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October 1, 1997
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Kariya now top NHLer
Who is the best player in the NHL? For the first time in almost 20 years, you actually have to think about it. From the time Wayne Gretzky entered the league in 1979 to the emergence of Mario Lemieux as a megastar in the late 1980s and well into the 1990s, the answer has always been an either- or proposition and patently obvious. Now, though, The Great One is getting on in years and Mario has retired. The mantle of best player is there for the taking and a quartet of players merits consideration. They are: Peter Forsberg of the Colorado Avalanche, Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Paul Kariya of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers. Poll 100 hockey people and there will be support for each one.…
Parts there for serious run
Keith Tkachuk isn’t exactly a history buff, but the bullish power forward knows a little something about the legacy of the NHL franchise for which he plays. “We’ve gotta win and we’ve gotta win now,” said the Phoenix Coyotes’ captain. “It has been too long since this team has gone places. It’s time to finally change all that.” The Coyotes-formerly the Winnipeg Jets-haven’t advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs since 1986-87. In four of the 10 years since then, they failed to make the postseason altogether. And to think, this franchise was born into the NHL in 1979 as a veritable powerhouse from its days in the old World Hockey Association. During its seven seasons in the WHA, the club appeared in the final five times and won the Avco World…
The show must go on
When the Pittsburgh Penguins skate onto the Civic Arena ice Oct. 1 to open the 199798 season, a sad reality will set in. Jaromir Jagr will be the last player out of the dressing room and the door will close behind him. Mario Lemieux won’t be behind him, as he has been for Jagr’s first seven seasons in the NHL. There are other more tangible ways things will be different without Super Mario in Pittsburgh, however-even more serious than players having to make their own red wine selections without Lemieux or Ken Wregget’s practice goals-against average taking a dip. Three that come to mind are: □ Where will the goals come from? Lemieux was good for something in the neighborhood of 100-plus points a season. And 33-goal man Petr Nedved had yet to sign. “Without…
Svehla well-kept secret
It was nearly three years ago while he was playing in Sweden that Robert Svehla found out a fledgling NHL franchise in Florida had acquired his rights. Svehla’s reaction? “It’s a long way from here, no?” Indeed. For Svehla, the route to the NHL has been circuitous. But in just over two years, over the course of 168 games, Svehla has solidified his position as an impact defensemen. Flashy, he’s not. And despite being able to speak several languages, Svehla’s so quiet he could blend into an empty room. “You have to pry things out of him because he’s not going to talk very much,” said Florida Panthers’ GM Bryan Murray. You might not get much out of the 6-foot-l, 190-pound Svehla off the ice, but he gives the Panthers so much on it. The…
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