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.

June 13, 1997

The Hockey News June 13, 1997

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Citing a desire to land an NHL job, Rich Preston has resigned as coach of the Western League&rsquo;s Regina Pats.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a bit of a risk,&rdquo; Preston said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;m confident something will work out.&rdquo;Preston spent two seasons with the Pats, guiding them to 37-and 42-win seasons, in Preston s second season, the Pats cracked the 40-victory plateau for the first time since 1985-86.&ldquo;We have the nucleus of a dam good team and it would have been nice to finish the job,&rdquo; said Preston, who completed a two-year contract.Prior to joining Regina in 1995, Preston spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL&rsquo;s Chicago Blackhawks. Preston played for Chicago and the New Jersey Devils during an eight-year NHL career.&ldquo;To be fair to the Pats, I felt it would be best to do this now rather than tie their hands a month or two from now,&rdquo; said Preston, 45. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get an NHL job. That&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;m actively pursuing as we speak.&ldquo;I told Brent (Parker, the Pats&rsquo; GM) that if I don&rsquo;t have a job by July 15, I might be asking him for an assistant-coaching position.&rdquo;Parker was prepared to offer Preston a contract extension, but understood the reasoning behind the coach&rsquo;s departure.&ldquo;Rich is a good person,&rdquo; Parker said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s dedicated. He gave everything he had to the position.&rdquo;DEMPSEY DUMPED: The Kamloops Blazers have dismissed coach Ed Dempsey.Dempsey had a 76-59-9 record over two seasons as the Blazers&rsquo; bench boss.&ldquo;As a team, we have to be more disciplined,&rdquo; said Blazers&rsquo; GM Stu MacGregor.MacGregor discounted speculation that former Blazers&rsquo; and Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; coach Don Hay would be returning to Kamloops to succeed Dempsey, his former assistant.&ldquo;(Hay) indicated from Day 1 that he wants to continue in pro hockey,&rdquo; MacGregor said.Kamloops has talked to Lethbridge Hurricanes&rsquo; co-coach Parry Shockey about replacing Dempsey. Regina is also interested in Shockey.The Blazers confirmed MacGregor would be returning for his third season as GM.NOTEBOOK: The Spokane Chiefs are looking for an assistant to coach Mike Babcock after the contract of Brett Cox was not renewed. Cox has been working with the Canadian Hockey Association&rsquo;s under-17 program&hellip;The Moose Jaw Warriors traded defenseman Rob Hegberg, 20, to the Edmonton Ice for fourth-and sixth-round picks in the 1998 bantam draft&hellip;The Prince George Cougars hired Larry Bernard as an assistant coach. Bernard is to work with coach Stan Butler<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02594/6450377-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="772" height="907"><figcaption class="caption-body">Guy Chouinard is back with his alma mater, the Quebec Remparts.</figcaption></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04356/6450370-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="1065" height="724"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Preston leaves Pats in quest of NHL position

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03442/6449563-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="754" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kirk Muller</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02556/6449570-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="213" height="209"></div>The Florida Panthers went from Year of the Rat to Year of the Flat.Stanley Cup finalists in 1996, the Panthers were first-round playoff losers this time around. Management must now plan for a future that allows them to go deeper in next year&rsquo;s playoffs.Pre-draft speculation The plan in Panther Land has always been to take the best player available when it comes their time. True, the Panthers need offense, but they need it now, not three years from now. So if the best player is a defenseman come the 20th pick, that&rsquo;s who they&rsquo;ll take.Payroll If GM Bryan Murray is serious about getting offense, the team&rsquo;s $20-million payroll will rise. Murray has already opened the franchise wallet by signing Kirk Muller to a three-deal worth a reported $4.4 million. Scott Mellanby, in the last year of his contract, may be next. Murray is also working on signing unrestricted free agents Brian Skrudland and Terry Carkner.Potential departures Mike Hough and Jody Hull are terrific defensive forwards, but the Panthers need goal scorers. Martin Straka has been given ample opportunity, but has failed to produce.Potential additions Murray has said he has no plans to seek such high-priced (and high compensation) players as Joe Sakic or Sergei Fedorov. But if owner Wayne Huizenga gives the green light, Murray isn&rsquo;t going to shy away from taking a step that solves the Panthers&rsquo; problems on offense.NOTEBOOK: From the &lsquo;What I Did On My Summer Vacation&rsquo; department: Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck strapped himself into an F-16 Fighting Falcon jet recently and took a spin with the famed Thunderbirds. The planes travel 1,500 mph and ascend as far as nine miles into the sky. Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s reaction? &ldquo;Wow is all I can say. Sometimes I didn&rsquo;t know if I was up or down,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience."&hellip;Center Kirk Muller, acquired from Toronto at the March trading deadline, said he could have played out the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, but decided to sign a three-year deal with the Panthers because, &ldquo;I had a great feel for what&rsquo;s going on with this team.&rdquo; &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Cats search for answers

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01852/6449532-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="212" height="210"></div>An enduring playoff high has meant a renewed Low at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers.Coach Ron Low was rewarded for post-season success-a first-round upset of the heavily favored Dallas Stars-with a two-year contract extension. Now he faces the task of taking an up-and-coming team to the next level.Pre-draft speculation The Oilers, thin on the wings, may look to Slovakian right winger Robert Dome in the 14th slot in the first round. GM Glen Sather said he would speak to the New York Islanders about trading for one of their two first-rounders, most likely in order to get a possible shot at goalie Roberto Luongo.Payroll With a free agent list as long as theirs, the Oilers would have to perform a magic act to prevent an escalation of their $15.8-miilion (U.S.) payroll. The most prominent free agents are Luke Richardson, Boris Mironov, Andrei Kovalenko, Dan McGillis and Rem Murray.Potential departures Richardson ill attract attention on the free agent market. The Oilers are out of patience with restricted free agent left winger Louie DeBrusk. Right winger Petr Klima may wind up in Europe as the Oilers won&rsquo;t re-sign him.Potential additions The Oilers have been interested in getting New Jersey Devils&rsquo; defenseman Scott Nied-ermayer for the better part of two seasons, but have been unable to land him. This deal would be a longshot at best.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Kevin Lowe may be a candidate to replace assistant coach Kevin Primeau, who left to coach in Germany. Lowe said he will decide by the end of June whether he wants to play another year, jump into coaching or step away from the game for awhile. Other candidates for the job are Craig MacTavish and Butch Goring...Center Doug Weight played the last 10 games of the playoffs with a separated left shoulder. Weight sustained the injury in Game 2 of the Dallas series, but still led the Oilers&rsquo; in post-season scoring with 11 points&hellip;Right winger Andrei Kovalenko was in a Quebec City court in May, attempting to gain full custody of his triplet daughters, who are currently with his ex-wife. &#9632;

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Sather faces busy summer trying to sign free agents

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01740/6450477-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

NHL PLAYOFF GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</div>Michael Nylander&rsquo;s inner strength has been questioned in the NHL, but it should come as a source of comfort to the Calgary Flames that he&rsquo;s spending this summer working on his outer strength.The formerly flickering Flame excused himself politely from a trans-Atlantic telephone interview in late-May to keep an appointment with his personal trainer. It&rsquo;s the first time he has gone to such lengths to prepare for a season and Nylander says he needs to be physically stronger for his second debut after a season split between Switzerland and Sweden.Nylander, a wonderful talent maddeningly inconsistent during a four-year NHL stint (144 points in 211 games), is coming back for more.He signed a one-year contract with the Flames for $700,000 (U.S.). &ldquo;I feel it&rsquo;s too early to go back to Europe forever,&rdquo; Nylander said from his home in Bandhagen, Swe. &ldquo;I miss the NHL a lot. I would like to play better than I did the first four years. 1 want to play another seven to eight years.&rdquo;<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011429/6448282-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg" title="f0002-01" width="48" height="60"></div>The 24-year-old returns emboldened by a good season with Lugano in the Swiss League and an excellent year for the Swedish national team. He also rejoins Calgary with a new title: The Best Player in the World Outside the NHL. Nylander is THN&rsquo;s fourth selection for the honor. Previous winners were Peter Forsberg (1993-94), Saku Koivu (1994-95) and Robert Reichel (1995-96). Forsberg is now a franchise player with the Colorado Avalanche, Koivu a star with the Montreal Canadiens and Reichel a top forward for the New York Islanders. Nylander is following a similar path to Reichel. Both were disgruntled Flames, left the organization for a year and then returned. Reichel bombed in his second debut with Calgary and was traded to the Islanders.Nylander, meanwhile, finished sixth in Swiss League scoring with 12 goals and 55 points in 36 games. It was with the Swedish national team that he truly distinguished himself, representing his country five times, culminating with an excellent performance at the World Championship and earning top forward honors. National coach Kent Forsberg says Nylander matured as a person and a player this past year. Nylander&rsquo;s challenge is to earn the trust of Flames&rsquo; coach Pierre Page-with whom he had a celebrated blowup in Calgary-and achieve a level of consistency. Once billed as a Swedish Wayne Gretzky, he must now become a North American Michael Nylander. &ldquo;I hope I can play better and produce more for the team,&rdquo; Nylander said. &ldquo;I expect more of myself.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

Best non-NHLer vows this time will be different

<h2>Flyers, Detroit great matchup</h2>1.Final set Detroit, Philadelphia matchup has potential to be best since Rangers-Canucks in 1993-94.2.Way to go Joe Wings&rsquo; Joe Kocur opens season in 30-and-over league, now playing for Stanley Cup.3. Hull Olympiques give Quebec League second straight Memorial Cup championship.4. Golden moment Captain Dean Evasion scores winning goal for Canada at World Championship.5. Who needs video? Linesman Kevin Collins points out Eric Lindros&rsquo; wraparound goal before going upstairs.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021170/6448320-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="46" height="66"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 46px">Joe Kocur</figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04632/6448313-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="47" height="66"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 47px">Marc Crawford</figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Crawford pays for indiscretion</h2>1. Holy Crow Marc Crawford fined $10,000 for going berserk in shouting match with Detroit coach Scotty Bowman.2. Bad Boy Byron Apology accepted, but Byron Ritchie&rsquo;s tirade against Quebecers during Memorial Cup was silly.3. Poor sports Team Canada resorts to gratuitous violence against Czech Republic at World Championship.4. Un-Christian act Cleveland&rsquo;s Jeff Christian suspended 20 IHL games for hitting referee Brad Watson in ribs with puck.5. Oh, Manny Springfield goalie Manny Legace suspended 10 AHL games for abusing official. &#9632;

PLUS MINUS

The Chicago Blackhawks usurped the Detroit Red Wings as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable franchise, according to Financial World.However, no NHL franchise cracked the North American professional top 50; the Blackhawks are 53rd among the 113 National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and NHL teams.FW bases values on teams&rsquo; last three years average revenues, venues and leases. Revenues include gate, luxury suite and parking receipts, media income, venue advertising. licensing and merchandising.Listed below are NHL teams, their overall rank in parentheses. 1996 and 1997 FWvalues; and league average values in 1996 and 1997 and percentage growth. All dollar figures are in U.S. funds.Values are listed in the June 17 issue of Financial World.<h2>NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE</h2>All Values in U.S. Dollars<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021270/6448351-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="658" height="1803"></div> &#9632;

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Blackhawks steal crown from Wings

NHL franchises are the hottest on the market, Financial World reports.In the magazine&rsquo;s seventh annual survey of the value of professional sports franchises (June 17 issue), it says the value of NHL franchises rose an average of 21.6 per cent in the past year, ahead of increases in the National Football League (17.8), National Basketball Association (16.5) and Major League Baseball (16.5).FW reports the 113 franchises in the four major team sports increased an average 18 per cent over the past year, the sharpest increase since the survey began in 1991.The average NHL franchise rose in value from $74 million (U.S.) in 1996 to $90 million in 1997. The magazine predicts sports franchises will continue to soar. It says that although operating income has remained virtually the same, the advertising dollar has lured huge corporations such as television networks, shoe companies and banks to pay millions of dollars to sponsor teams.The Chicago Blackhawks are hockey&rsquo;s most valuable franchise with a value of $151 million. That ranks 53rd overall. The NFL&rsquo;s Dallas Cowboys retained their No. 1 ranking with a value of $320 million.Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden will try to rebuild the Toronto Maple Leafs as team president. &#9632;

Hockey’s stock soaring

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011574/6448406-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="315" height="228"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden will try to rebuild the Toronto Maple Leafs as team president (Photo by Dan Hamilton/vps)</figcaption></div>In search of a bright future, the Toronto Maple Leafs have reached back to the championship past of the Montreal Canadiens.The Leafs tried this with limited success in the early 1990s when they hired Pat Bums. Now, they&rsquo;re hoping for more sustained progress by the hiring of legendary Habs&rsquo; goaltender Ken Dryden as team president.Dryden fills part of the void left by Cliff Fletcher, who was chief operating officer, president and GM before being fired May 24.That job has now been cut into three parts, with the COO post to be filled sometime later this year. Dryden, meanwhile, hopes to hire a GM before the June 21 entry draft in Pittsburgh.&ldquo;Ken Dryden knows hockey and he knows how to win,&rdquo; said Leafs&rsquo; chairman Steve Stavro. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s like fresh air coming in here. He&rsquo;ll make mistakes, we know that, but he&rsquo;ll make up for them. He&rsquo;ll learn.&rdquo;Dryden, 49, has no NHL managerial experience, having retired as one of hockey&rsquo;s greatest goalies in 1979 to pursue an esoteric career of writing, lecturing and other academic pursuits.&ldquo;I always said back when I left the NHL that I had the best job in hockey as goalie for the Montreal Canadiens and I wouldn&rsquo;t leave it to take a lesser job,&rdquo; Dryden said. &ldquo;I have never sought anything or been sought after. The message was always clear, so they didn&rsquo;t ask.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m here today because it feels right to be here.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Dryden takes over Leafs

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>The Ontario town of Mitchell is honoring the &lsquo;Stratford Streak&rsquo;, er. make that the &lsquo;Mitchell Meteor.&rsquo;Former Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; great Howie Morenz will be honored posthumously by the town of 3,500 where he was bom. Mitchell is 100 miles west of Toronto and 10 miles north of Stratford, where he was recognized as an exceptional junior player.The honor includes four stone monuments and signs at town entrances and a June 13 banquet.Morenz is a Hall of Famer who won the NHL scoring title twice, captured three Hart Trophies and was on three Cup winners with the Canadiens. He finished his career with 270 goals and 467 points in 550 games. He also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers in a career that spanned from 1923-24 to 1936-37.Morenz was bom in Mitchell Sept. 21, 1902 where he played his minor hockey up to and including juvenile.PAROLE DELAY: Former major junior coach Graham James withdrew his application for day parole and is expected to apply for full parole beginning March 3,1998.The 43-year-old James is serving a 3-1/2 year sentence after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two of his former junior players. He is eligible for day parole in September.IMG LANDS TWINS: Swedish twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin have secured the services of International Management Group and Michael Barnett as their agent.The Sedins burst onto the scene at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Red Deer, Alta. They are the top prospects for the 1999 entry draft. Another top 1999 prospect, defenseman Steve McCarthy of Trail, B.C., is also represented by IMG. Joe Thornton, who will be chosen No. 1 this season, is also represented by IMG.FIRE ON ICE: Sixty-four teams from across the world will compete in senior and open divisions at the 1997 World Police/Fire Games June 28-July 4 in Calgary. Players on all the teams are professional police officers and firefighters. &#9632;

Morenz honored

<div class="byline">Kerry Fraser</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011602/6448461-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="410" height="533"></div>Kerry Fraser has been to the Stanley Cup final before-seven other times to be ex-act-but that doesn&rsquo;t lessen the excitement this year.&ldquo;The final is the Holy Grail for the players and for the officials, too,&rdquo; said Fraser, who makes his return to the final after missing last year. &ldquo;To be selected is a reward for hard work. It&rsquo;s the ultimate ending to a season.&rdquo;Terry Gregson and Bill McCreary are the other referees. They are working their fifth and fourth finals, respectively. Last year&rsquo;s final between the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers was handled by McCreary, Don Koharski and Andy Van Hellemond. Van Hellemond has since retired.Ray Scapinello (17th final), Wayne Bonney (fifth), Gord Broseker (second) and Dan Schachte (first) are the linesmen.Referees and linesmen are selected to the final on the basis of their performances during the regular season and playoffs. Officials are monitored on an on-going basis.Fraser said he doesn&rsquo;t get nervous in the final.&ldquo;You do get excited though,&rdquo; Fraser said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s an energy you feed off.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Stanley Cup final brings out best in officials, too

It&rsquo;s obvious the NHL must do something about the in-the-crease rule in the off-season. The league should bring back the rectangle in the crease and introduce the following rules:?No skates of an opposing player are allowed in the rectangle crease at any time, regardless of puck location.?One skate of an opposing player is allowed in the semi-circle regardless of puck location, provided the player isn&rsquo;t interfering with the goaltender.This way goalies would have their space and goals would not be disallowed for marginal crease infractions.Donovan Strickler,&nbsp;Greensberg, Pa.<h2>No goal! No goal!</h2>Wait a minute! The video replay judge has just waved off Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s empty net goal against the Montreal Canadiens because Brodeur was in the crease when he shot the puck.Glen Weber,&nbsp;Brooklyn, N. Y.<h2>Make them sit</h2>Now that players can&rsquo;t come within three feet of a goalie without having a goal taken away from them, it&rsquo;s about time goalies became responsible for their actions.Garth Snow and Steve Shields had a brawl at center ice and the only repercussion was a few extra minutes in the penalty column. Mike Vernon high-sticked a player on the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and cursed out the referee and remained in the net. Patrick Roy received a 10-minute misconduct and it was served by Stephane Yelle.Let&rsquo;s make goalies sit in the box for their major penalties and misconducts. The goalies are pampered enough.Keith Farrell,&nbsp;Palo Alto, Calif.Movin&rsquo; on outHow fan friendly is the NHL? Let&rsquo;s see. Since 1992, the Minnesota North Stars have moved to Dallas, the Quebec Nordiques to Denver, the Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix and now the Hartford Whalers to Raleigh.What&rsquo;s next? The Edmonton Oilers to Houston? How about the New York Islanders heading to Oklahoma City?Heck, why not do away with the home teams and make the NHL a barnstorming league? Have each team play its home games in three different cities. At least this way, the league could continue to spread the word without further diluting its talent pool by adding more teams.Does tradition and fan loyalty mean anything to today&rsquo;s NHL team owner? Definitely not.Derek Jones,&nbsp;Dilltown, Penn.<h2>Defending WPHL</h2>In Mike Brophy&rsquo;s May 2 story about the World Championship, he wrote that John Blue, &ldquo;spent this past season playing for something called the Austin IceBats in the Western Professional League, the lowest rung of minor pro hockey.&rdquo; We have just completed our first season, but Mr. Brophy does not give Mr. Blue, the Austin IceBats or the WPHL the credit they deserve.What began as a simple concept has evolved into nothing less than hockey mania in our markets. The Austin franchise recorded an average attendance of 6,239 this past season. Fans in non-traditional hockey markets have taken to the speed, grace and physical contact as much as we expected, leading the way for five new expansion franchises for our second year.As Mr. Brophy points out, John Blue did struggle in the playoffs. What he fails to mention is that the former NHLer had the top save percentage in the league at 90.6 and finished second to another former NHLer, Daniel Berthiaume, in goals-against average. This is quite an accomplishment, considering we have eliminated the red line for two-line passes.Several hockey officials have complimented us on our talent level, comparing us favorably with the Colonial, Central and East Coast Leagues. We have proven ourselves to be a viable league.Steve Cherwonak, Director of Media Services, WPHL, Phoenix, Ariz.<h2>What happened?</h2>An open letter to New Jersey Devils&rsquo; GM Lou Lamoriello and coach Jacques Lemaire:What the heck happened?Charlie Greco,&nbsp;Dover, N.J.<h2>Sticking point</h2>Anyone who claims that stickwork will not increase if fighting is eliminated has not been watching the playoffs. Sure there is less fighting in the playoffs, but there&rsquo;s a lot more vicious stickwork.If John MacLean thought he&rsquo;d be accountable to Jeff Beukeboom or Darren Langdon, I doubt he would have broken Niklas Sundstrom&rsquo;s arm with a slash.Joshua Greenberg,&nbsp;New York City, N. Y.Make your feelings known. Fax us your comments at (416) 340-1641 or write toLetters, THN, 777 Bay St, 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;

Here’s one way to clear NHL’s crowded creases

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011517/6448547-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="311" height="431"></div>So you think late-autumn is a little early to be cracking open the bubbly? It wasn&rsquo;t for the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers.An 8-5 road win over the Washington Capitals Nov. 9 moved Edmonton&rsquo;s record to 12-0-3, snapping the previous record of 14 undefeated games to start the season, which was held by the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens. When the Oilers returned to the hotel that night they were in a mood to celebrate. Mark Messier, nursing a sore knee back in Edmonton, was only too willing to help out.Messier called the team&rsquo;s hotel in Arlington, Va.. and arranged for a chilled bottle of champagne to be put in each player&rsquo;s room. At first they didn&rsquo;t know where the bubbly beverage came from, but then defenseman Kevin Lowe produced a note of evidence that came with his bottle: Kevin: Congratulations! Anything that&rsquo;s worth anything is hard to get. You guys did it! Congratulations&hellip;front the Moose.&ldquo;One thing about Mark,&rdquo; Lowe said, &ldquo;he just can&rsquo;t stay away from the game.&rdquo;It wouldn&rsquo;t be the last time the Oilers tasted bubbly that season; they cracked it open again seven months later after winning their second straight Stanley Cup &hellip;with Messier at their side.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021093/6448540-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="75" height="97"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 75px">Nov.23, 1984Vol.38, No.9</figcaption></div> &#9632;</div>

