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.

May 2, 1997

The Hockey News May 2, 1997

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DEPARTMENTS

NHL GAME SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div>Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; captain Keith Tkachuk is threatening a $1 million counter lawsuit against an Edmonton gambler whom the left winger claims has been trying to blackmail him for the past several months.Rajesh Kummer Sabharwal, however, won a $140,(MX) (U.S.) default judgment against Tkachuk, whom he alleges in court documents made illegal bets on professional sporting events between October, 1995 and January, 1996 through an unnamed Boston bookmaker.Tkachuk and his lawyers have denied the allegations and are fighting to overturn the default ruling. An Edmonton court will hear the Tkachuk motion April 23.Sabharwal was awarded the judgment because Tkachuk failed to respond to the lawsuit within the required 15 days after being served papers.Sabharwal contends he was owed the money because he provided &ldquo;information and services&rdquo; to Tkachuk in a &ldquo;verbal contract.&rdquo; The &ldquo;information and services&rdquo; apparently are alleged betting tips made to Tkachuk, who had purchased from Sabharwal a sports-ticker pager, which provides users with up-to-the-minute scores and betting lines on various sporting events.Tkachuk is alleged by Sabharwal to have bet on National Football League and possibly National Basketball Association games. He has not been accused of betting on hockey.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing to it,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all (bull).&rdquo;Tkachuk&rsquo;s Boston-based agent, Bob Murray, in a sworn affidavit, said he informed the NHL of Sabharwal&rsquo;s claim of Tkachuk&rsquo;s illegal gambling well before the matter ever went to court. The league found no merit to the allegations, Murray said.An source at the NHL confirmed Murray&rsquo;s statement and said the league has no plans to re-investigate.&ldquo;Keith and his agent and his lawyer and our organization feel very confident that this will be exposed as the meritless allegation that it is,&rdquo; said Coyotes&rsquo; GM Bobby Smith, adding he does not believe his star player has a gambling problem. &ldquo;Unfortunately in Canada and the United States, anybody is able to file a lawsuit against a high-profile athlete. Everybody knows how much money he makes.&rdquo;Tkachuk earned $6 million (U.S.) last season while playing for the Winnipeg Jets, when Sabharwal&rsquo;s allegations about illegal gambling surfaced. &#9632;

Tkachuk denies gambling charge

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NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN stall</div>Martin Brodeur did just about everything a goalie can do during the regular season. Then he scored a goal in his first playoff game.The super stopper for the New Jersey Devils became the fourth goalie to score in an NHL game when he fired the puck into an empty net to cap off a 5-2 opening round playoff win against the Montreal Canadiens April 17.Billy Smith of the New York Islanders got credit for scoring Nov. 28, 1979. On three other instances, the goalie shot the puck through traffic into the opponent&rsquo;s empty net (vacated for an extra attacker).Ron Hextail of the Philadelphia Flyers did it twice, Dec. 8, 1987 and again in the playoffs, April 11. 1989. Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings scored March 6,1996.&ldquo;I always wanted to do it,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;I take pride in handling the puck.&rdquo;Twenty-one goalies have scored a total of 23 times in North American pro hockey and the top developmental leagues.ATTENDANCE HIKE: New arenas, a new city and renewed enthusiasm led to an attendance increase of 3.5 per cent this season in the NHL.A record 17,640.529 attended 1,066 regular-season games in 1996-97. This season&rsquo;s average of 16,548 topped the previous record of 15,987 set last season.Leading the surge was the Montreal Canadiens, who set an NHL attendance record for one club. The Habs averaged 21,002 fans during their first full season in the Molson Centre.Other new arenas contributing to the attendance hike were those of the Philadelphia Flyers (19,311 average), Buffalo Sabres (16,912) and Tampa Bay Lightning (17,443).New to Phoenix this season, the Coyotes averaged 15,586 in the 16,210-seat America West Arena.Renewed enthusiasm in Edmonton resulted in a 30 per cent attendance increase this season. The Oilers averaged 16,052 at the Edmonton Coliseum.OFFICIAL WATCH: Richard Trottier and Stephen Walkom are in, Paul Stewart is out.When the NHL announced its 11 referees for the first round of Stanley Cup playoffs (down from the 15 it uses during the regular season) Stewart was not included. The controversial referee will work as a standby official, but will not take to the ice unless there&rsquo;s an injury.Trottier and Walkom are in the playoffs for the first time.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011580/6481193-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="788" height="1067"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goalie Martin Brodeur JumPs for Joy after scoring against Montreal. (Photo by Brian Winkler/BBS)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;We make our decisions on a merit basis,&rdquo; said Bryan Lewis, the NHL&rsquo;s director of officiating.Veteran linesmen Ron Asselstine. Bob Hodges and Leon Stickle each worked their final regular-season games April 12-13 and all three are in the playoffs. The retiring linesmen combined for more than 5,000 NHL games. &#9632;

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Brodeur does it all then scores a goal

<h2>Roy keeps on shutting door</h2>1. St. Patrick Colorado goalie Patrick Roy runs playoff shutout streak to 213 minutes, 11 seconds, beating Chicago 6-0.2. Do you have him in your pool? New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur scores empty net goal against Montreal.3. Peter Forsberg Colorado center doesn&rsquo;t flinch at Chicago&rsquo;s intimidation tactics, scores twice in series opener.4. One for the road Retiring Penguins&rsquo; center Mario Lemieux claims sixth scoring championship.5. Keith Tkachuk Becomes first NHL-er to lead league in goals (52) and accumulate more than 200 PIM (228).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0123/6481131-1-eng-US/c0002-012.jpg" title="C0002-01" width="436" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Peter Forsberg</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0216/6481124-1-eng-US/c0002-022.jpg" title="C0002-02" width="438" height="620"><figcaption class="caption-body">Doug Zmolek</figcaption></div><h2>Penguins make perfect guests</h2>1. None for the road Pittsburgh starts season 0-11-1 on road and ends 0-12-1, drops playoff opener in Philadelphia.2. Where will it end? Montreal playoff goal disallowed because Stephane Richer was in crease. He was pushed in!3. Chicago Blackhawks Look like knuckleheads sending thugs after Colorado stars in 6-0 playoff loss.4. Helper wanted Hey, Doug Zmolek, how do you play 51 games and not register a single assist?5. OHL We agree Oshawa wrong not shaking hands after series, but Generals broke no rules, didn&rsquo;t deserve SI .000 fine &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

PLUS MINUS

Some firsts and lasting impressions from the 1996-97 NHL regular season.&#9633; Martin Brodeur leads the NHL in goals-against average and earns 10 shutouts, but isn&rsquo;t expected to make the first all-star team. Terry Sawchuk was the last goalie to accomplish that double and not earn a berth on the first all-star team. Dominik Hasek stands in Brodeur&rsquo;s way; Harry Lumley upstaged Sawchuk in 1954-55.&#9633; Boston is last overall for the first time since 1966-67, ending a record 30-year playoff streak.&#9633; The Bruins are the first team to make a coaching change, firing Steve Kasper April 18. It&rsquo;s not known when the last time was a coach of a non-expansion team had less to work with than Kasper.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-037/6481162-1-eng-US/c0002-032.jpg" title="C0002-03" width="461" height="578"><figcaption class="caption-body">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</figcaption></div>&#9633; Colorado finishes first overall, outlasting Dallas and New Jersey.&#9633; Ottawa makes the playoffs for the first time after four seasons of futility and 58 years of cold storage. The last time Ottawa made the NHL playoffs was 1929-30.&#9633; Average goals per game dip below 6.00 (5.8) for the first time since 1969-70, the last time Gordie Howe made the all-star team. Howe wanted to make a comeback this season, but mercifully it was aborted. Hopefully, it&rsquo;s the last we hear of it.&#9633; There are no 60-goal scorers for the first time since 1979-80, but Jaromir Jagr is on pace for 65 before suffering a groin injury. Jack Nicholson was the last peanut butter-eating superstar to score so often.&#9633; All Canadian teams finish with sub-.500 records, a first since the Original Six era. Edmonton is last in overtime; Vancouver is last in performance vs. payroll; Ottawa is last overall (oops, force of habit); Montreal is last in penalty-killing; Calgary is last down the stretch; and Toronto is last to realize capricious cuts to payroll results in chaos.&#9633; The NHL is the first league to successfully use video review and then screws it up with goal crease applications. It won&rsquo;t be the last time the league messes up a good initiative.&#9633; Mario Lemieux officially finishes first in scoring with 122 points in 76 games (including two assists in a farewell performance at Boston, where he launched his career in 1984). Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Dean Malkoc unofficially finishes last in NHL scoring with no points in 33 games, the highest number of games in which a skater didn&rsquo;t record a single point.&#9633; Goalies combine for 127 shutouts. Never before in the modem era have so many made so few mistakes. It will be a first and last &#9632;

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Sub-.500 Six first since Original Six

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div>Out with the old, in with the new. The Boston Bruins first made the decision March 1, when they shipped three veterans to the Washington Capitals for a package of potential.Boston reinforced the decision April 18, relieving coach Steve Kasper and his assistant, Cap Raeder, of their duties. Replacements weren&rsquo;t named, but assistant GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell said the club saw &lsquo;five possibilities,&rdquo; and expects to have a new coach by early-May.Speculation centered on Boston University coach Jack Parker, whom O&rsquo;Connell said is a candidate, but had not yet been contacted. Parker was thought to have been offered the job after Mike Milbury moved to the front office following 1990-91, but didn&rsquo;t feel he was ready for the NHL.&ldquo;We thought it was time,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell said of the decision to let Kasper go. &ldquo;We looked at the way the season unfolded, the way it went all year. We think Steve Kasper&rsquo;s a capable coach, but we feel we need to move in a different direction.&rdquo;The process began with a major trade that brought goalie Jim Carey, forwards Jason Allison and Anson Carter, plus at least a third-round draft pick in 1997 to Boston for Bill Ranford, Adam Oates and Rick Toc-chet. All three players had criticized Bruin management and O&rsquo;Connell indicated Kasper hadn&rsquo;t been able to keep such distractions from spilling onto the ice.&ldquo;(Management) has to take some responsibility for that,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Connell said, &ldquo;but also, every team has those kinds of distractions-although maybe not to the point we reached this year. Still, the coach&rsquo;s job is to get everyone to be on the same page and try to get everyone to play the way they should. For whatever reason, it just didn&rsquo;t happen.&rdquo;Meanwhile, the Bruins have the best opportunity to secure the No. 1 selection in the June 21 entry draft.Boston has a 45 per cent of nailing down the top pick when the draft lottery is held May 18 in New York. (See pg. 39 for draft order.) &#9632;

Kasper dumped

A weekly compendium of significant events and developments (April 11-18).April 12: Ottawa shuts out Buffalo 1-0 to earn first playoff berth in five-year history.Washington beats Islanders 6-2, but still misses playoffs for first time in 15 years.April 13: NHL regular season concludes; defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche wins Presidents&rsquo; Trophy with 107 points. Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Mario Lemieux wins scoring title with 122 points, lowest winning total since 1969-70. Phoenix&rsquo;s Keith Tkachuk leads league in goals with 52; Lemieux and Rangers&rsquo; Wayne Gretzky tie for lead in assists with 72.Colorado&rsquo;s Sandis Ozolinsh leads all defensemen in goals with 23; Rangers&rsquo; Brian Leetch leads in points with 78.New Jersey allows fewest goals against, an average of 2.18 per game. Devils&rsquo; Martin Brodeur has best GAA at 1.88, lowest since Tony Esposito&rsquo;s 1.77 in 1971-72.Washington&rsquo;s Yogi Svejkovsky scores four goals in 8-3 win over Buffalo.April 16: NHL playoffs open.April 17: Brodeur becomes second goalie in NHL history to score playoff goal with emptynetter as New Jersey defeats Montreal 5-2.April 18: Boston fires coach Steve Kasper. &#9632;

Devils’ Brodeur records best GAA, scores goals, too

As long as there are bars and the NHL, hockey fans will debate who is the best player ever.And with the imminent retirement of Mario Lemieux, we in the Pittsburgh area and the entire Ohio Valley can say we have seen the greatest player to ever step on the ice.Lemieux gave us enough memories to last 10 lifetimes. For that, I say, &ldquo;Thank you, Le Magnifique.&rdquo;Ted McKeets,&nbsp;Triadelphia, W.V.<h2>What if&hellip;?</h2>What if Mario Lemieux were healthy for his entire career?What if Vladislav Tretiak had played in the NHL?What if? What if? The reality is that Wayne Gretzky has proved himself over 18 seasons. I&rsquo;m tired ol hearing all the excuses, Gretzky is the best of all-time.Steve Clarke,&nbsp;Cambridge, Ont.<h2>Fighting conflict</h2>Your April 11 edition illustrated another example of the conflict the hockey world suffers when it comes to fighting in the NHL.In that issue, you describe the March 26 game brawl between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche as an &ldquo;eyesore&rdquo; and &ldquo;one of the more sorry incidents of the season.&rdquo; Yet on the same page was a large picture of Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon duking it out.How can you disapprove of fighting verbally, then support it visually? It sends mixed messages.Pictures speak louder than words and by using a shot from the brawl, you discredit your own anti-fighting convictions.Lisa Strongson,&nbsp;Bay side, N. Y.<h2>Kilrea knows best</h2>Congratulations, THN. By giving the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s a minus in your PlusMinus column, saying they turned down a bye &ldquo;for fatuous reasons,&rdquo; you referred to the most successful coach-GM in junior hockey as an idiot.So Brian Kilrea decided to pass on a first round bye in the Ontario League playoffs. His reasons for doing this appeared good. He suggested it would put the 67&rsquo;s in a hole if they had to open on the road in the second round. And last year, his team took the bye and was beaten by the Belleville Bulls in the second round. If something doesn&rsquo;t work for you the first time, you might as well try something different.If Kilrea is an idiot, there must be an awful lot of stupid hockey people around.Jeff Neale,&nbsp;Ottawa, Ont.<h2>We are familv</h2>Congratulations to Joey Mullen on becoming the first American-born player to score 500 goals. The next step for him should be the Hockey Hall of Fame.Bill Mullen (Joey&rsquo;s cousin),&nbsp;Bellmore, N. Y.<h2>Whining helps</h2>I think players such as Tony Amonte and Brett Hull should establish a post-Mike Keenan support group for players who are too mentally fragile and/or egotistical to play for Iron Mike. They could call it W.A.A.H. (Whining A lot Always Helps).Christy Johnson,&nbsp;Wheaton, III.<h2>Positive thoughts</h2>Enough with the negative letters. Here are some positive thoughts on hockey:&bull; THN columnist Mike Brophy was right about the three-star selection (THN, March 21). Fans love to see the three stars at the end of a game.&bull; Dave Reid of the Dallas Stars deserves the Selke Trophy hands down. He&rsquo;s one of the league&rsquo;s best penalty killers and defensive forwards.&bull; Lay off the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Fans need to show patience when their favorite team is taking its lumps.&bull; Off the ice, Claude Lemieux is one of the nicest players you would ever want to meet.&bull; The Buffalo Sabres will do this year what the Florida Panthers did in last year&rsquo;s playoffs.Tony Toth,&nbsp;Decatur, III.<h2>Spice it up</h2>Hockey fans who grew up on the great international confrontations in hockey know that many of those games have produced some of the most exciting games in the history of hockey. Why not relive it now when the world&rsquo;s best players are playing in the NHL?I propose that every two years, the All-Star Game be played between a team of North American and European all-stars. At least this might inject some passion into what has become a very boring game.Constantin Vasiliev,&nbsp;Skelleftea, Swe.Make your feelings known. Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 340-1641&nbsp;or write to&nbsp;Letters, THN, 777 Bay SL, 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., 14240-9947. 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;

Mario was greatest to ever step on ice

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ELSTON

<div class="byline">Hewitt hurls barbs</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021098/6481375-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="404" height="594"></div>When Foster Hewitt spoke, Canada listened. The legendary Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play man made &ldquo;He shoots, he scores&rdquo; one of the most famous phrases in hockey history. Even after his retirement from radio play-by-play in 1978, he commanded immense respect. Which made his scathing criticism of the modem game sting like alcohol in a wound.&ldquo;When I tune into games I&rsquo;ll often watch for a while then switch off the TV in disgust,&rdquo; Hewitt said in the Dec. 18. 1981 issue of THN. &ldquo;And when I go to the odd game, I find I can&rsquo;t stomach it. It just won&rsquo;t go down&hellip;There&rsquo;s just too much attack and no defense. It&rsquo;s pathetic.&rdquo;Hewitt was one of many critics who thought talent in the 21-team league had become diluted, leaving too many clubs with too many players who didn&rsquo;t have the skills to keep the game at a high level. Terrible Ted Lindsay was another.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not much wrong with a lot of these players except they don&rsquo;t know how to skate, they don&rsquo;t know how to check, they don&rsquo;t know how to make or take a pass and they don&rsquo;t know how to play defense or goal,&rdquo; said Lindsay, a former Detroit Red Wing great. &ldquo;Believe me, in a six-team league, a lot of these guys would never get out of their home towns. &#9632;

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50th ANNIVERSARY FLASHBACK

It&rsquo;s not like Dominik Hasek doesn&rsquo;t know of Jacques Plante, but the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; star netminder has a confession.&ldquo;To be honest, I never heard of him until after I came to the NHL,&rdquo; Hasek said. &ldquo;I know now he won many Stanley Cups with Montreal and was the first goalie to wear a mask.&rdquo;He shouldn&rsquo;t feel bad. To be honest, not many in pro hockey had heard of Hasek until well after he arrived on the NHL scene in 1990. That&rsquo;s no longer an issue. Now, the 32-year-old Czech has established himself not only as the No. 1 goalie in the game today, but one of its pre-eminent performers. Period.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011700/6481420-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="462" height="582"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</figcaption></div>The first tangible evidence of that is Hasek being named 1996-97 Player of the Year by The Hockey News. In this, the year of the goalie, Hasek edged New Jersey Devils&rsquo; netminder Martin Brodeur and MightyDucks of Anaheim speedster Paul Kariya. for the award that has been presented since 1950. Hasek is the first&rsquo; goaltender to be THN Player of the Year since 1981, when Mike Liut of the St. Louis Blues shared it with Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers in The Great One&rsquo;s first NHL season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great honor for me and all goalies,&rdquo; Hasek told THN. &ldquo;It was a different kind of year. No forwards stepped up. Usually, someone gets 150 points, but Mario (Lemieux) got only 120 points. Only 120 points&hellip;but you know what I mean. It was a good year for goalies. Look at Martin Brodeur. He could win, too, but maybe he doesn&rsquo;t get (the award) &mdash; because New Jersey plays such strong defense.&rdquo;Hasek is also the leading contender to win this year&rsquo;s Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and, of course, the Vezina Trophy as the league&rsquo;s top goaltender. If he were to receive the Hart honor-he appears to be a lock and is our choice for the award-it would be the first time a goalie has won it since 1962, when Plante was picked over New York Rangers&rsquo; defenseman Doug Harvey. Since then, goaltenders have been runners-up for the Hart on 10 occasions, including 1994, when Hasek finished second in balloting to Sergei Fedorov of the Detroit Red Wings.Ironically, Hasek is likely to make his biggest hardware haul in a season that yielded a goals-against average of 2.16, higher than his 1993-94 mark of 1.95. Could it be that Hasek&rsquo;s performance this season wasn&rsquo;t even as good as it was three years ago and that he&rsquo;s the benefactor of off-years and/or injury-shortened seasons for the game&rsquo;s biggest offensive stars, including Eric Lindros, Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic and Kariya?&ldquo;No question, the tough year for forwards helped the goalies,&rdquo; Hasek said, &ldquo;but 1 wouldn&rsquo;t say this season was better or worse than the other years, just different. The year I got 1.95 it was more of a veteran team that played a little tighter. The last couple of seasons in Buffalo, the team has been very young. I faced 36 shots a game last season, 33 this season. The thing I am most proud of is my save percentage of .930, which is the same as it was the 1.95 year.&rdquo; Hasek has led the NHL in save percentage for the past four sea sons, three of them with the unprecedented mark of .930 and last season at .920<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021159/6481413-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="2146" height="2134"></div>&ldquo;I still haven&rsquo;t figured out how he stops the puck, but I&rsquo;m finally acknowledging that he is saving it and it&rsquo;s not just hitting him,&rdquo; said Tampa Bay Lightning coach Terry Crisp. &ldquo;I always figured he wasn&rsquo;t that good, that he had weaknesses we could capitalize on, but I realize now he really is spectacular.&rdquo;And yet before conferring THN Player of the Year status on Hasek, we had to determine whether he was the NHL&rsquo;s best goalie, never mind best player. Brodeur&rsquo;s numbers this season are every bit as impressive. The New Jersey netminder&rsquo;s save percentage is off slightly (.927 to .930), but his goals-against average (1.88, the lowest since Tony Esposito&rsquo;s 1.77 in 1971-72) is superior to Hasek&rsquo;s 2.16.A random survey of Eastern Conference coaches confirmed the obvious-the Sabres give up better quality and more scoring chances than the Devils.&ldquo;Not to take anything away from Brodeur, because he&rsquo;s a great goalie,&rdquo; one coach said, &ldquo;but when the Sabres break down, they really break down and there&rsquo;s a spectacular scoring chance and maybe a rebound, too. With New Jersey, you usually only get off one shot on Brodeur and you&rsquo;re being rushed at that.&rdquo;&ldquo;If not for Hasek,&rdquo; another added, &ldquo;that Buffalo team doesn&rsquo;t even make the playoffs.&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s really something special,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; GM John Muckier. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s not only the best goalie there is right now, he&rsquo;s the best developer of young talent there is in the NHL because he gives our kids the confidence to play this game, make mistakes and not get burned every time.&rdquo;Even though scoring was down drastically this season, the potential was there for a number of skaters to have MVP type seasons. Lindros, with 32 goals and 79 points in 52 games, Jagr, with 47 goals and 95 points in 63 games; and Forsberg, with 28 goals and 86 points in 65 games, all would have been strong Hart candidates if not for injuries that not only kept them out of the lineup, but kept them from performing to peak levels when they returned.Lemieux, who won the Art Ross Trophy with 50 goals and 122 points; Kariya, who rallied after missing the first 13 games; and Anaheim teammate Teemu Selanne, with 51 goals and 109 points in 78 games, were the most consistent high-level performers not playing goal this season. Of that group, THN determined Kariya&rsquo;s effort-44 goals and 99 points in 69 games and a dramatic positive impact on the Ducks&rsquo; record-to be worthy of a third-place finish, behind the dynamic goaltending duo.<h2>HART TROPHY: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03727/6481406-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="1948" height="1541"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Hart Trophy chosen by Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association1996-97 Honorable Mention: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim; Mario Lemieux. Pittsburgh 1995-96 Top Three: 1. Mario Lemieux.Pit; 2. Mark Messier, NYR; 3. Eric Lindros, Phi<h2>THN&rsquo;S P CKS: SNEAK PREVIEW</h2>Dominik Hasek is THNs Player of the Year and choice for the Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy. In this four-page story are our top three choices for each of the NHLs seven major regular season individual awards. You&rsquo;ll have to wait for June 19 for the NHL to announce its official choices at the annual awards gala in Toronto, but we suspect our choices aren&rsquo;t just excellent ones; most are probable winners. &#9632;

