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 25, 1996

The Hockey News October 25, 1996

<div class="byline">By Chris Miller</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-011342/10079126-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gopher Glory Mike Crowley played for the U.S. team at last year&rsquo;s World Championship in Vienna. (Photo by Ross Dettman)</figcaption></div>Do you want to know why Mike Crowley dominates college hockey games?People can&rsquo;t tell you. Oh, they can try. But they bumble and stumble and end up talking in esoteric terms, but what they&rsquo;re trying to say is, he has The Gift.The junior defenseman at the University of Minnesota possesses a jumble of vision, anticipation, skill and ice smarts that enable him to do things better, faster and more judiciously than anyone else on the ice.As a sophomore last season, Crowley was a first-team all-America and Hobey Baker Award finalist. And after having his NHL rights traded from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, he played on the bronze medal winning U.S. team at the World Championship.The good news for the Gophers is bad news for the rest of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association: He&rsquo;s back.And we&rsquo;ll see more of him. Crowley is being counted on to lead a young team that lost key players such as Hobey Baker Award winner Brian Bonin and, perhaps more significantly, four veteran defenseman. Although Crowley got tons of ice time last year, especially on special teams, he&rsquo;ll be skating more in 1996-97.Crowley didn&rsquo;t consider turning pro after last season, although Anaheim coach Ron Wilson did get a good look at the 5-foot-11, 187-pound defenseman during the World Championship.&ldquo;I like the way it worked out, because I got a taste of what it was like at a high calibre of hockey,&rdquo; Crowley said.The knock on Crowley is his size. Although he&rsquo;ll never be mistaken for a Hatcher brother, Crowley has confidence he&rsquo;ll be successful someday in the NHL.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard about it at every level,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;From peewees to bantams to high school to college, there&rsquo;s always a question whether I&rsquo;ll be able to do things at the next level. The truth is, no one knows until I get there. If anything, that talk makes me work harder.&rdquo;Gophers&rsquo; coach Doug Woog plans to make sure other teams don&rsquo;t rough up his star, a situation that happened frequently in 1995-96&ldquo;Who&rsquo;s going to be his partner? Hey, Mike&rsquo;s so good he can play all by himself,&rdquo; Woog joked. &ldquo;But I think guys took runs at him. He doesn&rsquo;t look for protection, but we&rsquo;ve got to make sure guys don&rsquo;t take liberties with him.&rdquo;Crowley, 21, was a legend in high school, leading Bloomington Jefferson to three straight Minnesota prep titles.He stepped right in at Minnesota, earning WCHA top rookie honors before his record-setting sophomore season. A B-plus student, he had 17 goals and 63 points last year before Minnesota lost 4-3 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterfinal on the &ldquo;lacrosse&rdquo; goal scored by Michigan&rsquo;s Mike Legg.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen the replays enough,&rdquo; Crowley groaned. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to lose a game like that. But the bottom line is we got beat by a better team, the NCAA champions. We have to live with it and hope things go better for us this year.&rdquo;How will Crowley deal with the added pressure, especially that of being team co-captain?&ldquo;Dan Trebil was our captain last year; he was my defensive partner and a very good friend,&rdquo; Crowley said. &ldquo;He just went out and played the game and the rest of us followed his lead. I&rsquo;ll be like that. I&rsquo;m not going to change, I just have to play like I can and lead that way.&rdquo;Here&rsquo;s how things shape up in the WCHA this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Last year&rsquo;s conference records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. All 10 teams qualify for the playoffs.1. Denver Pioneers (17-12-3, third place, lost WCHA quarterfinal). Coach: George Gwozdecky. Kingpin: Senior left winger Antti Laaksonen, 23, has big-time skills and speed and was all-WCHA as a junior. Fresh face: Center Jon Newman, 20, is a tricky playmaker on a veteran team. Outlook: The Pioneers collapsed down the stretch last season, but have a proven goalie in Jim Mullin and an all-around star in center Erik Andersson.2. Minnesota Gophers (21-9-2, second place, won WCHA championship, lost NCAA West Regional). Coach: Doug Woog. Kingpin: Junior defenseman Mike Crowley, 21, will prove he&rsquo;s the league&rsquo;s most dominant player. Fresh face: Defenseman Ben Clymer, 18, is probably America&rsquo;s top teenaged blueliner. Outlook: The Gophers must patch up their defense, but have lots of scoring punch. The offense is led by Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; No. 1 draft pick in 1996, winger Erik Rasmussen.3. Colorado College Tigers (26-2-4, first place, lost WCHA semifinal, lost NCAA final). Coach: Don Lucia. Kingpin: Sophomore center Brian Swanson, 20, is a brilliant playmaker and scorer who was the league&rsquo;s top freshman last season. Fresh face: Center Toby Petersen, 17, skipped his final year of high school to join brother Ian at CC. Outlook: Another outstanding freshman class could help it to an unprecedented fourth straight WCHA regular season title.4. St. Cloud State Huskies (10-18-4, eighth place, lost WCHA playoff qualifying game). Coach: Craig Dahl. Kingpin: Sophomore center Matt Cullen, 19, turned down an offer from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to return to school. Fresh face: Josh DeWolf, 19, was the U.S. Hockey League&rsquo;s best defenseman last season. Outlook: The Huskies should make the biggest jump of any team if their inexperienced defense can support star forwards Cullen, Mark Parrish, Dave Paradise and Sacha Molin.5. Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (16-15-1. tied for fourth place, lost WCHA quarterfinal). Coach: Mike Sertich. Kingpin: Junior center Mike Peluso, 22, is consistently among the league&rsquo;s top scoring threats. Fresh face: Goalie Brant Nicklin, 20, will get a chance to fill the Bulldogs&rsquo; top need area. Outlook: An experienced defense should keep the Bulldogs steady until their goalies get some experience, but they need more offense from the forwards.6. North Dakota Fighting Sioux (16-15-1, tied for fourth place, lost WCHA quarterfinal, lost NCAA quarterfinal). Coach: Dean Blais. Kingpin: Sophomore left winger Ian Kallay, 22, jumps into a lead role after an outstanding freshman season. Fresh face: Right winger Brad DeFauw, 18, is 6-foot-4 and physical, but has quality skills. Outlook: The Sioux have added size to a small outfit, but need players to step into starring roles after suffering key graduation losses.7. Michigan Tech Huskies (12-14-6, seventh place, lost WCHA final). Coach: Tim Watters. Kingpin: Junior right winger Andre Savage, 21, is a creative forward ready for a breakthrough season. Fresh face: Center A.J. Aitken, 21, should fit in well on a veteran-laden team. Outlook: First-year coach Watters-a defensive specialist during his NHL days-has a solid, proven team, but the Huskies must score more.8. Wisconsin Badgers (14-15-3, sixth place, lost WCHA semifinal). Coach: Jeff Sauer. Kingpin: Senior goalie Kirk Dauben-speck, 22, has been a workhorse the past two seasons. Fresh face: Center Steve Reinprecht, 20, could bolster an offense hit hard by graduation. Outlook: The Badgers had to replace five defensemen last year and must survive the loss of key forwards this season, but are always strong in the stretch run.9. Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (8-204, ninth place, lost WCHA quarterfinal). Coach: Dean Talafous. Kingpin: Senior center David Vallieres, 22, was a one-man gang last season and needs support. Fresh face: Defenseman Mark Filipenko, 21, joins a group that must play better in front of established goalies. Outlook: Talafous takes over a program that led the league in penalties and didn&rsquo;t win a road game; he promises improvement in both areas.10. Northern Michigan Wildcats (5-252), 10th place, lost WCHA quarterfinal). Coach: Rick Comley. Kingpin: Senior goalie and Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; prospct Dieter Kochan, 22, is prepared to face a lot of shots this season. Fresh face: Defenseman Tyler Barabonoff, 19, is one of a dozen freshmen likely to get plenty of playing time. Outlook: The Wildcats will be young and rebuilding in their final year before jumping to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Minnesota’s Mighty Mike

<div class="image-hero"><img title="S0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0015-0133/10079979-1-eng-US/s0015-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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Only Top Drawer from The Blackhawks

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Join in The Leafs Celebration.

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011412/10079605-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011432/10079598-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="3111" height="3692"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011274/10079591-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="3126" height="3662"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011663/10077499-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Messier&rsquo;s hit anything but New York Rangers&rsquo; center Mark Messier has made a career of playing on the edge, but this time in the judgement of NHL vice-president Brian Burke he went too far. Burke slapped Messier with a two-game suspension after a hit from behind slammed Florida Panthers&rsquo; left winger Mike Hough into the boards Oct. 6. Hough felt soreness in his back in the days after the hit, but was otherwise okay. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021400/10077492-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="328" height="461"><figcaption class="caption-body">Teemu Selanne</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-031039/10077485-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="330" height="462"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stephane Richer</figcaption></div><h2>Finnish Flash off and flying</h2>1. That&rsquo;s a big 10-4 Teemu Selanne leads NHL scorers with 10 points in first four games.2. Unselfish act Phoenix captain Keith Tkachuk passes on empty net goal to set up Mike Gartner&rsquo;s hat trick.3. Stars shine Dallas opens season undefeated in first three games with wins over Colorado, Washington, Rangers.4. Born to be a Hab Stephane Richer scores in each of first three games back with Canadiens.5. Kornets fly Fort Wayne trails Chicago 7-3 in third period, bounces back to win IHL game in shootout.<h2>A-Pauling way to treat Coffey</h2>1. Coffey&rsquo;s break Future Hall of Famer Paul Coffey deserved better treatment in final days with Red Wings.2. Messy, eh? Rangers&rsquo; Mark Messier suspended two games for ramming Florida&rsquo;s Mike Hough from behind.3. Four! Edmonton&rsquo;s Louie DeBrusk looks like John Daly teeing off on Dana Murzyn and is suspended four games.4. Dirty Devil New Jersey&rsquo;s Scott Stevens suspended one game for high sticking Detroit&rsquo;s Igor Larionov.5. Maritime madness Police needed to break up ugly stick-swinging brawl between teams in Maritime Jr. A League. &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chiet</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04792/10077530-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="346" height="429"></div>Hitting from behind reared its ugly head just three days into the 1996-97 NHL season.New York Rangers&rsquo; captain Mark Messier, who plays on the edge of the rules, earned a two-game suspension for charging into Florida Panthers&rsquo; forward Mike Hough from behind.In the fallout, some of the blame for incidents of hitting from behind was placed on the victims. Players are suspected of positioning themselves to absorb hits from behind and draw penalties. If that&rsquo;s happening, the league has a bigger problem than hitting from behind. Anybody who volunteers to be knocked senseless needs a frontal lobotomy of the sort Claude Lemieux administered last spring. If it isn&rsquo;t happening, the NHL is fertile ground for a victims&rsquo; rights group.Hitting from behind has become a greater concern for current than past players for several reasons: today&rsquo;s game is played at a helter skelter pace that leaves players little time to react to changes in circumstance; the dump-and-chase game can leave defensemen highly vulnerable; much of today&rsquo;s game is played along the boards; and advancements in equipment have eroded players&rsquo; selfpreservation instincts.At greatest risk are players too close to the boards to fully extend their bodies if propelled forward, but too far from the boards to use them as a support system on impact. At least 13 hockey players in the U.S. have suffered fractured necks in the past two calendar years, 10 of them as the result of collisions with the boards. The latest was Erik Drygas, 20, during a University of Alaska-Fairbanks practice. (See pg. 5 for more.) Unknown is how many of them were caused by hits from behind. Even if none were-however unlikely-the message is clear. The worst-case scenario is a horrible one when players are unprepared for contact with the boards.So, did Messier deserve to get more than two games? Yes. That is not to say Messier intended to hurt Hough, nor that players shouldn&rsquo;t bear some responsibility for limiting their vulnerability. But just as players are responsible for their sticks, so must players be held responsible for their bodies. A shoulder turn or slight torso rotation can change a contact point and give the appearance of players deliberately hitting from behind. But if players don&rsquo;t take runs at opponents in the danger zone around the boards, it won&rsquo;t be an issue. Hard checking along the boards will not end. But common sense and hockey sense need not be at cross-purposes.<div class="sidebar"><h2>UPCOMING IN THN</h2>Have the Florida Panthers made believers out of you yet? Next week we&rsquo;ll show why their trip to the Stanley Cup final last season was no fluke. &#9632;</div>

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Worst case rare, but frightening

Steve Yzerman: a Detroit Red Wing for life. It is as it should be and it is as it would be so long as Yzerman was able to put the finishing touches on a new four-year, $20-million contract.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re very close,&rdquo; Yzerman&rsquo;s agent, Larry Kelly, told The Hockey News Oct. 10, the day after the Red Wings&rsquo; home opener. &ldquo;I am confident we&rsquo;ll get it done and Stevie will be finishing his career in Detroit.&rdquo;The timing of such news is nothing it not a little ironic. Exactly one year ago, Yzerman looked as though he was being railroaded out of town by a Wing club still stinging from losing four straight to the New Jersey Devils in the 1994 Stanley Cup final. Yzerman had been the subject of chronic trade rumors, but it looked serious in October, 1995.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012241/10077568-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="352" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie The Insider</figcaption></div>Then came the Wings&rsquo; home opener. Loyal Wing fans cheered his every move while vociferously booing coach Scotty Bowman. Public opinion won out. Yzerman wasn&rsquo;t going anywhere.Who could have blamed Yzerman, though, if he exercised his right to unrestricted free agency next summer.&rsquo; What do you think the center-starved St. Louis Blues or Chicago Blackhawks might pay for a pivot of Yzerman&rsquo;s calibre, a star back on the rise after a strong performance in last spring&rsquo;s playoffs and the recent World Cup?&ldquo;I want to stay in Detroit, I want to finish my career with the Wings,&rdquo; Yzerman said.And now it looks as though he will.The final element of Yzerman&rsquo;s contract is expected to be a notrade clause, although technically it&rsquo;s only permitted for those who exercise unrestricted free agency at age 32.Once Kelly ensured Yzerman&rsquo;s contract will prevent him from being dealt or dumped, the deal was to be signed and formally announced.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021620/10077561-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="1272" height="1675"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Gartner kicked off his 18th NHL season and the NHL&rsquo;s 80th with three goals against Boston in Phoenix&rsquo;s second game of 1996-97. (Photo by Brian Babineau/Sports Action)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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Yzerman renaissance center for Red Wings

All things considered, the Hartford Whalers didn&rsquo;t fare too badly.When evaluating the return on the trade of Brendan Shanahan, keep two points in mind.One, the Whalers didn&rsquo;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&rsquo;s first-round pick in 1997. Not bad.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m happy with how it worked out, considering this was a trade we really didn&rsquo;t want to make,&rdquo; said Whalers&rsquo; GM Jim Rutherford. &ldquo;It was a deal with considerable risk.&rdquo;Rutherford rolled the dice and won. He went ahead and made the transaction even though he didn&rsquo;t have a new contract agreement with Primeau and amid reports Coffey wouldn&rsquo;t report to Hartford.A day after sending Shanahan to Detroit, the Whalers reached a three-year, $5.2-million deal with Primeau. Two days later, Coffey was on his way to Miami to join the Whalers for their Oct. 12 game against Florida.Primeau doesn&rsquo;t have the same offensive upside as Shanahan, but he&rsquo;s eminently capable of being a 30-to-40-goal scorer if given quality icetime, which he&rsquo;ll certainly get in Hartford. His physical presence will be greatly welcome and fill any void created by Shanahan&rsquo;s departure.Contrary to popular belief, the Whalers didn&rsquo;t acquire Coffey just to flip him. Rutherford believes Coffey&rsquo;s power play expertise alone could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs this season. Coffey became that much more vital to Hartford&rsquo;s cause when offensive defenseman Jeff Brown went down with a back injury that might be season ending.The Whalers intended to do everything possible to convince Coffey he should finish his illustrious career with them. They were prepared to offer him an extra year on his contract and a no-trade clause if he&rsquo;s prepared to commit to the franchise, wherever it ends up.Still, Rutherford realizes Coffey may be an unhappy camper. As long as Coffey reported and played for the Whalers, Rutherford promised the NHL&rsquo;s highest-scoring defenseman he would try to move him before the trade deadline.&ldquo;If we can make a reasonable deal, we will,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;If not, we&rsquo;re not going to give him away.&rdquo; Rutherford has emerged as something of a players&rsquo; GM during the Shanahan situation. A year ago, when Shanahan told Rutherford he didn&rsquo;t want to play in Hartford, the GM asked the player to give it a one-year shot. If Shanahan was still disgruntled, Rutherford promised he would try to swing a deal. He did.Coffey will get the same courtesy as long as the Whalers get something to show for it. &#9632;

Whalers made most of bad situation

This year&rsquo;s officiating theme, brought to you by the National Hockey League, is N.M.C.No Marginal Calls.At their training camp in September, referees and linesmen were given this directive by none other than Boston Bruins&rsquo; GM Harry Sinden, a member of the league&rsquo;s rules committee.&ldquo;No marginal calls, that&rsquo;s how they&rsquo;ve been told to call it this year,&rdquo; said Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; head coach Scott Bowman. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s going to be a lot more leeway this season, a lot more stuff is going to go uncalled.&rdquo;This is not necessarily a bad thing, not if you appreciate fast-paced games with some flow. So long as it&rsquo;s N.M.C. at Christmas and N.M.C. in April and May. Perhaps it would be asking too much for N.M.C. to last into next season, but it&rsquo;s something to aim for in a league that invariably sets out to do one thing and eventually does the opposite.Whatever became of the G.O.R.C. (Great Obstruction Rules Crackdown) of 1995? It was wasting away by the time 1996 rolled around and just take a look at the players waterskiing through the neutral zone now to see where it&rsquo;s at.&ldquo;Other than obstruction, we are telling the refs to eliminate the marginal call this season,&rdquo; said NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke. &ldquo;Marginal calls lead to frustration and more penalties. It&rsquo;s a fine line of what to call and what not to call.&rdquo;So be it. But the NHL would do well to maintain some semblance of order between the bluelines. If it allows Hudson Bay rules in the neutral zone, the game is going to be stifled once again. There are already early signs of that happening.This call may go unheeded, but when it comes from Mario Lemieux and/or Wayne Gretzky by American Thanksgiving, it will be a different story. N.M.C.? No problem, especially in the offensive zones. Just be sure to keep neutral zone traffic moving. &#9632;

NHL backs off on tight officiating

A weekly compendium of significant events and developments (Oct. 5-11).Oct. 5: Holdout center Petr Nedved re-signs with Pittsburgh.Wayne Gretzky plays first game with Rangers, held pointless in 4-4 tie at Boston.Oct. 6: Ranger goalies Mike Richter and Glenn Healy, Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck issued warning after being found to have oversized pads in NHL spot-check. Goalies face suspensions for oversized equipment beginning in January.Oct. 7: NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke suspends Edmonton&rsquo;s Louie DeBrusk (four games, slashing), Rangers&rsquo; Mark Messier (two games, hitting from behind), New Jersey&rsquo;s Scott Stevens (one game, high sticking).Oct. 9: Detroit trades defenseman Paul Coffey, center Keith Primeau and 1997 first round draft choice to Hartford for left winger Brendan Shanahan and defenseman Brian Glynn.Oct. 10: Texas billionaire John Spano reaches agreement to purchase Islanders for more than $100 million.Holdout center Travis Green signs one-year contract with Islanders.Primeau signs three-year deal with Hartford worth $5.2 million. &#9632;

Burke lavs down law with opening week suspensions

<div class="byline">By Mary Ormsby</div>Alan Eagleson began testifying in his own defense Oct. 8 in a civil suit filed against him by former NHL player Mike Gillis.The case in Ontario Court is considered a key to untangling a web of allegations surrounding the former head of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association. This is the first time Eagleson has answered some of the many charges against him under oath.Gillis claims Eagleson, his former agent, cheated him out of $41,250 (U.S.) as a fee for recovering his $275,000 (U.S.) disability insurance benefit. Eagleson argues the payment was legitimate.The allegation is also contained in a U.S. grand jury indictment of Eagleson. The 63-year-old is fighting extradition on several charges. Eagleson&rsquo;s evidence may be used in the pending U.S. proceedings.In addition, Gillis&rsquo; claim is part of the Law Society of Upper Canada&rsquo;s 44 charges of professional misconduct against Eagleson, who is also being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.Among the highlights of Eagleson&rsquo;s testimony:&#9633; During a Nov. 7, 1985 meeting, Eagleson made it clear to a distraught Gillis, who had just learned his claim had been denied, that his &ldquo;meter would be running&rdquo; in working for Gillis. Eagleson said he was not obliged to represent Gillis as an agent nor association head since Gillis had no NHL contract and was no longer an NHLPA member.&#9633; In a 1986 letter, Eagleson threatened to use his friend John Sopinka, then a famous Canadian lawyer who later was appointed to the Supreme Court, to sue Lloyds&rsquo; insurers on Gillis&rsquo; behalf. However, Eagleson testified he never discussed Gillis&rsquo; claim with Sopinka before sending the letter and, &ldquo;took poetic license,&rdquo; in using his name.&#9633; Eagleson told court Gillis agreed on Feb. 13, 1986 to pay a 15 per cent contingency fee to Rae-Con Consulting to recover his benefits. Eagleson said he was a Rae-Con consultant and denied controlling the company. That contradicts Gillis&rsquo; evidence that the Feb. 13 meeting never occurred and that he agreed to the contingency fee May 29, 1986, not knowing that his claim had been approved 10 days earlier.&#9633; Boston Bruins&rsquo; president-GM Harry Sinden is expected to be called as a defense witness.The trial was expected to continue through October. &#9632;

Eagleson makes his defense

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012163/10077719-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg"></div>The family of Erik Drygas and the community of Fairbanks, Alaska, were waiting and praying for the 20-year-old player to regain feeling after he broke his neck during a practice.Drygas shattered his fifth cervical vertebra in a University of Alaska-Fairbanks practice Oct. 7. He underwent surgery Oct. 9 and doctors were waiting for swelling to subside before making a prognosis.The sophomore defenseman fell awkwardly into the boards forcing his head forward into his chest. There was no contact made by other players.&ldquo;He has slight motion and sensation in his upper body at this time,&rdquo; said Fairbanks sports information director Scott Roselius Oct. 11. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big, strong, determined kid. It&rsquo;s just a waiting game now.&rdquo;The Drygas family has been in touch with the Travis Roy family for emotional support. Roy was paralyzed last Oct. 20 during his first shift as a Boston University freshman.Fairbanks is a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.SCORING DOWN: If it weren&rsquo;t for the Montreal Canadiens, there would be talk of a serious scoring drought in the NHL this season. As it was, teams were averaging 5.6 goals per game through the first 37 outings.Last season through 33 games, the pace was 7.2 goals per game. Two seasons ago, there was a 5.7 goals-per-game average through 37 contests.The Canadiens did their part to keep goal judges&rsquo; fingers from falling asleep by scoring three goals in their first game and netting six in each of their next two.BELIEVE IT ORR NOT: Bobby Orr&rsquo;s 1970 Stanley Cup-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues was voted MasterCard&rsquo;s Greatest Moment in NHL history last season.So guess who MasterCard&rsquo;s newest spokesman is? Indeed, it&rsquo;s Orr. The announcement was made Oct. 8.For years after his premature retirement in 1979 due to repeated knee injuries, Orr was something of a recluse. Part of the reason, he says now, is because he wasn&rsquo;t as ready to quit as his knees.Orr recently moved into the agent business when he became a part-owner of Bob Woolf Associates.BALLOT OUT: The trade has been made, so left winger Brendan Shanahan will fire for the west if fans vote him into the All-Star Game.Shanahan was dealt Oct. 9 from the Eastern Conference Hartford Whalers to the Western Conference Detroit Red Wings. He is listed on the ballot as a Whaler, but his votes will count in Western Conference balloting.The same logic works for Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey, who are listed on the ballot as Red Wings.There are no glaring omissions from this year&rsquo;s ballot, although cases could be made for Saku Koivu of Montreal, Eric Daze of the Chicago Blackhawks, Joe Nieuwendyk of the Dallas Stars and Mikael Renberg of the Philadelphia Flyers.There are 110 players on the ballot, 55 from each conference, and room for write-ins. Fans can select one player at each position (two defensemen) from each conference. Ballots are available at NHL arenas. (See pg. 40 for list of all players on the ballot.) Mail-in ballots must be received by Dec. 19. The All-Star Game is Jan. 18 in San Jose.WILSON A WINNER: Chalk up another kudo for Mighty Ducks of Anaheim coach Ron Wilson. USA Hockey selected Wilson the Elite Coach of the Year after he guided Team USA to the World Cup championship victory in September.Richard Emahiser is Development Coach of the Year. He serves as coach-in-chief for USA Hockey&rsquo;s Minnkota (Minn.) District.DONNYBROOK: Six players and a coach were suspended in a Maritime Jr. A League game between the Antigonish Bulldogs and Cape Breton Islanders. Some players received treatment for missing teeth and split scalps.One Antigonish player was sent to hospital after getting slugged by a fan. Police were called in to break up the fight and were reviewing videotape to determine if charges would be laid. &#9632;

