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.

March 26, 1999

The Hockey News March 26, 1999

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0056-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0290/7242839-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-01123/7242832-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="4571" height="5257"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-01131/7242825-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="4571" height="5257"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

NHL GAME SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02730/7241082-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="217" height="213"></div>Three years ago, Mike Johnson figured he'd be at least a 20-goal scorer.In the minors or Europe, that was certainly attainable and he would have been able to do it with his eyes closed in a recreational league by night while climbing the corporate ladder by day.But in the NHL? Forget it. Johnson did.That was the case, at least, until the summer after his third season at Bowling Green University when the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder attended an evaluation camp for the Canadian national team and scouts began to notice him. But now that he's in the NHL and is known as a 20-goal scorer (his 20th came March 9 against the Tampa Bay Lighting), he wants much more.&ldquo;Milestone is probably a strong word,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;Four other guys on this team have done it this year so it's nothing earth shattering.&rdquo;It may not be earth-shattering, but it's more than the Leafs expected from him when they signed him as a free agent out of Bowling Green at the end of the 1996-97 season.For three years, the undrafted Johnson toiled in anonymity while putting up decent numbers in U.S. college hockey, but in his senior year he gained notice by tallying 30 goals and 62 points in 38 games.Signing with his hometown Leafs turned out to be a fortuitous move by Johnson because the Leafs were so bereft of young prospects at the time that he got a chance to step into the lineup right away.After finishing the season with the Leafs, Johnson came back and tied for the rookie scoring lead with 47 points last season and made the all-rookie team.There is still much for Johnson to prove at the NHL level. He often goes long stretches without scoring, is not a physical player and has yet to forge an identity as a go-to guy when the Leafs need a big goal. But the foundation for a solid future appears to be there.&ldquo;I'm happy with the way things have gone,&rdquo; Johnson said, &ldquo;but I don't think there are too many players who are content with what they've accomplished.&ldquo;Once you get a taste of success, you definitely want to do more. Coming into this year obviously I wanted to do better, but not just in points but in things like defensive play. I know there's still lots of room for improvement.&rdquo;Had things not materialized in the NHL, Johnson, 24, would have tried the minors and then maybe Europe, but he never intended to continue to chase the NHL dream into his 30s.After finishing with the Leafs in 1997, he went back for the end of classes, wrote all his exams and graduated right on schedule with a degree in finance.&ldquo;When I was in my second and third year of university I certainly didn't think I'd be here so in that sense I'm happy,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;But once you're here you're not just happy to be here and you want to do well. And when you do well you want to do better.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: There is every indication the Leafs will trade defenseman Jason Smith in time for the March 23 trading deadline. Smith, who was the team's second best defenseman last season behind Mathieu Schneider, has tumbled down the depth chart and sat out five straight games through March 11 and a total of seven this season. Even when the Leafs dressed seven defenseman for a 2-1 win over the Islanders March 11, he didn't dress. &ldquo;It's an awkward situation and it's also unfair,&rdquo; said associate GM Mike Smith. &ldquo;It was an awkward situation before Chris McAllister got here and it has become more awkward since then.&rdquo; Smith, who had not requested a trade, just wants to see some action. &ldquo;I know I can play in this league,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Johnson sets NHL sights even higher after hitting 20 goals for first time

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011679/7240047-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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NHL TEAM-BY-TEAM REPORT ON YOUTH MOVEMENTS

<div class="byline">By Rich Chore</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04170/7242231-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="269" height="2484"></div>The New Jersey Devils' depth chart doesn't tell the whole story.In order to fully grasp the success of the team's scouting department, which is led by 50-year-old director of player personnel David Conte, it is necessary to look at the rosters of teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. While becoming one of the NHL's top teams through the draft, the Devils also helped replenish a few rivals clubs.Setting a standard, 16 of the Devils' own draft choices were regulars in their lineup this season, including seven first round picks.&ldquo;I think it's validation that we've done, certainly, an acceptable job, probably a good job,&rdquo; Conte said.Here are the top five prospects in order:1. Mike Van Ryn, D, Michigan: The organization's instincts on Van Ryn were confirmed when the Canadian team selected him as their captain for the World Junior Championship. Although he doesn't fit into the classic Devils' mold of a big, physical defenseman, the 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has worked hard to become a strong two-way player.He is mobile and the Devils are thrilled about the way he moves the puck. The sophomore plays a style somewhere between Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens, with the former's offensive explosiveness and without the latter's physical presence.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 26th overall.2. Scott Gomez, C, TriCity: After a brilliant training camp and a strong start to his junior season, the Devils decided they did not want to wait before signing Gomez to a multi-year contract Jan. 5. With 65 assists, he was fourth in the Western League scoring race despite playing a dozen fewer games than those ahead of him.He will play in Albany of the American League when his junior season is over.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03218/7242224-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="586" height="839"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Van Ryn</figcaption></div>Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 27th overall.3.Christian Berglund, RW, Farjestad: He's best known this season for playing on a line with the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik (top prospects for the 1999 entry draft), but he's a quality player in his own right.&ldquo;He's exceptionally skilled as well as being very combative and competitive,&rdquo; one scout said. &ldquo;When he was ejected from the semi-final game at the world juniors, the entire Swedish team suffered and Canada went on to win.&rdquo;Don't look for the Devils to rush Berglund. He's probably at least two years away from prime time.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 37th overall.4.Jean-Francois Damp housse, G, Moncton: When he was first drafted, it was feared Damphousse might be too small and too thin. But he is maturing physically by adding size and strength to his upper body without losing any quickness.Although he is progressing, the team feels it may take some time before he is ready.Conte believes the team has another winning French-Canadian goalie: &ldquo;Some people say so many good goalies come out of that league because it's a wide-open, scoring league,&rdquo; Conte said.&ldquo;But it must be a passion for Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur. It's also the culture. The goalie has an important place.&rdquo;Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 24th overall.5. Brian Gionta, RW, Boston College: So far, the 5-foot-6, 160-pound Gionta has been able to use his speed, intelligence and playmaking skills to excel. The U.S. captain at the World Junior Championship, he plays a style very similar to Theo Fleury's.If he makes it to the NHL, he will need protection.&ldquo;The only bad thing about him is he's 5-foot-6,&rdquo; Conte said. &ldquo;Fortunately, no one has told him he's 5-foot-6.&rdquo;Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 82nd overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1.Mike Van Ryn, D, Michigan (CCHA), 19,6-1, 190,31-9-10-19-48.2.Scott Gomez, C, Tri-City (WHL), 19, 11, 180,51-28-69-97-49.3.Christian Berglund, RW, Farjestad (Swe.), 19,5-11, 180, 35-2-3-5-10.4.Jean-Francois Damphousse, G, Moncton(QMJHL), 19,6-0, 175, 19-15-2, 3.32.5.Brian Gionta, RW, Boston College (HE), 20, 5-6, 160, 30-22-26-48-36.6.John Madden, C, Albany (AHL), 23, 5 11, 185, 54-22-37-59-38. Noticed when Devils were scouting teammate Brendan Morrison at Michigan. Tenacious. Acquired: Signed as free agent, June 26, 1997.7.Colin White, D, Albany (AHL), 21, 6-3, 215, 55-0-7-7-210. Has offensive limitations, but projected as physical defenseman. Safe bet to play in NHL. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 49th overall.8.Josh De Wolf, D, Albany (AHL), 21, 6-2, 190, 52-1-12-13-83. In first pro season after leaving college following sophomore year. A solid prospect for defense. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 41st overall.9.Jiri Bicek, RW, Albany (AHL), 20, 511, 185, 57-14-31-45-92. Playing regularly and contributing at AHL level at 20. Started slowly, but has made big strides. Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 131st overall.10. Willie Mitchell, D, Clarkson, (ECAC), 2I, 6-3, 215, 29-7-16-23-40. Big, mobile defender puts a scare into opponents. Was ECAC's co-top rookie last season. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 199th overall.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: John MaddenStickhandler: Scott GomezShot: Christian BerglundBodychecker: Colin WhiteHockey Sense: Scott Gomez &#9632;

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NEW JERSEY DEVILS

Organization a prospect paradise

<h2>Life goes on in Calgary</h2>1. Theo who? Calgary s Cory Stillman picks up where Theo Fleury left off with seven goals, 15 points in 10 games.2. Adrian Aucoin Vancouver defenseman's 18 goals this year are five more than his career total entering season.3. Eight straight Pittsburgh superstar Jaromir Jagr records eighth straight 30-goal season.4. Ashlin Halfnight Beast of New Haven defenseman records CD with proceeds from sales going to charity.5. Martin Brodeur New Jersey Devils' goaltender posts fourth consecutive 30-win season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0140/7242970-1-eng-US/c0002-012.jpg" title="C0002-01" width="433" height="617"><figcaption class="caption-body">Cory Stillman</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0243/7242963-1-eng-US/c0002-022.jpg" title="C0002-02" width="436" height="628"><figcaption class="caption-body">Martin Brodeur</figcaption></div><h2>Capital thrill to Capital spill</h2>1. Fall from grace Washington Capitals slip from berth in Stanley Cup final to possible post-season no-shows.2. Future bleak Tampa Bay not only NHL's worst team, Lightning also has worst prospect list.3. Strike two Pensacola loses 10 ECHL points, team fined $50,000 for second salary cap violation.4. Missing Brett Hull? St. Louis loses 3-0 to Montreal March 11, the ninth time Blues have been blanked this season.5. A dog's life Expansion Mississauga IceDogs outscored 28-0 in two OHL games, 15-0 and 13-0. &#9632;

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PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</div>If I owned an NHL expansion team, David Conte would be the second person I hired.The first would be my father, the man who years ago delivered me to the outdoor rink, layered on the hockey equipment, stuck with our team in crackling cold and pried my skates off at game's end. On my NHL team, he would be the official beer-taster.Conte, in a slightly less important role, would be the GM or director of player personnel. The New Jersey Devils' current director of scouting would first be interviewed for the GM job. If it were determined he wasn't perfectly suited to run the entire hockey operations, I would offer to raise his Devils' salary by 50 per cent and install him as director of player personnel.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0334/7243001-1-eng-US/c0002-032.jpg" title="C0002-03" width="462" height="576"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</figcaption></div>Then I would give him free reign to hire the best scouting staff in the business and suggest he try to lure Dave Draper out of retirement as a consultant. It would be Conte's call on that one. Draper left the Colorado Avalanche last summer after stocking the franchise with the deepest group of prospects in the NHL. Colorado earned top marks in The Hockey News' annual Future Watch report. (See pg. 29for Future Watch.) Conte's Devils rank fifth and may well have the NHL's best group of players aged 25-and-under. (See pg. 8 for story.) Since THN began issuing grades on prospects in 1992, New Jersey has never fallen below seventh.Conte, a former Colgate collegiate star, has been director of scouting with the Devils since 1993. Before that he served as a scout. Now 50, he should follow in the footsteps of Neil Smith. Jack Ferreira, Pierre Gauthier and Ken Holland as bird dogs turned bosses. If Conte isn't the best at his position in the NHL, he's tied for first. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont., and his excellent staff have supplied the Devils with a wide range of prospects-filling the mandate laid out by GM Lou Lamoriello. That is, concentrate on competitive big men who can skate, without neglecting those with talent. A sampling of Conte's choices over the past five drafts: Patrik Elias, Sheldon Souray, Petr Sykora, Alyn McCauley and Scott Gomez.There are four main reasons for Conte's success: he is a hard worker and surrounds himself with hard workers who do their jobs well; Conte has a fine eye for big men who compete-core players on every NHL team; he does his homework as well as anyone in the league, including overseeing the Devils' sophisticated testing of prospects each spring and; Conte works at being objective, resisting the temptation to give in to stereotypes or seek validation in the opinions of others.It is a winning combination. &#9632;

C0002-03

New Jersey ace deserves chance to be NHL GM

<div class="byline">Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div>With each passing day, the NHL is becoming more and more like Major League Baseball.We in hockey used to snicker, with equal amounts of disdain and amazement, at baseball's transient nature. At how big-name players would be dealt to a new team at the deadline, play there for a matter of weeks and then set off for the greener pastures of unrestricted free agency and yet another new home.Well, as we come up hard on the March 23 (3 p.m. EST) trade deadline, the NHL is playing its own version of Summer Rental.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011758/7239720-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="463" height="648"></div>Maybe Theo Fleury will re-sign with the Colorado Avalanche. And perhaps Mark Recchi will do the same with the Philadelphia Flyers.But, clearly, it's fashionable in today's NHL to &ldquo;rent&rdquo; rather than buy. That theme should continue to manifest itself right up to a deadline that, given the closings on Fleury and Recchi, will lack star quality.The hapless Tampa Bay Lighting are in a massive rebuilding mode and 25-goal scorer Wendel Clark is now one of the most sought-after commodities. At a high-mileage age 32, Clark is pretty much a one-trick pony these days, but is a proven playoff performer who's a tremendous threat from the blueline in.And maybe best of all, no team has to commit to Clark beyond the end of this season. His contract includes a club option for next season (at $1.8 million), but there's no obligation.The Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres are among a number of teams with varying degrees of interest in Clark, who (with Fleury and Recchi gone) becomes the biggest name likely to move by the deadline.Of course, any Lightning player, with the exception of Vincent Lecavalier, Chris Gratton and Pavel Kubina, is available. Feisty third line center Darcy Tucker, for example, is attracting a lot of attention.A word to the wise for teams talking trade with Tampa-don't leave it to the last minute. Because the Lighting's ownership transfer doesn't close until June, all personnel moves must be approved by two ownership groups and that takes time.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021405/7239713-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="2010" height="2446"><figcaption class="caption-body">trevor Linden</figcaption></div>For the NHL trade deadline to really heat up, though, more clubs have to move into Tampa's philosophical sphere. In short, less than two weeks before the deadline, the number of serious buyers (Buffalo, the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose and Toronto Maple Leafs) vastly outnumbered those committed to selling (Tampa, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-04512/7239706-1-eng-US/f0003-042.jpg" title="f0003-04" width="841" height="1441"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Bruce Benet Studios)</figcaption></div>The Calgary Flames and Montreal canadiens, decisive sellers on Fleury and Recchi, have to be careful how far they go in terms of liquidating assets.The Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings were on the verge of becoming sellers, but wanted to hold off as long as possible.&ldquo;I want to wait another few games to see where we're at,&rdquo; said Washington GM George McPhee a dozen days before the deadline. &ldquo;If we don't move up, we'll have to (make moves).&rdquo;And wouldn't you know it, McPhee has what other teams wants rentals.Left winger Joe Juneau, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, will join Clark as a hot commodity. Defenseman Mark Tinordi would be, too, if he weren't injured.It remains to be seen if there are any old-fashioned blockbusters involving significant players still under contract to be had. New Jersey was pitching hard for Edmonton Oilers defenseman Boris Mironov, but the Oilers' asking price would be high.Chances are, when all is said and done, the significant deadline action will be rentals, alleviation of problems and traditional depth deals.<h2>18 NHL PLAYERS ON TRADE BLOCK</h2><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03916/7239699-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="2015" height="607"></div> &#9632;

f0003-01

Ready for roster shuffle

When THN predicted in late October there would be labor armaged on in 2004, it was, admittedly, a long-range forecast.But it's nice to see the bandwagon now filling up and, hey, isn't that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hopping on board?THN suggested the current collective agreement wasn't working to many owners' satisfaction and Bettman conceded player salaries were rising faster than revenues, but would only say:&ldquo;The CBA allows a team to spend whatever it can afford. If anyone is spending more than they can afford, they shouldn't be complaining.&rdquo;Now Bettman is saying: &ldquo;The next CBA may actually see things roll back&hellip;If things continue, if (salaries) go to a high enough level and they're not sustainable, then the next CBA may have to be one that deals not just with limiting the growth, but bringing it back&hellip;&rdquo;Bettman never specifically said &ldquo;clawback&rdquo; or &ldquo;takeaway&rdquo; or &ldquo;hardcap&rdquo;, but make no mistake, his were fightin' words. And Vancouver Canucks' GM Brian Burke, added: &ldquo;I'm absolutely convinced the next CBA will have to be idiot proof, able to withstand the craziest owner or the most idiotic GM because what we've seen is it only takes one guy to make a mistake and it puts all of us in the swamp.&rdquo;All of this long-range sparring is set against the backdrop of Canadian team owners, led by Ottawa Senators' Rod Bryden, lobbying for tax reform in the short term. In fact, Ottawa, the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Canucks hired an Ottawabased lobbyist to assist in the effort to reduce what they believe are onerous municipal taxes. Bryden has been campaigning the Senators' municipal tax bill on the Corel Centre ($4.5 million annually) is greater than the combined municipal taxes for all die U.S.-based teams. And the Canadiens' tax bill on the Molson Centre is more than double that.<blockquote class="pullQuote">Some Canadian teams push for tax relief</blockquote>The weak Canadian dollar doesn't help and neither, apparently, does a CBA that isn't &ldquo;idiot proof' and has no provisions for a salary cap or widespread revenue sharing.Liberal MP Dennis Mills, who headed a parliamentary committee recommending tax relief for Canadian teams, said everybody involved (the NHL, NHLPA, owners and all levels of government) &ldquo;have to be prepared to put a little water in their wine&rdquo; and share the burden of ensuring the long term viability of Canadian franchises.But the CBA isn't up for negotiation for another five years and, besides, Bryden and Canadiens' president Ronald Corey have said a salary cap and/or revenue sharing aren't the answer to improving Canadian teams' fortunes. Tax relief, they said, is the issue. It's a political hot potato, though Bryden said he expects an official government response within the next month or two. &#9632;

NHL commissioner Bettman expresses CBA fears

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>Canada's national men's hockey team is facing a cash crunch that could lead to its demise by May 1. It needs $300,000 to stay afloat and in mid-March was just one-third of the way there.Plans call for the Canadian Hockey Association, which funds the Calgarybased national program, to redirect its money into minor hockey development unless the $300,000 target is met.&ldquo;Looking at the big picture, we need to put more resources towards our grassroots programming, which leaves the national team to generate funding necessary for operations,' said CHA president Bob Nicholson.The national team has been around since 1963 and has represented Canada on the international stage in the Winter Olympics, world championships and money tournaments like the Spengler Cup.But with NHL pros taking over the Olympic and World Championship assignments, the national team may have finally run its course and become a team without a purpose.One person who can't really picture hockey in Canada without a national team is Dave King. He coached the national team for almost a decade and is one of a handful of NHL people who reached into his pocket to help out.&ldquo;One NHL salary,&rdquo; said King, an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens. &ldquo;To run the entire national team program for a year costs less than the average salary of one NHL player. Think of that.&rdquo;If the May 1 deadline passes and the funding goal is not achieved, the program will be officially suspended by the CHA. &#9632;

Canada's men's program in limbo

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>Criminal charges against Anchorage Aces' defenseman Dean Trboyevich have been dropped by the Fresno County district attorney's office.Trboyevich speared Jacques Mailhot of the Fresno Falcons in the face Feb. 2, sparking a bench-clearing brawl that led to the ejection of 11 players during a West Coast League game. Trboyevich was arrested and charged with using his stick as a deadly weapon. Mailhot was not hurt.A release issued by the district attorney stated &ldquo;this office feels that given the totality of the circumstances, this particular case does not belong in the criminal justice system.&rdquo;The WCHL suspended Trboyevich for the balance of the regular season (27 games). He is eligible to return for the playoffs, but cannot play against the Falcons.On the day of the incident, Trboye-vich was voted the league's top stay at-home defenseman, while Mailhot finished as the second-best fighter and hitter in the minor pro league.EXTRA REF STAYS: The NHL's two-referee system will carry into the playoffs, the league announced.As reported in THN's March 19 issue, NHL GMs and governors were overwhelmingly in support of two referees because the result has been shorter games with fewer penalties.Each NHL team played 10 home games and 10 road games under the two referees, two linesmen format. All playoff games will feature two referees.FEWER TIES: Less has been more in the American League.The AHL has been testing 4-on-4 play in overtime since Feb. 19 at the NHL's request.In the league's first 17 overtime games, 10 ended in goals rather than buzzers, a success rate of 58.8 per cent. The NHL's rate, as of March 9, was just 26.2 per cent.Before Feb. 19, the AHL had overtime winners in 33 per cent of its games. AHL overtime shots were up from 0.93 to 1.3 a minute.MARATHON GAME: Most people are sleeping at two in the morning.Peter Lacey may have been tired, but he was anything but drowsy after ending almost seven hours of hockey in what may have been the longest game ever played in Ontario minor hockey history.The left winger scored 13:47 into the fifth overtime as the St. Catharines Falcon defeated the Port Colbome Sailors 3-2 in a playoff game in the Golden Horseshoe Jr. B League.<h2>PUCK BRIEFS</h2>Time of the goal was 2:13 in the morning.&ldquo;We didn't want to play all that and lose. I feel bad for (the Sailors),&rdquo; said Lacey, who slid the puck through goalie John Kientiz's legs on a failed pokecheck.The Falcons outshot the Sailors 8166. After the first 10-minute overtime, the periods were bumped up to 20 minutes until the winning goal after 143:47 of play.The NHL record for longest game was a 1-0 Detroit Red Wings victory at 2:25 a.m. over the Montreal Maroons March 25, 1936 that went into six overtimes. Mud Bruneteau scored after 176:30 of scoreless play.ANOTHER RECORD: The 1999 World Junior Championship, hosted by Winnipeg, announced record profits to go along with record attendance and record television ratings.Profits from the 11-day event totalled $2.04 million, more than 30 per cent higher than the previous record of $1.56 million set in Red Deer (1995). The profit will be split between the Canadian Hockey Association (50 per cent), Canadian Hockey League (35 per cent) and Hockey Manitoba (15 per cent).The WJC, won by Russia, drew a record crowd of 173,453 in Winnipeg and five other Manitoba communities. A record total of 2.035 million viewers watched the tournament on TSN and RDS in Canada.MEMORIAL SCHEDULE: The Canadian Hockey League has released its schedule for the 1999 Memorial Cup in Ottawa.The host 67's of the Ontario League are automatic entries and will be joined by playoff champions from the Quebec League, Western League and OHL.Action begins Saturday, May 15 with the championship slated for Sunday, May 23.ALBERTA WINS: Alberta captured the gold medal at the Canada Winter Games with a 3-2 victory over Quebec. British Columbia beat Ontario 7-6 March 5 to win the bronze.BOYD HIRED: The Columbus Blue Jackets hired St. Louis Blues' amateur scout Don Boyd as their director of amateur scouting.Boyd, 46, will remain with the Blues through the June entry draft. He will join the Blue Jackets July 1 and assist GM Doug MacLean in scouting missions leading up to Columbus' entry into the NHL in 2000-2001.Boyd previously worked for the Ottawa Senators and Quebec Nordiques. &#9632;