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Moose all heart

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div>The rallying cry for both entrants in this year&rsquo;s Stanley Cup final should be, &ldquo;Better late than never.&rdquo;A Philadelphia Flyers-Detroit Red Wings final was forecast for last spring, when the Flyers and Wings were the respective No. 1 seeds after outstanding regular-season performances.Neither, however, had the stuff of champions. The 101-point Flyers fell to the upstart Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference semifinal. The record-setting 131-point Red Wings were thumped by the eventual Cup-champion Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final.Going into this year&rsquo;s playoffs, few predicted Detroit and Philadelphia would meet in the final. The New Jersey Devils were favored to come out of the East, but were beaten at their own game by the New York Rangers. Detroit was given virtually no chance because of the Avalanche nemesis, but the Wings dispatched Colorado with ruthless efficiency.What we have are two teams that made much-needed adjustments and developed healthy doses of mental toughness and maturity lacking in previous attempts.At first blush, the Flyers-Wings series is a classic confrontation of size versus speed and skill. There is no denying the numbers.On average, the Flyers (6-foot-2, 212 pounds) are two inches taller and 14 pounds heavier than the Red Wings (6 feet, 198 pounds). That is a significant difference.But the Flyers will win the Cup this year-in seven hard-fought games-not just because their physical edge over the Wings is so clear-cut. No, Philadelphia will beat Detroit because the Wings&rsquo; decided skill and speed superiority is something of a myth. In fact, if the Wings have an edge in these areas, it is marginal at best.That&rsquo;s the finding of The Hockey News Stanley Cup Final Scouting Report, which evaluates the size, skill, skating, spirit (competitiveness) and (hockey) sense of the top 21 players on each of the two finalists.This is the same process used to evaluate all teams in the NHL earlier this season. The last time it was employed in the Cup final was in 1995, when it foretold adrprise New Jersey victory over Detroit.While this Scouting Report doesn&rsquo;t guarantee a Flyer victory, it does suggest the Flyers will be able to match the Red Wings in the areas of speed and skill.It&rsquo;s true that the Detroit forwards have a decided edge (48 points for the Wings to 42 for the Flyers) in speed over their Philadelphia counterparts. But the Flyer defensemen are much more mobile than the Wing blueliners (27 points to 20.5).Put the forwards and defensemen together and the Flyers actually have a miniscule edge over Detroit in team speed.The trend within the skill category is virtually identical. We shouldn&rsquo;t be surprised, really. Whether it&rsquo;s impressive rookie Dainus Zubrus or veteran Mikael Renberg on the right side of Eric Lindros and John LeClair, the Legion of Doom is the prototype NHL line of the next millennium. They are all big, strong, fast and highly skilled.Where the Flyers have upgraded themselves to become legitimate contenders is in secondary scoring.A move to center from left wing on the second line has sparked Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour (10 goals and 17 points in 15 games). Zubrus and Renberg each had five goals, so it doesn&rsquo;t really matter which one plays with Brind&rsquo;Amour and Dale Hawerchuk. The point is, the Flyers finally have a true second offensive line.The Flyers&rsquo; so-called checking line-Joel Otto between Shjon Podein and Trent Klatt-has emerged as an offensive threat with nine goals among them (three game-winners).Another former fatal Flyer flaw was on the blueline, where they lacked the depth and size to compete. Two things have happened to alter that.One, underachieving Chris Therien, a mountain of a man with outstanding mobility, has emerged to play like a front-line blueliner in these playoffs. He has provided physical and offensive presence. It&rsquo;s difficult to believe he was sat out of 10 straight games this year, but he has been outstanding (a team-high plus-16 rating) while paired with steady Eric Desjardins.Two, Finnish rookie Janne Niinimaa has blossomed (one goal and 10 points in 15 games). He has the size and skill to be a dominant force from the blueline.The best way to counter the Wings&rsquo; speed up front is with Flyer speed in their own end. Desjardins, Therien, Niinimaa, Paul Coffey, Karl Dykhuis and Petr Svoboda have plenty to bum.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011694/6448585-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="263" height="418"><figcaption class="caption-body">Philadelphia&rsquo;s Shjon Podein and Detroit&rsquo;s Bob Rouse have their sights set on the Cup. (photo by Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div>In goal, Ron Hextail (who was to receive the start against Detroit) and Garth Snow have combined to give the Flyers decent netminding. So far, it&rsquo;s all they&rsquo;ve needed. Neither Hextali nor Snow are the type of goalies to steal a game, but so long as they avoid their propensity for giving one away, the Flyers will prevail.It won&rsquo;t be easy, though. This edition of the Red Wings has become pressure-treated. They never flinched in three overtime games against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and showed incredible poise and patience against Colorado.Mike Vernon is a slight upgrade over Hex tall in goal. Vladimir Konstantinov (a.k.a &lsquo;The Validator,&rsquo; &lsquo;Vlad the Impaler&rsquo;) will wreak havoc on Lindros and do it much better than any of Darius Kasparaitis, Mike Peca, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Beukeboom, Ulf Samuelsson or Shane Churla. Mind you, Lindros is demonstrating much more maturity in all aspects of his game. He has learned that he doesn&rsquo;t have to dominate physically to be effective.&ldquo;He has become much more opportunistic,&rdquo; said Flyer coach Terry Murray. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t let a bad shift or bad game prevent him from coming out the next time and getting it done.&rdquo;Still, the Wings&rsquo; team defense is better than Philadelphia&rsquo;s. The Flyers must avoid their tendency of trading chances because the Wings will make them pay in a way their previous opponents couldn&rsquo;t. Detroit will benefit from having taken a more difficult route to the final, although both teams were healthy and well-rested to start.The play of Detroit&rsquo;s Russians will be crucial. When one of them scored through the first three rounds, the Wings were 12-0. When they didn&rsquo;t, they were 0-4.Detroit&rsquo;s top three lines may not be quite as solid as Philadelphia&rsquo;s, but the fourth unit (Kris Draper between left winger Kirk Maltby and right winger Joey Kocur) will be more effective than any combination the Flyers can put together with their depth players.All those factors will combine to make this the most competitive Cup final since the Rangers and Vancouver Canucks went seven games in 1994.When all is said and done, the Flyers will prevail.<h2>THE PAPER CHASE: FLYERS HAVE EDGE</h2>The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; huge size advantage gives them the overall edge-on paper-over the Detroit Red Wings. They outscored the Red Wings 357.5-353 in The Hockey News Stanley Cup Scouting Report (see opposite page).THN measured each team&rsquo;s capabilities in five crucial categories: size, skill, skating, spirit and hockey sense. The cumulative scores for the top 21 skaters on both teams follow.Not included is goaltending or coaching. Detroit has the edge in goal and Scotty Bowman has an advantage over Philadelphia&rsquo;s Terry Murray in experience, but the Flyers&rsquo; coach has proven himself a first-rate leader.<h2>THN SCOUTING REPORT</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021154/6448578-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="624" height="406"></div> &#9632;

f0006-01

FEATURES

Philadelphia story is ‘BIG’

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-06" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-06241/6448637-1-eng-US/f0007-062.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011534/6448665-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="50" height="65"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</figcaption></div>Pre-season pick: ColoradoWhere I went wrong: Under-estimating development of Detroit diggers and potential impact of injury to Colorado front lines.Final, final, final pick: Detroit in seven games.Why: Wings desperate for validatinn and better, deeper in goal.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021033/6448658-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="50" height="63"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</figcaption></div>Pre-season pick: New JerseyWhere I went wrong: Believed Devils would overcome lack of offense and never imagined them being beaten at own game.Final, final, final pick: Philadelphia in seven games.Why: Flyers&rsquo; size great; speed, skill underrated.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03670/6448651-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="47" height="62"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 47px">Mike Brophy Senior Writer</figcaption></div>Pre-season pick: Colorado Where I went wrong: Sometimes when looking at a powerhouse, its easy to forget other teams will adjust to unseat it.Final, final, final pick: Philadelphia in seven.Why: Eric Lindros understands best revenge is hoisting Cup.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-04450/6448644-1-eng-US/f0007-042.jpg" title="f0007-04" width="49" height="64"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 49px">Mark Brender Staff Writer (by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>Pre-season pick: DetroitWhere I went right: Sergei Fedorov&rsquo;s talent, Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s desire and Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s grit spelled Stanley Cup. Wasn&rsquo;t it obvious? Final (and original) pick: Detroit in six games.Why: Wings&rsquo; have awesome balance; Flyer goaltending flawed.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2>COACH Terry MurrayGM Bob Clarke<h2>DETROIT RED WINGS</h2>COACH Scotty BowmanGM Scotty Bowman<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-07183/6448630-1-eng-US/f0007-072.jpg" title="f0007-07" width="1737" height="1876"></div><h2>THN&rsquo;S SYSTEM II</h2>Players are listed in order of prominence according to projected lines and defense pairings. Eric Lindros, the only superstar (&#8902;&#8902;&#8902;&#8902;&#8902;) in the Stanley Cup final, and stars (&#8902;&#8902;&#8902;&#8902;) are denot-NHL pro scouts evaluate players by reducing them to component parts and assigning values. The Hockey News Scouting Report grades players in five categories: Size, Skill, Skating, Spirit (competitiveness) and Hockey Sense. Marks can range from 1.0 to 5.0. The categories are self-explanatory, except for size. Marks for size are based not just on height and weight, but how size is used. Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; 5-foot-11 center Steve Yzerman, for example, has below average size, but earns an above average grade (3.5) because he plays an effective physical game. Two players, Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; center Eric Lindros and Detroit center Sergei Fedorov, earned scores of 6.0 because they represent all-universe levels in size and skating, respectively. Final grades represent the sum of the parts and range from Superstar to Below Average. Also listed are sweater number (No.); position (Pos.); age; height (Ht.) and weight (Wt.) according to official rosters; and which way a skater shoots (S) or goaltender catches (C), left (L) or right (R).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-08149/6448623-1-eng-US/f0007-082.jpg" title="f0007-08" width="705" height="343"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-05314/6448616-1-eng-US/f0007-052.jpg" title="f0007-05" width="154" height="291"><figcaption class="caption-body">Darren McCarty has as much spirit as you&rsquo;ll find. (Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0007-06

STANLEY CUP PREDICTIONS

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021250/6448696-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="527" height="343"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>The trademark Bob Clarke squint is reserved for special occasions.When a slash was needed to turn the tide of the 1972 Summit Series or an overtime goal was the only thing that could salvage the 1974 Stanley Cup, the Philadelphia Flyer Hall of Famer&rsquo;s eyes would narrow.The famous expression re-emerged in May when he was asked to comment on a poll of NHL executives by The Hockey News that concluded Colorado Avalanche center Peter Forsberg is a better player than Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; captain Eric Lindros.&ldquo;Different planet,&rdquo; Clarke spat out.&ldquo;Lindros is on a different planet than Forsberg in my opinion,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;Forsberg is a great, great player, but he was on a better team last year.&rdquo;This year Lindros is on a better team. The Flyers stampeded over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers with just one loss per playoff round on the way to a Stanley Cup final meeting with the Detroit Red Wings. Along the way, Lindros outshone the retiring Mario Lemieux and two legends, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier.Entering the Stanley Cup final, Lindros had 11 goals and 23 points and was poised to pass the only two players-Avalanche forwards Joe Sakic and Claude Lemieux-ahead of him in the playoff scoring race. Forsberg, meanwhile, was finished for the season-recovering from head and leg injuries that limited his effectiveness in the Western Conference final series against Detroit.With his first goal of the final, Lindros would have one more than Forsberg scored in five games against Detroit. Forsberg earned two assists in the series.Much was made of Lemieux&rsquo;s &ldquo;passing of the torch&rdquo; to Lindros in the handshake line following the final game of the opening round. Similar attention was created when Lindros left his mark on the Rangers and his boyhood idol, Messier.Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray isn&rsquo;t so sure Lindros accepted the &ldquo;torch&rdquo; from those superstars.&ldquo;What I see so far in the playoffs with Eric is that everybody is talking about the passing of the torch,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I think he took it. I don&rsquo;t think there was any passing of it.&rdquo;Still, the debate between the Lindros and Forsberg factions will probably continue until the Flyers&rsquo; captain wins his first Stanley Cup.&ldquo;Sure,&rdquo; said Lindros. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way people look at it.&rdquo;On the eve of the Detroit series, he was asked if it&rsquo;s fair to judge stars almost solely by championships. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s their job,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s their goal. I&rsquo;ll get to it in a few days.&rdquo;It took this long-five years-for the Flyers to recover from the megatrade that brought Lindros to Philadelphia from the Quebec Nordiques in 1992. Forsberg was part of the package that included six players, two first round picks and $15 million.The two superstars will be forever intertwined.Now both the Avalanche and the Flyers are in position to challenge for Stanley Cups and the comparisons between players is on a more level playing field.Maybe some of the 11 executives who voted for Forsberg might want to reconsider.&ldquo;Any GM get fired?&rdquo; Ron Hextail said with a grin. &ldquo;I would say they would probably change their vote right now.&rdquo;Physical play and goal scoring are nothing new for Lindros. But his ability to stay away from retaliation in the playoffs has been the biggest improvement in his game. After five years in the league, Lindros is learning he doesn&rsquo;t have to do it all by himself. Part of that is maturity. Part of that is the Flyers just being a bigger, deeper, more talented team.&ldquo;The pressures that I felt the last couple of years&hellip;1 felt like if I didn&rsquo;t have a big night, I was letting everybody down,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;It was putting undue stress on the situation. Now, with so many players scoring and great goaltending, you can relax a bit and focus on helping out.&rdquo;The true signature of a superstar is making players around him better. That&rsquo;s what Lindros has achieved this season.&ldquo;In Game 4 (against the Rangers), when they got that big power play back on us at the end, we could have buried our heads like last year,&rdquo; Hextall said. &ldquo;But Eric took the bull by the horns and scored that big goal (with 6.8 seconds to play). That&rsquo;s the difference in our team this year, our response to adversity. And he&rsquo;s a big part of that.&rdquo;Defenseman Chris Therien has respect for both Forsberg and Lindros.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re both great players and in a lot of ways they&rsquo;re similar,&rdquo; Therien said. &ldquo;But when Eric is on top of his game, I&rsquo;m not sure there has ever been anyone in this league who can do some of the things he can.&rdquo;Murray, too, has seen enough.&ldquo;When you start playing against Lemieux, Gretzky and Messier, how many more great players do you have to play against, win a series against and have success against until there&rsquo;s a stamp put on your back? I think he&rsquo;s on a mission himself, he grabbed it, he took it and he said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m going to run with this thing.&rsquo; &ldquo;Lindros is one player who&rsquo;s capable of changing the course of a game, just the way Clarke once did. &ldquo;Would you rather play with him or against him?&rdquo; Clarke asked. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d rather have him on my side.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-02

COMING OF AGE

<div class="byline">By Al Morganti</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021081/6448734-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="66" height="95"></div>Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; goalie Garth Snow got a very vivid reminder in the Eastern Conference final how quickly an NHLer can go from headline news to just another soldier.While members of the media from New York and Philadelphia swirled around Ron Hextali, Snow had to duck to get away from a boom microphone and was surrounded by other electronic gear as his partner was thrust into the spotlight.Snow just arched his eyebrows, smiled and headed toward the showers. There was no anger, no animosity and no feeling he had been robbed of a chance to lead the team to the Stanley Cup final.There seemed to be an acceptance that it was just Hextall&rsquo;s turn.Now, it likely would have been viewed selfish had Snow become snarly over the situation, but it wouldn&rsquo;t have been a surprise. In these days of big contracts and bigger egos, he would have fit right in if he&rsquo;d thrown a fit as wires and lights enveloped him as if he wasn&rsquo;t there.After all, Snow had been the story of the Flyers&rsquo; first round victory, a mild surprise starter when the playoffs opened against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Snow was solid in a five-game win and a great off-ice story.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03683/6448727-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="89" height="164"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 89px">Ron Hextall</figcaption></div>Then Snow and his oversized shoulder pads-(what&rsquo;s in those things, anyway?)-led the Flyers into the second round. Once there, he helped the Flyers establish a three-game lead over the Buffalo Sabres before stumbling in Game 5.And then it all changed.Snow was back in goal for the first game against the Rangers, a victory at home. However, after struggling through a period and a half against the Rangers in the second game, and surrendering a hat trick to Wayne Gretzky, Snow was yanked in favor of Hextali.Hextall ran the table against the Rangers and was the man being counted on in the final against the Detroit Red Wings. Ten years after earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as a rookie in the Flyers&rsquo; seven-game Cup loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Hextall was back.&ldquo;To tell you the truth,&rdquo; said Hextall as the Flyers prepared for the final series, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care if I win five games and Garth wins 11. All I want is to win the Cup, really that&rsquo;s all that matters.&rdquo;The Flyers are in a position to win the Stanley Cup with two goalies finishing the playoffs with eight wins each. The conventional wisdom has always been a goalie-one goalie-has to get hot to win the Cup. Hextall and Snow are trying to disprove that theory-in addition, both Hextall and Snow were being the perfect team players. You get the sense they&rsquo;re not just saying the right thing, but they really believe what they&rsquo;re doing is in the best interest of the Flyers.&ldquo;I think there are many times when you have to just treat your goalies as you would another player on the team,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; GM Bob Clarke. &ldquo;I really think that there have been times in the past when teams have sort of gone too far out of their way to please a goalie. There is a point where it&rsquo;s team first, and that was the case here.&ldquo;But with us, it&rsquo;s not a problem, because both guys have been so good about it. We&rsquo;re lucky in that both goalies would put the team first, and that&rsquo;s without any reminder of that.&rdquo; Being the veteran, Hextall had to suffer what was surely perceived as a snub when he was not named the playoff starter, but he pulled off a medical marvel when he bit his tongue and showed no blood.&ldquo;I wanted to start, yes,&rdquo; Hextall said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve been in the other position so many times, so many goalies sitting behind me, who was I to ruin a locker room with complaining. It wasn&rsquo;t going to happen.&ldquo;No way, and I knew Garth was the same way. Yes, I wanted another chance, and I&rsquo;m grateful for it. It might not be the way other teams have won (the Cup), but if this works, I don&rsquo;t care, as long as we both get our names on the Cup.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s all that matters.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