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Prayers for injured collegian

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div>The NHL&rsquo;s new offside rule has claimed at least one victim.Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; coach Mike Murphy said the rule was the catalyst for Ryan Smyth&rsquo;s winning goal for the Edmonton Oilers in a 42 win Oct. 8. Murphy said defenseman Jamie Macoun, under last season&rsquo;s rules, would have been able to prevent a turnover by firing the puck into Edmonton&rsquo;s zone during some scrambly center ice play.Instead, Macoun delayed along the boards to prevent the offside. The puck bounced past him to Oilers&rsquo; center Doug Weight, who broke out with Smyth on a 2-on-1.&ldquo;He couldn&rsquo;t shoot it in because it would be called,&rdquo; Murphy said.This season an offside is called as soon as the puck is shot in if there are any attacking players inside the blueline. The faceoff moves all the way down the ice if a linesmen rules it was an intentional offside. &lsquo;The most obvious effect of the rule is an increase in neutral zone play. Defensemen are reluctant to risk the deliberate offside by dumping it in before their forwards can escape.The rule also makes the dump-and-chase game more difficult and it may lead to longer shifts.&ldquo;It has made a big difference,&rdquo; Macoun said. &ldquo;Where the forwards used to do a quick tag-up or line change, now you can&rsquo;t do it.&rdquo;In truth, it&rsquo;s not a new offside rule at all. The NHL played by the current rule until 1985-86. It was changed to the tag-up format the next season because too many offsides were thought to be slowing down the game.The league changed back this season because play often deteriorated into a dump-it-in, dump-it-out game. NHL executives, led by Oilers&rsquo; GM Glen Sather, said it was stunting the puckhandling skills of young defensemen.STILL HOLDING OUT: It&rsquo;s far too early to name the winner of the Phoenix Coyotes-Chicago Blackhawks trade. One week into the season, both teams were losers.Free agent centers Jeremy Roenick (Phoenix) and Alexei Zhamnov (Chicago) hadn&rsquo;t come to terms with their new teams after being traded for each other in midAugust. They were two of six disgruntled Group II free agents without contracts. The others were Colorado Avalanche wingers Valeri Kamensky and Chris Simon. St. Louis Blues&rsquo; left winger Igor Korolev and Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; right winger Matthew Barnaby. &#9632;

Offside rule tough on rearguards

So Paul Coffey doesn&rsquo;t want to play in Hartford for the same reasons Brendan Shanahan didn&rsquo;t.All right, that&rsquo;s it. I can&rsquo;t stand it any longer. I wish, for once, these guys would come back down to Earth.I make roughly $30,000 a year and it costs me $600 a year to play hockey. The games are usually between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.If I could play in the NHL, I&rsquo;d play anywhere and I&rsquo;d play my heart out for the fans, just like Kevin Dineen does. I wouldn&rsquo;t think of Hartford as a joke, like some of these guys do.Besides, the Hartford Whalers are a great team. With their young players and great management, the Whalers will win the Cup someday. Just ask Eric Lindros about playing for a team with &ldquo;no desire to win.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s the same team that will be defending the Stanley Cup this year.The point is, you must earn the Cup. Shanahan has shown he doesn&rsquo;t deserve to hold it.Scott Anderson, Wethersfield, Conn.<h2>Shame on us</h2>I am writing in response to Sam Minster&rsquo;s letter in the Oct. 11 issue of The Hockey News.Mr. Minster was critical, and rightly so, of Canadian fans who booed the American national anthem before the third game of the World Cup final. There is no excuse for this type of disrespect for anyone&rsquo;s national anthem.But it should be pointed out that O Canada has been booed repeatedly in U.S. cities (especially in New York) during Toronto Blue Jay road trips. It has also suffered the indignation of being sung improperly on several occasions and worse, the Canadian flag was flown upside down during the 1992 World Series.Mr. Minster says that when he now hears O Canada he may, &ldquo;drop down to your (Canadians&rsquo;) level. The unfortunate thing, Mr. Minster, is that some Canadians have dropped down to yours.Shame on us both.Shi Davidi, Toronto, Ont.<h2>Support, please</h2>After reading THN&rsquo;s projections concerning NHL expansion, I was appalled to see that you&rsquo;ve already determined that the Hartford Whalers will relocate to Columbus, Ohio.Every time the Whalers and their fans take a step up the ladder, THN knocks us down three rungs.Many people inside and outside the Whalers&rsquo; organization are working hard to stabilize the franchise. How about some support once in a while?Alan DiPrato, Rocky Hill, Conn.<h2>Thanks, Cam</h2>Not seeing Cam Neely with the Boston Bruins to start the season is sad for fans in Boston and at every level of the game.I just want to thank Cam for being the type of player that inspires fathers to say to their sons and coaches to say to their players, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t just play hockey like Cam Neely, be like Cam Neely.&rdquo;I will certainly be saying that to my son, Cam Ferguson.Bruce Ferguson, Harper Woods, Mich.<h2>Brophy off base</h2>In response to Mike Brophy&rsquo;s Sept. 27 column about answering your country&rsquo;s call: Mr. Brophy, Mario Lemieux and Ray Bourque represent their country every time they lace up their skates. And they do so with honor and grace.How dare you question their patriotism and dedication to the game for not taking part in the World Cup. These two future Hall of Famers have done more to promote hockey than all the international tournament trophies Canada has won combined.If a player decides to risk his career for an international tournament, that&rsquo;s fine. But for those who choose not to, it is not your place or mine to question them. Players have a responsibility to themselves and their families, not to self-indulgent fans and journalists.The fact is, Canada&rsquo;s roster was stacked from top to bottom with allstars and just didn&rsquo;t get the job done.Cree Nowland, Columbus, Ohio<h2>Bourque was right</h2>When Don Cherry went on the record suggesting 17-time all-star Ray Bourque was wrong for turning down the opportunity to play for Team Canada, he was wrong.Bourque played for Canada in the 1981, 1984 and 1987 Canada Cups. Just as he did in 1991, he declined so that he could spend the short summer with his family. Not even personal pleas from Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier could sway him.I have never had more respect for Bourque than I do now. When family life becomes secondary to hockey, that&rsquo;s when I&rsquo;ll stop being a fan.Grant Zikman, Milton, Ont.Make your feelings known. Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 340-1641&nbsp;or write to&nbsp;Letters, THN, 777 Bay St, Suite 2700, Box 148, Toronto, Ont, M5G 2N8&nbsp;in Canada. In the U.S., write to&nbsp;Letters, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 142409947.&nbsp;E-mail us at <a href="mailto:THN@transc.com">THN@transc.com</a>. Include home and business phone numbers.&nbsp;THN&nbsp;reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

Earth to Shanahan: You must earn Cup

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012535/10077798-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021739/10077829-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="600" height="883"></div>&ldquo;Scalping&rdquo; is a journalism code word for ripping off someone else&rsquo;s material. There is no law preventing it, nor should there be; it&rsquo;s tough to establish who has a story first when the rumor mill chums around the clock. But back in the golden days of the Original Six, when Foster Hewitt&rsquo;s radio play-by-play of Toronto Maple Leaf games was the only hockey broadcast in town there were ways of getting even.Midway through the 1952-53 season, Hewitt realized a rival station was using his live play-by-play for its up-to-the-minute &ldquo;reconstructed&rdquo; broadcasts of Toronto road games. Hewitt made a tape recording of his broadcasts for several Sunday night games in Boston-to be used later as evidence of radio wrongdoing. During each one he announced a fake penalty, a penalty that did not appear in wire reports or NHL game summaries.The rival station reported the penalties every time. Guilty as charged.Also that season, Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; defenseman Doug Harvey used THN to sound off against critics after being selected to the first all-star team. &ldquo;I have always wanted to find out how easy it is to be a newspaperman,&rdquo; Harvey wrote. &ldquo;Now I know. It&rsquo;s easier than playing hockey, believe me.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Stealing the sound

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012220/10077867-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s arrival reinforces a change in how Detroit will play this season. (Photo by Mark Hicks/BS)</figcaption></div>Brendan Shanahan had to give it long, hard thought. Would it work? Would it be in his best interests? The best interests of the team?Ultimately, Shanahan decided to go for it. Yes, he would wear No. 14 for the Detroit Red Wings.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like new numbers,&rdquo; Shanahan said, &ldquo;and I don&rsquo;t like new equipment.&rdquo;New team? No problem.When the 27-year-old stepped off Mike Hitch&rsquo;s private jet at Detroit Metro Airport an hour or so before a standing ovation to welcome him to the Wings&rsquo; home opener Oct. 9, Shanahan had his Hartford Whalers&rsquo; equipment bag in tow, complete with a pair of shoulder pads that looked as though they were picked up at a minor hockey equipment exchange.Awaiting him at Joe Louis Arena was a white Red Wings&rsquo; jersey-No. 14 on the back, an &lsquo;A&rsquo; stitched on the front-and an opportunity to play on a Stanley Cup-contending club in an established, traditional hockey market Shanahan so desperately craved while languishing in Hartford.No. 14? Rookie defenseman Aaron Ward was more than happy to give it up in favor of vacant No. 27, but even he wondered what significance could it possibly hold for a veteran player who has wom Nos. 11, 19 and 94 in NHL stops at New Jersey, St. Louis and Hartford.&ldquo;I wore No. 14 at the (1994) World Championship when (Canada) won it all,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;I just thought&hellip;&rdquo;Superstitious lad that he is, Shanahan thought if Canada&rsquo;s 33-year drought at the World Championship ended with him wearing No. 14, then perhaps the Red Wings&rsquo; 42-year Stanley Cup jinx could also come to a merciful end next June.The Wings, and their long-suffering fans, can only hope good karma abounds in Shanahan&rsquo;s fascination with jersey numerology.It was the deal that had to be made-Shanahan and journeyman defenseman Brian Glynn to Detroit in exchange for holdout forward Keith Primeau, future Hall-of-Fame defenseman Paul Coffey and a first round pick in the 1997 entry draft.It had to be made for reasons beyond Shanahan&rsquo;s trade demand and the Wings&rsquo; dire need to get bigger and better.It had to be made because it was becoming such a rotten public quagmire of everything that is wrong with the game today. Hartford GM Jim Rutherford had to put an end to the talk of whether Primeau would sign a new deal with the Whalers (he did) or whether Coffey would report (he would). And Red Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman, the man pulling the strings in Detroit, had to put the whole Coffey imbroglio behind him or risk an emotional meltdown of his club.&ldquo;If we didn&rsquo;t make the deal, everyone would be waiting all year for something to happen,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;It was like there was a cloud over our team.&rdquo;So Rutherford went ahead and did it, even though he wasn&rsquo;t sure of Primeau&rsquo;s and Coffey&rsquo;s intentions. All he knew was two things. One, the longer Shanahan stayed in Hartford the worse it would be for the Whalers. Two, &ldquo;the players (Primeau and Coffey) had too much leverage and it was time to change that.&rdquo;Bowman, meanwhile, also knew two things. One, once Coffey&rsquo;s potential inclusion became public the defenseman had to go. Two, Shanahan was a player the Wings could not afford to let slip out of their grasp.It&rsquo;s actually a riot when you think about it.Shanahan was available as early as the NHL entry draft in June. When the Red Wings were asked on draft day if they were interested in the 6-foot-3, 218-pound right-shooting left winger who can score, hit and fight, they dismissed it out of hand. When the Shanahan sweepstakes stepped up in earnest in August, the Red Wings were nowhere to be found. The Philadelphia Flyers were in there pitching. So were the Washington Capitals, the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks&hellip;but no Detroit.Only when Primeau refused to report to the Wings after the World Cup did Detroit develop an interest in Shanahan. That interest, over the course of a wild week in which trade negotiations were played out publicly, soon became an obsession.&ldquo;Keith&rsquo;s situation sort of forced our hand,&rdquo; Bowman conceded. &ldquo;And, to tell you the truth, I never expected we could add another superstar salary ($3.9 million this season, $4 million next year) to our payroll and I never thought we Would be able to move Paul&rsquo;s contract. When we realized we could do both in the same deal, it was something we wanted to get done.&rdquo;Badly. Think about it. Shanahan went from having no profile in Detroit to being the coveted player who is the answer to all the Wings&rsquo; Cup-challenged problems, a property so vital to have in the home-opening lineup the owner&rsquo;s private jet was idling that afternoon on a runway at Hartford&rsquo;s Bradley International Airport, set to deliver the goods to Detroit.That&rsquo;s hockey for you.Shanahan&rsquo;s addition to the Wing lineup doesn&rsquo;t guarantee them the elusive Cup. It only guarantees they will still be perceived as a contender, which is saying something. This is a team that was hopelessly outclassed by the New Jersey Devils in the 1994 Cup final. And lest there be any doubt about their performance last spring-a Western Conference final defeat at the hands of eventual Cup champion Colorado Avalanche-consider this rather blunt assessment from Bowman.&ldquo;We struggled in the first round to beat Winnipeg, we went to overtime of Game 7 to beat a St. Louis team that didn&rsquo;t have Grant Fuhr and we couldn&rsquo;t beat Colorado,&rdquo; Bowman said.It was plain to see. The Wings, with Sergei Fedorov, Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Viacheslav Kozlov and Coffey had too much beauty, not enough beast. The Shanahan trade is the centerpiece of an ongoing Wing metamorphosis designed to make them a grittier, grinding team better suited to playing playoff-friendly hockey.&ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t play that type of game,&rdquo; Bowman said, &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t win the Cup.&rdquo;There hasn&rsquo;t been any doubt this team can win during the regular season, witness two straight first place overall finishes and an NHL-record 62 victories in 1995-96.&ldquo;One of the things we used to say about Detroit was, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t let them play their game,&rdquo; Shanahan mused the morning after his Motown debut. &ldquo;Their game was mostly run&rsquo;n&rsquo;gun. You&rsquo;ve got to be able to win the ugly ones and I think that&rsquo;s what we did last night.&rdquo;There was nothing particularly remarkable about the Wings&rsquo; 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers the night Shanahan arrived, unless you count his first period fight with Greg de Vries and a cross-check to the Oiler defenseman&rsquo;s face that cost Shanahan a one-game suspension.Or was there?It&rsquo;s not just Shanahan, although he is a big part of it. By taking Coffey off the Wings&rsquo; blueline and opening up more room for three strapping rookies with physical dimensions to their play-Anders Eriksson, Jamie Pushor and Aaron Ward-the Wings have altered their personality profile. All the more so when you factor in Shanahan and larger roles for grinding wingers Martin Lapointe and Darren McCarty.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re definitely going to be able to play a more checking style of game,&rdquo; said captain Steve Yzerman. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we aren&rsquo;t going to miss Paul because we are. He really set the tempo for this team, especially on the power play. But what you&rsquo;re going to see more of now is us moving the puck along the boards, more chipping it off the glass and chipping it in.&ldquo;Keith (Primeau) was a physical presence for us, but I think where we&rsquo;re better off now is that we&rsquo;ve got natural wingers. Keith was a center playing wing. Brendan is the quintessential power winger. Martin Lapointe is going to play a much bigger role this year. These guys can play the grinding, ugly game that it takes to win in the playoffs and that&rsquo;s exactly what we&rsquo;ve needed.&rdquo;Yet Shanahan&rsquo;s forte is scoring goals. He is not as consistently ornery as, say, the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; Keith Tkachuk, but he&rsquo;s a more gifted natural scorer. He had 44 last season in an off year and has twice had 50 or more. Playing on a line with Sergei Fedorov, 60 isn&rsquo;t out of the question, although Shanahan isn&rsquo;t getting hung up on those kinds of numbers.&ldquo;There are certain points in the game when that is the game,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;You have to be able to sense when those defining moments are there. Sometimes the difference will be a hit, a fight or a goal and you have to elevate your game at that precise moment. That&rsquo;s how I see my role on this team. Certain nights call for different styles of play and it&rsquo;s my job to supply whatever is necessary. You can&rsquo;t win &lsquo;em all pretty, you gotta win &lsquo;em dirty, too.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s pretty much how Bowman sees it. With the recent departure of Dino Ciccarelli, goals are most definitely required from Shanahan. But it is the elements of toughness, character, grit and personality that are paramount to a team still trying to find itself.&ldquo;Steve Yzerman came back from the World Cup and told us, &lsquo;This guy is the real thing. He makes everyone around him better,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll score us some goals, but give us toughness, too.&rdquo;In his debut, Shanahan started on a line with Fedorov at center and Yzerman on the right side, although Yzerman quickly gave way to Lapointe. There will be much mixing and matching, but Bowman intends to play Shanahan mostly at left wing and almost exclusively with Fedorov.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-06382/10077860-1-eng-US/f0008-062.jpg" title="f0008-06" width="1207" height="2239"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Fedorov is expected to be a prime beneficiary of the trade. (Photo by Tony Biegun/BBS)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll try to make him very busy, not get bored,&rdquo; Fedorov said.&ldquo;I told Sergei, &lsquo;You do your thing and I&rsquo;ll adjust,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll drive the net. I&rsquo;ll come late, I&rsquo;ll do whatever it takes to see if we can develop some chemistry.&rdquo;Beyond making on-ice magic together, there is another agenda for putting Shanahan with Fedorov. There is some concern in Detroit that Fedorov has grown distant and aloof, gone &ldquo;Hollywood&rdquo; if you will. Shanahan is nothing if not earthy.The Wings would like to think Shanahan&rsquo;s exuberance, in everything from dealing with the media to waging war on the ice, will have a positive impact on the gifted Russian. On his first night in Detroit, Shanahan was supposed to stay at a hotel, but Fedorov stepped forward and took him home as his guest.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to see him really get Sergei going,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;I think he can be really good for Sergei. And Sergei can be good for him, too. We&rsquo;ve got the kind of team who can help Brendan what he does best. I don&rsquo;t ever feel like I need an endorsement from another manager, but (the New Jersey Devils&rsquo;) Lou Lamoriello told me, &lsquo;If you get it done, you&rsquo;re getting yourself a real good one.&rdquo;Ultimately, the proof will be in the playoffs. Between now and then, the Wings will have to find out if they can thrive with three rookie defensemen in positions of prominence (or, more likely, add a veteran) and exactly how well-suited they are to play the straight-line game.Shanahan&rsquo;s mere presence doesn&rsquo;t guarantee success any more than the No. 14 on his back, but it&rsquo;s at least a step in the right direction. A big step forward for a club that was in real danger of falling several steps behind. &#9632;

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Grinding the Gears

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012423/10077926-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="599" height="826"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith Primeau</figcaption></div>Less than a month after Brendan Shanahan, Keith Primeau and Paul Coffey joined forces on Team Canada, they were together again, this time in a controversial trade between the Hartford Whalers and Detroit Red Wings.<h2>BRENDAN SHANAHAN</h2>Teams: New Jersey, St. Louis, HartfordHt. 6-3 Wt. 218 Age 27<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021864/10077919-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="595" height="504"></div>Shanahan and defenseman Brian Glynn, 28, were swapped for Primeau, Coffey and the Red Wings&rsquo; 1997 first round draft choice. Below is a look at how the principals compare, based on statistics entering this season.<h2>KEITH PRIMEAU</h2>Teams: DetroitHt. 6-4 Wt. 210 Age 25<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031331/10077912-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="589" height="472"></div>Listed are career regular season and playoff games, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes, plus each&rsquo;s career averages, in 80-game segments for the regular season and 10-game segments for the playoffs.<h2>PAUL COFFEY</h2>Teams: Edmonton, Pittsburgh, L.A., DetroitHt. 6-0 Wt. 190 Age 35<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04765/10077905-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="592" height="469"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05546/10077898-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="591" height="821"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Coffey</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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How statistics stack up

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012150/10077957-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="395" height="542"></div>They hate him. Jacques Lemaire put rings on the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; fingers only two seasons ago and now they wouldn&rsquo;t mind if he got run over by a Zamboni. Morale is so bad there are players who would rather play in Winnipeg. And it doesn&rsquo;t even have an NHL team anymore.In June 1995, Lemaire bristled whenever anyone suggested that &ldquo;the damn trap&rdquo; was the secret to his success. He resented the implication his players were automatons and, in fact, still swears they have freedom to be creative. But the fact is, the Devils are run on microchips. They don&rsquo;t begin the counter by going D to D. They go R2 to D2.To quell the mutiny, GM Lou Lamoriello has promoted coach Robot Ftorek from Albany of the American League to serve as an assistant. Ftorek is the coach who once said Wayne Gretzky was just another player, like everybody else. Reports from Albany insist this is a kinder, gentler Ftorek than the one the Los Angeles Kings fired in 1989. All that may mean is that he does better with prospects and minor league egos than with NHL players.Assuming he has earned another opportunity, Ftorek had better demonstrate growth and flexibility whenever his next NHL head job comes. Time after time, it has been shown that if coaches don&rsquo;t bend, their teams get the bends.Look at how many recent champions have decompressed. The 1995 Stanley Cup winner, Lemaire, is running an unhappy ship. The 1994 winner, Mike Keenan, left the New York Rangers as the loser in a power struggle. Jacques Demers, who won in 1993, is gone from the Montreal Canadiens. Scotty Bowman, the 1992 champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins, is coaching the Red Wings in Detroit, where after coming up short with a flawed favorite two straight years, he is being retried on an old charge-failure to communicate.Meanwhile, Pat Burns, the man who revived the Toronto Maple Leafs from a 15-year coma, is looking for work. Kevin Constantine got a fishy-looking San Jose Sharks&rsquo; teams through a round of the playoffs two years in a row and hasn&rsquo;t gotten a nibble at a head job since.Baseball, football and basketball teams have a reflex to gas coaches before they redesign their vehicles, top. But no sport abuses the coaching profession like hockey. Terry Crisp, who became coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992, is now the longest-running act with one team (five years). Bowman, Lemaire and Ron Wilson of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim are the only other current coaches to have completed a third year.Coaches get fired for a lot of reasons that are no reflection on their competence. The Leafs got old, the Sharks are owned by the same fools who did the impossible-make Minnesotans hate hockey.All that acknowledged, it is also undeniable Bums and Constantine wore thin as they struggled to hold declining teams together. The very qualities that made them successes, forcing relentless effort and pushing individuals to think like a team, is what rolled back on them.After a while, the same players just don&rsquo;t want to hear it anymore. Like most NHL players, the Devils were willing to make all the sacrifices necessary for a seven-week Cup run, and were heralded as the most selfless champion in at least a decade. But a system that stifles their creativity also limits their earning power. The better well-rounded round pegs come to resent being forced into square holes.Of course, the Devils are desperate for a No. 1 center, but they needed one in 1995, too, and overcame it with a one-for-all attitude. That&rsquo;s gone now, and so, inevitably, will be Lemaire, not because he doesn&rsquo;t know what he&rsquo;s doing, but because his players are not enjoying playing for him.No team can play hard for any length of time without enthusiasm. Keenan can make a team miserable if it is losing and has lost some good players with ill-timed and insensitive remarks. But most of the players he has relied on the most have tolerated, even liked, playing for him, because he gives them their own head.So did Glen Sather, who firmly, but. slowly, reeled in a brilliant young nucleus with the Edmonton Oilers until it matured into a winner, then changed the role players from year to year to keep things from getting stale. Al Arbour was tough to please but he wrote, &ldquo;Winning is Fun!&rdquo; on the blackboard with the line combinations before every game.Good coaches make losing uncomfortable for their players, but the very best ones understand the souls of their artists and build their teams around the joie de vivre of their stars. Coaches who lose sight of that lose their jobs. &#9632;