Minor pro criminal case dropped

<h2>TIME CAPSULE</h2>Roberto Luongo's status as the No. 1 prospect in Future Watch this week doesn't guarantee he's going to be an NHL star, but our track record says he will.Since we started ranking each NHL team's prospects and the top 50 overall in 1994, all eyes have been on the No. 1 player. Peter Forsberg (1994) is one of the game's brightest stars for the Colorado Avalanche. Ed Jovanovski (1995) and Bryan Berard (1996) are cornerstone defenseman just now entering their prime. Goalie Marc Denis (1997) is still Colorado's top prospect and No. 7 overall this year. And Marian Hossa (1998) is making an excellent impression with the Ottawa Senators.That brings us to Luongo, this year's top prospect. He's projected as the New York Islanders' franchise goalie of the future, perhaps as soon as next season (See pg. 32. for more on Luongo and other prospects.)For now, though, Luongo will stop by and visit our time capsule, where he joins other weekly contributions this season.The Hockey News is making a deposit each week to our Millennium Time Capsule to mark the final year of the millennium. This week THN deposits Roberto Luongo.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011692/7239847-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="670" height="904"></div> &#9632;

f0005-01

THN's Millennium

The Air Canada Centre is the perfect example of the modem NHL facility.It's beautiful. It's state of the art. It has everything a modem facility should have.But what it doesn't have is tickets that can be bought by the general public. Even though there are 3,000 more seats than at Maple Leaf Gardens, very few are available to the average fan. Most of the seats are in the hands of corporations.Congratulations on your new facility, Toronto. But you may be disappointed in a few years when all those young fans who can't afford to go to games now aren't there to buy tickets in the future.Jackie Lindal, St. Catharines, Ont.<h2>Fighting insight</h2>I was disappointed when I received a recent issue and was greeted with the front-page headline, 'Fighting Words' (THN, March 5).It amazes me how a vocal minority continues with its struggle to keep fighting alive in hockey, disguising it as some sort of evolutionary study. If the media did not go to the efforts it does to keep fighting highlighted, it would soon evolve way out of the game.As you put it, &ldquo;hockey is the only major team sport in the world that allows fighting.&rdquo; Is it any wonder why the major American networks aren't interested in telecasting the sport?Ernie Kreklewetz, Kelowna, B.C.<h2>Fighting all right</h2>Fighting Words: The Final Chapter?Perhaps there is one point being overlooked on this issue. The majority of fans want fighting in the game and it seems to me some people in hockey circles have forgotten that we, the fans, fund the league. Come on, THN. Surely you can find something better to write about.Greg McLean, Manitou, Man.<h2>Give us new news</h2>I have been a subscriber for a few years and, although I enjoy your publication, I feel it necessary to voice my concern about the content and quality of articles. I read THN for the love of the sport, but I am consistently sifting through boring and out-dated news. THN often retells the already known facts anyone who knows hockey is familiar with already.Go after the unknown, not the evolution of fighting. You are just re-telling facts everyone already knows. Get inside the story&hellip;What goes on in those dressing rooms? Expose one Of those legendary Mark Messier leader speeches&hellip;follow the Edmonton Oilers on a road trip for a behind the scenes look&hellip;Matthias Montgomery, Chicago, III.<h2>Logo logic</h2>I enjoyed your ranking of the minor pro league team logos (THN, Feb. 26), but I must disagree with the last-place ranking of the Mobile Mysticks' logo, Puck the Magic Dragon.I think Puck is adorable and certainly more imaginative than the Albany River Rats' logo that you ranked third. Dragons are cooler than rats any day of the week.Elatia Grimshaw, Royal Oak, Mich.<h2>Shinny over pigskin</h2>I've really enjoyed NHL hockey since its migration to Texas a few years ago. Down here, a boy gets a football at the age of three instead of a pair of skates, so being a novice at the game, I enjoy reading your publication because it teaches me a lot about a sport I love more than football.Robert Wylie, Longview, Tex.<h2>Cujo's defense</h2>It could just be my love for the Toronto Maple Leafs talking, but I think Curtis Joseph is one of the best goalies out there and I think he is a strong contender for the Hart Trophy (re: THN Letters, Feb. 26).Ever since he put on a Leafs' jersey, he has been turning the team around. The Leafs missed the playoffs last season and this year they might even win the Cup. So, I could be wrong, but when you look at the big picture, 'Cujo' should have the Hart.Michael Ripley, Saskatoon, Sask.<h2>Goring not boring</h2>For the second year in a row, the Chicago Blackhawks will again be, kicked back in their recliners staring at the tube when the NHL playoffs begin. While it's obvious changes have to be made in Chicago, the biggest step GM Bob Murray could make in breathing life into this disappointing and underachieving team I can be found in two words-Butch Goring.With two Turner Cups in the past three years as coach of the Utah Grizzlies in the International League, Goring's credentials are obvious and have i been for quite some time.It's past time to overlook whatever it is that has kept him out of an NHL coaching position and give him the shot that he has so long deserved.Jim Barrand, Fort Wayne, Ind.<h2>Tip cap to Hunter</h2>In response to Gabe Komjathy's letter (THN, March 19) bashing Dale Hunter, I've watched him ever since he became a Capital in 1987 (and before that in Quebec) and I'll admit he has thrown his share of cheap shots in his time. But Hunter has scored more than 1,000 points, so in more than a few instances, he had to display some skill, didn't he?If you've watched Hunter over the years you would realize he wasn't just a cheap shot artist, but an above average assist man (just ask Michel Goulet) who scored many timely goals. Please don't judge him just by what you see on the late night sports highlight reels. Hunter deserves any and all accolades thrown his way.Paul G. Lineberger, Silver Spring, Md.<h2>It's all over</h2>I'd like to present to you the All &ldquo;Give it up, it's over&rdquo; team:At center: Craig Janney. On the wings: Stephane Richer and Kevin Stevens. On defense: Paul Coffey and Dave Ellett. And in net: Bill Ranford.Come on guys, you had great careers, but not even expansion can help you now. Stop embarrassing yourselves and take a hint from Bernie Nicholls and Trent Yawney. Get out while you still have an ounce of dignity left.Mike Ormerod, Hamilton, Ont.<h2>Maclnnis for Norris</h2>Will the hockey world please finally realize that Al Maclnnis deserves to win the Norris Trophy this season.All the talk in the NHL has Eric Desjardins taking the prize. Desjardins is having a great year, but he is always on the blueline when the 'Legion of Doom' is controlling play in the opponent's zone. Maclnnis plays every other shift on a team without one bona fide superstar up front.Maclnnis should have won the Norris in 1990-91 when he racked up 103 points. So let's give Maclnnis his due and rightfully decree him as hockey's best defenseman.Pete Amoruso, Jr., Garfield, N.J.Fax us your comments at (416) 340-1641 or write to Letters, THN, 777 Bay St., I Suite 2700, Box 148, Toronto, Ont, M5G 2N8 in Canada. In the U.S., write to Letters, THN, P.O. Box 904, Buffalo, N.Y., 14240-9947. E-mail us at paulj@trans-continental.ca Include hometown as well as home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

Toronto's building great for affluent, corporations

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DEPARTMENTS

ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Mark Brender Statt Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011713/7239940-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Skilled Sergei Gonchar has been prolific on the power play.</figcaption></div>Michael Jordan is gone from basketball, but his influence lives on in the most unexpected places. Like in Sergei Gonchar's living room.Gonchar keeps a few tapes of the ex-Chicago Bulls' star by his home VCR. Every once in a while he pops them in just to take a look. He knows how Jordan disappeared into the maze of players, then surfaced and struck in an instant. Gonchar has taken to doing much the same thing on the Washington Capitals power play. You can learn plenty by watching the best.Said countryman and teammate Andrei Nikolishin,"He's every time in the right spot at the right time.&rdquo;By mid-March, Gonchar was on a breathtaking run of 17 goals in 28 games-more than Paul Kariya or Mike Modano, for example, over the same time. The difference is Gonchar is a defenseman. No fewer than 13 of his goals had come on the power play and most of those via the weak side sneakin from the blueline-a.k.a, the back door.Gonchar's secret is one-part natural timing, one part coaching and one part observation.His talent is unmistakable; Nikolishin compares the style of the 24-year-old from Chelyabinsk, Russia to former Soviet great Slava Fetisov, the rearguard by which all other Russian defensemen are judged.Gonchar's preference for attacking is summed up by his appreciation for his defense partner of the past five years, Joe Reekie: &ldquo;I like playing with him, he's a good partner,&rdquo; said Gonchar, Washington's first pick, 14th overall, in 1992. &ldquo;He's always staying back for me.&rdquo;Practice is crucial, too, since the Capitals under coach Ron Wilson are among those teams who work on their power play regularly. And it has paid off; at one point the Caps went 25-for-83 over 22 games for a 30.2-per cent success rate.In the Capitals' scheme of things, it's a matter of taking what the other team gives them. Usually it's Adam Oates or even Jogi Svejkovsky playing the part of sweet-passing play-maker, fining up on the right side along the boards on the power play, feathering a pass between a sea of skates.Sniper Peter Bondra gamers most of the penalty killers' attention down low; that leaves Gonchar open to strike from the rear and deliver the Jordanesque knockout punch.One might say the Capitals are taking this back door thing a little too far. With jiine points to make up and four teams to leap over as of March 12, it's the only way they'll make the playoffs. But they are thankful Gonchar wasn't retired or injured heading down the stretch-in Washington they're pretty much the same thing. Otherwise they'd have been sunk like the Jordan-less Bulls long ago.&ldquo;He has been unbelievable,&rdquo; Wilson told the Washington Post. &ldquo;He's developing into one of the best defensemen in the league. He has a bomb for a shot, he's very confident on the blueline and the guys are looking for him.&rdquo;To Gonchar, poaching from the point comes naturally. He trusts his instincts to tell him when to go, which they do often.'It just happens,&rdquo; he said. Tm telling you, it's what we're working on in practice is the power play. I guess the hard work is paying off.&rdquo;The 17 goals overall were two behind Al Maclnnis of the St. Louis Blues for the league lead among defensemen. His 13 with the man advantage left him three off the Caps' club mark of 16, set by Scott Stevens in 1984-85, and five off Denis Potvin's NHL record of 18, set in 1975-76.One can only imagine where Gonchar would be had he not missed 22 games with assorted injuries-"You're not a Washington Capital unless you've missed 25 games,&rdquo; snorted GM George McPhee-or gone without a goal in his first 13 games of the season.Stevens' record is the one he is shooting for, though he warns no one should expect him to keep up the pace.&ldquo;I'm not going to tell you for sure it's going to happen, but I'll do my best to get it,&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;The thing is, I am a defenseman first of all, so I've got to take care of my end. Then if we have a chance, of course I will go and jump in and try to do my best, but it's not like I'm Peter Bondra now scoring the goals. I don't think so.&rdquo;The Capitals have reason to expect he will improve next season, particularly in the first half of the year. It will be the first season in three that he'll be in training camp. He has missed the past two in contract disputes, but signed a two-year, $3.3-million deal last October.Part of McPhee's task in the off-season will be to find a power play partner for Gonchar on the blueline. This season it was supposed to be Dmitri Mironov, signed as a free agent last summer.Mironov, though, has been hit hard by injuries and not particularly impressive when healthy. Joe Juneau has been on the other point most of the season, but his pattern is to pass first, shoot as a last resort.That might account for Gonchar's low assist total; he had just six in 43 games. At even strength, the toll of playing 26 or 27 minutes a night because of injuries to Mironov, Mark Tinordi and Brendan Witt means he has had to conserve his energy and sacrifice some of his offense.McPhee says Gonchar's defensive play, while not a strong suit, isn't nearly as poor as some people think. There is a mOean streak there, even if it takes a lot to get it out.&ldquo;I'm the kind of guy who's always quiet and calm,&rdquo; Gonchar said. &ldquo;Somebody can piss me off (for) a couple minutes, but then I am myself again. I'm not a mean person.&rdquo;He is, however, a curious person.Gonchar recently asked Washington's coaches if they could put together some other tapes for him, this time of a famous hockey player he has heard so much about, one Bobby Orr.'Tm going to watch the tapes,&rdquo; Gonchar said, &ldquo;and see how good he was.&rdquo;Move on over, Michael Jordan. This Russian could soon be 'a rushin' toward stardom.<h2>HOT STREAKS</h2>Sergei Gonchar's 17 goals in a 30-game stretch is the second-hottest such streak by a defenseman in the 1990s. Former Cap Kevin Hatcher had 18 in 30 during the 1992-93 season. Here are the best goal totals ever over 30-game stretches, by defensemen.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021142/7239933-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="782" height="1022"></div> &#9632;

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FEATURES

Surging Sergei Gonchar

<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/f0008-011778/7239985-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="909" height="1282"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boston Bruins'</figcaption></div>The future is now in both Detroit and New Jersey but for entirely different reasons.While the Red Wings are looking to three-peat with a veteran roster, the Devils are challenging for the Stanley Cup with a core of young players who have plenty of springs left in their steps.New Jersey gets more from its young players (those 25 and under) than any team in the NHL and few teams rely on young players as little as Detroit.For the Devils, the future is now because many of their key players could still be with New Jersey long into the future. For the Red Wings, the future is now because many of their key players don't have a lot of future left in their careers.As a companion to our annual Future Watch special section (see pg. 29), The Hockey News studied every NHL team's roster (as of March 9) to get the lowdown on the league's young and old. Players who will finish the 1998-99 season 25 or younger and are full-time NHLers or legitimate clones (versus minor league fill-ins) were included in our count.The Vancouver Canucks led the way with 12 players who fit our criteria, but their combined output (233 points) was lower than the work of 10 Devils (278). Recording the lowest totals in our survey were the Pittsburgh Penguins (three players, 52 points) and Los Angeles Kings (three, 25 points).One notable absentee from our lists is Eric Lindros, who tuned 26 Feb. 28. Were his birthday in May, for example, he would have juiced the Flyers' point total (from 56 to 143).Peter Forsberg, chosen in the same draft as Lindros, but with a later birthday, pushes the Colorado Avalanche into the elite with just seven players.Some other significant conclusions:&#9633; The Devils have, arguably, the deepest mix of young players including the highly skilled Scott Niedermayer and Petr Sykora.&#9633; Alexei Yashin's Senators have the highest points-per-game mark ' among their young players (.54 compared to New Jersey's .51), excepting the Avalanche (.58), which has three fewer players.&#9633; Watch out for the Boston Bruins. They have the building blocks for a special team with Jason Allison, Sergei Samsonov, Joe Thornton and Kyle W McLaren.&#9633; The Buffalo Sabres are loaded with young, smallish players. Is it any wonder J they have been seeking a veteran influence?&#9633; The Canucks have a host of young defensemen to go along i with Markus Naslund.&#9633; If Los Angeles expects to have a competitive team any time soon, it will have to buy a one-judging from a paucity of young players currently on the team and a mid-range ranking of 16th among 27 teams in Future Watch.&#9633; The Edmonton Oilers had 11 players 25 or younger. But their lack of progress as a-team over the past few seasons illustrates that being young doesn't mean being on the path to grand success.&#9633; There are only five NHL goalies 25 or younger and just two are starters: Jamie Storr of Los Angeles and Jocelyn Thibault of the Chicago Blackhawks. The other three are Dan Cloutier of the New York Rangers, Norm Maracle of Detroit and Tyler Moss of the Calgary Flames.25 AND ALIVE All-Star forward Peter Forsberg is at the head of Colorado's blue-chip 25-and-under club.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03974/7239978-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="1914" height="2981"></div><h2>twentySOMETHINGS</h2>New Jersey leads the way in productivity among players 25 or younger with 10 skaters collecting 278 points through games of March 8.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021352/7239971-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="775" height="2058"></div> &#9632;

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Young guns blazing

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<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011749/7240085-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="516" height="719"></div>Neither Doug Gilmour nor Ron Francis has set the world on fire this season.But since both Gilmour and Francis bring more to the table than what shows up on the scoresheet-namely leadership-their teams could make a reasonable case for both being good signings.But the fact remains neither player has aver-aged a point a game and when you consider the Chicago Black-hawks shelled out $18 million for three years for Gilmour and the Carolina Hurricanes $20 million for four years for Francis, it makes you wonder if this year's crop of unrestricted free agents will be suffer by owners suddenly becoming a little more wary.Don't count on it.&ldquo;Maybe one year when all the unrestricted free agents are flops, teams will be a little cautious (about signing unrestricted free agents for huge dollars) the next,&rdquo; said New York Rangers' GM Neil Smith. &ldquo;But as long as some teams have success with them, I can't see things changing.&rdquo;That means Rangers' defenseman Brian Leetch, Philadelphia Flyers' right winger Mark Recchi and Colorado Avalanche right winger Theo Fleury will hit the jackpot this summer.They head the class of players who, for the most part, will have given the best they had to offer in years gone by and expect to be paid for it now. And teams will pay them outrageous sums of money in hopes they can do it again, though few rarely do.Never mind the fact the Los Angeles Kings are no better off having signed defenseman Steve Duchesne for $3.75 million a year than they were a year ago or the Blackhawks aren't going to make the playoffs with Gilmour.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021278/7240078-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="1162" height="1618"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chicago's struggles with Doug Gilmour shouldn't deter shoppers. (Photo By Bruce Benet Studios/VPS)</figcaption></div>Teams will look at how the Toronto Maple Leafs have risen out of the ashes thanks in large part to goalie Curtis Joseph, who is earning $5.5 American dollars this season. And the $4.5 million the Dallas Stars are paying right winger Brett Hull this season seems like cash well spent. With a number of teams in financial peril, agents to the stars can still expect to hit the jackpot this summer.&ldquo;Any team that shows an interest in Mark Recchi will I know they are getting a 31-year-old player who is not one-dimensional,&rdquo; said Recchi's agent, Rick Curran. &ldquo;He plays the point on the power play, he kills penalties and he's durable.&rdquo;Sounds like a $6-million-a-year sales pitch to me. Recchi's production is down this season, but he played a number of games with pneumonia.Though he hasn't put up the big numbers we have grown accustomed to seeing him produce, two-time Norris Trophy winner Leetch stands to more than double his salary of $3.4 million this summer (See pg. 1I for more on Leetch).So once again, Neil Smith has his back against the wall with Leetch, Graves and defenseman Ulf Samuels-son all totally free to shop their services this summer. People have this notion the Rangers have an unlimited budget, but you knew that wasn't true when they allowed Mark Messier to leave for the Vancouver Canucks two years ago. Messier was Mr. New York, but his salary demands were deemed prohibitive. That the Canucks were willing to ante up does nothing to diminish the fact Smith did what was best for his organization.It is worth noting not all unrestricted free agents cash in. Last summer, Wendel Clark and Bernie Nicholls took pay cuts to stay in the NHL. You have to wonder if a team will be interested in matching the $3.2 million the Dallas Stars are paying Pat Verbeek who will be 35 when next season opens.And what of Vincent Damphousse, who'll be 32? Is he still worth the $3.3 million the Canadiens are paying him as a defensive forward and has all but stopped scoring goals? It is these players, those on the decline, who could face pay cuts, where the market will correct itself.The top-end guys? They have nothing to worry about. &#9632;

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COLUMNS

Best free agents will still hit jackpot

Ryan Wilson isn't just a fine, young hockey player. He also has quite a way with words.The 12-year-old resident of Middletown, N.Y., goes beyond scoring points for the Bear Mountain Bears peewee A travel team. He also scores points for being a great sport and a great son.To show appreciation to his father for the years of coaching and guidance provided, Ryan wrote a poem to express his feelings. It captures the ideal father-son relationship derived from hockey. It goes:'You saw something in me when I was just three. You coached me well, as all can tell.You 've given me love and support, through my years of love for the sport. You taught me team-play and what I've become today.I see pride in your eyes! As I make my moves, I never stop, knowing when to pass or take a shot.Team-play is the game, six players on the ice, work as a team, has been your advice.If 1 continue to practice and grow, there's one thing we both know, that I could go far, and dream of one day becoming a star.But if by chance I don't turn pro, there's one thing my heart will always know.That you were so proud, that I gave all 1 had. Knowing you 'll still be there, as my loving Dad.The memories we share, as father and son, will always take us back, when I was so young.'A panel selected Ryan as Easton Minor Hockey Showcase's player of the year for 1998 in the United States.I &ldquo;I was so excited when I found out,&rdquo; Ryan said. &ldquo;I couldn't believe it. It's a very special I feeling.&rdquo;Ryan started playing organized, hockey at age 6 and since has been called a 'Natural' by each of his coaches. He has also been among the team leaders in points-winning various awards for MVP-scoring and playmaking, and took it a step further by displaying outstanding sportsmanship traits.Various coaches have dubbed him 'most coachable', 'most unselfish player' and 'most gentlemanly.'&ldquo;That's just the way I was brought up,&rdquo; Ryan said, humbly. &ldquo;My parents have always taught me to look out for other people, so I do.&rdquo;It goes beyond hockey, too. Ryan volunteers his time and skills to help with the Special Olympics roller hockey competition and takes pride in forging new friendships with the less fortunate.&ldquo;He's just a super kid, really,&rdquo; said Ryan's father, Art. &ldquo;We're very proud of him.&rdquo;Ryan's other interests include science, wrestling I and collecting 1 hockey memorabilia. His most memorable moment was meeting his idol, Wayne Gretzky.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-03798/7240172-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="788" height="742"></div>A noble jesture on the part of a nine-year-old player in New Liskeard, Ont., brought a few tears to the eyes of parents watching from a distance.Mr Curtis Watson, a center for the New Liskeard B Grant Fuel Puck Hounds, won an award at the conclusion of a Silver Stick tournament game | last season. He accepted the award, but I immediately upon going to the dressing room I walked over to the team's goalie, Jason Fehr, and presented him with the award.&ldquo;I just thought he deserved to have the award and not me,&rdquo; Curtis said. &ldquo;He played really well and hadn't won an award, yet.&rdquo;Well, if that didn't bring tears to the eyes of Jason's mom.&ldquo;I couldn't hold back the tears either.&rdquo; said II Claudette Watson, Curtis' mother. &ldquo;He did that on his own.&rdquo;Curtis was rewarded with his generosity in spades. He was selected MVP of the championship game and gladly accepted it. To top it off, Curtis was selected the Easton Minor Hockey Showcase M player of the year for 1998 in Canada.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04544/7240165-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="710" height="745"></div>How big was the ML news in the Northera Ontario community of New Liskeard. It made the front page of a local newspaper: Curtis holding a copy of The Hockey News.But it wasn't always tears of joy shed around Curtis last season. During the championship game at a tournament in North Bay, he received a deep cut from a skate blade on his right foot.Blood oozed out of his foot near the tongue of the skate and Curtis could barely hobble to the dressing room. The team's trainer, a medical doctor, removed the skate and told the teary-eyed youth he would need five stitches to close the wound.Curtis mustered his strength and pride and let the doctor proceed. Meanwhile, his mother started to remove his other skate.&ldquo;Mom, what are you doing,&rdquo; Curtis yelled. &ldquo;I'm going back on the ice as soon as this is stitched up. There's still half a game to be played.&rdquo;&ldquo;The needle hurt more than the cut, but I really want to get back out there and help my friends,&rdquo; Curtis recalled.Sure enough, that's what happened and the 4-foot-11 trooper helped guide his team to a championship.Among his biggest supporters is his 12-year-old sister Celeste, who regularly attends games and cheers on her little brother.Curtis is more than just a big-hearted player. He has talent, too. He had an outstanding year scoring 54 goals and 101 points in 61 games last season. Curtis has since moved up to the atom level this season for the Wilson Chev Olds team.&ldquo;It's the first year of body contact and he just loves it,&rdquo; Claudette Watson said. &ldquo;They call him 'Curtis the Crusher' because of the way he plays. He plays with a mission out there.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-05403/7240158-1-eng-US/f0010-052.jpg" title="f0010-05" width="607" height="110"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-06309/7240151-1-eng-US/f0010-062.jpg" title="f0010-06" width="341" height="190"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-07223/7240144-1-eng-US/f0010-072.jpg" title="f0010-07" width="372" height="182"></div>As 1998 winners, both Ryan and Curtis will be totally outfitted from head to toe by Easton. Products include skates, sticks, pants, gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads and shin pads. The winners also receive a free one-week resident scholarship to Huron Hockey School. We'd like to thank all those who entered the 1998 Easton Minor Hockey Showcase and urge others to send player profiles in for the 1999 showcase.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-08167/7240137-1-eng-US/f0010-082.jpg" title="f0010-08" width="435" height="178"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-09126/7240130-1-eng-US/f0010-092.jpg" title="f0010-09" width="1030" height="130"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-10104/7240123-1-eng-US/f0010-102.jpg" title="f0010-10" width="959" height="146"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-1183/7240116-1-eng-US/f0010-112.jpg" title="f0010-11" width="1030" height="130"></div> &#9632;

