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October 16, 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.
Balance kev to fine lines
NHL coaches say they simply play the cards dealt to them, but not all is according to Hoyle. Three of a kind beats two pair in any game, except in the NHL, where most coaches surveyed by The Hockey News would rather have two strong groups of two than one star-studded three-man unit. Is it the end of the line for No. 1 lines as we have come to know them? Not quite, but they are on the endangered species list. Gone, for the most part, are the days of lines that stayed together for long periods of time, earning respect and the ultimate endorsement of enduring excellence-a nickname. The Montreal Canadiens’ ’Punch Line,’ Detroit Red Wings ’ ’ Product Line’ and Buffalo Sabres’ ’French Connection,’ to name just three, are relics of…
Oliwa ready for challenge as second-vear enforcer
They dubbed him the ’Polish Pug,’ the kid who escaped the coal mines of Eastern Europe in pursuit of his hockey dream. Krzysztof Oliwa survived one of the toughest jobs in sports last year as a rookie enforcer with the New Jersey Devils, but the rapidly improving right winger is prepared for what could be an even tougher sophomore season. “If I say fewer guys might test me this year, they’ll say, ’This guy is so cocky.’ So I won’t say it,” Oliwa said. “They know me. I know them. They know what to expect from me.” The 6-foot-5, 235-pound native of Tychy, Poland, set Devils’ records with 33 majors and 295 penalty minutes last season. Only Vancouver Canucks’ left winger Donald Brashear (372) and Toronto Maple Leafs’ right winger Tie Domi (365)…
Time to hire ’Handv’ man?
Borrowing coach Joel Quenneville’s terminology, rookie center Michal Handzus might be a “handy guy” to have around once the St. Louis Blues’ regular season begins. Handzus, 21, is a two-way center who is as capable of scoring points as he is keeping goals off the board. He can play the power play and kill penalties. “He’s aware of where the puck is both ways,” Quenneville said. “He does a lot more than get points. He controls the play pretty well.” Handzus, a Slovak, was one of only three players with no NHL experience to survive the Blues’ second-last cuts Sept. 30, joining center Marty Reasoner and defenseman Jan Horacek on the Blues’ 28-man roster. Through Oct. 1, Handzus had a three-game points streak. He scored the game-winner in the Blues’ 6-5 victory over the…
Carolina’s O’Neill learns action louder than words
Jeff O’Neill says he has learned a lot in his first three years in the NHL. The biggest lesson? “Keep my big mouth shut,” he says. On a day when the 22-year-old Carolina Hurricanes’ center is shaken by a rumor being circulated on the internet he’s about to be traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for defenseman Mathieu Schneider, O’Neill is still counting his blessings. He is happy to be a member of the Hurricanes and shudders to think how, in a moment of what he calls weakness, he nearly threw it all away. One year ago, with the Hurricanes struggling badly, O’Neill was banished to the press box, a healthy scratch. For four straight games he sat and watched. It was all too much for him to handle and he finally blew a…
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