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.

May 7, 1999

The Hockey News May 7, 1999

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01972/7161893-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div>This season-by-season summary of Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s pro career highlights his major achievements. Statistics for each season include regular season followed by playoffs. His NHL record 215 points in 1985-86 bettered records he previously set in 1980-81 and 1981-82. Similarly, his record 163 assists in 1985-86 topped his earlier standards set in 1980-81, 1981-82,1982-83 and 1984-85. League-leading total ijgg&rsquo; NHL record<h2>The Great Career of &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;</h2>Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s regular season career totals tower past those of the No. 2 producers.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01956/7161886-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="4189" height="4813"></div> &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

Season-by-Season Look at Gretzky’s Magic

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0025-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0025-01/7163114-1-eng-US/thn0025-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boston&prime;s Byron Dafoe made 19 saves to shutout Carolina April 22.</figcaption></div> &#9632;

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NHL PLAYOFF SUMMARIES

<div class="byline">By David J Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0014-01/7162400-1-eng-US/thn0014-012.jpg" title="THN0014-01" width="171" height="169"></div>The Florida Panthers were hit by a number of breaks, tears and pulls. And losing Pavel Bure didn&rsquo;t help for a team long removed from its 1996 Stanley Cup drive.The Panthers were an inconsistent bunch that wasn&rsquo;t able to put together any hot stretches. The 15-point improvement over the disastrous 1997-98 season was overshadowed by the fact grit and smarts, once hallmarks of this franchise, were too often missing and it couldn&rsquo;t all be attributed to the large number of rookies in the lineup. Its leadership also seemed to be lacking.Overachievers Defenseman Dan Boyle was called up because of injuries in February and sparked the offense with well-timed forays.Right winger Mark Parrish was expected to score eventually, but not an NHL rookie-high 24 goals.Underachievers Center Viktor Kozlov was supposed to bloom into a star, but finished with just 16 goals.After signing a four-year, $10.5-mil-lion contract, defenseman Robert Svehla tied for the team low with a minus-13 and had only 37 points.Center Rob Niedermayer disappeared after the Jan. 17 Bure trade.Needs 1. Backup goalie. Kirk McLean is gone and there are no backups in the system. 2. Mobile, physical defenseman. The Panthers need somebody who can knock people down in front of the net. 3. Team chemistry. The togetherness that fueled them in the past is gone. There seems to be a divide between established Panthers, other veterans and younger players, especially Europeans.NOTEBOOK: Center Kirk Muller broke his 56-game goalless streak with two goals in the season closer, a 6-2 victory over Tampa Bay that gave the Panthers their first season sweep (5-0) over their cross-state rivals&hellip;President Bill Torrey told two different newspapers the last remnants of the 1996 Stanley Cup final team would be gone by the end of this summer. GM Bryan Murray said they didn&rsquo;t intend to clean house to that extent. There are eight players remaining on the roster from that team. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Inconsistent Panthers long way from 1996 Stanley Cup final team

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrloch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0008-02/7163665-1-eng-US/thn0008-022.jpg" title="THN0008-02" width="170" height="164"></div>Ottawa Senators&rsquo; coach Jacques, Martin maintained he would use both his goalies in the playoffs, but it didn&rsquo;t take him long to make the switch.Only 60 minutes after giving Ron Tugnutt the start in a 2-1 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Buffalo Sabres, Martin said he&rsquo;d use Damian Rhodes for the second game.While nobody was pointing the finger at Tugnutt for allowing two goals on 15 shots in the opener, Martin sent a clear message he wasn&rsquo;t going to sit back and let the series slip away.&ldquo;I thought when &lsquo;Tugger&rsquo; got the start in the first game that if we won, then he would go with him again,&rdquo; Rhodes said.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m really trying not to think about who is going to start.&ldquo;We were told before the playoffs not to even think about it and I&rsquo;ve really just tried to put it out of my mind. But I feel good and I&rsquo;m looking forward to the challenge. Every game is a challenge and 1 want to be in there.&rdquo;The Senators used the two-goalie system all year, but many believed Martin would go with one in the playoffs. That won&rsquo;t be the case unless Rhodes or Tugnutt gets hot and neither was sparkling down the stretch.&ldquo;I said I was going to use both goalies and that&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;re going to do. Both have played well,&rdquo; Martin said.Tugnutt, a team player in every sense of the word, was trying to take the news in stride.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t really matter to me (who is in net) as long as we win,&rdquo; said Tugnutt, who had the league&rsquo;s best goals-against average, 1.79, this sea-son. &ldquo;Of course, I want to play but we both want to play. If (Rhodes) is in there, I&rsquo;ll be in his comer supporting him all the way.&rdquo;Still, if either steps to the forefront they&rsquo;ll be handed the starting assignment the rest of the way.It was Rhodes who knocked off the New Jersey Devils in seven games last year and he hopes that experience helps him.&ldquo;Every game against New Jersey was a tight game and that should help me here,&rdquo; Rhodes said. &ldquo;You know in the playoffs, they&rsquo;re all going to be one or two-goal games and you&rsquo;ve got to make the saves.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Left winger Andreas Johansson, who scored 21 goals during the regular season, was a healthy scratch for the first game of the playoffs against the Sabres. The Senators hade six extra bodies which meant he was forced to sit with forwards Ted Donato, Steve Martins and Phil Crowe along with defensemen Chris Phillips and Patrick Traverse. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t sit here and complain about it,&rdquo; said Johansson, who struggled with injuries in the second half. &ldquo;1 still have a role on this team and it&rsquo;s important for me to stay in shape. I have to be prepared when I get the call."&hellip;In an attempt to get the club focused for the playoffs, the Senators went to a resort an hour outside Ottawa for a couple of days of training and working on mental skills. &ldquo;It was good opportunity for us to focus and get the team together,&rdquo; said coach Jacques Martin. &#9632;

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Game of musical goalies begins after just one game

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0004-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011712/7161427-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg"></div>NEW YORK-Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s final day as a player in the NHL was like virtually every day of his glorious career-a joy to behold&ndash;and yet it was like no other.The New York Rangers haven&rsquo;t been able to beg, borrow or steal an invitation to the NHL&rsquo;s playoff party for each of the past two seasons, but they did a masterful job of making sure &lsquo;The Great One* received a send-off that was every bit as special as the player himself.Jaromir Jagr&rsquo;s overtime goal, giving the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 victory over the Rangers April 18, was the only blemish on a special day to celebrate the greatness that has been Gretzky. And it was a celebration, though one tinged with sadness.&ldquo;I wish I could have been (Michael) Jordan hitting that last shot to win the championship,&rdquo; Gretzky said, &ldquo;but that wasn&rsquo;t going to happen.&rdquo;No, at age 38, Gretzky is clearly past his prime. And yet when the prospect of retirement reared its head during the final week of the NHL regular season, it caught most everyone by surprise. The NHL without Wayne Gretzky? Perish the thought.But by the time Gretzky all but confirmed his retirement April 15 in Ottawa and then, a day later in New York, formally announced it, the notion became reality and it wasn&rsquo;t difficult to treat it the way Gretzky wanted it-as a celebration.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time,&rdquo; were Gretzky&rsquo;s first two words at his final post-game news conference.&ldquo;Not only am I ready to retire,&rdquo; he added later, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m physically ready to retire. It&rsquo;s hard. This is a great game, but it&rsquo;s a hard game. I&rsquo;m ready.&rdquo;If there was an overriding quality to Gretzky&rsquo;s last day as a player, it was warmth. Gretzky awoke to a beautiful spring New York day, the sun shining brilliantly.&ldquo;One of the first things I did when I woke up was to look out the window and see what the weather was like,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like your wedding day. You want the sun to be shining.&rdquo;Gretzky spent the better part of the morning organizing tickets and fielding phone calls at his Manhattan condo. One was from Mario Lemieux, who told Gretzky he wouldn&rsquo;t be able to attend the final game. Another was from Michael Jordan.&ldquo;(Jordan) told me that I&rsquo;m going to love retirement if my decision is as accurate as I believe it is,&rdquo; Gretzky said.Gretzky&rsquo;s final trip to the rink was not unlike his very first-with his father Walter at his side.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the same as any kid, probably the same as you guys with your fathers,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no relationship like father-son. My dad is a blue-collar man who worked eight to five every day, who never missed a day of work, who never made over $35,(XX) a year.&ldquo;But everything he made he put into his kids and his family. He almost died at one point and battled through it. And he&rsquo;s a good person and, you know, for people who know my dad, he&rsquo;ll do anything for anyone.&rdquo;Gretzky arrived at Madison Square Garden just after a 11:30 a.m. with his father and family friend Charlie Henry. He did a couple of interviews, signed a few sweaters. After that, it was a somewhat normal pre-game preparation, though Gretzky spent much of it taping the 45 sticks he would use that afternoon. Three sweaters, one for each period, hung in his stall.Gretzky was honored in a relatively short, but sweet pre-game, on-ice ceremony that included his family (including his mom Phyllis), NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Lemieux (who &ldquo;lied&rdquo; to Gretzky about not being able to attend), Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; president-GM Glen Sather and former teammate Mark Messier, as well as Ranger captain Brian Leetch and alternates Adam Graves and Jeff Beukeboom. Former teammates Paul Coffey, Glenn Anderson and Ulf Samuelsson looked on from the stands.Bettman presented Gretzky, the holder of 61 NHL records, with more than 30 original scoresheets from games where he set many of those records and announced No. 99 would be retired by every team in the NHL.&ldquo;That was pretty special and words can&rsquo;t describe it,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;When this gentleman (Muzz MacPherson) in 1977 told me to wear the sweater, I didn&rsquo;t expect one day that they wouldn&rsquo;t let anybody else wear it again. It&rsquo;s a great honor.&rdquo;Gretzky&rsquo;s father was driven onto the ice by Rangers&rsquo; president Dave Checketts in a new Mercedes, which was presented to Gretzky by the team. The Ranger captains presented Gretzky with a 73-inch TV.Pop star Bryan Adams, a Canadian and longtime friend of Gretzky&rsquo;s, sang the Canadian national anthem and rewrote the closing words to include, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll miss you Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;&ldquo;The new words at the end, wow,&rdquo; Gretzky said later. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known Brian for 20 years. I thought today was a day that maybe we needed to play the Canadian national anthem&hellip;! don&rsquo;t think those words are going to stick, but it was flattering.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;This is not a passing on; this is a moving on&rsquo;</blockquote>The game, almost an after-thought on this day, finally got under way.During the first TV timeout, a taped message of congratulations from Gordie Howe was played on the scoreboard. Howe couldn&rsquo;t be there because he was at a book-signing.No. 99 had been painted onto the ice behind each goal, appropriate because Gretzky did his best work from what was termed his &ldquo;office.&rdquo;During the game, Gretzky showed he&rsquo;s still a deft passer with a keen mind for the game. He repeatedly set up teammates for scoring opportunities-most of them from behind the net-but it wasn&rsquo;t until Brian Leetch scored a power play goal at 19:30 of the second period, assisted by Gretzky, that someone was able to convert and tie the game at 1-1.During the second intermission, Gretzky addressed his teammates and presented each one of them with an autographed stick with No. 99 branded into the blade.Gretzky and the Rangers, especially Leetch and netminder Mike Richter, tried to write the storybook ending to No. 99&rsquo;s last game, but it wasn&rsquo;t to be.Ranger coach John Muckier called a timeout late in regulation time. That&rsquo;s when reality set in for Gretzky and the emotion got the better of him.&ldquo;I came over and he said, &lsquo;I just had a grandson today and you&rsquo;ve got to get the winner,&rsquo; &ldquo;said Gretzky of what transpired during the timeout. &ldquo;Maybe when I was younger, I might have got that winner for (Muckier). I didn&rsquo;t get it for him today and I know it&rsquo;s the right time (to retire).&ldquo;That&rsquo;s when I got kind of emotional and that&rsquo;s when it really me hit me that I was done. I looked up and I said, &lsquo;My goodness, I&rsquo;ve got 30 seconds to go.&rsquo; That&rsquo;s when it hit me.&rdquo;The end came quickly, at 1:22 of overtime, when Jagr beat Richter.The post-game ceremony was magical. There were no speeches, no presentations. The Penguins stayed on the ice and individually congratulated Gretzky, as did his own teammates.Gretzky and the Rangers posed for a team photo, as if they&rsquo;d won the Stanley Cup and then it was just &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; saying goodbye, skating lap after lap to music, taking the odd break in the dressing room, getting a hug from a family member or friend and returning for an encore circuit.Throughout it all, Gretzky waved and smiled, though when former Ranger Ulf Samuelsson came on the ice and hugged him, the tears flowed.He occasionally stopped when he recognized someone. He was soaking it up; so was the audience, at the Garden and no doubt watching at home on TV. (The game set a regular season hockey ratings record for Hockey Night in Canada, attracting 2,161,000 viewers. Another 2.1 million watched the game in the United States on Fox.)<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011865/7161420-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="2428" height="1480"><figcaption class="caption-body">A teary-eyed Wayne Gretzky is joined by New York teammates, coach John Muckier and sons, Trevor and Ty, for one last photo after the final game of No. 99&rsquo;s career April 18 at Madison Square Garden. (Photo By BruceBenet/BS)</figcaption></div>After leaving the ice and fulfilling TV commitments, Gretzky took off his skates for the last time. It wasn&rsquo;t as devastating an act as he thought it would be. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t too bad,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In the middle of unlacing my skates, (professional golfer) Mark O&rsquo;Meara came in and said, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve got a brand new pair of spikes for you.&rsquo; That kind of took the edge off it.&rdquo;He then, in full equipment (minus the skates), went to his final postgame news conference. &ldquo;Probably subconsciously, I don&rsquo;t want to take (the sweater) off,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to put it on ever again.&rdquo;Throughout it all, Gretzky tried to keep things in perspective. &ldquo;This is not a passing on; this is a moving on,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to kill me not to play. But time does something to you and it&rsquo;s time.&rdquo;Gretzky held up remarkably well through the emotional moments. He said he had a good cry before the Fri day news conference to confirm his retirement.At his final practice on Saturday at Rye, N.Y., he was like a kid at a birthday party. At one point, with a mischievous grin, he yelled up to a crowd that included his agent Mike Barnett and said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve changed my mind.&rdquo;Later, in the dressing room, his teammates presented him with a leather chair shaped like a baseball glove, the same chair Gretzky raved about after a visit to Yankee owner George Steinbrenner&rsquo;s office.And the team&rsquo;s training staff, with the help of Major League Baseball vice-president Paul Beeston, gave Gretzky a lifelong pass for two for any MLB game.Gretzky said the Hockey Hall of Fame will be getting whatever they want from his final game. Among his many well-wishers was a call from Prime Minister Jean Chretien.The last official function of Gretzky&rsquo;s last day as a player was a party/reception at the top of the World Trade Center, where a pleased but tired Gretzky said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m running on fumes now. It has been a long, emotional day.&rdquo;In his first day of civilian life, Gretzky planned on attending a team bowling outing that would signal the final breakup of the 1998-99 Rangers, Gretzky&rsquo;s last team.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a special place to be a hockey player, in this facility, in this town,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough town to play because there&rsquo;s a tremendous amount of pressure, but the fans here just want a hard effort. I&rsquo;ve loved playing here.&rdquo;Though his career is technically over, there&rsquo;ll be many more occasions to celebrate the career of Wayne Douglas Gretzky. The Hall of Fame has already begun the process of fast-tracking his induction, Canada Post, at the behest of the House of Commons, will issue a stamp in his honor and the city of Edmonton is talking about renaming a street and a having special ceremony to open next season.Who knows what else will come the way of a 38-year-old who is arguably the most famous Canadian ever, the greatest player to have ever played the game. Whatever it is, though, it will be richly deserved. &#9632;

