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.

April 24, 1998

The Hockey News April 24, 1998

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01957/7080092-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011643/7078906-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="382" height="535"></div>The secret in the prognostication game is to unearth your darkhorse contender in mid-April, before everybody else can jump on the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; bandwagon alongside you.That&rsquo;s right, the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; bandwagon. And if you reserve your space today, you&rsquo;ll discover there&rsquo;s still plenty of elbow room.Things will be dramatically different in June, when the temperature is 110 outside the Kiel Center, the St. Louis Cardinals are wilting in the National League Central pennant race and team captain Chris Pronger circles the ice with the Stanley Cup.The Blues represent the NHL&rsquo;s only 90-plus point team suffering from an identity crisis which, in this case, they can use to their advantage. The Detroit Red Wings, Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils have all won Stanley Cups recently, so the memory of those triumphs has not faded from the memories of their core players. The Philadelphia Flyers boast Eric Lindros; the Buffalo Sabres have Dominik Hasek. And the Dallas Stars, which were the NHL&rsquo;s No. 1 team for much of the season, spent all that money to add Eddie Belfour, Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland just to get over the playoff hump.Meanwhile, all you heard about St. Louis all season was about their potential unrestricted free agents. Could they sign Brett Hull or Al Maclnnis or Steve Duchesne or Geoff Courtnall to new contracts? Or would they dump some of them at the trading deadline to could get a tangible asset in return? They didn&rsquo;t and if you analyze their line-up, you&rsquo;ll see why. On paper, they have no appreciable weakness. They begin with the one commodity that every contender wants nowadays-experience in the key positions.In goal, there&rsquo;s ageless Grant Fuhr, who has won in the playoffs before and has the ability to raise the level of his game on demand. Fuhr recorded two shutouts in last year&rsquo;s first round loss to Detroit.On defense, they have undisputably the most depth in the NHL. No other team can boast three players who will get Norris Trophy votes. Al Maclnnis, he of the howitzer slapshot, is also an exceptional two-way detenseman. Joining the rush, Steve Duchesne finds the seams as well as anyone in the game. Over time, he has become less of a hazard in his own end. Pronger&rsquo;s wingspan makes him the new Big Bird. Occasionally, he takes too many penalties and loses his cool, but that will all change in this year&rsquo;s playoffs as he takes the final step in maturing into the NHL&rsquo;s top young rearguard. Marc Bergevin is an underrated partner for MacInnis and there is no better fifth defenseman in the league than dependable Todd Gill.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021148/7078899-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="514" height="886"><figcaption class="caption-body">Geoff Courtnall</figcaption></div>Up front, the Blues boast the same handful of snipers that every contender has. Hull and Pierre Turgeon are two of the top players in the game. Courtnall had a quietly effective year. Pavol Demitra, when he comes back from injury, anchors the second line. The checking unit has been solid and a source of unexpected offense.Indeed, popular coach Joel Quen-neville pushed all the right buttons this season, but his best move was crafting a quality checking line out of a trio of players who&rsquo;d spent most of their formative years in the minors-Craig Conroy, Scott Pellerin and Blair Atchey-num.So the Blues have played good defense this season and-surprise, surprise-were among the NHL leaders in goal-scoring as well. They are balanced and-with so many poised to become unrestricted free agents-motivated to do well. Nothing drives up the price for a player more than if you quietly murmur the word &ldquo;winner&rdquo; after his name, which is how Keane and Skrudland got all that money from the New York Rangers in the first place and why they ended up with Dallas now.For the Blues, it would have been easy to go in a different direction this season. Sometimes, if players are playing for a new contract, they get selfish and focus on their personal stats. Instead, they&rsquo;ve been laying there in the weeds all season, content to let other teams get all the ink in the regular season, waiting patiently for their time to come in the playoffs.Which it will. &#9632;

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COLUMNISTS

Darkhorse Blues pulling my bandwagon

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011720/7078493-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The NHL should honor former Hab great Maurice Rocket&rsquo; Richard with a trophy in his name. (Photo by Frank Prazak/HOF)</figcaption></div><h2>Kidd gets hot at right time</h2>1. The Kidd is hot Carolina goalie Trevor Kidd records three straight shutouts when team needs them most.2. Big Al St. Louis defenseman Al Maclnnis becomes sixth NHL defenseman to hit 1,000-point plateau.3. Friesen flyin&rsquo; San Jose&rsquo;s Jeff Friesen firesseven goals, 13 points in 10-game span.4. Mighty donation Anaheim&rsquo;s injured star Paul Kariya donates $2 million to 28 Orange County charities.5. Super Sergei Boston rookie Sergei Samsonov takes over rookie scoring lead with hat trick against Islanders April 9.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021376/7078486-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="325" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Kidd</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03900/7078479-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="323" height="461"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Samsonov</figcaption></div><h2>Avs not &lsquo;aving much success</h2>1. Avnots Cup-contending Colorado Avalanche cold down stretch, loses five games in a row.2. Stay out, get out Four Owen Sound juniors sent packing after missing curfew night before playoff game.3. Shark bite San Jose GM Dean Lombardi fined $10,000 for criticizing on-ice official.4. Bad boys Hampton Roads&rsquo; owner Mark Garcea, Peoria player Brent Cullaton scuffle after ECHL game.5. Some thanks Toronto Maple Leafs contemplate nailing faithful fans with unprecedented seat tax in new arena. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

PLUS MINUS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="scover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/scover-0111/7081083-1-eng-US/scover-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>New Jersey Devils&rsquo; goalie Martin Brodeur &#9632;

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1998 NHL PLAY OFF PREVIEW II

<div class="image-hero"><img title="Cover-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/cover-01968/7080529-1-eng-US/cover-012.jpg"></div>ANNUAL PLAYOFF SPECIAL STANLEY CUP ODDS SCOUTING REPORTS ICE TIME STATSDetroit will repeat as Stanley Cup championRed Wings&rsquo; goaltender Chris Osgood &#9632;

Cover-01

The CUP stops here

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04500/7078524-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="342" height="430"></div>The Hockey News has waged a lonely campaign for years trying to earn recognition for the lowly goal. The Sports Network has done what we couldn&rsquo;t: put the issue on the NHL agenda.More accurately, Gord Miller of TSN has done so.The hockey host suggested in March the NHL introduce a trophy honoring the league&rsquo;s top goal-scorer each year and name it after the legendary &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; Richard. THN joinedMiller tn championing the cause. It&rsquo;s consistent with a long-held viewpoint. That is, goals aren&rsquo;t properly recognized in the scoring race. Goals and assists are each worth one point, a silly circum-stance if there ever were one.Why? We&rsquo;ve said it many times: You can have goals without assists, but you can have assists without goals. How can they possibly be considered of equal value, particularly when two are awarded on most goals? We recommend goals count for two points. That would give credit where credit is due and the Art Ross Trophy would be a true scoring title, not a pseudo-assist title as it threatened to be this season. Jaromir Jagr led the race with 96 points on the strength of 63 assists (33 goals). Pavel Bure had 88 points (49 goals) while Teemu Selanne (52 goals) and Wayne Gretzky (22 goals) had 86 points each. Under our scoring system, the order would be Selanne (138 points), Bure (137), Jagr (129) and Gretzky (108). The latter is more representative of each&rsquo;s relative offensive contribution. With or without a new trophy, the scoring system needs revamping.Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; president Ronald Corey will ask the league to add a new Richard Trophy and commissioner Gary Bettman, a man who knows a good idea when he hears one, has encouraged him. THN loves the notion and we recommend there should be no tie-breaker if the goal lead is shared. All should receive their &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; reward. We are delighted 50-in-50 pioneer Richard is the honoree. We don&rsquo;t care that Bobby Hull (seven) and Phil Esposito (six) led the league in goals more times than Richard (five). We think &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; is an ideal choice. He brought a passion to the sport that should be remembered forever and ever. THN believes a &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; Richard Trophy should be just the first step. Next should be the re-naming of the Hart Trophy (to the Wayne Gretzky), the Art Ross Trophy (to the Gordie Howe) and the Norris Trophy (to the Bobby Orr). We&rsquo;ll wait for Gretzky to retire for that round. We have faith the NHL will see such a process as a fitting tribute to the game&rsquo;s glorious past, not a renunciation of it in any way. &#9632;

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‘Rocket’ Trophy great idea that should take off

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011705/7078555-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="315" height="407"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky</figcaption></div><h2>APRIL</h2>Sun., April 19: Five games, including Ottawa at Buffalo and Carolina at Washington, mark the end of the regular season. The Sens&rsquo; and Hurricanes&rsquo; post-season hopes hang in the balance. Schedule A of best-of-seven first round playoff series begins April 22. Schedule B follows April 23.Fri., May 1: The World Championship begins play in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland. The final game is May 17.Sat., May 9: Top teams in the Canadian Hockey League battle in the Memorial Cup tournament in Spokane, Wash. The championship game is May 17.Sun., May 10: The NHL holds the draft lottery among non-playoff teams and the expansion Nashville Predators to determine the order of selections for the 1998 NHL entry draft.<h2>MILESTONES</h2>47 wins: Goalie Martin Brodeur of New Jersey needed four wins in his team&rsquo;s final five games to tie Bernie Parent&rsquo;s mark of 47 victories in a season, set with Philadelphia in 1973-74.15 shutouts: Buffalo&rsquo;s Dominik Hasek needed two shutouts in his team&rsquo;s final six games to tie Tony Esposito&rsquo;s modem day record of 15 in a season, set in 1969-70 with Chicago.600 goals: Vancouver&rsquo;s Mark Messier needed three goals to reach 600 for his career.2,800 points: New York Rangers&rsquo; Wayne Gretzky needed nine points to reach 2,800 for his career. &#9632;

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April/May May Milestones Milestones

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams and Ken Campbell</div>It&rsquo;s that time of the year again, the time when players have to see if they still have a little gas in their tanks they want to bum up before calling it quits for the season.We&rsquo;re not talking the NHL playoffs here.But for the players who choose to play in the World Championship, it&rsquo;s almost as gruelling. This year&rsquo;s tournament, which takes place in Zurich and Basel, Switz., beginning May 1, will run 17 days and the winning team will play a total of 10 games.Because the tournament starts 10 days later than usual, the teams from the traditional hockey superpowers will be made up of players from NHL teams that don&rsquo;t make the playoffs and a handful of those whose teams lose in the first round.But the tournament format has changed this year. After the initial round robin portion of the tournament, teams are allowed to drop up to five of their 23 players and add five more NHLers whose teams are out of the playoffs. It&rsquo;s difficult to believe any team is going to risk alienating an NHL player by dropping him from the roster midway through the tournament.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to be releasing any NHL players,&rdquo; said Canadian Hockey senior vice-president Bob Nicholson. &ldquo;We won&rsquo;t embarrass anybody.&rdquo;&ldquo;So much depends on the playoff picture,&rdquo; said Nashville Predators&rsquo; GM David Poile, who is also the GM for the American entry. &ldquo;We have to respect the playoff chase and who knows if players will be tired after that? We just might have to take some college guys.&rdquo;What both USA and Canada may do is take 18 NHL players initially and fill out their rosters with players in European leagues, collegians (in the case of USA) and national team members (in the case of Canada). Then they would drop those five players after the second round of the playoffs and replace them with NHLers.Teams must name their preliminary rosters by midnight the night before their first games (May 1 for Canada and May 2 for the USA). Canada will defend its title in a tournament that has seen a major format change. The International Ice Hockey Federation has increased the field from 12 to 16 teams (plans are to go to 20 next year) with four three-team divisions.Group A consists of the Czech Republic, Germany, Belarus and Japan. Group B includes Canada, Italy, Slovakia and Austria. Group C features USA. Sweden, France and Switzerland. Group D has Russia, Finland, Latvia and Kazakhstan.Each team plays a round robin in its own group, with the top three teams moving on. Those teams then play a complicated series of three crossover games to determine the four semifinalists. The semifinals and final are both two-game formats. If the teams split the games, they play a 20-minute overtime period and if still tied, they go to a shootout. The bronze medal will be decided in a single game.As of mid-April, the American team had reportedly received interest from goalie Garth Snow, right winger Brian Noonan and left winger Donald Brashear of the Vancouver Canucks and center Darby Hendrickson of the Toronto Maple Leafs.And while USA was hopeful it would receive the likes of defenseman Brian Leetch and goalie Mike Richter from the New York Rangers, the team wasn&rsquo;t expecting a lot of positive responses from members of the Olympic team.USA Hockey spokesman Darryl Seibel said Americans who played in the Olympics are welcome to play at the worlds, regardless of what happened at the athletes&rsquo; village.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re only going to take guys who want to go,&rdquo; said Poile. &ldquo;If they don&rsquo;t want to go, we&rsquo;re not going to coax them.&rdquo;The Canadians find themselves in a similar boat-checking the standings on a nightly basis to see which teams have been eliminated from the playoffs along with projecting who they think will lose out in the first round.Rob Zamuner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ed Jovanovski and Ray Whitney of the Florida Panthers and Bryan McCabe of Vancouver have committed to going overseas.Other players on coach Andy Murray&rsquo;s wish list included goalie Felix Potvin and defenseman Jason Smith of the Toronto Maple Leafs, center Travis Green of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, defenseman Gord Murphy of Florida and center Trevor Linden of the New York Islanders. Center Theo Fleury of the Calgary Flames declined an invite, but the national program was pushing to change his mind.You&rsquo;d have to think the Canadians would be pulling for the Ottawa Senators to beat out the Carolina Hurricanes for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That way it could add the likes of centers Keith Primeau and Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, left winger Gary Roberts, defenseman Glen Wesley and goalie Trevor Kidd.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011658/7078617-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="861" height="1588"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray Whitney won&rsquo;t be in the playoffs, but he will be in the World Championship. (Photo by Jim Leary/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>CANADIAN ROSTER</h2>Here are 16 forwards. 12 defensemen and four goalies the Canadian team is considering for the World Championship. Players in bold have been eliminated from the playoffs, those in plain face were possible to miss the post-season.<h3>TEAM CANADA</h3>FORWARDSAndrew Cassels, CalgaryTravis Green, AnaheimTrevor Linden, IslandersBrad May, VancouverCory Stillman, CalgaryRay Whitney, FloridaRob Zamuner, Tampa BayEric Daze, ChicagoJeff Friesen. San JoseMartin Gelinas, CarolinaGreg Johnson, ChicagoJeff O&rsquo;Neill, CarolinaKeith Primeau, CarolinaMike Ricci, San JoseGary Roberts, CarolinaRyan Smyth, EdmontonDEFENSEMENSylvain Cote, TorontoEd Jovanovski, FloridaJason Marshall, AnaheimB. McCabe, VancouverDerek Morris, CalgaryGord Murphy, FloridaJames Patrick, CalgaryJason Smith, TorontoChris Phillips, OttawaWade Redden. OttawaGlen Wesley, CarolinaJason York, OttawaGOALTENDERSFelix Potvin, TorontoRick Tabaracci, CalgaryTrevor Kidd, CarolinaDominic Roussel, Cdn. Nat&rsquo;l<h2>AMERICAN ROSTER</h2>Here are 16 forwards. 12 defensemen and four goalies the American team is considering for the World Championship. Players in bold have been eliminated from the playoffs, those in plain face were possible to miss the post-season.<h3>TEAM USA</h3>FORWARDSD. Brashear, VancouverMatt Cullen, AnaheimChris Drury, Boston U.Ted Drury, AnaheimD. Hendrickson, TorontoMarty McInnis, CalgaryBrian Noonan, VancouverM. Reasoner, Boston C.B. Smolinski, IslandersScott Young, AnaheimTony Granato, San JoseMike Grier, EdmontonCraig Janney, PhoenixTodd Marchant, EdmontonShawn McEachern, OttawaDoug Weight, EdmontonDEFENSEMENBryan Berard, IslandersScott Lachance, IslandersMike McBain, Tampa BayDavid Wilkie, Tampa BayAdam Burt, CarolinaKeith Carney, PhoenixChris Chelios, ChicagoAl Iafrate, San JoseBrian Leetch, RangersDeron Quint, PhoenixGary Suter, ChicagoEric Weinrich, ChicagoGOALTENDERSMike Richter, RangersGarth Snow, VancouverDamian Rhodes, OttawaChris Terreri, Chicago &#9632;

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Global title up for grabs

<div class="byline">By John Davidson Inside the NHL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021191/7078648-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="316" height="385"></div>There&rsquo;s a good reason why the New Jersey Devils are the consensus choice to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final.They deserve to be.Forget the fact the Devils lost four of five games in early April. Of the real Stanley Cup contenders, only the Detroit Red Wings were on top of their game during the dog days of the season.The Devils learned two important things from their second round playoff loss to the New York Rangers last year-the Rangers have their number in the playoffs and if you want success in the post-season, your goalie shouldn&rsquo;t be among your top offensive performers.The first one has already been taken care of, with the Rangers out of the playoffs. The second should improve too, especially since the Devils&rsquo; power play was clicking at 18.5 per cent, second in the league and by far its best success rate since 1993-94. Plus, we&rsquo;re not counting on Martin Brodeur to score a goal again this year.But the Devils&rsquo; most important attribute continues to be their depth at all positions. Devils&rsquo; coach Jacques Lemaire will continue to match lines and roll over four units both at home and on the road. And he can do it knowing that he has the versatility that turns most coaches in the NHL green with envy.Most teams have players that are suited to certain situations, but not others and that forces coaches to &ldquo;hide&rdquo; players when situations arrive that I those players can&rsquo;t handle. But the majority of Lemaire&rsquo;s bench is made up of players he doesn&rsquo;t have to hide and that prevents his opponents from dictating the pace of the game.The responsibility for defensive situations will fall to Bobby Carpenter. Steve Thomas and Brian Rolston up front with the defense pairing of Scott Stevens and Lyle Odelein. Lemaire compares Carpenter to Jean Ratelle, not for his offensive flare, but for his unique understanding of the game.As the Devils chased the President&rsquo;s Trophy, the Jennings Trophy and Martin Brodeur pursued the record for wins in a season, they looked primed for success. Doug Gilmour will almost certainly rebound from his sub-par playoff last year and Randy McKay and Scott Niedermayer were having outstanding seasons.It adds up to a long playoff run-and a good chance of Stanley having a date with the Devils. &#9632;

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Devils earn full marks as Eastern favorite

Anytime a legendary goalie such as Patrick Roy brawls with Chris Osgood and celebrates with a clenched fist afterward is ridiculous, but to hear analysts such as Darren Pang applaud Roy for brawling is downright sad.Then a few days later, Dan Cloutier of the New York Rangers pummeled Tommy Salo of the New York Islanders. What a lovely sight.If that&rsquo;s the image the NHL is trying to uphold beyond the year 2000, it doesn&rsquo;t need a minor tune-up. It needs a major overhaul.The NHL has been through some lean times in the past, but has sunk even lower. These are sad days for hockey, no doubt about it.Sandra Wood,&nbsp; Elgin, Ill.<h2>Great read, THN</h2>The Hockey News has many fine writers who have produced memorable reading over the years. Jay Greenberg&rsquo;s humor, Jack Falla&rsquo;s poetic prose and Bob McKenzie&rsquo;s insights immediately come to mind.But one story that brought home the beautiful simplicity of this great game was the Inside the NHL column by John Davidson (THN, March 27) on Wayne Gretzky.I thought I knew everything there was to know about &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; until Davidson told us about the young boy who loved the game so much he would actually trace the players&rsquo; movements with a pen and paper while watching the games on television.I have two young boys and I&rsquo;m going to read this to them and see if they&rsquo;d like to give it a try. They may never develop into another Wayne Gretzky, but in the attempt they&rsquo;re sure to discover a better understanding and love for the game.Paul Martin,&nbsp; Saint John, N.B.<h2>Zezel class act</h2>As a native of Albany, N.Y., I am writing to express my gratitude to Peter Zezel, who, during his brief stay, treated the city, the fans, the Albany River Rats and the American League with the utmost respect.An NHL veteran might view time spent in the minors as a prison sentence. In Albany, as in other minor league cities, most fans accept this. Then came Zezel, who pleasantly sur-prised us all.He played hard, helped young players develop and was almost as happy to be in Albany as we were to have him. The fact that he represented the River Rats in the AHL All-Star Game after he was traded and was due to return to the NHL meant a great deal to the fans in Albany.Frank Mahan,&nbsp; Cheshire, Mass.<h2>Tie for Lady Byng</h2>I cannot believe Peter Karmanos has been awarded the Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States. If those responsible for this also voted for the NHL awards, I suppose Tie Domi and Bryan Marchment would be finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy.Stephen Flynn,&nbsp; Dallas, Tex.<h2>Shootout shock</h2>Why do so many people think Wayne Gretzky should have been chosen for the shootout against the Czech Republic in the Olympics?That would have been a mistake. His assist-to-goals ratio is nearly 3:1, he must be the all-time leader in empty net goals and the majority of his goals are scored because the threat of a pass makes goalies less prepared for a shot.What I don&rsquo;t understand is why Canadian coach Marc Crawford would select Theo Fleury and Ray Bourque while leaving Steve Yzer-man and Mark Recchi on the bench. Fleury and Bourque are fine players, but they&rsquo;re not the scorers that Recchi and Yzerman are.Brian Roberts,&nbsp; Thunder Bay, Ont.<h2>A kid&rsquo;s dream</h2>We live in Virginia Beach, Va., and while we were out for dinner recently, we ran into some players for the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast League, who were in town to play the Hampton Roads Admirals the next night.I took my two-year-old son over to their table and Rob Concannon of the Stingrays took time to talk to us about hockey. We went to the game.early the next night and Rob noticed my son and me there. He skated over and flipped a puck to my son. After the game, we went down to the dressing room to thank him and he came out and gave my son a stick blade.Three months later, my son still sleeps with these gifts. The next time he came to Norfolk, Rob treated us to more pucks and posed for a picture with us.It&rsquo;s good to know there are still some guys who take time out to make a memory to last a kid&rsquo;s lifetime. Rob Concannon&rsquo;s gifts and kindness will always be remembered.Richard Keogh,&nbsp; Virginia Beach, Va.Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 340-1641 or&nbsp;write to&nbsp;Letters, 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., 142409947.&nbsp;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;

Goaltender punch-ups give game black eyes

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011844/7078703-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

