov has been living on since he took home so much hardware after a breakthrough 1993-94 season, when he became the first European win the Hart Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player; the Selke; the Lester B. Pearson award as the players&rsquo; choice for best player; and first-team all-star honors.</p><p>Now, however, if the Wings hope to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup they&rsquo;ll need Fedorov to live up to his lofty reputation. In other words, Fedorov&rsquo;s teammates and coaches know what the Selke voters couldn&rsquo;t seem to grasp: despite fairly impressive statistics, he took too many nights off to be honored with the Selke.</p><p>But forgive this gifted center for wondering what he has to do to impress the doubters. In his defense, Fedorov not only went head-to-head most nights against the opponent&rsquo;s best line, but provided a good share of offense, leading the Wings with 107 points to go with a plus-49, second only to NHL plus-minus leader and teammate Vladimir Konstantinov.</p><p>When approached by The Hockey News for his input on this story, the first thing the 26-year-old Fedorov asked was,&rdquo;Is it a good story?&rdquo; After receiving a non-committal shrug, he asked,&rdquo;Is it a so-so story?&rdquo;</p><p>All of it makes Fedorov wonder-and a little defensive.</p><p>&ldquo;People can say whatever they want,&rdquo; Fedorov said. &ldquo;All I can say to them is I try my best, but it never seems to be enough. I want to win as bad as everyone else, but you can only do so much. This is a team sport.&rdquo;</p><p>The most common criticism Fedorov has been facing, on two continents, concerns his increasing absence at critical moments of important games. But again, statistics defy this notion. His 11 game-winning goals during the regular season broke a 67-year-old club record. And though he only scored two goals in the playoffs, he tied Yzerman for top spot on the Wings with 20 points. Both of those goals were winners. He also assisted on four playoff game-winners.</p><p>&ldquo;Sergei is a game-breaker for us anytime he&rsquo;s on the ice,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the most talented player I&rsquo;ve ever seen, and I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s any reason why he shouldn&rsquo;t dominate every night.&rdquo;</p><p>The World Cup represented more of the same. He led the Russians with three goals and six points in five games, but &ldquo;he didn&rsquo;t play with any passion,&rdquo; one Wings&rsquo; scout complained.</p><p>No one has been more critical of Fedorov than Wings&rsquo; owner Mike Hitch. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have it in the playoffs and that&rsquo;s the measuring stick,&rdquo; Hitch said, adding he planned to make every effort to sign captain Steve Yzerman for life because,&rdquo;he really wants to win and he exemplifies that with his heart.&rdquo;</p><p>Therein lies the challenge for the Wings-get-ting the best out of their best player. Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman-known for getting the best out of his top players-buys into the theory.</p><p>&ldquo;We have to convince him how good he can be,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;Sergei has to realize how good he has been and maybe get back to what he was before.&rdquo;</p><p>Fedorov was, not long ago, the most gifted multi-dimensional player in the world. He won all that silverware, then signed a new contract and became just another great player. The Wings want their Hart winner back. Fedorov wants a raise. While Bowman ponders ways to motivate what should be the franchise player, Fedorov reportedly wants a new deal that will put him among the elite in the NHL: $6 million a season, up from just over $4 million that both he and Yzerman are being paid.</p><p>Bowman has witnessed Fedorov&rsquo;s rise and slide from behind the Detroit bench the past three seasons.</p><p>&ldquo;When he first came here, he was a defensive forward,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;But he had that banner year the first year. I think now he&rsquo;s a well-rounded player, but when you get to his status in this league, you get to be a marked player. Teams have to worry about stopping him to stop the Red Wings.&rdquo;</p><p>But the Wings were stopped too easily even as a heavy Stanley Cup favorite, and for that Fedorov has been targeted as a scapegoat. That comes with the territory, said Bowman, who has taken his share of criticism, too.</p><p>Fedorov sometimes wonders what he must do to please critics who occasionally include his own teammates. In each of the past two seasons, prominent Wings were remarkably outspoken about needing a more consistent effort from Fedorov.</p><p>&ldquo;I try to bring that North American thing to the ice,&rdquo; Fedorov said. &ldquo;You know, where you think hockey all the time and play hard until the last minute.&rdquo;</p><p>Bowman has tried various ways to motivate Fedorov, including acquiring Russian legends Slava Fetisov and Igor Larionov. Bowman assembled the so-called Russian Five, the NHL&rsquo;s first unit of Soviet Red Army alumni, who probably got an overabundance of credit for Detroit&rsquo;s NHL recordbreaking 62 wins last season and more blame than they deserved for a shorter-than-expected run in the playoffs.</p><p>But the Russian Five, like the Red Wings on many nights, are only as good as Fedorov.</p><p>One team member recalled an incident during the playoffs when the other four Russians had Fedorov cornered, apparently explaining rather pointedly and in a language he could fully understand that he had to play harder.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody can help him,&rdquo; Larionov said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the only one who can do it. I don&rsquo;t know what he has got in his mind, maybe some problems, I don&rsquo;t know. But he has got everything. When he plays his best, he&rsquo;s outstanding. He knows what it should take to get to the next level.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011604/6813304-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="1195" height="1338"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Fedorov refutes the notion he doesn&rsquo;t always give his all on the ice.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Lisa C. Meyer/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Those who say the Wings cannot win the Stanley Cup with Fedorov are &ldquo;totally wrong,&rdquo; Larionov insisted.</p><p>&ldquo;Sergei is one of the best hockey players ever produced by Russia. When you see him play hard for the team, the whole team plays well. If he can just do it every game&hellip;He has to play more consistent, and not below his level. If he does, I feel sure he will lead this team to a very good season.&rdquo;</p><p>With Larionov at center on the five-man Russian unit that Bowman employs when his team needs offense, Fedorov moves to the right wing. He is effective there, but tends at times to drift. Fedorov, for his part, says he has played center all his life and wants to continue to play there.</p><p>&ldquo;Sometimes Sergei just has to play center so he&rsquo;s more involved in the game.&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; assistant Barry Smith.</p><p>To that end, Bowman assembled a multi-purpose line with Fedorov flanked by Yzerman on left wing and enforcer Darren McCarty on the right, a unit the coach said will see plenty of action again this season.</p><p>&ldquo;I hope he bounces back from the World Cup.&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t want him to lose his defensive ability. I think maybe a little of it is confidence. Some of it is application. But he&rsquo;s not a kid anymore.&rdquo;</p><p>Which may be another way of saying one of the world&rsquo;s most gifted players isn&rsquo;t going to be treated with kid gloves any more, either.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Wings want old Fedorov</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0003-01

Great Expectations

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011781/6813342-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Flames expect rookie Jarome Iginla to start as their No. 3 center with the probability of moving up.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Brad Watson)</span></figcaption></div><p>Modesty, thy name is Jarome Iginla.</p><p>Expectations for Iginla. the Calgary Flames&rsquo; highly regarded rookie, are divided between the optimists, who anoint him the pre-season favorite for the Calder Trophy and the pessimists, who believe he will be merely sensational in his inaugural NHL season.</p><p>Then there are Iginla&rsquo;s own-and less grandiose-expectations.</p><p>&ldquo;My first goal is to make the team,&rdquo; Iginla said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough training camp and there are lots of guys here. After that, I&rsquo;ll sit back and wherever I&rsquo;m playing, adjust my goals. If it&rsquo;s junior, I&rsquo;ll set goals to beat last year&rsquo;s totals. If it&rsquo;s the NHL, then I really can&rsquo;t set any goals because I&rsquo;m not really sure what to expect from the league.&rdquo;</p><p>It is Iginla&rsquo;s uncomplicated attitude that is winning him friends among the Flames&rsquo; veterans, who know him only from last season&rsquo;s brief cameo appearance. Iginla joined the team for the final two playoff games and made an immediate impact. Centering the No. 1 line between Theo Fleury and German Titov, he scored his first NHL goal.</p><p>In September, the Flames penciled him in as their No. 3 center, behind Robert Reichel and Dave Gagner, with the expectation he could move quickly through the ranks.</p><p>Goaltender Rick Tabaracci played with the Winnipeg Jets during Keith Tkachuk&rsquo;s early years and sees some similarities in their playing styles. Tkachuk is one of the NHL&rsquo;s premier power forwards, a development path Iginla hopes to follow.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re different guys,&rdquo; Tabaracci said. &ldquo;I think Jarome is more mature than Keith when he came in. Chuckie was more of a kid, an oversized kid with an awful lot of talent. You may see Jarome reach his potential at an even faster rate than what Keith did.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if he&rsquo;ll be as good a player. He may be better. But I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised to see him evolve a little quicker.&rdquo;</p><p>Iginla&rsquo;s evolution into a potential impact player has been as fast as a Teemu Selanne breakaway. After two straight Memorial Cups with the Western League&rsquo;s Kamloops Blazers, Iginla was passed on by 10 teams before the Dallas Stars took him in the 1995 entry draft. But then came the World Junior Championship in Boston, where Iginla was spectacular. His tournament-leading 12 points were twice as many as any other Canadian player. He scored a highlight-reel game-winning goal against Russia in the semifinal and added three assists to lead Canada to a 4-1 win over Sweden in the gold medal game.</p><p>The Flames claim they made the trade with Dallas-in which they gave up Joe Nieuwendyk for Iginla and Corey Millen-before the WJC because they suspected his value would skyrocket after the tournament. With the Blazers, Iginla scored 63 goals and 136 points in 63 games and was one of only two five star prospects (Bryan Berard of the New York Islanders was the other) in The Hockey News&rsquo; Draft Preview. Including playoffs, Iginla had 79 goals in 79 games last season.</p><p>But talk of the Calder Trophy should be tempered by the fact that power forwards usually take a couple of years to hit their stride in the NHL. In fact, 24-year-old Flame newcomer Jonas Hoglund, who scored 32 goals in the Swedish League last season, may be a better bet to win the award.</p><p>But if you listen to Flames&rsquo; coach Pierre Page, you&rsquo;d think Iginla was headed for the Hall of Fame.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing like a 23-year-old,&rdquo; Page said during training camp. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the first man back. He finishes his checks better than anybody else on the club. You have to remember, when Theo Fleury made the Calgary Flames, he was a fourth line center. This guy is already on the second line.&rdquo;</p><p>Even though Iginla played primarily right wing in junior, the Flames were using him at center. The pre-season always involves a lot of mixing and matching on the forward lines, but one intriguing combination saw Iginla between Gagner and Sandy McCarthy.</p><p>The trade to the Flames last year was a big hit with his family. Iginla&rsquo;s father Elvis, a Nigerian-born property tax lawyer, settled in Edmonton, but is a huge Flames&rsquo; fan. At 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds and growing, Iginla is living up to the English translation of his sumame-Big Tree.</p><p>Iginla&rsquo;s parents split up when Jarome was two, so he was raised by his mother, Susan Schuchard, with help from her parents, Richard and Frances, who lived close by. Iginla estimates his grandfather attended 95 per cent of his games and practices as a boy.</p><p>As a 14-year-old, Iginla was a good, but not great, junior prospect. He didn&rsquo;t get picked in the first stage of a bantam draft that included the likes of Jason Botterill. Nolan Baumgartner, Daymond Langkow, Ryan Smyth, Jason Wiemer, Rhett Warrener and Curtis Brown.</p><p>&ldquo;That year, there were enough undrafted prospects that they had a rollover draft,&rdquo; Iginla recalled. &ldquo;I went in that one.&rdquo;</p><p>By the time Iginla was ready for junior, Don Hay had replaced Tom Renney behind the Kamloops bench. The Blazers were a powerhouse that season and, as a result, Iginla didn&rsquo;t play much.</p><p>&ldquo;It was really tough at 16,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;because every kid goes in and wants to play lots. Being on a real good team-we ended up winning the Memorial Cup-the coaching staff sat me down and explained to me that I wasn&rsquo;t going to be out there all the time, but just to take it and that it would gradually improve through the year. And that&rsquo;s the way it worked.&rdquo;</p><p>Iginla blossomed as a 17-year-old and then made another quantum leap last season. He became one of the WHL&rsquo;s leading scorers, developing hands to go with all the other parts of the package-good hockey sense, a strong physical presence. Iginla is universally praised by scouts partly because they love prototypes. There are no demonstrable weaknesses in his game.</p><p>Iginla sees a parallel between this season and his first year of junior-suddenly, he&rsquo;ll be playing against players that are more physically mature.</p><p>&ldquo;You have to make sure you keep to the basics and feel your way in,&rdquo; Iginla said. &ldquo;Here, it&rsquo;s tougher because it&rsquo;s obviously a higher level. You&rsquo;ve got to do whatever it is that got you to camp. That&rsquo;s the hardest thing to do-because sometimes you get frustrated and get away from that.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0006-01

Fanning the Flame

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender and Steve Dryden</div><p>Ranking the NHL&rsquo;s top 20 players at each position is an invitation for argument. We love arguments. Try these:</p><p>&#9633; Paul Coffey&rsquo;s offense from the blueline is good, but Derian Hatcher&rsquo;s defense is better.</p><p>&#9633; Take Sergei Fedorov before Mark Messier. Messier before Adam Oates, and Joe Sakic before all three.</p><p>&#9633; Scott Mellanby earned our respect last season but not enough to crack the projected top 20 right wingers for &rsquo;96-97. Guess who has: 20-goal man Stephane Richer.</p><p>Player performances in the World Cup had an effect on the rankings. Fifty-seven of the 100 ranked players participated. Another seven were invited, but did not participate.</p><p>One of those who saw his stock rise was Sweden&rsquo;s Mats Sundin, who might have been the tournament&rsquo;s best player with four goals and three assists in four games. We&rsquo;re counting on Sundin remaining similarly inspired over an 82-game NHL season; Sundin is ranked eighth on the list of NHL right wingers even though he has never played the position on a regular basis in the NHL. Sundin was scheduled to start the season playing right wing on Toronto&rsquo;s top line.</p><p>Others who improved their stock with solid World Cup showings include Brett Hull (surging past Teemu Selanne into fourth at right wing); Curtis Joseph (up to seventh-best goalie, despite his poor numbers from last season); and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote, who broke into the top 20 at No. 19.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011618/6813373-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="584" height="730"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mats Sundin&rsquo;s World Cup performance boosted his ranking.</b></figcaption></div><p>Players were ranked at the position they are likely to play most often this season. Keith Primeau, for example, is projected to play at center for the Detroit Red Wings, so he was ineligible for the top 20 at left wing.</p><p>We consulted team officials and writers around the league in assembling our rankings. Left wingers are found on pg. 8, right wingers pg. 9, defensemen pg. 10 and goalies pg. 11. Determining the top players at each position was the easiest part.</p><p><b>Center:</b> Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins. Last season we said the torch passed from Lemieux to Eric Lindros, and boy, did we get burned. Mario lit up the league like a kid pyromaniac with a match and a can of WD-40. We won&rsquo;t make the same mistake twice.</p><p><b>Left wing:</b> Keith Tkachuk, Phoenix Coyotes. Tkachuk retained his No. 1 spot despite a breakthrough campaign last year from Paul Kariya. But Kariya&rsquo;s 50 goals and 108 points did move him into second past John LeClair and Brendan Shanahan.</p><p><b>Right wing:</b> Jaromir Jagr, Pittsburgh Penguins. With all due respect to Pavel Bure and Theo Fleury, they&rsquo;re not even close-even after Jagr&rsquo;s miserable World Cup.</p><p><b>Defense:</b> Chris Chelios, Chicago Blackhawks. He was rated the best blueliner entering last season and his third Norris Trophy didn&rsquo;t do anything to change the ranking.</p><p><b>Goal:</b> Patrick Roy, Colorado Avalanche. There are none better when the money is on the line.</p><p>Each position&rsquo;s ranking includes the player&rsquo;s age as of Oct. 5 and games, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes from 1995-96. The goalie ranking includes 1995-96 winloss-tie record, save percentage and goals-against average.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

The best & the rest at all five positions

f0007-02

Lemieux front and center

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011674/6813470-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="354" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Keith Tkachuk</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021296/6813463-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="354" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Steve Thomas</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03955/6813456-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="356" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Steve Konowalchuk</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04491/6813449-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="354" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Paul Kariya</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05353/6813442-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="355" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Geoff Sanderson</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Tkachuk left above all</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06283/6813435-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="1802" height="1254"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0008-01

NHL’S TOP 20 LEFT WINGERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011589/6813536-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="350" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mikael Renberg</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021118/6813529-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="349" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mark Recchi</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03699/6813522-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="352" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Owen Nolan</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04537/6813515-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="350" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Alexander Mogilny</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-05406/6813508-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="352" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bill Guerin</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Bragging rights go to Jagr</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-06345/6813501-1-eng-US/f0009-062.jpg" title="f0009-06" width="1792" height="1253"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0009-01

NHL’S TOP 20 RIGHT WINGERS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011648/6813602-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="352" height="442"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Al Maclnnis</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021220/6813595-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="353" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Gary Suter</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03758/6813588-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="357" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Derian Hatcher</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04517/6813581-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="356" height="446"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Nicklas Lidstrom</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05386/6813574-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="358" height="444"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Rob Blake</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Chelios minister of defense</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06294/6813567-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="1812" height="1258"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0010-01

NHL’S TOP 20 DEFENSEMEN

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span>rett Hull has experienced a lot of good and bad with the St. Louis Blues. Through it all, he has done whatever has been asked of him on the ice and while he was once considered lazy and lackadaisical, he has developed a great all-around game and is indisputably the Blues&rsquo; best player.</p><p>Off the ice, however, Hull doesn&rsquo;t toe the company line. In fact, his boss thinks he&rsquo;s out of line most of the time.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe he can learn to control his disrespectful comments,&rdquo; said Blues&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Keenan last spring. &ldquo;He owes it to his teammates, to the organization and the city. It definitely hurts the morale of the team because players don&rsquo;t appreciate it.&rdquo;</p><p>If Keenan was trying to keep Hull from publicly criticizing him and the Blues, well, it had the opposite effect, Hull spent much of the summer complaining about the loss of Wayne Gretzky to the New York Rangers and blaming Keenan for it.</p><p>&ldquo;How do you keep your job when you keep losing players?&rdquo; said Hull during Team USA&rsquo;s training camp for the World Cup. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s say I go out and don&rsquo;t score for 20 games. Is that acceptable? Someone has to be accountable for the state of the organization.&rdquo;</p><p>But he wasn&rsquo;t finished there-not by a longshot. When asked further about the supposed contract impasse that resulted in Gretzky leaving St. Louis, Hull said: &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t about money at all. There&rsquo;s only one reason Wayne&rsquo;s not in St. Louis and it&rsquo;s not hard to figure out.&rdquo;</p><p>On the prospect of him being traded: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not a chance. I&rsquo;m not going anywhere. (Keenan) can say what he wants&hellip;but he can&rsquo;t ruin everything, even though he has done most of it.&rdquo;</p><p>As the 1996-97 season kicks off, Hull is still in a Blues&rsquo; uniform and hockey fans in St. Louis and around the league will be closely monitoring the Hull-Keenan situation.</p><p>&ldquo;It seems to be a focal point,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;At times, it should be. At times, it shouldn&rsquo;t be.&rdquo;</p><p>Outsiders wonder how long this stormy relationship will last, and more often than not they side with Keenan. They disparage Hull and blame team division, and hence team performance, on his outspokenness, just as Keenan did.</p><p>Observers also wonder whether the Blues can ever win with the flashy right winger or if they&rsquo;d simply be better off without him. But a more accurate question would be: can the franchise survive without Hull?</p><p>The answer is no.</p><p>Hull is by far the best current Blues&rsquo; player and puts people in the seats. Without Hull&rsquo;s golden smile and golden scoring touch, the Blues could very well be in the same state as the Hartford Whalers, drowning in a sea of red ink with a dwindling fan base and little hope for the future.</p><p>Interest in the team increased, as did attendance, after the Blues acquired him at the trading deadline in 1988. He scored at least 70 goals in three consecutive seasons and topped 50 goals for five straight years before the lockout ended his streak in 1995.</p><p>He has never finished lower than second in team scoring, leading the Blues in five of his eight years in the organization.</p><p>It&rsquo;s hard to quarrel with Hull&rsquo;s on-ice performance. In addition to scoring goals, he can pass, kill penalties, play defense and even hit when the need arises. Hull has become a complete player. Even Keenan doesn&rsquo;t dispute that. Hull has done his part on the ice. He cannot be blamed for the Blues&rsquo; failures during his tenure.</p><p>Much of the blame lies in the Blues&rsquo; management. Consider some of the front-office shenanigans that have transpired during Hull&rsquo;s tenure with the Blues:</p><p>&#9633; The Blues decided to trade four players for two while they were in first place in the 1990-91 dream season, causing them to stumble in the playoffs.</p><p>&#9633; They botched their arbitration case in the Brendan Shanahan signing and lost Scott Stevens to the New Jersey Devils.</p><p>&#9633; They traded a ton of grit in 1993-94-Bob Bassen, Ron Sutter, Garth Butcher-to acquire yet another offensive defenseman in Steve Duchesne, then signed Petr Nedved, lost Craig Janney as compensation then traded three players to get Janney back.</p><p>&#9633; Keenan then drove Janney out of town and alienated fans with unpopular trades involving tan favorites Brendan Shanahan and Curtis Joseph.</p><p>&#9633; Gretzky jumped ship as a free agent after the Blues traded three players and two picks-including a first rounder in the prospect-rich 1997 draft-to get him.</p><p>None of this was Hull&rsquo;s fault, yet when he points out management&rsquo;s errors, he gets fingered for being a divisive influence.</p><p>For now, there&rsquo;s an uneasy truce in St. Louis. Keenan and Blues&rsquo; president Jack Quinn have gone on record saying Hull won&rsquo;t be traded. In fact, upper management nixed a proposed deal with the Washington Capitals, fearing fan backlash.</p><p>And Hull didn&rsquo;t hurt his case with a stellar performance in the World Cup. He led Team USA and the tournament with seven goals and 11 points, but his leadership went far beyond that. He was a team leader and a unifying force in the dressing room, much to the delight of Team USA coach Ron Wilson and his teammates and much to the surprise of his critics.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say enough about him,&rdquo; said former Blues&rsquo; teammate Guy Hebert, Team USA&rsquo;s backup goalie. &ldquo;He has been a leader since Day 1, just fantastic. He&rsquo;s great in the locker room, great on the bench, just super positive.&rdquo;</p><p>Chris Chelios played with Hull in the 1991 Canada Cup when Hull bickered with USA coach Tim Taylor and played with the enthusiasm of a kid in a dentist&rsquo;s office.</p><p>&ldquo;This year, he&rsquo;s a whole different Brett,&rdquo; Chelios said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s committed. His play shows that, as does his attitude in the room. I&rsquo;ve never seen him act like he does.&rdquo;</p><p>And the secret to Hull&rsquo;s success in the World Cup? He was happy, having the time of his life. Coincidentally, he was also getting along with the guy in charge.</p><p>&ldquo;What I focused on with Brett was, when he does something well, he hears about it,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;So, he keeps wanting to do more stuff. He wants to hear, &lsquo;Way to go, Hullie,&rsquo; &lsquo;Great chip out,&rsquo; &lsquo;Great dump-in,&rsquo; &lsquo;Great short shift.&rsquo; He says, &lsquo;Thanks, coach. Thanks, coach.&rsquo; He can&rsquo;t believe it.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s like most athletes. He craves attention. He wants to be praised when he&rsquo;s working hard. He&rsquo;ll try a little harder if he hears praise. Too often you forget about the star guys. You expect them to do certain things and they never hear about it.&rdquo;</p><p>The result of Hull&rsquo;s performance in the World Cup is that he now has a championship under his belt, his first at any level. No longer can critics say he has never won anything.</p><p>Well, now he has won something, and perhaps his critics should pay a little more attention to what he says, rather than criticize him for the way he says it.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Triumph in World Cup finally gives Hull champion status</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

Super sniper Hull talk of town for play, outspokenness

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02847/6813838-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="303" height="364"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mario Lemieux</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03562/6813831-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="302" height="364"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Bossy</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04438/6813824-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="305" height="365"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wayne Gretzky</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-05343/6813817-1-eng-US/f0019-052.jpg" title="f0019-05" width="305" height="365"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Brett Hull</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-06268/6813810-1-eng-US/f0019-062.jpg" title="f0019-06" width="308" height="368"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Bobby Hull</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-07236/6813803-1-eng-US/f0019-072.jpg" title="f0019-07" width="306" height="366"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Maurice Richard</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-08213/6813796-1-eng-US/f0019-082.jpg" title="f0019-08" width="303" height="363"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Phil Esposito</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-09182/6813789-1-eng-US/f0019-092.jpg" title="f0019-09" width="305" height="365"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jari Kurri</b></figcaption></div><p>If you could pick one player from the NHL&rsquo;s modem era to set up in the slot in a tie game with time running out, who would it be?</p><p>Well, Wayne Gretzky is the greatest goal scorer of all-time. But even The Great One himself admits he&rsquo;s not a pure goal scorer. In his prime, Gretzky was every bit as good a playmaker as a finisher-arguably better. Longevity has taken its toll on Gretzky who, today, is thought of more of a set-up man.</p><p>Our notion of a pure goal scorer is a player who, when fed the puck in a position to score, will bury it nine out of 10 times.</p><p>It&rsquo;s a tough call, but in a pinch we&rsquo;ll take Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; superstar Mario Lemieux-by a hair over former New York Islanders&rsquo; ace Mike Bossy. Think about it, even Gretzky leaned towards Lemieux when he elected to pass to the The Magnificent One to seal Canada&rsquo;s victory in the 1987 Canada Cup.</p><p>Bossy entered the NHL scoring at a high level-53 goals as a rookie-and maintained it right to the end when, suffering from a bad back, he scored a career-low 38 goals.</p><h2><b>SUPER SNIPERS</b></h2><p>Mario Lemieux is our choice as the best-ever pure goal scorer. Listed in our top 10 are the team they are most associated with, career span, games played (GP), goals (G), single-season high and goals per game average (GPG).</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011174/6813782-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="533" height="940"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0019-02