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One Last Dance

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011758/7161496-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">THE KING &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; passed Gordie Howe March 23, 1994, with the 802nd goal of his illustrious career (Photo by Bruce Bennett BBS)</figcaption></div>For anyone who saw him play only his final season, the knowledge Wayne Gretzky was the most prolific goal-scorer in NHL history must have required a certain leap of faith.After all, Gretzky&rsquo;s playmaking skills were never in doubt, right up until the not-so-bitter end. His no-look, feathery soft passes&ndash;the ones that magically eluded the defender and made a soft-landing on a teammate&rsquo;s stick-kept turning up on the highlight reels, all season long.Towards the end, however, the goals came more slowly. His ninth goal of the year and final goal of his 20th NHL season (against New York Islanders&rsquo; goaltender Wade Flaherty) enabled him to establish the last important milestone of his distinguished career: most goals ever in pro hockey. (L072).It wasn&rsquo;t always that way.In 1981-82, Gretzky established the NHL single-season record by scoring 92 goals in an 80-game season. That year, Gretzky scored five times in the 39th game, enabling, him to reach 50 goals for the third time in his first three NHL seasons. Two years later, Gretzky added what will surely be another unassailable mark, by scoring 87 regular season goals and adding 13 more in the playoffs as the Edmonton Oilers romped to their first Stanley Cup. It is the one-and-only time an NHL player has scored 100 goals in a single season.Goaltender Kelly Hrudey was Gretzky&rsquo;s Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; teammate for much of the 1990s, but played against &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; in his prime. According to Hrudey, Gretzky&rsquo;s goal-scoring ability began with an unorthodox shot, which was difficult to read because of his hand position on the stick.&ldquo;Even after facing him all those times in practice it was still an odd shot to face,&rdquo; Hrudey said. &ldquo;It was as though he had his bottom wrist behind where everybody else&rsquo;s is at the same point (on the shaft of the stick). That turned the face of the blade so open that you couldn&rsquo;t always pick up the trajectory of the puck.&rdquo;In many respects, Gretzky shot pucks the way Greg Maddux throws baseballs. Technically, Gretzky relied on pinpoint accuracy and a variety of speeds to make his shot unpredictable. When necessary, Gretzky could also throw heat&ndash;and because goaltenders would only occasionally get a glimpse, of his high, hard one, the element of surprise! made it all the more difficult to handle.Of the 1,072 goals he scored, Gretzky singled out the overtime winner against the Calgary Flames&rsquo; Mike Vernon in the 1988 playoffs as his all-time favorite. On the play, Gretzky skated over the Flames&rsquo; blueline and, from the top of the faceoff circle, launched a bullet that went in and out of the net so fast it took a split second to register the game was over.<blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;You don&rsquo;t get 92 tan-ins in a year&rsquo;</blockquote>&ldquo;He could catch it in the curve and letter go,&rdquo; Vemon acknowledged.Added defenseman Steve Smith, who set up the aforementioned goal: &ldquo;His shot was underrated. It wasn&rsquo;t Mike Bossy-like, but it was better than people thought and he certainly had the ability to put it where he wanted to.&rdquo;Apart from his tricky shot, Gretzky also had a way of paralyzing a defenseman with his uncanny ability to skate to open ice. Defenseman Rob Ramage once said there were two ways to play against Gretzky-go right after him or hover back. Because Gretzky was so sneaky with the puck, defensemen, afraid to get embarrassed, frequently chose the second alternative. That, in turn, gaveGretzky the necessary room to juke and maneuver into an opening and unload his shot at the net. Just about everybody who played with or against Gretzky will tell you &lsquo;there wasn&rsquo;t a single element in his j game that turned him into a great goal-scorer. It was the fact he was a complete, intimidating package. To use I another parallel, Gretzky was like I an effective foot-ball quarterback; he always took what you were prepared to give him. It&rsquo;s why defending against him turned into such an exasperating exercise.&ldquo;You always had it in the back of your mind that he was aware of where every-I body else was I on the ice,&rdquo; Hrudey said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say you were cheating to play somebody else, but you always thought, &lsquo;given the opportunity, he would rather pass than shoot.&rsquo; That actually opened up goal-scoring opportunities for him because now, you were actually looking for somebody else. With as accurate a shot as he had, he was able to make the shot go in.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011663/7161489-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="1306" height="1206"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gretzky celebrates the 894th and last regular season goal of his career March 29, 1999 against the New York Islanders.</figcaption></div>Even knowing him inside and out, Gretzky could still catch you unaware, as Hrudey once discovered.&ldquo;It was his first year with the Rangers (1996-97) and my first year with the (San Jose) Sharks,&rdquo;. Hrudey said. &ldquo;I had played with him for almost eight years, so I knew his tendencies.&ldquo;They were on the power play and I was playing those tendencies &lsquo;and the next thing I knew, he ripped a shot right over my shoulder. The funny thing was, he kinda looked at me after as if to say, &lsquo;Kelly, you know better than that.&rsquo; &ldquo;Smith saw many of the same things from his perspective, first as a teammate in Edmonton, then as an opponent as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks and Flames.&ldquo;Part of his goal-scoring ability came from the fact he was such a great passer,&rdquo; Smith said. &ldquo;Virtually, every team figured that, on a nightly basis, if you took away his passes, then you&rsquo;ll contain him to a certain degree. Because he had such a great read on the game, he could feel it on the ice when there was no pressure on him. Then he had the ability to get to an open spot and get the shot off himself.&rdquo;Over time, Gretzky scored fewer goals, in part because he didn&rsquo;t shoot the puck as often. From the 1982-83 season through the 1985-86 season, Gretzky averaged about 350 shots per season. By 1990-91, his shot total dropped into the low 200s and except for one year-1996-97, when he uncharacteristically fired 286 shots-his shot totals were down about 125 in the second decade of his career compared to the first.This past season, Gretzky&rsquo;s nine goals came on a career-low 118 shots.&ldquo;He used to shoot more than he does now,&rdquo; said Colorado Avalanche right winger Theo Fleury. &ldquo;But anybody who scores 92 goals has got to have a great shot. You don&rsquo;t get 92 tap-ins in a year.&rdquo;No matter how great you are.<h2>The goals kept on coming</h2>As hard as it may be to fathom, Wayne Gretzky actually scored more goals before turning pro (1,236) than he did after jumping to the World Hockey Association (1,072). Listed below are &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;s&rsquo; goal totals from his first season as a novice in Brantford until his retirement this season with the New York Rangers. And just how daunting are Gretzky&rsquo;s NHL numbers? To surpass his NHL record 894 goals during the regular season, a new NHL player would have to average 45 goals per season over a year career.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021341/7161482-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1707" height="990"></div> &#9632;

f0008-01

Pro goal king a sure shot

<div class="byline">By Jay Greenberg</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0011-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011557/7161541-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">PASSING FANCY Wayne Gretzky sets up in his office-denoted by the number &lsquo;99&rsquo; inscribed into the ice-during his final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div>To avoid opponent&rsquo;s sticks, the pucks Wayne Gretzky passed didn&rsquo;t just have eyes, but noses. Also, mouths and happy faces. They lifted over rival sticks without a care in the world, whistled tunes through legs. Upon arrival, they not only wished their recipients a nice day, but practically guaranteed it.Passes were promised safer passage than B.J. MacDonald and Danny Lucas through waivers after it became clear they could score 40 goals with Gretzky and maybe five in a good year with anybody else.Homing pigeons had no better instincts than Gretzky setups. Electromagnets failed more often. Whatever lift was required, a Gretzky-delivered puck would approach the stick laying flatter than i one of Bobby Orr&rsquo;s early haircuts. Time after time i after time, it was a one-timer on a tray.&lsquo;&ldquo;Ever try to catch a feather?&rdquo; Dennis Sobchuk, an old World Hockey Association teammate of Gretzky once asked.The rubber was vulcanized, the penalty-killing box mesmerized, watching a puck swing back and forth like a watch in a hypnotist&rsquo;s hands. Gretzky could tell the thing to sit, roll over, play dead, or fetch &lsquo;Mess.&rsquo; The results were never as mixed as our metaphors, either. Wingers, defensemen had the choice of setting up a futile roadblock in the lanes of defeat or getting up on Gretzky and going instantly to their doom. Hemlock or guillotine, no selection was a good one.&ldquo;Instead of rushing him behind the net,&rdquo; said Bobby Clarke, &ldquo;the prudent thing was probably to rush somebody else. As soon as you left your position, that&rsquo;s where the puck would go. Somebody else would be standing where you used to be, holding the puck. Nobody could figure out how to stop Gretzky.&rdquo;The Great Irony is that what he did seemed even more predictable than an Edmonton salary dump. Gretzky liked to carry down the right side, turn up one stride inside the blueline and hold. Teammates, opponents, the entire arena, national television audiences in two countries, knew the puck was going along the blueline to Paul Coffey, Steve Duchesne, whatever defenseman was playing the opposite side coming in behind the play. But the pass arrived regardless.&ldquo;Like Mario Lemieux, Gretzky had the entire other team on its knees anticipating what he could do before he did it,&rdquo; said Harry Sinden. &ldquo;His greatest strength was that he could convince the other team of what he had no intention of doing whatsoever.&rdquo;Or, more to the point, what it was scared to death he might do. &ldquo;A player like that just puts so much fear in the opposition when it is isolated 1-on-l against him,&rdquo; Clarke said. &ldquo;Get beat once, the next time guys won&rsquo;t move up.&rdquo;Chased behind the net as a kid by persons outweighing him by 50 pounds, Gretzky made more historic use of working space than has ever been performed in any office, including The Oval. Secretaries held all calls while he looked off, waited, let the rumor of what he had done the preceding game spread, watched the chaos ensue.&ldquo;Everybody has a moment of panic where the goalie goes down, the shot blocker commits,&rdquo; Ken Dryden once said. &ldquo;That moment passes and Gretzky still hasn&rsquo;t committed. The whole rhythm of the game is upset because the defense has such respect for what might come next.&rdquo;It was a goal, usually, sometimes scored by Gretzky himself. He never stopped to admire his handiwork, instead going to where the puck was likely to go if the guy to whom he passed failed.&ldquo;He was obviously a great, great, goal-scorer,&rdquo; Sinden said. &ldquo;He had the foresight after making the pass of getting in position to cash in on the miss. His shot was not his forte, but he knew how to score goals. And guys he scored with got 40 in a season and then never played again. He did it with ragdolls on both wings.&rdquo;<blockquote class="pullQuote"> &lsquo;He makes us look like bums&rsquo;</blockquote>Gretzky came along at the right time for the game and his own well-being. If he had ever played in Salem they would have hung him as witch. He connected all dots, attached all strings, turned broken plays to broken hearts. &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; had contingencies for contingencies, a pentium processor to go with the 156K memory.&ldquo;Gretzky played hockey like Jordan played basketball,&rdquo; Sinden said.The puck always hit the tape. We have it all on tape, every delicious one of his 1,963 assists, a mere 894 more than anyone who ever played, 113 more than anyone else had points. Gretzky averaged 1.32 assists per game. The only other player in history to average more than one per contest was Lemieux with 1.18.Three times, Gretzky had seven assists in one game. Thirteen times, he had five. Only once did he have six, but hey, even he could have a few bad days. If you add playoff and regular season totals together, the top nine assist seasons in history all belong to Gretzky.In his final season, playing with Mike Knuble, Gretzky still finished sixth in the league in assists, proving to the end he could get them even without much assistance.Behind the net was a place more uncharted than North America before Columbus. He got so good there now there is going to be a team in Columbus. He made six inches of room open wider than &lsquo;Tiger&rsquo; Williams&rsquo; mouth. Bodies stacked up in front? A Gretzky pass could untangle Don King&rsquo;s hair.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011569/7161534-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1598" height="914"><figcaption class="caption-body">Gretzky possessed the uncanny ability to continuously outthink his opponents. (Photo By Rocky Widner)</figcaption></div>He didn&rsquo;t have the body to protect the puck, like Lemieux, the flat out speed to own it like Orr, but Gretzky&rsquo;s mystique served him better than a moat. And if he made what he did look like child&rsquo;s play, it was because he understood at a level 50 per cent better than anybody before him how to make the puck do the work.Simply, Gretzky made it simple and turned everybody else into simpletons. &ldquo;He makes us all look like bums,&rdquo; Marcel Dionne, No. 3 on the all-time points list, once said.&ldquo;What he saw on the ice was what none of us could imagine,&rdquo; Sinden said. &ldquo;Even watching him from the stands, where you could see everything, he fooled me, making passes to players I didn&rsquo;t realize were open.&rdquo;The greatest player who ever lived envisioned everything, the only exception being another Gretzky. Not even he could conjure another one of those. If somebody breaks his records it will because the human race got bigger, stronger and the NHL more mediocre, not because anybody did what he did. We will never see anything like this again, not even close.<h2>Simply dial 99 for assist-ance</h2>Wayne Gretzky finished his career with an astounding 1.32 assists per game average and 1,963 assists overall, 113 more than anyone else has points. He also led the league in assists or was tied for first a record 16 times. If you eliminate his goal totals, Gretzky still would have led the NHL in scoring four times. Listed below for Gretzky&rsquo;s seasons are: the assist leader or runner-up if Gretzky won; Gretzky&rsquo;s assist total; Gretzky&rsquo;s position among assist leaders (league rank); and where Gretzky would rank among points leaders if his goals were not counted (no goal rank).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021099/7161527-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="878" height="1075"></div> &#9632;

