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.

July 3, 1998

The Hockey News July 3, 1998

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03845/6889220-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="616" height="968"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob Hartley</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021301/6889227-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="171" height="171"></div>When Bob Hartley coaches his first game for the Colorado Avalanche next season, it will also be his first in the NHL-ever.Hartley&rsquo;s lack of big-league experience as a player or coach might be a worry to some, but not to the players he coached on the way up.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a tough coach, but he only wants you to get better,&rdquo; said left winger Rene Corbet, who played for Hartley with the defunct Cornwall Aces in the American League. &ldquo;He helped me a lot starting out.&rdquo;Even a member of the rival Detroit Red Wings had some nice things to say about the Avs&rsquo; new bench boss.&ldquo;Bob is a great coach,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; right winger Martin Lapointe, who played for Hartley with the Laval Titan of the Quebec League. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a winner.&rdquo;Hartley, hired June 2 to replace Marc Crawford, went to the Memorial Cup with Laval in 1993 and won a Calder Cup in the AHL with the Hershey Bears in 1997.Still, the No. 1 question Hartley will face his first year with the Avalanche is, can he win at the NHL level?&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a difficult adjustment, going from the AHL to the NHL,&rdquo; said former Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray, who was interested in the Avs&rsquo; job. &ldquo;It takes a while to learn the league and the players.&rdquo;Hartley, 37, knows he will have to overcome plenty or doubters his first year in the league. &ldquo;But I feel that I have paid my dues along the way,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The pressure of winning is part of our daily business.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: GM Pierre Lacroix was in Washington for the league GM meetings and said he favored the majority of proposed rules changes. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a great game, but it needed some fine-tuning,&rdquo; Lacroix said. (See pg. 5 for more on GM meetings)&hellip;Former Avalanche coach Marc Crawford was said to be interested in the vacant Anaheim job. If he were hired, he would again succeed Pierre Page as a coach. Crawford replaced Page in Quebec in 1994. (See pg. 5 for the outcome of the negotiations on Crawford&rsquo;s contract status)&hellip;Assistant coach Bryan Trottier was feted by the Canadian Society in New York with its annual award to a person making a significant contribution to hockey. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Hartley has ’paid dues’

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01875/6890310-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="348" height="284"></div>PBH<a href="http://www.probeachhockey.com">www.probeachhockey.com</a><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02629/6890303-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="1174" height="388"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03511/6890296-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="369" height="245"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chad Siebel of the Salsa scales new heights in Pro Beach Hockey to score a single point goal.</figcaption></div>The official skate of PRO BEACH HOCKEY <a href="http://www.v-formation.com">www.v-formation.com</a><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04409/6890289-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="3397" height="3176"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Ramp it up!

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03767/6888944-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="602" height="961"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pat Peake</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021232/6888951-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="170" height="168"></div>It has always been Pat Peake&rsquo;s dream to return to Detroit and play in the Stanley Cup final, either for the Detroit Red Wings he worshipped growing up or for another NHL team.His Washington Capitals finally got to the final and the Wings were the opponent, but Peake never got into a game. That fact has been more painful than the foot injury he has been trying o overcome for two seasons.&ldquo;You grow up in Detroit, you grow up a Red Wing fan, it&rsquo;s everybody&rsquo;s dream to play in the Stanley Cup finals,&rdquo; Peake said. &ldquo;Now that chance is happening, but you&rsquo;re not really a part sf it, not being able to play. It has been like that all year. During the year it&rsquo;s tough to sit out but when you get to the playoffs, it&rsquo;s a whole different level of disappointment. I can&rsquo;t put it into words. It&rsquo;s hard, very, very hard.&rdquo;Peake&rsquo;s career went on hold April 26, 1996, when he crashed into the boards trying to prevent an icing against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He shattered his right heel and has undergone about a dozen operations. He has played just five NHL games since, but said he won&rsquo;t abandon his comeback efforts.Peake was with the team throughout the playoffs this season, never well enough to play, but not looking for sympathy.&ldquo;Nobody wants to feel sorry for Pat Peake because of what happened,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Nobody has the time. Their job is to get themselves together, look in the mirrors and make sure they do their jobs.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Caps were fined $25,000 by the league for not being specific about an injury and not having players available for the media. A league source said the fine would probably be reduced significantly as a result of what he saw as attempts by the team to fix the problems&hellip;Defenseman Jeff Brown, who had been battling post-concussion syndrome since early April, made his playoff debut in the final opener, but was back on the sidelines after two games following a blow to the head&hellip;Right winger Brian Bellows&rsquo; wife, Tracy, gave birth to the couple&rsquo;s first son June 10 in Edina, Minn., with father in attendance thanks to team owner Abe Pollin. Pollin arranged for Bellows to fly back between Games 1 and 2 of the final and wouldn&rsquo;t let Bellows pay for the plane. &#9632;

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Missing final gains Peake

<div class="byline">By Janet Del Tuto</div>Vashi Nedomansky, also know as &lsquo;Ned&rsquo; to those in the Los Angeles area, plays a mean national anthem. You would know this if you had been an L.A. Blades&rsquo; fan back in 1995.Guitar in hand, Ned would crank out the anthem like he was on stage at a rock concert. So, it is fitting that he has found himself as captain of Pro Beach Hockey&rsquo;s team Heavy Metal.&ldquo;In PBH, you have to be very intense and have fire and passion for the game,&rdquo; said Nedomansky, &ldquo;and though not everyone likes heavy metal music, it is in that same way very intense, very passionate, and I think that this attitude applies toward a lot of the guys on our team. I&rsquo;m happy to be the captain of this team and if we&rsquo;re not winning, we&rsquo;re fighting or trying to score goals.&rdquo;Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Vashi has lived in Toronto, Detroit and now the Santa Monica area where he plays beach hockey every weekend^ He&rsquo;s a big fan of the street game.&ldquo;I think that PBH has finally gone back to where the sport was born. It&rsquo;s outside in the sun with a ball and it has definitely been the high point of my in-line hockey career so far. And the bottom line is that you take your ball, your skates, and your stick and besides putting the boards up, this is the only difference between us and what the kids are playing on the street.The kids however have yet to master a skill Nedomansky prides himself on, which is his straight forward shot that is leading to the perfection of the two-pointer from the Dome Zone.&ldquo;My strength is that I&rsquo;m a big guy, like 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, and I can get moving pretty fast, and in PBH if you can get open a few feet in front of someone with the ball, you&rsquo;re in all alone. They said that I had one of the hardest shots and I said, fine, but a lot of guys will shoot really hard, but they won&rsquo;t hit the net. Obviously this means there&rsquo;s no chance of scoring. I shoot really hard, but I also always try to make sure that I hit the net, because this is the only way good things can happen.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01923/6890258-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="609" height="999"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vashi Nedomansky</figcaption></div>&ldquo;So I go for the two-pointers, as I&rsquo;ve got a good long shot and I&rsquo;m definitely trying to exploit this aspect of the game.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02642/6890251-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="189" height="175"></div><h2>Player Profile: Vashi Nedomansky</h2>Occupation: Hockey Player (Grand Rapids of the IHL;) Musician (guitarist and lead singer for the band Aqua Velvet;) Actor.Age: 26Status: Single.Favorite Moment in Inline Hockey: The entire Pro Beach Hockey experience.Greatest Accomplishment in Life: Just to get as far as I have in life. I&rsquo;m very happy with myself; I&rsquo;m independent; and to make it on your own is a good thing.Favorite Movie: I love Mafia movies, so I&rsquo;d say The Godfather. I also like anything with Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro in it.Favorite Athlete: Muhammad AliFavorite Food: JapaneseHobby Besides Hockey: I&rsquo;m a new-born actor and I just got into the actor&rsquo;s union and have been in a few movies. It&rsquo;s a lot of fun and acting relates a lot to sports with similarities such as preparation, dedication and mental focus.Future Goal: I skate on ice three or four times a week during the summer because I love to shoot the puck, so I&rsquo;d like to play another four or five years and then stay in L.A and make the cross over to either music or entertainment. &#9632;

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Nedomansky rocks for Heavy Metal

<div class="image-hero"><img title="c0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0129/6888507-1-eng-US/c0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vladimir Konstantinov flashes two fingers signifying back-to-back Stanley Cups. He&rsquo;s joined by fellow Russians, from left: Slava Fetisov, Dmitri Mironov, Slava Kozlov and Igor Larionov.</figcaption></div><h2>Detroit makes it two straight Cups</h2>1. Real Wing ding Scotty Bowman-coached Detroit worthy champion, sweeps Washington for second consecutive Stanley Cup.2. Steve Yzerman Detroit captain leads playoffs in scoring, wins Conn Smythe Trophy for outstanding all-round performance.3. Let&rsquo;s hear it for the Caps Sure they lost in four straight, but a year ago long-snakebitten Washington missed the playoffs.<h2>Frankly speaking, Senate seat odd</h2>1. Big M(istake) Frank Mahovlich a Senator? He was a wonderful hockey player-ranked No. 26 of all-time-but why has his country come calling?2. Yet another sweep boring Wave of NHL shutouts extends to Stanley Cup final for fourth straight season as Capitals latest team to go oh-for-four.3. Late date NHL headquarters has learned its lessons well; the traditional spring fling won&rsquo;t threaten to enter the summer season in 1999.<h2>PUBLISHING SCHEDULE</h2>The Hockey News next publishes July 3 with our Season in Review special issue (No. 39). It includes post-NHL entry draft coverage and everything you need to know about the onset of free agent season. Our annual statistics Mon issue (No. 40) is available on newsstands in early August. Weekly issues resume Aug. 21 (No. 41). The Hockey News (ISSN 0018-3016) July 3, 1998; Vol. 51, No. 38, is published weekly September through May (except subscription requests and address changes for last week in December); twice in June; and monthly in July and August. Single-copy price: $3.25. Subscription Rates: North America, $54.95 (plus $3.85 GST in Canada), Canadian requests, send to THN, 777 Bay St., -Suite 2700, Box 148, Toronto. Ont., M5G 2N1 (416-340-8000, 1-888-361-9768). U.S subscription requests and address changes should be mailed to Box 904, Buffalo. NY 14240-9554. Distribution: Canadian Publication Mail Registration No. 1327 paid at treal, PQ. In United States, periodical postage (No. 0579-540) paid at Buffalo, NY 14240-9544 and at an additional mailing office. &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<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/f0003-011677/6888538-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="368" height="496"></div>For Pete&rsquo;s sake, what&rsquo;s with the four-peat?The NHL has witnessed back-to-back-to-back-to-back sweeps in the Stanley Cup final. Three one-goal losses notwithstanding, the 1997-98 Washington Capitals have added to an ignominious streak for a league suddenly engulfed in a public relations nightmare. Plummeting TV ratings and goal-scoring, plus ongoing officiating, disciplinary and injury concerns, have undermined expected growth in NHL stature.A fourth consecutive sweep, and fifth in seven years, adds to the malaise. The Stanley Cup has morphed into the Super Bowl and the mid-summer classic (we&rsquo;re still talking about the Stanley Cup) has turned into the mid-summer mismatch. Plausible explanations for why this has come to pass are hard to come by. Commissioner Gary Bettman says he has his theories, but doesn&rsquo;t care to share them. The Hockey News doesn&rsquo;t share his reluctance.Here are some thoughts:&bull; The road to the final is so long and winding that some teams reach it in a fragile state emotionally unprepared to deal with setbacks. While it&rsquo;s true some teams are genuinely just happy to be there (or aren&rsquo;t even con-&ldquo;vinced they belong), others don&rsquo;t have the resolve to measure up against a motivated and talented opponent.&bull; Unfamiliarity with an opponent Stanley Cup finalists meet just twice during the regular season, hence specific battle-tested game plans are hard to conceive. Time for technical adjustments is minimal. Teams may not even know they have personnel shortcomings since they haven&rsquo;t had a proper chance to measure themselves against seldom-seen opponents.&bull; The two best teams in the NHL rarely meet The last time they did was in 1989 when the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens staged an entertaining six-game final. It&rsquo;s worth noting, however, the only seven-game final of the past 11 years was between the No. 1 seed (New York Rangers) and No. 14 (Vancouver Canucks) in 1994.&bull; The absence of malice. Hie 1995 Detroit Red Wings didn&rsquo;t hate the New Jersey Devils. The 1996 Florida Panthers didn&rsquo;t despise the Colorado Avalanche. The 1997 Philadelphia Flyers didn&rsquo;t loathe the Red Wings. The 1998 Capitals didn&rsquo;t detest the Detroit.The upshot: when things get tough, there is no reservoir of passion to pull teams out of tailspins. Had the Avalanche or Dallas Stars reached the final against the Red Wings, they would have reached deeply into their hearts of darkness to find the will to win at least one game. That, of course, is impossible because each conference must be represented.Some hockey people think that&rsquo;s a mistake and would consider re-seeding the final four teams to allow for the potential of intra-conference Stanley Cup finals. Don&rsquo;t count on it happening. The NHL has embraced the conference format and will be almost two separate leagues by the time it expands to 30 in 2000; inter-conference rivals will play each other only once per season.One of those with no interest in a final four reseeding, NHL vice-president Brian Burke, shoots down any talk of passion or motivation missing from the championship fight. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think an inducement exists on the face of the earth in the last two centuries greater than getting your name on the Cup,&rdquo; understates Burke. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how you can get guys more juiced up than that.&rdquo;It makes you wonder how good the finals would have been the past four years had the players performed with as much passion as Burke speaks. &#9632;

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FEATURES

Healthy hate needed in Stanley Cup

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021341/6888569-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boston&rsquo;s Tim Taylor is detected in the Washington crease, resulting in an overtime goal being disallowed. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>What if&hellip;?What if Esa Tikkanen scores on his breakaway in the third period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final? Surely the Washington Capitals would have evened the series at 1-1, but could they have won it all? Not likely, although it would have prevented a fourth consecutive sweep in the final. That miss tops the list of The Hockey News Plays of the Playoffs.1. Miss heard &rsquo;round the world Game 2, Washington at Detroit, June 11. Esa Tikkanen of the Capitals steals the puck in the neutral zone, moves in alone and freezes goalie Chris Osgood with a fake slapshot. Tikkanen cuts left and with nothing but open net staring him in the face, shoots wide. (See pg. SC-8 for picture.) A goal would have given the Caps a two-goal lead with time running out.2. Fedorov express Game 3, Detroit at Washington. June 13. Doug Brown makes a perfect bank pass off the boards to a streaking Fedorov in the neutral zone. The left-shooting Fedorov races into the Washington zone on the right side, cuts to the slot and, using Capitals&rsquo; defenseman Calle Johansson as a screen, fires a shot that beats Olaf Kolzig for the winning goal.3. Vlad to be back Game 4, Detroit at Washington, June 16. Fallen Wing Vladimir Konstantinov joins his ex-teammates on the ice in a wheelchair to take part in victory celebrations. After accepting the Stanley Cup, captain Steve Yzerman presents it to Konstantinov.4. Taylor-made rule Game 3, Washington at Boston, April 26. An apparent Bruins&rsquo; overtime winner is called back when evidence of Tim Taylor&rsquo;s DNA is found in the crease. Washington goes on to win the game and series. Plays like this prompt the NHL to change the shape of the crease for next season.5. Time stands still Game 2, St. Louis at Detroit, May 10. St. Louis defenseman Chris Pronger stops a Dmitri Mironov slapshot with his chest at 3:52 of the third period, takes a few strides, then crumples to the ice unconscious. Doctors say Pronger&rsquo;s heart stopped beating for a few moments.6. Presto! Game 5, Buffalo at Washington, June 2. Washington&rsquo;s Adam Oates is positioned beside the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; goal with nothing but mesh staring at him. He directs a backhander at the net when suddenly, from out of nowhere, Dominik Hasek&rsquo;s right arm appears and he angles the puck away with his blocker.7. Six pack Game 1, Los Angeles at St. Louis. April 23. Blues&rsquo; left winger Geoff Courtnall sets a team record with six points (one goal, five assists) in an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings.8. Ouch! Game 4, Dallas at Detroit, May 30. Dallas Stars&rsquo; goalie Ed Belfour lifts the blade end of his stick forcefully into the crotch of Detroit&rsquo;s Martin Lapointe, who has his back turned.9. Wounded knee Game I, San Jose at Dallas, April 22. Dallas center Joe Nieuwendyk is nailed to the end boards with a clean hit by San Jose defenseman Bryan Marchment. Nieuwendyk injures his knee and is knocked out of the playoffs.10. L-o-o-o-o-o-n-g shot scores Game 3 Detroit at St. Louis, May 12. With Detroit holding a 2-1 lead, St. Louis defenseman Al Maclnnis beats Chris Osgood with a slapshot from center ice. A Brendan Shanahan goal in double OT gives Detroit the win.11. Whiff Game 5 Detroit at Dallas, June 3. With the score tied 2-2 in overtime, Jamie Langenbrunner of Dallas takes a slapshot from center that is travelling wide of the Detroit net until Osgood directs in his own goal.12. Low point Game 6, Colorado at Edmonton, April 26. Edmonton coach Ron Low reacts to Marc Crawford sending his thugs out late in the game by offering a one-fingered salute to the Colorado coach.13. Major boo-boo Game 3, St. Louis at Los Angeles, April 27. After Geoff Courtnail of the Blues and Kings&rsquo; goalie Jamie Storr collide, L. A. defenseman Sean O&rsquo;Donnell jumps Courtnall. O&rsquo;Donnell serves a five minute major, which allows St. Louis to score four power play goals in 3:07 to erase 3-0 deficit en route to a 4-3 win.14. Bad actor Game 3, Dallas at Detroit. May 29. Dallas goalie Ed Belfour is nudged by Detroit&rsquo;s Martin Lapointe and flops to the ice in an attempt to draw a penalty. Referee Terry Gregson doesn&rsquo;t bite and while Belfour scrambles to get back to his net. Lapointe scores an insurance goal to halt a Stars&rsquo; comeback bid.15. Tikk-Whack-Woe Game 2, Buffalo at Washington, May 25. Buffalo&rsquo;s Matthew Barnaby directs a shot at the Washington net with the home side up by a goal. Capitals&rsquo; forward Esa Tikkanen redirects the puck between Olaf Koizig&rsquo;s legs to force overtime. &#9632;

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Caps’ open net miss-ery

<div class="byline">-Mark Brender</div>Trevor Linden couldn&rsquo;t ask for a more peaceful environment as he begins his tenure as president of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.The NHL and NHLPA recently extended the collective bargaining agreement through the 2003-2004 season, ensuring labor peace for the next six years. That&rsquo;s a far cry from the acrimony into which Mike Gartner was thrust when he was elected president in 1993. A year earlier, the players held a 10-day strike just prior to the playoffs. In 1994, Gartner was in the middle of lockout negotiations that threatened to wipe out the 1994-95 season.Linden says there are no pressing big picture issues to deal with, just big shoes to fill.&ldquo;I think Mike provided great leadership,&rdquo; Linden said. &ldquo;He did a wonderful job and put in a lot of time and is someone everyone had a lot of respect for.&rdquo;Linden was elected by a vote of team player representatives in Atlanta June 18. Vice-presidents re-elected to their positions are Guy Carbonneau of the Dallas Stars, Adam Graves of the New York Rangers and Ken Baumgartner of the Boston Bruins. Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; defenseman Rob Blake was elected for the first time.Gartner had been involved with the NHLPA for the past 15 years as a team rep, vice-president and president.&ldquo;Certainly when you look back at the strike of 1992 and the lockout in 1994, being the president of the players&rsquo; association (vice-president in 1992) is a pretty hot seat to be in,&rdquo; Gartner said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s invaluable experience that I&rsquo;ve gained.&rdquo;Gartner said he felt angry and embarrassed by the Alan Eagleson revelations, but said the association has come a long way since current executive director Bob Goodenow took over in 1991.In the past four years, the average NHL salary has climbed from $492,000 (U.S) in 1993-94 to an expected $1.2 million for the 1997-98 season. &#9632;

LEAGUES/DEPARTMENTS

Linden takes over from Gartner as NHLPA president

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div>WASHINGTON-Seven years after making goal-crease infringement a high priority, the NHL believes it finally has a workable system that will reduce or eliminate the crease chaos.&ldquo;We think so,&rsquo;&rsquo; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said after an NHL GMs meeting June 16. &ldquo;We hope so.&rdquo;If so, hallelujah.As previously reported in The Hockey News, GMs recommended a two-pronged approach to increase the effectiveness of the crease policy:1. Reconfigure the shape of the crease by decreasing its width from 12 feet to eight, which is what it was before a 1991 rule change that introduced the semi-circular shaded area. The arc of the crease remains intact.2. Allow the video review official in the press box to automatically review every goal for a crease violation and call down to the referee to let him know if a player preceded the puck into the crease. The referee will be permitted final say.&ldquo;It has a real good chance to work,&rdquo; said Boston Bruins&rsquo; GM Harry Sinden.&ldquo;By reducing the width, no one is going to be unhappy with zero tolerance.&rdquo;The added authority for the video review official should provide greater consistency, which was lacking this past season when referees were directed to rely more on their own judgment. Some did; some didn&rsquo;t.The only other GMs&rsquo; recommendation, which will be taken to the board of governors June 25 for what should be a rubber-stamp formal endorsement, is moving the goal-line out an additional two feet from the boards.The neutral zone will decrease by four feet to permit more room behind the net to set up offensively.&ldquo;We also think extra room behind the net will discourage most goaltenders from coming out to play the puck and that will result in more puck battles and a greater inducement to forecheck aggressively,&rdquo; said NHL senior vice-president Brian Burke.In a related move, the NHL will experiment with eliminating the red line (except for icing) during some pre-season games.There was no formal recommendation on moving to a two-referee system, but the expectation is the concept will be experimented with on a limited basis in 1998-99.An undetermined number of games-probably 10 or fewer, equal for each team and none played later than March 1&mdash;is likely to have a two-referee, two-linesman system.&ldquo;We think the two-referee system is the way of the future.&rdquo; said Burke, who suggested shorter games, fewer penalties, better-quality officiating and prolonged careers for officials will be the net result.But the NHL isn&rsquo;t prepared at this time to fully forge ahead.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s feasible,&rdquo; said NHL Officials&rsquo; Association president Terry Gregson, &ldquo;but 1&rsquo;11 be interested in bringing the philosophical and the practical together to see how it&rsquo;s going to be done.&rdquo;Bettman also indicated-before, during and after the GMs&rsquo; meeting-the league intends to impose stiffer suspensions for deliberate stick and elbow fouls to the head. No minimum standards were set.&ldquo;It was well received.&rdquo; Bettman said of the GMs&rsquo; reaction.But the NHL Players&rsquo; Association, represented at the meeting by associate counsel Ian Pulver, had reservations.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had a good track record in co-operation with Brian Burke on supplementary discipline,&rdquo; Pulver said, &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s our belief supplementary discipline should be handled on a case by case basis.&rdquo;The NHLPA also objected to a proposal that players should have to tightly fasten their helmet chin straps. New York Rangers&rsquo; GM Neil Smith said he wants maximum protection for all players, especially with the increasing prevalence of head injuries.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not saying we&rsquo;re necessarily opposed to the (chin strap) rule,&rdquo; Pulver said. &ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t believe the league should unilaterally change rules without the input of the players.&rdquo;Anti-tie measures were also discussed, but won&rsquo;t be pursued. There was talk about awarding three points for a regulation time win. two points for an overtime win and one point to any team that ties or loses in overtime.. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not quite ready for that yet, although it is interesting,&rdquo; said New Jersey Devils&rsquo; GM Lou Lamoriello. &ldquo;It requires a lot more study. Let&rsquo;s be careful about making changes.&rdquo;Burke said everyone agrees fewer ties is an admirable goal-there were 330 last season (15.5 per cent of all games played), a 15 per-cent increase from 13.5 percent in 1996-97.&ldquo;We all agree more wins and fewer ties would be good, but we don&rsquo;t know if (the three-point game) is the way to go,&rdquo; Burke said.The GMs made five rule-change recommendations at an earlier meeting in February that will go to the board for approval June 25. They include:&bull; If the goalie leaves his crease on a potential icing and doesn&rsquo;t play the puck, the icing will be waved off.&bull; Any premature substitution of a skater or goaltender by another skater would result in a stoppage and faceoff at center. A too-many-men penalty may still be called in the event of a mistaken substitution.&bull; An automatic game misconduct penalty will be assessed to a player receiving a kneeing major.&bull; Player sweater numbers may only range from No. 1 to No. 99 (no 0, 00. three-digit numbers or decimals).&bull; A player who comes on the ice from the bench on a legal line change and starts an altercation is subject to supplementary discipline as opposed to the old automatic 10-game suspension. &#9632;