f0009-03

COLUMNISTS

Flyers buck traditional netminding wisdom

<div class="byline">By Chuck Carlion</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021178/6448765-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman challenged his Detroit mates to play better early in the post-season. (Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>The ending had become painfully obvious. Steve Yzerman, head down and offering answers to countless tough questions, would try to explain why another Detroit Red Wing season had ended prematurely. Usually a key body part would be bandaged, stitched or recently repaired surgically, adding to the image of the wounded captain always denied victory.For 13 seasons, the image has been repeated. No. 14 has brought the hope of something new, the attainment of the only major hockey achievement Yzerman still desires.His Red Wings were in the Stanley Cup final and he wasn&rsquo;t scrambling for a last-minute cure, thankfully.&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re playing at the highest level at competition and everybody is at this time playing the best hockey they have all year,&rdquo; Yzerman said, &ldquo;it doesn&rsquo;t help to come not being able to do everything you can do.&rdquo;Against the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup final two years ago, he was on a recently &ldquo;scoped&rdquo; knee. Last season, a groin injury made the Western Conference final against the Colorado Avalanche an ordeal.&ldquo;Any time you have your captain healthy and going, that&rsquo;s huge,&rdquo; said teammate Kris Draper. &ldquo;Stevie is playing unbelievable hockey for us, killing penalties and playing power plays. You see the fire in his eyes and that rubs off on you.&rdquo;Perhaps the fire comes from the 32-year-old Yzerman&rsquo;s belief the Red Wings have a gritty team that can deliver a championship.&ldquo;The last couple of years we&rsquo;d play well defensively and the strongest weapon we had was our explosiveness,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;This year, we&rsquo;ve been content with not being as explosive and the players are more comfortable. It&rsquo;s going to be one of those games where we fight along the board, dump it in and dump it out and wait for a scoring chance to happen. I think we&rsquo;re more able to wait than we have in the past because we don&rsquo;t have the explosiveness.&rdquo;Yzerman is clearly no longer the same player he was when he posted five 50-goal seasons in six years, but he remains an inspirational focus for the way he has persevered.Quietly, he has developed into one of the best two-way players in the league. And for those who are under the impression his offense has left him, consider that he tied Ron Francis of the Pittsburgh Penguins for third on the assist list with 63 this past season. Going into the final, he was tied for 30th in playoff scoring with four goals and nine points in 16 games.Coaches and scouts praise his dedication to the Red Wings&rsquo; defensive system. He blocks shots regularly. He was in front of the Avalanche net on the power play against Colorado, accepting not one, but two Brendan Shanahan blasts off his ankle on the same shift.Even coach Scotty Bowman, whose own idea for the team originally clashed with Yzerman&rsquo;s, applauds the effort. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t take a second off,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a select few players who show up for every game and every practice. That&rsquo;s why they get to where they are. (Wayne) Gretzky is like that. Bobby Orr was like that. (Guy) Lafleur was like that in Montreal.&ldquo;We try to encourage them to take time off, but they don&rsquo;t want it. You never have to push them. They push themselves.&rdquo;Yzerman&rsquo;s motivation hasn&rsquo;t just been internal. Often characterized-and sometimes faulted-as a captain who led only by example, Yzerman has been more vocal during the playoff run.With the Red Wings tied two games each with the St. Louis Blues in the first round and stinging from a 4-0 road loss, Yzerman launched into a calm, but inescapable post-game dissection of the team&rsquo;s problems. He blamed himself first and foremost, before proceeding around the quiet dressing room.&ldquo;He was putting a lot of pressure on himself and us, as well,&rdquo; said Shanahan, formerly a captain with the Hartford Whalers. &ldquo;When you say something like that, the first thing you have to take care of is yourself. He went out and scored the first goal of the (next) game.&rdquo;Detroit won that game 5-2, sparked by Yzerman&rsquo;s 80-footer. After that, the Red Wings captured 10 of 12 going into the Stanley Cup final. His game-winner in Game 2 against Colorado, banked off Patrick Roy, set in motion the defeat of the Stanley Cup champions.&ldquo;He has always been more of a quiet leader,&rdquo; said past and current teammate Joey Kocur. &ldquo;This year he has stepped up more and he&rsquo;s saying his piece a little more. Before, he didn&rsquo;t know what to say or how to say it because a lot of players were older than him. He was a young captain. If he sees something going on now or somebody doing something wrong, he&rsquo;s the first one to step in and straighten it out.&rdquo;Kocur played with Mark Messier, arguably the most forceful and effective captain of his generation, on the New York Rangers. He heard Messier&rsquo;s playoff guarantee in 1994 and saw the resultant hat trick. Yzerman&rsquo;s speech was equally impressive, for a different reason.&ldquo;They&rsquo;re both leaders in their own ways,&rdquo; Kocur said. &ldquo;Mess used to have a lot more meetings and say a lot more. Stevie waits until the right time. He&rsquo;s very calculating on when he&rsquo;s going to talk and what he&rsquo;s going to say. Mess did a lot on emotion. Stevie does a lot of thinking.&rdquo;Yzerman now has the luxury of a &ldquo;lifetime contract&rdquo; with the Red Wings-three more seasons after this as a player with five more in an unspecified management capacity. The package, signed in the fall, is worth a total of $19.8 million.The only thing lacking is the elusive Stanley Cup championship. Yzerman is one of only seven players whose career lasted at least 1,000 games with the same team without winning a Cup.&ldquo;As you&rsquo;ve been in the league a few years, you get to know more guys and a lot of your friends have won Stanley Cup rings,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;Envy isn&rsquo;t the word: you dream of the day you get a chance to win one. I&rsquo;m excited to have another opportunity.&rdquo;He realizes time is running out, for the club and for him. Had one of those Red Wing teams under Jacques Demers somehow upset the Edmonton Oilers and won in the final, the urgency might not be the same.&ldquo;I think winning the Cup at any stage would be pretty exciting,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;Certainly, you win it your first year in the league, you automatically assume that&rsquo;s the way it is. I&rsquo;ve seen the other side of that. I would take it in my first year, my 14th year and my 20th year.&ldquo;You always wonder about it, because you can&rsquo;t predict what&rsquo;s going to happen. On paper you can have best team in the league and that doesn&rsquo;t guarantee a spot back in the final. You always try to seize the moment and make the most of it because you just don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-02

Back in limelight

<div class="byline">By Kevin Allen</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021029/6448803-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="495" height="704"></div>Comparing Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov to teammate Nicklas Lidstrom is like comparing a stiletto to arsenic.Both are dangerous, each capable of effectively neutralizing an adversary. Yet one is far more subtle than the other. The stiletto leaves tell-tale marks on the body, the arsenic does the job with no evident physical damage. When Konstantinov rubs out an opponent, his fingerprints are all over the crime scene. When Lidstrom&rsquo;s victims are ready to file their report, they&rsquo;re never quite sure what happened to them.For most of the playoffs, opponents have cursed and wailed about Konstantinov&rsquo;s playing style, while Lidstrom goes unnoticed until a review of the tape shows he played more minutes and made as many good plays as anyone. He&rsquo;s on the power play. He kills penalties. He plays against the other team&rsquo;s best for-. wards. He&rsquo;s always on the ice for the final minutes of any close game.Konstantinov and Lidstrom are vastly different and yet united by the fact that neither has received enough credit for their talent. They possibly could be the best one-two defensive combination in hockey.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03720/6448796-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="88" height="154"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 88px">Nicklas Lidstrom</figcaption></div>Teammates insist Lidstrom should have been a Norris Trophy candidate, along with Konstantinov. An argument can certainly be made he was a more worthy candidate than Sandis Ozolinsh. While Lidstrom can&rsquo;t match the Ozolinsh&rsquo;s hellzapoppin up-ice rushing style, his offensive contributions come closer to matching Ozolinsh&rsquo;s than Ozolinsh&rsquo;s defensive prowess comes close to matching Lidstrom&rsquo;s.Although Konstantinov did receive his Norris nomination this season, it was probably deserved more last season when he was likely the Red Wings&rsquo; MVP in their 62-win season. He seems to have surpassed Chris Chelios as the highest-impact defenseman in the Western Conference. When a team plays Detroit, it spends considerable time advising players how to deal with Konstantinov. Yet if you asked league GMs, coaches and players to name the top 40 players in the league, Konstantinov probably wouldn&rsquo;t be on the list.His area of deficiency? His citizenship. He&rsquo;s a dirty Russian player. He&rsquo;s Jack the Ripper on skates. He&rsquo;s a hockey monster with no conscience. At least that&rsquo;s his characterization around the league. If he was a Canadian, would coaches spend so much time criticizing him? Mark Messier (who would make my alltime greatest and favorite player list) has probably registered a dozen attacks nastier than Konstantinov&rsquo;s crimes, including the cross-check to Doug Gilmour in the second round. Yet Messier is revered as a player with a win-at-all-costs attitude. Konstantinov is dirty.The NHL may now be a melting pot of talent, but hockey prejudices haven&rsquo;t yet been boiled away. We have different standards for Canadian and Russian players, and Konstantinov isn&rsquo;t behaving like Russians are supposed to behave in the playoffs.Remember, some of us still believe Russians don&rsquo;t desire the Stanley Cup as much as Canadians, so Konstantinov couldn&rsquo;t possibly own the win-at-all-costs attitude.Nobody hates Lidstrom, but maybe they should. He&rsquo;s among the NHL&rsquo;s best 1-on-l defenders. The only criticism of his game is he&rsquo;s not physical enough, yet he holds his own against the biggest players. He&rsquo;s not considered big, yet at 6-foot-2,195 pounds, he&rsquo;s the same size as Kevin Lowe. Lidstrom&rsquo;s not considered strong enough, yet no one outmuscles him for the puck. Lidstrom&rsquo;s not considered an elitelevel defenseman, yet he&rsquo;s probably been the best all-around Swedish defenseman since Botje Salming.Lidstrom&rsquo;s lack of notoriety may stem from his quiet demeanor. Five sentences is a day&rsquo;s work for him.Konstantinov and Lidstrom are vastly different people, united by their proficiency at their job. There&rsquo;s also another common thread: whether you&rsquo;ve been stuck repeatedly by Konstantinov or succumbed over time to Lidstrom&rsquo;s defensive poison, you&rsquo;re just as dead. &#9632;</div>

f0011-02

Nick & Vlad may be best one-two mix in league

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021247/6448841-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">An acrobatic college kid named Ken Dryden was a goaltending savior for the 1971 Montreal Canadiens. (Dryden from THN files;)</figcaption></div>They say you can&rsquo;t be a true winner until you skate a victory lap with the Stanley Cup lifted over your head. It might also be said you can&rsquo;t be a true superstar until you play your best during the only time of the year that truly matters-the playoffs.The reward for that feat is the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.Since the award was introduced in 1965, many of the greats have won it: Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, Mario (and Claude) Lemieux, Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Mark Messier, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Jean Beliveau. This could be the year Eric Lindros joins the club.At 24. he wouldn&rsquo;t be the youngest winner-that honor belongs to goalie Patrick Roy, who was 20 when he won his first Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986-but at 235 pounds, he would definitely be the heaviest.He used his 6-foot-4 size to impose himself physically through the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; successive five-game defeats of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers, racking up a team-leading 11 goals and 23 points by carving out space and wreaking havoc low in the offensive zone.Other Conn Smythe candidates on the Flyers include left wingers Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour (10-7-17,15 games) and John LeClair (7-11-18, 15 games). From the Detroit Red Wings, goalie Mike Vernon was steady throughout and spectacular when needed (12-4, 1.82 goals-against average, 92.2 save percentage) and slick center Sergei Fedorov (5-9-14 in 16 games) showed more grit than some knew he had.Still, Lindros was the leading Conn man heading into the Stanley Cup final. He embodies both the Flyers&rsquo; brawn and blossoming maturity.&ldquo;We threw Eric off his game early in the series,&rdquo; said Rangers&rsquo; coach Colin Campbell, &ldquo;but he stuck to hockey after that. You can try to drag him down to the gutter. But he stepped up his game against us.&rdquo;As did Orr in 1970, Dryden in 1971 and Gretzky in 1985.We don&rsquo;t mean to imply these were necessarily the best Conn Smythe performances; only that they represent the kind of remarkable individual effort it takes to create a lasting reputation of excellence.Your move, Eric.Truth be told, Orr&rsquo;s 1970 playoff wasn&rsquo;t a step up at all. It was more like the continuation of a steady, breathtaking ascent to the top.Orr&rsquo;s 33 goals and 120 points in his fourth NHL season with the Boston Bruins made him the first (and only) defenseman to lead the NHL in scoring (he did it again in 1974-75). He kept that pace with nine goals and 20 points over 14 playoff games, establishing new post-season records for defensemen.Bruins&rsquo; center Phil Esposito set marks for goals (13) and points (27) in a playoff year, but it was Orr who controlled games. His mastery in a six-game opening-round triumph over the Rangers prompted this comment from New York right winger Rod Gilbert: &ldquo;One man beat the Rangers in that series.&rdquo;Orr scored one of the most well-known goals in hockey history in overtime of Game 4 of the final against the St. Louis Blues. The classic picture of Orr flying through the air, stick raised in triumph after stuffing the puck past goalie Glenn Hall and being tripped by defenseman Noel Picard, is the most dramatic horizontal celebration printable in a family newspaper.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03818/6448834-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="1141" height="1711"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Fedorov led Detroit in playoff scoring. (Fedorov by Layne Murdoch/BS)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;If I hadn&rsquo;t won the Conn Smythe I would have been just as happy,&rdquo; Orr said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great honor, don&rsquo;t get me wrong, but your goal, your dream is the Stanley Cup. To be part of that team, you&rsquo;re just so happy.&rdquo;Esposito saw it coming. He made a prediction during 1967-68 that the Bruins would capture the Cup by the turn of the decade. Give the kids time to develop and watch them go, he said.&ldquo;Who grew up more than Bobby Orr?&rdquo; Esposito asked after the Game 4 victory. &ldquo;We all knew he was going to be great. But this great?&rdquo;Al MacNeil&rsquo;s decision to start Dryden in the 1971 playoffs was a gamble.Rogie Vachon and Phil Myre had given the Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; inconsistent goaltending all season. The best numbers had been posted by the 23-year-old college boy from Cornell University, but he was a rookie with all of six games NHL experience. No team had won a Stanley Cup with a rookie in goal since Frank McCool backstopped the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1944-45.But no one thought Montreal was a Cup contender anyway. The Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks were favorites to meet in the final. Instead they fell to the quickness, agility and textbook positioning of a 6-foot-4 law student.From the blueline out, Montreal was not a smoothly functioning defensive unit. Dryden was. He averaged 37 saves a game in the opening round win over the Bruins, including 47 in the deciding seventh game at Boston Garden.It was a huge upset. When the Canadiens flew home, they found 5,000 fans crowding the gate chanting &lsquo;On veut Dryden!&rsquo; (We want Dryden!) The area was so packed the players couldn&rsquo;t get out of the customs area without being mobbed.Montreal went on to beat the Minnesota North Stars in the semis and the Chicago Blackhawks in a nail-biting seven-game final. Dryden finished with a 12-8 playoff record and 3.00 goals-against average in 20 games.That season Henri Richard called MacNeil &ldquo;the worst coach I have ever played for,&rdquo; but give the man credit for this: he knew how to pick his goalies.When the Edmonton Oilers won their first Stanley Cup in the spring of 1984, the Conn Smythe Trophy belonged to Mark Messier. The next year it was Gretzky&rsquo;s turn.Arguments were made that Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr were equally deserving of the award, but numbers such as 17 goals and 47 points in 18 games for an unbelievable average of 2.6 points per game are tough to ignore.The 1985 playoffs saw a 24-year-old Gretzky at his nimble-as-a-jackrabbit. eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head best.Gretzky&rsquo;s brilliance was brightest in a tough, six-game semifinal win over Chicago (five goals and and 19 points) and in the final against Philadelphia, where he had five goals and nine points in the four Oiler wins after a loss in Game 1.He provided the perfect example of how little stock need be placed in the days leading up to the post-season as an indicator of playoff performance to come. Gretzky had the paltry total (for him) of five goals in a 12-game span in March. Oilers&rsquo; coach Glen Sather called it &ldquo;probably the toughest month Wayne has had in hockey.&rdquo;He broke out when it counted. &#9632;

f0012-02

Becoming a Conn Man

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011528/6448872-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div>NHL teams have battled for the Stanley Cup for 79 years. Here&rsquo;s everything you need to know about each year&rsquo;s Cup showdown. This is what we tell you: season, champion&rsquo;s name, Cup No. for the team since the formation of the NHL, coach, general manager and captain of the Cup--winning team, finalist&rsquo;s name, coach, general manager and captain of the finalist, final series score in games, the playoffs&rsquo; leading scorer and his team, Cup-winning goal-scorer and Conn Smythe Trophy winner. The Conn Smythe Trophy was not awarded prior to 1965. Information was gleaned from several sources, including the Hockey Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame, the British Columbia Jr. Hockey League, the NHL Official Guide and Record Book, The Hockey Encyclopedia and the Ottawa Senators. There are two footnotes to this list. (*)There have been five multi-captained teams to reach the Cup final. We only list one below, the senior player. The full roster of captains on those teams is as follows: 1988-89 Calgary, Lanny McDonald, Jim Peplinski and Tim Hunter; 1987-88 Boston, Rick Middleton and Ray Bourque; Calqary 1985-86, Lanny McDonald, Douq Risebrouqh and Jim Peplinski; 1974-75 Buffalo, Jim Schoenfeld and Gerry Meehan; 1941-42 Detroit, Ebbie Goodfellow and Sid Abel. (**) Ties in playoff scoring are broken by, first, most goals, and second, fewest games. &#9632;

f0014-01

THE ULTIMATE LIST OF STANLEY CUP FACTS AND FIGURES

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>What to do, what to do?If you are New York Islanders GM Mike Milbury, do you use the fourth and fifth overall picks in this year&rsquo;s draft to add to your wealth o! young talent? Or do you put the pick.&rdquo; up for trade in an attempt to acquire the leadership, scoring punch on the wing and goaltending depth you so desperately need?Don&rsquo;t hold your breath waiting for the answer. Milbury said he plans to maximize his potential by waiting until the last minute before making a decision. He does say, though, given hi: druthers, he would rather use the picks to attract veteran relief.Certainly one or both picks would be highly coveted in a year whet there are a number of solid prospect: up for grabs.&ldquo;Both picks are definitely up for trade,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;But unless I go an unbelievable offer, why wouldn&rsquo;t wait until the night before the draft and play it out to the hilt? My preference is to have players who are read) to step in and make an impact. If that doesn&rsquo;t happen, we&rsquo;ll use the picks two choose two players we&rsquo;re. confident will eventually make an impact in the NHL.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011416/6448910-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="751" height="1073"><figcaption class="caption-body">Daniel Tkaczuk is one player the Islanders could draft.</figcaption></div>The Islanders have their own first round pick-fifth overall thanks to their 22nd overall finish this past season-and that of the Toronto Maple Leafs, fourth overall, which they acquired in the Wendel Clark trade March 13, 1996. The Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings are scheduled to pick 1-2-3 at the proceedings June 21 in Pittsburgh. The Bruins have already said they will make center Joe Thornton of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds the first pick in the draft.The Islanders have missed the playoffs three straight years, but are a team on the verge of making an impact. The average age of their top 10 scorers is 24 and that includes their rookie-of-the-year candidate, defenseman Bryan Berard, who is 20.Top scorer Ziggy Palffy, 25, has developed into one of the NHL&rsquo;s most exciting players. And Robert Reichel, who struggled upon his return to the NHL with the Calgary Flames after a year in Germany, caught fire on the Island, producing five goals and 19 points in 12 games.The Islanders had the ninth-best group of prospects in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch issue in early-March. Although that&rsquo;s not a tell-all indicator, it shows Milbury doesn&rsquo;t have to feel compelled to continue to stock the franchise.Milbury is expected to make offers to some unrestricted free agents, players who will add character. By his estimation, the Islanders lost 13-17 points by collapsing late in games last season-a direct reflection, Milbury said, of his team&rsquo;s inexperience. He is excited about the possibilities available to him this spring.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-02984/6448903-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="750" height="1083"><figcaption class="caption-body">The youthful Islanders are led by super sniper Ziggy Palffy.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fun,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is really one of the fun aspects of the job, having this many options.&rdquo;He does admit, however, he is mildly surprised to be in such an enviable position.&ldquo;I never thought the Toronto pick would be this high,&rdquo; Milbury said. &ldquo;Infact, I tried very hard to get rid of the pick at last year&rsquo;s draft. I made 10 calls and I couldn&rsquo;t give it away.&rdquo;If the Islanders retain the picks, they are looking potentially at Finnish center Olli Jokinen, who was ranked fourth in THN&rsquo;s Draft Preview (No. 1 among European skaters by the NHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting Bureau), center Daniel Tkaczuk of the Ontario League&rsquo;s Barrie Colts (No. 5 in THN, No. 3 among North American skaters by CSB) and goalie Roberto Luongo of the Val d&rsquo;Or Foreurs of the Quebec League (No. 3 by THN, No. 1 among North American goalies by CSB).The Islanders are said to be looking to add size up front so high-scoring Sergei Samsonov, who played with the Detroit Vipers of the International League, doesn&rsquo;t appear to measure up at 5-foot-8 and 184 pounds. And they don&rsquo;t think they&rsquo;ll have a shot at No. 2-ranked Patrick Marleau of the Western League&rsquo;s Seattle Thunderbirds.Luongo is considered a wild card in the draft. There is a chance he might inspire some teams to make the Islanders kind offers to move up in this year&rsquo;s draft.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see what unfolds,&rdquo; Milbury said. &#9632;

f0015-01

Sweet draft choice for Milbury

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>Never mind the Stanley Cup final, there&rsquo;s as much action off the ice as there is on it these days.Ron Wilson wins the World Cup and then guides the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim into the playoffs for the first time. His reward? A Disney dumping.John Muckier slashes the budget in Sabreland, puts together an overachieving lineup that wins a division title and a round in the playoffs and gets Buffaloed out of Buffalo, largely because of a personality clash with coach Ted Nolan.And speaking of Nolan, he scoffed at a minimal raise on the $300,000 he was paid has been encouraged to test the marketplace. He may yet sign a new deal with the Sabres, but had an interview lined up in San Jose and was seeking others. The fact is, his preference is to remain with the Sabres.That&rsquo;s just the tip of the iceberg.The 1996-97 season hadn&rsquo;t even concluded and two new coaches were hired and there were four positions not yet filled. One GM was replaced and three veteran GMs canned.And there could be more, depending on what happens in Detroit and Buffalo. The Red Wings may have a new coach and GM next season and if Nolan bolts Buffalo, the Sabres will be in the market for a new coach as well as new GM.And hardly anybody mentions the fact Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray&rsquo;s contract expires after this year and he could win the Stanley Cup. He is expected to re-sign with the Flyers with a sizeable raise from the $335,000 (U.S.) he was paid this season.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve created a situation where there isn&rsquo;t one winner anymore; there&rsquo;s 25 losers,&rdquo; said Florida Panthers&rsquo; GM Bryan Murray, Terry&rsquo;s brother. &ldquo;Rather than be satisfied with being a competitive team, everyone expects you to win or else. Now we&rsquo;re going to expand and create more losers.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011315/6448941-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="292" height="283"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Burns joined his third Oriqinal Six team when he was hired by the Boston Bruins.</figcaption></div>Coaches, it seems, remain one of the most expendable commodities in hockey although it is apparent GMs are being held more accountable now too. Al Sims was fired by the San Jose Sharks and Don Hay with the Phoenix Coyotes after just one year on the job. And even thoughSteve Kasper had a $285,000 buyout clause in his contract, it didn&rsquo;t serve as a deterrent when the Boston Bruins decided he had to go.It is rare to find a situation where a coach on a big ticket is fired until he&rsquo;s a good portion through the final year of his deal. The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped Pat Burns (at $850,000, U.S.) with a year-and-a-half to go, but compensated by replacing him with Mike Murphy who came in at the entry level $278,000 (U.S.).Aside from the fact he&rsquo;s a francophone, Alain Vigneault appears to be a budget signing with the Montreal Canadiens for a reported $1.2 million (Cdn.) over three years.&ldquo;When you see coaches being fired like they are today, it&rsquo;s an indication of in how low regard we are held,&rdquo; said St. Louis Blues&rsquo; associate coach Roger Neilson.&ldquo;What makes this year so different than other years is guys who have winning records are losing their jobs because of personality clashes,&rdquo; said one NHL coach. &ldquo;Now, even when you win, you&rsquo;re not safe.&rdquo;That so many coaching positions were opened is hardly anything new. In 1995-96, seven teams opened the year with new men behind the bench and three teams made changes during that season.This time Wilson appears to be the golden boy, interviewing for just about every opening, including some GM posts.Not all the news for coaches is bad. Ken Hitchcock, who did a splendid job with the Dallas Stars and is a finalist for coach of the year, was given a pay raise by his team. And the Bruins shed their piker image by digging deep into their pockets to hire Bums. They&rsquo;ll pay him $3.35 million to coach over the next four years.That&rsquo;s a far cry from what National Basketball Association coaches are being paid, what with Rick Pitino&rsquo;s 10-year, $70-million deal from the Boston Celtics and retired Celtic Larry Bird, who has never coached a game in his life, getting $4.5 million a year to coach the Indiana Pacers. NHL coaches are struggling to get as much as third-line players. Is there more to coaching hockey than other team sports?The NHL has yet to see its first million-dollar coach. Will it be Wilson? Probably not. But the day is near. &#9632;