In a pinch, we’ll take Super Mario for goals

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><p>Eric Lindros has been labeled the NHL&rsquo;s most lethal combination of size, skill and toughness.</p><p>For the first time in his four-year career, The Big E has the numbers to back up the claim.</p><p>With 47 goals and 163 penalty minutes last season, the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; superstar center wrestled the The Hockey News High IQ Award away from another double threat, Keith Tkachuk of the Phoenix Coyotes, who won it the past two years.</p><p>&ldquo;Oh, that&rsquo;s great; I&rsquo;ve read about that before,&rdquo; Lindros said when informed he was the 1995-96 IQ champion. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to be aggressive and it&rsquo;s good to score goals. And it&rsquo;s even better if you can do both.&rdquo;</p><p>There is no prize for earning the distinction, just the satisfaction of knowing you are the NHL leader in goals and guts. And Tkachuk, the bruising left winger for the Winnipeg Jets (now Phoenix), took his defeat in stride.</p><p>&ldquo;Hey, it&rsquo;s an honor to be put in the same bracket as Eric,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;Some guys just fight all the time; other guys just score all the time. It&rsquo;s great to be in a special category of guys who can do both.&rdquo;</p><p>The IQ-intimidation quotient-is a statistic we established four years ago to reflect which NHLers best combine skill and toughness.</p><p>A player&rsquo;s IQ is derived by multiplying his goal total by three and adding the total to his amended penalty minutes (total minutes minus game and 10-minute misconducts). To qualify, players must score a minimum 30 goals and earn at least 100 amended penalty minutes.</p><p>Lindros&rsquo; winning formula was: 47 (goals) &times; 3 =141, plus 153 (163 penalty minutes minus a 10-minute misconduct)=294.</p><p>Rick Tocchet of the Boston Bruins was the first-ever winner with an IQ rating of 336&mdash;still the record-in 1992-93 as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>Tkachuk then waged a two-year battle with Brendan Shanahan of the St. Louis Blues, edging him both times. A hand injury left Shanahan out of the running last season; he had enough goals-44-but not enough amended penalty minutes-85-in part because it was too painful to fight.</p><p>Lindros ranked fourth last year, although he tied for first in goals among IQ club members with Theoren Fleury of the Calgary Flames. Each scored 29.</p><p>Tkachuk made a solid bid to three-peat last year with 50 goals and 136 amended penalty minutes, but wound up second at 286.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01850/6813876-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="580" height="1219"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Eric Lindros</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I think it says a lot about where I was as a player in those two years compared to where I am now,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;I think I have to take a different approach to my game-play smarter. I don&rsquo;t think anybody likes fighting all the time. Once in a while is fine, but not all the time.&rdquo;</p><p>The most surprising player to gain entry into the IQ club was Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; center Vincent Damph-ousse, a surprise third place finisher with 252 points. Damphousse has scored 30 or more goals five times in his career, but his highest penalty total going into last season was 97 minutes. In 1995-96, Damphousse exploded for 158 minutes (including two misconducts), breaking the 100minute mark for the first time in his career. When he wasn&rsquo;t serving penalties, Damphousse found time to score 38 goals.</p><p>Only six players gained entry into the exclusive club last season; Lindros, Tkachuk, Damphousse, right winger Pat Verbeek of the New York Rangers and right winger Owen Nolan of the San Jose Sharks. Verbeek signed with the Dallas Stars as a free agent over the summer. <i>(See accompanying chart for rankings.)</i></p><p>Next on the list of challenges for Lindros is leading the Flyers to the Stanley Cup. For that to happen, he must maintain his combination of goals and grit and add consistency to his repertoire.</p><p>Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray said Lindros is learning to pay close attention to when he turns it up physically and when he concentrates on scoring.</p><p>&ldquo;There are times when the physical side of things takes its toll on the other aspects of his game,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;And there are times during the season when he takes himself out of the play looking for the big hit and if he does it continuously, you worry about fatigue setting in. But Eric is really learning to pick his spots. He likes to go for the big hit if he feels the team needs picking up.&rdquo;</p><p>Lindros is growing accustomed to close scrutiny of his game and his accomplishments as a player. He has lived with that for much of his career and it likely isn&rsquo;t going to change-at least until he hoists the Stanley Cup over his head.</p><p>&ldquo;Expectations are very high, but Eric has to live with that,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Certainly his leadership in the room has improved. This is becoming Eric&rsquo;s hockey club more and more each year.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>POWER PLAYERS</b></h2><p>Players with 30 goals and 100 amended penalty minutes (misconducts not included) in 199596 were eligible for the THN High IQ Award. Listed are games (GP), goals (G), amended penalty minutes (PIM) and Intimidation Quotient rating (IQ). <i>See story for IQ calculation.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02541/6813869-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="527" height="878"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0023-01

Big E scores big on annual IQ test

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01935/6813907-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Panthers&rsquo; defenseman Ed Jovanovski says his World Cup experience for Canada should pay dividends.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennet/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p>It will be remembered as the quintessential moment in Ed Jovanovski&rsquo;s first season.</p><p>It was in the Eastern Conference semifinal, inside the blueline at the Miami Arena, when Jovanovski, then a 20-year-old rookie kid from Windsor, Ont., met Eric Lindros, the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; superstar.</p><p>Two huge bodies-and two franchise players-collided. But it was Lindros who fell to the ice in a heap. And Jovanovski? He skated on to a sellout crowd chanting his name.</p><p>By season&rsquo;s end, Jovanovski&rsquo;s first in the NHL, everyone would come to appreciate his promising skills. And some very unfortunate souls would also get to feel his wrath.</p><p>A big hitter. A playmaker. A future leader on and off the ice. All of the above?</p><p>As Jovanovski begins his second season Oct. 5-coincidentally enough against Lindros and the Flyers in Philadelphia-his potential would appear sky-high. But hovering over any good rookie season is an albatross carrying the so-called sophomore jinx.</p><p>Jovanovski is not worried.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard all that stuff about the sophomore jinx,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-2, 208-pound defenseman. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m coming in here with the same attitude I had last year. I&rsquo;m just going to try and play the same game. I feel a lot more confident and I&rsquo;ll be more experienced.</p><p>&ldquo;And I feel my time with the World Cup (as part of Team Canada) will also help me.&rdquo;</p><p>Jovanovski added more muscle during the off-season by working with a personal trainer in Florida before heading off to the World Cup. But his upside seemed to increase with every game he played during the regular season. A Calder Trophy finalist, Jovanovski ended the season with 10 goals and 21 points before leading Panthers&rsquo; defensemen in scoring through the playoffs with nine points.</p><p>&ldquo;You could see little things as the season developed,&rdquo; said veteran defenseman Gord Murphy, who was paired with Jovanovski through much of the season. &ldquo;You could see he started handling the puck more, reading rushes better, making quick passes out. Sometimes it takes a long time for guys to mature into that role. But Eddie picked it up quick. And he also provided us with the big hit and that seemed to elevate us to a higher level on some nights.&rdquo;</p><p>It was exactly that kind of progress that president Bill Torrey was hoping to see from Jovanovski after he made him the No. 1 pick in the 1994 draft. As he did in Long Island with Denis Potvin, Torrey wanted a foundation to his franchise. Jovanovski proved in his inaugural season to have the potential to provide that.</p><p>&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a lot of growth with Eddie,&rdquo; Torrey said. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t fully matured physically, but he&rsquo;ll become stronger and smarter and learn how to use his talents more. Eddie will become a dominant player. He showed last year he had the physical power, but he also showed he could skate and had great hands. He&rsquo;s only going to get better when he understands just what he has and how to apply it and sees how others react to it. And you can&rsquo;t forget confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>Jovanovski admits at the beginning of last season, he was like any other rookie. He was tentative and nervous.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously, at the start of the year, there were times the puck felt like a grenade&hellip;like it would blow up in front of me,&rdquo; Jovanovski said. &ldquo;But when you get a little confidence, you start rushing the puck, trying to create something offensively instead of just shooting it off the glass.&rdquo;</p><p>Jovanovski also found out that he didn&rsquo;t have to fight every night; especially after breaking his right hand in a pre-season fight against Brendan Shanahan.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather play than sit in the penalty box,&rdquo; said Jovanovski, who still has pins in his right hand from the bout. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d also rather think I have more to give my team when I&rsquo;m on the ice.&rdquo;</p><p>Things such as a big hit. But there were also nights when those big hits left Jovanovski out of position and the Panther defense vulnerable.</p><p>MacLean and GM Bryan Murray realize Jovanovski is going to have those lapses. He had one in a World Cup exhibition game when he was caught out of position after hammering Russia&rsquo;s Oleg Tverdovsky, which led to a goal against Team Canada.</p><p>&ldquo;But a reason a player might cost you a goal like that is because he&rsquo;s trying to get you one,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Eddie&rsquo;s a big kid and he&rsquo;s going to get a lot of attention and make a lot of big hits. It may cost you now and again, but Eddie&rsquo;s also the kind of guy who will get you a few, too. Eddie&rsquo;s going to be physical and very involved.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Talented people take chances. That&rsquo;s normal,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;Listen, with Eddie we&rsquo;re going to stress more of the same. We just want him to play solid every night. We want him to guard against doing too much. But as far as a sophomore jinx? I always thought that stuff was way overrated. I only expect Eddie to get better.&rdquo;</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Occasional mistake trade-off for Jovanovski&rsquo;s hitting</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0024-01

Eddy Jo marshals Florida hit parade

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01870/6813938-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mario Lemieux may be able to score even more goals this season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</span></figcaption></div><p>The 1996-97 NHL season, brought to you by 3M.</p><p>That&rsquo;s 3M. as in More, More, More. More scoring. More fighting. More stickwork. How do you like it?</p><p>NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke doesn&rsquo;t. More scoring, he&rsquo;ll buy. But more fighting? More stickwork? Preposterous, he says. The Hockey News&rsquo; crystal ball, he says, is cracked.</p><p>We&rsquo;ll see.</p><p>Maybe Burke is right. Maybe the brand of hockey played this season in the NHL will be no different. But, maybe, just maybe, a series of rule changes and new interpretations will significantly alter the game in 1996-97.</p><p>Let&rsquo;s start with the premise there will be more scoring.</p><p>The standard for goals scored off a skate has been amended to permit them, unless the goal is scored with a &ldquo;distinct kicking motion.&rdquo; There were almost 100 occasions last season when video review disallowed a goal that was put in by &ldquo;hand or foot.&rdquo; Almost every one of those 100 rejected goals last season would count this season.</p><p>&ldquo;You could anticipate an increase (in goals),&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;Although that wasn&rsquo;t the motivation for the rule change. We&rsquo;re just trying to reduce the confusion as to the determination of what is and isn&rsquo;t a goal.&rdquo;</p><p>Another hundred or so goals isn&rsquo;t going to send shock waves through the game, not when you consider there are 1,066 games. But every little bit helps. There was an average of 6.3 goals per game last season, which is well off the highwater mark of the &rsquo;90s (7.2 in 1992-93). The average was 6.5 in 1993-94, 6.0 in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season before posting the modest gain last season.</p><p>The upward trend should continue this season, if not because of skate-assisted goals then the expected re-defining of offside.</p><p>NHL governors were scheduled to meet Sept. 25 in New York and were expected to formally abolish the &ldquo;tag-up&rdquo; delayed offside in favor the old-fashioned variety, which prevents a player from blasting the puck into the offensive zone while his teammates are still inside the blueline.</p><p>Under the new rule, a defenseman who picks up the puck just outside the offensive blueline would have to maintain possession while waiting for his mates to clear the zone.</p><p>This should promote more puckhandling by defensemen, but more importantly Wayne Gretzky said, an added emphasis on puck control offense as opposed to dump-and-chase.</p><p>&ldquo;If teams are holding onto the puck, it makes sense they&rsquo;re going to create more offense,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;The biggest difference is it will reduce the effectiveness of the neutral zone trap. The (tag-up) shoot-in was really just a tactic that allowed the forwards (clearing the zone) to come back and set up the trap between the bluelines.&rdquo;</p><p>Now, the gloves come off. THN predicts new fighting legislation will, initially anyway, lead to an increase in fisticuffs.</p><p>No longer will a player who is deemed to be the instigator of a fight receive a game misconduct to go with the two-minute minor and five-minute major. A first offender will be given a minor and 10-minute misconduct instead of the automatic ejection. Only a second instigating infraction by the same player in the same game will bring about ejection. This is quite likely to encourage enforcers to take their chances.</p><p>While first offense instigating penalties have been relaxed, chronic instigators will be hit harder than in the past. A third instigator in the same season will result in a two-game suspension, a fourth instigator a four-game suspension, a fifth instigator a six-game suspension and so on.</p><p>Still, there may be a temptation to take advantage of the two instigator freebies.</p><p>&ldquo;Clearly, that is not the intent,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;(The changes) will allow the players an opportunity to police themselves, but there are stiffer penalties for anyone who tries to take advantage of it. If I thought it would lead to more fighting, I never would have supported the changes.&rdquo;</p><p>Fighting was down slightly last season. There were 1.4 fighting majors per game, 1.6 and 1.5, respectively, in 1994-95 and 1993-94. That number was 1.8 in 1989-1990, below the recent high-water mark of 2.1 (an average of one fight per game) in 1987-88.</p><p>The NHL was going to crack down on players who fought at the drop of the puck or came onto the ice on a legal line change, for the purpose of dropping the gloves, but concerns from the NHL Players&rsquo; Association resulted in dropping proposed mandatory five-game suspensions. The NHL intends to police this type of action, but will use the wide-ranging powers of supplementary discipline as opposed to a hard-and-fast rule.</p><p>As for stickwork, quietly and with virtually no fanfare, the league significantly relaxed penalties on stick fouls, pending board approval Sept. 25. The standard for highsticking returns to the shoulder. It had been the waist, although enforcement was spotty at best.</p><p>If the governors endorse it, the five-minute major and automatic game misconduct for &ldquo;careless&rdquo; use of the stick causing injury (blood or otherwise) is now a thing of the past. Whether it&rsquo;s careless or accidental, the new penalty calls simply for a double minor. If there&rsquo;s intent to injure, the referee may call a match penalty (a five-minute major and automatic ejection), but he has always had that option.</p><p>Doesn&rsquo;t the relaxing of stick foul penalties only increase the already cavalier use of sticks by the players?</p><p>&ldquo;This is not a green light to the players to use their sticks,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;If they think that, just let them try me and see what happens. But too many players were picking up (automatic one-game) suspensions for accumulating three game misconducts for what amounted to errant high sticks.&rdquo;</p><p>Additionally, there will be no penalty for accidental stick contact as the result of a natural wind-up or follow-through on a shot.</p><p>So the NHL has opted for the lowest common denominator, reducing careless to the same level as accidental instead of vice-versa. The fallout from this course of action will be interesting, indeed.</p><h2><i><b>NHL RULE CHANGES FOR 1996-97</b></i></h2><p>Here&rsquo;s a rundown of additional rule changes this season:</p><p>&#9633; Random testing to new league specifications will be done on goaltending equipment, with illegal equipment drawing a one-game suspension.</p><p>&#9633; The maximum stick length is increased from 60 to 63 inches.</p><p>&#9633; When a major penalty to one player and a minor to another is assessed with less than five minutes to play or in overtime. the power play time discrepancy starts immediately, not at the back end of the minor.</p><p>&#9633; The color of goal pegs is changed to blue from red to contrast with the red goal frame.</p><p>&#9633; There is a new category of game misconducts for abuse of officials, with two such penalties resulting in a one-game suspension.</p><p>&#9633; Requests for a league review of any incident must be made within 24 hours instead of the previous 72.</p><p>&#9633; A player whose sweater is removed other than through the actions of a linesman or an opponent during a fight-Rob Ray, are you listening?&ndash;will receive a game misconduct.</p><p>&#9633; When a puck is shot out of play, the faceoff will originate from where the puck was shot.</p><p>&#9633; The referee may use video replay to determine whether a player was in the crease at the time a goal is scored and decide whether or not the goal is allowed.</p><p>&#9633; The linesmen will conduct all faceoffs, except for the opening puck drop, which will be done by the referee.</p><p>The governors were expected to endorse on Sept. 25 the following rule changes:</p><p>&#9633; An automatic game misconduct for any elbowing or charging major.</p><p>&#9633; A double minor instead of a match penalty for attempted head-butting, or a major and game misconduct instead of a match penalty for head-butting.</p><p>&#9633; A new faceoff grid to align the players evenly on draws.</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Fisticuffs, stickwork could be on rise, too</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0027-01

More, More, More: How do you like it?

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><p>The NHL has finally entered the age of enlightenment.</p><p>After years of having no substantive substance abuse policy and, prior to that, adherence to a draconian system with emphasis on punishment rather than treatment, the league and NHL Players&rsquo; Association have agreed to a wide-ranging program.</p><p>It is a comprehensive substance abuse and behavioral health program that will become part of the collective bargaining agreement.</p><p>Dr. Brian Shaw of the Toronto Hospital and Hospital for Sick Children and Dr. David Lewis of ANACAPA Hospital in Port Heuneme, Calif., have been retained by the NHLPA and NHL to oversee the program.</p><p>It is intended to be the antithesis of the old league policy, as espoused by former president John Ziegler. That policy rebuffed treatment in favor of punishment. The new program is aimed at curbing substance abuse, but will also address HIV concerns and related health matters.</p><p>A toll-free number will be established for players and their families with access to counselling in every NHL city. Drs. Shaw and Lewis will meet at least once a season with each club as part of an education program to prevent and treat substance abuse and any other health problems.</p><p>There will be no mandatory or random testing for HIV (the virus that is believed to cause AIDS), substance abuse or performance enhancing substances, although testing is part of the program should a player enter treatment.</p><p>Players will be encouraged to come forward, without fear of retribution, to seek help for problems. The medical experts will decide upon a course of action that ranges from out-patient treatment to in-residence rehabilitation.</p><p>The latter is based on a four-stage system that begins with an emphasis on treatment, but also provides punishment for further abuses.</p><p>Stage 1 is the first in-patient treatment and there is no penalty. (A substance abuse-related charge may lead to placement of a player in Stage 1.)</p><p>Stage 2, which follows violation of Stage 1, results in suspension without pay during the active phase of treatment and eligibility for reinstatement.</p><p>Stage 3, which follows violation of Stage 2, results in suspension without pay for a period of at least six months and then eligibility for full reinstatement.</p><p>A Stage 3 treatment violation leads to Stage 4, which is suspension without pay for at least one year and no assurance of reinstatement.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

New drug policy stresses treatment over punishment

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><p>Pierre Lacroix has a few words of advice for his Colorado Avalanche players.</p><p>&ldquo;When the Stanley Cup banner hits the ceiling at our first home game,&rdquo; said the Avalanche GM,&rdquo;it&rsquo;s time to put last season behind us.&rdquo;</p><p>So, anybody planning to rest on his laurels had better think again. There will be no passengers allowed on board.</p><p>Lacroix is confident his team has what it takes to become the first team since the Pittsburgh Penguins to repeat as Cup champs. Few would argue with him.</p><p>When the Penguins won their second of back-to-back Cups in 1992, it was only after a number of significant personnel changes. By the time the final rolled around, they were a different team from the one that won the Cup in 1991.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t look for the Avalanche to follow suit.</p><p>Coach Marc Crawford doesn&rsquo;t foresee any major lineup changes between now and the 1996-97 playoffs. Nor does he expect his players to suffer lingering effects from the dreaded Stanley Cup hangover syndrome that afflicted the previous two winners.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure we&rsquo;ll go through it to some degree,&rdquo; Crawford said. &lsquo;The key is to have people who want to repeat. You have to play well enough in the regular season to put yourself in a position to take the least strenuous route to the final.&rdquo;</p><p>The New York Rangers, champions in 1994, struggled the next season and barely qualified for the playoffs. The New Jersey Devils, 1995 champs, nosedived and didn&rsquo;t even make the playoffs last season. The 1993 champion Montreal Canadiens were a surprise winner and nobody really expected them to repeat.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01900/6814000-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="828" height="1623"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Playoff MVP Joe Sakic is part of a deadly offensive arsenal.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Rocky Widner)</span></figcaption></div><p>I really don&rsquo;t think big changes will be necessary,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;I love the makeup of my team. We&rsquo;ve got good scoring in (Joe) Sakic, (Peter) Forsberg and (Valeri) Kamensky; good character in (Claude) Lemieux, (Scott) Young and (Mike) Ricci; and great youth in (Adam) Deadmarsh, (Adam) Foote, (Sandis) Ozolinsh and (Stephane) Yelle. Our best players are still getting better.&rdquo;</p><p>Given its youth, the fact it has some of the league&rsquo;s top players at each position, it&rsquo;s hard imagining the Avalanche not repeating even if it elects to maintain the status quo.</p><p>The Avalanche did its key trading last season, acquiring goalie Patrick Roy, offense-minded defenseman Ozolinsh, right winger and chief agitator Lemieux and steady forward Mike Keane.</p><p>In the off-season, the Avalanche traded away backup goalie Stephane Fiset to the Los Angeles Kings for left winger Eric Lacroix (the GM&rsquo;s son). It also dealt reserve defenseman Craig Wolanin to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional draft pick and lost free agent tough guy Warren Rychel.</p><p>There are only two causes of concern for the Avalanche. Kamensky and tough guy Chris Simon were involved in contract disputes and with the loss of Fiset as Roy&rsquo;s backup, the Avalanche doesn&rsquo;t have a single goalie in its system who has even a minute of NHL experience.</p><p>The three factors most pivotal for repeated success are:</p><p><b>&#9633; Scoring</b> With 326 goals, the Avalanche was the league&rsquo;s second-highest scoring team last year behind Pittsburgh (362). Its 21.3 percent success rate on the power play also placed it second behind Pittsburgh (26.0).</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01812/6813993-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="1787" height="1112"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Claude Lemieux brought his two Stanley Cups to Colorado and added a third with the Avalanche.</b></figcaption></div><p>Sakic, 27, had his best season, finishing third in scoring behind Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr with career highs in goals (51) and points (120). And he led all playoff scorers with 18 goals (six game-winners) and 34 points en route to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season MVP.</p><p>Forsberg, 23, rose to prominence in just his second season, placing fifth in scoring with 30 goals and 116 points. There is no reason to believe the pair won&rsquo;t hit those totals-or in Forsberg&rsquo;s case, exceed them-this season.</p><p>Add Lemieux (39 goals), Kamensky (38), Young (21), and Deadmarsh (21) and offense should be no concern.</p><p>&ldquo;The last three teams that won the Stanley Cup all had trouble scoring the following season,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;Montreal (1993) didn&rsquo;t score the following year, the Rangers (1994) dropped off and New Jersey never could score. If there&rsquo;s one thing we do well, it&rsquo;s score goals. I don&rsquo;t see that being a problem with us at all.&rdquo;</p><p><b>&#9633; Patrick Roy</b> The Avalanche acquired Roy to win them a Stanley Cup and he came through.</p><p>Roy&rsquo;s health is of paramount concern because of Colorado&rsquo;s lack of experience at the backup position. Assuming he stays healthy, Roy must play at the same high level he did in last season&rsquo;s playoffs. His goals-ag-ainst average was 2.10, down from his regular season average of 2.68, and his save percentage in the postseason improved to 92.1 from 90.9.</p><p>&ldquo;Patrick has shown he doesn&rsquo;t need to be spelled that often,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll play 55-60 games; maybe more. And in the playoffs he&rsquo;ll be the guy who goes all the way.&rdquo;</p><p>Through the early part of training camp Lacroix seemed content with the play of Marc Denis and Brent Johnson, both of whom played major junior hockey last season. Denis had the fourth best goals-against average in the Quebec League with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.</p><p>&ldquo;Our kids are so good, we don&rsquo;t feel the need to go looking for an experienced backup at this point,&rdquo; Lacroix said. &ldquo;If, at the end of training camp we feel differently, there are plenty of experienced goalies out there who would love to back Patrick up.&rdquo;</p><p><b>&#9633; Complacency</b> Because the Avalanche has such tremendous depth, there are still a number of players in competition for icetime. The average age of the Avalanche was 26.7 last season with only four regulars-Roy, Lemieux, Kamensky and Uwe Krupp-30 or older.</p><p>&ldquo;The way we look at things, once you experience winning the Cup you enjoy the feeling so much that anything less would be a huge disappointment,&rdquo; said center Mike Ricci. &ldquo;Once you get a taste of it, you want to get it back again.&rdquo;</p><div class="sidebar"><p><b>Roy must stay healthy</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0032-01