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MINOR HOCKEY SHOWCASE 1998 WINNERS

<div class="byline">By Stu Hackel</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011572/7240203-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="520" height="725"></div>Now that hockey's small market crisis has reached a serious new stage with Theo Fleury's trade, the sold-out Ottawa Senators' plea for government assistance, Molson reviewing its ownership of the Montreal Canadiens, plus problems in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Long Island and who knows where else, let's pause for a moment to pay our last respects to the Fox-Trax glowing puck.Fox-Trax was supposed to attract new U.S. TV viewers, enabling them to-at last-see the puck. U.S. viewers somehow have survived not seeing batted baseballs or flying golf balls, but pucks are another matter. This would be big.Theoretically, new viewers would mean higher ratings, greater visibility, marketing and promotional synergy, immense rights' fees and all that great stuff that &ldquo;The Hockey Explosion of the '90s&rdquo; promised.It hasn't worked out that way just yet. (Yes, rights' fees will jump in the post-Fox era, not due to Fox's ratings, but rather Disney protecting ESPN). But please, don't blame poor Fox-Trax. Let's think instead of the good times. Oh, that glorious Fox-Trax debut-the 1996 All-Star Game. Riding a tidal wave of publicity, Fox-Trax pulled in a 4.1.It was all downhill from there.Ed Goren, Fox Sports executive producer, says &ldquo;the purist doesn't need Fox-Trax to know where the puck is. To kids, to new fans, it absolutely was an asset.&rdquo; But it seems too few kids and new fans stuck around and now only &ldquo;the purists&rdquo; are watching national telecasts. It seems that caused Fox-and the fact they lost the rights to Disney-to unplug our little buddy.Fox-Trax never knew if we loved it or hated it and that's no way to treat what was essentially high-tech training wheels. Journalists panned it. Commercials lampooned it. Fans conspired on the Internet to boycott Fox sponsors. Websites sprung up to condemn it. One had a sing-along with new lyrics for Midnight Oil's song Beds Are Burning called Eyes Are Burning. Ninety per cent of people who responded to a poll in The Hockey News disliked it. But according to the NHL's survey, 71 per cent of us supposedly liked Fox-Trax.Still no one can deny the anguished howls of the purists, longtime U.S. viewers who watched hockey before hockey was cool, but now felt abandoned. Marginalized by rising ticket prices which have reduced them to mere TV spectators, many felt their video experience becoming even more removed from the real thing. Few purists wanted to sacrifice their game for tourists.The reaction was even more hostile in Canada.&ldquo;Why should Canadian hockey fans even care?&rdquo; wonders Goren incredulously, since Fox is a U.S. network. &ldquo;Its amazing!&rdquo;Besides the fact Canada is hockey's home and still produces about two-thirds of NHL players, there are a few more reasons.Mr. Goren, meet Daniel S. Mason, a faculty member in Sports Management at the University of Maryland. In May, Mason will present a paper at the 27th Annual Convention of the North American Society for Sports History, entitled, &ldquo;Media, Nationalism and Hockey: Fox's Glowing Puck as a 'Threat' to 'Canada's Game.' &ldquo;A British Columbia native, Mason was also struck by his country's response to Fox-Trax.&ldquo;Canadians turned it into a crossborder issue,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;In Canada, hockey is part of our national identity. The fans felt insulted, (wondering; 'Why are you tampering with my sport?' &ldquo;Mason traces Canadian concerns back to the first pro league, the U.S.based International League founded in 1904, which was attacked in Canada's newspapers because Canadian amateurs were lured south to play for money. Since then, Mason says, &ldquo;any time there has been something that looks like a drain on what's considered the national game, there has been this overt reaction.&ldquo;Fox-Trax is just an example of that. The Nordiques were moving, the Jets were in trouble, the Oilers were in trouble and this was just one more thing. It may not have been a reactior to the puck per se, but it became something people focused on.&rdquo;Fox-Trax never sought this symbolic role. But it acquired it on both sides of the border, from fans who feel threatened and care deeply about their game.Certainly, someone at the NHL knows this. Recently, a mailing arrived from a firm hawking an official NHL patch collection. &ldquo;Hockey fans are unlike any other sports fans in the world,&rdquo; the pitch letter reads. &ldquo;Do we like this game? We live it. Do we appreciate the subtleties? We're the only ones who actually sei the puck go into the net.&rdquo;You just hope they remember that when they're not trying to sell you something. &#9632;

f0011-01

Fox-TVax loathed for what it symbolized

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011705/7240241-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="518" height="721"></div>Never, never, never, John Muckier says, has he told Brian Leetch not to go up ice. &ldquo;I don't know where that came from,&rdquo; insists the New York Rangers' coach. &ldquo;The only thing I asked him to do was to fill the holes, not lead the parade.&rdquo;There hasn't been a parade featuring the Rangers in five years, going on another 54, according to the hardest-core insomniacs who actually have watched them for two seasons.But startlingly, here they come, from behind eighth place, from behind the play, just like their captain.Todd Harvey, through mid-January the club's only forward source of energy, has been missing with a thumb fracture. And yet as soon as Wayne Gretzky went out with a stiff neck, these old stiffs reeled off a 5-0-1 run, which makes about as much sense as the argument the Rangers have proven better off without the greatest player who ever lived hogging ice time.Truth is, Petr Nedved had already been playing head-to-head against the opposition's top line every night and Muckier, all along, could have been finding more than two or three shifts for 18-year-old Manny Malhotra without overwhelming him. Nedved has responded to the added responsibility, not the ice time, generated by Gretzky's absence, finally providing help for the Rangers' old reliables to get a sniff of their raison d'etre-the playoffs.They have picked up the scent like bloodhounds. A pain-free Adam Graves has turned back the clock, Mike Richter has turned back the pucks, and there continues to not be a single thing on a sheet of ice that John MacLean does badly. Still, the Ranger doing the best bench press of some previous deadweight is Leetch, for 30-to-35 minutes a night.&ldquo;You don't like to play him that much,&rdquo; Muckier says. &ldquo;But we're in a situation where we have to win. And it's amazing how he handles that every night with a high caliber of play. His recovery is incredible.&rdquo;As a result, a team that had seemed to exhaust itself with one good game looks fresher than Matthew Barnaby's mouth, while Leetch, 31, looks he could be, maybe should be, a Norris Trophy winner for the third time.More disillusioned by Mark Messier's departure than he has ever publicly said, more reluctant to take over Messier's dressing room speaking responsibilities than he will admit, Leetch had an entirely mediocre 1997-98. With a peerless leader gone, former coach Colin Campbell felt he had to get tougher and only came across to his new captain as more negative. A team that had come together for a conference final run in 1997 went down in a spectacular sourball of fire.Time grants perspective, if not always healing. Leetch came to camp for this, the final year of his contract, determined not to let his uncertain status wear him down. The soft plays vanished, as did counter-productive rushes up ice that had identified him as a guy trying to do to much.&ldquo;This year, our three assistant coaches have all finished playing recently and are all positive guys,&rdquo; Leetch says. &ldquo;And Muck has been adjusting with what has gone wrong with our team, or what's coming on with the other team.So I never came to the rink thinking, 'I don't know what's going to happen, I can't see a way out, either.' &ldquo;At Muckier's urging, Leetch took primary care of his own end, where the Rangers were spending a lot of time. But after appearing too slow to get through the neutral zone they may actually have been suffering more from retarded confidence. Now, they are popping up loose pucks and Leetch-fifth among NHL defensemen with nine goals and 44 points in 65 games-has picked them up and downshifted into 1994 gear.&ldquo;He's talented enough to elevate everybody's game and there is not a part of his game with a hole,&rdquo; Richter says. &ldquo;Brian takes responsibility.&ldquo;When the team goes through a rough stretch, he'll do what he can to get guys going. He sees the play so well, he talks on the ice early and accurately. He wants to be great every night. When you have that level of talent and motivation, it's phenomenal.&rdquo;Which is why he probably wants $8 million a year, about $2 million more than the Rangers' initial offer, about a million or so less than he will command on the open market after July 1. &ldquo;We could have a deal next week or after July 1,1 really don't know,&rdquo; Leetch says.He wants to stay. The Rangers should get a contract done before more feelings wind up bruised, before Leetch can walk away in a huff like Messier did, like Richter all-but did, or the people who run the team should find new jobs. This time, they are dealing with the most indispensable Ranger of all.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021354/7240234-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="1365" height="3140"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0012-01

Leetch in Norris form

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>One eye on the present, one eye on the future.Daniele Sauvageau and Ben Smith were seeing double as they worked their benches at the women's world hockey championships in Espoo, Finland.The Canadian and American coaches were doing double duty in the eight-country tournament. Their primary job was try to win the title for their respective employers, but a secondary role was to evaluate both newcomers and veterans on their roster with an eye to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.&ldquo;Sure, each time we go we want to win, but when we built the team we also had in mind the future, which is 2002,&rdquo; said Sauvageau, who when she is not behind the bench is a sergeant in the Montreal police force.Added Smith, who is a full-time coach with USA Hockey: &ldquo;People are trying to start to gear up and evaluate and make plans about how they will go about their preparations.&rdquo;The last time a world championship was held was in the spring of 1997, about a year before women's hockey made its debut under the Olympic banner in Nagano, Japan.Given the short amount of time between the worlds and Olympics, the Canadians and Americans merely tinkered with their respective rosters between assignments.The three-year gap between the 1999 worlds and 2002 Games allows ample time for some players to fade and others to emerge.And that may explain the turnover in personnel.Canada has 14 players who mined an Olympic silver medal a year ago in Japan, and 12 players who were part of the team which won a fourth straight world crown in 1997. The Canadians went with two new goalies-Sami Jo Small of Winnipeg and Kim Ste-Pierre of Chateauguay, Que.&ldquo;Age, by itself, was not an issue (picking the team), but if we had to chose between two players&hellip; we would have gone with the younger player to give her the experience,&rdquo; Sauvageau said. &ldquo;You need to rate their skills and their level so they could get some experience. We want to see how they react to different scenarios, see how they mix with the other players.&rdquo;The U.S. had seven newcomers to the world championship and only 11 players from the gold-medal winning team at the '98 Winter Games.&ldquo;There will be a constant evaluation and this is one of the first real tests for some of the players,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;We're getting a chance to get some kids into this type of competition and see how they do on the ice. You can do all the drills and all the practice, but sometime they have to show us whether they can play or not.&rdquo;Neither Smith or Sauvageau would say who has impressed and who dropped a notch on the depth chart.One of the criticisms always directed at women's hockey is the playing field is not even close to being level. Canada, the United States and Finland are the elite programs and the rest lag far behind.And the 1999 worlds showed it's the same old situation. Through three games, the Americans outscored opponents 27-2. Canada didn't allow a goal and scored 24~but just one in a squeaker win over Finland March 11.&ldquo;I think North America, this might be real chauvinistic, is strong with women's teams sports,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Some of the countries don't have a lot of rinks and they do not want it to interfere with their men's hockey.&rdquo;The tournament ended March 14 with the championship game. Canada was to play Sweden in one semifinal while the U.S. was to play Finland in the other.Sauvageau said Canada's longterm plan is to hold evaluation camps across the country in the spring and then invite the top players to a training camp in the fall. There may be a tournament in Canada sometime around Christmas. Then, in the spring of 2000, the Olympic coaching staff will be announced and Team Canada will assemble as a group about a year before the Olympic tournament to begin down the road to Salt Lake.Smith said the Americans are still working on a master plan leading to Salt Lake.&ldquo;But the evaluation process never really stops,&rdquo; he said. &#9632;

Women already have 2002 in mind

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011582/7240296-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="215" height="214"></div>At this time last season, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were entrenched in last place in the Western Conference and worried if captain Paul Kariya's post-concussion syndrome would end his career.Kariya hasn't missed a game this season and not coincidentally the Ducks are back on track, heading for their best season in their seven-year history. After 65 games, the Ducks were at 30-25-10 for 70 points, firmly in fifth place in the West. The Ducks best season was in 1996-97, when they went 36-33-13 for 85 points and finished in fourth place in the West.&ldquo;We're back to where we should have been the year before,&rdquo; Kariya said. &ldquo;I don't think it's a quantum leap, just a progression of our team.&rdquo;The Ducks had only 49 points after 65 games last season. They have been on fire since Feb. 1, going 13-3-1 in 17 games. They also have historically been a strong finishing team, excluding last season's debacle. The Ducks went 133-7 down the stretch in 1996-97, the only time they have made the playoffs.Kariya said the team's current success stems from structure, implemented by the Ducks' new coaching staff led byCraig Hartsburg. He added the success during the 1996-97 season under former coach Ron Wilson also was due to structure.New GM Pierre Gauthier also has stuck with virtually the same team all season. Since the regular season began, the Ducks have dealt away only one player, Josef Marha, and added only two from other organizations, Marty McInnis and Pascal Trepanier.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Teemu Selanne scored a power play goal March 10 against Vancouver to extend his franchise record points streak to 17 games. The streak was one shy of the season best set by Philadelphia center Eric Lindros. Selanne needed 13 goals in his last 17 games to become the first Duck to reach the 50-goal level in three straight years&hellip;The Ducks power play, which was 23rd last year, has been ranked No. 1 for most of this season. It had produced 70 goals in 65 games. &#9632;

f0013-01

Healthy Kariya, front office stability keys in Ducks’turnaround season

<div class="byline">By Nancy L. Marrapese</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021108/7240327-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="217" height="215"></div>If the Boston Bruins make the playoffs, they will have Byron Dafoe to thank.The Bruins' goaltender was told by coach Pat Bums there was potential for him to play every game down the stretch depending on how tight the standings were in the Eastern Conference playoff race.&ldquo;I have to go with him now,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;I have to. There's no rest in here. We're in a battle for our lives right now. I just don't see any sense in making a change. Down the road, who knows? Robbie (Tallas) has his certain teams that he plays well against (the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning for starters), so we'H have to see from there. Right now, I have to stick with Byron.&rdquo;Dafoe, who played in 53 of the first 64 games, said he's up to playing every game remaining if asked.&ldquo;I feel great,&rdquo; Dafoe said. &ldquo;The schedule is favorable. There aren't a lot of trips, there aren't a lot of back-to-back games. It's just being mentally ready every night. It shouldn't be a problem.&ldquo;I enjoy going through stretches where I play a lot. When the guys are playing well in front of you, you get on a roll. The games are every second night and they run into each other so you get out there and you're ready to go.&rdquo;Dafoe entered a March 12 game against theRangers in New York with a 22-21-8 record, a 2.10 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Both represented improvements over last season.&ldquo;It's a fun time of year,&rdquo; Dafoe said. &ldquo;When you're in a playoff race and there are less than 20 games left, you treat it like the playoffs. It's the best time of the year. The bottom line is you've got to get there so you have to give 100 per cent and you can't rest. When you get there, you've just got to hope you've still got something left in the reserve tank to take you through the playoffs.&rdquo;If the Bruins wind up with the No. 8 seed, the next hurdle is playing the No. I team.&ldquo;It's just another challenge,&rdquo; Dafoe said. &ldquo;Your confidence and your play should be at such a high level at that point that it's just the next stepping stone. I think it's great. I don't care who we have to play. You get there and it's a whole new season.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Tim Taylor, who already has had a rollercoaster season because of an injured ankle that caused him to miss 32 of the team's first 64 games, dodged a bullet March 9 against Florida when he took a shot off the right foot from defenseman Hal Gill. X-rays showed no fracture and Taylor said even if he had a hairline break, he'd still play. After one day on the sidelines, Taylor was back on the ice and in the lineup for Boston's visit to Madison Square Garden March 12&hellip;Defenseman Ray Bourque recorded career power play goal No. 150 in his 1,435th career game March 9 against Florida. Bourque was set to tie John Bucyk's all-time team games played total of 1,436 March 12. &#9632;

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Dafoe says he’s up to challenge of leading Bruin charge to playoffs

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-03818/7240358-1-eng-US/f0013-032.jpg" title="f0013-03" width="214" height="214"></div>Stu Barnes pretty much knew his name was in the trade hopper. Once it was plucked, it became easier to deal with.The newest Buffalo Sabre came via a straight-up swap with the Pittsburgh Penguins for right winger Matthew Barnaby March 11. Barnes, dealt twice before in his eight-year NHL career, said it's always a bit of a shock to be traded, but got over it quickly and was anxious to get on with his career.&ldquo;I'm looking forward to playing for Buffalo,&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;They're a hard working team and they've had some playoff success. I'm anxious to get started.&rdquo;Barnes scored 30 goals and 65 points last season with the Penguins, the best offensive output of his career. The 28-year-old center had 20 goals and 32 points in 64 games this season.While Barnes is on the smallish side (5-foot-11, 180 pounds), he plays with grit and is especially effective on the power play-an area the Sabres definitely need to upgrade. The team had the league's 21st-ranked power play through March 11 (13.5 per-cent efficiency).Barnes was tied for fourth in the NHL this season with 13 power play goals. Last season, he was third overall scoring 15 goals with the man advantage.&ldquo;Certainly he's going to bring offense,&rdquo; said Sabres' GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;He has very good play making skills and we think he's going to help in a lot of areas.&rdquo;Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff worked with Barnes when Ruff was an assistant coach and Barnes a forward for the Florida Panthers. Ruff said Barnes is a quality player who should easily fit in with Buffalo. Ruff added he expects to play Barnes at center and give him time on the power play and noted Barnes is a good skater and can also help kill penalties.The trade reunites Barnes with ex-Florida teammate Jason Woolley. Barnes also has other longtime acquaintances on the team including Darryl Shannon, who played with Barnes when the two broke into the NHL together with the Winnipeg Jets in the early 1990s.&ldquo;The good thing about it is, it's a team that's a great playoff team, a hard-working team,&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;It's going to be fun to go and out and play a lot.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Sabres' power play went 0-for-6 in a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay March 11. It was the second time this season the Sabres had lost to the Lightning&hellip;The Sabres recalled defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre from Rochester of the American League March 10. The 22-year-old is expected to stay up for the remainder of the season. Coach Lindy Ruff, upset with his team's soft play, is hoping the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Grand-Pierre can help add some toughness.. The Sabres had gone five consecutive games in which they had scored two goals or fewer. Their record in those contests was 2-2-1&hellip;Goalie Martin Biron got his first NHL win in a 2-1 victory over Dallas March 5. &#9632;

f0013-03

Talented Barnes expected to add zip to struggling Sabres’ power play

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011692/7240389-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="216" height="214"></div>His first name looks like a typographical error, but it isn't.Clarke (with an 'e') Wilm, the Calgary Flames' first-year center, was named by his dad Lome after Hall-of-Famer Bobby Clarke. Wilm may not possess Clarke's touch around the net, but there is a measure of his feistiness.Wilm had 39 points with Saint John of the American League last year and was considered one of a handful of prospects with an outside chance of cracking the Hames' roster. Gradually, the others disappeared to the minors. Wilm has played every game except three he missed with a concussion.&ldquo;We watched him in the playoffs (for Saint John) last year,&rdquo; said coach Brian Sutter. &ldquo;His understanding, his instincts and what's inside him, the intangibles, were all there. Those things don't show up in the scoring stats. He understands the game.&rdquo;At plus-10, on a team that had scored 10 goals fewer than it had allowed, Wilm is one of the top plus minus rooxies in the league, ne may not have the offensive numbers to support a Calder Trophy candidacy (seven goals and 14 points in 60 games), but he has had a respectable first season.&ldquo;My ticket is defense,&rdquo; Wilm said. &ldquo;I see guys like Mike Keane and Brian Skrudland making millions of dollars so, if I can chip in 10 goals a year&hellip;At the start of the year, I just wanted to get one. Now? I guess I'm looking for more.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Life after Theo Fleury has been pleasantly surprising for the Flames, who rattled off three wins in a row to kick off a season-high seven-game road trip in early March. Coach Brian Sutter was deliberately ducking questions about Fleury, in an effort to get the Flames thinking about the future, not the past&hellip;Defenseman Phil Housley is on the verge of achieving two important milestones. A first-period goal in a 7-4 win over St. Louis March 9 left him one shy of 300 in his career, a plateau reached by only three other defensemen in league history. Additionally, the point was the 1,063rd of his career, which left him tied with Joe Mullen as the highest-scoring American-born player in history. &#9632;

f0014-01

Rookie Wilm wows’em with solid two-way play

<div class="byline">By Todd Grail</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03875/7240420-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="447" height="601"><figcaption class="caption-body">Andrei Kovalenko</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021271/7240427-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="215" height="210"></div>The public address announcer couldn't quite get his name right, bumbling through a couple of different pronunciations. But that hardly seemed to matter to Andrei Kovalenko. It had been so long since he had a chance to celebrate, so long since he found the back of the net.Fifteen seconds into his first shift as a Carolina Hurricane, Kovalenko beat Buffalo Sabres' goalie Dwayne Roloson with a backhand March 8, his first goal in two months.&ldquo;I had big emotion after that goal,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old Kovalenko. &ldquo;I told myself before the game to go hard to the net and just play my game. I don't care if I do something wrong.&rdquo;After an unsettling first few months of 1999, Kovalenko is trying to put a happy face on this season. The Hurricanes are Kovalenko's fifth team in seven NHL seasons, including his third this year.He started the season with the Edmonton Oilers, scoring 13 goals in 43 games, but was shuttled to the Philadelphia Hyers Jan. 29. After failing to score in 13 games with the Flyers he was passed on to the Hurricanes for steady defenseman Adam Burt March 6.&ldquo;It's been a little frustrating,&rdquo; said Kovalenko, who will be a restricted free agent at season's end. &ldquo;But I was only getting about six minutes a game in Philadelphia. (Hyers' coach) Roger Neilson told me there was no reason to keep me on the checking line because they had two pretty good lines already.&rdquo;In his first two games, Kovalenko was paired with Jeff O'Neill and Bates Battaglia on the 'Canes third line. The Hurricanes are hoping the three-time 25-goal scorer can rekindle some of the scoring touch he displayed earlier in his career. Through March 10, Carolina had scored more than two goals just once in its previous seven games.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Adam Burt was the only remaining link to the franchise's last playoff appearance in 1992. His departure leaves forward Robert Kron, who arrived in March of 1993, as the longest-serving member of the team&hellip;With two assists against Buffalo March 8, defenseman Sean Hill recorded his first two-point game in two years. &ldquo;Really?&rdquo; he responded when informed. &ldquo;I had no idea.&rdquo; They were just Hill's fifth and sixth points of the season&hellip;With a 4-1 victory over Buffalo March 8, the Hurricanes moved six games over .500 (29-23-13) for the fourth time in club history&hellip;The Hurricanes allowed fewer than three goals in nine straight games from Feb. 18 to March 8. the longest stretch in franchise history. &#9632;