Rumor du jour With all the talk of which unrestricted free agents will sign with whom in the summer, there&rsquo;s a tendency to forget about what could happen to the odd restricted free agent. Word on the street is that the New York Rangers are targeting Boston Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Kyle McLaren and will submit an offer sheet that will make Bruins&rsquo; GM Harry Sinden apoplectic.Trevor the Kidd Carolina&rsquo;s Trevor Kidd had a league-leading seven victories since the Olympic break in games that the Hurricanes had been outshot by nine or more shots.The pause that refreshes The schedule maker unwittingly did the slumping Colorado Avalanche (five losses in a row) a huge favor with a four-day break between games that permitted the weary and injured team a welcome respite with only a week left in the regular season. Coach Marc Crawford took his downtime in Phoenix.Not quite&hellip;The Hockey News once touted San Jose Sharks&rsquo; GM Dean Lombardi as a logical successor to potentially outgoing NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke and others have since picked up on it, but it&rsquo;ll never happen. The NHL&rsquo;s $10,000 fine of Lombardi for disparaging league/officiating remarks underlines a gaping philosophical difference between the Sharks&rsquo; GM and the Gary Bettman-led head office.Where have all the goals gone The obstruction crackdown may have led to more unfettered hockey in the NHL, but it hasn&rsquo;t had its desired impact on scoring. Since going into effect after the Olympics, scoring has fallen off marginally, dropping to an average of 5.23 goals per game compared to 5.28 before the break.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021255/7078734-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="372" height="574"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kyle McLaren</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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What you need to know about the 1997-98 season

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011679/7078765-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="384" height="538"></div>There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with the Colorado Avalanche-nothing a clean bill of health and a meaningful game or two wouldn&rsquo;t cure.In spite of its sluggish play in the second half of the season, the Avalanche remains one of an obvious handful of teams with a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup.No matter how the Avalanche fared in the second half, it&rsquo;s hard to bet against a team featuring Patrick Roy. Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg, isn&rsquo;t it?The Avalanche wasn&rsquo;t exactly playing possum, but certain factors were working against it. Injuries to star centers Sakic and Forsberg have made it awfully difficult to perform up to standard. And it&rsquo;s easy to completely understand for a team which sent nine players and a coach to the Winter Olympics in Nagano, a team that was within striking distance of winning its fourth straight division championship, to be in a funk during the dog days of the season.To make matters worse, Colorado played nine games in 15 days upon the resumption of the NHL schedule.&ldquo;That was gruelling, inhuman,&rdquo; said coach Marc Crawford.Crawford, naturally, was concerned about his team&rsquo;s play down the stretch. But his players weren&rsquo;t as bothered.&ldquo;Last year we were the team everybody else was gunning for,&rdquo; said Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote. &ldquo;When the playoffs started, we were the team to beat. Now, with the way we&rsquo;ve played since the break, maybe other teams will take us a little more lightly. I like the position we&rsquo;re in.&rdquo;Colorado was 8-12-0 after the break. When you consider it went 46-0 in its last 10 games of the 199596 season, the year the Avalanche won the Cup, perhaps that&rsquo;s not so alarming.For Crawford, a perfectionist who places huge demands on his players, slumping in the second half has been difficult to accept. As much as his players may believe they can simply hit a switch when the playoffs roll around and become a championship team in the blink of an eye, Crawford is convinced the players should approach every game with the same intentions.&ldquo;The motivation should be the pro-fessionalism you have as a player,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;You shouldn&rsquo;t feel like you can turn it on and turn it of when you like.&rdquo;The biggest worry for the Avalanche this season has been health. Only the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, with Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, have a duo of forwards who, if they were hurt, would cripple the team as much as when Sakic and Forsberg go down for Colorado. Both were hurt in the second half of the season.Sakic returned to the lineup April 4 after missing 18 games with a knee injury he sustained in Nagano. Forsberg had missed xx games with a groin injury. He had been skating regularly with the team in early April, but the Avalanche was being extremely cautious about his return, not wanting to press him into action too soon.The past three years in Colorado, the Avalanche has been able to survive rather comfortably without Sakic and Forsberg. In that span the team was 19-14-2 without Sakic, 149-4 without Forsberg and 6-5-2 when both were absent.This season though, it&rsquo;s been a different story. With no Joe, the Avalanche was an ordinary 8-11-0. Without Forsberg, Colorado Petered out at 3-7-0. With both players out, the record reads 1-5-0.If both players are healthy for the playoffs, missing portions of the regular season could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.The core of the Avalanche is much the same as in 1995-96 when it won the Cup. Gone are backup goalie Stephane Fiset, defenseman Curtis Les-chyshyn as well as experienced forwards Dave Hannan, Mike Ricci, Mike Keane and Scott Young. Also departed is tough guy Chris Simon who made his mark early in the playoffs that year, but didn&rsquo;t play in the final.Colorado feels the development of its younger players who were there that season and the addition of players such as Jari Kurri, Eric Lacroix, Keith Jones, Jeff Odgers, Craig Billington and Tom Fitzgerald, give them the depth and experience to succeed.There is no denying the Avalanche has enough experience to turn things around. And when the post-season arrives, experience is generally regarded as a key ingredient for success.&ldquo;Experience is a good thing,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;You use your experience in situations that call for experience. But experience is not pacing yourself. You have to play each and every game like it is something special.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0007-01

Struggling Avalanche will be fine in playoffs

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div>Imagine Eric Lindros as a Phoenix Coyote. How about as a Dallas Star, a Los Angles King or, maybe, a Toronto Maple Leaf?Far-fetched as it might sound, the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; franchise player found himself the subject of trade rumors while recovering from a concussion.A column which appeared in a Philadelphia newspaper broached the possibility just before the March 24 NHL trade deadline.Then an ESPN broadcast report asserted the Flyers had discussions over a potential post-season deal with a number of teams, including Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles and Toronto.The whispers were first heard back in December when team owner Ed Snider showed up alone at a news conference to announce terms of the new Lindros contract. Conspicuously absent were team president-GM Bob Clarke, Lindros and Carl Lindros, the player&rsquo;s father and agent.Snider, looking grim-faced, said the new contract was for two years, at $7.5 million this season and $8.5 for 1998-99.With time running out on his sixth season in Philadelphia, Lindros has become the focal point of frustration, inside and outside the organization.&ldquo;How he plays when he comes back and how the team does should give you some kind of indication of where he stands in the league, Clarke said. &ldquo;When it&rsquo;s all over at the end of the year, you evaluate what you got and how you got there.&rdquo;Clarke angrily denied shopping his star player.&ldquo;Whoever is telling you guys (reporters) this is a liar,&rdquo; Clarke said April 8. &ldquo;Why would I trade Lindros? It&rsquo;s simply not true.&rdquo;When asked where he sees his future, Lindros said, &ldquo;I want to win with this team.&rdquo; &#9632;

Flyers deny they’re willing to deal Lindros

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011737/7078820-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tommy Salo of the New York Islanders and Dan Cloutier of the New York Rangers battled April 4 on Long Island in a second goalie battle within three days. Earlier, the Colorado Avalanche&rsquo;s Patrick Roy and Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; Chris Osgood squared off at Joe Louis Arena. (Photo by John Giamundo/BBS)</figcaption></div>Convicted hockey coach Graham James has applied for day and full parole.Just one year into a 3-1/2-year prison sentence for abuse of two former teenage players whom he coached in the Western League, James filed his request to the National Parole Board.&ldquo;The board&rsquo;s paramount concern is the protection of the public and the release will only be granted if the board is satisfied that he will not pose an undue risk to the community,&rdquo; said board spokeswoman Elaine Cherkewich.Meanwhile, former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, one of James&rsquo; sexual abuse victims, said he is planning a coast-to-coast in-line skate across Canada to raise money and awareness for abused children.Kennedy is fully recovered from a badly broken left leg following a motorcycle accident last summer. He is training six days a week. &#9632;

f0008-01

James seeks early parole

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>One way to put offense back into the game may be to move the nets, end lines and bluelines out an additional two feet from the boards.Those changes had the biggest impact of five experimental rules tested in American League at the request of the NHL.The two games in which the nets, end lines and bluelines were moved out two feet produced a total of 15 goals, the most of any two-game set in the rules experiment.The Kentucky Thoroughblades and Hamilton Bulldogs tied 2-2 April 3 and Kentucky defeated Hamilton 6-5 in overtime the next night. Both games were in Hamilton.The average of 7.5 goals per game was more than a full goal more than the 6.4 season AHL average.&ldquo;One experiment does not a rule make, but it&rsquo;s certainly something that bears further study,&rdquo; said AHL president Dave Andrews.&ldquo;It eliminates a lot of congestion behind the net and, on the power play, it stretches out the box. It also makes it more difficult for that panic hard-around dump out.&rdquo;Other rules tested to see if they would produce more offense had negligible impact.In the two games that goalies weren&rsquo;t allowed to handle the puck behind the end line, 13 goals were scored. The games in which minors were served in their entirety produced 11 goals and the two in which the defending team was not allowed to stop with the puck behind the net totalled nine goals. No extra power play goals were scored in the two games minors were served fully.The league also experimented with hurry-up faceoffs and no line changes on neutral zone faceoffs. A March 29 game took 2:37 and a April 4 game, 2:43. The average AHL game lasts 2:40.&ldquo;I found none of the others (changes) on their own made any serious impact on the game, not that any had a negative impact,&rdquo; Andrews said.The NHL videotaped all the games and while he did not attend any of them, NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke said he would be analyzing condensed versions of the games.Burke said, &ldquo;There are two rules the league was quite excited about, the one where the goalie can&rsquo;t play the puck behind the goal line and the one where the nets are moved out farther from the backboards. Those two changes greatly enhanced the flow of the game.&rdquo;MEDIA MAN HIRED: The NHL communications department has a new look with the addition of a respected hockey writer.Frank Brown is the new vice-president, media relations, leaving the New York Daily News after serving as a reporter and columnist since 1980. In his new duties, Brown will be responsible for the league&rsquo;s day-to-day communications to NHL media.The media relations, public relations, corporate communications and creative service functions have been integrated into a single department under Bernadette Mansur.Arthur Pincus, vice-president, public relations, will now oversee league communications with international media, editorial content of NHL publications, press materials and act as a contact for national sports publications and electronic media outlets. &#9632;

Extra space means extra scoring

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>The NHL may have to amend Rule 76 which stipulates penalties for abuse of officials.It may have to add a sub-section for abuse of players.Referee Mick McGeough escaped punishment after a rare incident in which the official shoved Tampa Bay Lightning center Darcy Tucker into the penalty box during an April 4 game with the Pittsburgh Penguins.The incident occurred after McGeough grabbed Tucker from a pile of players who were jostling and led him to the penalty box. The referee forcefully pushed Tucker into the box.Rule 76 says a player who deliberately strikes an official with intent to injure faces a suspension of at least 20 games.McGeough wasn&rsquo;t disciplined by the league.&ldquo;From our perspective what Mick McGeough did was save Darcy Tucker from a suspension,&rdquo; said NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke.&ldquo;Mick believed Darcy was about to throw a punch at a player (Pittsburgh defenseman Darius Kasparaitis) who was immobilized. His intentions were good even if he might have pushed (Tucker) too hard. He saved Darcy Tucker a lot of money.&rdquo;McGeough, who was not made available to the media, told Tampa Bay coach Jacques Demers he was sorry for the way he treated Tucker. At the time, Tucker was in the dressing room, having been assessed 17 minutes in penalties with 14:19 remaining in the second period.Lightning enforcer Sandy McCarthy told McGeough his manhandling of Tucker was wrong.In the third period while Tucker was in the penalty box, McGeough apologized. &ldquo;He said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m sorry Tucks,&rsquo;&rdquo; Tucker recounted. &ldquo;And that was it.&rdquo;The NHL Players&rsquo; Association is not pursuing the matter.&ldquo;In the emotion of a hard-fought contest it&rsquo;s not uncommon for tempers to flair,&rdquo; said NHLPA executive director Bob Goodenow. &ldquo;But there has to be a mutual respect between players and officials.&rdquo;Tucker said he would like to let the whole thing drop.&ldquo;It was an awful situation,&rdquo; Tucker said. &ldquo;Obviously emotions run high, but at the same time what he did was wrong and he knows that.&rdquo; &#9632;

McGeough apologizes to Tucker

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011711/7078944-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="381" height="532"></div>It has been five years since the Canadiens last won a playoff series, so the people of Montreal have adjusted their expectations accordingly.If the team wins two rounds this year, the coaching staff might avoid the forced march up Mount Royal naked and barefoot while being jabbed with an old Gaston Gingras stick. Punishment could be reduced to four hours in a public stockade listening to Jean Perron motivational tapes.After all, you can&rsquo;t win the Cup every season, just often enough to avoid being dipped head first into a vat of the wit and wisdom of Stephane Richer, which is what you get in Montreal for a loss in the finals. Hey, this is a rebuilding year-of the scaffold where Mario Tremblay&rsquo;s coaching career still swings. One has to be reasonable.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great pressure all the time,&rdquo; said assistant Dave King. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s very good for a coaching staff.&rdquo;You have to keep in mind King is the kind of guy who liked coaching Zarley Zalapski so much he wanted the opportunity again. &ldquo;In Calgary, there were times you wondered about Zarley&rsquo;s concentration,&rdquo; King said. &ldquo;Since he has come to Montreal, he&rsquo;s been there every night.&rdquo;A Montreal crowd has a way of getting your attention, both good and bad. The Canadiens are under.500 at the Molson Centre and considerably over on the road, a fact that would not surprise Pierre Turgeon one bit.Granted, a lot of cities are no day in a rink comer with Geoff Sanderson. But Montreal is mass hysteria. &ldquo;In Edmonton, they would first take a look at what the club could do,&rdquo; said goalie Andy Moog. &ldquo;Here, the demands are seriously high no matter what year it is or who is on the ice.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a little late to tell these people to try decaf, especially with the Canadiens looking like a threat to win a series for the first time since the 1993 Cup. Saku Koivu has a broken hand that is more painful than listening to some broken records in the Montreal media and will probably miss the first round. Still, deals with Calgary for Jonas Hoglund and Tampa Bay for the still recuperating Igor Ulanov have added size to a team that for too long has been smaller than the province&rsquo;s best minds.Also, the Canadiens seem to have a clue away from the puck. For that, you can credit first-year coach Alain Vigneault, but only for about 10 seconds, the limit by city statute. If Moog, not Jocelyn Thibault, is the playoff goalie, there will fainting in the streets and calls for heads to roll through Windsor Station like kegs of Molson. The last time the Canadiens won, the people broke windows, probably because they did not win by enough.You would think bad times and season tickets to Turner Stevenson would alter priorities. The Canadiens&rsquo; high drafts-Mark Pederson, Lindsay Vallis, Brent Bilodeau, Brad Brown-have been terrible since Sprague Cleghorn&rsquo;s rookie year. Some of the trades-Chris Chelios for Denis Savard, Mark Recchi for John LeClair and Eric Desjardins-have been even worse.For those deals, Serge Savard now bums in hell, selling seat licenses for a new Expos stadium, a tougher pitch in Montreal than Scott Thornton on the power play. To make thing worse, the Canadiens hired a guy off the radio as coach who promptly ran Patrick Roy, the best goalie in the NHL, out of town.Mario Tremblay alienated everybody, admittedly not a difficult thing to do in Montreal, and the fabled franchise is still digging out. &ldquo;Inside the NHL, we know parity is a fact of life,&rdquo; said King. &ldquo;But the fans don&rsquo;t digest that.&rdquo;Canadiens&rsquo; supporters have had indigestion since the last dynasty ended in 1979. But the team still stepped though a playoff field littered with upsets to win the 1986 Cup with an 86-point team and again in 1993 with a club that came in sixth. That was enough to make good franchises never quite so fortunate turn green and the people of Montreal see red in any year their boys have to take a semifinal to seven games.If the franchise ghosts that lived in The Forum rafters so far refuse to ante up for a rooftop luxury suite at the Molson Centre, it&rsquo;s because they are spoiled, too.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021254/7078937-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="512" height="761"><figcaption class="caption-body">Dave King</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0010-01

Can Habs satisfy demanding fickle fans?

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03783/7078975-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="161" height="160"></div>Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie Guy Hebert&rsquo;s season officially ended April 9 when he had arthroscopic surgery to repair cartilage and tendon damage in his right shoulder.The rehabilitation will take Hebert three to four months. The Ducks said Hebert is expected to be fully recovered in time for the start of training camp in September.Hebert had been unable to play since March 8, when he left midway through a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes after aggravating the injury he first suffered several weeks earlier.Hebert had spent the past month trying to rehabilitate the shoulder enough that he might have been available to play if the Ducks made the playoffs. But with the Ducks mathematically eliminated April 6, there was no reason to delay surgery further.&ldquo;Personally, the sooner I can get it done the better,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;It gives me more time to get back to 100 per cent.&ldquo;Maybe it will even help my golf game,&rdquo; he said, jokingly. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;m very fortunate that it&rsquo;s not anything that&rsquo;s going to be troublesome down the road.&rdquo;Hebert ended the season with a 1324-6 record and 2.93 goals-against average. Last season, he was 29-25-12 with a 2.67 goals-against average.Hebert, who can become an unrestricted free agent after next season, said he would be surprised if he does not begin next season as a Duck.NOTEBOOK: Ducks&rsquo; captain Paul Kariya looked well April 8, posing for pictures with a big smile after handing out $2 million to 28 Orange County-based charities. The money was the pro-rated portion for the 32 games he missed at the start of this season during contract negotiations for his new two-year, $14-million deal. Kariya said he is supposed to take it easy for the rest of April, but he feels he will be ready to begin working out again in May, giving him four or five months to get ready for next season. Kariya has kept busy &ldquo;by watching every movie made by mankind&rdquo; and playing golf. He joked it was more like &ldquo;trying to play golf. I walk the course to get fresh air.&rdquo;&hellip;Center Josef Marita had five goals and nine points in his first eight games with the Ducks. &#9632;

f0010-03

NHL TEAMS

Hebert’s shoulder surgery no threat for next season

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05395/7079006-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="573" height="895"><figcaption class="caption-body">Larry Quinn</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04532/7079013-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="161" height="157"></div>Larry Quinn, whose career as president of the Buffalo Sabres started with the collapse of the Jumbotron scoreboard in the new Marine Midland Arena, saw his hockey career follow suit just 16 months later.The embattled administrator was fired April 8 by the new owners of the Sabres, the Rigas family of Coudersport, Pa. Dan DiPofi, the Sabres&rsquo; vicepresident, sports and arena operations and Quinn&rsquo;s right hand man for all of his time there, resigned.The office of president was not immediately filled. The Rigas&rsquo;, owners of Adelphia Communications Corp., one of the largest cable television and data communications company in America, immediately installed Tim Rigas as chief executive officer and named Ron Bertovich as interim vicepresident, administration.Tim Rigas is the son of Adelphia founder and Sabres&rsquo; chairman of the board John Rigas. Bertovich is the GM of the Empire Sports Network, a regional sports cable outlet owned by Adelphia.&ldquo;We thought we&rsquo;d lose valuable time (by waiting until the end of the season) and we felt this was the time to make the change,&rdquo; John Rigas said. &ldquo;While we run the risk of being somewhat disruptive, we felt the benefits of getting closer to the organization outweighed the negatives.&rdquo;Quinn was the focal point of fan complaint over the firing of former GM John Muckier and former coach Ted Nolan. He was also taken to task over the treatment and trade of Pat LaFontaine.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Dominik Hasek came within 85 seconds of recording his 14th shutout of the season as the Sabres beat Carolina 3-1 April 8. The game featured a showdown between Hasek and the red-hot Trevor Kidd. Hasek was rarely tested, however. He was beaten when a pass out from behind the net deflected off defenseman Richard Smehlik&hellip;.Center Michael Peca, fresh off a three-game suspension for elbowing, was knocked down hard in that game. Peca suffered a hip injury and was questionable for the remainder of the regular season&hellip;Left winger Geoff Sanderson scored a classic breakaway goal against his old team. Sanderson said the goal was no more enjoyable than any other, but the win was great. &#9632;

f0010-05

Quinn’s stay mighty short

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06301/7079044-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="161" height="158"></div>Instant millionaires have a habit of attracting new friends-especially if one happens to be a 19-year-old kid living half a world away from his birthplace.Sergei Samsonov, fortunately, is mature beyond his years and already knows who his true friends are.&ldquo;My linemates have been really playing great,&rdquo; said the Boston Bruins&rsquo; rookie left winger after his first NHL hat trick led a playoff-clinching 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders April 9. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been trying to push me to 20 goals and I really appreciate that.&rdquo;Exactly how much Samsonov appreciates the efforts of linemates Jason Allison and Dmitri Khristich, along with the rest of his teammates, will become evident after he pays their dinner tab before season&rsquo;s end. The second goal of his hat trick was his 20th of the season, which virtually assures him of an extra $1 million on top of his $975,000 base salary.Samsonov&rsquo;s contract calls for the bonus if he checks off two items from a list of six categories. One of them-finishing in the top five in Calder Trophy voting-has long been a foregone conclusion. In fact, the club was prepared to cut Samsonov&rsquo;s check before the ballots were counted.&ldquo;He deserves it,&rdquo; said president-GM Harry Sinden. &ldquo;I want him to have it.&rdquo;Samsonov admitted feeling pressure to reach 20 goals. After scoring his first in Boston&rsquo;s 12th game, he scored at a consistent clip until midMarch, when he began a stretch that included just two goals in 10 games. The hat trick-Samsonov&rsquo;s first multiple-goal game-ended that.&ldquo;These were probably the toughest goals, besides the first one,&rdquo; said Samsonov, who heard Pink Floyd&rsquo;s Money blaring over FleetCenter&rsquo;s sound system as soon as his 20th went in the net.&ldquo;There was a lot of talk about it in the last couple of weeks, and it was kind of bothering me,&rdquo; he said.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Kyle McLaren returned less than three weeks after fracturing his right foot to play back-to-back games April 6-7, but he missed an April 9 contest against the Islanders because of a groin injury. It wasn&rsquo;t considered serious&hellip;Defenseman Don Sweeney (fractured shoulder) hoped to begin full practices in mid-April. He was looking for clearance to play one or two regular season games before the first round of the playoffs&hellip;Coach Pat Bums on surprising everyone by taking a club that finished last in the NHL a year ago into the playoffs: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s an immense sense of relief. And I&rsquo;ve got to give the guys credit. But we really didn&rsquo;t win anything yet. It&rsquo;s just an invitation.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-06

