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October 25, 1996

October 25, 1996

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.

IN THIS ISSUE

Whalers made most of bad situation

All things considered, the Hartford Whalers didn’t fare too badly. When evaluating the return on the trade of Brendan Shanahan, keep two points in mind. One, the Whalers didn’t want to trade Shanahan. He forced them into it, which is often the recipe for disaster in terms of getting equal value or a fair return. Two, whatever Hartford got must be equated with what they gave up to acquire Shanahan in the first place. That is, defenseman Chris Pronger. Effectively, the Whalers traded Pronger for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey and Detroit’s first-round pick in 1997. Not bad. “I’m happy with how it worked out, considering this was a trade we really didn’t want to make,” said Whalers’ GM Jim Rutherford. “It was a deal with considerable risk.” Rutherford rolled the dice and won. He went ahead…

LEAGUES

Jackson front and Central

He scored 50 goals and 115 points last year and complained about his icetime. His coach had a few complaints, too. Even with his third straight Central League season of 90-plus points, San Antonio Iguanas’ center Paul Jackson thinks he has something to prove in 1996-97. “The last couple of seasons, I’ve had decent years, but I haven’t been happy with my overall performance.” said Jackson, who has had 250 points the past two seasons with the Iguanas. “Part of it was that I didn’t get a chance to play as much as I would have liked.” And part of the problem was that former San Antonio coach John Torchetti didn’t like Jackson’s defensive efforts and sat him in occasional third period situations. And even during other situations, Jackson played second fiddle to…

FEATURES

History, Habs top fall books

The puck has dropped on the NHL season-and on a fresh crop of hockey books you can read during intermissions. Among them is Original Six: True Stories from Hockey’s Classic Era, a tidy, pocket-sized book focussing on memorable moments from the pre-expansion era. It’s a welcome addition to hockey’s scant collection of historical fiction. Edited by Canadian novelist Paul Quarrington, Original Six ($21.99 Cdn., $15.99 U.S., 160 pages) contains six bite-sized stories, one per team. Each puts a creative, myth-making spin on a real event, such as the Rocket Richard Riot in 1955. Literary license is considerable; the actual events are merely launching points. Prominent Canadian sports writer Trent Frayne was instructed to “Write us a little fiction. Just make sure it’s true.” He does that about King Clancy and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hockey doesn’t…

IN THIS ISSUE

Join in The Leafs Celebration.