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FEATURES

DOMINANT HASEK

<h2>Brodeur also deserves recognition for season</h2>If Dominik Hasek wins the Hart Trophy-and he will-is there any chance he won&rsquo;t win the Vezina Trophy?It&rsquo;s possible.The two honors are chosen by different panels: the Hart is picked by members of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association and the Vezina is chosen in a vote of NHL GMs.Nonetheless, &lsquo;The Dominator&rsquo; is expected to dominate this year&rsquo;s NHL awards. But if there were another way to honor a second goalie, this would be the season to do it.And New Jersey Devil Martin Brodeur would be the reason why.Hasek&rsquo;s efforts this season notwithstanding, Brodeur turned in a truly remarkable performance. His goals-against average of 1.88 is the lowest figure since Tony Esposito posted a 1.77 in 1971-72.His save percentage of 92.7 is just a shade below Hasek&rsquo;s league-leading mark of 93.0.What is there to choose between the two this season? Not much. Hasek gets the nod only because he plays for a rebuilding team with erratic defensive tendencies and Brodeur is on a stifling defensive power that is a top Stanley Cup contender.Their teams couldn&rsquo;t be more different and neither could the two goaltenders&rsquo; styles and approach. Hasek is an unorthodox flopper who makes the save against all odds. Brodeur is, according to New York Islander GM Mike Mil-bury, &ldquo;a great goalie who is the picture of concentration, sound positional play and poise. He&rsquo;s unflappable. He doesn&rsquo;t give up the soft goals, you have to beat him. It&rsquo;s not that easy to I play goal on a strong defensive team because you have to make the save when it&rsquo;s called for and it may be awhile between them. Brodeur&rsquo;s sense of timing is terrific.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011540/6481458-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="810" height="1397"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dominik Hasek</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s uncanny how closely I Brodeur and Hasek paralleled each other this season.Their save percentages in the third quarter were identical (93.0) and Brodeur&rsquo;s was actually better (94.8 to 94.4) in the final 22 games. Brodeur had twice as many shutouts (10 to five).And it&rsquo;s not as if Brodeur had a better offensive team in front of him. In fact, Buffalo gave Hasek better goal support (2.89 goals per game) than New Jersey pro-I vided Brodeur (2.82).The big difference is in. shots faced. Brodeur handled 1,633, an average of fewer than 25 per game, to Hasek&rsquo;s 2,177, a I shade under 33. Beyond that, there&rsquo;s little to i choose between them.You know these two had truly remarkable sea-1 sons when they can relegate Patrick Roy of the I first-place Colorado Avalanche to a distant third.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021037/6481451-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="2020" height="1539"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Vezina Trophy chosen by NHL GMs1996-97 Honorable Mention: Guy Hebert, Anaheim; Andy Mcog, Dallas1995-96 Top Three: 1. Jim Carey, Wsh; 2, Chris Osgood, Det; 3. Daren Puppa, TB &#9632;

f0007-01

VEZINA TROPHY: BEST GOALIE

<h2>Ranger&rsquo;s two-way play worthy of ton honors</h2>A funny thing should happen on the way to Norris Trophy balloting this season-Chris Chelios and Ray Bourque should not be there when all is said and done.At least that&rsquo;s the consensus opinion that emerged from a random poll of NHL coaches and executives who said neither of the seemingly ageless veterans deserve to be considered in the top three of NHL defensemen, based strictly on their play this season.&ldquo;They were good at times, but not consistently great, not like they&rsquo;ve been in the past,&rdquo; said one coach. &ldquo;It was kind of a weird year for defensemen.&rdquo;He has got that right.The irony is that while Bourque, 36, and Chelios, 35, may have slowed a step (both had to battle through injuries and down years for their respective teams), the overall level of play for defensemen didn&rsquo;t really rise. At best, it seemed to be in a holding pattern.In the absence of overall offense this season, team defense was in, though not to be confused with outstanding play by individual defensemen.Still, the consensus choice for top defenseman, a clear notch above the rest of the field, is New York Rangers&rsquo; rushing blueliner Brian Leetch.He led all NHL defensemen in scoring with 20 goals and 78 points in 82 games and finished at plus-31, while playing head-to-head againsi the top talent in the league.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03673/6481496-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="811" height="1399"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Leetch</figcaption></div>That said, even he struggled with consistency.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m biased, of course,&rdquo; said Ranger coach Colin Campbell, &ldquo;but I didn&rsquo;t see anyone in the league whose game was at as high a level as Leetch&rsquo;s was this season.&rdquo;Most of Campbell&rsquo;s colleagues agree, although a few paid heed to Leetch&rsquo;s own suggestion that in the absence of stellar offensive output by a defenseman, the NHL&rsquo;s defensive blueliners should receive greater Norris consideration this season.For that reason, Vladimir Konstantinov of the Detroit Red Wings and Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils garnered significant support as runners-up to Leetch.Konstantinov led all NHL defensemen with a plus-38 rating, which equalled his point output for the season. Stevens, meanwhile, scored higher in plus-minus (plus-26) than he did on the score board (24 points). Both were rock solid on the top two defensive teams, respectively, in the NHL.Some consideration was given to Sandis Oz-olinsh of the Colorado Avalanche, who finished second to Leetch in blueline scoring, but erratic defensive play kept him out of the top three.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04453/6481489-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="2014" height="1536"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Norris Trophy chosen by Professional Hockey Writers Association1996-97 Honorable Mention: Chris Chelios. Chicago; Sandis Ozolinsh, Colorado1995-96 Top Three: 1. Chris Chelios, Chi; 2. Ray Bourque, Bos; 3. Brian Leetch, NYR &#9632;

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NORRIS TROPHY: BEST DEFENSEMAN

<h2>Berard has much left to learn, but still No. 1</h2>It should come as no surprise the major shortcomings of this year&rsquo;s Calder Trophy candidates was staying power. After all, what is inexperience if not inconsistency?AU of the serious Calder candidates came up short at one time or another to create a race that was extremely close. It all might have been a moot point, however, if not for the wrist injury suffered by St. Louis Blues&rsquo; right winger Jim Campbell, who had 23 goals in 64 games before getting hurt.The Montreal Canadien-Anaheim Mighty Duck castoff was on pace for a 30-goal campaign. Had he reached that mark, his offense would likely have been too plentiful to overlook. Alas, he only came back to play four more goalless games. So much for that.Campbell&rsquo;s exit left the race in the hands of three others-New York Islanders&rsquo; defenseman Bryan Berard, Calgary Flames&rsquo; right winger Jarome Iginla and Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; defenseman Janne Niinimaa.Berard is the frontrunner-according to a survey of NHL coaches and executives-but it really is a pick &lsquo;em proposition. Both Iginla and Niinimaa received some support as the league&rsquo;s top rookie.&ldquo;Bryan played and he played a lot in every situation,&rdquo; said Islanders&rsquo; GM Mike Milbury. &ldquo;When the game was on the line, he went after it, sometimes a little too recklessly, but he was willing to take that chance. Does he have a lot to learn? Absolutely. But he did have a real good rookie year.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011606/6481534-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="808" height="1390"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brvan Berard</figcaption></div>The numbers bear it out. Playing on a non playoff team on an inexperienced blueline crew, the 20-year-old produced on a consistent basis (eight, 16, 13 and 11 points per quarter) and was a plus player in each quarter except the final 22 games.&ldquo;Like a lot of rookies, he hit the wall, but he bounced back right at the end,&rdquo; Milbury said.Iginla had a strong season on a rookie-laden, nonplayoff team-21 goals and 50 points in 82 games-but flagged down the stretch when he went goalless in the final 17 games. Had he finished strongly, the former Kamloops Blazer junior might have been the leading contender.Niinimaa, meanwhile, had a season of ups and downs, but fit in well on a top contending team. The skilled blueliner is a terrific passer with good vision and will be a power play force.A real rookie darkhorse is the Ottawa Senators&rsquo; defenseman Wade Redden, who came on strongly at season&rsquo;s end and opened the playoffs with Jason York as the No. 1 defensive pairing.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021254/6481527-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="2018" height="1538"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Calder Trophy chosen by Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association1996-97 Honorable Mention: Jim Campbell. St. Louis: Wade Redden, Ottawa1995-96 Top Three: 1. Daniel Alfredsson. Ott; 2. Eric Daze, Chi; 3. Ed Jovanovski, Fla &#9632;

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CALDER TROPHY: BEST ROOKIE

<h2>Muckier mucker Peca our pick as top checker</h2>John Muckier has never been associated with an NHL team that has had a Selke Trophy winner. That could change this year, thanks to Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; center Michael Peca.Whatever joy that might bring Muckier, he&rsquo;s still incensed that former Edmonton Oiler Jari Kurri never once won the award as the NHL&rsquo;s top defensive forward.&ldquo;Kurri was the best twoway player I&rsquo;ve seen,&rdquo; the Sabres&rsquo; GM said of the Finnish winger who was a Selke runner-up to Bobby Clarke in 1983, &ldquo;He was a terrific player without the puck. He really knew how to play defensively.&rdquo;Peca, the feisty 23-year-old, will never have the numbers Kurri put up, which is precisely why he&rsquo;s THN&rsquo;s pick to win the Selke. It is our contention the Selke should be reserved for true defensive forwards, not the big point producers (such as Sergei Fedorov) who play good defense.Muckier doesn&rsquo;t necessarily agree with that criteria-he likes the strong two-way work of stars such as Fedorov and Mike Modano, among others-but concedes Peca should be the Selke winner if offensive ceilings are in place.&ldquo;In that class of player, he&rsquo;s as good as there is defensively,&rdquo; Muckier said. &ldquo;He has been a big part of our success this season.&rdquo;Peca centers a Sabre line with Jason Dawe and Dixon Ward that goes head-to-head with the best units in the league. There was a 23-gam stretch this season when Peca was even or plus in every outing.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03934/6481572-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="815" height="1395"><figcaption class="caption-body">Michael Peca</figcaption></div>He&rsquo;s one of those guys you Hate, but he&rsquo;d be the first guy you want to have,&rdquo; said New York Ranger coach Colin Campbell.The Rangers would 1 know. Peca infuriated them I this season when he worked I over Brian Leetch.Although he&rsquo;s a middleweight, Peca is one of the finest open-ice hitters in the NHL. He&rsquo;s tough and feisty, quick and smart. Outspoken, too.When Calgary Flames&rsquo; defenseman Yves Racine gave away the puck to Peca, who scored, his comments were: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know if Racine was playing left wing for us or right defense for them.&rdquo;Prior to the playoff opener against the Ottawa Senators, Peca dissed Senator star Alexei Yashin and promptly went out and shut him down.Two other top candidates for the Selke are Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Rob Zamuner and Dallas Stars&rsquo; right winger Jere Lehtinen. Meanwhile, Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; left winger Shjon Podein had an excellent two-way season. Ranger right winger Niklas Sundstrom is another young player making a name for himself as a defensive force.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04481/6481565-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="2016" height="1539"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Selke Trophy chosen by Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association1995-96 Top Three: 1. Sergei Fedorov, Det; 2. Ron Francis, Pit; 3. Steve Yzerman, Det1996-97 Honorable Mention: Shjon Podein, Philadelphia; Niklas Sundstrom. Rangers &#9632;

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SELKE TROPHY: BEST DEFENSIVE FORWARD

<h2>Mightiest Duck Kariya NHL&rsquo;s clean machine</h2>Paul Kariya never promised a penalty-free season. What the Mighty Duck of Anaheim superstar actually told THN prior to this season was: &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m playing the game properly, I should never get a penalty.&rdquo;Talk about improper behavior. Kariya picked up a total of six penalty minutes in 69 games.Six minutes, to go with his I 44 goals and 99 points.There was the game in I Anaheim against the Dallas I Stars Nov. 11 when he re-I ceived a hooking minor. I Then there was the game I against the San Jose Sharks I Nov. 23 when he was assessed two minutes for roughing with Tony Granato. And who could forget the game Dec. 30 against the Ottawa Senators when Kariya was I nailed for hooking?Call us crazy, but if you can list in one small paragraph a whole season&rsquo;s worth of penalties for a player who is arguably the most dynamic talent in the entire NHL, it might suggest he&rsquo;s going to win the Lady Byng Trophy for the second straight season.Look up Lady Byng in the Official Guide and Record Book, and you&rsquo;ll discover it goes &ldquo;to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.&rdquo; The NHL might as well put a picture of Kariya alongside it.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011527/6481610-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="816" height="1397"><figcaption class="caption-body">Paul Kariya</figcaption></div>Not that Kariya, or anyone else, wants to be confused as a player who doesn&rsquo;t get penalties because he doesn&rsquo;t play hard.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t go out thinking I want to be the cleanest player in the league, but it makes sense if you&rsquo;re an offensive player and one of the leaders on the team, you can&rsquo;t be stuck in the penalty box for 200 minutes,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;Even the tough twoway players, if they&rsquo;re in the box for 150 to 200 minutes, think about all the opportunities they&rsquo;re missing.&rdquo;Perhaps the only penalty minute total more remarkable than Kariya&rsquo;s belongs to Dallas Stars&rsquo; two-way threat Jere Lehtinen. He picked up just one minoi this season-an interference call Dec. 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers-while scoring 16 goals and 43 points in 63 games. It&rsquo;s a remarkable achievement for one of the NHL&rsquo;s top defensive forwards, who plays with intensity, using brains over brawn.THN has always advocated considering defensemen for the Byng (no blueliner has won it since Red Kelly in 1954). This year is; no exception, what with Bruin Ray Bourque&rsquo;s 18 minutes, Red Wing Nicklas Lidstrom&rsquo;s 30 minutes and Ranger Brian Leetch&rsquo;s 31 minutes. All&rsquo; three talents play the game hard, but fairly.And Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s 97 points and 28 minutes should not go unnoticed either.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021085/6481603-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="2034" height="1543"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Lady Byng Trophy chosen by Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association1996-97 Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit; Wayne Gretzky, Rangers1995-96 Top Three: 1. Paul Kariya. Ana; 2. Adam Oates, Bos; 3. Teemu Selanne, Ana &#9632;

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LADY BYNG TROPHY: MOST SPORTSMANLIKE

<h2>Hitchcock man behind thrilling year for Stars</h2>If the man who would be coach of the year had a vote, he would not cast it for himself.No, if Dallas Stars&rsquo; head coach Ken Hitchock were voting, he would be marking an &lsquo;X&rsquo; beside the name of Ottawa Senators&rsquo; head coach Jacques Martin.&ldquo;There were a lot of really good coaching jobs this season and as a coach, that&rsquo;s something you like to see,&rdquo; Hitchock said. &ldquo;But Jacques did an outstanding job to get his team into the playoffs. They were really up against it late in the season and he was able to pull it off.&rdquo;Support for Martin among his peers is not limited to his colleague in Dallas. Many were impressed with Martin&rsquo;s effort to get Ottawa into the playoffs, but even more singled out Hitchock&rsquo;s work in Dallas as deserving of coach of the year honors.&ldquo;Consistency and commitment are what we&rsquo;re all after,&rdquo; said Florida Panthers&rsquo; head coach Doug MacLean. &ldquo;Hitch was able to get both of them this season.&rdquo;The Stars posted a 38-point improvement from last season to this year and went from last to first place in the Central Division. That kind of improvement alone (often unfortunately) is enough to guarantee a coach the Jack Adams Award. But the difference between Dallas and many dramatically improved rluhc ic that the Stars competed for first overall with the Colorado Avalanche right up to the final weekend of the regular season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03687/6481648-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="812" height="1392"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Hitchcock</figcaption></div>Moreover, Hitchock set a goal of greatly reducing the team&rsquo;s goals-against average and his lineup, bolstered by free agents (Dave Reid, Pat Verbeek) and healthy career defensive years from key veterans (Guy Carbonneau), accomplished it. Dallas shaved 82 goals off its total from last season to this year-literally a goal per game.It was a great year for coaches. Only two (Eddie Johnston of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Mike Keenan of the St. Louis Blues) were fired during the season. Boston&rsquo;s Steve Kasper joined that group April 18.Ted Nolan did a terrific job with the Buffalo Sabres, although his candidacy is diminished by netminder Dominik Hasek&rsquo;s dominance. And Ron Wilson of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, with the dynamic duo of Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, put the Ducks in their first post-season.But often overlooked is the man behind the bench of the most talented team. Colorado&rsquo;s Marc Crawford held it together as the Avalanche overcame key injuries and the burden of being the defending champions-the malaise that felled the New Jersey Devils last season.He gets our vote as the No. 3 choice.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-04529/6481641-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="2036" height="1545"></div><h2>NOW AND THEN</h2>Adams Award chosen by NHL Broadcasters&rsquo; Association1996-97 Honorable Mention: Ted Nolan, Buffalo; Ron Wilson. Anaheim1995-96 Top Three: 1. Scott Bowman, Det; 2. Doug MacLean, Fla; Terry Crisp, TB &#9632;

f0009-03

ADAMS AWARD: BEST COACH

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011585/6481679-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ron Tugnutt of the Senators posted three shutouts in six games.</figcaption></div>With four minutes to go in the biggest game of his life, Ron Tugnutt&rsquo;s mind began to wander.One year ago he was stuck in the minors, told by the Washington Capitals they had no plans to re-sign him and his professional hockey career was hanging by a thread. Now, Tugnutt&rsquo;s Ottawa Senators were on the verge of making the playoffs for the first time in their five-year history.&ldquo;When you set a goal (making the playoffs) and you get very close to achieving the goal, it gets very emotional,&rdquo; Tugnutt said. &ldquo;The first thing I thought was, &lsquo;Can you believe where you are right now?&rsquo; The crowd was going nuts. Then I thought about my dad and I thought, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t get choked up now; this isn&rsquo;t the time.&rsquo; &ldquo;When the game ended, and the Senators had secured a berth, Tugnutt raised his arms in the air and looked to the heavens. His father, John, passed away two years ago.The 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres April 12 that catapulted the Senators into the playoffs culminated an incredible run for Tugnutt and the Senators, who won their last three games of the season. It was Tugnutt&rsquo;s seventh win in nine games and his third shutout in 1C days (one more than he previously had in his career). It earned him player ol the week honors for the last week of the season and player of the month for April.Tugnutt, 29, is finally enjoying success and enjoying himself. His eight year NHL trek has taken him down many roads, but not long ago, it looked like he was on a road to nowhere. He often makes light of his situation, referring to himself as Ron Tough Luck.For much of the off-season, Tugnutt received no NHL offers. He did get one from a team in Sweden in early-August and asked for a few days to consider it That&rsquo;s when the Senators stepped in.And that&rsquo;s when Tugnutt agreed to one of the most unique contracts you&rsquo;ll ever see. He signed for just $275,000 (Cdn.), but the deal was structured to actually pay him more money in the minors at $275,000 (U.S.). The idea was to discourage the Capitals from exercising their right to match the offer. Washington has a history of keeping three NHL-calibre goaltenders under contract and Tugnutt he would be buried in the minors forever.Now Tugnutt doesn&rsquo;t mind letting the world in on a little secret: the Senators could have had him cheaper.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t care about the money,&rdquo; said the 10-year pro who has had NHL stops with the Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Montreal Canadiens and Washington. &ldquo;I just wanted one more shot at playing in the NHL. Last year was frustrating to a certain degree, but I think I also benefitted because it made me focus. I got a lot of playing time and I learned how to win again. To be honest, I would have played for less money this season.&rdquo;The Senators picked up the option on his contract for next season April 16 and have indicated they&rsquo;ll reward him with a substantial raise.Tugnutt didn&rsquo;t particularly impress in training camp. Still, he was given the job and nobody expected him to be No. 1. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he hadn&rsquo;t been a No. 1 in the NHL since 1989-90.Last year he was No. 1 with the Portland Pirates of the American League. They made it to the Calder Cup final, losing to the Rochester Americans in seven games.&ldquo;Last year was probably a good experience for Ron,&rdquo; said Senators&rsquo; coach Jacques Martin. &ldquo;He had a quick ascension to the NHL, but played with Quebec, a struggling team, then Edmonton, another struggling team. In Portland he learned to win again.&rdquo;Tugnutt was pressed into service when Rhodes went down with a bruised left calf Feb. 23. He took over just in time to preside over a five-game losing streak.&ldquo;All I wanted was for Damian to come back so I wouldn&rsquo;t be under so much scrutiny,&rdquo; said Tugnutt, who once made 70 saves in a game for the Oilers. &ldquo;Then (assistant coach) Craig Ramsay told us in order to be winners, you have to want to be the guy who scores the big goal or blocks the shot or makes the save. That speech sunk in. From that point on, I wanted to be the guy.&rdquo;And for a few weeks in April, there&rsquo;s no doubt about it-he was the guy. &#9632;