Avalanche getting ready for repeat performance

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><p class="dropcap"><span>D</span>on&rsquo;t say we didn&rsquo;t warn you. Last year, we called for a Colorado Avalanche to hit the Pacific Division and it did, burying everything in its path.</p><p>Colorado ended up winning the Stanley Cup, but it all began in the Pacific Division. So is there any reason to believe things will be different this season? None at all.</p><p>Although the Avalanche had contract squabbles with left wingers Valeri Kamensky and Chris Simon, coach Marc Crawford, goalie Patrick Roy and right winger Claude Lemieux were all taken care of by GM Pierre Lacroix.</p><p>Backup goalie Stephane Fiset and surplus defenseman Craig Wolanin were shipped out, but otherwise this team is intact and loaded at every position.</p><p>The only question is: by how much will Colorado lap the field in the league&rsquo;s weakest division? Boredom should be its toughest opponent.</p><p>The Vancouver Canucks were the division enigma last season. Expected to at least challenge the Avalanche, they went through a Murphy&rsquo;s Law slide that began with Pavel Bure&rsquo;s blown out right knee in November.</p><p>Off-season acquisition Mike Ridley turned up lame (back), mid-season acquisition Esa Tikkanen turned up lame (knee), Dave Babych broke his foot twice, Dana Murzyn and Gino Odjick missed significant time with injuries, No. 1 goalie Kirk McLean endured a marital break-up and coach Rick Ley was fired.</p><p>Alexander Mogilny, Trevor Linden, Martin Gelinas and rookie Corey Hirsch were the only players to either meet or exceed expectations, which is why the Canucks finished with 79 points.</p><p>This year, despite few roster changes, dynamic new coach Tom Renney and a healthy Bure will make the Canucks much better, although taking a run at Colorado is out of the question.</p><p>The Calgary Flames are far more stable than they were last October, especially at center.</p><p>They have no contract hassles hanging over their heads and they will have Robert Reichel back, complemented by Dave Gagner. If they can settle on a No. 1 goaltender, they could take a run at the Canucks for second place.</p><p>The Edmonton Oilers are in the fifth year of their rebuilding program, but it may again be a house of cards.</p><p>There are a lot of ifs here, beginning with whether they sign restricted free agents Doug Weight and Jason Arnott. GM Glen Sather can&rsquo;t afford to let things linger and have the team stumble out of the gate. A brilliant Curtis Joseph can go a long way towards securing a playoff spot.</p><p>The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim have two things going for them-Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne-which is one Finn more than in the past. But who knows whether Kariya will be 100 per cent recovered from his abdominal injury? Anaheim&rsquo;s defense is suspect and will miss the offensive potential of Oleg Tverdovsky. The Ducks and Oilers figure to fight for fourth.</p><p>The San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings are clearly the dregs of the division, despite the fact the desperate Sharks have brought in a halfdozen heroes of hockey.</p><p>Miracles do happen and if Kelly Hrudey, Bernie Nicholls, Marty Mc-Sorley, Tony Granato, Al lafrate, Tim Hunter, Todd Ewen and Todd Gill were all 10 years younger, maybe they&rsquo;d happen here too.</p><p>The Kings brought Petr Klima in to help their offense. Good luck. Rob Blake may die from all the icetime he&rsquo;ll get this year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Avalanche promises to bury ‘em all again in 1996-97

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Winnipeg Jets have moved to Phoenix, Jeremy Roenick is no longer a Chicago Blackhawk and Wayne Gretzky decided St. Louis wasn&rsquo;t the place for him. But one thing remains constant when it comes to the Central Division: everyone figures to be chasing the Detroit Red Wings.</p><p>The Red Wings may not be able to win the Stanley Cup, but they own the Central. Detroit has won three straight division titles and four of the past five and likely will earn another crown thanks to levels of talent and depth none of the other five clubs can match.</p><p>Detroit is still loaded. The Wings have an abundance of offensive skill in Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Slava Kozlov, Igor Larionov and Paul Coffey; a Norris Trophy candidate on defense in Vladimir Konstantinov; another gifted defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom; Vezina Trophy finalist Chris Osgood in goal; and splendid support people in Doug Brown, Kris Draper, Bob Errey and Darren McCarty.</p><p>The Blackhawks traded Roenick&rsquo;s rights to the Phoenix Coyotes and let Bernie Nicholls and Joe Murphy leave as free agents, adding Alexei Zhamnov (in the Roenick deal) and winger Kevin Miller.</p><p>Yet coach Craig Hartsburg thinks the Hawks will be a better team and he might be right. Gone is the distraction of Roenick&rsquo;s never-ending contract squabble and Murphy&rsquo;s inconsistencies. Hartsburg thinks Zhamnov can be a 100-point scorer and Miller will get at least the 22 goals Murphy produced.</p><p>Defensively, the Hawks are as deep and solid as anyone, led by Ed Belfour and Jeff Hackett in goal and Norris Trophy winner Chris Chelios, who is getting better with age, on defense.</p><p>The St. Louis Blues&rsquo; regular season hopes hinge on two questions. Can Brett Hull co-exist with Mike Keenan, and will Grant Fuhr&rsquo;s health hold up?</p><p>Keenan is already starting the season on a sour note after letting Gretzky go to the New York Rangers. It&rsquo;s widely believed around the league Keenan paid too much for Joe Murphy ($10 million over three years), when he could have used that money to go find a quality center.</p><p>On defense, Chris Pronger and Al MacInnis will still shoulder the load.</p><p>The Coyotes have established a new identity, hiring Don Hay as coach and adding veterans Mike Gartner, Cliff Ronning, Brad McCrimmon, Jim Johnson and Darcy Wakaluk.</p><p>They were also hoping to have Roenick, but now may wind up trading the controversial center, who has become disgruntled with his second team over money. With Roenick, or with players acquired for him, Phoenix is a team to watch. Left winger Keith Tkachuk is a legitimate superstar and Nikolai Khabibulin is moving up the ranks among the game&rsquo;s best goalies.</p><p>The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new coach in Mike Murphy, but most of the same players who were eliminated in the first round are still there.</p><p>Murphy wants the offense to take it up a notch, and to do that he must find a way to inspire gifted forward Mats Sundin to lay it on the line every night. Sundin had 83 points last year, but is capable of much more.</p><p>Gone are Gartner and Dave Gagner, which puts even more pressure on Sundin and the aging Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark and Kirk Muller up front.</p><p>If the Dallas Stars are going to return to the playoffs, they must improve upon their ghastly 5-19-4 record in the division.</p><p>Free agent sniper Pat Verbeek should help revive an anemic offense, but the Stars still need big bounce-back years from Mike Modano and Joe Nieuwendyk and more than 19 goals from Benoit Hogue.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Red Wings don’t own Cup, but they do own Central

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><p>There was a time when the Northeast Division was known as the Adams Division and the Adams Division was known as the toughest in hockey.</p><p>If you were on the inside you were part of the black and blue, every regular season game was a battle and every playoff game, a war. Teams from outside just didn&rsquo;t understand.</p><p>Those days are gone like the Quebec Nordiques and the Northeast now struggles just to be respectable.</p><p>Sadly, this division is Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, by NHL rule and THN law, we must finish the list which will have the Penguins on top with a better-than-100-point season, followed by the Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Hartford Whalers. None of the also-rans will get to 90 points.</p><p>&ldquo;I think most of the teams will be looking just to do their best every night out and see what happens,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; coach Ted Nolan. &lsquo;&lsquo;We&rsquo;re not on the same level as Pittsburgh in this division, but then we&rsquo;re no better or worse than anyone else.&rdquo;</p><p>Pittsburgh has Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and the most potent offense in the game today. The goaltending of Ken Wregget and Tom Barrasso is solid and the defense has been altered with Kevin Hatcher sliding in to replace Sergei Zubov. It&rsquo;s unlikely Zubov&rsquo;s absence will derail the league&rsquo;s best power play. The defense is not the league&rsquo;s best, but look for Penguins&rsquo; GM Craig Patrick to pick up a veteran along the way, especially if Chris Tamer doesn&rsquo;t make a big leap forward.</p><p>Has the dust cleared in Montreal? After an early 1995-96 massacre in which GM Serge Savard, coach Jacques Demers and goalie Patrick Roy were all run out of town, the Canadiens were in turmoil. At season&rsquo;s end, they were respectable, but this team still needs a dose of the legendary Montreal panache and one or two big tough forwards who can put the puck in the net.</p><p>The Sabres have a new building, which won&rsquo;t help win games, but should serve well in showcasing its two stars, forward Pat LaFontaine and goalie Dominik Hasek. After that it&rsquo;s kids and a few veterans to fill out the sweaters. If a simmering feud between Nolan and GM John Muckier erupts into a death match, the team will go down in the backdraft.</p><p>Cam Neely is gone and so are the Bruins&rsquo; hopes of making playoff noises. Ageless Ray Bourque is the star here, but even he&rsquo;s beginning to fade now that the light of an 18th season is upon him. Adam Oates is still a premier center, but with no wingers to finish off his offerings, the offense will be weak. The defense has a bright bulb in Kyle McLaren, but the rest are worker B&rsquo;s and there aren&rsquo;t too many of them.</p><p>Don&rsquo;t laugh at the Senators anymore, at least not right out loud. There&rsquo;s quality management in place in the form of Pierre Gauthier and good teachers in coaches Jacques Martin and Craig Ramsay. They have quality goaltending in Damian Rhodes, last year&rsquo;s Calder Trophy winner Daniel Alfredsson, a premier playmaker in Alexei Yashin and the improving Radek Bonk. If Alexandre Daigle can transform himself into a quality player, Martin might actually have some tools to do a job.</p><p>The Whalers could go either way. If Brendan Shanahan, goalie Sean Burke, up-and-coming Jeff O&rsquo;Neill and Geoff Sanderson are there at the finish, it&rsquo;s a good team. If the cost-cutters do their slice-and-dice act it&rsquo;s the big fall. Bet on the cost-cutters and disruption that comes from instability.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Former Adams Division has gone to the Pitts

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Florida Panthers were the hardest-working team in the NHL en route to a Stanley Cup final appearance last season. Their system was more finely tuned than a Sony, they understood their roles better than a Shakespeare understudy and got outstanding playoff goaltending from John Vanbies-brouck.</p><p>All of which, as of opening night of 1996-97, meant absolutely nothing. You can come out of the pack to pull an upset in the deep, deep Atlantic Division once, but not twice. The team with high-end talent and a steady, gradual growth to the NHL elite has the best path for success. With all due respect to Florida, that team is the Philadelphia Flyers.</p><p>The Legion of Doom should rule again pending Mikael Renberg&rsquo;s recovery from an abdominal injury.</p><p>Goalie Ron Hextall has made believers of his teammates. The Flyers have made no major changes from a team that finished third overall in 1995-96, but came up against a Florida playoff juggernaut. This time the roles will be reversed&hellip;if Florida makes it that far.</p><p>Everything went right for the Panthers last season: few injuries, good chemistry, an outstanding work ethic, the motivation of having something to prove to doubters waiting for the wheels to fall off. A young defense will improve, but the absence of a grade-A sniper is tough to overlook.</p><p>So Doug MacLean, meet Jacques Lemaire the year after the year after. He&rsquo;ll cry you a river. Keep a sentry on guard for complacency, Doug, or you could suffer the same fate.</p><p>Lemaire&rsquo;s New Jersey Devils won the Stanley Cup, then missed the playoffs, then made just one significant deal in the off-season. Dealing Stephane Richer for Lyle Odelein takes goals (and an underachieving, highly skilled forward) away from the second-worst scoring team in the league. On the positive side, Odelein adds even more depth to New Jersey&rsquo;s suffocating defensive system. That, and embarrassment, will get them back to the dance, but one dimension doesn&rsquo;t take you as far as it used to. Certainly not back to the final with this lineup.</p><p>The same goes for the Washington Capitals. They have enough talent and depth on the blueline and in net to compete with Philly for the division title. GM David Poile has been looking for more goals since Pat Peake was in diapers. If he finds them, the Capitals&rsquo; possibilities are limitless. Even if not, second place in the division is a realistic finish.</p><p>The New York Rangers will certainly find more goals with Wayne Gretzky in town, but will they come at the right time? The core is solid with Mark Messier, Brian Leetch and Mike Richter; the outer layer, particularly on defense, is filled with crusty 30-some-things whose best days are behind them. Only some sort of youthful regeneration (and a paradigm shift in the thinking of GM Neil Smith) is likely to prevent playoff defeat at the hands of a speedier, stronger team after 8-1/2 months of the World Cup/regular season grind.</p><p>The Tampa Bay Lightning is on the way up, as proven by its first-ever playoff berth last season. Dino Ciccarelli can still score, Daren Puppa can still play goal and Roman Hamrlik, Chris Gratton and Alexander Selivanov will have another year of experience.</p><p>The New York Islanders&rsquo; are the only Atlantic Division team likely to miss the playoffs. Ziggy Palffy&rsquo;s contract problems must be solved to ensure a credible first line. Even if that happens, the Islanders&rsquo; kiddie corps on defense (Bryan Berard. Bryan McCabe. Kenny Jonsson) isn&rsquo;t ready to take over the world just yet.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Flyers, Legion of Doom mean gloom for opponents

<h2><i><b>GLOSSARY</b></i></h2><p>Here&rsquo;s a key to abbreviations, short forms and statistical designations that appear in Season Preview team stories.</p><h2><i><b>STATISTICS</b></i></h2><p>GP: games played; G: goals; A: assists; PTS: points; W-L-T: wins, losses, ties; SP: save percentage; GAA: goals-against average; POS: position; +/-: plus-minus.</p><h2><i><b>LEAGUES</b></i></h2><p>American Hockey League (AHL); Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA); East Coast Hockey League (ECHL); Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); Hockey East (HE); International Hockey League (IHL); Metro Toronto Junior Hockey League (MTJHL); Ontario Hockey League (OHL); Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL); Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA); Western Hockey League (WHL).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

GUIDE TO ABBREVIATIONS

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02235/6814245-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Slick center Adam Oates gives the Boston Bruins one reason for optimism.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Scot Levy/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01387/6814252-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="192" height="192"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Boston Bruins&rsquo; cloud may very well have a silver lining this season-silver, as in silver anniversary. If the Bruins don&rsquo;t carry the Stanley Cup through the streets of Boston this spring-and there&rsquo;s no reason to start planning a parade route-it will be 25 years since they last won the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Through it all, Bruin fans have been able to cling to the fact their team has the longest streak of playoff participation in North American pro sports. But with no Cam Neely in a lineup that came perilously close to missing the post-season last year, there&rsquo;s a healthy cluster who think the Bruins might actually miss the playoffs for the first time in 30 years.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re seen as an underdog,&rdquo; said 35-year-old captain Ray Bourque, who has seen 17 seasons come and go. &ldquo;Sometimes that can be a good thing.&rdquo;</p><p>Bourque could be right, although the perception of the Bruins as a team in danger of missing the playoffs is not considered a good thing by Boston fans.</p><p>But if being an underdog means dealing with a certain lack of respect, Boston has taken steps to take care of that. The off-season addition of scrappy, hard-nosed forwards such as Jeff Odgers, Troy Mallette and Trent McCleary should go a long way toward dispelling the notion the Bruins are pushovers. The Bruins were the least-penalized team in the league last season, but aren&rsquo;t interested in defending their Fair Play Trophy in 1996-97.</p><p>The Bruins, relying on honest, up-and-down and less-heralded forwards such as Steve Heinze and Sandy Moger, ended the season with a 13-4-3 run that put them fifth in the Eastern Conference.</p><p>Boston was pretty much spent, though, by the time it met the Florida Panthers in the playoffs. Its five-game exit was its second straight in the first round of the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;It took a while last year to figure out what type of team we were,&rdquo; said Bruins&rsquo; coach Steve Kasper. &ldquo;Were we a fancy team? A grinding team? When we got past the stage of everyone thinking they could just take chances and play wide open, we became a very effective team. In my mind, I&rsquo;m very settled on the type of style we&rsquo;re going to play and the type of team we&rsquo;re going to have.&rdquo;</p><p>So, the Bruins will be more difficult to play against than they were for most of last season. That, along with a core group which includes Bill Ranford in goal, Bourque and Don Sweeney on defense and Adam Oates and Rick Tocchet up front, qualifies as a positive.</p><p>The biggest question facing the Bruins this season involves replacing the 73 goals scored last season by the retired Neely, traded Shawn McEachern and free agent loss Dave Reid. They insist the difference can be made up by career years from a couple of players and two or three more goals from each player. Boston seems to be planning on rookie right winger Cameron Mann contributing.</p><p>When last season is scrutinized, however, it becomes clear their strong offense (the Bruins finished fourth in the league in goals scored) didn&rsquo;t do them all that much good. The problem was that even with Ranford in goal for a half-season, the Bruins were so loose defensively they gave up only 13 goals fewer than they scored. The anticipated improvement along the boards and in the comers should help, but Boston remains thin on defense behind Bourque and Sweeney.</p><p>Kyle McLaren, coming off an allrookie team season, and Jon Rohloff fill out the top four and Dean Chynoweth (out until November after abdominal surgery) lent a helpful physical presence, but the Bruins still need more. Another banger, along with an effective puck carrier and power play point man, is needed. Perhaps first round pick Jonathan Aitken and Swedish import Mattias Timander can fill those roles.</p><p>A full year of Ranford between the pipes will help, too, but only if he is content with his contract.</p><p>The Brains are looking to be a team like those that knocked them out of the playoffs the past two seasons-the Panthers and New Jersey Devils. They want a four-fine, three-defensive-pair outfit that might not score much, but will play hard enough to wilt opponents&rsquo; will.</p><p>&ldquo;It may be hard to sell,&rdquo; Kasper said,&rdquo;and I&rsquo;m not just going to play four lines for the sake of playing four lines. But when you didn&rsquo;t win the Stanley Cup, your season didn&rsquo;t go as well as you&rsquo;d hoped. People should expect changes.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03172/6814238-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="686" height="335"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Boston&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04146/6814231-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="679" height="1003"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05131/6814224-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="685" height="166"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06121/6814217-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="681" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0041-02

Unhappy anniversary to you

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02254/6814311-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Buffalo&rsquo;s youth movement means another busy season for Dominik Hasek.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01392/6814318-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="192" height="191"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; GM John Muckier traded Alexander Mogilny to the Vancouver Canucks in the summer of 1995, few were surprised the team parted with the high-scoring, but enigmatic right winger.</p><p>What they got in return for Mogilny, now that raised a few eyebrows.</p><p>Muckier, however, stands by the deal that netted the Sabres two prospects in center Mike Peca and defenseman Mike Wilson, and a first round draft pick, which they spent on goaltender Martin Biron.</p><p>&ldquo;I like that trade,&rdquo; Muckier said with the same sort of blunt, in-your-face language that defined him as a coach in Edmonton and Buffalo. &ldquo;Put the money aside for a moment and it&rsquo;s still a good trade.</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing about a lot of you guys (in the media). You look at things from the names you know and you don&rsquo;t know the names of the players that are coming. I understand why that is, but you don&rsquo;t see the whole picture.&rdquo;</p><p>A few points of order here before we get to the big picture:</p><p>&#9633; For all his shortcomings, Mogilny was one of the most talented players to ever wear a Sabres&rsquo; sweater. The people here loved to watch him play and most haven&rsquo;t forgiven Muckier for the deal. It&rsquo;s doubtful they ever will.</p><p>&#9633; Peca is a third line center, but he&rsquo;s good in the role and has the ability (and seemingly the desire) to get better. Wilson turned out to be one of the Sabres&rsquo; best defensemen last year. He&rsquo;s just a kid, but he&rsquo;s a good kid and he, too, will improve.</p><p>&#9633; Biron is the Sabres&rsquo; goalie of the future. Knowing Biron would be there with the 16th pick also allowed Buffalo to draft Jay McKee, a defenseman with a future of his own, with the 14th pick.</p><p>Will the four of them ever score 76 goals? Not in this lifetime. Will the Sabres be a better team when they all come together in the same lineup? Muckier is counting on it.</p><p>&ldquo;Two years ago we needed to do two things,&rdquo; Muckier said. &ldquo;We needed to cut payroll and we needed to get younger. That trade helped us do both.&rdquo;</p><p>Which brings us to the money part. Muckier won&rsquo;t say it, but it&rsquo;s a given that you don&rsquo;t trade 76-goal scorers on a whim. Mogilny had a horrible final season in Buffalo and seemed to do everything possible to get himself traded. He was also scheduled to make $3.5 million in 1995-96.</p><p>Veteran center Dale Hawerchuk was looking for Mogilny-like money. Wayne Presley, a second-line right winger and penalty killer, wanted $1 million. Others were lining up behind them. The Sabres payroll was at $26 million and if everyone were accommodated, it would pass the $30 million mark.</p><p>Muckier got his orders. He let Hawerchuk and Presley walk as free agents. He traded Mogilny to the west coast. He announced the Buffalo Sabres were &ldquo;going in a different direction.&rdquo; He got hammered.</p><p>People laughed at his managerial abilities. Others called for his head. Muckier, meanwhile, picked fights with the media, sometimes with his players, occasionally with his new coach, Ted Nolan. Some of those problems still persist, especially the sour relationship with Nolan, but Muckier these days is acting like a changed man. He has dropped the abrasive approach and now seeks out the media. He takes criticism with a smile. He defends deals with a passion.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel over time people will accept what we&rsquo;re doing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know we&rsquo;re going in the right direction. People have to face facts. If we didn&rsquo;t make the moves we made there wouldn&rsquo;t be hockey in Buffalo. We had a payroll we simply couldn&rsquo;t sustain.&rdquo;</p><p>There are loads of people who dispute that, especially in the ranks of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, but the Sabres claim they&rsquo;ve been drowning in a sea of red ink for years and until the new Marine Midland Arena was built (it&rsquo;s opening this fall) and started generating new cash streams it would only get worse.</p><p>&ldquo;This is a franchise that for a lot of years lived on the quick fix,&rdquo; Muckier said. &ldquo;The quick fix doesn&rsquo;t work. Sometimes you just have to step back and start over. We&rsquo;re doing that now.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03195/6814304-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="681" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Buffalo&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04153/6814297-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="672" height="1004"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05136/6814290-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="677" height="165"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06123/6814283-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="678" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0042-02

The no-money-down sail

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02283/6814377-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Calgary Flames hope Robert Reichel can return to his 40-goal form.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Brian McCormick)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01408/6814384-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="194" height="192"></div><p>He left after a bitter arbitration hearing in 1995, vowing not to return to the Calgary Flames.</p><p>For one year, anyway.</p><p>People forget sometimes that when Robert Reichel bolted for the Frankfurt Lions of the German League last season, he left the door open for a possible return. More than anything else, Reichel wanted two things from the Flames-a salary commensurate with his status as one of the NHL&rsquo;s leading goal scorers; and an acknowledgement he was one of the Flames&rsquo; most valuable players.</p><p>Done. Reichel signed a three-year contract worth $5.4 million (U.S.) and with Joe Nieuwendyk traded and Gary Roberts retired, Reichel now knows how much the Flames need him.</p><p>When the Flames re-made their front office midway through last season-Doug Risebrough was out as GM, Al Coates was in-a priority was coaxing Reichel back to Calgary. It made sense on a lot of levels. The team needed to bolster its scoring, Reichel was a proven offensive threat and, because he was Flames&rsquo; property, they didn&rsquo;t need to surrender a player to get him.</p><p>&ldquo;Different people are here in the management,&rdquo; Reichel said. &ldquo;They were talking to me the whole year. After the World Championship, I just decided to come back. They offer me a good contract. They offer me what I want.&rdquo;</p><p>Reichel&rsquo;s year away from the Flames was definitely a productive one. His 47 goals and 100 points led the German League in both categories and in the spring, he scored four goals and eight points in eight games as the Czech Republic claimed gold at the World Championship.</p><p>One of the knocks against Reichel was his inability to carry his regular season scoring achievements into the playoffs. The sense is that in the past six months-especially in light of the gold medal performance at the World Championship-the idea of how to win is more clearly defined in his mind.</p><p>&ldquo;Right now, I think we have very good young players here. They can step up,&rdquo; Reichel said. &ldquo;Hopefully, we can come together like a team. That&rsquo;s important because if you have good people on the team, who want to play for the team, then we&rsquo;ve got a chance to win something. If not, then no chance.&rdquo;</p><p>Reichel&rsquo;s experience with Czech Republic teams in two 1996 tournaments was proof of that. In the World Championship, the unheralded Czechs rode a wave of hard work, team chemistry&rsquo; and good goaltending to victory. In the World Cup, the uninspired and indifferent team lost all of their three games-in-cluding one to Germany-and was outscored 17-4.</p><p>&ldquo;I got experience from the World Championship. We play there like a team and we win everything,&rdquo; Reichel said. &ldquo;We have different people on the team for World Cup and it just didn&rsquo;t work out.&rdquo;</p><p>To woo Reichel back, Coates and European scout Jiri Hrdina went to Litvinov to negotiate his contract face-to-face. After posting back-to-back 40-goal seasons in Calgary, Reichel scored 18 in the lockout shortened 1994-95, which works out to a 32-goal pace.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to set underachieving targets for Robert,&rdquo; Coates said,&rdquo;but in a bad year, he&rsquo;s going to get 30 goals. We&rsquo;re looking for him to come back and repeat the kind of performances he had for us before.</p><p>&ldquo;As I said to him, &lsquo;This is an opportunity for Robert Reichel to come in and just enjoy the game. Have fun playing the game. You won&rsquo;t have any contract hassles. Your contract is in place for three years. Calgary is the place you want to live.&rsquo; He said that to me on a repeated basis-he wants to play in the league and he wants to play in Calgary. So all the pieces are in place for him to come in and settle in and just play the game and not worry about other things.&rdquo;</p><p>Perhaps the most difficult part of returning will be readjusting to body contact. The NHL game is played in closer quarters than its European equivalent.</p><p>&ldquo;In Germany, it&rsquo;s a different league,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They play lots with the stick. If you&rsquo;re a good player, they try to injure you. They would go against me with the stick. I was having two or three game misconducts because I had to do it back. This is something I never had in the NHL.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03234/6814370-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="679" height="329"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Calgary&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04157/6814363-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="679" height="1006"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05137/6814356-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="683" height="127"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06112/6814349-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="677" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0043-02