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COLUMNISTS

Coaches can’t treat players like robots

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012402/10077988-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Shark Tony Granato has returned to being his old rambunctious self. (Photo by Wen Roberts/BBS)</figcaption></div>Linda Granato remembers looking at her husband in his hospital bed and thinking: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it. I&rsquo;m done with hockey. I can&rsquo;t take this anymore.&rdquo;But she didn&rsquo;t make her thoughts known and she didn&rsquo;t act on them. She knew there was really no point.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s because I knew as soon as Tony was able, he&rsquo;d be right back at it,&rdquo; Linda said.Just eight months removed from brain surgery, Tony Granato was back at it in a big way, getting three goals and an assist Oct. 6 in the San Jose Sharks&rsquo; 7-6 win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings, of course, are the team with which Granato spent the previous six years and the team that elected not to re-sign him. Granato signed with the Sharks over the summer as an unrestricted free agent.The Kings can&rsquo;t really be faulted for letting Granato go. They are in the process of rebuilding and couldn&rsquo;t take a chance on a player recovering from serious surgery. The Sharks, on the other hand, were willing to gamble.In the space of eight months, Granato went from being a successful pro athlete, loving husband and father of four children under the age of six; to wondering if he would live a normal life after having surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain; to signing with a new team; to returning to the game as though none of it had ever happened.&ldquo;Just scoring another goal, period, felt amazing,&rdquo; Granato said. &ldquo;I spent a lot of time wondering if I would be able to get back to a level I would be happy with.&rdquo;Linda gets emotional recalling the trauma; how exhausting the days were rushing back and forth between home and the hospital.&ldquo;Sometimes it seems like it all happened very quickly and then, when I think back to when Tony first got sick, the days seemed to go on forever,&rdquo; Linda said.Granato began having headaches in late-January, but didn&rsquo;t think much of it. He refused to take painkillers, but the aches didn&rsquo;t go away.&ldquo;Deep inside I was worried something was wrong because Tony is not a complainer,&rdquo; Linda said. &ldquo;I guess I was just in denial.&rdquo;Then one night he woke Linda complaining the pain was worse. He gave in and went downstairs for a painkiller, but upon returning to the bedroom told Linda he had been looking at Christmas cards and didn&rsquo;t recognize the names of friends who had sent them.&ldquo;He couldn&rsquo;t remember the names of his teammates,&rdquo; Linda said. &ldquo;He asked me the names of the two goalies on the Kings and I told him there were three goalies. I told him the names and he could only recognize Kelly Hrudey&rsquo;s name.&rdquo;Granato was admitted to hospital that night and underwent surgery two weeks later. Following his recovery period, the 32-year-old Granato underwent tests to ensure he was healthy enough to resume playing.Had he walked away from the game, the gritty 5-foot-10, 185-pound Granato could look back proudly at a career that spanned eight years, the first two with the New York Rangers and the remainder with the Kings. He scored 191 goals, including four 30-goal seasons, and 393 points while accumulating 1,038 penalty minutes.But Granato still had a burning desire to play. He liked the direction the Sharks were taking, loading up with veterans to supplement a host of skilled youngsters, and wanted to be part of the plan.Playing on a line with center Bernie Nicholls-for whom he was traded to the Kings along with Tomas Sandstrom in 1990-and right winger Owen Nolan, Granato gives the Sharks valuable experience and leadership.&ldquo;I used to get so pumped up playing against him because he&rsquo;s such a competitor,&rdquo; Nicholls said. &ldquo;I always had respect for him, but to come back from what he has makes him even more of a special person.&rdquo;Granato said there were never any plans to change his style. He had extensive talks with his doctors and was assured he could remain as rambunctious as ever.&ldquo;I could never make it as a perimeter player,&rdquo; Granato said. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be productive that way.&rdquo;Granato said he doesn&rsquo;t take anything about his career for granted anymore, but through his ordeal never forgot what was most important to him.&ldquo;The No. 1 thing in life is being a good father, husband, son and brother,&rdquo; Granato said. &ldquo;Hockey is just a special thing that I do, but I won&rsquo;t do it forever. The other things are forever.&rdquo; &#9632;

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FEATURES

Granato’s road back starts right at home

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021761/10078019-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="387" height="504"></div>The best advice NHL owners ever received came from the man they perceive to be the enemy, Players&rsquo; Association director Bob Goodenow.It was offered during the 1991 strike, at a time when the major issue was the league&rsquo;s comparative health. The players figured the owners were salting away small fortunes on the backs of their labor. The owners pleaded poverty and for proof presented their versions of the bottom line on a series of inventive pie charts.Goodenow kept reminding us NHL owners didn&rsquo;t achieve the wealth necessary to be in professional sport by doing business badly. They ran their other enterprises-amusement parks, oil companies, pizza chains-along sound corporate principles. Goodenow couldn&rsquo;t understand why they didn&rsquo;t utilize a similar approach in their hockey businesses.Thus, if you&rsquo;re the New York Rangers and require star power in your lineup every year, you spend more to ice a team that features Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier. If you&rsquo;re the Hartford Whalers, you cross your fingers and think, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll live without Brendan Shanahan and hope Keith Primeau, at half the price, eventually develops into a similar player.&rdquo;All this is a round-about way of discussing the salary disputes that kept Alexei Zhamnov and Jeremy Roenick on the sidelines. On the surface, it looks to be the same high-stakes poker that&rsquo;s played out every October. Probe deeper, however, and you see a small, but significant difference. Instead of featuring limited-budget, Canadian teams, this year&rsquo;s most acrimonious disputes involve two of the NHL&rsquo;s well-heeled franchises, the Chicago Blackhawks and Phoenix Coyotes.The Wirtzes have owned the Blackhawks for an eternity and now operate out of one of the league&rsquo;s true money-making palaces, the United Center. Even in its early days, the Coyotes have shown a tendency to dip their toes into the free agent pond to improve their team.Both teams knew the absence of Zhamnov and Roenick would negatively affect their respective on-ice performances. It was the typical early-season showdown and the question was, who blinks first? Traditionally, the answer is the same. The owners cave in. Either they bend to a players&rsquo; salary demand themselves or they trade him to another team that&rsquo;ll meet his price.The message this sends to the players is simple. There must be enough revenues generated somewhere to accommodate their salary demands. Why else would they pay what they pay?Remember, the last collective bargaining agreement was supposed to bring stability to NHL salaries. Instead, look what has happened. The average NHL salary is $900,000 (U.S.). Journeymen players are rich beyond their wildest dreams. Meanwhile, the TV revenues that are supposed to bring the bottom lines into the black are a far-off pipe dream.Right now, management would have you believe it is absorbing all that red ink in hopes future growth will eventually enrich them all. The only way owners will ever convince people salaries have reached the breaking point is to show the courage of their own convictions. If Zhamnov wasn&rsquo;t worth $4.5 million to the Wirtzes, then don&rsquo;t sign him for that price.That&rsquo;s why you negotiated six years of labor peace-for the right to just say no. If a premier talent in the NHL were to spend the year on the sidelines, the game would be poorer for it on the ice. But maybe it would be richer and more stable off the ice. &#9632;

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Owners must have courage of conviction

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div>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&rsquo;s Classic Era, a tidy, pocket-sized book focussing on memorable moments from the pre-expansion era.It&rsquo;s a welcome addition to hockey&rsquo;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 &ldquo;Write us a little fiction. Just make sure it&rsquo;s true.&rdquo;He does that about King Clancy and the Toronto Maple Leafs.Hockey doesn&rsquo;t have a rich tradition in the literary fiction genre, one reason why Quarrington wanted to do a fictionalized account rather than straight Original Six narrative.&ldquo;In comparison to baseball writing, (hockey historical fiction) is really miniscule,&rdquo; Quarrington said. &ldquo;Even in comparison to baseball done by Canadians it&rsquo;s really miniscule. There should be more hockey-related stuff. And the stories we were talking about really do have their mythic quality.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011991/10078050-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="484" height="684"></div>The book&rsquo;s mission, in the words of writer Wayne Johnston (who penned the Richard chapter), is &ldquo;to let people know where hockey comes from, that it has mythic underpinnings.&rdquo;In that sense, the book is bound to have its strongest appeal in Canada. From autumn&rsquo;s crackle to the first snow meltdown in spring, hockey was as much a part of life during the Original Six days (prior to 1967) as a fill-up at the Imperial station and morning cup of coffee to ease the wintry chill.&ldquo;The sense of what hockey means has got to be unique to Canada,&rdquo; said Jeff Klein, the former sports editor of the Village Voice who wrote about the New York Rangers.Canadiens Captains ($27.95 Cdn., 216 pages), written by THN contributor Michael Ulmer, heads the rest of the fall crop of hockey works. Ulmer profiles nine Hab captains from Toe Blake to Pierre Turgeon. The book is not available in the U.S.&ldquo;The mystique was a product of the players, not the other way around,&rdquo; Ulmer said. &ldquo;These were all people of great integrity.&rdquo;Montreal photographer Denis Brodeur is releasing his third book, Goalies: Guardians of the Net ($60 Cdn., $40 U.S., 304 pages) which contains 550 shots of 158 NHL netminders.Brodeur devotes six pages to each of his three favorites-Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy and his son, Martin.&ldquo;The older goaltenders like Frankie Brimsek, we have sketches of them, but from 1960 on it&rsquo;s all pictures,&rdquo; Brodeur said.Other notable works include A Day in the Life of the NHL ($50 Cdn., $35 U.S., 192 pages), for which 80 photographers were commissioned last March 23 to capture on-and-off-ice events around the league; and Full Spectrum: the Complete History of the Philadelphia Flyers ($39.95 Cdn., $34.95 U.S., 378 pages), by THN columnist Jay Greenberg. &#9632;

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History, Habs top fall books

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div>First there was Baseball, now there is Legends of Hockey.A five-part TSN television documentary is being compared by its creators to Ken Bums&rsquo; celebrated epic about America&rsquo;s Pastime.Legends director Derik Murray says the strength of the hockey series, which premieres Nov. 11, is its interviews, particularly in the final three of the five one-hour segments.One clip of former Boston Bruins&rsquo; great Milt Schmidt is enough to make anyone a believer.Schmidt reflects on life with boyhood friends Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer on the Bruins&rsquo; great Kraut Line like a man walking through a dream. As he finishes, he leans back his head and laughs, a joyful, spirited laugh from a 78-year-old lost in the moment.The Legends project, a joint venture between TSN and Vancouver-based Opus Productions that grew to involve the Hockey Hall of Fame, was more than two years in the making and includes a companion coffee-table book.The documentary uses material from 140 hours of taped interviews with 32 Hall of Fame players and a dozen or so more writers and broadcasters. One of the players is former Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; bullish defenseman Red Homer. For eight consecutive seasons Homer was the NHL&rsquo;s penalty leader. Today, at 87, he is the sole survivor of the 1931-32 Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; Stanley Cup championship team and oldest surviving member of the Hall of Fame.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021450/10078081-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="595" height="791"><figcaption class="caption-body">Legends of Hockey is packed with photographs of the greats.</figcaption></div>Most interviews lasted between two and four hours, so the editors were provided with a ton of good material from which to choose and the subjects opened up.&ldquo;The longer you stay (talking) the more you commit yourself to things you wouldn&rsquo;t say in a hurry,&rdquo; commented Hall of Fame defenseman Pierre Pilote.The early segments use still photographs and other archival footage for video, but they are of a high enough quality that &ldquo;the narrator supports their role rather than vice versa,&rdquo; Murray said.The players themselves may enjoy watching the series at least as much as much as everyone else.&ldquo;Hockey has been part of my life,&rdquo; Pilote said. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter who&rsquo;s talking as long as they&rsquo;re talking about the inside of the hockey game.&rdquo;Legends of Hockey premieres in Canada Nov. 11 and runs five consecutive Mondays. The series will be repeated three separate times in December and January. ESPN is scheduled to show the U.S. premiere in March, 1997.The segments are as follows:&#9633; The Game Begins. Nov. 11: A look at the game&rsquo;s origins in the early 19th century, the introduction of the Stanley Cup, the contribution of Art Ross and other of the game&rsquo;s early participants, including a women&rsquo;s team from Queen&rsquo;s University.&#9633; The NHL&rsquo;s First Era (1917-1926). Nov. 18: The NHL begins its first season in 1917-18, Frank Calder and Lady Byng make their mark and the sport marches on through World War I.&#9633; The Golden People (1926-1942). Nov. 25: Franchises arrive in Chicago and Detroit, while figures such as King Clancy and Conn Smythe put their stamp on the game.&#9633; Dynasties: The Rise of the Original Six (1942-1967). Dec. 2: The heroes of hockey are created and idolized-Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard, Terry Sawchuk, Toe Blake, Jean Beliveau and Bobby Hull among them.&#9633; The Game Expands: From Frozen Ponds to the Sun Belt (1967-1995). Dec. 9: Hockey grows through expansion into the southern United States, the 1972 Summit Series and back to expansion again in the 1990s.The book Legends of Hockey is 192 pages of text and photographs ($50 Cdn., $40 U.S.). &#9632;

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Hockey Legends series trip down memory lane

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>Ed Belfour wants to play for another team in 1998. The one with the big maple leaf on the front.Don&rsquo;t worry, Chicago Blackhawk fans, it&rsquo;s not Toronto he&rsquo;s thinking of. Belfour becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, but is a happy Hawk and wants to be center stage when the Chicago eventually win their first Stanley Cup since 1961.But he also desperately wants to help Canada win its first Olympic gold medal since 1952. Belfour has set his sights on 1998 in Nagano, Japan, where NHL players will represent their countries for the first time, and he has designs on the starting goalie job for Canada.Belfour tried out for Canada&rsquo;s Olympic team in 1987 following his first year at the University of North Dakota, but was a late cut. Sean Burke, now with the Hartford Whalers, was the No. 1 goalie for Canada and backed up by Andy Moog, who sat out most of the NHL season in a contract dispute.&ldquo;In the back of my mind I&rsquo;ve been thinking a lot about the Olympics,&rdquo; said Belfour, who played for Canada&rsquo;s national team in 1989-90. &ldquo;That takes a lot of work and preparation, but it&rsquo;s what I want.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s what a lot of people want. That&rsquo;s the problem.Let&rsquo;s start with the three goalies who were on Canada&rsquo;s roster for the World Cup. Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; stopper Curtis Joseph made a strong case for himself with exceptional performances for Canada at the World Championship and World Cup. Martin Brodeur backboned the New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup two years ago. Bill Ranford was MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1990, goalie for Canada&rsquo;s championship team at the 1991 Canada Cup and netminder for Canada&rsquo;s 1994 gold medal at the World Championship, its first since 1961.That leaves Belfour to take a number along with the likes of Patrick Roy, Chris Osgood. Burke. Ron Hex-tall, Grant Fuhr, Daren Puppa and Felix Potvin.Belfour was miffed when he wasn&rsquo;t chosen to be one of Canada&rsquo;s three goalies for the World Cup. The team was put together by Oilers&rsquo; president-GM Glen Sather and Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; coach-GM Scotty Bowman.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really frustrating, but what can you do about it?&rdquo; Belfour said. &ldquo;Look at who picked the team. There&rsquo;s politics in everything you do. Hopefully it won&rsquo;t be a factor when it comes time to pick the team for the Olympics.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012338/10078112-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="962" height="1957"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Belfour was miffed he wasn&rsquo;t chosen for the World Cup. (Photo by Tim Parker)</figcaption></div>Plans call for 18 players to be named next August by a coach and management team that has yet to be put in place. There are no plans for a training camp to be held before the 18 selections are made.Belfour certainly has a solid resume. The 1990-91 NHL rookie of the year has claimed three Jennings Trophies for the best goals-against average in the NHL and is a two-time winner of the Vezina Trophy as the league&rsquo;s top goalie.And if his numbers don&rsquo;t speak for themselves, there&rsquo;s always Blackhawks&rsquo; coach Craig Hartsburg.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think they could find a better guy for the job,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;There are a lot of quality goalies in the league, but I&rsquo;d still say Eddie is among the top three. When Eddie is on top of his game, you feel as though every shot he faces is going to hit him right in the stomach.&rdquo;Belfour plays a butterfly style and often goes down, but is in such terrific physical condition and is so technically sound, he rarely gets into trouble by doing so. Even though he flops frequently, he manages to keep himself square to the shooter because of exceptional anticipation.He and the Blackhawks got off to a good start. Belfour was in goal for one of the Blackhawks&rsquo; first two wins and posted a 1.50 goals-against average and 92.7 save percentage.In his quest to win friends and influence people, he is attempting to shed an image of being unapproachable.&ldquo;I think I get a bad rap,&rdquo; Belfour said. &ldquo;Reporters say, &lsquo;Belfour doesn&rsquo;t talk to the press.&rsquo; That all started when (Mike) Keenan was the coach and he didn&rsquo;t like me talking to the media. There are some times on game days when I&rsquo;d prefer not to have to deal with the media because I find it distracting, but for the most part I don&rsquo;t mind it. Hey, I can be grumpy some days, just like everybody else, but I&rsquo;m not an ogre.&rdquo;Belfour, 31, is eligible for unrestricted Group HI free agency after this season and will listen to offers, but said he can&rsquo;t envision himself playing for any team other than Chicago.&ldquo;In your mind you know you only have so many chances to win the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; Belfour said. &ldquo;And I want to give myself the best opportunity to do that. It will take a lot for me to move, but I&rsquo;m like anyone else, I have to do what&rsquo;s best for me.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Dreaming of gold

<div class="byline">By Stan Fischler</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-012039/10078150-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="392" height="543"></div>The Hockey News is known as The Bible of Hockey, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean I&rsquo;m going to blindly follow the Gospel.More to the point, I&rsquo;m exceptionally annoyed over the position-by-position ratings in THN&rsquo;s recent Season Preview issue.Too often the choices seemed too easy, too arbitrary or, to put it bluntly, wrong. Let&rsquo;s start with THN&rsquo;s selections for center and focus on the ignominious insult to The Great One.There&rsquo;s absolutely no way Wayne Gretzky should be relegated to 15th place on the list, not after a 102-point season. To put it another way, if Gretzky is eight slots below Ron Francis, then crocodiles should sing in the opera. Granted Gretzky may be on the wane, but not to a point where he&rsquo;s rated just one notch ahead of Rod Brind&rsquo; Amour, nor two behind Vincent Damphousse.The right wing ratings were as screwed up as a referee&rsquo;s logic. Pavel Bure has no business being placed second. The reason: because he played only 15 games last season and there&rsquo;s no certainty his return from injury will be successful. Alexei Kovalev, dumped in 16th place, belongs in second place.Pound for pound, the enigmatic New York Ranger is the most talented forward this side of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.An even more egregious sin was relegating Adam Deadmarsh, the Colorado Avalanche&rsquo;s unsung hero, into 19th spot, one behind Tomas Sandstrom. If Claude Lemieux is 11th, his protege, Deadmarsh, should be 12th.Chris Chelios was an easy choice for top defenseman-too easy-and the wrong one, I might add.Raymond Bourque still does more, while carrying an entire Boston Bruins&rsquo; team on his back, than anyone before, since and including Bobby Orr. Bourque never suffers Chelios-type tantrums nor does he play dirty.To place overrated Adam Foote (19th) among the top 20 backliners and omit the quintessential defenseman, Ken Daneyko, suggests Mrs. Foote headed the voting board. And where does Rob Blake, who played a grand total of six games last season and may never be the same player that he was before his injury, manage to grab 12th place ahead of Scott Nie-dermayer, the most versatile and coveted young backliner in the NHL?The goaltending ratings had us climbing the walls. Sooner or later the hockey world will learn what some of us take for granted; that No. 1-rated Patrick Roy consistently has been-and is-the beneficiary of a top defensive team or simply a vaunted club. Thus, he appears better than he really is; Stanley Cup or no Stanley Cup.Sean Burke, rated 16th by The Bible of Hockey, is a better goalie than Roy, as is John Vanbies-brouck-who should have been No. 1. So is Mike Richter (fifth) and Bill Ranford, who is better than a seven on the best day Roy ever had.If Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey isn&rsquo;t insulted over being slotted 10th, he should be. The Washington Capitals&rsquo; stopper belongs in the top five, certainly ahead of Grant Fuhr and Curtis Joseph.Left wing choices are not without their problems either. Why would Adam Graves-with only 58 points in 82 games last season-be placed seventh when Tony Amonte (11th) had nine more goals and five more points?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021420/10078143-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="518" height="884"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray Bourque</figcaption></div>If clutch ability is a factor, check out Amonte&rsquo;s performance for the United States in the World Cup.Then tell me he doesn&rsquo;t belong ahead of Slava Kozlov (eighth), Geoff Sanderson (ninth) and Eric Daze (10th), the last of whom has yet to prove he&rsquo;s not a one-season wonder.Wendel Clark seems to have garnered 19th place among left wingers for nothing more than sentimental reasons.Say what you will about Wendel&rsquo;s grit and wrist shot, but the man has had it and generously can be counted upon to play one good game for every four he appears.Otherwise, we agree completely with The Scriptures.Amen. &#9632;

f0013-01

THN player rankings need to be reshuffled

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021746/10078181-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="570" height="974"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Kariya</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012317/10078188-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="158" height="160"></div>Paul Kariya&rsquo;s plan to be ready for the start of the season ran into trouble when he felt renewed pain in his groin as he intensified his skating to get ready for opening night.Kariya&rsquo;s progress recovering from an abdominal injury sustained more than two months ago was slow, so two games into the Anaheim Mighty Ducks&rsquo; season-opening road trip, the team captain went home to Vancouver to work with his personal physical therapist and see specialist Dr. Ross Davidson.&ldquo;A lot of people have told me, &lsquo;Only you can say when you&rsquo;re ready.&rsquo; I&rsquo;d know if I was ready to play, and (I&rsquo;m) not,&rdquo; Kariya said.Some of those close to Kariya hoped the move would help ease the pressure of watching the Ducks struggle without him-as well as dodge questions about his return.&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s part of why he went,&rdquo; said Don Baizley, Kariya&rsquo;s agent. &ldquo;None of the health care professionals have said this is career-threatening, but they haven&rsquo;t put a timetable on it either.&rdquo;An MRI exam shortly before the season showed the injury was healing well, but Kariya felt uncomfortable with his progress.&ldquo;You know he&rsquo;s getting better, but slower than Paul wants,&rdquo; said Ducks&rsquo; coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s impatient. It could be tomorrow, it could be a month, it could be two months, I don&rsquo;t know. Neither do the doctors and neither does Paul.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: With left winger Paul Kariya out, right winger Teemu Selanne was carrying the offense, scoring 10 points in the first four games including the fourth five-point game of his career in a 6-6 tie against Colorado Oct. 10&hellip;The Ducks&rsquo; four-goal comeback in the final 10 minutes of that game was the club&rsquo;s largest comeback in a tie&hellip;The Ducks added two centers shortly before the season, picking up Kevin Todd off waivers from Pittsburgh and Ted Drury from Ottawa in a trade. Both took turns on the first line with Selanne and Jari Kurri&hellip;Backup goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov recorded his first NHL shutout Oct. 9, making 26 saves in a 2-0 victory at Chicago. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Frustration for Kariya

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-031180/10078219-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="161" height="161"></div>Steve Kasper said he&rsquo;d do it last year, but found himself unable to follow through. That put him in the same boat as at least four men who coached the Boston Bruins before him.Kasper is taking another shot at it this year and early indications are he&rsquo;ll finally be the coach who can limit the amount of time defenseman Ray Bourque plays.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking for Raymond to play from 26 to 28 minutes per game,&rdquo; Kasper said. &ldquo;Certainly, Raymond&rsquo;s our go-to guy. But as the year wears on, the more we can distribute the ice time and the more experience we can get, we&rsquo;re going to be a much better team on the blueline.&rdquo;Kasper wanted to do the same thing last year, and Bourque, who has usually played at least half of every game for years, was willing. Boston&rsquo;s defense, however, was much weaker than expected, and Kasper compensated by playing Bourque, who turns 36 Dec. 28, more than intended.&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re in a better position back there than we were last year at this time,&rdquo; Bourque said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got more depth, so you want to try to use as many people as you can. In the long run, it&rsquo;s going to benefit everybody.&rdquo;The increase in depth has been provided by Barry Richter, a 26-year-old who got stuck in the New York Rangers&rsquo; minor-league system; Steve Staios, who faced a similar situation with the St. Louis Blues; and Swedish import Mattias Timander, whom Boston drafted 208th overall in 1992.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Jon Rohloffs ankle injury, sustained in a Sept. 21 exhibition against Chicago, was healing so slowly the Bruins left him at home for a four-game West Coast road trip&hellip;Boston&rsquo;s 0-1-1 start represented the first time since 1986-87 (0-2-0) it hadn&rsquo;t won one of its first two games&hellip;The Bruins&rsquo; 4-4 tie with the Rangers left them 8-0-2 in their last 10 season-openers&hellip;Dean Malkoc, the defenseman Boston claimed from Vancouver in the waiver draft, had surgery on his wrist Oct. 8&hellip;Boston solved a minor league goaltending glut by loaning Tim Cheveldae to Fort Wayne of the International League. That left Rob Tallas and 1994 first-round pick Evgeny Ryabchikov with Providence of the American League. &#9632;

f0014-03

Can Kasper be first to cut Bourque’s playing time?