f0011-01

Tale of the tape-to-tape

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0015-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011539/7161579-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Games between the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers were always special after the most celebrated trade in NHL history August 9,1988.</figcaption></div><h2>GRETZKY&rsquo;S RECORD BOOK REGULAR SEASON</h2><h3>Career</h3>1. Goals 894 &lsquo;2. Assists 1,9623. Points 2,8564. Goals by center 8945. Points by center 2,8566. Assists by center 1,9627. Assists per game 1.32 (300 assists)8. Three-goal games 509. Overtime assists 1510. 40-or-more goal seasons 1211. 50-or-more goal seasons 912. 60-or-more goal seasons 513. 100-or-more point seasons 1514. Consecutive 40-goal seasons 1215. Consecutive 60-goal seasons16. Consecutive 100-point seasons &hellip; .13<h3>Single Season</h3>17. Goals 9218. Assists 16319. Points 21520. Goals by center 9221. Assists by center 16322. Points by center 21523. Three-goal games 1024. Goals per game 1.1825. Assists per game 2.0426. Points per game 2.7727. Most goals in first 50 games 6128. Fastest 50 goals 39 games29. Point-scoring streak 51 games30. Point-scoring streak31. (from start of season) 51 gamesAssist streak 23 games<h3>Single Game</h3>32. Assists* 733. Assists, road game* 734. Assists by first-year player 735. Goals, one period* 4<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Career</h3>36. Points 38237. Goals 12238. Assists 26039. Game-winning goals 2440. Three-goal games 1041. Points in Stanley Cup final series &hellip; .1342. Assists in final series 1043. Assists in one series* (other than final) 14<h3>Single Season</h3>44. Points 4745. Assists 31<h3>Single Game</h3>46. Shorthanded goals 247. Assists 6<h3>Single Period</h3>48. Assists* 349. Points 4<h2>REGULAR SEASON & PLAYOFFS</h2><h3>Career</h3>50. Goals, including playoffs 1,01651. Assists, including playoffs 2,22252. Points, including playoffs 3,238<h3>Single Season</h3>53. Goals, including playoffs 10054. Assists, including playoffs 17455. Points, including playoffs 255<h2>ALL-STAR GAMES</h2><h3>Career</h3>56. Goals 1357. Assists 1258. Points 25<h3>Single Game</h3>59. Goals, one game 4<h3>Single Period</h3>60. Goals 461. Points 4<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011459/7161572-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="3377" height="1873"><figcaption class="caption-body">THE FINAL FRONTIER Wayne Gretzky&prime;s sense of history at career&prime;s end was typically flawless. The last goal was No. 1,072 of his combined NHL-WHA career, one more than Gordie Howe&prime;s previous professional record. (Photo by Bruce Benet/BS)</figcaption></div> &#9632;

f0015-01

The NHL Records

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0018-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011342/7161617-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Bruce Benet/BS)</figcaption></div>Reprinted from The Hockey News Jan. 23, 1998. &lsquo;TORONTO-Wayne Gretzky has triumphed in the closest race of his career to earn the ultimate designation: No. 1 NHL player of all-time.Gretzky, who has won 10 NHL scoring titles, never by fewer than 10 points and once by 79, narrowly out-polled Boston Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Bobby Orr and Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; right winger Gordie Howe in voting by The Hockey News Top 50 Selection Committee.No. 99, a hockey icon, has fashioned an unparalleled career with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues and his current club, the New York Rangers.Fifty voters chosen by The Hockey News to determine the top 50 players in NHL history acknowledged that circumstance by making Gretzky the No. 1 choice. He collected 2,726 voting points, 13 more than runner-up Orr (2,713) and 45 more than Howe (2,681). Both Gretzky and Orr had 18 first-place votes. Gretzky earned No. 1 status on the strength of secondary support. He had 50 per cent more second-place votes than Orr (18-12), the point equivalent of two first-place votes. Howe received 11 first-place votes and 14 seconds. Fewer than two per cent in voting points separated all three.The results speak eloquently about the respect accorded the three players. Gretzky, the smartest player in the history of the game, Orr, the most dynamic three-zone player, and Howe, the ultimate symbol of enduring excellence, represent the holy trinity of hockey greats.Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center Mario Lemieux was a close fourth (2,308), joining the trio as separate and distinct from the pack. Lemieux reached single season statistical heights exceeded only by Gretzky.Montreal Canadiens&rsquo; legendary right winger Maurice &lsquo;Rocket&rsquo; Richard collected 2,142 points to complete the top five players of all-time.The Top 50 project was undertaken &lsquo;to mark The Hockey News&rsquo; 50th 1 anniversary. Voting was conducted, prior to the 1997 NHL playoffs. The selection committee was comprised of ex-NHL players, plus current and r past coaches, GMs, league execuitives, journalists and hockey historians. All eras and aspects of NHL: history were represented. Voters were! asked to slot players, regardless of; position or era, from No. 1 through: No. 50.: There is wonderful symmetry to the final list. Longtime partners Gretzky and Jari Kurri bookend the top 50 with Gretzky at No. 1 and the Finnish right winger No. 50.<h2>Nine MVPs unmatched in pro sport</h2>Writer Jack Falla best sums up the length and breadth of Gretzky&rsquo;s 19-year NHL career. &ldquo;If Gretzky were a mountain range,&rdquo; Falla wrote in a story about the No. 1 player of alltime, &ldquo;he would not only be as high as the Himalayas, he would be as long as the Rockies.&rdquo;Orr was a gracious second-place finisher and said, out of respect for Howe, &ldquo;If I can&rsquo;t be No. 1, can you make me No. 3?&rdquo; Orr is the only defenseman ever to win a scoring championship-he did it twice&ndash;and revolutionized the game. Defensemen were freed from the shackles of the blueline after his emergence in 1966. Orr recorded six straight 100-point seasons, a mark shared by five others and exceeded only by Gretzky (13).Howe, whose career spanned an amazing five decades, earned the nickname &lsquo;Mr. Hockey&rsquo; and berths on a record 21 all-star teams. The THN vote firmly establishes him as the league&rsquo;s best player from the pre-expansion era. He won six scoring championships and six MVP awards, totals eclipsed only by Gretzky, who completed a quadruple jump past Howe this season with the 1,851st assist of his career, one more than Howe had total points. Gretzky previously passed Howe in career goals, assists and points.The closeness of the vote brings into sharp focus a long simmering Gretzky-Orr debate. With the utmost respect for Orr, step back for a moment from the entirety of Gretzky&rsquo;s career and compare the two legends over a similar time frame. Orr played nine full seasons with the Bruins before knee problems did what no team could-stop him in his tracks. Gretzky played precisely the same number of seasons with the Oilers before the trade of the century sent him to Los Angeles.Compare their achievements over the same period, a level playing field because those seasons covered ages 18 to 27 for both, and the similarities are striking. Each defied the laws of statistical gravity. Gretzky won 17 major individual awards, Orr, 15; both were on nine all-star teams; and both won two Conn Smythe Trophies. Gretzky won two more Stanley Cups (4-2), but the greatest difference is in MVP honors. Gretzky won eight and On-earned three. Gretzky added a ninth in his 10th season to complete the most dominating individual run in North American major pro sports history.Howe won six Hart Trophies as the NHL&rsquo;s most valuable player and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar did the same in the National Basketball Association. Nobody but Gretzky has won his sport&rsquo;s top award nine times. It stands as a monument to Gretzky&rsquo;s career and a reminder to those who have witnessed a natural decline in productivity that, no matter how overwhelming today&rsquo;s career numbers are, the single season numbers from the first half of Gretzky&rsquo;s career surpass them.Among them are most goals (92), assists (163) and points (215) in a season. Those and a host of others will be chased-but likely never caught-for generations to come. &ldquo;These records aren&rsquo;t going to be broken,&rdquo; said Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; GM-president Glen Sather. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re just too awesome.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011244/7161610-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="1632" height="1383"><figcaption class="caption-body">RUNNER-UP Bobby Orr was narrowly eclipsed by Wayne Gretzky in voting for THN&rsquo;s top NHLer of all-time. (Photo by frank Prazak/HHOF)</figcaption></div><h2>THN&rsquo;S TOP 50</h2>Players are listed with team with which they achieved the most prominence1. Wayne Gretzky cEDMONTON OILERS2. Bobby OrroBOSTON BRUINS3. Gordie Howe rwDETROIT RED WINGS4. Mario Lemieux cPITTSBURGH PENGUINS5. Maurice Richard rwMONTREAL CANADIENS6. Doug Harvey dMONTREAL CANADIENS7. Jean Beliveau cMONTREAL CANADIENS8. Bobby Hull lwCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS9. Terry Sawchuk gDETROIT RED WINGS10. Eddie Shore dBOSTON BRUINS11. Guy Lafleur rwMONTREAL CANADIENS12. Mark Messier cEDMONTON OILERS13. Jacques Plante gMONTREAL CANADIENS14. Ray Bourque dBOSTON BRUINS15. Howie Morenz cMONTREAL CANADIENS16. Glenn Hall gCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS17. Stan Miktta cCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS18. Phil Esposito cBOSTON BRUINS19. Denis Potvin dNEW YORK ISLANDERS20. Mike Bossy rwNEW YORK ISLANDERS21. Ted Lindsay lwDETROIT RED WINGS22. Red Kelly dDETROIT RED WINGS23. Bobby Clarke cPHILADELPHIA FLYERS24. Larry Robinson dMONTREAL CANADIENS25. Ken Dryden gMONTREAL CANADIENS26. Frank Mahovlich lwTORONTO MAPLE LEAFS27. Milt Schmidt cBoston Bruins28. Paul Coffey dEDMONTON OILERS29. Henri Richard cMONTREAL CANADIENS30. Bryan Trottier cNEW YORK ISLANDERS31. Dickie Moore lwMONTREAL CANADIENS32. Newsy Lalonde cMONTREAL CANADIENS33. Syl Aprs cTORONTO MAPLE LEAFS34. Bill Durnan gMONTREAL CANADIENS35. Patrick Roy gMONTREAL CANADIENS36. Charlie Conacher rwTORONTO MAPLE LEAFS37. Jaromir Jagr rwPITTSBURGH PENGUINS38. Marcel Dionne cLOS ANGELES KINGS39. Joe Malone cMONTREAL CANADIENS40. Chris Cheuos dCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS41. Dit Clapper dBOSTON BRUINS42. Bernie Geoffrion rwMONTREAL CANADIENS43. Tim Horton dTORONTO MAPLE LEAFS44. Bill Cook rwNEW YORK RANGERS45. Johnny Bucyk lwBOSTON BRUINS46. George HainsworthMONTREAL CANADIENS47. Gilbert Perreault cBUFFALO SABRES48. Max Bentley cCHICAGO BLACKHAWKS49. Brad Park dNEW YORK RANGERS50. Jari Kurri rwEDMONTON OILERS &#9632;

f0018-01

No.99 best of all-time

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011132/7161648-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Kings&rsquo; drawing power, home and away, soared after they acquired Wayne Gretzky. (Photo By BruceBenet/BS)</figcaption></div>If Wayne Gretzky said it once during his final week as an NHL player, he said it 99,999 times-he owes everything he has today to hockey and the NHL.No argument there. But on the flip side, how much does the NHL owe to the career of Wayne Gretzky?&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t quantify it,&rdquo; said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. &ldquo;It was an essential ingredient. I don&rsquo;t think this league could be where it is today without him, his influence, his visibility, the way he conducted himself, the magic he performed on the ice. Irreplaceable.&rdquo;Maybe Gretzky summed it up best when he said: I&rsquo;ve made an awful lot of money over the years, but I&rsquo;ve also made an awful lot of money for a lot of other people, too.&rdquo;When he broke into the NHL and took a plethora of league records to new heights while transforming the Edmonton Oilers into a dynasty, he put a face to a sport that was barely on the radar screen south of the Canada-United States border.The NHL remains No. 4 in a four-sport race in the U.S., but the gap has closed considerably since Gretzky&rsquo;s arrival in 1979. No. 99 isn&rsquo;t the sole reason hockey has experienced growth the past two decades&ndash;the marketing work since Bettman became commissioner in 1993 has been significant-but Gretzky has been a key factor.His impact was felt immediately when he was traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles Aug. 9, 1988. In the season prior to his arrival in L.A., the Kings were the league&rsquo;s worst-drawing team on the road, playing to 77 per cent of capacity in opposition buildings. In his first season with the Kings, Los Angeles vaulted to No. 1 in road attendance, playing to 98 per cent capacity.Gretzky also had staying power. The Kings repeated as the top drawing road team in 1989-90 and 1990-91. It&rsquo;s no coincidence the Gretzky-led Oilers were the top drawing road team from 1980 through 1988.In the 21 years in Los Angeles B.G. (Before Gretzky), the average attendance was about 10,000. In the seven full seasons with Gretzky, the average jumped to about 15,700, or 98 per cent capacity of the Forum. In 1991-92, Gretzky&rsquo;s Kings were the only pro sports team in Southern California to sell out every home game for a full season.Gretzky joined the league in 1979, when the NHL grew to 21 teams by taking in the four refugees (Edmonton, Winnipeg, Quebec and Hartford) from the World Hockey Association. When he retired, the league consisted of 27 franchises with three more (Atlanta, Columbus and Minnesota) confirmed for entry by 2000.How much credit does Gretzky deserve for that? It&rsquo;s difficult to evaluate, but surely it can&rsquo;t be coincidence that rapid expansion and franchise relocation, especially into non-traditional U.S. markets, came closely on the heels of Gretzky&rsquo;s arrival in Los Angeles.San Jose joined in 1991, Tampa Bay in 1992, Anaheim and Florida in 1993, Minnesota relocat ed to Dallas the same year, Quebec relocated to Denver in 1995 and Winnipeg relocated to Phoenix in 1996.Some would argue Gretzky&rsquo;s move from a small-market Canadian team to a large-market U.S. club effectively signalled the beginning of the end for teams such as the Jets and Nordiques. Certainly, it&rsquo;s now difficult to imagine the game&rsquo;s elite player, making the most money, playing for a Canadian team.On the other hand, Gretzky&rsquo;s influence contributed to a dramatic increase in franchise value. It has gone from $6 million in 1979 to $80 million in the most recent expansion for Nashville, Atlanta, Columbus and Minnesota.Clearly, Gretzky also contributed to an escalation in players, salaries. When Gretzky started in 1979, the average salary was $108,000. This past season, it was $1.1 million.Other factors-salary disclosure, new leadership of the NHL Players&rsquo; Association-played a huge role in increasing salaries, but Gretzky was often setting the salary standard.&ldquo;I think back to that three-year deal Wayne signed with the Kings in 1993, which we kind of thought might be his last contract,&rdquo; Gretzky&rsquo;s agent Mike Barnett, said. &ldquo;He was getting $8 million and $8.5 million per year. That was five or six years ago and there are only a few players today making that much or more. That kind of puts things in perspective, doesn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;And yet for everything Gretzky has done for the game, and it&rsquo;s immeasurable, it seems obvious he was underutilized when he was at the peak of his career.During the 1980s, Gretzky&rsquo;s heyday, the league&rsquo;s TV policy emphasized regional coverage over national network exposure. Who knows how many more converts Gretzky could have won over if the league had been intent on getting its product to the masses? In many respects, the NHL was being run like a cottage industry when Gretzky was at his best. Now, it&rsquo;s a much more professional effort though the sledding is tough.Bettman acknowledged what it would be like to have a 200-point Gretzky as the marquee player today.&ldquo;I said to my wife that I wish he were either 10 years younger or I was 10 years older,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;So much of what we&rsquo;re trying to do now would have had the benefit of his years in Edmonton, when what he was doing was off the charts.&rdquo;The NHL will no doubt miss Gretzky as a player, but it may soon find him in the executive suite. Anybody&rsquo;s best guess is that Gretzky will, after a period of rest and relaxation, become involved with an NHL ownership group. The chances of him making an economic impact on this league are high indeed. In the meantime, the show must go on without him.&ldquo;The game will go on,&rdquo; Bettman said. &ldquo;All games do. Wayne himself said that. No one person is bigger than the game, but there will never be another Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;<h2>&lsquo;The Trade&rsquo; still ranks as lopsided win for Los Angeles</h2>The trade that changed the face of the NHL also proved to be one of the league&rsquo;s most lopsided deals.Wayne Gretzky produced more NHL points after his trade/sale to the Los Angeles Kings than all five players/draft picks the Edmonton Oilers received.From the start of 1988-89 through the end of this season, No. 99 had outscored center Jimmy Carson, left winger Martin Gelinas, left winger Jason Miller, left winger Martin Rucinsky and defenseman Nick Stajduhar combined.Gretzky had 1,188 points in 791 games with the Kings, St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers; the five had a combined 1,040 in 1,599 total games.Carson and Gelinas came directly from the Kings in 1988. Miller (1989), Rucinsky (1991) and Stajduhar (1993) were the first round choices the Oilers secured in the deal. Miller was chosen by the New Jersey Devils after getting the pick in a trade for defenseman Corey Foster.In addition to the players, the Oilers received as much as $15 million in cash from the Kings. L.A. also received defenseman Marty McSorley and center Mike Krushelnyski.The deal was made at the ownership level, a fact that frustrated Edmonton GM Glen Sather.&ldquo;A conventional trade is made by general managers,&rdquo; Sather said in 1996. &ldquo;That wasn&rsquo;t made by managers. I&rsquo;ve never gotten into explaining the deal and I&rsquo;m not going to explain it now.There were a lot of things that happened then that could&rsquo;ve, would&rsquo;ve, shouldn&rsquo;t never have happened and I&rsquo;ve never talked with anybody publicly. I just don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s the right thing to do.&rdquo;Only two of the five players sent by L.A. are still in the NHL; Gelinas had 28 points with the Carolina Hurricanes this season and Rucinsky had 34 points with the Montreal Canadiens. &#9632;