Roberts out, Robert’s in

<p><i><b>Each team&rsquo;s top five first-year rookie prospects to make the NHL this season</b></i></p><h2><i><b>ANAHEM</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01311/6814590-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="471" height="358"></div><h2><i><b>BOSTON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02181/6814583-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="472" height="365"></div><h2><i><b>BUFFALO</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03128/6814576-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="469" height="356"></div><h2><i><b>CALGARY</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0494/6814569-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="469" height="360"></div><h2><i><b>CHICAGO</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0580/6814562-1-eng-US/f0044-052.jpg" title="f0044-05" width="469" height="356"></div><h2><i><b>COLORADO</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0671/6814555-1-eng-US/f0044-062.jpg" title="f0044-06" width="467" height="359"></div><h2><i><b>DALLAS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0766/6814548-1-eng-US/f0044-072.jpg" title="f0044-07" width="465" height="361"></div><h2><i><b>DETROIT</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0854/6814541-1-eng-US/f0044-082.jpg" title="f0044-08" width="468" height="362"></div><h2><i><b>EDMONTON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0950/6814534-1-eng-US/f0044-092.jpg" title="f0044-09" width="467" height="357"></div><h2><i><b>FLORIDA</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1044/6814527-1-eng-US/f0044-102.jpg" title="f0044-10" width="468" height="360"></div><h2><i><b>HARTFORD</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1137/6814520-1-eng-US/f0044-112.jpg" title="f0044-11" width="469" height="361"></div><h2><i><b>LOS ANGELES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1235/6814513-1-eng-US/f0044-122.jpg" title="f0044-12" width="467" height="359"></div><h2><i><b>MONTREAL</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-1332/6814506-1-eng-US/f0044-132.jpg" title="f0044-13" width="466" height="356"></div><h2><i><b>NEW JERSEY</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01250/6814499-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="463" height="358"></div><h2><i><b>ISLANDERS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02142/6814492-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="466" height="359"></div><h2><i><b>RANGERS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03102/6814485-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="466" height="366"></div><h2><i><b>OTTAWA</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0478/6814478-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="467" height="358"></div><h2><i><b>PHILADELPHIA</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0565/6814471-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="468" height="358"></div><h2><i><b>PHOENIX</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0658/6814464-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="474" height="359"></div><h2><i><b>PITTSBURGH</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0752/6814457-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="470" height="356"></div><h2><i><b>ST. LOUIS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0838/6814450-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="470" height="358"></div><h2><i><b>SAN JOSE</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0935/6814443-1-eng-US/f0045-092.jpg" title="f0045-09" width="465" height="361"></div><h2><i><b>TAMPA BAY</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1030/6814436-1-eng-US/f0045-102.jpg" title="f0045-10" width="466" height="361"></div><h2><i><b>TORONTO</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1127/6814429-1-eng-US/f0045-112.jpg" title="f0045-11" width="467" height="355"></div><h2><i><b>VANCOUVER</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1224/6814422-1-eng-US/f0045-122.jpg" title="f0045-12" width="468" height="355"></div><h2><i><b>WASHINGTON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-1320/6814415-1-eng-US/f0045-132.jpg" title="f0045-13" width="465" height="358"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0044-01

THE NEXT WAVE:

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02191/6814649-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Hawks are counting on another big year from big left winger Eric Daze.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Rocky Widner)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01277/6814656-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="193" height="191"></div><p>For the Chicago Blackhawks, much of the 1996-97 season will be spent trying to prove there is life after Jeremy Roenick.</p><p>The trade of Roenick-their dynamic yet controversial center-to the Phoenix Coyotes for center Alexei Zhamnov, right wing prospect Craig Mills and a first round draft choice in 1997 was one of several off-season developments that left NHL watchers wondering exactly what was the Blackhawks&rsquo; game plan.</p><p>Even before they traded Roenick, the Blackhawks let center Bernie Nicholls and right winger Joe Murphy walk as free agents. With Roenick, Nicholls and Murphy gone, the Blackhawks lost a big chunk of their offense, which wasn&rsquo;t all that potent to begin with. But coach Craig Hartsburg says not to worry.</p><p>&ldquo;A lot of people are looking at our team not being as good and I don&rsquo;t see that,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;I think we can be a better team.&rdquo;</p><p>Trading Roenick was a largely unpopular decision with the fans, but it was greeted with relief by many of his now ex-teammates who had grown weary of Roenick&rsquo;s two-year, very public contract squabble with management.</p><p>&ldquo;We needed J.R. to play a certain way and because he wasn&rsquo;t happy with his contract he couldn&rsquo;t do that on a lot of nights,&rdquo; said goalie Ed Belfour. &ldquo;It hurt us and it hurt him.&rdquo;</p><p>In Zhamnov, the Blackhawks got a highly skilled player whom they expect to produce even more offensively than Roenick, although he won&rsquo;t come anywhere near to supplying what Roenick did physically. Inspiring Zhamnov to play every night might be one of the biggest challenges of the season for Hartsburg.</p><p>&ldquo;We expect (Zhamnov) to show up and do what he does best every night,&rdquo; Hartsburg said,&rdquo;and that is handle the puck, make plays and play solid defensively.&rdquo;</p><p>If Zhamnov is Roenick&rsquo;s replacement, then Kevin Miller is being looked at to take over for Murphy. Miller was signed as a free agent after scoring 28 goals for the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Murphy had six fewer goals than Miller in 1995-96 and drove Hartsburg batty with inconsistent play.</p><p>Finding a second line center to replace Nicholls has been a bigger problem. It&rsquo;s a situation that could determine how far the Blackhawks go come playoff time since the two best teams in the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings, are loaded at center. Until management delivers the goods at center, Hartsburg&rsquo;s plan is to use three players there on a rotating basis: Denis Savard, Murray Craven and Miller.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel comfortable that between those three guys we can get the job done,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;Sure, we&rsquo;d love to have a combination like (Peter) Forsberg and (Joe) Sakic, but that&rsquo;s not going to happen.&rdquo;</p><p>The Blackhawks could also use another physical winger with scoring ability, although that problem would be eased if rookie left winger Ethan Moreau shows he&rsquo;s ready for the big time. Moreau, 21, entered training camp pretty much slotted into a spot on one of the first three lines.</p><p>The Blackhawks are counting on big seasons from wingers Tony Amonte and Eric Daze and there&rsquo;s no reason to believe they can&rsquo;t deliver. Amonte is coming off an impressive World Cup for the U.S., while Daze scored 30 goals as a rookie.</p><p>On defense and in goal, the Blackhawks are still as good as anyone. Net-minders Belfour and Jeff Hackett are a strong one-two combination, while Chris Chelios, Gary Suter, Steve Smith, Keith Carney, Eric Weinrich and tough guys Enrico Ciccone and Cam Russell may provide the deepest defense-one through seven-in the league.</p><p>Two rookie defensemen, Christian Laflamme and Tuomas Gronman, entered camp with legitimate chances to win jobs. If they should do so, it would allow GM Bob Pulford to shop one or two of his veteran blueliners for help up&rdquo; front.</p><p>If it takes a good group of core players to win a Stanley Cup, then the Hawks qualify. Now if the front office can plug key holes, the team could be up to challenge.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of positives to look at with this team,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;We like what we have here.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-03148/6814642-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="688" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Chicago&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular-season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-04102/6814635-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="677" height="1001"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0576/6814628-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="683" height="125"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0661/6814621-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="679" height="396"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0047-02

‘We can be a better team’

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-02123/6814715-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Adam Deadmarsh has a Stanley Cup and World Cup in his collection.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Robert Laberge/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01190/6814722-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="190" height="191"></div><p>He&rsquo;s one of the up-and-coming power forwards in the game and the Colorado Avalanche is lucky to have him.</p><p>That&rsquo;s what the t-shirts say, anyway: Grateful Deadmarsh.</p><p>At 21, with just two NHL seasons under his belt, Adam Deadmarsh is considered one of the league&rsquo;s rising stars, another in the organization&rsquo;s stable of exciting young forwards.</p><p>But it wasn&rsquo;t so long ago that the Trail, B.C., native was mentioned in trade rumors. For much of the first year and a half of his career he was on his way to everywhere from Buffalo to Edmonton.</p><p>&ldquo;I read them and it was tough sometimes not knowing what was going to happen,&rdquo; Deadmarsh said. &ldquo;But I didn&rsquo;t let it get to me. I just concentrated on playing hockey and let the other stuff take care of itself.&rdquo;</p><p>&ldquo;Adam Deadmarsh is a player who we intended on keeping and he is showing why,&rdquo; said Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix. &ldquo;He has got a lot of spice to his game and is going to be a star in this league.&rdquo;</p><p>Deadmarsh played most of last season at right wing, but occupied the left side on a line centered by Joe Sakic in Colorado&rsquo;s march to the Stanley Cup championship.</p><p>The addition of Deadmarsh to the spot filled most of the year by Chris Simon seemed to energize Sakic&rsquo;s game and the two hooked up for several key goals in the late rounds.</p><p>In Colorado&rsquo;s Game 4 and Game 6 victories over the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference final. Deadmarsh and Sakic assisted on each other&rsquo;s goals, both of which gave the Avalanche key 1-0 leads.</p><p>And it was Deadmarsh whose feathered a perfect cross-ice pass to set up Sakic for the game-winning goal of Game 3 in the Stanley Cup final against the Florida Panthers.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to play with him again,&rdquo; Sakic said.</p><p>&ldquo;I know (Peter) Forsberg&rsquo;s line (with Valeri Kamensky and Claude Lemieux) will be intact and hopefully mine will as well.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a great kid, a great player who has a great attitude out there. He always seems to have fun out there and it&rsquo;s easy to play with a guy like that. He&rsquo;s big, strong, fast and he can shoot the puck. He has got a great future ahead of him.&rdquo;</p><p>Deadmarsh projects a tough, confident image on the ice, but he admits his confidence occasionally eluded him during his first year in the league.</p><p>&ldquo;I panicked a lot with the puck when I got it,&rdquo; said Deadmarsh, who played four years with Portland Winter Hawks of the Western League before his rookie season with the Quebec Nordiques in 199495. &ldquo;But things have probably gone easier for me because I&rsquo;ve played with such great players, guys like Joey and Peter.&rdquo;</p><p>After posting rookie season totals of nine goals and 17 points in 48 games for Quebec, Deadmarsh had 21 goals and 48 points last year with Colorado.</p><p>There were periods of inconsistency during the regular season, but Deadmarsh took his game to another level in the playoffs. His 17 points (including five goals) in 22 games placed him among league leaders and his combination of speed and power was often too much for Detroit and Florida to handle.</p><p>And the best may be yet to come. The 6-foot, 195-pounder is entering his third full season in the league. The third year is traditionally a breakthrough one for elite players in the NHL.</p><p>Just three months after hoisting the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche, Deadmarsh was skating around the Molson Centre in Montreal with another trophy high above his head. He was selected to the United States squad for the World Cup and was a key figure in the team&rsquo;s stunning victory over Canada.</p><p>Playing on the left side opposite Brett Hull, Deadmarsh punctuated Team USA&rsquo;s 5-2 victory in Game 3 with a blazing slapshot past goalie Curtis Joseph. Along with Avalanche and USA teammate Scott Young, Deadmarsh added another major championship to his portfolio.</p><p>&ldquo;We really came together as a team,&rdquo; said Deadmarsh, who has dual Canadian-American citizenship because his mother was bom in the U.S.,&rdquo;and it&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ll always remember.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0383/6814708-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="680" height="330"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Colorado&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0464/6814701-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="673" height="996"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0548/6814694-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="675" height="101"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0637/6814687-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="671" height="400"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0048-02

Deadmarsh a live one

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02113/6814781-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Roman Turek had a great World Championship, but a disastrous World Cup.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01166/6814788-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="193" height="195"></div><p>The Dallas Stars are hoping Roman Turek emerges as their right-hand man.</p><p>The Czech goaltender is a rare breed-one who catches with his right hand. Among goalies who played in the NHL last season, only Tom Barrasso, Grant Fuhr, Pat Jablonski and Daren Puppa snag pucks with their right hands.</p><p>It remains to be seen whether Turek will experience the same success as his right-catching cohorts, but the Stars have seen enough of Turek to determine he has an NHL future. That future may be as soon as the season starts, part way through the season or next year, but the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is determined to make it happen as soon as possible.</p><p>One thing is a certainty; Turek won&rsquo;t win the Calder Trophy no matter how well he plays as a rookie. Because he&rsquo;s 26, Turek is ineligible for the Calder.</p><p>&ldquo;This is a huge jump for him and we&rsquo;ve only had him for a short time, so it&rsquo;s tough to evaluat,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock during camp. &ldquo;But we feel good about what he has done in the past and we&rsquo;ve seen progress here. He&rsquo;s getting better each day.&rdquo;</p><p>Turek is coming into the Stars&rsquo; camp off a dismal performance for the Czech Republic at the World Cup. His team played poorly in front of him, but he also did nothing to stop the bleeding as&rsquo; the 1996 gold medalists in the World Championship didn&rsquo;t even get out of the first round. His stats from the tournament were nothing short of ghastly-a 7.32 goals-against average and an 83.3 save percentage.</p><p>He also had an annoying habit of throwing his arms up in disgust every time he was victimized for a goal. When asked if the World Cup affected his confidence, Turek was emphatic it didn&rsquo;t.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a bad time, but everyone has bad luck,&rdquo; Turek said through translator and teammate Petr Buzek. &ldquo;The World Cup is over, it is behind me and I don&rsquo;t think about it anymore. I want to play in the NHL now. My focus is the NHL now.&rdquo;</p><p>New Stars&rsquo; goalie coach Dave Prior said it&rsquo;s difficult to believe anyone&rsquo;s confidence wouldn&rsquo;t be affected by an outing like Turek&rsquo;s in the World Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to get inside anyone&rsquo;s head, but it does nothing to make you more confident,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the same time, he played in a very intense tournament at the World Championship a couple of months earlier and was the best player at the tournament. So he only has to look that far to realize he can do it.&rdquo;</p><p>If Turek looks back at the World Championship, he has a good base on which to build. He played every minute of every game, posted a 7-0-1 record with a 1.88 goals-against average and 95.2 save percentage. Now he comes into camp with the chance to be No. 1, but likely in a battle with Arturs Irbe and Manny Fernandez for the No. 2 spot.</p><p>&ldquo;As far as I&rsquo;m concerned, Andy Moog is the No. 1 goalie and someone else will have to knock him out,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;But we will go with the goalie who is playing best.&rdquo;</p><p>Turek looked sharp in training camp, but knows he needs to learn more about the North American game, particularly about handling the puck. He may start the season with the Michigan K-Wings of the International League, but could be in the Stars&rsquo; lineup before long.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to play NHL, but I just play one day at a time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like competition, it makes you better player.&rdquo;</p><p>Then there&rsquo;s the adjustment period off the ice. After a five-year career with Budejovice of the Czech League, Turek played last season for Nurenberg in Germany. He speaks little English and knows it will be a difficult transition period. Spending the summer in Edmonton with agent Rich Winter helped.</p><p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t too hard of a decision,&rdquo; said Turek, who was drafted 113th overall by the Stars in 1990, when they were based in Minnesota. &ldquo;I just know that it&rsquo;s time. It was time to try the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>Turek is expected to move his wife, Helena, and son Eddie to the United States before the season begins. And having Buzek on hand has allowed Turek to adapt to Texas and the English language.</p><p>&ldquo;I understand a lot, but I still speak little,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting better.&rdquo;</p><p>That&rsquo;s exactly what the Stars want to hear.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0372/6814774-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="679" height="335"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Dallas&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0461/6814767-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="670" height="1003"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0537/6814760-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="673" height="166"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0626/6814753-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="669" height="401"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0049-02

Roman wasn’t built in a day

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0050-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02108/6814847-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Paul Coffey says the Wings will enjoy their wins more than in seasons past.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Wen Roberts)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01162/6814854-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="190" height="191"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>wo years ago was the wide-eyed year. The Detroit Red Wings, having added goalie Mike Vernon during the summer of 1994, believed they had all the components for a Stanley Cup team.</p><p>Then they lost in four straight to the New Jersey Devils in the Cup final, a bitter disappointment after being favored to win it all.</p><p>That loss brought on few changes for last season. In management&rsquo;s eyes, the team earned the right for another go at it with the same basic group.</p><p>But last spring the Wings didn&rsquo;t even make it to the final, losing in six games to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final. That came after being taken to seven games in the conference semifinal by the St. Louis Blues and six games by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round.</p><p>The results of the past couple of seasons have made many of the Wings rethink their outlook and expectations. The battle cry of, &lsquo;Nothing but the Cup&rsquo; no longer flies in the Detroit dressing room. Still, that is not to say their expectations or hopes of winning the Cup have waned.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to enjoy this season and appreciate things we do,&rdquo; Paul Coffey said. &ldquo;As players we&rsquo;re not machines. You can&rsquo;t just keep putting another quarter in the slot.&rdquo;</p><p>Robotic could aptly describe the mindset of the Red Wings last season. After each win or milestone-even the NHL record 62 wins-Wings&rsquo; players minimized their accomplishments. Nothing was worth celebrating or acknowledging because they had yet to cash in on the ultimate prize.</p><p>&ldquo;It seemed the less we took credit for what happened, the more desperate we got,&rdquo; said right winger Doug Brown.</p><p>&ldquo;We were trying to keep life simple, but we actually made it more complicated. My philosophy is that it was merely growing pains. We&rsquo;ve learned from that. I just hope we&rsquo;re savvy enough this year to enjoy the times we can, but maintain our focus during other times when we really need to.&rdquo;</p><p>Though the mindset was, basically, agreed upon by all the players last season, it also created an atmosphere that did not produce momentum or the kind of enjoyment many players were accustomed to throughout their careers.</p><p>Among Detroit&rsquo;s accomplishments last season:</p><p>&#9633; An NHL record 62 victories.</p><p>&#9633; A second consecutive President&rsquo;s Trophy.</p><p>&#9633; Captain Steve Yzerman scored his 5OOth goal.</p><p>&#9633; Paul Coffey became the first defenseman to register 1,000 assists.</p><p>&#9633; Coach Scotty Bowman broke Al Arbour&rsquo;s NHL record for most games coached. He now stands at 1,654.</p><p>&#9633; In the regular season, the team lost consecutive games just once-a 3-2 loss at Winnipeg Oct. 30 and a 2-1 loss at Buffalo Nov. 1. Twice the team had nine-game winning streaks.</p><p>Despite the mounting successes, the club remained low-keyed.</p><p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t natural,&rdquo; said right winger Darren McCarty. &ldquo;You had to focus more to keep that mindset. We did appreciate what we accomplished, but it was different. I don&rsquo;t think it was necessarily a bad thing to do, but I think we need to add a balance this season.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;ll be too hard to do because we all love to play this game. We&rsquo;ve been playing it since we were kids. It&rsquo;s easy to treat it as a game. We have to find a balance this year. It&rsquo;s like the (grading) curve in school. We just have to adjust it a bit.&rdquo;</p><p>If there is a change in the team philosophy this season it&rsquo;s going to come from the players in the dressing room, not from the coaching staff. Bowman believes the lack of enjoyment during the season was a player decision, not his.</p><p>&ldquo;My stand has always been to look at eliminating teams for the playoffs,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the objective for the regular season. I&rsquo;ve seen Stanley Cup teams miss the playoffs. Who would have said New Jersey would miss last season?</p><p>&ldquo;My goal is still to make the playoffs and finish as high as possible. You can&rsquo;t plan to win more games or less. It just evolves. It&rsquo;s not like a horse, where you can pull in the reins.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0357/6814840-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="677" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Detroit&rsquo;s top 22 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0446/6814833-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="669" height="888"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0529/6814826-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="667" height="163"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0622/6814819-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="666" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0050-02

Make it fun again, boys

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-02108/6814913-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>High-scoring center Doug Weight is critical for Edmonton to make strides.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Brian Winkler/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01151/6814920-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="191" height="191"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>here are more than 13,000 reasons why the Oilers <i>must</i> make the playoffs, those being the number of season tickets bought by their fans in a desperate campaign to have the team qualify for the NHL&rsquo;s Canadian Assistance Plan.</p><p>And there&rsquo;s at least one reason why GM Glen Sather <i>hopes</i> they make the playoffs, that being the fact he promised they would at the end of last season.</p><p>But for the purposes of a season preview, here are the top five reasons why they <i>will</i> and five more why they <i>won&rsquo;t</i> be around for post-season play.</p><p>1. <b>A bonafide first line.</b> Sather still had to sign free agent Doug Weight-after Jason Arnott signed for $3.6 million (U.S.) over two years-as the regular season approached, but all indications were the Oiler star would be under contract in time for an Oct. 4 date with the Buffalo Sabres. Coach Ron Low had Arnott penciled in as Weight&rsquo;s right winger, with new arrival Andrei Kovalenko patrolling the left side in Zdeno Ciger&rsquo;s old spot. It would be a dangerous unit and could go a long way to beefing up what was a pop-gun offense last season.</p><p>2. <b>Solid goaltending.</b> Curtis Joseph was magnificent in his first taste of international action. He backstopped Canada to a silver medal at the World Championship and was just seconds from gold. He was also the national goalie for the World Cup and was minutes from being named the tournament MVP. He has clearly rejoined the NHL elite and is due to be backed up by veteran Bob Essensa, who was obtained for a pittance from the Detroit Red Wings in June. Backup goaltending was a serious weakness in the past two aborted drives for the playoffs-first Bill Ranford and then Joseph sustained injuries late in the last two seasons and the relievers didn&rsquo;t get the job done with the playoffs hanging in the balance.</p><p>3. <b>Depth on defense.</b> The Oilers have two solid pairings, Jeff Norton with Bryan Marchment and Luke Richardson with whomever they decide to give him-Donald Dufresne or free agent signee, and ex-Oiler, Kevin Lowe or unsigned free agent Boris Mironov. Also in the mix is promising rookie Greg de Vries. Low said he will count on his top four blueliners more this season, putting pressure where it is best handled.</p><p><b>4. Special teams.</b> The Oilers special team units can&rsquo;t possibly get much worse, so they ought to be better this year. Todd Marchant, Weight, Kelly Buchberger, Jesse Belanger and rookie Steve Kelly all look to have the right stuff for penalty killing and must bring the success ratio up from its dismal ranking of 24th last season. Weight and Arnott are the keys to the power play as the cagey Weight sets up along the right boards and feeds Arnott for his patented howitzer of a slapshot from the right point. It clicked when Arnott was healthy, which unfortunately for him and the Oilers wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough last year.</p><p><b>5. Fan support.</b> It sounds lame, perhaps, but the Oilers will play their home games in front of crowds approaching 14,000 or better on every night. That hasn&rsquo;t been the case for the past several seasons and a young team that hasn&rsquo;t tasted success needs the undying support of their fans. A full Coliseum really ought to be a boost.</p><p>Here are five reasons why the Oilers won&rsquo;t make the playoffs.</p><p><b>1. Not enough offense.</b> After the first line, the offensive punch drops off considerably. Unless Weight, Arnott and whomever the third member of their line ends up being can carry the load, the Oilers are hurting for goals again.</p><p><b>2. Not enough size.</b> The Oilers are small up front, with Arnott being the only real exception. They are speedy, but tiny and that will hurt in opposition rinks where paying the price physically is especially important.</p><p><b>3. No winning history.</b> Only captain Kelly Buchberger has been with an Oilers&rsquo; post-season team. There is something to be said for knowing how to get there.</p><p><b>4. Not enough offense from the blueline.</b> Oiler defensemen kicked in few goals last year and need to do more. A full year of Norton will help, but his supporting cast isn&rsquo;t gifted with the puck.</p><p><b>5. Youth.</b> The Oilers will once again be among the youngest teams in the league and mistakes are part of the bargain. If they are too costly and happen too often, it will spell trouble.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0371/6814906-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="672" height="330"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Edmonton&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0452/6814899-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="667" height="1003"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0534/6814892-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="670" height="166"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0628/6814885-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="667" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0051-02