f0010-01

TUgnutt Ottawa’s local hero

<div class="byline">By Michael Ulmer</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011436/6481717-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="515" height="721"></div>Let&rsquo;s be clear on this. The playoffs are a fleeting thing when compared to the intimacy and enduring joy of marriage, the love and attention of children or in those rare cases, both. A sporting event should not, I dare say, come at the expense of the relationships that sustain us.The problem is simple then. How to watch every possible minute of the playoffs without wrecking your life.I know, I know, I just moralized on the importance of family. I meant it, honest. But I also mean this. You deserve to watch the playoffs. It is your right. It has been a long, dark winter. If your family has thrived, it has largely been on your shoulders. For every consoling word after your spouse has a bad day, for every time you got out of bed to make sure the door was locked, for a thousand other things both large and small, you ask but one reward. Well two, actually but if you want information on that, read Cosmo. Anyway, the reward, yes&hellip;the chance to watch the playoffs, to find out how it all turns out.You probably already know that in the skewered value system of the nonsports fan, watching hockey every night for two months seems a waste of time. Spouses and fiancees who are not hockey fans will resolutely cling to this view. Do not try to change them, they know not what they do.Instead, consider these 10 tips, based on real life experiences of people who have enjoyed a fruitful playoff without getting lawyers involved.1. Involve your family in the playoffs Start a family hockey pool. Encourage your kids to paint their faces and watch the game along with you. Stock up on the eats. What&rsquo;s a little salsa on the carpet compared to the chance to enjoy your team&rsquo;s playoff run as a family? Don&rsquo;t worry, they&rsquo;ll go away.2. When they blow you off, and they will, look crestfallen This gives you an important emotional bargaining chip for the crucial midway point of the playoff run.3. Carefully select several fallback teams The NHL playoff field is halved within the first two weeks and if your team falls in the first round, it can be difficult to justify the continuing time commitment. That&rsquo;s why it&rsquo;s important to have failsafe backuos. I recommend Colorado.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021033/6481710-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="683" height="1195"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Messier</figcaption></div>4. Choose teams to hate for nights when your favorite team or backup is idle Be innovative, choose a team other than Montreal. Practice the lines you will need in front of the mirror: &ldquo;Honey, I&rsquo;ll be in bed soon. This time, I really think Messier is really going to get his.&rdquo;5. Consider the purchase of another TV Most conflicts are about programs, not quality time, missed. Last time I checked, a top-of-the-line Sony was worth a lot a lot less than half your house.6. If you do manage to gain the electronic scepter of power for two months, for God&rsquo;s sake, don&rsquo;t rub it in Steer clear of any reference to hockey in the hours you are not watching the game. For example, avoid a phrase like: &ldquo;Gee, my hair is thinning just like John Davidson&rsquo;s.&rdquo; or &ldquo;Gee Timmy, you&rsquo;re growing so fast, I think you&rsquo;re taller than Commissioner Bettman.&rdquo;7. When you are watching, do so intently, with a countenance that suggests you are doing something of paramount importance Remember, they had their chance.8.Choose a game or two a week you don&rsquo;t much care about Take your family out, remind them you appreciate the fact they are getting along so gallantly without you. Blush slightly when they mention you are missing tonight&rsquo;s game and tuck everybody in like the jovial soul you are. Only then do you watch the videotape.9.Do not propose romance a intermission If you must ignore this advice, do not intensify your mis take by pointing out that the interimssion lasts a whole 20 minutes.10.Do not vow to see through every overtime Remember, while it may seem hockey is the most important thing in your life, you have a day job. Let&rsquo;s keep a little perspective here, after the first two periods of overtime, shut it down. &#9632;

f0011-01

COLUMNISTS

How to see playoffs and not risk marriage

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011545/6481748-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Sakic says he feels no pressure despite the fact his contract expires at the end of the playoffs. (Photo by Rocky Widner)</figcaption></div>One minute, he is singing a Barney song in playful derision of a reporter&rsquo;s unfortunate choice in purchasing a pair of purple slacks.The next, he is flipping pucks through the air and laughing breezily with teammate Sylvain Lefebvre.Why is Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic so happy, anyway?Where&rsquo;s the new line of worry in his forehead? Where&rsquo;s the wringing of the hands?Doesn&rsquo;t he know it&rsquo;s playoff time and he is entering the second season-and exiting the final year of his contract-on a statistical downer?Doesn&rsquo;t he know he had just two goals in his final 13 regular season games and 19 points in the 25 after he returned from a lacerated calf injury? Doesn&rsquo;t it bother him that he finished with 22 goals and 74 points in 65 games, his lowest point total (not including the lockout season) since he was a rookie?Well, yes, Sakic knew all this and naturally he would have liked better numbers, but he was able to take comfort in one simple fact: everyone starts at ground zero once the playoffs begin.&ldquo;I am glad the year is over with,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a new year now. It all starts with Chicago.&rdquo;The Chicago Blackhawks were the Avalanche&rsquo;s first-round playoff opponent and Colorado opened with a dominating 6-0 victory in Game 1 April 16. Sakic didn&rsquo;t collect a goal, but chipped in with a spirited two-assist effort.That was good news for Avalanche fans, who were spoiled by Sakic&rsquo;s 1996 playoff performance. The quiet Burnaby, B.C. native led all NHL scorers with 18 goals-including a record six game-winners-and 34 points. The rewards were a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy as post-season most valuable player.In his follow-up campaign, the points for Sakic were again being tallied at a furious pace-until Jan. 4. That&rsquo;s when Sakic&rsquo;s left calf was sliced to the bone by the skate of Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; center Dale Hawerchuk.When Sakic returned six weeks later, he found it difficult to pick up where he left off. After his first game back, Feb. 18 against the Boston Bruins, Sakic said the puck &ldquo;felt like a grenade&rdquo; on his stick.The 27-year-old center had intermittent flashes of his old self, including a hat trick March 14 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and a three-point night against the San Jose Sharks April 4.But Sakic entered the playoffs still in search of the consistency that had been the hallmark of his career since breaking into the league with the Quebec Nordiques in 1988-89.&ldquo;There were times I was so frustrated,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve had some slumps before. The only thing you can do is keep working hard.&rdquo;If hard work holds the key, then expect Sakic to be unlocking plenty of doors. Sakic got the &lsquo;C&rsquo; on his sweater from leading by example.&ldquo;Joey is one of the hardest-working athletes I&rsquo;ve ever come across,&rdquo; said Avalanche coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;He pushes himself hard on the ice and even more off of it. Maybe sometimes he pushes himself a little too hard.&rdquo;With his contract expiring at the end of the playoffs, it&rsquo;s only natural to wonder if Sakic feels any extra pressure to perform well.&ldquo;No, not at all,&rdquo; said Sakic, who is making $3.1 million this season. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve treated me great and I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;re going to continue to treat me great.&rdquo;Others in similar shoes may have munched their fingernails to the nub by now, but Sakic insisted his what-me-worry persona is genuine.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just really looking forward to (the playoffs),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what you gear yourself for the whole year. Now it&rsquo;s here and I want to make the best of it. I feel confident and so does this team.&rdquo;And one of the things the team feels most confident about is the play of its captain.&ldquo;Joe is our leader,&rdquo; said right winger Mike Keane. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be fine.&rdquo;<h2>Avs assemble playoff MVPs</h2>The Conn Smythe winner has come from four different teams (all of them Stanley Cup champions) the past four years, but three are now with Colorado.Joe Sakic (Colorado, 1996), right winger Claude Lemieux (New Jersey, 1995) and goalie Patrick Roy (Montreal, 1993) are all members of the Avs. New York Rangers&rsquo; defenseman Brian Leetch (1994) is the lone exception in the playoff MVP quartet. &#9632;

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Post-season gives Sakic another chance to shine

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011451/6481786-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="520" height="730"></div>Wouldn&rsquo;t it be something if Mike Keenan was right after all?The former St. Louis Blues&rsquo; coach-GM believes the Blues have no chance for success as long as Brett Hull remains with the organization. Keenan wanted Hull traded.The problem, among other things, is Hull is immensely popular with Blues&rsquo; fans and Keenan alienated them. So when it came to a boiling point, it was Iron Mike, not The Golden Brett, who was shipped out.But that doesn&rsquo;t mean Hull has a lifetime contract with the Blues. If St. Louis takes a nosedive in the playoffs, or more importantly, Hull doesn&rsquo;t perform up to standards, he will be held accountable. He assisted on both St. Louis goals in their opening game against Detroit, a 2-0 win.This is his ninth full year in St. Louis and he&rsquo;s playing for his sixth coach. Jacques Martin, Brian Sutter, Bob Plager, Bob Berry and Keenan couldn&rsquo;t win with Hull-although Keenan is the only one with whom Hull openly feuded. Now it&rsquo;s Joel Quenneville&rsquo;s turn.In spite of rumors that suggest otherwise, Quenneville says he and Hull have a good rapport. It was reported in St. Louis that Quenneville, like Keenan before him, went to management with an &ldquo;it&rsquo;s him or me&rdquo; ultimatum. There were also reports that Al Maclnnis and Pierre Turgeon were feuding with Hull.The Blues say it&rsquo;s all a bunch of bunk.&ldquo;Going into the playoffs our players feel better about our team than they have all year,&rdquo; Quenneville said April 16, the day the Blues opened their Western Conference quarterfinal with a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. &ldquo;And Brett and I get along fine. When things don&rsquo;t go well, Brett tends to get frustrated, but I think he&rsquo;s getting better at handling himself at those times.&rdquo;Hull does have a frustrating side that surfaces from time to time and Quenneville got a glimpse of it March 27. The Blues edged the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 that night and late in the game, with the Kings&rsquo; net empty, Quenneville elected not to put Hull on the ice.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021029/6481779-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="685" height="1192"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brett Hull</figcaption></div>Hull, who was about to complete his fourth game in a row without scoring, lost it on the bench, breaking his stick over the boards. On the way to the dressing room, Quenneville also lost it, accusing Hull of putting himself ahead of the team.Keenan often accused Hull of having his own agenda and, at times, of being lazy. Watch Hull play some nights and it&rsquo;s hard to argue with that. Keenan said Hull should be providing the Blues with a lot more than he has the past few seasons for the more than $4 million a year he was paid and often challenged the player to do so.Hull finished this season with 42 goals in 70 games, 10th-best in the league and one less than he scored in seven fewer games last season. That in a year when goals were hard to come by. But no matter how you slice it, he is capable of more. His 82 points ranked 17th-a far cry from his best year, 199091 when he won the Hart Trophy as the league&rsquo;s most valuable player after scoring 86 goals and 131 points.There are those within the organization who will tell you Hull can be abusive of his young teammates, although he has been better in that regard this season, and he is incorrigible as far as coaching is concerned. Yet he remains a key figure for the Blues.There is no question when Hull is motivated, he can be one of the best and most exciting players in the NHL. One need only to refer to his dazzling performance in the World Cup for proof of that. The problem with Hull is, you never know quite what you&rsquo;re going to get from him on a game-to-game basis. Some nights he looks as though he cares, others he has his head in the clouds. Even on those nights, all he needs is to get the puck three times to score a hat trick.Quenneville is being given a lot of credit for saving a sinking ship. As he gains power and gets more say in St. Louis, he will have to decide whether the Blues are better off keeping Hull or trading him. If Keenan&rsquo;s replacement as GM says Hull must go, too, upper management must listen. &#9632;

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Will Hull finish his career in St. Louis?

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>The fact that John Blue could be the No. 1 goalie for the United States for the World Championship should tell you all you need to know about how much importance NHL players place on the tournament.Nothing against Blue, but he spent this past season playing for something called the Austin Ice Bats in the Western Professional League, the lowest rung of minor pro hockey.And so it has become with the World Championship, a tournament that has lost its luster amid a myriad of other international events. This year&rsquo;s tournament, which begins April 26 in Finland, will likely be remembered more for who didn&rsquo;t attend than who did.Or maybe it won&rsquo;t be remembered much at all. There is a decided lack of star quality this year because the tournament is becoming a tougher sell for many players whose teams don&rsquo;t qualify for the NHL playoffs.&ldquo;I understand how the players who don&rsquo;t want to come feel,&rdquo; said Team USA coach Jeff Jackson, who is also senior director, elite development program for USA Hockey. &ldquo;National Leaguers play an 82-game schedule and some players played in the World Cup before the season.&ldquo;This tournament has lost some of its alure. You had the World Cup last year and the Olympics next year. It&rsquo;s going to be a tough couple of years for this tournament.&rdquo;How tough?Well, when Jim Carey of the Boston Bruins declined an invitation, it blew an enormous five-hole in the Americans&rsquo; goaltending hopes. Things got so desperate that Jackson even checked out the international eligibility of South African-born Olaf Kolzig and Byron Dafoe, who was born in England.So when USA opens against Latvia April 27 in Turku, Blue could be in goal. He had a 6.82 goals-against average and 83.6 save percentage in two playoff games this year. He&rsquo;ll share the crease with Brian Boucher, who played for the Tri-City Americans of the Western League. Boucher was Team USA&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie at the World Junior Championship this year, helping his team to a silver medal.And if the goaltending falters, there&rsquo;s always Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; enforcer Donald Brashear, he of eight goals and 245 penalty minutes in 69 games this season, to carry the ball.When the Americans placed third at last year&rsquo;s tournament, beating Russia 4-3 in overtime in the bronze medal game, it was their first medal at the event since 1962.Among those who declined invitations to join Team USA were World Cup participants including center Steve Konowalchuk and defenseman Phil Housley of the Washington Capitals and left winger Bryan Smolinski of the New York Islanders. Left winger Tony Granato of the San Jose Sharks also begged off.Canada got similar responses from Boston Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Ray Bourque (whose wife is to undergo surgery while the tournament is being held), Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; goalie Felix Potvin (whose wife is expecting a baby), right winger Theoren Fleury of the Calgary Flames (who is injured) and Adam Oates of the Capitals.Canada can&rsquo;t really complain, though, not with the likes of quality NHLers such as center Keith Primeau, left winger Geoff Sanderson and defenseman Steve Chiasson of the Hartford Whalers, right winger Owen Nolan and center Jeff Friesen of the San Jose Sharks, center Chris Gratton and left winger Rob Zamuner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, defenseman Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings and Travis Green of the New York Islanders taking the world stage.Canada will be gunning for its fourth straight World Championship medal. It finished second last year after losing 4-2 to the Czech Republic in the gold medal game.<h2>TEAM USA</h2>Management Coach Jeff Jackson, GM Mike Milbury.Goalies John Blue, Austin (WPHL); Brian Boucher. Tri-City (WHL).Defensemen Bob Beers, Boston; Bryan Berard, Islanders; Bret Hedican, Vancouver; Ken Klee, Washington; Scott Lachance, NYI; Jeff Libbey, Maine (HE); Matt Martin, Toronto; Jon Rohloff, Boston. Forwards Donald Brashear, Vancouver; Ted Donato, Boston; Chris Drury, BU (HE); Rob Gaudreau, La Chauxde-Fonds (France); Darby Hendrickson, Toronto; Todd Krygier, Washington; Chris Marinuc-ci, Phoenix (IHL); Marty McInnis, Calgary; Dan Plante, Islanders; Paul Ranheim, Hartford; Erik Rasmussen, Minnesota (WCHA); Mike Sullivan. Calgary.<h2>TOURNAMENT</h2>Location Helsinki/Turku/Tampere, Finland.Duration Sat., April 26 to Wed., May 14.Need to Know New this year is a best-of-three final to determine the gold medal (May 11,13, 14).1996 Championship Gold: Czech Republic; Silver: Canada; Bronze: USA.1997 Group A Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, France. Group B Canada, USA, Sweden, Norway. Latvia, Italy.1998 Olympics USA. Canada. Russia. Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic have all received byes into the main pool. Japan is in as host team and will play the first week in a pool with Italy, Austria, Slovakia, France, Germany, Belarus and Kazakhstan to determine which two teams will play in the main draw.See pg.39 for world Championchip schedule<h2>TEAM CANADA</h2>Management Coach Andy Murray; GM Bob Clarke.Goalies Sean Burke, Hartford; Eric Fichaud. Islanders; Rick Tabaracci, Tampa Bay.Defensemen Rob Blake. Los Angeles; Joel Bouchard, Calgary; Steve Chiasson, Hartford; Cory Cross, Tampa Bay; Bryan McCabe, Islanders; Todd Simpson. Calgary; Don Sweeney, Boston.Forwards Anson Carter, Boston; Shean Donovan, San Jose; Bob Errey, San Jose; Dean Evason, National Team; Jeff Friesen, San Jose; Chris Gratton, Tampa Bay; Travis Green, Islanders; Jarome Iginla, Calgary; Owen Nolan, San Jose; Keith Primeau, Hartford; Geoff Sanderson, Hartford; Rob Zamuner, Tampa Bay. &#9632;

Worlds don’t attract stars

<div class="byline">By Stan Fischler</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011422/6481848-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="517" height="726"></div>The defining moment for the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; march to first place in the Eastern Conference-and perhaps an eventual Stanley Cup-took place Feb. 27 at Continental Airlines Arena.The definer was the man who has been a Devil since he was an 18-year-old in 1983 and who scored the 1988 sudden-death-final-game goal that opened the playoff gates in New Jersey for the first time.Right winger John MacLean, the consummate Devil and architect of so many building blocks in the team&rsquo;s history, was awarded a penalty shot against the Buffalo Sabres.&ldquo;I was already on an adrenaline high because my wife (Adrienne) had given birth to our first child (John Carter) early that morning,&rdquo; the 32-year-old MacLean recalled.And then this, a penalty shot, 1-on-l with Dominik Hasek.&rdquo;Slowly, MacLean scrawled his bee line toward the crease, playing a waiting game with the goaltender. Finally, he fired and the puck caromed off the inside of Hasek&rsquo;s pads and into the net. When the red light flashed, Johnny MacLean nearly climbed the glass behind the net.&ldquo;When you think about the circumstances,&rdquo; MacLean said, &ldquo;Adrienne having John Carter and 19 hours later, I beat a great goalie. It was unbelievable.&rdquo;So, too, was the resurrection of the Devils. Disgraced by a non-play-off finish last year after previously winning the Stanley Cup, the team gradually regained respect through the first half of 1996-97. MacLean&rsquo;s penalty shot goal provided confirmation the Devils had come all the way back. It catalyzed a 4-1 victory over Buffalo, placed New Jersey 13 games over .500, put the Devs on track for their second five-game winning streak and energized a two-month climb to first place.The team&rsquo;s resilience was symbolic of MacLean&rsquo;s. Early in the campaign there had been suggestions MacLean would be fortunate to even match his 20-goals-in-78-games mark of 1995-96.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02990/6481841-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="689" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">John Maclean</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Jacques (coach Lemaire) put me in a different role, a defensive one, and it took me a while to get down what I was going to do,&rdquo; MacLean said. &ldquo;But I got more ice time and I got my confidence going again.&rdquo;He also got 29 goals-missing 30 on a splendid, shorthanded breakaway save by Philadelphia&rsquo;s Garth Snow in the regular season finale. After the game, the subject of the Selke Trophy was raised.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been labeled a defensive right winger which is fine and it would be nice to be recognized for it because usually the glory goes to the offensive guys,&rdquo; McLean said. &ldquo;But the way I see it, the Selke is a &lsquo;both-ways&rsquo; trophy.&rdquo;Either way, he&rsquo;d like to get it, although MacLean is not one to dwell on trophy-winning. After suffering a career-threatening knee injury in September, 1991, MacLean savors every game like a Christmas present.&ldquo;When the knee thing happened,&rdquo; MacLean said, &ldquo;I had the thought, &lsquo;Is my career over at the age of 26?&rsquo; But the doctors told me the surgery was successful and then I knew that it was up to me how hard I worked to make it back.&rdquo;He missed the entire 1991-92 season returning a year later to record 24 goals, followed by 37 in Lemaire&rsquo;s first campaign behind the bench.Sometimes painfully and sometimes at the expense of glamour, MacLean added a defensive dimension to his game. Teamed with center Bobby Carpenter, he became a prime penalty-killer and shadower of the enemy&rsquo;s marquee lines.Lemaire valued him so much the coach scratched MacLean from the lineup for the March 22 game at Pittsburgh in order to rest him for the playoffs. Given the opportunity to remain home, MacLean instead opted to go to Pitt with his teammates. MacLean grasped the coach&rsquo;s reasoning, but feverishly itched to return for the next game three days later in New Jersey.Asked whether he appreciated the sabbatical, the quintessential Devil reacted with a quintessential sneer: &ldquo;I want to play.&rdquo; &#9632;

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MacLean key cog in Devils’ machine

<div class="byline">By Viv Bernstein</div>You couldn&rsquo;t help but laugh sometimes. And it wasn&rsquo;t because the Hartford Whalers were rarely better than mediocre in their 18 years in the NHL.You laughed because along the way there so many stumbles and bumbles, ownership and management changes, shocking trades and confounding decisions. And there was so little plain luck.You shook your head, you pulled out your hair, you swore, you cried. Or you laughed.This past season, for the first time in 10 years, the Whalers finished ahead of the hated Boston Bruins in the Northeast Division. Yet the Whalers still missed the playoffs. That was due in large part to Ottawa Senators&rsquo; captain Randy Cunney-worth, an ex-Whaler. He scored the winner in Ottawa&rsquo;s 5-4 victory over the Whalers April 9 to help propel the Senators into the post-season.If nothing else, it&rsquo;s a fitting end for a franchise that, barring a major reversal, will relocate to Columbus, Ohio, Raleigh, N.C., or some other more lucrative market next season. (See accompanying story for more). Cross Nashville off the list, though. The mayor of that city recently declared he didn&rsquo;t want a team with the Whalers&rsquo; kind of history moving to his town.Only the Whale.Remember, this is the franchise that traded Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991 for John Cullen and Zarley Zalap-ski, a deal that led to two consecutive Stanley Cups-for the Penguins, that is.This is the franchise that, in 1989, was sold in part to a realty company that immediately collapsed amid a massive real estate fraud scandal.It&rsquo;s a franchise that suffered the humiliation of playing in a minor league rink in Springfield, Mass., after the roof to the Hartford Civic Center collapsed during a snowstorm in 1978.It&rsquo;s a franchise that, in 1980, retired the sweater number of Johnny McKenzie, a former Bruins&rsquo; star who was little more than an blip in the World Hockey Association history of the Whalers.It&rsquo;s a franchise that won one playoff round in 18 years in the NHL-and held a parade to celebrate it.Only the Whale.So they laughed. And then they cried. Because so much of it wasn&rsquo;t fair to the few thousand faithful, hardcore fans who stood by their team through it all. There was so little to cheer.Yet when the Whalers played their last game at the Civic Center April 13 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the fans did cheer. And some of them even shed a tear. For once, the Whalers had done something they couldn&rsquo;t simply laugh off. They said goodbye and skated away forever.Here&rsquo;s a brief look of highlights and lowlights of the Whalers&rsquo; NHL and WHA history:1. The New England Whalers of the WHA relocate from Boston to Hartford in the spring of 1974.2. During a major storm in the winter of 1978. the roof of the Civic Center collapses. It forces the Whalers to play at the Springfield Civic Center until 1980.3. On June 22, 1979, the Whalers join the NHL along with the Edmonton Oilers, Quebec Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets.4. At age 52, Gordie Howe completes his final season in the NHL (1979-80) with the Whalers. Bobby Hull does a farewell tour as well, playing nine games as a Whaler.5. Young Mark Howe, Gordie&rsquo;s son and a budding star on defense, is traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in 1982 for Ken Linseman (immediately dealt to Edmonton), Greg Adams and a 1983 first round pick.6. Fourth in the Adams Division in the 1985-86 regular season, the Whalers knock off division champion Quebec in the first round of the playoffs. The Whalers then push the Montreal Canadiens to overtime of Game 7 in the second round. Montreal goes on to win the Stanley Cup.Hartford throws a parade.8. The Whalers finish first in the Adams Division in 1986-87, but lose to Quebec in the first round of the playoffs.9. Emile Francis, hired as GM in 1983 to add credibility to the franchise, does so for six years until he is replaced by Ed Johnston in 1989. Johnston&rsquo;s signature move is the Francis-Samuelsson trade. The Penguins go on to win two Stanley Cups and Johnston is fired in 1992. He later becomes Pittsburgh&rsquo;s coach.10. Brian Burke is named the Whalers&rsquo; GM in 1992 and immediately bans the team&rsquo;s corny, catchy theme song, Brass Bonanza. Among his key moves, Burke acquires goalie Sean Burke, trades up in the ballyhooed 1993 draft to select can&rsquo;t-miss prospect Chris Pronger No. 2 overall and then bolts to join the NHL front office. All in a year.11. Paul Holmgren is GM for one tumultuous season, 199394, that includes a near coup by the players against coach Pierre McGuire and a series of alcohol-related incidents.12. Following the 1993-94 season, the team is sold. Yes, the team was sold in 1994. And in 1989. And in 1988. Stability starts at the top, remember?13. Jim Rutherford, named president, chief operating officer and GM, brings back Brass Bonanza.14. Pronger is dealt to the St. Louis Blues for power forward Brendan Shanahan in July, 1995. Shanahan is said to have cried when told the news.15. After one season, Shanahan requests a trade and is sent to the Detroit Red Wings in October, 1996, for Keith Primeau, Paul Coffey and a first round draft pick. Coffey requests a trade and is sent to Philadelphia in December.16. In April 1997, the Whalers miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.17. Following failed negotiations with the state on a new arena, owner Peter Karmanos announces March 26 the team will exercise a $20.5 million buyout and move.<h2>Is Raleigh-Durham in Whalers&rsquo; future?</h2>Hartford Whalers&rsquo; owner Peter Karmanos continues to search for a new home for his franchise.The leading candidate would appear to be Raleigh-Durham. N.C.. which does not currently have a major professional sports team. Raleigh-Durham had applied for an expansion franchise, but withdrew its bid before any serious consideration began.There is a firm commitment to build a new arena in Raleigh-Durham, spearheaded by the University of North Carolina, and there is an ideal temporary facility 60 miles down the road in Greensboro. It&rsquo;s a relatively small market, but the Whalers would have it all to themselves and not be dwarfed like they were by New York and Boston in Hartford.It&rsquo;s believed Karmanos&rsquo; first choice is still Columbus, Ohio, but there are apparently two potential roadblocks. One. NHL sources told THN the league doesn&rsquo;t want to push aside potential expansion owner Lamar Hunt, who&rsquo;s involved with the bid to bring pro hockey to Central Ohio. Two, a temporary facility in Dayton isn&rsquo;t considered ideal and there&rsquo;s no firm guarantee of a new arena until after the May 6 referendum in Columbus. &#9632;