f0020-01

Cashing in on Greatness

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div>Players come and players go, but Wayne Gretzky isn&rsquo;t one of them.He has been so much a part of the fabric of the game for so long, or so it seems, it&rsquo;s difficult to recollect him ever not being in our consciousness. And, really, can you honestly conceive of a day when his presence won&rsquo;t loom large?His NHL records, all 61 of them, and sheer statistical dominance will see to that.On the occasion of Gretzky&rsquo;s retirement, there have been a treasure trove of memories trotted out, most of them dealing with some of the most famous moments in the history of the game.But it&rsquo;s funny that as we first anticipate NHL life without &lsquo;The Great One,&rsquo; it&rsquo;s the little things that come to mind. Personal things, obscure things that serve to connect us to a living legend.Many of us grew up right alongside Gretzky. For some us, those from southern Ontario, it was like we all grew up in the same backyard, visiting the same rinks and understanding implicitly what hockey is about in this neck of the woods.And rarely has anyone been so much in another universe but with his feet still so firmly planted on the ground as Gretzky.It was his unrequited love and passion for the game that made us all feel so young. Now that he&rsquo;s moving on to another phase in his life, it is his departure that makes us all feel so grown up. Or is it old?When I think of Gretzky hanging them up, I think of a lot of things:&#9633; I think of the 10-year-old Gretzky being discovered by the mainstream media, the subject of reporter John laboni&rsquo;s 1971 story in the Toronto Telegram. (The bizarre personal foot-note to that one is the story mentioned a Gretzky opponent-John Goodwin-who starred that night for the Toronto Kings. Didn&rsquo;t know that kid then, but nine years later, he became my brother-in-law.)&#9633; I think of watching the 1978 World Junior Championship on Christ-mas Day of 1977 and being wowed by a mere waif who was so much smaller and younger than the other players.&#9633; I think of taking my first news-paperjob at the Sault Star in the sum-mer of 1978, the same summer Gretzky left Sault Ste. Marie after one season to play in the World Hockey Association. I also think how lucky my brother-in-law was to be an undernourished, playmaking rookie center trying out for the Greyhounds the season after Gretzky was there because I can&rsquo;t imagine there was going to be room for two of them and as brilliant a junior as my brother-in-law turned out to be, he was no Gretzky (sorry, Johnny).&#9633; I think of Wayne&rsquo;s dad Walter, a prince of a guy, showing up at every NHL function armed with a camera, clicking away like a madman. I think of the time he inadvertently walked through a hotel lobby fountain to take a picture from another angle.&#9633; I think of going to the Gretzky house on Varadi Avenue in Brantford, Ont., to do a story on Wayne&rsquo;s brother Keith and eating a pork chop dinner with Walter and Phyllis in their modest, middle-class home that was not so very different from my own.&#9633; I think of the furor over Gretzky&rsquo;s cameo in the Young and the Restless. Could he act? Like it mattered.&#9633; I think of the night he stayed up to the wee hours in a crowded hotel room in St. Louis during the all-star break with a whole raft of media types and a bathtub full of beer. (And how I learned it takes precisely 14 minutes-no more, no less&ndash;to make a can of beer &ldquo;ice cold.&rdquo;)&#9633; I think of his clandestine meetings with Igor Larionov during the 1984 Canada Cup, when the Soviet Union was still the &lsquo;Evil Empire,&rsquo; and I think of that because it was so cool, so forbidden, and, besides, Larionov might just be the only player (besides my brother-in-law, of course) I&rsquo;ve seen who thinks the game on the same level as Gretzky.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01895/7161679-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="304" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</figcaption></div>&#9633; I think not so much of the excess of success enjoyed by &lsquo;The Great One,&rsquo; but how utterly spent yet gracious he was in defeat, especially in the 1996 World Cup and the 1998 Olympics.&#9633; I, like so many others, think of Game 7 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1993 Western Conference final, when he singlehandedly destroyed a Montreal-Toronto Cup clash because he was motivated to prove me wrong for writing earlier in the series that he was &ldquo;skating like he had a piano on his back.&rdquo; Incidentally, I think it was one of the best columns I ever wrote because I wasn&rsquo;t saying Gretzky was washed up, as he took it, but that if he didn&rsquo;t play like the superstar he was, the Kings weren&rsquo;t going to advance. I think he made me look good, and bad, all at the same time. I think I shall never see another performance like that.&#9633; I think of the near-death experiences of Gretzky&rsquo;s father and No. 99&rsquo;s near and dear friend Charlie Henry, how well they&rsquo;ve recovered and how much they love life. And if I should forget to think how precious each day is, there&rsquo;s no better reminder than to hear Walter tell you matter of factly: &ldquo;I almost died, you know.&rdquo;&#9633; I think the best part about knowing Gretzky is just talking hockey with him-he would have made a great reporter because he can gossip with the best&ndash;and how he&rsquo;s most at ease reminiscing and telling hockey stories and laughing hard and loud and long.Mostly, though, I think he nailed it after his next-to-last game in Ottawa when he said: &ldquo;The Good Lord saw fit to give me a talent&hellip;well, maybe it&rsquo;s not a talent, but a passion.&rdquo;Will we miss Wayne Gretzky?No, because to my way of thinking, he isn&rsquo;t leaving the game. He&rsquo;s defining it, now and forever. &#9632;

f0021-01

Gretzky: From pork chops to pianos

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-In-Chief</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0023-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03419/7161717-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaromir Jagr congratulates Wayne Gretzky after scoring the overtime goat to end &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo;s&rsquo; final game.(Jagr photo by Bill Wippert Inset by Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>The king is dead. Long live the king.On the day Wayne Gretzky descended from the throne. Jaromir Jagr ascended it in a seamless transition from &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; to a gracious one.Jagr all but said, &ldquo;I am not worthy,&rdquo; but Gretzky insisted: &ldquo;Everyone always talks about passing torches&hellip;he caught it.&rdquo;Gretzky&rsquo;s last game April 18, 1999, came to an eerie conclusion when Jagr scored at 1:22 of overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers andGretzky the rest he so richly deserves. &ldquo;When 1 scored I didn&rsquo;t know how to react.&rdquo; Jagr said. &ldquo;I looked at the fans behind the net and they were holding their heads. Probably everybody in the United States and Canada wish the Rangers win. Probably everybody hate me right now.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01915/7161710-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="350" height="445"></div>Not at The Hockey News.We love Jagr so much he has been named 1998-99 NHL Player of the Year. The superstar right winger won his third scorine chamoionship and is the runaway favorite for the Hart Trophy as league MVP. The race was closer in the halls and corridors at THN where his candidacy was weighed against that of Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; goalie Dominik Hasek. The rubbery-spined netminder led the NHL in save percentage-setting a new league standard (.937)-for a record sixth consecutive season and collected nine shutouts. Hasek was THN&rsquo;s Player of the Year the last two seasons. (See pg. 24 for stories on the two THNfinalists.)Jagr, 27, dismissed any thoughts of him replacing the likes of Gretzky and former teammate Mario Lemieux as the league&rsquo;s premier player-but he has undeniably earned the title. And scoring the last goal ii Gretzky&rsquo;s last NHL game completed a connection between the two that began some 17 years ago when a 10-year-old black marketeer traded with young Canadi an boys for NHL posters.&ldquo;When I was younger,&rdquo; Jagr said, &ldquo;every time the Canada team would come to the city and we played them, I was trading stuff with them. They gave me lots of (Gretzky) posters. During the communist (era), it was something special to have a poster of Wayne Gretzky. We didn&rsquo;t know anything about the NHL, but him. Nobody else, just Wayne Gretzky. Every-body knew Wayne Gretzky.&rdquo;Jagr taped a poster to the wall of his workout room, where a jerry-built weight machine was covered by a towel and the sweat of his daily toil. The Gretzky poster was placed at eye level. Jagr never lost sight of perfection. Now he is closing in on it himself. &#9632;

f0023-03

PLAYER of the YEAR Jaromir Jagr

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div>Before digesting why Jaromir Jagr has been named The Hockey News&rsquo; Player of the Year, flash back to September.The Pittsburgh Penguins, you might recall, were being picked by plenty of observers to miss the playoffs for the first time in Jagr&rsquo;s nine-year career, and this was a month before the franchise declared bankruptcy. Imagine if those same forecasters had known goaltender Tom Barrasso&ndash;the team&rsquo;s only other star player-would miss nearly half the season because of injuries.Many people also figured Jagr would struggle without longtime linemate Ron Francis, who set up more of Jagr&rsquo;s goals (110) than any other player. And, finally, remember Jagr was being asked to follow Mario Lemieux and the stately Francis as team captain, a prospect that drew widespread skepticism.Now flash forward to April 18, the end of the regular season. Look at the Penguins. They had long since clinched a playoff spot. They had been fighting for one of the top seeds in the Eastern Conference before a ridiculous rash of injuries robbed them of Barrasso and top defenseman Kevin Hatcher for most of March and part of April. Hard-hitting defenseman Darius Kas-paraitis was lost for the season with a knee injury in early March.Look at Jagr. He was winning his third scoring title in the past five seasons and he won by the largest margin since 1990-91, when Wayne Gretzky beat out Brett Hull by 32 points. Jagr finished with 127 points, 20 more than Teemu Selanne of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Heck, Jagr would have led 20 of the league&rsquo;s other 26 teams in scoring by virtue of his assists alone.&ldquo;Just look at the numbers, what he has meant to their club and it has been pretty scary,&rdquo; said Boston Bruins&rsquo; defenseman Ray Bourque.One could easily argue that in this era of traphappy hockey, Jagr&rsquo;s 127 points rank as one of the remarkable achievements in the sport. Consider teams are averaging 5.3 goals combined. When Gretzky cranked out 212 points in 198182, teams were averaging 8.3 goals per game. Gretzky&rsquo;s Oilers averaged 5.2 by themselves.The season Gretzky scored 212 points, he had a share in 50.8 per cent of the Oilers&rsquo; goals. Jagr was part of 52.5 per cent of his team&rsquo;s goals this season. In the 10 seasons Gretzky led the NHL in scoring, he never had a share in more than 51.8 percent of his team&rsquo;s goals.What s more, Jagr, 27, was surviving quite nicely as captain. Sure, he hit a few pockets of turbulence, but he also surprised everyone by lending a sense of stability to one of the league&rsquo;s most unstable franchises.He also didn&rsquo;t have a superstar next to him. This wasn&rsquo;t like Paul Kariya with Selanne, or Eric Lindros with John LeClair.&ldquo;There are so many great players in this league, so many great players that he exceeded,&rdquo; said Penguins&rsquo; winger Rob Brown. &ldquo;He stood above everyone else. He needs nobody.&rdquo;Yet so many people need him. Not a skater in the league can match Jagr in terms of making players around him better. For a good part of the season, his linemates were rookie center Jan Hrdina and journeyman winger Kip Miller.<h2>Jagr achieved greatness without superstar sidekick</h2>Thanks largely to Jagr, Hrdina is a Calder Trophy candidate and Miller has become a dangerous NHL scorer. Miller entered this season with 14 goals in 90 NHL games. He scored 11 in his first 12 games next to Jagr.When Hrdina wasn&rsquo;t centering for Jagr, Martin Straka was&ndash;and Straka scored a career-high 35 goals. He was the Penguins&rsquo; second-highest scorer with 83 points. There was no other team with as wide a gap (44 points) between its No. 1 and No. 2 scorers.Francis, by the way, finished the season with 52 points in 82 games. That was the lowest point total of his 18-year career. That wouldn&rsquo;t have anything to do with the fact that a certain, curly-haired winger was no longer skating to his right would it?And Jagr did it all with opponents hanging on him like clingy kids on their father. As the focal point of every team&rsquo;s defensive game plan, he took a hellacious, seven-month beating. Yet he missed only one game and led all NHL forwards in ice time at roughly 25.5 minutes per game. He was a model of consistency, producing at least a point in 64 of the 81 games he played. His longest pointless streak was two games, which happened three times.Clearly, no other skater is close to Jagr in the player-of-the-year race, borne mignt argue a goaltender-perhaps Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres-could be considered as valuable to his team. But how could one possibly differentiate between, say, Jagr and Hasek, in terms of their worth? The Sabres and Penguins finished a point apart. Both likely would have missed the playoffs without their superstar.Maybe the fact Hasek missed 13 games because of injuries should be enough to tip the scales in favor of Jagr. &ldquo;Hasek missed a lot of time this year&ndash;and that was the difference,&rdquo; Bourque said.It should also be considered that while Jagr ran away with the scoring race, Hasek did not have the best goals-against average in the NHL. He didn&rsquo;t lead the league in shutouts, or come close in victories.A Jagr-Hasek duel midway through the season could serve as a symbol for the player-of-the-year race. The game took place Feb. 2 at the Civic Arena. The Penguins had blown a lead and were trailing 3-2 in the third period when Jagr&ndash;the kid who couldn&rsquo;t speak English when he first arrived in the United States-stood up on the bench and yelled, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not losing!&rdquo; Then he assisted on two goals and scored one to spark a 5-3 victory.&ldquo;When he said that,&rdquo; Miller said, &ldquo;we knew we were going to win.&rdquo;<h2>Jagr</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01890/7161748-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="632" height="460"></div>Key Stat: Jagr was in on 53% of Pittsburgh&rsquo;s goals, second only to Selanne who had a hand in 54% of Anaheim&rsquo;s goals in games he played. Jagr also averaged 26:25 of ice time per game, tops among NHL forwards. &#9632;