Samsonov cashes in baby bonus

<div class="byline">By Steve Politi</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011541/7079075-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="160" height="160"></div>With those huge, bulky pads, a skeleton face painted on his helmet and long stringy hair, Trevor Kidd in uniform looks a bit like a monster. In April, he was a puck-eating monster.Kidd set a franchise record with a shutout streak of 219 minutes, 11 seconds, blanking the New Jersey Devils 4-0 April 1, Montreal Canadiens 1-0 April 4 and Boston 3-0 April 6. The streak was broken against the Buffalo Sabres April 8 when a Jason Woolley power play point shot slipped between the post and his pads.&ldquo;It was going to end sooner or later,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;I guess the good thing about it is it was a good goal. They had to beat me on a shot I couldn&rsquo;t see.&rdquo;Still, the streak was enough to carry the &lsquo;Canes to within two points of the Ottawa Senators and the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s playing so well that you can&rsquo;t help but feed off it,&rdquo; said right winger Robert Kron. &ldquo;The whole team&rsquo;s confidence is picking up.&rdquo;The scoreless streak shot Kidd&rsquo;s goals-against average to 2.11 (tied for fifth with Buffalo&rsquo;s Dominik Hasek) and save percentage to.923 (second only to Hasek&rsquo;s.931).Kidd, who grew up in rural Manitoba, acknowledges that this is the best stretch of his career.&ldquo;I used to have a lot of superstitions, which were just a comfort thing,&rdquo; Kidd said. &ldquo;Now, I just go out, try and be myself and just play.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The &lsquo;Canes went 7-2-1 during a 10-game stretch. In the two losses, left winger Geoff Sanderson scored the winning goal for Buffalo and goalie Sean Burke stopped 31 shots for Philadelphia. Both players were traded by the Hurricanes Jan. 2&hellip;The win over Toronto April 9 gave the team 33 victories on the season, topping last season&rsquo;s total of 32. But coach Paul Maurice is most proud of another streak-10 wins in 13 road games. The &lsquo;Canes won just nine road games all of last season and lost eight in a row earlier this season&hellip;GM Jim Rutherford, the man who built this team, finally likes its chemistry. &ldquo;This is really the first time we have a group of guys who are here for a purpose,&rdquo; Rutherford said, &ldquo;and don&rsquo;t want to be someplace else.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0011-01

Kidd drops superstitions, puts up superb numbers

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03744/7079106-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="578" height="900"><figcaption class="caption-body">Theo Fleury</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021101/7079113-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="161" height="158"></div>Their season ended in a most discouraging way, crowded around a television set in the players&rsquo; lounge, watching to see if they were going to get any help from either the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim or Los Angeles Kings to stay alive in the NHL playoff races.And when it didn&rsquo;t happen-when the Calgary Flames were officially eliminated from playoff contention April 7 as both the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers won their games-it was left to the ex-captain, Theo Fleury, to put matters in perspective.When the Flames faltered down the stretch with losses to San Jose and the Vancouver Canucks by a cumulative 12-3 margin, inquiring minds wanted to know: Was the year as much of a disaster as it appeared?After all, the Flames missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year, the first time in the franchise&rsquo;s 26-year history that had happened. Moreover, they were on pace for fewer than 70 points for only the second time ever.Reflecting back on the season, Fleury thought the team&rsquo;s poor start put them behind the rest of the pack early on. Calgary won just one of its first 11 games.&ldquo;That put us behind the eight-ball right away,&rdquo; said Fleury. &ldquo;Since about Christmas, we started to play a little better. We started to play Brian (Sutter)&rsquo;s system. We established a work ethic. Guys played hard every night. We&rsquo;ve got some good young talent here. It&rsquo;s a positive step that we&rsquo;ve come this far.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Right winger Valeri Bure was out for what was left of the season with a dislocated right shoulder requiring surgery. Anaheim right winger Mike LeClerc awkwardly fell on top of him in an April 5 game. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t even a hit, I was just fighting for the puck,&rdquo; Bure said. He had been playing with center Theo Fleury and left winger German Titov on the No. 1 line&hellip;The son of Flames&rsquo; president Ron Bremner, 21-year-old Scott Bremner, died in a car crash April 5 as he and a friend were driving to Guelph, Ont., where Bremner&rsquo;s ex-wife lives&hellip;Fleury said he will not play for Canada at the World Championship. Fleury said, &ldquo;Why not, in an Olympic year, as a reward to the guys who play on the national team&hellip;let them go play? Let them try.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0011-03

Work ethic established

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04577/7079144-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="161" height="159"></div>So who&rsquo;s to blame for the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; dismal season that saw them scrambling going into the final week to keep their string of 28 straight playoff appearances alive?Coach Craig Hartsburg said it was his fault. Tony Amonte said the players were to blame.GM Bob Murray said the fault lies with everyone in the organization.&ldquo;For one person to take the blame is ridiculous,&rdquo; Murray said after hearing Hartsburg was blaming himself. &ldquo;This is a team. This is a group. Everyone has to be accountable. There are a lot of things we would all have liked to have done differently-players, coaches and management.&rdquo;Murray never dreamed the Hawks would be struggling just to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.&ldquo;Between our home record and power play, we&rsquo;ve put ourselves in this position. There are no excuses for that.&rdquo;The Hawks were 14-18-7 at the United Center, where they will finish below.500 for the second year in a row. That hasn&rsquo;t happened since the 1950s. Their power play was 19th in the NHL with just 46 goals. On home ice the Hawks were 19-for-180.Hartsburg blamed himself for not benching stars such as Chris Chelios, Alex Zhamnov, Gary Suter and Amonte after their slow starts helped the Hawks go 0-7-0 to begin the season.According to NHL statistics (see pg. S 17), Chelios led all players this year, averaging more than 30 minutes per game.&ldquo;We had problems back in September and the 0-7 start has fed our whole season,&rdquo; Hartsburg said. &ldquo;It has been one of desperation. I let some of our best players off the hook early in the season when they were making mistakes, and they&rsquo;re still making them. I take full responsibility.&rdquo;Amonte said it&rsquo;s not right for Hartsburg to blame himself.&ldquo;He can only do so much behind the bench,&rdquo; Amonte said.NOTEBOOK: The Hawks&rsquo; playoff hopes took a serious hit with back-to-back losses on home ice to Detroit and the Rangers April 4 and 5. The Hawks lost 3-2 to the Red Wings on left winger Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s goal with less than three seconds to play, ft was the 25th goal allowed by the Hawks this season in the final 90 seconds of a period&hellip;Left winger Bob Probert returned April 4 after missing more than five months because of shoulder surgery&hellip;Center Steve Dubinsky signed a two-year contract extension April 7&hellip;After 12 NHL seasons in the NHL, defenseman Chris Chelios was facing his first spring out of the playoffs. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what it&rsquo;s like not to make the playoffs,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but I know it&rsquo; not a good feeling.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0011-04

Hartsburg takes blame for lost year

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011668/7079175-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="162" height="159"></div>The Dallas Stars and Mike Modano are involved in contract talks that could tie up the franchise cornerstone for six more years.Doug Armstrong, assistant to GM Bob Gainey, said talks were proceeding, but still in a &ldquo;preliminary&rdquo; phase.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to fan the flames and I don&rsquo;t want to douse the flames,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have been in contact and, hopefully, we&rsquo;ll get him signed.&rdquo;Modano, the team MVP as voted by his teammates five of the past six seasons, doesn&rsquo;t want to test the waters of restricted free agency this summer. Modano last summer waited two months and didn&rsquo;t receive a free agent offer. He settled on a one-year deal worth $3.5 million with the Stars.&ldquo;I probably wouldn&rsquo;t (want to try free agency),&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know what kind of team you could end up on, one that has five years of rebuilding or something. I&rsquo;ve already done that, I don&rsquo;t want to do it again.&rdquo;Modano should command up to $7 million a season. The three-year. $21-million deal signed by Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; center Mats Sundin is a good indication of what Modano can expect. The two have identical 1.08 points per game averages the past seven seasons.Modano is sidelined with a separated shoulder and is not expected to return until April 18. Still, with 21 goals and 57 points in 51 games, he has proven again he is among the NHL&rsquo;s elite all-around talents.NOTEBOOK: The Stars stopped a 1-5-1 skid, their worst in two seasons by posting back-to-back wins over the Leafs and Capitals&hellip;When coach Ken Hitchcock cobbled together center Joe Nieuwendyk, with Jamie Langenbrunner at left wing and right winger Jere Lehtinen, they responded with seven points in three games&hellip;Goalie Ed Belfour missed three games with a sore back, but returned to post back-to-back wins. Hitchcock said he would like Belfour to play six of the last seven games to prepare for the playoffs&hellip;Nieuwendyk moved alongside center Mike Modano and former Star Brian Bellows with his ninth game-winning goal of the season, tying a team record&hellip;The Stars have won 54.9 per cent of faceoffs, an NHL best. &#9632;

f0012-01

Modano involved in talks to become long-term Star

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03856/7079206-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="572" height="892"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith Jones</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021328/7079213-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="160" height="158"></div>The question is simple: Where were all the goals?Of course, the goal of the Colorado Avalanche is still the same as it has been all year-to win a second Stanley Cup in the past three years.But to do so the Avs had to start scoring again. Heading into the final week of the 1997-98 season, goals were nowhere in sight.Granted, Peter Forsberg being out for seven straight games didn&rsquo;t help matters. But a total of four goals in five straight games heading into the final week-all losses-had Avs&rsquo; fans worried.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to get our game going, myself included,&rdquo; said right winger Keith Jones, one of many players in scoring slumps during the team&rsquo;s longest losing streak since moving to Denver.During the five-game losing streak, they scored only one even strength goal and their power play was 3-for-29. Going back further, they were outshot in 10 of 11 games and often went long stretches in games without getting a shot.&ldquo;Everybody is frustrated at how we&rsquo;re playing right now,&rdquo; said captain Joe Sakic, who scored in each of the first two games he played after returning from a knee injury. &ldquo;Everybody is trying to do a little too much by themselves.&rdquo;Other forwards not contributing offensively were Claude Lemieux (two goals in 16 games), Stephane Yelle (no goals in 19 straight games), and Jari Kurri (scoreless in 23 straight).NOTEBOOK: Entering its final four games of the season, Colorado had 108 fewer goals than when it won the Stanley Cup in 1995-96 (218-326)&hellip;Center Peter Forsberg (pulled groin) was expected to return to the lineup April 11 at Los Angeles&hellip;The Avs&rsquo; five-game losing streak was the franchise&rsquo;s longest since January, 1994. when the Quebec Nordiques lost six straight&hellip;Despite the losing skid, the team stuck with its original plan to take three straight days off with no practice after its April 6 game against Los Angeles&hellip;How&rsquo;s this for bad timing? After an April 6 loss to Los Angeles, counting his time with Florida before a March 24 trade to Colorado, centerright winger Tom Fitzgerald had lost 19 of the last 20 games he&rsquo;d played. &#9632;

f0012-03

Desperately seeking goals

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04496/7079244-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="159" height="157"></div>Darren McCarty is a trailblazer in more ways than many people know.His unique nature isn&rsquo;t limited to his novel quotes after games or the numerous cloth bracelets he wears on his left wrist that boast the letters WWJD, which stand for &lsquo;What Would Jesus Do.&rsquo; The Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; feisty right winger&rsquo;s sense of individuality extends beyond that and into the medical realm.Following a hit by Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; defenseman Eric Weinrich April 4, McCarty sustained a recurrence of benign exertional vertigo. It&rsquo;s a malady that strikes the inner ear, disturbing a person&rsquo;s equilibrium to the point where even walking is difficult. There is medication to curb the symptoms, but McCarty didn&rsquo;t play the next two games in order to help the healing process.&ldquo;I hit my face on the glass,&rdquo; McCarty said. &ldquo;I was OK, then I tried to get up and it was like, whoa, I know this feeling. It&rsquo;s like being seasick, foggy.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the type of guy I am. I&rsquo;m different. I&rsquo;ve had severed tendons in my fingers, a nerve problem in my hand. It&rsquo;s all new.&rdquo;McCarty has had to take medication a couple of times this season for the vertigo. Wings&rsquo; trainer John Wharton said McCarty&rsquo;s form is rare, but quite treatable. He stressed it is not any form of concussion.&ldquo;Darren&rsquo;s case of vertigo is brought on through exertion,&rdquo; Wharton said. &ldquo;An elbow to the head or even looking very powerfully to the right can bring it on. But I want to stress that it is not a brain or head injury of any kind.&ldquo;Darren had his first bout with it about one-third through the season. It&rsquo;s another in a long list of ailments that are unique to Darren. He&rsquo;s stricken with illnesses that no other player has had. I know that every time he comes down with something, I know I&rsquo;ll have to go to the medical dictionary.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Wings&rsquo; defenseman Slava Fetisov maintains he has no connections with the Russian mafia, despite allegations made in an article in the May issue of Details magazine. Author Robert I. Friedman says Fetisov was instrumental in helping the Russian mob establish roots in the United States by setting up a shell company where money would be laundered. &ldquo;I have no relationship, no business to deal with any Russian mob,&rdquo; Fetisov said. NHL vice-president of communications Bernadette Mansur said the article rehashes previous stories and proves nothing. &ldquo;This is all old news, patched-together stuff.&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I found quotes (used in the article) from old newspaper clips in 1993.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0012-04

McCarty minstrel of maladies

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011555/7079275-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="162" height="161"></div>It is the worst possible time for a slump; the thick of a playoff race. But Bill Guerin was mired in one so deep it boggled the mind.He was hesitant. He rarely played the physical style that has been his calling card. And he was an invisible part of the Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; offense when the team needed him most.After starting his Oiler career with 21 points in 20 games, he had just five in his next 17.&ldquo;We had a good talk the other day,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; coach Ron Low. &ldquo;He has got to be a lot more aggressive with the puck and all those things. He&rsquo;s doing so much east and west instead of north and south.&ldquo;He got a lot more physical against Dallas (April 3) and that&rsquo;s good. I don&rsquo;t think you want him fighting all the time, but you want him involved.&rdquo;Guerin should bowl over opponents instead of dancing through them. When he plays that kind of game, he&rsquo;s effective and it&rsquo;s reflected in results on the scoreboard.&ldquo;I feel I have to score,&rdquo; Guerin said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s part of my job. But if I don&rsquo;t, I&rsquo;d better do something else. I&rsquo;d better be physical.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d better have chances or else I do nothing. I don&rsquo;t help the team and that doesn&rsquo;t say much about me.&rdquo;There wasn&rsquo;t much to say about Guerin&rsquo;s game during the April stretch run, other than to point out his obvious shortcomings. He wasn&rsquo;t driving to the net.He wasn&rsquo;t finishing checks. And of course, as a result, he wasn&rsquo;t scoring any goals.&ldquo;Yeah, because I wasn&rsquo;t playing physical,&rdquo; Guerin said. &ldquo;I was playing on the outside. When I play physical I take the puck to the net and my game turns around.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Oilers&rsquo; ownership group announced it has raised $54 million (Cdn.) of the $60 million it needs to close the purchase of the team by May 5. The group is borrowing the remaining $6 million from the Bank of Nova Scotia&hellip;Group spokesman Cal Nichols&rsquo; plan to rename the Coliseum &lsquo;Petroleum Place&rsquo; and have eight oil industry companies kick in $333,000 annually to have their corporate logos displayed on the side of the building has met with rejection. Seven of the eight companies formally turned down his proposal. Only Husky was considering it&hellip;Defenseman Kevin Lowe returned from a 67-game layoff (due to an inner ear virus) against Vancouver April 5, but he missed the next two games when symptoms returned. &#9632;

f0013-01

Guerin plummets on periphery

<div class="byline">By Michael Russo</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021091/7079306-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="163" height="163"></div>The Florida Panthers&rsquo; next coach could be one of five names GM Bryan Murray has jotted down on a piece of paper, but he said the list of names will grow as the number of available coaches becomes clearer.Although hiring someone to replace himself behind the bench remained Murray&rsquo;s No. 1 priority, the process was still in the preliminary stages as he had yet to talk with a single candidate.He did confirm two of the names to come across his desk are Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; assistant coach Dave King and Bill Stewart, coach of the Calgary Flames&rsquo; American League affiliate in Saint John, N.B., although he would not say if they were leading candidates.&ldquo;Bill&rsquo;s a guy whose name has been brought to my attention,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a first-year pro coach who has done a real good job in the AHL. Dave King&rsquo;s name has come up too.&ldquo;I have a list of guys that I&rsquo;ve put down on my own and in the meantime I&rsquo;ll get calls and everybody can speculate. But the bottom line is Bill Stewart is under contract with Calgary. Dave King is under contract in Montreal. I have not made any contact with these organizations, nor will I until the year&rsquo;s over and we decide finally who we want to talk to.&rdquo;This is King&rsquo;s first year with the Canadiens, a year in which Montreal has dramatically improved its defense. Through 77 games, the Habs had given up 82 fewer goals than a year ago.&ldquo;NHL experience is preferred, but it may not be an absolute by the end of the day,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We have to look for a guy who has background knowledge of the league and who can come in and help our players, especially seven or eight players or will be 24 and younger, make an adjustment.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Despite suffering from the flu, left winger Peter Worrell, the NHL&rsquo;s newest bad boy, tried to earn a little respect from Toronto heavyweight right winger Tie Domi Apr. 7 in a first period fight. Call it a no-decision&hellip;Center Viktor Kozlov returned to the lineup Apr. 9 against Philadelphia after missing three games with neck spasms and dizziness&hellip;Former Canucks&rsquo; GM Pat Quinn has selected defensemen Ed Jovanovski and Gord Murphy and left winger Ray Whitney to represent Canada in the World Championship in Switzerland&hellip;Whitney, the lowest-paid Panther at $300,000, joined the elite company of 16 other NHLers in the 30-goal club with a goal against Philadelphia. &#9632;

f0013-02

Finding coach on Murray’s mind

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011657/7079337-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="160" height="160"></div>The Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; luck was in short supply as they began the final weeks of the regular season. But they were looking forward to the return of Luc &lsquo;Lucky&rsquo; Robitaille to help them get back on the successful track.After a 2-4-0 trip in which they were shut out twice, the Kings returned home April 9 only to be shut out by the Edmonton Oilers, their third scoreless effort in five games. However, the news wasn&rsquo;t all bad. Not only did the Kings clinch a playoff berth for the first time since their 1993 trip to the Stanley Cup final, Robitaille resumed skating for the first time since undergoing abdominal surgery Feb. 23.The veteran left winger, who had 16 goals and 39 points in 55 games, planned to return to the lineup for the Kings&rsquo; last few regular season games. He was eager to suit up again, after nervously fretting from the sidelines while the team&rsquo;s offense fizzled.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d like to get in a couple of games before the playoffs to get into the mood because the game is so fast and I don&rsquo;t think I can get right back in there without a few games to get used to things,&rdquo; Robitaille said.Robitaille said he has already felt the buzz of fans anticipating the Kings&rsquo; return to post-season play after the team finished out of the playoffs for four consecutive seasons.&ldquo;This season has been a lot of fun,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;The spirit in the locker room is good.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Kings clinched their first playoff berth since 1993 April 8. Coach Larry Robinson said it was about time the Kings returned to post-season play. &ldquo;Playoffs? That word wasn&rsquo;t even heard around here other than in the context of, &lsquo;Well, you&rsquo;re out of the playoffs again.&rsquo; I got sick and tired of hearing that.&rdquo; said Robinson, who is completing his third season behind the bench. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tribute not to what the coaches did, but what the players did. We didn&rsquo;t do anything different. They did it all.&rdquo;&hellip;Robinson was fined $5,000 by the NHL for making an obscene gesture to referee Bill McCreary March 17&hellip;The Kings&rsquo; 4-0 loss to Edmonton April 9 was their first shutout loss to Edmonton in 82 games at the Forum, including playoffs. &#9632;

f0014-01

Robitaille ready to play with playoff-bound Kings

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03855/7079368-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="572" height="896"><figcaption class="caption-body">Krzysztof Oliwa</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021247/7079375-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="160" height="157"></div>Passing the test for United States citizenship may have been easier for Krzysztof Oliwa than earning ice time during the Stanley Cup playoffs.Knowing that fighting diminishes during the playoffs, the Polish-bom enforcer is hopeful that New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach Jacques Lemaire will give him a chance to prove his worth in ways other than dropping his gloves.&ldquo;I know fighting goes down in the playoffs, but I can&rsquo;t worry about it. I&rsquo;ll try to play a hard, physical game,&rdquo; said Oliwa, whose 293 penalty minutes broke Ken Daneyko&rsquo;s 1988-89 team record of 283. Oliwa also established a new Devils&rsquo; record with 33 majors.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t played in the NHL playoffs, but I&rsquo;ve played in the minors. Everyone is careful in the playoffs, but there could be games where something happens.&rdquo;No one figures to be more careful than Lemaire, who spent the entire season imploring Oliwa not to hurt the team by taking untimely penalties.&ldquo;I think (Oliwa&rsquo;s) role will be to go out there, skate and take the man. If there are any fights, he&rsquo;ll take care of it, but there is definitely less fighting in the playoffs,&rdquo; Lemaire said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll have to go out and play tough.&rdquo;Popular among fans as the kid who left the coal mines in Poland to pursue a hockey career in North America, Oliwa passed his U.S. citizenship test, but postponed the actual swearing-in ceremony from late April to June 26 because he figures to be busy during April and May.NOTEBOOK: Although four losses in five games virtually ended goalie Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s pursuit of Bernie Parent&rsquo;s record of 47 victories set in 1973-74, Brodeur was still trying to become the first goalie with back-to-back goals-against averages below 2.00 since Harry Lumley of Toronto and Terry Sawchuk of Detroit did it in 1953-54 and 1954-55. Lumley posted marks of 1.86 and 1.94, respectively. Sawchuk&rsquo;s GAA was below five straight seasons in the 1950&rsquo;s. They are the only two to do it since the modern era began in 1943-44&hellip;Right winger Randy McKay (sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee) said in early April he was ready to return&hellip;Center Doug Gilmour also reported progress since being fitted for a new brace on his right knee. &#9632;