GMs agree to re-design crease

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>Two days after being a member of the Stanley Cup finalists, goalie Bill Ranford moved to the NHL&rsquo;s weakest team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.For Ranford, 31, that means a chance to play regularly again. He played just 22 games for the Washington Capitals in 1997-98, forced to the sidelines due to injuries and the emergence of Olaf Koizig.The Lightning acquired Ranford June 18 during a 48-hour trading window given all teams after the completion of the playoffs and the freezing of rosters in preparation for the June 26 expansion draft. The Capitals receive Tampa Bay&rsquo;s third round pick this year and a second round pick in 1999.Seven other trades were made during the two-day period. They include:&bull; The Calgary Flames traded forwards German Titov and Todd Hlush-ko to the Pittsburgh Penguins for goalie Ken Wregget and winger Dave Roche.&bull; The Penguins traded winger Josef Beranek to the Edmonton Oilers for center Tony Hrkac and defenseman Bobby Delias.&bull; The Oilers traded left wing prospect Mike Watt to the New York Islanders for goalie Eric Fichaud.&bull; The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim traded center J.F. Jomphe to the Phoenix Coyotes for winger Jim McKenzie.&bull; The Coyotes traded center Craig Janney to Tampa Bay for left winger Louie DeBrusk and a fifth round draft pick in 1998.&bull; New Jersey Devils traded defenseman Doug Bodger to the Los Angeles Kings for a fourth round draft pick in 1998.&bull; The Buffalo Sabres traded goalie Steve Shields and a fourth round draft pick in 1998 to the San Jose Sharks for goalie Kay Whitmore and a second round pick in 1998.RATINGS FALL: TV ratings for the four-game Cup final were down 33 per cent on CBC&rsquo;s Hockey Night in Canada and 35 per cent on ESPN for its three final series games from a year ago.CBC drew an average of 1.38 million viewers for the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; four-game sweep over the Washington Capitals, compared to 2.08 million in 1996-97, when the Wings disposed of the Philadelphia Flyers. ESPN drew a 2.6 rating (1.9 million homes) compared to 4.1 a year earlier (2.9 million homes).Playoff ratings overall were down about 30 per cent on both networks and on Fox. &#9632;

Ranford lands in Tampa

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>If Mark Crawford coaches in the NHL next year, the Colorado Avalanche will be compensated with a draft pick and cash. If he doesn&rsquo;t, Crawford will receive the $850,000 salary that remained on his contract before the coach and the team parted ways May 27.That&rsquo;s the essence of the deal worked out between the two parties and their representatives June 19 at NHL offices in New York, preventing commissioner Gary Bettman from having to make a ruling on the dispute.Colorado will receive either a first or second round draft pick (no years specified) plus cash if Crawford signs on with another team. The exact pick and amount of cash depends on the performance of Crawford&rsquo;s new club.As part of the agreement, both sides must agree on the specific performance criteria before Crawford accepts a new job. In that case, the Avalanche is off the hook for any portion of Crawford&rsquo;s salary.NEW CANADA COACH: Mike Johnston signed a four-year contract to coach Canada&rsquo;s national men&rsquo;s team.Johnston, 41, remains the team&rsquo;s GM. He replaces Andy Murray who resigned to pursue other opportunities.WHA REUNION: As part of its 25year reunion, the World Hockey Association is identifying its &rsquo;40 Most Notable Players.&rsquo;Chairman Ralph Backstrom, a former WHA player, is responsible for forming a selection committee. The 25year reunion is Sept. 10-13 in Mashantucket. Conn. &#9632;

Crawford due his pay

For all those Chris Osgood critics out there, I have just three words: Oz-zie! Oz-zie! Oz-zie!This Cup is for you, Chris.John R, Qualls,&nbsp;Grand Rapids, Mich.<h2>Safe bet, THN</h2>I would just like to remind The Hockey News of its prediction in the 1997-98 Yearbook.Does a picture of Sergei Fedorov holding the Stanley Cup high over his head with the words, &ldquo;Why the Wings won&rsquo;t repeat&rdquo; ring a bell?Yet when I saw THN&rsquo;s odds for this year&rsquo;s playoffs I noticed the words, &ldquo;Red Wings again&rdquo; boldly written across the top of the page.Ted Lubin,&nbsp;Deerfield, Mass.<h2>You&rsquo;re losing me</h2>I recently read a newspaper story concerning the state of hockey on network television. The point was that sports fans will watch the World Series, Super Bowl and National Basketball Association final even if their favorite teams are not playing. This is not the case with the Stanley Cup final.So, what has to happen to change this? Big-name stars and drastic rule changes. I have been a hockey fan for 30 years. I have enjoyed watching games until recent years.Several years ago, coaches started using defenses to stop players such as Mario Lemieux, Pavel Bure and Wayne Gretzky from scoring 70 and 80 goals a year. Watching these guys play their game before the holding and obstruction, traps and locks, was truly exciting.Until the excitement of great goal scoring by great goal scorers is back in the game, hockey will never be watched by the masses on network TV. I love the sport of hockey, but I am slowly losing interest. Do you get it NHL? A fan of 30 years losing interest! How will you attract new fans if this is the case?Bob Clarke (no relation),&nbsp;West Orange, N.J.<h2>Thanks, Jacques</h2>I would like to take this opportunity to thank former New Jersey Devils&rsquo; coach Jacques Lemaire.Thank you for bringing credibility and respectability to the franchise. Thank you for bringing a sense of stability where there was none. But most of all, thank you for bringing a Stanley Cup to New Jersey.Michael DiTolla,&nbsp;Maywood, N.J.<h2>Take a stand</h2>Ed Belfour&rsquo;s stickwork on Martin Lapointe in the Western Conference final was the worst thing I&rsquo;ve seen in hockey since the Claude Lemieux hit on Kris Draper.The league must stand up and make an example of players such as Belfour. Some players apparently have lost sight of the fact it is a privilege, not a right, to play in the NHL.Derek Jenny,&nbsp;Uoydminster, Sask.<h2>Same old story</h2>Ed Belfour had a stellar regular season, but once again could not come up with the big save when his team needed it the most.I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;m not the only Chicago Blackhawks&rsquo; fan who had bad flashbacks watching him play against the Detroit Red Wings.John Sheppard,&nbsp;Lincoln Park, N.J.<h2>What&rsquo;s the deal?</h2>Why doesn&rsquo;t the NHL get all the referees together and tell them how to call the player-in-the-crease infraction?In Game 3 of the first round series between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins, the Bruins had an overtime goal called back because Tim Taylor was in the crease. But in Game 5 of the Dallas Stars-San Jose Sharks first round series, the referee didn&rsquo;t even go upstairs after Mike Modano scored while Jamie Langen-brunner had both feet in the crease.San Jose went on to lose the game, and arguably the series, as a result. Clearly, it&rsquo;s time for some clarification.Travis Lidstone,&nbsp;Winfield, Alta.<h2>Small wonders</h2>All this talk about the NHL talent pool being watered down is ridiculous. There are plenty of highly skilled players out there in the American and International Leagues who have been passed over in favor of 6-foot-6, 235-pound behemoths.Until teams realize that big and tough is not always better, we will continue to see less skilled players lumbering up the ice, unable to score or make a tape-to-tape pass.Year after year, we continue to see smaller players lead the minors in scoring, only to get passed over for bigger, tougher teammates. Give the skilled players a chance to make the game more exciting.Patrick Andersen,&nbsp;Concord, Mass.Fax us your comments at&nbsp;(416) 340-1641&nbsp;or 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., 14240-9947. E-mail us at <a href="mailto:camphellk-@transcontinental.ca">camphellk-@transcontinental.ca</a> Include home and business phone numbers.&nbsp;THN&nbsp;reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

Osgood muted his critics in Cun final

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011800/6888751-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div><h2>What you need to know about the 1997-98 season</h2>Hockey lieutenant I NHL commissioner Gary Bettman thought he had his new right hand hockey man all set last month, but then the New York Islanders offered Mike Milbury a lucrative five-year package to stay on as coach-GM and that was that. Bettman&rsquo;s search continues.Hockey lieutenant II Former Ranger coach Colin Campbell is still considered a candidate for the position, although if he&rsquo;s more interested in coaching, he will be considered to succeed the fired Pierre Page in Anaheim.Hockey lieutenant III Bettman&rsquo;s search for a senior vice-president is necessary because the man who currently holds the position. Brian Burke, is more than likely to leave the NHL when his contract expires July 1. Burke is awaiting word on whether he&rsquo;ll get a GM&rsquo;s job in Vancouver or Atlanta. He had received permission from the NHL to apply for those jobs. The only scenario where he might stay would be if no suitable replacement is found and Burke doesn&rsquo;t set another job.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021232/6888744-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="399" height="623"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Milbury</figcaption></div>Just Ducky Ex-Ranger coach Campbell&rsquo;s name was one of the first circulated as a candidate to replace Page, but there will be a host of others, including Moe Mantha, who coached the Ducks&rsquo; farm team in Cincinnati last season. Marc Crawford&rsquo;s name was also mentioned, but it&rsquo;s doubtful Disney would pay the big bucks to get him.Cramped quarters The MCI Center in Washington earned rave reviews during the SC playoffs as a highly-functional facility in every way but one. The visitors&rsquo; dressing room is only slightly larger than a broom closet. What were they thinking? &#9632;

f0006-01

THE HOCKEY NEWS’ PUCK PRIMER

<div class="byline">By Rick Mayoh</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011636/6888782-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">New Senator Frank Mahovlich chats with Liberal Senator Lucie Pepin. (Photo by Canapress)</figcaption></div>Peter Mahovlich Sr. emigrated from Croatia to become a lumbeijack and later a Timmins, Ont., miner for 25 years. He then sharpened skates at Toronto&rsquo;s Leaside Arena.&ldquo;My (late) parents would be unbelievably proud right now, absolutely beside themselves,&rdquo; said Peter Mahovlich Jr., a 16-year former NHLer, as his Hall of Fame brother Frank became the first hockey player to be sworn in as a senator on Parliament Hill in Ottawa June 15.&ldquo;One of the chaps in there was telling me I may die in there,&rdquo; said Frank Mahovlich, 60, of Unionville, Ont., his eyes laughing after his first Senate session as a Liberal representing Ontario. &ldquo;One chap went on for 45 minutes and we couldn&rsquo;t do anything about it&hellip;but he had a few good points.&rdquo;So why was the &rsquo;Big M&rsquo; chosen to be a senator?Mahovlich beat out Bobby Hull for the Calder Trophy as the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie in 1958, won four Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs, two with the Montreal Canadiens and is fourth in career scoring among NHL left wingers with 533 goals and 1,103 points. Known for his swooping attack, bullet shot and effortless skating, many expected even more from him.But Mahovlich said he is as mystified as other people why Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed him, prompting quips about left wingers and the Ottawa Senators.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t explain any of it,&rdquo; said Mahovlich, one of five senators appointed June 11. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just honored and thrilled and I&rsquo;m going to do the best job I can. Three days a week, I&rsquo;ll be in Ottawa.&rdquo;Mahovlich says he is interested in investigating the plight of struggling Canadian sports franchises.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to say much now,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a rookie again. I&rsquo;m just going to take it one day at time and see what I can offer.&rdquo;Unlike the United States Senate, the Canadian Senate is largely symbolic. It was created to protect regional and minority interests and act as a watchdog on the House of Commons. Most bills originate in the Commons and go to the Senate for concurrence, though few are vetoed or amended.More politically neutral than the Commons, the Senate investigates social and economic issues through its committees and handles private members bills. Senators must be 30, a subject of the Queen, have an estate worth $4,000, own property worth $4,000 and live in the province represented.The Senate usually sits about 70 days a year. Senators receive a $64,000 annual salary and a $10,000 office allowance and must retire at 75.Because its members are not elected, the Senate has been a source of controversy since 1867.Just hours before the new senators were named, a campaign to abolish the Senate was announced by New Democrat Member of Parliament Lome Nystrom and Liberal MP Roger Gallaway. The Liberals also are under heavy fire from the opposition Reform party, which wants an elected Senate.&ldquo;You tend to appoint a couple of, you know, great Canadians and slip in a few bagmen and fundraisers while you&rsquo;re at it,&rdquo; Reform spokesman Jim Armour told The Toronto Star.&ldquo;The opposition gets paid to say stuff like that,&rdquo; said Peter Donolo, Chretien&rsquo;s communications director. &ldquo;The Prime Minister is a huge supporter of the national sport. He knows how it is a reflection of our country.&rdquo;Carleton University political science professor David Dyment said the Senate is used to rewarding &ldquo;behind-the-scenes party warhorses.&ldquo;They try and create a greater sense of legitimacy (for the Senate) by appointing people like Frank Mahovlich. In appointing five Senators at once, the big news is Frank Mahovlich. It&rsquo;s my impression maybe 20 per cent of the senators take it seriously and make it their life&rsquo;s work.&rdquo;Mahovlich&rsquo;s 22-year pro career ended in 1978. He owned a travel agency from 1967 to 1988 and owns Big M Promotions, through which he arranges personal appearances. He received the Order of Canada in 1994.He says his political experience consists of being Toronto teammate Red Kelly&rsquo;s roommate for seven years. Kelly was elected to the Commons twice as a Liberal in 1962 and 1963. Former Leaf Howie Meeker was a Conservative MP for one term in 1951. Chretien asked Montreal great Jean Beliveau to become Governor-General in 1994 but Beliveau declined, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.&ldquo;Who is better qualified than Frank?&rdquo; asked Carl Brewer, just after his longtime friend and Toronto teammate was sworn in.&ldquo;He speaks to both solitudes through the Maple Leafs and Canadiens and is loved by French and English. He&rsquo;s honest. That will be a unique thing here.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s far better to choose a hockey player for a change instead of another lawyer. The only dilemma I have now is I don&rsquo;t know whether to call him &rsquo;Senator Big M&rsquo;, &rsquo;Big M Senator&rsquo; or &rsquo;Big Senator M.&rsquo; &ldquo; &#9632;

f0007-01

‘Bia M’ a Senator?

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011692/6888820-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="412" height="581"></div>Ted Nolan is convinced he&rsquo;s being blacklisted.The NHL&rsquo;s coach of the year for 1996-97 has not received so much as one interview for a head coaching position since he turned down a one-year contract offer from the Buffalo Sabres last summer.During the 1997-98 season, six teams changed coaches. Nolan was offered the job as coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning when Terry Crisp was fired, but said he was given just 24 hours to make his decision and wasn&rsquo;t comfortable under those circumstances. He was not a candidate for the other five positions. Since the end of the regular season, coaches for four more teams have either been fired or quit and the Toronto Maple Leafs could make it five. Still no interviews for Nolan.Nolan said he had one telephone interview with New York Islanders&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Milbury, and while he is satisfied it went well, there was no mention of the position for which he was interviewing. He said June 17 it was definitely not for the head coaching position.&ldquo;Why have there been no interviews?&rdquo; Nolan wondered. &ldquo;(Being blacklisted) has certainly crossed my mind. I keep reading in the papers that I&rsquo;m a candidate for this job and that job, but that&rsquo;s all it is, a rumor in the papers. I don&rsquo;t get it. &ldquo;The answer to Nolan&rsquo;s question is really quite simple. Rightly or wrongly, he has been branded a GM killer. And in a compact world where, in the majority of cases, the GM is the one who hires the coach, that is not a good thing. Nolan is being held responsible in many circles for the firing of Sabres&rsquo; GM John Muckier, an accomplished hockey man with a lot of friends in the business.To which Nolan replies: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s ridiculous, I didn&rsquo;t get Muckier fired. A second-year coach doesn&rsquo;t have that kind of power.&rdquo;To refresh your memory, Nolan was at the helm of the Sabres for two years and in 1996-97 directed their ride to the top of the Northeast Division. For that, he was named the NHL&rsquo;s top coach.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021306/6888813-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="547" height="959"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ted Nolan</figcaption></div>At the same time he teuoea openly with Muckier and superstar goalie Dominik Hasek. Muckier was fired and Nolan, who was extremely popular with his players-with the notable exception of Hasek-and the fans, was offered a one-year contract for $400,000. That was a $100,000 raise from the previous year.&ldquo;I get a call at nine in the morning from Darcy Regier (who replaced Muckier) and he says there&rsquo;s a press conference scheduled for 10 and they&rsquo;re going to announce they&rsquo;ve offered me a one-year deal,&rdquo; Nolan said. &ldquo;We never even discussed it. It was just a ploy on their part. A couple of weeks later they give Lindy Ruff a three-year deal. As far as I&rsquo;m concerned the writing was on the wall.&rdquo;A former NHLer who played 78 games with the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins, Nolan coached the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds for six seasons and led them to the Memorial Cup in 1993-94 before joining the Hartford Whalers as an assistant coach the following year. A year | later he got the job I with the Sabres Nolan is known as a I strong motivator.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great coach,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; right winger Matthew Barnaby. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a joke he&rsquo;s not coaching in the NHL.&rdquo;Nolan said the notion he is difficult to work with is wrong. He points out he is a two-time winner of the Citizen of the Year award in the Soo, was awarded the Order of Ontario in 1994, was given one of 12 aboriginal achievement awards two years later and was also presented an honorary degree from Niagara College for his work with youths.&ldquo;People who don&rsquo;t work well with others don&rsquo;t receive those kinds of honors,&rdquo; Nolan said.Still, GMs are afraid of him.&ldquo;One of the criteria for being a (head) coach is you have to be able to work with management,&rdquo; said one NHL GM who had a coaching opening, but did not consider Nolan to fill it. &ldquo;Somehow he has to get an ally and prove to that person he can be trusted to work with him.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-01

COLUMNISTS

Ex-coach wonders why calls not coming

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03958/6888851-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Morris Titanic&rsquo;s NHL career didn&rsquo;t take off, but his name sure did. (Photo by Bill Wippert)</figcaption></div>He sees his name in newspapers daily. It&rsquo;s on marquees everywhere, getting higher billing than even Leonardo DiCaprio.Critics have been raving for months. It was a virtual clean sweep at the celebration of excellence.His name is unforgettable. It conjures an image of flawed invincibility. It rolls off the tongue with a chill.He&rsquo;s Titanic. Morris Titanic.In a year when Titanic is the talk of the entertainment industry, Morris Titanic walks through downtown Buffalo in obscurity.He&rsquo;s a 45-year-old salesman for a large commercial printing company, but there was a time when Titanic left dock christened to be a future star for the Buffalo Sabres.Titanic was a 20-year-old scoring port sider for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Sudbury Wolves when the Sabres selected him 12th overall in the 1973 amateur draft. The Toronto native was expected to be another piece of a growing puzzle assembled by Sabres&rsquo; GM Punch Imlach.Buffalo&rsquo;s first pick the previous year was Jim Schoenfeld. Richard Martin was the Sabres&rsquo; first rounder in 1971, Gilbert Perreault in the 1970 draft.&ldquo;There are big expectations from a first rounder,&rdquo; Titanic said. &ldquo;Especially when (Buffalo&rsquo;s) past first rounders made such huge contributions.&rdquo;Titanic played 17 games in his rookie season of 1974-75. Back problems curtailed his second season and complications following back surgery all but ended his pro career. A spinal fusion operation forced him to go through two years of rehabilitation. He never played in the NHL again.Titanic&rsquo;s zero-filled NHL statistical line looks eerily like a bunch of icebergs bobbing side-by-side in the Atlantic Ocean: 19 games played, zero goals, zero assists, zero points, zero penalty minutes.After a few seasons in the minor leagues, Titanic tore up his knee and his playing career was over at 27. He dabbled in coaching at the Jr. B level before putting on a business suit in 1985.Titanic&rsquo;s only connection to the most successful motion picture ever is that he went to go see it one night in late April. Imagine the huge symbolism that went unnoticed in the theatre when, while taking a sip of soda, Titanic slammed his mouth shut on an incoming piece of ice.&ldquo;It was a great movie, I loved it,&rdquo; Titanic said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to have a cut of that pie.&rdquo;Unfortunately, Titanic is not due any royalties from the movie. That doesn&rsquo;t stop the sideways glances Titanic gets when he introduces himself or when cashiers process his credit card.&ldquo;Some people think it&rsquo;s a joke at first,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good for a chuckle.&rdquo;The name is Ukrainian. Titanic&rsquo;s father emigrated to Toronto with his parents as a child. Morris isn&rsquo;t the only Titanic with a hockey background. His cousin, Paul, coached the University of Toronto from 1985-86 to 1994-95.&ldquo;There aren&rsquo;t many Titanics out there,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;I saw a list once. There were maybe 12 in all of North America.&rdquo;Titanic still considers himself a moderate hockey fan. The company he works for prints the Sabres&rsquo; magazine and he regularly gets together with a dozen or so former Sabres for informal skates.He watched the Sabres on television during their successful playoff march and may or may not watch the 1998 NHL entry draft in Buffalo June 27.&ldquo;The draft is a big deal now, but it sure wasn&rsquo;t when I went in the first round,&rdquo; Titanic said. &ldquo;I was working at a gas station in Niagara Falls on draft day. My ex-landlady came over and told me Buffalo picked me 12th overall.&ldquo;The next thing you know I&rsquo;m on the telephone with Punch Imlach and he&rsquo;s asking me how much money I want.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0008-03

