INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Season one big pain for enforcer

Last spring, Shane Churla was one of the New York Rangers’ best forwards in the playoffs, which was as much an indictment of the rest of the forwards as it was a compliment to Churla. But this season could not end quickly enough for the Rangers’ tough winger. It has been nightmare after nightmare. “There haven’t been too many highlights in my year,” Churla said. “It has been a year I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies. Well, maybe a few of them.” In the pre-season, Churla broke his hand in a fight. In November he broke his orbital bone in another fight. In December he returned, with orders not to fight, and was injured in, you guessed it, a fight. Two games later, still under orders to not fight, he got into…

MORGANTI

Throughout NHL history, reputations have been made in the playoffs. No matter how many points a team compiles during the regular season, true glory only comes with long spring runs. Although there is a lot to gain in the playoffs, so too is there a lot to lose-and the loss of status or reputation can hurt to the same extent that winning can be glorious. For example, the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers went 35 games without a loss, but it was the New York Islanders who used the 1980 playoffs as a springboard toward four consecutive Stanley Cups. And last season’s regular season record for wins by the Detroit Red Wings seemed like a cruel joke when the Colorado Avalanche pushed past them and eventually on to a championship. It is the same with…

McCauley sees Red as top gun for second time

Alyn McCauley will paint some apartments for his father’s business again this summer, but he has already painted the Ontario League red. The Ottawa 67’s center is the winner of the Red Tilson Trophy as the most outstanding player. It was the second straight year he topped media voting for the Tilson Trophy. McCauley is only the third two-time winner. The others to accomplish the feat were George Armstrong (1948, 1950) and Andre Lacroix (1965, 1966). McCauley scored 56 goals in 50 games this season and despite missing 16 games, McCauley was third in the OHL with 112 points. Joe Thornton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds was second in Tilson voting. Scoring champion Marc Savard of the Oshawa Generals was third. “This year I wanted to be more consistent offensively,” McCauley said. “Once…