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04811/10078250-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="160" height="161"></div>New Hartford Whaler Keith Primeau may be the focus of much attention around the NHL these days, but it&rsquo;s not exactly sad times at the home of his brother Wayne.The other Primeau made his 199697 debut Oct. 9, participating in the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; 2-1 triumph at Vancouver over the Canucks. The victory ended a two-game, season-opening losing streak for the Sabres, and though Primeau didn&rsquo;t get any points, the rookie said he was pleased to finally make it to the big time.&ldquo;They just told me to play my game, be strong on my skates and in the comers and see what happens,&rdquo; Primeau said. &ldquo;They haven&rsquo;t put any pressure on me. I&rsquo;ll do what I can and I&rsquo;ll give them 110 per cent.&rdquo;Primeau gave a good accounting of himself. There&rsquo;s still some question as to whether the 6-foot-3, 198-pound center/left winger is ready for prime time NHL action, but the good news for Buffalo fans is that he didn&rsquo;t look out of place. Primeau played left wing on a line centered by Brian Holzinger and protected by right winger Rob Ray. He moved well alongside the speedy Holzinger and made some noise in the comers.&ldquo;If I go to the net hard and use my size in the comers, I can help,&rdquo; Primeau said. &ldquo;All (coach Ted Nolan) wants is for the guys to work hard and use their skills. If we all do that the goals will come.&rdquo;The Sabres were carrying several spare forwards early in the season and it&rsquo;s likely at least two will be shipped to Rochester of the American League by late-October. It&rsquo;s an easy move in that Rochester is about an hour&rsquo;s drive from Buffalo so the players can play for the Americans, but be recalled and made quickly available to the Sabres.In addition to Primeau, right winger Vaclav Varada was sitting out occasionally as was utility forward Anatoli Semenov. Semenov would likely stay in Buffalo while the kids would be fanned out.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Brad May separated his right shoulder in Calgary Oct. 6 and was expected to miss at least a week. May was fighting the Flames&rsquo; Ron Stern when his shoulder popped out of its joint. The injury is similar to one May suffered last spring while playing for Canada in the World Championship&hellip;Rookie left winger Curtis Brown looked good in the early going. Brown started the season as a third-liner, but graduated to the first and second lines. He scored a goal in a 4-3 loss at Edmonton Oct. 4 and was aggressive in subsequent games&hellip;Right winger Donald Audette returned from reconstructive knee surgery Oct. 6 against Calgary. It was Audette&rsquo;s first action since mid-January. &#9632;

f0014-04

NHL’s other Primeau also happy

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-012003/10078281-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="163" height="161"></div>Chris O&rsquo;Sullivan&rsquo;s life and times includes one part tragedy, one part drama and one part made-for-TV special.The tragedy: O&rsquo;Sullivan was 16 in 1990 when his father, John, died of lymphatic cancer. Two years later, just a month before he was chosen in the second round of the 1992 entry draft by the Calgary Flames, his mother, Ann, passed away from brain cancer.The drama: Six months after he was drafted, in his freshman year at Boston University, O&rsquo;Sullivan broke a vertebra in his neck, forcing a spinal fusion and putting his career in jeopardy. Ultimately, the defenseman missed a year, but returned to lead BU to the 1995 NCAA championship. Last season, O&rsquo;Sullivan&rsquo;s BU teammate, Travis Roy, broke his neck in a game and ended up paralyzed.The made-for-TV special: After their parents died, the older members of the O&rsquo;Sullivan clan essentially raised the younger ones. All played hockey and even though Chris is the only one in the NHL, his brother Mark says the best player in the family is 25-year-old Stephanie, who plays on the U.S. national women&rsquo;s team. O&rsquo;Sullivan switched from 54, the number he wore in pre-season, to 19 because that&rsquo;s his sister&rsquo;s number.After winning a spot on the roster this fall, O&rsquo;Sullivan made his NHL debut in the Flames&rsquo; season opener against the Vancouver Canucks with four of his older brothers in the stands at GM Place cheering him on.The next night, they all travelled to Calgary for the Flames&rsquo; home opener and watched Chris score his first NHL goal against the Buffalo Sabres, the eventual game winner.Does Hollywood know this story?&ldquo;It&rsquo;s unbelievable,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Sullivan said. &ldquo;It has been such a lifelong dream of mine to finally get to the NHL. More importantly, today (Oct. 6) happens to be my father&rsquo;s birthday and my younger brother (David&rsquo;s) birthday as well. So it&rsquo;s a great feeling and it couldn&rsquo;t have happened at a better time.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Captain Theo Fleury ripped into coach Pierre Page over a lack of playing time following a 3-1 loss to St Louis Oct. 9. &ldquo;They call me in and ask me to be a leader,&rdquo; said the right winger. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to be a leader from the bench.&rdquo; Page said Fleury has been getting 25 minutes a game, but didn&rsquo;t use the captain for a 5-on-3 power play against the Blues&hellip;Center Robert Lang opted to play in the Czech Republic this season instead of accepting a two-way offer from Calgary&hellip;Left winger Paul Kruse, unhappy to be the odd man out for the season opener, asked for a trade&hellip;Right winger Sandy McCarthy broke his ankle trying to complete a check in the game against the Blues. He&rsquo;ll be out up to two months after undergoing surgery. &#9632;

f0015-01

O’Sullivan tale made for Hollywood

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021425/10078312-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="162" height="161"></div>Steve Smith can&rsquo;t catch a break. Actually, he catches too many and that&rsquo;s the problem.The Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; veteran defenseman was sidelined once again with an injury serious enough to leave him pondering his future in the league.Smith played in the Hawks&rsquo; season opener against the Washington Capitals Oct. 5, but then took himself out of the lineup. After seeing a neurologist, he learned the sheath around the perineal nerve in his left leg was damaged, causing his big toe to drop.Smith traced the injury to April 7, when he was slashed by Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; center Igor Larionov and cracked his left fibula. Smith was told it could take from six to 18 months for the nerve to heal. However, he is able to practise and can play if necessary.&ldquo;The good news is it has already been six months since the original injury,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;They say six to 18 months, but that&rsquo;s for it to be back to 100 per cent. At what point can I skate again normally? They don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo;Smith said he thought about retirement again before seeing the specialist. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m pretty pleased with the results from the doctor,&rdquo; he said.Smith has had more than his share of injury problems the past four years. After recovering from a badly broken left leg suffered in a 1994 fight, Smith missed 42 of the Hawks&rsquo; first 57 games last season with a back problem. He was just starting to round back into form when he broke his left leg. Smith wasn&rsquo;t able to return until the second round of the playoffs.NOTEBOOK: The Hawks think they added experience, character and size by signing free agent forwards Basil McRae and Adam Creighton after they had their contracts bought out by St. Louis. Creighton will likely see action at times on all four lines. McRae is expected to help tutor rugged rookie wingers Ethan Moreau and Mike Prokopec&hellip;Moreau, who had two goals in two games, surrendered his uniform No. 17 to McRae and took No. 19, the number the Hawks had reserved for unsigned free agent Alexei Zhamnov&hellip;The Hawks started the season with a No. 1 line of Murray Craven at center between Tony Amonte and James Black Black had a goal in each of the first two games. &#9632;

f0015-02

Smith on sidelines again as result of Larionov slash

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04741/10078343-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="574" height="974"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Keane</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03993/10078350-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="160" height="161"></div>Members of the Colorado Avalanche aren&rsquo;t looking over their shoulders just yet.The Avalanche&rsquo;s most dangerous Western Conference rival, the Detroit Red Wings, acquired one of the best power forwards in the game in Brendan Shanahan Oct. 9. And while it&rsquo;s conceded Shanahan will help Detroit, most members of the Avalanche are taking a wait-and-see approach before passing judgement.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s one of those deals that will take some time to judge,&rdquo; said Avalanche coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;But I think Shanahan is a great player. He has a great attitude and a presence about him to go along with great ability.&rdquo;&ldquo;I think the trade helps Detroit,&rdquo; said right winger Mike Keane. &ldquo;(But) they lost a couple of players and (Paul) Coffey is huge, so it&rsquo;s still a wait-and-see situation.&rdquo;The Avalanche was able to outmuscle the smaller Wings for much of the 1996 Western Conference final, but it won&rsquo;t be as easy this season with the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Shanahan around.&ldquo;I think it makes Detroit better,&rdquo; said right winger Scott Young. &ldquo;He has a great shot. But it all depends on how he fits in.&rdquo;Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix said it&rsquo;s too soon to give an edge to the Red Wings.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough for me to comment as a GM on who got the better of the deal,&rdquo; Lacroix said. &ldquo;I like to mind my own business. But I don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;re hearing people say they have automatically won the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Avalanche nearly had a done deal to bring holdout left winger Valeri Kamensky back into the fold, but the team changed its offer of $3 million for two years plus incentives to $2.8 million. Kamensky&rsquo;s agent Paul The-ofanous broke talks off at that point and left Denver. Theofanous was ready to accept the original pact on behalf of his client and travel arrangements were made to bring Kamensky from Florida to Denver before the deal fell through&hellip;Center Mike Ricci returned from arthroscopic knee surgery to record two assists in Colorado&rsquo;s home-opening 6-0 win over San Jose Oct. 8&hellip;Captain Joe Sakic&rsquo;s wife, Debbie, gave birth Oct. 3 to the couple&rsquo;s first child, a son they named Mitchell. &#9632;

f0015-04

No panic over Detroit trade

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021587/10078381-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="567" height="970"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave Reid</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012083/10078388-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="161" height="162"></div>It wasn&rsquo;t getting out to such a good start that was so surprising for the Dallas Stars, it was how it happened.The Stars won with confidence.In rolling to wins over two highly regarded teams-the Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals-Dallas dominated in the alleys and in the crunch. Not bad for a team that was outscored 102-67 during the third period last season and was 2-7-4 when tied after two periods.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t shy away from the physical play and we didn&rsquo;t shy away from the mental challenge and that may have been the most significant change,&rdquo; said coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;We played hard at the hard times.&rdquo;The Stars trailed the Avalanche 1-0 entering the third period and came up with four goals against Stanley Cup hero Patrick Roy. They held a slim 3-2 lead on Washington and Vezina Trophy winner Jim Carey and blew that open to 5-2 in the third period.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re coming out of the intermission knowing we can play better,&rdquo; said center Mike Modano. &ldquo;We just have a lot more confidence this season.&rdquo;The Stars went out and acquired Pat Verbeek and Dave Reid over the summer to toughen the wings and punch up the offense. They also added rookie Jamie Langenbrunner&rsquo;s grit. The ripple effects have been felt throughout&ldquo;We have more talent this year.&rdquo; said center Brent Gilchrist, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re also playing with more intensity. We&rsquo;re putting it together.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Stars&rsquo; depth at center is being tested. Bob Bassen is out until December following surgery to join his sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae and Joe Nieuwendyk was hampered by a nagging rib injury sustained on opening night. Nieuwendyk was expected to miss three games&hellip;Defenseman Craig Ludwig, who had just one goal last season, scored the team&rsquo;s first of this season&hellip;Left winger Greg Adams had two goals on opening night against Colorado. In 13 career opening night games, Adams has 10 goals and 10 assists&hellip;Goalie Andy Moog is 14-1-1 on opening night&hellip;The Oct. 8 game against Washington drew just 12,912 at Reunion Arena-the lowest home crowd since the Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. &#9632;

f0016-02

Clutch play great sign

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-031148/10078419-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="159" height="159"></div>How the Detroit Red Wings reacted to the trade of Paul Coffey and Keith Primeau to the Hartford Whalers for Brendan Shanahan and Brian Glynn can be summed up with one action.&ldquo;I got to the game a little late,&rdquo; Shanahan said of his arrival just 45 minutes before the start of the home opener Oct. 9. &ldquo;As soon as I got to the room the guys told me they were going to hold up the warmup until I could go out there with them. I had a quick little stretch and went out there. That was a nice thing for them to do.&rdquo;The call was made by the players, at the urging of team captain Steve Yzerman, who held a quick players&rsquo; meeting to get a consensus.&ldquo;We just wanted to let him know right away he was part of this team,&rdquo; Kris Draper said. &ldquo;So we waited a few minutes and went out together.&rdquo;The trade ended a frantic and confusing two weeks, where the players were never sure if the trade was done, as in completed, or done as in kaput (See pg. 7 for more on the trade.)The biggest loss was that of Coffey, considering Primeau had held out since training camp. And no one will feel the loss more than second-year player Mathieu Dandenault, who stayed at Coffey&rsquo;s home last season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not just losing a teammate, I&rsquo;m losing one of the best friends I had on the team,&rdquo; said Dandenault, 20. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to thank him. It&rsquo;s just sad to see a guy like that leave. He helped me in so many ways. I&rsquo;m probably the biggest Paul Coffey fan there is.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov tried to coerce trainer John Wharton into clearing him to come off the injured reserve list. Konstantinov took a jumping rope and wrapped it around Wharton&rsquo;s neck and said, &ldquo;Can I play on Friday (Oct. 11)?&rdquo; Each time Wharton told Konstantinov he would have to wait, Konstantinov tightened his grip on the rope. Konstantinov was expected to play in the Oct. 11 game against Calgary&hellip;Center Sergei Fedorov said the way the Paul Coffey portion of the big trade was handled has made him look to the day he might face a similar fate. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a wish, believe me,&rdquo; Fedorov said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more a concern. If you look at the business side, it&rsquo;s not like it used to be. I&rsquo;ve learned it can turn very ugly.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0016-03

Players make Shanahan feel welcome from get-go

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04849/10078450-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="159" height="159"></div>A bitter taste of NHL justice left Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; right winger Louie DeBrusk spitting out words in frustration.DeBrusk received a four-game suspension from NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke for his admittedly vicious two-handed slash on Vancouver Canuck Dana Murzyn. He feels his suspension comes in stark contrast to that of New York Rangers&rsquo; captain Mark Messier, who received two games for hitting Florida Panther Mike Hough into the boards from behind.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s impossible not to compare the circumstances of my slash and Mark Messier hitting a guy from behind into the boards and almost breaking a guy&rsquo;s neck,&rdquo; DeBrusk said. &ldquo;In my situation, (Murzyn) is not even hurt. He goes down and I thought that was a dive because he got up two minutes later and was back on the ice.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care that it&rsquo;s Mark Messier. I&rsquo;m a player in the NHL, too. Sure he&rsquo;s a celebrity, an all-star, one of the best who ever played the game. I don&rsquo;t care. When it comes to suspensions, we should all be treated the same.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not in any way putting myself on the same level as Mark Messier, but we all play in the same league and we should be treated equally.&rdquo;DeBrusk had been part of a 30minute conference call with Burke, all three Oiler coaches, assistant GM Bruce MacGregor, NHL Players&rsquo; Association rep Ian Pulver and DeBrusk&rsquo;s agent Pat Morris and came away hopeful he might not miss another game after sitting out one in Toronto pending the review.&ldquo;I went back to my room and prepared as if I was going to play,&rdquo; DeBrusk said. &ldquo;There was input from people saying (Murzyn) wasn&rsquo;t hurt, he butt-ended me first so it was a reaction and I wasn&rsquo;t a repeat offender. I thought for sure he would say I could play tonight. (GM Glen Sather) called and said I got four games. I wanted to ask if he was kidding, but he didn&rsquo;t sound happy.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Boris Mironov missed the first two road games of the season after learning his father had died at home in Moscow. The Oilers received a special roster exemption for him in order to make room for another defenseman&hellip;Rookie centre Rem Murray scored a goal in each of the Oilers&rsquo; first two games on two shots&hellip;Goalie Curtis Joseph recorded his sixth career shutout, his first as an Oiler, beating Vancouver 2-0 in Edmonton Oct. 6&hellip;Right winger Miro Satan was the first visitor to coach Ron Low&rsquo;s doghouse. He sat out the fourth game of the year because Low felt he wasn&rsquo;t competing hard enough&hellip;The Oilers&rsquo; 3-0-0 start is their best since they went 5-0-0 in 1985. &#9632;

f0016-04

DeBrusk angry over NHL justice

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011781/10078481-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="162" height="161"></div>When the NHL released its schedule over the summer, Florida Panthers&rsquo; coach Doug MacLean admitted, &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t jumping for joy.&rdquo;Captain Brian Skrudland&rsquo;s reaction? &ldquo;Holy Crow!&rdquo;Despite what appeared an impossible task on paper-to open against the Philadelphia Flyers on the road and the very next night to play Wayne Gretzky in his Madison Square Garden debut as a New York Ranger-the Panthers picked up where they left off last season by surprising nearly everyone with two solid victories.First, they silenced a crowd of 19,463 at the CoreStates Center by defeating the Flyers 3-1. Then they stopped Gretzky and Co., with a 5-2 victory.In both games, as well as their 1-1 tie against the Rangers in their home opener, the Panthers&rsquo; recipe for success was all too familiar for their opponents: tight checking, four equally-matched lines, strong goaltending by John Van-biesbrouck and some big hits by Ed Jo-vanovski.&ldquo;I noticed we were picked near the bottom again by a lot of people,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;We had to earn respect in the past and we have to earn it again.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck, who played the first three games, seemed in mid-season form despite undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder during the off-season. He stopped 31 shots against the Flyers, and a total of 61 in the two games against the Rangers.The Panthers&rsquo; quick start was exactly what players were talking about from the beginning of training camp. &ldquo;We realize how important a quick start is after last season,&rdquo; said Tom Fitzgerald, referring to the Panthers&rsquo; 25-8-2 start from a year ago.NOTEBOOK: The Panthers raised their Eastern Conference championship banner to the rafters Oct. 8 before their first home game. Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck called the pre-game ceremony &ldquo;the biggest accomplishment of my career up to this point.&rdquo;&hellip;Fans were handed cards entering the Miami Arena requesting them not to throw toy rats on the ice and none were thrown&hellip;Except for a little soreness in the back, left winger Mike Hough was fine after getting hit from behind Oct. 6 by Ranger captain Mark Messier, who was later given a two-game suspension&hellip;Right winger Ray Sheppard, who missed the first two games of the season with a separated right shoulder, was back in the lineup Oct. 8 for the Panthers&rsquo; first home game. &#9632;

f0017-01

Not even hectic schedule can prevent sizzling start

<div class="byline">By Michael Arace</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021349/10078512-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="163" height="159"></div>When the blockbuster deal that seemed stuck in a morass of modern-day NHL mumbo jumbo finally happened, not everyone arriving in Hartford was happy it did.The reaction of future Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey can best be described as grudging acceptance.Coffey was dealt to the Whalers Oct. 9 along with Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; holdout center Keith Primeau and a first round 1997 draft pick in exchange for star left winger Brendan Shanahan and defenseman Brian Glynn. Initially, Coffey was devastated by the transaction and said he would not report.He had a change of heart a few days later, however, and was expected to join the team in Miami in time for an Oct. 12 game against the Panthers.Primeau, meanwhile, was thrilled. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder resolved his sticky contract situation by signing a three-year, $5.2-million deal the day after the trade. In addition, he goes to a team that can promise him much more ice time than he received with the Wings as a second-line winger or third line center (See pg. 3 for more on the trade.)Primeau held out of Red Wings&rsquo; camp because of a dispute over his contract, which had one year left at $800,000. Instead, the 24-year-old. will earn $1.5 million this season under the new agreement and $1.7 million and $2 million in the two following years.&ldquo;All I know is I&rsquo;m really excited with the opportunity to play for Hartford,&rdquo; he said.Coffey, 35, first stated he would not report to Hartford for the same reasons Shanahan wanted to leave-essentially, because there is a decent chance the team will move in two years.Even when the all-time scoring leader among defensemen said he would play in Hartford, there was still speculation he would seek a trade to a more stable team.There were reports a deal with the Philadelphia Flyers was in the works in the days leading up to the trade. It would have seen the Whalers send Coffey to Philadelphia for defenseman Kevin Haller and another piece, possibly left winger Shjon Podein, but the Flyers demurred.Some fans in Hartford were wondering why Rutherford would trade away one problem in Shanahan only to get one back in Coffey.It&rsquo;s no secret there was an abundance of Shanahan suitors. The Washington Capitals reportedly offered up-and-coming left winger Steve Konowalchuk, a defenseman (believed to be Sergei Gonchar) and a second round pick.&ldquo;Two reasons we did this,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;One is because when you have an unsettling situation it&rsquo;s going to get worse over time. We were able to get through it with everyone focused. But we believe that situation would&rsquo;ve begun to fester.&ldquo;Two, there wasn&rsquo;t in our minds a better deal to be made. We felt by making the deal and taking a stance that we are in a stronger position to control the outcome of this. Time will tell whether we are.&rdquo;The deal was near completion at the end of each business day for a week before it transpired. It took so long because of contract problems and the fact everyone involved was disgruntled.NOTEBOOK: Captain Kevin Dineen on the trade: &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re getting a guy (Primeau) with unbelievable promise. He has a chance to show what he can do now. Then we get a Hall of Fame defensemen (Coffey). You look at what we&rsquo;re getting and it&rsquo;s a pretty exciting trade for us. We&rsquo;ve got some fantastic players coming in and the circus is now over.&rdquo;&hellip;Last year, goalie Sean Burke shut out the Rangers on opening night. This year, Burke shut out Phoenix on opening night Burke could go undefeated and unscored upon for the next 10 years-provided he only played the opener every year. &ldquo;That may be true,&rdquo; Burke said, &ldquo;but I don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;d pay me well for playing one game a year.&rdquo; The win gave Burke 11 career shutouts, seven as a Whaler. &#9632;

f0017-02

Coffey reluctantly on board

<div class="byline">By Lisa Dillman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021444/10078543-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="573" height="978"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ed Olczyk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011960/10078550-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="160" height="160"></div>Ed Olczyk has his own way of celebrating the birth of his children-by scoring a goal.He has done it before and it happened again on the night he made his debut with the Los Angeles Kings Oct. 4 against the New York Islanders.This time, he did it all in the space of a few hours. His wife, Diana, gave birth to their fourth child, Nicholas, at 5:20 p.m., at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He left the hospital at 5:47, then made his way through Friday night rush hour traffic in Los Angeles-no small undertaking-and entered the dressing room at 6:10.The gift for the Kings, and his new son, was no run-of-the-mill goal. It was a second period power play goal, which turned out to be the winner in a 1-0 victory.An emotional Olczyk, who revived his career in Winnipeg last season and signed with the Kings as a free agent in the summer, stood in the dressing room afterward still wearing his hospital bracelet.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t that stressed out,&rdquo; Olczyk said. &ldquo;I was pretty pumped up. This puts everything in perspective. The last couple of years have been tough. And without the support of my wife and family and friends, I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am today.&rdquo;His youngest son also has a souvenir of the goal, as another new King, goaltender Stephane Fiset, made sure he claimed the game puck and gave it to Olczyk, telling him it was for Nicholas.NOTEBOOK: The season opener was particularly special for defenseman Rob Blake, who was cleared to play less than two hours before the game. Blake had not played for the Kings in almost a year because of season-ending knee surgery, and was sidelined because of an elbow injury and partially tom tricep. &ldquo;I was thinking it had been 11 months since I had been out here,&rdquo; said Blake, who played with extra elbow padding. &ldquo;This is where I want to be.&rdquo;&hellip;Two more players were added to the lengthy injury list-right winger Vitali Yachmenev suffered a sprained right shoulder and defenseman Jan Vopat, who had been bothered by a strained lower back, was sidelined with a herniated disc in the lumbar region. &#9632;

f0018-02

Oh, baby! What a goal

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-031024/10078581-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="158" height="160"></div>This is one of those good news, bad news stories.The good news: through three games, the Montreal Canadiens were undefeated, with one win and two ties, and had scored a league-leading 15 goals.It marked only the seventh time in team history the Canadiens have scored 15 or more goals in their first three games. The last time was in 1981-82, when Montreal had 21 goals in three games.Nine of the Canadiens&rsquo; 15 goals were produced by the line of Mark Recchi, Saku Koivu and Brian Savage. Recchi had four goals and seven points; Koivu, one goal and seven points, while Savage had four goals and six points.The bad news: goals against were up. The team had allowed 12 goals, including six against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.Following the trade last summer of defenseman Lyle Odelein to the New Jersey Devils, and with the Canadiens playing two inexperienced rear-guards-David Wilkie with either Rory Fitzpatrick or Craig Rivet-in all games, it was expected Montreal would allow more goals. Nonetheless, it was uncharacteristic for a franchise that has always prided itself on defense.&ldquo;This is the first time in 15 years we&rsquo;ve had three well-balanced lines that could score,&rdquo; said assistant coach Steve Shutt. &ldquo;The scary part is there shouldn&rsquo;t be any limit on (them) because they&rsquo;re so skilled and a lot of them are just getting into their prime.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: It didn&rsquo;t take Montreal hockey fans long to identify the season&rsquo;s first victim. In only the second game, against Anaheim, defenseman Patrice Brisebois felt the fans&rsquo; wrath. He was booed each time he touched the puck over the final two periods. Even though he contributed two assists in a 6-6 tie, the braying continued both times his name was announced. Brisebois appeared emotional later. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a sensitive guy,&rdquo; Brisebois said. &ldquo;I can understand it if I make a mistake, but they were booing me when I carried the puck and when I was making passes.&rdquo;&hellip;With little fanfare, right winger Stephane Richer scored three goals in as many games, immediately deflecting the pressure off him in his return to Montreal. &#9632;