f0025-01

Jagr put together season for the ages

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0024-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01994/7161786-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Rocky Widner)</figcaption></div>The number say Dominik Hasek did enough to be strongly considered for The Hockey News&rsquo; Player of the Year Award. Perception, however, worked against the netminder.It&rsquo;s not that Hasek, the runner-up to Jagr for the THN honor, didn&rsquo;t have a great season. It&rsquo;s just three-peats are a rarity in sport, they are especially rare for a player who&rsquo;s primary responsibility is not to score goals, but to stop them.Before Hasek won the first of two Hart Trophies in 1997, no goalie had won the league&rsquo;s MVP awards since Jacques Plante did it in 1962. Before Hasek won again in 1998 season, no goalie had ever won it twice let alone twice in as many seasons.You wouldn&rsquo;t know it by talking to people, but Hasek&rsquo;s play was every bit as good as it was during his award-winning seasons, maybe better.Some examples: His save percentage was a record .937, a better number than last season (.932) when he won both the Hart and the Vezina Trophies. It was also a .11 better than his closest competitor, Byron Dafoe of the Boston Bruins.Perhaps more importantly, Hasek&rsquo;s numbers were not the result of some cast-iron team defense in front of him. He faced an average of 29.6 shots per game; the league average was 27.6.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no secret Dominik has been the best goalie in the game the last few years,&rdquo; said Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; net-minder John Vanbiesbrouck.To think otherwise is to ignore fact.Yet there is a perception Hasek did not have the kind of impact season that he has had in the past. It appears to stem from two different roots.The first comes from the fact fans and media types are forever on the outlook for something new. That Hasek was and is great is old news. That someone else might be doing something new or different commands attention.Jaromir Jagr has commanded most of that attention by winning the Art Ross Trophy by a comfortable&ndash;and some believe dominating-margin.The second, and perhaps more problematical for Hasek, is the Sabres fell from first to seventh place in the Eastern Conference during a time Hasek was playing virtually every night. At the same time, he had problems of his own. His wife had to be flown to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for emergency back surgery. Later, he started having problems with his groin, pains that eventually caused him to miss 12 games.The team slumped and though Hasek had the odd rough spot along with them, the finger of blame was more with the overall team play than the goaltending.<h2>&lsquo;Dominator&rsquo; still has ability to scare opposing shooters</h2>The Sabres played 26 games during that span and compiled a record of 7-13-6. Included in the stretch were four and five game winless streaks. Yet during the four-game streak, the Sabres never scored more than two goals and in one, a loss at Phoenix, the Coyotes scored one, the Sabres none. In the five-game streak, the Sabres scored a total of 10 goals, never more then three in a game. Four of the five games were on the road.Hasek was not always other-worldly during this time, but more times than anyone else he held the team in games. One loss, a 2-1 setback at Tampa Bay, had coach Lindy Ruff steaming. He said Hasek was virtually the only player who showed up to play. He also chastised his team for not competing at the same level as their goaltender.During one stretch-from Jan. 18 through Feb. 17 when Hasek finally went out of the lineup&ndash;the Sabres produced just five power play goals in 54 chances, never more then one per game.Hasek returned to the lineup March 19 and promptly beat the New York Rangers 3-2. After that point, he was brilliant.&ldquo;We still see him as the best player in the league,&rdquo; Ruff said. &ldquo;There may be the perception that he slipped a bit, but it&rsquo;s not with us and it&rsquo;s not in his numbers. I think there was a time when he might have been mentally tired because we played him as much as we did, but he&rsquo;s still a tremendous competitor and his skills are still there. I think he&rsquo;s every bit as good as he was, maybe better.&rdquo;Hasek often says things that make people think otherwise. Rarely will he admit he played even a good game.Still, even Jagr acknowledged Hasek is still the difference most everytime the Sabres step out onto the ice.&ldquo;Everybody knows how good he is,&rdquo; Jagr said after a recent game in which Hasek sent him home without a point. &ldquo;One of the advantages that he has is that I think a lot of people are scared of him. He gets in people&rsquo;s heads. Guys start thinking he&rsquo;s never going to let any goals in. Sometimes we don&rsquo;t shoot the way we would against another goalie. I think if you&rsquo;re playing Buffalo, you shouldn&rsquo;t look at who&rsquo;s in the net. Nobody should tell us (who&rsquo;s in goal for the Sabres) before the game. We should just go out and play.&rdquo;If that&rsquo;s not the ultimate compliment, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine what could top it. Well, a third straight player-of-the-year award could, but this time around, Hasek will have to settle for runner-up status.<h2>Hasek</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02572/7161779-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="636" height="463"></div>Key Stat Hasek led league in save percentage by .011 over second-place finisher Byron Dafoe. He also faced an average of 29.3 shots per game, 1.3% more than league average and 2.8% more than Dafoe faced. &#9632;

f0024-01

Hasek brilliant as ever despite perception

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello Senior Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01985/7161824-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo by Bruce Benet)</figcaption></div>The best word to describe Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s growth during his early days of hockey isn&rsquo;t great. It&rsquo;s exponential.What else better illustrates his advancement from Brantford&rsquo;s minor hockey system, through Jr. B in Toronto, major junior hockey in Sault Ste. Marie, all the way to the pro ranks.Gretzky&rsquo;s goal total in novice hockey for the Brantford Nadrofsky Steelers improved from one goal as a six-year-old in 1967-68 to 27 to 104 to 196 to a staggering 378 goals as a 10-year-old in 1971-72.Then as Gretzky moved from novice to peewee to bantam to Jr. B, the adjustment period was minimal and the learning curve short and steep. All those asterisks next to the numbers in Gretzky&rsquo;s biography indicating league leader may as well be exponents depicting the nature in which his statistics grew.&ldquo;Everything he did was so superior to other players in the game,&rdquo; said Sam McMaster, who brought 14-year-old Gretzky to Toronto to play for the Seneca Nats Jr. B team. &ldquo;His vision, his hockey sense, his intelligence, his love for the game, his feel for the game.&rdquo;Gretzky came to Toronto in 197576 to play a more challenging level of bantam hockey than the one being played in Brantford. But when complications in his release developed, McMaster convinced him to play Jr. B with the Seneca Nats.&ldquo;He had a tremendous two years,&rdquo; McMaster said.Yet people were concerned about his slight build (5-foot-8, 130 pounds) entering the Ontario Hockey Association midget draft. Selecting first in 1977, the Oshawa Generals took left winger Tom McCarthy. The Niagara Falls Flyers chose center Steve Peters second.The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds picked Gretzky third and he awed the critics as a 16-year-old with a 70-goal, 182-point season in 1977-78 that included a stint with Canada&rsquo;s national team at the World Junior Championship.Under NHL regulations at the time, Gretzky would have had to spend another three seasons in junior before being eligible for the 1981 amateur draft as a 20-year-old. Fortuitously, the World Hockey Association sought his services and his development wasn&rsquo;t stunted by a lack of challenge.Indianapolis Racers&rsquo; owner Nelson Skalbania signed Gretzky to a seven-year personal services contract worth $1.75 million in the summer of 1978. Skalbania skirted legal hassles by saying Gretzky worked for him and was not employed by the Racers.Gretzky&rsquo;s first shift as a pro came in an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues. He lined up opposite 30-year-old Blues&rsquo; veteran Garry Unger and had an assist in a 4-1 victory.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know whether I was in a dream or awake,&rdquo; Gretzky said after the game.At one point, Blues&rsquo; defenseman Barry Gibbs was about to challenge Gretzky when Racers&rsquo; 6-foot-5 rearguard Kevin Nugent stepped in. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want (Gibbs) messin&rsquo; with &lsquo;Brinks,&rsquo; &ldquo;Nugent said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we call Wayne. He has all the dough.&rdquo;<h2>American growth tied to 99&rsquo;s influence</h2>Though Gretzky shone, the franchise struggled and Skalbania was forced to sell &lsquo;The Kid&rsquo; after just eight games in Indianapolis. A bizarre sequence of events led Gretzky to Edmonton.He was first offered to Winnipeg Jets&rsquo; owner Michael Gobuty, who promptly boarded his private jet, flew to Edmonton, picked up Skalbania and returned to Winnipeg. They shook on the deal in mid-air, but Jets&rsquo; scouts convinced Gobuty that Gretzky was too small and wasn&rsquo;t worth the money. The deal was called off.Skalbania then pitched Oilers&rsquo; owner Peter Pocklington. Before long, Gretzky and teammates Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll were on a private jet with a destination not yet determined. The pilot got word to direct the plane to Edmonton. The trade was Gretzky, Mio and Driscoll for $850,000.Gretzky was an instant hit. He finished the season with 46 goals and 110 points in 80 games, but the WHA was also finished. After seven years as a rival to the NHL, its four strongest teams were absorbed by the established league.The four WHA survivors were permitted to protect two skaters and up to two goalies each upon entering the NHL. Edmonton protected skaters Gretzky and Bengt Gustafsson and goalies Mio and Dave Dryden.The NHL changed its &lsquo;amateur&rsquo; draft to &lsquo;entry&rsquo; draft in 1979 to ward off a legal battle that was threatened by the agents of 19-y ear-old junior players whose clients wanted to turn pro. In lowering the age of eligibility from 20 to 19, the league also developed a system to disperse the handful of 19-year-olds who played in the WHA during its final season. Teen stars such as Mike Gartner, Rob Ramage, Craig Hartsburg, Rick Vaive, Michel Goulet and Pat Riggin were included in the 1979 entry draft. The NHL ruled 18-year-old Gretzky was exempt and could be retained by Edmonton.The scoring and domination continued. Gretzky recorded his first goal against Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; goalie Glen Hanlon Oct. 14, 1979 and went on to score 50 more in Year 1. He finished tied with Marcel Dionne for the league scoring lead with 137 points, but Dionne was awarded the title because he had more goals (53).<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01935/7161817-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="1029" height="1138"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wayne Gretzky cruises by Detroit goalie Glen Hanlon, who surrendered Gretzky&rsquo;s first NHL goal while with Vancouver. (Photo by Dan Hamilton/VPS)</figcaption></div>No player came within a sniff of Gretzky for the next seven years. He won the Art Ross Trophy by an average 66 points per season from 1980-81 through 1986-87 until Mario Lemieux wrestled the title away from him in 1987-88. During that span, Gretzky guided the Oilers to four Stanley Cups while shattering dozens of league scoring records.After nine seasons in Edmonton, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 1988. The Kings improved 23 points in the standings, played two playoff rounds and Gretzky averaged more than two points per game for the ninth straight season.Perhaps more profoundly, Gretzky forged a new audience of American fans. Not only did the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles sell out its 16,005 seats for virtually every game, but the Kings became the team to watch all over North America.Only once in NHL history has a team gone from last in NHL road attendance one season to first the next season. The Kings were the worst draw in 1987-88 with an average road capacity of 77 per cent. With Gretzky the next season, the Kings became the league&rsquo;s best draw at 98 per cent.Moreover, Gretzky&rsquo;s presence in the U.S., triggered a growth in the number of teams, especially in the sunbelt regions. NHL expansion in San Jose, Anaheim, Florida and Tampa Bay and franchise shifts to Dallas, Colorado, Phoenix and Carolina are tied to Gretzky-sparked interest.Where once there were 50 pro teams in four leagues in 1988, there are now 135 teams in seven leagues. The Western Pro League calls Gretzky its founding father.The St. Louis Blues acquired 35-year-old Gretzky near the end of 96, then lost him as a free agent to the New York Rangers. Though Gretzky scored just 57 goals during three seasons in New York the last one coming March 29, 1999 against New York Islander goalie Wade Fla-herty-he was fifth in NHL points in 97 and fourth in 1997-98. Right to the end, Gretzky-who led his team in scoring 19 times in 20 seasons-was revered as &lsquo;The Great One.&rsquo; &#9632;

f0026-01

‘The Kid’ climbed ranks with exponential leaps

<div class="byline">By Jim Matheson</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-01973/7161855-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Graphic Artists/HOF)</figcaption></div>Reprinted from The Hockey News Oct. 19, 1979.&rsquo;EDMONTON-It&rsquo;s a warm A September day in Spokane and the most touted young hockey player this side of Bobby Orr is contemplating a 1 cold beer.A man comes to the door of the lounge, nods at Edmonton Oiler public relations | man John Short, then eyes Wayne Gretzky.&ldquo;Can I see your ID?&rdquo;&ldquo;Huh?&rdquo;&ldquo;How old are you?&rsquo; &ldquo;18.&rdquo;&ldquo;Sorry&rdquo;, we can&rsquo;t serve you&hellip;the drinking &lsquo;age is 21 here.&rdquo;Gretzky, who is in town to promote an Oiler exhibition against the Vancouver Canucks, shrugs his shoulders and ambles off into the sunlight. It&rsquo;s not the first time he has been told he doesn&rsquo;t belong. He&rsquo;s too young.It all goes back to when he was five and people questioned his playing on a novice allstar team in his hometown Brantford-on a team of kids 10 and 11. It goes back to when j he was 17 and signed a $1.75-million personal 1 services deal with Nelson Skalbania in the summer of 1978 to play for the Indianapolis Racers.It won&rsquo;t be much different this winter. People will be casting a wary eye at the 18-year-old Edmonton Oiler whiz, who signed an incredible 21-year contract on his birthday last Jan. 26. Can he hack it under the big top, in the NHL?&ldquo;That&rsquo;s all I heard all this summer,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;As the summer went on, I heard more talk about how it&rsquo;s going to be a different story this year. That I won&rsquo;t get 110 points like I got in the World Hockey Association in my first year of pro. Every year people have told me how I&rsquo;m going to be in trouble at a higher level.&ldquo;Not that it&rsquo;s anything new. I knew I&rsquo;d hear all that stuff again. Different guys told me how everybody is going to try and run me in the NHL. One guy bragged that is took him 10 years to run Bobby Orr, but that he finally did it. Some of it was a psyche job, NHL. One guy, bragged that it took him 10 years to run Bobby Orr, but that he finally did it. Some of it was a psych job, but most of it was serious.&ldquo;A lot of guys I met want me to be prepared.&rdquo;After watching the Great Gretzky finish third in the WHA scoring race last year and score five points in 21 minutes in an exhibition against the New YorkRangers in October he looks ready for the I NHL. True he&rsquo;s only six feet and 165 pounds. | True he doesn&rsquo;t have to shave yet and looks like he should be in the back row of a, Grade 12 history class. True he&rsquo;s a touch A absent-minded when it comes to holding on to his shoes because of his prankster teammates who always steal them while he&rsquo;s snoozing on airplanes. And he&rsquo;s I always losing his wallet on road trips. 1, But the kid knows his way around a (r) hockey rink. He has only been on one since he was two and still eating pablum dished out by his mother Phyllis.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s good,&rdquo; said Bobby Orr. &ldquo;I watched him in junior (Sault Ste. Marie) and I&rsquo;ve heard so much about him that I know he&rsquo;s good. The puck follows him around.&rdquo;Edmonton Oiler goalie Dave Dryden, who has seen No. 99 every day for the past year, seconds Orr&rsquo;s opinion.&ldquo;His biggest asset is his ability to control the puck and | himself,&rdquo; Dryden said. &ldquo;He | has that rare ability to wait * for somebody to make a little mistake and take advantage of it for everything it&rsquo;s worth. Most players have pre-conceived notions of what they&rsquo;re going to do. I&rsquo;m convinced he doesn&rsquo;t.&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t compare him to anybody else. He&rsquo;s unique, a delight to * watch.&rdquo; Not just on the ice either.While the boy wonder is probably worth J more than the gross national product of Lichtenstein about $5 million over the next two decades he&rsquo;s anything but a spoiled kid.There&rsquo;s no gaudy duds (he lives on an allowance of $500 spending money a month doled out by agent Gus Badali), no Corvette, no great looking blonde on his arm after every game. He likes a beer in the towns he&rsquo;s old enough to drink in, but doesn&rsquo;t hang around bars. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a waste of time. I&rsquo;ve got better things to do.&rdquo;Right now, he&rsquo;s busy outfitting his first-ever apartment with No. 1 Oiler draft pick Kevin Lowe of Quebec City. After years of boarding with families (in junior and last year in Edmonton), he&rsquo;s finally growing up and branching out. He has already learned it costs plenty to outfit a pad, especially in Edmonton. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t realize how much things like towels and bedsheets were,&rdquo; gee-whizzed Gretzky.The two kids-Lowe is an ancient 20-seem suited to one another. While it&rsquo;s too early to tell which one will be Felix and which one Oscar, both are definitely stay-at-home types. They aren&rsquo;t wild &lsquo;n&rsquo; crazy guys.&ldquo;Kevin is a super low-key kind of guy, too,&rdquo; said Gretzky, whose idea of a good time is reading books like Sparky Lyle&rsquo;s The Bronx Zoo with a Supertramp record in the background. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s dedicated to hockey. It was important for me to live with a guy who was similar to me.&rdquo;While hockey is definitely No. 1 to Gretzky now (&ldquo;I think when a guy gets married, the family comes before the sport&rdquo;), he steadfastly refuses to stickhandle around his school responsibilities.He took four night-school courses in Indianapolis last fall before Oiler owner Peter Pocklington purchased his contract from Skalbania. He enrolled in two day-school courses (English and history) during training camp this year. Unfortunately, he couldn&rsquo;t handle the road trips and Shakespeare all at once so he was told he&rsquo;d have to drop out. As a result, he&rsquo;ll probably take them at night or by correspondence instead.Why school?&ldquo;I promised my parents that I&rsquo;d complete Grade 12,&rdquo; Gretzky said. &ldquo;I also think going to school will keep my mind thinking, keep me sharper.&rdquo;There has never been anything wrong with his IQ on the ice. He worked beautifully with 51-year-old Gordie Howe on a May-October line with Gramps&rsquo; 24-year-old son Mark during the WHA-Soviet Dynamo series last January in Edmonton. Their first game together, their line had eight points. Gretzky took exactly 35 seconds to beat Dynamo goalie Sergei Babariko on feeds from Mark and Gordie.&ldquo;It was the greatest thrill I&rsquo;ve ever head, centering Gordie Howe,&rdquo; said Gretzky, who rated it higher than the day Gordie took him by the hand &pound; and introduced him to singer Debbie Boone, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Hull in one day in 1 New York. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s an amazing man,&rdquo; said the &lsquo;kid.&ldquo;He&rsquo;ll never make it,&rdquo; deadpanned Howe I breaking into a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon. &#9632;