f0014-03

Oliwa told to play it tough

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04578/7079406-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="161" height="158"></div>The Montreal Canadiens face the prospect of playing the first round of the playoffs without their first line center.Saku Koivu will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken left hand. Playoffs begin April 22 and if Koivu needs the full four weeks to recover, he won&rsquo;t be back until May 4. the date of Game 7 in Round I of the playoffs.The injury occurred late in the second period in Washington April 6, when he was slashed by Capitals&rsquo; defenseman Stewart Malgunas, who received a minor penalty.Koivu was shocked and almost in tears after the game.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even have the puck,&rdquo; said the Finn. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know exactly what happened, but it&rsquo;s broken so there&rsquo;s something wrong. I can understand when you battle for the puck 1-on-1 you can use your stick. But when you&rsquo;re away from the puck, it&rsquo;s not understandable.&ldquo;I just want to be back for the playoffs. I don&rsquo;t want to miss the first round.&rdquo;Koivu becomes the second Montreal player to be injured this season in similar fashion. Brian Savage missed the first seven games of the season with a broken hand after being slashed by the Rangers&rsquo; Jeff Beuke-boom during a pre-season game. Savage also is nursing a broken finger after being slashed by Chicago&rsquo;s Brent Sutter March 19 and could miss the remainder of the regular season.Although the Canadiens sent a tape of the Malgunas incident to Brian Burke, the NHL&rsquo;s senior vice-president and director of operations, no suspension was levied,&ldquo;There was nothing vicious about it,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;There was no intent to injure. It was a disruptive play intended to slow Koivu down. It&rsquo;s unfortunate, but it&rsquo;s the nature of our game.&rdquo;Koivu, who termed the slash a &ldquo;cheap shot,&rdquo; had 14 goals and 57 points in 69 games.NOTEBOOK: Team president Ronald Corey will propose the NHL name a trophy in honor of Maurice &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; Richard when the board of governors meets in June. The award would recognize the player who scores the most goals in a season. &ldquo;(NHL president) Gary Bettman is supporting the idea,&rdquo; Corey said. (See pg. 2 for more.)&hellip;Left winger Shayne Corson was victimized by the one hour lost due to daylight savings. He missed a team charter to Washington April 5 because he forgot to set his watch ahead one hour. Corson said he got to the airport on time, but thought he had time to get something to eat. By the time he reported for boarding, the flight had left. He was fined, but not suspended. &#9632;

f0014-04

Angry Koivu could miss first round

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011526/7079437-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="163" height="162"></div>Neither Tommy Salo, nor Wade Flaherty may be with the New York Islanders next season, but the goalies raised their market value with a shared club-record shutout streak of 199 minutes, four seconds.The streak encompassed the last 9:37 of a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals March 31 and shutouts over the Tampa Bay Lightning (4-0 April 1), New York Rangers (3-0 April 4) and Lightning again (3-0 April 6).It ended when New Jersey Devils&rsquo; rookie Brendan Morrison scored on Salo 9:37 into what would be a 3-2 Islanders&rsquo; victory at Nassau Coliseum April 8.The streak helped keep the team&rsquo;s faint playoff hopes alive for a time, but did not guarantee Salo and Flaherty Islanders&rsquo; jobs for next year. The team is likely to protect one goalie in the June 26 expansion draft. That figures to be Salo. But indications are coach-GM Mike Milbury will try to acquire a veteran netminder or sign a free agent over the summer. The club needs one to hold the fort for two or three, years until projected franchise goalie Roberto Luongo, 19, is ready to step up to the NHL.&ldquo;You never know what&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; said Raherty, 30, whose three wins this season were against the lowly Lightning, &ldquo;but, obviously, it&rsquo;s always nice to put something together like what we&rsquo;re doing. We&rsquo;re playing pretty well. Who knows what decision they&rsquo;ll make in the off-season? I&rsquo;m not really concerning myself with that.&rdquo;Flaherty came within 10 minutes of breaking Glenn Resch&rsquo;s individual club record for a scoreless streak (179:29) set in 1975-76. Flaherty strung together 169:12 of shutout hockey encompassing six appearances, including two in relief of Salo, between March 20 and April 9.&ldquo;Of course, it wasn&rsquo;t the best teams we beat. Tampa Bay and the Rangers, but three shutouts in a row, that&rsquo;s pretty good,&rdquo; Salo said.Salo, 27, has not fulfilled promise showed in leading Sweden to the 1994 Olympic gold. He was 20-27-2 with a 2.82 goals-against average last season and 22-27-5 with a 2.67 GAA this year.NOTEBOOK: Coach-GM Mike Milbury stoked the Islanders-Rangers rivalry by calling a time out with the Isles ahead 30 and 7:43 to play in their April 4 game at Nassau Coliseum. The move was the catalyst for a brawl 44 seconds later which resulted in ejection of three players from each team, including Islander goalie Tommy Salo and Rangers&rsquo; counterpart Dan Cloutier. Milbury said he took the time out &ldquo;to make a point to my team,&rdquo; regarding turnovers. The Rangers felt he was showing them up&hellip;Right winger Ziggy Palffy, expected to seek a new contract averaging at least $6 million, became the fourth player in club history to score at least 40 goals in three straight years with two against New Jersey in a 3-2 win April 8, giving him 41. &#9632;

f0015-01

Shutout string little consolation

<div class="byline">By Rick Car piniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021070/7079468-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="162" height="163"></div>In a 10-game span, the New York Rangers won once. And that was the worst day of the season.Minutes after the Rangers finished congratulating Daniel Goneau for his overtime goal that beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 at United Center April 5, they learned of their own execution. They were eliminated from playoff contention when the Ottawa Senators beat the Buffalo Sabres.So one of the few little highs for the Rangers this season turned into the biggest low.&ldquo;It was inevitable,&rdquo; said Wayne Gretzky, who will miss the playoffs for only the third time in 19 NHL seasons. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t play well all year. We don&rsquo;t deserve to be in the playoffs. It&rsquo;s harder every year to compete because there&rsquo;s so much parity.&ldquo;We played poorly the first 40 games, and we didn&rsquo;t play well the last 40 so we are where we belong. We should all be embarrassed about it. There&rsquo;s a lot of work to be done. I don&rsquo;t believe after a season like this that too many guys are in a safe situation.&rdquo;Jobs will change hands, of course. But worse will be the long summer.&ldquo;To go from a huge, exciting high last year when we got to the semifinal&hellip;you hate to lose,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;We did our best last year and this is without question disappointing and we should be embarrassed by it. This organization is trying to put together a team to win and I think, as players, we should accept the responsibility that we failed. We&rsquo;re embarrassed. We let a lot of people down.&rdquo;It isn&rsquo;t like this sneaked up on the Rangers.&ldquo;It was kind of expected,&rdquo; said coach John Muckier. &ldquo;You never like missing the playoffs, but we haven&rsquo;t been playing very well and we knew it was going to come.&rdquo;The Rangers may have known, but not wanted to believe it, since long before Muckier arrived.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disappointing,&rdquo; said goalie Mike Richter. &ldquo;It was like getting behind by four goals in the third period and trying to stick five in.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Sounding a lot like his buddy, center Mark Messier, who landed in Vancouver last summer, goalie Mike Richter said he hopes to stay a Ranger and is confident something will be worked out&hellip;Center Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s 86 points had him tied for third in the NHL scoring race, 10 behind Pittsburgh right winger Jaromir Jagr. Gretzky led the league with 64 assists, a title he shared with Mario Lemieux last season. Gretzky led the league in assists 13 times and twice tied for the lead in his first 18 seasons. &ldquo;If I finish too high, you guys will expect it next year,&rdquo; Gretzky kidded&hellip;A CAT scan revealed defenseman Brian Leetch suffered a mild concussion after recent hits by Carolina center Keith Primeau and Boston center Tim Taylor. &#9632;

f0015-02

Gretzky ‘embarrassed’ by showing

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011442/7079499-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="161" height="161"></div>It&rsquo;s Damian Rhodes&rsquo; time to shine. The Ottawa Senators&rsquo; goaltender has a new look, a new attitude and a new lease on life.As the battle for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference heated up with the Carolina Hurricanes breathing down the Senators&rsquo; necks for eighth spot, Ottawa was hanging its hopes on its hot goaltender.After his fifth shutout of the season April 5, a 1-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres, Rhodes had a 4-2-1 record in his most recent seven starts and was making a strong case to be the Senators&rsquo; goaltender of record in the playoffs.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m nervous about these games, but I&rsquo;m also relaxed,&rdquo; said Rhodes, who raised eyebrows a couple of weeks earlier by dying his hair bleach blond. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if that makes any sense at all, but I&rsquo;m taking a relaxed approach.&rdquo;After missing the race toward the playoffs last year with an ankle injury which required surgeiy in the off-season, Rhodes came into this year determined to prove he has what it takes to be a No. 1 goalie.Splitting the duties all season with Ron Tugnutt helped Rhodes&rsquo; confidence. Tugnutt was Ottawa&rsquo;s playoff hero last season. Coach Jacques Martin likes to let his hot goaltender play until he cools off.&ldquo;You always want to see improvement in your game,&rdquo; Rhodes said. &ldquo;The system has really helped. It has allowed me to work a lot on my game.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Stan Netkar could be gone for the season if the Senators don&rsquo;t make the playoffs after having knee surgery April 9. Neckar had an arthroscopic procedure, which will keep him out until late April, to have cartilage removed from his right knee. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t responding to treatment so we decided not to wait any longer,&rdquo; said Ottawa coach Jacques Martin. Neckar, 22, had surgery on the same knee last year and missed most of the season&hellip;Senators&rsquo; captain Randy Cunneyworth was a healthy scratch twice in early April&hellip;Sens&rsquo; owner Rod Bryden reshuffled the deck in his front office. Senators&rsquo; president Roy Mlakar will be in charge of the hockey team and he&rsquo;ll also manage the 18,500-seat Corel Centre. &#9632;

f0016-01

Rhodes to success paved by Senators’ hot goalie

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03830/7079530-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="573" height="891"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cliff Ronning</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021112/7079537-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="160" height="157"></div>After biting his lip for half the season, center Cliff Ronning was learning how to smile all over again.During training camp, there were rumors he would get traded; that in a stable full of centers, he would be the horse sent to the glue factory.He opened the year on the fourth line. He was a healthy scratch. There were whispers and concerns.But guess who was leading the Phoenix Coyotes down the stretch? The speedy, 5-foot-8 sparkplug was lighting it up, rattling off 17 points (including 14 assists) during a critical 15-game stretch to keep Phoenix&rsquo;s playoff hopes alive.He began seeing more ice time after the Olympic break, initially being moved to left wing on the No. 2 line. But with Jeremy Roenick replacing the injured Craig Janney on the top line alongside Keith Tkachuk, Ronning was back at his favorite position, dishing out the puck at center.&ldquo;Like any player, when you play more, you feel better out there,&rdquo; said the 10-year veteran, who signed as a free agent before the start of last season. &ldquo;Getting to play with someone like Rick Tocchet made it that much easier. We really seem to get together.&rdquo;With Ronning as his middle man on the No. 2 line, Tocchet was burning it up as well, scoring seven goals and adding seven assists during the same 15-game span. He also had three gamewinners in a seven-game stretch.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just trying to do the best I can to help the team win,&rdquo; Ronning said.NOTEBOOK: Backup goalie Darcy Wakaluk privately informed GM Bobby Smith he has decided to retire after an unsuccessful comeback from four surgeries in the past year on his right knee&hellip;Smith denied televised reports that the Coyotes were interested in trading left winger Keith Tkachuk to Philadelphia for Flyers&rsquo; center Eric Lindros. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t spoken with anybody about trading Keith Tkachuk,&rdquo; he said&hellip;Right winger Mike Gartner, with 708 career goals entering the final five games, was 10 goals shy of moving past Phil Esposito for fourth place on the NHL&rsquo;s all-time goal-scoring list. But he said he will retire at season&rsquo;s end if his wife and children request it. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just a hockey question anymore,&rdquo; said Gartner, 38. &#9632;

f0016-03

Ronning big key to drive

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04612/7079568-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="160" height="157"></div>Question some of the Philadelphia Flyer transactions if you will, but stay away from the Mike Sillinger deal.Sillinger, acquired just before the Winter Olympics from the Vancouver Canucks for a conditional sixth round draft pick, has been the Flyers&rsquo; best player since Nagano.In 22 games with Philadelphia, the center recorded 11 goals and 21 points. That gave him 21 goals for the year, easily eclipsing his career-high 17. He also had 40 points, erasing his old standard of 38.Shooting accuracy? Sillinger led the league at 22.7 per cent. Shorthanded goals? Four, putting him among the NHL&rsquo;s top five.What more could you ask from a guy whose career was at a dead end with the Canucks?&ldquo;I guess this is my best year,&rdquo; said the 26-year-old Regina, Sask., native. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t think I was going to get a chance at a Stanley Cup with Vancouver, but with this team I do, so in that way it has probably been my best year.&rdquo;Not only is Sillinger posted impressive scoring numbers, he is making his linemates better.After Alexandre Daigle was put on Sillinger&rsquo;s right wing, he had seven goals in 14 games, a far cry from the 15-game goal drought he endured after joining the Flyers in mid-January.Ditto Colin Forbes, who started to play a better all-around game on the third line.&ldquo;(Sillinger) is a pretty skilled guy,&rdquo; Forbes said. &ldquo;He can make plays and you have to be ready all the time.&rdquo;Sillinger was a first round draft pick by the Detroit Red Wings in 1989, but was well down the depth chart on a talented Wings&rsquo; roster during the early 1990s.Used mostly as a checker, Sillinger seldom had a chance to prove himself offensively until he reached the Flyers&mdash;not even with the offense-challenged Canucks.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Daniel Lacroix underwent about an hour of plastic surgery to repair damage around his left eye after he was sucker-punched by Tampa Bay right winger Andrei Nazarov in the Flyers&rsquo; 6-1 win at the Ice Palace April 8. After the game, center Eric Lindros. sidelined at the time by a concussion, confronted Nazarov about the incident, promising retribution the next time the two teams play. They don&rsquo;t meet again until next season. Lindros had to be restrained by defenseman Kjell Samuelsson&hellip;Defenseman Chris Therien missed the Flyers&rsquo; game at Tampa Bay with a sprained knee. That was his first scratch due to injury since joining the Flyers in the 1994-95 season. &#9632;

f0016-04

No question about deal for Sillinger

<div class="byline">By Mike Dudurich</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011291/7079599-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="163" height="162"></div>The Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; reward for a surprisingly successful regular season was to have been a reprieve from a late-season war for a playoff spot. Coasting to the finish line was the way it appeared the Penguins would bring the 1997-98 campaign to a close.And as the games wound down to fewer than a half-dozen, the Penguins were coasting, but not in the relaxed manner of a team ready for the postseason. Rather, they were out of gas, struggling through the worst stretch they had endured all season.They went through a 1-5-3 dry spell, scoring just 15 goals in those nine games, and had a three-game losing skid for the first time since early October.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s clearly our inability to generate goals that has been the culprit,&rdquo; said coach Kevin Constantine after a 4-1 road loss to the Ottawa Senators April 9. &ldquo;And then guys start pressing. We had some wide-open guys where we didn&rsquo;t make the passes.&rdquo;Another very obvious culprit was the power play. During the awful stretch, the Penguins scored six times in 53 chances, including April 4 in which they were 3-for-7 in a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.Slumps are something every team goes through, but nobody wants to have one at this time of the year.&ldquo;Sure, all teams go through that,&rdquo; said defenseman Darius Kasparaitis. &ldquo;We just happen to have bad timing, going through it right before the playoffs. But what goes around comes around. We just need to score some ugly goals-off somebody&rsquo;s shoulder, somebody&rsquo;s head. Then we&rsquo;ll be OK.&rdquo;The No. 1 line of Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Stu Barnes was not immune to the dry spell as it scored only five goals in the nine games and Jagr, in particular, was showing signs the repeated failures were getting to him and fell into one of his funks. He and Constantine had a 2-1/2-hour post-practice meeting, which Constantine characterized as nothing special.&ldquo;The only thing unusual about it is that you (media) guys are asking me about it,&rdquo; Constantine said. &ldquo;(Jagr) stops by and has his share of conversations.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Rookie left winger Robert Dome played well after being recalled from Syracuse of the American League March 9. He scored three goals in six games, including one 13 seconds into the third period of a game April 5 that the Penguins eventually lost to Florida 3-1&hellip;Defenseman Kevin Hatcher was a healthy scratch April 7 against Phoenix. Coach Kevin Constantine said he was just giving Hatcher a night off, but the big defenseman had been on the ice for all three Florida goals the game before&hellip;When Coyotes&rsquo; center Bob Corkum scored a shorthanded goal 2:05 into the game at the Civic Arena April 7, it was the 10th allowed by the Penguins at home this season-most in the league. &#9632;

f0017-01

Slump deepens at wrong time

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02984/7079630-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="165" height="163"></div>As a former winner of the Selke Trophy for the NHL&rsquo;s best defensive forward, St. Louis Blues&rsquo; assistant coach Rick Meagher feels the award has gotten away from its defensive roots in recent years.In a four-year span (1993-96), 100-point scorers Sergei Fedorov, Ron Francis and Doug Gilmour won the Selke much to Meagher&rsquo;s chagrin.But Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; center Michael Peca broke that string of offensive dominance last year, and while Meagher was glad to see that, he&rsquo;d really like to see Selke voters take a serious look at Blues&rsquo; unheralded defensive forward Craig Conroy when they fill out their ballots this time.&ldquo;It really got to the point that whoever got it got the most points, but that&rsquo;s not the true nature of the award,&rdquo; said Meagher, a defensive specialist who won the 1990 Selke with the Blues. &ldquo;It should go to the best defensive player, the guy who shuts down opponents and plays well in their own end. Peca broke the string last year and Conroy is like that, too.&rdquo;Conroy, 26, has quietly starred on the checking line, as a center with wingers Blair Atcheynum and Scott Pellerin or, after Atcheynum&rsquo;s broken finger, as a right winger with Darren Turcotte at center and Pellerin on the left.His statistics were comparable to Peca&rsquo;s this season (plus-18 with 12 goals and 39 points in 77 games), but tell only half the story. Through April 9, the top seven scorers in the league-Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne, Pavel Bure, Peter Forsberg, Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis and Ziggy Palf-fy-had no goals and three assists in 18 games against Conroy&rsquo;s line at even strength. Forsberg had two assists in three games, Gretzky one in two. The others did not score.Against the NHL&rsquo;s top 25 scorers, Conroy had been on the ice for only six goals and 14 points in 51 total games.&ldquo;I like him a lot,&rdquo; Meagher said. &ldquo;I like his size and his skating ability and he has a great reach. Best of all is his attitude. He was always an offensivetype player in college and the minors, and for him to change to a defensive guy shows what kind of attitude he has.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Al Maclnnis recorded the 999th and 1,000th points of his career in the Blues&rsquo; 5-3 loss at Detroit April 7. Maclnnis scored a goal on his big slapshot at 3:48 of the third period, then assisted on center Pierre Turgeon&rsquo;s deflection at 14:58 of the third, making him only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to record 1,000 points. The goal was Maclnnis 19th of the season and the 270th of his career, tying him for fifth on the NHL all-time list with Bobby Orr. &ldquo;The only thing I have in common with Bobby Orr,&rdquo; MacInnis said, &ldquo;is that we both played in the same league.&rdquo;&hellip;After missing 11 games with a broken jaw, center Pavol Demitra returned to the lineup and assisted on two goals in the Blues&rsquo; 3-2 victory over Chicago April 9. &#9632;

f0017-02

Conroy posts Selke-type season

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011325/7079661-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="161" height="161"></div>Brian Bradley doesn&rsquo;t know when he will play again. In tact, he doesn&rsquo;t even know if he&rsquo;ll play.The headaches are still horrible. The wrist still isn&rsquo;t right. And the Tampa Bay Lightning&rsquo;s all-time scoring leader is no closer to resuming his hockey career than when it came to a screeching halt in early November.&ldquo;I still can&rsquo;t play hockey because of my wrist,&rsquo;&rsquo; Bradley said. &ldquo;And even if I could, I still can&rsquo;t play because of my head.&rdquo;Bradley has missed all but 14 games this season due to post-concussion syndrome and a lingering wrist injury that required surgery.Headaches persisted from the Nov. 6 concussion and complications arose following the Jan. 22 surgery in which two pins were inserted into Bradley&rsquo;s arthritic right wrist.&ldquo;It has been one thing after another with this wrist,&rdquo; said Bradley, who originally hurt the joint last season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not good, so I&rsquo;m not happy about it.&rdquo;Bradley faces another problem. Lightning officials feel he has distanced himself from the team.&ldquo;Forget Bradley because I don&rsquo;t think Brian is going to play again,&rdquo; Lightning GM Phil Esposito said during his weekly radio show April 7, after Bradley failed to show for the Lightning&rsquo;s annual team photograph earlier that week. &ldquo;And Brian, if you&rsquo;re listening, you should have come to the picture. That bothered me big-time.&rsquo;NOTEBOOK: Confident he will hear positive news when he goes to Boston April 27 for a series of tests that will determine whether he is cancer-free following his battle with non-Hodgkin&rsquo;s lymphoma, Lightning center hopes he can get back to the NHL. &ldquo;My goal, as it has been all along, is to return next season,&rdquo; he said April 8, one day after posing in the Lightning&rsquo;s official team photo. &ldquo;This experience has changed me emotionally, spiritually, physically, mentally. But the one thing that has not changed is my desire to return to hockey.&rdquo;&hellip;The Lightning signed center Darcy Tucker to a four-year, $3.2-million contract April 3 and defenseman Jassen Cullimore to a three-year, $2.3-million contract four days later. &#9632;

f0018-01

Neither Bradley’s health, nor future picture perfect

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03688/7079692-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="575" height="896"><figcaption class="caption-body">John MacLean</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-02989/7079699-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="161" height="158"></div>John MacLean brought a resume highlighted by clutch goal-scoring when he joined the San Jose Sharks in a Dec. 7 trade with the New Jersey Devils.After not doing much to enhance that status during his first 3-1/2 months in San Jose, the right winger came alive when the Sharks needed him most.MacLean put together a five-game goal-scoring streak (April 1-9) to tie a team record shared by teammate Jeff Friesen and former Shark Pat Falloon.Included among MacLean&rsquo;s tallies was the opening Sharks&rsquo; goal in four consecutive games and the clincher in the third period of a 5-2 win over visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim April 9. San Jose had squandered most of a three-goal lead against Anaheim before MacLean converted a breakaway to seal the victory.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s his reputation,&rdquo; said Sharks&rsquo; assistant coach Paul Baxter.&ldquo;Certainly, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;s disappointed his teammates, the coaches or the fans in that regard. He comes up with big goals at the right times. That has been his trademark over his career.&rdquo;MacLean scored six goals in his first 19 games with San Jose, including one at 19:44 of the third period to salvage a 1-1 tie with the Florida Panthers Jan. 24. After that, however, he produced just one goal in a span of 21 games.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s good to get going,&rdquo; said MacLean, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. &ldquo;If I&rsquo;m going to get hot, this is a good time to do it.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The NHL fined Sharks&rsquo; GM Dean Lombardi $10,000 for critical comments he made about league officials following a 4-3 loss to Los Angeles March 24&hellip;Left winger Jeff Friesen picked up two assists in a 5-2 win over visiting Anaheim on April 9, giving hint seven goals and 13 points in a stretch of 10 games&hellip;After not scoring a goal in his first 51 games this season, center Ron Sutter bagged goals in consecutive games, a 6-0 win over Calgary on April 7 and 5-2 triumph over Anaheim two nights later&hellip;After going scoreless in his first three games after being acquired from St. Louis March 24, right winger Joe Murphy contributed three goals and five points during a three-game span. &#9632;