f0014-03

Celebration for Kovalenko over goal in’Cane debut

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-04594/7240458-1-eng-US/f0014-042.jpg" title="f0014-04" width="214" height="210"></div>If Trent Yawney wasn't a believer in the old adage, &ldquo;Everything happens for a reason,&rdquo; he is now.Little did Yawney know when he suffered a season-ending broken right arm in a game at Nashville Jan. 9 while playing defense for the Chicago Blackhawks, it would ultimately lead to a second career.On Feb. 22, the same day the Hawks fired Dirk Graham as coach and replaced him with Lome M&ouml;lleken, Yawney announced his retirement to accept a position as one of Molleken's assistants.&ldquo;I'm so grateful for this opportunity,&rdquo; said Yawney, who at 33 had pretty much decided to hang up his skates after this season anyway following 12 years in the NHL. &ldquo;I didn't ask for this, but once the door opens you've got to take advantage of the opportunity.&ldquo;Most people have to start at the bottom and work their way up. I'm lucky that I'm getting a chance to start at the top.&rdquo;Yawney never even considered coaching until midway through his career when people, including his wife Charlane, began telling him he might be pretty good at it. Even as a player this year and last with the Hawks he was spending a lot of time working with the young defensemen.Yawney admits it was a bit of an awkward situation at first going from player to coach in a matter of weeks, but the transition has gone smoothly.&ldquo;That has probably been the only negative part,&rdquo; Yawney said. &ldquo;At the start it was a little weird because I was sitting in that room with those guys just a little while ago. But the guys have been great. They're helping me as much as I'm trying to help them. I'm having a blast.&rdquo;Yawney, drafted 45th overall by Chicago in 1984, played 593 games with the Blackhawks, Calgary Hames and St. Louis Blues, managing 29 goals and 75 points with 783 penalty minutes.NOTEBOOK: The Hawks went 3-2-1 in their first six games under Lome M&ouml;lleken, allowing just 10 goals. They still believed they had a chance to make a miracle run at the playoffs. &ldquo;If you don't dream it, it'll never happen,&rdquo; M&ouml;lleken said&hellip;Right winger Tony Amonte ended a seven-game goal drought by scoring March 10 against Nashville. It was just his third goal in 18 games. &ldquo;Lome's not going to want me on his team next year because I haven't scored for him,&rdquo; joked Amonte&hellip;Center Doug Gilmour wasn't practising because of an inflamed disc in his back, but didn't miss any games&hellip;The Blackhawks acquired defenseman Radim Bicanik from Ottawa March 12 for a sixth round draft pick in 1999. &#9632;

f0014-04

New career smooth move for Yawney

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021091/7240489-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="776" height="1447"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Drury</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011557/7240496-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="217" height="215"></div>For a guy who was nearly sent to the minors after the first day of Colorado Avalanche training camp, Chris Drury has done pretty well for himself in his rookie season.So well, in fact, it may earn the former Boston University star the Calder Trophy.Drury, 22, took over the NHL rookie scoring lead with two goals in the Avalanche's 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers March 11.The pair of goals gave him 17 on the season, along with 20 assists. It vaulted him two points past Vancouver Canucks' Bill Muckalt for the rookie scoring lead, and established Drury as the leading contender for the Calder-one year after winning the Hobey Baker Trophy as college hockey's best player in 1998. The 72nd pick in the 1994 entry draft had 28 goals and 57 points for Boston University last season.In typical fashion, however, Drury downplayed his front-runner status when asked about it after his big game in Philadelphia.&ldquo;If the season ended today, I might get excited, but there's still a lot of games left,&rdquo; Drury said. &ldquo;The way I look at it, I haven't done much of anything yet.&rdquo;Even though many predicted Drury would make it as a dependable NHL forward, not as many thought the former Little League World Series star from Connecticut would have such an impact on the star-studded Avalanche this season. Most thought he would be lucky to find ice time as a fourth line center.But Drury has played at both wings, as well as center, and has excelled playing with everyone from Peter Forsberg to Shean Donovan. He is the rare kind who seems to make whoever is playing with him a better player.Drury has shown a great deal of grit, even playing when both of his eyes were nearly swollen shut from receiving high sticks. His passing skills have surprised people, along with his finishing ability around the net.&ldquo;He just keeps getting stronger and stronger,&rdquo; said coach Bob Hartley, who confronted Drury on the first day of camp, telling him he needed to get in better shape or he would be on the next plane to Hershey of the American League. &ldquo;Chris Drury is going to be a real good player in this league for years to come. You don't win everywhere you go, like he has, by accident.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Right winger Theo Fleury was expected to return to the lineup March 18 against Carolina. Eeury sprained his right knee in his first game with the Avs March 1&hellip;In his first game back after missing two because of a hyperextended left elbow, center Peter Forsberg recorded three assists in the Avs' 5-3 victory at Philadelphia March 11&hellip; When center Adam Deadmarsh scored against Washington in a 3-2 victory March 9, it marked the fourth straight season he reached the 20-goal mark after beginning his career with nine goals as a rookie. &#9632;

f0015-02

Modest Drury sets self apart from rest of NHL rookie pack

<div class="byline">By Mike Heike</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011478/7240527-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="213" height="212"></div>Dallas Stars' coach Ken Hitchcock said Blake Sloan is a &ldquo;diamond in the rough.&rdquo; If that's so, the Stars are the only NHL team to see Sloan's full potential.The 23-year-old was signed to a one-year contract by the Stars March 10-the first offer of any kind he has received from any NHL team.&ldquo;I was pretty shocked,&rdquo; Sloan said.Sloan had been playing with the Houston Aeros of the International League and had recently been converted to a winger from a defenseman. With the Aeros so close in proximity and Houston playing the Michigan K-Wings three times in a one-month span, Stars' scouts liked what they saw in Sloan, a scrappy third or fourth liner.&ldquo;We've seen a lot of improvement and a lot of potential since the move (to right wing),&rdquo; said Stars' assistant GM Doug Armstrong.Sloan, a native of Morton Grove, Ill., had eight goals and 18 points in 62 games with the Aeros, so he's not being picked up for his scoring prowess. Instead, Sloan-expected to make his NHL debut March 12 against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim-will serve as a sort of backup for Mike Keane and Grant Marshall.Hitchcock likes the speed and grit of Sloan, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds. &ldquo;He's a player who's probably more for the future, but we don't know,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He might be able to come in and help us right now.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: To make room for right winger Blake Sloan, the Stars placed Dan Keczmer on waivers and he was claimed by Nashville March 12. The 30-year-old defenseman turned left winger had one assist in 22 games, but had been contributing in a supporting role&hellip;With a 7-4 win over Edmonton March 10, the Stars moved 29 games above .500 for the first time in franchise history&hellip; Center Joe Nieuwendyk, who had surgery on both knees in the summer, seems to be finally bouncing back. He has stopped wearing a brace on his left knee for the first time in nine years and in March had points in eight consecutive games (six goals, six assists)&hellip;The Stars had outscored opponents 72-37 in the second period of games this season. &#9632;

f0016-01

Stars surprise by signing little-known winger Sloan

<div class="byline">By Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03852/7240558-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="445" height="598"><figcaption class="caption-body">Uwe Krupp</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021140/7240565-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="215" height="211"></div>Those Tinseltown celebs sure know their hockey.Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. strolled by the Detroit RedWings' dressing room at the Great Western Forum after a March 9 game against the Los Angeles Kings and saw defenseman Uwe Krupp in street clothes. &ldquo;Hey, Uwe. How you doing?&rdquo; Gooding asked in passing. &ldquo;You played a great game.&rdquo;Krupp could only laugh. He didn't play that night and hasn't suited up for the Wings since Dec. 22 because of a herniated disc in his back. And for a while, he wondered if that might be his last NHL appearance, until orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Watkins gave him welcome news.&ldquo;He told me I was still going to be a hockey player,&rdquo; Krupp said.So Krupp began practising March 11. Watkins has told him the nerve damage in his back will be healed by next fall. The question is whether Krupp's back will be well enough for him to play a key role for the Red Wings in this year's playoffs.And if he isn't fit enough, will the Wings make a serious attempt to acquire a replacement?When asked about that, GM Ken Holland's stock answer is to cite Krupp as the key to the team's Stanley Cup hopes.&ldquo;If Uwe Krupp is healthy, I think we have a very good defense,&rdquo; Holland said. &ldquo;I'm very comfortable with our depth and our ability.&rdquo;Said Krupp: &ldquo;No pressure there. But that's the situation I want to be in. I'd like to prove I can make that kind of difference for the team.&rdquo;The Wings signed Krupp to a four-year, $16.4-mil-lion contract last summer hoping he could solve depth problems on defense. That he had gotten into just 22 games was frustrating for him.&ldquo;It has been bad,&rdquo; Krupp said. &ldquo;I want to play and help.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: So much for turnarounds. The Red Wings followed a six-game winning streak with a 1-4-2 stretch, including two losses to Los Angeles and one to the Islanders. &ldquo;We have 17 games until the playoffs,&rdquo; center Igor Larionov said in mid-March. &ldquo;We have to find that extra gear."&hellip;The contracts of associate coaches Barry Smith and Dave Lewis expire after this year and their future is uncertain. The two ran the team in training camp and the first five games of the regular season while coach Scotty Bowman recovered from knee surgery. &ldquo;Maybe (this) wasn't an issue. But I think it's a big issue now,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;I don't want to go anywhere else. But you have to get a job and you have to take care of your family.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0016-03

Will Krupp be fit enough to solve blueline woes?

<div class="byline">By Mario Annicchiarlco</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04634/7240596-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="216" height="211"></div>After a frustrating drought. Bill Guerin was back finding the net again with regularity for the Edmonton Oilers.And it couldn't come at a better time.With a stretch of four goals in four games in early March-leaving him just two shy of his career high 29 in a season-there was little doubt the former New Jersey Devil was back.&ldquo;He's definitely changed a couple of things in his game,&rdquo; said coach Ron Low. &ldquo;He's driving to the net again, making those kinds of plays he was doing before.&ldquo;We're going nowhere unless he's scoring, but that said, we have some other people putting the puck in the net, too, which didn't happen a while ago.&rdquo;It definitely wasn't happening for Guerin who was instrumental in the Oilers' strong start. He was back on a lively run after a drought that concerned even him.&ldquo;It's always nice to break out of a slump, not just for one game, but to keep it going for consecutive games,&rdquo; said Guerin, who tallied 12 of his 27 goals on the power play.&ldquo;I'm pretty confident with the way things have been going lately with the team and with myself personally. I feel a lot better, that I'll be scoring on a consistent basis.&rdquo;And nothing would please coach Low more as his team prepares for the stretch drive.&ldquo;He carried us for that first 25 games, now he's just helping us be competitive again,&rdquo; said Low.Low was experimenting with his No. 1 line, with Pat Falloon filling in on the right side, shifting Guerin to the left of center Doug Weight. Then Low moved Guerin back to the right and inserted Josef Beranek, normally a center, on the left side.&ldquo;What you do is try to get three or four lines balanced, with all the lines that can hopefully play in their own end,&rdquo; Low said.NOTEBOOK: The Oilers dealt goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov to Phoenix March 11 for a fifth-round draft pick, leaving Bob Essensa and rookie Steve Passmore to share the Edmonton netminding duties. &ldquo;You can't carry three goaltenders,&rdquo; said GM Glen Sather. Sather, however, wasn't ruling out making another deal&hellip;Left winger Ryan Smyth suffered a broken jaw and facial laceration that required more than 60 stitches to close when he took a shot in the face off the stick of defenseman Boris Mironov in a game against Dallas March 10. It wasn't known when Smyth, who had two plates inserted into his jaw, would return&hellip;The Oilers, 11-15-4 at home this season, play 11 of their final 15 games at Skyreach Centre. &#9632;

f0016-04

Guerin back to scoring big goals

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011329/7240627-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="217" height="216"></div>The trading of Mark Recchi does not mean the Montreal Canadiens have thrown in the towel in their pursuit of a playoff spot, according to GM Rejean Houle.&ldquo;I don't want anyone to think that we've given up on the idea of making the playoffs,&rdquo; Houle said after announcing the trade of Recchi to the Philadelphia Flyers for right winger Dainius Zubrus and two conditional draft choices-a second round pick this year or next, as well as a seventh round pick' this season or the Flyers sixth round selection in 2000. &ldquo;We're in a very difficult position right now, but the objective of this organization always has been to make the playoffs,&rdquo;It was a busy week for the Canadiens, who also acquired defenseman Scott Lachance from the New York Islanders for a third round draft choice in 1999.The trading of the 31-year-old Rec-; chi, scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, for Zubrus, ' who's only 20, made it appear the Canadiens were in a rebuilding mode and already had turned their attention to next season.It could also be the first of several moves made by Montreal prior to the March 23 trading deadline. Left winger Shayne Corson along with defensemen Vladimir Malakhov and Igor Ulanov could also be dispatched. Captain Vincent Damphousse and defenseman Stephane Quintal also become unrestricted free agents July 1.The acquisition of Lachance gives the Canadiens some depth and options should they package a defenseman in a multi-player deal. And they now also have some money to play with with Recchi gone. Recchi was earning a team-high $4.5 million compared with $600,000 for Zubrus, who's in the last year of his contract.The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Zubrus, selected 15th overall by Philadelphia in 1996, had three goals and eight points in 63 games for the Flyers in a limited role.&ldquo;We're getting a young, talented player with lots of agility and very good hands,&rdquo; Houle said. &ldquo;He'll be getting a lot more ice time than he did in Philadelphia.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Playing on the team's first line, with center Saku Koivu and left winger Brian Savage, right winger Dainius Zubrus scored the Canadiens' opening goal in a 3-0 win at St. Louis March 11 in his first game as a Hab. &ldquo;I'm very disappointed with the way my season has gone this year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn't request a trade, but the situation wasn't working out for me. I feel very comfortable and good coming to Montreal. I'm excited. I think it's going to work out."&hellip;Defenseman Scott Lachance scored Montreal's final goal in the win at St. Louis. &ldquo;He moves the puck well and makes a good first pass,&rdquo; said coach Alain Vigneault. &ldquo;Maybe we stole one.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0017-01

Recchi’s departure no sign Habs have given up on playoffs: Houle

<div class="byline">By David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021015/7240658-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="216" height="215"></div>To understand how relieved Florida Panthers' center Rob Niedermayer was to get the first goal of the game in a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens March 8, you had to have seen the Panthers' previous three games.Not only had Niedermayer's play been weak and ineffectual for the most part, but he had been detected in the crease to cause goals to be disallowed Feb. 26 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and March 3 against the Colorado Avalanche. The Colorado violation wiped out a goal that might have halted Colorado's record comeback from a 5-0 deficit. With those disallowed goals in mind and knowing how poorly Niedermayer had been playing, the National Car Rental Center crowd booed him during pre-game introductions for the 2-2 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes March 6.Never had a Panthers' player been booed by his home crowd during the pre-game introductions.&ldquo;It has been a while since I've scored,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;You press a bit and I think I was pressing.&rdquo;Niedermayer says he hears the knocks from the crowd. He reads them from the media. Yet, he remains cordial to both and refuses to say that either hurts him. Panthers' GM Bryan Murray said he thought Niedermayer, who had three goals and 11 points in the first 21 games after the Jan. 17 Pavel Bure trade, was affected by the way he was being panned by the fans and media. The fifth overall pick from the 1993 entry draft was the subject of trade rumors earlier in the season, specifically a deal that had him going to Toronto for goalie Felix Potvin.&ldquo;When people get cheered, I think it really helps emotionally,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Obviously, that attitude allows you to play freer and, you hope, harder. In turn, when you're being pointed at, it has a negative effect. The normal person is affected by that. There are some people who override it very nicely, but the normal person is affected by how he's perceived.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Panthers and Boston scored 37 goals in four games against each other last year. The first game this year was a 5-5 tie. So it came of something of a surprise that their next two meetings ended 10 and 2-0&hellip;The Panthers had been shut out a team record nine times this season through mid-March&hellip;A week after knee surgery, right winger Pavel Bure still hadn't started skating&hellip;Right winger Peter Worrell, who played major junior in Hull (Que.), scored in Ottawa in February. In March, his family got to see him play in Montreal. He responded with a goal, some big hits and also drew a penalty that put his team on the power play. &#9632;

f0017-02

Niedermayer attempting to change jeers to cheers from Panther fans

<div class="byline">By Helen Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03725/7240689-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="216" height="215"></div>As the NHL trading deadline approached, the Los Angeles Kings found themselves in a quandary.They were close enough to a Western Conference playoff berth to be hopeful, so they couldn't throw in the towel and begin trading away veterans in a wholesale purge designed to pay off down the road. But they were still far enough away to realize passing the Calgary Flames and either Edmonton Oilers or San Jose Sharks would be a tough challenge, one they probably couldn't meet with their roster as it was.A 4-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings March 9 kept their playoff hopes alive, leading coach Larry Robinson to insist the seven point deficit his team faced was not an impossible obstacle.&ldquo;Everybody's kind of counting us out and there's nothing better to answer those people who don't think we're going to make it than to win,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;We're going to prove to everybody that we're in here and we're going to fight to the end.&rdquo;However, GM Dave Taylor appeared to be focusing more on the distant future than on shortterm matters. He hasn't conceded the season, but he's looking at ways to solve the problems that have set the Kings back so dramatically this season: A lack of depth and scarcity of goal-scoring.&ldquo;We'd be interested in talking with any team if it means helping our club for the short term, but in particularly for the long term,&rdquo; Taylor said.In early March, Taylor took a nine-day scouting trip to Europe. Taylor watched two games involving defenseman Aki Berg, who couldn't come to agreement with the Kings on a contract this season and returned home to play in Finland. Although Berg has told friends he doesn't want to return to the Kings, Taylor is hopeful Berg will again wear a King uniform.&ldquo;I think he'd like to come back and we'd like to have him back,&rdquo; Taylor said.NOTEBOOK: Coach Larry Robinson missed two games to attend his mother's funeral. He was back behind the bench for the Kings' 4-2 victory over Detroit March 9&hellip;Although left winger Luc Robitaille's goalscoring pace slowed as the season progressed, his dominance of the Kings' offense continued. Through March 7, he had scored 31 of the Kings' 145 goals, or 21 per cent. On a league-wide basis, that ranked him ahead of such scorers as Chicago right winger Tony Amonte and Anaheim right winger Teemu Selanne&hellip;Right winger Glen Murray struggled to regain his old form after returning from a knee injury that idled him for 19 games. In his first nine games back, he had only two assists. &#9632;

f0017-03

Coach not ready to call it a season, GM has sights set on distant future

<div class="byline">By Jeff Legwold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011362/7240720-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="217" height="215"></div>As the Nashville Predators started to lose sight on a playoff berth, many were left asking what if. A couple of the biggest what ifs surrounded the health problems of Darren Turcotte and Ville Peltonen, two players with the ability to make a difference on an inexperienced club.The Predators in mid-March were 12th in the Western Conference with 50 points, 10 fewer than the eighth-place San Jose Sharks. And the biggest problem the Preds were encountering was scoring goals. That's where Turcotte and Peltonen come in&hellip;or should have.&ldquo;Turcotte has a calming effect for us,&rdquo; said coach Barry Trotz. &ldquo;(He's) just one of those dependable players we need and he would have improved our offense a great deal.&rdquo;Turcotte, who had four goals and nine points in 38 games, has been a frequent visitor to the trainer's room. His injuries have included back spasms, fractures in his left wrist and pinky finger, a tom medial collateral ligament in his right knee and a badly broken nose.Peltonen, meanwhile, injured his left shoulder prior to camp. He recovered, but after a quality start-three goals and an assist in his first seven games-he separated the shoulder again and had season-ending surgery in November.&ldquo;I think I could easily say he would have had a 40, 50-point season for us,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;That's a lot of points we could have used. We can't cry about it, but we can't say it wouldn't have made a difference either.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Injury plagued center Darren Turcotte has turned slightly superstitious. He has started keeping a horseshoe next to his locker and his daughters gave him two small guardian angel pins, one of which he wears in his shoulder pads during games&hellip;The Predators picked up versatile defenseman/left winger Dan Keczmer off waivers from Dallas March 12&hellip;Defenseman Jamie Heward was in coach Barry Trotz's doghouse because of poor play in his own zone. Heward, minus-21 through 53 games, was becoming a frequent healthy scratch&hellip; Center Rob Valicevic was assigned to Houston of the International League when center Greg Johnson returned from a strained groin. &#9632;

f0018-01

Injuries to Turcotte, Peltonen hurt Nashville’s playoff run

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03709/7240751-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="449" height="603"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bobby Holik</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021013/7240758-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="217" height="212"></div>The concern was about Bobby Holik's head.The problem wasn't the six-stitch cut he incurred while sitting on the bench when hit by an errant Bobby Carpenter clearing attempt. Rather, it was a six-game goal-scoring drought and a month-long slump that had the New Jersey Devils' center down.Since it was a season-ending slump at this time last year that haunted Holik all summer, he knew there would be assertions he had run out of gas for the second straight season. After failing to score a goal in the final 16 regular season games last season-and stalling at 29-Holik was scoreless in five playoff games last spring.&ldquo;People can say what they want,&rdquo; Holik said. &ldquo;Last year it was a combination of mental and physical reasons. This year it's more mental than physical.&ldquo;I'm not looking for any excuses. I'll just say it's personal reasons,&rdquo; Holik said. &ldquo;It's not the right time to discuss it.&rdquo;GM Lou Lamoriello supported his top center. &ldquo;It's personal. I don't want to say anything about it,&rdquo; Lamoriello said. &ldquo;He'll be all right.&rdquo;When he failed to score in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh PenguinsMarch 9, it was his sixth straight game without a goal. Holik had just one goal in 10 games since Feb. 15. Overall, he had 23 goals and 51 points in 63 games.&ldquo;Nobody has to tell me that I have to play better,&rdquo; Holik said. &ldquo;I know that. I don't need mind games. I know when I'm playing poorly and I know when I'm playing well.&rdquo;Coach Robbie Ftorek said he didn't think rest would help Holik.&ldquo;We don't want Bobby to miss any games,&rdquo; Ftorek said. &ldquo;I don't think now is the time to rest him.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: With his victory over Pittsburgh March 9, Martin Brodeur became the sixth goalie in NHL history to win 30 games in four consecutive years&hellip;The Devils tied the franchise record set in 1996-97 with 22 road wins&hellip;Robbie Ftorek won his 100th game as an NHL coach March 7 against the Islanders&hellip;Left winger Dave Andreychuk was scoreless in seven games since returning from a fractured right ankle&hellip;Although the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority gave the Devils a proposal indicating a new arena is planned for the Meadowlands, principle owner John McMullen said he still preferred to move the team to Hobo-ken, N.J., where he is planning an 18,500-seat arena over a railway terminal. &#9632;