Promises, promises…

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0282/6814979-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ray Sheppard gives the defense-minded Panthers a legitimate 50-goal scorer.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by R. Lewis/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01147/6814986-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="192" height="191"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>ow that the celebration is over and the plasticrodents have been stored away, the Florida Panthers must deal with the fact they are facing the toughest challenge in their four-year history.</p><p>The Panthers must try to find a way to match, or at least build on, their incredible success of last season. And how well they do during the season and how far they travel into the playoffs will be determined by the performance of several key players.</p><p>The Panthers need big seasons once again from goalie John Vanbiesbrouck and former No. 1 draft pick Ed Jovanovski. But that alone will not take the Panthers anywhere near the heights they scaled last season.</p><p>&ldquo;We need to continue to get contributions out of everyone,&rdquo; said GM Bryan Murray.</p><p>But, in particular, five key players must perform as well or better than last season for the Panthers to get anywhere close to the promise land in 1996-97. They are:</p><p><b>Scott Mellanby:</b> Mellanby describes the first three months of last season as &ldquo;a dream start for me.&rdquo; Of his 32 goals, 23 came before the all-star break. Meanwhile, 12 of his 19 power play goals also came before the mid-point of the season. A fractured right hand compromised his ability in the playoffs.</p><p>There&rsquo;s no secret to the right winger&rsquo;s success: he simply hustles and crashes the net and that&rsquo;s what he must continue to do. While Mellanby, 30, could lose some of his playing time on the power play with the late-season addition of Ray Sheppard, coach Doug MacLean said Mellanby will get lots of time and may even use the two on the power play at the same time.</p><p><b>Ray Sheppard:</b> Finally, the Panthers start the season with a legitimate 50-goal man. After being shipped from the Detroit Red Wings to the San Jose Sharks early in the season, Sheppard wound up in Florida in March and gave the Panthers a much-needed offensive boost. The right winger scored eight goals in 14 games with the Panthers and added another eight in the playoffs, playing with Stu Barnes and Dave Lowry. Sheppard, 30, starts the season with a new three-year contract and the knowledge he won&rsquo;t be moved again. Those are two things he didn&rsquo;t have last season.</p><p>&ldquo;The only thing you&rsquo;ve got to worry about here is going out and playing hockey,&rdquo; Sheppard said.</p><p><b>Rob Niedermayer:</b> Entering his fourth year, the final one of his contract, Niedermayer should be capable of a breakthrough season. The club&rsquo;s first-ever entry draft pick, Niedermayer comes off a 26-goal season in which he became more comfortable as the season progressed. Niedermayer, 21, was inconsistent at times, but there&rsquo;s no reason for the center not to top 30 goals this season and continue gaining confidence.</p><p>&ldquo;After I got hurt my first year (separated shoulder), I wasn&rsquo;t very confident,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t getting much ice time and when I got the puck I was just looking to get rid of it. Last season I knew if I made a mistake I was going to go right back out there.&rdquo;</p><p>Bigger and stronger, Niedermayer has no excuses this year.</p><p><b>Robert Svehla:</b> Svehla, 27, progressed to become one of the Panthers&rsquo; top defensemen. He particularly stood out against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs; getting the puck out of the Panthers&rsquo; zone and handling Mario Lemieux, who had one goal in their seven-game series.</p><p>Paired with veteran defenseman Terry Carkner, Svehla improved throughout the season and enters this season having played in the World Cup for Slovakia.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s still learning,&rdquo; Murray said.</p><p><b>Stu Barnes:</b> Barnes posted a career high in assists last season with 25 and was helped greatly by playing on a line with Sheppard. A 50-goal scorer in junior, Barnes has a flair for the dramatic, but has yet to score 20 goals in an NHL regular season. He came close last year with 19 in 72 games.</p><p>Barnes, 25, will likely start the season with lots of playing time, especially on the power play. If he doesn&rsquo;t get off to a quick start, the Panthers have a replica of Barnes in 5-foot-10 Martin Straka, a former 30-goal scorer for the Penguins.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0347/6814972-1-eng-US/f0052-032.jpg" title="f0052-03" width="678" height="330"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Florida&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0436/6814965-1-eng-US/f0052-042.jpg" title="f0052-04" width="672" height="998"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0526/6814958-1-eng-US/f0052-052.jpg" title="f0052-05" width="674" height="166"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0619/6814951-1-eng-US/f0052-062.jpg" title="f0052-06" width="672" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0052-02

Five cool Cats to watch

<div class="byline">By Michael Arace</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0053-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0293/6815045-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Geoff Sanderson and the Whalers haven&rsquo;t made the playoffs since 1992.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Scot Levy/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-01149/6815052-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="193" height="193"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Hartford Whalers have two years left on their lease at the state-run Hartford Civic Center. If the landscape in the Insurance City does not change, there is ample assurance the Whalers will become the Oklahoma City Cowboys, or the Mexico City Aztecs, or whatever, come 1998.</p><p>But whether they stay or go hinges on some unresolved issues.</p><p>First, the Connecticut governor and team management must heal their rift and open new communication channels. The state will have to find some way to free new arena revenue streams for the team. The state will also have to find a way to build a rink within the next decade, at the latest. The team will have to reach out to long-ignored potential customers to the south if it is to be assured there is a significant season ticket base to sustain major league hockey.</p><p>How did it all come to this? The best answer: they just lost, baby.</p><p>For a modem pro sports franchise to survive in a small market, it has to have a grassroots appeal. Witness the National Football League&rsquo;s Green Bay Packers. The Whalers have never been able to capture the imagination of their public because their product has been, with few exceptions, unappealing.</p><p>Put another way: since the Whalers made the jump from the World Hockey Association to the NHL in 1979, the team has won just one playoff round. That was in 1986. The next season, the Whalers drew 96 per cent of capacity at home and made money hand-over-fist. They won the Adams Division and electrified Hartford.</p><p>When they&rsquo;re in the building, hardcore Whalers&rsquo; fans are noted for their hockey savvy and decibel level. They can be attracted, too. The Save the Whale season ticket campaign last summer pumped sales-for a team that hasn&rsquo;t made the playoffs since 1992-from 5,200 to almost 9,000. These people plunked down their money not only because the franchise seemed to be in jeopardy, but because they were buying what was billed as an improving team.</p><p>These are very wary people, remember. Their team has been mediocre to hapless for years. Their roster had been repeatedly ravaged, two times in particular. In March, 1991, Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson were dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for John Cullen and Zarley Zalapski.</p><p>Ed Johnston, the Whalers&rsquo; GM who made the trade, is still vilified by Hartford&rsquo;s faithful. Then-coach Rick Ley, who emasculated Francis and stripped the most beloved player in team history of the captaincy, lobbied to make the deal happen.</p><p>In August, 1982, then-GM Larry Pleau made a three-way trade which cost the Whalers Mark Howe and, for all intents, netted them Risto Siltanen.</p><p>There, in two transactions, went two potential Hall of Famers who could&rsquo;ve defined two different decades in franchise history. The Howe trade was indicative of the early-1980s trend toward older teams that could sneak into the playoffs-but were doomed to mediocrity. The Francis trade, a product of ownership pressure and personality clashes, gutted the team and fandom.</p><p>And then the economics of the sport changed overnight. In 1989, as Emile Francis was leaving the GM&rsquo;s office, the Whalers&rsquo; payroll was about&rsquo;$4 million. Just seven years later, their payroll is more than $22 million. NHL players, oppressed for decades, finally have a bigger piece of the pie.</p><p>There was fallout. Without a lucrative television package or a significant revenue sharing plan, the new economic landscape doomed small-market teams. The WHA holdovers were in a fix. The Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets were squeezed into submission. Through valiant campaigning combined with millions of dollars in league subsidies for Canadian small-market teams, the Edmonton Oilers are winning the good fight. They also have tradition on their side.</p><p>In Hartford, management seems to be taking the high road out of town-if they are indeed leaving. The Whalers have made honest efforts to improve their on-ice product. Contrary to reports, they are not dumping big salaries. Off the ice, they are increasing their in-state TV exposure and reaching out to fans in New Haven county. But the problems, nearly 20 years in the making, remain. Fixing them is less than a 50-50 proposition.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0356/6815038-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="682" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Hartford&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0447/6815031-1-eng-US/f0053-042.jpg" title="f0053-04" width="670" height="998"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0532/6815024-1-eng-US/f0053-052.jpg" title="f0053-05" width="676" height="130"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0626/6815017-1-eng-US/f0053-062.jpg" title="f0053-06" width="674" height="403"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0053-02

Small market, big mistakes

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0054-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0279/6815111-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Yanic Perreault led the Kings with seven game-winning goals last season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Steve Babineau)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-01150/6815118-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="190" height="190"></div><p>If all Yanic Perreault ever needed was a chance, he has it now.</p><p>After being lost in the depth chart of the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; organization for years, Perreault broke through with the Los Angeles Kings last season, scoring 25 goals and assisting on 24 more in his first full NHL season.</p><p>Now that Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri and Tony Granato-and so on and so forth-are gone, Perreault will be getting more ice time than he could have dreamed.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot different,&rdquo; said the 25-year-old Perreault. &ldquo;My first year, there were so many big names. This year, there are a lot more younger players. We&rsquo;ve still got veterans-Ray Ferraro, Kevin Stevens, Ed Olczyk.&rdquo;</p><p>The superstars, though, are gone.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel lucky to have played with Gretzky,&rdquo; Perreault said. &ldquo;But when you play with a big star, maybe you&rsquo;re a little shy and kind of waiting for them to make the play. Maybe it was a little like that last year. This year, we can&rsquo;t wait for somebody else to do the job.&rdquo;</p><p>The Kings have a lot fewer Stanley Cups among them now, but Perreault said the team is,&rdquo;a little more intense.&rdquo; The fans might be disenchanted, but there is some youthful enthusiasm in the dressing room and coach Larry Robinson has made it clear he doesn&rsquo;t miss tip-toeing around some of the &ldquo;personalities&rdquo; of the past.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot different team this year,&rdquo; Perreault said. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s more (Robinson&rsquo;s) team. He built it the way he wants.&rdquo;</p><p>What Robinson wants out of Perreault this season is consistent two-way play.</p><p>&ldquo;He never really had been given a chance to play,&rdquo; said Robinson, who disputes the knock on Perreault&rsquo;s skating. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen him win some races on shorthanded breakaways.&rdquo;</p><p>Still, Robinson would like Perreault to improve as he gains experience.</p><p>&ldquo;Yanic sometimes is his own worst enemy,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;Even he underestimates what he can do. He has to play on the edge, that&rsquo;s when he&rsquo;s at his best.&rdquo;</p><p>Perreault&rsquo;s ability to play &ldquo;on the edge&rdquo; showed at crucial moments last season, when he scored three overtime goals and led the Kings with seven game-winners.</p><p>&ldquo;When the game is on the line, I like being on the ice,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll shoot from anywhere.&rdquo;</p><p>When the Kings failed to make the playoffs, Perreault kept it up in the World Championship, playing for Canada in a silver medal effort. He scored the shootout winner in a semifinal thriller over Russia and finished tied for the tournament scoring lead with the Czech Republic&rsquo;s Robert Lang.</p><p>Perreault&rsquo;s career is finally going the way he wanted after a long haul playing for the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs of the American League. In 1993-94, his third season with St. John&rsquo;s, he had 105 points in 62 games, then played in 13 games for the Maple Leafs. The next summer, he was traded to the Kings for a conditional draft pick.</p><p>&ldquo;It was hard because I had some good years in the minors, but I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play in the NHL,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After Toronto let me go, I got a chance with the Kings and they&rsquo;ve been very fair to me.&rdquo;</p><p>The 1994-95 lockout season saw Perreault spend most of his time in the International League with the Phoenix Roadrunners. He got into 26 games with the Kings, but he was still waiting for his chance.</p><p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; Perreault said. &ldquo;Every year that goes by, you&rsquo;re getting a little older. If it doesn&rsquo;t work in one place, you don&rsquo;t want to go to too many teams because then people start to think, &lsquo;It didn&rsquo;t work here, it didn&rsquo;t work there, why would he work for us?&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s good players in the minors. Not everybody gets a chance to play.&rdquo;</p><p>But a chance is only what you make of it.</p><p>&ldquo;Last year was only my first year,&rdquo; Perreault said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve made it. I&rsquo;ve got to show every year, year to year, that I can play.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to be there every game and bring leadership to the team and play well both ways. Try to score big goals. Try to help the team make the playoffs. The Kings haven&rsquo;t made the playoffs in three years. My goal is to help.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0349/6815104-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="675" height="328"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Los Angeles&rsquo; top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0433/6815097-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="672" height="996"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0524/6815090-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="673" height="167"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0619/6815083-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="666" height="392"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0054-02

Yanic’s land of opportunity

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0293/6815177-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mark Recchi will likely never put up big numbers in Montreal&rsquo;s defensive scheme.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01139/6815184-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="191" height="194"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>F</span>irst, he was headed to the Hartford Whalers as part of a package for Brendan Shanahan. Then he was en route to the New York Rangers for Luc Robitaille.</p><p>But as summer turned to fall, Mark Recchi, the subject of repeated trade rumors, remained a Montreal Canadien.</p><p>No one was more surprised by this than Recchi himself.</p><p>&ldquo;I know I&rsquo;ve been offered to Hartford,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old right winger at training camp. &ldquo;The Canadiens are trying to do something. I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;ll be involved, but I&rsquo;m surprised to be here and I&rsquo;ll be even more surprised if I&rsquo;m still here in October. I&rsquo;m happy to be here, but I didn&rsquo;t think I would be.&rdquo;</p><p>Recchi&rsquo;s fate may have been sealed when the Canadiens appointed him an alternate captain in mid-September. Having a &lsquo;C&rsquo; or &lsquo;A&rsquo; on a player&rsquo;s uniform has been the kiss of death in Montreal. Former captains Chris Chelios, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller and Mike Keane have all been traded, and this summer alternate captain Lyle Odelein was dispatched to the New Jersey Devils.</p><p>At least Recchi has learned from past mistakes with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers: he now rents instead of owning.</p><p>Canadiens&rsquo; management said it has done its best to put Recchi&rsquo;s mind at ease. Recchi met with GM Rejean Houle early in training camp. Houle didn&rsquo;t deny teams have inquired about Recchi&rsquo;s availability, but the GM assured Recchi he is remaining a Canadien.</p><p>&ldquo;I told him he&rsquo;s in our plans,&rdquo; Houle said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good team player and he comes to play.&rdquo;</p><p>Recchi is coming off a season in which he scored 28 goals and 78 points in 82 games. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with that, but it&rsquo;s a far cry from the numbers he racked up earlier in his career. From 1990-91 through 1993-94, Recchi averaged 44 goals a season playing for the Penguins and Flyers, including a career-high 53 for Philadelphia in 1992-93.</p><p>Recchi has failed to show that Midas touch since becoming a Hab in a February, 1995, trade with the Flyers. He scored 14 goals in 39 games during the lockout-shortened 1995 season, equivalent to 29 goals in a full campaign.</p><p>Is Recchi&rsquo;s star beginning to wane or has he been miscast by the Canadiens?</p><p>&ldquo;My role has changed here,&rdquo; Recchi said.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a different style and I&rsquo;m receiving a different amount of icetime. The responsibility here is on defense and you&rsquo;re never going to change that. You have to put your ego aside and adjust.&rdquo;</p><p>Coach Mario Tremblay said Recchi has become a more complete player with the Canadiens. Tremblay said it&rsquo;s unlikely Recchi will ever score 50 goals playing for Montreal, but remains capable of producing between 30 and 35. Comparisons to his earlier exploits, the coach added, are unfair.</p><p>&ldquo;Remember, he played with (Mario) Lemieux in Pittsburgh,&rdquo; Tremblay said. &ldquo;(Now) he&rsquo;s a better all-around player and takes care of his defense, which he didn&rsquo;t do before.&rdquo;</p><p>Recchi, entering his ninth pro season, has earned the respect and admiration of teammates.</p><p>&ldquo;He leads by example and plays hard,&rdquo; said right winger Turner Stevenson. &ldquo;When he goes out and plays hard, you have no choice but to follow his lead because he&rsquo;s a smaller guy who plays big.&rdquo;</p><p>Recchi believes at his age, he&rsquo;s in the prime of his career. The 5-foot-10, 179-pounder remains a good skater and one of the team&rsquo;s hardest-working and most durable players; he hasn&rsquo;t missed a game since 1990-91.</p><p>Recchi claims he&rsquo;s still capable of scoring goals, but suggests he&rsquo;s more of a natural playmaker. Nonetheless, he&rsquo;s buoyed by the numbers he put up over the second half last season. He had 16 goals and 40 points, including nine goals in a 14-game span from March 2 through April 1.</p><p>The fourth-oldest player on one of the NHL&rsquo;s youngest teams, Recchi realizes his contributions off the ice will be almost as important as what he accomplishes on it.</p><p>&ldquo;Especially now that Lyle Odelein is gone, he&rsquo;ll have a big role to play,&rdquo; Stevenson said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the more important guys on the team. He&rsquo;s well-spoken and cares about everybody.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0361/6815170-1-eng-US/f0055-032.jpg" title="f0055-03" width="675" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Montreal&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0441/6815163-1-eng-US/f0055-042.jpg" title="f0055-04" width="678" height="1006"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0525/6815156-1-eng-US/f0055-052.jpg" title="f0055-05" width="674" height="165"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0617/6815149-1-eng-US/f0055-062.jpg" title="f0055-06" width="669" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0055-02

Recchi: Mark of maturity

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0284/6815243-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jacques Lemaire says his team will concentrate more on offense this year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-01127/6815250-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="189" height="191"></div><p>Never before had an NHL coach shouldered so much of the blame for his team&rsquo;s failure and not been forced to walk the plank.</p><p>When the New Jersey Devils missed the 1996 playoffs one year after winning the Stanley Cup, more fingers were pointed at Jacques Lemaire than any of his players. Coaches often take the heat, but in this case Lemaire had gone from genius to tyrant in one easy step.</p><p>&ldquo;I was probably a little tougher because we didn&rsquo;t play as well as I thought we could,&rdquo; Lemaire acknowledged. &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re not satisfied because you&rsquo;re not getting enough goals and you&rsquo;re not winning, any coach will be a little tougher. Because we were always struggling&hellip;that&rsquo;s why the humor wasn&rsquo;t there like it had been in the past.&rdquo;</p><p>It was a humorless season, to say the least.</p><p>Lemaire could have removed some of the weight from his shoulders by agreeing with those who felt the Devils had suffered two significant losses after winning the Cup. Assistant coach Larry Robinson became head coach with the Los Angeles Kings and playoff MVP Claude Lemieux was traded to the Colorado Avalanche after a contract dispute.</p><p>Lemaire downplayed both losses and, as the team struggled, the focus shifted to his own perceived failures:</p><p>&#9633; He was openly critical of his players on far too many occasions, prompting some of them to call it the,&rdquo;I won, they lost&rdquo; syndrome.</p><p>&#9633; Criticism of Lemaire&rsquo;s emphasis on defense snowballed to the point where players felt they had no offensive freedom.</p><p>&#9633; He was accused of overworking goalie Martin Brodeur.</p><p>&#9633; Disputes with several players-Mike Peluso, Stephane Richer, Neal Broten and Scott Stevens-festered as the team floundered.</p><p>Peluso&rsquo;s days with the Devils nearly ended because Lemaire felt he was talking too much about wanting to be traded and not thinking about the team while the left winger claimed he had been ready to return from an injury for several days. A dressing room argument March 30 in Pittsburgh resulted in Peluso catching a flight home while the Devils lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.</p><p>&ldquo;We had a lot of difficulties last year and I can&rsquo;t go though that again this year, Peluso said. &ldquo;Honestly, I brought a lot of things home with me. I couldn&rsquo;t eat, couldn&rsquo;t sleep. I&rsquo;ll give you 110 per cent every night and all I need is just a little bit of respect back and I&rsquo;m fine. Just a little bit.&rdquo;</p><p>Broten&rsquo;s run-in with Lemaire came when the coach unexpectedly scheduled a practice at the start of the all-star break. Broten, who had plans to join his family in Florida, skipped practice and was fined and reprimanded when he returned.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe he was just a little bit tougher on the players. Nothing drastic,&rdquo; Broten said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;d get ticked a few times and then he&rsquo;d go back to being soft. He pretty much tried everything.&rdquo;</p><p>Richer was benched because he didn&rsquo;t look good enough during the pregame warm-up against the Florida Panthers March 17 and Stevens, the team captain, assumed Lemaire was sniping at him when he said the team &ldquo;lacked leadership&rdquo; after the season-ending loss to the Ottawa Senators.</p><p>Most of the criticism directed at Lemaire involved his defense-oriented style of play. When the Devils won, opposing teams were critical. When they lost, the criticism came from inside the Devils&rsquo; dressing room and the media.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that I hate offense. I like offense,&rdquo; Lemaire responded,&rdquo;but the game doesn&rsquo;t start with offense. I&rsquo;m not here to make a show. I&rsquo;m here to win.&rdquo;</p><p>They didn&rsquo;t win in 1996, so Lemaire has vowed to concentrate on offense without ignoring defense this season.</p><p>&ldquo;Jacques is one of the best coaches in the league,&rdquo; said defenseman Ken Daneyko. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t judge him on what happened to our team last year. It was a team thing. Everyone has an off-year. I&rsquo;m not saying Jacques did, but there was obviously added pressure. We all put pressure on ourselves and Jacques had it on him, too. You learn from it. It was a learning year for all of us.&rdquo;</p><p>It is a season Lemaire has no intention of repeating.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0344/6815236-1-eng-US/f0056-032.jpg" title="f0056-03" width="670" height="325"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are New Jersey&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0436/6815229-1-eng-US/f0056-042.jpg" title="f0056-04" width="669" height="961"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0525/6815222-1-eng-US/f0056-052.jpg" title="f0056-05" width="667" height="132"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0620/6815215-1-eng-US/f0056-062.jpg" title="f0056-06" width="675" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0056-02

