Search for your favorite player or team
© The Hockey News. All rights reserved. Any and all material on this website cannot be used, reproduced, or distributed without prior written permission from Roustan Media Ltd. For more information, please see our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
December 13, 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.
Rafales huge hit in land of Nords
Professional hockey is back in Quebec City. The Rafales, after months of speculation and insecurity, are a hit. Fans are flocking to Le Colisee at an International League-best average of 12,200 fans per game. While it’s true many tickets are sold at discount rates or given away by promotional sponsors, the team philosophy is to continually fdl the building, one way or another. The Rafales have been so successful, they forced the nearby Beauport Harfangs of the Quebec League to move out of town. (See pg. 35 for Beauport’s move to Lewiston, Me.) So what in the world is a Rafale and how is it making Quebec fans get over the loss of the Quebec Nordiques? A rafale is a brisk, cool gust of wind. Ironically, that’s exactly how some pessimistic observers thought the IHL…
Hollett gives Flash of golden memory
The first defenseman to score 20 goals in an NHL season has just returned from a long-overdue visit to the chiropractor. Flash Hollett’s lower back has been bothering him for six weeks, ever since a fellow resident on the second floor of the Sheridan Villa nursing home in Mississauga, Ont., pushed him from behind over a table, knocking him out. Hollett, 85, doesn’t hold a grudge even though his back hasn’t fully recovered. The attacker has Alzheimer’s disease, as do many of the residents in Sheridan Villa. Hollett does not. “The last time I was knocked out was in New York,” he says. “Madison Square Garden.” On the wall of his room there is a picture of Toronto Maple Leafs’ center Syl Apps, with Hollett just behind him, in a six-man race among…
Whale halts Coffey talk
Hartford Whalers’ GM Jim Rutherford feels a little better about defenseman Paul Coffey’s situation. Nobody else does. Coffey, who wanted either a large new contract or a trade, is ticked. He turned down a Whalers’ offer (reportedly in the $12-million range over four years) and didn’t get his trade. Coffey is apparently seeking a deal worth $3.5 million a year. Coffey’s spotty play, meanwhile, (he had one good 60-minute spot) was starting to anger Whalers’ fans. The natives were beginning to get restless. So was the 35-year-old Coffey. The Whalers spent a fruitless month shopping him. Finally, Rutherford put a deadline on his efforts. That deadline was Nov. 25. When a three-way deal which would have routed Coffey to the Philadelphia Flyers via the Phoenix Coyotes fell apart, Rutherford stayed true to his deadline…
Winning ways continue despite rash of injuries
After being relatively injury-free the past year, the Florida Panthers were hit with two “major losses,” in the words of coach Doug MacLean. In the span of a week, they lost two-thirds of one of their top lines when left winger Johan Garpenlov and center Rob Niedermayer were both knocked out of action with tom knee ligaments. Garpenlov suffered a sprain of the medial collateral ligament to his left knee Nov. 15. Niedermayer suffered a sprain of the MCL to his right knee Nov. 22 when he was hit knee-to-knee by Dallas Stars’ defenseman Grant Ledyard, who received a two-game suspension. Niedermayer is out at least until Christmas. Add to the injuries the fact defenseman Terry Carkner missed eight games with a sprained right ankle and defenseman Ed Jovanovski was handed a three-game suspension…
Made possible with the support of