One Whale of a time

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0017-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011175/6481903-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Willie O&rsquo;Ree believes an eye injury prevented him from making a bigger NHL impact</figcaption></div>The seasons and cities went by so fast during Willie O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s race into hockey history he didn&rsquo;t realize what he had accomplished until it was over.One morning he was just another Canadian kid skating to school in Fredericton, N.B., pretending to be Maurice Richard or Gordie Howe. Another day he was a 13-year-old baseball player on a trip to New York, where he and his teammates saw the Brooklyn Dodgers and their groundbreaking second baseman Jackie Robinson, who had swung into American history as the first black player in the Major Leagues. Another night O&rsquo;Ree was sitting in front of coach Milt Schmidt on the Boston Bruins&rsquo; bench in the Montreal Forum, Jan. 18, 1958, an injury fill-in left winger and the first black player in NHL history.&ldquo;Everybody thinks you would have realized you were doing something special,&rdquo; says O&rsquo;Ree, now 61 and a security employee at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, where he finished his 21/2 decade pro career in 1980. &ldquo;All I wanted to do was just play hockey.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Ree has received a flood of phone calls from reporters recently, mostly because this year is the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking baseball&rsquo;s color barrier on April 15, 1947. Major League Baseball commemorated the day with game-day ceremonies across Canada and the United States. Some reporters ask if O&rsquo;Ree has had any contact with Mike Grier, a powerful rookie forward with the Edmonton Oilers and the first U.S.-trained black player to make an impact in the NHL.O&rsquo;Ree has never met Grier, but says he would like to, if only to congratulate him and discuss what can be done to improve on blacks&rsquo; participation in hockey. A USA Today story reported there had been 27 black players to follow in O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s footsteps. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve come a long ways,&rdquo; he said of black participation in hockey, noting that much of the barrier remains financial, &ldquo;but there&rsquo;s still a lot of road to be paved yet.&rdquo;As for O&rsquo;Ree and Robinson, there are far more differences than similarities.Robinson broke baseball&rsquo;s Major League color barrier, but there were hundreds of others who had the talent. Before Robinson, segregation in baseball was deliberate and blatant. In hockey&rsquo;s case, there were blacks before O&rsquo;Ree who had the talent to play in the NHL, namely Herb Carnegie, a three-time Quebec Senior League MVP who played with the Quebec Aces in the 1940s, but the talent pool playing in Canada was much smaller.O&rsquo;Ree was one of maybe six black kids in his Fredericton high school. All his childhood friends were Caucasian. When he signed his first pro contract in 1956-the Aces gave him $3,500 plus a $500 signing bonus-coach Phil Watson told him life on the pro circuit would be tougher on him than they were back home. Until then, O&rsquo;Ree says, he had never given his race a second thought.Carnegie, now living in Toronto, has said racism kept him out of the NHL. There is no reason to doubt him. Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; GM Punch Imlach reportedly said he&rsquo;d pay $10,000 to anyone who could turn Carnegie white. But 10 years later, if racism was still keeping blacks out of the ultra-competitive six-team NHL when O&rsquo;Ree came knocking, no one admitted it.Still, Watson was right. Teammates invariably were on O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s side, yet he couldn&rsquo;t help but hear the slurs and taunts from fans and opponents. The broader significance of being &ldquo;hockey&rsquo;s Jackie Robinson&rdquo; escaped O&rsquo;Ree early in his pro days. He was too busy fighting to get to the NHL, to stay there or to get back. As NHL careers go, his was over in the blink of an eye.The Bruins won 3-0 that first night and O&rsquo;Ree, an emergency call-up from the Aces, made the victorious train ride back to Boston for the second half of a home-and-home series that weekend, which the Canadiens won 5-3.Three years later, he was recalled from Ottawa-Hull of the Eastern League and scored four goals and 14 points in 43 games. That summer he went back home to Fredericton, found out from a reporter the Bruins had traded him to the powerful Canadiens and was never heard from again at the NHL level.O&rsquo;Ree never had the kind of lasting impact career Robinson had, but like his baseball forerunner, he broke his sport&rsquo;s color barrier with gentlemanly grace and determination.It would be wrong to say he didn&rsquo;t encounter any racism on an 11-team, 20-year journey through hockey&rsquo;s minor league outposts, but it&rsquo;s not something O&rsquo;Ree dwells upon. &ldquo;You heard a lot of name-calling, but I let that go in one ear and out the other,&rdquo; he said.Hockey fans in Montreal and Toronto were familiar with O&rsquo;Ree because he played all over Ontario and Quebec, even suiting up for the Aces against the Canadiens for exhibition games. Detroit, New York and Chicago made for less hospitable territory. In his first game in Chicago, 6-foot-2, 200-pound right winger Eric Nesterenko of the Chicago Blackhawks butt-ended O&rsquo;Ree in the mouth, knocked out his front teeth, split his lip open, cut his nose.&ldquo;I think Eric possibly just wanted to see what I was made of,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Ree said. &ldquo;The butt-end was intentional, it wasn&rsquo;t an accident.&rdquo;So O&rsquo;Ree, 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, fought back: &ldquo;I hit him over the head with my stick and all hell broke out. Both benches cleared and we were both thrown out of the game, it was one of those type of things. I figured, &lsquo;If I&rsquo;ve got to fight for a certain amount of time, then I want to fight. If I get beat, I get beat, but I&rsquo;m going to do what I have to do.&rsquo; After a couple go-rounds, I don&rsquo;t know if they accepted me or not, but they just said, &lsquo;Hey, this kid&rsquo;s here.&rsquo;&rdquo;No one knew at the time O&rsquo;Ree had another disadvantage, one that, in his estimation, held him back more than the color of his skin. From the time he was 18, after being hit by a puck during his last year of junior with the Kitchener-Waterloo Canucks, O&rsquo;Ree played with five per-cent vision in his right eye.It explains a lot, really-why a player with such incredible speed and Eddie Shack-style abandon apparently had trouble putting the puck away in close, why he seemed to be &lsquo;Too fast for his own good,&rdquo; as one of his former minor league teammates put it. His hands could never quite catch up.&ldquo;He could skate really well,&rdquo; says former Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Leo Boivin, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s just the finish he had problems with.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Ree believes the Bruins traded him when they found out about his eye. In 1961, he moved on to the Los Angeles Blades of the old Western League for six years and switched to right wing, where he had an easier time picking up passes with his strong eye. In 1967, he was sold to the San Diego Gulls for $15,000.It was in Southern California that O&rsquo;Ree&rsquo;s career took off as a minor leaguer. In a 10-year span with the Blades and Gulls, he recorded nine 20-goal seasons and led the league with 38 goals for Los Angeles in 1964-65. In 1,188 pro games, O&rsquo;Ree collected 450 goals, 908 points and 1,055 penalty minutes.&ldquo;Willie paid for himself over and over again,&rdquo; said then Gulls&rsquo; coach-GM Max McNab. &ldquo;He was the most popular player every year. The guys absolutely loved him. He was the life of the dressing room, just a contagious sense of humor.&rdquo;Today, O&rsquo;Ree lives with his wife, Deljeet, and 17-year-old daughter, Chandra, and has two sons, Kevin and Darren, from a previous marriage. He attends all home games of the West Coast League&rsquo;s San Diego Gulls, where he also works in the publicity and ticket sales departments, and speaks at schools and civic organizations about his experiences.He is the city&rsquo;s foremost hockey fixture.In February, O&rsquo;Ree coached a group of inner city kids from around North America at the&rsquo; NHL/USA Hockey-backed Willie O&rsquo;Ree AllStar weekend in Chicago. Thirty-one boys and two girls skated on the ice at the United Center,: toured the dressing rooms and met some of the Blackhawks. &lsquo;Tf just one of them makes it,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s another door that&rsquo;s open.&rdquo;O&rsquo;Ree never set out to open any doors. He simply wanted to be a good player, and the rest just happened. &#9632;

f0017-01

O’Ree: NHL pioneer

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011211/6481934-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="215" height="215"></div>Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic were among the pre season favorites to capture the NHL&rsquo;s Hart Trophy, never mind the Colorado Avalanche team MVP award.But long-term injuries wiped out their chances at collecting regular season awards. Enter goalie Patrick Roy, the team&rsquo;s most valuable player.When the team was hit by the loss of Forsberg and Sakic, Roy made sure the Avalanche didn&rsquo;t falter. The Avs posted a 22-6-6 record without their superstars.Meanwhile, Roy set a career record for wins in a season (38). His goals-against average of 2.32 and save percentage of 92.3 were among the league leaders. The Avalanche finished first overall to take the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy.&ldquo;Patrick was super for us,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;We probably wouldn&rsquo;t have finished first overall if it weren&rsquo;t for him.&rdquo;It was an eventful year for Roy on and off the ice. He made a triumphant return to Montreal for the first time since being traded to the Avs from the Montreal Canadiens in December, 1995. He took on 5-foot-9 goalie Mike Vernon in a brawl against the Detroit Red Wings. Before that, he got in a skirmish with a 6-foot-10 Colorado Springs man in a nightclub.But Roy hopes the action has only just begun. He entered the playoffs hungry for his fourth Stanley Cup.&ldquo;It was great to finish first overall. That was the first time in my career that happened,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;But the playoffs are what you play for.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Avalanche opened defense of the Stanley Cup with a 6-0 shellacking of Chicago April 16. Goalie Patrick Roy&rsquo;s shutout was the ninth of his playoff career. It also gave him a playoff scoreless streak of 213 minutes, 11 seconds, going back to last year&rsquo;s final. The win also left Roy one shy of Billy Smith&rsquo;s record of 88 playoff victories&hellip;Right winger Claude Lemieux&rsquo;s appearance in the playoffs was the 12th straight of his career. None of Lemieux&rsquo;s teams have ever missed the playoffs&hellip;Defenseman Uwe Krupp continued to struggle with a pinched nerve in his lower back. Krupp missed the final seven regular season games, as well as the first two of the playoffs. Krupp began seeing a back specialist April 17. &#9632;

f0018-01

NHL TEAMS

Roy key cog in Colorado’s Presidents’ Tronhv victory

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03615/6481965-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="774" height="1219"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tony Amonte</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02892/6481972-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="212" height="211"></div>It&rsquo;s not hard to imagine where the Chicago Black hawks would have been in 1996-97 without Tony Amonte.Probably out of the playoffs.As it was, the Hawks barely slipped into post-season play in their second-last game of the year. Without Am-onte&rsquo;s 41 goals and IT points-both career highs-the Hawks likely would have been watching the playoffs at home for the first time in 28 years.&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t say enough about Tony Amonte and what he has meant to our team,&rdquo; said coach Craig Hartsburg. &ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ve all seen Tony take his game to another level this year.&rdquo;Amonte was clearly the Hawks&rsquo; MVP. But you had a feeling the 26-year-old right winger was in line for a big season after the way he performed in the World Cup for the victorious Americans. Amonte scored the winning goal in the clinching victory over Canada in the final.&ldquo;The World Cup gave me a lot of confidence,&rdquo; Amonte said. &ldquo;I proved to myself that I could play on that level with some great players.&rdquo;Amonte won&rsquo;t get much support as league MVP, but there was no doubt in Chicago about his value to the Hawks.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s definitely our MVP,&rdquo; said defenseman Keith Carney. &ldquo;Without him we wouldn&rsquo;t be where we are. He scored a lot of big goals for us.&rdquo;Amonte, a bargain at $750,000 this season, is a restricted free agent this summer. He said he doesn&rsquo;t want to leave Chicago and the Hawks certainly can&rsquo;t afford not to sitm him.NOTEBOOK: Center Alexei Zhamnov sprained his right ankle in the last game of the season and missed the first game of the playoffs. Zhamnov was the only Hawks&rsquo; star not rested in the final game&hellip;GM Bob Pulford had several runs-ins with security at McNichols Arena during Game 1 of the series against Colorado due to the shabby conditions around the visitor&rsquo;s dressing room. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just a disgrace,&rdquo; he said. Added coach Craig Hartsburg: They come to our building and it&rsquo;s like the TajMahal and we&rsquo;ve got to put up with that. (People) are basically walking through our dressing room."&hellip;Right winger Eric Daze finished the season with a bang, scoring nine goals in the last 13 games. He got his first career hat trick on the final day of the season at Dallas. &#9632;

f0018-03

No Amonte? No playoffs

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06207/6482003-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="211" height="209"></div>When Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; coach-GM Scotty Bowman traded for left winger Brendan Shanahan last fall, he took a bit of a chance.Bowman parted with imposing center Keith Primeau, future Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey and this year&rsquo;s first round pick in what has been projected to be a deep entry draft.But if there was apprehension back in October, it has all been washed away with Shanahan&rsquo;s 47-goal season, punctuated by his 20 power play goals, one short of tying the franchise record. Along with his skill, Shanahan, the team&rsquo;s unofficial MVP. brought the Wings another leader on the ice and in the dressing room.He also brought intensity.&ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t snap a whole lot on the ice,&rdquo; said Darren McCarty, the right winger on the Shanahan-Igor Larionov line. &ldquo;He shows his emotions and intensity in the room, though. I think he plays with emotion, too. And it&rsquo;s hard to play that way and not get (ticked) off. Knowing that he&rsquo;s Irish like me, I can tell you it&rsquo;s not that easy to do.&rdquo;Shanahan&rsquo;s demeanor, outwardly mild, manifests itself in a competitiveness Larionov said he has rarely seen.&ldquo;He has a big heart,&rdquo; Larionov said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know a lot about the history of this league, but I&rsquo;ve read about (Gordie) Howe and (Bobby) Orr, Teddy Lindsay. I think Brendan is like them-old-time hockey. There aren&rsquo;t many guys in this league who play like that.&rdquo;Shanahan wanted to reach the 50-goal level this season, but fell short, failing to score in the final five regular season games. Shanahan last reached that level when he had 52 in 1993-94 as a member of the St. Louis Blues.&ldquo;Getting 50 goals is nice and I really would have liked to get it,&rdquo; Shanahan said, &ldquo;but the important part is having the team play well.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Coach-GM Scotty Bowman went with experience for the first game of the playoffs against St. Louis, putting Mike Vernon in net. Chris Osgood, who played 15 of Detroit&rsquo;s 19 playoff games last spring, took the decision in stride. &ldquo;I was prepared for this,&rdquo; Osgood said. &ldquo;In the last four years. I&rsquo;ve learned to be prepared for anything. I&rsquo;m just going to stay ready."&hellip;After a 2-0 loss in Game 1, Bowman moved Sergei Fedorov from defense to center, but still wouldn&rsquo;t say whether the experiment of Fedorov on defense had ended. For his part, Fedorov was pleased to be back to his natural position. &ldquo;When I play defense, I think defensively,&rdquo; Fedorov said. &ldquo;When I&rsquo;m playing forward, I&rsquo;m used to it.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0018-06

Shanahan gamble pays big return

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07178/6482034-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="757" height="1212"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05257/6482041-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="213" height="214"></div>Mike Modano has proved himself this season. He has become a durable two-way player, a Selke Trophy candidate and the most valuable player on one of the winningest teams in the NHL.So what does that mean in the playoffs? Absolutely nothing.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a challenge for him, it&rsquo;s a challenge for everybody,&rdquo; said Dallas Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;The playoffs are a new level of intensity and each of us will be tested.&rdquo;Modano is a work in progress-and he certainly progressed in his first playoff game this season. In Game 1 against the Edmonton Oilers, Modano came up huge, scoring the winner with 2:31 remaining.It was a big play by a big-time player. And it might not have happened two years ago or even last season. Modano was hounded by the Oilers throughout the game, but maintained his focus to put the Stars up 1-0 in the series.&ldquo;It was huge for him to not get frustrated,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of the maturing process and he has matured. I don&rsquo;t know if he would have been in the mental state to make that play a few years back.&rdquo;The key to Modano&rsquo;s success this season wasn&rsquo;t offensive domination, it was defensive consistency. In the playoff opener, he was plus-1.&ldquo;The thing I know now is even if I&rsquo;m not having a good game scoring, I can still be a factor defensively,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like going against the other team&rsquo;s top line. That gets me into the game.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Stars finished the regular season with the most points (104), most wins (48) and most road wins (23) in franchise history&hellip;The Stars lost their season finale to Chicago, but remained the second best team in the NHL by way of Philadelphia&rsquo;s comeback win April 13 over New Jersey. The significance of that is if the Stars make the Stanley Cup final, they will have home ice advantage over any Eastern Conference opponent&hellip;Goaltender Andy Moog finished the regular season one win short of catching Rogie Vachon for fifth on the all-time wins list at 355&hellip;Goalie Roman Turek (left knee surgery) and defenseman Richard Matvichuk (pulled groin) returned from injuries to give the Stars a healthy roster. &#9632;

f0018-07

Growth year for Modano

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-08151/6482072-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="214" height="208"></div>About 20 minutes after they had named Curtis Joseph their MVP, Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; fans were bestowing something less prestigious on him.He accepted the award, then promptly allowed two goals on two Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; shots April 9. When he made a routine save on Kirk Maltby, they burst into sarcastic applause.&ldquo;So they expect a lot, I understand,&rdquo; he chuckled. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t bother me. I didn&rsquo;t let another goal in (until the third period). I was afraid to.&rdquo;The Oilers are afraid to think where they might have been without Joseph in goal for 72 of 82 games. He was at times brilliant, at others ordinary and rarely awful. &ldquo;I feel good about my season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I think a lot of guys should feel good about their seasons.&rdquo;Ryan Smyth can feel good about 39 goals. The rookies, as a group, can feel good about being everyday players. Bryan Marchment and Luke Richardson can feel good about being the two steadiest defensemen. But nobody should feel like the MVP-Doug Weight and Jason Arnott included-except Joseph.&ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have very many bad games for us. In fact he had very few,&rdquo; said coach Ron Low. &ldquo;I guess the really interesting thing is when did the last goalie in Edmonton have less than a 3.00 goals-against average? You aren&rsquo;t going to find it. It has never happened.&rdquo;Joseph finished with a 2.93 GAA and 32 wins, the third-highest singleseason total in team history.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Dean McAmmond underwent back surgery April 16 to remove a portion of a disc that was putting pressure on his spinal chord. It&rsquo;s expected he&rsquo;ll be fully recovered in about two months&hellip;The Oilers will have 10 free agents this summer, led by unrestricted defenseman Luke Richardson Defenseman Kevin Lowe missed the first game of the Oilers-Dallas playoff series with a sore right ankle. His 212 playoff games made him by far the most experienced player in the series&hellip;Left winger Ryan Smyth&rsquo;s 39 goals were the most by an Oiler since Petr Klima scored 40 in 1990-91&hellip;Center Doug Weight led the Oilers in scoring for the fourth straight season, but his production fell from 104 points last year to 82. &#9632;

f0018-08

MVP Joseph sets record, nonplussed by fickle fans

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011126/6482103-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="218" height="216"></div>The scary thing about the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim is where they might have finished if they had Paul Kariya all season.Kariya came within a hair of his second straight 100-point season, finishing with 99 points-third best in the NHL-even though he missed 13 games because of injuries.That&rsquo;s 13 games in which the Ducks struggled, winning only once.They finished the season with the ninth-best record anyway, earning their first berth in the playoffs.Kariya was second on the Ducks in scoring to Teemu Selanne, who had 51 goals and 109 points. But coach Ron Wilson&rsquo;s choice for MVP-of the NHL, not just the Ducks-would go to Kariya.&ldquo;My vote would be for Paul Kariya because of the effect he has on every phase of the game, from the power play, to penalty-killing, to 5-on-5,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;He plays in every situation and he plays an enormous amount of minutes, probably more than any forward in the league.&rdquo;Kariya played in 69 games and had the game-winning goal in 10. As the Ducks&rsquo; captain, though, Kariya objects to the phrase &ldquo;one-line team.&rdquo;&ldquo;Everybody contributes,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Brian Bellows. Joe Sacco. Dan Trebil has been unbelievable. Dave Karpa. Everybody has to do their job. Ours are more high profile. You see the end product. But it might be because of a blocked shot, a pass up the ice, a dump-in, a line change, and then we score.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Ducks won the fust playoff game in their history, beating Phoenix 4-2 April 16 in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Right winger Teemu Selanne and left winger Paul Kariya each scored two goals&hellip;Former Anaheim defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky said he &ldquo;hates&rdquo; the Ducks and wanted to &ldquo;kick their butts&rdquo; before the series, something Phoenix coach Don Hay and the Ducks&rsquo; Ron Wilson chalked up to youthful indiscretion. They might have let it ride, but the fans at the Pond of Anaheim didn&rsquo;t, booing the Coyote every time he touched the puck&hellip;Center Steve Rucchin, who plays with Kariya and Selanne, missed Game 1 because of back spasms. &#9632;

f0019-01

Captain Kariya does it all. guiding Ducks to playoffs

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03536/6482134-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="785" height="1226"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith Tkachuk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02812/6482141-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="220" height="213"></div>When was the last time a player led the NHL in goals ana had zuu penalty minutes&rsquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll bet it has never happened before,&rdquo; said Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; right winger Jeremy Roenick.Until now.Roenick&rsquo;s friend and teammate, captain Keith Tkachuk, became the first player to accomplish the feat with his league-leading 52 goals and a team-high 228 penalty minutes.Considering where Phoenix would be without &lsquo;Captain Coyote,&rsquo; Tkachuk is an obvious choice to be the team&rsquo;s unofficial most valuable player.&ldquo;It just shows you how good the kid is and how fortunate we are to have him on our team,&rdquo; Roenick said.Tkachuk&rsquo;s season has been eventful. First, he regained his captaincy in the pre-season. Then, he scored just five times in his first 20 games. After getting his game together and earning an All-Star Game berth, he was served with a $200,000 lawsuit from an Edmonton gambler, whom Tkachuk contends is trying to extort money from him because of his stature. News of the lawsuit and a $1 million counter-suit by Tkachuk, hit the streets just as the Coyotes were about to begin the playoffs against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. (See pg. 3 for more.)&ldquo;I went through a few obstacles, but I hung tough and I had a lot of great support around me,&rdquo; Tkachuk said. &ldquo;But the bottom line is I get paid well to play this game, I&rsquo;m supposed to be the captain of this hockey team and I can&rsquo;t play average.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, formerly of the Mighty Ducks, regretted making critical comments on Anaheim&rsquo;s talent level prior to the start of the playoffs. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m taking everything back,&rdquo; Tverdovsky said. &ldquo;How can I say I didn&rsquo;t really want it to be in the paper? It&rsquo;s not exactly what I think of (their) team."&hellip;The Coyotes set a franchise record by winning 23 road games, tied for most in the NHL. It surpasses the team mark set in 1984-85&hellip;Right winger Jeremy Roenick finished the season with a seven-game scoring streak and added to it with a goal in Game 1 during the Coyotes&rsquo; 4-2 loss to Anaheim&hellip;Defenseman Murray Baron was expected to miss the entire Anaheim series because of a hairline fracture in his left foot. &#9632;

f0019-03

Busy season for Tkachuk

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04420/6482172-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="214" height="212"></div>Leave it to Tony Twist, an enforcer who makes his living with his fists, to speak eloquently about the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; most valuable player-goalie Grant Fuhr.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s our Dominik Hasek,&rdquo; Twist said in reference to the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; goalie who is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. &ldquo;There were a lot of games this season we wouldn&rsquo;t have been in if Grant Fuhr wasn&rsquo;t at the top of his game.&ldquo;He was consistently dependable. The easy goals that snuck by him were few and far between. You expect a few easy goals over an 82-game schedule, but he was consistently good each and every night. Some nights, he was spectacular.&rdquo;Although defenseman Chris Pronger and center Pierre Turgeon excelled after coach Joel Quenneville&rsquo;s mid-season arrival and were at least as valuable as Fuhr, the 34-year-old goalie was strong all season.During the Mike Keenan regime, there were too many nights in which the Blues&rsquo; effort did not reach mediocrity. They were downright awful at times and Fuhr kept them alive.Although Fuhr&rsquo;s career-best 2.72 goals-against average and 90.1 save percentage did not approach the league leaders, Fuhr was invaluable to the Blues. He started 73 games and posted a record of 33-27-11. Backup goalie Jon Casey was 3-8-0 with a 3.39 GAA and a 86.6 save percentage.What makes Fuhr&rsquo;s performance this season all the more remarkable is that he came back from major reconstructive knee surgery. Fuhr tore two ligaments and cartilage in the Blues&rsquo; first playoff game last spring, putting his career in jeopardy. Against all odds, Fuhr worked hard and was ready for the start of the season, a full month ahead of schedule.&ldquo;That was the goal this year,&rdquo; Fuhr said. &ldquo;Come back and have a decent year and get back to the playoffs.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie Grant Fuhr recorded his fourth career playoff shutout with 30 saves in the Blues&rsquo; 2-0 victory over Detroit in Game 1 of their first-round series April 16&hellip;After going scoreless in 13 playoff games last season, left winger Geoff Courtnail scored the Blues&rsquo; first goal of the playoffs&hellip;Blues&rsquo; coach Joel Quenneville started three youngsters at center in Game 1 behind No. 1 center Pierre Turgeon-Pavol Demitra, Craig Conroy and Harry York. Thirty-eight-year-old veteran Craig MacTavish was scratched&hellip;The Blues had killed 25 straight penalties through April 18. The Red Wings hadn&rsquo;t scored in 17 consecutive power play opportunites against St. Louis. &#9632;

f0019-04

Blues can thank Fuhr for success

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011005/6482203-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="35" height="36">Martin Brodeur may not be the Hart of the NHL, but he is the Heart of the New Jersey Devils.After finishing the regular season with a 1.88 goals-against average, the lowest in the league since Tony Esposito&rsquo;s 1.77 in 1971-72, and 10 shutouts, the most since Ken Dryden in 1976-77, Brodeur said he feels goalie Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres deserves to win the Hart Trophy for most valuable player. (See pg. 6 for more on the Hart race.)&ldquo;I think (Hasek) really deserves that honor,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;1 think I contribute to the New Jersey Devils, but I think Dominik contributes a lot more.&rdquo;But Hasek certainly doesn&rsquo;t have Brodeur&rsquo;s offensive flair. Brodeur became the second goalie in NHL history to score a playoff goal in the Devils&rsquo; 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens April 17. Ron Hextail of the Philadelphia Flyers was the first to do it in 1989. (See pg. 3 for more on Brodeur&rsquo;s goal.)&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the greatest thing that has happened to me personally. I&rsquo;ll never forget that moment,&rdquo; Brodeur said. &ldquo;It was due to happen one of these days because I try so much. I&rsquo;ll put the puck and stick together and make sure everyone that comes to my house sees it.&rdquo;&ldquo;If (Brodeur) keeps going, he could finish on top of the scoring on our club,&rdquo; joked Devils&rsquo; coach Jacques Lemaire.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Dave Andreychuk suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left ankle in the final game of the regular season and was expected to be out until at least late-April with his foot in a cast. Andreychuk fell awkwardly while being hooked by Philadelphia defenseman Janne Niinimaa&hellip;Rookie Patrik Elias skated at left wing with center Bobby Holik and right winger Steve Thomas in Andreychuk&rsquo;s place&hellip;Defenseman Lyle Odelein said he had added incentive to beat Montreal in the playoffs because he felt Canadiens&rsquo; management didn&rsquo;t appreciate what he had done for six seasons as a Hab&hellip;The Devils finished with 104 points, their second-highest total ever (106 in 1993-94), and they allowed a franchise-low 182 goals. &#9632;

Brodeur provides stellar play at both ends of ice

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02668/6482241-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="33" height="34">It might go down as the J best trade the Montreal Canadiens didn t make.Mark Recchi, the subject of numerous trade rumors over the years, was convinced entering training camp last September he wouldn&rsquo;t start the season in Montreal.&ldquo;Obviously something changed over the summer for them to feel I was part of their plans,&rdquo; said the veteran 29-year-old right winger. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad I was.&rdquo;So, too, are the Canadiens after Recchi rewarded them with a productive season. He led the team in goals, with 34 and was second in points with 80.Recchi was a worthy recipient of the Molson Cup, awarded annually to the team&rsquo;s player with the most three-star selections.&ldquo;It was personally satisfying from the standpoint of all the guys we had out,&rdquo; said Recchi, the NHL&rsquo;s current ironman with 461 consecutive games played. &ldquo;I showed I could be counted on and could be a leader. I&rsquo;m not going to say I was the best player, but I was there for the team.&rdquo;What Recchi was too modest to admit, coach Mario Tremblay was not. He called Recchi the Canadiens&rsquo; best player this season. He also said the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder was a pit bull who couldn&rsquo;t be intimidated. Recchi is the Canadiens&rsquo; hardest-working player.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03451/6482234-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="120" height="187"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 120px">Mark Recchi</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I know I come to play every night and create opportunities by hard work,&rdquo; Recchi said. &ldquo;I have skills, but if I don&rsquo;t skate and work I&rsquo;m not effective.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Right winger Stephane Richer, who has a penchant for saying things he later regrets, once again placed his foot firmly in his mouth. Late in the regular season, Richer predicted New Jersey-his former team-would win the Stanley Cup. Montreal, to Richer&rsquo;s chagrin, met the Devils in the opening round. Richer was non-repentant. &ldquo;The Devils are the best team in the (Eastern) conference. They&rsquo;re the best defensive team and they&rsquo;ve got a good goalie,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s (the media) who made a big deal of this. What did you want me to say, that Boston and San Jose were going to win?"&hellip;The Canadiens completed the season with a 1717-7 record at the Molson Centre. It was their poorest mark at home since 1983-84, when they also were .500 (19-19-2)i. &#9632;</div>

f0020-03

Recchi glad to be there

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04283/6482272-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="33" height="33">When John LeClair reached the 50-goal plateau for the first time last season, the skeptics persisted.A career year, they said. Probably won&rsquo;t happen again.Even after the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; left winger was second-leading scorer to Brett Hull in Team USA&rsquo;s World Cup victory last September, there were still a few holdouts.But with less than five minutes to go in Game No. 82 of the 1996-97 season, LeClair scored goal No. 50, making him just the second player in Flyers&rsquo; history to record back-to-back 50-goal seasons.Finally, everyone seems to be in agreement that LeClair, who won the Flyers&rsquo; Bobby Clarke Trophy as the team&rsquo;s most valuable player, belongs among the league&rsquo;s elite forwards.The 50th was a great load off the shoulders of the 27-year-old Vermont native. He had been stuck on 49 for eight games, slowed by a nagging knee injury.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very relieved,&rdquo; LeClair said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been trying to block it out of my mind. I think I&rsquo;ve been pushing a little too much lately.&ldquo;It stops a lot of second-guessing on my part, too. But one goal would not make or break my season.&rdquo;Some thought the 51 goals LeClair scored in 1995-96 were mostly the result of playing on a line with center Eric Lindros. LeClair proved them wrong as well. Lindros missed 30 games this season due to injury and suspension and LeClair still became the only Flyer aside from Tim Kerr to put together consecutive 50s.&ldquo;I was happy for him, I was smiling behind the bench,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray. &ldquo;He worked extremely hard this year and deserved what he got.&rsquo;LeClair&rsquo;s outstanding season wasn&rsquo;t limited to goal scoring. His plus-44 was tops in the NHL and he finished tied with New York Ranger center Wayne Gretzky for fourth in overall scoring with 97 points.NOTEBOOK: Coach Terry Murray surprised some by starting No. 2 goalie Garth Snow for the first game of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against Pittsburgh. Snow, who had one minute of playoff experience entering the game, made 27 saves in a 5-1 win&hellip;Regular season team awards went to: left winger John LeClair (MVP); Eric Desjardins (outstanding defenseman); and right winger Trent Klatt (most improved player)&hellip;Right winger Mikael Renberg, who suffered a severe facial cut April 6, returned for Game 1 of the playoffs using the same full helmet/faceshield designed by Buffalo officials for Pat LaFontaine when he suffered a broken jaw several years ago. &#9632;

LeClair joins elite with second 50

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-05152/6482310-1-eng-US/f0020-052.jpg" title="f0020-05" width="34" height="35">There is no question Dominik Hasek is the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; most valuable player for 1996-97. but Michael Peca would probably be next in the pecking order.Peca, 23, turned in a most impressive performance for the Sabres this season. He scored 20 goals, led the league in shorthanded goals with six and was the Sabres&rsquo; best defensive forward. He&rsquo;s also The Hockey News&rsquo; pick to win the Selke Trophy. (See pg. 8 for more.)&ldquo;I like his approach to the game,&rdquo; said Ottawa Senators&rsquo; assistant coach Craig Ramsay, who feels Peca merits the Selke. &ldquo;He plays smart in both ends of the rink. He not only sees the ice very well, he knows what he&rsquo;s looking for. He&rsquo;s smart about disrupting plays and when he has the puck, he knows how to make them.&rdquo;Ramsay, a former Sabre, knows a little about being an elite defensive forward. He was the Selke winner in 1985 and a three-time runner-up.Peca has virtually leapt into the role. It took a season for Peca to acclimatize himself to the NHL after being acquired by the Sabres from the Vancouver Canucks in 1995, but once he did, he took off.Those who watch him regularly appreciate how well-rounded his game is. He&rsquo;s a big hitter for a smallish player (5-foot-ll, 180 pounds) and has good hands. Assistant coach Paul Theriault described them as &ldquo;velvet hammers.&rdquo;<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-06122/6482303-1-eng-US/f0020-062.jpg" title="f0020-06" width="119" height="190"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 119px">Michael Peca</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Overall I&rsquo;m pleased, especially getting that 20th goal on the last night of the season,&rdquo; Peca said.NOTEBOOK: Center Pat LaFontaine failed to get medical clearance from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to return for the playoffs and reports said doctors advised him to retire. LaFontaine confirmed he was not cleared to play, but held out hope that he could return next season. He is still dealing with the after effects of cumulative brain trauma brought on by a series of concussions&hellip;Center Brian Holzinger, who scored Buffalo&rsquo;s first goal in the playoffs against Ottawa&rsquo;s Ron Tugnutt. also beat Tugnutt last spring to win the American League&rsquo;s Calder Cup for Rochester. Tugnutt was with Portland&hellip;Left winger Miroslav Satan missed the first playoff game with what club officials said was an &ldquo;appendicitis episode.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

f0020-06

Peca leaps into stardom

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-07109/6482341-1-eng-US/f0020-072.jpg" title="f0020-07" width="33" height="33">Alexei Yashin is, as they say in golf circles, The Man.As the Ottawa Senators clinched their first trip to the playoffs, all eyes were squarely on the club&rsquo;s leading scorer.Coming off one of the best seasons of his three-year career, the 23-year-old Russian center was the Senators&rsquo; most valuable player with 35 goals and 75 points in 82 games.The Senators simply would not have made the playoffs without Yashin and it showed in Ottawa&rsquo;s 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres April 12, the game that propelled the Senators into the postseason. The work he did to make a pass to defenseman Steve Duchesne to set up the only goal of the game-fighting off Sabres&rsquo; defensemen Alexei Zhitnik and Garry Galley-was spectacular.This is the same Yashin who was roundly criticized in the Ottawa media in mid-December for being selfish with the puck., lazy and unwilling, to. buy into coach Jacques Martin&rsquo;s aggressive trap.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really like being called selfish because I&rsquo;m not selfish,&rdquo; said Yashin, who signed a five-year, $13 million (U.S.) deal last season. &ldquo;I just try to do the best that I can do.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to be expected to be a leader. But you can&rsquo;t do it alone. I&rsquo;ve been very happy with the support I&rsquo;ve received from my linemates and from the other three lines.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie Damian Rhodes re-injured his bruised calf muscle and was placed on the injury reserve list. Mike Bales was recalled up from Baltimore of the American League to back up starter Ron Tugnutt for the first round series against Buffalo. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard,&rdquo; Rhodes said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a fun situation."&hellip;Defenseman Wade Redden, who scored the winning goal in a dramatic last-minute 3-2 win over Detroit April 11 at Joe Louis Arena to help keep the Senators&rsquo; playoff hopes alive, was selected the NHL rookie of the month for April&hellip;Playoff fever hit Ottawa. The morning that tickets for the club&rsquo;s first two home playoff games against Buffalo at the 18,500-seat Corel Centre went on sale, _they ioldriul within two.hours. &#9632;

Yashin comes to rescue as Sens hit post-season

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01776/6482372-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="218" height="215"></div>Robert Svehla is so quiet, so unassuming, he could blend into an empty room.Yet, in just his second full season in the NHL, Svehla-the Florida Panthers&rsquo; unofficial 1996-97 MVP-continues to prove himself as one of the league&rsquo;s premier defensemen, as well as one of its best kept secrets.Svehla, a Slovak who arrived in South Florida in 1995, was a dominant force for the Panthers offensively and defensively. He finished third on the team in points and was one of only three NHL defensemen to lead his team in assists (32).He also was plus-2 despite playing against the opposition&rsquo;s top lines on a regular basis.Svehla, 27, did it all. He quarterbacked the power play and killed penalties. He scored five power play goals and chipped in three game winners. And in Game 1 of the playoffs against the New York Rangers, Svehla set up two power play goals in the Panthers&rsquo; 3-0 shutout.&ldquo;(Game 1) was our 91st game, counting exhibition games and (Svehla) has been outstanding in every one,&rdquo; said Panthers&rsquo; coach Doug MacLean. &ldquo;He played great-sound, solid, tough-everything you ask for.&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very quiet and fans don&rsquo;t really notice him,&rdquo; said left winger Mike Hough. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s a good reason why we&rsquo;re doing so well since Bobby arrived. He&rsquo;s one of the top defensemen in the league.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck recorded his fourth career playoff shutout April 17 in his first post-season game against his former team, the Rangers&hellip;The Rangers&rsquo; potent power play had one shot while up two men for 1:45 in Game 1. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen penalty killing as solid as that,&rdquo; said coach Doug MacLean, who singled out forwards Jody Hull and Tom Fitzgerald&hellip;Captain Brian Skrudland. out with a tom knee ligament, was hoping to begin skating the week of April 20. ..Rich Kromm was fired as coach of the Panthers&rsquo; American League affiliate at Carolina after the team failed to make the playoffs for the second straight season. GM Bryan Murray said he was looking to replace Kromm with more of a &ldquo;hard-nosed guy.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0021-01

Well-kept secret Svehla Mr. Everything for Florida

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03227/6482403-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="769" height="1214"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Leetch</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02419/6482410-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="217" height="213"></div>His New York Rangers&rsquo; teammates have conceded him the Norris Trophy.Wayne Gretzky, who earlier said Brian Leetch should win the Norris in a runaway, now thinks Leetch should also win the Hart Trophy. Mark Messier regularly refers to Leetch as the best player in the game.So the Norris, in some eyes, is a foregone conclusion.But to Leetch, who already has a Norris, Calder and Conn Smythe in his trophy case, as long as he&rsquo;s in the top three in the balloting, he has achieved his goal.&ldquo;Like I&rsquo;ve said before, I like to be chosen to go to the awards (show as a finalist),&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the good part, to be considered one of the top three all year and to be up there. I like to be considered one of the top guys because that means I&rsquo;m being consistent.&rdquo;Leetch consistently was the Rangers&rsquo; best and most valuable player this season, challenged only by goalie Mike Richter.Having a player like Leetch, who not only plays at such a high level, but also has the capability of logging enormous minutes of ice time, makes a coach comfortable.&ldquo;It does give you lots of comfort,&rdquo; said coach Colin Campbell. &ldquo;You kind of take it for granted because he has kind of grown into that role here, since I got here, seven seasons ago, he has just gotten better and better. You just become accustomed to it-having him go the whole power play, most of the penalty kill.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Left winger Luc Robitaille opened the playoffs after missing the last 13 games of the regular season with a broken foot. He was one of the Rangers&rsquo; best players in a 3-0 loss to Florida in Game 1&hellip;The Rangers were stopped on a 5-on-3 power play by Florida, leaving them 1-for-10 with a two-man advantage this season&hellip;Centers Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier entered the playoffs first and second all-time in goals, assists and points. Gretzky was 112-250-362; Messier 106-177-283. Messier played his 222nd playoff game, moving past former New York Islander and Pittsburgh Penguin Bryan Trottier into third on the all-time list, trailing only Larry Robinson (227) and Glenn Anderson (225). &#9632;

f0021-03

Mates fawn over Leetch

<div class="byline">By Mike Dudurlch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04162/6482441-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="216" height="213"></div>Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s first four years in the NHL ended when the regular season did. He scored 215 goals in that time, but did so on teams that were not nearly good enough to deserve a spot in the post-season.Since then, Lemieux has been a fixture in the playoffs, appearing in seven of the next nine years. One of the absences was because the Penguins didn&rsquo;t make it (1989-90), the other was when he sat out a year because of medical problems (1994-95).But this one is his last and it&rsquo;s something he plans to savor.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been thinking about the playoffs for a long time, probably since last September,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m ready to give it my best shot.&rdquo;This has been a long season for Lemieux and his teammates. They&rsquo;ve been streaky, good and bad, but finished just two games over .500 (38-368), their worst record since 1987-88.&ldquo;It has been a long year, a lot of ups and down,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This team is tough to figure out. We played poorly for the first 20 games and didn&rsquo;t play that well late in the season. It&rsquo;s something that you really don&rsquo;t know with our team.&rdquo;For Lemieux, the numbers say it was another banner season. He finished with 50 goals and 122 points in 76 games and won his sixth scoring championship. But he went through some awful stretches, too. He was bothered by a hip flexor at times, had a tough time with his chronic bad back and went through other stretches where he looked a lot like a guy who was looking forward to retirement.&ldquo;We have a good team here, but we&rsquo;re not as talented as some of our teams in the past,&rdquo; Lemieux said. &ldquo;We can&rsquo;t win on talent anymore. If we get everybody playing, doing things the way we&rsquo;re capable, we can compete with anybody. But we have to have all 20 guys going.&rdquo;And it wouldn&rsquo;t hurt to have Lemieux playing like the Lemieux of old.NOTEBOOK: Tie Penguins finished the regular season with three consecutive losses on the road. That contributed to an 0-12-1 slide in their last 13 games away from the Civic Arena after opening the season 0-11-1 on the road&hellip;Center Mario Lemieux scored on a penalty shot against John Vanbiesbrouck April 11 at Florida. He was an amazing 7-for-9 in penalty shots in his career&hellip;Former Penguins&rsquo; defenseman Peter Taglianetti, who became the color commentator on the team&rsquo;s radio broadcasts early in the season, abruptly quit the job the day after the season ended, citing personal reasons. Another former Penguin, Troy Loney, was to handle the duties during the playoffs. &#9632;

f0021-04

Mario will savor his last playoff

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01881/6482472-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="218" height="217"></div>The Boston Bruins knew there was a chance they&rsquo;d miss the playoffs, but they never dreamed they&rsquo;d end up the most feeble team in the league.The Bruins, who almost never seemed to have a full lineup (defenseman Don Sweeney was the only player get into all 82 games), were a poor defensive team no matter who was playing. Off-ice distractions lessened after Bill Ranford, Adam Oates and Rick Tocchet were traded to the Washington Capitals March 1, but the results never improved. In the end, the Bruins finished last overall and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1967.Overachievers Center Jozef Stumpel set career highs with 21 goals and a team-leading 76 points in 78 games. It was particularly impressive given the 24-year-old played behind Oates for the season&rsquo;s first five months.Left winger Ted Donato scored a team-leading and career-high 25 goals, despite missing 15 games with injuries.Right winger Steve Heinze was on fire with 17 goals in 30 games before his season was ended by knee and abdominal injuries.Underachievers Oft-injured captain Ray Bourque was rarely in peak form and finished with a negative plus-minus rating (minus-11) for what&rsquo;s believed to be the first time in an 18-year career.Defenseman Kyle McLaren couldn&rsquo;t duplicate his all-rookie team season of a year ago, recording a minus-9 in 58 games.Boston also used a team-record six goalies, none of whom were consistently effective. Jim Carey&rsquo;s struggles (5-13-0, 3.82 goals-against average, 87.1 save percentage) were the most obvious.Needs 1. Better goaltending. Carey is confident he can handle the increased shots in Boston, but he and the Bruins were disappointed by his performance. 2. Improved team defense. Boston surrendered a league-worst 300 goals, the second-highest figure in team history. 3. Better health. No team can afford 395 man-games lost to injury, especially one without much depth on the blueline.NOTEBOOK: GM Harry Sinden faces the daunting task of deciding which of Boston&rsquo;s potential free agents, a group numbering close to 20, should be resigned. The list includes center Jozef Stumpel, the team leader in assists and points; left winger Ted Donato, the team leader in goals; and right winger Steve Heinze, who was scoring at a 45-goal pace before his injury&hellip;Boston&rsquo;s 47 losses tied the club record set over a 70-game season in 1961-62&hellip;Right winger Anson Carter, 3-5-8 in 19 games with Washington, was an impressive 8-5-13 in 19 games as a Bruin.. Defenseman Ray Bourque, who said he might have considered playing for Canada in the World Championship, was prevented from doing so because his wife was scheduled to undergo surgery&hellip;After getting two goals in his first 34 games as a Bruin, right winger Landon Wilson had five in his next six&hellip;Seven players were assigned to Providence of the American League after the Bruins&rsquo; season ended. &#9632;

f0024-01

No plans set on finishing first, but why fall to absolute worst?

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02589/6482503-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="217" height="218"></div>The day after the season ended, Calgary Flames&rsquo; coach Pierre Page declined to make an immediate assessment of his team.&ldquo;If you have all the answers right away, it looks kind of funny,&rdquo; Page said. &ldquo;Why didn&rsquo;t you have them before? It&rsquo;s the same as in football. Anybody can be a Monday morning quarterback. The trick is to coach on Sunday.&rdquo;The Flames finished the 1996-97 season by registering a pair of dubious records. Their 41 losses is a franchise high and their 73 points is the fewest they&rsquo;ve earned in their 17 seasons in Calgary.Underachievers Right winger Theo Fleury had a 29-point drop from a season ago, finishing with 67 points in 81 games. It was only the second time in the past seven years he has failed to score more than a point a game.Center Cory Stillman slipped to six goals after a 16-goal rookie season. By mid-season, he was in and out of the lineup.Overachievers Center Dave Gagner was second in team scoring and made a significant contribution to the development of rookies Jarome Iginla and Jonas Hoglund.Defenseman Todd Simpson made the team out of training camp and had the greatest impact of any of the six rookies that appeared on the Flames&rsquo; blueline.Defenseman Yves Racine started the season in the International League, but joined the team in mid-season and helped steady a rookie-laden blueline.Needs 1. Scoring center. With Gagner almost certain to depart as an unrestricted free agent and Robert Reichel traded away, the Flames desperately need a replacement. 2. Offensive defenseman. Stay-at-home guys abound. Now they need to ford/develop another Al Maclnnis or Gary Suter. 3. More consistent goaltending. At times, Trevor Kidd and Dwayne Roloson provided solid net-minding. On a team that finished tied for second last in scoring, however, the Flames&rsquo; need a spectacular, Dominik Hasek-type of goaltender.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Theo Fleury turned down an invitation to play for Canada at the World Championship, citing a strained left knee ligament. The injury occurred in the Flames&rsquo; fourth-last game of the season, a 2-1 loss to Chicago April 6, but Fleury didn&rsquo;t disclose the problem until after Calgary had been eliminated from the playoffs. &ldquo;It happened when I went to hit (Blackhawks&rsquo; defenseman Michal) Sykora against the boards and he sidestepped me. I ended up just catching my knee and tweaked it. It&rsquo;s the same thing I did in 1991 against Los Angeles when I ran into Tony Granato.&rsquo;&rsquo; Doctors told Fleury it would take six weeks to heal, but surgery is not required&hellip;There is some confusion over the status of defenseman Yves Racine, who took a buyout from San Jose in November before signing with the Flames for $250,000 in mid-season. Racine, 28, believes he qualifies as an unrestricted free agent this summer, but the Flames believe he is restricted. &#9632;

f0024-02

Flames’ fountain of youth fails to yield invitation to playoffs

<div class="byline">By Jerry Higgins</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01787/6482534-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="218" height="218"></div>There was never a dul moment in the final week; of the Hartford Whalers&rsquo; existence.First the owner announces he&rsquo;s moving the team. Then the team sputters in its drive for a playoff spot and dies a slow death after losing a must-win game against the Ottawa Senators April 9.In the end. injuries and home losses to some weak teams kept the Whalers out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.Overachievers Center Kent Manderville came to training camp searching for a contract. By the end of the season, he was Hartford&rsquo;s best defensive forward.Right winger Kevin Dineen finished fifth in team scoring with 19 goals and 48 points. He had only 16 goals combined the past two years.Underachievers Right winger Nelson Emerson had 29 goals last year and was second in power play goals with 12. This year he had nine goals total.Although they led the team in scoring, left winger Geoff Sanderson (36-31-67) and center Andrew Cassels (22-44-66) disappeared in the biggest games down the stretch.Needs 1. A new city with a new arena with enough revenue streams to please owner Peter Karmanos. 2. A consistent center who can score, create havoc and remember where the defensive zone is located. 3. A big finisher on the wing. Derek King was a major bust in his 12 games in Hartford (3-3-6) and the team is very small on the outside.NOTEBOOK: The Whalers&rsquo; final game in Hartford was a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay April 13. which gave the team a 32-3911 record. It was two wins and two points fewer than the previous year, yet the 199596 team was 11 points out of a playoff spot as opposed to only two this season&hellip;Right winger and captain Kevin Dineen scored the final Whaler goal, 24 seconds into the third period against Tampa Bay. Lightning right winger Dino Ciccarelli scored the final NHL goal at the Hartford Civic Center, 2:50 into the third period&hellip;The Whalers finished with an average attendance of 13,657, which was 93.2 per cent of capacity. That was the best average since 1989-90 (13,701), however, that year&rsquo;s attendance included luxury boxes. &#9632;

f0025-01

Shortage of wins, revenue harpoons Whale for good

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03324/6482565-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="779" height="1219"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin Stevens</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02504/6482572-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="218" height="214"></div>For the fourth straight season, the Los Angeles Kings spent early-April analyzing where they went wrong instead of analyzing a playoff opponent.The playoff drought is now the club&rsquo;s longest since a four-year absence from 1969-70 through 1972-73.Underachievers Left winger Kevin Stevens scored only 14 goals, half of them during a 10-game span from Jan. 7 through Jan. 29. Management has praised his leadership, but he&rsquo;s paid $2.97 million a year to score at least 30 and he didn&rsquo;t do the job.Without Wayne Gretzky to set him up, right winger Vitali Yachmenev saw his scoring fall from 19 goals to 10 and his point total from 53 to 32. The sophomore disappeared for stretches.Defenseman Rob Blake, slow to regain his form after knee surgery, was inconsistent and tentative with the puck. He finished with a team-worst minus-28. He must be more aggressive and take the body decisively.Overachievers Defenseman Mattias Norstrom played regularly for the first time, showed poise under pressure and the potential to be a top-four rearguard for years to come.Left winger Dan Bylsma showed tireless determination on the league&rsquo;s third-ranked penalty killing unit.Needs 1. First-line center. Ray Ferraro is feisty, but too small. 2, First-line finishing wingers. The Kings were tied for 23rd in goals scored with 214, their fewest full-season total since 1971-72. 3. Power play quarterback to improve on the 25th-ranked unit in the league.NOTEBOOK: Several members of the Kings planned to play in the World Championship in Finland. Defenseman Rob Blake accepted an invitation to play for Canada, defenseman Mattias Norstrom was invited to join Sweden and right winger Kai Nurminen was asked to play for Finland&hellip;Goalie Stephane Fiset, who missed 15 of the last 16 games because of a groin/abdominal pull, was scheduled to undergo arthroscopic hernia surgery April 17&hellip;Left winger Vladimir Tsyplakov was scheduled to have a similar procedure April 25&hellip;Goalie Byron Dafoe underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee April 14&hellip;Plans for a new downtown arena had not been solidified as of mid-April, but the club said it is still committed to the project. &#9632;

f0025-03

Spring snore reaches four

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04205/6482603-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="217" height="216"></div>There was a certain level hvrw&rsquo;ricv pmtinafino from the New York Islanders&rsquo; front office this season.GM Mike Milbury invested a puny $14.5 (c)illion-the NHL&rsquo;s second-lowest payroll-in a team that hung in the playoff race until the 80th game. Then he announced changes would be made.&ldquo;We have a new organization that&rsquo;s mpving ahead,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m &lsaquo;(r)appointed that we didn&rsquo;t make (th* playoffs), but I can safely say that, barring any rash of unforeseen problems next season&hellip; this team should be in the playoffs for many years to come.&rdquo;Underachievers Right winger Todd Bertuzzi had two goals in his first 45 games before being sent to the minors. He did, however, get untracked after Rick Bowness replaced Milbury as coach Jan. 24 and finished strongly.Goaltender Eric Fichaud had a chance to claim the No. 1 job, but faltered and watchrd Tommy Salo start 25 straight. Fichaud needs work on puckhandling, controlling rebounds and consistency.Overachievers Center Claude Lapointe was the team&rsquo;s best checking pivot and most productive role player with 13 goals.Defenseman Doug Houda helped plug a hole on the blueline and finished plus-1.Salo kept the Isles in the playoff hunt until the 80th game of the season and played as he did in winning back-to-back International League titles.Needs: 1. Power play point-man. The team needs a dependable veteran to accompany emerging star Bryan Berard, preferably a right-handed shooter. 2. Center who can win faceoffs. This deficiency was glaring in a late-season 0-4-1 plunge which cost the team a chance at a playoff spot. 3. Scoring winger. The Islanders need someone to fill the void left by the departure of Derek King whom they don&rsquo;t plan to re-sign.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Doug Houda played his 500th career game April 11 and the next ni^it played his 70th of the season, worth 80,000 bonus which raised his pay for the year to $215,000&hellip;Before the last home game, center Claude Lapointe was named winner of the team&rsquo;s Bob Nystrom Award as the player who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication. Then he then scored two goals, one on his knees and another on a shorthanded breakaway, in a 6-4 win over Hartford April 11&hellip;Defenseman Dennis Vaske was scheduled to have surgery io repair a shoulder which was dislocated early in the season&hellip;The team&rsquo;s average home attendance rose from 11,356 last season to J 2,495. &#9632;

f0025-04

GM Milbury promises playoff berth

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01858/6482634-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="219" height="218"></div>One year into a rebuilding plan that began in March,1996, the San Jose Sharks have little to show for it. San Jose&rsquo;s 27-47-8 record this season was 15 points better than last year&rsquo;s 20-55-7 mark, but they still finished in exactly the same place, last in the NHL&rsquo;s Western Conference and 25th in the league&rsquo;s overall standings.Underachievers Center Darren Turcotte put up just 16 goals and 37 points while missing 13 critical midseason games after puncturing an eardrum with a cotton swab.Perhaps foolishly, the Sharks expected smallish left winger Ville Peltonen to man the second line. Instead, the Finnish prospect spent much of the season in the minor leagues, producing only two goals and five points in 28 NHL games.Overachievers Third-year center Jeff Friesen flashed signs of being a legitimate first-liner, generating 49 points, including 20 goals, over the season&rsquo;s final 52 games.Unheralded left winger Stephen Guolla produced 13 goals in a 43-game rookie season.Needs 1. Better goaltending. Ed Belfour, who will be an unrestricted free agent July 1, must be signed and must perform. A team with as many holes as the Sharks must have a top-notch goalie. 2. Offense. Adding at least one more first-or second-line forward is imperative. 3. Stabilizing the blueline. Injuries to Marty McSorley, Allafrate and Mike Rathje illustrated the lack of depth.NOTEBOOK: The Sharks and defenseman Al lafrate reached an agreement in principle on a new contract, lafrate, who would have become an unrestricted free agent July 1, had six goals and 15 points in 38 games before undergoing season-ending back surgery in early-March&hellip;Blossoming center Jeff Friesen, whose 28 goals and 62 points were second on the team to right winger Owen Nolan, earned team MVP honors from a panel of Bay Area media members. Friesen was the only San Jose player to appear in all 82 games&hellip;Left winger Stephen Guolla was named the club&rsquo;s rookie of the year, despite the fact he played only half the season&hellip;Guolla and goaltender Wade Flaherty were assigned to Kentucky the American League for the playoffs. &#9632;

f0026-01

New plan, new direction leads to same dead end

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03448/6482665-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="779" height="1216"><figcaption class="caption-body">Roman Hamrlik</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02562/6482672-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="220" height="216"></div>After watching its season end on the second-last day of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning was left to wonder how it got itself into such a mess.A run of 2-14-2 from late-October to early-December didn&rsquo;t help. Long-term injuries to center Brian Bradley and goalie Daren Puppa were also big factors in a disappointing season.Underachievers Defenseman Roman Hamrlik took a step back, collecting just 12 goals and 40 points after getting 16 and 65 in 1995-96. He finished a team-worst minus-29.Right winger Alex Selivanov, who had arthroscopic knee surgery during the season, scored just 15 goals in 69 games. Last season he had a team-high 31.Overachiever Left winger Rob Zamuner recorded career highs in goals (17), assists (33) and points (50). He also emerged as a top Selke Trophy candidate.Career backup Rick Tabaracci was in the nets for 46 of the Lightning&rsquo;s 74 points and the team would have been out of it a lot earlier without him.Needs 1. Hamrlik rebound. With him at his best, the Lightning has the franchise player he was picked to be. 2. No major personnel woes. GM Phil Esposito insists the Puppa/Bradley absences cost at least 10 points, so both must return healthy. Another goal-scoring winger and a bit more speed on defense wouldn&rsquo;t hurt, either. 3. Peace for all. The perception of incessant friction between coach Terry Crisp and Esposito filtered down, leading some to suggest it became a distraction.NOTEBOOK: Center Chris Gratton and goalie Rick Tabaracci were asked to join Team Canada for the World Championship. Defenseman Roman Hamrlik will play for the Czech Republic&hellip;The Lightning swept its season series with the Rangers&hellip;The Lightning returned center Jeff Toms to Adirondack of the American League after its season was finished&hellip;Former Detroit forwards Dino Ciccarelli and Shawn Burr were less than thrilled to learn coach Scotty Bowman rested certain healthy players, including center Steve Yzerman, in a 3-2 loss to Ottawa April 11, a game the Lightning desperately needed Detroit to win to keep its playoff hopes alive. Said Burr: &ldquo;I just can&rsquo;t believe that (expletive deleted) would do that.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-03

Hamrlik must bounce back

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04326/6482703-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="217" height="211"></div>What a disaster that was.Entering the 1996-97 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs believed they were headed for a 90-point year and the playoffs.By the end of the season, they&rsquo;d missed the spring playdottas, been embarrassed by an ugly pedophile scandal and had traded away veterans Doug Gilmour, Dave Ellett, Kirk Muller and Larry Murphy in the name of youth and cost-cutting.The Leafs believe they&rsquo;re now headed in the right direction. Barring trades and free agent signings, that rosy future is yet hard to see.Underachievers Goalie Felix Potvin was mediocre to lousy when the games counted. He could be traded to fill other needs.Center Jamie Baker wasn&rsquo;t gritty and wasn&rsquo;t worth giving up a serviceable defenseman in Todd Gill.Left winger Todd Warriner teased with good efforts, then disappeared when it mattered.Right winger Mike Craig showed early-season promise, but it deteriorated into another wasted campaign.Center Brandon Convery is still too weak on the puck and has been a bust to date as a first-rounder.Overachievers Right winger Tie Domi put up decent offensive numbers and did the dirty work as the lone sheriff in town.Center Darby Hendrickson, reclaimed with low draft pick last autumn, was an industrious worker all season.Needs 1. Change in management. From GM Cliff Fletcher right through to the scouting department, the Leafs must seriously evaluate their hockey department. A bright, young mind is desperately needed. 2. Team toughness. Too many nights the Leafs were just a pushover. They won&rsquo;t have much more talent next season, so grit is required. 3. Someone to play with Mats Sundin. This team has frittered away numerous offensive talents, leaving Sundin to play with rookies and grinders.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Sergei Berezin led NHL rookies this season with 25 goals, but isn&rsquo;t considered a serious Calder Trophy candmgte&hellip;Despite the club&rsquo;s poor season, GM-president Cliff Fletcher indicated he will recommend an increase in ticket prices for the 15th consecutive year&hellip;Coach Mike Murphy may need surgery to repair a rotator cuff injury&hellip;Left winger Wendel Clark scored his 30th goal of the season in the finale in unusual fashion. With Calgary goalie Dwayne Roloson pulled for a sixth attacker, Clark was heading for the empty net with the puck when Flames&rsquo; defenseman Tommy Albelin jumped over the boards as a seventh skater to prevent an empty-net goal. Clark never scored, but was credited with a goal. &#9632;

f0026-04

Difficult to imagine bright future

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06208/6482734-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="771" height="1224"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Linden</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05249/6482741-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="218" height="218"></div>Despite closing with a noteworthy 6-1-3 rush the Vancouver Canucks needed a miracle to make the playoffs and they didn&rsquo;t receive one.A poor season from GM Pat Quinn, coupled with crippling injuries to key players and inadequate goaltending, spelled Vancouver&rsquo;s demise.Underachievers Center Trevor Linden missed 33 games with three injuries and scored only nine goals in 49 appearances.Right winger Pavel Bure, who suffered whiplash in the opener and tried to play through it, finished with 23 goals in 63 games and was minus-14.Goalie Kirk McLean&rsquo;s 3.21 goals-against average and 88.9 save percentage were among the worst in the league.Goalie Corey Hirsch went from allrookie team to all-sophomore jinx, leaving grave doubts about his ability to become an impact NHL goalie.Overachievers Left winger Martin Gelinas proved his previous 30-goal season was no fluke and finished with 35 while adding 33 assists for a career-high 68 points.Center Mike Sillinger found a home on the third line and as a penalty killer and reached career high in goals (17).Needs 1. Playmaking center. The search continues for somebody to play with the skill wingers. 2. Physical defenseman. Everybody would like one of these, but few teams need one as much as the Canucks. 3. Power play quarterback. There&rsquo;s room to improve on the 16.8 per cent success rate of 1996-97.NOTEBOOK: Only 10 Canucks are under contract for next season: goalies Kirk McLean and Corey Hirsch: defensemen Dana Murzyn and Jyrki Lumme: left wingers Martin Gelinas. Gino Odjick and Dave Roberts; center Trevor Linden; and right wingers Brian Noonan and Pavel Bure&hellip;Center Mike Ridley is expected to retire due to chronic leg fatigue and defenseman Leif Rohlin intends to play in Europe next season&hellip;Gelinas won three team aw-ards-MVP, most exciting player and the Molson Cup for most three-star selections. The Canucks may re-do his contract, which paid him $775,000 this season&hellip;Center Mike Sillinger was selected the Canucks&rsquo; unsung hero. Lumme collected his fourth award as the team&rsquo;s best defenseman. &#9632;

f0026-06

Bad showing by almost all

<div class="byline">BY Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07182/6482772-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="218" height="212"></div>That the Washington Capitals did not make the playoffs this season came as no surprise to those who deliver medical supplies to the club.That the Capitals finished the season at all was considered a clear indication stubbornness was back in vogue. With 361 man-games lost to injuries, the Capitals struggled home one win shy of a playoff spot.Underachievers Left winger Chris Simon, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche Nov. 2, was never in proper shape. He scored six goals in his first nine games with Washington, but none after Jan. 15.The Capitals thought center Joe Juneau would be at least a point-a-game player this season, but he had just 42 in 58 games.Overachiever Center Dale Hunter, 36, was the only Capital to play in all 82 games-a major achievement on this team. At the same time, he increased his points total to 46, his highest level since 1992-93.Needs 1. Return to good health. Injuries are an accepted part of the game, but the Capitals have played with at least one injured player every game for two straight years. 2. Return to form of Michal Pivonka. Even when he was healthy, he didn&rsquo;t resemble the player who scored 81 points the year before. 3. Emergence of Brendan Witt. The Capitals expect a lot more from their first pick, 11th overall, from the 1993 entry draft.NOTEBOOK: Washington finished the season on a three-game winning streak, matching its previous longest string of wins&hellip;Left winger Yogi Svejkovsky had a four-goal outburst in the finale, an 8-3 win at Buffalo April 13, but Sabres&rsquo; goalie Steve Shields did not exactly get much support in a meaningless game. The Capitals had seven regulars out with an assortment of injuries&hellip;After four losses, three straight by shutouts, the Capitals finally beat the New York Islanders 6-2 to finish 1-4-0 against them. If the Capitals had beaten Ottawa (0-4-0) just once, Washington would have made post-season instead of the Senators&hellip;Defenseman Brendan Witt joined Portland for the American League playoffs. &#9632;

f0026-07

Caps limp to finish line, don’t cross into playoffs

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0027-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01810/6482803-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Block Parent: Goalie Rich Parent provided the Detroit Vipers with outstanding play. (Photo by Art Foxall/BBS)</figcaption></div>Rich Parent&rsquo;s nickname is Bernie, and with a 2.22 goals-against average, the Detroit Vipers&rsquo; goaltender has put up Bernie Parent-type numbers.It isn&rsquo;t Bernie Parent&rsquo;s stats that Rich Parent is looking to match, though.&ldquo;Bernie has a couple of championships and I&rsquo;d like to get one,&rdquo; said the 26-year-old from Montreal, who is no relation to the Hall of Famer.Parent is in the best place in the International League to do it. The Vipers went down as one of the best regular season teams in IHL history this season and entered the playoffs as the prohibitive favorite to capture the Turner Cup.Indeed, the Vipers&rsquo; posted some mind-boggling numbers:&#9723; Their 57-17-8 record was third-best in league history.&#9723; Detroit allowed 188 goals, 42 better than the next best team. Its 2.29 goals-against average was second best in league history, trailing only the 1.88 put up by the Cincinnati Mohawks during a 60-game schedule in 1955-56.&#9723; Goalies Jeff Reese and Parent were absolutely dominant. Reese broke a 40-year-old league mark by posting a 1.87 goals-against average. Parent&rsquo;s 2.22 GAA was second in the league. His save percentage of 92.0 was also second to Reese&rsquo;s 92.6. Parent appeared in 53 games this season while Reese saw action in 32.&#9723; The Vipers were more difficult to play against on the road than at home. They posted an IHL-record road mark of 31-7-3, breaking the 30-win plateau established by the 1992-93 San Diego Gulls. Vipers&rsquo; GM Rick Dudley was coach-GM of the Gulls that season.&#9723; Peter Ciavaglia and Todd Simon, the Vipers&rsquo; top scorers, finished tied for 25th in the IHL scoring race with 21 goals and 72 points each, but the Vipers still finished fifth in goals scored with 280.The Vipers have some of the league&rsquo;s most skilled offensive players in Simon, Ciavaglia, Jimmy Carson, Stan Drulia and 18-year-old draft prospect Sergei Samsonov. But rivals marvel at the club&rsquo;s commitment to defense.Cincinnati Cyclones&rsquo; coach-GM Ron Smith says the Vipers have relied on three key factors.The first is goaltending and the second is a perfection of the art of clutching and grabbing.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got some of the best talent in the league, guys who could open it up, but they don&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;They are committed to that New Jersey Devils&rsquo; style system.&rdquo;But most of all, Smith said, is &ldquo;they come to play every shift of every game.&rdquo;That made it a dream season for the goalies, even though Reese wasn&rsquo;t thrilled to be in Detroit at the start. The 31-year-old veteran was sent to Detroit after playing poorly in two starts with the Devils early in the season, allowing more than five goals a game.Reese didn&rsquo;t tear up the IHL in his first few games, either, and wasn&rsquo;t sure where his career was headed. He had been in the NHL full-time every year since 1991.&ldquo;When I first went to Detroit,&rdquo; Reese said, &ldquo;I was bitter and it was a shot to my ego. Even though I was winning, 1 wasn&rsquo;t playing well and I felt like the bottom dropped out.&rdquo;Detroit coach Steve Ludzik, though, was unconcerned. He was convinced having Reese would make Parent better and vice versa. And he knew Reese would get over his disappointment.&ldquo;1 really felt Jeff would do the job for us and he has,&rdquo; Ludzik said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the type of class act we want as part of this organization.&rdquo;Included in that group is Samsonov, an 18-year-old who is expected to be among the early choices in the NHL entry draft. Samsonov, who earned $100,000 this season, came in with the reputation of a gifted offensive player.He was second on the team with 29 goals and 64 points, second among rookies. What was surprising was his commitment to defense.&ldquo;If he played junior hockey, he would have put up Guy Lafleur-type numbers, getting 100 some-odd goals,&rdquo; Ludzik says. &ldquo;But this kid is so mature. He knows he&rsquo;s going to have to play both sides of the puck.&rdquo;The Orlando Solar Bears jumped out of the box quickly and were in first place in the Northeast Division much of the early going. But the Vipers bought into Ludzik&rsquo;s conservative style and took over the division and the league.And Reese said it is no accident.&ldquo;There are a lot of guys who sacrificed their personal statistics for the team&rsquo;s good,&rdquo; Reese said. &ldquo;Simon had 109 points last year, but this year it&rsquo;s down a lot because of the way we&rsquo;ve played. But he&rsquo;s happier with things because we&rsquo;ve won more games and he knows this is the way to win a championship.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the thing I&rsquo;ve found about this group, they&rsquo;re committed. All they want to do is win.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0027-01

LEAGUES

Vipers’ Devilish plan

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div>The International League had 57 players earning $100,000 or more in 1996-97, the first season of a six-year collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Hockey Players&rsquo; Association.Of the 19 teams, all but the Fort Wayne Kom-ets, Phoenix Roadrunners and Indianapolis Ice had at least one player making $100,000 on an IHL contract. All of Indianapolis&rsquo; players were on NHL contracts.Orlando Solar Bears&rsquo; center Hubie McDonough is the highest-paid player, earning $243,000. Scoring champion Rob Brown of the Chicago Wolves is second at $180,000.The league&rsquo;s salary cap was $1.4 million per team this season. Teams over the cap pay a luxury tax and preliminary figures show 10 of the 19 teams exceeded $1.4 million.Unless revenues increase under a pre-determined formula, the salary cap will decrease to $1.3 million in 1997-98 and $1.2 million 199899. Larry Landon, executive director of the PHP A, said the union had to sign the agreement to help save the league from financial disaster.&ldquo;You know what happens when you have 19 people in a vehicle going 120 miles an hour at a bnck wall with no brakes,&rdquo; Landon said. &ldquo;Our membership had the foresight to grab hold of the steering wheel and avoid a collision with the wall.&rdquo;Cleveland Lum berjacks&rsquo; owner Larry Gordon, chairman of the IHL board of governors, said previously he was concerned about the long-term viability of the league. However, he said the CBA has done what it was intended to do and has stabilized the league and given teams a chance at success.&ldquo;I feel very good about it,&rdquo; Gordon said of the league&rsquo;s long-term prospects. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;d have asked me that a year ago, you&rsquo;d have gotten a very different answer. Our agreement with the players is working.&rdquo;BROWN WINS TITLE: Rob Brown of Chic ago won his third scoring title in four years, though he had to hold off a late charge from teammate Steve Maltais to do it.Brown had 36 goals and a league-high 80 assists for 117 points in 76 games. Maltais had a league-high 60 goals and 114 points in 81 games. Maltais led the league with 27 power play goals and had eight game-winners.Maltais was just one of two 50-goal scorers in the league. Las Vegas Thunder right winger Martin Gendron scored 13 goals in his last 10 games, including two in each of the last three, to finish second to Maltais with 51 goals.Detroit Vipers&rsquo; goalie Jeff Reese set a leaguerecord with a 1.87 goals-against average, barely bettering the mark of 1.88 set by Glenn Ramsay of the Cincinnati Mohawks in 1956-57.ON A ROLL: The Kansas City Blades were the league&rsquo;s hottest team, going into the playoffs with an 11-2-1 run that vaulted them from eighth in the Western Conference standings to fifth.The key was a sound defensive commitment. Normand Rochefort, a veteran of 598 NHL games, had a great season. Jason Cirone, Dale Craigwell and David Bruce led the offense.&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have flashy guys who worry about seeing their names on the stat sheets,&rdquo; said Blades&rsquo; GM Doug Soetaert. &ldquo;We just have guys who come to play.&rdquo;Bruce set a franchise record by scoring 45 goals. He had 12 goals in his final 12 games.<h2>IHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>FIRST ROUND (Best ot Five)</h3>WESTERN CONFERENCELong Beach vs. MilwaukeeUtah vs. Kansas CityHouston vs. Las VegasSan Antonio vs. ChicagoEASTERN CONFERENCEDetroit vs. MichiganCincinnati vs. QuebecOrlando vs. Grand RapidsIndianapolis vs. Cleveland &#9632;

Cap breathes new life into league

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>Midway through last summer, Greg Gilbert was content to get on with his life after hockey.His ailing back not responding to treatment, Gilbert was forced to retire after 15 NHL years.&ldquo;I was trying to deal with my body telling me I couldn&rsquo;t play anymore,&rdquo; the 35-year-old Gilbert said. &ldquo;I wanted to get some normalcy to my life.&rdquo;But then Mike Keenan called and wondered if Gilbert wanted to coach the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; American League affiliate, the Worcester IceCats.Keenan is no longer employed as the Blues&rsquo; coach-GM, but he definitely knew coaching potential. Gilbert guided the IceCats to a franchise-record 43-win, 100-point season and the New England Division championship with a roster of undistinguished players.For that he was voted winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as AHL coach of the year in voting by media members.&ldquo;I was fortunate to be working with a man like Paul Pickard (his associate),&rdquo; Gilbert said. &ldquo;The most enjoyable thing is seeing players make great strides. I think we proved to ourselves that you don&rsquo;t need superstars to win as a team.&rdquo;GREAT STOPPER: J.F. Labbe of the Hershey Bears became just the fifth goalie in AHL history to be voted MVP and the first since Pelle Lindbergh of the Maine Mariners in 1980-81.Labbe led the AHL in goals-against average (2.52) and shutouts (six) while posting a 34-229 record for the Bears. He tied for first in wins.The MVP is determined through voting by the players and media. The writers and broadcasters voted him winner of the Aldege &lsquo;Baz&rsquo; Bastien Award as the best goalie.&ldquo;Playing for the Hershey Bears made it easy,&rdquo; Labbe said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a nice honor, but the team had a lot to do with it. I had a good season playing for a great team.&rdquo;UNEMPLOYED: Carolina Monarchs&rsquo; coach Rich Kromm and assistant Jon Christiano were fired by the parent Florida Panthers.Panthers&rsquo; GM Bryan Murray said while player development was satisfactory, a change was necessary after two non-playoff seasons.ALL-STARS: The Philadelphia Phantoms and Hershey not only dominated in the standings as the AHL&rsquo;s only 100-point teams, they also filled the all-star teams.Center Vaclav Prospal, defenseman Darren Rumble and left winger Patrik Juhlin of the Phantoms were first-team selections and Peter White was the second-team center.&ldquo;Our guys had a phenomenal year and I&rsquo;m proud of them,&rdquo; said Philadelphia coach Bill Barber, whose club went 49-21-10 to win the Mid-Atlantic Division over Hershey (43-27-10).Hershey goalie J.F. Labbe is the first-team goalie and is joined by Bears&rsquo; right winger Blair Atcheynum.Defenseman Pascal Trepanier was named to the second team. The only non-Bear or Phantom on the first team was Rochester Americans&rsquo; defenseman Terry Hollinger.Also on the second team are Hamilton Bulldogs&rsquo; left winger Ralph Intranuovo, Kentucky Thoroughblades&rsquo; right winger Jan Caloun, Worcester IceCats&rsquo; defenseman Jamie Rivers and Adirondack Red Wings&rsquo; goalie Norm Maracle.YOGI TOP ROOKIE: Jaroslav (Yogi) Svejkovsky wasn&rsquo;t your average rookie.The Portland Pirates&rsquo; dynamic right winger won the Dudley Garrett Award as AHL rookie of the year. A first round pick of the Washington Capitals in 1996, Svejkovsky scored 38 goals and 66 points in 54 games. Svejkovsky scored seven goals in 19 games for the Capitals, including a four-goal performance in the last game of the season.<h2>AHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>FIRST ROUND (Best of Five)</h3>NORTHERN CONFERENCESt. John&rsquo;s vs. BinghamtonSaint John vs. HamiltonRochester vs. SyracuseAdirondack vs. AlbanySOUTHERN CONFERENCEWorcester vs. ProvidenceSpringfield vs. PortlandPhiladelphia vs. BaltimoreHershey vs. Kentucky &#9632;

Coach of year Gilbert stumbled on coachina

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>When Andy Van Hellemond became senior vice-president, hockey operations for the East Coast League, one of his goals was to cut down on the number of stick-related incidents and other major penalties that have plagued the ECHL.Mission accomplished.Game misconducts were down 21 per cent this season, match penalties were down five per cent and gross misconducts were off a whopping 62 per cent. Major penalties were also down three per cent. Total penalty minutes were off 10 per cent from last season.The penalty minute average fell from 31.4 per game to 27.2.&ldquo;The players are not retaliating as much,&rdquo; said Van Hellemond, who spent 25 years as a referee in the NHL before joining the ECHL last June. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re playing the game. They know things are going to be called.&ldquo;They also know that if things get severe, like an (Ed) Courtenay thing, or a (Gary) Coupal thing, they&rsquo;re going to be dealt with harshly.&rdquo;Courtenay of the South Carolina Stingrays was suspended 25 games after hitting Dave Jesiolowski of the Knoxville Cherokees in the face with his stick March 27. Coupal of the Columbus Chill was suspended the rest of the season after hitting Aaron Downey of the Hampton Roads Admirals in the head with his stick in November.Other players were suspended a total of seven games for various stick-related incidents.&ldquo;Since Christmas, we&rsquo;ve had very few incidents of major proportions,&rdquo; Van Hellemond said. &ldquo;I think the message hit home. These guys sit on the bus and they tell the other players, and hopefully it filters through the ranks. I think we&rsquo;re heading in the right direction.&rdquo;GETTING BETTER: After spending four days in the hospital in Charleston, S.C., Dave Jesiolowski returned home to Edmonton. The Knoxville center still has problems with blurred vision in one eye, but is expected to recover after being struck in the face by a two-handed slash from Ed Courtenay March 27.Jesiolowski needed surgery to repair a broken orbital bone and damage to his sinus cavity. He also took 24 stitches to his face, not 300 as reported earlier by the Cherokees.Courtenay, meanwhile, served one game of i the suspension before being placed on injured reserve for the playoffs. Courtenay will have 24 games to serve next season.MOVING IN: The Knoxville franchise has settled into Florence, S.C., where it will operate in 1997-98.About 250 season tickets were sold shortly after the club opened its office.Upper Marlboro, Md., one of the league&rsquo;s two expansion franchises for 1997-98, will announce its name in late-April. Mike Mudd is assistant GM and Charlie Copeland has been appointed vice-president, marketing.In New Orleans, the expansion Brass is in the process of renovating the old Municipal Auditorium where the team hopes to play next season.COAST LINES: The Peoria Rivermen and Columbus Chill were unable to use their home arenas in the first playoff round because of previously scheduled events. Peoria played in its practice facility, the Owens Center, while Columbus had to use the Nutter Center in Dayton, which is home to the Dayton Bombers.<h2>ECHL PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>FIRST ROUND (Best of Five)</h3>S. Carolina 3 Charlotte 0Hampton Roads 3 Roanoke 1Columbus 3 Toledo 2Peoria 3 Wheeling 0Pensacola 3 Tallahassee 0Richmond 3 Dayton 1Louisiana 3 Mobile 0Birmingham 3 Mississippi 0<h3>SECOND ROUND (Best of Five)</h3>S. Carolina 2 Hampton Roads 1Peoria 3 Columbus 0Pensacola 2 Richmond 1Louisiana 2 Birmingham 2HIGHLIGHTS (April 11-17): Peoria, behind the scoring of Doug Evans, Jean-Guy Trudel and Paul Vincent, made Columbus its second straight 3-0 series victim. Evans led playoff scorers with five goals and 14 points in six games&hellip;South Carolina rallied for back-to-back overtime wins against Hampton Roads before losing Game 3. &#9632;

Foul reduction mandate success in first season

<div class="byline">BY Jim Cressman</div>The Oshawa Generals were fined $1,000 by the Ontario League after coach Bill Stewart didn&rsquo;t allow his players to participate in a post-series handshake ritual with rival Peterborough Petes.The Generals won the physical first round playoff in six games, but Stewart was afraid of a full-scale riot.&ldquo;(The series) was vicious on both sides,&rdquo; Stewart said of his decision not to take part in the playoff tradition. &ldquo;One of our guys (Dan Hinote) lost three teeth from a high stick and another (Kevin Colley) had his nose broken. I was worried about our guys starting something. I felt it was in the best interest to avoid a confrontation.&rdquo;The series produced three suspensions, including five games to Generals&rsquo; defenseman Jeff Ware.Commissioner Dave Branch issued the fine, although there&rsquo;s no league policy requiring handshakes.&ldquo;The OHL has a responsibility to lead by example,&rdquo; Branch said. &ldquo;There are countless young people looking up to the players in our league and there&rsquo;s a deep requirement on our part to set examples of good sportsmanship.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01741/6482913-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="782" height="902"><figcaption class="caption-body">Patrick Marleau is the leader of a young Thunderbirds team.</figcaption></div>Branch said the fine money will be forwarded to the Peterborough and Oshawa minor hockey associations.AGNEW RETURNS: Saying he&rsquo;s a little smarter now than three years ago, London Knights&rsquo; president Doug Tarry re-hired Gary Agnew as coach-GM after firing him when the Tarry family bought the team in May, 1994.Agnew, 36, was the Knights&rsquo; coach-GM for four seasons, then was coach-GM of the Kingston Frontenacs for three years. Knights&rsquo; GM and interim coach Paul McIntosh becomes vice-president.Agnew was 94-75-19 with the Frontenacs and 139-107-18 for a 233-182-37 mark overall.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what we had three years ago,&rdquo; Tarry said as he introduced his seventh coach and fifth GM.Agnew said he is honored. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not an easy thing for somebody to do after firing you.&rdquo;MAV MOVES ON: Two days after Gary Agnew left the Frontenacs, Larry Mavety left the Belleville Bulls to return to Kingston as coach-GM.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s the right situation for me,&rdquo; said Mavety, who left the Bulls once before in 1988 to coach Kingston for two seasons. He had been with Belleville a total of 14 years.Mavety, 54, has 502 career wins, third on the OHL list behind Brian Kilrea of the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s and Bert Templeton of the Barrie Colts.Bulls&rsquo; assistant coach Lou Crawford, the brother of Colorado Avalanche coach Marc Crawford, was named to replace Mavety. Team owner Bob Vaughan took over as interim GM.<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02475/6482906-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="1303" height="878"></div>HIGHLIGHTS (April 11-17): Kitchener staved off elimination with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 5. Rob DeCiantis scored with 14 seconds left in the first overtime period. Kitchener outshot Oshawa 71-48&hellip;Ottawa&rsquo;s Steve Lowe scored in overtime to give the 67&rsquo;s a 3-0 series lead. &#9632;

f0029-01

Generals fined for passing on playoff tradition

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Russ Farwell envisioned the Seattle Thunderbirds making the Western League&rsquo;s West Division final-next season.&ldquo;We were looking a year down the road,&rdquo; acknowledged Farwell, the Thunderbirds&rsquo; GM. &ldquo;There were so many unknowns on our team. We knew we had pretty good skill. We didn&rsquo;t know how quickly our players would develop.&rdquo;Very quickly, as it turned out.The Thunderbirds finished second in the West Division&rsquo;s regular season with a 41-27-4 record.Seattle became the West&rsquo;s top-seeded playoff team after the sixth-place Prince George Cougars knocked off the first-ranked Portland Winter Hawks in the opening round. Seattle received a second round bye. Prince George, meanwhile, swept the Spokane Chiefs to earn a trip to the division final against Seattle.&ldquo;With as good a team as Portland had, and as tough as they played us, I&rsquo;m very much surprised that we&rsquo;re in the final and they&rsquo;re not there,&rdquo; Farwell said. &ldquo;Prince George has a pretty good team. They&rsquo;ve got a lot of older guys who have bought into a team system.&rdquo;Experience is at a premium on Seattle. Its leader, 51-goal man Patrick Marleau, is only 17.&ldquo;Guys have really come on in each area of the game,&rdquo; Farwel said, &ldquo;and that has let us overachieve a bit. Don (Nachbaur, the Thunderbirds&rsquo; coach) did a really good job because of all the unknowns. We saw good development all the way around.&rdquo;LINE CHANGES: Phone lines were jammed in Prince George as people clamored for Cougars&rsquo; playoff tickets. Circuit: were riooueo April io when tickets went on sale for an April 20 contest against Seattle.It got so bad that residents of the city could receive incoming calls, but could not access a dial tone when calling out.One night earlier. Prince George had tied the best-of-seven series 2-2 by winning 4-3 at home. That Cougars&rsquo; victory guaranteed a sixth game would be played in Prince George.The next morning, the 6,000-seat Multiplex was sold out within an hour.MISSING MOOSE JAW: The conclusion of the Moose Jaw Warriors&rsquo; season also spelled the end of Darryl Laplante&rsquo;s WHL career.The talented center, who turned 20 March 28, is expected to spend next season with the American League&rsquo;s Adirondack Red Wings. The Detroit Red Wings selected Laplante, the Warriors&rsquo; captain, in the third round of the NHL&rsquo;s 1995 draft.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03302/6482951-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="789" height="914"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jean-Sebastien Giguere is a celebrity in Halifax these days.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll miss (junior hockey),&rdquo; Laplante said. &ldquo;I heard (Warriors&rsquo; coach and GM) Al Tuer say that junior hockey will be the funnest time of your career. 1&rsquo;11 miss it tremendously.&ldquo;The guys are so close. I know it sounds like a cliche, but we&rsquo;re like a family. We all get along. We all hang out together.&rdquo;<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04214/6482944-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="1295" height="873"></div>SECOND ROUND (Best ol Five) SECOND ROUND (Best of Seven)HIGHLIGHTS (April 11-17): Two goals by Martin Hohenberger led Lethbridge to a 6-4 win and a 3-1 series lead&hellip;Quinn Hancock scored two goals as Prince George evened its series with Seattle in a 4-3 win. &#9632;