Titanic struggle

<div class="byline">By Rick Sadowski</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011605/6888882-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="413" height="580"></div>When commissioner Gary Bettman presented the Stanley Cup to Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic in 1996, it was supposed to signal the beginning of a new era in hockey, the birth of a dynasty in Denver.The Avalanche had everything: two superstar centers in Sakic and Peter Forsberg; playoff-proven performers like Claude Lemieux; an enforcer who could actually skate and score in Chris Simon; gritty leaders in Mike Keane and Mike Ricci; a deep defense; and a great goalie in Patrick Roy.The Avalanche was led by Pierre Lacroix, a GM who wasn&rsquo;t afraid to make bold moves, and Marc Crawford, perhaps the best young coach in the NHL.Two years later, the arch-rival Detroit Red Wings are celebrating their second championship in a row while the Avalanche appears to be in a state of confusion if not disarray.Crawford is gone, having rejected Lacroix&rsquo;s offer of a new two-year contract in late May, three weeks after the Avalanche blew a 3-1 series lead to the Edmonton Oilers and was knocked out in the first round.The questions with the on-ice product start with age. One defense, Alexei Gusarov turns 34 this summer and Sylvain Lefebvre 31. Uwe Krupp, who turns 33, becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1 and probably will sign elsewhere.Up front, Jari Kurri, 37, is retiring-a year too late. Lemieux will be 33 and Valeri Kamensky 32. Warren Rychel, acquired from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the trading deadline for promising center Josef Marha, will be 31. Tom Fitzgerald, for whom the Avalanche gave up hotshot prospect Mark Parrish, turns 30 and will be an unrestricted free agent.Even Roy, who was so-so in the playoffs, will be 33.Lacroix does have four No. 1 picks-none in the top 10-to use or dangle as trade bait, but he won&rsquo;t be able to nab the player he really wants, talented center Vincent Lecavalier.Crawford still hasn&rsquo;t explained why he wanted out, only to say he found himself at a &ldquo;crossroads&rdquo; in his career and was looking for &ldquo;new challenges,&rdquo; as if reviving an Avalanche team gone sour won&rsquo;t be a formidable task in itself.Publicly, Crawford has said nothing but nice things about Lacroix, who hired him as Quebec Nordiques&rsquo; coach in 1994. But the two aren&rsquo;t exactly pals and Crawford presumably will demand more authority with whichever team he eventually winds up.Lacroix said he was &ldquo;shocked and stunned&rdquo; by Crawford&rsquo;s decision, yet it took him less than a week to replace him with Hershey Bears&rsquo; coach Bob Hartley without interviewing any other candidates.Four years behind the same bench is an eternity in the NHL, especially when the GM and coach have egos the size of some Rocky Mountain peaks. And despite Crawford&rsquo;s protests to the contrary, some players began to tune him out in the 1997 playoffs.Preceding Crawford from Denver were forwards Keane, Simon and Ricci, all of whom were dispatched for economic reasons. Lacroix tried but failed to replace all three. It also hurt when assistant coaches Jacques Martin (Ottawa Senators) and Joel Quenneville (St. Louis Blues) left for head-coaching jobs a year apart.Keane signed with the New York Rangers last summer after becoming an unrestricted free agent. Lacroix&rsquo;s mistake was allowing him to become a free agent in the first place. The Avalanche attempted to reacquire Keane at the trading deadline, but was outbid by the Dallas Stars.Simon, good enough to play on Sakic&rsquo;s line, was humiliated by Crawford at a practice during the 1996 playoffs; Crawford didn&rsquo;t think Simon was playing tough enough. When Simon became involved in a contract dispute, Lacroix sent him and popular defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn to the Washington Capitals early in 1996-97 for a first-round pick and forward Keith Jones, who had a fine season before blowing out his knee in the 1997 playoffs.Ricci, the Avalanche&rsquo;s most popular member with fans and a team leader, was traded to the San Jose Sharks last November for a first-round pick and forward Shean Donovan, who hardly played and accomplished nothing when he did.The lack of depth was especially evident in the playoffs, when the team&rsquo;s offense dried up as soon as Forsberg, Lemieux and Sandis Ozolinsh stopped scoring. Sakic was average, and the team that once boasted four strong lines got zip from the third and fourth units. Nor did the team get a single goal from a defenseman.As for next year, Forsberg, Sakic and Roy will ensure the Avalanche is competitive, but it sure doesn&rsquo;t look like a team that can challenge the Wings for the Stanley Cup. Two years ago, that would have seemed preposterous. &#9632;

f0009-01

How the Avalanche missed out on dynasty

<div class="byline">By Cynthia Lambert</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011666/6888913-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="170" height="168"></div>The Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; mantra all season long was, &rsquo;Believe.&rsquo;Believe that both defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov and masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov would recover enough from last year&rsquo;s limousine crash to enjoy a reasonable quality of life.Believe that all the tragedy that hit the team six days after they won the Stanley Cup last season would be replaced by happier memories this season.But when 1.2 million Detroit hockey fans showed up for the Stanley Cup parade June 18 in downtown Mo-town-200,000 more than last summer-the scene bordered on unbelievable.As the parade wound through the streets, fans chanted players&rsquo; nicknames and ogled the Cup. Then, at the Hart Plaza rally, fans saw Konstantinov, with the assistance of defenseman Slava Fetisov and trainer John Wharton, walk across the stage.One year ago, doctors questioned whether Konstantinov would survive, let alone walk or talk. But he partook in the Detroit celebration, beginning with attending Game 4 at the MCI Center, celebrating in the dressing room afterward and then attending the parade. Mnatsakanov, paralyzed from the waist down, also attended the parade and rally-After Konstantinov walked across the stage, Wharton, stepped up to the microphone. &ldquo;Next year,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;Vlady will walk across this stage by himself.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Within minutes of winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup, Wings&rsquo; players were already talking about plans for the future. &ldquo;We were talking on the ice after, saying, &rsquo;Let&rsquo;s go for three now,&rsquo; &ldquo;said defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. Captain Steve Yzerman seconded that at the parade. &ldquo;Somehow, I don&rsquo;t think anyone is going to be satisfied with two,&rdquo; he told the mass of fans&hellip;Two days after winning the Cup, GM Ken Holland picked up the one-year option (at $1.1 million) on defenseman Jamie Macoun&rsquo;s contract. Macoun, one of Detroit&rsquo;s brightest playoff surprises along with left winger Tomas Holmstrom, played in every playoff game. He was acquired from Toronto at the trading deadline. &#9632;

f0010-01

Massive Stanley Cup rally joyous end to heady wear

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04521/6888989-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vladimir Konstantinov glowed when Red Wings&rsquo; captain Steve Yzerman handed him the Stanley Cup.</figcaption></div>Forget the unimportant stuff. The two goals by Doug Brown in the Detroit Red Wings easy Game 4 victory that clinched the Stanley Cup. The mushy-soft goaltending by the Washington Capitals&rsquo; playoff hero. Olaf Kolzig. Joe Juneau&rsquo;s complaining that some of the Caps were not giving their all in the Stanley Cup final.None of those moments matter, not when compared to what happened the night of June 16 when injured Detroit defenseman Vladimir Konstantinov was rolled onto the ice in his wheelchair, flashed a V for victory sign and was given the Stanley Cup. How many times do you see players from the losing team congratulate someone who didn&rsquo;t play a shift the entire series? How many times do you see a crowd stand up and applaud the visiting team after it has blown out the local heroes in four games? How often does a team win a title ant say it means everything and nothing?As captain Steve Yzerman stood on the Detroit bench with two minutes remaining in the final period, teammate Brendan Shanahan asked two key questions, &ldquo;Who are you going to give the Cup to?&rdquo; and &ldquo;What if Vladdie&rsquo;s here?&rdquo;Said Yzerman: &ldquo;I said, &rsquo;If (Konstantinov) is here, absolutely.&rsquo; 1 didn&rsquo;t know what was going to happen but obviously when he came on the ice we were going to give it to him. We&rsquo;re not trying to take advantage of the situation, but it was an appropriate thing to do.&rdquo;Not everyone on the Wings was aware Konstantinov would be in Washington for Game 4. Some of the players knew and had kept quiet, hoping not to jinx the team by celebrating the Cup victory too early. When Konstantinov was wheeled onto the ice, Yzerman placed the Cup on his lap and one of the most memorable victory laps in sports history was made. Considering everything the Wings had been through-winning the Cup last year only to see Konstantinov and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov crippled by head injuries suffered in a limousine crash-even the disappointed Washington fans couldn&rsquo;t help but cheer such a remarkable display of courage and determination.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05388/6888982-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="401" height="595"><figcaption class="caption-body">By Allan Maki (Photo by Steve Babineau/SA)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;That was one the greatest moments I&rsquo;ve ever had as an athlete,&rdquo; said an emotional Shanahan afterwards. &ldquo;Not too often does a moment in hockey transcend sports. That was one of them. That&rsquo;s a greater victory than winning the Stanley Cup.&rdquo;The Wings succeeded because they weren&rsquo;t afraid to lose. Surrendering the Cup would not have hurt anywhere near as much as having seen Konstantinov and Mnatsakanov on respirators, close to death. Losing a player who meant so much to them taught the Wings more about perseverance than it did about winning games. Yzerman made sure that lesson was not lost on his teammates as they carried on during the season and through the playoffs.&ldquo;Vladdie was never forgotten on our team, but he was never used as a motivational ploy,&rdquo; said Yzerman. &ldquo;Probably the biggest reason we&rsquo;re successful is because we&rsquo;re a very close team. When we come to the rink, we truly enjoy being together and that accident and the past year has brought our team even closer.&rdquo;The Detroit-Washington Stanley Cup final was not the greatest final ever played. The Wings were undeniably the better team. They had more talent, depth and experience. All those hockey moments-Kris Draper&rsquo;s overtime winner in Game 2, Sergei Fedorov&rsquo;s winner in Game 3-are already fading from our memory. What will remain is what matters most-the smile on Konstantinov&rsquo;s face with the Stanley Cup on his lap and his teammates around him.For that one brief shining moment, most everything was right in the world. &#9632;

f0010-04

One shining moment everything was right

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011502/6889020-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="170" height="170"></div>Eighteen years of friend ship with Mighty Ducks of Anaheim GM Jack Ferreira was not enough to save Pierre Page&rsquo;s job. Just 10 months after he was hand-picked by Ferreira to replace popular coach Ron Wilson, Page was fired.&ldquo;1 agonized over this,&rdquo; Ferreira said. &ldquo;This is the toughest decision that I&rsquo;ve ever had to make in hockey.&rdquo;It appeared Page had survived the firing squad. After meetings to analyze the worst season in Ducks&rsquo; history (2643-13), associate coach Walt Kyle and assistant coach Don Hay were demoted to other jobs within the organization. At that time, Ferreira said there would be no more coaching changes.&ldquo;What upset me the most was that I thought we had resolved issues and now they were major issues again,&rdquo; Ferreira said.Page said that two weeks before he was fired, he told the Ducks he wanted them to be active in the free agent market. Page said he was told to go with a youth movement last season, but most of the team&rsquo;s veterans never bought into it.Ducks&rsquo; president Tony Tavares felt the team wouldn&rsquo;t have trouble attracting top coaching candidates-the most prominent name being former Colorado Avalanche coach Marc Crawford.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not this demonic organization that walks around with scales on our back and slithers around and all this other innuendo that has been suggested at times,&rdquo; Tavares said.NOTEBOOK: The Ducks added some toughness by acquiring rugged left winger Jim McKenzie from Phoenix June 18 for minor league center J.F. Jomphe. Tm extremely excited,&rdquo; said McKenzie, who has 54 points and 1,158 penalty minutes in 489 career games. &ldquo;One thing that stands out, obviously, is playing for a team I honestly hate. I built up all this animosity, especially after the playoffs (last season), but I think I&rsquo;ll have no trouble switching allegiances. &hellip;The Ducks signed free agent defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski, 21, who had 64 points in 62 games for Prince George of the Western League last season&hellip;Former Ducks&rsquo; assistant coach Don Hay was expected to be named the new coach-GM of Tri-City (WHL). &#9632;

f0011-01

Anaheim’s firing of Page agonizing decision for GM

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03736/6889051-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="616" height="969"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Shields</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021072/6889058-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="170" height="168"></div>The Buffalo Sabres were affected by the expansion draft before it even came to town.A week prior to the selection process, scheduled for June 26 in Buffalo, the Sabres sent promising goalie Steve Shields to the San Jose Sharks for minor league netminder Kay Whitmore and an exchange of draft picks. Had the Sabres not moved Shields, they likely would have lost him to the Nashville Predators in the expansion draft.&ldquo;We had a pretty good idea (the Predators) were going to take him,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;This way we at least get something.&rdquo;The Sabres get Whitmore, 31, a journeyman who hasn&rsquo;t played in the NHL since 1994-95. They also get a second-round pick in the upcoming draft while shipping a fourth to San Jose.Shields is something of a hero in Buffalo, having stepped into the playoff breach-and performing well-in 1997 when Dominik Hasek suffered a knee injury. But with Hasek coming back in a big way this season and signing a new long-term deal, Shields knew it was time to move on.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gone from one great situation to another,&rdquo; Shields said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had the chance to learn from the best in Buffalo. Now I&rsquo;ll work with another of the best in Mike Vernon. I&rsquo;ll get to watch and learn every day from a guy who has won two Stanley Cups.&ldquo;I think Buffalo gave me a great start to my career. The Sabres gave me every opportunity. It&rsquo;s tough to leave, but this trade will help me get to the next level and get more ice time.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Right winger Rob Ray, the lone unrestricted free agent on Buffalo&rsquo;s roster, said he wants to remain with the Sabres, but does want to see what he&rsquo;s worth on the open market. Ray is a tough guy with some flair, something that keeps fans interested during the regular season. However, he was a healthy scratch at times in the playoffs, a decision he handled well, but was difficult for him to take&hellip;The Sabres came out of the playoffs relatively healthy and no major surgeries are scheduled&hellip;The team&rsquo;s restricted free agent list consists of: forwards Paul Kruse. Brian Holzinger. Donald Audette. Geoff Sanderson and Miroslav Satan; and defensemen Mike Wilson and Alexei Zhitnik. Satan and Zhitnik ranked 12 in team scoring last season. &#9632;

f0011-03

Draft forces Shields deal

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04573/6889089-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="171" height="169"></div>Despite size mat so many felt would prevent him from ever playing in the NHL, Jon Sweeney has been practically impossible to knock out of the Boston Bruins&rsquo; lineup since he earned a full-time job in 1989-90.So it should come as no surprise he injury that finally knocked Sweeney from his pedestal as Boston&rsquo;s iron man was fairly uncommon-particularly in hockey circles.&ldquo;All the doctors I&rsquo;ve been to said they usually only see this kind of thing in car accidents and motorcycle accidents,&rdquo; said Sweeney of a fractured left shoulder blade suffered when New York Islander Steve Webb drove him into the glass during a March 1 game on Long Island. &ldquo;It was just kind of a freak thing.&rdquo;Sweeney, one of Boston&rsquo;s top four 0n defense, hopes the freak thing that ended his consecutive games-played streak at 211 is now a thing of the past. He underwent a second surgical procedure on the shoulder June 11 and expects to be at full speed when training camp opens in September.&ldquo;The surgery went exactly the way they&rsquo;d like,&rdquo; Sweeney said of a procedure in which bone was grafted from his hip, packed into the fractures in the shoulder, then clamped by a metal plate. &ldquo;Everything should come out nice and tight.&rdquo;Sweeney will have to take it easier than he&rsquo;d like this summer, mostly because he tried to get back into the lineup in the spring. He had surgery just a few days after suffering the injury, hoping it would speed the healing process, and got back on skates just before the Bruins opened their first round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. Tests in the days before the series started, however, revealed it wasn&rsquo;t strong enough to withstand contact.&ldquo;If we&rsquo;d just elected to keep my arm in a sling, keep it good and still, it probably would have taken care of itself eventually, or the first surgery might have done the job,&rdquo; he said.NOTEBOOK: The Bruins, who are trying to add younger players to an aging defensive nucleus (Ray Bourque. Don Sweeney. Dave Ellett and Grant Ledyard will all be 32 or older next season), signed 20-year-old free agent defenseman Shane Belter to a three-year contract. Belter scored 125 career points in 175 career Western League games&hellip;Boston also signed Michigan Tech free agent center Andre Savage to a two-year deal&hellip;Assistant GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell said all nine of Boston&rsquo;s restricted free agents would receive qualifying offers. Those with arbitration rights include forwards Ted Donato, Steve Heinze, Dmitri Khristich and Tim Taylor. That group accounted for 91 goals in &rsquo;97-98. &#9632;

f0011-04

Sweeney all set to return from injury

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-06394/6889120-1-eng-US/f0011-062.jpg" title="f0011-06" width="616" height="982"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ken Wregget</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-05459/6889127-1-eng-US/f0011-052.jpg" title="f0011-05" width="173" height="173"></div>He received the news while on vacation in Hilton Head, N.C., a time when Ken Wregget was trying not to think much about hockey.For all that, Wregget pronounced himself &ldquo;actually quite excited&rdquo; to be joining the Calgary Flames as their No. 1 goalie.On June 17, the day before NHL rosters had to be frozen prior to the expansion draft, the Flames picked up Wregget and left winger David Roche from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for centers German Titov and Todd Hlushko.The plan is for Wregget, 34, to replace Rick Tabaracci as the team&rsquo;s starter in net for one or two seasons. That would give goalie prospects Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Tyler Moss time to develop. Eventually, Wregget will be asked to serve as tutor, a role he feels is important.&ldquo;If you have a good goaltender that&rsquo;s young and can take each step one-by-one and have a little guidance along the way, you eventually get to the top,&rdquo; Wregget said.Wregget led the NHL in wins in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season and was No. 1 in Pittsburgh for a couple of seasons. However, he lost the job to Tom Barrasso last season. It didn&rsquo;t help that a herniated disc in his back forced him to miss 29 games and limited him to only nine starts. He said the light workload may have been a blessing is disguise.&ldquo;(It) gave me time to heal properly which is a positive,&rdquo; he said.NOTEBOOK: The Flames notified right winger Ron Stem in mid-June he does not fit into their plans for next season and is free to seek employment elsewhere. Though he&rsquo;s now an unrestricted free agent, Stem would have preferred to remain a Flame. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough because I&rsquo;ve got a lot of good friends and a (restaurant) business here,&rdquo; Stem said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not fun, but I expected it somewhat. It&rsquo;s kind of a weird feeling. 1 mean, eight years. Now, I&rsquo;m kind of going, &rsquo;Okay, I guess that&rsquo;s it.&rsquo; &ldquo;&hellip;The Flames have come to terms with right winger Valeri Bure on a new, three-year contract. Bure, acquired by the Flames in a Feb. 1 deal with Montreal, earned $725,000 (U.S.) last season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. &#9632;

f0011-06

Wregget in as ton goalie

<div class="byline">By Steve Politi</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-07356/6889158-1-eng-US/f0011-072.jpg" title="f0011-07" width="171" height="167"></div>Paul Maurice was asked how he looked back on last season. With more than a month to consider the question, he came up with a dandy of an answer.&ldquo;It was raining, it was pouring, the sun was shining, we all thought we were going to die-it was all the faces of a hurricane,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;And we survived. Hopefully, there will be a few more sunny days next year.&rdquo;Maurice, for one, would like better weather in his fourth season as coach of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes. The &rsquo;Canes, bucking the trend to fire a coach after even one sub-par season, are bringing the 31-year-old Maurice back even though he has missed the playoffs three straight years.If he didn&rsquo;t get the chance to coach again, Maurice said, &ldquo;it would have bothered the hell out of me. To think you were the guy to ride it through the rough years, and another guy comes in and wins when things get better? That would have bothered me.&rdquo;Maurice was saved by the team&rsquo;s hot streak in late March and early April that left the Hurricanes just short of a post-season berth.The key for Maurice to keep his job next season will be his ability to motivate. He knows that if things don&rsquo;t go well early, he could be out of a job.&ldquo;If the team&rsquo;s not playing the way (GM Jim Rutherford) thinks it should be playing, yeah, I&rsquo;ll probably be fired pretty quickly,&rdquo; Maurice said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d agree there&rsquo;s not a lot of rope left.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: More than 60 &ldquo;bad weather days&rdquo; have left the scheduled opening (September, 1999) of the Hurricanes&rsquo; new Raleigh arena somewhat in doubt Still, the &rsquo;Canes are confident. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be open for the start of the 1999-2000 season,&rdquo; said Sims Hinds, a team vice-president. &ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t know if it will be one day before the season, but it will be open.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;The team has hired Jason Karmanos, son of owner Peter Karmanos, as assistant GM. The younger Karmanos played at Harvard before an eye injury ended his pro career at the East Coast League level&hellip;Defenseman Sean Hill reached a contract agreement with the team, meaning that all of its NHL veterans have resigned. &#9632;

f0011-07

Maurice’s job will hinge on early-season fortunes

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011624/6889189-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="173" height="171"></div>The housecleaning continued in bits and pieces for the Chicago Blackhawks, who released a pair of veterans in defenseman Jay More and left winger James Black.More quickly signed with the expansion Nashville Predators.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe in holding people up,&rdquo; GM Bob Murray said of the decision to cut More and Black. &ldquo;This gives them a chance to see if there is anything out there for them.&rdquo;The 28-year-old Black had 10 goals and 15 points last season in 52 games as a part-time player.Murray felt there would be no place for More on a revamped defense in the fall. More was acquired from the Phoenix Coyotes in March with Chad Kilger for Keith Carney and Jim Cummins, but never figured in future plans.It&rsquo;s believed the Hawks want to add two defensemen this off-season to the returning trio of Chris Chelios, Eric Weinrich and Christian Laflamme, through trade or free agency.Free agents Uwe Krupp, Murray Baron and Jeff Brown are three defensemen said to interest the Hawks.Unrestricted free agent Gary Suter doesn&rsquo;t appear to figure into the Hawks&rsquo; plans at this point.The Hawks also traded Dmitri Nabokov to the New York Islanders for 21-year-old J.P. Dumont. The Hawks expect him to start with the Indianapolis Ice of the International League.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a scorer who knows how to go to the holes and score,&rdquo; Murray said.NOTEBOOK: GM Bob Murray concluded his interviews for a new coach and was in the decision-making process. Murray denied rumors that surfaced from the Stanley Cup final that Barry Melrose was a leading candidate. Melrose had two interviews. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m looking to go in a different direction,&rdquo; Murray said&hellip;Pro scout Dirk Graham was still considered a strong candidate to succeed Craig Hartsburg and Murray hadn&rsquo;t ruled out Marc Crawford, even though he was unable to speak with the Colorado coach. &rsquo;There&rsquo;s a lot more involved here than just picking a coach.&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He has to have a relationship with me."&hellip;Murray said there was a chance he would not have a coach named by the July 26-27 expansion and entry drafts. &#9632;

f0012-01

Murray opens up roster for future acquisitions

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04491/6889258-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="170" height="169"></div>Dallas Stars defense man Sergei Zubov was arrested and charged with assaulting his wife, Irina, two days after the team lost the Western Conference final to the Detroit Red Wings.Police in the Dallas suburb of Coppell were called to the couple&rsquo;s home at 3:05 a.m. June 7 on a &ldquo;911 hangup call,&rdquo; according to a report by police. Once there, police determined there, had been an argument and scuffle in which alcohol was involved. The arrest report stated Irina had slapped Sergei and Sergei had brandished a kitchen knife at some point in the argument. Irina had a cut above her knee, the report said.Sergei Zubov was charged with aggravated assault-family violence, a second degree felony, and was released after posting a $5,000 bond. If convicted, Zubov could serve two to 20 years in prison and pay fines up to $10,000.Stars&rsquo; management immediately contacted all sides in the incident and offered support. GM Bob Gainey said both the NHL and the Players&rsquo; Association also offered support.Zubov could not be reached for comment and his agent, Jay Grossman, declined comment. The case was with the Dallas County grand jury in mid-June and a trial had not yet been set.Among the possible scenarios is that Zubov will plea bargain a lesser charge and will make restitution through community service. He would then be expected to be with the Stars when training camp opens in September in Vail, Colo.The skilled defenseman, who last season led NHL defensemen in points per game, has two years remaining on his contract.If Zubov is not ready to go to training camp, the Stars might have to look into a possible substitute. Defenseman Richard Matvichuk is expected to be out six months after having the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee replaced in June.NOTEBOOK: Immediately following the end of the season, three Stars underwent minor surgeries. Goalie Ed Belfour had roughness cleaned from his shoulder and ankle, while defenseman Craig Muni had the same procedure performed on his knee cap. Goalie Manny Fernandez had minor wrist surgery&hellip;Center Brian Skrudland wasn&rsquo;t lying, but he didn&rsquo;t exactly tell the whole truth, either. When asked why the Stars were behind against Detroit in the playoffs, he answered: &ldquo;Because I haven&rsquo;t scored.&rdquo; Skrudland had one assist in 17 playoff games&hellip; Defenseman Shawn Chambers was listed as having a knee injury, but actually has a hairline fracture of the upper tibia. It is not expected to require surgery. &#9632;