f0016-01

Nobody’s safe anymore

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021024/6448993-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="50" height="74"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Mike Keenan</figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03761/6448986-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="50" height="76"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Alain Vigneault</figcaption></div>Anaheim Don Hay. Rich Preston and Walt Kyle are candidates to replace quotable Ron Wilson. GM Jack Ferreira back for fifth season-.Boston No-nonsense Pat Bums replaces coach Steve Kasper, while assistant GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell remains odds-on favorite to eventually replace GM Harry Sinden.Buffalo Ted Nolan wins power struggle with GM John Muckier, given permission to shop around. GM candidates: Jim Schoenfeld, Sherry Bassin, Craig Ramsay, Bob Nicholson.Calgary Pierre Page returns for third term behind Flames&rsquo; bench. GM Al Coates back for second full season in charge.Chicago Craig Hartsburg requests (and will get) contract extension from GM Bob Pulford. Pulford back for eighth year at that post.Colorado Excitable Marc Crawford back for fourth season. The man who hired him.GM Pierre Lacroix, also returns for fourth year.Dallas Coach of year candidate Ken Hitchcock rewarded with raise after first full year on job. GM Bob Gainey back for eighth year.Detroit Watch for assistant GM Ken Holland to be promoted to GM. Return of Scotty Bowman not certain. Potential replacements: Wilson, Mike Keenan. Nolan. Hay.Edmonton Coach Ron Low given contract extension (through 1998-99). GM Glen Sather entering 18th year on job.Florida Doug MacLean scheduled back for third term as coach unless he bolts for GM job in St. Louis. GM Bryan Murray will be back.Hartford Baby-faced Paul Maurice will be looking for first playoff berth in third year behind bench. GM Jim Rutherford enters fourth year.Los Angeles Coach Larry Robinson has new boss, ex-Kings&rsquo; captain Dave Taylor, who takes over as GM from much-maligned Sam McMaster.Montreal Habs do predictable thing by hiring a francophone, Alain Vigneault (along with ex-Flames coach Dave King). GM Rejean Houle on thin ice.New Jersey Jacques Lemaire due back for fifth year as coach working for GM Lou Lamoriello, in his 11 th year.Islanders Rick Bowness preparing for first full year behind bench. GM Mike Milbury set for Year III. &lsquo;Rangers Colin Campbell signed through 1997-98 as coach. GM Neil Smith, a Toronto native, mentioned as possible new Leafs&rsquo; GM.Ottawa Bargain Jacques Martin ($325,000, Cdn.) back for second full year as coach. Pierre Gauthier in for second full year as GM.Philadelphia Terry Murray guides Flyers to Stanley Cup final, as of yet unsigned for next season. Bob Clarke in for fourth year (of second tour) as GM.Phoenix Coach Don Hay bounced after one year by GM Bobby Smith. Wilson, Andy Murray. Butch Goring, Brian Sutter head replacement candidates.Pittsburgh GM Craig Patrick holds cards close to vest, but said to be considering Bob Johnson protege Mike Eaves, Kevin Constantine, Wilson for head coaching job.St. Louis Joel Quenneville signs to return for first full season as coach, but Wilson mentioned as possible coach-GM. Other GM candidates: David Poile, MacLean.San Jose Coach Al Sims released. GM Dean Lombardi considering Roger Neilson, Wilson. Darryl Sutter, as well as assistant coach Wayne Cashman, as replacement.Tampa Bay Change in ownership could affect whether coach Terry Crisp and/or GM Phil Esposito return. If Espo ousted, Keenan could replace him.Toronto Cliff Fletcher&rsquo;s fall from grace completed. Rumored replacements include Muckier, David Poile, Keenan.Vancouver Tom Renney survives eye-opening rocky first year. GM Pat Quinn must note number of brethren taking falls after lousy years.Washington Poor playoff record catches up to ousted GM Poile. Les Jackson, ex-coach Gary Green. Rod Langway. Wilson, Larry Pleau replacement candidates.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04553/6448979-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="51" height="74"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 51px">Ron Wilson</figcaption></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-05415/6448972-1-eng-US/f0016-052.jpg" title="f0016-05" width="51" height="76"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 51px">Dave Taylor (Photo by Steve Babineau/Sports Action)</figcaption></div> &#9632;</div>

NHL rumor mill working overtime

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011170/6449031-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="494" height="718"></div>The New York Rangers would be crazy not to re-sign unrestricted free agent Mark Messier.Especially since he has made it be known it is his desire to remain in Manhattan.However, if Messier&rsquo;s demands are completely out of whack and he comes seeking something along the lines of three years at $6 million per, then adios amigo. The Rangers, with a league-leading $38-million payroll this past season, can&rsquo;t afford to lock up 29 per cent of the budget in two players-Messier and Wayne Gretzky-and provide them with the type of quality supporting cast they require to remain effective.If the Rangers are going to carry the former Edmonton Oilers, they have to bulk up the supporting cast.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll do everything in my power to make sure (Messier) stays a New York Ranger and he ends his career a New York Ranger,&rdquo; said Rangers&rsquo; president-GM Neil Smith.Gretzky needs Messier, or a similarly effective No. 1 center, on board if he hopes to duplicate this season&rsquo;s 97-point showing. In New York, The Great One became The Great Two, as in No. 2 center. kill and on the second line, didn&rsquo;t face the opposition&rsquo;s best checkers night after night.If Messier departs and the Rangers don&rsquo;t bring in a player of similar ilk-yeah, like there are lot of those types of players floating around-No. 99 would be hard-pressed to challenge for 100 points. He turns 37 next January.Messier also turns 37 in January and has passed the point where the Rangers must feel compelled to sign him no matter what. They will sign him on their terms this time, unlike the last time when they were bullied into forking over an extension of $6 million a year.The last time Smith and Team Messier-Mark&rsquo;s dad Doug and his brother Paul-entered into negotiations, it was a mess. The Rangers were coming off their first Stanley Cup victory in 54 years and Messier used an option in his contract that said he had the right to ask for a renegotiation if the team won the championship. Nowhere in the deal did it say the Rangers were bound to accommodate him, but he took it public and got all the support he needed to cook up a new deal.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02883/6449024-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="667" height="1187"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Messier</figcaption></div>Team Messier held out until the night of the first game, Jan. 21 (of the lockout season) before signing, but ultimately, he earned his money.Smith would have been run out of town if he hadn&rsquo;t accommodated the captain. That&rsquo;s not the case this time.If Messier insists on similar compensation to what he received in 199697, who will sign him? Surely none of the Canadian teams could afford him. The Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings could, but don&rsquo;t need him.For between $4-5 million a season there might be a tew takers. The Chicago Blackhawks, perhaps feeling they missed out on Gretzky last summer, might. Wouldn&rsquo;t Messier be a nice fit with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne as teammates?Messier&rsquo;s numbers this past season-36 goals and 84 points in 71 games, 15th best in the NHL-suggest he can still be a force.He didn&rsquo;t have a great playoff, but there were a couple of contributing factors. When the Rangers ran into injury problems, his longtime left winger, Adam Graves, was removed from his line. Also, Brian Leetch&rsquo;s wrist injury severely reduced both his and Messier&rsquo;s effectiveness.Messier scored two goals and five points in five games in the first round against the Florida Panthers, averaging four shots per game. In the next two rounds he had a goal and six assists and his shots per game dipped to 2.3.All of which is not to suggest Messier couldn&rsquo;t bounce back to win his second Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP next spring. He remains one of the all-time great leaders. With Messier, Gretzky, Leetch and goalie Mike Richter, the Rangers will be a contender once again next season.But Messier can count on his desire to win a seventh Cup, not money, being his primary motivation. &#9632;

f0017-01

Rangers should keep Mess for less

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011206/6449062-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="243" height="260"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dominik Hasek had the best save percentage for the fourth straight season.</figcaption></div>You have seen the best Dominik Hasek has to offer.And for that, you have rewarded him.Readers of The Hockey News selected the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; superstar as the goalie to THN&rsquo;s first all-star team. The honor comes on the heels of Hasek&rsquo;s selection as THN Player of the Year, which was voted on by a panel of hockey experts. Hasek became the first goalie to win the award since Mike Liut of the St. Louis Blues shared it with Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers in 1980-81.But the win for Hasek went into triple overtime. Hasek received 55 per cent of the maximum number of voting points, while New Jersey Devils&rsquo; goalie Martin Brodeur received 54 per cent. Players received five points for a first-place vote and three for a second.The voting was just as close at right wing. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim star Teemu Selanne took the first-team berth with 48 per cent of the maximum number of points, while Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins garnered 47.On defense, Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers was the clearest choice for all-star accolades. He received a whopping 72 per cent of the maximum voting points, while first-team partner Chris Chelios of the Chicago Blackhawks got 43 per cent.Hasek has had better statistical seasons-he won the Vezina in 1994 with a career-best 1.95 goals-against average and a career-high seven shutouts-but this season his work approached agical. The Sabres were outshot in 52 of the 66 games Hasek started, but won 29 of them. His 93.0 save percentage led the league and he was second in wins, with 37, and fourth in GAA at 2.27.Buffalo was a popular pre-season choice for last place in the Eastern Conference, but largely due to Hasek, won the Northeast Division and finished sixth overall. That effort has made Hasek a finalist for the Hart Trophy as MVP. If he wins the Hart, he would be the first goalie since Jacques Plante in 1962 to win the award.But Hasek&rsquo;s season ended on a negative note when he sprained his knee in the first round of the playoffs against the Ottawa Senators and was later suspended three games for physically abusing Buffalo News columnist Jim Kelley.Hasek said he is delighted fans thought so much of his performance they would make him a first-team all-star.&ldquo;For me, it is important,&rdquo; Hasek said. &ldquo;I really enjoy it if people think I am a good goaltender. It is a big honor.&rdquo;Now, Hasek said he wants to prove himself in the playoffs. He has never played beyond the first round.&ldquo;I have done everything in this league except win in the playoffs,&rdquo; Hasek said. &ldquo;It bothers me when I see all the other goalies who have won the Stanley Cup and I haven&rsquo;t.&rdquo;Speaking of Cup winners, the Colorado Avalanche finished first overall, but didn&rsquo;t place any players on the first or second teams. &#9632;

f0018-01

The Dominator gains approval

Mario Lemieux was the center of attention with the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, his last in the NHL, but THN readers recognized him as the league&rsquo;s best left winger. That&rsquo;s because Lemieux spent most of the year on the port side on a line with Ron Francis at center and Jaromir Jagr on right wing.<h2>FIRST TEAM</h2><h3>Center</h3>Eric LindrosPhiladelphia FlyersKey Stat: 1.61 points/game 1996-97 Highlights: Second in Flyers&rsquo; scoring despite missing 30 games&hellip;Led club with seven game-winning goals&hellip;Best PPG in NHL<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05255/6449170-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="49" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02887/6449163-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="49" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Left Wing</h3>Mario LemieuxPittsburgh PenguinsKey Stat: Fourth Art Ross1996-97 Highlights: Led NHL with 122 points&hellip; 10th career 100-point season&hellip;Tied NHL record with four goals in one period.<h3>Right Wing</h3>Teemu SelanneAnaheim Mighty DucksKey Stat: 51 goals1996-97 Highlights: LedNHL in goal scoring&hellip;Passed 200-goal, 400-point plateaus for career&hellip; Scored eight game-winners.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06205/6449156-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="50" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03611/6449149-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="49" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Defense</h3>Brian LeetchNew York RangersKey Stat: 78 points1996-97 Highlights: Led all defensemen in scoring&hellip;Hit 20-goal mark for fourth time in nine years&hellip;Eclipsed 500-assist mark for career.<h3>Defense</h3>Chris CheliosChicago BlackhawksKey Stat: 48 points1996-97 Highlights: Third inHawks&rsquo;scoring&hellip; Passed2,000 career penalty minute mark&hellip;Eighth in scoring among NHL defensemen.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07176/6449142-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="49" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04381/6449135-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="51" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Goaltender</h3>Dominik HasekBuffalo SabresKey Stat: 93.0 save percentage 1996-97 Highlights: Best NHL save percentage fourth straight year&hellip;Outshot in 52 of 66 games he started. Record in those games 29-16-7.<h2>SECOND TEAM</h2><h3>Center</h3>Wayne GretzkyNew York RangersKey Stat: 97 points1996-97 Highlights: LedRangers in scoring, placed fifth in NHL&hellip;Now has more assists (1,868) than anyone else in history has points.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-11110/6449128-1-eng-US/f0018-112.jpg" title="f0018-11" width="48" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-08150/6449121-1-eng-US/f0018-082.jpg" title="f0018-08" width="49" height="79"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Left Wing</h3>Paul KariyaAnaheim Mighty DucksKey Stat: 44 goals1996-97 Highlights: Led Ducks with 15 power play goals, 10 game-winning goals&hellip;Plus-36 was best on team, sixth in league.<h3>Right Wing</h3>Jaromir JagrPittsburgh PenguinsKey Stat: Best 1-on-1 in NHL. 1996-97 Highlights: Finished second in shooting percentage at 20.1&hellip;Had 26 multi-point games&hellip;Recorded 600th career point Jan. 4.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-12101/6449114-1-eng-US/f0018-122.jpg" title="f0018-12" width="48" height="77"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-09127/6449107-1-eng-US/f0018-092.jpg" title="f0018-09" width="50" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Defense</h3>Scott StevensNew Jersey DevilsKey Stat: Plus-261996-97 Highlights: Moved into second among active Devils in assists (209), points (268)&hellip;Penalty minute total (70) career low for full season.<h3>Defense</h3>V. KonstantinovDetroit Red WingsKey Stat: Plus-381996-97 Highlights: Led Wings in plus-minus, fourth best in NHL&hellip;Set career highs in assists (33), points (38).<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-1386/6449100-1-eng-US/f0018-132.jpg" title="f0018-13" width="49" height="76"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-10114/6449093-1-eng-US/f0018-102.jpg" title="f0018-10" width="47" height="78"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h3>Goaltender</h3>Martin BrodeurNew Jersey DevilsKey Stat: 10 shutouts1996-97 Highlights: Led NHL in GAA with 1.88&hellip;Shutout streak of 213:52 new team record&hellip; Allowed two or fewer goals in 22 of final 26 starts. &#9632;

Exit….stage left

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-01998/6449201-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="972" height="2214"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Leetch (Leetch by Jim McIsac;)</figcaption></div>The New York Rangers, a team that under-achieved during the regular season, perhaps over-achieved during the playoffs. And there was no way they were going to let a five-game loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference final destroy the good they had done with playoff upsets of the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils in the first two rounds.Nobody knows what might have happened against the Flyers had not the Rangers been ham-pered by injuries. Even with their roster missing five players, and with four others, including Brian Leetch and Wayne Gretzky, taking pain-killing injections so they could play, the series against Philadelphia was more competitive than the 4-1 final count indicated.So there was some pride among the Rangers, who didn&rsquo;t for a moment use the injuries as an excuse.&ldquo;You can take some pride out of any year, but a lot of great things happened along the way for us this year,&rdquo; said captain Mark Messier. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re certainly not happy about losing, but I think our team played the way we had to play, and did everything we had to do in order to win a Stanley Cup. We came up short.&ldquo;We could have used a lot of things as excuses, but we chose not to. We accepted what came our way, which you have to do to go all the way, and dealt with it.&rdquo;Rangers&rsquo; coach Colin Campbell would not reveal exactly what he said to his team after the elimination game, a 4-2 loss in Philadelphia May 25. But he hinted the message was positive.&ldquo;More than anything it was, if you&rsquo;re going to be in a foxhole, these are the players I&rsquo;d like to be in a foxhole with,&rdquo; Campbell said.It was as big a cliche as there is in sports, but Campbell&rsquo;s crackling voice said there was nothing trite about the remark.When Leetch went down with a severely sprained wrist late in Game 2, the Rangers were pretty much finished. They didn&rsquo;t win another game. Leetch&rsquo;s wrist got so bad that by the end he had to go through the handshake line with his right glove on, awkwardly congratulating the Flyers with his left hand.Leetch and Gretzky (bruised forearm), Bruce Driver (bruised ribs) and Doug Lidster (separated shoulder) played on painkiller injections in Game 5.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disappointing,&rdquo; said goalie Mike Richter. &ldquo;As much as you feel good about winning two rounds, you want to get to the final. You never want to let that chance slip away.&rdquo;&ldquo;I think our team grew and our individuals grew over the last six weeks,&rdquo; Campbell said.Now comes the off-season, which promises to be loaded with big-time decisions. A contract extension for Campbell is on the list, said president-GM Neil Smith.At the top, though, is whether Messier remains in New York after becoming the league&rsquo;s most notable unrestricted free agent July 1.Messier wants to stay put, but at what price?&ldquo;I just feel this is where I&rsquo;m supposed to be,&rdquo; said Messier, 36, who added money won&rsquo;t be the final issue and he would accept a one-year contract. &ldquo;It has just got to be fair for both sides. I don&rsquo;t even foresee that much negotiating going on with other teams. I don&rsquo;t know what other interest is out there, but I don&rsquo;t foresee too much going on with the teams in the league.&rdquo;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a difficult decision, whether we want to bring him back,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;It should be a question that answers itself. As a hockey player, there is no decision. We&rsquo;d love to have him back.&rdquo; (See pg. 17for more on Messier.)Another priority, although not immediate, will be a contract extension for Richter, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer unless he is re-signed first.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be sitting here next year talking about how Mike is going to become a total free agent,&rdquo; Smith said.Also unrestricted as of July 1 are right wingers Russ Courtnail and Pat Flatley, left winger Esa Tikkanen, defenseman Doug Lidster and goalie Glenn Healy. Among the team&rsquo;s right-to-match free agents are right winger Alexei Kovalev, left winger Darren Langdon, center Ken Gernander and defensemen Alexander Karpovtsev and Dallas Eakins.The Rangers were closing in on signing defenseman Ronnie Sundin, a 26-year-old chosen in the ninth round of the 1996 draft. Sundin is seen as a probable NHL regular next season. &#9632;

f0020-01

Rangers exit with pride

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div>In the cold winter months of December and January, things never looked so warm and fuzzy for the Colorado Avalanche.For most of that span earlier this season, the Avs were a team playing without five their top six scorers from the previous season because of injuries. Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Claude Lemieux, Valeri Kamensky and Scott Young al) had stretches of at least five games missed with various health problems.The Avs were a battered team that was about to embark on a lengthy eastern road trip with a team full of American League callups. Still, the Avs lost just two of 10 games during that period. Their record during Forsberg&rsquo;s 17-game absence was 11-2-4. When Sakic missed 17 games, they were 11-4-2. Without both Forsberg and Sakic in the lineup, Colorado went 5-1-2.It was after the Avs went into Miami Arena Jan. 20 without Sakic and Forsberg and still manhandled the Florida Panthers that they were conceded a second straight Stanley Cup by hockey pundits. If the Avalanche could go into places such as Florida, New Jersey, New York and Pittsburgh without Forsberg and Sakic and still not lose, what would it be like when its superstars came back?Somehow, shockingly, not as good.Of course, nobody&rsquo;s saying the team would have won the Cup this year without Forsberg and/or Sakic. But the ironic footnote to the 1996-97 Avalanche season will be that it played its best hockey when it was most challenged to overachieve. The Avs of December and January were the hardest-working, tightest-checking, most opportunistic team in the league.Sometime after that, though, some of the hunger and work ethic disappeared. The Avalanche of the Western Conference final was a cheap imitation of its undermanned, mid-season self. The team was outworked in every facet of the game in its loss to the Detroit Red Wings and now faces an off-season of wonder about where things went wrong.&ldquo;We just weren&rsquo;t playing as a team,&rdquo; Sakic said. &ldquo;Last year, everybody was on the same page and we did the same thing every game, every series and worked our butts off.&rdquo;The real problem with the Avs seemed to be a sense of complacency that started to settle in late in the season. In a three-game stretch against the Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers and Detroit in March, the Avs were outshot 124-66. The third game of the trip was a humiliating 6-5 loss to the Wings, who beat up the Avs in every sense of the word.Then there were some atrocious performances against some of the league&rsquo;s worst teams in the final couple of weeks. The Avs lost at home to the Toronto Maple Leafs and lost twice to the San Jose Sharks.Still, Colorado entered the post-season with the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy as the league&rsquo;s top regular season team. A 2-1 road victory over the Dallas Stars April 11 assured that. Still, that win may not have been the best thing for the team. The Avs were outshot 39-17 in that contest and would have lost big if it hadn&rsquo;t been for goalie Patrick Roy.&ldquo;We got away with winning and not playing our best,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;We maybe believed we could do that all the time.&rdquo;More warning signs appeared in the first round against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Avs won in six games, but they were nearly forced to a seventh game by a Blackhawks&rsquo; team missing its top three centers with injuries.In the second round series against the Edmonton Oilers, which the Avs won in five, the team still was surrendering an average of 35 shots a game. The team suddenly seemed to have trouble stopping anybody through the neutral zone and often were hemmed in their own zone.The tightly knit Red Wings were able to expose all the flaws.&ldquo;You look at last year&rsquo;s conference final and it was probably a role reversal,&rdquo; said coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;We were the team winning the battles. We were the team that got to the puck quicker. We were the team that looked desperate and a team possessed to win.&rdquo;Sakic, a restricted free agent whose re-signing will be the team&rsquo;s biggest priority in the off-season, doesn&rsquo;t sound like a player who wants to go anywhere else next season.&ldquo;I hope this team isn&rsquo;t taken apart,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We still have a great young team. We have to learn from this. You need that desire to go with the talent. We have to remember that.&rdquo;<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02662/6449232-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="126" height="286"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 126px">Joe Sakic (Sakic by Bruce Benet Studios)</figcaption></div> &#9632;</div>