f0028-01

Tackling the NHL

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN Staff</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-01972/7161931-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Buffalo fans witnessed hockey history Feb. 24,1982, when Wayne Gretzky surpassed Phil Esposito&rsquo;s single season record with his 77th goal of the season. Gretzky finished with 92 goals, still a record. (Photo By Bruce Benet/BS)</figcaption></div>Wayne&rsquo;s NHL world was centered in Edmonton, Los Angeles, Manhattan and St. Louis, but it also featured appearances in places such as Atlanta, Winnipeg and Minnesota.Here&rsquo;s a subjective look at a magical, memorable or mysterious moment in each of the NHL cities in which Gretzky played during his 20-year journeyAtlanta March 25,1980-In his second and last regular season game in Atlanta, Gretzky spearheads a third period comeback to propel the Oilers to a 5-4 win over the Flames. Three (two goals, one assist) of Gretzky&rsquo;s four points on the night come in the third period, in which Edmonton overcomes a 4-2 deficit. Just 7,914 are on hand to see the 19-year-old phenom.Anaheim Feb. 11, 1994-The second game Gretzky plays at the Arrowhead Pond is a keeper. Responding to derisive comments in the newspaper by Ducks&rsquo; president Tony Tavares,Gretzky comes up with a two-goal, five-point effort in a 5-3 Los Angeles victory over Anaheim.Boston May 24, 1988-Gretzky and his Oilers&rsquo; teammates are short-circuited by technical difficulties when the lights go out during Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final at Boston Garden. Gretzky-who had few big points nights in Beantown-had one assist in the 3-3 tie when the electrical failure occurs. In all, Gretzky sets an NHL record with 13 points in the final series, a 4-0 Edmonton sweep.Buffalo Feb. 24, 1982-Gretzky breaks Phil Esposito&rsquo;s single-season goal record (76) in emphatic fashion during a 6-3 Edmonton win over the Sabres. After Buffalo center Gil Perreault scores his third goal of the night early in the third period, Gretzky upstages him with a hat trick of his own to set the new standard. In attendance that night at the Aud are Esposito, as well as film stars Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn.<h2>Wayne-derful memories on the road</h2>Calgary April 21, 1988-Gretzky calls it his greatest goal ever, but for Calgary fans it was memorable for the opposite reason. Gretzky&rsquo;s shorthanded overtime winner is a slapshot into the top comer behind goalie Mike Vernon. It comes in Game 2 of Edmonton&rsquo;s 1988 divisional final victory over Calgary and is on highlight reels everywhere.Carolina Nov. 21, 1997-In his first game in Greensboro, Gretzky collects a goal and two assists-including a classic backhanded set-up for the winner-during a 4-3 Rangers&rsquo; win. A franchise record 19,358 mm out to see &lsquo;The Great One,&rsquo; by far the largest crowd in Hurricanes&rsquo; history.Chicago Dec. 11, 1985-Gretzky enjoys the second seven-assist night of his career in a 12-9 win over the Blackhawks. The feat equals an NHL record he already shares with former Detroit Red Wing Billy Taylor. Two other records that still stand are also set that night: most goals by both teams (21) and most goals by both teams in one period (12, each scored six in the second).Colorado Sept. 28, 1993-The Kings play an exhibition game at McNichols Sports Arena against San Jose, which draws a sellout crowd. Gretzky&rsquo;s appearance is credited for proving there is interest in hockey again in Denver-a city that had seen one franchise (the Rockies) fail.Dallas Nov. 7, 1997-Gretzky slips behind the Stars&rsquo; defense to pop in a goal in the final minute and earn the Rangers a 2-2 tie with the Stars. It is the only goal Gretzky has scored on Ed Belfour. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way you&rsquo;re going to hold him off forever,&rdquo; Belfour says.Detroit Feb. 5, 1980-Ten days after his 19th birthday, Gretzky plays in the NHL All-Star Game against his idol, 51-year-old Gordie Howe. Howe gets an assist, while Gretzky is held scoreless. &ldquo;The difference now,&rdquo; Gretzky says at the 1999 All-Star Game in Tampa, &ldquo;is when I look over and see No. 9 it&rsquo;s Paul Kariya. When I looked over and saw No. 9 earlier, it was Gordie Howe.&rdquo;Edmonton Dec. 30, 1981-Per-haps the most memorable singlegame accomplishment in NHL history happens when Gretzky scores five goals against the Philadelphia Flyers. What makes the five goals extra special is that the fifth one gives Gretzky 50 goals in just his 39th game of the season, a truly remarkable feat.Florida Sept. 20, 1990-Gretzky assists on three goals while skating on slush in the first game played in Miami Arena. His Kings defeat the Rangers 6-4 in a pre-season contest that has the third period shortened to 15 minutes because of soft ice caused by a faulty air conditioning system.Hartford Jan. 21, 1989-On the strength of a four-point night (one goal), Gretzky moves past Marcel Dionne into second place all-time with 1,771 points. It leaves him just 77 points behind Gordie Howe, a Whalers&rsquo; executive who is attendance to congratulate Gretzky after a 5-4 Kings&rsquo; loss.Los Angeles March 23, 1994-With Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; goalie Kirk McLean 12 feet out of his crease challenging Marty McSorley, the hard-nosed King dumps a crossice pass to Gretzky, who converts into the empty net to become the NHL&rsquo;s all-time goal-scorer with No. 802.Minnesota April 28, 1984-Three days after being helped from the ice following a crushing check, Gretzky delivers the knockout punch to the North Stars in the Campbell Conference final. No. 99 scores on a penalty shot in an 8-5 Oilers&rsquo; win to put the Oilers up 3-0 in the series. Edmonton sweeps Minnesota en route to its first Stanley Cup.Montreal April 8, 1981-Gretzky makes Montreal goalie Richard Sevigny eat his words by getting five assists in a 6-3 win during Game 1 of a playoff series between Montreal and Edmonton. Sevigny had earlier predicted Guy Lafleur would put the 20-year-old Gretzky in his &ldquo;back pocket.&rdquo;Nashville Feb. 15, 1999-Gretzky&rsquo;s first and only visit to Nashville is a sensational one. A charged-up crowd gives &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; a standing ovation during pre-game warmup. Gretzky then goes on to collect five assists in a 7-4 Rangers&rsquo; win.New Jersey Jan. 15, 1984-Two months after calling the 2-18-0 Devils &ldquo;a Mickey Mouse operation,&rdquo; following a 13-4 blowout in Edmonton, Gretzky is booed every time he touches the puck in his next appearance in New Jersey. Fans hold up Mickey Mouse pictures and about 50 wear Mickey Mouse ears.NY Islanders Feb. 8, 1983-In his fourth NHL All-Star Game, Gretzky earns his first MVP honor with a record four-goal performance. All four come in a span of 12:58 in the third period to lead the Campbell Conference to a 9-3 victory over the Wales.NY Rangers April 23, 1997-Gretzky&rsquo;s most memorable appearance at Madison Square Garden obviously is his last on April 18, 1999. No. 2 comes in a first round playoff series against the Florida Panthers as Gretzky records his ninth career playoff hat trick-including all three Ranger goals in the second period-of a 3-2 New York win.Ottawa April 15, 1999-The mood in Canada&rsquo;s capital is electric as reports of Gretzky&rsquo;s imminent retirement intensify. Members of the Senators stay on the ice to shake hands with No. 99 following what many believe to be his last game in Canada.Philadelphia May 18, 1997-In his last magical playoff moment, Gretzky scores the winning goal during a 5-4 Rangers&rsquo; victory in Game 2 of the conference final. The game, in which seven Ranger regulars were out, turns out to be Gretzky&rsquo;s last playoff win.Phoenix Sept. 25, 1993&mdash;It doesn&rsquo;t count as an official NHL game, but itregisters in the hearts and minds of Phoenix fans. Gretzky suits up for the International League&rsquo;s Phoenix Roadrunners in an exhibition game at Veterans Memorial Coliseum against the Los Angeles Kings. The Roadrunners win 6-5 (in a shootout) in front of a record 13,747 spectators and hockey interest is fanned in Phoenix<h2>Gretzky draws record crowd in Tampa</h2>Pittsburgh Feb. 22, 1984-Gretzky torches Penguins&rsquo; goalie Roberto Romano for four goals in a 9-2 Oilers&rsquo; victory at the Civic Arena. No opposing player has scored more goals in a game at the Arena.Quebec Feb. 13, 1987-Gretzky exchanges sweaters with Slava Fetisov then embraces legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov following the NHL&rsquo;s series split with the Soviet Union at Rendez-Vous &lsquo;87. Gretzky, who collects four assists in the two entertaining games, is named the league&rsquo;s MVP for the series.St. Louis March 5, 1996-The Kiel Center is rocking as Gretzky makes his Blues&rsquo; home debut in a 2-0 win over the Florida Panthers. The game comes seven days after the Blues won the Gretzky sweepstakes and acquired him from the Kings for the last few months of the season.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01860/7161924-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="1987" height="1339"><figcaption class="caption-body">Brett Hull and &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; were the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; big name players for three months in 1996. (Photo By Rocky Widner)</figcaption></div>San Jose March 20, 1994-Career goal No. 801 comes during an afternoon 6-6 Kings&rsquo; tie with the Sharks. It moves Gretzky into a tie with Gordie Howe for the all-time NHL lead. Gretzky scored No. 802 three days later.Tampa Bay Sept. 19, 1990-In front of an NHL-record crowd of 25,581 fans, Gretzky scores a goal as his Kings lose 5-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Florida Suncoast Dome. Almost three months later, Tampa Bay is awarded the Sunshine State&rsquo;s first NHL team.Toronto May 29, 1993-After taking heat early in the Western Conference final against the Maple Leafs for sluggish play, Gretzky turns Game 7 into a personal showcase. He scores three goals and adds an assist in a 5-4 victory that propels the Kings to the Stanley Cup final.Vancouver Summer, 1996-Gretzky and agent Mike Barnett meet with Canucks&rsquo; owner John McCaw in Seattle to finalize a deal that is supposed have &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; sign as a free agent in Vancouver. It is reportedly a done deal. Instead, Canuck fans are rebuffed when Gretzky signs with the Rangers.Washington Jan. 3, 1998-Gretzky brings the house down scoring the winning goal with 22 seconds remaining. With the game tied 2-2, Gretzky strips Adam Oates at center ice and beats Olie Kolzig on a breakaway for his second goal as Capital fans start chanting his name.Winnipeg April 6, 1983-Gretzky dominates a first round playoff game against the Jets by collecting four goals in 16:50 during a 6-3 win. Along the way he ties two NHL playoff records: three goals in one period and two shorthanded goals in one game. &#9632;

f0034-01

He came, they saw

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0039-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01809/7161962-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