f0012-04

Zubov’s fate cloudy after charge laid

<div class="byline">By Dan Barnes</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06288/6889289-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="603" height="967"><figcaption class="caption-body">Eric Fichaud</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05351/6889296-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="171" height="169"></div>Backup plan or just a backup?That was the question of the day after the Edmonton Oilers picked up 22-year-old goalie Eric Fichaud from the New York Islanders June 18 for promising left winger Mike Watt.With No. 1 netminder Curtis Joseph set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, GM Glen Sather knew he needed an insurance policy.&ldquo;I had to get a goaltender,&rdquo; Sather said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t want to be caught between a rock and a hard place.&ldquo;Fichaud (has) excellent credentials. He is a kid who has the ability to rise to the No. 1 position. Our objective is still to sign Curtis. If that isn&rsquo;t possible, this kid can be No. 1.&rdquo;Once regarded as a blue-chip prospect, Fichaud was supplanted as the goalie of the future on Long Island by Roberto Luongo. This past season, Fichaud went 3-8-3 with a 2.97 goals-against average and .905 save percentage before being sent to the Utah Grizzlies of the International League Jan. 13. The next night he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that required surgery.The Fichaud deal was one of two Sather completed before the expansion draft roster freeze. On June 16, he reacquired left winger Josef Beranek from the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Tony Hrkac and defenseman Bobby Dollas.The 28-year-old Beranek, who played with Vsetin in the Czech Republic last season, had previously played with the Oilers from 1991-92 through 1992-93.NOTEBOOK: The Oilers wanted to acquire New Jersey goalie Mike Dunham before NHL rosters were frozen June 16, but the asking price of forwards Mike Watt and Boyd Devereaux for Dunham and Swedish forward Fredrik Lindqvist was too high&hellip;The Oilers were hoping Zdeno Ciger would return for 1998-99, but he is committed to his Slovakian team. He said there is a chance he&rsquo;ll come back for 1999-2000&hellip;The Oilers announced a three-year deal that will see them buy broadcast time on A-Channel for 28 games, then sell advertising themselves&hellip;Kelly Buchberger is expected to get the final two years of his contract renegotiated. He made $750,000 (Cdn.) last season and will likely get a bump to above the NHL average. &#9632;

f0012-06

Fichaud in as insurance

<div class="byline">By Dave Joseph</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-07251/6889327-1-eng-US/f0012-072.jpg" title="f0012-07" width="172" height="169"></div>July 1, not July 4, is John Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s Independence Day. That&rsquo;s the day he becomes an unrestricted free agent.Vanbiesbrouck and the Florida Panthers are prepared to separate after their five-year relationship took a turn for the worse last season. Making what could be his final public appearance in South Florida, Vanbiesbrouck reiterated June 5 that he has had no talks with management and is prepared to enter free agency come the first of July.&ldquo;All signals are that when free agency starts July 1,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll enter that.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck, who led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup final in 199596, ended last season sitting on the bench while GM Bryan Murray experimented with rookie Kevin Weekes and acquisition Kirk McLean.Murray said Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s play was affected by his contract status and &ldquo;it affected everyone too much to an extent we were all occupied by it.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck said too many fingers were pointed at veterans for the Panthers&rsquo; poor play. He is looking for a multi-year deal that will pay him in the vicinity of $4.5 million per year.While the goalie has said he&rsquo;ll miss South Florida, Murray is shedding no tears. The Panthers&rsquo; GM is prepared unload McLean and go with Weekes as his No. 1 goalie.Murray is hoping Weekes can play the bulk of the games, with a suitable backup picking up the remainder.NOTEBOOK: The Panthers signed free agent Curtis Doell from Minnesota-Duluth. A 6-foot-l, 210-pound defenseman, Doell scored nine goals and 31 points in 39 games last season. He&rsquo;ll likely be assigned to New Haven of the American League&hellip;The Panthers&rsquo; search for a new coach led to two interesting candidates: Terry Murray and Slava Lener Terry Murray, the brother of GM Bryan, met June 5 to discuss the job. Bryan Murray also interviewed Lener, who helped coach the Czech Republic team to the gold medal&hellip;The Panthers signed defenseman Peter Ratchuk June 17. Ratchuk, 20, was Colorado&rsquo;s first round pick in 1996, but was not signed by June 1 and became an unrestricted free agent. He was playing for Hull of the Quebec League. &#9632;

f0012-07

Beezer looking forward to independence July 1

<div class="byline">By Lonnie White</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011522/6889358-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="172" height="172"></div>Olli Jokinen lasted less than a month with the Los Angeles Kings last season.Perhaps that was a good thing after all.With the Kings, Jokinen struggled, going pointless in eight games and recording a minus-5. But when the Kings returned their best prospect-the third overall pick in the 1997 entry draft-to his native Finland in November, he prospered in a big way.Not only did the 19-year-old center help lead IFK Helsinki to the Finnish Elite League title, he also played a key role on Finland&rsquo;s World Junior Championship team and represented his country at the World Championship in May.With IFK, Jokinen&rsquo;s 39 points (including 11 goals) put him 12th in league scoring, even though he played only 30 games of the league&rsquo;s 48-game season.&ldquo;I think he had an unbelievable year,&rdquo; said GM Dave Taylor about the 6-foot-2, 205-pound center. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;ll be with us next season. He&rsquo;s skating much better and he&rsquo;s already a little stronger. It will depend on his conditioning and how much he improves.&ldquo;We also need more speed and more skill to help give us some more offense because we had trouble scoring goals at times.&rdquo; Taylor said.Although the Kings aren&rsquo;t looking for Jokinen to be the man, based on his past year, they&rsquo;re convinced he can make a significant contribution.NOTEBOOK: The Kings shored up their defense by acquiring veteran rearguard Doug Bodger from New Jersey June 18 for a fourth-round draft pick&hellip;The Kings, who will move into their new downtown arena for 1999-2000, raised ticket prices for next season and they also premiered new uniforms that will be worn this fall&hellip;Talent alone won&rsquo;t determine what free agents the Kings might pursue this summer. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll spend money on the free agent market, but we want to bring in strong character players,&rdquo; said GM Dave Taylor said. &ldquo;We want guys who come to play every night."&hellip;Bringing in a player to quarterback the Kings&rsquo; weak power play will be a priority. Free agent defenseman (and former King) Steve Duchesne is high on the wish list &#9632;

f0013-01

Jokinen expected to stick in second attempt as King

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03800/6889389-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="607" height="963"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Recchi</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021074/6889396-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="170" height="169"></div>It could be a long, hot summer for Rejean Houle. The Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; GM is looking at getting as many as 15 of his players under contract.Saku Koivu, Vincent Damphousse, Martin Rucinsky, Brian Savage, Vladimir Malakhov, Patrice Brisebois, Turner Stevenson, Scott Thornton, Peter Popovic, Zarley Zalapski, Sebastien Bordeleau and Jose Theodore become restricted free agents July 1.Right winger Mark Recchi, the Canadiens&rsquo; leading scorer last season, is eligible for arbitration, while checking center Marc Bureau and tough winger Mick Vukota are set to become unrestricted free agents.In an era of soaring player salaries in the NHL, Houle has some tough decisions ahead of him. Although the Canadiens are sound financially, re-signing everyone would send the payroll skyrocketing. Montreal&rsquo;s payroll last season was approximately $27.5 million (U.S.).&ldquo;I&rsquo;m confident we&rsquo;ll keep the nucleus of our team and that we&rsquo;ll be a better team,&rdquo; Houle said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll make improvements, too.&rdquo;A likely starting point for Houle is Recchi, who scored 32 goals and 74 points last season. &ldquo;Signing Recchi is a priority,&rdquo; Houle said. &ldquo;I hope we can get something done.&rdquo;Houle will have to dig deep to do so.Consider this: Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; captain Mats Sundin, whose numbers were similar to Recchi&rsquo;s last season (33 goals and 74 points), will earn about $7 million (U.S.) in 1998-99.NOTEBOOK: Although left winger Shayne Corson still has two years remaining on his contract, he has asked GM Rejean Houle to raise his $1,145 million salary closer to his market value. If it&rsquo;s not, he&rsquo;ll seek a trade&hellip;Assistant coach Dave King has been interviewed by Florida GM Bryan Murray about the Panthers&rsquo; coaching vacancy. Terry Murray, the GM&rsquo;s brother, and Butch Goring have also been interviewed, but King has friends in high places within the organization. In 1990, for example, GM Murray worked as an assistant under King with Canada at the World Championship in Switzerland. King also did some scouting for the organization in 199697 at the urging of close friend Paul Henry. Florida&rsquo;s director of player development. &#9632;

f0013-03

Houle lot of work for GM

<div class="byline">By Jett Legwold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-04680/6889427-1-eng-US/f0013-042.jpg" title="f0013-04" width="169" height="169"></div>If it&rsquo;s true a good man knows his limitations, then Jayson More has the right outlook for a guy who has signed on to an expansion team for a second time in his professional career.&ldquo;I guess I can be a character guy for this team,&rdquo; said More, 29. &rsquo;I&rsquo;ve been through the expansion process before in San Jose. I can help the new guys dealing with the ups and downs and even help some of the veterans who may not know what to expect. I feel like I&rsquo;m good in that role, I look forward to the opportunity here.&rdquo;More was signed as the Predators&rsquo; first-ever free agent, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound blueliner who will see plenty of ice time in Nashville come autumn. He split last season between the Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks.Predators&rsquo; GM David Poile has long said he feared experienced, stay-at-home defensemen would be hard to come by in the expansion draft. So when More became available, he moved quickly.&ldquo;Even this one signing gives me a little more flexibility to see what else I can work out,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s 29, his best days are ahead of him and a new team could help him with that.&rdquo;More was the first round selection of the New York Rangers in 1987, 10th overall, and is now on his fifth team, including being one of the original San Jose Sharks in 1991-92, when he recorded a career-high 17 points in 46 games.&ldquo;I was looking for some stability,&rdquo; More said. &ldquo;I was very excited when (Poile) called the first time, I was very hopeful it could work out. This will be a good city for my family. I hope I can help this team through some growing pains.&rdquo;More is already expected to be in the regular defensive rotation. Depending on just how many of the over-30 crowd the Predators end up with on defense after the expansion draft, he will likely end up with heavy ice time paired with a younger player.NOTEBOOK: Brent Peterson, who guided Portland of the Western League to the Memorial Cup this past season, was added to coach Barry Trotz&rsquo;s staff as an assistant. Trotz was also on the lookout for a goaltender coach&hellip;The Predators have bid for the 2000 or 2001 All-Star Game. With Toronto expected to get the 2000 game, Nashville may have a better crack at the 2001 affair. Colorado has also expressed interest in that game&hellip;The team sent chief scout Craig Channell to visit the parents of Regina defenseman Brad Stuart-rated the No. 4 prospect by Central Scouting Bureau, No. 3 by The Hockey News-in Rocky Mountain House, Alta. The Predators pick third overall in Buffalo June 27. &#9632;

f0013-04

Expansion opportunities best for More

<div class="byline">By Rich Chore</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021220/6889458-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="606" height="965"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jason Arnott</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011613/6889465-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="168" height="169"></div>Question: Will Jason Arnott, accidentally slashed on his right wrist during the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; playoff series with the Ottawa Senators, still have his same scoring touch after undergoing surgery to repair nerve damage?Answer: The Devils hope not.It was only a joke among his teammates, but that was the way Arnott&rsquo;s first season as a Devil went-bad luck and little sympathy.The right winger, traded by the Edmonton Oilers to New Jersey Jan. 4, finished the regular season with 10 goals and 33 points in 70 games.Arnott, a restricted free agent, was hoping to regain full feeling in his hand this summer. To keep Arnott&rsquo;s rights, the Devils had to offer a 10 per cent increase on his $1.8-million salary. Devils&rsquo; GM Lou Lamoriello suggested the freak injury would not be a factor.The mishap occurred during Game 5 of the Devils&rsquo; 3-1 victory over Ottawa. Arnott, while sitting on the bench, was accidentally kicked by teammate Randy McKay during a line change.&ldquo;I went into shock at first,&rdquo; Arnott said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know what it was going to lead to or if I was ever going to play again. That&rsquo;s your first thought-is it going to end your career?&rdquo;Arnott made enough progress after surgery to play golf and roller hockey.&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t been able to lift any weights, but I&rsquo;ve been going to therapy and taking it kind of slow,&rdquo; he said. It&rsquo;s still numb where the scar is and m top of the thumb, but I don&rsquo;t think it/ill affect my hockey.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Agent Larry Kelly said Doug Gilmour&rsquo;s asking price will hinge on offers fellow unrestricted free agent Ron Francis receives. The Devils, though, did not intend to put up a fight. &rsquo;The Devils won&rsquo;t get into a bidding war,&rdquo; said GM Lou Lamoriello. &rsquo;There&rsquo;s just so much money that goes around these days. We&rsquo;d like to keep Doug, but I think we have a pretty good team."&hellip;The club decided not to sign five 1996 draft picks, including defenseman Lance Ward and forwards Wes Mason, Pierre Dagenais, Scott Parker and Glenn Crawford. Ward re-entered the draft while the other four became unrestricted free agents&hellip;An assistant to new coach Robbie Ftorek will be named after the June 27 entry draft. &#9632;

f0014-02

Arnott hopes to rebound

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03837/6889496-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="170" height="168"></div>Rather than lose goalie Eric Fichaud in the Nashville Predators&rsquo; expansion draft, the New York Islanders traded him to the Edmonton Oilers June 18 for 22-year-old left wing prospect Mike Watt.Islanders&rsquo; assistant GM Gordie Clark said, &ldquo;We think Watt&rsquo;s a real good NHL prospect at a position we&rsquo;ve been looking for help. He had a very good first year at Hamilton (of the American League). Our pro scouts like him a lot.&rdquo;Watt had 24 goals and 49 points in 63 AHL games and managed a goal and three points in 14 NHL games with the Oilers. He is 6-foot-2, weighs 212 pounds and played three seasons at Michigan State. Fichaud, 22, was pronounced a franchise goalie by then-GM Don Maloney when he arrived in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But he was 19-34-9 in parts of three seasons with the Islanders and he underwent season-ending left shoulder surgery Jan 20.Fichaud was drafted 16th overall (the second goalie picked) by Toronto in the 1994 entry draft.Islanders&rsquo; coach-GM Mike Milbury was told by the club&rsquo;s new owners he would not be permitted to bid on any Group III goalies available this summer. The owners want him to stick with Tommy Salo until prospect Roberto Luongo is ready for the NHL.That is why Milbury planned a trip to Sweden just before the NHL draft. He wanted to meet with Salo, mend fences and tell him he will be the undisputed starter next season. He&rsquo;ll be backed up by Wade Flaherty.According to NHL sources, another reason for Milbury&rsquo;s trip was to interview Salo goaltending guru Stefan Lunner about a full-time job as Islanders&rsquo; goaltending coach. Lunner is the Swedish national team&rsquo;s goaltending coach.Islanders&rsquo; part-time goaltending consultant Gilles Gilbert also is a candidate for the full-time position.NOTEBOOK: Club sources said the Islanders upped their offer to right winger Ziggy Palffy to $13.5 million over three years, but Palffy&rsquo;s agent. Paul Kraus, was seeking an average salary of more than $6 million a year. As comparables, Krause was reportedly using Anaheim left winger Paul Kariya, Anaheim right winger Teemu Selanne. Detroit center Sergei Fedorov, Philadelphia center Eric Lindros and Dallas center Mike Modano&hellip; Frank Anzalone, 43, was hired to coach the Islanders&rsquo; primary affiliate, the American League&rsquo;s Lowell Lock Monsters. Anzalone won the 1988 NCAA title with Lake Superior State. He spent the past five years coaching the Roanoke Express of the East Coast League. (See pg. 21 for more.) &#9632;

f0014-03

Fichaud out, Salo safe on Long Island

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-05379/6889527-1-eng-US/f0014-052.jpg" title="f0014-05" width="609" height="966"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Richter</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04564/6889534-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="171" height="171"></div>The New York Rangers&rsquo; rebuilding program was on hold as July approached for two very good reasons. One, they can&rsquo;t begin shopping for free agents until July 1.More importantly, though, the Rangers couldn&rsquo;t make any significant moves until they learned if they will be able to re-sign free agent goalie Mike Richter.Richter&rsquo;s agent, Herb Pinder, met June 16 with Madison Square Garden president Dave Checketts and Rangers&rsquo; president/GM Neil Smith for the first time, a four-hour session.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going&rsquo; to talk details,&rsquo; Richter said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;re cautiously optimistic.&rdquo;Richter has insisted he wants to remain a Ranger, even if it means taking less money than he would command on the open market, and he went into the negotiations with the mindset everything is negotiable.That includes the original demand of a five-year, $35-million contract and a no-trade clause. The Rangers&rsquo; first offers were worth about $5 million per year for two, three or four years.The Rangers are not likely to pay Richter $7 million a year under any circumstances and won&rsquo;t give him a five-year deal with a no-trade clause. They might agree to a shorter contract with a no-trade clause for the first year or two. But once it gets to July 1, the Rangers may eliminate themselves as teams begin their bidding war for Richter.NOTEBOOK: The Rangers named Keith Acton assistant coach. Acton was assistant coach with Philadelphia this past season. He replaces dismissed assistant coach Dick Todd&hellip;GM Neil Smith began talks with defenseman Brian Leetch&rsquo;s agent Jay Grossman toward negotiating a new contract for the two-time Norris Trophy winner. Leetch, heading into the final year of his contract, has repeatedly said he wants to remain a Ranger for his entire career, even though he has been outspoken and critical on the handling of the Mark Messier fiasco last summer&hellip;Center Pat LaFontaine hopes to be feeling well enough to fly to Chicago for a potentially career-deciding exam with head-injury specialist Dr. Jim Kelly by the end of June. &#9632;

f0014-05

Richter talks get started

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-06300/6889565-1-eng-US/f0014-062.jpg" title="f0014-06" width="170" height="168"></div>Randy Cunneyworth has pleaded his case with the Ottawa Senators.Now, it&rsquo;s up to GM Pierre Gauthier md coach Jacques Martin to play the role of judge and jury. The Senators&rsquo; captain had lunch with Martin earlier this month to discuss his future and Cunneyworth, 36, made it clear he would like to return next season, but will be forced to wait for a decision From the club.&ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s going to happen,&rdquo; Cunneyworth said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve expressed my feelings and I&rsquo;m not ready to hang &rsquo;em up yet. I just wanted to make that clear to them. Really, now, it&rsquo;s all in their hands.&ldquo;There were some things I had to get off my chest. 1 had to let them know where I stand. I&rsquo;m in the mindset that I can bounce back from this. I still feel like I have the ability to get the job done.&rdquo;The Senators must decide whether they&rsquo;re going to pick up the option year on Cunneyworth&rsquo;s contract by June 31. He is scheduled to make $575,000 (U.S.) next season, however the club has a $50,000 buyout clause. Cunneyworth, the best leader the club has ever had, willingly admits he didn&rsquo;t have the kind of season he or the Senators expected. He scored only two goals and had a difficult time staying in the lineup.However, he is convinced he can bounce back if given the opportunity next year.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Marian Hossa, the Senators&rsquo; No. 1 selection in the 1997 NHL entry draft, underwent left knee surgery June 10 in Ottawa to repair a tom medial collateral ligament. While surgery was successful. Hossa. 19. who sustained the injury in the third period of the Memorial Cup final with Portland, will not return until December. &ldquo;We anticipate a full recovery following successful rehabilitation,&rdquo; said Ottawa GM Pierre Gauthier&hellip;The Senators made their first major off-season move last week on the radio dial. The club announced it had reached a 10-year agreement with Ottawa&rsquo;s first 24-hour, all-sports radio station. The Senators ended their agreement with local broadcaster CFRA. &#9632;

f0014-06

Cunneyworth takes stand, but will it be last stand?

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011399/6889596-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="168" height="169"></div>It was still months away, but training camp was already on the mind of Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; coach Roger Neilson.Neilson took control of the Flyers with only 21 games remaining in the regular season and there wasn&rsquo;t much time to make sweeping changes in terms of a system.But when training camp convenes in Lindsay, Ont., home of Neilson&rsquo;s summer hockey camp, you can be sure the Flyers will be practising Neilson&rsquo;s style of hockey. That is, defensive hockey.&ldquo;I think our team knows that we have to do a better job defensively,&rdquo; said Neilson, having surveyed the ashes left by the fire of a first round playoff exit courtesy of the Buffalo Sabres.&ldquo;The last game was unbelievable that we didn&rsquo;t win it. We did everything we could to win that game&hellip;but we lost it because we gave them too many scoring opportunities. I&rsquo;ve never been with a team that had so many scoring chances, over 20 a game. But I&rsquo;ve also never coached a team that gave up 17 a game. Our whole team knows we have to play a more controlled style and we will.&rdquo;If it means making a stronger commitment to some form of the trap, so be it. Given Neilson&rsquo;s leverage at the moment the players don&rsquo;t have much choice.Asked if he would embrace such a system, Eric Lindros replied, &ldquo;Absolutely. I&rsquo;ve never had an issue with systems. We&rsquo;ve pretty much played the same way the last five years with our trap.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie Ron Hextail, a member of the Flyers for all but two seasons since 1986-87, said this year was his biggest disappointment with the franchise. &rsquo;1 don&rsquo;t know why it happened. It seemed like one disappointment after another.&rdquo; As for his future, he said, &ldquo;I started my career here and 1 want to finish it here.&rdquo; Hextali, who has one year left on his contract, was a guest studio analyst for some of ESPN&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoff games and some believe he has a future in broadcasting&hellip;Concerned about the physical conditioning of his team in the playoffs, coach Roger Neilson said he will hire a full-time fitness coach for next season&hellip;Unless they receive outside offers, assistant coaches Keith Acton and Wayne Cashman will be retained. &#9632;

f0016-01

Coach Neilson won’t rest until defense shapes up

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03806/6889627-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="613" height="965"><figcaption class="caption-body">Keith Tkachuk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021081/6889634-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="170" height="165"></div>Keith Tkachuk might get the money he craves in a contract extension after all, but the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; captain might not be happy about how it came to pass.Partially in order to free up money to give Tkachuk what he wants, management decided to pass on the playmaking center who passed him all those pucks.The Coyotes traded away Craig Janney, Tkachuk&rsquo;s close friend and linemate, shipping him to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for left winger Louie DeBrusk and the Lightning&rsquo;s fifth round pick in the June 27 entry draft.By unloading Janney, who had 43 assists and 53 points last season, the Coyotes also unloaded the $1.7 million salary he was scheduled to make next season. The team also has an extra $1.5 million to spend by letting 700-goal scorer Mike Gartner become an unrestricted free agent.A good portion of those savings will be earmarked for Tkachuk, who was negotiating with the club for a massive contract extension that could fetch the left winger at least $7 million per season.Tkachuk reportedly was livid when he learned about the trade. He made it clear on several occasions since Janney joined the team 2-1/2 years ago from the San Jose Sharks that he preferred to only have him as his center.But the Coyotes are making it clear that Tkachuk can&rsquo;t have everything go his own way. A club source said trading Janney, in addition to freeing up money, will send a subtle message to Tkachuk about who is in charge.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Louie DeBrusk, a seven-year veteran who racked up 166 penalty minutes in 54 games with Tampa Bay last season, probably will be exposed in the expansion draft. Even if he isn&rsquo;t claimed, it&rsquo;s doubtful he will spend the season in Phoenix&hellip;Defenseman Murray Baron, set to become a Group III free agent July 1, isn&rsquo;t expected to be offered a new contract and likely will sign elsewhere&hellip;Team president Shawn Hunter said the Coyotes will explore building their own arena, mostly with private funds, if sufficient renovations aren&rsquo;t made at America West Arena, which has 4,300 sight-obstructed seats for hockey. The team has three years remaining on its five-year lease agreement there, but can vacate earlier. &#9632;