f0018-03

Red lights burn brightly at both ends for Montreal

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04689/10078612-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="158" height="157"></div>Two days before the home opener of their 25th season, the New York Islanders announced they had a new majority owner and had re-signed restricted free agent center Travis Green.Manhattan-bom John Spano, 32, president of a Dallas leasing company, agreed Oct. 10 to purchase what was termed, &ldquo;a substantial interest&rdquo; in the team from owner John O. Pickett.Details had to be worked out and the agreement will have to be approved by three-quarters of the NHL&rsquo;s Board of Governors at its Dec. 12-13 meetings in Phoenix. Routine approval is expected.Spano previously had sought to buy the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers. Asked why he wants to own the Islanders, who have averaged 11,604 fans over the past five years at Nassau Coliseum and missed the playoffs five of the past eight seasons, he said, &ldquo;Because I love the sport. I feel there is some upside. The Islanders have a heckuva good young nucleus. My job will be to turn it around and make it something worth being proud of.&rdquo;Club sources said Pickett will retain an ownership share of less than 10 per cent and the current management team will retain the 10 per cent share it purchased in 1992. Sources said Spano purchased about 80 per cent ownership for $80 million. Spano refused comment on the nuts and bolts, but pledged to keep the team on Long Island.Asked about the need for a new arena, Spano said, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely important. I know it has to be something that gets done. People have to feel comfortable and in a building they&rsquo;re proud of, that&rsquo;s accessible. It&rsquo;s a building that&rsquo;s past its prime.&rdquo;A few hours after announcing the ownership change, the club said Green had come to terms on a one-year contract. A source said his base salary will be $950,000, meaning the club can retain his rights after the season with a qualifying offer of $1,045 million. Green got a $150,000 signing bonus and can make $200,000 more, a source said, if he equals the season he had last year-25 goals and 70 points.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Tommy Soderstrom, who refused a two-week conditioning assignment, cleared waivers Oct. 9 and was assigned to Utah of the International League. Coach-GM Mike Milbury said if Soderstrom did not report, he would not be paid. Soderstrom, 27, who has a career record of 45-69-19 with a 3.63 goals-against average, signed a termination contract for $725,000 last summer which makes him an unrestricted free agent after the season&hellip;Left winger Derek King, right winger Ziggy Palffy and defenseman Darius Kasparaitis were designated alternate captains&hellip;Former right winger Brett Lindros, who retired after suffering multiple concussions, is studying broadcasting at Santa Monica College. &#9632;

f0018-04

Plenty of Green for Islanders

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05476/10078643-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="157" height="158"></div>It was an instant hit.A daring new look with a vestige of some of the classics. Quick acceleration and appeal to the masses. Powerful and reliable over the long haul with great handling on sharp turns. It wasn&rsquo;t a new model from BMW, but rather the new Scott Niedermayer with a green light from New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach Jacques Lemaire and new-found confidence.&ldquo;He just came into camp after the World Cup like this,&rdquo; said Lemaire, who praised Niedermayer for his aggressive play in a season-opening victory over the Detroit Red Wings. &ldquo;I can see he wants to do things offensively.&rdquo;In his first two games, Niedermayer had just one assist, but had taken 10 shots. So is it a new Niedermayer, beginning his fifth NHL season at a new skill level? Or is it a new Lemaire, having removed the leash?&ldquo;A combination of the two,&rdquo; Niedermayer suggested. &ldquo;Jacques has made a few changes in how we play within our system and I learned from last year. It was frustrating.&rdquo;Niedermayer always had the ability to go end-to-end. Now he has the assurance his teammates will cover and his coach will not voice disapproval.Despite speculation he has been among the players discussed in a possible trade for Jeremy Roenick, Niedermayer remained upbeat about his freedom.&ldquo;Last year I didn&rsquo;t play very aggressively and it didn&rsquo;t lead to much success,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;I want to be as aggressive as I can offensively and still play defense.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Scott Stevens was suspended for one game (a 3-1 loss in Philadelphia Oct. 7) and fined $1,000 as the result of a high-sticking incident involving Detroit center Igor Larionov. Larionov took three stitches in the face. Stevens, whose only other suspension was two games for a 1991 fight with defenseman Dave Manson that involved biting and gouging, said he was disappointed his reputation for not using his stick did not weigh more heavily with NHL vice-president Brian Burke&hellip;Center Bobby Holik&rsquo;s wish for an increased role with the Devils was granted when he centered a line with right winger Dave Andreychuk and left winger Steve Thomas. Holik scored 13 goals in 63 games last season. &#9632;

f0018-05

Niedermayer gets confidence, more freedom from Lemaire

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07301/10078674-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="565" height="969"><figcaption class="caption-body">Luc Robitaille</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06374/10078681-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="158" height="158"></div>The New York Rangers are paying their top four forwards, plus their best offensive defensemen, nearly $20 million this season.So scoring goals is not supposed to be a problem. But as the season began, scoring indeed was the Rangers&rsquo; undoing.On opening night, Mark Messier set up three of the Rangers&rsquo; four goals, and his linemates, Luc Robitaille (one) and Adam Graves (two) scored three times in a 4-4 tie with the Bruins in Boston.In the next three games, the Rangers scored just four goals. That&rsquo;s why they were still winless (0-2-2) after four games.It didn&rsquo;t help that Messier did not play in two games and one period of another because of a hit from behind against Florida Panthers&rsquo; Mike Hough Oct. 6. Messier received a major and a game misconduct in the second period that night, and two days later received a two-game suspension and a $1,000 fine from NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke.&ldquo;We have to find a way to score,&rdquo; said coach Colin Campbell. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an easy area to correct.&rdquo;Wayne Gretzky, meanwhile, had been marvelous. The Great One scored a goal-his 838th in the NHL and first in a Rangers&rsquo; uniform-in a 21 loss to the Dallas Stars, and had two assists. But his teammates seemed to have a bit of a slow start adjusting to him. They often didn&rsquo;t anticipate the puck arriving when it did.NOTEBOOK: Center Wayne Gretzky scored a lot of points with his new teammates when he refused to take up an offer from left winger Adam Graves, who was willing to give up the alternate captaincy so Gretzky could wear the &lsquo;A&rsquo;. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t need an &lsquo;A&rsquo; to be shown respect by anybody,&rdquo; said coach Colin Campbell&hellip;Left winger Luc Robitaille didn&rsquo;t miss any games despite a deep gash in his right leg sustained when he was cut by a skate in Miami. Robitaille was initially expected to miss at least one game, perhaps a week, but played the next game&hellip;Defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev was the victim of a new rule when he was ejected for not having his shirt tied down during a fight with Grant Marshall of Dallas. &#9632;

f0018-07

Few goals, fewer wins

<div class="byline">By Chris Stevenson</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011706/10078712-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="161" height="161"></div>For the past four years, the Ottawa Senators have been the NHL&rsquo;s Martha Stewart. They knew how to make their guests happy.&ldquo;We were very loose when we used to come in here,&rdquo; said Senators&rsquo; defenseman Steve Duchesne, who looked forward to visiting Ottawa as a member of the Quebec Nordiques and St. Louis Blues.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t really concentrate. There was no visualizing or focusing. It was, &lsquo;Okay, guys we got the two points.&rsquo; Everybody would be looking at their personal bonuses (in their contracts). The guys just wanted to get their points.&rdquo;Naturally, the Senators want to change that and opened the home portion of their 1996-97 schedule with a 3-3 tie with the New York Islanders.The Senators have said their goal for this season is to make the playoffs and the club&rsquo;s record at home will be a big indication of what progress they are or aren&rsquo;t making. Contending teams set a goal of playing. 750 at home and. 500 on the road.The Senators posted a 30-103-16 record (.258) in their first four seasons at the Civic and Corel Centres, but there were encouraging signs at the end of last season. The Senators were 5-5-2 with a 2.17 goals-against average in their last dozen home games.Coach Jacques Martin thinks the nights of his team smelling anything like a rose in their own bam are over. Truth is, on most nights at home they smelled exactly what you would expect to find in a bam.&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s changed now,&rdquo; Martin said. &ldquo;We won some at home in the second half last year and lost a lot of tight games. Now we have to take our game up to the next level and win those games.&rdquo;One of the things the Senators will have to be wary about is trying to put a show on for their fans. Under Martin, tight defensive hockey has been their one rock in a foundation that&rsquo;s under construction.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Alexandre Daigle, who suffered a broken arm going to the net last season, has shown no fear of driving hard to the crease. &ldquo;I know if I&rsquo;m going to score goals, I&rsquo;ve got to go there and I&rsquo;m going to keep going there,&rdquo; Daigle said. Daigle scored the tying goal with 1.5 seconds left against the Islanders Oct. 9 by crashing the net and was involved in a spectacular spill on a similar rush against Montreal Oct. 5&hellip;Jim Ralph, TV host for local broadcasts, introduced right winger Daniel Alfredsson this way at a recent function: &ldquo;Daniel Alfredsson, nobody has won the Calder Trophy two years in a row. What do you think your chances are?&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Wade Redden scored his first NHL goal in his first game, Oct. 5 at Montreal. &#9632;

f0019-01

Improved home record necessary

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021272/10078743-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="161" height="164"></div>After twice aggravating a right groin strain he suffered in the World Cup, Eric Lindros was almost willing to be patient about his return to the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; lineup.Lindros, who missed the Flyers&rsquo; first three regular season games, expressed concern he did not want the injury to develop into something that will plague him the rest of the season.&ldquo;I want to make sure it&rsquo;s ready this time,&rdquo; Lindros said, &ldquo;so you&rsquo;re not walking back to the medical room 10 minutes after you&rsquo;ve been on the ice.&rdquo;Lindros missed the last three preseason games due to an inflamed bursa sac in his right elbow, a problem that also developed during the World Cup. Upon his return, Lindros strained his groin again in practice, then felt something give when his skate got caught on goaltender Ron Hextall&rsquo;s pad in another workout.The Flyers went 2-1-0 without Lindros, but were 20-29-7 in games he had missed since joining the NHL in 1992.Coach Terry Murray moved Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour up into Lindros&rsquo; spot on the Flyers&rsquo; first line, but left winger John LeClair and right winger Mikael Renberg had no goals through the first three games.The uncertainty of the injury is what bothered Lindros the most.&ldquo;I want to know as quickly as possible and have my mind set on my return,&rdquo; Lindros said.NOTEBOOK: Rookie right winger Dainius Zubrus scored goals in two of his first three games and remained a fixture in the lineup. Zubrus signed a three-year contract worth $1.7 million, with incentive clauses that could take it to $2.4 million. He will make $400,000 this year&hellip;Rookie defenseman Janne Niinimaa was minus-3 in an opening night 3-1 loss to Florida and was a healthy scratch the next two games&hellip;Center Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour&rsquo;s overtime winner against Los Angeles Oct. 10 was his 500th career point&hellip;The Flyers averaged crowds of 18,587 for their first three home games, about 900 below capacity&hellip;A last-minute deal between the Flyers and local cable company PRISM will allow home games to be televised on area systems. &#9632;

f0019-02

Lindros won’t rush back from nagging groin injury

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04662/10078774-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="577" height="977"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeremy Roenick</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03867/10078781-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="160" height="162"></div>There&rsquo;s a five-alarm fire raging in Phoenix and not even Coyotes&rsquo; coach Don Hay, a former firefighter, can put it out.Jeremy Roenick&rsquo;s agent Neil Abbott accused the Coyotes of, &ldquo;not negotiating in good faith&rdquo; and suggesting they drop any thought of the star center ever playing in the desert.&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t get it,&rdquo; Abbott said. &ldquo;This guy is a proven commodity, but we&rsquo;ve had enough of this. I&rsquo;ve told them to forget it. It&rsquo;s over.&rdquo;Abbott said the Coyotes were low-balling his client and was angered they have refused to make a formal contract offer since acquiring Roenick&rsquo;s rights Aug. 16. The Coyotes are willing to offer about $3.4 million a year to the 26-year-old Roenick-the same salary being made by Phoenix captain Keith Tkachuk this season. But Abbott isn&rsquo;t budging from his initial request of $4.5 million annually.&ldquo;If they think this kid is just going to roll over and play dumb because they&rsquo;ve got palm trees, they&rsquo;re dead wrong,&rdquo; Abbott said. &ldquo;I was hoping it wouldn&rsquo;t come to this, but if they want to play with fire, fine. Let&rsquo;s play.&rdquo;Coyotes&rsquo; vice-president Bobby Smith said the Coyotes aren&rsquo;t lowballing anyone, that the team&rsquo;s offer is more than fair. &ldquo;Neil Abbott knows full well the range we&rsquo;re willing to talk in,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;He can let us know when he wants to begin negotiations.&rdquo;Despite the contract problems and acrimony, Smith said the Coyotes have no intentions of trading Roenick&rsquo;s rights.NOTEBOOK: Center Cliff Running sustained a fractured right hand when he was slashed by San Jose right winger Chris Tancill during the Coyotes&rsquo; home opener Oct. 10 and is expected to be sidelined until mid to late November. Center Juha Ylonen was recalled from Springfield of the American League&hellip;A sellout crowd of 16,210 saw Phoenix beat San Jose 4-1 in its home opener. Team officials expect every game to be sold out&hellip;Right winger Mike Gartner collected his 17th career hat trick in a 5-2 win over Boston Oct. 7. He scored his third goal into an open net after captain Keith Tkachuk stole the puck and then waited up ice before setting up Gartner. &ldquo;It was an extremely unselfish play,&rdquo; Gartner said. &#9632;

f0019-04

Roenick camp says ‘forget it’

<div class="byline">By Mike Dudurich</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021228/10078812-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="571" height="978"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Francis</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011712/10078819-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="160" height="160"></div>The new and improved Pittsburgh Penguins got their 1996-97 season off to the kind of start of which the old and not-all-that-good Penguins would have been proud.With several new players on the roster, the Penguins lost 4-3 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their home opener and 7-3 to Hartford Whalers three nights later.Common themes? The Lightning (43) and Whalers (42) each surpassed 40 shots.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s extremely disappointing that we&rsquo;re getting beat,&rdquo; said center Ron Francis. &ldquo;To lose is unacceptable, but to not compete the way we&rsquo;re capable, that makes it much, much worse.&rdquo;The additions of Kevin Hatcher and Craig Muni were designed to solidify a defensive unit that has been a soft spot the past few years. And when the regular season ends in April, the defense may well be much improved.But right now&hellip;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s pretty bad out there,&rdquo; Mario Lemieux said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s only two games, so we can&rsquo;t panic right away. But there are a lot of questions and no answers so far.&rdquo;Coach Eddie Johnston was naturally displeased with the poor start.&ldquo;I think when you look up at the scoreboard and see we were outshot 17-2 in the first eight minutes, you know we weren&rsquo;t ready to play,&rdquo; Johnston said after the loss in Hartford. &ldquo;We have to get concerned and address some situations. This is a contact game and some of our guys are just going through the motions.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Right winger Jaromir Jagr probably wouldn&rsquo;t mind replaying the first two games. He had six shots in two games, no goals, no points and was minus-2. In the Oct. 8 loss to Hartford, an errant slapshot by defenseman Chris Tamer hit Jagr in the back of the head as he stood some 15 feet wide of the net. Jagr was felled by the blast and sat on the bench for a while with an icebag on the back of his head. &ldquo;You can bet I&rsquo;ll never go there again,&rdquo; Jagr said. &lsquo;Trust me.&rdquo;&hellip;The Penguins were winless in four games at Hartford (0-3-1) and had an all-time record of 12-17-2 in the Civic Center&hellip;Defenseman Dmitri Mironov returned to his home in Moscow because of a death in the family and missed the game in Hartford. &#9632;

f0020-02

Defense still needs work

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03859/10078850-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="160" height="161"></div>When the St. Louis Blues signed Jim Campbell as a free agent in July, he barely got a mention.That&rsquo;s because his signing was overshadowed by those of $10-million winger Joe Murphy, $5-million defenseman Marc Bergevin and $2million defenseman Trent Yawney.But by the third game of the season, Campbell had grabbed the headlines. After three games, the 23-year-old rookie right winger led the Blues in scoring with two goals and four points. Both goals were game-winners.Not a bad start for a player who failed to stick during previous stops in Montreal and Anaheim.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing smart,&rdquo; said right winger Brian Noonan. &ldquo;It makes you wonder how teams missed him. It makes you wonder what teams look for.&rdquo;The Canadiens picked Campbell in the second round of the 1991 entry draft, but in five training camps with the Habs, Campbell never saw the ice for an exhibition game.The Mighty Ducks gave him his first break last season, and Campbell had two goals and three assists in 16 games, but Anaheim let him go as a free agent. The Blues stepped in with an offer he couldn&rsquo;t refuse-a two-year contract worth $900,000 if he played in the NHL, $ 150,000 if he played for the Blues&rsquo; American League farm team in Worcester, Mass.&ldquo;I was lucky to find a spot with the Blues, lucky to have this chance,&rdquo; Campbell said.NOTEBOOK: After leading the World Cup with seven goals and 11 points, right winger Brett Hull had no points in his first three games with the Blues. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re winning and that&rsquo;s all that matters,&rdquo; Hull said&hellip;Goalie Grant Fuhr, coming off major knee surgery, started and played every minute of the Blues&rsquo; first three games&hellip;Defenseman Al MacInnis returned ahead of schedule from a bone infection in his elbow, starting in the Blues&rsquo; opener. He received medical clearance the day before the game&hellip;There were lots of no-shows on opening night when the Blues announced an attendance of 16,668. Two nights later, an announced crowd of 15,128 witnessed a 4-1 loss to Chicago. Capacity at Kiel Center is 19.260. &#9632;

f0020-03

Campbell mmm, mmm good in fresh start with St. Louis

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04591/10078881-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="161" height="161"></div>The revamped San Jose Sharks&rsquo; hopes for a quick start ran into immovable road blocks in Colorado and Phoenix.The Sharks did little more than provide fodder for the Avalanche and Coyote home openers. San Jose was the sacrificial lamb on the night Colorado raised its 1996 Stanley Cup championship banner and again two nights later when Phoenix celebrated its entrance into the NHL.The Sharks went down meekly to the Avalanche 6-0 and were 4-1 losers to the Coyotes. Despite a season-opening 2-2 tie against the visiting New York Islanders and subsequent 7-6 overtime win in Los Angeles against the Kings, being outscored 10-1 in back-to-back games provided cause for concern.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been preaching all along that it&rsquo;s going to take until Christmas, or whenever, to really get things changed around,&rdquo; said coach Al Sims. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to change an attitude, a whole approach to things. What was acceptable last year is no longer acceptable, but it&rsquo;s not going to happen overnight.&rdquo;With only home games against the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers on tap before the start of an ominous six-game road trip, San Jose faced a stem early test. The Sharks started 318-4 last season en route to a 20-55-7 campaign and were never a factor in the playoff hunt.&ldquo;It has to be nipped in the bud,&rdquo; said center Bernie Nicholls.San Jose was hurt by a variety of problems in the early going. The team converted just one of 19 power play chances and were mired in a 0-for-16 streak. Sheepish play in Colorado was followed up by an undisciplined effort at Phoenix that resulted in eight shorthanded situations and a critical 5-on-3 power play goal by Coyotes&rsquo; right winger Mike Gartner.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to impress so much with the physical play that we&rsquo;re taking ourselves out of position and having to take penalties,&rdquo; said right winger Owen Nolan. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hurting us a lot&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Michal Sykora established a team record with a plus-6 effort in the Oct. 6 win over the Kings&hellip;Center Darren Turcotte was lost indefinitely when he sustained a strained knee in San Jose&rsquo;s season-opening 2-2 tie with the Islanders Oct. 5. Right winger Shean Donovan suffered a concussion in the same game, but returned to the lineup after a two-game absence&hellip;Center Dody Wood sustained a bruised foot when struck by a puck in practice two days before the season opener and was sidelined indefinitely&hellip;Defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson, who had eight goals and 31 assists as a rookie last season, was a healthy scratch in the season&rsquo;s first three games before making his debut at Phoenix Oct. 10. &#9632;

f0020-04

Sims preaches patience after erratic start

<div class="byline">By Roy Cummings</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011372/10078912-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="161" height="162"></div>For now, there are no reservations.The idea of going into a game with Corey Schwab as his starting goaltender sits well with Tampa Bay Lightning coach Terry Crisp. It sits well with his players, too.All have confidence in Schwab. Which means Tampa Bay&rsquo;s current understudy to No. 1 goalie Daren Puppa has something his predecessors seldom had.&ldquo;Hey, Jeff Reese, J.C. Bergeron, they were good goalies and they did the best they could,&rdquo; said Lightning center Brian Bradley. &ldquo;But there just wasn&rsquo;t a lot of confidence in them. You just never really knew what was going to happen when they were in there.&rdquo;Actually, the Lightning did know. They knew, more than likely, they were going to lose. At best tie. Win? That only happened eight times in the 27 starts Puppa&rsquo;s backups made last season.They addressed the problem by dealing Reese and a draft pick to the New Jersey Devils for Schwab, a goalie many NHL scouts believe isn&rsquo;t long for a backup role. When a sore groin forced Puppa to the sidelines the Lightning turned to Schwab.Schwab earned his team&rsquo;s confidence during the pre-season leading the Lightning to a victory and tie in back-to-back road games against the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings.In 10 games with New Jersey last season, Schwab was 0-3-0, but had a 2.18 goals-against average.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Daren Puppa was expected to miss two games because of his sore groin&hellip;The Lightning named left wingers Jason Wiemer and Rob Zamuner alternate captains. Center Brian Bradley remains an alternate captain and Paul Ysebaert remains captain. The team has no plans to give the &lsquo;C&rsquo; to another player while Ysebaert recovers from a groin injury. Ysebaert, who suffered the ailment last season, was skating again, but there was no word on when he would return&hellip;Center Daymond Langkow, a projected starter for the Lightning this season, was sent to Adirondack of the American League to get playing time. Langkow played in all six of Tampa Bay&rsquo;s exhibition games, but sat out the season opener. &#9632;

f0021-01

Schwab passes audition, prepared for ultimate test

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03573/10078943-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="581" height="976"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Craig</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02894/10078950-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="160" height="160"></div>Mike Craig has been a tease. And the Toronto Maple Leafs want it to stop.Leafs&rsquo; coach Mike Murphy has given Craig every opportunity to stop his cat-and-mouse game and put his talent on consistent display.The 25-year-old right winger responded in good fashion by scoring a goal in each of the first two Leaf games.When the Leafs signed Craig in 1994, they hoped he would develop into a grinding 25-goal-scorer. Although he has not come close to that-he scored five goals in 37 games his first year with Toronto and eight in 70 games last season-the expectations remain the same.Craig had back-to-back 36-goal seasons in junior hockey with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Oshawa Generals.&ldquo;We have not reduced our expectations of Mike Craig,&rdquo; said Maple Leafs&rsquo; assistant GM Bill Watters. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve always expected he could score 20-to-25 goals. He has been working very hard this year and has been rewarded with a couple of goals. Hopefully this can be a turning point for him.&rdquo;This is also a player for whom the Leafs paid significantly. Forwards Peter Zezel and Grant Marshall went to the Dallas Stars as compensation, and last year it appeared Marshall had developed into a better player than Craig. Zezel moved on to the St. Louis Blues and was a decisive force against the Leafs in the first round of the playoffs last spring.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Todd Warriner was scratched for the Leafs&rsquo; first two games because of a nagging hip injury. Defensemen Matt Martin and Jamie Heward, and left winger Scott Pearson, were all healthy scratches for the first two games&hellip;After picking up center Ralph Intranuovo on waivers from Edmonton, the Leafs deployed him as a left winger on the checking line&hellip;The Leafs removed numbers from the back of their helmets so as not to aid opposing coaches with line combinations during pre-game skates&hellip;Rookie blueliner Jeff Ware dressed, but played little in the first two games&hellip;The Leafs reacquired center Darby Hendrickson from the Islanders for a conditional mid-round 1988 draft pick Oct. 11. &#9632;

f0021-03

Turnaround for Craig?