f0020-02

Complacency kills Avs

<div class="byline">By Robyn Norwood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01896/6449263-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="213" height="213"></div>Ron Wilson said a lot of candid, bold and arrogant things, but none was ever as bizarre as the post-axe assertion from the man who fired him over a personality clash.&ldquo;We could have won the Stanley Cup,&rdquo; said Mighty Ducks of Anaheim GM Jack Ferreira, &ldquo;and this decision still would have been made.&rdquo;There was no shortage of potential replacements, but nothing had been finalized as May came to a close.Pre-draft speculation The Ducks need a goalie prospect, but they&rsquo;re picking at No. 18 after making the playoffs for the first time, taking them out of the running for Roberto Luongo.Payroll It&rsquo;s going up from a thrifty $16 million last season because Anaheim has to re-sign restricted free agents Paul Kariya and Guy Hebert. Negotiations were under way with Hebert. Kariya will command more than twice his 1996-97 $2-mi Ilion salary.Potential departures The Ducks didn&rsquo;t pick up the $1.5-million option on right winger Jari Kurri&rsquo;s contract, though they may try to sign him at a lower salary. Unrestricted free agent left winger Ken Baumgartner wants to test the market and center Kevin Todd&rsquo;s future is up in the air.Potential additions A free agent wish list: Luke Richardson fits the bill for a physical defenseman and center Dave Gagner could help fill a desperate need for depth at center. Same goes for Igor Larionov, a seemingly suitable pivot for Kariya and Teemu Selanne.NOTEBOOK: Club president Tony Tavares never hid his antagonism for ex-coach Ron Wilson, particularly his frank comments to the media about his contract and other matters. When Wilson lost the support of GM Jack Ferreira that had long served as a buffer, it was over. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really, really disappointed I&rsquo;m not coming back,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;I wanted to in the worst way. But it&rsquo;s not meant to be. It&rsquo;s a chapter in my life and another one will start."&hellip;There were some players happy to see Wilson go, but captain Paul Kariya was not among them. &ldquo;I was pretty shocked,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed. And on a personal note, (Wilson) has been been fantastic for my career. He has done a lot of things to help me. He&rsquo;s the first coach ever to get me to play defense.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-01

Adamant Ferreira claims Wilson firing inevitable

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03436/6449294-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="757" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">Anson Carter</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02612/6449301-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="214" height="209"></div>It took more than a month of rumors and resumes, but the Boston Bruins finally hired Pat Bums as their coach, signing him to a reported four-year, $3-million contract. &ldquo;Working with such a young team is going to be the challenge,&rdquo; Burns said. &ldquo;What we have to do is make these players believe that being a Bruin is very important.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation President-GM Harry Sinden has said definitively the Bruins will select consensus No. I choice Joe Thornton. They would love a crack at goalie Roberto Luongo with the eighth overall pick, but it&rsquo;s unlikely he&rsquo;ll still be available. A big left winger would fill a need.Payroll The March 1 trade of Bill Ranford, Rick Tocchet and Adam Oates hacked Boston&rsquo;s payroll to a league-low $14.5 million. That will inch up once Thornton and other well-paid rookies (Cameron Mann, Johnathan Aitken, Randy Robitaille) are added and new deals are reached for veterans Ted Donato and Jozef Stumpel.Potential departures Enigmatic center Todd Elik won&rsquo;t be invited back. The Bruins&rsquo; youth movement will probably push left winger Tim Sweeney and center Brett Harkins, and possibly defenseman Bob Beers and right winger Sheldon Kennedy out of town.Potential additions Mann, who almost won a job last September, will probably do so next year. The Bruins also assume Thornton will be ready and hope to pursue an unrestricted free agent defenseman-possibly Luke Richardson, Terry Carkner or Shawn Chambers.NOTEBOOK: Assistant GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell said the Bruins have no intention of wading into the Group II free agent pool. &ldquo;If (other teams) don&rsquo;t match, they get to take four or five of your draft picks,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not the way we want to go&hellip;Defenseman Don Sweeney on center Anson Carter&rsquo;s strong World Championship for Canada&rsquo;s gold medal team: &ldquo;I told Anson after the tournament, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not letting you off the hook next season, now that I know what you can bring to the table,&rsquo; &ldquo; Sweeney said. &ldquo;Anson was just outstanding."&hellip;GM Harry Sinden and O&rsquo;Connell said coach Pat Burns will be allowed to hire as many assistants as he wants as long as they approve of candidates. Bums is reportedly interested in Toronto assistant Mike Kitchen. &#9632;

f0022-03

Eager Burns happy Bruin

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04292/6449332-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="217" height="212"></div>The Buffalo Sabres would like to make a big splash at the upcoming entry draft. Naming a new GM and solidifying the position of the head coach would be a good start.Just days after firing GM John Muckier and giving strong indications that Ted Nolan would be the obvious choice to return as head coach, the Sabres appeared to have backtracked somewhat. President Larry Quinn acknowledged he had given Nolan, a coach of the year candidate, permission to speak with at least one other team. Nolan&rsquo;s contract runs out this summer.The draft will be handled by Larry Carriere, who was assistant to the GM when Muckier was fired.Pre-draft speculation The Sabres need size, size and more size. A big winger with scoring ability is a must, but a good-sized defenseman who can protect the net down low is also needed. The Sabres will take the best player available with their 21st overall pick as long as he&rsquo;s big.Payroll The Sabres were ranked the league&rsquo;s best value by THN for 1996-97, winning their division with a $22-million payroll. That figure could drop if Pat LaFontaine retires and insurance covers the $4.8 million per season owed him in each of the next two seasons. Still, there are nine Group II free agents to be signed.Potential departures Defenseman Garry Galley is a free agent without compensation and likely will shop around. Center LaFontaine has been urged to retire. Despite the fact goalie Dominik Hasek has a no-trade clause, there is considerable speculation he may ask to be moved if Nolan returns as coach.Potential additions Defenseman Jay McKee unseated Mike Wilson for the final two games of the playoffs and looks to be poised to make a bid as a regular&rsquo; next season. Right winger Vaclav Varada and center Curtis Brown should move up from the Rochester Americans of the American League.NOTEBOOK: A slew of candidates have had their names linked to the Buffalo GM job, including former Sabres&rsquo; coaches Craig Ramsay and Jim Schoenfeld. Also known to be on the interview list were Erie Otters&rsquo; GM Sherry Bassin. Mike Keenan. Canadian Hockey vice-president Bob Nicholson, David Poile and perhaps Anaheim assistant GM Dave McNab and New Jersey scouting director David Conte. President Larry Quinn said he expects to interview many people and then narrow his list. He said he hoped to have the new GM in place before the draft, but was comfortable acting GM Larry Carriere could handle it if the situation warrants. Carriere, also a former Sabre, is being considered for the job as well. &#9632;

f0022-04

Will GM be in place for draft day?

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01875/6449363-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="218" height="218"></div>Apart from their desire to profit fully from their highest draft choice since 1992, much of the Calgary Flames&rsquo; attention of late has been devoted to the matter of Gary Roberts&rsquo; desire to play again.Eleven months after announcing his retirement, Roberts confirmed he is working out with a personal trainer, with a view to returning to the NHL.Pre-draft speculation The Flames need help down the middle, but Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Olli Jokinen and Daniel Tkaczuk will likely be gone by the time they pick sixth. If goalie Roberto Luongo also creeps into the top five, the logical choice would be Sergei Samsonov.Payroll The $15.4-million (U.S.) payroll will go down $1.5 million with the likely departure of unrestricted free agent Dave Gagner, but could go up if they sign one or more free agents.Potential departures The Flames will bid for center Gagner, but they&rsquo;ll have to show him the money. Center Corey Millen is 33 and another in a longline of small forwards. Defenseman Yves Racine was a useful mid-season acquisition, but it&rsquo;s unlikely he&rsquo;ll be resigned.Potential additions After a one-year absence, center Michael Nylander returns to the Eames. Defenseman Denis Gauthier, the team&rsquo;s No. 1 choice in the 1995 draft, is skilled and has good size. If Mike Vernon doesn&rsquo;t win the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, Calgaty will bid for the former Eame.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Gary Roberts&rsquo; desire to play again leaves the Hames with a tough financial call. The Flames have until June 30 to make a qualifying offer of $2 million (Cdn.) to keep Roberts from becoming an unrestricted free agent. And since the qualifying offer is binding, the Hames would be on the hook for the full amount if Roberts accepts the offer and can&rsquo;t play. On the other hand, if they don&rsquo;t make the offer and Roberts returns to a high level with another team, it would be a public relations disaster for the team. Roberts retired last June because of recurring neck problems that twice forced him to undergo surgery in 1995, but didn&rsquo;t actually sign his retirement papers. He collected his full NHL salary last season. &#9632;

f0024-01

Roberts, first draft pick pressing issues for team

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03377/6449394-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="750" height="1204"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Ricci</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02583/6449401-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="211" height="211"></div>Following a tough loss to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference final, the Colorado Avalanche is faced with some tough decisions.The team will lose millions until it moves into a new arena in Denver, which could mean payroll cuts. But with loads of high draft choices in the next couple of years, the outlook isn&rsquo;t bleak.Pre-draft speculation The Avalanche has the last pick of the first round this year, but may try to convert some of its other assets into another first-rounder. It will likely look for a big forward with its top pick.Payroll Until a deal is signed to move into the Pepsi Center, the Avs will continue to lose big money. As a result, GM Pierre Lacroix will likely have to trim the $27.1-million payroll. Center Joe Sakic, a restricted free agent, poses the biggest uncertainty. Left wingers Keith Jones, Eric Lacroix, and Rene Corbet, right winger Mike Keane and defenseman Jon Klemm also are due new contracts this summer. That could force Lacroix to trade mid-range salaries such as those of defensemen Uwe Krupp and Sylvain Lefebvre, center Mike Ricci&rsquo;s or right winger Scott Young.Potential departures Ricci and Young are likely candidates to leave because of salary concerns. Krupp, making $1.5 million next year and coming off back surgery, also may go.Potential additions You can be sure the Avs will go after a feared enforcer for next year. The loss of Chris Simon in a trade to the Washington Capitals was bemoaned by many.NOTEBOOK: One of the more interesting decisions GM Pierre Lacroix faces is how much of a raise to give his son, Eric, a left winger. The younger Lacroix made $450,OCX) this season and will negotiate with his father through Pierre&rsquo;s former business partner and client. Bob Sauve&hellip;Center Peter Forsberg, left winger Adam Deadmarsh and defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh failed to score in the Western Conference final against Detroit&hellip;Coach Marc Crawford was fined $10,000 by the league for his out-of-control tirade against Detroit coach Scotty Bowman toward the end of Game 4, a 6-0 loss. &ldquo;I certainly am remorseful for my actions,&rdquo; Crawford said. &lsquo;There&rsquo;s no way you can justify anything like that. What I did was stupid.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0024-03

Tough calls for Lacroix

<div class="byline">By Um Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04236/6449432-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="211" height="211"></div>GM Bob Pulford admits the Chicago Blackhawks must make major changes, but long-suffering fans will believe it when they see it.&ldquo;We know we&rsquo;re not good enough the way we are,&rdquo; Pulford said. &ldquo;Probably we will make some major changes, adding people.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation The Hawks desperately need more offensive forwards. They like Belleville Bulls&rsquo; left winger Dan Cleary, but it&rsquo;s doubtful he&rsquo;ll be available when the Hawks draft 13th, their first of two first round picks. The Hawks would love to trade up and get Vai d&rsquo;Or Foreurs&rsquo; goalie Roberto Luongo, but that&rsquo;s a long shot.Payroll The Hawks&rsquo; payroll of $24.5 million will likely go up, but it&rsquo;s anyone&rsquo;s guess by how much. They have to sign left winger Tony Amonte, a restricted free agent, and they may even make bids for fellow Group II free agents Joe Sakic. Paul Kariya and Chris Gratton. They may also go after unrestricted free agents Mike Keane, Kris King or Luke Richardson.Potential departures The magnificent career of center Denis Savard appears to be at an end and he&rsquo;ll likely land a job in the front office. Defenseman Steve Smith&rsquo;s three-year battle with back problems may also force him into retirement. Even if he gets healthy, he&rsquo;s probably done with the Hawks. Defenseman Enrico Ciccone will surely be traded after too many bad penalties and inconsistent play. The Hawks may buy out right winger Kevin Miller&rsquo;s contract.Potential additions Aside from the pursuit of free agents, the Hawks may try to acquire Dino Ciccarelli from the Tampa Bay Lightning. It&rsquo;s a transaction that nearly happened at the March trading deadline. From the minors, only defensemen Christian Laflamme and Tuomas Gronman are good bets to move up from the Indianapolis Ice of the International League.NOTEBOOK: Coach Craig Hartsburg was close to receiving a two-year contract extension that would keep him behind the Hawks&rsquo; bench through the 19992000 season. &ldquo;I think Craig wants to stay here and we&rsquo;re satisfied with the job he has done,&rdquo; said GM Bob Pulford. Hartsburg has one year left on his present contract&hellip; Management is under pressure to make personnel changes before season-ticket renewals go out in late-July. Only 65 per cent of the 11,000 season-ticket holders bought their seats for the playoffs and the Hawks are concerned&hellip;Left winger Tony Amonte turned down a five-year offer and will likely test the free agent market after July 1. He is reportedly seeking $14 million over four years. &#9632;

f0024-04

Changes in wind in Windy City?

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-07119/6449463-1-eng-US/f0024-072.jpg" title="f0024-07" width="747" height="1207"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Modano</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05171/6449470-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="213" height="215"></div>Believing they have turned the comer, the Dallas Stars this summer will try to fine-tune rather than overhaul.With that in mind, they signed the coaching staff for two more seasons and were in the midst of sorting out exactly who they want to keep from a pool of veterans.Pre-draft speculation The Stars pick 25th overall, meaning they have almost no idea who will be available when their selection comes up. The team would love to find a big winger, but will simply take the best player available. Don&rsquo;t look for the team to make any drastic moves to get a higher draft pick.Payroll The Stars expect their $24million payroll to climb. Center Mike Modano played last season for $2.9 million, but would like to move into a long-term deal that averages about $4 million a season. Defenseman Derian Hatcher played last season for $1.1 million and would like to look at numbers approaching $2 million.Potential departures Center Neal Broten is expected to retire. Goalie Arturs Irbe may be moved to clear room for Roman Turek. It&rsquo;s likely one of defensemen Grant Ledyard, Craig Ludwig and Mike Lalor-all unrestricted free agents-will depart.Potential additions Prospects Turek and left wingers Juha Lind and Jason Botterill will all get shots at sticking. The Stars are also interested in left winger Gary Roberts, who is interested in coming out of retirement. He could be an unrestricted free agent.NOTEBOOK: The Stars bumped coach Ken Hitchcock&rsquo;s pay &ldquo;significantly,&rdquo; two sources said, although neither would reveal his salary. He had been scheduled to make $325,000 in 1997-98&hellip;Defenseman Craig Ludwig said he likely will test the unrestricted free agent market. &ldquo;I love it here, but this is probably my last contract and I have to at least take a look,&rdquo; he said&hellip;The Stars restructured their ticket pricing. lowering the price of their cheapest seats and raising the price of their most expensive seats. The move was made lo generate more season ticket sales. The Stars sold 8,280 season tickets last year and would like to push that to at least 10,000&hellip;President Jim Lites and GM Bob Gainey denied published reports they were considering leaving. &#9632;

f0024-07

Stars look to fine-tune

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-06141/6449501-1-eng-US/f0024-062.jpg" title="f0024-06" width="212" height="211"></div>The Detroit Red Wings have done just about everything right the past few seasons, except win the Stanley Cup.Whether or not they&rsquo;re able to achieve that goal this year against the Philadelphia Eyers, the makeup of the team figures to be altered this summer.Pre-draft speculation Having traded its first round pick to the Hartford Whalers in the Brendan Shanahan deal, Detroit won&rsquo;t select until 48th. Unless the Wings move up, the player they eventually land will likely be a project.Payroll The Wings are near the top of the league with a $31-million payroll. Considering they&rsquo;ve played in 11 of a possible 12 playoff rounds the past three seasons, that high number is somewhat justifiable. With several key players entering free agency, that figure is bound to fluctuate.Potential departures Defenseman Slava Fetisov, a potential unrestricted free agent, will likely retire. Left wingers Tomas Sandstrom and Joe Kocur are also entering unrestricted free agency and their returns could hinge on how they perform in the final. Ditto for goalie Mike Vernon, who becomes an unrestricted free agent unless the Wings win the Stanley Cup. Center Igor Larionov is also unrestricted, but Detroit would like to re-sign him.Potential additions Most should come from within, including defensemen Anders Eriksson and Yan Golubovsky and right winger Mike Knuble.NOTEBOOK: Center Kris Draper did not shake Colorado right winger Claude Lemieux&rsquo;s hand following the series, saying Lemieux refused to look him in the eye. &ldquo;I was more than willing to look at him and I was kind of maybe hoping he&rsquo;d have something to say,&rdquo; Draper said. &ldquo;But, you know, nothing&rsquo;s there.&rdquo; Right winger Darren McCarty, who avenged the 1996 Lemieux hit on Draper earlier this year, offered his hand to Lemieux, but Lemieux refused to shake&hellip;Center Sergei Fedorov scored the series winner against Colorado in tire third period of Game 6 after being winded earlier in the game. Captain Steve Yzerman impressed upon Fedorov in the first intermission how much he was needed and Fedorov returned in the second. &#9632;

f0024-06

Post-final future clouded by potential free agents

<div class="byline">By Jerry Higgins</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04321/6449601-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="211" height="208"></div>Management of the new Carolina Hurricanes may experience deja vu this summer.It will have to employ a sped-up season ticket and marketing campaign, something the franchise went through last spring when a six-week season ticket campaign increased the base from 5,200 to 9,000.Team officials are looking for 11,000-12,000 season ticket holders for their first season in Greensboro. Then all they have to worry about is going out and entertaining the locals.Pre-draft speculation With two first-round selections in this year&rsquo;s draft, GM Jim Rutherford said he&rsquo;d like to take two big forwards if they&rsquo;re available, but would also like to move up. The team is slotted to pick 22nd and 23rd.Payroll The team is in the middle of the NHL pack with a payroll of nearly $22 million and Rutherford said it could change in either direction. &ldquo;If we can improve our team and increase our payroll, we&rsquo;ll do that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If some players need a change and we can lower our payroll, we&rsquo;ll do that.&rdquo;Potential departures Rutherford would like to get bigger at forward. as would every team, and realizes he has a dearth of tiny, fast forwards. There&rsquo;s no secret the team would love to move right wingers Nelson Emerson and Robert Kron, two of the major underachievers last season. Center Andrew Cassels and defenseman Kevin Haller could also be had for the right price.Potential additions With a crowded veteran roster, the team will be hard-pressed to add younger players from the successful Springfield Falcons&rsquo; American League team unless some players are moved.Juniors Jean-Sebastien Giguere, a goalie, and Byron Ritchie, a center, had good seasons and Giguere showed his worth during an emergency call-up. He&rsquo;s the top prospect who could displace Jason Muzzatti as Sean Burke&rsquo;s backup.NOTEBOOK: GM Jim Rutherford said the new offices in Raleigh should be up and running the first week of June. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s exciting, but at the same time it&rsquo;s very sad,&rdquo; Rutherford said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re moving to a new city, but we&rsquo;re leaving a good area."&hellip;The team agreed on a deal to run the Carolina Monarchs American League franchise for two years while a new arena is built in Raleigh. The Monarchs, Florida&rsquo;s minor league affiliate, was displaced by the Hurricanes in the Greensboro Coliseum and the Panthers and Hurricanes will share the franchise for two years. Speculation is the team could be moved to New Haven, Conn., which would be ironic seeing the Whalers rarely garnered support from the southern part of the state. &#9632;