f0016-03

Janney deal irks Tkachuk

<div class="byline">By Mike Dudurich</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04593/6889665-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="169" height="167"></div>Apparently, Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s &ldquo;standard players&rsquo; contract&rdquo; with the Penguins was anything but standard.A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story said as a result of two addenda to the seven-year contract Lemieux signed in 1992, he was guaranteed to receive salaries, bonuses and other payments in the contract, even if the league office deemed the deal invalid.Lemieux, who retired a year ago, filed an intent to sue action in Allegheny County court May 15 over payments not made. The deal called for him to receive payments of $2 million Jan. 1, 1997 and Jan. 1, 1998, neither of which were made. Some other provisions in the deal were:&bull; Lemieux would have been allowed to sit out all or any of the 1995-96, 1996-97,1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons if he decided he was not &ldquo;physically able to play at the level customarily associated with (his) exceptional and unique knowledge, skill and ability.&rdquo;&bull; Beginning Jan. 1, 2000, Lemieux is scheduled to receive his first monthly installment which will total $2,138,419.47 over 10 years. That is to supplement his salary for the 199394 season, guaranteeing he would receive $1 million more than rival Wayne Gretzky for that season.&bull; Lemieux agreed to accept payment of his $3.5 million salary&rsquo; for the 1994-95 season in five annual payments of $700,000, without interest.&bull; Lemieux had an &ldquo;escalator provision&rdquo; tied to the earnings of the NHL&rsquo;s highest-paid player during a given season. provided Lemieux had played at least 50 regular season games or 15 playoff games the previous year.&bull; Lemieux is to be employed by the Penguins as a &ldquo;special adviser&rdquo; to Howard Baldwin, who was in control of the franchise when the addendum was negotiated, for 10 years, beginning Jan. 1, 2000 at an annual salary of $500,000.&bull; Had he been traded, Lemieux could have requested payment of all deferred money within 30 days.NOTEBOOK: The Penguins were active in the trade market prior to the June 27 entry draft in Buffalo. First they acquired center Tony Hrkac and defenseman Bobby Dollas from Edmonton for left winger Josef Beranek in a June 15 deal. Two days later, they picked up centers German Titov and Todd Hlushko from Calgary for goalie Ken Wregget and left winger Dave Roche. They key player in the two deals figures to be Titov. The 32-year-old has averaged 24 goals and 51 points per season-not including the lockout campaign-since entering the NHL in 1993-94. Titov is highly regarded by coach Kevin Constantine: the two were previously together when Constantine was an assistant with the Flames. &#9632;

f0016-04

Super Mario had contract full of riches

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011255/6889696-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="168" height="170"></div>The St. Louis Blues deem, ed all-star defenseman Al Maclnnis too valuable to let him test the free agent market, so they signed him to a new deal in mid-June.They apparently don&rsquo;t have the same feeling about right winger Brett Hull, who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1 unless the Blues make an abrupt about-face.In March, Hull turned down a three-year, $15-million offer because it didn&rsquo;t contain the no-trade clause he was seeking. The two sides haven&rsquo;t talked since.Goalie Grant Fuhr got a no-trade clause in his two-year, $6-million extension, and Maclnnis got a no-trade in his new three-year, $15-million that includes an option for a fourth year. During the first year of the agreement, Maclnnis has the right to select four teams to whom he can be traded, but the Blues can&rsquo;t move him in the second and third years.GM Larry Pleau admitted Maclnnis&rsquo; no-trade clause is better than the one he offered Hull, but said, &ldquo;I have the right as the general manager to view Al and Brett as two different players and two different people. We want our defense to be our strongest area. And Al Maclnnis was definitely No. 1 on our list.&rdquo;The Blues, who also must deal with unrestricted free agents Steve Duchesne and Geoff Courtnail, have stopped just short of saying Hull, their career goal-scoring leader, won&rsquo;t be back.&ldquo;The door is open, but it&rsquo;s closing all the time,&rdquo; Pleau said.NOTEBOOK: Coach Joel Quenneville signed a two-year extension June 12, putting him under contract through 2000-2001. He received a significant raise from his $375,000 annual contract, to perhaps as much as $800,000 per season&hellip;The Blues decided to re-open talks with defenseman Al Maclnnis when team doctors determined he wouldn&rsquo;t need surgery on his left shoulder. Maclnnis suffered his second dislocation in nine months on the surgically repaired shoulder in December and at the time it was believed he&rsquo;d need another operation. Maclnnis rejected a three-year, $12-million offer in March that called for a $1-million buyout if Maclnnis failed the training camp physical after undergoing surgery in the off-season. &#9632;

f0017-01

Maclnnis deal could spell end of Hull era in St. Louis

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03685/6889727-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="607" height="963"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al lafrate</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-02950/6889734-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="169" height="167"></div>Upgrading a power play unit that ranked in the bottom half of the NHL all of last season will be a primary goal when the San Jose Sharks go shopping this summer.&ldquo;Most people would agree (running the power play) was one of our problems,&rdquo; said GM Dean Lombardi.Steve Duchesne of the St. Louis Blues and Gary Suter of the Chicago Blackhawks are among the defensemen expected to be available as unrestricted free agents come July.A late-season surge that coincided with the return of defenseman Al la-frate enabled San Jose to finish 16th in the NHL with a 13.5 per-cent success rate on the power play. The Sharks have learned, however, not to count on the injury-prone lafrate, who may leave the team as an unrestricted free agent.He&rsquo;s not the only unrestricted player who could bolt. Right winger John MacLean and defenseman Marty McSorley are likely headed elsewhere.Meanwhile, San Jose was working to re-sign left winger Murray Craven and right winger Tony Granato, whose contract gives him the option to declare unrestricted free agency. Center Bernie Nicholls and left winger Dave Lowry are in limbo, their futures directly tied to how successful the Sharks are in upgrading their roster via other means.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not kidding ourselves with getting into the playoffs last year, Lombardi said. &ldquo;We have roles that have to be filled. We&rsquo;re not good enough to say we&rsquo;re a definite playoff team.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Sharks picked up highly regarded Buffalo backup goalie Steve Shields June 18, along with a fourth round draft pick, in exchange for goalie Kay Whitmore and a second round draft pick. The deal could mean the end of the line for goalie Kelly Hrudey, who had already been considering retirement&hellip;The Sharks will unveil new uniforms next season. The third jerseys, which debuted last season, will be the new road sweaters, with a white version of the third jerseys to be used at home&hellip;San Jose has offered a contract to right winger Mike Craig&hellip;Former Sharks&rsquo; coach Jim Wiley, who coached Kentucky of the American League the past two seasons, accepted San Jose&rsquo;s offer to become director of hockey operations for the Thoroughblades. &#9632;

f0017-03

Sharks seek quarterback

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04503/6889765-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="171" height="169"></div>With an extra $6 million in the payroll from its new owner, the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up a new No. 1 goalie and new No. 1 center in a one-week span.Bill Ranford, 31, was immediately proclaimed the team&rsquo;s starter after he was acquired from the Washington Capitals June 18 for a third round 1998 draft choice and a second round pick in 1999.&ldquo;Ranford is our No. 1 goalie because he is the guy we are going to protect in the expansion draft,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Demers. &ldquo;No disrespect to Daren Puppa, but (because of injuries) we can&rsquo;t count on him.&rdquo;Ranford, who earns $3 million a season, was supplanted as the Caps&rsquo; starter last season by Olie Kolzig, but has a track record for winning. He earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP when the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1990 and was the hero in the host nation&rsquo;s Canada Cup triumph in 1991.The team&rsquo;s new No. 1 center, Craig Janney, also comes with good credentials. But as was the case with Ranford, most of Janney&rsquo;s success came in the early &rsquo;90s. Acquired June 11 from the Phoenix Coyotes for enforcer Louie DeBrusk and a fifth round pick, Janney, 30, had a 106-point season with the St. Louis Blues in 1992-93.&ldquo;I talked to Jacques and we agreed that this would improve our club a lot,&rdquo; said GM Phil Esposito. &ldquo;Janney is a heck of a passer.&rdquo;Both newcomers expressed optimism about coming to Tampa, especially since new owner Art Williams has made a commitment to winning.&ldquo;If things were like they were under the old ownership, I&rsquo;m not sure I&rsquo;d be happy,&rdquo; Janney said. &ldquo;But with a new owner who wants to build a winner. I&rsquo;m very excited.&rdquo;&ldquo;I was kind of disappointed at first because I wanted to go to a contender,&rdquo; Ranford said. &ldquo;But after talking to Jacques and hearing things about the new owner, the feeling is this team can be a contender.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Lightning hired former NHLer Paulin Bordeleau as an assistant June 18 to round out its coaching staff. Bordeleau and Lightning coach Jacques Demers previously worked together in the Montreal organization&hellip;The Lightning did not renew the contract of assistant coach Chris Reichart&hellip;GM Phil Esposito filmed a cameo role as a color commentator in an under-production movie called Mystery, Alaska. The film, about a pond team in Alaska with a reputation for being good enough to beat an NHL team, stars Burt Reynolds and Lolita Davidovich. It is being produced by former Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; owner Howard Baldwin and Ally McBeal creator David E. Kelley. &#9632;

f0017-04

Can Ranford, Janney relive past glory?

<div class="byline">By Damien Cox</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011073/6889796-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="170" height="172"></div>Nick Kypreos may have lost an entire, season to head woes, but he hasn&rsquo;t lost his sense of humor.Ask him about the short term memory loss he has experienced since sustaining post-concussion syndrome problems after a fight with New York Ranger right winger Ryan VandenBussche last September and you get a typically witty response.&ldquo;That part is not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like I meet new friends every day,&rdquo; he quipped.Indeed, Kypreos isn&rsquo;t sitting around feeling sorry for himself although he knows there&rsquo;s a chance he may never play another NHL game. During the Stanley Cup final, he worked as an analyst on ESPN&rsquo;s international feed. Kypreos, 32, and former NHLer Mickey Redmond assisted play-by-play man Dave Strader.That&rsquo;s not to say Kypreos has washed his hands of his playing career. The ESPN gig is temporary and although CTV SportsNet has talked to him about their plans for NHL coverage next season, he&rsquo;s hoping to be back playing by October.&ldquo;I do want to play again,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel I can still play and I&rsquo;d like to go to training camp somewhere. But I don&rsquo;t know how I&rsquo;ll react. I don&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo; 11 be able to play the way I did.&rdquo;Or at all, given that he&rsquo;s an unrestricted free agent coming off a year of inactivity and will have to pass tests on his injured brain and an NHL physical before he can even think about returning.A VandenBussche punch left him crumpled on the ice surface of Madison Square Garden last September and since then he has been bothered by post-concussion problems, including headaches, nausea and short-term memory loss.He didn&rsquo;t score well on tests with Chicago concussion expert Dr. James Kelly earlier this year and headed back to see Kelly at the end of June.&ldquo;I feel 100 per cent better than I did four months ago,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I feel symptom free.&rdquo;The Leafs haven&rsquo;t indicated a strong interest in re-signing him and are likely waiting to see how his health progresses, just as they are with another unrestricted free agent, left winger Wendel Clark.NOTEBOOK: The Maple Leafs were on the verge of completing a mid-week television deal with Molson to begin in 1999-2000. The deal is expected to be five years at a cost of $23 million per season. Up to 55 games would be picked up on a regional basis. The Leafs&rsquo; current deal has one year remaining, with Toronto-based Global and Hamilton-based ONtv&hellip;The Toronto Sun reported former Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; coach Terry Murray interviewed for the Leafs&rsquo; coaching job. The position is held by Mike Murphy, but team president Ken Dryden has dithered deciding Murphy&rsquo;s fate&hellip;Luxury suites in the Leafs&rsquo; new home, the Air Canada Centre, have been priced as high as $350,000. The Leafs also announced June 18, to heavy criticism, that 1,500 seats in the first nine rows will be subject to a one-time seat license fee of $15,000 and an annual $2,500 membership fee. Toronto becomes the first NHL club to introduce seat licenses and will gain $22.5 million from the move. Ticket prices will range from $24 to $115 with an average of about $76. &#9632;

f0020-01

TV broadcast booth beckons, but Kypreos still wants to play

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02722/6889827-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="169" height="171"></div>As he packed his bags and headed home to Latvia for the off-season, goaltender Arturs Irbe had absolutely no idea what his hockey-playing destination would be next season.The 31-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1 and through mid-June he had yet to receive an indication whether the Vancouver Canucks even plan to make him an offer, let alone a serious one.&ldquo;I guess the team is more concerned about hiring a new general manager so there are more important things to do than talk to me,&rdquo; said the unflappable Irbe. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not nervous at all about my situation. I had the best save percentage of my career and my goals-against average was pretty good, too.&rdquo;Irbe&rsquo;s numbers bordered on the extraordinary considering he played behind the worst defensive team in the league. He posted a 14-11-6 record with a 2.73 GAA and .907 save percentage.He was the only Canucks&rsquo; goalie last season to record a record above .500. The more heralded Kirk McLean went 6-17-4 and was then traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for the equally heralded Sean Burke, who went 2-9-4. Garth Snow managed a 3-6-0 mark in his nine decisions with Vancouver.&ldquo;There were some things that were pretty positive,&rdquo; said Irbe, who finally emerged as the Canucks&rsquo; No. 1 netminder after Mike Keenan completed his musical chairs act. &ldquo;I did my best and I feel comfortable with that. I think I showed I can play for Mike Keenan. If the team wants to keep me, that would be great.&rdquo;But if the Canucks don&rsquo;t want him back, the little Latvian isn&rsquo;t worried. With the expansion Nashville Predators expected to stockpile goalies, a number of teams will be scouring the free agent market for a proven, and not terribly pricey, backup. Irbe made just $775,000 (U.S.) last season, is a character individual, has exemplary work habits and still entertains thoughts of again being a No. 1 some day.NOTEBOOK: Mike Gillis, the agent for right winger Pavel Bure, said his client was still withholding any statement on his future until the team had its new GM in place. Bure has been in Russia since the season concluded. In May, Gillis was approached by Canucks&rsquo; owner John McCaw to see if he was interested in the GM&rsquo;s job. He wasn&rsquo;t&hellip;Defenseman Jyrki Liunme, who becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, is not expected to re-sign with the Canucks. He is looking for a no-trade clause, or at least the right to nix a trade if he doesn&rsquo;t like the destination. Lumme, 31, finished with nine goals and 30 points (and was minus-27) in 74 games last season for Vancouver&hellip;Little known fact: the Canucks&rsquo; director of amateur scouting, Jack Birch, has a PhD, which likely makes him the most educated bird-dog in hockey. His doctoral thesis was on the &ldquo;relationship between performance predictors and the attainment of success in professional ice hockey"-in other words, scouting. &#9632;

f0020-02

Irbe would be happy to return, but won’t worrv if he’s set free

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01843/6889858-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brian Wesenberg celebrates Philadelphia&rsquo;s AHL championship win. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div>They were the toast of the American League, just as they were last year, a minor-league team catching the fascination of a major-league city.The Philadelphia Phantoms romped through the regular season with the AHL&rsquo;s best record, just as they did last year.They won the Mid-Atlantic Division title, just as they did last year.They led the AHL in attendance, just as they did last year.But did it matter? Could they win in the playoffs? That&rsquo;s what the critics were whispering, what the doubters were wondering.After all, the Phantoms&rsquo; fabulous season of 1996-97 is remembered by most only for the disappointing finish, a second round playoff ouster at the hands of the Hershey Bears.&ldquo;People were saying, &lsquo;They&rsquo;re great, they&rsquo;re leading the league again, they&rsquo;re first overall again,&rsquo; &ldquo;said center Shawn McCosh,&rdquo; &lsquo;but let&rsquo;s see what they can do in the playoffs.&rsquo;&rdquo;Anyone care to take a sip from the Calder Cup?Focused and intent on bringing the Cup to the CoreStates Spectrum, the Phantoms won the AHL title by beating the Saint John Flames in six games.&ldquo;It was such a disappointment the year before to go out so early when we had such high expectations for ourselves,&rsquo;&rsquo; said goalie Neil Little, who posted three playoff shutouts after going through four years of college and four full pro seasons without one.&ldquo;The way last year ended weighed on everyone&rsquo;s mind. We just focused on what we needed to do to accomplish our goals here and right now there is just so much joy and relief.&rdquo;The joy was felt by fans in Philadelphia as well. A sellout crowd of 17,380-an AHL playoff record-watched the Phantoms win 6-1 in the deciding game and they were as loud as any crowd that cheered for the Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; Stanley Cup teams in 1974 and &rsquo;75.&ldquo;For the last five minutes of the game, you couldn&rsquo;t hear a thing,&rdquo; said defenseman Dave Maclssac.Even coach Bill Barber, who skated the wing on those Flyers&rsquo; title teams, was in awe.&ldquo;For the last seven minutes, I don&rsquo;t think anyone sat down,&rdquo; Barber said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something I don&rsquo;t think the American League has ever seen.&rdquo;For most in Philadelphia, this was not the Cup they wanted. Eric Lindros and the Flyers were supposed to bring home the other one. But by June 10, when the Phantoms finished off the pesky, gritty Flames, the City of Brotherly Love had embraced the AHL team.&ldquo;We were at the Flyers&rsquo; golf tournament (four days later) and all the Flyers were introduced at the banquet and there was nothing (from the crowd in terms of reaction),&rdquo; Maclssac said. &ldquo;Then we got introduced and we got a big standing ovation.&rdquo;While many games were close, the Phantoms were never close to panicking during their Cup run. They beat the Rochester Americans 3-1 in the best-of-five opening round, swept Hershey 4-0 in the division final and ousted the Albany River Rats 4-2 in the Western Conference final. Perhaps most impressive was their 9-1 road record.&ldquo;To win a championship, you have to win on the road and the guys did it in royal fashion,&rdquo; Barber said. &ldquo;I admire the guys, they ran at a very, very high level all year long.&rdquo;The first three games of the final went to overtime, a first in the AHL&rsquo;s 62-year history. The Phantoms won 32 in Game 1 on Sean O&rsquo;Brien&rsquo;s goal in the second overtime. Todd Hlushko&rsquo;s OT goal gave the Flames a 3-2 win to even the series heading to New Brunswick, but Peter White gave Philadelphia a 2-1 series lead with the winner in Game 3, a 4-3 win.The Phantoms won 6-4 in Game 4, lost 6-1 in Game 5, then finished off the Flames back in Philadelphia.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re pretty proud of the route we took,&rdquo; McCosh said. &ldquo;We played four good teams. But we never saw one game as a game we had to win or else. If we lost, we had confidence that we could bounce back so maybe we played with a little less pressure.&rdquo;Perhaps that&rsquo;s because the team could play any style. Known for their explosive offense during the season, the Phantoms showed they were committed to playing in their own end.&ldquo;We played against the best defensive team in the finals and we talked about certain ways of playing the clock when we had the lead,&rdquo; Barber said. &ldquo;I think Albany found out that our team could play as well defensively as any team in the league.&rdquo;While the AHL and Philadelphia fans took notice of the Phantoms&rsquo; run, the players now hope those in the NHL will see as well. The Phantoms went 47-23-10, but there were only a handful of callups by the Flyers.Little has never played an NHL game. Center Peter White won his second straight AHL scoring title and would like another crack at the big time. Speedy right winger Mike Man-eluk was a star in the playoffs, scoring 13 goals and 34 points in 20 games and won the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the playoff MVP.The players hope winning the title may open some doors.&ldquo;Everyone likes a winner,&rdquo; Little said, &ldquo;and it&rsquo;s great to be one.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0021-01

Fabulous Phantoms capture Calder Cun

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>No one gets a second chance to make a first impression and it&rsquo;s rare for a coach to get a second chance to make a favorable impression. Frank Anzalone is getting that second chance.After being fired in his first season in pro hockey in 1990-91 with the Newmarket Saints and then proving his abilities for six seasons in the East Coast League, Anzalone was hired by the New York Islanders to be their development coach with the Lowell Lock Monsters.The American League expansion team begins play next season.&ldquo;My goal was to be part of an NHL organization again and to help develop players and I&rsquo;m elated to be affiliated with the New York Islanders,&rdquo; said the 43-year-old Anzalone. &ldquo;I had my kick at the can in Newmarket and I didn&rsquo;t know if I&rsquo;d get another chance.&rdquo;Anzalone coached at Lake Superior State for eight seasons through the 1980s, winning the NCAA title in 1987-88. He was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to guide Newmarket in 1990-91. He lasted just one season as the Saints went 26-45-9 and missed the playoffs.&ldquo;The step from college to pro w; and I needed to have time, I needed to learn the pro game, I needed some more guidance,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;For every three decisions I made, one was a bad one. But nothing I did was due to dishonesty or deceit. If you do that, you never get back.&rdquo;Anzalone coached the Nashville Knights of the ECHL in 1991-92, spent the next season coaching high school hockey in New Jersey, then took over the ECHL&rsquo;s Roanoke Express in 1993-94.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a career coach, I&rsquo;m not an ex-NHL player,&rsquo;&rsquo;Anzalone said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a career coach and I had to coach to support my family.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02469/6889889-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="464" height="458"></div>ROYAL PARTNERSHIP: The Los Angeles Kings have ended their one-year partnership with the Fredericton Canadiens and will instead send eight prospects to the Springfield Falcons.Springfield is the development team for the Phoenix Coyotes, but the Coyotes agreed the one-year deal to share the affiliation. The Coyotes are responsible for the remainder of the roster.The Montreal Canadiens, which stocked Fredericton by itself in past years, will again be the sole parent. The Canadiens plan to sign few veterans to aid in development prospects and enhance fan appeal.The Kentucky Thoroughblades signed a secondary agreement with the Florida Panthers that will provide them with four players.CHANGING HANDS: The sale of the Portland Pirates to Kennebunkport, Me., legislator W. John Hathaway was nearly complete.Co-owners Joyce Ebright and Dave Fisher are selling their majority interests in the franchise. Ebright&rsquo;s late husband, Tom, moved the franchise to Portland from Baltimore in 1993.AHL TIDBITS: Walt Kyle and John Perpich were rumored candidates for the vacant Portland Pirates&rsquo; coaching job. The parent Washington Capitals began the search for Bryan Trottier&rsquo;s replacement after the Stanley Cup final. Kyle was still under contract to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but was fired as assistant coach and was awaiting re-assignment.. .Glenn Patrick will return as the Syracuse Crunch assistant. He&rsquo;s the representative for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the dual affiliation with the Vancouver Canucks and is being groomed to be coach next season when Pittsburgh&rsquo;s expansion franchise begins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton&hellip;The Rochester Americans granted Scott Metcalfe&rsquo;s request to be released from the last year of his contract so he can play in Germany next season. &#9632;