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011594/10078981-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="160" height="161"></div>Mike Fountain may be the third goalie in the Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; system, but he has the No. 1 story this season.A restricted free agent, Fountain was home in Oshawa, Ont., when Corey Hirsch was injured Oct. 6. Fountain agreed to an offer of $300,000 (Cdn.) in the NHL and $50,000 (U.S.) in the minors on a two-way contract. He left for Vancouver Oct. 7 and signed Oct. 8.Then the fun began.Because Fountain hadn&rsquo;t reported to the Canucks&rsquo; American League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, he was told he could not be recalled under emergency conditions. He was required to show his face in Syracuse and then fly back to Vancouver for a Oct. 9 game.&ldquo;At first I thought it was a joke; I had to make sure everyone wasn&rsquo;t laughing at me,&rdquo; Fountain said.So he went to Vancouver airport, an hour-and-a-half early for his flight to Toronto, which was then delayed another two-and-a-half hours.&ldquo;I finally got home to Oshawa around one o&rsquo;clock in the morning, but I had a call from the Canucks waiting for me and they said, &lsquo;Everything is straightened out, just fly back to Vancouver,&rdquo; Fountain said.NOTEBOOK: Any thoughts of goaltending controversy in Vancouver were avoided early when Corey Hirsch bruised ribs in the first period of his first start while Kirk McLean, who struggled last season, posted a 1.13 goals-against average and 95.6 save percentage in his first three appearances&hellip;The Canucks drew the lowest crowd in the short history of GM Place, 14,109, for the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; visit Oct. 9. The previous low was 15,107. &#9632;

f0022-01

Goalie’s big adventure

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-021164/10079012-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="160" height="159"></div>For the second time in two years, the Washington Capitals became video critics for a day. The problem was, what they had to critique was their own performance and there were no thumbs up prior to the screening.The Caps opened 1996-97 with a humbling 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in which they were beaten in every category. They even lost the only fight.Coach Jim Schoenfeld hoped to get the club off to a quick, positive start in an effort to take an early foothold and avoid the late scratching, nail-biting rushes to the playoffs that have become part of Caps&rsquo; lore.Instead, the team opened with a pair of losses (5-3 in Dallas in Game 2), going winless in its first two games for the ninth time in 22 seasons.The day after the Chicago loss turned into a day of punishment to fit the crime, so to speak. The team stretch was followed by nearly an hour of continuous skating followed by nearly an hour of strenuous off-ice physical training, all under Schoenfeld&rsquo;s watchful glare. That was followed by nearly four hours of self-examination in the video room.Did it do any good? To a man the players thought it did, even if they only picked up skating or passing flaws from it. But it certainly did not help against Dallas two nights later when the club allowed three brutal rebound goals and at times couldn&rsquo;t even ice the puck.Schoenfeld planned to drop from four to three lines, dress seven defensemen and spot Brendan Witt as a winger to generate some havoc. Schoenfeld feels Witt needs more ice time.NOTEBOOK: Backup goalie Olie Kolzig joined four teammates on injured reserve when he came down with mononucleosis Oct.4. He believes the disease was detected in its latter stages so time on the sidelines might be limited. He thinks physical exhaustion from extensive World Cup travel followed immediately by training camp may have brought it on&hellip;Center Joe Juneau, who had surgery on a broken right wrist Sept. 19, made it into the opening lineup 16 days ahead of schedule&hellip;Defenseman Sylvain Cote was a healthy scratch opening night and was not happy about it. Coach Jim Schoenfeld wanted to look at youngsters&hellip;Rookie center Anson Carter was sent to Portland of the American League to get more playing time. &#9632;

f0022-02

Players pay for poor play

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05406/10079043-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Acrobatic junior goalie Marty Turco backstopped the Michigan Wolverines to a national college championship last season. (Photo by Vince Muzik)</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s not like the University of Michigan didn&rsquo;t have a big enough bullseye on its chest after capturing the U.S. college title last season.So coach Red Berenson&rsquo;s reaction to the news his Wolverines are picked to repeat by The Hockey News wasn&rsquo;t surprising.&ldquo;Oh great,&rdquo; Berenson laughed. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if that&rsquo;s good or bad.&rdquo;The choice may put more pressure on Michigan, but the reason it was made bodes well for the Wolverines. Twenty of 24 lettermen from the 1995-96 team which had a 34-7-2 overall record are back. The only significant losses were steady defenseman and captain Steven Halko and second-leading scorer Kevin Hilton.Returning, however, are the best group of forwards in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Senior center Brendan Morrison (THN&rsquo;s College Player of the Year), junior right winger Bill Muckalt, senior left wingers Jason Botterill and John Madden, senior right wingers Warren Luhning and Mike Legg and junior center Matt Hen-are all back.Senior defensemen Blake Sloan and Harold Schock will anchor the defense and junior goalie Marty Turco is also returning.&ldquo;I think everybody wants to play better,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;I think everyone can play better.&rdquo;The senior classmen-which also includes defensemen Peter Bourke and Chris Frescolnalso think the entire team can play better. It&rsquo;s a close-knit class of players. The reason Morrison returned for his senior season was the relationship with his hockey-playing classmates as much as his quest for a degree.&ldquo;There are a lot of things like that between them that might not be apparent to you and me,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a chemistry with that senior class. If their chemistry and leadership has a positive effect on the rest of the team, it will be great.&rdquo;Michigan State coach Ron Mason, whose Spartans won the national title in 1986 and returned to the final the next season, knows how the experience of winning an NCAA title makes players better.&ldquo;The biggest thing they&rsquo;ve got is experience and confidence,&rdquo; Mason said. &ldquo;They know they can win because they&rsquo;ve been there before.&rdquo;A look at the Central Collegiate Hockey Association&rsquo;s coaches&rsquo; poll shows rival coaches have the same opinion of the Wolverines, who got nine of 10 first-place votes. The maverick was surely Berenson because coaches traditionally don&rsquo;t vote for their own teams.Regardless, Berenson knows that to repeat, his team will likely have to win an overtime game for another title. That&rsquo;s what it took last season, when Morrison&rsquo;s overtime goal against Colorado College in Cincinnati gave the Wolverines a 3-2 win.The previous three seasons had ended in overtime losses for the Wolverines. In 1993 and 1995, it was overtime losses to Maine in the NCAA semifinals and in 1994 it was an overtime loss to Lake Superior State in the West Regional.&ldquo;We had to play as well as we could and we still found ourselves in overtime,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s going to happen. It&rsquo;s going to come down to overtime.&rdquo;And Legg knows that every team will play its absolute best game against the Wolverines this season.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re No. 1, we know that. We&rsquo;ve seen the polls,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t mind the pressure. Everyone &#9632;

f0024-05

Wolverines poised to retain crown

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello</div>It could be a repeat of 1996 in the 1997 U.S. college Final Four tournament. The Michigan Wolverines, Vermont Catamounts, Boston University Terriers and Colorado College Tigers are all going back, according to The Hockey News panel of experts.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011534/10079095-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="240" height="330"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tom Boggie</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-021105/10079088-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="238" height="327"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larry Mahoney</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03766/10079081-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="237" height="327"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Miller</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04551/10079074-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="239" height="327"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Harris</figcaption></div>Michigan, Vermont, Boston University and Colorado College hold down the top four rankings in our U.S. college pre-season top 10. The Wolverines beat the Tigers 32 in overtime in the title game last year.THN U.S. college hockey writers Tom Boggie of the Schenectady (N.Y.) Gazette, Larry Mahoney of the Bangor (Me.) Daily News, Chris Miller of the Duluth (Minn.) NewsTribune and Paul Harris of the Detroit Sunday Journal provided previews for their respective leagues and hashed out a top 10 during a conference call.One decision of note is the placing of Colorado College ahead of Denver and Minnesota, both of whom are ranked ahead of CC in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association preview. WCHA reporter Miller says Denver and Minnesota will finish ahead of Colorado College (see pg. 25), but the rest of the panel believes the Tigers will prevail. The majority ruled. All four reporters believe Michigan will repeat as national champions. The Final Four begins March 27 in Milwaukee. Here is our top 10.1. Michigan Wolverines (CCHA) Twenty returning players from national title.2. Vermont Catamounts (ECAC) Coach Mike Gilligan has ship-shape crew.3. Boston University Terriers (HE) Great recruits in Tom Poti and Dan Lacouture.4. Colorado College Tigers (WCHA) Top-rated team in WCHA coaches&rsquo; poll.5. Clarkson Golden Knights (ECAC) Will challenge Vermont for ECAC title.6. Denver Pioneers (WCHA) All key players back. Good darkhorse selection.7. Minnesota Gophers (WCHA) Loss of Brian Bonin drops Gophers a notch.8. New Hampshire Wildcats (HE) Freshman goalie Sean Matile is the wildcard.9. Michigan State Spartans (CCHA) Ron Mason always gets most from Spartans.10. Lake Superior State Lakers (CCHA) Ex-coach Jeff Jackson left solid cast. &#9632;

f0024-01

THN’s top 10 NCAA choices

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggie</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011544/10079157-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cats&rsquo; Meow Right winger Martin St. Louis already has the Vermont record for career assists. (Photo by Wiliam Dililo)</figcaption></div>Martin St. Louis is majoring in small business, but he&rsquo;s putting together a lot of big projects. His thesis this season could be on how to win the Hobey Baker Award as the nation&rsquo;s top college player.In this, his senior year at the University of Vermont, the high scoring right winger doesn&rsquo;t have to prove anything to anyone. The numbers speak volumes.St. Louis, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound team captain from Laval, Que., is the best player on the best team in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. His linemate, center Eric Perrin, and goalie Tim Thomas have impressive credentials of their own and are destined for all-America status in their final seasons for the Cats, but St. Louis is the man.During the 1995-96 season, St. Louis led the nation in points per game (2.44) and assists per game (1.62), but the amazing thing was that his game became even more complete, as he had a career-high 29 goals.St. Louis, who already had a reputation as one of the best playmakers in college hockey, also showed people he knows how to finish.He credits his time spent in Switzerland with Canada at the Spengler Cup as a reason for his strong stretch run last year.&ldquo;I only had four goals before Christmas, but when I came back from Switzerland, I felt totally different,&rdquo; St. Louis said. &ldquo;I was in the right place at the right time, and I was putting the puck in the net. The hockey season is not a sprint, it&rsquo;s a marathon and you have to take one game at a time.&rdquo;Playing with Canada last season also helped St. Louis dispel the belief he&rsquo;s too small to play at a higher level.Still he&rsquo;s considered a longshot as an NHL prospect.&ldquo;Size is on paper,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I go on the ice, I play like I&rsquo;m 6-foot-2. I&rsquo;m not afraid to go into the comers with guys who are 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4. Look at guys like Theo Fleury and Doug Gilmour. If they didn&rsquo;t play physical, they wouldn&rsquo;t be there (in the NHL). People say I can&rsquo;t play at the next level, but I think I showed them I can.&rdquo;St. Louis, who has 207 career points (67 goals with a school-record 140 assists), was not drafted, but turned down several free agent offers from NHL teams after last season. He decided the time and money weren&rsquo;t right for him.&ldquo;Teams were interested in me and the money wasn&rsquo;t bad,&rdquo; said the 21-year-old. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m going to graduate in May and the money will still be there next year.&rdquo;Winning the Hobey Baker Award, one of St. Louis&rsquo; goals for this season, would help. St. Louis has been a finalist two years running, and hopes to land college hockey&rsquo;s top award this season.&ldquo;I want to raise my game to the next level this year,&rdquo; St. Louis said. &ldquo;I had a great year last year, but I&rsquo;m going to try to top it this year. We have the makings of a great team and this is the last chance for a lot of us, so we&rsquo;re going to make the most of it.&rdquo;Here&rsquo;s how things look to stack up in the ECAC this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Last year&rsquo;s conference records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. The top 10 teams qualify for the playoffs.1. Vermont Catamounts (17-2-3, first place, lost ECAC semifinal, lost NCAA semifinal). Coach: Mike Gilligan. Kingpin: Martin St. Louis runs the offense and senior goalie Tim Thomas, 22, is the key on defense. He led the conference with a 2.34 goals-against average last season. Fresh face: The Catamounts hope center Benoit Lampron, 18, develops into the next Eric Perrin. Outlook: This definitely looks like the Year of the Cat.2. Clarkson Golden Knights (16-4-2, second place, lost ECAC semifinal, lost NCAA East Regional). Coach: Mark Morris. Kingpin: Junior goalie Dan Murphy, 22, is one of the most worked and consistent goalies in the nation. He led the conference with 38 games played. Fresh face: Left winger Matt Saper, 19, brings size and toughness to the left side of the attack. Outlook: The Knights are the only team that can go toe-to-toe with Vermont.3. Colgate Red Raiders (13-5-4, fifth place, lost ECAC quarterfinal). Coach: Don Vaughan. Kingpin: Senior right winger Mike Harder, 22, ranked among the conference&rsquo;s top 10 in scoring the last two seasons. Fresh face: Right winger Darryl Campbell, 19, will help Colgate improve its overall team speed. Outlook: Colgate&rsquo;s balanced scoring will drive opposition defenses crazy.4. St. Lawrence Saints (15-4-3, third place, lost ECAC quarterfinal). Coach: Joe Marsh. Kingpin: Junior center Paul DiFrancesco, 21, has developed into one of the most prolific playmakers in Saints&rsquo; history. Fresh face: Center Jason Windle, 19, should be the next Nepean (Ont.) Raider to make an impact on the St. Lawrence program. Outlook: The Saints will need strong goaltending to make a run at the ECAC title.5. Cornell Big Red (14-4-4, fourth place, won ECAC championship, lost NCAA East Regional). Coach: Mike Schafer. Kingpin: Junior goalie Jason Elliott, 21, proved he is a big-time player last year with 12 wins. Fresh face: Rugged defenseman Rick Sacchetti (6-foot-4, 205) adds size to one of the biggest teams in the league. Outlook: The Big Red needs to come up with some instant offense to prove last year was no fluke.6. Harvard Crimson (9-12-1, sixth place, lost ECAC final). Coach: Ronn Tomassoni. Kingpin: Senior defenseman Ashlin Halfnight, 22, is one of the most underrated blueliners in the country. He was drafted 213th overall by the Hartford Whalers in 1994. Fresh face: Goalie J.R. Prestifilippo, 18, will battle for the starting position now that Tripp Tracy has graduated. Outlook: The Crimson is still a season away from being a solid contender.7. Brown Bruins (5-11-6, seventh place, lost ECAC quarterfinal). Coach: Bob Gaudet. Kingpin: Junior goalie Jeff Holowaty, 20, put together a tie-filled nine-game unbeaten (3-0-6) stretch last season. Fresh face: Goalie Scott Stirling, 19, has the talent to step in and eventually take over from Holowaty. Outlook: The goaltending has to be good because the offense will struggle. Brown had just two players with 10 goals last season.8. RPI Engineers (7-13-2, eighth place, lost ECAC quarterfinal). Coach: Dan Fridgen. Kingpin: Sophomore center Alain St. Hilaire, 21, is ready to show he can be a dominant player in the ECAC. He had just five goals and 19 points last season. Fresh face: Goalie Scott Prekaski, 21, has the kind of experience RPI needs. Outlook: If RPI is to get out of the second tier of teams in the conference, the defense will have to be rock solid.9. Union Skating Dutchmen (4-15-3, 11th place, missed playoffs). Coach: Stan Moore. Kingpin: Senior center Chris Ford, 22, leads a veteran offense. But his 25 points were a conference low for team leaders. Fresh face: Defenseman Jeff Sproat. 19, can help fill a big hole on defense. Outlook: Buoyed by a new outlook brought on by the hiring of Moore-who replaced Bruce Delventhal-Union should be a playoff team again.10. Princeton Tigers (5-14-3, 10th place, lost ECAC preliminary round). Coach: Don Cahoon. Kingpin: Senior center J.P. O&rsquo;Connor, 22, is back after sitting out all of the 1995-96 season as a red shirt. He had 24 points in 28 games in 1994-95. Fresh face: Defenseman Peter Zavodny, 17, will be one of the youngest players in the conference. Outlook: Youth could be the Tigers&rsquo; big downfall. But that bodes well a couple years down the road.11. Dartmouth Big Green (6-14-2, ninth place, lost ECAC preliminary round). Coach: Roger Demment. Kingpin: Junior winger David Whitworth, 20, is the Big Green&rsquo;s best finisher. He led the way with 13 goals and 31 points last season. Fresh face: Goalie Eric Almon, 18, is projected to be the key to the Big Green future. Outlook: If senior goalies Scott Baker and Ben Heller get off to good starts, the Big Green will surprise a lot of teams.12. Yale Bulldogs (14-17-1, 12th place, missed playoffs). Coach: Tim Taylor. Kingpin: Junior defenseman Ray Giroux, 20, is one of the best puckhandling defensemen in the league. Fresh face: Right winger Tashi Kinjo, 19, is the smallest player in the ECAC, at 5-foot-5 and 150 pounds. Outlook: The Bulldogs were one of the most-penalized teams in the league last season. Even if they are well behaved, the Bulldogs are a longshot to make the playoffs. &#9632;

f0026-01

Vermont’s guiding Saint

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011419/10079188-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Michigan center Brendan Morrison was THN&rsquo;s top U.S. college player last season. (Photo by Ross Dettman)</figcaption></div>Some people say Brendan Morrison has nothing left to prove at the collegiate level.But since patience is such a big part of Morrison&rsquo;s game, it&rsquo;s not a surprise he decided to return to the University of Michigan for his senior year.In his first three seasons with the Wolverines, the 1993 second round pick of the New Jersey Devils established himself as one of the nation&rsquo;s top players. Morrison, 21, has been a Hobey Baker finalist the past two seasons. Last season he scored 28 goals and 72 points in 35 games and was named The Hockey News U.S. College Player of the Year and Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year.He capped off the season by leading Michigan to the national title with an overtime goal in the championship game against Colorado College last March.So what&rsquo;s left to accomplish?&ldquo;One of the big reasons I came back was I&rsquo;m still developing as a player,&rdquo; said Morrison, a 5-foot-11, 176-pound native of Pitt Meadows, B.C. &ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;m satisfied with winning just one national championship.&rdquo;Morrison also feels a strong bond with other members of the senior class-which includes left winger Jason Botterill, center/right winger Mike Legg, right winger Warren Luhning, left winger John Madden and defensemen Harold Schock and Blake Sloan.&ldquo;As seniors coming in, we want to prove to a lot of people that we&rsquo;re a very special class,&rdquo; Morrison said.But there&rsquo;s no question he&rsquo;s the most special player of the class.&ldquo;He has the ability to see the ice when there&rsquo;s a lot going on,&rdquo; said Michigan coach Red Berenson. &ldquo;And he has the ability to make the pass. When you play with him, just get open and he&rsquo;ll get the puck to you.&rdquo;Someone who has first-hand knowledge of being on the ice with Morrison is Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; prospect Mike Knuble, who was Morrison&rsquo;s Wolverine teammate for two seasons.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just one of those unique guys that you get a chance to play with every once in a while,&rdquo; said Knuble, a right winger in his second season with the Adirondack Red Wings of the American League. &ldquo;Like (Igor) Larionov, he never panics with the puck. It&rsquo;s one thing to be able to see the open man, but another to get it to him all the time.&rdquo;Patience is something that Morrison has always exhibited on the ice.&ldquo;Ever since I was a young kid, I&rsquo;ve liked to have patience,&rdquo; Morrison said. &ldquo;People say you&rsquo;re blessed with certain things. And if I&rsquo;ve been blessed with the ability to slow things down, that&rsquo;s good.&rdquo;Morrison also displays patience and vigilance in the classroom. He&rsquo;s majoring in economics and one day hopes to run his own business.&ldquo;Education definitely is something that&rsquo;s really important,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the reason I came here, to get my diploma.&rdquo;The Devils are watching with equal patience. Morrison was the fourth ranked prospect on the team&rsquo;s THN 1995-96 Future Watch list. They don&rsquo;t mind waiting another season.Here&rsquo;s how things look heading into the CCHA season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Last year&rsquo;s conference records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.1. Michigan Wolverines (22-6-2, first place, won CCHA and NCAA championship). Coach: Red Berenson. Kingpin: Senior center and captain Brendan Morrison, 21, is 10th on Michigan&rsquo;s all-time point list with 196. That&rsquo;s 65 behind leader Denny Felsner. Fresh face: The Wolverines return 20 lettermen so there won&rsquo;t be many opportunities for freshmen. But center Andrew Merrick, 18, has the best shot of making the team. Outlook: The national champions are still the best in the conference.2. Michigan State Spartans (22-7-1, third place, lost CCHA semifinal, lost West Regional qualifying game). Coach: Ron Mason. Kingpin: Sophomore right winger Mike York, 18, is small (5-foot-10, 183 pounds) but he had 39 points and was the Spartans&rsquo; third-leading scorer as a freshman. Fresh face: Junior right winger Kevin O&rsquo;Keefe, 22, adds size and experience after transferring from Illinois-Chicago, which dropped its program. Outlook: As usual the Spartans are a solid contender with good team defense.3. Lake Superior State Lakers (22-6-2, second place, lost CCHA final, lost NCAA East Regional). Coach: Scott Borek. Kingpin: Junior goalie John Grahame, 21, is the son of former NHL goalie Ron Grahame. John is big (6-foot-3) and a big-game player. Fresh face: Senior center Mike Peron, 23, had 15 goals and 29 points for Illinois-Chicago, the league&rsquo;s worst offensive team last season. Outlook: With Jeff Jackson now working for USA Hockey, Borek will put his stamp on the team.4. Bowling Green Falcons (18-11-1, fifth place, lost CCHA semifinal). Coach: Buddy Powers. Kingpin: Senior defenseman Kelly Perrault, 22, is the conference&rsquo;s top blueline offensive threat. He averaged more than a point a game last season and had a team high 101 penalty minutes. Fresh face: Freshman defenseman Peter Ratchuk, 19, will provide more skating ability and offense from the back line. Outlook: Another productive year from Perrault could carry the Falcons a long way.5. Western Michigan Broncos (21-6-3, fourth place, lost CCHA quarterfinal, lost East Regional qualifying game). Coach: Bill Wilkinson. Kingpin: Senior right winger Justin Cardwell, 22, had 23 goals as a junior. Fresh face: Sophomore center Tony Kolozsy, 19, was Illinois-Chicago&rsquo;s leading scorer (18 goals and 34 points in 36 games) as a freshman. Outlook: The loss of goalie Marc Magliarditi to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western League and graduation losses will make it difficult for the Broncos.6. Miami-Ohio Redskins (9-17-4, seventh place, lost CCHA quarterfinal). Coach: Mark Mazzoleni. Kingpin: Sophomore center Randy Robitaille, 20, was second on the team with 14 goals and 45 points and a member of the CCHA all-rookie team. Fresh face: Junior goalie Adam Lord, 22, is a transfer from Illinois-Chicago. He will split time with fellow junior Trevor Prior. Outlook: A young team that could make a big jump in the second half of the season as it matures.7. Ferris State Bulldogs (10-17-3, sixth place, lost CCHA quarterfinal). Coach: Bob Daniels. Kingpin: Senior defenseman Andy Roach, 23, was runner-up for the CCHA&rsquo;s best defensive defenseman award last season. He also contributed 15 goals and 34 points, second on the team in scoring. Fresh face: Freshman left winger Brian McCullough, 19, was USA Hockey&rsquo;s junior player of the year. Outlook: The Bulldogs hope to carry momentum of winning six of their last nine 1995-96 games.8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-20-4, 10th place, missed playoffs). Coach: Dave Poulin. Kingpin: Sophomore defenseman Benoit Cotnoir, 21, was team&rsquo;s top scoring defenseman last season and played on both specialty units as a freshman. Fresh face: Freshman right winger Joe Dusabek, 18, is expected to show a great combination of skill, intensity and leadership. Outlook: Now in his second season, Poulin has his team on a long and winding road back to respectability.9. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-17-5, eighth place, lost CCHA quarterfinal). Coach: John Markell. Kingpin: Senior forward Pierre Dufour, 23, is the top returning scorer. But he had just eight goals and 30 points in 32 games. Fresh face: Right winger Eric Meloche, 20, is the son of former NHL goaltender Gilles Meloche. He&rsquo;ll receive ample opportunity to show his bloodlines. Outlook: The Buckeyes are in dire need of added offense and will continue to struggle.10. Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (8-22-0, ninth place, missed playoffs). Coach: Dave Laurion. Kingpin: Senior center Cody Bowtell, 24, had a team-leading 21 goals and 44 points last season. Fresh face: Freshman defenseman Mike Jaros, 21, from the Springfield Olympics of the North American Junior League, should add offense from the blueline. Outlook: There are eight freshmen and all will have to play well for the young Nanooks to move into the conference&rsquo;s middle of the pack.Boston&rsquo;s top Terrier &#9632;