f0018-03

‘Johnny Mac’ comes up big

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04434/7079730-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="160" height="158"></div>Wendel Clark is gone again, but in true Wendel Clark style.After missing 29 games with a groin injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; left winger returned to the lineup March 28 on home ice against the New York Islanders and scored a goal. In his next four games, he scored twice more, giving one of the NHL&rsquo;s worst attacks a boost.But after scoring those three goals in five games, and with the club all but officially eliminated from the post-season, Clark decided to shut it down for the season in order to get surgery on his injured groin as soon as possible and, hopefully, be healthy for next season.Since he&rsquo;s an unrestricted free agent July 1, there was also clearly a business component to the former Leaf captain&rsquo;s decision. Clark announced his decision before a game in Greensboro. N.C., against the Carolina Hurricanes two days after sitting out a game against the Florida Panthers. The 5-2 loss to the Hurricanes April 9 officially knocked the Leafs out of the playoffs.&ldquo;The team is where it&rsquo;s at and 1 am not going to help it get over a hump, so I might as well get healthy,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;I was doing surgery whether it was now or the end of the year, anyway.&rdquo;The 31-year-old Clark, who made $2 million this season, would have completed the year if the club had a chance to make the playoffs.&ldquo;I can play the rest of the year, but in a back-to-back situation, it&rsquo;s tough,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;It is not progressively getting better and the quicker I can get the procedure done, the healthier I will be.&rdquo;Dr. William Myers of Worcester. Mass., the same physician who repaired Leaf defenseman Mathieu Schneider&rsquo;s injured abdominal wall last summer, may do the surgery.Despite missing more than 300 games to injury in his career, Clark has never before undergone surgery.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Tie Domi was set to break Dave &lsquo;Tiger&rsquo; Williams&rsquo; franchise penalty minutes record of 351 minutes heading into the final week of the season. Domi was 10 minutes shy of the mark&hellip;Defenseman Rob Zettler signed a new one-year contract to give the club a rearguard to expose in the June expansion draft. Backup goalie Glenn Healy and his $1.3 million salary will also be exposed&hellip;The Leafs were officially eliminated from the playoffs after a 5-2 loss against Carolina April 9, meaning the last playoff game at Maple Leaf Gardens was played in April, 1996 against St. Louis. The Maple Leafs are scheduled to move to the new Air Canada Centre next February. &#9632;

f0018-04

Leafs make early exit, Wendel, too

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011227/7079761-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="164" height="161"></div>Mark Messier has issued a few battle cries during his NHL career and now he has made his first as captain of the Vancouver Canucks.Speaking after Vancouver was officially eliminated from the playoffs, Messier declared the Canucks will be back next season-with a vengeance.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be a force to be reckoned with next year, there&rsquo;s no question about it,&rdquo; Messier said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t have any fear in saying that and I don&rsquo;t mind going on the record saying that. We&rsquo;ve made some huge strides. We&rsquo;ve played well and competed well the last 20-25 games. Because of it, there is a real feeling of optimism throughout the dressing room. As an organization, that&rsquo;s what we have to hang our hats on.&rdquo;It has been a tumultuous year for Messier, who signed on with the Canucks for a guaranteed three years at $20 million (U.S.), in July. He was expected to lead Vancouver out of the wilderness.But Messier hurt his leg in the season opener and the Canucks stumbled from the gate. GM Pat Quinn was fired Nov. 4, followed by coach Tom Renney a week later. Mike Keenan was hired to stop the bleeding, but had little impact until given the authority in late January to clean house.Within a week, the team began to show signs of respectability as Keenan moved out former captain Trevor Linden, revamped the defense, increased the team&rsquo;s size and added to its grit and youth. From Jan. 30 through April 9, the Canucks were 13-8-5.Keenan, for his part, was more muted than Messier in assessing where Vancouver is headed.&ldquo;You never know how far away you are,&rdquo; Keenan said.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Pavel Bure indicated that lifestyle, not hockey matters, have led to his decision to seek a trade out of Vancouver. He says he has had no problems with coach Mike Keenan&hellip;Defenseman Bryan McCabe has accepted an invitation to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championship in Switzerland&hellip;Four American-born Canuck players-goaltender Garth Snow, defenseman Bret Hedican, left winger Donald Brashear and right winger Brian Noonan-have received invitations from the United States team, with Hedican the only one initially declining. Hedican has been bothered by a lower abdominal/groin problem and needs rest&hellip;Rookie defenseman Mattias Ohlund will play for Sweden if he has no complications from a recent concussion while Russians Pavel Bure and left winger Alexander Mogilny plan to decline if asked. Defenseman Jyrki Lumme also plans to decline if asked to play for the Finnish team. &#9632;

f0019-01

Messier guarantees Vancouver will be much better in 1998-99

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02895/7079792-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="161" height="159"></div>When Ron Wilson took over as coach of the Washington Capitals last summer, there were known and unknown quantities, and some that he had only seen as vague images on a TV screen.Goaltender Olie Kolzig was one of the vague images, somebody Wilson had watched occasion-ally, but to which he hadn&rsquo;t paid any particular attention.Kolzig was the Capitals&rsquo; backup netminder and beyond that the coach was in the dark.All that changed on opening night against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Bill Ranford was injured 2:29 into the first period and was done for the night at the end of the period.Kolzig&rsquo;s world changed that night, too, as he moved from a well-worn seat at the end of the bench to his new home in front of the net, in the heat of the action.Six months later, Kolzig had won twice as many games-28-as he had won previously in his NHL career, which started with a 4-1 loss to the Hartford Whalers on Oct. 11, 1989. His figures this season aren&rsquo;t startling, but they are proof perseverance pays its own rewards.Kolzig was among the league leaders with a 22-10-6 record as the Olympics approached before slumping. He was 0-5-2 during his next 10 appearances and there were thoughts the bubble had burst.He responded with three straight wins, allowing one goal.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really worried about this being the end of my run,&rdquo; said Kolzig, 28. &ldquo;We just worked on some stuff in practice that got me back into it, just minor stuff.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Montreal sought to have Capitals&rsquo; defenseman Stewart Malgunas, just recalled from Portland of the American League, suspended for the slash that broke center Saku Koivu&rsquo;s hand April 6; NHL vice-president Brian Burke declined to do so. The teams tied 2-2, snapping the Capitals&rsquo; eight-game home victory streak, longest in the NHL this season&hellip;Washington played in Dallas April 8 with five regular defensemen out because of injuries. The Capitals lost 2-1 in overtime, ending a five-game unbeaten streak, but not because of the replacement American League defenders; they managed only 14 shots on goalie Ed Belfour, It was the fewest number of shots the Capitals have had in a game in 15 seasons&hellip;Right winger Peter Bondra lost control of the puck and missed a penalty shot chance April 4 against Los Angeles. The last successful Capital penalty shot was Nov. 18, 1992 when Reggie Savage beat Minnesota&rsquo;s Jon Casey. &#9632;

f0019-02

Wilson can’t help but notice Olie with goalie’s turnaround season

<div class="byline">By Bob Monahan</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01980/7079823-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Coach Red Berenson guided his Wolverines to their second NCAA title in three years. (Photo by Steve Babineau)</figcaption></div>BOSTON-Michigan&rsquo;s ninth NCAA hockey championship had a wedding flavor to it.The Wolverines&rsquo; 3-2 overtime victory over hometown favorite Boston College before a record crowd of 18,276 at the FleetCenter in Boston April 4 had all the elements of a traditional marriage ceremony.It had something sort of old, something sort of new and something sort of borrowed. Blue? Well, more than 18,000 fans and a couple dozen Boston College players certainly went home blue.The something old-with all due respect to the seniors-was the remarkable play of senior goalie and tournament MVP Marty Turco. The 22-year-old prospect for the Dallas Stars had Thief of Baghdad hands and moves, making 28 saves in the title game after blanking New Hampshire 4-0 in the semifinal April 2.Other exceptional oldtimers were senior captain and Washington Capitals&rsquo; prospect Matt Herr, who always made his presence on the ice known; alternate senior captain and Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; prospect Bill Muckalt, a silent and dangerous force; and senior defenseman Chris Fox, who assisted on the winning goal in the third longest NCAA championship game in history at 77:51.Also on the old side was steel-eyed coach Red Berenson, who collected his second NCAA title in three years.The something new was the group of nine freshmen who excelled down the home stretch for Michigan. In the title game, Josh Langfeld scored the winner 17:51 into overtime. Freshman Scott Matzka assisted on the winner. Freshman Geoff Koch scored twice against New Hampshire, the favored team going into the Final Four tournament.The something borrowed came in the way the game ended. Two years ago, Michigan won the title by the same overtime score over Colorado College.&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t supposed to be there,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;Three weeks (ago) we were written off (Ohio State beat Michigan 4-2 in the semifinal of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association). I can&rsquo;t say we were the best team, but we played the best.&rdquo;What about Turco, the best player when it counted the most?&ldquo;I would trade (the MVP award) for another championship or another year at Michigan,&rdquo; Turco said.&ldquo;This was a true test for him,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;His biggest test. He had four freshmen defensemen. He&rsquo;s a great college goalie.&rdquo;Turco, who set an NCAA career win standard with his 127-28-7 record, was humble in victory, saying &ldquo;I just did my job. The guys in front of me did a fine job. You have to make the stops you&rsquo;re supposed to make and go from there.&rdquo;In the championship game, Mark Kosick scored both goals in regulation time for the Wolverines, the second to tie the game with 6:12 remaining. The national title for Michigan was its ninth. No other school has more than six.The graduation of Turco will leave a tremendous void in the Michigan goal next year. Waiting in the wings is senior-to-be Greg Daddario.The 1998-99 Michigan sophomore class will be heard from. Koch, like many of the Wolverines, comes from good hockey stock. His dad, Bill, played at Vermont for four years. The younger Koch was bom in Burlington, Vt., and later moved to Exeter, N.H., a few slapshots away from the University of New Hampshire.&ldquo;I was recruited by New Hampshire,&rdquo; Koch said. &ldquo;I liked the campus and the coaches and the players. But once I saw Michigan, that was it. The school is great, the program is solid and I&rsquo;m playing with the best guys in the country. A lot of us are young, but we&rsquo;re a part of this and we&rsquo;re proud to make a contribution.&ldquo;When the season started, the upperclassmen didn&rsquo;t look down on us. We were teammates the first time we all met.&rdquo;Boston College, meanwhile, lost the title game after defeating Ohio State 5-2 in the semifinal, but won back thousands of fans with a team as youthful as Michigan. And Eagles&rsquo; coach Jerry York has laid a foundation that goes well beyond 2000.Boston College freshman goalie Scott Clemensen was fantastic as the Eagles posted their first winning season since 1991. He&rsquo;s a standup goalie who drew raves from the Michigan players. He returns along with freshmen defensemen Marty Hughes, Rob Scureri and Bobby Allen.Only two Eagle players graduate: defenseman Ken Hemenway and winger Jamie O&rsquo;Leary. Fab freshmen returning forwards are Mike Lephart and flashy Brian Gionta, who is 5-foot-7, 160 pounds and wears custom-made size-5 skates.Returning sophomores are Jeff Farkas, Kevin Caulfield, Tony Hitching and Mike Mottau.On the bubble is senior-to-be center Marty Reasoner. The St. Louis Blues&rsquo; first round draft pick in 1996 will decide in the off-season whether to turn pro or return for his final season.NOTEBOOK: The NCAA all-tournament team consisted of goalie Marty Turco, Michigan&rsquo;s Mark Kosick and Josh Langfeld and Boston College&rsquo;s Marty Reasoner at forward, and Michigan&rsquo;s Mike Mottau and Bubba Berenzweig on defense.The Hockey News had Michigan ranked ninth in the nation in the U.S. college preview last October. The skinny was &ldquo;Marty Turco&rsquo;s goaltending could take them to the Final Four.&rdquo; North Dakota, THN&rsquo;s pick to repeat as national champions, lost in the West Regional to Michigan. Boston College was rated just fourth in Hockey East.Next year&rsquo;s national final will be in Anaheim, April 1-3, while the East Regional is in Worcester March 26-27 and the West Regional in Madison, Wisc., March 27-28. Future NCAA final weekends are April 7-9, 2000 in Providence, R.I.; April 6-8, 2001 in Albany, N.Y.; April 5-7, 2002 in St. Paul, Minn.; and April 4-6, 2003 in Buffalo.Using a roster with an international flavor, the Middlebury (Vt.) College Panthers became the first team to win four straight NCAA Division III titles. The Panthers defeated Wisconsin-Stevens Point 2-1 in the Division III final at Plattsburgh, N.Y., March 22. Fifteen Americans formed the nucleus, but Middlebury also has eight Canadians, a Czech, a Russian and a Swede. Included were three brothers-Ryan, Curt and Scott Goldman of Doylestown, Pa. Senior goalies Francois Bourbeau from Boucherville, Que., and Chris Farion from Beaconsfield, Que., combined for a goals-against average of 1.44, best in the country, during the regular season. &#9632;

f0024-01

LEAGUES

Michigan madness

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; GM Bobby Smith is a firm believer in developing young players in the American League. He feels rushing prospects to the NHL hurts them.But when injuries sidelined four Coyotes&rsquo; centers, the team had no choice but to recall rookie center Daniel Briere from the Springfield Falcons in March. At the time, Briere was the AHL&rsquo;s leading scorer.While the recall cost him a chance at the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as scoring champion, Briere collected his share of AHL hardware April 10, winning the Dudley Garrett Award as top rookie and being named to the league&rsquo;s first all-star team and all-rookie team.Briere was runner-up to center Steve Guolla of the Kentucky Thorough-blades in MVP voting. Guolla, 25, had 37 goals and 100 points in 68 games when the announcement was made April 11.The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Briere was a standout for the Falcons.&ldquo;He has been the guy who carried us through so many of our streaks,&rdquo; said Falcons&rsquo; coach Dave Farrish. &ldquo;If you look at his numbers compared to the percentage of scoring on our hockey club, his value is obvious.&rdquo;When Briere left Springfield for Phoenix, he had 36 goals and 92 points. At that time, he had figured in 40 per cent of the Falcons&rsquo; goals. In his absence, the Falcons&rsquo; offense dipped. They lacked the explosiveness he gave them.&ldquo;He makes everyone better,&rdquo; said Falcons&rsquo; winger Scott Levins.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t replace guys like that,&rdquo; Fairish said. &ldquo;You have to change your whole power play system. It&rsquo;s amazing for a rookie the amount of responsibility he accepted and took in crucial situations. He&rsquo;s a natural-bom leader in those types of situations.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a lot of people tell me they&rsquo;d pay just to watch him play. The fans love him.&rdquo;MAJOR AWARDS: The AHL handed out its major award two days before the end of the regular season.Springfield&rsquo;s Scott Langkow was top goalie, Jamie Heward of the Philadelphia Phantoms was top defenseman, Bill Stewart of the Saint John Flames was top coach and Craig Charron of the Rochester Americans won for sportsmanship.Joining Daniel Briere, Langkow and Heward on the first all-star team were Philadelphia right winger Craig Darby, Albany River Rats&rsquo; defenseman Bryan Helmer and Portland Pirates&rsquo; left winger Ryan Mulhern.Voted to the second all-star team were Steve Guolla, Kentucky left winger Sean Haggerty, Saint John defenseman Ryan Bast, St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs&rsquo; defenseman David Cooper and Adirondack Red Wings&rsquo; right winger Paul Brousseau. Adirondack&rsquo;s Norm Maracle and Albany&rsquo;s Rich Shulmistra tied in voting for goalie.Aside from Briere, the all-rookie team consists of Albany center Brendan Morrison, Hartford Wolf Pack center Marc Savard, Kentucky defenseman Zdeno Chara, Hershey Bears&rsquo; defenseman Mike Gaul and Saint John goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01877/7079854-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="425" height="422"></div>EXCLUSIVE COMPANY: Philadelphia center Peter White joined an exclusive club when he notched his 100th point in early April. White became just the fourth player in AHL history to post three 100-point seasons. He won the scoring title with 105 points for the Cape Breton Oilers in 1994-95 and again last season for Philadelphia with 105. The others to hit the century mark three times were Bill Sweeney, Bruce Boudreau and Tim Tookey.AHL TIDBITS: Worcester IceCats&rsquo; center Michal Handzus was named player of the week for the period ending April 5 after scoring three goals and six points in three games&hellip;Saint John goalie Tyler Moss had a 13-game winning streak snapped in a 4-2 loss to the Fredericton Canadiens. &#9632;

f0025-01

Guolla, Briere big winners of AHL individual awards

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div>Dan Kesa&rsquo;s confidence was at a low ebb in 1995-96. He was bouncing around from team to team like a minor league version of Michel Petit and was convinced his career had hit a wall.He played three games for the Dallas Stars that year, but spent the majority of time in the minors, going from the Michigan K-Wings of the International League to the Springfield Falcons of the American League to the IHL&rsquo;s Detroit Vipers.When that last stop occurred, the 6-foot, 200-pound center wasn&rsquo;t sure what to think. But upon his arrival in Detroit, Vipers&rsquo; GM Rick Dudley sat him down and the two had a chat.&ldquo;Rick pulled me aside and said he felt I was one of the best players in the AHL,&rdquo; Kesa said.&ldquo;That does a great deal for your confidence when you hear that after you&rsquo;ve jumped from place to place to place in just a couple of months. And (coach) Steve Ludzik has shown a lot of confidence in me the way he uses me, so I try to repay that to him with my performance.Kesa has developed into one of the IHL&rsquo;s most versatile and well-rounded players and is one of the league&rsquo;s top MVP candidates. He had a career-high 40 goals as well as a team-leading 76 points in 75 games.None of it surprised Dudley, who became enamored of Kesa when he was scouting for the Los Angeles Kings during the 1994-95 season and Kesa was playing for the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL.&ldquo;I thought when I saw him he was a heck of a hockey player and a guy the Kings ought to try to sign,&rdquo; Dudley said. &ldquo;When I came here, I had no hesitation. And he has been everything I&rsquo;d hoped he would be.&rdquo;Kesa is far more than just a scorer. He is one of the league&rsquo;s best bodycheckers, though he rarely takes a penalty. He had 38 penalty minutes in 74 games this year and had only 19 in 60 games last year while helping the Vipers win the Turner Cup.Kesa is conscious of not getting his stick or elbows up and trying to do what he can to avoid costly penalties.&ldquo;I hit a lot, but I try to keep it clean,&rdquo; said Kesa, who served as captain while Stan Drulia was sidelined with a broken collarbone. &ldquo;I try to avoid taking stupid or unnecessary penalties.&rdquo;TIGHT HUBER RACE: Four teams remained in contention for the Huber Trophy, given to the team with the most regular season points. The Long Beach Ice Dogs had 111 points while the Houston Aeros, Detroit and Chicago Wolves had 107. The Utah Grizzlies had 102 points and Fort Wayne Komets had 99. If the Komets managed to get to the 100-point plateau, it would be the first time in league history six teams reached 100 points in the same season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02561/7079885-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="380" height="431"></div>SPIDERS&rsquo; APPROVAL EXPECTED: The dormant San Francisco Spiders franchise, which last played during the 1995-96 season, has its financing in place for a proposed arena in Victoria, B.C. Formal approval of the transfer is expected sometime during the playoffs. The team is expected to begin play in the 1999-2000 season.I-OPENERS: The latest in the on-again, off-again Petr Nedved saga with the Las Vegas Thunder had the IHL team going to court April 10 in an attempt to secure a restraining order that would permit Nedved to play in games April 10, 11 and 12. The Thunder and the IHL previously agreed to have arbitration determine Nedved&rsquo;s status, but the sides couldn&rsquo;t agree on an arbitrator. The league ruled Nedved could not play for the Thunder because he hadn&rsquo;t signed by the league&rsquo;s roster deadline of Feb. 2. The Group II NHL free agent, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, signed and reported to Las Vegas April 7. Nedved has played one game for Las Vegas, scoring one goal and two assists&hellip;Rookie Mike Minard of the Milwaukee Admirals was named the league&rsquo;s goaltender of the week for the period ending April 5. In his first five games with the Admirals, he was 2-1-0 with a 2.25 goals-against average and.944 save percentage. &#9632;

f0025-02

Gypsy days finally over? Kesa hopes so in Detroit

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>The Hampton Roads Admirals pulled off the biggest upset of the first round of the playoffs, but an ugly incident involving the team owner overshadowed celebrations.Admirals&rsquo; majority owner Mark Garcea was thrown out of the Norfolk Scope April 4 during overtime of the third game with the Peoria Rivermen after verbally abusing referee Joe Ernst. Then, after Rod Taylor scored to give the Admirals a 4-3 overtime win to sweep the best-of-five series, Garcea got into a physical altercation with Peoria forward Brent Cullaton.Garcea was protesting to the referee after Admirals&rsquo; forward Victor Gervais was pulled down from behind and had to leave the game with a pulled hamstring. Ernst, not aware Garcea owned the Admirals, refused to restart the game until Garcea was removed from the building.Garcea returned to congratulate his players near the team&rsquo;s dressing room, where Cullaton jammed his stick into Garcea&rsquo;s groin. That led to a shoving match. Insults and blows were exchanged between fans and Peoria players.Cullaton said he was there because he wanted to talk with Hampton Roads&rsquo; defenseman Drew Palmer, a teammate last season with the Kansas City Blades of the International League.Cullaton said Garcea approached him and said, &ldquo;Get the (expletive deleted) out of here.&rdquo; He said Garcea reached back as if to punch him and he jabbed Garcea with his stick to defend himself. Garcea denies the allegation.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t make sense that I would try to punch anyone in that situation,&rdquo; Garcea told the Norfolk Virginian Pilot. &ldquo;At no point did I ever use abusive language or threaten him.&rdquo;Richard Adams, president and CEO of the East Coast League, was considering disciplinary action against both Garcea and Cullaton.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01967/7079923-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="378" height="396"></div>CHRISTENSEN FIRED: It was no April Fool&rsquo;s. joke the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks played on coach Terry Christensen April 1 when they informed him his contract would not be renewed.Christensen, who led the Tiger Sharks to the South Division tide last season and had twice taken them to the semifinals, was done in by a 24-44-2 record, worst in the ECHL this season.Co-owner David Elmore made the decision, based on this year &lsquo;s record coupled with last season&rsquo;s first round exit in the playoffs.&ldquo;I just felt this was in our best interests and Terry&rsquo;s best interests to start fresh,&rdquo; Elmore told the Tallahassee Demo-crnf Christensen became the coach when the franchise moved from Huntsville, Ala., in 1994 and had an overall record of 141-114-23.COAST LINES: The Miami team that will play in the Miami Arena next season will be called the Matadors. The club, formerly known as the Louisville RiverFrogs, was purchased from a partnership in Louisville, Ky., and approved for transfer to Miami in March&hellip;Peoria center David Vallieres was chosen both player and rookie of the month for March after scoring 10 goals and 28 points in 13 games to help the Rivermen claim the Northwest Division regular season crown. The goaltender of the month was Doug Bonner of the Louisiana IceGators, who went 9-0-1 with a 2.50 GAA, as the IceGators captured the Brabham Cup as regular season champions.<h2>ECHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02648/7079916-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="812" height="370"></div>HIGHLIGHTS (April 3-9): Pee Dee completed a stunning come back in Game 5 with South Carolina to eliminate the defending champions. The Pride scored three times in the final 11:53, including the tying goal by Brian Goudie with 24 seconds left Matt Turek scored 4:33 into overtime for Pee Dee for a 4-3 win. &#9632;