f0021-02

Anzalone back in AHL with Lowell

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01972/6889920-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago&rsquo;s Marc Rodgers didn&rsquo;t score here, but the Wolves beat Detroit in Game 7 of the IHL final. (Photo by Ross Dettman)</figcaption></div>When Tom Tilley signed with the Chicago Wolves shortly before 1997-98, he looked at the roster and wondered if he had made a mistake.The veteran defenseman recognized few names and wasn&rsquo;t certain how competitive the Wolves would be.&ldquo;There were only about five or six guys who I knew who they were,&rdquo; Tilley said. &ldquo;I was a little worried.&rdquo;But Tilley need not have worried. The Wolves were in first place from virtually the first day of the season and capped a spectacular season by winning their first Turner Cup, beating the Detroit Vipers in seven games.Chicago played the entire playoffs without three of the six defensemen who played in the regular season, but Tilley said the ability to overcome adversity was what typified the team.Dennis Vial and Alex Godynyuk each played just one playoff game and Paul Koch missed the playoff run, ripping the Wolves&rsquo; defense in half. Jeremy Mylymok, Dave Craievich and converted forward Marc Potvin stepped in and filled the gaps.&ldquo;Kevin Dahl, Bob Nardella and myself got a lot of ice time down the stretch when we were chasing first overall and then in the playoffs with all the injuries, it was difficult,&rdquo; Tilley said. &ldquo;The thing I&rsquo;ll remember about this team is how guys stepped in and did whatever job needed to be done.&ldquo;We got Mylymok from Quebec and he did an unbelievable job. Craievich came up from me Last coast League and Pots moved in and those guys understood their roles and played simple hockey and gave us a rest. There was a lot of talk about our offense and how we could score goals, but we were underrated in the defensive end.&rdquo;The Wolves won Game 7 in Chicago 3-0 by scoring three times in the third period, including the first two goals within a 24-second span. But Game 7, which was one of the most fast-paced games in any league, got off to an ugly start.A brawl erupted as the warmup ended that delayed the start of the game for 20 minutes. Wolves&rsquo; goalie Stephane Beauregard shot a puck into the Vipers&rsquo; net as he was skating off the ice, leading to a confrontation with Detroit&rsquo;s Andy Bezeau.The two began exchanging pushes and shoves, prompting Chicago backup Wendell Young to jump Bezeau in defense of his partner. Several players ran from the dressing room to join the fight and local police came onto the ice to break up the skirmish.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it took away from the game,&rdquo; said Detroit GM Rick Dudley. &ldquo;That was one of the best games you&rsquo;d want to watch from a spectator&rsquo;s standpoint. I think (referee) Kevin Maguire was heard to comment that he had seen few games with a pace like that, even in the NHL.&rdquo;Chicago was one of the IHL&rsquo;s most explosive teams and became more powerful at the trade deadline when it acquired Steve Larouche and Marc Rodgers from the Quebec Rafales.Chicago had three lines that were capable of being the No. 1 line on most other IHL teams.&ldquo;When we needed a big goal, we didn&rsquo;t have to rely on just the one so-called big line,&rdquo; said Chicago captain Steve Maltais. &ldquo;If you look at what happened, we got big goals from just about everybody in the playoffs.&rdquo;The biggest goal came from Chris Vlarinucci, who in one motion took a pass from Nardella and re-directed it cast Detroit goalie Jeff Reese at 5:04 of the third to break the scoreless tie.Playoff MVP Alexander Semak, who played on a knee that needed surgery, scored 24 seconds later, giving the Wolves a two-goal edge.&ldquo;Semak&rsquo;s goal stunned them,&rdquo; said Chicago coach John Anderson, who won his second consecutive championship after leading the Quad City Mallards to the Colonial League title in 1996-97. &ldquo;They seemed really shaken.&rdquo;Beauregard, who had been alternating with Young throughout the playoffs until Young got injured in Game 1, did a fine job stopping the Vipers, turning aside all 29 shots and making a number of big saves in the deciding game.By defeating the Vipers, the Wolves prevented them from being the first team to win con secutive titles in the same city since the Salt Lake Golden Eagles did it in 1987 and &rsquo;88. (The Denver Grizzlies won in 1995 and moved to Utah, where they won the Turner Cup the next season.) The Vipers led the series 3-2, but couldn&rsquo;t win one of the last two games in Chicago.It was just the third time in 54 years that the IHL final has gone seven games and the first since 1985.The key for the Wolves turned out to be they were balanced in all areas.&ldquo;Before the series I read where (Detroit coach Steve) Ludzik said defense wins championships,&rdquo; Anderson said. &ldquo;I disagree with that a little. Defense helps win championships, but you have to have your guns a-blazing, too. It starts from the goal out.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0022-01

Seventh heaven for Wolves

<div class="byline">By Kevin lole</div>The San Antonio Dragons&rsquo; future in the city remains unclear, despite the organization&rsquo;s insistence it will return for its third season.But coach-GM Jeff Brubaker will be gone even if the club returns to San Antonio.Brubaker, who had a highly talented and highly paid club that played lackadaisically and finished with the worst record in the 18-team IHL, resigned June 11. He is expected to land a job in the East Coast League.In two seasons in San Antonio, he enjoyed varying degrees of success. He led the Dragons to the 1996-97 Midwest Division championship, helping the club to a 45-30-7 record.However, despite a bloated payroll, San Antonio was the poorest team in the IHL in 1997-98. It was just 25-49-8 and allowed 334 goals, most in the league. Despite having sharp-shooters such as Daniel Shank and Lonnie Loach, only four teams scored fewer goals than the Dragons&rsquo; 233.No successor was named, though the Dragons are expected to split the jobs.IHL, PHPA DO BATTLE: A ticket promotion the Detroit Vipers had hoped fill the Palace of Auburn Hills for the er Cup playoffs in 1997 backfired.The Professional Hockey Players&rsquo; Association, the union that represents I players, won a grievance over the Viper&rsquo;s playoff promotion, insisting it adverse affected the players&rsquo; playoff pool.The Vipers offered fans a promotion for the playoffs it called the Vipers&rsquo; Passport Promotion, in which fans could purchase tickets to all home Detroit playoff games for just $25. In addition, the $25 was then credited toward fans who wanted to purchase season tickets for the 1997-98 season.The union contended any playoff ticket promotions must be similar to those done during the season and the Vipers did nothing similar to the Passport Promotion. Because the players aren&rsquo;t paid during the playoffs and derive their income solely from gate receipts, the promotion effectively cost the players money, the union argued.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02670/6889951-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="412" height="462"></div>Arbiter John Sands agreed with e union. The next step was to quantify the damages. The sides were in negotiations, but a date was set with Sands if could not come to an agreement.Detroit wound up playing 11 home during their run to the 1997 Turner Cup That put the cost of a per-game playoff ticket at $2.27, far below what the Vipers charged during the regular season.&ldquo;The promotion is great for clubs because they still get their $6 for parking and money from concessions, but it hurts the players,&rdquo; said Rich Evans, the PHPA&rsquo;s director of business affairs.AST WINS IRONMAN: Long Beach Ice Dogs&rsquo; coach-GM John Van Boxmeer gambled that center Doug Ast might be able to contribute as an extra forward when he signed him prior to 1997-98.As turned out to be one of the Ice Dogs&rsquo; best players and won the IHL&rsquo;s Ironman Award, given to the player who appears in all of his team&rsquo;s regular season games and displays outstanding two-way ability.Ast scored 22 goals and 63 points on the team&rsquo;s No. 2 line, but was brilliant defensively and racked up a plus-42 rating.COMEBACK WINNER? Mike Tomlak of the Milwaukee Admirals rebounded from a compound fracture of his right tibia that limited him to just 47 games in 1996-97 to play all 82 games in 1997-98 and be a force at both ends. The league honored him with the Rogaine Comeback Award. Tomlak had 19 goals and 51 points and was plus-12. &#9632;

f0022-02

Brubaker leaves Dragons’ lair

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>The Columbus Chill may not be moving far when the East Coast League franchise leaves town to make room for the NHL expansion Columbus Blue Jackets.The Chill has extended a purchase option to U.S. Representative James A. Traficant Jr., who represents the 17th congressional district in Ohio. Although he will not be part of the ownership group, Traficant will try to secure investors and organize a plan to finance an arena in Youngstown, a city of 600.000 about 175 miles northeast of Columbus.. A trio of Youngstown-area investors have July 30 to buy the franchise from Chicago busi nessman Hom Chen, according to David Paitson, the Chill&rsquo;s former president who is representing Chen. The Chill will entertain no other offers until Traficant responds.&ldquo;The investors are there,&rdquo; Paitson told the Columbus Dispatch. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the perfect league for Youngstown. There&rsquo;s rivalries with Dayton, Tc do, Wheeling and Johnstown.&rdquo;Even if the deal is completed, the Chill will stay in Columbus for the 1998-99 season, Paitson said. Since it is unlikely an arena can be built in time for 1999-2000, the franchise could suspend operations for a season before starting up again in 2000-2001 in Youngstown. The ECHL board of governors would have to approve such a plan.With Paitson&rsquo;s departure, Columbus coach Don Granato will add the title of GM. Paitson was instrumental in starting the Chill franchise in 1991 and largely responsible for the minor-league, record-setting run of 83 consecutive sellouts from 1992-94.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01864/6889982-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="404" height="426"></div>NEW COACHES: Shawn Wheeler has moved from assistant to coach of the Charlotte Checkers, replacing John Marks, who left to become coach and director of operations for the expansion Greenville Gnrowl. Wheeler in the first black coach in the ECHL&rsquo;s 10-year history.Mark Kaufman, 37, who was an assistant coach for the American League&rsquo;s Kentucky Thoroughblades the past two years, was named coach of the Richmond Renegades. Kaufman, who served a brief stint as an assistant with the San Jose Sharks, was coach and GM of the United-States League&rsquo;s Rochester (Minn.) Mustangs om 1988-92, winning a title in 1989-90. Kauf-nan replaces Scott Gruhl, who was fired in April.The Toledo Storm has named former NHLer Murray Eaves to replace Greg Puhalski, who was fired in April. Eaves, 38, was an assistant with the AHL&rsquo;s Adirondack Red Wings the past (&rsquo;ears. Eaves played 15 pro seasons, including the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets.Three ECHL teams, including the Roanoke Express, are still looking for new coaches. The Express lost Frank Anzalone June 16 when he was named coach of the AHL&rsquo;s Lowell Lock Monsters. Anzalone was the only coach in Express history, guiding them to a 192-122-32 record.The Express also announced Tony Mancuso is its new GM, replacing Pierre Paiement, who left to pursue business opportunities.The Baton Rouge Kingfish and Tallahassee Tiger Sharks have not named replacements for Dave Schultz and Terry Christensen, respectively. &#9632;

f0023-01

Chill searching for new home, Youngstown early front-runner

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>The Ottawa 67&rsquo;s have been taken to the cleaners.Jeff Hunt, a 34-year Ottawa entrepreneur, bought the Ontario League franchise from Howard Darwin and Earl Montagano for between $2.5 million and $3 million June 10.Hunt operates a nation-wide carpet cleaning network that was cited in Profit magazine for being among the top-100 fastest growing Canadian companies seven of the past eight years.The first thing Hunt did was strike a verbal contract with coach-GM Brian Kilrea for the next two seasons.Kilrea, the winningest coach in Canadian Hockey League history, always had verbal deals with the previous owners for the 21 years he has been with the 67&rsquo;s. Darwin started the team in 1967 and Montagano became a partner in 1974.They&rsquo;d talked about getting out of junior hockey because of declining attendance, directly related to the arrival of the NHL&rsquo;s Ottawa Senators.Darwin and Montagano will remain as consultants for three years. Darwin also owns the Ottawa Lynx of the Triple-A International League, the Montreal Expos&rsquo; top farm team.&rdquo; THREE&rsquo;S COMPANY: The OHL goes to three overagers from two.next season, to get in line with the Western and Quebec Leagues.The OHL&rsquo;s argument was three would hurt development of younger players, but stats show. the WHL has had more players drafted the past five years than the OHL or QMJHL.&ldquo;The WHL&rsquo;s feeling is with three, everyone plays better and that enhances development,&rdquo; said Sarnia Sting owner Robert Ciccarelli. &ldquo;More important, we need to be where the WHL and QMJHL are so we&rsquo;re more competitive in the Memorial Cup.&rdquo;BRANCH PLANT: Defenseman Jay Harrison, selected first overall by the expansion Brampton Battalion at the OHL draft June 6, was coached for three years in minor hockey by OHL commissioner Dave Branch.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01949/6890013-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="756" height="254"></div>Branch said he felt like a parent on draft day when Harrison&rsquo;s name was called first.NAME GAME: The Windsor Spitfires picked left winger Fedor Fedorov, the younger brother of Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; star Sergei Fedorov, 115th overall from the Michigan Nationals mid-gets.Left winger Dmitry Yash-, brother of Ottawa Senators&rsquo; star Alexei Yashin, was picked by 174th overall by the North Bay Centennials from Jr. A Kanata. (See pg. 31 for draft list).GLOBE TROTTERS: Seven OHLers will play for Canada at the world under-18 championship in the Czech Republic in August.Named to the team are centers Charlie Stephens (Toronto St. Michael&rsquo;s Majors), Michael Zigomanis (Kingston Frontenacs) and Derek Mackenzie (Sudbury Wolves); left winger Taylor Pyatt (Sudbury); and defensemen Jon Zion (Ottawa), Peter Reynolds (London Knights) and Kurtis Foster (Peterborough Petes).EXTRA PROTECTION: Mouthguards will be mandatory in the OHL next season as the league attempts to curtail concussions.London trainer Don Brankley said studies have determined blows to the jaw are the leading contributor to chin-shock concussion, which occurs when the jaw is driven back against the base of the skull. However, it&rsquo;s still not clear whether mouthguards can significantly reduce the likelihood of concussions.&ldquo;Kids feel a mouthguard is uncomfortable, but a little discomfort now saves possible lifelong neurological discomfort,&rdquo; Brankley said.TRADE WINDS: Sarnia added over 200 points in two deals prior to the draft.They acquired scoring champion Peter Sarno (33 goals and 121 points) from Windsor and overage center Peter Cava (30 goals and 90 points) from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.The Plymouth Whalers acquired Adam Cola-giacomo from the Oshawa Generals. &#9632;

f0024-01

67’s change ownership. but Kilrea remains bench boss

<div class="byline">By Stuart Cowan</div>After receiving a number of trade offers, the Baie Comeau Drakkar finally decided to hang on to the No. 1 pick at the June 6 midget draft, selecting 15-year-old center Yanick Lehoux from the Cap Madeleine Estacades.&ldquo;Several teams came knocking at our door, but nobody made an offer worth considering,&rdquo; said Drakkar GM Marcel Labelle, whose team received the No. 1 pick after finishing in last place with a 17-48-5 record in its first season in the Quebec League.The Drakkar scored the second-fewest goals in the league (an average of 3.07 per game) and hope Lehoux, a 6-foot, 154-pound play making center who had 29 goals and 79 points in 42 games with the Estacades, can help.&ldquo;I see myself as able to contribute to the cause of the Drakkar,&rdquo; Leboux said. &ldquo;One thing is certain, it&rsquo;s flattering to be the first choice over all. It was my goal at the start of last season and it happened.&rdquo;Heading into the draft, Leboux was the top-rated midget prospect by the QMJHL&rsquo;s Central Scouting Bureau.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an offensive player,&rdquo; said Marcel Pat-enaude, the league&rsquo;s head scout. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great passer and he can be spectacular. All his skills are extremely good. The only thing that we were scared about was his weight. But he has improved on that since the end of the season and I think he&rsquo;ll be a great player.&rdquo;Right winger Simon Lagace-Daigle (Drum-mondville Voltigeurs), center Thatcher Bell (Rimouski Oceanic), center Olivier Proulx (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles), and goalie Pascal Leclaire (Halifax Mooseheads) rounded out the top five picks at the draft, which was held in front of more than 3,500 fans at the Rimouski Colisee. (See pg. 32 for draft list).ABID NAMED MVP: Chicoutimi Sagueneens&rsquo; left winger Ramzi Abid, who won the Jean Beliveau Trophy as the league scoring champion with 50 goals and 135 points in 68 games, also took home the Michel Briere Trophy as the league&rsquo;s most valuable player at the annual awards banquet June 5.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02638/6890044-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="632" height="310"></div>The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder, who also had 266 penalty minutes, was ranked 11 th by the Central Scouting Bureau heading into the June 27 NHL entry draft.Other award winners were: Vincent Lecava-lier (top pro prospect) and Derrick Walser (top defenseman) of Rimouski; Mathieu Garon of the Victoriaville Tigres&rsquo; (top goaltender); Mike Ribeiro of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (top rookie); Simon Laliberte of the Moncton Wildcats (most gentlemanly player); and Guy Chouinard of the Quebec Remparts (top coach).THERRIEN WILL RETURN: Gaston Therrien will be back behind the Vai d&rsquo;Or Foreurs&rsquo; bench next season after signing a two-year contract.Therrien started last season as coach-GM in Rouyn-Noranda! but resigned Jan. 9 after a disagreement with the team&rsquo;s owners. Val d&rsquo;Or hired him to replace Richard Martel Feb-20 and Therrien led the Foreurs to an 8-1-1 record to finish the regular season. The Foreurs then went 14-5 in the playoffs en route to winning the President&rsquo;s Cup before losing all three games at the Memorial Cup.LET THE GAMES BEGIN: It&rsquo;s only fitting that the QMJHL will open its 30th season in Shawinigan, the only city that has had a franchise since the league&rsquo;s inception.The Shawinigan Cataractes will open the 1998-99 season Sept. 17 against an opponent to be named later this summer when the official league schedule is released.&ldquo;Giving this opening match to Shawinigan was of the utmost importance for us,&rdquo; said league president Gilles Courteau. &ldquo;The Cataractes represent our most loyal franchise in the history of the league and it&rsquo;s only normal that we recognize this fact.&rdquo;While the Cataractes will be entering their 30th season, they have never won the President&rsquo;s Cup. Their overall regular season record is 920-965-120. &#9632;

f0024-02

Drakkar adds needed punch with top draft choice Lehoux

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Edmonton Ice majority owner Ed Chynoweth has received conditional approval to move the franchise to Cranbrook, B.C.The Western League&rsquo;s board of governors voted 12-6 in favor of the transfer June 17. The move required two-thirds approval from the 18 governors, or at least 12 votes.&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t going to survive in Edmonton,&rdquo; Chynoweth said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s that plain and simple.&rdquo;Chynoweth said the Ice lost about $470,000 during two seasons in Edmonton. There were also losses on the ice, as the expansion team posted records of 14-56-2 (1996-97) and 17-496(1997-98).Edmonton averaged 2,263 patrons at the 3,901-seat Northlands AgriCom its inaugural season. This past winter, the Ice averaged 2,329 customers over 31 games at the AgriCom. Five dates at the 17,099-seat Edmonton Coliseum attracted an average of 5,197 patrons.Chynoweth had hoped the Coliseum&rsquo;s primary tenant-the NHL&rsquo;s I monton Oilers-would purchase the team.&ldquo;If we were going to survive in a big market, the only way was if an NHL team owned it-and they weren&rsquo;t interested,&rdquo; Chynoweth said.He added: &ldquo;If I misread anything, it was what a big factor the Oilers are in that market.&rdquo;The former WHL president applied for a transfer after reaching an agreement with the Kootenay Ice group, which attained its goal of selling 1,600 season tickets at $550 each.The problem is Cranbrook Coliseum will seat only 1,600 patrons next season. A new rink, which is to seat at least 4,000, is planned for 2000-2001. Another problem: the arena must be approved by Cranbrook residents. A plebiscite will be held in October. The WHL team can exercise an escape clause if the arena proposal is voted down.There were six dissenting votes June 17, when the Regina Pats, Moose Jaw Warriors, Kamloops Blazers, Medicine Hat Tigers, Calgary Hitmen and Brandon Wheat Kings opposed the transfer.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03416/6890075-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="389" height="394"></div>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going into the same scenario as Kelowna, with no building,&rdquo; said Regina GM Brent Parker, alluding to the fact the Rockets have yet to play in a new rink after three years in Kelowna. &ldquo;You never want to see a partner in trouble, but this may end up being a short-term fix as opposed to a long-term solution.&rdquo;The move is subject to the approval of WHL commissioner Dev Dley. Financial and building-related criteria must be met to Dley&rsquo;s satisfaction by June 29.BROWN STEPS DOWN: Bob Brown has stepped down as the Tri-City Americans&rsquo; GM, but he will remain involved with the team.Brown, 54, is the vice-president and chief operating officer of the Americans and the Tri-Cities Coliseum Corporation. He will concentrate on business matters with the franchise and the arena corporation.&ldquo;What I&rsquo;m giving up is matters &rsquo; such as schooling, billets and trades,&rdquo; said Brown, who spent three, seasons as the Americans&rsquo; GM.&ldquo;We have an expansion project with the Coliseum that is taking more and more of my time.&rdquo;Tri-City is looking for a coach who will handle player-personnel responsibilities. They&rsquo;re expected to name Don Hay to that post June 23. Hay is a former Kamloops coach and most recently an assistant with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.Before joining Tri-City, Brown was the Kamloops&rsquo; Blazers GM from 1986 to 1995. Kamloops won three Memorial Cups under Brown.NOTEBOOK: Kelowna Rockets&rsquo; governor-GM Bruce Hamilton is the new chairman of the board. He succeeds Ed Chynoweth&hellip;Brandon coach Bob Lowes signed a three-year contract extension&hellip;Kamloops hired Mike Moore. 33, to replace Stu MacGregor as GM. MacGregor left the Blazers to scout for the NHL&rsquo;s Dallas Stars. Moore was Calgary&rsquo;s assistant GM last season&hellip;Kelowna has severed ties with coach Peter Anholt.. The Red Deer Rebels announced coach Doug Hobson will not return next season. &#9632;

f0024-03

Edmonton franchise on Ice following move to Cranbrook

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01929/6890127-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01883/6890120-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="3661" height="4226"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01921/6890113-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="3661" height="4226"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-01814/6890106-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="4557" height="5263"></div> &#9632;

f0026-01

LOUISVILLE

f0030-01

AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01851/6890189-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE ONTARIO LEAGUE DRAFT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0032-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01913/6890220-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0032-01

