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.
February 28, 1997
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.
Width of rink must grow
I Increase the ice surface in width from 85 feet to 92 feet, 6 inches or, failing that, increase the depth of the offensive zone while decreasing the depth of the neutral zone. In 1964, the maximum stick length in the NHL was 53 inches. It went to 55 in 1965, 58 inches in 1980, 60 inches in 1985 and 63 inches in 1996. In 1971-72, the average height and weight of an NHL player was 5-foot-11, 184 pounds. Today, it’s 6-foot-1,198 pounds. Notice the trend? Everything is getting bigger in hockey except the surface on which it is played. The time has come for a change. “There just isn’t enough room out there any more,” Flyers’ GM Bob Clarke said. “Something has to give.” How about the notion that an NHL rink has to be 85…
Habs start winning as Koivu returns
He’s back, and not a moment too soon for the struggling Montreal Canadiens. Two months and a day after suffering a partially tom knee ligament, center Saku Koivu returned, registering an assist in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Hartford Whalers Feb. 8. The win ended two-game losing and four-game winless skids. “It was tough watching the team,” Koivu said. “Eight weeks is long and I lost a lot of games. It’s tough when you can’t help the team.” The Canadiens also got points in their next two games, beating the San Jose Sharks 4-2 Feb. 10 and tying the Buffalo Sabres 2-2 Feb. 12. Koivu registered an assist against San Jose. Was it merely coincidence Montreal was playing better with their Finnish center in the lineup? Brian Savage, Koivu’s left winger, said there…
Verbeek gets things rolling
Pat Verbeek shrugs his shoulders with indifference when asked about the recent turnaround in his game. “I’m really not doing anything different,” said the Dallas Stars’ right winger. “I’m shooting the same shots I was shooting (before) and now they’re going through. Sometimes, you can’t really figure out why things are happening.” Stars’ coach Ken Hitchcock would disagree. He said there is a tremendous difference in Verbeek’s game, especially from the doldrums of December and January when the scrappy winger was held to one goal in a span of 30 games-a significant dropoff from the 41 he scored last season. “He’s skating a lot more now, he’s moving his feet,” Hitchcock said. “Before, he was standing in one spot and waiting for the puck and his hands weren’t working. Now, he’s working and…
Kennedy establishes camp for abused kids
Sheldon Kennedy was a victim. And now he wants to help other victims. The 27-year-old Kennedy announced Feb. 10 he is establishing the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation for sexual abuse victims. A camp will be established on a 640-acre parcel of land in British Columbia donated by a friend, B.C. businessman Steve Funk. “Sheldon’s idea is for a place where families can go,” said Kennedy’s agent, Tom Laidlaw. “A place where the parents and the kids can go horseback riding and fishing. A place where they can take counselling to better understand what has happened to them.” It wasn’t clear yet if the camp will be run year-around or just during the summer. Kennedy’s coming forward, along with an unidentified former teammate, led to former Swift Current Broncos’ coach Graham James being imprisoned for sexual abuse.…
Made possible with the support of