f0026-01

Admirals’ owner scuffles after team sweeps series

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>Trevor Jobe had heard stories about the United League. Four games into the playoffs, he found out some were true.Jobe, one of the minor pro hockey&rsquo;s most prolific scorers during his 10-year career, was left with a welt behind his knee and a severe limp after being slashed by goalie Bob Bell of the B.C. Icemen in Game 4 of their UHL quarterfinal series.Jobe had two goals and four points for the Flint Generals in a 10-2 romp when Bell received a slashing major and game misconduct for whacking Jobe with two seconds remaining.&ldquo;When I first got here, there were three high sticks and three guys got cut,&rdquo; Jobe said &ldquo;When I told guys I was coming to this league, they said &lsquo;Watch out, Jober. It&rsquo;s a bad stick league.&rsquo; Maybe that&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re losing players.&ldquo;There is a great base of talent here. This league is on the same level as the East Coast League. The only bad rap I&rsquo;ve heard in the last four years is it&rsquo;s a bad stick league.&rdquo;Jobe is the ECHL&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer with 313 goals and 611 points in 330 games. He scored 85 goals in 1992-93 and was named league MVP, an award he also won last season in the Central League.He began this season with the Tucson Gila Monsters of the West Coast League before being signed by the Rochester Americans of the American League and assigned to Flint. In 22 games with Flint, he had 24 goals and 39 points.After four playoff games, Jobe was leading the UHL with six goals and 12 points. He was not expected to miss any playoff games, but will have second thoughts about returning to the UHL.&ldquo;When you see a guy like that take a swing at your knee, it makes you second-guess things,&rdquo; Jobe said. &ldquo;Am I interested in coming back to this league? I don&rsquo;t know. From what I saw in the last game, it makes me reluctant. When I see a baseball swing, that gives me a misunderstanding of what hockey is all about.&rdquo;Jobe and the Generals are still angry Muskegon Fury&rsquo;s Justin Morrison was not suspended and only received a doubleminor for high sticking when he broke the jaw of Hint&rsquo;s Ross Wilson Feb. 15.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03513/7079954-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="474" height="246"></div>NOTEBOOK: Regular season champion Quad City Mallards lost their first two home playoff games to the Madison Monsters by identical 3-1 scores as Monsters&rsquo; goalie Darryl Gilmour had a.977 save percentage&hellip;Muskegon Lumber Kings&rsquo; winger Paul Willett and goalie Joe Dimaline were named UHL player and goalie of the month for March. Willett had 70 points in his final 25 games and Dimaline won six straight&hellip;Muskegon was the UHL&rsquo;s best team in the second half with a 25-10-2 record. &#9632;

f0026-03

Jobe losing patience

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>Two weeks after a stunning first round playoff upset of the Barrie Colts, Sudbury Wolves&rsquo; GM Todd Lalonde abruptly resigned from the Ontario League team April 7.Lalonde denied reports he was forced to resign after the Wolves were swept by the Guelph Storm in the quarterfinal.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not true,&rdquo; Lalonde said. &ldquo;I had one year left in my contract. We&rsquo;d had a tough year and a half and timing is everything. If I want to get another job in hockey, you have to go when the time is right.&rdquo;In a news release issued by the team, Lalonde said he felt &ldquo;it was in his best interests at this time to pursue other hockey-related interests.&rdquo; He had no other job lined up.Lalonde, a former Wolves&rsquo; player, was involved in management for six years, the last three as GM. He resigned as coach with 20 games left last season. He fired coach Murray Nystrom this past season and replaced him with Tom Watt. The Wolves won one playoff series with Lalonde as GM.The Wolves&rsquo; vice-president, operations Blaine Smith is interim GM.SEALED FATE: Four Owen Sound Platers&rsquo; players were suspended during their quarterfinal against the Ottawa 67&rsquo;s after breaking curfew only hours before Game 5.Larry Paleczny, Chris Wismer, Ryan Crowther and Boston Bruins&rsquo; pick Jay Doyle were sent back to Owen Sound prior to the game, which the Platers lost 8-2, giving the 67&rsquo;s the series 4-1.Platers&rsquo; coach Dave Siciliano said the four were at least two hours late for their 10 p.m. curfew at an Ottawa hotel. He said they were shocked to learn they were being sent home.&ldquo;I think some of them found it hard to believe, but as a coach I had an equally unbelievable reaction to what they did,&rdquo; said Siciliano, who joined the Platers in mid-season.Ottawa coach Brian Kilrea said what Siciliano did &ldquo;took a lot of guts. He set a rule and next year when he starts with that team, he&rsquo;ll have an easier time setting the ground rules.&rdquo;CHERRY&rsquo;S CHOICE: Don Cherry picked a former player as his first coach-GM of the expansion Mississauga IceDogs.Peter Sturgeon, 44, played six NHL games over two seasons under Cherry with the Colorado Rockies.&ldquo;I always liked Peter&rsquo;s character,&rdquo; said Cherry, an IceDogs&rsquo; co-owner and star of Hockey Night In Canada&rsquo;s Coach&rsquo;s Comer. &ldquo;He would have been in the NHL if he hadn&rsquo;t blown his knee. But he never quit.&rdquo;Sturgeon has coached Jr. B in the Toronto area. He played for the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. Former NHLer and OHLer Adam Bennett, who played 69 games with the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks, is his assistant coach.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01920/7079992-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="586" height="684"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brandon is hoping to have Kirby Law back in the lineup.</figcaption></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03385/7079985-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="914" height="404"></div>HIGHLIGHTS (April 3-9): Rico Fata scored three goals for London in Game 5 against Kingston, sending the Knights to their third semifinal in 33 years&hellip;Ottawa goalie Craig Hillier faced just 18 shots in Game 5, won by the 67&rsquo;s with four Owen Sound players suspended. &#9632;

f0027-01

Wolves’ GM resigns after playoff sweep

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Prince George Cougars&rsquo; coach Ed Dempsey derived an extra measure of gratification from his team&rsquo;s first round Western League playoff conquest.Prince George eliminated the Kamloops Blazers, who fired Dempsey as their coach after last season.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always a little satisfaction-not toward the players, but toward upper management for the fact that they didn&rsquo;t show any support for me,&rdquo; said Dempsey, who had a 75-59-9 record during two seasons as the Blazers&rsquo; coach.&ldquo;You have to consider what they put my family through and the length of time it took to fire me. You know in this business that it&rsquo;s always a possibility, but you hope that people have the class to do it properly. It takes eight weeks (after the Blazers&rsquo; season concluded) to fire a guy? Come on.&ldquo;But that was a long time ago.&rdquo;The Cougars eliminated the Blazers in seven games after falling behind 3-1 in the series. Dempsey, meanwhile, had been with the Blazers for 10 seasons, eight of them as an assistant coach.&ldquo;Being from Kamloops, I have a lot of friends and family there,&rdquo; Dempsey said. &ldquo;A lot of those people supported me and stood by me through the year.&rdquo;CHIEF CONCERNS: The Spokane Chiefs-the host team for the 1998 Memorial Cup-received a first round scare from the Kelowna Rockets.Spokane won the last two games of the series to eliminate the Rockets in seven games.Had the Chiefs lost, they would have been idle until May 9, when the Canadian Hockey League&rsquo;s championship tournament begins.What would the Chiefs have done during a five-week break?&ldquo;Now I don&rsquo;t have to answer that question.&rdquo; said Spokane GM Tim Speltz.Spokane (45-23-4) was second in the West, 24 points ahead of fifth place Kelowna (33-354). By eliminating Kelowna, Spokane advanced to the division semifinal against Prince George.&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t have time to worry about what we would do (if the Chiefs were eliminated),&rdquo; Speltz said. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t something we were going to debate unless it became reality.&rdquo;STATE OF LAWLESSNESS: The Brandon Wheat Kings were guardedly optimistic that left winger Kirby Law would return to the team for the Eastern Conference final.Law, who had 34 goals and 78 points in 49 regular season games, suffered a broken leg Jan. 18.&ldquo;It all depends on how the last part of the therapy goes,&rdquo; said Brandon coach Bob Lowes.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02583/7080030-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="585" height="685"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hull coach Claude Julien is not a fan of the round-robin format.</figcaption></div><h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-04259/7080023-1-eng-US/f0027-042.jpg" title="f0027-04" width="914" height="440"></div>HIGHLIGHTS (April 3-9): Swift Current squandered a 3-1 series lead and lost 1-0 in Game 7 before 12,000-plus fans at the Saddledome. Calgary goalie Alex Fomitchev allowed one goal over the final two games. &#9632;

f0027-02

Dempsey gains sweet revenge with triumph

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div>Derrick Walser of the Rimouski Oceanic set a Quebec League record for defensemen this season when he scored 41 goals. Not bad for a 19-year-old who hasn&rsquo;t even been drafted by an NHL team.One of the things NHL scouts don&rsquo;t like about Walser is his size-listed at 5-foot-11 and 198 pounds. But Walser says that the listing is incorrect.&ldquo;They list me at 5-foot-11, but I&rsquo;m really 5-foot-l0-1/2,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t wany any extra help.&ldquo;My agent talked to Central Scouting and first they said I wasn&rsquo;t skilled enough and then that I wasn&rsquo;t talented enough, and finally they said the truth: I&rsquo;m not 6-feet. That&rsquo;s all they look at.&rdquo;Walser&rsquo;s size might not be impressive, but his stats this season certainly were. He finished ninth in the league scoring race with 110 points and was plus-22 with 135 penalty minutes. And in Rimouski&rsquo;s first seven playoff games he had six goals and 24 points.&ldquo;I accomplished just about all my goals this season,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I wanted to get 100 points and I told everyone before the season that I was going to break the record for goals (Dave Ezard scored 40 with the Cornwall Royals in 1979-80). It worked out well. It kept me motivated the last couple of games when we had already made the playoffs.&rdquo;FOREURS ON A ROLL: After struggling through most of the regular season, everything was finally starting to fall into place for the Val d&rsquo;Or Foreurs.The Foreurs beat the Laval Titan 6-3 April 3 to improve to 2-0 in the round-robin and clinch a spot in the Lebel Division final. After losing their first two playoff games, the Foreurs won seven straight, while outscoring the opposition 40-18. They were also 12-5-1 after Gaston Therrien replaced Richard Martel behind the bench on Feb. 20.Since the top three teams in the Lebel Division during the regular season (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, Victoriaville Tigres and Shawinigan Cataractes) were all eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, Val d&rsquo;Or will enjoy the homeice advantage in the division final.PLAYOFF PRESSURE: The home-and-home round-robin format used in the second round of the playoffs doesn&rsquo;t have many fans. After Val d&rsquo;Or clinched its berth in the final it rested several top players for the rest of the round-robin and, in effect, had control over which team it would play in the division final.&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t afford to play one bad game.&rdquo; Hull Olympiques&rsquo; coach Claude Julien said of the four-game mini-tournament. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of pressure and it can be over real quick. I hope that they can find a better format for next year.&rdquo;<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-05175/7080061-1-eng-US/f0027-052.jpg" title="f0027-05" width="911" height="407"></div>HIGHLIGHTS (April 3-9): Quebec beat Rimouski 7-6 in overtime to ensure the Remparts a semifinal berth against Rimouski&hellip;Laval beat Hull 3-2 in a tiebreaker, eliminating the Olympiques. Laval now meets Val d&rsquo;Or in the other semifinal. All three teams were 2-2 in the round robin. &#9632;

f0027-05

Walser puts up big point totals for ‘small’ guy

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0029-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01846/7080144-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01958/7080137-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="3106" height="3527"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Jim Mclsac/BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01879/7080130-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="3079" height="3520"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01944/7080123-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="3111" height="2369"></div> &#9632;

f0029-01

NHL STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02644/7080175-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0032-02

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0033-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04337/7080381-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Trevor Kidd recorded three consecutive shutouts including a 1-0 win over Montreal April 4. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>NOTE</h2>Unofficial game summaries provided by National Hockey League; (shots on goal/plus-minus); SA-shots against; GA-goals against; ENG-empty net goals: Decdecision, charges to goaltenders of record when winning goal is scored.<h2>FRIDAY, APRIL 3</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01856/7080374-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="500" height="3117"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02579/7080367-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="503" height="1916"></div><h2>SATURDAY, APRIL 4</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03434/7080360-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="503" height="1502"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-05280/7080353-1-eng-US/f0033-052.jpg" title="f0033-05" width="501" height="2001"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-06244/7080346-1-eng-US/f0033-062.jpg" title="f0033-06" width="509" height="1999"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-07221/7080339-1-eng-US/f0033-072.jpg" title="f0033-07" width="501" height="1999"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-08182/7080332-1-eng-US/f0033-082.jpg" title="f0033-08" width="499" height="3198"></div><h2>SUNDAY, APRIL 5</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-09157/7080325-1-eng-US/f0033-092.jpg" title="f0033-09" width="492" height="227"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01956/7080318-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="492" height="3514"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03518/7080311-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="497" height="1615"></div><h2>MONDAY, APRIL 6</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04402/7080304-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="494" height="713"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05324/7080297-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="509" height="2392"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06288/7080290-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="503" height="2396"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07264/7080283-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="503" height="1213"></div><h2>TUESDAY, APRIL 7</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-08241/7080276-1-eng-US/f0034-082.jpg" title="f0034-08" width="506" height="1109"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-09213/7080269-1-eng-US/f0034-092.jpg" title="f0034-09" width="501" height="3515"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01903/7080262-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="487" height="2008"></div><h2>WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02640/7080255-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="486" height="1421"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03522/7080248-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="494" height="3493"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04418/7080241-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="487" height="350"></div><h2>THURSDAY, APRIL 9</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05350/7080234-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="491" height="3075"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06318/7080227-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="507" height="3489"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-07294/7080220-1-eng-US/f0035-072.jpg" title="f0035-07" width="506" height="3494"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02660/7080213-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="2048" height="1067"><figcaption class="caption-body">Left winger Steve Heinze scored a natural hat trick to lead the Boston Bruins past the Ottawa Senators 4-2 Tuesday, April 7. (Photo by Andre Pichete/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>STANLEY CUP SCHEDULE</h2>The NHL playoffs open April 22 and could end as late as June 23 if the Stanley Cup final goes seven games.For the third consecutive year, each series will be designed to follow either Schedule &lsquo;A&rsquo; or &lsquo;B&rsquo;, based on criteria that includes individual matchups, building availability, travel issues and television commitments. Any club that plays its first round games on Schedule A could play its second round games on Schedule B.The final playoff schedules will be announced when all matchups are determined.All series will be played under a best-of-seven format in a 2-2-1-1-1 basis with the higher-seeded team getting the first two games at home and the extra home game. The one exception is a series that would involve a Central Division club versus a Pacific Division club. In such a series the higher ranked club has the choice of playing a 2-2-1-1-1 or 2-3-2 format. If the 2-3-2 format is selected, the higher-ranked club will also have the choice of playing Games 1,2,6 and 7 at home or Games 3.4 and 5 at home. This option is in place for each of the first three rounds only.The four regular season division champions will be ranked in the first two positions in their respective conferences; the clubs with the greater number of points being ranked first in their respective conferences. The remaining six playoff clubs in each conference will be ranked based on regular season points. Then first in the conference plays eighth, second plays seventh, third plays sixth and fourth plays fifth.For the Conference Semifinals the clubs will be re-seeded based on the same criteria (advancing division winners, followed by remaining clubs based on regular season points). The start dates for the conference semifinals may be moved up.For the Conference Finals the same criteria will be used (advancing division winners, followed by the remaining clubs based on regular season points).The Eastern and Western Conference champions will meet in the Stanley Cup final. Home ice will be determined by higher number of regular season points.For the purposes of tiebreakers, if two teams accumulated the same number of points, home ice goes to the team with more wins. If still tied, the team with more points in head-to-head games in the regular season gets home ice. If still tied, it will come down to the greater difference between goals for and goals against for the regular season.The final is scheduled to begin Tuesday, June 9. but could be moved up if previous series end early. It will be played on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-08263/7080206-1-eng-US/f0035-082.jpg" title="f0035-08" width="498" height="3491"></div><h2>CONN SMYTHE TROPHY</h2>The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs. The winner is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association at the conclusion of the final game of the Stanley Cup Final. The following is a list of past winners:1997: Mike Vernon, Detroit. 1996: Joe Sakic, Colorado. 1995: Claude Lemieux, New Jersey. 1994: Brian Leetch, NY Rangers. 1993: Patrick Roy, Montreal. 1992: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh. 1991: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh. 1990: Bill Ranford, Edmonton. 1989: Al Maclnnis, Calgary. 1988: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton. 1987: Ron Hextali. Philadelphia. 1986: Patrick Roy, Montreal. 1985: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton. 1984: Mark Messier, Edmonton. 1983: Bill Smith, NY Islanders. 1982: Mike Bossy, NY Islanders. 1981: Butch Goring, NY Islanders. 1980: Bryan Trottier, NY Islanders. 1979: Bob Gainey. Montreal. 1978: Larry Robinson, Montreal. 1977: Guy Lafleur, Montreal. 1976: Reggie Leach, Philadelphia. 1975: Bernie Parent, Philadelphia. 1974: Bernie Parent, Philadelphia. 1973: Yvan Coumoyer, Montreal. 1972: Bobby Orr, Boston. 1971: Ken Dryden, Montreal. 1970: Bobby Orr, Boston. 1969: Serge Savard, Montreal. 1968: Glenn Hall, St. Louis. 1967: Dave Keon, Toronto. 1966: Roger Crozier. Detroit. 1965: Jean Beliveau, Montreal. &#9632;

f0033-04

NHL SUMMARIES

NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0037-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01776/7080436-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg"></div>(OT) denotes overtime gameTeam affiliations are listed in parentheses under names &#9632;

f0037-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01846/7080467-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg"></div>Team affiliations are listed in parentheses under names(SO) denotes shootout game &#9632;

f0038-01

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01797/7080498-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">By Jason LaCantora</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="s0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0003-0125/7080764-1-eng-US/s0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brendan Shanahan led the Red Wings in playoff goals last season. (Photo by Dan Hamiltor/VPS)</figcaption></div><h2>BIG-GOAL GUY</h2>The puck is dropped in the Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; zone with less than 10 seconds left with the Detroit Red Wings and Blackhawks tied 2-2.As Wings&rsquo; captain Steve Yzerman wins the draw back to the point, Brendan Shanahan begins his disappearing act, fading out of the play while defenseman Dmitri Mironov one-times the puck off goalie Jeff Hackett&rsquo;s pads.Suddenly Shanahan reappears alone, gloriously alone, and cranks his stick without thinking, blasting the rebounding puck from the high slot between Chris Chelios&rsquo; legs and then between Hackett&rsquo;s with 2.8 seconds to play.For a few seconds Shanahan feels like the world-class sniper he is. The numbers aren&rsquo;t there and the confidence has wavered a bit, but the lightning release, uncanny accuracy and show-stealing theatrics of a 50-goal scorer are still present.&ldquo;On that one, I saw it and snapped it and I&rsquo;ve got to do more of that,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;It would be nice to get a few more of those. I&rsquo;ve got to rebound and get back to scoring like I used to.&rdquo;The playoffs would be a good time to start. The man who finished first in goals with nine and second in points with 17 during last season&rsquo;s run to the Stanley Cup will be called upon to be one of the Red Wings key offensive forces in the post-season. In short, the playoffs will give Shanahan a chance for redemption.While the Red Wings rose above regular season expectations, Shanahan&rsquo;s offensive production plummeted. He was on pace for a 30-goal season with four games to play, but could fall below that plateau for the first time since 199091 (excluding the 1995 lockout-shortened season). Only 14 of his goals were scored at even strength, which would be his lowest total since his rookie season (1987-88).Half of Shanahan&rsquo;s 28 goals came in the first 29 games of the season. The power forward who posted consecutive 50-goals seasons in 1992-93 and 1993-94 and netted 47 last season, scored twice in a game just once-Nov. 9 against the Calgary Flames. Last season, he scored two or more goals on nine occasions.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve gotten away from shooting the puck as much as I should,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to feel like a sniper to be one and that&rsquo;s confidence. It comes from getting on a roll and having big nights.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s not that this has been a lost season for the 29-year-old left winger. Far from it. He led Detroit in goals, power plays goals (xx, xxxth in NHL) and game winning goals (xxxx). He just wasn&rsquo;t the dominating force to which fans have grown accustomed.Canadians expected Shanahan to be a dominating force at the Olympics in Nagano. Instead, Shanahan had just two goals in six games and was stopped by Dominik Hasek of the Czech Republic on the final shot of the semifinal shootout. Shanahan appeared to struggled throughout the tournament and his confidence eroded. After the Olympics, The Hockey News gave Shanahan a grade of C-minus, which was worst on the Canadian team.As for Shanahan&rsquo;s offensive decline, Yzerman provides a simple explanation.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s no different from any other team,&rdquo; the team captain said. &ldquo;Their top scorers&rsquo; points are down too. Offense is down in the whole league.&rdquo;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s such a physically strong guy with a great shot in tight games. And in close games, when you need a quick chance and have to get a quick shot away, like the goal he scored (in Chicago), it makes a big difference.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way he scores a lot of goals-his strength is his ability to get a quick shot away in traffic and in different positions.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a little more complicated than that. Most of the 50-goal scorers in the league play 20 minutes or more each game. Shanahan frequently is kept below 17 minutes on a deep team that rotates four lines.And for the first 59 games of the season, there was no Sergei Fedorov in the lineup, providing the opposition with better match-up possibilities.&ldquo;They keyed on (Shanahan) because of his reputation and the goals he has scored,&rdquo; said associate coach Dave Lewis. &ldquo;Now that Sergei is here, it&rsquo;s opening some things up. Especially the way the lines are set up, its hard to check one line now.&rdquo;But Detroit&rsquo;s offense has also diversified with Fedorov in the lineup. Shanahan&rsquo;s wicked one-timer is no longer the focal point of the attack, as the Wings have emphasized moving the puck down low, away from Shanahan&rsquo;s perch in the high slot.And Shanahan isn&rsquo;t playing as aggressively as last season.Left wingers play a strong defensive role in the Wings&rsquo; left wing lock system, hanging high in the offensive zone for defensive protection.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been guilty this year of sometimes sitting back,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;Not adding another goal, not being up front forechecking, but sitting back in the left wing position and not attacking.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a great system and a winning system, but at the same time, the team expects me to score goals and sometimes the best defense is a good offense.&rdquo;And as the Red Wings embark on their defense of the Stanley Cup, they will be looking for the best from Shanahan. &#9632;