QUEBEC LEAGUE DRAFT SCOREBOARD

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0001-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0001-03/6890369-1-eng-US/sc0001-032.jpg"></div>The sight of Vladimir Konstantinov being pushed around the MCI Center in his wheelchair, with the Stanley Cup resting gently on his lap, is one of those dramatic images that will forever have a place in the storied history of professional sport&rsquo;s most treasured trophy.It remains to be seen, however, if the Scotty Bowman-led Detroit Red Wings of the 1990s, winners of back-to-back Cups, will be able to carve themselves an unforgettable niche as a truly special team. A third consecutive Cup, in 1999, would certainly do it, because that&rsquo;s what it would take for the Red Wings to enter the rarefied air of a legitimate NHL dynasty. Including this year, there have been nine times (since the NHL assumed control of the Cup in 1927) when a team has won consecutive Cups only to be derailed in the third year. The real trick is to win three or more in a row. a &rsquo;. feat accomplished only five times and by just three organizations-the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders.And if the Wings, along with the thousands at the MCI Center and many more watching on television, were able to get past the emotion of the Konstantinov moment, there was a practical consideration that favors talk of a Detroit dynasty in the 1990s.That is, if the Red Wings could repeat after tragically losing a player the stature of Konstantinov, it would be foolish to think they&rsquo;re not equipped to do it again.&ldquo;This was a very significant player, a special player, that we lost,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m not saying we didn&rsquo;t miss him because we obviously did. but we did show that without him, we could get by.&rdquo;The Red Wings didn&rsquo;t romp through the Stanley Cup playoffs; it only seemed like that at times. They struggled with the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round.There were anxious moments against both the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, who might have made things more interesting if not for Joe Nieuwendyk&rsquo;s knee injury.It took three six-game series before the deep and defensively-conscious Wings rolled over the Washington Capitals in four games for their second consecutive Cup final sweep, which hadn&rsquo;t been done since the Islanders whupped the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers in 1982 and 1983, respectively. It is the Detroit franchise&rsquo;s ninth Stanley Cup win.This year&rsquo;s Wings struck quickly against the Capitals, scoring their first goals of the games on their sixth, fifth, first and fourth shots, respectively. The Wings&rsquo; record when scoring the first goal in these playoffs was 13-1.The surprising Caps, who knocked off the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres en route to the final, put up a brave fight, losing all but the Cup-clinching game by just one goal. It was the first time since Montreal beat the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976 that the first three games of the final were won by one.The Caps won&rsquo;t soon forget their Game 2 overtime loss in Detroit, when they twice blew two-goal leads and watched helplessly as Esa Tikkanen, once a member of the Edmonton dynasty (five Cups in seven years), missed a wide-open net with a shot that likely would have secured a split in Detroit.That miss, along with Red Wing Sergei Fedorov&rsquo;s winning goal in the dying minutes of Game 3 in Washington, allowed Detroit&rsquo;s momentum to swell to unstoppable proportions. By the time Game 4 arrived, with the Wings&rsquo; crazed Hockey town fans packing Joe Louis Arena to watch it on the scoreboard, there was no stopping them.And there may be no stopping them for some time.&ldquo;This is a team that should have a chance to compete for the Cup for years to come,&rdquo; said captain and Conn Smythe winner Steve Yzerman, who tied Fedorov&rsquo;s club record of 24 points to lead all 1998 playoff scorers. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s talent and commitment here and much of that talent is young, between the ages of 22 and 29. It&rsquo;s too early to be talking about a dynasty because you have to win three, four or five Cups for that to happen, but it&rsquo;s a good group that can be good for some time.&rdquo;<h2>Detroit&rsquo;s Decade</h2>Since Jan. 1, 1990, no NHL team has assembled a better winning percentage than Detroit&rsquo;s .615 mark. It&rsquo;s improbable second-place Pittsburgh will surpass it before the turn of the century.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0001-01/6890362-1-eng-US/sc0001-012.jpg" title="sc0001-01" width="502" height="923"></div><h2>Playoff Payoff</h2>Pittsburgh has one more year to challenge for supremacy in 1990s playoff records. Detroit leads in games won (67) and series victories (14). Both have won back-to-back Stanley Cups.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0001-02/6890355-1-eng-US/sc0001-022.jpg" title="sc0001-02" width="499" height="983"></div>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just focus on trying to repeat this one,&rdquo; said Detroit winger Brendan Shanahan. &ldquo;But I think in doing that in this day and age, I don&rsquo;t know if you&rsquo;re ever going to have a team that wins four or five in a row again.&rdquo;Most cite economics and parity as the main reasons dynasties are so difficult to come by. But the Wings are positioned as well as any team to avoid the economic ills that often plague champions.Netminder Chris Osgood, 25, has proven he can carry the mail.Only three defensemen-Slava Fetisov, 40, Bob Rouse, 34, and Dmitri Mironov, 32-are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents this summer. That coincides with management&rsquo;s desire to develop younger defensemen such as Aaron Ward, 25, and Yan Golubovsky, 22, and to sign a high-profile free agent. The favorite is Uwe Krupp of the Colorado Avalanche, but Vancouver Canuck Jyrki Lumme and Steve Duchesne of St. Louis are also possibilities.That would give the Red Wings a defense corps headed by the exceptional duo of Nicklas Lidstrom, 28, and Larry Murphy, 37, and supplemented by Anders Eriksson, 23, the unnamed free agent, Ward, Golubovsky and Jamie Macoun, who turns 37 this summer.Lidstrom, of course, is the key. He&rsquo;s the NHL&rsquo;s best all-around defenseman and while he has a* year left on his contract at $1.8 million, the Wings will attempt to sign him to a multi-year contract. Complicating matters though, is that the talented Swede is intent or moving home while his children are still young enough to be raised in Sweden. If Lidstrorr were to return home at any time, all bets would be off on the Wings as Cup contenders.Up front is where the Wings&rsquo; real strength lies, both in terms of quantity and quality.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0002-012/6890348-1-eng-US/sc0002-012.jpg" title="sc0002-01" width="1543" height="1585"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scotty Bowman has eight Cups to his credit. Will he be back for a shot at No. 9?</figcaption></div>There&rsquo;ll be some changes on our team, but mostly on defense and they won&rsquo;t be wholesale,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;Our group of forwards should be back almost intact.&rdquo;Fedorov, 28, who racked up his fourth consecutive 20-point playoff year, is tied into a long-term deal. Yzerman, at 33, has two years remaining at $4.8 million per year. In fact, only Lidstrom and outstanding foot soldiers Darren McCarty, 26, and Kirk Maltby, 25, have deals that will expire at the end of next season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0002-022/6890341-1-eng-US/sc0002-022.jpg" title="sc0002-02" width="325" height="512"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor (Photo by Steve Babineau/SA)</figcaption></div>Classy center Igor Larionov, 37, is in the twilight of his career, but Martin Lapointe, 24, who had nine goals in the playoffs, and Tomas Holmstrom, 25, who was a revelation with seven goals and 19 points (fourth overall in playoff scoring), are emerging players who are tough, talented and have learned how to win.Kris Draper, 27, Slava Kozlov, 26, Shanahan, 29, and Brent Gilchrist, 31, provide so much dimension to a unit that plays ruthlessly efficient team defense.One of Doug Brown, 34, who scored two goals in the Cup-clinching game, or young trainee Mathieu Dandenault, 22, is likely to be exposed in the expansion draft, as will Joey Kocur, 33, and Mike Knuble, 26. But whatever is in store on that front, the Wings will be back next season with four outstanding lines.&ldquo;We should be competitive for quite some time,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;Stevie Y is like a fine wine who&rsquo;s getting better with age and the same thing can be said about Larry Murphy. Osgood, Lidstrom and Fedorov give us stars in their prime at each position and we&rsquo;ve got good depth with guys like Lapointe, Holmstrom, Kozlov, McCarty, Maltby, Draper, Eriksson.&rdquo;In truth, the Wings have been more than competitive for some time already. They just don&rsquo;t have.as many Stanley Cups to show for it as they would like.In the past six seasons, the Wings&rsquo; regular season winning percentage is a gaudy .647. Finally, they have their two Cups, with a legitimate shot at winning at least one more. That regular season proficiency is comparable to the Islander and Oiler dynasties. Edmonton won five Cups in seven years and had a regular season winning percentage during that stretch of .660. The Islanders won four consecutive Cups in a seven-year stretch of regular season excellence with a .666 winning percentage.What the Wings have to guard against is being a near dynasty like the Pittsburgh Penguins of the early 1990s. They won back-to-back Cups in a four-year span of regular season proficiency (.606).Bowman knows all too well the pitfalls of talking about a dynasty before it has actually materialized. He, of course, coached the Penguins to that second Cup win in 1992, but it was the 1992-93 edition of the Penguins that he said was the best Pittsburgh team.It lost in the division final of the 1993 playoffs.&ldquo;We had 119 points that year and it should have been the best of the three teams,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;There are no guarantees, eh.&rdquo; &#9632;

sc0001-03

STANLEY CUP ’98

TEAM TERRIFIC Lidstrom holds key

<div class="byline">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0010-01/6890400-1-eng-US/sc0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">It certainly wasn&rsquo;t a stretch to suggest Olaf Kolzig was the best goalie in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. He led the Caps to the final and was spectacular, despite four losses. (Photo by Mitchell Layton)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0010-02/6890407-1-eng-US/sc0010-022.jpg" title="sc0010-02" width="151" height="339"></div>History will show that Olaf Kolzig came of age as an NHL goaltender during the playoffs.History will be wrong.The way the Washington Capitals&rsquo; netminder sees it, Olie truly became a goalie March 27 in Vancouver, during a practice the day after a poor effort against the Calgary Flames. That was when he fully realized he had control over something much more powerful than his 6-foot-3, 225-pound frame.His mind.It was the day he proved to himself and coach Ron Wilson, that he could manage a fierce temper that stood between him and a starring role in the NHL.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t play well the night before in Calgary,&rdquo; Kolzig said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t having a good practice that day. Ron (Wilson) could see the steam coming out of my ears. He went to the bench and got my other stick and skated over to me. He said, &rsquo;Here, break it.&rsquo; I said, &rsquo;I&rsquo;m not going to break it.&rsquo; He said, &rsquo;Break it and get it over with and get on with practice.&rsquo; I told him, &rsquo;I don&rsquo;t need to do that anymore.&rsquo; And I never broke it. I think I convinced him of something that day.&rdquo;It was a defining moment for Kolzig, too, who until this season&rsquo;s effort at anger management had always fought a losing battle with his own frustration.&ldquo;I was 10 times worse in junior, just ask (junior teammate and current Florida Panther) Bill Lindsay,&rdquo; Kolzig said with a grin. &ldquo;It got so he was afraid to shoot on me in practice. If he shot and scored, I&rsquo;d go wild. If he shot it into my pads, I&rsquo;d go crazy and accuse him of not trying to score. It was ridiculous.&rdquo;Lindsay, who played his freshman year with Kolzig for the Tri-City Americans, remembered Kolzig could be a loose cannon.&ldquo;I was a little frightened of him back then, until I got to know him better,&rdquo; Lindsay said. &ldquo;Now he&rsquo;Saves it for the golf course.&rdquo;But that didn&rsquo;t happen in this year&rsquo;s playoffs in general, the Cup final in particular. The Caps were swept four straight by the Red Wings, but Kolzig never lost his composure. He lost three of four Cup final games by one goal and faced 31,60 and 34 shots, respectively. The Caps managed barely half those totals.Not that Kolzig is all lightness and air now, even though he was a game star in three of the four final games and was considered Washington&rsquo;s most valuable player in the playoffs.Koizig&rsquo;s transformation didn&rsquo;t happen overnight. And it&rsquo;s not as though he has completely altered his personality either. The goalie remains intense.&ldquo;He just does a better job now of channeling his intensity and anger,&rdquo; said Capitals&rsquo; goaltending coach Dave Prior. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s just say he&rsquo;s putting it to better use.&rdquo;Wilson and Prior don&rsquo;t mind if Kolzig gets so mad that he smashes his stick over the crossbar. They just want him to be able to refocus after he has had his outburst.&ldquo;That was clearly his biggest problem,&rdquo; said Prior, who began working with Kolzig while both were with the German national team in the 1996 World Cup.(Germany is a country of hockey convenience for Kolzig. The son of German parents-his father was a hotel chain executive-he was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and has resided just about everywhere but Germany. He has lived in Copenhagen, Edmonton, Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, Halifax, N.S., Prince George, B.C., Victoria, New Westminster, B.C., Union Bay, B.C., Kennewick in Washington state, Washington, D.C., and his off-season home in Phoenix.)When Prior first brought up the issue of Koizig&rsquo;s temper in the fall of 1996, the net-minder wasn&rsquo;t buying what the goalie coach was selling. Kolzig was more convinced he was the unfortunate victim of circumstance, that he simply wasn&rsquo;t getting quality opportunities to be anything more than a backup.To some degree, that was true. While he was the Capitals&rsquo; first round pick, 19th overall, in 1989, he endured seven pro seasons spent mostly in the minors, including two stints with the Hampton Roads Admirals of the East Coast League. He led the Rochester Americans to the American League final in 1993 and was the AHL playoff MVP in 1994, the year he led the Portland Pirates to the Calder Cup championship.&bull; At the same time Kolzig was pulling the pieces of his game together, opportunity knocked. In the first game of the season. No. 1 net-minder Bill Ranford took a shot to the groin area and was sidelined. Kolzig came in and started 17 of the next 20 games. He went 11-42 and established himself as a bona fide No. 1. He finished with a 33-18-10 record in 64 games, including five shutouts, a 2.20 goals-against average and .920 save percentage.He was nothing less than spectacular in the playoffs. Kolzig finished the post-season with a 12-9 record, including a league-high four shutouts. His goals-against average was a spectacular 1.95 and his save percentage of .941 was tops in the league.The Capitals&rsquo; veterans, used to seeing their playoff hopes dashed, often because of inadequate goaltending, have taken to calling Prior &lsquo;Moses&rsquo; for leading Kolzig and the Caps to the promised land of the Stanley Cup final.Prior is embarrassed by that label. The credit, he said, belongs to Kolzig, fiery temper and all.&ldquo;Olie is an incredibly driven athlete,&rdquo; Prior said. &ldquo;His intensity and drive have allowed him to make great strides. He has got discipline now. His technique is so sound, there are no areas to exploit.&rdquo;And there are far fewer broken sticks. &#9632;

sc0010-01

Kolzig tempers tantrums

<div class="byline">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0011-01/6890438-1-eng-US/sc0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A Washington trio doles out Capital punishment during the Stanley Cup finals.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0011-03/6890445-1-eng-US/sc0011-032.jpg" title="sc0011-03" width="164" height="341"></div>WASHINGTON-Never let it be said the Washington Capitals&rsquo; tandem of GM George McPhee and coach Ron Wilson aren&rsquo;t having the time of their lives, even on the tough nights, like when the team&rsquo;s Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup final was about to come crashing down.How else to explain McPhee and Wilson, hours before the Caps&rsquo; 4-1 loss at MCI Center, taking turns using something called a &ldquo;remote control fart machine,&rdquo; an electronic gizmo that I works as advertised and is a sure-fire bet to crack up a crowded hallway or draw stares of astonishment and embarrassment from passersby.&ldquo;I guess we do tend to have a good I time,&rdquo; McPhee said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re serious I about our careers, but life is too short not to have some fun along the way.&rdquo;Winning is fun, which made the 1998 playoffs a laughfest for McPhee and Wilson. In their first year with the franchise, the good friends from their days in | the Vancouver Canuck organization exceeded all expectations on a club that missed the playoffs last year and had the reputation of being playoff chokers.But, with a veteran-laden lineup, the I Caps reeled off series victories over the I Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and | Buffalo Sabres before meeting a Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; team that was too powerful.The games were close enough-all but the Cup-clinching 4-1 Wings&rsquo; win were | one-goal matches-but Detroit was clearly the superior team.&ldquo;We just weren&rsquo;t good enough,&rdquo; said a somber McPhee after Game 4. &ldquo;We have to I work at getting better.&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m disappointed we lost four straight, but I I&rsquo;m very proud of our team,&rdquo; Wilson said. I &ldquo;We have come a long way in a short period I of time. We&rsquo;ve seen a lot of good teams in the I last few years lose four straight, the Red Wings being a prime example. They learned from it and came back stronger and that&rsquo;s what we plan on doing.&rdquo;Olaf Kolzig, who emerged this season a legitimate No. 1 netminder with star potential, provides the foundation for a bright future. But the team that rode the veteran wave with reclamation projects such as Brian Bellows and Esa Tikkanen will get a significant infusion of youth next season.Veterans such as Bellows, Tikkanen, team captain Dale Hunter, Mike Eagles, Kelly Miller and defenseman Phil Housley are almost certain to be exposed in the Nashville expansion draft, which will be conducted by ex-Cap GM David Poile.Youngsters such as forwards Jan Bulis and Yogi Svejkovsky, along with playoff holdovers Richard Zednik and Brendan Witt, are expected to get increased responsibility. Peter Bondra, Adam Oates, Joey Juneau and Andrei Nikolishin will be the core players up front, but McPhee would like to add a premier scoring winger to play alongside Oates.In the meantime, McPhee and Wilson will do everything possible to enjoy the ride. Ironically, if Detroit coach Scott Bowman had retired a year ago, as was thought at the time, Detroit&rsquo;s likely first choice to succeed him would have been Wilson, fired by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim last spring. As soon as McPhee became GM of the Caps during last year&rsquo;s final, he made it clear Wilson was his man.The two enjoy a close working relationship. Or something like that. They are constantly pulling pranks and practical jokes on each other.When the Caps signed Bellows out of Europe late in the season, and after he&rsquo;d scored in his first game with Washington, McPhee convinced Wilson the league had ruled the player&rsquo;s acquisition illegal.During the playoffs in Boston, Wilson asked permission of McPhee to arrive in Beantown on the day of the game instead of going with the team the day before. Wilson arrived in plenty of time, but phoned McPhee to say travel problems prevented him from getting to the game on time. A distraught McPhee bought it hook, line and sinker, only to walk into the dressing room before the game and be tackled to the floor by a guffawing Wilson.McPhee struck back when he had a media friend pose as a broadcaster who tormented Wilson during what the coach thought was a live interview broadcast on a major New York City radio station.&ldquo;George took the lead by one with that little joke,&rdquo; Wilson said, &ldquo;but I&rsquo;ve got one in the works that will tie the series and I can assure you it&rsquo;s a beauty.&rdquo;In these days of disposable NHL coaches with limited shelf life, is it prudent for a GM and coach to be as close as McPhee and Wilson? McPhee said he&rsquo;d like to think he and Wilson can grow old together in Washington.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve kidded each other about (McPhee one day firing Wilson), but I&rsquo;d like to see us together for the next 10 to 15 years,&rdquo; McPhee said. &ldquo;People might doubt that, but Ron is an excellent coach, one of the very best.&rdquo;In the meantime, whatever happens, they&rsquo;re bound and determined to enjoy the ride, one which is certain never to run out of gas, so to speak. &#9632;

sc0011-01

Partners in crime

<div class="byline">-Mike Brophy</div>Sergei Fedorov joined an elite group this season, accomplishing something not even Wayne Gretzky has in becoming just the third player to record at least 20 points for a fourth straight playoff year.Fedorov scored 10 goals and 20 points in 22 games for the Stanley Cup-champion Detroit Red Wings. He had 24, 20 and 20 the previous three playoff seasons.The only other players to do that four straight seasons were Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier of the New York Islanders during their dynasty days (1980-83).Gretzky has had nine 20-plus point playoff seasons during his illustrious career, but never more than. three consecutive years.Whoosh! This year&rsquo;s final sweep is the fourth in a row I and fifth in the nineties. There have been back-to-back sweeps just twice in Major League Baseball history and never in the National Basketball Association.Stevie Wonderful The 1998 Conn Smythe Trophy is the first major league honor of Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s 15-year NHL &rsquo;" career. He was voted the I league&rsquo;s best player by his I peers in 1988-89.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0011-02/6890476-1-eng-US/sc0011-022.jpg" title="sc0011-02" width="506" height="604"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by John Giamundo/BBS)</figcaption></div>Finally in final This was the first time in their 24-year history the Capitals made it to the final.Crazy eight Scotty Bowman ties Toe Blake at eight for most Stanley Cup wins by a coach. The 25 years between Bowman&rsquo;s first Cup win and this year&rsquo;s is the longest span in NHL history and second longest among the four major sports. George Halas went 42 years between his first and final National Football League championships with the Chicago Bears.Busy Cap Olaf Kolzig makes 152 more saves than the playoffs&rsquo; second busiest goalie, Detroit&rsquo;s Chris Osgood.Prognostication THN predicts Cup winner correctly (The Cup Stops Here, Vol. 51, No. 32)&hellip;after offering seven reasons why Detroit wouldn&rsquo;t repeat in the 1997-98 THN Yearbook. &#9632;

sc0011-02

A playoff year to remember

<div class="byline">-Bob McKenzie</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0002-03/6890507-1-eng-US/sc0002-032.jpg" title="sc0002-03" width="156" height="338"></div>WASHINGTON-Considering Scotty Bowman I has forged a Hall of Fame coaching career by I keeping most everyone off balance, it comes as I no surprise he&rsquo;s doing it again.Will he be back behind the bench next sea-I son or will the man who tied the legendary Toe I Blake for most Stanley Cup titles (eight) as a I coach walk off into the sunset and retirement, I or at least to a less demanding role in the game?While the consensus is he will return to fulfill the final year of his contract, his post-game I comments during this year&rsquo;s celebration raised I the spectre he might bow out a winner.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a tough decision not to I come back,&rdquo; Bowman said in a news conference after the Cup-clinching 4-1 win over the I Washington Capitals. &ldquo;But I&rsquo;ve got to leave I sometime. I want to make sure that I&rsquo;m leaving I at the right time when I do leave.&rdquo;Bowman said he&rsquo;ll consult with the people most affected by his decision, namely his wife, Suella, who maintains the Bowman family home year-round in Buffalo, Red Wing owner Mike Hitch and GM Ken Holland.There&rsquo;s little doubt where the Red Wings stand on the matter.&ldquo;I want him back and I expect him back,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;It would be disappointing for me if he decides this would be the way he wanted to end his career.&rdquo;Former Montreal Canadien Steve Shutt said Bowman&rsquo;s players spent 364 days of the year disliking him and the 365th collecting their championship rings. He has obviously mellowed-to a degree-because there&rsquo;s real affection between Bowman and the Red Wing players.&ldquo;I hope he comes back for another year,&rdquo; said Red Wing captain Steve Yzerman, echoing the sentiments of many Wing players. &ldquo;The players have grown extremely fond of him.&rdquo;All things being equal, one suspects Bow man will be back, but there are some circumstances worth noting.One, he requires surgery-his left knee join has deteriorated to the point it will eventual!) have to be replaced with an artificial joint. That would necessitate about six months of rehab though he could be behind the bench sooner than that. &ldquo;Sooner or later, (the surgery) has got to be done,&rdquo; Bowman said.Another factor is Bowman&rsquo;s staff, especially associate coach Barry Smith. Bowman made clear that if either Smith or associate coach Dave Lewis don&rsquo;t return. Bowman won&rsquo; either. One school of thought is that Bowmar may step down if he&rsquo;s assured Smith will be hi: successor.The only certainty is that regardless of whether he coaches again or not, he&rsquo;s the greatest in the history of the game.He&rsquo;s the winningest coach in both the regular season (1,057 victories) and the playoffs (194). Detroit&rsquo;s run to the Cup this year not only ties Bowman with Blake for the most Cups as a coach, but ties him with Blake and Dick Irvin for the most wins (32) in the Stanley Cup final.Some think the chance to pass Blake-Bowman has a ninth Cup as director of player personnel with the Pittsburgh Penguins-will prompt him to return. Others suggest he has so much respect for Blake&rsquo;s legacy he doesn&rsquo;t want to knock Blake out of the record book.Take your pick, but there&rsquo;s no disputing Bowman&rsquo;s deep feelings for Blake.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t put numbers on the Cups,&rdquo; Bowman said, &ldquo;but I just know that he did it with a lot of grace and I hope I can do the same thing.&rdquo; &#9632;