The center stage coach

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0057-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0283/6815309-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Weekly AA meetings are part of Darius Kasparaitis&rsquo; life now.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01116/6815316-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="192" height="193"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>C</span>onsidering the misfortunes that befell him the past two seasons, New York Islanders&rsquo; defenseman Darius Kasparaitis knocked on wood after a training camp practice when he said,&rdquo;I have no problems right now in my life. I feel good. I&rsquo;m ready for the new season.&rdquo;</p><p>It figures to be another long year for the moribund Islanders, but you&rsquo;d never know it watching or listening to Kasparaitis. The stocky Lithuanian was one of the few members of Team Russia to play in the World Cup as if he really cared. He brought that same spirit to the Islanders&rsquo; training camp.</p><p>&ldquo;The World Cup helped me a lot to gain my confidence as a player,&rdquo; Kasparaitis said. &ldquo;I always wanted to play against the best players in the world. I wish we had players like that with the New York Islanders. I hope I&rsquo;ll keep the same pace during the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Kasparaitis turns 24 on Oct. 16. He is in the second year of a four-year, $3.8million contract. He is trying to leave his troubles behind and seems ready for a big year.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting older,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;As time goes on, you get smarter-off the ice and on. You think before you do something. But I still have a sense of humor. I enjoy fooling around with the guys. I&rsquo;ve talked to retired players. They tell me, &lsquo;The best time of your life is now.&rsquo; Cam Neely retired and he was crying. I realize I&rsquo;m going to do that some day. Right now I want to enjoy it.&rdquo;</p><p>Kasparaitis&rsquo; name was mentioned in off-season trade rumors as a player coveted by other teams. But Islanders&rsquo; GM-coach Mike Milbury said,&rdquo;He&rsquo;s definitely my type of player. I want him to expand his game. He&rsquo;s one of the last guys on the roster I&rsquo;d speak of in terms of a trade.&rdquo;</p><p>Told what Milbury said, Kasparaitis said,&rdquo;It feels good when a coach trusts you. But you have to play good to make everybody happy. You&rsquo;re never protected from trades. Anything can happen in this business. I&rsquo;m prepared for that. But I&rsquo;m here on Long Island and I hope I can play here the rest of my life.&rdquo;</p><p>Things began looking up for Kasparaitis after he overcame these problems:</p><p>&#9633; Kasparaitis said he has been sober without a slip since May 9, 1994, and attends weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. &ldquo;Without AA,&rdquo; he said,&rdquo;maybe I&rsquo;d be dead right now or somewhere else. I realize I have a problem. I have a great opportunity (to play hockey). Life looks great for me. I&rsquo;m having more fun than I had (as a drinker).&rdquo;</p><p>&#9633; His wife Irina, expecting triplets, miscarried last December. &ldquo;It was very painful for me, the worst feeling of my life,&rdquo; Kasparaitis said. &ldquo;I want to be a father and give my children lots of toys because I never had that. But we&rsquo;ll have a family. I am going to build a bedroom over the garage for babies.&rdquo;</p><p>&#9633; He was limited to 13 games in the lockout-shortened 1995 season and 46 last year due to major right knee surgery, a gashed hand, a groin problem and the flu. That was a serious setback, considering he played 155 of 168 games his first two seasons, establishing himself as one of the NHL&rsquo;s most irritating bodycheckers.</p><p>Over the summer, Kasparaitis worked with Islanders&rsquo; orthopedist Steve Wirth to strengthen his knee and increase his fitness. The Islanders hope Kasparaitis can lead their young defense corps, which includes his expected partner Kenny Jonsson, rookie Bryan Berard, Dennis Vaske, Bryan McCabe, Scott Lachance and Rich Pilon.</p><p>&ldquo;No question about it, his whole outlook has changed,&rdquo; Islanders&rsquo; vice-president Al Arbour said of Kasparaitis. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s more mature now. When he first came over here, he was a young boy who never had anything before. He gets all this money and it was tough for him. He had a tough time handling it.</p><p>&ldquo;He was smart enough to realize it,&rdquo; Arbour said,&rdquo;and he straightened himself out. He loves to play. It&rsquo;s contagious. It spreads to the rest of the team.&rdquo;</p><p>And spread it should.</p><p>&ldquo;Well, my name is <i>Kaspar-aitis</i>,&rdquo; the defenseman said. &ldquo;(Teammates) sometimes call me a disease. I try to do my best to make people around me better, be excited about the game and be happy. If somebody comes to my house, I try to show them a good time. It&rsquo;s the same thing on the ice.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0357/6815302-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="677" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are the Islanders top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0446/6815295-1-eng-US/f0057-042.jpg" title="f0057-04" width="673" height="1004"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0530/6815288-1-eng-US/f0057-052.jpg" title="f0057-05" width="673" height="168"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0621/6815281-1-eng-US/f0057-062.jpg" title="f0057-06" width="671" height="400"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0057-02

Darius heals body and soul

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0058-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0276/6815375-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Luc Robitaille never scored fewer than 44 goals in a season until last year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01125/6815382-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="190" height="192"></div><p>Nine of the New York Rangers&rsquo; most important players were involved in the World Cup and absent from training camp.</p><p>But back in Burlington, Vt., where the others were training, was one of the players whose contributions could make or break the Rangers&rsquo; season.</p><p>Luc Robitaille, one of the most prolific goal scoring left wingers in NHL history, must return to that status for the Rangers to avoid last season&rsquo;s failure when they simply ran out of goals.</p><p>Robitaille is well aware what is expected of him.</p><p>When last season ended, he immediately started working toward this season. Robitaille bulked up and took up karate, not only for the mobility it would give his body, but for the strength it would give his mind.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot about meditation, strengthening the mind,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;So I don&rsquo;t really care who I play with. I just know I&rsquo;m ready. And, obviously, it&rsquo;s pretty easy to say you don&rsquo;t care who you play with on this team because either way you&rsquo;re going to play with a great center, so it&rsquo;s an easy statement to make.&rdquo;</p><p>Robitaille, who had never scored fewer than 44 goals in a full NHL season, recorded just 23 last year. The Rangers took some of the blame, saying they never provided him with a playmaker. Adam Graves was Mark Messier&rsquo;s left winger, so Robitaille played on the second line and the second power play unit.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure we ever had the right people in place to make sure we could get everything possible out of him,&rdquo; said GM-president Neil Smith. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure he had a good puck distributor. This year he&rsquo;s either going to play with Messier or (Wayne) Gretzky.&rdquo;</p><p>Smith vowed he would not give up on Robitaille.</p><p>&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s a 40-goal scorer who got 23 goals,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;But if you look at his career you&rsquo;re not going to just say he has fallen off the turnip truck. He had a tough season, but we have to assume a guy with that kind of track record will get back to his level. That&rsquo;s why I&rsquo;m not going to give up on him.&rdquo;</p><p>Now Robitaille figures to play with Gretzky, and for the first time is saying he wants to score goals. Last season, he only spoke about doing whatever it took to win. But he didn&rsquo;t score and they didn&rsquo;t win.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always believed, I&rsquo;ve always said, I don&rsquo;t want to be seen as a goal scorer; I want to be seen as a player,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;But when you come to a new team you have to get used to other players and I wanted to be accepted by everybody. I tried playing just a game, you know, whatever it took to win.</p><p>&ldquo;But I know this year they need me to score goals and that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to do. That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ve got to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Robitaille played for brief periods alongside Gretzky with the Kings in Los Angeles, but he also succeeded with lesser centers such as Todd Elik, Bernie Nicholls, Bobby Carpenter and Jari Kurri.</p><p>&ldquo;He can play with anybody,&rdquo; Robitaille said about Gretzky. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the greatest playmaker there ever was. If you get open with him, he&rsquo;s going to give you the puck and I know certain positions to set up in the zone. I can get the puck easily to him and get set up.&rdquo;</p><p>The only trouble is the perceived rift between Robitaille and Gretzky. When Robitaille was dealt from Los Angeles to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 1994 entry draft, he had an outburst and essentially accused Gretzky of getting him traded.</p><p>Rangers&rsquo; coach Colin Campbell and Smith both said they have spoken with Gretzky and were assured that no problem exists.</p><p>&ldquo;If there is one, there shouldn&rsquo;t be,&rdquo; Campbell said.</p><p>&ldquo;The way I feel, that was a long time ago,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;It was a tough situation, being traded for the first time. But it&rsquo;s an old story. At the time I said things, but that&rsquo;s a lot of water under the bridge. Wayne wants to win the Cup and I want to win the Cup. That&rsquo;s all that matters.&rdquo;</p><p>In doing his off-season player projections, Campbell put Robitaille down for 40 goals. Robitaille doesn&rsquo;t plan to let his coach down.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0340/6815368-1-eng-US/f0058-032.jpg" title="f0058-03" width="671" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are the Rangers top 23 NHL veterans, listed in order or 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0431/6815361-1-eng-US/f0058-042.jpg" title="f0058-04" width="664" height="926"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0524/6815354-1-eng-US/f0058-052.jpg" title="f0058-05" width="672" height="136"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0617/6815347-1-eng-US/f0058-062.jpg" title="f0058-06" width="663" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0058-02

Robitaille aims for goals

<div class="byline">By Chris Stevenson</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0059-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0265/6815441-1-eng-US/f0059-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>With financial digits taken care of, Alexei Yashin can think about goals and assists.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by John Glamundo/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-01104/6815448-1-eng-US/f0059-012.jpg" title="f0059-01" width="192" height="193"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he Philadelphia Flyers have their Legion of Doom line. For the past three years, the closest the Ottawa Senators have come is the Legion of One.</p><p>Who to play on a line with talented center Alexei Yashin? That has been an ongoing question each year with the Senators. There have been lots of candidates. Few have lasted longer than a few weeks.</p><p>The fact that question is being asked at all this training camp is news.</p><p>This is Yashin&rsquo;s first camp in two years in which talk isn&rsquo;t about his contract. After threatening to hold out in 1994-95- the season the whole league was locked out-he returned at the last minute when the Senators came up with a bonus package. Last year he followed through on his threat, sitting out just less than half the season.</p><p>In the interim, two coaches and a GM were fired. New GM Pierre Gauthier brought Yashin back into the fold with a four-year, $13-million (U.S.) contract. He&rsquo;s due to make $1.7 million this season with $1 million deferred.</p><p>Despite his holdout, Yashin finished second on the Senators in scoring with 15 goals and 39 points in 46 games.</p><p>Yashin had feuded with former GM Randy Sexton and majority owner Rod Bryden over the direction the team and its commitment to winning. But now he says he&rsquo;s happy.</p><p>&ldquo;I trust these people now,&rdquo; Yashin said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve done the best they could do to make the team better. I don&rsquo;t want to promise the fans we&rsquo;re going to make the playoffs, but we have the right people in the organization to go this way.&rdquo;</p><p>Now if they can just find that magic that works on the ice.</p><p>Senators&rsquo; management is looking for a Frick to play to Yashin&rsquo;s Frack. Not since Bob Kudelski was sent to the Florida Panthers during Yashin&rsquo;s rookie year three years ago has there been a suitable match. Kudelski was on a 50-goal pace before the trade.</p><p>Yashin finished last season playing with rookie of the year Daniel Alfredsson and they sensed a chemistry.</p><p>&ldquo;Alfie is really on the puck and Yashin has good anticipation and size,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;Alfie can make plays. I think there&rsquo;s some chemistry there.&rdquo;</p><p>Yashin won&rsquo;t disagree with suggestions he has never had anybody who hooked up with him the way Kudelski did.</p><p>Neither of them has been the same since. Yashin is still looking for a partner and Kudelski, who wound up with 40 goals that season, has scored just six NHL goals in the two years since.</p><p>&ldquo;It just worked. I was very happy,&rdquo; Yashin said. &ldquo;He could understand me well, what I was doing. He got to the available spot.&rdquo;</p><p>Since then, Yashin has had a parade of partners that would make square dancers look shy.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult to show great hockey when you only play together for one week,&rdquo; Yashin said. &ldquo;You look at (Igor) Larionov, (Sergei) Makarov and (Vladimir) Krutov. They played together a long time and they were the best combination ever in the world or at least in Russian hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;For a line to work, you need to have a separation of what everybody has to do. One guy should be fighting for the puck, one guy should be going for the open spot.&rdquo;</p><p>The only constant early at camp was the Alexandre Daigle-Radek Bonk-Denny Lambert combo which was undressing the opposition. Daigle had four points in the first two exhibition games and Bonk had a couple of goals.</p><p>So who&rsquo;s going to work for Yashin? Everyone is being tried. Martin and assistants Craig Ramsay and Perry Pearn are listening for the sound of that elusive click.</p><p>&ldquo;The key with Yashin and his linemates is you have to give them time to develop a comfort level,&rdquo; Ramsay said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to put pressure on them to be the next Legion of Doom or French Connection.&rdquo;</p><p>Yashin, meanwhile, has been criticized for not passing the puck enough. Ramsay suggests that a player who follows Yashin closely might find a few pucks.</p><p>&ldquo;That can work for the guys who like to stickhandle,&rdquo; Ramsay said. &ldquo;The other guy can read that and stick close and pounce on it.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0346/6815434-1-eng-US/f0059-032.jpg" title="f0059-03" width="677" height="335"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Ottawa&rsquo;s top 23 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0437/6815427-1-eng-US/f0059-042.jpg" title="f0059-04" width="668" height="923"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0527/6815420-1-eng-US/f0059-052.jpg" title="f0059-05" width="675" height="133"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0059-0620/6815413-1-eng-US/f0059-062.jpg" title="f0059-06" width="665" height="398"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0059-02

Help for helicopter line

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0060-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0254/6815507-1-eng-US/f0060-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>An ailing Mikael Renberg was a nonfactor compared to his old standards.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0197/6815514-1-eng-US/f0060-012.jpg" title="f0060-01" width="192" height="192"></div><p>As talented as the Philadelphia Flyers are, the fate of their season could come down to the health of one player, Mikael Renberg.</p><p>The 24-year-old right winger is coming off surgery to repair an abdominal injury. His presence is key to the Flyers as he makes up one-third of the Legion of Doom line.</p><p>The trio of Renberg, Eric Lindros and John LeClair accounted for 121 of the Flyers&rsquo; 282 goals (42.9 per cent) last year, even though Renberg missed 28 of the final 31 regular-season games.</p><p>In mid-September, Renberg was back skating, but the Flyers planned to hold him out of the team&rsquo;s first three pre-season games. He&rsquo;s still experiencing some soreness, but doctors said that is normal and to be expected.</p><p>If Renberg isn&rsquo;t 100 per cent by opening night (Oct. 5), the Flyers do have a fall-back plan with veteran Dale Hawerchuk.</p><p>But moving Hawerchuk to the top line weakens a second line that includes Rod Brind&rsquo; Amour and Pat Falloon.</p><p>Coach Terry Murray said getting Renberg back-and healthy-is a priority. However, unlike last season, when Renberg experienced a series of false starts, this time Murray wants to make sure everything is normal before the Swede takes on a full schedule of work.</p><p>&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t put enough importance on wanting to get Mikael back into the lineup and having him healthy and being able to play at the level we know he can,&rdquo; Murray said.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m hoping that having not exercised a lot over the summer, that the soreness he&rsquo;s going through is normal.&rdquo;</p><p>Renberg&rsquo;s problems actually began last September when he underwent a hernia operation. Some believe he hurried to get back in time for the regular season opener. Then, on Jan. 22 in a game against the Florida Panthers, Renberg felt something pull.</p><p>The injury, at first diagnosed as a tear of the muscle that attaches to the pubic bone and not related to the hernia, bothered Renberg for the rest of the season. He was taking painkillers during the playoffs, but clearly wasn&rsquo;t himself.</p><p>Renberg actually began the playoffs on a third line with checkers Joel Otto and Shjon Podein. Murray occasionally put him back on scoring lines, but Renberg was able to score only three goals in 11 games.</p><p>Finally, he underwent surgery May 24. During the operation, doctors noticed the original hernia problem was not completely rectified. So they did some repair work there, too.</p><p>Renberg did light rehabilitation work in Sweden during the summer and resumed skating Sept. 6. After a few days, he experienced soreness, so he visited Dr. William Meyers, his surgeon, in Boston.</p><p>&ldquo;He said that&rsquo;s what to expect,&rdquo; Renberg said. &ldquo;He said if I take it step by step, I should be ready for the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Renberg is confident he can return to the form that allowed him to register an NHL rookie-leading 38 goals and 82 points in 1993-94.</p><p>&ldquo;I really feel I can, I&rsquo;m hungry for hockey,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not in too bad of shape. I feel like this is the year I&rsquo;m going to have a big season.&rdquo;</p><p>During the 1995 lockout-shortened campaign, Renberg finished 10th in league scoring with 57 points. Much of that success was due to the arrival of LeClair in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens, which led to the formation of the Doom line.</p><p>With LeClair enjoying a great deal of success at the World Cup, Murray would like nothing more than to have the trio reunited.</p><p>But there is no timetable for Renberg.</p><p>&ldquo;He has to feel good,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t go through what we did last year with a little bit of soreness and then take a day off. Let&rsquo;s make sure he&rsquo;s 100 per cent.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to put him in a situation where he doesn&rsquo;t feel real good. I want him to come off the ice and say to me, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m feeling great, I want to play and I have no problems at all.&rsquo;&rdquo;</p><p>Last year, Renberg put some pressure on himself because the Flyers were in their stretch drive and then came the playoffs. This year, he&rsquo;s taking it more cautiously.</p><p>&ldquo;I have more time,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the end of the world if I miss some exhibition games. I feel more relaxed about it. (The injury) feels a lot better, so I&rsquo;m not worried about it.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0333/6815500-1-eng-US/f0060-032.jpg" title="f0060-03" width="676" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Philadelphia&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0425/6815493-1-eng-US/f0060-042.jpg" title="f0060-04" width="676" height="1001"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0519/6815486-1-eng-US/f0060-052.jpg" title="f0060-05" width="674" height="166"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0060-0615/6815479-1-eng-US/f0060-062.jpg" title="f0060-06" width="667" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0060-02

Renberg’s personal doom

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0061-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0268/6815573-1-eng-US/f0061-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>The Coyotes aren&rsquo;t worried Nikolai Khabibulin didn&rsquo;t have a great World Cup.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by M. Desjardins/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-01102/6815580-1-eng-US/f0061-012.jpg" title="f0061-01" width="193" height="192"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>adies and gentlemen, please rise. The court of hockey hierarchy is now in session, honorable NHL fans presiding. The case before us is the NHL vs. Nikolai Khabibulin.</p><p>The question we face is whether the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; goalie deserves to be rated among the league elite.</p><p>The 23-year-old&rsquo;s credentials from his first full NHL season are solid. A 26-203 record, 90.8 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against average. In the playoffs, he shut down the mighty Detroit Red Wings twice before the Winnipeg Jets lost the first round series in six games.</p><p>&ldquo;The jury is still out,&rdquo; said Red Wings&rsquo; captain Steve Yzerman,&rdquo;but he has convinced me he&rsquo;s one of the top young goalies out there.&rdquo;</p><p>Yes, but does he deserve elite status? For this we bring you a surprise witness, Coyotes&rsquo; right winger Shane Doan. Mr. Doan, should Nikolai Khabibulin be considered one of the NHL&rsquo;s best?</p><p>&ldquo;Absolutely.&rdquo;</p><p>And why is that, sir?</p><p>&ldquo;Because last year,&rdquo; Doan said,&rdquo;my roommate was Craig Muni. And at different points in his career, he has played with (Ed) Belfour, (Grant) Fuhr and (Dominik) Hasek. Those three guys were among the best in the game while Craig was with them.</p><p>&ldquo;Muni said Nik is just as good as all of them-and he&rsquo;s a lot younger. I think if he&rsquo;s not <i>the</i> best, he&rsquo;s one of the best. And he&rsquo;s only going to get better.&rdquo;</p><p>Khabibulin is as unique as the NHL is to Phoenix. He isn&rsquo;t what many consider to be a typical Russian goalie. While most of his countrymen stay low to the ice and remain between the pipes, Khabibulin differs. He challenges shooters, cuts down angles and isn&rsquo;t afraid to handle the puck.</p><p>&ldquo;I could pull out a tape from last year against Colorado that would amaze you,&rdquo; said Coyotes&rsquo; goalie coach Pete Peeters. &ldquo;He made a spectacular save and ended up toward the right corner of the boards. The whole net was open. Well, the puck bounces out to the slot, and I forget who the guy was, but he drills it to the empty net. It looks like a sure goal, easy.&rdquo;</p><p>Until Khabibulin comes flying across the crease and snags the puck with his glove.</p><p>&ldquo;He has done that on numerous occasions,&rdquo; Peeters said. &ldquo;You think they&rsquo;ve got a sure goal, but they don&rsquo;t. That&rsquo;s one of the many qualities Nik has. He won&rsquo;t quit on that puck &lsquo;til it&rsquo;s in the back of the net.&rdquo;</p><p>Need more evidence?</p><p>We give you NHL veteran center Cliff Ronning, the former Vancouver Canuck who signed with the Coyotes this past summer.</p><p>&ldquo;Unbelievably quick, incredibly flexible,&rdquo; Ronning said, shaking his head in disbelief. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t tell you how many times he has taken away what I thought were sure goals.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s fearless. What he does so well is doing it standing up, too. He only goes down when he sees the need to, unlike most Russian goalies who go down every time, almost regardless of what happens.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty obvious he has proven he can play in this league and be one of the best.&rdquo;</p><p>Coyotes&rsquo; coach Don Hay isn&rsquo;t about to argue.</p><p>&ldquo;Hey, he was 5-0 against us last year when I was an assistant coach in Calgary,&rdquo; Hay said. &lsquo;I know what he can do. They key is, can he be consistent over the long haul? That&rsquo;s the true mark of an elite goalie.&rdquo;</p><p>But did Khabibulin&rsquo;s play in the recent World Cup, in which he was beaten often, raise a few eyebrows and perhaps lead to a few doubts?</p><p>&ldquo;Anybody who thinks that doesn&rsquo;t know hockey,&rdquo; Hay said. &ldquo;He was playing against the best players in the world. All-star teams.&rdquo;</p><p>Khabibulin is anxious to prove his skeptics wrong.</p><p>&ldquo;I am young and I am still learning, but I feel I am ready to go to the next level,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think I am a complete goalie now, but I also believe that you can always become better.&rdquo;</p><p>The Coyotes are so certain of their goalie&rsquo;s ability they recently extended his contract for another three years. That confidence is shared by the goalie himself. When asked if he wants to be the best Russian goalie ever to play in the NHL, he replied,&rdquo;No, I want to be the best goalie&hellip;period.&rdquo;</p><p>The defense rests, for now.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0343/6815566-1-eng-US/f0061-032.jpg" title="f0061-03" width="687" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Phoenix&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0433/6815559-1-eng-US/f0061-042.jpg" title="f0061-04" width="677" height="1003"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0527/6815552-1-eng-US/f0061-052.jpg" title="f0061-05" width="675" height="131"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0061-0622/6815545-1-eng-US/f0061-062.jpg" title="f0061-06" width="676" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0061-02

Being the best he can be

<div class="byline">By Dave Molinari</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0062-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0252/6815639-1-eng-US/f0062-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Offense is the least of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s concerns with players such as Jaromir Jagr.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-01104/6815646-1-eng-US/f0062-012.jpg" title="f0062-01" width="192" height="193"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>hen Mario Lemieux announced in early-September he would play at least one more season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he made no secret of why he was putting off retirement.</p><p>He desperately wants to win another Stanley Cup.</p><p>And Lemieux was equally blunt about what he believes it will take for Pittsburgh to make a serious run at that championship he craves.</p><p>&ldquo;I think we need two more solid defensemen to really have a shot to win the Cup,&rdquo; Lemieux said.</p><p>GM Craig Patrick made only one major move to alter his defense during the off-season, sending Sergei Zubov to the Dallas Stars for Kevin Hatcher, and that switch was made primarily for reasons of team chemistry.</p><p>Hatcher, like Zubov, is an offensive defenseman, so the fundamental flaws that were present in the Pittsburgh defense last spring remained when the Penguins reported for training camp.</p><p>If anything, their problems on the blueline were even more acute than before because Chris Tamer-a sound performer in his own zone and arguably the Penguins&rsquo; most rugged defenseman-was not around early in camp because of a contract dispute.</p><p>Re-signing Tamer was a priority for the Penguins, but Patrick also was assessing some of the free agents drifting across the NHL landscape.</p><p>He acknowledged a strong interest in Craig Muni, an unrestricted free agent defenseman, and said several others had captured his attention, too, but didn&rsquo;t disclose names.</p><p>&ldquo;You&rsquo;d be surprised at the guys who are available, who haven&rsquo;t signed yet,&rdquo; Patrick said in mid-September. &ldquo;I think there are some guys there who, if we can make room (on the payroll) for them, we could sign them and have them help us by the start of the season.&rdquo;</p><p>The Penguins&rsquo; defense has been widely regarded as the team&rsquo;s soft spot since the summer of 1995, when the core of that unit departed. Larry Murphy was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ulf Samuelsson was dealt to the New York Rangers and Kjell Samuelsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent.</p><p>Patrick tried to patch the holes in his defense by bringing in veterans such as Neil Wilkinson and Jean-Jacques Daigneault-and both performed beyond expectations-but it was evident the defense still needed assistance.</p><p>Pittsburgh&rsquo;s deficiencies on the blueline were masked somewhat during the playoffs because its forwards made a concerted effort to play well in their own zone, but that mindset usually vanishes during the regular season.</p><p>From October through March, most of the Penguins&rsquo; prominent players focus on padding their personal stats. That&rsquo;s a pretty obvious explanation for how Pittsburgh led the league with 362 goals last season, but had the second-worst goals-against average (3.44) of any team that qualified for the playoffs.</p><p>During the post-season, when back-checking was more than a secondary consideration for most of the forwards, Pittsburgh had a respectable 2.69 GAA.</p><p>Entering camp this fall, Hatcher, Tamer, Wilkinson and Daigneault figured to provide the foundation of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s defense, with veterans Francois Leroux, Ian Moran, Chris Joseph and Dmitri Mironov still in the mix.</p><p>But a couple of youngsters, Stefan Bergkvist and Sven Butenschon, are being counted on to make a bid for spots on the NHL roster.</p><p>Bergkvist, a first round entry draft pick in 1993, played a few games with Pittsburgh last season before being felled by an appendix problem. Butenschon has excited management with his potential since being taken in the third round in 1994. Although neither is guaranteed a spot on the roster this fall, Bergkvist seems unlikely to be demoted and Butenschon&rsquo;s size (6-foot-5, 201 pounds pounds) makes him an intriguing job candidate.</p><p>A couple of rookies can&rsquo;t solve all the Penguins&rsquo; defensive problems, however, so management figures to face tough personnel issues in camp.</p><p>&ldquo;We certainly have a lot of decisions to make before we start the season,&rdquo; Patrick said.</p><p>The judgments he makes just might determine the odds on Lemieux getting that third Stanley Cup ring he so covets.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0327/6815632-1-eng-US/f0062-032.jpg" title="f0062-03" width="683" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Pittsburgh&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0419/6815625-1-eng-US/f0062-042.jpg" title="f0062-04" width="678" height="999"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-0510/6815618-1-eng-US/f0062-052.jpg" title="f0062-05" width="676" height="126"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0062-068/6815611-1-eng-US/f0062-062.jpg" title="f0062-06" width="671" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0062-02

Can GM Patrick ‘D’-liver?