f0026-04

Hard work in store for management

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-07179/6449632-1-eng-US/f0026-072.jpg" title="f0026-07" width="747" height="1197"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vitali Yachmenev</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-05246/6449639-1-eng-US/f0026-052.jpg" title="f0026-05" width="213" height="209"></div>GM Dave Taylor has already started taking the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; organization in a new direction: east.Left without a top affiliate when their agreement with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the International League expired, the Kings will send seven of their top prospects next season to the Fredericton Canadiens of the American League. Taylor said the Kings are negotiating with other AHL and IHL teams to find places for their other minor leaguers. Otherwise, the Kings are focusing on the draft, in which they will pick third.Pre-draft speculation Needing to get bigger up front, the Kings may opt for center Olli Jokinen (6-foot-2, 198 pounds) and/or Jason Ward (6-foot-2, 184 pounds). The Kings also have the 15th pick in the first round.Payroll They have the resources to spend more than the $18.3 million they&rsquo;re dishing out, but faced with declining attendance, they may not want to. One option is to dump Kevin Stevens&rsquo; $2.97-million contract, but there might not be any takers.Potential departures Smallish right winger Vitali Yachmenev disappointed last season. Stevens could go if the Kings eat some of his salary. Defenseman Steven Finn, often injured last season, could be expendable.Potential additions Right winger Pavel Rosa is highly regarded and could step in from the Quebec League. Center Donald MacLean, another top scorer in the QMJHL, will get a good look in training camp.NOTEBOOK: Los Angeles City Council in late May approved the final plan for the Kings&rsquo; proposed downtown arena. Club officials remained hopeful the $200-million arena, which the Kings will share with the National Basketball Association&rsquo;s Los Angeles Lakers, will be finished by September, 1999&hellip;Defenseman Rob Blake was the only Canadian player voted to the all-tournament team at the World Championship. Blake was also voted top defenseman&hellip;The Kings changed their ticket pricing structure and reduced the price of many seats. The overall average will be $35.66, down from $36.15 last season&hellip;The Kings were expected to sign right winger Pavel Rosa, a 1995 draft pick and their top prospect. Rosa led the Quebec League in scoring. &#9632;

f0026-07

Kings hope for big draft

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-06205/6449670-1-eng-US/f0026-062.jpg" title="f0026-06" width="213" height="209"></div>The Montreal Canadiens will have a new look behind the bench next season, with the hirings of coach Alain Vigneault and assistant Dave King.But the duo inherits a mediocre team that finished five games below .500 and squeaked into the playoffs. The Canadiens could undergo massive off-season personnel changes.Pre-draft speculation The Canadiens&rsquo; biggest needs continue to be on defense and in goal, where they lack experience. They won&rsquo;t get any immediate help in the draft unless they trade up from the 11th spot, but there was talk the team may make an offer to soon-to-be unrestricted free agent goalie Ed Belfour.Payroll With five regulars becoming restricted free agents, the $21.3 million (U.S.) payroll will likely be significantly increased. Also, captain Vincent Damphousse is entering the option year of his contract. GM Rejean Houle might decide to lock him into a multi-year deal.Potential departures Right winger Stephane Richer was a disappointment after being re-acquired from the New Jersey Devils. Right winger Valeri Bure has never appeared comfortable in Montreal. Left winger Brian Savage is the type of big forward many teams covet.Potential additions Any and all free agent defensemen and goaltenders are fair game, including Luke Richardson, Garry Galley, Andy Moog, Glenn Healy and Belfour.NOTEBOOK: Coach Alain Vigneault and assistant Dave King signed three-year contracts. Vigneault, 36, will earn $1.2 million (Cdn.) over the life of the contract, including $350,000 in his rookie season. Before coming to the Canadiens, Vigneault spent eight seasons coaching in the Quebec League and was an assistant for more than three seasons with Ottawa. King, 49, returns to the NHL after two years as a consultant with the Japanese Ice Hockey Federation. He was fired by Calgary in 1995 following three seasons as Flames&rsquo; coach. Although King wants to become a head coach again, he said he&rsquo;ll pose no threat to Vigneault. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got to support (Vigneault),&rdquo; King said. &ldquo;If he&rsquo;s successful, I&rsquo;m successful.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0026-06

Vigneault, King on board; more changes may follow

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01804/6449701-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="210" height="212"></div>If Jacques Lemaire was looking for a vote of confidence from boss Lou Lamoriello, the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach could not have felt very secure as the GM remained vague about his club&rsquo;s coaching situation for next season.&ldquo;You never know,&rdquo; Lamoriello said, &ldquo;but I think everything is status quo. I&rsquo;m not trying to confuse people. We have to get better.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation Concerned they will lose backup goalie Mike Dunham as a free agent or in a future expansion draft, the Devils would like to rebuild their depth in net.Payroll The front office is not overly concerned about last season&rsquo;s $26million payroll skyrocketing this off-season. It is next year, when Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur and John MacLean seek new deals that they will face major decisions.Potential departures The loss of veteran defenseman Shawn Chambers, an unrestricted Group V free agent, would hurt. But the most interesting case will involve Dunham. His agent Bob Murray planned to file a grievance through the NHL Players&rsquo; Association claiming the Devils violated the collective bargaining agreement by inserting Dunham into several games just to reach the 25-game cutoff. An arbitrator will probably decide whether Dunham becomes an unrestricted free agent.Potential additions If Petr Sykora does not return to form, a tr ade for an experienced center may be necessary.NOTEBOOK: GM Lou Lamoriello denied Anaheim and Boston permission to interview assistant coach Robbie Ftorek&hellip;NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow said he soon expects to handle a request by Mike Dunham and agent Bob Murray to file a grievance to become an unrestricted free agent. &ldquo;I was very disappointed in the way New Jersey handled the way they put him in some games. I thought that was very uncalled-for and very unfair,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I find it hard to believe they can make a reasonable explanation that it was a hockey decision to put Mike Dunham in for 2.3 seconds in a game."&hellip;Right winger Randy McKay (Group II) was looking for a one-year deal with intentions of becoming unrestricted next year. &#9632;

f0027-01

Team must get better, but things ‘status quo’

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03316/6449732-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="754" height="1200"><figcaption class="caption-body">Randy Wood</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02494/6449739-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="212" height="210"></div>If the New York Islanders had moved up in the lottery from picking fourth and fifth in the entry draft to either first or second, player personnel director Gordie Clark said, they would have taken Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau.But their positions did not change, so that makes decisions tougher. The club will listen to trade offers, but as of May 28, Clark said, it had not gotten any.Pre-draft speculation The Islanders like centers Daniel Tkaczuk and Olli Jokinen. But their scouts wonder whether Jokinen can take a pounding in NHL-style hockey and do not rate Tkaczuk as highly as Thornton and Marleau.Payroll It is expected the payroll will rise from last season&rsquo;s NHL low of about $14 million to at least $18 million now that new owner John Spano firmly is in charge. &ldquo;It is going to grow,&rdquo; said GM Mike Milbury. But he didn&rsquo;t think it would be caused by raises for current Islanders &ldquo;because we didn&rsquo;t win.&rdquo;Potential departures Milbury is not expected to renew the contracts of unrestricted left winger Randy Wood, right wingers Brent Hughes and Dave McLlwain and defenseman Doug Hou-da. all free agents. There is talk assistant coach Guy Charron, who has a year left on his contract, is looking for other work.Potential additions Unrestricted free agent center Brian Skrudland of the Florida Panthers, right winger Mike Keane of the Colorado Avalanche and defenseman Luke Richardson of the Edmonton Oilers are Milbury-type players.NOTEBOOK: While rumors swirled that GM Mike Milbury could be replaced by former Islander Denis Potvin, Milbury indicated to several Boston reporters he could not rule out leaving the Islanders. Owner John Spano responded by saying he would refuse permission to any teams wishing to talk to Milbury. Spano added, &ldquo;Mike-and nobody else-will be in charge of the hockey operations."&hellip;Spano is to open talks with Nassau County officials June 9 about his desire to oversee a major redevelopment of the 70-acre Nassau Coliseum site-including a new arena, a shopping and entertainment complex and a hotel and planetarium. Spano said he expects the project to cost between $400 million and $480 million. &#9632;

f0027-03

Top picks up for sale

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04216/6449770-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="211" height="211"></div>The New York Rangers didn&rsquo;t want to hear it. They refused to use the mounting injuries they&rsquo;d suffered as an excuse for their five-game Eastern Conference final loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.In truth, even if the Rangers were healthy, they might not have been able to overcome the bigger Eyers, whose offense at times overwhelmed them. But surely, they would have had a better chance.&ldquo;We gave it everything, trust me,&rdquo; said Wayne Gretzky, who had a magnificent season and playoff. &ldquo;I can honestly say each and every guy played his heart out. We played with a lot of injuries. But we got beat. No excuses. Sometimes you get beat.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation The Rangers&rsquo; No. 1 need, without question, is at the forward position. Yet Larry Pleau, the team&rsquo;s vice-president, player personnel insisted, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think you can look at needs at the NHL level and address it in the amateur draft.&rdquo;Payroll The Rangers lead the NHL with a payroll of $38 million, a number that may have to freeze or decrease under new owner Cablevision. Center Mark Messier will probably have to take less than his $6 million or move elsewhere as a free agent and left winger Luc Robitaille, who has four years at $13.6 million remaining on his contract, is certainly available.Potential departures Messier, goalie Glenn Healy, left winger Esa Tikkanen, right wingers Russ Courtnall and Pat Flatley and defenseman Doug Lidster are unrestricted free agents. Possible trade bait are Robitaille and right winger Alexei Kovalev.Potential additions The Rangers will be interested in adding to their depth through gritty unrestricted free agents, such as right wingers Mike Keane and Kris King and left winger Mike Hough. Center Christian Dube, the Memorial Cup MVP, is ready to step in and be an NHL regular, and surprise ninth-round 1996 pick Ronnie Sundin, 26, could be an NHL defenseman next year.NOTEBOOK: Center Wayne Gretzky, who wasn&rsquo;t supposed to be able to make it through the three rounds of tough Eastern playoffs, not only played every game this season, but also led the Rangers with 10 goals and 20 points in 15 playoff games. Included were two hat tricks, the record ninth and 10th playoff hat tricks of his career&hellip;Center Mark Messier became the all-time leader in Stanley Cup games played, breaking Larry Robinson&rsquo;s record of 227&hellip; Defenseman Alexander Karpovtsev missed Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern final to return home to Moscow upon learning of the unexpected death of his mother at age 52. Karpovtsev flew back the day before Game 5 and had a goal and an assist in that game. &#9632;

f0027-04

Injuries hurt Rangers’ fortunes

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrloch</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01839/6449801-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="28" height="29">The Ottawa Senators have already started negotiations to make Group II free agent Daniel Alfredsson one of their highest paid players, but it&rsquo;s not going to be easy.Sources say Alfredsson, who made $340,000 last season, balked at an offer from the club which had the potential to be worth $9 million (U.S.) over four seasons.Pre-draft speculation The Senators may attempt to move up in the draft. The club holds the 12th pick overall, but there is talk they may deal a couple of defensemen to move up-they have 12 blueliners under contract. Ottawa has an interest in goalie Roberto Luongo, but would have to get into the top five to have a shot at him.Payroll Alfredsson&rsquo;s signing alone will add about $2.5 million to the Sens&rsquo; 1996-97 payroll of $16.9 million. No. 1 1996 selection Chris Phillips will make $875,000 (U.S.) once he agrees to a contract. Playoff revenue may allow the Sens to dip into the free agent pool.Potential departures The Sens&rsquo;could deal veteran defenseman Steve Duchesne to get something in return before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Defenseman Sean Hill will have to fight for his spot if he&rsquo;s not traded.Potential additions Phillips, for sure. The Senators were prepared to make a bid for Luc Robitaille at the NHL trading deadline in March, however, he broke his ankle. That could be a possibility this summer.NOTEBOOK: Coach Jacques Martin was named one of three finalists for coach-of-the-year along with Ted Nolan of Buffalo and Ken Hitchcock of Dallas. &ldquo;I think this is a credit to the organization,&rdquo; Martin said&hellip;Along with right winger Daniel Alfredsson, the organization has eight other players who become free agents this summer: goaltender Mike Bales, defensemen Janne Laukkanen, Stan Neckar. Phil Von Stefenelli and Jason York and forwards Phil Crowe, Denny Lambert and Jason Zent&hellip;The Senators will hold a conditioning camp June 1-4 for players in the organization and draft picks. There are no on-ice sessions, but the players will be given a summer training program, tips on nutrition and drug and alcohol awareness sessions. &#9632;

New deal for Alfredsson heads team’s to-do list

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02557/6449839-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="28" height="28">Eric Lindros politely skated over to center ice for the presentation, but he wanted no part of the Prince of Wales Trophy.Moments after the New York Rangers were dispatched in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, the Flyers&rsquo; captain posed with the championship hardware.But in a silent gesture to teammates and fans, Lindros made it clear this was not the trophy he ultimately coveted.Pre-draft speculation The Flyers traded their No. 1 pick to Hartford in the Paul Coffey trade, but they do have Toronto&rsquo;s second-rounder. GM Bob Clarke does not have a history of trading up, so look for the Flyers to be content with a &ldquo;project&rdquo; player.Payroll Negotiations on Eric Lindros&rsquo; contract, which has one year to run, should be concluded over the summer. He&rsquo;s likely to command the league&rsquo;s highest salary, which would significantly push up the $28-million payroll. Also, look for John LeClair&rsquo;s current five-year deal to be tom up for a significantly higher number.Potential departures Pat Falloon was benched for portions of the regular season and playoffs. Karl Dykhuis continues to lack consistency and several teams have expressed an interest. Goalie Garth Snow might want to look elsewhere for a full-time No. 1 job.Potential additions Rick Tocchet, a free agent, would like to finish his career in Philadelphia. But do you give a 32-year-old with a bad back a raise on a $2-million deal? Goalie Brian Boucher could step in if Snow moves on.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03395/6449832-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="99" height="155"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 99px">Kjell Samuelsson</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Kjell Samuelsson. who missed 53 games after Jan. 15 neck surgery, returned for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. He was used mostly on penalty kills and reported no problems with his injured left shoulder. &ldquo;The worst thing is the timing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can lose that in two weeks, I was out four months."&hellip;Goalie Ron Hextall raised his playoff record as a Flyer to 11-2 against the Rangers after a 4-2 win in the Eastern Conference final clincher May 25&hellip;On the eve of the Stanley Cup final against Detroit, defenseman Paul Coffey had nothing to say about his frosty relationship with his former coach, Scotty Bowman. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to get into that stuff,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s Philadelphia against Detroit, plain and simple.&rdquo; &#9632;</div>

f0028-03

It’s Stanley Cup or bust

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-04278/6449870-1-eng-US/f0028-042.jpg" title="f0028-04" width="28" height="28">Could the man who helped knock the Phoenix Coyotes out of the playoffs, the same man who infuriated Coyotes&rsquo; GM Bobby Smith by insinuating his team was going to &ldquo;go after&rdquo; stars Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk, become the next coach in Phoenix?Perhaps.Smith recently interviewed former Mighty Ducks of Anaheim coach Ron Wilson for four hours in his search to replace Don Hay.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good coach and a good hockey man,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d have no problems working with him.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation Don&rsquo;t be surprised if the Coyotes attempt to trade up in the draft. They gave up their first round pick to Chicago in the Jeremy Roenick trade and, with only one pick in the first 80 overall, have confirmed interest in getting a first round choice.Payroll The Coyotes&rsquo; payroll of about $23 million should grow substantially because the club must resign its top two defensemen. Teppo Numminen and all-star Oleg Tver-dovsky. Numminen, 28, earned $1.2 million and Tverdovsky, 21, earned $1.4 million. Both will command salaries upwards of $2 million.Potential departures Assistant captain Kris King, who becomes a free agent, likely won&rsquo;t be re-signed. Veteran defenseman Brad McCrimmon, also is a longshot to be back. An apparent logjam at center could be solved by using Craig Janney or Cliff Ronning as possible trade bait, especially if Phoenix wants to move up in the draft.Potential additions Chad Kilger will be given a chance to sink or swim at the NHL level next season. Portland right winger Brad Isbister developed faster than anyone anticipated and may also be there. Defenseman Jason Doig is possibly still a year away. On the free-agency scene, the Coyotes seem committed to finding a 25-30-goal man to complement Tkachuk and Roenick.NOTEBOOK: At least two NHL teams have inquired about the services of former coach Don Hay. GM Bobby Smith said&hellip;With performance incentives, the new contract signed by right winger Jocelyn Lemieux could pay the veteran as much as $1,275 million&hellip;The Coyotes signed free-agent defenseman and International League penalty minutes&rsquo; leader Sean Gagnon (457 PIM) to a one-year deal&hellip;A Phoenix radio station donated $2,000 to the team&rsquo;s Goals for Kids Foundation by pledging $10 for every PIM racked up by enforcer Jim McKenzie. He finished with 200&hellip;The Coyotes announced plans to increase ticket prices next season by an average of eight per cent across the board. &#9632;

Former foe coaching candidate

<div class="byline">By Mike Dudurich</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01735/6449901-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="29" height="29">Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; GM Craig Patrick may be the only one who knows what is going on with the team&rsquo;s vacant coaching post.Even within the organization, Patrick is very closed-mouth about the issue. All he has said publicly is that his list of candidates changes daily.Pre-draft speculation The retirement of Mario Lemieux, the advancing age of Ron Francis and Petr Nedved being unsigned all point toward the selection of a center taking top priority when the entry draft is held June 21 at the Civic Arena. Unfortunately, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Daniel Tkaczuk and Jason Ward all figure to be gone by the time the Penguins pick 17th in the first round.Payroll Last year it was $34.7 million, but $11 million of that went to Lemieux. Much of his money is deferred so they will be responsible for at least a few million to him this year. That said, the payroll should still go down.Potential departures Lemieux and right winger Joe Mullen, for sure.The Penguins did not pick up their option on defenseman Craig Muni. Defenseman Francois Leroux and and left winger Greg Johnson could also be on the way out. Goalie Tom Barrasso is free for the taking.Potential additions The biggest addition, assuming Patrick can get him signed, will be young Russian center Alexei Morozov. The Penguins also would love defensemen Stefan Bergkvist and Sven Butenschon to win spots.NOTEBOOK: The Penguins had a news conference to announce Roger Marino, a Boston businessman, had joined Howard Baldwin as co-chairmen of the board. The other two owners, Thomas Ruta and Morris Belzberg, became minority owners&hellip; Defensemen Chris Tamer and Neil Wilkinson had abdominal surgery performed by William Meyers of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m quite sure Chris would not have been able to continue playing if not for the surgery,&rdquo; Meyers said. &ldquo;It would probably be three months before we&rsquo;ll know if it was successful, but I think I can comfortably predict that he will be fine"&hellip;Center Ron Francis and family planned to spend a month visiting the Ulf Samuelsson clan in Sweden. &#9632;