s0003-01

PLAYOFF FEATURES

Shanahan’s fresh start

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-0211/7080809-1-eng-US/s0004-022.jpg" title="s0004-02" width="323" height="430"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-0129/7080802-1-eng-US/s0004-012.jpg" title="s0004-01" width="1345" height="1807"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Lindros&rsquo; Philadelphia Flyers may well have taken a step back. (Photo by Bill Wipert)</figcaption></div>Never let it be said The Hockey News is jumping on the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; bandwagon.Yes, THN, with the aid of two NHL management types (one from each conference), has chosen the Wings to win the Stanley Cup this year and become the first team since the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991 and 1992) to repeat as champions.But this is the third time in four years THN has tabbed the Red Wings to win it all. As fate would have it, the only occasion we didn&rsquo;t choose Detroit was last year, when we opted for the Colorado Avalanche. Oops.Our pick this year was greeted with enthusiasm-by everyone except Wings&rsquo; GM Ken Holland.&ldquo;Why would you want to do that?&rdquo; said Holland, who like any hockey man equates being the favorite with being hexed. &ldquo;What about Dallas, Jersey&hellip;&rdquo;&ldquo;Thank God you&rsquo;re not picking us again,&rdquo; said Colorado coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;Have you guys ever been right?&rdquo;Well, not exactly.In The Hockey News&rsquo; Yearbook, just prior to the 1993-94 season, senior writer Mike Brophy correctly predicted the New York Rangers would win the Cup. But in the five years THN has been setting Stanley Cup odds as part of its spring playoff preview, our favorite has not yet won the big prize.In 1993, we chose the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens surprised. In 1994, we went with Pittsburgh again and the Rangers came up big. In 1995, we took Detroit, only to have them swept in the final by the New Jersey Devils. In 1996, we stuck with Detroit, but Colorado prevailed. And in 1997, we switched to the Avalanche in what was the Year of the Red Wing.This year, despite the absence of Vladimir Konstantinov and questions surrounding the netminding of Chris Osgood, we&rsquo;re predicting a Detroit-New Jersey finale, with the Wings winning out because of their superior offense, puckhandling ability on defense and a knack for shutting down the opposition when it counts.But never has the race to the Cup been so hotly contested by so many legitimate contenders. Six, by our count, including Detroit, New Jersey, Colorado, the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues.THN rates Pittsburgh and the Buffalo Sabres-on the strength of their goal-tenders-as darkhorse Cup candidates. Beyond that group of eight there are teams that could produce upsets, but none good enough to win 16 games.Wings&rsquo; coach Scott Bowman is looking for his eighth Cup as a coach, which would equal the record of the late, great Toe Blake.It could be argued the Wings aren&rsquo;t as good as they were a year ago considering the losses of Konstantinov and Vernon. But one gets the sense Bowman&rsquo;s team was never forced into high gear at any time during the regular season and is capable of elevating their game substantially.&ldquo;Comparisons are tough because last year&rsquo;s team won the Cup,&rdquo; Holland said, &ldquo;Konstantinov was a huge part of it and you can&rsquo;t replace that. Vernon won the Conn Smythe, so say no more. But we wouldn&rsquo;t have traded Mike if we didn&rsquo;t think Chris Osgood was capable of giving us the netminding.&rdquo;No question, goaltending will be the buzzword in Detroit this spring. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the way it&rsquo;s going to be written up,&rdquo; Holland conceded. &ldquo;I know it, Chris knows it, we all know it, but we&rsquo;re confident.&rdquo;Detroit&rsquo;s team defense, which used to be tops in the league, has slipped to No. 7 this year. The Wings dismiss that as the result of a two-week slump in March when they gave up 19 goals in four games. The sense within the team is the defense, led by Norris Trophy candidate Nicklas Lidstrom and veteran Larry Murphy, is poised to do it all over again.The emergence of Anders Eriksson, in Konstantinov&rsquo;s spot, has filled the void somewhat. And the acquisition of Dmitri Mironov and Jamie Macoun at the deadline also helps.If Sergei Fedorov hadn&rsquo;t been signed, it&rsquo;s logical to assume the Wings wouldn&rsquo;t be the favorites. Playing on a line with Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan, Fedorov is a multi-dimensional player. But his prolonged absence actually helped the club because plumbers such as Kirk Maltby and Doug Brown were given more responsibility and responded positively.The Wings&rsquo; boast the No. 1 offense in the league, but no scorers among the league leaders. No players, aside from Lidstrom and Murphy, were pushed hard throughout the season. Detroit is a confident, well-rested club that is, for the most part, healthy.And yet as impressive as the Red Wings are, the line between them and the other contenders could not be finer.New Jersey, in particular, is a force to be reckoned with. Martin Brodeur gives them outstanding netminding. The Devils&rsquo; team defense is the best in the league. Offensively, they are much improved, though still challenged at times to score. Doug Gilmour has to bounce back in a big way from injury for New Jersey to be a factor. Still, the Devils are the team we vote most likely to succeed if the Wings don&rsquo;t.Otherwise, the balance of power rests in the Western Conference, where we see both Colorado and Dallas as better bets than Philadelphia, which is only marginally ahead of another Western team (St. Louis). Colorado was dogged by injuries and slumping badly heading into the playoffs. Joe Sakic (knee) and Peter Forsberg (groin) are expected to play for the Avs, but whether they&rsquo;re in peak form is another question. In addition to those concerns, Colorado&rsquo;s other top players, from netminder Patrick Roy out, were underachieving in a postOlympic funk (8-12-0) that, at the very least, should sound some alarms.Health concerns, specifically Mike Modano&rsquo;s recovery from a separated shoulder, diminished what might have been a favored role for the Stars, who had to push themselves too hard during lengthy stretches without key cogs Modano and Derian Hatcher.It remains to be seen whether the Stars&rsquo; foot speed is sufficient to keep up when the Wings, Avs and Blues elevate their games.By all appearances, the Flyers look as though they&rsquo;ve taken a step back from a year ago. Goaltending is, for now, an unresolved issue and chemistry seems to be a problem on the physically imposing club. If Philadelphia has taken a step back, St. Louis has taken a step forward. Speedy, skilled and sound defensively, the Wings, Avs and Stars all are wary of the Blues.<h2>THN ODDS</h2>THN odds for winning the Stanley Cup were posted April 10 when 18 teams remained in the NHL playoff picture. They fall into five levels: Sure Shot: No. 1; Hot Shots: Nos. 2-6; Long Shots: No. 7-8; Shots in the Dark: Nos. 9-13; and No Shots: 14-18.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0004-035/7080795-1-eng-US/s0004-032.jpg" title="s0004-03" width="481" height="2101"></div> &#9632;

s0004-02

RED WINGS AGAIN!

Will the Detroit Red Wings become the first team since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-91 and 1991-92 to win back-to-back Stanley Cups?We think so.And we believe after you read our 20-page 1998 NHL Playoff Preview II you will too.Here&rsquo;s what you will find about the 18 teams who had clinched playoff berths or were still in contention as of April 10.Section I: Team profiles include each club&rsquo;s odds of winning the Cup as determined by THN oddsmaker Murray Townsend, Primary Strengths and Crucial Weaknesses and THN Outlook.Section II: Exclusive scouting reports are provided by Eastern and Western Conference management figures.Section III: Detailed personnel breakdown, including Depth Charts, injury updates, Wild Card and Key Player selections and which players coaches will count on most when the ice chips are down.Section IV: For the first time we bring you ice times for the top 14 for-wards and eight defensemen on the 18 teams we think could be in the playoffs. You can also find the top six faceoff men for every team.Section V: Here is a statistical look at past playoffs. Included are Stanley Cup champions, season-by-season playoff scoring champions, alltime leaders in goals, assists and points, Conn Smythe Trophy winners, a recap of last year&rsquo;s final between the Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers and all 1997 results.The NHL playoffs begin Wed., April 22, and could run as late as Tues., June 17 if the final opens as scheduled June 3 and goes seven games. The final could begin earlier depending on when Conference finals are completed. &#9632;

Your guide to our special post-season section

<h2>No. 1 DETROIT RED WINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-0134/7080990-1-eng-US/s0006-012.jpg" title="s0006-01" width="258" height="294"></div>Primary Strengths The defending Cup champions were the top offensive team in the NHL-although they had no player among the league leaders-and had the No. 7-ranked team defense. Special teams were indeed special-top five in both power play and penalty killing-and no team had been better (14-5-3) after the Olympic break. Crucial Weaknesses Vladimir Konstantinov&rsquo;s grit and talent haven&rsquo;t been replaced and netminder Chris Osgood has yet to prove to he can carry a team to the Cup. Osgood wasn&rsquo;t among the goaltending leaders in any category except wins. THN Outlook Coach Scotty Bowman knows his team&rsquo;s and other teams&rsquo; capabilities better than any coach in the NHL. As well as the Wings have played this season, they clearly have another gear. If they get goaltending, they&rsquo;ll win again.<h2>NO. 2 NEW JERSEY DEVILS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-0221/7080983-1-eng-US/s0006-022.jpg" title="s0006-02" width="260" height="296"></div>Primary Strengths The Devils are the best defensive team in the NHL and have greater depth, especially up front, than any other club. They have five full lines of capable NHLers. They have one of the best power plays (No. 2) and top penalty-killing units (No. 4). Netminder Martin Brodeur&rsquo;s numbers (1.81 GAA, .921 SP, 43 wins, 10 shutouts) were spectacular. Crucial Weaknesses Lack of offense: The Devils&rsquo; offense was tied for 10th overall with Pittsburgh. Injuries: If Doug Gilmour doesn&rsquo;t come back strongly from a knee injury, the Devils&rsquo; offense is further weakened. THN Outlook Coach Jacques Lemaire and his players know what it takes to get to the Cup final and win. The infusion of young scorers Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora will ensure the Devils avoid last spring&rsquo;s disaster.<h2>No. 3 COLORADO AVALANCHE</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-0317/7080976-1-eng-US/s0006-032.jpg" title="s0006-03" width="260" height="296"></div>Primary Strengths The Avalanche has arguably the most talented lineup, led by playoff-tested Patrick Roy in net and centers Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg. No team had scored more power play goals (71) than the Avs. Crucial Weaknesses Aside from injury questions concerning Sakic and Forsberg, the Avs hadn&rsquo;t played well against tough competition this season. They were 3-53 vs. Detroit, Dallas and St. Louis and merely.500 against winning teams, as opposed to 24-15-9 against sub-.500 teams. The Avs were four games under.500 after the Olympic break and their best players were either hurt or not playing well down the stretch. THN Outlook In spite of it all, the Avs are still a Cup contender which needs the playoffs to bring out the best in them.<h2>No. 4 DALLAS STARS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0006-0415/7080969-1-eng-US/s0006-042.jpg" title="s0006-04" width="258" height="292"></div>Primary Strengths Until Mike Modano went down with a shoulder injury, the Stars were theNHL&rsquo;s best team. Even without him, they had the No. 2 defense and No. 4 offense. Their power play (No. 1) was exceptional and so, too, was penalty killing (No. 2). They play a high-tempo, pressure game with short shifts. Netminder Ed Belfour is a better playoff goalie than he gets credit for. Crucial Weaknesses The Stars&rsquo; foot speed, especially up front, could be an Achilles&rsquo; heel if they meet a speedy team. Modano&rsquo;s injury, among others, derailed an incredible run and the spectre of him coming back at less than 100 per cent raises questions. THN Outlook If injuries aren&rsquo;t a factor, the Stars&rsquo; only shortcoming, unlike Detroit, Colorado and New Jersey, is they have yet to prove they can win.<h2>No. 5 PHILADELPHIA FLYERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-0129/7080962-1-eng-US/s0007-012.jpg" title="s0007-01" width="254" height="292"></div>Primary Strengths No team is bigger, especially up front, than the Flyers. As long as Mike Sillinger and Alexandre Daigle continue to score, the Flyers have new-found offensive balance to go with proven commodities John LeClair, Eric Lindros and Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour. Offensively, notably on the power play, they are a force. Crucial Weaknesses Until Sean Burke proves otherwise, goaltending. The defense is a little soft at times and the Flyers don&rsquo;t play well against tough competition. They were a combined 18-2 vs. New Jersey. Detroit. Dallas and Colorado and 10-17-6 vs. teams with records of.500 or better (compared to 29-8-5 vs. losing teams). THN Outlook Don&rsquo;t be fooled into thinking the Flyers aren&rsquo;t a threat to put it all together, but they do appear to have taken a step back.<h2>No. 6 ST. LOUIS BLUES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-0218/7080955-1-eng-US/s0007-022.jpg" title="s0007-02" width="257" height="293"></div>Primary Strengths Only Detroit is more productive than the Blues and like the Red Wings, St. Louis scores by committee. Factor in goalie Grant Fuhr&rsquo;s wealth of playoff experience and a solid defense, spearheaded by stars Al Maclnnis and Chris Pronger, and it&rsquo;s obvious the Blues are a potential playoff force. Speed is also a big part of the Blues&rsquo; game and their penalty killing (No. 3) is excellent. Crucial Weaknesses When the going gets tough, the Blues drop down to four defensemen and over the long haul they could wear down. THN Outlook There isn&rsquo;t a contending team that doesn&rsquo;t fear and respect the Blues as a legitimate threat. They are a well-balanced and versatile team that plays with confidence fortified by above average goaltending.<h2>No. 7 PITTSBURGH PENGUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-0313/7080948-1-eng-US/s0007-032.jpg" title="s0007-03" width="257" height="294"></div>Primary Strengths Believe it or not, team defense. The Pens&rsquo; GAA was fourth-best in the league, which is a testament to the players buying into coach Kevin Constantine&rsquo;s system, which includes the use of five-man units. But the primary factor was resurgent netminding from Tom Barras-so, who was among the league leaders in every category. Jaromir Jagr is arguably the game&rsquo;s best player-. Crucial Weaknesses The once-mighty Pens&rsquo; offense dropped from first last season to 10th in the NHL thisyear. Offensively, the Pens are pretty much a one-line team, but what a line (Ron Francis between Jagr and Stu Barnes) it is. The Pens also gave up a league-high 15 shorthanded goals. THN Outlook The Pens will be a force if Barrasso&rsquo;s great comeback continues.<h2>No. 8 BUFFALO SABRES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-046/7080941-1-eng-US/s0007-042.jpg" title="s0007-04" width="257" height="294"></div>Primary Strengths Dominik Hasek. Dominik Hasek. Dominik Hasek&hellip;well, you get the idea. Buffalo allowed more shots on goal than any playoff team, yet the Sabres&rsquo; GAA was third-best in the league. Figure it out. Plus, Hasek appears to have his wits and health about him this spring, unlike a year ago. The Sabres are one of the NHL&rsquo;s fastest teams and create havoc with that quality. Crucial Weaknesses The Sabres are a small team and have difficulty competing against the bigger contending teams such as New Jersey and Philadelphia, though they were No. 2 in penalty minutes. Their offense is only so-so. THN Outlook With Hasek in net, it&rsquo;s not difficult to imagine Buffalo upsetting someone, but as good as the Dominator is, it&rsquo;s hard to picture Buffalo in the Cup final.<h2>No. 9 LOS ANGELES KINGS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-05/7080934-1-eng-US/s0007-052.jpg" title="s0007-05" width="257" height="293"></div>Primary Strengths The Kings have a big, punishing blueline crew, led by Norris Trophy candidate Rob Blake and have emerged as a difficult team to play against. It might surprise some to learn the Kings&rsquo; output was slightly better than Colorado&rsquo;s this season, thanks in no small part to contributions from the blueline. Crucial Weaknesses In spite of the size on the blueline, the Kings are not a top defensive club (16th) and their offense will suffer if Luc Robitaille doesn&rsquo;t bounce back from double hernia surgery. Special teams are nothing to write home about as both power play and penalty killing were in the bottom half of the league. THN Outlook Coach Larry Robinson gets the most out of a-big. tough team that is devoted to strong team play, but one that struggled down the stretch.<h2>No. 10 WASHINGTON CAPITALS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-06/7080927-1-eng-US/s0007-062.jpg" title="s0007-06" width="256" height="296"></div>Primary Strengths Olie Kolzig (.918 save percentage) has emerged as a legitimate No. 1 netminder over backup Bill Ranford. The Caps are the No. 1 penalty killing team in the league. Esa Tikkanen relishes his role as playoff hero. They have good depth at most every position, which is critical (read on). Crucial Weaknesses Injuries. The Caps&rsquo; man-games lost to injury will be about 475 this season and that, more than anything else, could beat Washington in the playoffs. The availability of defensemen Mark Tinordi, Brendan Witt, Joe Reekie and Ken Klee was uncertain, to say nothing of forwards Michal Pivonka and Richard Zednik.THN Outlook The Caps, whose playoff psyche is battered at the best of times, would be a good darkhorse candidate if they were healthier.<h2>NO DAY ON BEACH</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-08/7080920-1-eng-US/s0007-082.jpg" title="s0007-08" width="1000" height="2302"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vladimir Tsyplakov&rsquo;s Los Angeles Kings struggled down the stretch. (Photo by Jim Mclsac/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>No. 11 BOSTON BRUINS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-07/7080913-1-eng-US/s0007-072.jpg" title="s0007-07" width="254" height="292"></div>Primary Strengths Coach Pat Bums and his defense-first system thrive in the playoffs. Netminder Byron Dafoe has emerged as a No. 1 and the return to good health of Kyle McLaren and Don Sweeney on the blueline gives Boston a top four-man unit with Ray Bourque and giant Hal Gill. Boston&rsquo;s penalty killing wasn&rsquo;t top 10 in percentage, but because the Bruins were the least-penalized team in the league, they gave up the fewest number of power play goals against (37). Crucial Weaknesses A lack of firepower means the B&rsquo;s are in trouble when they get behind and they&rsquo;re not a physically intimidating team. THN Outlook Bums&rsquo; teams are always adept at shutting down opposing stars and they have a knack of frustrating more talented squads. Upsets are a possibility.<h2>No. 12 MONTREAL CANADIENS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-09/7080906-1-eng-US/s0007-092.jpg" title="s0007-09" width="253" height="289"></div>Primary Strengths Veteran Andy Moog has solidified what was a volatile playoff netminding scene, though Jocelyn Thibault could yet emerge as the main man. Montreal, middle of the pack in team defense, is at its best when it has the puck (No. 5-ranked offense). Each defense pair has one mobile puckhandler and the Habs, if healthy (a big if), have two lines capable of generating significant offense. Team speed is an asset. Crucial Weaknesses The Canadiens are not a big team and not well-suited to play a grinding game. Complicating matters is Saku Koivu&rsquo;s broken finger and both Martin Rucinsky and Brian Savage coming off injuries. THN Outlook If the Habs are to make any noise, they need all hands on deck and healthy-and they&rsquo;re not.<h2>No. 13 EDMONTON OILERS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-10/7080899-1-eng-US/s0007-102.jpg" title="s0007-10" width="253" height="289"></div>Primary Strengths The Oilers possess terrific speed and skill, both up front and especially on the blueline with Boris Mironov, Roman Hamrlik and Janne Niinimaa. Curtis Joseph is a goaltender who, if he&rsquo;s hot, is capable of winning a series by himself. Crucial Weaknesses The Oilers are not the sum of their parts. Joseph has been sub-par this season. The defense, while talented, is erratic and the forwards play a high-risk, inconsistent game that ranked the Oilers 17th in team defense. Surprisingly, they are not an offensive force (18th overall) and poor (21st overall) penalty killers. THN Outlook In spite of the shortcomings, they can use their speed to intimidate and are a team capable of getting on a roll, if Joseph&rsquo;s in the groove, and knocking off a superior opponent.<h2>No. 14 PHOENIX COYOTES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-11/7080892-1-eng-US/s0007-112.jpg" title="s0007-11" width="253" height="291"></div>Primary Strengths Left winger Keith Tkachuk is a power scorer who can dominate a game by himself. This is a team that is not short of physical presence up front and the forwards go hard to the net. Defenseman Teppo Numminen and partner Keith Carney are among the NHL&rsquo;s most unheralded performers. Crucial Weaknesses The Coyotes&rsquo; penalty killing was third-worst among teams competing for playoff spots and the power play, while improved from the start of the season, was only middle of the pack. Phoenix&rsquo;s GAA of 2.72 was the worst of the 18 playoff possibilities, although overall offense was ninth, better than Pittsburgh and New Jersey. THN Outlook When they play physical and smart, Phoenix can overwhelm opponents. but they often self-destruct.<h2>No. 15 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-12/7080885-1-eng-US/s0007-122.jpg" title="s0007-12" width="253" height="289"></div>Primary Strengths Goalie Jeff Hackett has stepped up to be a top-10 calibre netminder and had the GAA (2.17) and save percentage (.918) to back it up. Chris Chelios is still the ultimate warrior and no team plays as all-out aggressively on the puck as the Blackhawks. Crucial Weaknesses The team GAA of 2.39 (8th). tied with St. Louis, is an illusion because the Hawks break down at crucial and costly times. Their 23rd-ranked offense, better only than Ottawa. Toronto and Tampa, can&rsquo;t get them out of trouble. No team gave up more power play goals (63) than the Hawks THN Outlook The Hawks rely heavily on spirit and emotion and, if they keep it tight defensively, can make an opponent&rsquo;s life difficult, but aren&rsquo;t good enough to sustain it for more than a series<h2>No. 16 SAN JOSE SHARKS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-13/7080878-1-eng-US/s0007-132.jpg" title="s0007-13" width="255" height="290"></div>Primary Strengths The Sharks have experience and enthusiasm behind the bench in coach Darryl Sutter, in net with Cup champ Mike Vernon, on the blueline with Bryan Marchment and up front with John MacLean, Stephane Matteau, Mike Ricci, Dave Lowry, Joe Murphy and Bernie Nicholls. They have skill and speed from youngsters such as Jeff Friesen and Patrick Marleau and a strong work ethic. Crucial Weaknesses The Sharks aren&rsquo;t a good offensive team (17th overall) and they&rsquo;re not particularly strong on defense (15th) and their special teams are poor (16th-ranked penalty killing and 20th-ranked power play), but they are often greater than the sum of their parts. THN Outlook Veteran netminding and an aggressive mentality ensure the Sharks are no pushover, even for a top team.<h2>No. 17 CAROLINA HURRICANES</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-14/7080871-1-eng-US/s0007-142.jpg" title="s0007-14" width="256" height="287"></div>Primary Strengths Goalie Trevor Kidd got hot down the stretch and his.923 save percentage was second only to Dominik Hasek. Keith Primeau stepped up his play at the Olympics and he continued to be a premier player upon his return. The acquisition of Ray Sheppard at the deadline gave the &lsquo;Canes two decent offensive lines. Gary Roberts&rsquo; leadership and goals have been a big plus. Crucial Weaknesses Even though they have a veteran blueline crew, it&rsquo;s susceptible to breakdowns that lead to goals. Carolina had to play so hard just to stay in the playoff picture that fatigue and injuries were possibilities. THN Outlook Experienced and talented enough to be a first round upset threat, the &lsquo;Canes have to work too hard to score their goals to be more than that.<h2>No. 18 OTTAWA SENATORS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0007-15/7080864-1-eng-US/s0007-152.jpg" title="s0007-15" width="254" height="289"></div>Primary Strengths Team defense and timely netminding performances. Whether it&rsquo;s Damian Rhodes or Ron Tugnutt, someone steps up to give the Sens the goaltending they need to compete. Their defense was ranked 10th overall, impressive I considering the youth (Chris Phillips and Wade Redden) in their top four. The eye indrawn to the Sens&rsquo; stars-Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson-but the team&rsquo;s strength lies in the efforts of unheralded soldiers such as Magnus Arvedsson and Andreas Dackell. Crucial Weaknesses This team can&rsquo;t score with the 24th-ranked offense, better only than Toronto and Tampa Bay. THN Outlook The Sens&rsquo; defense, netminding and work ethic keep them in most every game, but lack of offense severely limits their possibilities. &#9632;