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0063-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0258/6815705-1-eng-US/f0063-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Shayne Corson played through pain in an effort to spark the Blues last season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0196/6815712-1-eng-US/f0063-012.jpg" title="f0063-01" width="193" height="193"></div><p>In the heat of battle last season, St. Louis Blues&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Keenan questioned Shayne Corson&rsquo;s character.</p><p>The Blues were getting trounced by Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins when former Blue J.J. Daigneault, of all people, leveled Corson with a clean open-ice hit.</p><p>The result: Corson was knocked goofy and suffered a broken jaw. But when Corson couldn&rsquo;t return to the ice, Keenan basically called him a &ldquo;wimp.&rdquo;</p><p>My, my the things people say in the heat of battle.</p><p>Corson, 30, is anything but a wimp and Keenan knows this. Corson is a solid, 6-foot-1, 200-pound banger, who backs down against no one and plays with pain.</p><p>He missed only five games with the broken jaw, returning early after begging doctors to cut the wires so he could get back into the lineup and get ready for the playoffs.</p><p>&ldquo;I took a bit of a chance,&rdquo; Corson said. &ldquo;But I think it helped.&rdquo;</p><p>Another painful injury could have sidelined Corson for at least five games, as well, but he played the better part of the second half of the season with a separated shoulder, missing not one game because of it.</p><p>&ldquo;The separated shoulder was a tough thing to play with, but with the team hovering around.500, I didn&rsquo;t want to take the time to rest it,&rdquo; Corson said.</p><p>&ldquo;So, I kept continuing to play.&rdquo;</p><p>That wasn&rsquo;t the only injury through which he played. After the season, he had surgery on both hands to repair ligament damage.</p><p>&ldquo;The doctors said it was a mess,&rdquo; said Corson, who actually ranks among Keenan&rsquo;s favorite players because of his grit and determination.</p><p>During the playoffs last season, Keenan went as far as to say Corson was carrying linemates Brett Hull and Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky left after the season as an unrestricted free agent.</p><p>&ldquo;I was embarrassed when Mike said it, obviously,&rdquo; Corson said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has to carry those guys.&rdquo;</p><p>Corson finished the playoffs as the Blues&rsquo; leading goal scorer with eight goals, two more than Hull. He trailed Gretzky by only two points with 14. He was the Blues&rsquo; best all-around player in the post-season.</p><p>&ldquo;He had a great playoff,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;And he was (coming off) a fractured jaw. It&rsquo;s remarkable.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite the injuries and a shaky start, Corson had a solid first season with the Blues. In 77 games, he had 18 goals and 46 points, with two protracted scoring slumps.</p><p>Corson had only three goals and 13 points in the first 25 games, but then put together an impressive stretch with 15 goals and 31 points in 43 games before finishing with two assists in his last nine regular season games.</p><p>Corson didn&rsquo;t score nearly as much as the Blues had hoped in the regular season, but he played a solid all-around game. He logged a lot of ice time, playing in all situations while alternating between left wing and center.</p><p>At one time last season, Keenan called him the Blues&rsquo;&rdquo;most important forward&rdquo; after Gretzky, which rankled Hull. That dig at Hull, as well as Keenan taking Hull&rsquo;s captaincy away and giving it to Corson early in the season, put Corson in the middle of bickering between the coach and star.</p><p>It was an uncomfortable spot considering he was new to the team.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a tough year all around, with a lot of adjustments to make and a lot of things going on with the captaincy and all that stuff,&rdquo; Corson said. &ldquo;It was tough. I had a lot of injuries and mentally it was a little tougher than usual because there were a lot of changes, a lot of turmoil, a lot of things that happened during the season.&rdquo;</p><p>Corson said it took him until about mid-season to begin feeling comfortable with the Blues, who gave him a five-year, $6.95-million contract to sign as a free agent last summer and sent popular goalie Curtis Joseph and prospect Mike Grier to the Edmonton Oilers as compensation.</p><p>&ldquo;There was a lot of pressure on a lot of the guys on this hockey team because of all the (free agent) signings,&rdquo; Corson said. &ldquo;I had something I wanted to come out and prove, that the Blues made the right decision in signing me as a free agent.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0333/6815698-1-eng-US/f0063-032.jpg" title="f0063-03" width="679" height="332"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are St. Louis&rsquo; top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0425/6815691-1-eng-US/f0063-042.jpg" title="f0063-04" width="673" height="1000"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0516/6815684-1-eng-US/f0063-052.jpg" title="f0063-05" width="678" height="164"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0063-0614/6815677-1-eng-US/f0063-062.jpg" title="f0063-06" width="668" height="398"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0063-02

Corson’s pain, Blues’ gain

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0064-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0257/6815771-1-eng-US/f0064-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Viktor Kozlov says the leg he broke in 1994 feels much stronger this year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Wen Roberts/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0192/6815778-1-eng-US/f0064-012.jpg" title="f0064-01" width="190" height="192"></div><p>The burden of expectation weighs heavily on San Jose Sharks&rsquo; center Viktor Kozlov, despite his imposing 6-foot-5, 225-pound frame.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody is waiting for him,&rdquo; said Vasily Tikhonov, the Russian-born assistant coach with the Kentucky Thor-oflgh blades, San Jose&rsquo;s new American League affiliate. &ldquo;I think he has had enough time to learn the North American style of hockey. He just needs to produce this year. It&rsquo;s time for him to show everybody how good he is.&rdquo;</p><p>Great things have been projected for Kozlov since 1992, the year before the Sharks selected the Russian with the sixth pick in the NHL entry draft. He was once considered a prime prospect to be chosen first overall in the 1993 draft, but his stock dropped when he struggled through an unimpressive draft year.</p><p>Paul Kariya, drafted two spots ahead of Kozlov, has achieved superstardom with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Florida Panther Rob Niedermayer and Edmonton Oiler Jason Arnott, who were chosen immediately before and after Kozlov, are coming off 26- and 28-goal seasons, respectively.</p><p>Kozlov, meanwhile, produced just six goals and 13 assists in 62 games while making the transition from left wing to center.</p><p>Comparisons to players in Kozlov&rsquo;s draft year are inevitable, but Sharks&rsquo; GM Dean Lombardi believes it&rsquo;s premature to draw conclusions.</p><p>&ldquo;I think you can only (justify) doing that when the guys become what they&rsquo;re going to become,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody knows yet what (Kozlov) is going to become.&rdquo;</p><p>Kozlov, 21, isn&rsquo;t alone among players picked high in 1993. Alexandre Daigle, the No. 1 overall pick by the Ottawa Senators, posted 20 goals and 51 points in his rookie season, but only five goals and 12 assists in 50 games last year.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you can even (criticize) Daigle yet,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one talented son of a gun. Kariya looks like the best player now and he&rsquo;s one hell of a player, but probably what you see now is what you get. That&rsquo;s not unusual for a little guy. I still really like (Chris) Gratton and if (Chris) Pronger continues like he showed in (last year&rsquo;s) playoffs, maybe he should have been the first pick overall.&rdquo;</p><p>Kozlov, the lone European among the top seven selections in 1993, is well aware his career will always be measured against those of the other six.</p><p>&ldquo;Of course, I am thinking about that, but not too much,&rdquo; Kozlov said. &ldquo;We are different people. We have different lives.&rdquo;</p><p>After spending 1993-94 with Dynamo Moscow, Kozlov wowed everyone at the Sharks&rsquo; 1994 training camp, then led the club with four goals and seven points during the exhibition campaign. The ensuing NHL work stoppage, however, resulted in misfortune for Kozlov, who sustained a displaced ankle fracture in November while playing for Dynamo during the lockout.</p><p>&ldquo;That was a big injury,&rdquo; Tikhonov said. &ldquo;Not many players can recover from an injury like Viktor had in such a short time.&rdquo;</p><p>Kozlov made it into the San Jose lineup by mid-February, but finished the season with the Kansas City Blades of the International League after scoring two goals in 16 NHL games. Effects of the injury lingered, perhaps even last season.</p><p>&ldquo;I feel much better this year,&rdquo; Kozlov said. &ldquo;My legs are much stronger. My first two years, I felt uncomfortable.&rdquo;</p><p>One problem is Kozlov&rsquo;s natural inclination to pass first and shoot only as a last resort.</p><p>&ldquo;He always wants to make the pretty play and he&rsquo;s capable of making the pretty play,&rdquo; said Jim Wiley, the Sharks&rsquo; interim coach last season who will work the bench in Kentucky this year. &ldquo;But when you move up (to the NHL), you don&rsquo;t have the time, so you have to start shooting pucks. He can shoot a puck. He just has to learn when to shoot it.&rdquo;</p><p>While much of the hockey world might be tired of waiting for Kozlov, San Jose&rsquo;s braintrust claims it is not.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you can say he has to get it done this year,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s stupid. Our kids have been forced into situations a little too early. In most organizations, they would just be starting out.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0324/6815764-1-eng-US/f0064-032.jpg" title="f0064-03" width="677" height="330"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are San Jose&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular-season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0416/6815757-1-eng-US/f0064-042.jpg" title="f0064-04" width="670" height="999"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-0512/6815750-1-eng-US/f0064-052.jpg" title="f0064-05" width="669" height="162"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0064-068/6815743-1-eng-US/f0064-062.jpg" title="f0064-06" width="671" height="397"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0064-02

Waiting the hardest part

<div class="byline">By Roy Cummings</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0065-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0277/6815837-1-eng-US/f0065-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Gratton hopes to be the center of attention with the Lightning this year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jon Hayt/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-01104/6815844-1-eng-US/f0065-012.jpg" title="f0065-01" width="190" height="192"></div><p>Everything in Chris Gratton&rsquo;s home is in order.</p><p>The beds are made, the towels hung neatly on the rods and the dishes have all been stacked away in their cupboards. Even the carpets are spotless. It&rsquo;s a home that resembles its homemaker, a perfectly-groomed 21-year-old who can make a pair of shorts, t-shirt and hat worn backwards look like formalwear.</p><p>There is, however, one exception. Gratton&rsquo;s head is a closet full of clutter. Inside, his confidence teeters precariously like a bowling ball stored awkwardly on the top shelf.</p><p>Here in this fragile environment, a scoring chance gone awry seldom becomes a building block in a wall of assurance. More often it acts like a virus, spreading negative messages throughout a system that eventually becomes so overloaded with negatives that it comes crashing down, bringing the player with it.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the one thing that&rsquo;s keeping Chris from becoming the player we think he can be,&rdquo; Lightning scout Don Murdoch said of Gratton&rsquo;s confidence. &ldquo;Hockey-wise he has got all the tools. It&rsquo;s the rest that seems to be holding him back.&rdquo;</p><p>Gratton knows this. Each of the last two years, he has felt his confidence and then his game slip away. In each case, the crash came after a good start-five goals, seven points in his first seven games last year-and before a good finish-two goals, four points in his final six games.</p><p>&ldquo;I think what happens is when I get into a slump like that I press too much,&rdquo; Gratton said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve just got to get better at dealing with the highs and lows. Winning the little battles, that creates confidence&rdquo;</p><p>Gratton is doing better at winning the big battles. Since joining the Lightning three years ago his goal totals have steadily improved, from 13 his rookie season to seven in a 46-game season two years ago to 17 last year. But assist totals have not followed the same line of progression. He has registered 29, 20 and 21 and those figures have led some to theorize Gratton has not kept pace with his scheduled rate of progression. The Lightning doesn&rsquo;t buy that argument.</p><p>When speaking of Gratton, a 6-foot-4, 218-pound center taken third overall in the 1993 entry draft, they refer to Cam Neely and Keith Primeau and point out both spent three years struggling before they emerged as forces in their fourth seasons.</p><p>Other teams must feel the same way, for Gratton&rsquo;s name is constantly brought up in trade talks by opposing clubs.</p><p>The Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and Pittsburgh Penguins are among the teams that reportedly covet Gratton, who understands fully why Neely and Primeau needed time to develop.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care who you are, if you come into this league at 18 or 19, you&rsquo;re going to have problems,&rdquo; Gratton said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a boy in a man&rsquo;s world. It takes time to adjust.</p><p>&ldquo;When I first came here, I couldn&rsquo;t let go of the game. If I had a bad game, I&rsquo;d dwell on it. Keep thinking about it. You can&rsquo;t do that. You&rsquo;ve got to forget about it. That&rsquo;s what makes great players great.&rdquo;</p><p>Apparently that&rsquo;s a factor in keeping Gratton from greatness, because the skills have all improved. His skating is more fluid than ever, the result of three straight summers of power skating instruction. His decision making is more reliable and his defensive awareness more keen.</p><p>The only thing that remains unsteady is his confidence level, which varies more than his taste in music. Into the 12-speaker sound system that runs throughout his Florida home Gratton pours everything from the Tragically Hip to Garth Brooks to Oasis.</p><p>&ldquo;I really love my music,&rdquo; said Gratton, whose CD player provides what little variety there is to his life on the road, where he seldom ventures out of his hotel room.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m big on room service. Room service and movies,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll go to dinner with the guys once in a while, but I usually just head back to the room, watch a movie and go to bed. Kind of boring, I guess, but that&rsquo;s me. I&rsquo;m not big on going out. I have my fun, but I just keep pretty much to myself.&rdquo;</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0352/6815830-1-eng-US/f0065-032.jpg" title="f0065-03" width="676" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Tampa Bay&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0437/6815823-1-eng-US/f0065-042.jpg" title="f0065-04" width="672" height="965"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0525/6815816-1-eng-US/f0065-052.jpg" title="f0065-05" width="670" height="163"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0065-0618/6815809-1-eng-US/f0065-062.jpg" title="f0065-06" width="668" height="398"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0065-02

Time prime for Gratton

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0066-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0254/6815903-1-eng-US/f0066-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Wendel Clark will have a full season to prove he still has his scoring touch.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Mark Buckner)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0192/6815910-1-eng-US/f0066-012.jpg" title="f0066-01" width="191" height="191"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>heoretically, the Toronto Maple Leafs can make an argument they&rsquo;ll be better this season despite not having added better athletes over the summer.</p><p>Whether that theory translates into reality, however, remains very iffy as Mike Murphy enters his first season as coach and Cliff Fletcher begins what looms as the most critical campaign of his term as Toronto GM.</p><p>Fletcher has already set his goal of 90 points, a 10-point improvement that seems modest, but will be difficult to achieve.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not looking at it through rosecolored glasses,&rdquo; Fletcher said. &ldquo;If we can get back to playing solid defensive hockey, with a good power play and work ethic, we&rsquo;ll be competitive.&rdquo;</p><p>The Leaf improvement theory is actually two-pronged. First, the front office thinking goes, none of the Leafs&rsquo; top players enjoyed anything close to career seasons last year.</p><p>Mats Sundin had 83 points, Doug Gilmour had 72, Larry Murphy fell off badly after a strong start and goaltender Felix Potvin turned in his second mediocre season despite posting decent numbers. Kirk Muller had a miserable season that included a lengthy holdout and 13 goals in 51 games.</p><p>Mathieu Schneider and Wendel Clark, meanwhile, didn&rsquo;t join the squad until March 13 in a controversial deal with the New York Islanders, and had little time to contribute.</p><p>That&rsquo;s seven names, and all underachieving ones. If three of them play up to potential and two overachieve, then maybe Fletcher and Murphy will have a happier season than many anticipate.</p><p>Sundin, in particular, holds the key to a better Leaf result. After an inconsistent work ethic left many disappointed last year, he starred for Sweden at the World Cup and was a main reason why the Swedes nearly upset Canada in the semifinal before losing in overtime.</p><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to need it on a nightly basis from Mats,&rdquo; Mike Murphy said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s fair to ask someone to play that far above everybody every night. Gretzky doesn&rsquo;t do it. Messier doesn&rsquo;t do it. Lindros doesn&rsquo;t do it.</p><p>&ldquo;But Mats has set his own standard (in the World Cup) and he realizes it&rsquo;s what everyone expects of him now.&rdquo;</p><p>Sundin reported to camp at about 225 pounds, 10 pounds heavier than last year and all of it in lower body muscle. &ldquo;This might be the first year that I really see myself as one of the real leaders on the team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s something that has been a real question for me.&rdquo;</p><p>The second part of the Leafs&rsquo; we&rsquo;ll-be-better theory centers on the so-called youth movement, although this is certainly a more dubious proposition.</p><p>First off, the kiddie effort was hardly Fletcher&rsquo;s idea, since he&rsquo;d made his mark in Toronto more by spending on expensive veterans than developing youth. Last season alone, he dealt Damian Rhodes, Kenny Jonsson, Ken Belanger, Darby Hendrickson and the club&rsquo;s first round picks in 1996 and 1997.</p><p>Hardly the basis for a youth movement. But after an 80-point season and first round playoff flop, owner Steve Stavro demanded Fletcher stop spending and start developing. That led to the dumping of Mike Gartner, Todd Gill and Dave Gagner, while Dave Andreychuk was dealt at the 1996 trading deadline. The only immediate help the Leafs received was center Jamie Baker.</p><p>Instead of going after expensive free agents such as Jeremy Roenick or Pat Verbeek, Fletcher was forced to set his sights somewhat lower on bargain basement buys such as former Leafs Scott Pearson and Daniel Marois-both castoffs from other organizations.</p><p>There is some youth to offer optimism, but even the most highly rated prospects, center Brandon Convery and defenseman Jeff Ware among them, are longshots to be impact players.</p><p>Toronto&rsquo;s best hope may lie in winger Sergei Berezin, the only non-NHL member of the Russian World Cup team. A sniper the past two seasons in the German League, Berezin may be able to pick up some of the scoring slack created by the losses of Gartner and Andreychuk.</p><p>Theoretically, then, the Leafs could be better. But unless Sundin plays like Mario Lemieux and the longshot kids turn into gold, it isn&rsquo;t likely to be reality.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-0317/6815896-1-eng-US/f0066-032.jpg" title="f0066-03" width="674" height="331"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Toronto&rsquo;s top 24 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 199697 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-047/6815889-1-eng-US/f0066-042.jpg" title="f0066-04" width="669" height="961"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-052/6815882-1-eng-US/f0066-052.jpg" title="f0066-05" width="669" height="129"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0066-062/6815875-1-eng-US/f0066-062.jpg" title="f0066-06" width="671" height="399"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0066-02

Be-Leaf it when it happens

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0067-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0230/6815969-1-eng-US/f0067-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Canucks&rsquo; star Pavel Bure says he has no doubt his knee is completely healed.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0168/6815976-1-eng-US/f0067-012.jpg" title="f0067-01" width="189" height="190"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>M</span>aybe it was the number change. Pavel Bure insists he&rsquo;s not superstitious, no way, although nothing but bad luck has dogged him since he switched from No. 10 to 96.</p><p>It began in the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; last pre-season game a year ago when, enraged by what he felt was a cheap shot, Bure began punching away at Calgary Flames&rsquo; agitator Ron Stem and dislocated a finger by hitting a teammate&rsquo;s helmet.</p><p>Then on Nov. 9, just as his finger appeared to have finally healed, his right knee was ripped apart behind the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; net as the result of a considerable nudge from Hawk defenseman Steve Smith.</p><p>That took Bure out until this summer&rsquo;s World Cup, where six days before Russia&rsquo;s opening game, he suffered a bruised kidney in a collision with Team USA blueliner Brian Leetch. The latest mishap sidelined him for another three weeks during which he missed all of the World Cup and the first part of the Canucks&rsquo; training camp.</p><p>But the Russian Rocket is back, still wearing No. 96 and ready for lift off in the 1996-97 NHL season.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I appreciate hockey more right now,&rdquo; said Bure, 25, and entering his sixth year with the Canucks. &ldquo;Sometimes when you&rsquo;re playing you complain there&rsquo;s too many games or you&rsquo;re too tired. But when I had to practise for six months by myself, it was really boring. I started to appreciate games and how exciting it is to go on the ice and have 18,000 people cheering for you.&rdquo;</p><p>Bure has played fewer than 15 meaningful games since Vancouver was eliminated from the 1995 playoffs. In fact, he hasn&rsquo;t had a completely healthy season since 1992-93.</p><p>&ldquo;It was a really long season for me last year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad I&rsquo;m over the injuries: the kidney, the knee. Everything feels fine now.&rdquo;</p><p>If he feels fine, you can imagine how rookie coach Tom Renney, Canuck management and the rest of the players feel. The Canucks finished three games below.500 last season and, with a healthy Bure, would have conservatively had another 10 points and an easier first round playoff matchup. Who knows? Maybe they would have taken off as they did in the 1994 post-season.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great player,&rdquo; said teammate Russ Courtnall. &ldquo;It has been a long time and it&rsquo;s nice to have him back.&rdquo;</p><p>Of course, only time will tell if he&rsquo;s all the way back. Many athletes find the psychological barrier of a major injury more difficult to overcome than the physical one. Will Bure be the dashing, game-breaking, crowd-pleasing player he once was? Or will he be a tentative peripheral player, unwilling to wander in high-traffic areas?</p><p>&ldquo;I really trust the knee,&rdquo; Bure insisted. &ldquo;I know it&rsquo;s healthy. (Canuck surgeon) Ross Davidson said I can do whatever I want on it.&rdquo;</p><p>Bure&rsquo;s presence in the lineup should affect the team profoundly. When he is on the ice, the opposition usually puts its best defensive pairing against him, leaving more opportunity for the other Canuck lines to do some damage. He can play the point on the power play, where his booming shot, or even the threat of it, is a vital weapon. He can play the sideboards and is a key man on the break-ins. He draws penalties with his tremendous speed and is dangerous shorthanded as well.</p><p>Of course, there is also the matter of Bure and fellow Russian Alexander Mogilny clicking as linemates. The experiment began shakily last season and the two natural right wingers were initially split up by ex-coach Rick Ley. They finally exploded for a combined six-point game against the New York Islanders Nov. 7 and then Bure went down two nights later.</p><p>Renney will undoubtedly revisit the Bure-Mogilny-linemate experiment to see whether one can be comfortable on the left side and whether there is a center capable of playing with them to provide a defensive conscience.</p><p>The Canuck fortunes don&rsquo;t reside solely on the knees and kidneys of Bure-the team is still weak at center and on the blue-line-but a healthy productive Russian Rocket should make life exciting again on Canada&rsquo;s west coast.</p><h2><i><b>TEAM COMPARISON</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0318/6815962-1-eng-US/f0067-032.jpg" title="f0067-03" width="676" height="334"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 VETERANS&rsquo; SCORING</b></i></h2><p>Here are Vancouver&rsquo;s top 25 NHL veterans, listed in order of 1995-96 regular season scoring. Veteran newcomers are included on the list; their previous teams are listed in parentheses. 1995-96 rookies are included where appropriate and may be listed among 1996-97 rookie candidates.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-0412/6815955-1-eng-US/f0067-042.jpg" title="f0067-04" width="671" height="1005"></div><h2><i><b>1995-96 GOALIE RECORDS</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-058/6815948-1-eng-US/f0067-052.jpg" title="f0067-05" width="673" height="128"></div><h2><i><b>1996-97 ROOKIE CANDIDATES</b></i></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0067-067/6815941-1-eng-US/f0067-062.jpg" title="f0067-06" width="660" height="402"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0067-02

