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October 31, 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.
Steel Curtain, Penguin style
In Pittsburgh, when the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowls, they did so with incredible defense. When the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series, they were very adept with their gloves. And when the Pittsburgh Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 1990s, well, believe it or not, they were pretty efficient in their own zone. The past few years, however, the Penguins tried to do it with offense and never achieved much post-season success as a result. Now, under new coach Kevin Constantine, the Penguins are concentrating on keeping the puck out of their net and through eight games (19 goals allowed) they were doing a good job. Through eight games a year ago, the Penguins had allowed 34. “This much is for sure. They’re certainly not the Penguins of old,” said center…
Canadian Olympians get new look for ’98 Games
Even if you haven’t heard of the Canadian Hockey Association before, you’ve undoubtedly seen some of their products in action. The association, which operates all of Canada’s national hockey teams, runs an extensive merchandising program that attracts a worldwide audience for its distinctive products. “We operate a licensing program that’s similar to any other league or group,” says Dale Ptycia, Manager of Licensing and Merchandising for the Canadian Hockey Association. “Of course, the cornerstone of our merchandising program is the Canadian national team jersey. All of our national teams wear the same jersey in a given year-men, women, everybody.” The design of the jersey is updated from time to time and is always based on the Canadian red and white colors. The new design, which will also be worn by Canada’s Olympic hockey teams…
Murphy can go no higher
Detroit’s Larry Murphy moved into third all-time in defenseman scoring.. Every time Toronto fans boo Larry Murphy, they jeer the third-highest scoring defenseman of all-time. Murphy, 36, scored a goal and two assists Oct. 3 to move past New York Islanders’ great Denis Potvin and into third place behind Paul Coffey of the Philadelphia Flyers and Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins. The three points gave Murphy 1,054, two more than Potvin’s 1,052. Murphy had seven points in seven games this season, raising his career total to 1,058. It’s unlikely he’ll catch Coffey or Bourque since both are active and in Murphy’s age bracket. Coffey had 1,447 career points and Bourque 1,366 through Oct. 16. Murphy, a target of criticism as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, was traded to the…
JERSEYS CROWN JEWEL OF NHL LICENSED APPAREL
Expectations of excellence permeate the Montreal Canadiens’ organization. The NHL’s most successful and respected franchise not only demands the best from its on-ice product, it also looks for perfection in its appearance. In short, they have to play great and look marvellous doing it. So when the club approached Starter about designing a new jersey for the 1997-98 season, the apparel-maker knew it had its work cut out. “They came to us-and said, ‘We are the Canadiens; we don’t want to be like everyone else,’ ” said Starter national merchandising director Herb Ratsch. “We want to have our own jersey.” That request came in 1996. ‘We spent one year developing the new jersey to Montreal’s specifications,” Ratsch said. “Our product manager pulled his hair out.” But Ratsch said the sweat and anxiety were well worth it.…
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