f0029-03

Thunderbirds coming of age under Farwell

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05187/6482982-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg"></div>One year after becoming the first Quebec League team to win the Memorial Cup in 25 years, the Granby Predateurs have been put up for sale and could have a new home by next season.The Predateurs were officially put on the market after being upset by the Vai d&rsquo;Or Foreurs in the Lebel Division semifinal. Granby finished the regular season with the second best record in the league at 44-20-6.Granby GM Jean-Claude Morrissette, who owns the franchise along with five of his brothers and team president Michel Trudel, put a price tag of $1 million on the Predateurs. The city of Granby has the right of first refusal and if it doesn&rsquo;t exercise its option, local ownership in Granby will be sought.But if the team isn&rsquo;t sold by April 30, it will go on the market, opening up the possibility of a transfer to a new city. Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Sydney, N.S., are considered the frontrunners.After spending 11 years as an owner in the QMJHL (the first nine in Laval), Morrissette said it&rsquo;s time to move on.&ldquo;We knew something would eventually come to an end,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After 11 years it&rsquo;s time to think about something else.&rdquo;Morrissette said the Predateurs were expected to lose between $100,000 and $150,000 this season, but added that he never got into the junior hockey business to make money. He also operates a successful family-owned roofing business in Laval.League president Gilles Courteau said he wasn&rsquo;t surprised to learn the Predateurs are up for sale. &ldquo;For (the Morrissette brothers) winning the Memorial Cup was the summit for their junior career. They reached their satisfaction.&rdquo;MOOSE COUNTRY: One team not going anywhere is the Halifax Mooseheads, who became the hottest thing in town.After averaging 5,361 fans during the season, the Mooseheads had a sellout crowd of 9,615 for four of seven playoff games at the Halifax Metro Centre and were averaging 8,805.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just unbelievable,&rdquo; said Mooseheads&rsquo; goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. &ldquo;The people here are going nuts. The only thing people are talking about is the Mooseheads. It&rsquo;s a great feeling.&rdquo;Another great feeling for the players was being recognized on Halifax streets.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing,&rdquo; Giguere said. &ldquo;When we go shopping we get deals everywhere and everywhere we go in Halifax people stop and talk to us. All 20 players on the team get recognized.&rdquo;GO, HULL, GO!: The Mooseheads and Chicoutimi Sagueneens, who met in the Dilio Division final, were rooting for the Hull Olympiques to beat the Vaid&rsquo;Or Foreurs in the Lebel Division final. The reason is simple.Hull, which won the regular-season title, already has a berth in the Memorial Cup as host team. Because the Olympiques advanced to the league final, the other finalist automatically qualifies for the Memorial Cup as the second Quebec representative.<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2>HIGHLIGHTS (April 11-17): Hull is headed to the final after beating d&rsquo;Or 5-2 April 15 to win their division final 4-1. Hull&rsquo;s Pavel Rosa see twice to give him 13 goals in 10 games.. Halifax took a 3-2 lead wr 5-3 victory April 15 in front of another sellout crowd of 9,615 in Halitax &#9632;

f0029-05

Predateurs on auction block year after Cup

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01778/6483027-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02507/6483020-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="4518" height="5240"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01753/6483013-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="4208" height="2488"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01843/6483086-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01801/6483079-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="4518" height="5240"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01757/6483072-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="4518" height="5240"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01679/6483065-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="4518" height="5240"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01746/6483058-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="4232" height="1680"></div> &#9632;

f0034-01

FINAL 1996-97 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS

Transactions include player moves from April 11 to 18. Rosters and injuries are as of April 18. Players in roster are listed in sequence of latest line combinations and defense pairings (i.e. first center plays on line with first left winger and first right winger). Next to injured players are projected return dates. Day-to-day means possibly as soon as next game, indefinite indicates an extended period.<h2>ANAHEIM</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Sean Pronger, Mark Janssens, Richard Park, Kevin Todd. LW-Paul Kariya, Brian Bellows, Ted Drury, Ken Baumgartner. RW-Teemu Selanne, Joe Sacco. Jari Kurri, Mike Leclerc, Warren Rychel. LD-Bobby Delias, J.J. Daigneault, Dave Karpa. RD-Dan Trebil, Dmitri Mironov, Darren Van Impe, Jason Marshall. G-Guy Hebert, Mikhail Shtalenkov.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Shawn Antoski, LW, abdominal surgery, day-to-day. Peter LeBoutillier, RW, sprained left knee, indefinite. J.F. Jomphe. C, abdominal strain, indefinite. Steve Rucchin, C, back spasms, day-to-day.<h2>BOSTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 14: Brett Harkins, C, Anders Myrvold, D, Davis Payne, LW, Jean-Yves Roy, LW. Paxton Schafer, G, Tim Sweeney, LW, and Landon Wilson, RW, assigned to Providence (AHL). April 18: Steve Kasper, coach, fired.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Jozef Stumpel, Jason Allison, Rob DiMaio, Trent McCleary. LW-Ted Donato, Troy Mallette. RW-Anson Carter, Sheldon Kennedy, Jeff Odgers. LD-Dean Malkoc, Don Sweeney. Dean Chynoweth. RD-Ray Bourque, Bob Beers, Jon Rohloff. G-Jim Carey.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Steve Heinze, RW, abdominal surgery. Kyle McLaren. D, chip fracture in left thumb. Sandy Moger. RW, broken right index finger. Randy Robitaille. C, separated left shoulder. Rob Tallas, G, sprained left ankle.<h2>BUFFALO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Derek Plante, Brian Holzinger, Michael Peca, Wayne Primeau. LW-Brad May, Randy Burridge, Dixon Ward, Michal Grosek. RW-Donald Audette, Jason Dawe, Rob Ray, Ed Ronan. LD-Mike Wilson, Alexei Zhitnik, Bob Boughner. RD-Garry Galley, Darryl Shannon, Richard Smehlik, Jay McKee. G-Dominik Hasek, Steve Shields, Andrei Trefilov.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Matthew Barnaby, RW, sprained left knee ligament, early-May. Pat LaFontaine. C, post-concussion syndrome, indefinite. Miroslav Satan, LW, appendicitis episode, day-to-day. Anatoli Semenov. C, shoulder surgery, day-to-day.<h2>CALGARY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 13: Jamie Allison, D, and Hnat Domenichelli, LW, assigned to Saint John (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Dave Gagner, Aaron Gavey, Marty McInnis, Corey Millen. LW-German Titov, Jonas Hoglund, Mike Sullivan, Ed Ward, Cory Stillman. RW-Jarome Iginla, Ron Stem, Sandy McCarthy. LD-Tommy Albelin, Joel Bouchard, Glen Featherstone. RD-Todd Simpson, Cale Hulse, Yves Racine. G-Trevor Kidd, Dwayne Roloson.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Theo Fleury, RW, sprained knee. Todd Hlushko, LW, concussion. James Patrick, D, knee surgery. Zarley Zalapski, D, knee surgery.<h2>CHICAGO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 12: Steve Dubinsky, C, Jean-Yves Leroux, LW, and Christian Laflamme, D, recalled from Indianapolis (IHL). April 13: Dubinsky, Leroux and Laflamme assigned to Indianapolis.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Murray Craven, Jeff Shantz, Brent Sutter, Denis Savard. LW-Tony Amonte, Ethan Moreau, Bob Probert, Ulf Dahlen. RW-Sergei Krivokrasov, Eric Daze, Jim Cummins, James Black, Kevin Miller. LD-Keith Carney, Steve Smith, Gary Suter, Cam Russell. RD-Chris Chelios, Eric Weinrich, Enrico Ciccone, Michal Sykora. G-Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Alexei Zhamnov, C, sprained right ankle, day-to-day.<h2>COLORADO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Mike Ricci, Stephane Yelle. LW-Valeri Kamensky, Keith Jones, Eric Lacroix, Rene Corbet, Brent Severyn. RW-Adam Deadmarsh, Claude Lemieux, Scott Young, Mike Keane, Yves Sarault. LD-Sylvain Lefebvre, Sandis Ozolinsh, Alexei Gusarov. RD-Adam Foote, Jon Klemm, Eric Messier, Aaron Miller. G-Patrick Roy, Craig Billington.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Uwe Krupp. D, pinched nerve in back, day-to-day.<h2>DALLAS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Mike Modano, Joe Nieuwendyk, Guy Carbonneau, Neal Broten, Mike Kennedy. LW-Greg Adams, Benoit Hogue, Dave Reid, Bill Huard, Bob Bassen, Brent Gilchrist. RW-Jere Lehtinen, Todd Harvey, Jamie Lan-genbrunner, Pat Verbeek, Grant Marshall. LD-Derian Hatcher, Mike Lalor, Darryl Sydor, Craig Ludwig. RD-Sergei Zubov, Grant Ledyard, Dan Keczmer, Richard Matvichuk. G-Andy Moog, Arturs Irbe, Roman Turek.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None.<h2>DETROIT</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-lgor Larionov, Steve Yzerman, Kris Draper, Vyacheslav Kozlov, Doug Brown. LW-Brendan Shanahan, Tomas Sandstrom, Joe Kocur, Tomas Holmstrom, Tim Taylor. RW-Darren McCarty, Martin Lapointe, Kirk Maltby, Mathieu Dandenault, Mike Knuble. LD-Nicklas Lidstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Aaron Ward, Bob Rouse, Slava Fetisov. RD-Vladimir Konstantinov, Larry Murphy, Jamie Pushor. G-Chris Osgood, Mike Vernon, Kevin Hodson.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None.<h2>EDMONTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 14: Ralph Intranuovo, LW, assigned to Hamilton (AHL). Chris Wickenheiser, G, recalled from Portland (WHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Doug Weight, Jason Arnott, Rem Murray, Mats Lindgren, Steve Kelly. LW-Mariusz Czerkawski, Ryan Smyth, Todd Marchant, Louie DeBrusk. RW-Andrei Kovalenko, Kelly Buchberger, Mike Grier, Petr Klima. LD-Luke Richardson, Bryan Marchment, Donald Dufresne. RD-Boris Mironov, GregdeVries, Dan McGillis, Drew Bannister. G-Curtis Joseph, Bob Essensa, Chris Wickenheiser.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Kevin Lowe. D, bruised right ankle, day-to-day. Dean McAmmond, LW, back surgery, out for season.<h2>FLORIDA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 16: Kevin Weekes, G, Ryan Johnson, C, Craig Ferguson, C, Filip Kupa, D, and Daniel Tjamqvist, D, recalled from Carolina (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Rob Niedermayer, Martin Straka, Kirk Muller, Tom Fitzgerald, Chris Wells, Ryan Johnson, Craig Ferguson. LW-Johan Garpenlov, Dave Lowry, Mike Hough, Bill Lindsay. RW-Scott Mellanby, Ray Sheppard, Radek Dvorak, Jody Hull, David Nemirovsky. LD-Terry Carkner, Paul Laus, Per Gustafs-son, Geoff Smith, Filip Kupa. RD-Robert Svehla, Gord Murphy, Ed Jovanovski, Rhett Warrener, Daniel Tjamqvist. G-John Van-biesbrouck, Mark Fitzpatrick, Kevin Weekes.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Brian Skrudland, C, tom right knee ligament, eariy-May. Steve Washburn, C, sprained knee ligament, early-May.<h2>HARTFORD</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 11: Jeff Daniels, LW, assigned to Springfield (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Andrew Cassels, Keith Primeau, Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, Kent Manderville. LW-Geoff Sanderson, Derek King, Steven Rice, Paul Ranheim, Stu Grimson. RW-Kevin Dineen, Nelson Emerson, Chris Murray, Robert Kron. LD-Glen Wesley, Curtis Leschyshyn, Kevin Haller. RD-Adam Burt, Steve Chiasson, Alexander Godynyuk, Marek Malik. G-Sean Burke, Jason Muzzatti.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jeff Brown, D, back surgery. LOS ANGELES TRANSACTIONSNone.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Ray Ferraro, Roman Vopat, Nathan LaFayette, Jason Morgan. LW-Dimitri Khris-tich, Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, Steve McKenna, Vladimir Tsyplakov. RW-Glen Murray, Kai Nurminen, Brad Smyth, Vitali Yachmenev. LD-Doug Zmolek, Mattias Norstrom, Jan Vopat. RD-Philippe Boucher, Steven Finn, Rob Blake. G-Jamie Storr, Byron Dafoe.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Aki Berg. D, sprained left ankle. Dan Bylsma, RW, strained groin. Stephane Fiset, G, strained groin/abdominal. Craig Johnson, LW, strained groin. Matt Johnson. LW, strained back. Ian Laperriere. RW, shoulder surgery. Yanic Perreault, C, kidney surgery. Jeff Shevalier, LW, strained groin. Kevin Stevens, LW, sprained right knee.<h2>MONTREAL</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 14: Brad Brown, D, recalled from Fredericton (AHL). April 16: David Ling, RW, Tomas Vokoun, G, Sebastien Bordeleau, C, Francois Groleau, D, Miloslav Guren, D, and Eric Houde, C, recalled from Fredericton.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Saku Koivu, Vincent Damphousse, Scott Thornton, Darcy Tucker. Eric Houde, Sebastien Bordeleau. LW-Shayne Corson, Martin Rucinsky, Brian Savage. Benoit Brunet. RW-Mark Recchi, Stephane Richer, Turner Stevenson, Valeri Bure, David Ling. LD-Vladimir Malakhov, Dave Manson, Jassen Cullimore, Miloslav Guren. RD-Stephane Quintal, Craig Rivet, David Wilkie, Francois Groleau. G-Jocelyn Thibault, Jose Theodore, Tomas Vokoun.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Patrice Brisebois, D, bruised ribs, indefinite. Marc Bureau. C, fractured finger, indefinite. Peter Popovic. D, bruised ribs, indefinite.<h2>NEW JERSEY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 15: Patrik Elias, LW, and Petr Sykora, C, recalled from Albany (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Doug Gilmour, Bobby Holik, Bobby Carpenter, Denis Pederson, Peter Zezel, Petr Sykora. LW-Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias, Valeri Zelepukin, Reid Simpson. Jay Pandolfo. RW&mdash;Bill Guerin, Steve Thomas, Randy McKay, John MacLean. LD-Scott Stevens. Ken Daneyko, Dave Ellett, Kevin Dean. RD-Shawn Chambers, Scott Niedermayer, Lyle Odelein. G-Martin Brodeur, Mike Dunham.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dave Andreychuk, LW, non-displaced fracture of left ankle, early-May.<h2>N.Y. ISLANDERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 14: Ken Belanger, LW, and Steve Webb, RW, assigned to Kentucky (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Robert Reichel, Travis Green, Claude Lapointe, Dan Plante. LW-Bryan Smolinski, Niklas Andersson, Randy Wood, Paul Kruse. RW-Ziggy Palffy, Todd Bertuzzi, Brent Hughes, Dave McLIwain. LD-Kenny Jonsson, Bryan McCabe, Dennis Vaske. RD-Bryan Berard, Scott Lachance, Doug Houda, Rich Pilon. G-Tommy Salo, Eric Fichaud.<h3>INJURIES</h3>None.<h2>N.Y. RANGERS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Eastwood, Chris Ferraro. LW-Adam Graves, Esa Tikkanen, Bill Berg, Darren Langdon, Luc Robitaille. RW-Russ Courtnail, Niklas Sundstrom, Patrick Flatley, Shane Churla, David Oliver, Ryan VandenBussche. LD-Brian Leetch, Ulf Samuelsson, Bruce Driver, Eric Cairns, Dallas Eakins. RD-Jeff Beukeboom, Alexander Karpovtsev, Doug Lidster. G-Mike Richter, Glenn Healy.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Alexei Kovalev, RW, torn right knee ligament, out for season.<h3>OTTAWA</h3><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 16: Mike Bales, G, recalled from Baltimore (AHL). Ron Tugnutt, G, signed contract for 1997-98.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Alexei Yashin, Sergei Zhoitok, Shaun Van Allen, Radek Bonk. LW-Shawn McEachern, Tom Chorske, Randy Cunneyworth, Denny Lambert. RW-Bruce Gardiner, Daniel Alfredsson, Alexandre Daigle, Andreas Dack-ell, Phil Crowe. LD-Janne Laukkanen, Wade Redden, Frank Musil. RD-Lance Pitlick, Jason York, Steve Duchesne, Radim Bicanek, Christer Olsson. G-Ron Tugnutt, Mike Bales.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Sean Hill, D, left knee surgery, indefinite. Stan Neckar. D, right knee surgery, indefinite. Damian Rhodes. G, strained left calf muscle, day-to-day. Dennis Vial, LW, broken right ring finger, out for season.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Eric Lindros, Vaclav Prospal, Joel Otto, Daniel Lacroix. LW-John LeClair, Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, Shjon Podein, Dan Kordic, John Druce. RW-Mikael Renberg, Pat Falloon, Trent Klatt, Dainius Zubrus, Scott Daniels. LD-Chris Therien, Paul Coffey, Petr Svoboda. RD-Eric Desjardins, Janne Niinimaa, Karl Dykhuis, Michel Petit. G-Garth Snow, Ron Hextali.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Dale Hawerchuk, C, strained lower abdomen, day-to-day. Kjell Samuelsson, D, neck surgery, indefinite.<h2>PHOENIX</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Craig Janney, Cliff Ronning, Bob Corkum, Mike Stapleton. LW-Keith Tkachuk, Dallas Drake, Darrin Shannon, Jim McKenzie, Igor Korolev. RW-Mike Gartner, Jeremy Roenick, Shane Doan, Kris King, Jocelyn Lemieux. LD-Oleg Tverdovsky, Gerald Diduck, Jay More, Brad McCrimmon. RD-Teppo Numminen, Norm Maciver, Jeff Finley, Deron Quint, Jim Johnson. G-Nikolai Khabibulin, Pat Jablonski.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Murray Baron, D, fracture left foot, day-to-day. Darcy Wakaluk, G, sprained right knee, day-to-day.<h2>PITTSBURGH TRANSACTIONS</h2>April 14: Philippe DeRouville, G, assigned to Kansas City (IHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Ron Francis, Petr Nedved, Stu Barnes, Alex Hicks. LW-Mario Lemieux. Josef Beranek. Greg Johnson, Ian Moran. RW-Jaromir Jagr, Ed Olczyk, Garry Valk, Joe Dziedzic, Roman Oksiuta, Joe Mullen. LD-Darius Kasparaitis, Chris Tamer, Jason Woolley, Craig Muni. RD-Kevin Hatcher, Neil Wilkinson, Francois Leroux, Fredrik Olausson. G-Ken Wregget, Patrick Lalime, Philippe DeRouville.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Tom Barrasso. G. strained shoulder, indefinite. Alek Stojanov, LW, strained groin, indefinite.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>None.<h2>ROSTER</h2>C-Pierre Turgeon, Pavol Demitra, Craig Conroy, Harry York, Craig MacTavish, Robert Petrovicky. LW-Stephane Matteau, Geoff Courtnail, Scott Pellerin, Mike Peluso, Tony Twist. RW-Joe Murphy, Brett Hull, Steve Leach, Sergio Momesso. LD-Marc Bergevin, Chris Pronger, Ricard Persson. RD-AI Maclnnis, Igor Kravchuk, Trent Yawney, Chris McAlpine. G-Grant Fuhr, Jon Casey.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Jim Campbell, RW, sore right thumb, day-to-day.<h2>SAN JOSE</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 15: Wade Flaherty, G, and Stephen Guolla, LW, assigned to Kentucky (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Jeff Friesen, Darren Turcotte, Ron Suttera. LW-Viktor Kozlov, Andrei Nazarov, Ville Peltonen, Bob Errey. RW-Owen Nolan, Tony Granato, Shean Donovan, Todd Ewen, Tim Hunter. LD-Marcus Ragnarsson, Mike Rathje, Vlastimil Kroupa, Greg Hawgood. RD-Doug Bodger, Todd Gill, Marty McSorley. G-Kelly Hrudey.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Ed Belfour. G, bulging disc in back. Al lafrate. D, back surgery. Bernie Nicholls, C, hemia/bladder surgery. Dody Wood, C, wrist surgery.<h2>TAMPA BAY</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 14: Jeff Toms, C, assigned to Adirondack (AHL). April 16: Zac Bierk, G, signed multi-year contract and assigned to Adirondack.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Chris Gratton, Jeff Toms, Brian Bradley, Daymond Langkow. LW-Rob Zamuner, Shawn Burr, Jason Wiemer, Patrick Poulin. RW-Paul Ysebaert, Dino Ciccarelli, Alex Selivanov, Rudy Poeschek, Brantt Myhres. LD-Roman Hamriik, Jeff Norton, Cory Cross, David Shaw, Jay Wells. RD-Jamie Huscroft, Bill Houlder, Igor Ulanov. G-Daren Puppa, Rick Tabaracci, Corey Schwab.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Mikael Andersson, RW, impinged nerve in back. John Cullen, C, non-Hodgkin&rsquo;s lymphoma.<h2>TORONTO</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 13: Marcel Cousineau, G, and Jason Podollan, RW, assigned to St. John&rsquo;s (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Mats Sundin, Steve Sullivan, Darby Hendrickson, Brandon Convery, Jamie Baker. LW-Sergei Berezin, Wendel Clark, Todd Warriner, Nick Kypreos. RW-Fredrik Modin, Tie Domi, Mike Craig. Mike Johnson. LD-Jamie Macoun, Rob Zettler, D.J. Smith, Yannick Tremblay. RD-Jason Smith, Dimitri Yushkevich, Matt Martin. G-Felix Potvin.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Kelly Chase. RW, tendinitis in right knee. David Cooper, D, twisted right knee. Mathieu Schneider. D, abdominal surgery. Craig Wolanin, D, strained right knee.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 13: Lonny Bohonos, RW, assigned to Syracuse (AHL).<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Trevor Linden, Mike Ridley, Mike Sillinger. LW-Martin Gelinas, Markus Naslund, Dave Roberts, Donald Brashear. RW-Brian Noonan, Scott Walker, Troy Crowder. LD-Bret Hedican, Dana Murzyn, Dave Babych. RD-Jyrki Lumme, Adrian Aucoin, Steve Staios, Leif Rohlin, Chris Joseph. G-Kirk McLean, Corey Hirsch.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Pavel Bure. RW, whiplash. Alexander Mogilny. RW, strained abdomin. Sergei Nemchinov, C, bruised foot. Gino Odjick, LW, broken finger.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2><h3>TRANSACTIONS</h3>April 13: Andrew Brunette, LW. recalled from Portland (AHL). April 14: Yogi Svejkovsky, RW, and Brunette assigned to Portland. April 16: Brendan Witt, D, assigned to Portland.<h3>ROSTER</h3>C-Kevin Kaminski, Mike Eagles. Dale Hunter, Andrei Nikolishin. LW-Steve Konowalchuk. Phil Housley, Craig Berube. RW-Peter Bondra, Ken Klee, Todd Krygier. LD-Mark Tinordi, Calle Johansson. RD-Joe Reekie, Sergei Gonchar, Sylvain Cote. G&mdash;Bill Ranford, Olie Kolzig.<h3>INJURIES</h3>Joe Juneau, C. hip flexor. Kelly Miller, RW, sprained knee. Adam Oates. C. back spasms. Pat Peake, RW, concussion. Michal Pivonka, C, concussion. Chris Simon. LW, dislocated right shoulder. Rick Tocchet, RW. sprained back. &#9632;

NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01355/6483203-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div>(OT) denotes overtime gameTeam affiliations are listed In parentheses under names &#9632;

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FINAL 1996-97 AMERICAN LEAGUE STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01362/6483234-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div>(SO) denotes game decided by shootoutTeam affiliations are listed in parentheses under names &#9632;

f0042-01

FINAL 1996-97 INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01375/6483265-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg"></div>(OT) and (SO) denote overtime and shootoutNHL affiliations for players are listed in parentheses beside their names. &#9632;

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May 2, 1997

NHL GAME SUMMARIES

Tkachuk denies gambling charge

NHL SUMMARIES

Brodeur does it all then scores a goal