f0039-01

ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Jack Falla</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01430/7162000-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Photo By Bruce Benet/BS)</figcaption></div>The days of gratulation and congratulation are over and we are left with days of remembrance.Let a shrinking minority pule and whine about whether Wayne Gretzky is really the greatest player of all time (he is, of course), this much is indisputable-he is the most important of all time.He took hockey global, fascinated us with what he did by his ethereal style of doing it, and inspiringly solved the Emersonian riddle posed to each of us, namely: how are we to earn a blameless livelihood by means congenial to our gifts and nature? No one did it better.I was privileged to chronicle much of Gretzky&rsquo;s career. That was a wonderful opportunity seeing how I was born too late to catch Mozart, Monet and Astaire.Everyone who follows hockey (and many who don&rsquo;t) have their special memories of Gretzky. Wayne, here are mine:&#9633; Your first Stanley Cup. On May 19, 1984 in what would be the Cupclinching Game 5 of the final, you score two first-period goals on passes from Jari Kurri, this just minutes after you stand up in the Oiler dressing room and tell your teammates, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a lot of individual honors and personal recognition, but nothing I&rsquo;ve ever done, won or received means as much to me as winning the Cup.&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve never seen you look happier than when you practically rip the Cup from the hands of then NHL president John Ziegler and raise it over your head, the ultimate player in the ultimate moment.&#9633; The Streak. It is Jan. 11, 1984 in Chicago and you&rsquo;d scored one point in 43 consecutive games in a run many are comparing to Joe DiMaggio&rsquo;s 56-game hitting streak. But tonight you are pointless with less than 10 seconds to play, your Oilers leading Chicago 4-3 and the Blackhawks pressing a 6-on-5 advantage with their goalie pulled.I&rsquo;m gathering up my papers to leave the press box (will I never learn?) when the Oilers clear the puck into neutral ice. Chicago&rsquo;s Troy Murray recovers it and tries to flip it past you to teammate Doug Wilson. But you flick the puck out of the air with your stick, bat it to the ice with your glove, use your body to fight off the w backchecking and aghast Murray and g score from 25 feet out with seven seconds remaining. The streak would 5 reach 51 games.&ldquo;Gretzky sucks. Gretzky sucks,&rdquo; m yells the crowd that 15 years later will cheer you so lustily, while on the ice o you hug your teammates, a huge smile softening the angularity of your face.&#9633; The 1851 Overture. It is Sunday, Oct. 26, 1997 in Madison Square Garden. You take a pass from teammateNiklas Sundstrom and thread the puck to Ulf Samuelsson who scores thus giving you career assist No. 1,851 or more assists than anyone else has points. You&rsquo;ve gone to one of hockey&rsquo;s furthermost statistical frontiers and now the crowd is yelling &ldquo;Gret-SKI&hellip;Gret-SKI&rdquo; and you are waving and smiling and mouthing a silent &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; and showing again that you are what so many sportswriters have said you are-hockey&rsquo;s greatest ambassador.&#9633; The Moves. It isn&rsquo;t just one pass or one goal or one did-he-really-do-that move that endures in memory as much as it is a style of bouncy insouciant treachery. If a defenseman did X you did Y. If a goalie did A you did B. You were like the cobra in Kipling&rsquo;s The Jungle Book hissing at her cornered prey, &ldquo;If you move, I strike. And if you don&rsquo;t move, I strike.&rdquo; The passes you clanked off the curved base plate of the goal, the rink-wide no-lookers, that crazy flip pass over the cage were more imaginative than tactical. The way you played should make your name a verb.&#9633; The Joy. I skated with you once at an Edmonton practice and I remember two things. While other players&rsquo;-especially Mark Messier and Dave Semenko-went by me with their skates crushing and tearing the ice&hellip;scrunch&hellip;rrrip&hellip;scrunch&hellip;.your skates seemed to slice the ice with a barely audible&hellip;swick&hellip;swick&hellip;as you darted here and there like a waterbug.&#9633; You didn&rsquo;t seem as anchored as everyone else. And when you scored a goal on a backhander off the post, you yelled, flung your arms in the air and beamed a smile that gave your face the same look I&rsquo;ve seen on the faces of children on frozen ponds and backyard rinks. Now I know what the late artist Andy Warhol meant when, after painting your portrait in 1983, he said that, to him, you were &ldquo;energy and joy&rdquo;&#9633; The Fatigue. Not all memories are joyful. It is May 31, 1987 in Edmonton and the Oilers have won a 7 game final over the Philadelphia Flyers giving you what would be your third Stanley Cup. I see your father Walter emerge from the champagne mist of the Oilers&rsquo; dressing room. &ldquo;You seen Wayner?&rdquo; he asks me. I thought his use of &ldquo;Wayner&rdquo; was oddly affectionate. I told him I hadn&rsquo;t.&ldquo;If you see him tell him I&rsquo;m looking for him,&rdquo; he said. On a hunch I went to the Oiler bench. You were sitting there, alone, still wearing you game pants, socks and a sweaty blue undershirt and staring at the empty seats. &ldquo;Your dad&rsquo;s looking for you,&rdquo; I said. &ldquo;Tell him I&rsquo;ll be right there. I just need a minute,&rdquo; you said, leaning forward to rest your head in your hands and adding, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never been so tired in my life.&rdquo;Then you played 12 more years before leaving us to our memories and the game to its other stars. But, truly, the others are just so much substitutes. There is no successor. And there may never be.Thanks, Wayner.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01460/7161993-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="3349" height="3880"></div>6:50 p.m.April 18,1999Madison Square Garden &#9632;

f0041-01

Days of remembrance

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0010-02/7162038-1-eng-US/thn0010-022.jpg" title="THN0010-02" width="359" height="485"><figcaption class="caption-body">Igor Korolev</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0010-01/7162045-1-eng-US/thn0010-012.jpg" title="THN0010-01" width="170" height="169"></div>One of the reasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; wildly successful season is they led a charmed existence when it came to injuries. A knee injury and concussion to Alyn McCauley aside, the Leafs never really had to deal with any serious injuries until late in the season.And the bad luck carried over into the playoffs. The Leafs lost 3-0 to the Philadelphia Flyers April 22.On the opening night of the postseason for the Leafs, center Igor Korolev broke his left fibula. He is expected to be out for the remainder of the season. The 28-year-old center, who was third in team scoring this season with 12 goals and 44 points in 60 games, injured his leg after colliding with Philadelphia defenseman Dan McGillis.Korolev missed the final 13 games of the regular season with an index finger that was broken so badly he will never fully be able to make a fist. And how did he feel about me little black cloud that seemed to be hovering above him?&ldquo;Actually I don&rsquo;t have the right words, not in English anyway,&rsquo; Korolev said. &ldquo;Only bad words. It was really painful. I tried to get up and 1 knew it was really bad.&rdquo;The loss of Korolev will mean Yanic Perreault will get more playing time and the Leafs plan to replace the injured Russian with Todd Warriner.Coach Pat Quinn said the Leafs will feel the loss of Korolev.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re missing a guy who was a very important player to us,&rdquo; Quinn said.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a shame, a shame how it happened. We&rsquo;ll adjust as we did when we lost him the last time.&rdquo;The Leafs got a scare in the last game of the regular season, April 17 in Montreal. That night, right winger Sergei Berezin sustained a lacerated cheek when he took a stick in the side of the head from Canadiens&rsquo; defenseman Craig Rivet. Rivet did not intend to hurt Berezin. He took a base-ball swing at the puck, but his stick broke before it struck Berezin.&ldquo;The doctor said I was the luckiest son of a gun in the world,&rdquo; Berezin said after X-rays confirmed there was no break. &ldquo;Well, he didn&rsquo;t say it like this. He said I was lucky.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0010-03/7162031-1-eng-US/thn0010-032.jpg" title="THN0010-03" width="359" height="486"><figcaption class="caption-body">Sergei Berezin</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK: The Maple Leafs&rsquo; roster for the opening night of the playoffs included just three players who appeared in last year&rsquo;s post-season and a total of seven who had never been in a playoff game in their careers&hellip;Center Mats Sundin was awarded a penalty shot in Game 1, a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, when Flyers&rsquo; defenseman Steve Duchesne put his hand on the puck in the crease. But Sundin was stopped by John Vanbiesbrouck. Flyers&rsquo; right winger Mikael Renberg, who roomed with Sundin at last year&rsquo;s World Championship, gave the &lsquo;Beezer&rsquo; some advice just before the shot&hellip;The Maple Leafs, who were expected to struggle offensively and miss the playoffs, finished the season as the league&rsquo;s highest scoring team with 268 goals and earned 97 points. On the down side, their 231 goals against made them the worst defensive team to make the playoffs. &#9632;

THN0010-02

Korolev breaks leg in post-season opener

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0010-04/7162076-1-eng-US/thn0010-042.jpg" title="THN0010-04" width="169" height="169"></div>The comparisons were inevitable.From the moment the Flyers clinched fifth place in the Eastern Conference and were assigned to play Toronto in the first round of the playoffs, the John Vanbiesbrouck-Curtis Joseph debate resumed in Philadelphia.When Vanbiesbrouck was signed as a free agent, he was viewed as a second or third choice behind Joseph and the New York Rangers&rsquo; Mike Richter.That perception came from Vanbiesbrouck&rsquo;s lower price tag-about $3.5 million per year versus the $6-million label on the other two goaltenders.But Vanbiesbrouck vindicated himself during the regular season with a 2.18 goals-against average, six shutouts and a career-high 62 games.Still, when fate put Beezer against Cujo in the post-season, the stage was set for a juicier head-to-head competition.Vanbiesbrouck took Round 1, stopping all 25 shots, including a Mats Sundin penalty shot, in a 3-0 win at Toronto April 22.Before the series began, the 35-year-old Vanbiesbrouck tried to downplay any sort of personal rivalry.&ldquo;1 think it&rsquo;s important to stay even-keeled, as much as you&rsquo;re thinking about it, as much as you read it in the papers and people write about it,&rdquo; Vanbiesbrouck said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a high profile series with Toronto. You just want to make sure that you&rsquo;re not distracted.&rdquo;Vanbiesbrouck also stopped Steve Thomas with a spectacular glove save during a 5-on-3 situation.&ldquo;He was unbelievable,&rdquo; said Flyers&rsquo; center Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the best I&rsquo;ve seen him play all season.Vanbiesbrouck finished the regular season on a strong note, going 3-1-1 in the last five games with a 1.56 GAA and .911 save percentage.NOTEBOOK: Center Eric Lindros, who lost 15 pounds, had made great strides in his recovery from a collapsed lung through late April, going from two minutes on the exercise bike to 20 minutes. But he would not put a date on a possible return&hellip;Tests done on right winger Mark Recchi revealed his headaches were not related to a concussion. Doctors said he was suffering from &ldquo;vascular spasm,&rdquo; and cleared him to play for Game 1 of the Toronto series where he centered the second line&hellip;. The Flyers&rsquo; 1998-99 award winners: Bobby Clarke Trophy (MVP), Lindros; Barry Ashbee Trophy (best defenseman), Eric Desjardins; Pelle Lindbergh Trophy (most improved), Daymond Langkow; Yanick Dupre Memorial Class Guy Award (sportsmanship), Desjardins. &#9632;

THN0010-04

‘Beezer’ talk heats up again

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0010-05/7162107-1-eng-US/thn0010-052.jpg" title="THN0010-05" width="171" height="170"></div>Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goalie Guy Hebert has had trouble surviving playoff games at Joe Louis Arena and he has his friend Brendan Shanahan to blame.In the second period of Game 1 of their first round series with the Detroit Red Wings, Shanahan-a former teammate of Hebert&rsquo;s with the St. Louis Blues-was upended by Ducks&rsquo; defenseman Ruslan Salei. As Shanahan flipped up in the air, his skate hit the mask of Hebert, who was standing.Both Hebert and Shanahan fell and Hebert had to leave the game. However, he was able to practise the next day and was expected to play in Game 2.&ldquo;I walked in the locker room (after the game) and wasn&rsquo;t sure who I was,&rdquo; Hebert said. &ldquo;Guys were telling me I was Dominik Hasek. But I feel pretty good. 1 had a tough workout. It will take a lot to keep me down at this time.&rdquo;Two years ago in Game 2 of the Ducks&rsquo; second round series against Detroit, Hebert made a save on Shanahan. &ldquo;I felt my groin go and 1 knew I was out for the series,&rdquo; Hebert said.He spent the rest of the game in the training room while backup Mikhail Shtalenkov came in, but Anaheim lost the exciting game in triple overtime.With Hebert unable to finish, this time Tom Askey was thrown into the game. He was called up earlier in the day from Cincinnati of the American League because backup goalie Dominic Roussel was out with the flu.Askey, who hadn&rsquo;t played an NHL game all season, was at the Cincinnati airport on his way to Philadelphia to play for the Ducks&rsquo; farm team against the Phantoms when he was told to go to Detroit. After allowing two goals in relief in a 5-3 loss, Askey was sent back to Cincinnati the next day.&ldquo;Everyone is real happy that Guy&rsquo;s back,&rdquo; said Ducks&rsquo; defenseman Ruslan Salei said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s huge for our team.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The four veterans the Red Wings picked up at the trading deadline (defensemen Chris Chelios and Ulf Samuelsson, left winger Wendel Clark and goalie Bill Ranford) had combined for 414 playoff games, more than the entire Ducks&rsquo; lineup at 399. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to throw our best at them,&rdquo; said coach Craig Hartsburg. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d like to put a huge notch in our gun. They&rsquo;re probably thinking of us as an appetizer for the next round.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Ducks&rsquo; left winger Paul Kariya, who entered the series as the Ducks&rsquo; all-time playoff scoring leader with 13 points in 11 games, added a goal and two assists in Game 1&hellip;Tough guy Jim McKenzie&rsquo;s toe nails are painted dark purple, courtesy of his five-year-old daughter, Taylor. &#9632;

THN0010-05

Winged Duck gets OK to play

<div class="byline">By Mario Annicchiarico</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0011-01/7162138-1-eng-US/thn0011-012.jpg" title="THN0011-01" width="168" height="169"></div>It has been three years since Tommy Salo has proved himself to be a money goalie.That was the 1995-96 season with the International League&rsquo;s Utah Grizzlies.Salo took them to a Turner Cup championship, posting three shutouts and a 2.28 goals-against average and was named the post-season&rsquo;s most valuable player.But, as is often the case, people were asking what have you done for me lately? Salo was in tough facing the No. 1 seed Dallas Stars in the opening round.He was 8-2-2 since being traded by the New York Islanders at the trading deadline and allowed just 11 goals in the last six games of the regular season.But he hasn&rsquo;t been impressive in previous games against the Stars. Entering the series, Salo was 0-4-0 against Dallas with a 3.46 goals-against average. But he stood his ground in Game 1, making 29 saves in a 2-1 loss.&ldquo;I think I showed a little bit that I can play playoff goal, he said after Game 1.Edmonton didn&rsquo;t help him much, getting only 13 shots.&ldquo;He gave us the chance to win the hockey game. I thought he was outstanding,&rdquo; said Oilers&rsquo; coach Ron Low.Salo has had success on the international level. He led Sweden to its first-ever gold medal at the 1994 Olympics and backstopped them to the 1998 World Championship.NOTEBOOK: The Oilers were hoping the two-referee system returning for the playoffs would allow them to better use their team speed. &ldquo;Obviously there are more eyes watching behind the play,&rdquo; said left winger Ryan Smyth. &lsquo;Things don&rsquo;t go unnoticed now. It will cut down the chippiness."&hellip;Center Doug Weight felt the Oilers entered the playoffs with a lot of confidence after fending off Calgary for the final spot. &ldquo;These were big games and I consider those playoff games, the guys rose to the occasion."&hellip;Right winger Vladimir Vorobiev had a goal in each of the two final regular season games since being recalled from the American League Hamilton Bulldogs and began the playoffs playing with Weight and Smyth. &#9632;