Talent, payroll go south in post-Mario Pittsburgh

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-02473/6449939-1-eng-US/f0029-022.jpg" title="f0029-02" width="28" height="28">Although St. Louis Blues&rsquo; GM Ron Caron had a year remaining on his contract, president Mark Sauer moved up his timetable by a full year to hire Caron&rsquo;s replacement.Caron, 67, will remain on the job on a business-as-usual basis through the NHL draft and until a successor is hired. Then he will remain with the team as an advisor to Sauer.Pre-draft speculation For a team with no picks in the first two rounds, there&rsquo;s not a lot to speculate about.Payroll The Blues&rsquo; payroll last season was about $29 million. To date, they already have $27.5 million committed for next season and still have to sign centers Pierre Turgeon and Craig Conroy defenseman Igor Kravchuk and left winger Mike Peluso.Potential departures: Goalie Jon Casey, right winger Sergio Momesso and defenseman Trent Yawney have big | tickets and barely played last season. If the Blues can&rsquo;t trade them, unlikely because of their age and contracts, these players could be bought out. Although there are no plans at the moment to trade right winger Brett Hull or defenseman Al Maclnnis, their situation should be watched. Ditto for left winger Geoff Courtnall. And if anybody wants right winger Joe Murphy and his big contract, all they have to do is ask.Potential additions The Blues had success last season with young castoffs from other teams such as right winger Jim Campbell. That&rsquo;s what they&rsquo;d like to find on the free agent market-young, enthusiastic players who need a second chance and don&rsquo;t make a lot of money.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-03300/6449932-1-eng-US/f0029-032.jpg" title="f0029-03" width="98" height="157"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 98px">Jim Campbell</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK: Through May 29, president Mark Sauer had interviewed, among others, former Washington Capitals&rsquo; GM David Poile, Rangers&rsquo; vice-president of player personnel Larry Pleau and broadcaster Joe Micheletti for the vacant GM post. Poile and Pleau are considered the frontrunners because of their experience. In Poile&rsquo;s 15 seasons, the Caps were 594-454-132 and finished below .500 only twice. Pleau is a former GM/coach in Hartford with a strong draft record. Although Micheletti lacks Poile&rsquo;s and Pleau&rsquo;s experience, he&rsquo;s bright, articulate and has a good working knowledge of league personnel. He also has a strong business background as a stock broker&hellip;Veteran center Craig MacTavish called it quits at season&rsquo;s end after 15 seasons. &#9632;</div>

f0029-03

Lots of vets available

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-04213/6449970-1-eng-US/f0029-042.jpg" title="f0029-04" width="29" height="28">For the second time in less than a year, and the fifth time in their brief NHL history, the San Jose Sharks found themselves in search of a head coach.Al Sims, a former assistant coach with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, was fired May 9.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it was so much a reflection of the team&rsquo;s record, although we wanted to do better,&rdquo; said San Jose GM Dean Lombardi. &ldquo;It was more an evaluation of where we have to go.&rdquo;Pre-draft speculation The Sharks likely will use the No. 2 pick to select center Patrick Marleau. Lombardi hasn&rsquo;t completely ruled out the possibility of trading the pick, but has made it clear he believes the team must be built through the draft.Payroll The Sharks have raised ticket prices for next season and say an expected increase in their payroll, which amounted to $22.8 million last season, is a large part of the reason. Defenseman Al lafrate already has been signed to a new contract that will pay him about double the $1 million he made last season. San Jose is hoping to sign goalie Ed Belfour. who is believed to be after a multi-year deal worth at least $4 million per season.Potential departures How many jobs can be safe on a team that won only 27 games last season? Among those likely to be gone are right winger Tim Hunter and defenseman Greg Hawgood. Hunter played in only 46 games last season after being signed as a free agent and might be at the end of his NHL career.Potential additions Among the priorities for the Sharks is finding a replacement for Sims. Former Chicago Blackhawk coach Darryl Sutter is considered a front-runner and Sharks&rsquo; assistant coach Wayne Cashman also is in the running. As for players, the Sharks would like to add at least one veteran defenseman and an experienced forward. If they can&rsquo;t sign Belfour, they&rsquo;ll also need a goalie.NOTEBOOK: GM Dean Lombardi reacted to results of the May 18 draft drawing with relief rather than disappointment. The Sharks failed to move up and gain the No. 1 overall selection, but maintained the second pick&hellip;Defenseman Al lafrate. who underwent season-ending back surgery in March, was coming along well in his recovery and expected to be at full speed in training camp&hellip;Goalie Ed Belfour returned to San Jose in mid-May after spending a month in Florida rehabilitating his bad back&hellip;Contract negotiations between Lombardi and Belfour&rsquo;s agent, Ron Salcer, were ongoing&hellip;Defenseman Marty McSorley underwent minor postseason surgery for removal of a staph infection in his elbow. &#9632;

It just Sims like déjà vu for Sharks

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-05186/6450008-1-eng-US/f0029-052.jpg" title="f0029-05" width="29" height="28">With its failure to make the playoffs, the franchise for sale and no one in the organization really certain what the future holds, it will be an off-season of uncertainty for the Tampa Bay Lightning.Many questions could be answered soon, though, as the Maloof family of New Mexico continues sale negotiations with current Japanese ownership.Pre-draft speculation Size is a virtual prerequisite for whomever Tampa Bay takes with its No. 7 pick. If it goes with a forward, Barrie center Daniel Tkaczuk and Erie center Jason Ward are possibilities. Tampa Bay probably prefers a winger, though, making Belleville&rsquo;s Dan Cleary an option.Payroll The Lightning&rsquo;s player budget was raised about 30 per cent from a year ago to $19.6 million, but you couldn&rsquo;t tell by performance. Whether the Lightning spends considerably more next season depends on whether or not the team is sold. If so, expect some extra cash to be available for free-agent pursuits. Chris Gratton could also eat up dollars with a new contract.Potential departures A draft-day deal involving veteran goalie Rick Tabaracci is a possibility. Veteran defensemen Jay Wells and David Shaw, and enforcer Rudy Poeschek may not be around come training camp.Potential additions The likeliest addition is young defenseman Mike McBain, Tampa Bay&rsquo;s second round draft choice in 1995. He may start at AHL-affiliate Adirondack, but could work his way into the Lightning lineup by season&rsquo;s end.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-07127/6450001-1-eng-US/f0029-072.jpg" title="f0029-07" width="98" height="157"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 98px">Chris Gratton</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK: The Lightning agreed to contract terms with 1995 draft choices defenseman Mike McBain and left winger Joe Cardarelli. McBain&rsquo;s deal included a $600,000 signing bonus plus a games-played bonus clause that could bring him nearly $850,000 per season. Cardarelli also signed a three-year deal. Tampa Bay was still negotiating with third round &lsquo;95 pick, right winger Shane Willis, as the deadline neared for him to go back into the draft&hellip;GM Phil Esposito said veteran right winger Dino Ciccarelli and left winger Rob Zamuner will both be offered contract extensions this off-season&hellip; Lightning governor David LeFevre backed out of a position as executive director of the Tampa Sports Authority to maintain his ties with the team. &#9632;</div>

f0029-07

When will Bolt strike?

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-06153/6450039-1-eng-US/f0029-062.jpg" title="f0029-06" width="28" height="27">Former Montreal Canadi-en great Ken Dryden has taken over Cliff Eetcher&rsquo;s president&rsquo;s chair in the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; rebuilding project.Dryden, hired May 30, said his first job would be to find a GM to lead the team. (See pg. 3 for more on Dryden.)Pre-draft speculation With no first or second round pick and either interim GM Bill Watters or someone else running the Leaf draft table, the club&rsquo;s plans in Pittsburgh are totally up in the air. Under Fletcher, re-acquiring a first round pick wasn&rsquo;t a priority, but that may change. Goaltending and forwards would seem to be priorities.Payroll Currently at $18.4 million (U.S.), this figure is expected to go up. Over the past 14 months, the Leafs have dropped $8-$10 million, plus no longer have to pay former coach Pat Bums&rsquo; $850,000 (Cdn.) salary.Potential departures Defenseman Matt Martin, 26, is an unrestricted free agent because he has played so few NHL games. He wants out. Skilled, but oft center Brandon Convery has worn out his welcome. Goalie Felix Potvin is the one major asset the Leafs could use to strengthen other areas.Potential additions Czech right winger Martin Prochazka, the top sniper at the World Championship, finally wants to try the NHL. Unrestricted free agent defenseman Luke Richardson will get an offer from the Leafs and junior star Alyn McCauley is expected to fill a spot at center.NOTEBOOK: Former GM Cliff Fletcher, fired May 24, reached a $2.5-million settlement with team owner Steve Stavro. Stavro said he offered Fletcher the opportunity to stay on as team president, but Fletcher refused&hellip;Stavro stepped down as chief executive officer and five members of the club&rsquo;s board of directors resigned before Dryden was hired. &ldquo;We need a hockey man and a building man and I won&rsquo;t be either,&rdquo; said Stavro, referring to the club&rsquo;s plans to build a new downtown arena&hellip;Mike Keenan. John Muckier and David Poile were among the first to indicate interest in the Leafs&rsquo; vacant GM post&hellip;The Leafs and National Basketball Association Toronto Raptors have apparently struck an unofficial deal to share a new arena. &#9632;

Dryden assumes control in rebirth of franchise

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01832/6450070-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="216" height="219"></div>No news was strange news in Van couver, where the Canucks went against the norm and didn&rsquo;t fire anyone despite missing the playoffs for the first time since 1990.President-GM Pat Quinn joined Canada&rsquo;s entry at the World Championship where he finally saw his top prospect, Swedish defenseman Mattias Ohlund, play in person. Otherwise, the team stayed underground with major changes now expected on the player side, perhaps beginning with some movement around entry draft time.Pre-draft speculation With the usual holes at center and on defense, the Canucks will be grateful to select anyone who can play for them in two or three years. They would take either a hardnosed or playmaking pivot in a heartbeat, but the top four centers are expected to be long gone before Vancouver picks 10th. A more likely scenario has the Canucks grabbing a blueliner with Eric Brewer, Nick Boynton or Brad Ference all possibilities.Payroll It&rsquo;s hard to figure where this team is going with its $26.4-million (U.S.) payroll. The stock answer from ownership is the money is there if Quinn believes it will help the team. However, there is also a feeling Quinn has been told not to raise the bar, especially considering last season&rsquo;s poor showing. Bet on the Canucks maintaining about the same level on salaries, or slightly lower if they don&rsquo;t re-sign Alexander Mogilny.Potential departures The mysterious Mogilny is a restricted free agent and may refuse to re-sign if he doesn&rsquo;t like the look of the team. Injury-plagued Mike Ridley is expected to call it a career. Chris Joseph, an unrestricted free agent defenseman, played himself into the press box by late season.Potential additions Ohlund was a second team all-star at the World Championship. Contract talks could be dicey, though. Veteran Igor Larionov, an impending Group III free agent, may want to return to his first NHL home and a city he loves. Prospect Lonny Bohonos may be able to stick on right wing, especially if Mogilny departs.NOTEBOOK: The Canucks will unveil their new colors and logo the first week of June. The logo, which leaked out on the Internet in early-May, features a killer whale, or orca, leaping out of a C-shaped ocean wave. Early reviews were not positive, but Canucks&rsquo; captain Trevor Linden said the whole package looks impressive. Look for a lot of deep blue, deep red and silver&hellip;Canuck tough guy Donald Brashear, a left winger, drew raves for his play in the World Championship in Finland. Brashear, who is a native of Bedford, Ind., but grew up in Quebec, participated for Team USA&hellip;The Canucks were the NHL&rsquo;s only team in 1997 not to see their franchise value increase, Financial World reported. While NHL team values increased on average 21.6 per cent, the Canucks&rsquo; value remained constant at $91 million (U.S.). The Canucks placed 12th among the 26 NHL teams this year. Last year, they were eighth. (See pg. 3 for more on Financial World story). &#9632;

f0030-01

Quiet spring somewhat surprising following disappointing season

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02558/6450101-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="212" height="214"></div>Summer will be a lot longer than usual for the Washington Capitals, who failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.The extra time won&rsquo;t be wasted. Several players need time to heal from injuries/surgery. The upper management situation also needs to be addressed after the firing of GM David Poile.Pre-draft speculation For the first time in recent memory, the Capitals will only have one first round pick at their disposal. At ninth overall, they should be able to find a decent forward with size to add to their fine stable of prospects.Payroll At season&rsquo;s end, the team&rsquo;s payroll of slightly more than $26 million was sixth in the league. It will go up, but probably not significantly. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar is a Group II free agent and should easily triple the $400,000 he made last season. Center Andrei Nikolishin&rsquo;s positioning has been weakened by an injury, but he will also be seeking more than the $400,000 he made.The club has promised to renegotiate Adam Oates&rsquo; contract; he made $2 million last season and will probably go to $3 million. The Rick Toc-chet situation-he can be an unrestricted free agent if he chooses-is still up in the air, a $2.2 million or more question mark.Potential departures Tocchet may move on after playing only 18 games for the Caps following a trade from the Boston Bruins. He would like to finish his career with the Philadelphia Flyers. Poile&rsquo;s successor may want to attempt a few buy-outs-power play specialist Phil Housley ($2.5 million) was less than a sensation with 11 goals, three on the power play. Left winger Chris Simon was a large disappointment, never being anything close to in shape during his rare healthy periods.Potential additions A new GM is in the works; possibly a new coaching staff, too. Right winger Yogi Svejkovsky is definitely in the works after a brilliant year with Portland of the American League. Center Alexander Volchkov, graduating from major junior, would also be a nice addition.NOTEBOOK: The Capitals waived goaltender Marc Seliger after it appeared he was unable to compete at the pro level. The Capitals tried the German-bom Seliger at both Portland (American League) and Hampton Roads (East Coast League), but the 1993 ninth-rounder was not up to the task&hellip;Center Andrei Nikolishin tore up a knee playing for Russia during the World Championship and reportedly was going to need major reconstructive surgery which would put him on the shelf for about eight months&hellip; Defenseman Sylvain Cote needed surgery on a knee and several other Caps were in line for repairs to various body parts after a season in which the team had a clubrecord 361 man-games lost to injury&hellip;When the team opted not to renew GM David Poile&rsquo;s contract May 12, it left the Capitals without a day-to-day decision maker. Poile, GM for 15 seasons, never had an assistant, meaning there was nobody to turn the reins over to when he left. &#9632;

f0030-02

Summer break gives organization ooportunitv to get healthy again

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01773/6450139-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Manny Legace was suspended 10 games for abuse of an official. (Photo by Paul Angers/BBS)</figcaption></div>The Hamilton Bulldogs were the team opponents fattened up on during the regular season.The young team struggled to find an identity and struggled for wins.Then along came goalie Steve Passmore, fully recovered from a musclecramping problem that for two years threatened to end his career.Passmore rejoined the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; farm team in January and provided stability in goal, allowing the rest of the team to grow.While the Bulldogs finished 28-43-9, they learned how to win, which is why they&rsquo;ll meet either the Hershey Bears or Springfield Falcons in the Calder Cup final.In the American League&rsquo;s 60 seasons, no finalist has had a worse winning percentage than the Bulldogs&rsquo; .406. The team moved to Hamilton from Cape Breton, N.S. this season.&ldquo;We were like a snowball going downhill and picking up speed.&rdquo; Passmore said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s not like anybody has carried the team. Everybody is happy when someone else is the hero.&rdquo;Rookie winger Joe Hulbig was their leading scorer. Center Kimbi Daniels, plucked out of the East Coast League in March, was second.In the Southern Conference final, the Springfield Falcons opened a 3-1 lead on Hershey, but the Bears rallied to force a seventh game.HARTFORD INTEREST: By early June, the American League could go from no teams in Connecticut to two-in Hartford and New Haven.Th AHL is lobbying to replace the Hartford Whalers, trying to convince the Connecticut Development Authority to approve its bid instead of one from the International League.&ldquo;In my view, it shouldn&rsquo;t be a hard decision,&rdquo; said AHL president Dave Andrews. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a better league, we have a better product, we have better economics and we have a better ownership group.&rdquo;The AHL officially placed a bid for the Pittsburgh Penguins to be the parent team in Hartford. But sources say the New York Rangers also are interested in the market.At the same time, the transplanted Whalers have forced the AHL&rsquo;s Carolina Monarchs to evacuate from Greensboro, N.C., and New Haven could be their new home.A group headed by former Syracuse Crunch GM David Gregory has been seeking an expansion franchise for New Haven, which had an AHL team for 21 seasons until 1993.Some members of the board of governors are skeptical about awarding an expansion franchise to New Haven. But by playing temporary host to the Monarchs for two years, the market may be able to win back support.The blueprint calls for the Monarchs to return to Greensboro for 1999-2000. That&rsquo;s when the NHL Hurricanes would shift over to the new arena in Raleigh-Durham.But the Monarchs would only go return to Greensboro if they had nearby rivals. That&rsquo;s something that could be accomplished if the Richmond Renegades, Hampton Roads Admirals and Charlotte Checkers leave the ECHL.LEGACE GONE: Springfield goalie Manny Legace was given the harshest suspension in Calder Cup playoff history-10 games-for striking referee Dennis LaRue across the back of the legs with his stick in Game 3 of the semifinal against Hershey.Legace didn&rsquo;t swing hard or injure LaRue, but the actions fit the Category II definition of abuse of an official.Legace went after LaRue following Hershey&rsquo;s overtime goal in a 4-3 victory. He felt he was interfered with when the Bears forced overtime by scoring with 40 seconds left. The Falcons had a goal disallowed 28 seconds later because Reggie Savage was in the Bears&rsquo; crease.&ldquo;That still doesn&rsquo;t give anybody an excuse to strike an official,&rdquo; said Falcons&rsquo; coach Kevin McCarthy<h2>AHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02505/6450132-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="941" height="602"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

LEAGUES

Bulldogs make final first year in Hamilton

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div>Sergei Samsonov has become a Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; fan and was rooting as hard as any Michigan teenager for the Wings to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup final.Samsonov, though, won&rsquo;t get a chance to watch the games like most of his peers. That&rsquo;s because he&rsquo;ll be busy chasing the Turner Cup with his Detroit Vipers&rsquo; teammates.The No. 6-ranked prospect in THN&rsquo;s Draft Preview was expected to be one of the keys for the Vipers in their International League final series against the Long Beach Ice Dogs.Samsonov, 18, hasn&rsquo;t received any advice from his famous countrymen regarding the series. He particularly admires Red Wings&rsquo; center Sergei Fedorov, but said he hasn&rsquo;t met any of the Wings&rsquo; Russian players.&ldquo;It just hasn&rsquo;t worked out for me that way,&rdquo; said Samsonov, who was named the IHL&rsquo;s rookie of the year. &ldquo;Most times we had games, they had games. I haven&rsquo;t gotten a chance to meet them. I will be behind them for sure.&rdquo;Samsonov, who has been a superb defensive player for the Vipers, said he admires Fedorov because of Fedorov&rsquo;s strong two-way game, but doesn&rsquo;t pattern himself after the Wings&rsquo; star. He said they have different styles.&ldquo;Even though he is so strong defensively, it doesn&rsquo;t hurt his offense and I like that,&rdquo; Samsonov said. &ldquo;He is a smart player.&rdquo;Detroit had home ice advantage in the series, which matched the top two teams from the regular season for the first time since 1990. In their only regular season meeting, Long Beach won 5-3 March 9.CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINED: Cleveland Lumberjacks&rsquo; left winger Jeff Christian, who led his team in points (80) and penalty minutes (262), was socked with a 20-game suspension for shooting a puck at a referee in a playoff game.Christian fired a puck at referee Brad Watson. hitting him in the ribs after Watson called him for a penalty in Game 3 of the Lumberjacks&rsquo; playoff series with the Detroit Vipers.Christian had no comment on the incident.Watson was examined by a physician between periods, but finished the game.By rule, Christian could not appeal the suspension until at least three games were served. Cleveland lost the next two games of the series and was eliminated, meaning he could not appeal until after the first game of the regular season next year.LAKOVIC GETS 20: Las Vegas Thunder tough guy Sasha Lakovic will miss nearly a quarter of 1997-98. He was suspended for 20 games after being involved in an ugly incident with Alan May of the Houston Aeros April 20.Lakovic sucker punched May with 19 seconds remaining in what turned out to be a 4-2 Houston win in Game 2. As soon as the puck was dropped, but before it hit the ice, Lakovic threw a haymaker that knocked May out and left him with a concussion and numerous cuts.Lakovic was suspended 10 games for that incident and an additional 10 games for failing to attend a mandatory disciplinary hearing April 30 at the league offices in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Lakovic, who will not be paid during the suspension, was also fined $1,000.Las Vegas coach Chris McSoriey was also fined $1,000 and was suspended for five games.May lambasted Lakovic, calling him unprofessional and a disgrace to the game.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been playing for 12 years and I&rsquo;ve never had that happen to me,&rdquo; May said.WITTLIFF STEPS DOWN: Phil Wittliffs on-again, off-again career as coach of the Milwaukee Admirals is off for the time being.Wittliff resigned as Milwaukee&rsquo;s coach, saying he intends to concentrate on his duties as GM. Wittliff coached Milwaukee in five different stints for all or parts of 10 seasons. He resigned as the winningest active coach in the IHL, ending with a record of 378-280-80.<h2>IHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03367/6450170-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="942" height="700"></div> &#9632;

f0031-03

Samsonov on Rimer Cup mission

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01827/6450201-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Coach Rick Vaive and the South Carolina Stingrays celebrate their first East Coast League championship. (Photo by Brad Kemp)</figcaption></div>At last, the curse of the Brabham Cup has been exorcised from the East Coast League.It took nine seasons, but the South Carolina Stingrays became the first team to win the regular-season title (Brabham Cup) and playoff title in the same season when they claimed the Kelly Cup by defeating the Louisiana IceGators 4-1 in the best-of-seven final. The Stingrays clinched the championship with a 6-4 win before 11,800 fans in Lafayette&rsquo;s Cajundome May 11.&ldquo;The one thing this team will be able to remember is being the first to earn those two cups in the same year since the league began,&rdquo; said Rick Vaive, the Stingrays&rsquo; only coach in their four-year history. &ldquo;We were reminded of that countless times, believe me. I think that was a driving force for us.&rdquo;In the previous eight years of the ECHL, only two teams, the 1989-90 Winston-Salem Thunderbirds and the 1992-93 Wheeling Thunderbirds, had advanced as far as the playoff final after claiming the Brabham Cup. Five times the regular-season champion lost in the opening round of the playoffs.&ldquo;If you look at past records, the team that won the regular-season title, for the most part, right near the end of the season, probably lost two or three key players to call-ups,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t lose your bottom players. You lose your best players.&rdquo;The Stingrays weren&rsquo;t immune to that scenario either. Right winger Ed Courtenay, who tied teammate Mike Ross for league scoring honors with 110 points, was suspended for 25 games after hitting Dave Jesiolowski of the Knoxville Cherokees in the face with his stick March 27.In addition, South Carolina lost high-scoring winger Jay Moser late in the season when he was signed by the American League&rsquo;s Rochester Americans and goalie Taras Lendzyk tore cartilage in his left knee in the second game of the playoffs.Lendzyk&rsquo;s injury paved the way for goalie Jason Fitzsimmons to become playoff MVP. Backstopping the Stingrays to all of their wins, Fitzsimmons finished with a 13-4 record and a 3.38 goals-against average. Fitzsimmons spent most of the season as a backup for the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.&ldquo;I give credit to our whole team,&rdquo; said Fitzsimmons, who helped the Stingrays win the 1994-95 South Division. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to pick the goalie (for MVP), but it&rsquo;s a total team award.&rdquo;Although Lendzyk was South Carolina&rsquo;s No. 1 goalie most of the season, &ldquo;Fitzsimmons probably would have played the majority of the games because of his experience,&rdquo; Vaive aid. &ldquo;And he finished the season strong, going 5-1-0 (in a 9-1-1 regularseason finish for the Stingrays).&rdquo;Fitzsimmons got plenty of offensive help. Defensemen Chris Hynnes (27 points) and Brad Dexter (26) led the way, followed by Ross (25), center Jason Cipolla (24), center Dave Seitz (24) and winger Brett Marietti (23).&ldquo;We had a great group of guys,&rdquo; said Marietti, the team captain. &ldquo;Everybody got along all season long. We had a perfect mix of talented players, tough players and hard-working guys.&rdquo;Dexter and enforcer Chris Rowland were late-season additions acquired in trades, while Cipolla came down from the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs of the AHL to take Courtenay&rsquo;s spot. Dexter came from the Raleigh IceCaps and Rowland from the Louisville RiverFrogs, two teams that missed the playoffs.The defensemen were able to score so much, according to Vaive, because of South Carolina&rsquo;s success on the power play. Against Louisiana, the Stingrays converted on 26.7 per cent (12 of 45) of their chances and added three shorthanded goals.&ldquo;Our defensemen are mobile players who move the puck up and jump into the play,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;Dexter and Hynnes are two of the best at it.&rdquo;Dexter played the final two rounds despite a broken bone in his foot.The game-winner in the clinching game was by another defenseman, Jared Bednar. It was his only goal of the playoffs. Ross, the regular-season MVP, locked up the title with an empty-netter at 19:56.&ldquo;We worked hard and dug deep.&rdquo; said Vaive, whose club won the East Division title with a 45-15-10 record. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s what these guys have done all year. They&rsquo;ve refused to lose. We were a very disciplined team throughout the playoffs and I think that was the No. 1 reason why we won.&rdquo;South Carolina became the third straight team from the East Division to win the playoffs, following the Charlotte Checkers last year and Richmond Renegades in 1994-95. &#9632;