f0018-03

Holik says personal problems contributing to scoring woes

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04451/7240789-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="218" height="211"></div>GM Mike Milbury has made some mistakes in his four years with the New York Islanders, but signing Mark Lawrence as a free agent in the summer of 1997 was not one of them.Lawrence scored 36 goals with the International League's Utah Grizzlies last season and was not in great shape when he reported to training camp this past September. But since his Dec. 15 recall from Lowell of the American League, Lawrence, who earns $325,000, had 11 goals and 22 points in 39 games. Trevor Linden, who earns $2.5 million and gets more ice time, had four goals and 17 points in the same span.A native of Burlington. Ont., Lawrence was recently promoted from right wing on the checking line to left wing on the first line with Robert Reichel and Ziggy Palffy. Lawrence had auditioned for that role by playing with the duo on power plays.&ldquo;I'm excited to play an offensive role, get some points, score some goals, make some room for Ziggy and Reichs,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Lawrence.Lawrence was drafted 118th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in 1991, but languished for five years in their farm system. Asked if he felt he got a fair chance, Lawrence said, &ldquo;Fifteen games in five years. I don't know.&rdquo;This summer, Lawrence will be eligible for unrestricted Group VI free agency-he will have played fewer than 80 NHL games in more than three professional seasons.&ldquo;It's perfect timing for me and it's great,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hopefully, things'll work out and I can come back and play here. I think I owe them a lot. They gave me a chance to play in the NHL.&rdquo;Assistant GM Gordie Clark said, &ldquo;We certainly like the way Mark has come along. He was a consistent scorer in the IHL, but everybody wanted a little bit more. It has taken him a little while to figure out what you need to make it conditioning wise.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Bryan Trottier's agent Tom Happle was quoted in a published report as saying the former Islander great wants to be paid $3 million to have his No. 19 jersey retired by the team&hellip;The March 9 trade of defenseman Scott Lachance to Montreal for a third round draft pick left defenseman Rich Pilon as the only survivor of the club's last playoff team in 1994. Pilon and goalie Tommy Salo are the only Isles who pre-date GM Mike Milbury's 1995 arrival&hellip;.Tough defenseman Eric Cairns, recalled from Lowell of the American League March 7, debuted with the Isles against Philadelphia two days later. In 79 NHL games entering this season (all with the Rangers), Caims had 239 penalty minutes. &#9632;

f0018-04

Lawrence nice surprise for Islanders

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02920/7240820-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="779" height="1398"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mark Recchi</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011260/7240827-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="216" height="214"></div>The sentimental reunion stuff made for good story telling, but the return of Mark Recchi to the Philadelphia Flyers had a much more business-like motive get another player closer to a championship.Steaming along at the top of the Eastern Conference in late January, the Flyers slipped badly in February and early March, going 2-10-5 and, at one point, falling all the way to sixth.GM Bob Clarke realized he had to make his team better. After Eric Lindros and John LeClair (tied with 38 goals on March 12), the Flyers' offense has been in winter hibernation.The March 10 deal, which sent Dainius Zubrus to the Montreal Canadiens along with a second round draft pick in 1999 or 2000 plus a sixth- or seventh-round pick this year or next year (at the Canadiens' option), gives the Flyers more speed, experience and balanced scoring up front.Clarke was reluctant to give up Zubrus, 20, but realizes the core of his team is getting older and the window of opportunity could be closing.&ldquo;Our feeling is that Dainius is going to be a real good player,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;But you don't always get a chance to take a run at the (Stanley) Cup. We think we have a legitimate chance and Mark will help us.&rdquo;Recchi, 31, knew his time was up in Montreal. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Canadiens made it clear they wouldn't offer a new contract. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right winger currently makes $4.5 million and is expected to command at least $6 million per season on his next contract.Going back to Philly, where he still holds the record for points in a season (123, 1992-93), was a nice surprise.&ldquo;I'm excited it's back to Philly because I always enjoyed it here,&rdquo; Recchi said. &ldquo;I think the Flyers' fans know the type of player I am so I'm looking forward to it.&rdquo;Recchi played in Philadelphia from Feb. 19, 1992 until Feb. 9, 1995, when he was sent to Montreal (along with a third round draft pick) in a blockbuster deal which brought LeClair, Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne to the Flyers.Recchi scored in his first game back, a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche March 11.NOTEBOOK: Left winger John LeClair's consecutive games streak ended at 317 in the Dyers' 5-3 loss to Colorado March 11. LeClair, suffering from a muscle pull in his left hip, hadn't missed a game since late in the 1994-95 campaign&hellip;Defenseman Adam Burt was acquired from Carolina in a March 6 trade for winger Andrei Kovalenko&hellip;The 5-3 loss to Colorado extended the Dyers' winless streak to nine games (0-6-3), their longest since a nine-game skid in 1989-90. The franchise record is 11 games (0-9-2), set during the 1970-71 season. &#9632;

f0019-02

Flyers hope return of Recchi will bring back balanced scoring

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011151/7240858-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="215" height="213"></div>All last summer, and in the early part of this season, when other teams came asking for Adam Graves, it seemed the New York Rangers believed they would have to trade him.Graves was headed for unrestricted free agency, after all, and there was considerable doubt whether the Rangers could justify giving him a new contract for more than the $3 million he was to earn in 1998-99.Well, a funny thing happened in 1998-99. Graves not only proved worth keeping, but he proved to be every bit the player he was earlier in the 1990s, a skating, physical, character guy who could score bunches of goals.So less than two weeks before the trade deadline, the Rangers were finalizing a new contract for their heart and soul. Rangers' president-GM Neil Smith and Graves' agent, Rick Curran, were on the verge of agreeing to a new deal that would cover three or four more seasons, with the fourth possibly being an option year.Curran said that he was &ldquo;optimistic&rdquo; the contract could be finished within &ldquo;the next couple of days.&rdquo;&ldquo;They've been talking,&rdquo; said Graves, 30, the Rangers' top goal scorer with 31 and leading candidate for team MVP. &ldquo;It's more or less been back and forth. I hope it gets done, and there's no reason to think that it won't with the way I've been treated here in the past. I've said before, I love being a Ranger.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Wayne Gretzky had a cortisone injection in the disc protrusion in his neck in early March and was to wait a week before being re-evaluated&hellip;The Rangers claimed right winger Mike Maneluk off waivers from Chicago March. 4&hellip;The Rangers lost a fifth regular when defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was hit from behind by Boston winger Ken Belanger and suffered a concussion. Belanger's hit was reviewed, but he was not suspended by the NHL. Both Samuelsson and defenseman Peter Popovic (braised eye) were expected to return March 12&hellip;Right winger Mike Knuble joined the injured brigade when he hurt his neck on a hit by Ottawa defenseman Igor Kravchuk. Knuble lost the strength in his right arm and hand. &#9632;

f0020-01

Graves ready to sign deal to stay with team he loves

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrioch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03543/7240889-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="448" height="601"><figcaption class="caption-body">Alexei Yashin</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02790/7240896-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="215" height="210"></div>Ottawa Senators' captain Alexei Yashin has heard talk about the Hart Trophy, but he isn't going to waste any time writing up an acceptance speech for June.&ldquo;I'm not going to win it,&rdquo; said Yashin. &ldquo;I don't know who will&hellip;probably Jaromir Jagr.&rdquo;Yashin, 25, has already established career highs in goals (35) and points (77) this season, but it's doubtful his performance would get enough recognition to earn him the league's most valuable player award.And Yashin insists it doesn't matter anyway. Winning the MVP title would be a great way to cap off a solid season, but the only standing Yashin is keeping his eye on is the one at the top of the Eastern Conference standings.In saying he won't win, Yashin is just being realistic.&ldquo;It's always nice to have your name mentioned with these great players and it's nice that people think of me that way,&rdquo; Yashin said. &ldquo;But this isn't something that I can think about or even worry about because it doesn't concern me.&ldquo;My No. 1 focus has to be on what's happening with the team and what we're going to do the rest of the way to prepare for the playoffs. I can't worry about how many goals or assists I'm going to get.&rdquo;Yashin doesn't believe his game has changed all that much. His goals this season were to improve his production and help the Senators get to the elite level of the league. Still, Yashin doesn't like to talk about himself.Some observers believe he's being aloof by not talking about his individual accomplishments. Yashin maintains he's a believer in the team concept.&ldquo;I don't think just because you have a bunch of goals and assists, that makes you a great player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I know that's the way the media judges this&hellip;I don't think it's that way.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie Ron Tugnutt rejoined the team March 12 in San Jose after missing two games with a bruised right knee. His absence meant Damian Rhodes was given the start and recorded his 11th career shutout March 10 at Madison Square Garden in a 3-0 win over the Rangers&hellip;Defenseman Brad Shaw, signed from Detroit of the International League March 8, was picked up on waivers by Washington two days later. &ldquo;I'm surprised by this, but it's also kind of nice after four years of virtually being ignored,&rdquo; said Shaw, a former Sens' captain&hellip;GM Rick Dudley said he won't be spurred into action just because Philadelphia acquired Mark Recchi: &ldquo;You look at our team chemistry. Do you really want to screw around with it when we've gone as far as we have?&rdquo; &#9632;

f0020-03

Modest sniper Yashin unfazed by mention as Hart candidate

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-04348/7240927-1-eng-US/f0020-042.jpg" title="f0020-04" width="216" height="210"></div>The Phoenix Coyotes J finally ran out of patience with struggling backup goalie Jimmy Waite and looked for immediate help elsewhere by acquiring veteran Mikhail Shtalenkov from the Edmonton Oilers.The March 11 trade, which cost Phoenix a fifth round pick in the 2000 entry draft, signals the end of Waite's career with the Coyotes after two seasons. He was the hottest goalie in the NHL at one point this season, starting on fire with a 6-0-2 record and leading the league in both goals-against average and save percentage.But after that, Waite slumped to 05-2 in his next seven starts and was assigned to the minors to try and find his game. When the club asked him to agree to go back again, he declined at the advice of his agent, Don Meehan.Waite was placed on waivers, which he cleared, and then accepted an assignment to Utah of the International League, where he likely will finish out the season.&ldquo;I guess it doesn't matter if you play great for one and a half years for this hockey team,&rdquo; Waite said. &ldquo;I have only myself to blame for the way I played, but I know I'm better than this.&rdquo;Getting Shtalenkov, 33, couldn't come at a better time for the Coyotes, who had lost 11 of 13 games upon his arrival from the Oilers. Starter Nikolai Khabibulin had also been struggling badly, giving up several weak goals during the team's slide, and his confidence-not to mention a sore groin-was hurting badly.&ldquo;I think it is a good trade for me.&rdquo; said Shtalenkov, who was 12-17-3 for Edmonton with a 2.67 GAA and three shutouts. &ldquo;I wasn't in a very good position in Edmonton. 1 know what they want me to do (in Phoenix) and being a good, steady backup goalie is important on any team.&rdquo;Khabibulin welcomed the move. He and Shtalenkov were teammates on the gold medal-winning Russian Unified Team at the 1992 Winter Olympics.NOTEBOOK: Part of goalie Jimmy Waite's problems might be related to weight problems. He lost 22 pounds from the start of the season due to dehydration and perhaps, poor eating habits. &ldquo;You can't be physically or mentally sharp when you lose that much weight,&rdquo; said coach Jim Schoenfeld. &ldquo;It's something we addressed for a month now with Jimmy and the trainers. Maybe he has a nervous disorder when he says he can't eat."&hellip;The Coyotes lost another top-four defenseman when Jyrki Lumme was sidelined with a shoulder strain that could keep him out until the post-season. As a result, and on he heels of losing Gerald Diduck to a fractured foot, the team acquired veteran Jamie Huscroft from Vancouver for future considerations. &#9632;

f0020-04

Waite over, Shatlenkov moves on in

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01914/7240958-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="217" height="216"></div>The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2 March 10, but were physically pounded in the process.The next day, the Pens made their move: They acquired tough guy Matthew Barnaby from the Buffalo Sabres for power play specialist Stu Barnes.In Barnaby, the Penguins hope they get the player who tore through opponents in last year's playoffs, not the one who produced next to nothing for the Sabres the past two regular seasons.&ldquo;I think he's a real competitive guy,&rdquo; said Penguins' coach Kevin Constantine. &ldquo;He had a great playoffs last year. We've been a team all year where we said there are a couple of ingredients we don't have. One is real toughness. He's not a real heavyweight, but he gives us the ability to play in more of a physical, grinding game, which is something from last year's playoffs to this year we wanted to upgrade.&rdquo;Barnaby, 6-feet and 188 pounds, had 1,248 career penalty minutes as of March 11. The 25-year-old right winger had played in 44 games this season with four goals, 18 points and 143 PIM.Barnaby is a noted scrapper who has shown an intermittent scoring touch. In the playoffs last season he had seven goals and 13 points in 15 games. Outside of that flourish, however, he was an enigma after coach Ted Nolan left the Sabres before last season.&ldquo;You should be able to play for any coach, but for the last two years I just haven't had that emotion out on the ice,&rdquo; Barnaby said. &ldquo;The only time I was happy was when I heard my name in trade rumors. That's not right.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Former Penguins superstar Mario Lemieux has secured the $40-$50 million needed to buy the team out of bankruptcy. He submitted his plan to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman March 11, and it was received well. Lemieux was expected to submit his plan to U.S. Bankruptcy Court sometime in mid-March&hellip;Penguins coowner Roger Marino said wouldn't submit a plan if Lemieux had a workable one. Marino wants to recoup the $5 million he lent the club so it could meet payroll this season. &#9632;

f0021-01

Toughness need addressed as ex-Sabre Barnaby barrels into town

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02533/7240989-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="216" height="215"></div>The revolving door in the crease has left the St. Louis Blues with their heads spinning.After winning a season-high three in a row I under rookie goalie Brent Johnson, the Blues lost a season-high four in a row, and counting, through March 12 with no end in sight.First, Johnson's bubble burst March 4 when he allowed three goals on five shots in a 4-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs that earned him a demotion to Worcester of the American League.Then, the Blues went with newcomer Jim Carey, who promptly gave up four goals on 22 shots in a 4-3 loss on March 7 at Dallas in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. In his next start, against the Calgary Flames March 9, Carey took a 4-2 lead in the third period, but allowed two quick goals and four in all-on five shots-in the first 9:12 of the final period en route to a gruesome 7-4 loss.Coach Joel Quenneville wanted to go back to out-of-favor Jamie McLennan for a game against the Montreal Canadiens March 11, but McLennan came down with the flu and the Blues put in an emergency call for Johnson, who had played the previous night in Worcester and didn't arrive until three hours before game time.The unsteady Johnson allowed a soft goal on the first shot he faced and three on the first 11 en route to a 3-0 loss-a team-record ninth shut out against, who had 41 shots at goaltender Jeff Hackett.&ldquo;We had a lot of chances. we're having a hard time scoring goals, that's the problem,&rdquo; Blues' scoring leader Pavol Demitra said. &ldquo;I had a couple of chances. It's frustrating. We try so hard. We just can't score goals. We just can't beat the goalies.&rdquo;The same can't be said for the opposition, which gets few shots on goal but beats whomever has been anointed as the Blues' goalie of the moment.&ldquo;I don't want to blame the goaltenders,&rdquo; said Quenneville, who began playing musical goaltenders after the all-star break. &ldquo;We didn't score a goal. We don't score enough to win. We (aren't) weren't hungry enough around their net.&ldquo;You have to have patience and confidence with the puck in the scoring area&hellip;The confidence within the team is pretty fragile right now.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: During defenseman Chris Pronger's 11-game absence with a bad ankle bruise, linchpin defenseman Al Maclnnis solidified his Norris Trophy candidacy by playing more than 30 minutes a game and posting a plus-minus rating of plus-11 for a team that went 5-5-l&hellip;Pronger returned to the lineup March 9 and was minus-four in back-to-back defeats&hellip;In pregame ceremonies March 11, the Blues celebrated Bob Plager's 56th birthday and honored him for 32 loyal years of service to the franchise. A banner was raised-a blue heart with a No. 5-for the only man who has been part of the franchise since Year 1. The banner's significance: &ldquo;No. 5 on the program and No. 1 in the heart.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0021-02

Gruesome times at both ends of ice as scorers, goalies can’t find net

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03313/7241020-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="216" height="214"></div>With main man Mike Vernon idled by injury for the first time since joining the club, the San Jose Sharks turned to backup goaltender Steve Shields to keep their playoff hopes alive. Shields responded by winning two of three starts while Vernon nursed a sore groin that sidelined him on a day-to-day basis. The Sharks were clinging to eighth place in the NHL's Western Conference, with Vernon set to return perhaps as early as March 12 against his former team, the Detroit Red Wings.Shields picked up the slack by registering 28 saves in a 4-3 victory at Vancouver March 3, then needed to stop only 13 shots in a 4-2 triumph over the visiting Phoenix Coyotes March 9.The two victories, sandwiched around a 4-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks March 6, left Shields with a 7-10-5 record. Those bottom-line numbers were not necessarily indicative of Shields' season-long play, given his 2.40 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.Vernon had compiled a 16-18-9 mark, with only slightly better figures-2.23 and .911, respectively. San Jose had supported Shields with an average of only 2.18 goals per game in his 22 starts.&ldquo;We feel our goaltending has been really good-both of them,&rdquo; said Sharks' captain Owen Nolan.San Jose, in fact, ranked sixth in the NHL with a 2.33 team GAA, by far the best figure in the eight-year history of the franchise.Shields, whom the Sharks acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in June, had limited opponents to two goals or fewer in 14 of his 22 starts.Among those performances was his first NHL regular season shutout, a sparkling 26-save effort in a 2-0 home win over the Vancouver Canucks Dec. 26.While Vernon went 4-4-1 with a 1.58 GAA and .930 save percentage to win San Jose's player-of-the-month award for February, Shields wasn't entirely pleased with his performance in recent games.&ldquo;I've been fighting the puck,&rdquo; Shields said. &ldquo;It's really no secret that I haven't been playing my best lately. I haven't felt that great out there. I just have to battle and keep working hard.&rdquo;Continued offensive support, of course, would make life much simpler.NOTEBOOK: Light-scoring defenseman Bryan Marchment bagged just his second goal of the season and only the 27th of his 523-game NHL career to put the Sharks ahead to stay in a 4-2 win over Phoenix March 9&hellip;Defenseman Bill Houlder strained a medial collateral knee ligament in a 4-0 loss to Chicago March 6. Houlder missed the ensuing game against the Coyotes, marking his first injury-induced absence in two seasons with San Jose&hellip;Center Marco Sturm, who had played in the first 63 games this season, missed the next two because of a bruised foot. He was listed as day-to-day&hellip;Center Stephen Guolla had an assist against Phoenix after being called up from Kentucky of the American League. &#9632;

f0021-03

Backup Shields fills in admirably while Vernon fights injury bug

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-011041/7241051-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="215" height="211"></div>In another season gone J sour for the Vancouver Canucks, left winger Todd Bertuzzi has unwittingly become the team's poster boy.The hulking forward was Vancouver's best player in training camp and the pre-season and seemed poised to have his long-awaited breakout campaign.Instead, it has been nothing but bad breaks.Bertuzzi, 24, broke his left leg Nov. 1 when hit by a slapshot off the stick of teammate Mattias Ohlund. At the time, he was attempting to screen Washington Capitals' goalie Olaf Kolzig. He returned 31 games later and lasted seven weeks before tearing both cartilage and the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He needs surgery and is out for the season.The latest mishap occurred when Bertuzzi drove hard to the net against the Calgary Flames March 5 and slammed awkwardly into the goalpost.&ldquo;It's beyond frustration,&rdquo; said Bertuzzi, who appeared in just 32 games, scoring eight times and adding eight assists. &ldquo;I haven't had any serious injuries before this year, that's why it's so mind-boggling. It's the kind of thing that unless you go through it, you don't realize the impact it has. It has been tough and it will be a tougher road back.&rdquo;In the last year of his contract, Bertuzzi won't have much bargaining power based on this year's production. However, he must be qualified at his 1998-99 salary of $1,325 million (U.S.), so he won't be hurting if the team isn't prepared to go long term.&ldquo;I know they know what I can do,&rdquo; Bertuzzi said. &ldquo;It's unfortunate I couldn't give them more of a look this year, but that's the way it went. I believe they want me to play here and be a presence for this organization. I'm sure it won't be a problem.&rdquo;He has six months to be ready for training camp.NOTEBOOK: Rookie center Josh Holden, the Canucks' first pick in 1996, scored his first NHL goal against Guy Hebert in a 4-4 tie with Anaheim March I 10. Holden had four points in his first three games after being recalled from Syracuse of the American League&hellip;Marc Crawford's first 20 games as Canuck coach produced less) than stunning results. The team had just j four victories (4-11-5 record, .325 winning percentage)&hellip;Looking for some game action, odd-man-out goaltender Corey Hirsch requested and was granted a two-week conditioning stint with Vanicouver's AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Hirsch was pushed out of the Canuck picture when Kevin Weekes signed Feb. 24. 4 &#9632;

f0022-01

Bad breaks don’t end for Bertuzzi

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03520/7241113-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="216" height="211"></div>Are two hats better than one? When it comes to being both coach and GM, as Jacques Demers is in Tampa Bay, Tom Wilson isn't so sure.Wilson, president of the William Davidson-led group that is buying the Lightning, is also president of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons, who once had Doug Collins wearing both hats, but enjoyed its best years with Chuck Daly as coach and Jack McCloskey as GM.&ldquo;Chuck and Jack didn't always agree, but at the end of the day, sometimes the conflict was good,&rdquo; Wilson told St. Petersburg Times. &ldquo;The key is you have to have someone who has great perspective to wear both hats. I assume Jacques is that way, but we just don't know him real well yet.&rdquo;That is one reason Demers discussed the dual-role subject recently with Wilson, who reiterated no immediate changes are planned in a Lightning hockey department led by Demers as coach-GM, Cliff Fletcher as adviser to the GM and Jay Feaster as assistant GM.&ldquo;We talked about it only because he brought it up in the first meeting we had,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;He said, 'I'm doing both jobs and I've never done the GM job before and it's a lot of work and responsibility, not that I can't do them both or don't want to.' &ldquo;Said Demers: &ldquo;I just wanted to bring it up because I want them to be very comfortable with me, and to know this is not an ego thing.&rdquo;Demers said he has no intention of coaching the Lightning forever, but did say this is the last job he intends to have and he hopes to retain at least one title, if not both, for years to come.&ldquo;That, eventually, is something I would like to concentrate on-being a GM and having a good, young coach who understands we have kids here who need to be developed,&rdquo; said Demers, 54, who has three seasons after this remaining on his contract.&ldquo;Obviously, I want to stay here so we can turn things around. But I don't know what they're going to decide. If it's meant for me to be just GM, if that's what they decide, that's certainly their (prerogative)&rdquo;Wilson has not specifically committed to having Demers stall next season as coach and/or GM, but has not said anything to suggest otherwise, either. He has, however, denied a rumor that ex-NHLer Steve Ludzik, coach of the Davidson-owned International League Detroit Vipers, has been promised the Lightning's coaching job next season.&ldquo;Categorically, we deny that. It's never been discussed with Steve at all&hellip;So there is absolutely no truth to that,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We have nothing in mind on the hockey side, and kind of felt like we were on the same wave-length when we met. We felt like there's no point in making coaching changes, and now we have a month-and-a-half to make sure we're all on the same page. So far, we all like each other.&rdquo;&ldquo;One thing I like about Tom Wilson (is) he's consistent,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;He says he's going to give us a chance to turn this thing around, and I believe him.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Speculation abounds that Lightning adviser-to-the-GM Cliff Fletcher will asked be take on a greater role in Tampa Bay-perhaps even as president-by the William Davidson group. Fletcher left the door open should he be approached, but said he has not discussed a change in title or duties with the new regime and that he is happy with the way things are&hellip;Goalie Bill Ranford, out since Feb. 18 due to tendinitis in his left shoulder, returned for mop-up duty in a 9-3 loss to Ottawa Feb. 8, then started a 6-1 loss at Toronto the next night. Ranford gave up four goals before yanked in one period at Toronto and let in the first shot he faced in both games. The Lightning is trying to trade Ranford, but can't find a taker for him and his $3-million contract. &#9632;