f0027-01

Wolverine pack leader

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011521/10079219-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">An injury in hockey steered Chris Drury away from pursuing a pro baseball career. (Photo by Vince Muzik)</figcaption></div>Chris Drury dramatically improved his game in just one year at Boston University.He went from having a respectable freshman season to being a Hobey Baker Award finalist the following year.What&rsquo;s next? The Hobey?&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t set any individual goals,&rdquo; Drury said. &ldquo;I just worry about our team. I want to be consistent every game and keep improving my skills.&rdquo;Drury improved from 12 goals and 27 points as a freshman in 1994-95 to 35 goals and 68 points last season. He edged teammate Jay Pandolfo by one point for the Hockey East scoring title.But offense only tells part of the story.&ldquo;He does it all,&rdquo; said New Hampshire coach Dick Umile.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great player,&rdquo; said Merrimack coach Ron Anderson. &ldquo;He has excellent skills and he works hard.&rdquo;Providence coach Paul Pooley labels him a &ldquo;tremendous player&rdquo; and Maine interim coach Greg Cronin calls him as dynamic and slippery as they get.&ldquo;What a competitor,&rdquo; said UMass-Amherst coach Joe Mallen.The third round draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 1994 knows what it will take to move up the hockey ladder. Besides adding a few inches and muscle to his 5-foot-10, 180-pound frame, Drury said he has to work on the defensive aspect of his game. U.S. prep school hockey isn&rsquo;t exactly a bastion for two-way players.&ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to play defense at Boston University or you don&rsquo;t play,&rdquo; said the product of Fairfield (Conn.) Prep.He credits much of his development to BU coach Jack Parker and strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle. They have particularly helped Drury improve his skating, which he didn&rsquo;t consider to be among his strengths when he came to BU.&ldquo;And there&rsquo;s still room for improvement, he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m always working on my skating.&rdquo;Drury is more than an outstanding hockey player. He was a 13-year-old pitcher and on off-days a catcher on the Trumbull, Conn., team that won the Little League World Series in 1989. He pitched the decisive game.At the same time, his older brother Ted was a second round draft selection of the Calgary Flames and embarking on his freshman season with the Harvard Crimson.Chris Drury knew he would eventually have to choose between baseball and hockey and that&rsquo;s when fate struck.&ldquo;During my junior year (at Fairfield Prep), I broke my wrist and wasn&rsquo;t able to play summer baseball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That made the decision for me.&rdquo;Drury, 20, expects his Terriers to be competitive, even though graduation losses and pro defections have taken a toll. He helped BU win a national championship his first season and likes to think the Terriers have what it takes to make a return visit.&ldquo;People are expecting a big drop-off but coach Boyle and coach Parker have worked us hard,&rdquo; Drury said. &ldquo;This is the hardest pre-season we&rsquo;ve had in three years and we&rsquo;ve got a great group of kids. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of character.&rdquo;Drury hasn&rsquo;t set a timetable for his pro career. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just taking things year by year,&rdquo; he said.Here&rsquo;s how things measure up in Hockey East this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish.Last year&rsquo;s conference records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. Eight teams qualify for the playoffs,1. Boston University Terriers (17-5-2, first place, lost Hockey East semifinal, lost NCAA semifinal). Coach: Jack Parker. Kingpin: Junior center Chris Drury, 20, is an exceptional two-way player and one of the frontrunners for the Hobey Baker Award. Fresh face: Defenseman Tom Poti, 19, is big and rangy with good offensive skills. He was a third round pick of the Edmonton Oilers. Outlook: Despite graduation losses and pro defections, the Terriers reload with a solid nucleus and good freshman class.2. New Hampshire Wildcats (8-12-4, sixth place, lost Hockey East quarterfinal). Coach: Dick Umile. Kingpin: Junior center Mark Mowers, 22, was Hockey East rookie of the year in 1994-95. He&rsquo;s an elusive speedster who is a threat every shift. Fresh face: Goalie Sean Matile, 21, is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and very agile. He must sit out a 10-game suspension for playing briefly at the major junior level. Outlook: If Matile is as good as advertised, the Wildcats could challenge BU.3. Boston College Eagles (12-10-2, fifth place, lost Hockey East quarterfinal). Coach: Jerry York. Kingpin: Sophomore center Marty Reasoner, 19, was a first round draft pick of the St. Louis Blues this year and is one of the nation&rsquo;s premier offensive players. Fresh face: Forward Jeff Farkas, 18, is a natural goal scorer with a quick release. NHL scouts will be watching him. Outlook: If senior goalie Greg Taylor has a quality season, the Eagles could make a significant jump in the standings.4. Maine Black Bears (14-6-4, third place, lost Hockey East final, banned from NCAA tournament). Coach: Greg Cronin (interim) and Shawn Walsh (returning Dec. 24). Kingpin: Junior right winger Shawn Wansborough, 22, is a hard-nosed power forward who scored a team-high 27 goals last season. Fresh face: Goalie Alfie Michaud, 19, was one of the most highly sought after high school goalies. Outlook: The NCAA ban from this year&rsquo;s tournament took its toll as four potential all-Americas bolted. The Bears will miss them.5. Providence Friars (12-9-3, fourth place, won Hockey East championship, lost East Regional qualifying game). Coach: Paul Pooley. Kingpin: Senior goalie Dan Dennis, 24, backstopped the upstart Friars to their first Hockey East title since 1985. Fresh face: Left winger Fernando Pisani, 19, has size (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) and a promising scoring touch. Outlook: The Friars were hit hard by graduation, especially on the blueline, but the influence of goalie Dennis and some good forwards will enable them to finish above. 500.6. UMass-Amherst Minutemen (4-14-6, eighth place, lost Hockey East quarterfinal). Coach: Joe Mallen. Kingpin: Senior right winger Rob Bonneau, 22, is fast and shifty with 119 career points in 97 games. Fresh face: Defenseman Dean Stork, 21, is a rugged stay-at-home rearguard with good anticipation. Outlook: With 24 of their 31 players returning and Maine transfer Tim Lovell possibly becoming eligible for the second semester, the Minutemen should be markedly improved.7. Merrimack Warriors (4-18-2, ninth place, missed playoffs). Coach: Ron Anderson. Kingpin: Senior left winger Robbie Beck, 23, is a solid two-way player who averaged over a point per game. Fresh face: Forward Jayson Philbin, 19, is a tenacious checker with excellent offensive skills. Outlook: The Warriors have one of the league&rsquo;s best goalies in Martin Legault and could surprise some people if they avoid their usual slow start.8. UMass-Lowell Chiefs (16-6-2, second place, lost Hockey East semifinal, lost NCAA West Regional). Coach: Tim Whitehead. Kingpin: Senior left winger Neil Donovan, 23, is a top-notch two-way player who is great in the comers. He had 43 points in 38 games last year. Fresh face: Left winger Mario LeBlanc, 19, is an effective comer man with a heavy shot. Outlook: The River Hawks graduated a terrific eight-member senior class and will be rebuilding with 10 freshmen and veteran goaltending.9. Northeastern Huskies (6-13-5, seventh place, lost Hockey East quarterfinal). Coach: Bruce Crowder. Kingpin: Junior center Scott Campbell, 22, is a heady player who led the Huskies with 20 goals last season. Fresh face: Right winger Billy Newson, 19, is a speedster suited to the Olympic-sized ice surface at Matthews Arena. Outlook: The Huskies lost their top three scorers, best defenseman and both goalies, so Crowder has to start from scratch. &#9632;

f0028-01

Boston’s top Terrier

<div class="byline">By Larry Starks</div>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&rsquo; center Paul Jackson thinks he has something to prove in 1996-97.&ldquo;The last couple of seasons, I&rsquo;ve had decent years, but I haven&rsquo;t been happy with my overall performance.&rdquo; said Jackson, who has had 250 points the past two seasons with the Iguanas. &ldquo;Part of it was that I didn&rsquo;t get a chance to play as much as I would have liked.&rdquo;And part of the problem was that former San Antonio coach John Torchetti didn&rsquo;t like Jackson&rsquo;s defensive efforts and sat him in occasional third period situations. And even during other situations, Jackson played second fiddle to CHL MVP Brian Shantz, who led the league with 85 assists and 139 points.But Jackson, 30, again is the focal point. First-year coach Dale Henry has given Jackson the first two-year contract in league history and made him the assistant coach.With Shantz gone to San Antonio&rsquo;s International League team, Jackson could be the CHL&rsquo;s premier player if he lives up to his commitment to become a better defensive player. He is easily the most dangerous.&ldquo;When he feels like playing, there&rsquo;s no one better around the net,&rdquo; one coach said. &ldquo;But unfortunately, you have to get him in the mood.&rdquo;One reason Henry gave Jackson the assistant coach title is because he wants more leadership. And even Jackson sees the irony in his situation.&ldquo;Maybe now that I&rsquo;m an assistant coach,&rdquo; Jackson said, &ldquo;I will realize I shouldn&rsquo;t have been such a pain&hellip;as a player.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011336/10079250-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="736" height="1207"><figcaption class="caption-body">San Antonio center Paul Jackson is looking to round out his game this year. (Photo by Jim Vasaldua)</figcaption></div>Here is a look at what is in the cards for CHL teams this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Last year&rsquo;s records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. Four teams from each of the Eastern and Western Divisions qualify for the playoffs.<h2>Eastern Division</h2>1. Memphis RiverKings (34-24-6, third, lost semifinal). Coach: Herb Boxer. Kingpin: Right winger Carl Menard, 24, had a strong second half and is a budding league star. Fresh face: Center Andrew Miller, 25, had 59 points for the Louisville RiverFrogs of the East Coast League. Outlook: With the core of their lineup retuming-and by playing 56 of 66 games against expansion teams-the RiverKings should rack up some huge offensive numbers and coast to the league final.2. Huntsville Channel Cats (expansion team). Coach: Larry Floyd. Kingpin: Center Max Middendorf, 29, is the only veteran on a squad full of young players. Fresh face: Center Phil Daigle, 26, could be one of the league&rsquo;s best young players. Outlook: After winning the Southern League title last season, the Channel Cats look to be the best of the expansion lot.3. Macon Whoopee (expansion team). Coach: John Paris. Kingpin: Dale Matthew, 24, is a young, talented center who will challenge for the scoring title in years to come. Fresh face: Defenseman Brian Blad, 29, is a physical sort from Louisville of the ECHL. Outlook: The Whoopee had 15 French-speaking players in camp and are talented, but inexperienced.4. Nashville Nighthawks (expansion team). Coach: Iain Duncan. Kingpin: Defenseman Wade Bartley, 26, has good size and is strong at the point on special teams. Fresh face: Winger Bill McComb, 22, is strong defensively and will chip in the occasional goal. Outlook: The Nighthawks&rsquo; have many second-and third-year players. It may take time to mature.5. Columbus Cottonmouths (expansion team). Coach: Bruce Garber. Kingpin: Former Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; prospect, Eric Germain, 30, is an offensive defenseman. Fresh face: Center Dave Fleury, 21, could become the No. 1 center by mid-season. Outlook: Garber loaded his roster with junior league players and will be in for a rude awakening.<h2>Western Division</h2>1. Oklahoma City Blazers (47-13-4, first, won CHL title). Coach: Doug Sauter. Kingpin: Center George Dupont, 28, is the league&rsquo;s most unselfish player. Fresh face: Winger Trent Bryska, 22, is a talented scorer who has the size to become a top forward. Outlook: With 12 players returning from a potent team, they might as well take the trophy now.2. San Antonio Iguanas (39-17-8, second, lost league final). Coach: Dale Henry. Kingpin: Center Paul Jackson, 30, is the undisputed leader and a dangerous goaf scorer. Fresh face: Right winger Darcy Cahill is strong around the net and good defensively. Outlook: The Iguanas have 11 returnees who exceed 6-foot-1,205 pounds and play rough and tough.3. Tulsa Oilers (26-33-5, fourth, lost first round). Coach: Garry Unger. Kingpin: Defenseman Colin Baustad, 27, was the league&rsquo;s top-scoring rearguard in 1995-96. Fresh face: Center Chris Everett, 23, will challenge for the top rookie award. Outlook: With mass defections to the Western Pro League, the Oilers could miss the playoffs for the first time.4. Fort Worth Fire (24-24-6, fifth, missed playoffs). Coach: Bill McDonald. Kingpin: Center Terry Menard, 28, had 403 points in five Colonial League seasons. Fresh face: Center Mark O&rsquo;Donnell, 22, is a big center who loves physical play. Outlook: McDonald always stresses defense, but he may find his limited offense will hinder team potential.5. Wichita Thunder (22-39-3, sixth, missed playoffs). Coach: Bryan Wells. Kingpin: Left winger Bob Berg, 26, provides experience and leadership the Thunder lacked last season. Fresh face: Left winger Ryan Phillips, 22, is a free-wheeling skater who will excel in the CHL. Outlook: The Thunder will struggle. &#9632;

f0029-01

LEAGUES

Jackson front and Central

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>Paul Polillo isn&rsquo;t a pessimist.It&rsquo;s just that the Brantford Smoke&rsquo;s recordsetting center can&rsquo;t see himself improving.No wonder. All Polillo did was set a Colonial League scoring record for the third straight year, leading all pro hockey with 186 points en route to his second consecutive MVP award.&ldquo;Every year, I think it&rsquo;s going to be hard to top the last,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if I can improve on last year because it was such a big jump from the year before.&rdquo;Polillo, 29, first broke the ColHL scoring record with 141 points in 1993-94. He topped that with 146 points in 1994-95 before exploding for 64 goals and 122 assists last season.With Polillo, Joe Hawley, Wayne Muir and ex-NHLer Herb Raglan, Brantford finished second overall and reached the semifinals.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to have individual success,&rdquo; said Polillo. who played at Western Michigan. &ldquo;But when you go out every night and are losing, it takes away from your personal achievements.&rdquo;Polillo likes the look of this year&rsquo;s club and would love to bring the title to Brantford. The Smoke won the Colonial crown in 1992-93.Here&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s in store for Colonial teams this season. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish, last year&rsquo;s records, finishes and playoff fortunes are in parentheses. The top four teams in each division make the playoffs.<h2>East Division</h2>1. Flint Generals (51-18-5, first, won league title). Coach: Robbie Nichols. Kingpin: Right winger Kevin Kerr, 29, set a league record with his third straight 50-goal year. Fresh face: Defenseman Rick Emmett, 21, is a strong skater from the East Coast League. Outlook: The Generals still rule.2. Brantford Smoke (45-24-5, second, lost semifinal). Coach: Larry Trader. Kingpin: Polillo is the leader, but gritty forward Joe Hawley bagged 97 points. Fresh face: Walk-on goalie Paul Krake, 27, was one a Quebec Nordique prospect. Outlook: This veteran cast should challenge for the Colonial Cup.3. Port Huron Border Cats (33-32-9 as Detroit Falcons, third, lost semifinal). Coach: Dave Cameron. Kingpin: Left winger Tim Fingerhut, 25, led the club with 28 goals. Fresh faces: Winger Jean Blouin, 25, scored 23 goals in 19 playoff games for Thunder Bay. Outlook: Foes better be ready for this aggressive club.4. Utica Blizzard (29-39-6, fifth, missed playoffs). Coach: Don Martin. Kingpin: Speedy center John Vecchiarelli, 32, brings excitement to the ice. Fresh face: Playing assistant coach Steve Hemiman, 28, was one of the league&rsquo;s steadiest defensmen for Muskegon. Outlook: Making the playoffs would be progress.5. Saginaw Lumber Kings (32-35-7, fourth, lost quarterfinal). Coach: John Blum. Kingpin: Center Mark Green, 28, scored 71 goals for the Utica Blizzard two years ago and 62 last season. Fresh face: Right winger Bryce Davidson, 21, led the Southern League with 25 majors and 413 penalty minutes. Outlook: It looks bleak, but the team will win plenty of fights.<h2>West Division</h2>1. Thunder Bay Thunder Cats (36-2612, second, lost league final). Coach: Tom Warden. Kingpin: Former MVP Jason Firth, a 25-year-old center, had 99 assists and 133 points last season. Fresh face: Left winger Craig Mittleholt, 22, led the SHL with 60 goals. Outlook: No team combines talent and toughness better.2. Madison Monsters (37-30-7, third, lost quarterfinal). Coach: Dave Schultz. Kingpin: Nobody logs more ice time than playing assistant coach Kent Hawley, 25. Fresh face: Center Kandy Holmes, 24, was me top scorer for Ohio State. Outlook: This team will be tougher with &lsquo;The Hammer&rsquo; replacing Mark Johnson.3. Quad City Mallards (30-39-5, fourth, lost quarterfinal). Coach: John Anderson. Kingpin: Goalie Sergei Zvyagin, 25, was acquired in a trade last season and helped the Mallards earn the final playoff berth. Fresh face: Two-time ECHL all-star Glenn Stewart, 26, had 92 points for the Erie Panthers. Outlook: The league&rsquo;s best draw should get a playoff spot.4. Muskegon Fury (40-27-7. first, lost quarterfinal). Coach: Paul Kelly. Kingpin: Defenseman Scott Feasby, 25, has played in the International and American Leagues. Fresh face: Right winger Jason Clarke, 23, had 20 goals and 491 penalty minutes for the Roanoke Express of the ECHL. Outlook: The Fury has lost too many key players to keep the division crown.5. Dayton Ice Bandits (expansion team). Coach: Dan Belisle. Kingpin: Right winger Richard Borgo, 26, returned from Italy late last season and helped Quad City reach the playoffs. Fresh face: Center Bobby Clouston, 22, had 19 goals as the Huntsville Channel Cats won the SHL title before moving to the Central League. Outlook: The Ice Bandits will take their lumps. &#9632;

Polillo has Colonial League magic

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>How much did Tom McVie miss being around hockey last season? Let us count the ways.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been going to rinks since I was five years old and last winter was the first time in probably 50 years that I didn&rsquo;t have a rink to go to,&rdquo; said McVie, who signed a three year contract in July to coach the Wheeling Nailers. &ldquo;Do you know what that means?&ldquo;Things like this happen. You get up in the morning and your wife says, &lsquo;Good morning,&rsquo; and you say, &lsquo;Get off my back.&rsquo; And then she says, &lsquo;How are you today?&rsquo; and I say, &lsquo;What&rsquo;s that supposed to mean?&rsquo; The happiest person in the world when I got the job was not me. It was her.&rdquo;McVie, 60, had been around pro hockey for 39 seasons before being fired, along with coach Brian Sutter, as assistant coach of the Boston Bruins at the end of the 1994-95 season. The Trail, B.C., native played more than 1,100 games over 18 seasons in the International and Eastern Leagues, as well as the old Western League.His coaching resume includes more than 1,800 games, including stints in the NHL with the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets.&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s put it this way,&rdquo; McVie. said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been married for 40 years and last winter was longer than the other 39 (put together).&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011532/10079305-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="382" height="404"></div>Larry Kish, who was coach-GM of Wheeling last season, came close to getting McVie for the 1995-96 season. Kish is now GM of the Raleigh IceCaps.&ldquo;Once Larry gets his teeth into something, he won&rsquo;t let go,&rdquo; McVie said. &ldquo;I think this thing fits right now. My scrapbook is full. I really think I can make a difference in a lot of these young player&rsquo;s careers.&rdquo;IN TRAINING: U.S. Women&rsquo;s Olympic team hopeful Erin Villiotte is taking part in the Baton Rouge Kingfish training camp.The 23-year-old goalie, a graduate of Harvard University, is employed in the marketing department of the American League&rsquo;s Worcester IceCats.There are no plans for Villiotte to take part in any games.BACK WITH THE BULLS: Tom Neziol. who scored 69 points for the Birmingham Bulls in 1993-94, has been hired as a special consultant for hockey operations. He&rsquo;ll assist the coaching staff as well as do advance scouting.Neziol lives in Tallahassee, Fla., where he&rsquo;s an international trade and finance consultant. Neziol played for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks in 1994-95 before retiring.COAST LINES: The Johnstown Chiefs have created a scholarship fund to honor former trainer Galen Head Jr., who was killed in a car accident in July. The Galen Head Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund will be presented annually to one local high school senior who will be furthering his education and exemplifies the love of hockey through his participation at the varsity level&hellip;Former Nashville Knight Harry York became the 72nd ECHL player to advance to the NHL when he appeared in the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; season opener Oct. 4 and set up Jim Campbell&rsquo;s game-winning goal. &#9632;

f0030-01

McVie and family happy to be back in coaching ranks

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>The sights still take a little getting used to for Gary Leeman, a 12-year NHL veteran who is starting over with the American League&rsquo;s Worcester IceCats.Behind his own bench is Greg Gilbert. &ldquo;I played against my coach for 12 years in the NHL,&rdquo; Leeman said.On this particular night, behind the bench of the New England Division rival Portland Pirates is Barry Trotz. &ldquo;I played with him in junior back in Regina (in 1981-82).&rdquo;He&rsquo;s hoping many of his younger IceCat teammates, the kids just starting their pro careers, will watch NHL games later this season and say they played with Leeman.After a year away from the NHL playing with Vai Gardena of the Italian League, the 32-year-old Leeman is on the comeback trail. He joined the St. Louis Blues two weeks into training camp, signed a two-way contract a few days later and began the season with Worcester.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021057/10079336-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="537" height="347"></div>&ldquo;I have a yearning to get back,&rdquo; said Leeman, a 51-goal scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1989-90. &ldquo;I played a year in Europe and it gave me some time to get away from the pace of the NHL, the travel and stuff. It was a beautiful country and I have no regrets doing it.&rdquo;But now the right winger wants back in the NHL, where he scored 199 goals and 465 points in 665 games with the Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks. He doesn&rsquo;t mind proving his game in Worcester and, playing a new position of center with the IceCats, had two goals and one assist in two games on the opening weekend.&ldquo;If I want to get back to where I Want to play, then I have to play here right now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When the Blues sent me down, they said nothing is etched in stone.&rdquo;NO SPOTLIGHT: When Glenn Merkosky was hired in August to coach the Adirondack Red Wings, the return of the club&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader was trumpeted as a way to boost sagging attendance and revive the franchise.But on opening night, when pre-game introductions were made, only the players were announced. There was no mention of Merkosky or his assistant coach, Murray Eaves.That&rsquo;s how Merkosky wanted it.&ldquo;I think the players are the story,&rdquo; he said after winning his pro coaching debut, 4-2 over the Rochester Americans. &ldquo;There was a lot of talk about Glenn Merkosky coming back. But the excitement is the kids we have here.&rdquo;RECORD CROWD: The expansion Kentucky Thoroughblades set the AHL&rsquo;s singlegame attendance record Oct. 4 when 17,503 flocked to Rupp Arena to see a 5-4 opening night loss to the Carolina Monarchs. The next night, another 7,358 came to Rupp to see a 3-2 overtime victory over Carolina.The previous record for an AHL arena was 16,224, set by Carolina in January. The top crowd to see an AHL game was 17,446 at Detroit&rsquo;s Joe Louis Arena for a game between Adirondack and the Newmarket Saints in 1989.COMING HOME: The AHL&rsquo;s return to Philadelphia was an opening day success, as 9,166 came to the CoreStates Spectrum to see the Phantoms&rsquo; 3-1 win over Rochester. Philadelphia was last in the AHL in 1979.&ldquo;This is like home to me,&rdquo; said Phantoms&rsquo; coach Bill Barber, who played in the Spectrum with the Philadelphia Flyers. &ldquo;The atmosphere was all of what I expected and more.&rdquo;AHL TIDBITS: When the Washington Capitals picked Jaroslav Svejkovsky 17th overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft, GM David Poile called the right winger &ldquo;the best pure goal scorer&rdquo; in the draft. In his first game as a pro, Svejkovsky had two goals and helped Portland defeat Worcester 3-2 in overtime&hellip;Syracuse Crunch defenseman Chris McAllister, who didn&rsquo;t score a goal all last season, had the first goal for the Crunch this season&hellip;In defeating the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-0 and 6-2, Albany River Rats&rsquo; goalie Peter Sidorkiewicz moved into third place in career AHL victories with 129. Only two retirees, Sam St. Laurent (164) and Ken Holland (143), are ahead of him&hellip;Syracuse left winger Larry Courville was named player of the week for the period ending Oct. 6, scoring four goals and six points &#9632;