f0032-01

Stingrays vanquish curse

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>For the time being at least, the Hurricanes haven&rsquo;t blown the IceCaps out of Raleigh.With the relocation of the NHL&rsquo;s Hartford Whalers to Raleigh for 1997-98, there was some thought the East Coast League franchise in the North Carolina city would either cease to exist or move to another city for next season.Neither happened. The IceCaps will be open for business as usual in October. The main reason is the Hurricanes will play in Greensboro, about 75 miles from Raleigh, for their first two seasons.&ldquo;What we hope to be able to do is continue to foster the growth of hockey in the area and allow us to buy some time to find a new home over the next 12 to 24 months,&rdquo; said Larry Kish, vice-president/GM of the IceCaps.&ldquo;The window of opportunity in Raleigh is, at the most, two years. It&rsquo;s difficult, but we hope to join hands with (the Hurricanes) in some capacity. The NHL is not going to go away and I think our community knows we&rsquo;re on borrowed time.&rdquo;The IceCaps have been in existence since 1991-92 and reached the ECHL final in 1993-94. Raleigh has missed the playoffs two of the past three seasons, however, and attendance has fallen off appreciably.&ldquo;What you hope is that you&rsquo;re not going to lose too much money,&rdquo; Kish said. &ldquo;At the same time, protect the area for our league and allowing the league to have a year&rsquo;s stay, if you will, to try to find a new home.&rdquo;The IceCaps are in the market for a new coach, but Kish doesn&rsquo;t believe the current situation will keep them from finding themselves a good one.JOHNSTONE FIRED: The Mobile Mysticks announced the contract of Eddie Johnstone, coach and director of player personnel for the two-year-old club, was not being renewed. In two years under Johnstone, the Mysticks were 56-62-22.Making the move somewhat surprising, however, was the fact the club had improved from a first-year mark of 22-37-11 to 34-25-11 in 199697, good enough for fourth place in the SouthDivision. The Mysticks were swept in the first round by the Louisiana IceGators.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think there was any one particular reason for the decision,&rdquo; Mysticks&rsquo; owner Dr. Eric Mlargenau told the Mobile Register. &ldquo;I think Eddie did a terrific job in the first year of launching the team and laying the foundation. He did an excellent job of improving the team this year.&ldquo;But it&rsquo;s my judgment that to get to the next level, we need somebody else.&rdquo;NEW NICKNAMES: The expansion team in Upper Marlboro, Md., will be called the Chesapeake Icebreakers. Meanwhile, it&rsquo;ll be the Pee Dee Pride in Florence, S.C., where the Knoxville Cherokees moved after last year. Pee Dee is the region of the state in which Florence is located.COAST LINES: Jason Siegel, who served as vice-president, sales and marketing for the International League&rsquo;s Phoenix Roadrunners from 1995 to 1997, was named to the same post for the ECHL May 21.<h2>ECHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02569/6450232-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="945" height="642"></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

Raleigh OK despite Hurricane warning

<div class="byline">By Rick Mayoh</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02509/6450270-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="319" height="252"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tournament MVP Christian Dube was one of a number of astute pick-ups by Hull GM Charlie Henry.</figcaption></div>HULL, Que.-The crinkly-eyed wizard pulling the levers behind the Hull Olympiques shooed his players out of their raucous, champagne-soaked dressing room in Robert Guertin Arena so they could revel in triumph with their fans outside the rink.Hull had just executed an exhaustive three-year plan to grab the Memorial Cup, going 142-63-7 over that span en route to the city&rsquo;s first Canadian Hockey League championship in 24 years of majorjunior competition.And there was Olympiques&rsquo; GM Charlie Henry, 58, still busily attending to details.<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01746/6450277-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="50" height="77"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Charlie Henry</figcaption></div>His Quebec League champions snuffed the talented Western League champion Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-1 in the Cup final May 18, before a loud, three-deep standing room crowd of 4,197 in the 3,500-seat facility.&ldquo;(Former Hull owner) Wayne (Gretzky) said we were going to win the Cup one day,&rdquo; said Henry, a long-time Gretzky friend. &ldquo;Although he&rsquo;s no longer here, this win is for all of us.&rdquo;The Olympiques rode the brilliant glove of walk-on goalie Christian Bronsard to victory. The 19-year-old Ottawa native made 26 saves-several of them spectacular-to secure the win. The offense was supplied by Martin Menard and Donald MacLean, who had two goals each, and a single by Jonathan Delisle. Travis Brigley replied for Lethbridge.The outcome of the 79th final was sweet revenge for the Olympiques. Earlier in the tournament, they were left stunned by the greatest collapse anyone could remember at this level. Bronsard and his teammates blew a 6-1 third period lead and lost 7-6 to Lethbridge in overtime. That was after Hull outscored its opponents 14-1 in its first five periods of play. (See pg. 42 for Memorial Cup scores and statistics.)Hull&rsquo;s resilience and eventual championship was the crowning achievement for Henry, one of the most respected men in major junior. He has received a number of NHL job | offers over the years, but is considering packing it in after 2 12 seasons. He underwent heart surgery a few years ago and is concerned about his health.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>If it is the end of the line for the former Ottawa firefighter, it is fitting his remarkable career goes out in a blaze of glory.&ldquo;When Charlie Henry came here (1985), hockey changed in Hull,&rdquo; said Yvon Sabourin, former Olympiques&rsquo; GM. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a hockey maniac.&rdquo;In a dozen years under Henry, Hull has advanced to four Memorial Cup tournaments (1986, 1988, 1995 and 1997); finished among the QMJHL&rsquo;s top three teams seven times; averaged 41 wins a season; and had a regular season record of 493-307-43 (.610 winning percentage).&ldquo;When I think of the Hull Olympiques, I think of Charlie Henry and excellence in coaches with Pat Bums, Alain Vigneault, Bob Mongrain and Claude Julien,&rdquo; said CHL president Dave Branch.Ambitious, shrewd and proud, with a powerful memory and vast contacts at every level, Henry has his mental gears constantly churning. He often remains in his office during games, then pores over the video when he gets home.Other GMs keep a tight grip on their lineup sheets when Henry stops by to chat.In 1986, he traded with the Long-ueuil Chevaliers for league scoring champion Guy Rouleau and obtained Sylvain Cote&rsquo;s junior rights from the Laval Titan in order to lure Cote back from the Hartford Whalers for Hull&rsquo;s run at the Cup. Rouleau and Luc Robitaille scored 191 points each in league play that season.Henry also traded for Stephane Quintal, Andre Racicot and Jose Theodore and spent a third-round pick on Jeremy Roenick.This season, Henry sent $50,000 and three draft picks to the Sherbrooke Faucons, coached by Normand Dube, to get Dube&rsquo;s son. Christian, to report to Hull from the New York Rangers.Center Dube, last season&rsquo;s CHL player of the year, was the MVP at this year&rsquo;s Memorial Cup. He led scorers with six goals and 13 points in four games.Henry signed Menard as a walk-on three years ago and had to convince the QMJHL coring runner up to delay graduation to the pros this season with a $20,000 enticement<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03375/6450263-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="50" height="77"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 50px">Peter Worrell (Photo by Mark Wilson)</figcaption></div>Henry reportedly was willing to spend as much as $150,000 to grab goalie Marc Denis from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, which lost all three Memorial Cup games, but to no avail.Vocal Oshawa Generals&rsquo; coach Bill Stewart took dead aim at Hull&rsquo;s free-spending ways after Lethbridge eliminated his squad 5-4 in a sensational semifinal game.&ldquo;This game was a direct reflection of our two organizations,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Two quality organizations. We didn&rsquo;t build our team on a credit card. Are we here to develop 16-and 17-year-old players or to win championships?&rdquo;Henry said Stewart&rsquo;s memory is a little weak, considering Oshawa swung the biggest deal in CHL history-$80,000 and seven players to secure the rights to superstar Eric Lindros in 1990.Stewart&rsquo;s comments also don&rsquo;t take into consideration Hull&rsquo;s open-door tryout policy. Henry is a keen judge of talent and always shakes the bushes to find a few walk-ons. Those players on this year&rsquo;s roster included key performers Bronsard, Menard, Marty Johnston, Eric Hunter and Jaret Sledz.Hulking winger Peter Worrell, 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, may be the most improved player in major junior hockey this season. When Worrell arrived in Hull three seasons ago. he couldn&rsquo;t turn one way or skate backward.Now, like most everything else Charlie Henry touches, he&rsquo;s moving forward. &#9632;</div>

f0033-02

Oh, Henry! Hull of a win

<div class="byline">-Rick Mayoh</div>Byron Ritchie&rsquo;s first trip to Quebec was a memorable one.The Lethbridge Hurricanes&rsquo; star center and Hartford Whaler prospect set off a gale-force furor after throwing a temper tantrum during a game against the Hull Olympiques in Memorial Cup round-robin play May 13.Ritchie, a 20-year-old native of North Delta, B.C., was assessed a misconduct after apparently trying to head-butt Olympiques&rsquo; winger Peter Worrell in the third period of the Hurricanes&rsquo; 7-6 come-from-behind win.As Ritchie-who had scored two goals earlier in the game-made his way to the dressing room, a TV camera caught him yelling, &ldquo;(Expletive deleted) frogs, (expletive deleted) all of them.&rdquo; The comments were broadcast on RDS. the French-language all-sports network.Ritchie, the WHL&rsquo;s playoff scoring leader and regular season runner-up, apologized profusely and three days later, the Canadian Hockey League decided not to suspend him.Then Ritchie scored three goals, including the overtime winner, to help eliminate the Oshawa Generals 5-4 in the semifinal and lift his team into the final.Fans at Robert Guertin Arena booed every time he touched the puck against Oshawa.One sign in the rink bore a frog and the message &ldquo;Kiss me.&rdquo; Another fan had a frog painted on one cheek and, &ldquo;(Expletive deleted) you, Ritchie&rdquo; on the other. Yet another said, &ldquo;Hey Ritchie, No. 9 Lethbridge. We&rsquo;re not frogs. We&rsquo;re smart, proud, bilingual Canadians. More than we can say for you.&rdquo;Ritchie faced fewer boos in the Cup final against Hull. &ldquo;1 guess the fans heard my apologies,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

Hurricane Byron blows through

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>The expansion Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s Majors dipped into the city&rsquo;s hockey past for their first coach, selecting former Toronto Marlboro and Toronto Toro Mark Napier.Napier, 40, has limited coaching experience. He was with a Double-A midget team in a Toronto league last season. Napier, who played pro for 18 years, including 11 in the NHL, played for St. Mike&rsquo;s GM Gerry Meehan with the Buffalo Sabres.&ldquo;I considered him almost an assistant coach, the way he related with the players,&rdquo; said Meehan, the Sabres&rsquo; GM at the time.The Toronto native turned pro with the World Hockey Association Toros at 17.The Majors pick first in the OHL draft, June 7 at Maple Leaf Gardens, and will select Charlie Stephens, rated first overall. Stephens, who turned 16 in April, is a 6-foot-3, 218-pound center who played Jr. B in Leamington, Ont.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not much to dislike,&rdquo; Meehan said. &ldquo;The complete package is there. No other kid has the combination of size, speed, skill and character.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01836/6450339-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="768" height="907"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rich Preston coached Regina to its first 40-win season in 11 years.</figcaption></div>HUNTER HOME: Mark Hunter could have had a lifetime contract to return as coach-GM of the Sarnia Sting, but settled for a four-year deal.Hunter left the American League&rsquo;s St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs after only one year of a three-year deal that paid him $95,000 a year. He&rsquo;ll make $60,000 his first year with the Sting.The 11-year NHLer previously coached the Sting a year and half, leaving after 1995-96 to join the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; organization. But Hunter said his family comes first and for that reason he left the Baby Leafs. He and his wife, Linda, have four children, all under age six, and said being away on long road trips wasn&rsquo;t the way to raise a family.&ldquo;If Mark was going to coach in the OHL, he was going to coach the Sting. We were not going to be playing against him,&rdquo; said Sting owner Robert Ciccarelli after offering a 10-year deal.Hunter&rsquo;s goal is still to coach in the NHL.&ldquo;Do you call this a step back? I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Maybe I can get to the same position by doing it in my hometown (he was bom in nearby Petrolia).&rdquo;WEATHERING STORM: The Guelph Storm took a double whammy, losing coach E.J. Maguire and GM Mike Kelly.Kelly, taking a scouting position with the Calgary Flames, will be replaced by Saint John Flames&rsquo; director of operations Alan Millar, previously with the Storm as assistant GM.Maguire, who coached Guelph two years after 11 years as an NHL assistant, is considering several NHL jobs.GREYHOUNDS LOOKING: Joe Paterson resigned after two seasons as coach of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to pursue head coaching openings with St. John&rsquo;s and the Binghamton Rangers of the AHL.<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03463/6450332-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1067" height="722"></div> &#9632;

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Napier returns to Toronto with St. Mike’s Majors

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05285/6450408-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg"></div>Just one year after winning the Memorial Cup, the Granby Predateurs are leaving town.A group of investors headed by Halifax businessman Harold Mackay purchased the Predateurs May 16 and will transfer the franchise to Sydney, N.S., for the 1997-98 season, pending approval from the Quebec League&rsquo;s board of governors. Jean-Claude Morrissette, who owned the Predateurs along with five of his brothers and team president Michel Trudel, had given the city of Granby the right of first refusal after putting the team up for sale, but a deal couldn&rsquo;t be reached. The Sydney group stepped in and purchased the team for a reported $1 million.League president Gilles Courteau was disappointed to see the team leave Granby so soon after winning the Memorial Cup.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been concerned all year long because of the fact attendance wasn&rsquo;t very good in Granby,&rdquo; Courteau said. &ldquo;I was disappointed because they won the Memorial Cup and I expected better crowds, but that didn&rsquo;t happen. I&rsquo;m very disappointed.&rdquo;The Predateurs averaged only 1,703 fans at the 2,346-seat Leonard Grondin Arena. Morrissette said the team expected to lose between $100,000 and $150,000.TITAN ON THE MOVE?: The Predateurs might not be the only team leaving the province of Quebec.Laval Titan owner Leo-Guy Morrissette (Jean-Claude&rsquo;s brother) is looking into moving his franchise to Charlottetown. P.E.I., or another Maritime city for 1997-98.&ldquo;I want to do the move before the (June 7 midget) draft,&rdquo; Morrissette said while visiting Charlottetown May 20.The Titan had the second-worst attendance, averaging 1,114 fans at the 2,998-seat Laval Colisee.While Morrissette says he wants to move the franchise, Courteau is hoping the owner can come to an agreement with the city of Laval.If the Titan does move, it would leave the Montreal area without a major junior team, not good for the league&rsquo;s media exposure.RETURN OF REMPARTS: Twelve years after their death, the Quebec Remparts have been resurrected.The Beauport Harfangs franchise will move to Quebec City for 1997-98 and will be called the Remparts. The team will play out of the Universite de Laval.The Remparts were one of the most storied franchises in the QMJHL, winning the Memorial Cup in 1971 when they were led by Guy Lafleur, before folding after the 1984-85 season.The decision to move was made by owners Patrick Roy, Michel Cadrin and Jacques Tanguay, who purchased the Harfangs last December for $750,000.Guy Chouinard, a former player with the Remparts, will coach. Chouinard, who coached Laval last season, replaces Alain Vigneault. named coach of the Montreal Canadiens.<h2>PLAYOFFS &#9632;</h2>

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Predateurs off to Nova Scotia after taking Cup

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01751/6450446-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01673/6450439-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="3658" height="4244"></div> &#9632;

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NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02546/6450515-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01706/6450508-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="3654" height="4239"></div> &#9632;

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NHL SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01413/6450546-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02271/6450584-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01351/6450577-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg" title="f0041-01" width="1430" height="4808"></div> &#9632;

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02218/6450615-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0042-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01357/6450646-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>It&rsquo;s official. The Quad City Mallards are the Colonial League&rsquo;s No. 1 team, both on and off the ice.After smashing their own league record by averaging 7,650 fans per game, the Mallards won the Colonial Cup by beating the defending champion Flint Generals 4-2 in the best-of-seven final.Fredrik Nasvall&rsquo;s goal at 5:38 of double overtime gave the Mallards a 5-4 victory in Game 6 and the championship in just their second season of existence.&ldquo;Everybody wants to end up with the last one in the net, but it&rsquo;s a team win,&rdquo; Nasvall said. &ldquo;We fought so hard all year. We showed character.&rdquo;Flint was considered the favorite to repeat after winning a league-record 55 games, four more than West Division-champion Quad City. But the Mallards simply outplayed Flint after losing the opener of the series 6-3.&ldquo;A lot of people felt Flint was the best team in the league, myself included,&rdquo; said Quad City GM Howard Cornfield. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the biggest sense of accomplishment: We beat the very best, which makes us the best.&ldquo;I hope we would be considered one of the best teams in Colonial League history.&rdquo;The Mallards were the final team to make the 1996 playoffs, when they were swept by Flint in the first round. That prompted owner Eric Margenau to clean house and bring in Cornfield from the American League&rsquo;s Carolina Monarchs to rebuild the Mallards.Only three Mallard players returned from the 1995-96 team that finished with a 30-39-5 record.Goalie Sergei Zvyagin was named playoff MVP after setting a league record with 11 wins. That came on the heels of 42 regular season wins that earned him a first-team all-star berth.&ldquo;He deserved (the MVP award), didn&rsquo;t he?&rdquo; Quad City coach John Anderson said of Zvyagin. &ldquo;He stopped (51) shots out there (in Game 6) and if it wasn&rsquo;t for him, we wouldn&rsquo;t have been in this thing like we were.&rdquo;Flint defenseman Stephan Brochu finished as the leading scorer in the playoffs with five goals and 25 points, one more point than teammate Jeff Whittle.Losing in the final took much of the luster off Flint&rsquo;s record-setting season, when the Generals set or matched 11 records while topping 50 wins for the second straight season.&ldquo;In big games, we needed more guys to come through,&rdquo; said Flint coach Robbie Nichols. &ldquo;You need all three lines going against Quad City. We got beat by a great team.&ldquo;I said from Day 1 this would be the best series the league has ever seen and it was.&rdquo;Nasvall&rsquo;s game-winner came on a rebound after defenseman John Bat en shot from the point. Oddly enough, Batten was acquired in an off-season trade with Flint shortly after Cornfield began rebuilding the Mallards.&ldquo;I feel bad for the Flint guys,&rdquo; Batten said. &ldquo;I looked at some of their aces and they were crying. I remember cheering with them (last season when they won the championship). My hat is off to them.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Quad City averaged more than 9,000 fans per game through the playoffs&hellip;The league an nounced its award winners and the Mallards were selected franchise of the year. Quad City&rsquo;s Howard Cornfield was executive of the year and Flint&rsquo;s Robbie Nichols was coach of the year&hellip;The lawsuit of Peter Ham versus the Colonial League was hrown out of Macomb County court in Michigan. Ham, who was let go from his director&rsquo;s position after the league&rsquo;s first season in 1991-92, was suing the league for breach of contract. The judge ruled there was no contract between the two parties. &#9632;

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June 13, 1997

Preston leaves Pats in quest of NHL position

Cats search for answers

Sather faces busy summer trying to sign free agents

NHL PLAYOFF GOALTENDING STATISTICS