f0022-03

Demers' dual role as Bolt coach-GM up for discussion under new owner

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-04351/7241144-1-eng-US/f0022-042.jpg" title="f0022-04" width="216" height="212"></div>One of the more pleasant surprises for the Washington Capitals this season has come from one of the more unexpected sources.Winger James Black had been assigned to the Chicago Wolves of the International League by the Chicago Blackhawks when he was picked up by the Caps Oct. 15, a time when Washington was desperately thin up front. After one brief return trip to the T, Black has fit in like he had been a Cap for years.&ldquo;I was disappointed because I knew I could contribute at this level,&rdquo; Black said of being sent down. &ldquo;I knew I was coming back, knew that in my mind and here I am. The coaches are showing confidence in me, so I go out and play good defensively, chip in with a goal here and there.&rdquo;Black envisioned himself as a checking forward, but the Caps saw more than that and encouraged him to do more. With 10 goals and 12 points in 58 games, he was on pace to easily surpass his previous high of points in a season-24, set with Chicago in 1996-97.It's not going to win Washington the Stanley Cup-or even get them into the playoffs-but it's a start.&ldquo;I think he appreciated us telling him that we thought he could do more, contribute more offensively rather than maybe what he has heard in the past,&rdquo; said coach Ron Wilson. &ldquo;We try to get people away from playing safe hockey and try to be aggressive.&rdquo;The Caps are usually in a fluid situation lineup-wise due to injuries, so Black has played on the first through third lines, settling down in the latter for the better part of the season. But the coaches are not afraid to move him up.&ldquo;He's a very intelligent player with or without the puck,&rdquo; said assistant coach Tim Army. &ldquo;But when the opportunity is there, we want him to take advantage because we think he can make an even larger contribution.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: With defensemen Dmitri Mironov and Mark Tinordi ailing and the top two recall candidates in Portland of the American League also hurt, the Caps claimed defenseman Brad Shaw off waivers from Ottawa as a depth player. Shaw will be 35 in April and has spent the past four seasons with Detroit in the International League as a playercoach, but has more than 350 games of NHL experience&hellip;Defenseman Brendan Witt returned March 9; he had been out with a sprained wrist since Feb. 3&hellip;A critical 2-1 loss to Florida March 11 left the Caps nine points out of a playoff spot&hellip;Washington's intra-conference record fell to 4-13-1 with a 3-2 OT loss to Colorado March 9. &#9632;

f0022-04

Unsung Black more than mere grinder

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>The once-bitter enemy will now be the hometown heroes in Quebec City.The Montreal Canadiens, hated rivals of the Quebec Nordiques through the 1980s until the NHL franchise left for Colorado in 1995-96, will place their American League franchise in Le Colisee next season.A group headed by Quebec City businessman Jacques Tanguay will operate the AHL franchise, which will leave Fredericton, N.B., after this season. Approval of Tanguay's group, which includes partners Paul Roberge and Michel Cadrin, was extended from the Quebec City council March 22.Montreal will supply a dozen or so prospects, while the Tanguay group will fill out the roster with veteran free agents who will provide a local identity. It's a blueprint currently used by the Philadelphia Phantoms and Rochester Americans.While Quebec City played host to a major league team for 22 seasons, beginning in ' 1972-73 when the Nordiques helped christen the World Hockey Association, AHL president Dave 4 Andrews is confident a minor-league team can flourish.The IHL failed in Le Colisee after just two years, leaving town after last season, but Andrews says the AHL will succeed. The Quebec Aces were a well-supported AHL team from 1959-60 through 1970-71.&ldquo;Our style of play and the fact an American League team played there for years in the past will attract people in a traditional hockey market,&rdquo; Andrews said.&ldquo;Quebec City is a great hockey market, the building has a great hockey history and the ownership is strong. They are Quebec people and I think all of these things are important ingredients for success.&rdquo;Another group from Quebec City wanted to buy a dormant AHL franchise owned by the Ottawa Senators and place it in Le Colisee. Details, however, couldn't be worked out in time. The Senators also weren't so sure they even wanted to sell their AHL franchise.&ldquo;They drew up a plan and came to us and offered to buy our franchise, but we didn't think we should make a multi-million dollar decision in 48 hours,&rdquo; said Senators' president Roy Mlakar.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01933/7241175-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="583" height="581"></div>While the Senators currently have their prospects spread between the AHL and IHL, they are considering whether it's time to activate their AHL franchise that has been dormant since the PEI Senators folded in May, 1996.SWEET MUSIC: While Ashlin Halfnight hopes to someday play defense in the NHL, he has already achieved a bit of fame on the music scene.A second-year defenseman for the Beast of New Haven, Halfnight also dabbles in song writing and recently recorded his own CD. He has five songs on Loose Ends in which he's the lead singer and acoustic guitarist.He has played and sang for friends and family and they convinced him to make the CD.&ldquo;I've been playing the guitar for about seven years and attempting to sing,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I taught myself how to play toward the end of high school but singing is not my strong k suit.&rdquo;Helping others is, however. Proceeds from sales of the CD go to the St. Francis Home for Children in New Haven. It's available through the Beast office at (203) 777-7878 or 275 South Orange St., New Haven, CT., 06510.&ldquo;Earlier this year I visited the home and I really enjoyed the kids and I thought what they were doing was very worthwhile,&rdquo; said Half night, a ninth-round pick by the Hartford Whalers in 1994 out of Harvard, where he majored in Canadian literature.New Haven teammate Byron Ritchie says Half night sounds a little like John Mellencamp. &ldquo;I don't know about that,&rdquo; Half night says. &ldquo;I just know it's not rap.&rdquo;AHL TIDBITS: The Rochester Americans were 22-92 on the road, putting them on pace to set an AHL record for road victories. The Binghamton Rangers (1992-93) and Albany River Rats (1994-95) share the league mark of 25&hellip;Portland Pirates' goalie Martin Brochu made 55 saves in blanking Worcester 8-0 March 3&hellip;The Springfield Falcons were an impressive 5-1-9 in overtime games&hellip;Since joining the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in late January, left winger Rasto Pavlikovsky had points in 15 of 17 games (six goals, 20 points). He was Ottawa's 10th pick, 246th overall, in the 1998 draft&hellip;The Providence Bruins set a franchise record for points (95) with a 5-4 win at Fredericton March 7. &#9632;

f0023-01

Long-time NHL rival forces unite as Habs put team in Quebec City

<div class="byline">By Dave Henry</div>Andy Moog has taken matters into his own hands.With his team in a bind. Moog-the principal owner of the Fort Worth Brahmas-assumed the role of head coach of the team March 3.The Brahmas found themselves shorthanded due to a rash of injuries. So coach Terry Menard, who finished in the top three in scoring in the WPHL last year, decided to get back on the ice to solve the problem. That prompted Moog, a 14-year NHL veteran, to get out of the front office and get on the bench.The switch paid off immediately. Moog was a winner in his WPHL coaching debut in a 5-1 victory over the Amarillo Rattlers. Menard, a center, scored two goals in his return to the ice as the Brahmas remained in wildcard playoff contention in the Central Division.&ldquo;I'm just excited about the opportunity,&rdquo; Moog said. &ldquo;I'd like to pursue a career in coaching and this is my first chance to do so.&rdquo;OUTLAWS ARRESTED: San Angelo Outlaws' wingers Shayne Stevenson and Kevin McKinnon were charged with unauthorized use of a movable and released on bond March 4 in Bossier City, La., in connection with an incident involving a stolen taxi cab.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02611/7241206-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="384" height="282"></div>Stevenson, the 1989 first round pick of the Boston Bruins, and McKinnon were apprehended by two Bossier City police officers on Louisiana's Interstate 20 after a cab was reported stolen at about 3 a.m.The incident took place following an Outlaws' 54 shootout loss to the Shreveport Mudbugs, a game in which the two players didn't participate because of injuries.The two players are scheduled to appear in Bossier Parish District Court for arraignment April 5.ONE-TIMERS: Amarillo center Chris Brooks came within a goal of tying the professional record for goals in one period with a four-goal outburst in the second period of Amarillo's 6-4 win over the Arkansas GlacierCats March 5&hellip;Waco Wizards' goaltender Kory Cooper was named the league's top netminder and rookie of the year March 8. Cooper sported a 33-11-4 record, .914 save percentage and 2.65 goals-against-average. &#9632;

f0023-02

Ailing Brahmas call upon Moog to take team’s coaching reins

<div class="byline">By Kevin Iole</div>The Fort Wayne Kornets, the IHL's oldest existing franchise, may be on its last legs. Owner Stephen Franke told the Fort Wayne NewsSentinel his franchise will have to leave the league if it doesn't gain a full affiliation with the NHL's Ottawa Senators.The Komets, who have been in the league since 1952, have been losing significant amounts of money for several years and have had difficulty competing for the top-level independent players with wealthy franchises such as Detroit, Chicago, Houston and Long Beach.The Senators are looking for a new home for their minor leaguers and GM Rick Dudley is a proponent of the IHL, having coached and managed in the league for many years.&ldquo;If we can't get affiliated, we have to get out,&rdquo; Franke told the News-Sentinel. &ldquo;Right now, this is our last hope. There is nobody else available. We're to the point where we have to get something done or we have to go on.&rdquo;Franke did not say where the Komets would go should talks with the Senators break down, but the News-Sentinel reported Franke has had discussions with both the United and East Coast Leagues.Fort Wayne had nearly worked out a deal to become the Detroit Red Wings' top affiliate and Wings' owner Mike Hitch visited Fort Wayne, but the Wings opted to stay in the American League and play in a new building in Toledo, Ohio. Fort Wayne has been one of the IHL's most successful franchises and has won four Turner Cups.FEUDIN' FOES: Utah Grizzlies' coach-GM Butch Goring and Las Vegas Thunder coach Bob Bourne have been close friends since their playing days with the New York Islanders, but don't invite the two to the same party now.The friendship has been strained by the rivalry of coaching against each other in the same division. Utah and Las Vegas have one of the fiercest rivalries in the IHL.Bourne has been upset because he has believed for a long time that Goring has tam pered with Las Vegas star right winger Patrice Lefebvre. The Grizzlies have coveted Lefebvre, who was the league's MVP and scoring champion a year ago and have made numerous attempts to deal for him.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011008/7241237-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="936" height="381"></div>Bourne has often said Goring has phoned Lefebvre and had otherwise inappropriate contact with Lefebvre, which Goring has denied, though they remained friendly until recently.But Bourne erupted after a loss in West Valley City, Utah, accusing Goring of trying to get into Lefebvre's head.&ldquo;Butch is messing with our heads,&rdquo; Bourne said. &ldquo;He's trying to get Patty (Lefebvre) to play here. Normally, something like that is business and I would consider it as such if (Chris) McSorley was still the Las Vegas coach. But you don't do it to a friend. I've known Butch for over 20 years and we'll r still be friends long after this is over. (But) I'm very disappointed by what has happened.&rdquo;BE THERE: For one of the few times in its history, the league is making a concerted effort to help its teams with playoff marketing. It has come up with the slogan 'Ya Gotta Be There' and will use current and former IHL players, some of whom are in the NHL. in radio, television and scoreboard advertisements promoting the Turner Cup playoffs.&ldquo;We just want to do what we can to try to let people know about the playoffs and do what we can to help bring people out to the games,&rdquo; said league spokesman Jim E. Anderson.I-OPENERS: There were several deals as the trading deadline neared. Kansas City sent right winger Ryan Mulhern, a first team American League all-star last year who managed just seven goals in 59 games this year, to Las Vegas in exchange for defenseman Nick Naumenko. Naumenko's arrival in Winnipeg to meet his new teammates was delayed when his plane in Las Vegas was held up because of a bomb scare&hellip;Utah traded center Yan Kaminsky to Grand Rapids for defenseman Darren Rumble, whom the Griffins had loaned to Rochester of the AHL; and then the Grizzlies dealt rookie right winger/defenseman Curtis Sheptak to Portland of the AHL for future considerations. &#9632;

f0024-01

League’s oldest franchise might be forced to leave

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>The Pensacola Ice Pilots probably weren't going to make the East Coast League playoffs this season anyway, but their chances were reduced from slim to none in the wake of one of the severest penalties handed out in league history.Pensacola was fined $50,000 and had 10 points taken away from them because the coaches were found to have had some direction over the players' fund, a bank account established and operated by players to collect outside contributions used to compensate players for appearances and other services in the community.The account was separate from the team and is legal under ECHL rules. The funds are used to supplement a club's weekly salary cap of $8,250.The Ice Pilots had a record of 19-34-4 at the time of the punishment and were an extremely long shot to make the playoffs in the Southern Conference.Pensacola coach Al Pedersen ' and his assistant, George Kozak, were each fined $1,000 for the team's second salary-cap violation in six months.&ldquo;It was done not realizing it was a salary-cap violation,&rdquo; team president Charles Felix told the Pensacola News-Journal.&ldquo;It was done basically to assist the team, to help the players. Unfortunately, they crossed that very gray line. It's an embarrassing situation, because they didn't feel they were doing anything wrong.&rdquo;Last fall, the Ice Pilots were fined $25,000 and management was reprimanded for promising to pay players performance bonuses during the 1997-98 playoffs, when Pensacola reached the Kelly Cup finals before losing to Hampton Roads. The bonuses were never paid.&ldquo;As a second offense within six months, it heightened the severity of the penalty,&rdquo; said Richard Adams, president and CEO of the ECHL.ICEBREAKERS MELTDOWN: Chesapeake Icebreakers' owner Michael Caggiano has asked the ECHL for permission to suspend operations after this season, saying he has lost approximately $2 million during the team's first two years at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02687/7241268-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="638" height="662"></div>Caggiano said the club lost more than $1 million last season and will lose slightly less than that this season. The team had season-ticket sales of only 500 this season and needed to average around 2,800 per game to break even, Caggiano said.The Icebreakers announced average attendance was 2,301 after 30 home dates-26th in the 27-team league-but actual attendance is often below 1,000.&ldquo;The bottom line is, we've got to take a year off and take a breath and see if hockey will work here,&rdquo; Caggiano told the Washington Post. &ldquo;It's really to stop the bleeding. I think our commitment was-and it still is-to make hockey a success in this market.&rdquo;Caggiano will have three options if the league grants his request: sell the team, move the team or re-start the franchise at the same location in 2000-2001.The league's board of governors will vote before the regular season concludes April 4.&ldquo;We've obviously been concerned about the performance of Chesapeake for the past two seasons,&rdquo; Adams said.The Icebreakers averaged 2,650 in attendance last season.The Miami Matadors are also expected to put forth a request to the league to suspend operations for next season.The club, which relocated from Louisville, Ky., after last season, is last in the ECHL in attendance, with an announced figure of 1,463 in 29 dates.COAST LINES: Augusta Lynx center Lars Pettersen, who scored five goals in one period Feb. 11, was named Sher-Wood player of the month for February after finishing with 11 goals and 20 points in 11 games.Florida's Marc Magliarditi (8-2-0 and 1.30 goals-against average) was chosen goalie of the month and South Carolina netminder Jody Lehman (8-1-0 and 1.72 GAA) was rookie of the month. &#9632;

f0024-02

Ice Pilots’ season crashes after violation discovered

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>For the first time since 1992-93, the United League is going to have a scoring champion other than Paul Polillo.But that doesn't bother the most prolific scorer in UHL history. Polillo is more concerned with team success and the Port Huron Border Cats offer him his best chance at hoisting the Colonial Cup since he helped Brantford win it all in 1993.The Border Cats, who acquired Polillo in a trade last summer when Brantford moved to Asheville, N.C., were fifth in the overall standings with three weeks left in the regular season.But with the league's second best defense, Port Huron has high hopes for the post season.&ldquo;This year certainly hasn't been one of my best personally, but as a team it has been one of my best years,&rdquo; said Polillo, a Brantford native. &ldquo;It has been a big change for me, leaving somewhere I'd been for six years.&ldquo;Everything was new. I went from a team that was wide-open offensively to a team that was defense first. It has taken me a while to find my place, but feel comfortable now.&rdquo;Polillo has been among the UHL scoring leaders all season and entered the final three weeks with 19 goals and 69 *&rdquo; assists to rank fifth, 30 points behind league scoring leader Jason Firth of Thunder Bay.Those numbers are a big change for somebody who has averaged 162 points over the past five seasons. His best year was 1995-96, when he set UHL records with 122 assists and 186 points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03455/7241299-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="688" height="351"></div>&ldquo;I don't set out every year with (the scoring crown) as my main goal,&rdquo; Polillo said. &ldquo;I just want to play well and be consistent.&rdquo;With 12 games left in the regular season, Port Huron had a 35-25-5 record and i the Border Cats' team goals-against average of 3.24 had Polillo optimistic his club can make a lengthy run in the playoffs. That would come as a welcome break after watching Brantford lose two straight semifinals to the Flint Generals.&ldquo;We have an excellent team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had some guys out for a while, but everybody seems to be coming back together and hopefully we can go in (to the playoffs) on a good note and with a lot of confidence.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: After scoring 10 goals in 42 games for Flint, center Chad Grills was traded to Muskegon and bagged nine in his first 11 outings&hellip;Firth became the 12th player in UHL history to score five goals in a game when he turned the trick March 5 against Winston-Salem&hellip;Quad City needed to win six of its final 10 games to become the first UHL team with three straight 50-win seasons&hellip;The trade deadline passed without any major deals&hellip;Quad City raised $65,932 for cancer-related projects at a local medical center with its annual Valentine's Day post-game jersey auction. The Mallards wore special Valentine's Day sweaters for a 6-3 victory over Flint Feb. 14&hellip;The UHL topped one million in attendance for the second straight year. &#9632;

f0024-03

Polillo would trade scoring title for championship

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>Chad Cavanagh has a great collection of Ontario League leather jackets. He has them from the London Knights, Detroit Whalers, Sudbury Wolves, Sarnia Sting and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.He has also been collecting goals this season, his fourth in the league.Cavanagh had 40 goals for the Greyhounds in 63 games along with 77 points to lead the team. Last season had been his best when he had 17 goals and 40 points with the Wolves and Sting.Cavanagh was selected by London in the eighth round in 1995. He scored 14 goals his rookie season and was traded to Detroit (now Plymouth) one game into the following season.He has kept his suitcase packed ever since.Greyhounds' GM Dave Mayville made the deal for Cavanagh with Sarnia just before the 1998 draft. The Sting got Peter Cava, who'd requested a trade out of the Sault after a 30-goal season.Cava had 32 goals and 78 points with the Sting.&ldquo;Chad has had a very difficult junior career and wasn't able to settle in any one location,&rdquo; Mayville said. &ldquo;We wanted to provide the environment for him to be successful in his fourth year in the league. I really don't know why he has moved around so much, but he has been a great kid for us, a great leader (an alternate captain) and he has provided the leadership an overage player should for a team.&rdquo;Cavanagh had a total of 47 goals his three previous seasons.&ldquo;If I could tell you I would have predicted he would have scored 40 goals for us, I'd be lying,&rdquo; Mayville said.&ldquo;He has surprised us. And I think on the other side, he has surprised himself. Both parties have had confidence in his scoring ability, but certainly not to this extent.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01903/7241330-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="935" height="314"></div>THE BIG TIME: The Toronto St. Michael's Majors drew 14,594 people to the Air Canada Centre for their March 4 game with the Mississauga IceDogs.It was a record for junior hockey in Toronto. The OHL and Canadian Hockey League record is 19,875 for the Detroit Jr. Wings (now Plymouth Whalers) and the Windsor Spitfires on Feb. 5,1995.It was the second-largest crowd in the CHL this season.The Portland Winter Hawks drew 15,337 for their New Year's Eve Western League game with Seattle.ROAD WEARY: A week after being crushed 15-0 by the Colts in Barrie, the IceDogs went into Ottawa and were hammered 13-0 by the 67's. The IceDogs were outshot 23-2 in the first period.The IceDogs had scored only 127 goals. The OHL and CHL record for fewest goals in a season is 154 by the expansion Majors last season.MR. ZEROES: Ottawa goalies Seamus Kotyk and Lavente Szuper each had four shutouts, an OHL record for team shutouts in a season. Guelph Platers' goalies Scott Luce (three) and Andy Helmuth (three) combined for six shutouts in 1986-87.DANCE PARTNERS: The Ontario and Quebec leagues appear to be moving forward on a limited interlocking schedule for next season.Matchups being discussed are Ottawa versus the Hull Olympiques, the Kingston Frontenacs versus the new Montreal franchise, the Sudbury Wolves versus the Val-d'Or Foreurs and North Bay Centennials versus the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Points from interlocking games will count in the standings.NOTEBOOK: The Plymouth Whalers had given up only 149 goals and the 67's had surrendered 153. The league record for fewest goals allowed is 172, set by Ottawa last season&hellip;Barrie tied the CHL record for third-longest home unbeaten streak with a 6-3 win over Peterborough March 7. The Colts were 28-0-3 at home. &#9632;

f0025-01

Cavanagh lights it up after finding home with Greyhounds

<div class="byline">By Gordie Sutherland</div>The Quebec League's new playoff format is better than last season, but it's not perfect.Of particular concern to coaches is the lengthy layoff that comes with the first round bye awarded the top two teams in each division. The Quebec Remparts, Halifax Mooseheads, Shawinigan Cataractes and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies will be idle for more than 10 days before playing their first post-season game.&ldquo;It's not ideal,&rdquo; said Huskies' coach Jean Pronovost, whose team finished second in the Lebel Division. &ldquo;But it's a double-edged sword because if you have injuries like we do, some of them will be able to be back for the first part of the playoffs. But the layoff can kill you, too. You might not be in game-thinking mode for the second round.&rdquo;Each playoff series is a best-of-seven, with the first round set to open March 16 and the second round scheduled to begin March 28.Division champions advance to the final.In the opening round, the third and sixth place teams and the fourth- and fifth-place clubs face each other. The first-place team opens against the lowest-placed remaining team.The league gives each club with a bye $7,500 as compensation for lost gate revenue, but that is still a loss for the Moose heads, who would draw more than 8,000 fans for home games.Last season, there were no byes and a best-of-seven series was used to decide first-round winners. A controversial round-robin format was used for the second round, with the three remaining teams playing each other twice to decide division finalists.&ldquo;I was one of the managers who wasn't interested in playing a round-robin,&rdquo; said Doris Labonte, Rimouski's coach-GM. &ldquo;It's not hockey when some games are played for nothing and someone can make a decision whether another team is in or out.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02582/7241361-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="696" height="639"></div>REMPARTS ROLL: The Quebec Remparts didn't do any celebrating when they clinched their second straight regular season title. They hope to do their partying in May.&ldquo;It's a step, but all of the guys realize that the next step will be tougher,&rdquo; said Quebec coach Guy Chouinard, whose club lost to Rimouski in last season's Dilio Division final. &ldquo;The next step is the one we're looking forward to.&rdquo;Consistency has been the key for this year's Remparts, who have had little in the way of rough spots. They had only lost 12 games, four of which came in their first five games.Quebec earned the Canadian League spotlight with its 27-game unbeaten streak through Dec. 6 that tied a QMJHL record, originally set by the Sorel Eperviers of 1973-1974. The Remparts also had a 23-7-3 road record, the league's best.BIDDING FOR CUP: The Quebec League will host the Memorial Cup in 2000 and the winning site is to be b named before this May's event in Ottawa. The Mooseheads and Remparts have already emerged as the leading contenders.&ldquo;Two things will be very important-money and the best team,&rdquo; said Remparts' GM Raymond Bolduc. &ldquo;I think both teams will be good and both organizations are great. I think Halifax is a very good hockey city and Quebec, too.&rdquo;The Moncton Wildcats may also bid for the hosting role. Bid presentations are expected to be made during the second week of April.MONGRAIN THE MARVEL: Playing his first Quebec League game of the season, goalie Steve Mongrain made 45 saves and was named first star as the short-staffed Shawinigan Cataractes beat the Remparts 4-3 March 6 to clinch first in the Lebel Division.Mongrain, 19, started because No. 1 goalie Mathieu Chouinard was serving a suspension while backup Jean-Francois Laniel was given a day off. Mongrain began the season with the Western League's Swift Current Broncos and played last season with the Ontario League's Oshawa Generals. &#9632;