f0030-02

It’s deja vu for Leeman as he starts road back

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div>Home was the only place Troy Murray wanted to be, which put the Chicago Wolves on top in a one-horse race.The longtime Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; center, who earned a Stanley Cup ring with the Colorado Avalanche last year, signed with the Wolves in September after discovering he hadn&rsquo;t lost the hockey bug, even though he did not receive any NHL offers.Murray said he still wanted to play, but didn&rsquo;t want to move his family around any more. That and his friendship with Wolves&rsquo; coach-GM Grant Mulvey cemented the deal.&ldquo;I jumped around to a bunch of different cities the last few years and it was hard on the family,&rdquo; said Murray, who played with the Winnipeg Jets, Ottawa Senators, and Pittsburgh Penguins between the Blackhawks and Avalanche. &ldquo;We were waiting for a good offer from the NHL and when it didn&rsquo;t come, we decided we&rsquo;d go a different avenue.&rdquo;That turned out to be Chicago, where Murray makes his off-season home. He said once he made up his mind that he would play again, there was little doubt where.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have taken offers from other IHL teams,&rdquo; said Murray, who won the 1986 Selke Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top defensive forward. &ldquo;Chicago&rsquo;s home and where I wanted to be.&rdquo;HOT-SHOT: Sergei Samsonov, the Detroit Vipers&rsquo; teenage left winger and one of the top prospects for the 1997 NHL entry draft, had a big night in his third game as a professional.Samsonov had a power play goal and three assists to help Detroit to a 7-6 shootout win over the Grand Rapids Griffins. Samsonov was held scoreless in his first two games.Vipers&rsquo; coach Steve Ludzik was impressed with Samsonov&rsquo;s poise under pressure.&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s better in traffic because he has the ability to turn on a dime and he can leave you five cents change,&rdquo; Ludzik said.Robert Dome, another potential 1997 first rounder playing in the International League, was a healthy scratch in the Utah Grizzlies&rsquo; first three games. They are trying to trade him.WISHFUL THINKING: Jean Perron loved the thought of seeing Chris Phillips patrol his blueline, but not at the expense of alienating the NHL and Western League, so the Manitoba Moose backed off in its pursuit of the NHL&rsquo;s first overall selection last June.Perron, coach-GM of the Moose, expressed interest in signing the 18-year-old defenseman, who was chosen first overall in the 1996 NHL entry draft by the Ottawa Senators. But even though the IHL does not have the same agreement with the Canadian Hockey League as the NHL, the IHL does recognize CHL contracts.The only way for the Moose to have gotten Phillips into a uniform was for the WHL and Prince Albert Raiders to give him his release.That didn&rsquo;t transpire.There was speculation the Moose would mount a court fight to have Phillips declared free to play in the IHL, but Perron brushed off such talk. &ldquo;We had a lot of interest in him, but we&rsquo;re new in this league and we don&rsquo;t want to to be making enemies,&rdquo; Perron said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03765/10079367-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="382" height="432"></div>I-OPENERS: A representative for Colorado Avalanche holdout Chris Simon had discussions with the Quebec Rafales, but a deal couldn&rsquo;t be reached. Simon played parts of three NHL seasons in Quebec with the Nordiques&hellip;The Fort Wayne Komets&rsquo; first victory of the year was a memorable one. The Komets trailed the Chicago Wolves 7-3 in the third period when Craig Duncanson scored at 8:46. The score stayed 7-4 until Robin Bouchard scored at 18:25. Then, Lee Davidson connected 14 seconds later and the opportunity for a miracle finish was on. Wolves&rsquo; goalie Wendell Young was called for intentionally knocking the net off the moorings and the Komets were given a penalty shot at 19:56. Davidson took it and scored, tying the game and forcing the shootout, which the Komets won&hellip;The Phoenix Roadrunners, who share the city with the NHL&rsquo;s Coyotes, drew a franchise record 13,495 to their season opener, a 5-2 win over the Orlando Solar Bears&hellip;The Boston Bruins loaned goaltender Tim Cheveldae to Fort Wayne&hellip;The Toronto Maple Leafs loaned defenseman Rob Zettler to Utah, but the veteran didn&rsquo;t play in the Grizzlies&rsquo; first two games. Reason? His equipment was inadvertently routed to Santiago, Chile, due &#9632;

f0030-03

Murray back in Windy City after blowing through NHL

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>The Barrie Colts have a millionaire in their lineup.Alexandre Volchkov, with a contract from the Washington Capitals secured, returned to his Ontario League team Oct. 4 and was held pointless his first three games.Last season, the 19-year-old winger was headed for the OHL rookie scoring title when he broke his ankle in January. He finished fourth among rookies with 36 goals and 63 points in 47 games.Volchkov was the fourth player picked in last June&rsquo;s NHL entry draft and signed a three-year contract for the maximum salary cap value of $2,625 million. Agent Jay Grossman said his client is guaranteed $1 million this season, which is Volchkov&rsquo;s signing bonus.&ldquo;He was most anxious to get back into the environment where he performed quite well last year,&rdquo; Grossman said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a total surprise and generally speaking, he took it okay.&rdquo;Colts&rsquo; coach-GM Bert Templeton again dismissed reports of a rift with Volchkov, who was blocked from joining Cincinnati Cyclones of the International League after the Colts&rsquo; 1995-96 season ended.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always said right from Day 1 we would be taking him back if he were available and now that he is available we might as well take advantage of having a player of his talent,&rdquo; Templeton said.&ldquo;I think he realizes in order for him to get to Washington and earn the bucks he wants to earn and get ahead in this world, he&rsquo;s going to have to perform well at the junior level, which means performing well with Barrie and with the proper mindset. With the new focus in mind, I think he can be a force in our league.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011387/10079398-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="686" height="240"></div>PLAYERS CHARGED: Four Kingston Frontenac players were charged Oct. 8 after a paint-ball gun was fired from a car at five people. Police said the suspects shot at a pair of joggers and a couple with a four-month-old baby. No one was hit. A police officer on a bicycle tried to apprehend the suspects, but failed. They discarded the paint gun and were caught 25 minutes later when they returned to look for it.Charged with possession of a dangerous weapon are 18-year-old defensemen Chris Allen and Mike Tilson, right winger Justin Davis, 18, and goalie John Hultberg, 19.They were all released on a promise to appear in court Nov. 16. The team released a statement saying it will conduct an internal investigation.PARKER FIRED: North Bay Centennials&rsquo; coach-GM Shane Parker became the first casualty of the season Oct. 7, when he was fired the day after an 8-5 win against the Belleville Bulls. Parker, 32, a former team captain, was in his third year and began the season with a 2-6-0 record. Last season, the Centennials missed the playoffs for the first time in their 14-year history, winning only 14 games.&ldquo;We were receiving a lot of pressure from our most important persons, the fans,&rdquo; said co-owner John Hopper. &ldquo;That was evident on opening night when a good percentage elected to boo the organization, probably with Shane and myself getting the brunt of it.&rdquo;Assistant coach Greg Bignell was appointed interim head coach.WHALE WATCHING: The Detroit Whalers christened their new Compuware Sports Arena Oct. 5 with a 2-0 victory against Kingston. Owner Peter Karmanos, who also owns the NHL&rsquo;s Hartford Whalers, spent $23 million on the facility, which contains two ice surfaces and took six months to build. There were 3,877 at the opener in the 4,300-seat arena.OTTER OPENING: The Erie Otters drew a sellout of 5,542 for their home opener Sept. 29, but lost 3-0 to Detroit. They turned away another 800 spectators. The Niagara Falls Thunder relocated to Erie during the off-season. &#9632;

f0031-01

Money can’t buy goals for millionaire Volchkov

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div>The Chicoutimi Sagueneens&rsquo; hopes of winning the Dilio Division title were given a big boost when goaltender Marc Denis was returned to the Quebec League by the Colorado Avalanche.And Denis immediately showed why he is considered the best goalie in the QMJHL, making 24 saves to post a 2-0 victory over the Rou-yn-Noranda Huskies in his first game back Oct. 4.The next night he made 50 saves in a 2-2 tie with the Huskies.&ldquo;It was a big thrill,&rdquo; Denis said of his shutout performance. &ldquo;It was kind of special just getting back with the team and my friends. I&rsquo;m here with a lot of motivation. I want to dominate in the Quebec League.&rdquo;Denis, who was Colorado&rsquo;s first round pick (25th overall) at the 1995 NHL entry draft, said he was a little disappointed after learning he was being returned to Chicoutimi. The decision was made after the Avalanche picked up Craig Billington in the waiver draft.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02942/10079429-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="575" height="291"></div>&ldquo;But being 19 and being sent back to junior is maybe a more normal path for a hockey player,&rdquo; Denis said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really not a penalty. The decision had nothing to do with my performance at camp. They&rsquo;d rather see me play 50 or 60 games than sit on the bench (as a backup) at 19.&rdquo;Denis played in five exhibition games with the Avalanche, posting a 1-1-2 record along with an impressive 1.92 goals-against average and a 93.3 save percentage.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind I&rsquo;ll play in the NHL one day,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a matter of time now.&rdquo;As for this season, Denis has to be considered the favorite to be Canada&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie at the World Junior Championship. He posted a 2-0-0 record and 1.00 GAA at the 1996 WJC while sharing goaltending duties with Jose Theodore. &ldquo;Trying to win a fifth consecutive gold medal (for Canada) is definitely one of my goals this year,&rdquo; Denis said.REBUILDING TIME: After making it to the President&rsquo;s Cup final last season, Beauport Harfangs&rsquo; coach Alain Vigneault knows he faces a big challenge this year. Roughly half the players from last season are gone and the franchise has competition in its market from the International League&rsquo;s Quebec Rafales.&ldquo;This is probably a make-or-break year in that there&rsquo;s a new International League team and the fact this is a transition year for this hockey team,&rdquo; Vigneault said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be interesting to see how the fans support us.&ldquo;I come from the Hull-Ottawa region where they support one NHL team (the Ottawa Senators) and two junior teams (the Hull Olympiques and Ottawa 67&rsquo;s), so I think that the capital of the province of Quebec should be able to support a junior team and an (IHL) team.&rdquo;However, the Harfangs only averaged 788 fans for their first four home games.GREAT START: The Shawinigan Cataractes exploded out of the starting blocks, winning their first eight games before Hull snapped the streak with a 5-4 overtime win Oct. 10. The league record for consecutive wins to start the year is 13, set by the Quebec Remparts-who went on to win the Memorial Cup-in 1970-71.A big reason for the Cats&rsquo; strong start was the play of defenseman Stephane Robidas, who was second in league scoring with eight goals and 19 points in nine games.No defenseman has ever won the scoring title in the QMJHL&rsquo;s 27-year history. The record for most points by a blueliner is 137, set by Pierre Lacroix with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs in 1978-79. Robidas, a Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; seventh round pick at the 1995 NHL entry draft, led QMJHL defensemen with 79 points last season.BRIERE HONORED: Drummondville Voltigeurs&rsquo; center Daniel Briere had his No. 14 retired by the midget Gatineau Intrepide Oct. 6. Briere won the midget scoring title with 56 goals and 103 points in 1993-94 with the Intrepide. &#9632;

f0031-02

Denis’ star shining brightly after return from Avalanche

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>At 18, Jeremy Rondeau is a little young to be making a comeback.The Swift Current Broncos&rsquo; left winger is enjoying his return to Western League duty after recovering from a rare neurological disorder which ended his rookie season.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to get back on track and have some fun,&rdquo; Rondeau said. &ldquo;I feel pretty good, actually. It&rsquo;s like I haven&rsquo;t even been away.&rdquo;Rondeau was afflicted with HaNDL-the acronym for headache with neurologic deficits and CSF lymphocytosis. The disorder caused severe headaches and violent, uncontrollable outbursts.Rondeau was stricken Jan. 24 during a game against the Moose Jaw Warriors. He had four subsequent attacks, the last of which occurred Feb. 12. Rondeau was the 40th documented victim of HaNDL.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03708/10079460-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="354" height="361"></div>&ldquo;When I was first in the hospital, I didn&rsquo;t know what was wrong for the first four days,&rdquo; Rondeau said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what to think. Was I going to be paralyzed? Was this going to stick around? I didn&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d play hockey anymore. It was all up in the air. It was confusing, big-time.&rdquo;A full recovery has brightened Rondeau&rsquo;s spirits.&ldquo;I had my last test at the beginning of August,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been cleared since then. The doctors said, &lsquo;We&rsquo;ve seen enough of you, already.&rdquo;So have the Warriors.In Rondeau&rsquo;s return to the Broncos&rsquo; lineup, he scored two goals in Swift Current&rsquo;s 4-3 overtime victory over Moose Jaw Sept. 20.Rondeau&rsquo;s second game of the season was unsettling. On Sept. 21, the Broncos returned to the Moose Jaw and won 3-1.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s where the first attack happened (in January),&rdquo; Rondeau recalled. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even want to go in the dressing room. It was hard to remember what happened. I talked to a security guard who was at the game that night and he asked if I was all right. It started to all come back.&rdquo;Rondeau&rsquo;s comeback began with three goals in eight games. He scored four times in 42 games before his rookie season ended.&ldquo;I try to put it in the back of my mind and forget about it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not really that difficult to do that. I&rsquo;m OK now. It happened, but it&rsquo;s time to get on with things.&rdquo;COUGARS MAKE TRACKS: The Prince George Cougars began October in an unfamiliar position: first place. The Cougars-who have finished last in the West Division for seven consecutive seasons-enjoyed a 7-2-0 start.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to make it sound like we&rsquo;ve cracked any nuts,&rdquo; said Cougars&rsquo; owner Rick Brodsky, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re happy the players have had a chance to redeem themselves because, they&rsquo;ve taken a lot of abuse.&rdquo;So had Brodsky, who resigned as GM after the 1995-96 season (1753-2). Brodsky appointed Dennis Polonich as GM. Polonich hired former Oshawa Generals&rsquo; coach Stan Butler as head coach to replace Dale Marquette, who was named interim coach after Doug Hobson was fired last November.&ldquo;I made enough mistakes,&rdquo; Brodsky said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t for a lack of trying. I can see now that I didn&rsquo;t have time to do the things I needed to do. I was trying to do too much.&rdquo;Now the Cougars are doing more than usual.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re fairly healthy, for a change,&rdquo; Brodsky said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to start the year off well. Without running down the previous coaches, having a mature, older guy behind the bench has made a difference.&rdquo;TOUGH BREAK: The Portland Winter Hawks will be without goaltender Brent Belecki for an indefinite period.Belecki suffered a severed tendon in a thumb Oct. 6 against the host Spokane Chiefs when the Chiefs&rsquo; John Cirjak skated over his blocker hand.To address the sudden goaltending void, Portland acquired 20-year-old veteran Chris Wickenheiser from the Red Deer Rebels for future considerations. &#9632;

f0031-03

Rondeau getting HaNDL on career with Broncos

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div>Cam Neely&rsquo;s illustrious NHL career is over. But his mouthguard will live on, right on top of Paula Mattaliano&rsquo;s stereo.After buying the mouthguard for $665 at the Boston Garden Auction Sept. 27, the first thing the 38-year-old attorney from Arlington, Mass., did was put it on top of her stereo, right next to the George Thorogood CD with Bad to the Bone, Neely&rsquo;s theme song.Well, not quite. Actually the first thing Mattaliano did was fire it into her mouth. No, she didn&rsquo;t wash it first. &ldquo;Actually, I&rsquo;ve done it about 10 times,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When my friends say, &lsquo;Gross!&rsquo; I say, &lsquo;We&rsquo;ve all French kissed people in our lives and a French kiss is more germ-filled than this piece of plastic.&rdquo;Neely&rsquo;s mouthguard was one of hundreds of Bruins&rsquo; items that were auctioned off from the old Garden. More than 4,000 people turned out for the auction, which included everything from Stanley Cup banners and game-worn sweaters to the Garden scoreboard and trainer&rsquo;s table. The Bruins donated all proceeds to charity-Whether Mattaliano bought the most distinctive item of the evening is open to debate since some guy paid $575 for three quarters of a cigar smoked by legendary Boston Celtics&rsquo; GM Red Auerbach at a high school basketball tournament.Mattaliano&rsquo;s act of putting her money where Neely&rsquo;s mouth was represents another display of her unabashed affection for the Bruins and her favorite player.&ldquo;My friends call me Princess Die-Hard because I never, ever say a bad word about the Bruins,&rdquo; Mattaliano said. &ldquo;I am the biggest Bruin fan, I believe, on the planet. I have loved the Bruins since I was a fetus.&rdquo;Mattaliano&rsquo;s love affair with the Bruins began (or, if you believe her, continued) when her father took her to watch Bobby Orr and the Big Bad Bruins when she was a child. When he decided to give up his seasons tickets in the 1970&rsquo;s she took them over.Since then, her affection for Bruins has been-shall we say-unique. Every year, Mattaliano has a party for 35 of her hockey friends the night of a road game. Last year&rsquo;s event featured Rene Rancourt singing the national anthem to kick things off. She also has a ball of ice from the Garden in her freezer. Her house is sprinkled with Bruin posters, pictures and trinkets and when she goes to games, she can choose from one of 19 Bruin shirts.But the most treasured item of the lot is the mouthguard.&ldquo;It took 10 years in my heart and soul to replace Bobby Orr and Cam Neely did that,&rdquo; Mattaliano said. &ldquo;I love him as a player, but he gets my respect because he has overcome so much adversity in his life. I&rsquo;m sure he would be doing all of this charity work even if he didn&rsquo;t lose his parents to cancer.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011337/10079491-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="574" height="1072"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cam Neely&rsquo;s mouthguard fetched $665 at an auction.</figcaption></div>So who does Mattaliano love more, Neely or the Bruins? That&rsquo;s like asking a mother which of her children she loves the most.&ldquo;If the Bruins lost 81 games straight,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I would go to the 82nd game and hold up a sign saying. &lsquo;The Bruins are great.&rdquo;Practicality, not love, was on Joe Hamilburg&rsquo;s mind when he picked up the Garden&rsquo;s Zamboni for a mere pittance of $15,000. Hamilburg, who owns an arena in nearby Norfolk, didn&rsquo;t have to kick the tires to know he was getting a great deal.&ldquo;A brand new Zamboni will run you about $75,000,&rdquo; Hamilburg said. &ldquo;And this one is in wonderful condition because the Garden used it just for games and practices. It has fewer than 2,500 hours on it. It&rsquo;s almost as good as new.&rdquo;When people enter the arena, they are greeted by a hand-written sign which says, &ldquo;New home of the Boston Garden Zamboni.&rdquo; Hamilburg said he is working on getting a permanent sign in place.Hamilburg is thrilled to keep the Zamboni in Boston (like somebody was going to drive across the country with it?), but is even happier his ice surfacing worries are over for quite some time.&ldquo;We needed a new one quite badly,&rdquo; Hamilburg said. &ldquo;My staff kept telling me, &lsquo;If our main Zamboni konks out, we&rsquo;re out of business,&rsquo; and I told them, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t worry, I have my eyes on one.&rsquo; When they found out the one I wanted they laughed, but they&rsquo;re not laughing any more.&rdquo;The biggest-ticket item was the scoreboard, which went for $44,000 to an anonymous phone bidder. The 1969-70 Stanley Cup banner led all of the pennants at just over $8,000. The original architectural plans for the Garden sold for $10,000 and Phil Esposito&rsquo;s dressing room stall went for $2,500.Surprisingly, the only hockey lot that didn&rsquo;t sell was a game-worn On-sweater for the Oshawa Generals. The sweater, which was privately owned, carried a minimum bid of $10,000, but there was nobody willing to pay more than $8,000 for it.Still, the auction was a success, largely because of the Bruin items available.&ldquo;All of the hockey stuff went really well,&rdquo; said David Goodwillie, a spokesman for Leland&rsquo;s, the New York-based auction house that handled the event. &ldquo;There was a much bigger hockey crowd than basketball because two-thirds of the stuff was Bruin stuff.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0033-01

Bruin fan buys (mouth)piece of history

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div>While you&rsquo;re putting together your set of Donruss Series I hockey cards, you might want to play a little game.Take your nine-card sheets and start filling them up. When you find that you don&rsquo;t have a card, then skip the slot. The object of the game is to fill one nine-card sheet full of cards in sequential order.Betcha can&rsquo;t fill a single one.If collectors needed any more evidence that card companies are simply flooding the marketplace with too many cards, they need not look further than Donruss Series I. It certainly doesn&rsquo;t take Descarte to figure out that Sheldon Kannegiesser has a better chance of getting inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame than collectors have of compiling a complete set from one box of Donruss.The most you can get from a box is 180 cards, but the set is 240. Even with Donruss&rsquo; outstanding collation, you still come up at least 60 cards short. Where is the logic in that?Collectors should not have to go chasing down 60 cards to fill out a set. And they certainly shouldn&rsquo;t have to put down big money to buy another box. C&rsquo;mon people, either make the set smaller or give people more for their money.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011532/10079522-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="573" height="814"><figcaption class="caption-body">According to Donruss, Saku Koivu is a player to be feared.</figcaption></div>Once you get beyond the fact that you&rsquo;re missing a quarter of the set, Donruss is a solid product-unspectacular, but solid.Pinnacle Brands purchased Donruss last summer and has left its mark on its new acquisition. First of all, Donruss is out earlier than ever before and as a result, 24 players in the set changed teams before it even came out.Another area where the Pinnacle influence is prominent is in the appearance of the cards. Especially with its base brands, Pinnacle has always been less flashy. If you compare the look of last year&rsquo;s Donruss cards with this year&rsquo;s, you&rsquo;ll see this year&rsquo;s come up short on both the front and back.Another problem is there&rsquo;s not a lot to choose from between this year&rsquo;s Score and Donruss. Score is a little bigger, but the player selection is the same. The card backs are virtually the same, right down to including career plus-minus figures for the first time. However, the cardback biographical information is different and well done on both sets.The front of the card features a full-bleed photo and the quality, composition and content is generally good.The chase cards look outstanding from the Gold Press Proofs to the Dominators series. They&rsquo;d be even better if they didn&rsquo;t make out Saku Koivu to be the second coming of Cam Neely. Koivu is included in both the Hit List (20 of the NHL&rsquo;s most physical superstars) and Dominators (the NHL&rsquo;s most fearsome and competitive athletes). This for a guy who had 40 penalty minutes last season.Don&rsquo;t get us wrong, we think Koivu is a terrific, gritty player, but we&rsquo;re not too sure opponents are cowering with fear in the dressing room knowing they&rsquo;re going to have to go out and face him.The final audit has yet to be done, but early indications are the sale of World Cup merchandise and memorabilia went wildly beyond the expectations of organizers.&ldquo;The best way to describe sales would be phenomenal,&rdquo; said Bob McLaughlin, managing director of NHL Enterprises. &ldquo;As we got through two-thirds of the games in North America, it became obvious to us that we had to re-adjust our forecasts.&rdquo;Flags, replica sweaters and headwear were the biggest sellers, but there was much more than just that available. Prints, lapel pins, medallions, miniature sticks, key chains, ceramic beer tankards, replica goalmask post cards and equipment bags were also brisk sellers.The quality of the items helped, but McLaughlin said there was no secret to why merchandise was so popular. The event sold the stuff.&ldquo;It was entertaining hockey at its highest level,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Our buildings were all full and because we were constantly going to different venues and dealing with different audiences, it was like a travelling show.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0034-01

Something missing in Donruss

<div class="byline">By Kevin Allen</div>NHL Enterprises president Rick Dudley sees some rays of sunshine where others see a dreary outlook for trading cards.He sees that sunshine in places such as Phoenix, Miami, Tampa Bay, Colorado and the other areas of the United States where the NHL is attracting new fans and new consumers of NHL products.&ldquo;We know there are a lot new fans out there in the seven-to-14 age group,&rdquo; Dudley said. &ldquo;These fans may have interest in cards, but we have to get them into their hands.&rdquo;Dudley said hockey cards are getting to the hardcore collectors through the strong distribution system for card shops, but he wants to see the hobby do a better job of wide-scale distribution-meaning more cards should be sold at the comer stores and major department stores, especially in the sunbelt areas where the NHL is enjoying amazing growth in interest.The league knows fans aged seven to 14 are paying attention to hockey and buying hats, t-shirts and other NHL-licensed merchandise. Right now, the NHL is trying to figure out how to get more of them to purchase trading cards.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021074/10079560-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="574" height="808"><figcaption class="caption-body">Topps&rsquo; decision not to make cards is not rated a big loss.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03845/10079553-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="576" height="819"><figcaption class="caption-body">Stars such as Joe Sakic are popular in new NHL cities.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Trading cards are real important to us as a revenue source, but more so as a marketing tool,&rdquo; Dudley said.Dudley recognizes that the once-booming card market isn&rsquo;t what it was three years ago, but he has anecdotal evidence to give him reason to believe that the 1996-97 season could produce a turnaround. The possibility of another round of expansion also gives rise to the belief there will be more collectors, not fewer, in years to come.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m optimistic, he said. &ldquo;The sell-in (to dealers) has been good, but the sell-through (to collectors) information is incomplete. We don&rsquo;t whether there will be returns.&rdquo;The number of returns ultimately decides whether companies will have a good year or a bad year. It&rsquo;s one thing to put cards on dealers&rsquo; shelves, but it&rsquo;s quite another to push them out the door.Meanwhile, Topps&rsquo; decision to pull out of hockey cards is considered more of a psychological blow to the industry than a business loss. To see the former card giant stop issuing hockey cards would be akin to hearing Ford no longer would be producing trucks. Considering Topps has been issuing cards since 1954-55, it&rsquo;s not difficult to see some collectors losing confidence in the marketplace.But Dudley said most hobbyists are savvy enough about the industry to realize there will always be a company to replace Topps and the hobby will be unaffected.He said the average collector won&rsquo;t notice because the remaining licensees are producing &ldquo;innovative&rdquo; products.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed about Topps (leaving),&rdquo; Dudley said, &ldquo;but we are very happy with our remaining licensees.&rdquo;He said there are no immediate plans to replace Topps with another licensee.There is nothing currently &ldquo;on the drawing board&rdquo; in terms of how to put a turbo-boost into the card economy, Dudley said. He believes the market has &ldquo;stabilized.&rdquo; He does see the approach to marketing headed for a significant change.&ldquo;This is the interactive generation where everyone has their own web site,&rdquo; Dudley said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where the collectors will be and we need to be there too.&rdquo; &#9632;

Search for your favorite player or team

October 25, 1996

Minnesota’s Mighty Mike

Only Top Drawer from The Blackhawks

Join in The Leafs Celebration.

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT