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October 1, 1998
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.
Shark kids have bite
Still working to bridge the gap between NHL expansion team and legitimate Stanley Cup championship contender, the San Jose Sharks are banking on a bevy of highly touted youngsters to help the club reach elite status. “I don’t think there is a team in the league that wouldn’t like to have what we have in 22-and-under players,” said former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Doug Wilson, San Jose’s director of pro development. “I’ll put our guys up against anybody.” Two Saskatchewan-born forwards, left winger Jeff Friesen and center Patrick Marleau, lead the promising young group. Friesen, 22, established a modest franchise record with 31 goals en route to a team-high 63 points last season. Marleau, 19, generated 13 goals, 32 points and a truckload of expectations as the youngest player in the NHL. “It’s hard to…
Grinding McCarty Motown cult hero Slugger battles personal demons
He wears a blue collar and yearns for sequins. He’s a role player who seizes big moments. He’s a regular guy who cuts a celebrity’s profile. He’s a fundraiser and a recovering alcoholic. Most of all, by great timing and force of personality, Darren McCarty and the spotlight are never far apart. “What he is,” said Detroit Red Wings’ teammate and friend Kris Draper, “is a rock star in a hockey player’s body.” On a team with top talent, supporting players such as McCarty have been difference-makers on consecutive Stanley Cup champions. At key intersections in the Red Wings’ recent history-the Claude Lemieux punchout, the Cup-winning goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in 1997-McCarty has been center stage. And his struggles with personal demons, against the bottle and against the cancer of his father, Craig, has…
Kings boast killer ‘D’
The improving Los Angeles Kings may not enter the season as Stanley Cup favorites, but expect them to make their points from the point. Based on scoring totals from last season, the projected starters on the Kings’ 1998-99 blueline racked up 65 goals, 16 more than the Detroit Red Wings and the St. Louis Blues. The Kings can thank former Blues’ rearguard Steve Duchesne for signing with them. His 14 goals, along with Norris Trophy winner Rob Blake’s league-leading 23 goals, give the Kings the highest-scoring duo in the NHL. The Kings also added another nine goals during the summer when they obtained Doug Bodger from the New Jersey Devils, but it’s unlikely he’ll repeat that in a lineup that also includes Garry Galley (nine goals and 37 points). Those nine goals, though, tie…
Due to break through
When a scout or two compared Viktor Kozlov to a young Mario Lemieux a few years back, those words may have slowed Kozlov’s development as much as a tom cruciate ligament. Unreasonable expectations. The game coming too easy in his youth. Big guys needing more time to mature. Take your pick on why Kozlov didn’t become the player the San Jose Sharks wanted him to be. But reasons why he struggled in San Jose aren’t important to the Florida Panthers, who believe he can become a top scorer, albeit not in Lemieux’s class. “He became our best player last year,” Florida GM Bryan Murray said. “I think he saw we needed him. We gave him an important role on our team and he responded.” Here are 10 players, including Kozlov, who could take their…
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