f0025-02

Playoff layoff for top teams could be blessing or curse

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Dylan Gyori's breakthrough has coincided with his team's.The fourth-year center has blossomed into one of the Western League's elite snipers, helping the Tri-City Americans atone for two consecutive miserable seasons.With two weeks remaining in its 1998-99 regular schedule, Tri-City had equalled its victory total for the past two seasons combined. Gyori, who had 48 goals and 106 points after 62 games, was instrumental in the resurgence.&ldquo;The difference is like night and day,&rdquo; Gyori said. &ldquo;It makes a big difference when you have guys like (coach-GM) Don Hay and (assistant) Terry Bangen. They've been to the Memorial Cup (with Kamloops) and at the NHL level. They know what it takes to be successful and to make the season enjoyable.&rdquo;Tri-City sported a 39-20-6 record after 65 games under Hay. The Americans won 17 games last season and 22 the previous winter.&ldquo;That's probably one of the worst experiences of my life,&rdquo; said Gyori, who turned 20 Feb. 20. &ldquo;Losing was tough on everyone. The mood in the dressing room was really down. We did a lot of soul searching.&ldquo;We needed a lot of help from our parents to keep us going and looking toward the future. We did that and some good has come out of it.&rdquo;At the worst of times, Gyori wondered if the situation would improve.&ldquo;When you lose for a long period of time and you're getting blown out of the water, you wonder, 'Am I doing enough? Am I getting noticed?' You question yourself and what you're doing.&rdquo;Lately, Gyori's play is beyond question.&ldquo;I've always been an offensive-type guy,&rdquo; said the 5-11, 195-pounder, who is undrafted. &ldquo;I set a goal of 100 points. I set my goals high, so that's not too much of a surprise. The team's success is definitely rewarding after what everyone went through for the past two years.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03374/7241392-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="512" height="517"></div>DOUBLE TROUBLE: The Calgary Hitmen have thrived offensively without sacrificing defense. As of March 8, Calgary led the WHL in goals scored (292) while permitting a league-low 166 tallies.&ldquo;A lot of credit has to go to our defense, our goaltenders and the way our forwards play defensively,&rdquo; said Hitmen center Brad Moran. &ldquo;As a team, we play defense as tough as anyone and it shows in our goals against.&rdquo;Calgary (48-10-7) was on pace to allow 184 goals, which would be the fewest since the league introduced a 72-game schedule in 1975. The 1996-97 Portland Winter Hawks surrendered 196 goals.The Kamloops Blazers were also on target to eclipse Portland's mark. The Blazers allowed 176 goals after 66 games, putting them on pace for 192.70 AND COUNTING: Calgary's Pavel Brendl hit the 70-goal mark March 6 when he scored twice in a L 6-4 win over Tri-City.The 17-year-old left winger has J more goals than anyone in the history of Calgary major junior hockey. Brendl surpassed Danny Gare, who scored 68 times for the 1973-74 Calgary Centennials.One week into March, Brendl boasted an 18-game point-scoring streak, during which he had 20 goals and 40 points. Brendl also had at least one point 38 times in a 39-game span.LOWES' HIGHS: Brandon's Bob Lowes recorded his 300th WHL coaching victory March 7 when the Wheat Kings doubled the Regina Pats 6-3.Lowes became the ninth WHL coach to reach that plateau.Former Portland coach Ken Hodge-now the Winter Hawks' GM-leads the WHL's all-time list with 741 victories.NOTEBOOK: Regina retired former star Doug Wickenheiser's No. 12 jersey March 13. Wickenheiser, whom the Montreal Canadiens picked first overall after he scored 89 goals for the 1979-80 Pats, died of cancer Jan. 15 in St. Louis. He was 37. &#9632;

f0025-03

Gyori enjoying Tri-City glory after two seasons of misery

<div class="byline">By Andy Baggot</div>Few would argue with the notion Doug Woog has the toughest coaching job in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.Few would argue that in 13-plus seasons at Minnesota, Woog has put together an impressive resume: a .667 career winning percentage, 12 NCAA tournament appearances, five Final Fours and three MacNaughton Cups as WCHA regular season champion.But back-to-back losing seasons have put Gophers' fans on edge and Woog in the unusual position of having to defend himself against those who want a change.In 1997-98, the Gophers finished 17-22-0 overall and failed to finish in the upper echelon of the WCHA for the first time since 1976-77 The forgettable run included a school-record nine-game losing streak.It has not gotten much better this season Minnesota finished the regular season in fifth place, 12-17-9 overall and 10-12-6 in the WCHA. The run included an 10-game winless streak (0-6-4).&ldquo;Every person in that state's an expert no matter whether they've played the game or not and whether they watch it or not,&rdquo; said Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer, who grew up in St Paul.&ldquo;They all have their opinions. There are some very strong alumni that are in the background that are around Minnesota, that are hockey people, that have really caused some problems for Doug.&rdquo;<h2>WCHA</h2>Some want Woog fired, a sentiment that is not lost on the coach. But Woog feels Minnesota athletic director Mark Dienhart has a good read on the situation.&ldquo;I don't anticipate (a dismissal),&rdquo; Woog said.That the Gophers have played a bit better than last season and clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs are factors Woog said should placate some of his critics. &ldquo;What (Dienhart) wants is a program that will show a better direction than it did last year,&rdquo; Woog said.Getting fired is &ldquo;a little too radical for the history of what we've accomplished,&rdquo; said Woog, who has seven 30-win seasons on his resume.&ldquo;That's how I view it. Dienhart is not a radical guy. I don't sense that he makes irrational decisions and I think (cleaning house) would be a little irrational.&rdquo;SPINNING TURNSTILES: For the sixth consecutive season, the WCHA topped one million in overall attendance. The average for 183 regular season home games was 6,300. No other college hockey league has ever reached the one-million plateau.STREAK ENDS: Wisconsin ended a 10-game losing streak at Minnesota March 5. The Badgers scored four goals in the third period and rallied for a 6-4 win, their first in the Twin Cities since 1992. &#9632;

Gophers’ Woog on hot seat in hockey-mad Minnesota

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div>Both the Western Michigan University players and athletic director Kathy Beauregard agreed that Jim Culhane deserved to be the Broncos' permanent coach.&ldquo;The players definitely like the move, he deserved this,&rdquo; said junior forward Jason Redenius after the &ldquo;interim&rdquo; was removed from Culhane's title.Culhane took over behind the bench in February after Bill Wilkinson was fired. WMU won its first two games under Culhane and went 3-4-2. The Broncos missed out on the eighth and final Central Collegiate Hockey Association playoff spot (5-17-8 in the CCHA and 6-20-8 overall), but the team showed more energy and enthusiasm. Beauregard and Western Michigan president Dr. Elson Floyd were convinced he was the man for the job after a national search.&ldquo;Jim impressed the search committee with his vision and enthusiasm,&rdquo; Beauregard said. &ldquo;His knowledge of the game and loyalty to the Broncos made him an ideal fit for the position.&rdquo;Culhane, who played for Western Michigan from 1983-84 through 1986-87 and had a five-year professional career which included six games with the Hartford Whalers in 1989-90, has been a WMU assistant coach for five seasons.&ldquo;This is a dream come true,&rdquo; said Culhane, who turned 34 March 13. &ldquo;I've been part of the program since since 1983 and this has been my dream job.&rdquo;<h2>CCHA</h2>The returning players can't wait for next season to begin.&ldquo;I wish the season was just starting,&rdquo; said sophomore center David Gove.STREAKS HALTED: A few streaks came to an end on the last weekend of the CCHA regular season. Ferris State defeated Michigan 2-1 March 6 to end the Spartans 23-game unbeaten streak (18-0-5). The loss also came at East Lansing's Munn Arena, which meant MSU's home unbeaten streak of 27 games (24-0-5) also ended. The Spartans' 19-game conference unbeaten streak was also halted.Michigan State (20-3-7 and 26-4-7 overall) had already clinched the CCHA regular season title and will face eighth place Lake Superior State in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, a best-of-three series.Meanwhile, after running his goal-scoring streak to nine games March 5, Miami sophomore Jason Deskins was held goalless in the Red Hawks' season-ending 4-2 loss to Notre Dame.Deskins had 13 goals and four assists during his run and finished the season as the CCHA's overall goal leader with 26.BRIEFLY: The other first-round matchups were No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 Bowling Green, No. 3 Ohio State vs. Ferris State and No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Northern Michigan. The higher finishing team hosts all three games of the series. &#9632;

Culhane earns kudos, permanent coach title

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggle</div>It's no secret why Clarkson senior center Mikko Ollila is one of the best defensive forwards in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.For the first two years of his career, he was one of the Knights' most reliable defenseman.But a switch in positions last season gave Ollila the opportunity to show off some offensive skills few people knew he possessed, and this year he became the missing ingredient in Clarkson's attack.The native of Kangasala, Fin., finished the regular season with a career-high 29 points (including a team-leading 21 assists) and helped the Knights win the ECAC regular season title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.Ollila, who is working on his master's this year after earning a degree in economics in three years, was a solid defenseman in his first two seasons, but his performance dropped off early last year.&ldquo;I sat him out a game, and the next day at practice, we were short of centers, so I suggested he jump in at center,&rdquo; said coach Mark Morris. &ldquo;As it turned out, he was perfect for the role. He's not a grinder. He's good with the puck and sees the ice well and he's best in a containment role&hellip;all the things you want a center to do.&rdquo;So that's where Ollila stayed. He has slipped into the role as the team's top defensive forward, following in the footsteps of Buddy Wallace, who earned the award as the league's best defensive forward last year.<h2>ECAC</h2>&ldquo;He has had a tremendous senior year,&rdquo; Morris said. &ldquo;Out of necessity, we moved him to the middle, and he adapted to it well.&rdquo;STIRLING SHINES: Brown junior goalie Scott Stirling proved he can handle the pressure of a big game.Going into the final weekend of the regular season, a loss would have eliminated Brown from the playoffs. But Stirling made sure the Bears' season would continue.He came through with 35 saves as the Bears tied Dartmouth 2-2 March 5, and then put the icing on the cake with 19 saves in a 4-0 shutout over Vermont.HAMILTON TOPS: Yale junior center Jeff Hamilton won the ECAC scoring championship, finishing the year with 15 goals and 38 points in 22 league games. RPI senior Danny Riva, who had to sit out a game after receiving a game disqualification against Harvard in December, was second with 34 points.Clarkson freshman Shawn Grant was the top goalie, posting a 2.09 goals-against average to nose out St. Lawrence senior Eric HefHer (2.11).Clarkson sophomore left winger Erik Cole finished the regular season with 20 goals, six of which came shorthanded. That gave him the national lead in that cateeorv. &#9632;

Former defenseman Ollila makes point playing center

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div>The letters UNH no longer stands for the University of No Hardware.The University of New Hampshire's Wildcats, energized by a pair of frenzied sellout crowds, swept Maine convincingly 6-1 and 4-1 March 5 and 6 to win its first outright Hockey East title.UNH finished three points ahead of runner-up Maine.Senior center and Hobey Baker Award candidate Jason Krog and junior defenseman Jayme Filipowicz led the way for the Wildcats. Krog had three goals and six points and Filipowicz produced a goal and five points.Krog and Filipowicz also sparked the UNH special teams. UNH went 5-for-9 on the power play, including 3-for-4 in the second game, and killed off all 12 Maine power plays. Krog was chosen the league's player of the week and Filipowicz was the defensive player of the week.UNH finished the regular season as the league's highest scoring team with 100 goals in 24 games. It was the stingiest team as well, allowing just 49.UNH was picked to finish third by the league's coaches, but the Wildcats proved them wrong by being a model of consistency. The Wildcats never had a two-game losing streak.They received exceptional goaltending from Sean Matile and Ty Conklin; solid play from a veteran defense corps; another terrific year from league scoring leader Krog (53 points in 24 league games, 71 in 34 games overall) and 27 (overall) goals from freshman right winger Darren Haydar en route to the title.<h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>&ldquo;I thought we'd be great defensively, but the offense has been a little bit of a shock,&rdquo; Filipowicz said. &ldquo;The past few years, we had a young defense and older forwards. But this year, all of our defense was back and we had younger forwards.&rdquo;MISSED MARK: The team that didn't reach the Hockey East Tournament was Northeastern.&ldquo;We just didn't get the big goal or make the big save when we needed them,&rdquo; said coach Bruce Crowder, whose Huskies tallied 14 points, one fewer than eighth place Merrimack. &ldquo;We had eight guys combine for 80 goals a year ago. This year, they had 50 between them. If anything, they should at least match last year's total.&rdquo;The Huskies were hurt by the decision of goalie Marc Robitaille to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the summer.BIG GOALS: UNH right winger Jason Shipulski had both game-winning goals against Maine&hellip;UMass-Amherst finished with an 8-14-2 league record and tied UMass-Lowell for sixth. It was the Minutemen's best ever finish in their five years in the league&hellip;BC defenseman Mike Mottau had three assists in a 7-2 win over Merrimack March 6, giving him 35 on the season, best among all college defensemen. &#9632;

Offense comes through as Wildcats claim title

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02659/7241533-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="431" height="551"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01989/7241540-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="237" height="237"></div>When Colorado Avalanche GM Pierre Lacroix talks about the shopping spree that landed him Theo Fleury, he likens it to buying a car.Sure, he could have gone out and got a nice sensible model that was reliable in its own end and didn't come with any dents or scratches (or any of its teeth missing, for that matter). But he showed up at the lot and fell in love with the sleek little sports car he knew would carry big risks. After all, Fleury is an unrestricted free agent after the season and cost him a bundle to rent.But like a yuppie pulling down six figures, Lacroix figured he could carry the payments and still have enough to put into savings at the end of the day.And even if Fleury isn't the missing link in the Avalanche's quest to win the Stanley Cup, there's no doubt the Avs are a more formidable foe with the gritty, playoff-proven Fleury.&ldquo;Let's say you have to potential to buy a good car or a nicer car,&rdquo; Lacroix said. &ldquo;Why wouldn't you buy the nicer car if you could? In our case, our wallet gave us the ability to buy the nicer car.&rdquo;Lacroix's wallet was bulging because of a group of prospects that is the envy of the league. A perennial top-five organization, the Avalanche finished with the top grades in The Hockey News' annual ranking of NHL organizations. The Avalanche also placed four players among the top 16 in THN's 1999 Future Watch top 50 list: goalie Marc Denis (No. 7), center Alex Tanguay (No. 12) and defensemen Robyn Regehr (No. 13) and Martin Skoula (No. 16). And when the Avalanche approached the Calgary Flames about acquiring Fleury, they were able to structure the rarest of deals, one in which the future considerations will end up being more valuable than the players they gave away.Hie Flames have until mid-March to choose one of four prospects the Avalanche took in the 1998 draft. Tanguay has reportedly been excluded from the deal and the Flames will choose from among Regehr, Skoula, Scott Parker and Ramzi Abid. Speculation is the Flames will settle on Regehr.To earn their THN ranking, the Avalanche finished first in voting among a group of 12 directors of players personnel, chief scouts and scouts. We supplied them with the lists of the top 10 prospects on each team and asked them to rank the players from No. 1 to 50 and grade each team.The Avalanche, which finished fifth in last year's Future Watch, received an Ai minus grade, the same as the second-place ' Buffalo Sabres. The Avalanche finished-ahead because each grade has a range and Colorado received more points in the voting. The Sabres actually had one more i prospect in the top 50 in Maxim Afinogenov I (No. 9), Martin Biron (No. 17), Cory Sarich (No. 19), Dimitri Kalinen (No. 30) and Mika Noronen (No. 47), but the Avalanche has more top-end prospects.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-03454/7241526-1-eng-US/f0030-032.jpg" title="f0030-03" width="1867" height="2976"><figcaption class="caption-body">Colorado Avalanche prospect Marc Denis(Cover Photo of Roberto Luongo By Brian Winkler/BS; Denis By Jim Mclsaac/BBS.)</figcaption></div>And it's certain one of its top prospects will be taken by the Flames, thus depleting its list. Still, the Avalanche deserves top billing because it was the quality of its prospects that allowed it to have a shot at Fleury in the first place. &ldquo;If we didn't have the depth we had, there's no way Calgary would have listened to us,&rdquo; Lacroix said.There are some organizations that get too caught up in the future and forget that part of the goal is to win today. But the good organizations are able to achieve that balance and it has been proven time and again the best way to have a healthy organization is to possess depth in prospects. It allows teams to fill holes when veterans become too expensive and it allows them to pursue big-time players without seriously altering their roster. The New Jersey Devils have done it masterfully for years and so has the Avalanche.&ldquo;Our vision became very clear after we won the Cup in 1996,&rdquo; Lacroix said. &ldquo;We decided as an organization we needed to take care of the future while we were winning.&rdquo;And while they were chastised for trading the likes of Mike Ricci and Chris Simon for draft picks, it allowed them to have four draft picks in the top 20 last year, just the fourth time in the history of the draft (and the first since the league hit 21 teams) a team has had that many in the top 20. While it would be easy to attribute the Avalanche's top marks to the fact they had so many picks, it would also be dead wrong. For example, Denis was taken 25th overall in 1995 and two of the Avalanches impact rookies this season, Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk, were taken 72nd and 87th, respectively in 1994.The Avalanche does just about everything draft-related by committee, but much of the credit for its success goes to former director of player personnel Dave Draper, who retired this season at 58 and is now a parttime consultant to Lacroix. Michel Goulet, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last fall, will have to be almost as good as the new director of player personnel as he was a player to match Draper's success.At the other end of the spectrum, things are not looking rosy for the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning, which has just been sold and occupies the NHL's basement, also finished last in our rankings. But don't forget, it had to force first overall pick Vincent Lecavalier and talented 21-year-old defenseman Pavel Kubina into the lineup this season.The Philadelphia Flyers made the biggest jump from last year, going from No. 22 in 1998 to No. 6 this year. Much of their hopes for the future rest with Quebec League center and sixth-ranked prospect Simon Gagne, who showed an impressive array of skills and skating ability in the World Junior Championship. The San Jose Sharks also made an impressive leap, going from No. 21 to 7, based largely on the potential possessed by Western League defenseman Brad Stuart, who finished second to New York Islanders' goalie Roberto Luongo on the Top 50 list.<h2>FUTURE WATCH REPORT CARD</h2>(1998 Future Watch Rank)<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-04315/7241519-1-eng-US/f0030-042.jpg" title="f0030-04" width="923" height="2190"></div> &#9632;

f0030-02

SPECIAL REPORT: FUTURE WATCH

AVALANCHE OF PROSPECTS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0031-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01907/7241599-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Bryan Allen Vancouver Canucks</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02588/7241592-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="1714" height="2485"><figcaption class="caption-body">David Legwand Nashville Predators</figcaption></div><h2>1999 TOP 50 RANKING</h2>Players are listed in order of 1999 Future Watch ranking. Last year's ranking, for those who were eligible, are in parentheses. Eligible players who weren't ranked in 1998 are denoted as (-).Information listed is NHL affiliation, 1998-99 team, games, goals, assists and penalty minutes for skaters, win-loss-tie and goals-against average for goalies. Stats are as of March 8.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04314/7241585-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="1089" height="5054"></div><h2>1999 TOP 50 RANKING</h2>There are two ties in the ranking for the first time ever. Robert Dome and Jose Theodore are tied at No. 27, while Marty Reasoner and Shane Willis are at No. 35. These players received the same number of voting points from our panel of 12 scouts. Each scout provided a ranking of the top 50 prospects from the 270 listed in the 27 team pages.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05250/7241578-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="1084" height="5053"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03425/7241571-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="237" height="237"></div> &#9632;

f0031-01

1999 T0P50 RANKÌNG PROSPECTS

<div class="byline">By Gordie Sutherland</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01973/7241637-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="242" height="240"></div>Roberto Luongo has received rave reviews, but he's having trouble with at least one critic-himself.On the surface, it looks like just another impressive season for the 19-year-old goalie, who is THN's choice as the NHL's top prospect.He earned an extended stay in training camp with the New York Islanders, led Canada's national junior team to silver on home ice and signed his first pro contract, worth about $2.5 million over three years.Accomplishments to be proud of, to be sure, but it's with a tone of concern that Luongo talks of his season in the Quebec League.&ldquo;It hasn't been an easy season for me, just the fact when I came back from pro camp, I came back a bit disappointed,&rdquo; said Luongo, who was traded from the Vai d'Or Foreurs to the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in December.&ldquo;I thought that maybe I would have made the (Islanders). I started the season off slow, then just when I was trying to pick things up, I had to play for Team Canada.&ldquo;When I got back from Team Canada, I had to get used to a new city and I left something big in Winnipeg, so I started having trouble again.&ldquo;I just started picking things up in the past couple of weeks and getting things back on track.&rdquo;After going to the Memorial Cup last season and playing in the World Junior Championship the past two years, Luongo experienced most of what junior hockey had to offer. But being traded for the first time presented a new emotional test.He spent just over three seasons in Vai d'Or, a place he grew to like. Luongo was content to finish his career there, but learned he was part of a blockbuster deal by reading it in the newspaper while he was with Team Canada.After the WJC, where he was named top goalie in the tournament, Luongo spent five days at home with his family in St-Leonard, Que., before reporting to Bathurst Jan. 11.&ldquo;I was staying with the same (billet) family for 3-1/2 years,&rdquo; said Luongo, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound stopper.&ldquo;When you're used to a place, it's pretty hard to pick up everything and go.&ldquo;It was a new experience for me, for sure, but I think I was surrounded by good players. They made me feel right at home as soon as possible.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02659/7241630-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="2279" height="3706"><figcaption class="caption-body">Hired gun: Acadie-Bathurst acquired Roberto Luongo to put them over the top in the playoffs</figcaption></div>Islanders' goaltending tutor Gilles Gilbert knew the move was hard on Luongo.&ldquo;He's a strong kid,&rdquo; said Gilbert, who has worked with Luongo since New York draftee him fourth overall in 1997. &ldquo;It's good experience for him.&ldquo;I told him the other day, 'Give everything you can to Bathurst. It's a great organization, a great hockey club, great teammates. Get yourself prepared for the playoffs and try to do exactly what I told you to do.' &ldquo;The reason he was brought to Bathurst wasn't lost on Luongo-he is a hired gun expected to backstop the Titan to the league championship and beyond.He didn't get off to a great start with his new team. After leaving Vai d'Or, his 3.93 goals-against average rose to 4.00 in nine games I with the Titan. And he suffered an embarrassing 7-3 loss to his old I team Jan. 23. But after 21 games I with his new team, his GAA dipped to a more respectable 3.33.; &ldquo;It's great to know a team has I confidence in me to pick me up and try to go all the way,&rdquo; Luongo said. &ldquo;I think I can deal with the I pressure. I've done well in the past with it and I don't see why it would change now.&rdquo;Luongo concedes he was eager to make an early impression and tried to do too much. Now he's settling in and has become one of the team leaders just as he was with Vai d'Or.&ldquo;It's very important for the rest of the season because when we begin the playoffs, Roberto will show us the road,&rdquo; said Bathurst coach Roger Dejoie. &ldquo;The guys in front of him are playing well, but Roberto is a big key for the team.&rdquo; Pressure has never affected Luongo, who faced 40 shots in Canada's 3-2 overtime loss to I Russia in the WJC final. Every time he straps on the pads, fans are looking for him to live up to his status as the highest-drafted goalie in NHL history.And so far, he hasn't disappointed.&ldquo;We're really happy with his development,&rdquo; said Mike Santos, I assistant to Isles' GM Mike Mil-I bury. &ldquo;I thought the world junior I tournament was a showcase of that, especially playing in Canada I with all of the pressure of last year going into this year's tournament. I thought he stood up to the test and he was terrific.&rdquo;As far away as Uniondale, N.Y., must seem at times, consensus is Luongo isn't that far away at all. Given the fact the Islanders have not been pleased with the play of Tommy Salo or Felix Potvin, for whom they traded away 1997 Calder Trophy winner Bryan Berard, Luongo could be the answer to their goaltending woes.&ldquo;He's a quality goalie,&rdquo; said Gilbert, a former netminder who played 14 seasons in the NHL. &ldquo;He has good size, quick legs, good reflexes. To me, Luongo is not too far from being there.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0032-01

