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November 15, 1996
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Soo-perstar
The race for No. 1 in 1997 has all the appearances of turning into a rout. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds’ center Joe Thornton is way out in front of this season’s NHL draft class and showing no signs of coming back to a deep and talented pack. By most accounts, he’s emerging as the game’s next big thing, literally and figuratively. “He’s the best young player I’ve seen since Eric Lindros,” said Florida Panthers’ scout Paul Henry. “He has distanced himself from the (‘97 draft) field by a large amount.” Nine out of 10 NHL scouts agree. “I remember a conversation with (Vancouver Canucks’ director of scouting and player personnel) Mike Penny a couple of years ago in Moscow,” said Dallas Stars’ director of scouting Craig Button. “We were talking about who would be…
Gretzky just great for Ranger marketing
Hockey players shoot for hat tricks, baseball players grand slams and golfers, holes-in-one. But what of the people who market and sell the game and the things that make it popular? Well, if you’re a retail consultant, like Ray Bartow for the NHL’s New York Rangers, NBA’s Knicks and Madison Square Gardens, it’s the opportunity to market products related to a legend. Bartow’s job is to take a company logo and convert it to a profitmaker. And that’s exactly what Bartow has been doing since superstar Wayne Gretzky joined the Rangers this past summer as an unrestricted free agent. Gretzky may be in the twilight of his phenomenal career, but he’s still a huge name in the biggest media market in the world. That was obvious the opening week of the season when Gretzky,…
Wotton too slight to succeed, too determined not to succeed
The odds of making it to the NHL as a 10th round pick are long indeed, but odds don’t measure the size of a person’s heart. Vancouver Canucks’ defenseman Mark Wotton was selected 237th overall in the 1992 NHL entry draft because he was considered too small, too slow and not particularly tough. He didn’t even bother attending the draft that year in Montreal, didn’t watch it on television and only discovered he had been selected by Vancouver on radio later that day. “I knew I would be a late pick if I was taken so I didn’t have any intention of going to Montreal,” Wotton said. “Of course, I wanted to get drafted, but I wasn’t banking on it. I didn’t really think about what round I went in, I was…
Sundin goes back in time around goal
Call it the ultimate backhanded compliment. There may be nobody in the NHL more dangerous on the weak side of his stick than Mats Sundin. Joe Sakic can unleash a rink wide backhand pass with force, Brett Hull is deadly on the redirect and Paul Kariya loves to go top shelf off his backhand. But it’s likely nobody goes backhand as often and as well as Sundin. Three of his first seven goals this season were scored on the backhand and if shots were tallied by category-wrist, back, slap, snap (crackle and pop)-Sundin would be recognized for what he is, a throwback. There was a time, oh so many Gordie Howe goals ago, NHL players used steel blades on their skates and straight blades on their sticks. Shooting off the backhand was…
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