Imperfect 10 need rebounds

In NHL circles, contract renegotiations generally only work one way. If a player earning a modest salary produces a breakout year, his agent will almost certainly be knocking on the GM’s door, looking for market value-now! If a player making a king’s ransom has an off-year, chances are slim-to-none he will rebate a part of his salary. For whatever reason, a lot of frontline NHL players had, by their own previous standards, sub-par seasons a year ago. It took some thought to isolate just 10, all of whom share one attribute-a need to do more and play better than they did a year ago. 1. Mark Messier Trivia question. With all the nagging injuries he suffered last season, how many games did Messier miss? Ten? Fifteen? Twenty? The answer is none. The Canucks…

1998-99 NHL SCHEDULE

’Golden Jet’ files lawsuit against two newspapers

Hall of Famer Bobby Hull is suing the Moscow Times and Toronto Sun in the hope of proving he didn’t utter the pro-Hitler comments and disparaging remarks about blacks attributed to him in the Times’ article. Following the procedures spelled out in the Libel and Slander Act of Ontario, Hull sent letters to the Times and Sun Sept. 16 demanding a full apology and retraction. “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and flash of a second to destroy it,” Hull said. The announcement of the suit and Hull’s remarks came during an address to the Canadian Jewish Congress and black leaders. Hull denied making inflammatory quotes attributed to him in the Times, including: “Hitler, for example, had some good ideas, but went a little bit too far.” Hull is including the Sun…

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…