BATTLE OF A TITAN

The Hockey News has been at the forefront of many suggestions to improve the NHL over the years. Now it's time for a little payback.Let's not shroud this in anything but what it is, a selfish attempt to make life easier for us in putting together THN's annual Future Watch. We are proposing the NHL establish a roster freeze from March 1 until the trading deadline. That will help us in our trials of separating players and prospects, a division which seems to become more blurred with each year.For purposes of defining a prospect, we have established a cut-off point of 50 NHL games. But as you scan each teams list of top 10 prospects, you're bound to find players who are up with their NHL teams. But the players we have identified are not full-time NHLers. For the most part, they are there as an injury replacement or a short-term stop gap that serves as an audition for the future.You won't find the likes of Cameron Mann of the Boston Bruins, J.P. Dumont and Josef Marha of the Chicago Blackhawks and Kevin Weekes of the Vancouver Canucks on the prospect lists because we have been given every indication they're in the NHL for at least the rest of the season, which in turn implies the plan is for them to be there long-term. That's when they stop being prospects and become players.There are two ties in the top 50 for the first time ever. That's because those players-Robert Dome of Pittsburgh and Jose Theodore of Montreal at No. 27; Marty Reasoner of St. Louis and Shane Willis of Carolina at No. 35-received the same number of voting points and were named on the same number of ballots.<h2>Your guide to Future Watch</h2>Here's a list of abbreviations, short forms and statistical designations appearing over the next 18 pages in NHL team stories.<h3>TEAM STORIES</h3>Individual stats listed for skaters in 'On the Horizon' are age (as of March 31, 1999), height, weight, games, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes through games of March 7. Stats listed for goalies are age, height, weight, winloss-tie record and goals-against average.<h3>POSITIONS</h3>C-center; D-defenseman, G-goalie; LW-left winger; RW-right winger.<h3>LEAGUES AND COUNTRIES</h3>American Hockey League (AHL); Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA); Czech Republic (Czech); Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); Finland (Fin.); Hockey East (HE); International Hockey League (IHL); Ontario Hockey League (OHL); Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL); Russia (Rus.); Sweden (Swe.); Switzerland (Switz.); Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA); Western Hockey League (WHL). &#9632;

Future Watch: What you need to know

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02676/7241699-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="267" height="2503"></div>The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim don't have the quantity, but Pierre Gauthier certainly feels they have the quality.The Ducks' GM felt they have two Russians who will be &ldquo;A-level&rdquo; players in the NHL.&ldquo;We have two high quality prospects in (Vitali) Vishnevsky and (Maxim) Balmochnykh,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;I'm sure there are teams that have five or six good prospects, but I wouldn't trade our two for their five.&rdquo;Vishnevsky was named the best defenseman at the 1999 World Junior Championship. Balmochnykh, a left winger, was named a first-team all-star.&ldquo;We're looking at them being top-level players of the future in the NHL,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;They could be first-line players, not necessarily stars like Paul (Kariya) or Peter Forsberg.&ldquo;(But) we're like everybody else after that,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;We've got quite a few prospects. We've got quite a few suspects.&rdquo;Here are the top five prospects in order:1. Vitali Vishnevsky, D, Yaroslavl: After seeing Vishnevsky play at the WJC, Gauthier didn't realize how close Vishnevsky was to being ready for the NHL. The 6-foot-l, 190-pounder is very mobile for a big defenseman.&ldquo;He's a tough kid and he moves the puck very well,&rdquo; Gau-0thier said. &ldquo;This is a guy who is as well rounded as you'll find.&rdquo;Ducks' assistant GM David McNab compared him to New Jersey's Scott Stevens, but with better skating.If the Ducks can get him signed, they'd like him to come to training I camp.Acquired: 1998 I entry draft, fifth I overall.2. Maxim Balmochnykh, LW, Lada Togliatti: &ldquo;He's a pure talent,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;His level of skill is top notch by NHL standards-his hands, his skating, his shot. He has great speed. He does everything.&rdquo;Balmochnykh had hoped to come to the Ducks training camp this year, but a discrepancy with the contract he signed with his Russian team resulted in him playing in the Quebec League. Balmochnykh, 20, had 31 points in 21 games for the Quebec Remparts, but didn't feel he was improving there and after the WJC he returned to Lada Tagliatti.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01989/7241692-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="578" height="841"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vitaly Vishnevsky</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I think it might not have been the place for him,&rdquo; Gauthier said.Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 45th overall.3. Mikael Holmqvist, C, Farjestad: The 6-foot-3,189-pounder has been I splitting time between Faijestad's elite team and their junior team in Sweden.&ldquo;He's a talented kid who's a good skater,&rdquo; Gauthier said.Holmqvist, 19, is expected to follow in the footsteps of fellow Swede Johan Davidsson, who spent four seasons developing in his homeland before joining Anaheim.&ldquo;The Swedish league is a good league for developing players,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;He needs to work on his strength, for sure, and his work ethic. He'll probably come over here when he's 22 or 23.&rdquo;Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 18th overall.4 Jay Legault, LW, London: He has made progress every year since he has been drafted. This season Legault was in the Ontario League's top 10 in scoring with 30 goals and 56 points in 42 games.&ldquo;He's a huge guy (6-foot-4,205 pounds), who is a good offensive player,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;He has some upside (and) in time could become a power forward.&rdquo;Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 72nd overall.5. Stephen Peat, D, TriCity: He has missed some time with a groin injury this season. But the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is a tough defenseman who skates very well for his size. Peat had 117 penalty minutes and eight points in his first 36 games.&ldquo;He fights and everything,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;He's very tough. His skills are more limited. He's not Mr. Smart. He's Mr. Tough.&rdquo;Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 32nd overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Vitali Vishnevsky, D, Yaroslavl (Rus.), 19,6-1, 190, 33-3-4-7-38.2.Maxim Balmochnykh, LW, Lada Togliatti (Rus.), 20, 6-0, 185, 15-2-2-4-10.3.Mikael Holmqvist, C, Faijestad (Swe.), 19, 6-3, 189, 14-0-0-0-4,4.Jay Legault, LW, London (OHL), 19, 6-4, 205, 61-39-48-87-99.5.Stephen Peat, D. Tri-City (WHL), 19, 6-3,210, 36-2-6-8-117.6.Viktor Wallin, D, HV-71 Jr. (Swe.), 19, 6-3, 200, 9-4-6-10-16. Captain of 1980 bom Swedish team just recently committed himself to hockey career. Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 112th overall.7.Jesse Fibiger, D, Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA), 20, 6-3, 205, 34-3-16-19-57. Plays solid defensive game. Physical presence who can make first pass out of zone. Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 178th overall.8.Mike Leclerc, LW, Cincinnati (AHL), 6-1, 205, 52-19-24-43-128. Perennial prospect has received infrequent call-ups. Has slumped, but is regaining confidence. Acquired: 1995 entry draft, 55th overall.9.Mike Crowley, D, Cincinnati (AHL), 23, 5-11, 190, 26-4-12-16-18. Smallish defenseman has good skill level, but has to get stronger to handle NHL-size foes. Acquired: Trade with Philadelphia, March 19,1996.10. Frank Banham, RW, Cincinnati (AHL), 23,6-0, 190, 50-20-19-39-16. Natural scorer had nine goals in 21 NHL games last year, but was usurped by youngsters. Acquired: Signed as free agent Jan. 22, 1996.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: Maxim BalmochnykhStickhandler: Mikael HolmqvistShot: Maxim BalmochnykhBodychecker: Stephen PeatHockey Sense: Vitali Vishnevsky &#9632;

f0034-02

TEAMS

Ducks hold pair of future aces

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04412/7241737-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="271" height="2491"></div>It was supposed to be a bleak draft year for the Boston Bruins.The 1998 crop wasn't considered strong in the first place, and the Bruins had no first round pick because they'd already used it in a November, 1996 trade.A year later, it looks like the Bruins might have made out okay. One of the players they spent the 1998 first-rounder on-right winger Landon Wilson-remains a top prospect after a dominant American League season. The first two players selected last year, Jonathan Girard and Bobby Allen, have solid NHL potential, as well.Up front, the good news isn't who's on the list, but who isn't. Among those not included in Boston's top five were the top scorers in the NCAA (North Dakota's Lee Goren) and American League (Randy Robitaille), plus several others at Providence of the American League whom the Bruins consider viable NHL prospects.The obvious hole is in goal. After prospect John Grahame and dark horse Andrew Raycroft, the Bruins not only don't have a netminder considered potential NHL material, they have only one goalie (Paxton Schafer), period.&ldquo;It's not ideal,&rdquo; O'Connell said. &ldquo;Then again, you only need one good goalie.&rdquo;Here are the top five prospects in order:1. Jonathan i Girard, D, Acadie-Bathurst: The Bruins can't wait to see Girard in the fall, a year after he unexpectedly won a roster spot (and a three-year contract) in training camp.&ldquo;He could be a star,&rdquo; said O'Connell, who raves about Girard's skating ability, and was impressed by his poise. &ldquo;He has all the tools. It depends on how bad he wants it.&rdquo;Desire isn't seen as a problem for Girard, who got over the disappointment of being returned to the Quebec League after three NHL games to play well.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 48th overall.2. Shawn Bates, C, Providence: He has the legs, and probably the hands, to play in the NHL. What has kept him from spending an entire season at the NHL level is his tendency to ease up after one or two good games or shifts, and occasionally questionable decision-making.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03530/7241730-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="587" height="838"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jonathan Girard</figcaption></div>&ldquo;There's no doubt Shawn has world-class speed,&rdquo; O'Connell said. &ldquo;He needs to learn more to take advantage of that speed and really take the next step.Acquired: 1993 entry draft, 103rd overall.3. Landon Wilson, LW, Providence: His size, strength and skill make him classic power forward material, but Wilson has been an enigma since Boston parted with last year's first round pick to get the Toronto Maple Leafs' 1993 first rounder from Colorado.&ldquo;He's a big, strong kid whose skating has really improved,&rdquo; said O'Connell of Wilson, who has been plagued by his reputation as too easy-going on and off the ice. &ldquo;Landon has to find his way here. He has already done enough at the AHL level.&rdquo;Acquired: Trade with Colorado, Nov. 22,1996.John Grahame, G, Providence: Big and mobile, the second-year pro's record-setting AHL season (18 consecutive wins through March 5) will almost surely earn him a legitimate shot in Boston next sea-son-especially if backup Rob Tallas is lost in the expansion draft. &ldquo;It looks like he has done all he can down there,&rdquo; O'Connell said.Acquired: 1994 entry draft, 229th overall.5.Bobby Allen, D, Boston College: It may be years before Boston finds out if this local boy (Hull, Mass.) makes good, but the Bruins like his puck-moving and power-play skills, and see him as potentially bulky enough to give and take hits. &ldquo;It's early,&rdquo; O'Connell said, &ldquo;but we know he has good stick skills and he's pretty good defensively. He likes to compete.&rdquo;Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 52nd overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Jonathan Girard, D, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL), 18, 5-11, 192, 46-8-54-62-58.2. Shawn Bates, C, Providence (AHL), 23.5-11,205,30-23-15-38-20.3.Landon Wilson, LW, Providence (AHL), 24, 6-2, 216, 48-31-22-53-89.4.John Grahame, G, Providence (AHL), 23.6-2, 210,28-6-0,2.83.5.Bobby Allen, D, Boston College (HE), 20, 6-1, 198,34-8-17-25-26.6.Randy Robitaille, C, Providence (AHL), 23, 5-11, 190, 58-22-56-78-8. Offensive machine has averaged more than a point per game in two AHL seasons. Acquired: Signed as free agent, March 27, 1997.7.Andre Savage, C, Providence (AHL), 23, 6-0, 195, 56-24-35-59-48. Rookie pro has been up a couple of times. Doesn't have great speed, but has good sense. Acquired: Signed as free agent, June 18,1998.8.Johnathan Aitken, D, Providence(AHL), 20, 6-4, 215, 51-2-6-8-90. Has adjusted to pro game, but has to learn to keep things simple. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, eighth overall.9.Lee Goren, RW, North Dakota(WCHA), 21, 6-3, 190, 34-24-17-41-18. Leading scorer in college hockey a power forward with hard, heavy shot. Acquired: 1997 entry draft. 63rd overall.10. Ben Clymer, D, Seattle (WHL), 20, 61, 195, 64-12-38-50-91. Left college to play as overage junior, but has missed almost a year-and-a-half with injuries. Acquired: 1997 entry draft. 27th overall.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: Jonathan GirardStickhandler: Andre SavageShot: Lee GorenBodychecker: Landon WilsonHockey Sense: Jonathan Girard &#9632;

f0034-04

Young defenders set to challenge

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02656/7241775-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="269" height="2485"></div>It has been a given for several seasons that the Buffalo Sabres have excellent prospects throughout their organization.The Sabres were the No. 1 NHL team in Future Watch 1996 and second the next three season including 1999. That's about as close to a prospect dynasty as you can get.The question facing GM Darcy Regier is what to do with them.The Sabres are fast approaching decision time. There's a sentiment in Buffalo the team must improve now if it's going to take a run at the Stanley Cup this year or in the time 34-year-old superstar goaltender Dominik Hasek has left as an elite player in the NHL.There's also a sentiment the Sabres aren't a Stanley Cup-caliber team and would be foolish to part with their youngsters.&ldquo;I think all teams are looking at that question all the time,&rdquo; said GM Darcy Regier. &ldquo;The No. 1 thing we would like to address is scoring.&rdquo;Here are the top five prospects in order:1. Maxim Afinogenov, RW, Moscow Dynamo: The top forward at the World Junior Championship, Afinogenov is among the top players currently not in North America. He's a natural scorer, quick skater and smooth puckhandler.Smallish like Boston Bruins' Sergei Samsonov, Afinogenov is likely to be in the North America next season and appears to be an untouchable as prospects go.Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 69th overall.2.Martin Biron, G, Rochester: Biron got the call to Buffalo after Hasek went down with a strained groin. He has seen limited action, but still appears to be on track for an NHL career.Biron, who plays a butterfly style, was the American League player of the month in February with five shutouts and was selected as the starting goaltender for the Canadian stars in the AHL All-Star Game. Before joining the Sabres he led the AHL in wins (25), shutouts (6) and was among the league leaders in goals-against average (1.92), minutes (2,280), saves (1,134) and save percentage (.936).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01933/7241768-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="584" height="835"><figcaption class="caption-body">Maxim Afinogenov</figcaption></div>Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 16th overall.3. Cory Sarich, D, Rochester: He had a brief call-up with the Sabres this season and did not disappoint. Sarich has decent size, a great deal of poise and is a stay-at-home defenseman with good puck handling skills and a strong hitting game.Sarich doesn't excel in any single category, but he offers a complete game. Like teammates Biron and teammate Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, Sarich played in the AHL All-Star Game and fared well.Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 27th overall.4. Dimitri Kalinin, D, Moncton: He moved to Moncton from Chelyabinsk to learn the North American game and after some bumps in the road early is starting to get into gear.Kalinin has developed into a smooth, smart defenseman who doesn't mind taking the body. He's projected as a strong two way defenseman who could become a No. 3 or 4 rearguard in the NHL. A rash of injuries, however, has hampered his development and he's likely looking at another year or junior and one or two in the minors.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 18th overall.5.Mika Noronen, G, Tappara: The Finnish stopper had a sluggish performance at the 1999 WJC, one year after guiding his nation to a gold medal.&ldquo;He's the sole reason why Finland won in 1998 and he has a proven track record in other top tournaments, so I'm not going to let one bad performance change my opinion of him,&rdquo; one scout said. &ldquo;He'll be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL.&rdquo;He's completing his army stint.Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 21st overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Maxim Afinogenov, RW, Mos. Dynamo (Rus.), 19,5-11, 176,38-8-13-21-24. '2. Martin Biron, G, Rochester (AHL), 21, 6-1, 154,25-11-2, 1.92.3.Cory Sarich, D, Rochester (AHL), 20, 6-3, 175, 57-3-22-25-64.4.Dimitri Kalinin, D, Moncton (QMJHL) 6-2, 198, 36-7-18-25-40.5.Mika Noronen, G, Tappara (Fin.), 19, 6-1, 191, 15-18-5,3.40.6.Alexei Tezikov, D, Rochester (AHL), 20, 6-1, 198, 24-3-3-6-37. A master of the hip check, he's a fine skater who makes good on-ice decisions. Needs experience. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 115th overall.7.Norm Milley, RW, Sudbury (OHL),19,5-11, 185, 64-49-63-112-39. Shows a good work ethic and decent defensive skills. Challenging for OHL scoring lead. Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 47th overall.8.Brian Campbell, D, Ottawa (OHL), 19, 11, 185, 57-11-71-82-27. Was terrific in WJC for Canada. Some think he lacks NHL size, but he's as big as Phil Housley. Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 156th overall.9.Henrik Tallinder, D, AIK (Swe.), 20,6-3, 194, 34-0-0-0-28. Was captain of Sweden's WJC team before injury. Not an offensive threat, but a huge one on blueline. Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 48th overall.10. Jaroslav Kristek, RW. Tri-City (WHL), 19, 6-3, 183, 64-34-46-80-49. Left-shooting winger has good skills around net. Has proven to be responsible defensively. Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 50th overall.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: Maxim AfinogenovStickhandler: Maxim AfinogenovShot: Norm MilleyBodychecker: Cory SarichHockey Sense: Norm Milley &#9632;

f0035-02

Is time ripe to deal prospects?

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04426/7241813-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="272" height="2479"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jean Giguere</figcaption></div>The first thing you need to know about the Calgary Flames' depth as an organization is that it will get deeper in the next fortnight.As part of the trade that sent Theo Fleury to the Colorado Avalanche, the Flames will get to select a top prospect off the Avalanche's reserve list. It will happen in the third or fourth week of March.&ldquo;I can't tell you who it is,&rdquo; said player personnel director Nick Polano, &ldquo;but I can tell you, we're going to get a pretty good player.&rdquo;In recent years, the Flames have been in a constant state of rebuilding. Many of the team's recent trades, moving Trevor Kidd, Gary Roberts, Joe Nieuwendyk, Steve Chiasson, were motivated largely by financial considerations.More than anything else, the organization's primary need is to develop a new box-office attraction to replace Fleury.Here are the top five prospects in order:1. Jean Giguere, G, Saint John: The original plan was to let Giguere, the team's goaltender of the future, spend the entire sea son with Saint John and then per-haps compete for a permanent NHL position next season. Injuries to Ken Wregget and Tyler Moss forced the Flames to rush Giguere and he acquitted himself reasonably well in 15 appearances (6-7-1, a 3.21 GAA, two shutouts).A groin injury knocked him out of the lineup. Once recovered, Giguere returned to Saint John and while his numbers are more than a goal-a-game higher than a year ago (when he was 16-10-3,2.46 GAA), the Flames weren't panicking.On the contrary, they thought that facing adversity down on the farm would ultimately make Giguere, the prototypical modem butterfly-style goaltender, stronger in the end.Acquired: Trade with Carolina, Aug. 25, 1997.2. Daniel Tkaczuk, C, Barrie: After a so-so year in junior in 1997-98, Tkaczuk did not make a strong training-camp impression on the Flames.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03535/7241806-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="576" height="835"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jean Giguere</figcaption></div>Indeed, there were some fears about his relatively slow development, most of which were eased by a return to form this season with the Colts. In junior, he's averaging well above one point per game, and is thought to be better defensively than offensively.Acquired: 1997 entry draft, sixth overall.3. Rico Fata, RW, London: Fata spent the first two months of the season with the Flames, but received limited ice time and contributed little offensively.Following a three-week stay with Canada's national junior team, Fata was reassigned to London to work on regaining his scoring touch. In the NHL, Fata, 18, struggled to make plays at full speed. Fata could potentially play another full year of junior next season. The primary strength of his game remains his blazing, breakaway speed.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, sixth overall.4. Blair Betts, C, Prince George: Betts' season has largely been spoiled by a knee injury sustained early in the year. The high regard with which teams hold Betts is evidenced by the fact he made Canada's national junior team, even after having missed most of the first half of the season because of the injury.He is a big, strong player, projected as a third-line, checking center in the Joel Otto-mode. Betts provides quiet leadership and also practices well and plays hard.Acquired: 1998 entry draft, 33rd overall.5.Dmitri Kokorev, D, Moscow Dynamo: Kokorev is among the least-known of the Flames' prospects, but he made a favorable impression playing for Russia in the WJC.Kokorev's primary asset is his size. At 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, he has a little bit of Vladimir Konstantinov qualities about him, with far more skills on defense than on offense.Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 51st overall.<h2>On the Horizon</h2>1. Jean Giguere, U, Saint John (AHL), 21.6-1, 185,9-10-3, 3.45.2.Daniel Tkaczuk, C, Barrie (OHL), 19, 6-1, 190, 54-39-59-98-58.3.Rico Fata, RW, London (OHL), 19, 511,205, 19-14-15-29-41.4.Blair Betts, C, Prince George (WHL), 19.6-1, 183,35-12-17-29-35.5.Dmitri Kokorev, D, Moscow Dynamo (Rus.), 20, 6-3, 198, 30-0-1-1-20.6.Wade Belak, D. Saint John (AHL), 22, 6-4, 213, 20-0-1-1-54. Came over in the Theo Fleury. Should be a solid No. 4 or 5 defenseman for a dozen years. Acquired: Trade with Colorado, Feb. 28, 1999.7.Toni Lydman, D, IFK Helsinki (Fin.), 21, 6-1, 183, 36-2-6-8-28. Can make good passes, but will never be considered offensive defenseman. Strong along boards. Acquired: 1996 entry draft, 89th overall.8.Chris Clark, RW, Saint John (AHL), 23, 6-0, 200, 54-6-21-27-99. Clarkson grad is first year pro, not afraid to play aggressive, annoying style. Acquired: 1994 entry draft, 77th overall.9.Sergei Varlamov, RW. Saint John (AHL), 20, 6-0, 195, 56-15-20-35-54. Last year's top junior player not scoring as expected. Flames need a playmaker. Acquired: Signed as free agent, Sept. 18, 1996.10. Evan Lindsay, G, Prince Albert (WHL), 19, 6-1, 195, 31-15-4, 2.91. Big reason why Prince Albert holds down first place in their division. Acquired: 1997 entry draft, 32nd overall.<h3>The Best</h3>Skater: Rico FataStickhandler: Daniel TkaczukShot: Sergei VarlamovBodychecker: Chris ClarkHockey Sense: Daniel Tkaczuk &#9632;

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March 26, 1999

NHL GAME SUMMARIES

Johnson sets NHL sights even higher after hitting 20 goals for first time

NHL TEAM-BY-TEAM REPORT ON YOUTH MOVEMENTS

Organization a prospect paradise