s0006-01

Wings poised for repeat

<div class="image-hero"><img title="s0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0008-0124/7081021-1-eng-US/s0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The best hope to score against Dominik Hasek is to fire from a distance through traffic. (Photo by Scott Levy/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>NEW JERSEY DEVILS No. 2</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Devils never get ahead of themselves, moving the puck zone-by-zone. Typically, they break opposition traps by flooding one side of the neutral zone.2. Their best offense is produced by jamming the slot, cycling the puck and counter-attacking off turnovers created by their unparalleled neutral zone trap.3. Doug Gilmour has given them imagination, both from the point and behind the net in power play situations. Scott Niedermayer is the only defenseman to join the rush.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. Speed teams are troublesome to the Devils, who are one of the best 1-on-1 battling teams in the league and best-suited to handle grinding clubs.2. This quintessential 1-2-2 trap team seldom gives up odd-man rushes or makes mistakes.3. The Devils take away the middle: their defensemen are the NHL&rsquo;s most dependable group and the forwards sag so deeply in their own zone you can throw a rope around all five defenders. The best response is to attack from behind the net. Goalie Martin Brodeur has trouble with opponents below the goal line.Unsung Hero Veteran center Bobby Carpenter remains an effective checker.<h2>PHILADELPHIA FLYERS No. 5</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The best cycling team in the NHL is devastating down low, but also has the ability to score off neutral zone counters.2. The Flyers produce goals in a variety of ways: off the rush, off the cycle and on the power play.3. Their defensemen aren&rsquo;t dangerous. Only one other playoff contender, the Carolina Hurricanes, have a lower percentage of goals contributed by blueliners.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The centers need to come back and be more of a force defensively.2. The defensemen were soft last year, a big reasons why Detroit shut them out in the final. Dan McGillis and Luke Richardson make them harder to play against.3. Goaltending remains a concern. Bad goals have haunted Ron Hextali. Sean Burke has much to prove.Unsung Hero Left winger Colin Forbes has provided presence and goals in his rookie season.<h2>PITTSBURGH PENGUINS No. 7</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. Apart from Anaheim, there is no better example of a one-line team, which relies on Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis and Stu Barnes to carry the club.2. The Penguins are a &ldquo;good hands&rdquo; team which must be dealt with physically.3. They have very active defensemen who like to join the rush.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Penguins play a very disciplined neutral zone trap and rarely forecheck.2. The defensemen can be surprisingly physical, but the smallish forwards have trouble in defensive zone coverage.3. Pittsburgh doesn&rsquo;t beat itself; it doesn&rsquo;t give away the puck in its own end.Unsung Hero Left winger Martin Straka could provide big goals when the first line is checked.<h2>BUFFALO SABRES No. 8</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Sabres&rsquo; small, fast forwards are good on the rush, but not great on the cycle or forecheck.2. They don&rsquo;t have real go-to guy, which makes them difficult to check and, conversely, challenged to produce big goals.3. The defensemen contribute a surprisingly low percentage of goals despite being active in the at-tack-particularly in the cases of Alexei Zhitnik and Jason Woolley.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The defensemen pinch often and the third forward often gets caught, creating odd-man disadvantages.2. The Sabres are a good team to cycle against because they have small defensemen who have trouble with 1-on-1 battles. They can be outmuscled.3. The defense is centered around Dominik Hasek. Opponents should force him to handle the puck and fire high screen shots from a distance because he goes down a lot and is impenetrable from in close.Unsung Hero Center Wayne Primeau is a key faceoff man and has the size to make an impact.<h2>WASHINGTON CAPITALS No. 10</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Capitals&rsquo; defensemen must contribute goals for Washington to be dangerous. And they do, ranking behind only St. Louis in percentage of goals scored by defensemen.2. Despite the presence of a spectacular goal-scorer in Peter Bondra, Washington forwards have slow foot speed as a group.3. The Capitals have the capability to be a big play team, penetrating opposition defenses with excellent passing.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Capitals have good work habits and the defensemen are one of the NHL&rsquo;s most physical groups.2. The surplus of excellent defensive forwards-Kelly Miller, Esa Tikkanen, Dale Hunter and Steve Konowalchuk among them-provides strong support for the defense.3. They can be a dirty, mean team. That motivates some to tread lightly in the Washington zone.Unsung Hero Left winger Konowalchuk goes to the net and rises to the occasion.<h2>BOSTON BRUINS No. 11</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Bruins have overachieved as the result of good foot speed, a hard straight-line attack and composure. They&rsquo;re the least penalized team in the NHL.2. Thirty-minute man Ray Bourque doesn&rsquo;t join the attack as he used to, but still moves laterally across the blueline effectively to create offense with trademark slapshots.3. New star Jason Allison delivers with great hands and an in-close game similar to Phil Esposito, but team depth is shallow.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. This is a meat and potatoes defense: The Bruins don&rsquo;t get outnumbered, they don&rsquo;t get beat 1-on-1 and they don&rsquo;t get caught out of position.2. All players are responsible defensively and Boston traps to great effect. Pat Bums isn&rsquo;t a comp-lex X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s kind of coach; he knows the three X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s you need to know and preaches them.3. Turnovers are cardinal sins. Players are expected to move the puck zone. You won&rsquo;t see high-risk 40-foot eastwest or south-north passes.Unsung Hero Center Tim Taylor watched and learned in Detroit.<h2>MONTREAL CANADIENS No. 12</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The highly-skilled Canadiens are one of the premier teams scoring off the rush and are comfortable trading chances.2. The offense is better-suited to the west than east, largely because they don&rsquo;t have the same measure of size and grit as the East&rsquo;s top teams.3. When healthy, their first two lines both pose checking problems.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Canadiens are a trapping team, but not particularly effective. It&rsquo;s as though not all players buy into the system.2. Their defensive zone coverage is spotty at best. The Habs lack a defensive cornerstone player.3. Montreal faces the same dilemma as Detroit last season: do they go with a veteran (Andy Moog) or youngster (Jocelyn Thibault) in goal?Unsung Hero Right winger Jonas Hoglund has size and speed and could surprise if the first two lines are shut down.<h2>CAROLINA HURRICANES No. 17</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The &lsquo;Canes play an aggressive style and have a large number of forwards who can score. Other than Keith Primeau. however. they aren&rsquo;t big.2. Carolina&rsquo;s forwards are among the fastest in the league, creating breakaways and 2-on-1 advantages with their skating. Sami Kapanen is a speedball.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. This group suffers from an inordinate number of breakdowns and makes too many mistakes.2. The &lsquo;Canes are one of the few teams in the league not to rely on the neutral zone trap. They don&rsquo;t back off on the forecheck and do very little back skating through the neutral zone.Unsung Hero Center Jeff O&rsquo;Neill has taken off after early-season play-me-or-trade-me demand.<h2>OTTAWA SENATORS No. 18</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. A hefty percentage of goals are scored off the rush. The Senators&rsquo; smallish forwards don&rsquo;t pose a threat off the cycle.2. Most of their power plays require a great quarterback. The Senators haven&rsquo;t had one since trading away Steve Duchesne.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Senators like to a play an active low trap when possible, sending their forwards deep to force turnovers.2. Assistant coach Craig Ramsay&rsquo;s 1-on-1 defensive philosophy is simple: stay between your man and the net.Unsung Hero Right winger Bruce Gardiner has great speed and a strong work ethic. &#9632;

s0008-01

Eastern Conference

<div class="image-hero"><img title="s0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0009-0117/7081052-1-eng-US/s0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Clever Peter Forsberg organizes the Colorado attack from down low on the power play. (Photo by John Tremel/BBS)</figcaption></div><h2>DETROIT RED WINGS NO. 1</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The offense comes from a sound defensive game. Excellent passing from the back end provides for a smart, quick transition game.2. The centers are key as the wingers feed off their creativity. Opponents must take away the middle. The power play is diverse and capable of exploiting whatever opposition gives them.3. Detroit may be the league&rsquo;s best team at creating tempo with short shifts and clean line changes on the fly.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The aggressive 1-2-2 or neutral zone trap is the most common forecheck. Th left wing lock isn&rsquo;t as recognizable, although the Red Wings fill all three lanes quickly.2. The defensemen try to stay high with support from forwards. The result, when effective, is a quick transition game.3. Smart and reliable centers are important in the defensive zone coverage. Playing the centers hard and chopping the puck behind Detroit defenders-creating foot races with the older defense-can produce advantages.Unsung Hero Center Kris Draper has shirt-flapping speed and goal-scoring potential.<h2>COLORADO AVALANCHE No. 3</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Avs support the puck well in all three zones, providing dependable backup for each other.2. Colorado is a very good small space team. Joe Sakic is the best player in the league at attacking the offensive blueline and Peter Forsberg is No. 1 from the top of the circle.3. The excellent power play&rsquo;s focus is to set up forehand shots. They are capable of scoring off the rush, but use Sakic to quarterback from the back end and Forsberg from the front.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Avs are conscientious defensively, backed up by all-time playoff victory leader Patrick Roy.2. They force the puck with two men as much as possible and position the third man to protect the middle-providing for a quick transition to offense.3. The Avs play a box or diamond formation on the penalty kill and are comfortable with passive or pressure approaches.Unsung Hero Expect center Tom Fitzgerald to play a crucial role.<h2>DALLAS STARS No. 4</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Stars are the best team in the league at dumping the puck in with a purpose. More often than not, they get it back with sound forechecking.2. Seldom is the attack linear, although they have no problem playing the game along the boards.3. Dallas uses set plays on faceoffs in the offensive zone and changes the point of attack effectively, forcing opponents to defend both sides of the ice high and low.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. Their style is called a &ldquo;three-zone flood&rdquo; because the third forward is active from his high position.2. The defense will pinch at certain points of game and the high forward is always there to support.3. The forwards come back hard, which is crucial because as good as the Dallas defense is, it has problems against high-octane teams.Unsung Hero Right winger Grant Marshall has a chance to earn more ice time and respect.<h2>ST. LOUIS BLUES No. 6</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. Defensemen Al Maclnnis, Steve Duchesne and Chris Pronger pass and jump into the play effectively, providing a key dimension to the attack. St. Louis defensemen contribute more than 30 per cent of the Blues&rsquo; goals-the highest such mark in the NHL.2. Set plays off faceoffs are common and intended for Brett Hull and Maclnnis to pull the trigger.3. Preferred power play alignments are 1-3-1 or 32. Watch for Hull to overload the slot position off the 1-3-1 if the one-timer isn&rsquo;t clicking on the 3-2.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Blues&rsquo; in-your-face third and fourth lines are aggressive forecheckers while the other units are more likely to play active 1-2-2&rsquo;s.2. The defensemen set up in the neutral zone, a luxury afforded them by conscientious forwards.3. Pressure is applied all over the defensive zone on the penalty kill.Unsung Hero(es) The third line of left winger Scott Pellerin, center Darren Turcotte and right winger Craig Conroy bumps, grinds, agitates and scores.<h2>LOS ANGELES KINGS No. 9</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Kings are best when forcing the issue and creating 3-on-2&rsquo;sand 2-on-1&rsquo;s.2. Los Angeles hits the offensive blueline with speed and balance, working well as a five-man unit in the neutral and offensive zones.3. There is nothing fancy about the power play-just point shots and traffic in front of the net.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The coverage is suspect if the Kings have to spend too much time in their own zone where their small centers get overpowered (including on the draw).2. The defense is vulnerable to outside drives. It&rsquo;s important for the blueliners to play a tight gap to derail attacks before they gain too much speed.3. The quality of goaltending will determine Kings&rsquo; fate more than most teams.Unsung Hero Right winger Glen Murray has quietly had a very good year. Now he needs to make noise in the playoffs.<h2>EDMONTON OILERS No. 13</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. High risk passes in all three zone are the norm for Edmonton.2. Speedy Edmonton uses misdirection on the attack with lane exchanges and crossovers.3. The power play is generally in an umbrella formation. Look for Boris Mironov, Roman Hamrlik and Janne Niinimaa to shoot from the point and Doug Weight to direct traffic from below.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Oilers want to stay up in the neutral zone to set up the counter-attack.2. This team will run around in its own end, especially if goalie Curtis Joseph is having trouble with rebounds.3. The forwards need to provide support down low. The defense has softened up with the departures of Bryan Marchment and Dan McGillis.Unsung Hero Center Todd Marchant&rsquo;s speed and competitiveness are contagious. He inspires when he perspires.<h2>PHOENIX COYOTES No. 14</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Coyotes cycle hard, pump the puck toward the net and crash the crease.2. When they get into a feeding frenzy, they can be vulnerable to counter-attack as their eyes get big and focused on the opposition net.3. The power play works off a side triangle with the half board forward distributing the puck, plenty of point shots and Keith Tkachuk. Jeremy Roenick and Rick Tocchet charging the net.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The defensemen will play mean and nasty, but can get running around in an effort to play that way and have trouble boxing out opponents at the net.2. Phoenix employs an aggressive forecheck with the first two forwards going hard and the third remaining high. The defense has the green light to pinch.3. The Coyotes attempt to play aggressively on the penalty kill, but have trouble going from box to diamond coverage.Unsung Hero Defenseman Teppo Numminen is the comerstone behind the blueline.<h2>CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS No. 15</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>1. The Hawks aren&rsquo;t a team capable of much at the offensive blueline. Look for chip-and-chase or dump-and-go hockey with lots of activity down low.2. On the power play, look for short passes to set up one-timers by Alexei Zhamnov, Tony Amonte and Eric Daze.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The defensemen attempt to play up in the neutral zone, but aren&rsquo;t always capable of doing so because the forwards are caught deep in the offensive zone.2. Goalie Jeff Hackett must play well. Controlling rebounds and his general puck movement will either relieve or add pressure to the defense.Unsung Hero Center Steve Dubinsky will fill a key checking role.<h2>SAN JOSE SHARKS No. 16</h2><h3>Offensive Tendencies</h3>I. Their relentless work ethic and solid positioning energizes the Sharks. Much of their offense is the result of turnovers created off the forecheck.2. The Sharks&rsquo; forwards drive the net well and usually arrive at the same time as the puck. That pressure drives opposition defenses back and opens up space in the slot.<h3>Defensive Tendencies</h3>1. The defensemen are vulnerable and have to consistently keep their feet moving. The forwards must help out or the Sharks struggle.2. The Sharks don&rsquo;t sit back; they forecheck with a 2-1-2 or active 1-2-2. All the players realize the value of finishing checks at both ends of the rink.Unsung Hero 1996 Stanley Cup standout center Mike Ricci doesn&rsquo;t put up big numbers, but his value is immense. &#9632;

s0009-01

Western Conference

<div class="image-hero"><img title="s0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0012-0126/7080574-1-eng-US/s0012-012.jpg"></div>So you&rsquo;re wondering who will be this year&rsquo;s John Druce? We&rsquo;ve got the candidates, but first a bit of background. Today Druce is a veteran depth winger with the Philadelphia Flyers; in the 1990 playoffs with the Washington Capitals he was a sophomore sniper on a mission, scoring 14 goals in 15 playoff games after getting eight all season. In hindsight. Druce was the perfect Wild Card-a potential (but unsung) game-breaker. That&rsquo;s just one of the categories in THN&rsquo;s detailed personnel breakdown. Listed are each club&rsquo;s top two goalies; four lines in order of prominence (recognizing line combinations frequently change); depth players at forward; the top three defense pairings (recognizing they also change); depth players at defense; wild card (player with game-breaking potential); key player (player other than stars who must perform well for team to succeed); significant injuries (expected return date); last-minute club on offense (five players likely on the ice late in a game when a team needs to score a goal) and last-minute club on defense (five players likely on the ice late in a game when a team needs to prevent a goal).<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0014-0124/7080567-1-eng-US/s0014-012.jpg" title="s0014-01" width="3075" height="1981"><figcaption class="caption-body">Montreal hopes Saku Koivu is healthy for the playoffs. (Photo by Scott Levy/BBS)</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0015-0117/7080560-1-eng-US/s0015-012.jpg" title="s0015-01" width="3097" height="1999"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios continues to be the Blackhawks&rsquo; main man. (Photos by Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

s0012-01

DEPTH CHARTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="s0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0016-0114/7080633-1-eng-US/s0016-012.jpg"></div><h2>FIRST&rsquo; ROUND</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0016-028/7080626-1-eng-US/s0016-022.jpg" title="s0016-02" width="718" height="764"></div><h2>SECOND ROUND</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0016-037/7080619-1-eng-US/s0016-032.jpg" title="s0016-03" width="722" height="762"></div><h2>THIRD ROUND</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0016-044/7080612-1-eng-US/s0016-042.jpg" title="s0016-04" width="722" height="760"></div><h2>FOURTH ROUND</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/s0016-05/7080605-1-eng-US/s0016-052.jpg" title="s0016-05" width="722" height="752"></div><h2>TSN</h2>Maximum games: 14.Broadcast Teams: 1. Play-by-play, Paul Romanuk, Color, Gary Green. 2. Dennis Beyak, Ryan Walter.Special:&nbsp;That&rsquo;s Hockey half-hour show hosted by Dave Hodge continues weeknights at 7:00 p.m. until May 11 when it switches to 6 p.m. to accomodate coverage of Major League Baseball. That&rsquo;s Hockey will be pre-empted April 20-21 and May 7-8. THN Associate Editor Bob McKenzie and Gord Miller will serve as studio hosts on game nights throughout TSN&rsquo;s live coverage of the playoffs.Ratings: Not available.<h2>ESPN2</h2>Maximum games: 29.Broadcast Teams: 1. Play-by-play, Dave Strader, Color, Brian Engblom. 2. Dave Ryan, Brian Hayward.Special: Bill Pidto hosts NHL2Night every night at 11:30 p.m. (EST) or following game coverage, with Barry Melrose during first three rounds on game nights.Ratings: 1996: 0.7 (221,000 homes). 1997:0.7 (350,000 homes).PLATOFF SCHEDULIG: NOTE: Teams play in either Schedule A or B depending on matchups, building availability and television., All schedules are tentative and subject to change.<h2>ESPN</h2>Maximum games: 35.Broadcast Teams: 1. Play-by-play, Gary Thome, Color, Bill Clement 2. Steve Levy, Darren Pang.Special: John Saunders hosts 30-minute preview show Quest for the Cup, with analyst Barry Melrose and Darren Pang prior to each ESPN game of final. Telecasts will be on site during Stanley Cup final.Ratings: 1996 final: 3.8 (2.5 million households). 1997 final: 4.1 (3 million households).<h2>FOX</h2>Maximum games: 19.Broadcast Teams: 1. Play-by-Play, Mike Emrick, Color, John Davidson. 2. Sam Rosen, Joe Micheletti. 3. Jiggs McDonald, Peter McNab. 4. Kenny Albert, Terry Crisp.Special: Approximately 10 cameras are used during Emrick/Davidson broadcasts. James Brown and Dave Maloney host studio shows. Brown and Maloney will broadcast on-site during final.Ratings: 1996 final: 3.55 (3.4 million households). 1997 final: 4.0 (4.2 households).<h2>CBC</h2>Maximum games: TBA.Broadcast Teams: 1. Play-by-play, Bob Cole, Color, Harry Neale. Other play-by-play: Steve Armitage, Dick Irvin, Chris Cuthbert. Other color: Irvin, Greg Millen, John Garrett.Special: Coaches&rsquo; Comer with Don Cherry and Ron MacLean appears alternate nights on Hockey Night in Canada. Scott Oake hosts pre-game shows.Ratings: 1994 final: 3.0 million viewers. 1995 Cup final: 1.6 million viewers. 1996 Cup final: 1.8 million viewers. 1997 Cup final: 2 million viewers. &#9632;

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April 24, 1998

HOCKEY MARKETPLACE

Darkhorse Blues pulling my bandwagon

PLUS MINUS

1998 NHL PLAY OFF PREVIEW II