Repaired Rocket ready

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>hree months wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough time last winter for Ken Hitchcock to revive the floundering Dallas Stars. This task, even for Hitchcock, was simply too large. And that&rsquo;s certainly saying something.</p><p>Hitchcock, 44, used to look like a sumo wrestler and weighed more than many NHL defense pairings. With a combination of workouts and a change in diet he is now down to about 220 pounds-less than half the man he once was.</p><p>He hates the workouts and changing the diet was tough, but the Stars were starving more than he was. They were starving for goals.</p><p>So Hitchcock loosened the reigns after taking over from Bob Gainey as coach in early January. He replaced Gainey&rsquo;s cautious approach with an attacking style he cultivated while coaching the Western League&rsquo;s Kamloops Blazers and watching the freewheeling Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s.</p><p>Defensemen were encouraged to push into the play when Dallas had the puck so all skaters on the ice could work as a five-man unit. He let his players apply pressure on the puck and gave more ice time for his skill players, such as Mike Modano, to do it.</p><p>Players liked the new style, but wins were no easier to find. The Stars were 11-19-9 (.397) before Hitchcock arrived and 15-23-5 (.407) after. Six wins and a tie in seven games in late February raised some hopes, but in the end they finished out of a playoff spot by 12 points.</p><p>&ldquo;We were all embarrassed and upset by last year,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;We needed to be a better team in every part of our game, not just our talent, but our commitment.&rdquo;</p><p>While Pat Verbeek and Dave Reid should help with the scoring woes, Hitchcock realizes his team needs more fire in its belly. Last season he learned the skills he needed to improve were interpersonal, not tactical. He had to learn how to build up relationships, nurture them so players would buy into the system and work ethic he was trying to instill.</p><p>He had gained a reputation as a fiery, sometimes contrary disciplinarian who inspired through intimidation, but those days are through.</p><p>&ldquo;Guys here see right through that stuff,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The things I had to learn as a head guy (in the NHL) weren&rsquo;t the Xs and Os. I think I have a pretty good handle on the Xs and Os. The toughness you show up here is your commitment to the game, to the team game.&rdquo;</p><p>Gainey, the Stars&rsquo; GM, had a plan when he hired a coach for the Kalamazoo K-Wings-the Stars&rsquo; International League affiliate-four years ago. He wanted to hire someone who could eventually take over behind the Dallas bench. Hitchcock had all the right qualifications, including three years as an assistant with the Philadelphia Flyers.</p><p>More recently, though, Hitchcock realized there are some things, such as health and lifestyle, that are more important than hockey.</p><p>&ldquo;When I was young I couldn&rsquo;t distinguish hockey from life. Hockey was life,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That has changed now.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0161/6816073-1-eng-US/f0071-012.jpg" title="f0071-01" width="590" height="1086"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ken Hitchcock</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0071-01

New-look Hitch talking to Stars

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0226/6816125-1-eng-US/f0071-022.jpg" title="f0071-02" width="240" height="331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Don Hay</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0315/6816118-1-eng-US/f0071-032.jpg" title="f0071-03" width="240" height="330"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Murphy</b></figcaption></div><p>Here&rsquo;s a look at the four new NHL coaches this season.</p><p><b>Don Hay.</b> 42, Phoenix. Assistant coach with Calgary, 1995-96. Won back-to-back Memorial Cups with Kamloops (WHL) in 1994 and 1995. Led Canadian junior team to gold medal in World Junior Championship in 1995.</p><p><b>Mike Murphy,</b> 45, Toronto. Assistant coach, Vancouver, Rangers, Toronto, 1987-88 to 1995-96. Head coach, Los Angeles, 69 games in 1986-87 and 1987-88. Right winger played 12 seasons with three NHL teams. Had 556 career points.</p><p><b>Tom Renney,</b> 41, Vancouver. Won Olympic silver with Canadian national team in 1994, bronze in 1995 World Championship, silver in 1996. Won Memorial Cup with Kamloops in 1992.</p><p><b>Al Sims.</b> 43, San Jose. Assistant coach, Anaheim, 1993-94 to 1995-96. Coach-GM. Fort Wayne Komets (IHL), 1989-90 to 1992-93, won Turner Cup in 1993. IHL coach of year in 1993. Defenseman played 10 seasons with three NHL teams.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-0411/6816111-1-eng-US/f0071-042.jpg" title="f0071-04" width="240" height="331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tom Renney</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0071-058/6816104-1-eng-US/f0071-052.jpg" title="f0071-05" width="243" height="331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Al Sims</b></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0071-02

Four coaches making debuts

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-0155/6816184-1-eng-US/f0072-012.jpg" title="f0072-01" width="443" height="644"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Terry Murray</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-0223/6816177-1-eng-US/f0072-022.jpg" title="f0072-02" width="443" height="642"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Keenan</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-0310/6816170-1-eng-US/f0072-032.jpg" title="f0072-03" width="446" height="646"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Terry Crisp</b></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-047/6816163-1-eng-US/f0072-042.jpg" title="f0072-04" width="444" height="646"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pierre Page</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0072-053/6816156-1-eng-US/f0072-052.jpg" title="f0072-05" width="1791" height="2541"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0072-01

Roster of coaches, GMs

f0073-01

NHL REVIEW: 1995-96

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-0152/6816253-1-eng-US/f0074-012.jpg" title="f0074-01" width="428" height="366"></div><p><b>Here&rsquo;s the round-trip mileage for flights around each of the league&rsquo;s four divisions.</b></p><p><b>Pacific Division:</b></p><p><b>3,565 miles</b></p><p>Edmonton</p><p>Calgary</p><p>Vancouver</p><p>San Jose</p><p>Los Angeles</p><p>Anaheim</p><p>Colorado (Denver)</p><p><b>Central Division:</b></p><p><b>4,002 miles</b></p><p>Toronto</p><p>Phoenix</p><p>Dallas</p><p>St. Louis</p><p>Chicago</p><p>Detroit</p><p><b>Northeast Division:</b></p><p><b>1,630 miles</b></p><p>Buffalo</p><p>Pittsburgh</p><p>Hartford</p><p>Boston</p><p>Montreal</p><p>Ottawa</p><p><b>Atlantic Division:</b></p><p><b>2,456 miles</b></p><p>New York</p><p>Philadelphia</p><p>Washington</p><p>Tampa</p><p>Florida (Miami)</p><p>Long Island</p><p>New Jersey</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-0219/6816246-1-eng-US/f0074-022.jpg" title="f0074-02" width="425" height="365"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0074-01

NHL DIVISION ROUND TRIPS

<p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>ayne Gretzky has sizeable leads in all offensive categories among active players. Here are the leaders entering the season. Information includes goals per game (GPG), assists per game (APG) and points per game (PPG).</p><h2><b>GOALS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-038/6816305-1-eng-US/f0074-032.jpg" title="f0074-03" width="578" height="715"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-046/6816298-1-eng-US/f0074-042.jpg" title="f0074-04" width="588" height="690"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Gartner hit the 30-plus goal mark for the 16th time last year.</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>ASSISTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-053/6816291-1-eng-US/f0074-052.jpg" title="f0074-05" width="580" height="713"></div><h2><b>POINTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0074-063/6816284-1-eng-US/f0074-062.jpg" title="f0074-06" width="574" height="720"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0074-03

NHL ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0075-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0075-0149/6816336-1-eng-US/f0075-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>It&rsquo;s game over now whenever Sabre Rob Ray loses his shirt in a fight.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ten things worth remembering about last season:</b></p><p>1. The Detroit Red Wings set an NHL record for regular season wins (62), which is easy to forget given their playoff loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final.</p><p>2. The Avalanche became the first team to win the Stanley Cup in its first year in a new city, which may be heartening news for the rapidly improving Phoenix Coyotes.</p><p>3. Mario Lemieux won the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy after playing only 70 of 82 games.</p><p>4. Wayne Gretzky started the season as a Los Angeles King and finished as a St. Louis Blue after registering 102 points in perhaps the most trying year of his career.</p><p>5. Last season&rsquo;s defending champion New Jersey Devils failed to qualify for the playoffs even though they finished four games over.500.</p><p>6. Chronic injuries forced the retirement of two of the game&rsquo;s top power forwards-Boston Bruin Cam Neely (hip) and Calgary Flame Gary Roberts (back/neck).</p><p>7. The top two selections in the 1994 entry draft were traded for each other-the Ottawa Senators sending No. 1 pick Bryan Berard, a promising young defenseman from the Ontario League, to the New York Islanders in exchange for No. 2 pick Wade Redden, a promising young defenseman from the Western League.</p><p>8. Senior NHL referee Andy van Hellemond retired after 20-plus seasons in the league.</p><p>9. Hartford and Edmonton waged successful (?) campaigns to keep the Whalers and Oilers, respectively, although Hartford&rsquo;s hold on its NHL team is, at best, tenuous.</p><p>10. The Florida Panthers were the talk of the NHL after going 31-13-5 to start the season and finished that way, too, rolling to playoff series wins over the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins before being swept by Colorado in the Cup final.</p><p><b>Ten things to look forward to this season:</b></p><p>1. Every game Mario Lemieux plays; this may be his last season.</p><p>2. A full season of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne playing hockey the way it was meant to be played.</p><p>3. The ongoing love/hate affair between St. Louis Blues&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Keenan and star right winger Brett Hull. Something has to give soonet or later and when it does, it&rsquo;s bound to be spectacular in nature.</p><p>4. More designer-style third uniforms. (Just kidding).</p><p>5. The first time Buffalo&rsquo;s Rob Ray ends up disrobed in a fight and receives the automatic game misconduct.</p><p>6. The opening of the Ice Palace in Tampa Bay, because no hockey team should have to play in a baseball stadium. Incidentally, the Flyers will open the new CoreStates Center and the Sabres, the Marine Midland Arena.</p><p>7. The chemistry impact of Eric Lacroix on the defending champion Avalanche and his GM-father Pierre.</p><p>8. Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier in the Big Apple. To what extent can a couple of golden oldies get it done?</p><p>9. A more competitive Ottawa Senators&rsquo; team that, thanks largely to the New York Islanders, isn&rsquo;t guaranteed to finish in last place.</p><p>10. Alexei Zhamnov and Jeremy Roenick playing better games than they talk.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0075-01

Kariya-Selanne pairing Ducky

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0078-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0078-0144/6816374-1-eng-US/f0078-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Chris Pronger and St. Louis are there from start to finish; they play on the first and last days of the season.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0079-0146/6816367-1-eng-US/f0079-012.jpg" title="f0079-01" width="3126" height="3667"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0078-01

SCHEDULE

1996-97 NHL SCHEDULE

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-0217/6816510-1-eng-US/f0080-022.jpg" title="f0080-02" width="388" height="3214"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-039/6816503-1-eng-US/f0080-032.jpg" title="f0080-03" width="371" height="574"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-044/6816496-1-eng-US/f0080-042.jpg" title="f0080-04" width="379" height="2817"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-0136/6816489-1-eng-US/f0080-012.jpg" title="f0080-01" width="1171" height="1494"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jamie Ram&rsquo;s Binghamton Rangers host Springfield New Year&rsquo;s Eve.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-053/6816482-1-eng-US/f0080-052.jpg" title="f0080-05" width="379" height="1262"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-06/6816475-1-eng-US/f0080-062.jpg" title="f0080-06" width="372" height="585"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-07/6816468-1-eng-US/f0080-072.jpg" title="f0080-07" width="384" height="1949"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-08/6816461-1-eng-US/f0080-082.jpg" title="f0080-08" width="380" height="1945"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-09/6816454-1-eng-US/f0080-092.jpg" title="f0080-09" width="386" height="3377"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-10/6816447-1-eng-US/f0080-102.jpg" title="f0080-10" width="374" height="757"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-11/6816440-1-eng-US/f0080-112.jpg" title="f0080-11" width="382" height="2647"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-12/6816433-1-eng-US/f0080-122.jpg" title="f0080-12" width="374" height="1424"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0080-13/6816426-1-eng-US/f0080-132.jpg" title="f0080-13" width="384" height="1972"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-0234/6816419-1-eng-US/f0081-022.jpg" title="f0081-02" width="389" height="2772"></div><h2><b>April</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-0324/6816412-1-eng-US/f0081-032.jpg" title="f0081-03" width="384" height="642"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-0412/6816405-1-eng-US/f0081-042.jpg" title="f0081-04" width="379" height="1539"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0080-02

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-058/6816660-1-eng-US/f0081-052.jpg" title="f0081-05" width="382" height="1706"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-063/6816653-1-eng-US/f0081-062.jpg" title="f0081-06" width="385" height="2352"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-072/6816646-1-eng-US/f0081-072.jpg" title="f0081-07" width="373" height="1047"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-0155/6816639-1-eng-US/f0081-012.jpg" title="f0081-01" width="1173" height="2088"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Mike Prokopec and the Indianapolis Ice open at home on Oct. 5.</b></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-082/6816632-1-eng-US/f0081-082.jpg" title="f0081-08" width="375" height="1363"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-092/6816625-1-eng-US/f0081-092.jpg" title="f0081-09" width="379" height="1371"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-102/6816618-1-eng-US/f0081-102.jpg" title="f0081-10" width="377" height="1099"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-11/6816611-1-eng-US/f0081-112.jpg" title="f0081-11" width="371" height="169"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-12/6816604-1-eng-US/f0081-122.jpg" title="f0081-12" width="383" height="3504"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-13/6816597-1-eng-US/f0081-132.jpg" title="f0081-13" width="377" height="1060"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0081-14/6816590-1-eng-US/f0081-142.jpg" title="f0081-14" width="394" height="2350"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-0133/6816583-1-eng-US/f0082-012.jpg" title="f0082-01" width="386" height="2169"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-0211/6816576-1-eng-US/f0082-022.jpg" title="f0082-02" width="371" height="1230"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-038/6816569-1-eng-US/f0082-032.jpg" title="f0082-03" width="389" height="2700"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-045/6816562-1-eng-US/f0082-042.jpg" title="f0082-04" width="374" height="715"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-053/6816555-1-eng-US/f0082-052.jpg" title="f0082-05" width="384" height="3502"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-062/6816548-1-eng-US/f0082-062.jpg" title="f0082-06" width="377" height="902"></div><h2><b>April</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-072/6816541-1-eng-US/f0082-072.jpg" title="f0082-07" width="387" height="2490"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0081-05

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-082/6816768-1-eng-US/f0082-082.jpg" title="f0082-08" width="384" height="2386"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-092/6816761-1-eng-US/f0082-092.jpg" title="f0082-09" width="371" height="739"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-102/6816754-1-eng-US/f0082-102.jpg" title="f0082-10" width="386" height="3509"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-112/6816747-1-eng-US/f0082-112.jpg" title="f0082-11" width="384" height="1517"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-122/6816740-1-eng-US/f0082-122.jpg" title="f0082-12" width="382" height="1884"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0082-13/6816733-1-eng-US/f0082-132.jpg" title="f0082-13" width="392" height="3514"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0141/6816726-1-eng-US/f0083-012.jpg" title="f0083-01" width="387" height="3394"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0217/6816719-1-eng-US/f0083-022.jpg" title="f0083-02" width="382" height="1844"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0313/6816712-1-eng-US/f0083-032.jpg" title="f0083-03" width="378" height="1560"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-0410/6816705-1-eng-US/f0083-042.jpg" title="f0083-04" width="380" height="3488"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-058/6816698-1-eng-US/f0083-052.jpg" title="f0083-05" width="383" height="3382"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-065/6816691-1-eng-US/f0083-062.jpg" title="f0083-06" width="381" height="1168"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0082-08

EAST COAST LEAGUE

<h2><b>September</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-075/6816883-1-eng-US/f0083-072.jpg" title="f0083-07" width="377" height="1295"></div><h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-085/6816876-1-eng-US/f0083-082.jpg" title="f0083-08" width="375" height="664"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-095/6816869-1-eng-US/f0083-092.jpg" title="f0083-09" width="384" height="3102"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-103/6816862-1-eng-US/f0083-102.jpg" title="f0083-10" width="371" height="299"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-112/6816855-1-eng-US/f0083-112.jpg" title="f0083-11" width="382" height="3487"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-122/6816848-1-eng-US/f0083-122.jpg" title="f0083-12" width="373" height="258"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0083-132/6816841-1-eng-US/f0083-132.jpg" title="f0083-13" width="389" height="3135"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-0130/6816834-1-eng-US/f0084-012.jpg" title="f0084-01" width="364" height="137"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-0210/6816827-1-eng-US/f0084-022.jpg" title="f0084-02" width="380" height="3265"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-035/6816820-1-eng-US/f0084-032.jpg" title="f0084-03" width="374" height="938"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-042/6816813-1-eng-US/f0084-042.jpg" title="f0084-04" width="378" height="2459"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-052/6816806-1-eng-US/f0084-052.jpg" title="f0084-05" width="376" height="1419"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-062/6816799-1-eng-US/f0084-062.jpg" title="f0084-06" width="383" height="1983"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0083-07

ONTARIO LEAGUE

<h2><b>September</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-072/6816998-1-eng-US/f0084-072.jpg" title="f0084-07" width="374" height="1434"></div><h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-082/6816991-1-eng-US/f0084-082.jpg" title="f0084-08" width="380" height="1691"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-09/6816984-1-eng-US/f0084-092.jpg" title="f0084-09" width="379" height="2015"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-10/6816977-1-eng-US/f0084-102.jpg" title="f0084-10" width="374" height="1381"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-11/6816970-1-eng-US/f0084-112.jpg" title="f0084-11" width="380" height="2353"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-12/6816963-1-eng-US/f0084-122.jpg" title="f0084-12" width="374" height="1061"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-13/6816956-1-eng-US/f0084-132.jpg" title="f0084-13" width="377" height="2234"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-14/6816949-1-eng-US/f0084-142.jpg" title="f0084-14" width="379" height="1168"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-15/6816942-1-eng-US/f0084-152.jpg" title="f0084-15" width="387" height="2063"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0084-16/6816935-1-eng-US/f0084-162.jpg" title="f0084-16" width="376" height="1346"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-0134/6816928-1-eng-US/f0085-012.jpg" title="f0085-01" width="381" height="1964"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-0216/6816921-1-eng-US/f0085-022.jpg" title="f0085-02" width="378" height="1429"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-038/6816914-1-eng-US/f0085-032.jpg" title="f0085-03" width="374" height="261"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0084-07

QUEBEC LEAGUE

<h2><b>September</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-047/6817120-1-eng-US/f0085-042.jpg" title="f0085-04" width="381" height="1452"></div><h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-056/6817113-1-eng-US/f0085-052.jpg" title="f0085-05" width="374" height="1419"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-065/6817106-1-eng-US/f0085-062.jpg" title="f0085-06" width="394" height="3074"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-073/6817099-1-eng-US/f0085-072.jpg" title="f0085-07" width="370" height="320"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-083/6817092-1-eng-US/f0085-082.jpg" title="f0085-08" width="386" height="3497"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-093/6817085-1-eng-US/f0085-092.jpg" title="f0085-09" width="379" height="750"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-103/6817078-1-eng-US/f0085-102.jpg" title="f0085-10" width="384" height="2649"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-112/6817071-1-eng-US/f0085-112.jpg" title="f0085-11" width="372" height="1030"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-122/6817064-1-eng-US/f0085-122.jpg" title="f0085-12" width="381" height="2359"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-132/6817057-1-eng-US/f0085-132.jpg" title="f0085-13" width="384" height="2124"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-142/6817050-1-eng-US/f0085-142.jpg" title="f0085-14" width="377" height="1269"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-152/6817043-1-eng-US/f0085-152.jpg" title="f0085-15" width="386" height="3155"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0085-16/6817036-1-eng-US/f0085-162.jpg" title="f0085-16" width="369" height="224"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-0131/6817029-1-eng-US/f0086-012.jpg" title="f0086-01" width="381" height="2272"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0085-04

WESTERN LEAGUE

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-0210/6817200-1-eng-US/f0086-022.jpg" title="f0086-02" width="378" height="687"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-035/6817193-1-eng-US/f0086-032.jpg" title="f0086-03" width="365" height="222"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-042/6817186-1-eng-US/f0086-042.jpg" title="f0086-04" width="372" height="1217"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-052/6817179-1-eng-US/f0086-052.jpg" title="f0086-05" width="370" height="845"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-062/6817172-1-eng-US/f0086-062.jpg" title="f0086-06" width="369" height="1210"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-072/6817165-1-eng-US/f0086-072.jpg" title="f0086-07" width="375" height="423"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-082/6817158-1-eng-US/f0086-082.jpg" title="f0086-08" width="376" height="1504"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-092/6817151-1-eng-US/f0086-092.jpg" title="f0086-09" width="366" height="234"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0086-02

CCHA

<h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-102/6817273-1-eng-US/f0086-102.jpg" title="f0086-10" width="373" height="930"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-112/6817266-1-eng-US/f0086-112.jpg" title="f0086-11" width="371" height="502"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-122/6817259-1-eng-US/f0086-122.jpg" title="f0086-12" width="365" height="444"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-13/6817252-1-eng-US/f0086-132.jpg" title="f0086-13" width="368" height="1352"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-14/6817245-1-eng-US/f0086-142.jpg" title="f0086-14" width="368" height="888"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-15/6817238-1-eng-US/f0086-152.jpg" title="f0086-15" width="367" height="745"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-16/6817231-1-eng-US/f0086-162.jpg" title="f0086-16" width="366" height="222"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0086-10

ECAC

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-17/6817353-1-eng-US/f0086-172.jpg" title="f0086-17" width="370" height="620"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-18/6817346-1-eng-US/f0086-182.jpg" title="f0086-18" width="371" height="1498"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-19/6817339-1-eng-US/f0086-192.jpg" title="f0086-19" width="369" height="165"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-20/6817332-1-eng-US/f0086-202.jpg" title="f0086-20" width="369" height="716"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-21/6817325-1-eng-US/f0086-212.jpg" title="f0086-21" width="371" height="1488"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-22/6817318-1-eng-US/f0086-222.jpg" title="f0086-22" width="368" height="811"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-23/6817311-1-eng-US/f0086-232.jpg" title="f0086-23" width="374" height="825"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-24/6817304-1-eng-US/f0086-242.jpg" title="f0086-24" width="371" height="202"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0086-17

WCHA

<h2><b>October</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-25/6817426-1-eng-US/f0086-252.jpg" title="f0086-25" width="366" height="202"></div><h2><b>November</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-26/6817419-1-eng-US/f0086-262.jpg" title="f0086-26" width="374" height="1536"></div><h2><b>December</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-27/6817412-1-eng-US/f0086-272.jpg" title="f0086-27" width="369" height="203"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-28/6817405-1-eng-US/f0086-282.jpg" title="f0086-28" width="376" height="271"></div><h2><b>January</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-29/6817398-1-eng-US/f0086-292.jpg" title="f0086-29" width="379" height="1429"></div><h2><b>February</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-30/6817391-1-eng-US/f0086-302.jpg" title="f0086-30" width="372" height="1258"></div><h2><b>March</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0086-31/6817384-1-eng-US/f0086-312.jpg" title="f0086-31" width="370" height="206"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0086-25

HOCKEY EAST

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello</div><p>When Borje Salming lived in Toronto, he occasionally visited the old Hockey Hall of Fame.</p><p>Even when Salming moved on and the Hall moved downtown a few years ago, the quick Swede liked to stop in and take a slow walk during visits.</p><p>Next time, he&rsquo;ll see himself there.</p><p>The Hall of Fame&rsquo;s 18-member selection committee unanimously approved enshrinement of the former Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; rearguard in the players&rsquo; category. Also gaining induction were the late Bobby Bauer in the veteran players&rsquo; category and Al Arbour in the builders&rsquo; category.</p><p>The induction celebration takes place Nov. 25 in Toronto.</p><p>&ldquo;This is a dream come true for me,&rdquo; Salming said from his home in Waxholm, a suburb of Stockholm. &ldquo;When you grow up. you dream to play in the NHL. When you&rsquo;re in the NHL, you dream to be in the Hall.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0087-0136/6817457-1-eng-US/f0087-012.jpg" title="f0087-01" width="596" height="696"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Borje Salming</b></figcaption></div><p>Salming was among the first Europeans to play in the NHL when he joined Toronto in 1973. He was put to the test early by opponents testing his resolve and teammates curious about his resilience.</p><p>He picked up straight A&rsquo;s in his second NHL game, a road game against the Philadelphia Flyers.</p><p>&ldquo;I went into the comer with Dave Schultz, not knowing who he was,&rdquo; Salming recalled. &ldquo;I hit him, he gave me a high elbow. I slashed him, then we fought. I&rsquo;d say it was a draw.&rdquo;</p><p>Salming was a tough competitor during his career. He was solid defensively and added an offensive dimension. He holds virtually all Toronto scoring records for defenseman and is first in assists and third in games.</p><p>The Detroit Red Wings signed Salming for one season (1989-90). He finished his career with 150 goals and 787 points in 1,148 games. He was a first team all-star in 1977, a second team all-star five times and runner-up for the Norris Trophy in 1977 and 1980.</p><p>Salming was suspended eight games by NHL president John Ziegler in 1986 when he admitted to cocaine use. Hall of Fame chairman Bill Hay said the issue was discussed by the selection committee, but wasn&rsquo;t a factor in its decision. Doug Wilson, Rogie Vachon and the late Roger Crozier were also nominated, but didn&rsquo;t receive 75 percent endorsements.</p><p>Bauer played right wing on The Kraut Line with Woody Dumart and Milt Schmidt during 10 seasons with the Boston Bruins. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound Waterloo, Ont., native scored 123 goals and 260 points in 328 games and won the Lady Byng Trophy in 1940, 1941 and 1947.</p><p>Arbour, 63, coached the New York Islanders to four Stanley Cups in the early 1980s and is second on the alltime coaching list with 781 victories.</p><p>Arbour also played 14 NHL seasons.</p><p><i>Hockey Night in Canada</i> play-by-play man Bob Cole received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for excellence in broadcasting. Cole has been the voice of <i>HNIC</i> for 20 years.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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October 1, 1996

Sergei surges forward

NHL’S TOP 20 GOALIES

On Top of the World

No more false starts