sc0002-03

Bowman coy about future

<div class="byline">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0003-01/6890538-1-eng-US/sc0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Once Steve Yzerman decided to concentrate on defense, the rest fell into place. (Photo by John Giamundo/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0003-02/6890545-1-eng-US/sc0003-022.jpg" title="sc0003-02" width="157" height="338"></div>WASHINGTON-Brendan Shanahan was excited, obviously. His Detroit Red Wings had just won their second consecutive Stanley Cup. But the big left winger was bursting at the seams and when the subject of team captain Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s Conn Smythe Trophy win came up, he couldn&rsquo;t help himself.&ldquo;You know,&rdquo; Shanahan said with that characteristic gleam in his eye, &ldquo;I want to respect (Yzerman&rsquo;s) privacy, but it&rsquo;s just too juicy not to bring it up.&rdquo;Juicy? Go on, Brendan.&ldquo;He told me just before the playoffs he was eyeing a cottage,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;I asked him to scout it for me and he said that it was once Conn Smythe&rsquo;s old cottage and this is right before the playoffs started. Then, during the playoffs, he said he bought it. I just thought, &rsquo;Wouldn&rsquo;t that be good?&rsquo; &ldquo;Say no more. It wasn&rsquo;t just good. It was great. And so was Stevie Y, the NHL&rsquo;s best player from start to finish in this year&rsquo;s playoffs. He led the playoff scoring parade with six goals and 24 points in 22 games, including two goals and two assists in the four-game sweep of the Washington Capitals. He was held pointless in only six games.But as good as he was with the puck, he was even better without it. He was monstrously effective on faceoffs, winning 60.2 per cent in the playoffs, including 66.7 per cent in the final.He killed penalties like a demon on a man-short unit that gave up just 14 goals in 119 situations. He blocked shots, got his nose dirty and played stellar defense, shift in, shift out. When he had the puck, he was targeted for abuse, especially by Capitals&rsquo; center Dale Hunter in Game 1 of the final series, but he continually fought through it.&ldquo;He took quite a beating,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t complain after that first game and he came up with big plays throughout the series. Stevie was the best faceoff player in the series.&rdquo;A year ago, when the Wings copped their first Cup, there was a sentimental movement to make Yzerman the playoff MVP. But the voters in the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association went with their heads, not their hearts, and netminder Mike Vernon was a deserving winner.This year, though, the PHWA selection committee synchronized its intellect and emotion-heck, it was a no-brainer-and bestowed upon Yzerman the first and only major individual award of his glorious, albeit sometime star-crossed, career.&ldquo;When you play your whole career in the same era as Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, not winning an individual award can be deceiving,&rdquo; Bowman said.At any rate, Yzerman now has Conn Smythe&rsquo;s old cottage and the prestigious trophy in his name to go with it.It doesn&rsquo;t get much better than that.In truth, though, Yzerman&rsquo;s MVP award has a lot less to do with magic or fate or real estate and more to do with the 33-year-old&rsquo;s blood, sweat and tears. And, oh my, there have been tears.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not talking just about me,&rdquo; Yzerman said, &ldquo;but in our game, it seems to me you get too much credit when you win and too much blame when you lose. I&rsquo;ve always believed that you don&rsquo;t have to win a championship to be a winner, to be considered a great player.&rdquo;Media, fans, you name it, have never been that magnanimous. Yzerman and his Red Wings were called on the carpet for lack of leadership and failure to produce after first round losses to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993 and San Jose Sharks in 1994, a Cup final sweep at the hands of the New Jersey Devils in 1995 and a Western Conference final loss to the Colorado Avalanche in the 1996 playoffs.Prior to that, Yzerman&rsquo;s personal cross to bear was being cut by Team Canada boss Mike Keenan in the 1987 Canada Cup. And in 1991 he made the team, but left it rather than serve as a spare who would only play if there were injuries.Mercifully, Yzerman helped lead the Wings to the promised land in 1997. Lo and behold, they&rsquo;re back there again.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had some heartbreaks in the playoffs, but it seems I&rsquo;m making up for lost time,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m amazed, really. I couldn&rsquo;t get one Cup for so long. Now, I&rsquo;ve got two.&rdquo;Yzerman has been something of a renaissance man of late. Everyone has noticed a marked improvement in his play, specifically his skating, since he returned home from the Winter Olympics in Nagano. At Yzerman&rsquo;s age, the Olympics should have drained him. It turns out they inspired him.&ldquo;I was talking to (Wings&rsquo; vice-president) Jimmy Devellano during a game against Dallas and we both said it at the same time, &rsquo;Stevie seems to be skating better than he ever has,&rsquo; &ldquo;said Wings&rsquo; GM Ken Holland.&ldquo;I think when Steve went over to the Olympics, he had expectations of being a role player and then was able to play a bigger part,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;In that kind of competition, it was a high-paced series all the way through.&rdquo;Bowman also believes taking off the better part of two weeks at the end of the regular season also contributed to Yzerman&rsquo;s strong playoff performance. He had a nagging groin injury, so the Wings basically rested him rather than push hard for the Presidents&rsquo; Trophy, which went to the Dallas Stars.&ldquo;He got right away from the team and really rested,&rdquo; Bowman said. &ldquo;I think it really helped him.&rdquo;But as Yzerman has grown older and been forced to deal with adversity, he has changed his game in a number of ways.The Olympics, for example, reinforced to him the value of moving his feet as soon as he gets control of the puck.&ldquo;I try to take right off, find open ice and then think about making a play,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to fall into the habit of getting the puck, standing still and thinking about your next move. I&rsquo;m trying to move my feet all the time and I can&rsquo;t believe how much it helps.&rdquo;He has also, over the years, altered his training regimen. He used to lift weights-basic strength training-and ride the exercise bike. Now, he&rsquo;s still using weights, but working more with explosive power lifting and plyo-metrics-leaping, bounding and hopping for speed and endurance. The difference is evident. He&rsquo;s generally more muscular than he was and his seemingly rejuvenated skating speaks for itself.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that I&rsquo;m working harder,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I am actually working more efficiently and maintaining my conditioning better.&rdquo;In the 1995 Cup final loss to the Devils, he looked weak and slow, a player in decline. But he correctly points out a knee injury suffered in an earlier series that year reduced his effectiveness.All that adversity and experience has also contributed to a pressure-treated athlete.&ldquo;I guess I&rsquo;ve just matured,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m more relaxed and comfortable when I&rsquo;m playing in tough situations.&rdquo;Perhaps the most striking difference in his game, though, has been an altered state of mind that came in the aftermath of that 1995 disaster and the 1996 failure at the hands of the Avalanche, too.It couldn&rsquo;t be more of a, cliche, but for the past two I or three seasons, Yzerman I is concentrating on defense I first and letting the offense I take care of itself.&rsquo; &ldquo;The way I play now, I I&rsquo;m not trying to generate I scoring chances and that J was the basis for my game j before,&rdquo; Yzerman said. &ldquo;That was how I gauged whether I was playing well. Now, I&rsquo;m stressing other parts of my game. Faceoffs and defensive positioning, those are the two things I really concentrate the most on whenever I&rsquo;m on the ice.&rdquo;And here&rsquo;s the time-worn hockey cliche that, as it turns, out is frighteningly effective: &ldquo;By concentrating more on my defensive game. I&rsquo;m still getting scoring chances&hellip;not as many as I used to, but they still come and the difference is we&rsquo;re winning championships."&rsquo;Yzerman&rsquo;s attitude is a mirror image of the whole team. It is the basic tenet of Bowman&rsquo;s entire Red Wing game. Because they all buy into it, even superstars such as Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov, it&rsquo;s ultra effective. Now Yzerman wouldn&rsquo;t have it any other way.&ldquo;We had a taste of winning, but we still wanted to win again,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really satisfying to come back and do it again. After winning last year and again this year, I&rsquo;m having the greatest time in hockey in my life.&rdquo; &#9632;

sc0003-01

Red ‘C’: Stevie Y

<div class="byline">-Bob McKenzie</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0004-012/6890576-1-eng-US/sc0004-012.jpg" title="sc0004-01" width="701" height="538"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0004-022/6890590-1-eng-US/sc0004-022.jpg" title="sc0004-02" width="153" height="343"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0001-04/6890583-1-eng-US/sc0001-042.jpg" title="sc0001-04" width="152" height="336"></div>WASHINGTON-With the exception of Chris Osgood himself, no one had more confidence in the Detroit Red Wing netminder than GM Ken Holland. But as much as the former minor league goalie thought Osgood could backstop Detroit to its second consecutive Stanley Cup, he really didn&rsquo;t know for sure.&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have traded (last year&rsquo;s Conn Smythe Trophy winner) Mike Vernon if I didn&rsquo;t think Chris could do it,&rdquo; Holland told The Hockey News. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s one thing to think it, it&rsquo;s another to know it. When the playoffs started this year, I said to myself, &rsquo;Now, we&rsquo;re going to see what kind of goalie Chris Osgood really is.&rsquo; &ldquo;Seeing is believing. The Wings are Cup champions once again. And no one had as much to lose, or gain, as the 25-year-old baby faced goalie who had been saddled with the reputation of a great regular season performer and something less than that in the playoffs.&ldquo;I expected those questions, I had no problem with those questions, so long as the questioning was done respectfully and didn&rsquo;t gel personal,&rdquo; Osgood said shortly after team captain Steve Yzerman handed him with the Stanley Cup on the ice. &ldquo;I understand the concept of having to prove yourself. 1 knew the questions wouldn&rsquo;t be answered until I won (the Cup). Well, now I&rsquo;ve won it. It&rsquo;s gratifying. It&rsquo;s exciting. It&rsquo;s everything I thought it would be.&rdquo;There were a few rough spots along the way, but Osgood delivered in the crunch There&rsquo;ll be no more talk about his Game &rsquo; gaffe that allowed the Red Wings to be upset by the San Jose Sharks in 1994. There&rsquo;ll be no further discussion a 1996 conference final loss to the Colorado Avalanche. And there&rsquo;ll be no need to refer to coach Scott Bowman&rsquo;s 1997 decision to ride Vernon to the Cup, which was interpreted by many as a vote of non-confidence for Osgood.Now, he&rsquo;s a winner.He didn&rsquo;t look like it in the first three games of the first round against the Phoenix Coyotes. He gave up three goals on 20 shots in an opening 6-3 win over the Coyotes. Then, he lost back-to-back games (7-4 and 3-2), which included his big whiff on a Game 2 long shot by Jeremy Roenick.&ldquo;Those first few games I was so nervous,&rdquo; Osgood told The Hockey News. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t comfortable. I felt like I was some kind of Hollywood star and all eyes were on me.&rdquo;Then came Game 4 and what Holland said was the turning point, both for Osgood&rsquo;s career and the Wings&rsquo; Stanley Cup hopes.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re down 2-1 in the Phoenix series and in the first period of Game 4, Chris gives up a bit of a soft goal and we finish the first period down 1-0,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;That series, our whole year, was on the line in that second period. If we don&rsquo;t rally there, we&rsquo;re in big trouble. But Chris came out early on and stopped Keith Tkachuk on a clear-cut shorthanded breakaway and then right after stoned Norm Maciver on another clear chance. We scored a couple of goals and went on to win the game and the series. He battled that night, he was terrific and he won. That gave him the confidence he needed, it gave us the confidence we needed. That was the big turning point in our playoffs.&rdquo;Toughing it out that night was the bedrock for rising above some further playoff adversity.Like when he allowed le St. Louis Blues&rsquo; Al Maclnnis to score from center the dying moments of Game 4 to force overtime. Or when Jamie Langenbrunner of the Dallas Stars did the same thing in overtime of Game 5 of the conference final. Each time, Osgood fought back with a stellar performance.. Long shots aside, Osgood out goaled veteran stars Grant Fuhr of St. Louis and Ed Belfour of Dallas.He gave up three goals in a horrendous second period of Game 2 against Washington, but his mates bailed him out with a come-from-behind overtime win. When they needed him in Games 3 and 4 in Washington, he responded.He finished the playoffs with a 16-6 record, 2.12 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Better than his numbers, though, was an ability to come up with the big save when his team really needed it.Osgood often bristled at the criticism he received, though he took it better than his father, John, who cancelled a subscription to the Edmonton Journal after a columnist criticized his son&rsquo;s Game 2 effort.&ldquo;To tell you the truth,&rdquo; teammate Brendan Shanahan said, &ldquo;I liked how he sometimes got into it with the media. He&rsquo;s feisty, he&rsquo;s proud. Those are good qualities.&rdquo;When he faced adversity, his teammates were quick to rally to his defense. They were actually protective of him. Some within the organization actually wondered if maybe he was being sheltered too much at times-they wanted him to accept accountability-but he fed off that support. After the Game 5 Lan-genbrunner gaffe, he was greeted in Game 6 at Joe Louis Arena by fans chanting his name. He was exceptional that game.&ldquo;It meant a lot to hear that,&rdquo; said Osgood, who was scheduled to be the first Wing to accept the the Cup from Yzerman. That was before Vladimir Konstantinov&rsquo;s dramatic appearance. &ldquo;And it meant a lot to get the Cup from Stevie.&rdquo;Now that he&rsquo;s going to get a ring, there are far fewer questions he&rsquo;s obliged to answer. And the ones he does get are of a different variety. Like, what does he do from here?&ldquo;I try to get better,&rdquo; Osgood said. &ldquo;I try to be one of the very best in the game. Dominik Hasek seems to have a choke-hold on the Vezina. I don&rsquo;t know, maybe I can give it a shot.&rdquo; &#9632;

sc0004-01

Osgood’s ring answers all

<div class="byline">-Bob McKenzie</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0006-042/6890621-1-eng-US/sc0006-042.jpg" title="sc0006-04" width="156" height="340"></div>WASHINGTON-By now, we all know the story. What we&rsquo;re not I quite sure of is how it al) came to pass.Down-and-seemingly-out future Hall of Fame defenseman Larry I Murphy gets ridden out of Toronto on a rail only to find health, happiness and the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.But that was last year&rsquo;s story, wasn&rsquo;t it?Well, it gets better the second time around. Murphy teams up I with Nicklas Lidstrom this season to provide the Wings with their I &ldquo;nickel&rdquo; defense-Lidstrom wears No. 5 and Murphy wears I 55-and Detroit repeats as Cup champions, in no small part I because of Murphy&rsquo;s emergence as a two-way force at age 37. No I tandem keeps the puck in at the blueline in the offensive zone as I well as Lidstrom and Murphy, and no tandem moves it out with such deftness under pressure.In the Cup final sweep over the Washington Capitals, no Red Wing player played more than Murphy, who averaged better than 29 minutes per game, including more than 34 in a Game 2 overtime win. He was plus-three in the four games and had one goal and one assist in the final game, giving him three goals and 15 points, second only to his partner Lidstrom. in 21 playoff games. | He was plus-13 overall.&ldquo;If you get played as a fourth or fifth defenseman, you can&rsquo;t expect to get results,&rdquo; Murphy told The Hockey News. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t just go out and play like a No. 1 or No. 2&hellip;you need the ice time and it&rsquo;s not so much quantity as it is quality situations.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not playing the game any differently (in Detroit) than I was in Toronto. I wasn&rsquo;t played in the same (defensive) situations in Toronto. I never killed penalties there. That&rsquo;s not what they were looking for from me, I guess.&rdquo;Murphy just grins at the seeming incongruity of it. He obviously takes great delight in all of this. And why shouldn&rsquo;t he?Toronto wasn&rsquo;t the only stop where he had problems. In Washington, he performed well, but at the tail end of his career there, hometown fans began to derisively make a noise-whoop, whoop-every time he touched the puck. In the years that followed, Cap fans always taunted the visiting Murphy with the wailing chant. He said it didn&rsquo;t bother him and that he generally enjoyed his time with the Caps.Maybe so, but when he carried the Stanley Cup around the MCI Center, he was making a statement. He took a long stroll, pumping the Cup up and down and showing it to the many fans who mocked him. Did he milk it? Oh, yeah.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t hear any whoops (after he scored the goal to make it 31),&rdquo; Murphy said. &ldquo;This is just a tremendous accomplishment for this team. I thought last year would be my last (Cup). Then all of a sudden, you get another. I&rsquo;m just so proud of everybody.&rdquo;The truth is, Murphy has never fully received credit for all that he has accomplished in 18 NHL seasons-three with the Los Angeles Kings, six with Washington, almost two with the Minnesota North Stars, four-plus with the Pittsburgh Penguins, two in Toronto and now Detroit. He has won four Stanley Cups. He has been a second-team all-star three times. The only defensemen with more career points are Paul Coffey and Ray Bourque.&ldquo;Do I have breakaway, end-to-end speed?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;No, of course I don&rsquo;t, but I do believe 1 move laterally as well as anybody. As for my defensive play, I&rsquo;ve always believed that the team that controls the puck is the team that has the best chance to win the game.&ldquo;No one has to tell me there&rsquo;s no flash in my game. That&rsquo;s the way it has been my whole career. But then I&rsquo;ve always thought it&rsquo;s better to have a career of substance than flash.&rdquo;<div class="sidebar"><h2>Murphy&rsquo;s Magic</h2>Detroit defenseman Larry Murphy&rsquo;s place in history becomes more secure with each passing season. Among his accomplishments:&bull; he stands third in regular season points and assists and seventh in goals, by a defenseman&bull; he stands tied for fourth in playoff points, fourth in assists, and tied for third in goals, by a defenseman&bull; he is the only player to win four Stanley Cups during the 1990s &#9632;</div>

sc0006-04

Murphy all smiles

<div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0006-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0006-022/6890659-1-eng-US/sc0006-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0006-012/6890666-1-eng-US/sc0006-012.jpg" title="sc0006-01" width="206" height="221"></div>PLAYOFF WINNER: STEVE YZERMANIf there wasn&rsquo;t a sport reserved for Steve Yzerman in the Hockey Hall of Fame before, there is now.The Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; captain was simply marvelous leading his team to a second consecutive Stanley Cup this spring.Yzerman led all scorers in the playoffs with 24 points in 22 games, including six goals, and was his usual solid defensive self at the same time. That&rsquo;s an improvement over last year&rsquo;s seven goals and 13 points in 20 playoff games.For his efforts Yzerman was named winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and the Dodge Trucks NHL Player of the Playoffs.Considering there was a time, not so many years ago, it was reported the Red Wings were considering trading Yzerman, his position with the team, and in hockey history for that matter, appears cemented now. He became the youngest captain in team history in 198687 at age 21 and continues to rank as one of the NHL&rsquo;s best two-way players.The Lester B Pearson Award winner in 1989 as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player as voted by the players, Yzerman&rsquo;s stock has risen in recent years. He was a member of Team Canada for the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and was on the Canadian Olympic team at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. But nothing he has done internationally compares to the impact he has had with the Red Wings.Yzerman was at his best when the games counted most. Heading into Game 4 of this year&rsquo;s sweep over the Washington Capitals, Yzerman had registered points in seven straight Stanley Cup final games. He was held pointless in the final game, but that didn&rsquo;t prevent him from being a unanimous winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy. He beat out Washington goalie Olaf Kolzig for the honor.<h2>FACTS & STATS</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0006-032/6890652-1-eng-US/sc0006-032.jpg" title="sc0006-03" width="1991" height="679"></div> &#9632;

sc0006-02

PLAYER OF THE PLAYOFFS

<div class="byline">-Mike Brophy</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0008-01/6890718-1-eng-US/sc0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">STANLEY CUP TURNING POINT: Esa Tikkanen has a golden opportunity to wrap up Game 2 for Washington, but shoots wide past a sprawling Chris Osgood. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0008-05/6890725-1-eng-US/sc0008-052.jpg" title="sc0008-05" width="154" height="336"></div>Just before the playoffs began, Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; coach Scotty Bowman told a reporter he should pick Tomas Holmstrom in his playoff pool.That would be the same Tomas Holmstrom who scored just five goals and 22 points in 57 regular season games. It turns out Bowman knew what he was talking about.No individual did more to raise his individual profile during this season&rsquo;s Stanley Cup playoffs than the 25-year-old left winger.Holmstrom finished tied for third in scoring behind teammates Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov with seven goals and 19 points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0008-03/6890711-1-eng-US/sc0008-032.jpg" title="sc0008-03" width="455" height="688"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tomas Holmstrom</figcaption></div>&ldquo;It was the best two months of my life,&rsquo;&rsquo; Holmstrom said of the playoffs.Holmstrom was an easy choice as first team left winger on The Hockey News&rsquo; 1998 Stanley Cup playoff all-star team. He is one of five members of the Red Wings who made the first team. The only non-Wing on the team is Washington Capitals&rsquo; goalie Olaf Kolzig. Detroit also placed two members, goalie Chris Osgood and center Serge Fedorov, on the second team.<h2>&rsquo;98 All-Stars First Team</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0008-02/6890704-1-eng-US/sc0008-022.jpg" title="sc0008-02" width="628" height="1071"></div><h2>&rsquo;98 All-Stars Second Team</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0008-04/6890697-1-eng-US/sc0008-042.jpg" title="sc0008-04" width="632" height="1072"></div> &#9632;

sc0008-01

Playoff revelation

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="sc0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0009-01/6890756-1-eng-US/sc0009-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Capitals grew as a team, then saw in Detroit how much work is yet to be done.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/sc0009-02/6890763-1-eng-US/sc0009-022.jpg" title="sc0009-02" width="153" height="341"></div>Is it possible for a team to go from youthful adolescence to full-blown, mature adulthood without fully understanding the price that has to be paid to get there?Probably not, at least not if you&rsquo;re the Washington Capitals, first-time Stanley Cup finalist, going up against Scotty Bowman and the Detroit Red Wings, past masters of the art, experienced in both winning and losing.&ldquo;In the short time I was here,&rdquo; said Brian Bellows, who only a few months ago was playing in the German Elite League, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of growth. But at the same time we lost. They don&rsquo;t give a lot of awards for second place in pro sports and that&rsquo;s what you remember.&rdquo;Thus the Caps, who have worn that sad, wet puppy dog look for nearly a quarter of a century while accomplishing little, exited from their first-ever Stanley Cup experience in four straight, while the Wings won their second straight championship in a four-game sweep. In fact, the last four final series have been sweeps, starting in 1995 when the New Jersey Devils brushed Detroit aside with little trouble.Washington faced a huge task right from the start. The Caps had the better goalie in the final in Olaf Kolzig, but after that it was very tough for Washington to match up. Detroit used its amazing depth, speed, superior skating ability, and maturity to score first in every game and to be strong enough and confident enough to win three one-goal games.&ldquo;It has been a game of inches in some ways, but those inches turn into miles once you end up losing,&rdquo; Bellows said. &ldquo;I thought we had them, but it just kind of wasn&rsquo;t there.&rdquo;The two clubs were the oldest teams in the playoffs this spring, but Washington lacked the experience and education needed to survive at this level. It brought in Bellows, who won a Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. and five-time Cup winner Esa Tikkanen to add experience and confidence in the dressing room. It worked for three rounds.&ldquo;I never really saw that look that we had in the other three series,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson, himself a final rookie. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ll rebound. It&rsquo;s a great learning experience for me&hellip;to be playing in June and see what it takes. It&rsquo;s even better, more so for our players because you have to taste this sort of disappointment to understand how sweet it would be to win.&ldquo;I think a lot of our young players on the bench in the third period suddenly started to realize that maybe it takes a little extra, taking another hit, keeping your game simple, sacrificing, doing little things like not getting frustrated. We learned all of that in this series and hopefully it will make us a better team next year.&rdquo;The turning point in the series came during a 10-minute stretch of the third period of Game 2 when four goals were scored and one wasn&rsquo;t. It was the latter that probably spelled Washington&rsquo;s eventual doom.&ldquo;The key was the second game when you think about it,&rdquo; said right winger Peter Bondra, the NHL goal-scoring co-leader this season with 52 held to one by the Wings, who drastically limited his space to operate. &ldquo;That was probably what took the confidence from us. We still fight for it, still try to win a game, try to turn things around for ourselves, but I guess our effort wasn&rsquo;t enough.&rdquo;Washington entered that stretch up 3-1. Steve Yzerman and Joe Juneau traded goals to make it 4-2 before Martin Lapointe scored to move the Wings within a goal. Then Tikkanen executed perhaps the move of the series, turning defenseman Jamie Macoun around and getting goalie Chris Osgood to bite on the deke. That left an open net which the center could have touched with his stick.He missed. It would have made the scored 53. Instead, it deflated the Caps visibly and renewed Detroit&rsquo;s confidence. Doug Brown tied it and Kris Draper won it in overtime.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pretty empty feeling right now,&rdquo; Kolzig said after Game 4. &ldquo;It feels like we&rsquo;ve just played two months of hockey for nothing. In a couple weeks I&rsquo;ll realize it probably meant more than it seems right now. We came a long way this year as a team and you know we just lost to a great team. They played like champs and they deserve it.&ldquo;A couple days from now, a couple weeks from now, I&rsquo;ll sit back and realize how great this year really was.&rdquo; &#9632;

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July 3, 1998

Hartley has ’paid dues’

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Nedomansky rocks for Heavy Metal