THN0011-01

Salo no leaky part for Oilers with strong play since trade

<div class="byline">By Mike Heika</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0011-03/7162169-1-eng-US/thn0011-032.jpg" title="THN0011-03" width="352" height="481"><figcaption class="caption-body">Derian Hatcher</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0011-02/7162176-1-eng-US/thn0011-022.jpg" title="THN0011-02" width="170" height="166"></div>Derian Hatcher received the longest post-season suspension since Rocket Richard was shelved for the entire playoffs in 1955.And while there wasn&rsquo;t a riot over the incident, the Dallas Stars weren&rsquo;t particularly happy with how they got to the point of losing their captain for seven games, including the first five games of the playoffs.&ldquo;Derian has to take responsibility for the hit and he has,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s a lot more to this than just that hit.&rdquo;Hatcher crushed Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; center Jeremy Roenick into the boards April 14 breaking Roenick&rsquo;s jaw and sidelining him for the season. Three weeks earlier, Roenick had laid a questionable hit on Modano, who received a massive black eye and seven stitches in his eyelid. Roenick was not suspended, which upset the Stars.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of people who have to take responsibility for this,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;Starting with the hit on (Mike) Modano, a lot of things got revved up.&rdquo;The bubbling rivalry between the Stars and Coyotes could burst should the two teams meet in the second round of the playoffs.&ldquo;Oh, it&rsquo;s a hate now,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;These things don&rsquo;t die down, they just keep getting more intense. You might play it down, but it&rsquo;s out there on the ice now and the players will take care of it.&rdquo;NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said Hatcher&rsquo;s suspension was based on a number of factors: the severity of the injury; Hatcher clearly left his feet to deliver the blow; Hatcher is a repeat offender having received a four-game suspension in the pre-season; and because the blow was to the head, an area commissioner Gary Bettman said the league was trying to eliminate injuries to and, as a result, have taken a stem stand on.NOTEBOOK: Rookie right winger Blake Sloan continued his Cinderella season when he assisted on center Guy Carbonneau&rsquo;s game-winning goal in Game 1 against Edmonton. Sloan, 23, went undrafted and unsigned by the NHL after a strong career as a defenseman at Michigan. He was signed by Dallas March 10 after being converted to the wing while with Houston of the International League&hellip;The Stars set franchise records for points (114), wins (51) and home wins (29). They also won their first Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed (168)&hellip;The Stars&rsquo; road black sweaters are history. They will wear their alternate sweater (green star) for all playoff road games and are working on a white version of the Star-format for next season. &#9632;

THN0011-03

Hatcher gets seven games to hatch fierce new rivalry

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0011-04/7162207-1-eng-US/thn0011-042.jpg" title="THN0011-04" width="169" height="169"></div>Like many in Colorado, members of the Avalanche had their lives affected by the tragic events at Columbine High School.The Avs&rsquo; first two games of their opening round playoff series with the San Jose Sharks were moved from Denver to San Jose out of respect for the 13 lives that were lost during the massacre April 20 when two disturbed students opened fire on classmates before killing themselves.The Avs worked hard all year to earn the right to start the playoffs on home ice, but nobody was complaining when the parameters changed.&ldquo;I think it will be good for us to start in San Jose,&rdquo; said veteran Claude Lemieux, whose babysitter went to Columbine High. &ldquo;We can really focus. As hard as it is, I think the players have a responsibility to do whatever it takes to focus on playing.&rdquo;Coach Bob Hartley, whose son plays in a Littleton, Colo., youth hockey league, was moved by the tragic events at the nearby school.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to San Jose on a mission,&rdquo; Hartley said, &ldquo;and that mission is, we want to dedicate our games to Columbine High School.&rdquo;What about starting the series at the San Jose Arena, considered one of the loudest buildings in the league?&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t worry,&rdquo; Hartley said. &ldquo;Looking at what this community has gone through, I think worrying about home ice would be very selfish.&rdquo;The Avalanche still would play four of the seven games at home, if the series went that far. Games 3, 4, 5 and 7 would be at McNichols Sports Arena.&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s still a good format,&rdquo; said right winger Adam Deadmarsh. &ldquo;If we get a split in San Jose, we would have the next three at home. That would be a big advantage for us.&rdquo;The Avalanche are wearing patches saying &lsquo;CHS&rsquo; on their uniforms for the rest of the playoffs.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Adam Deadmarsh was expected to return to the lineup for Game 1 after missing the final six games of the regular season because of a swollen left eye. Deadmarsh admitted to being &ldquo;very worried&rdquo; about his eye, shortly after taking a punch from Edmonton defenseman Jason Smith April 3. But the swelling subsided and Deadmarsh&rsquo;s vision slowly returned to normal&hellip;Left winger Valeri Kamensky was benchpressing more than 200 pounds and stickhandling with the puck five weeks after having his left forearm broken on a slash by Detroit left winger Kirk Maltby. Kamensky likely would return to the lineup by the second round, if Colorado advances that far. &#9632;

THN0011-04

Avs dedicate playoffs to high school

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0012-01/7162238-1-eng-US/thn0012-012.jpg" title="THN0012-01" width="168" height="168"></div>With Jeremy Roenick knocked out of commission for the playoffs because of a jaw-shattering hit by Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars, the Phoenix Coyotes were forced to play musical chairs with their No. 1 line.Resisting the urge to break up the second line trio of center Robert Reichel and wingers Greg Adams and Rick Tocchet, coach Jim Schoenfeld huddled with captain Keith Tkachuk and convinced the power forward to switch from left wing to center. Then he moved right winger Dallas Drake to left winger and promoted Shane Doan from the third line to the first.It&rsquo;s a move the Coyotes hope will last during their first round series against the St. Louis Blues.&ldquo;Both (Tkachuk and Tocchet) came up to me and reminded me that this is an opportunity, that my career hasn&rsquo;t exactly taken off the way I want it to,&rdquo; said Doan, a first round draft pick in 1995 who finished his fourth NHL season with just six goals and 28 points in 79 games. &ldquo;But this is something you dream of. To play with those guys is unbelievable and it&rsquo;s a challenge to me, personally, to bring my game to the next level.&rdquo;Tocchet, speaking to the media, but directing his comments toward Doan, reminded everyone how a player who had an average season can become a hero in the Stanley Cup playoffs, that anything can happen.Doan, he said, could be the unknown soldier who comes out of nowhere to save the day. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always stories like that in the playoffs,&rdquo; Tocchet said. &ldquo;If we have one, hopefully, he can shine, whoever he is.&rdquo;Doan&rsquo;s play improved dramatically during the final two weeks of the regular season, gaining himself more trust with Schoenfeld, who like Tocchet, said, &ldquo;Who knows? Maybe Shane Doan will have the hot stick in the playoffs for us.&rdquo;Doan sees the opportunity to play with two veterans at a critical point in the season as a bonus.&ldquo;I have to just try to keep playing the way I have been for the past month,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m focused and I&rsquo;m ready and I plan on playing my best.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Thanks to Dr. Reed Day. center Jeremy Roenick didn&rsquo;t lose any teeth from the hit to his chin from Dallas defenseman Derian Hatcher. Initially, it was diagnosed that he&rsquo;d lose at least eight. &ldquo;No, they&rsquo;re all going to be all right,&rdquo; said Roenick, whose jaw was broken in three places. &ldquo;If anybody out there needs oral surgery, I&rsquo;d recommend (Day) highly.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;The Coyotes lost Game 1 3-1 to the Blues in part because of their abysmal power play, which ranked second worst in the league during the regular season. They failed on six opportunities, including four in a row after defenseman Al Maclnnis gave St. Louis an early 1-0 lead. &ldquo;We had a 5-on-3 and we went out there like we were brain-dead,&rdquo; said coach Jim Schoenfeld. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time the element on the ice takes responsibility and gets the job done."&hellip;Defenseman Gerald Diduck, whom the club hoped would be ready for the playoffs after suffering a fractured right foot March 2, is now expected to be out until early May. &#9632;

THN0012-01

Doan gets choice assignment as Roenick none for nlavoffs

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0012-02/7162269-1-eng-US/thn0012-022.jpg" title="THN0012-02" width="171" height="168"></div>An act of unselfishness cost center Pavol Demitra a $500,000 performance bonus on the final game of the regular season, but the St. Louis Blues stepped up to reward him anyway.GM Larry Pleau gave Demitra a portion of the bonus that he surrendered by unselfishly ignoring an empty net in the final seconds by passing the puck to Scott Young and giving Young a chance to collect a $300,000 bonus. The Blues won the April 18 game over the Los Angeles Kings 3-2.Demitra needed a point to collect the half-million dollar bonus on the next two years of his contract that triggered in at 90 points. An assist was as good as a goal, so he fed the puck to Young, who needed a goal to trigger his 25-goal bonus.Young fired, but Jaroslav Modry, the only King back on a three-on-one rush, went down to block the $800,000 shot and neither player collected, until Pleau stepped forward.&ldquo;I like that&hellip;they are nice people,&rdquo; Demitra said. &ldquo;It makes me more excited.&rdquo;Teammates and management were excited about Demitra&rsquo;s gesture in the heat of battle.Pleau called it &ldquo;unbelievable in this day and age where everybody is out to (take) everybody else.&rdquo; Defenseman Jamie Rivers called it &ldquo;the most unselfish thing I&rsquo;ve ever seen. That&rsquo;s why he&rsquo;s the ultimate team player.&rdquo;Young was touched, but felt bad that Demitra missed out on his bonus. &ldquo;If I put it in, we both hit,&rdquo; said Young, who had no time to shoot and no other option than to fire a one-timer with seconds on the clock. &ldquo;I would have pulled it in (and gone around Modry), but I knew there was under nine seconds left when we started the rush.&rdquo;Demitra offered a simple explanation of why he risked his bonus by passing to Young.&ldquo;He needed a goal,&rdquo; Demitra said.He led the Blues in scoring with 37 goals and 89 points. The 24-year-old Demitra earned $800,000 this season. The bonus will be added to his salary of $1.1 million next year and $1.3 million the following year.NOTEBOOK: Playing in his first career playoff game, fourth-year pro defenseman Jamie Rivers scored his first career playoff goal&ndash;the game-winner-of the Blues&rsquo; 3-1 victory in Phoenix April 22 in Game 1 of their first round playoff series&hellip;Left winger Scott Pellerin also collected his first career playoff goal-an empty-netter-in the game. Defenseman Al Maclnnis. meanwhile, blew a slapshot just outside the blueline past Phoenix goalie Nikolai Khabibulin for his 33rd career playoff goal. He also had two assists in the playoff opener&hellip;Wingers Michal Handzus (shoulder), Kelly Chase (shoulder), Lubos Bartecko (concussion) and Brad Shaw (concussion) were cleared to play, but none of them appeared in the first game of the playoffs&hellip; With only defenseman Marc Bergevin (abdominal surgery) and right winger Jim Campbell (groin surgery) out, the Blues were the healthiest they had been all season. Both players are out for the remainder of the season. &#9632;

THN0012-02

Team rewards unselfish Demitra with partial goalscoring bonus

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatsciiek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0013-01/7162300-1-eng-US/thn0013-012.jpg" title="THN0013-01" width="169" height="166"></div>Perception, it would appear, is everything.Even though the Flames completed a 30-win, 72-point season, the second-worst of their 19 years in Calgary, GM Al Coates took an unusually positive slant on the year. He described the 1998-99 campaign as a &ldquo;tremendous year.&rdquo;&ldquo;We are really close,&rdquo; Coates said. &ldquo;I believe that beyond a shadow of a doubt.&rdquo;Overachievers Goalie Fred Brathwaite was signed in early January as a depth player, but was rushed into service because of injuries. He led the team in wins with 11.Jarome Iginla more than doubled his goal total from a year ago (28 from 13).Underachievers Bob Bassen is all try when he&rsquo;s in the lineup, but for $1.1 million, it wasn&rsquo;t nearly enough production to justify the expenditure.Goalie Ken Wregget was off to a decent start (4-5-2) in the first 11 games before a back injury knocked him out of the lineup for three months.Needs 1. Depth at center. The Flames auditioned Cory Stillman, Iginla and Jason Wiemer at center, but eventually shifted them all back to the wing. It remains the team&rsquo;s weakest position. 2. Scorer on wing. The only player that reached the 30-goal plateau, Fleury, was traded on the last day of February. 3. Someone to win faceoffs. Fleury was their best faceoff man and when he left, there wasn&rsquo;t anybody to win draws on a regular basis.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Bob Bassen, 34, who struggled all season with his health and scoring touch, wants to play again. But if he does it in Calgary, it&rsquo;ll be for considerably less than the $1.1 million he earned last year. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m on my two feet right now,&rdquo; he said. Bassen is a favorite of coach Brian Sutter, so presumably, his future is tied to Sutter&rsquo;s. &ldquo;I like it here,&rdquo; Bassen said. &ldquo;I think there is a good future and I like the coaching staff. I do want to come back. I don&rsquo;t know what their plans are. We&rsquo;ll just have to see."&hellip;Center Andrew Cassels agreed to play for Canada at the World Championship after arranging for insurance. He is an unrestricted free agent following the season and thus without the protection of an NHL contract. &#9632;

THN0013-01

GM thinks team close to being winner again

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0013-03/7162331-1-eng-US/thn0013-032.jpg" title="THN0013-03" width="352" height="479"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jocelyn Thibault</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0013-02/7162338-1-eng-US/thn0013-022.jpg" title="THN0013-02" width="170" height="166"></div>It&rsquo;s not often a team misses the playoffs yet enters the summer with the kind of hope for the next season that the Chicago Rlack-hawks have.The Hawks finished with six straight wins, went 8-1-2 in their last 11 games and were 13-6-4 under Lome M&ouml;lleken, who replaced Dirk Graham as coach Feb. 22.&ldquo;At least now we&rsquo;re looking at a team with some positives there,&rdquo; said GM Bob Murray.Overachievers Goalie Jocelyn Thibault was left out to dry on many nights before the club&rsquo;s dramatic turnaround, yet finished with a 2.69 goals-against average and .906 save percentage for a poor team.Defenseman Brad Brown developed into the Hawks&rsquo; toughest and most punishing defenseman.Underachievers Left winger Bob Probert scored just seven goals in 78 games and appears to have lost his desire to fight. The Hawks would probably like to trade him, but his contract (two years remaining at $3.4 million) will make it tough.Defenseman Jamie Allison was acquired from the Calgary Flames in October and never lived up to expectations, partly because of injuries.Right winger Eric Daze was a force down the stretch with 25 points in the last 28 games, but for most of the year was the club&rsquo;s biggest disappointment.Needs 1. Stay-at-home defenseman. The Hawks need someone to complement puck movers Boris Mironov and Anders Eriksson and kill penalties. 2. Scoring winger. A guy who can score 25-30 goals is needed to play with center Doug Gilmour, although he might start next season at left wing. 3. A star attraction. Though stars in their own right, Tony Amonte and Gilmour don&rsquo;t put people in the seats and there have been a lot of empty seats to fill at the United Center.NOTEBOOK: Despite missing the playoffs for a second straight season, owner Bill Wirtz gave a strong vote of confidence to GM Bob Murray. &ldquo;1 think he has done an excellent job,&rdquo; Wirtz said. &ldquo;The trades he has made and the way he has conducted himself and the reputation he has gained around the National Hockey League, I&rsquo;m very, very impressed."&hellip;Right winger Tony Amonte underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee April 19. Amonte played most of the season with damaged ligaments and still scored 44 goals&hellip;Qpalie Jocelyn Thibault was 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts&hellip;Right winger Eric Daze will play for Canada and defenseman Anders Eriksson for Sweden at the World Championship. &#9632;

THN0013-03

Strong finish to season supplies reason for hope

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0013-04/7162369-1-eng-US/thn0013-042.jpg" title="THN0013-04" width="169" height="164"></div>Motivation shouldn&rsquo;t be a problem for the San Jose Sharks in their first round playoff series with the Colorado Avalanche.And nobody has more incentive than Sharks&rsquo; forwards Owen Nolan and Mike Ricci.The two 27-year-olds, who comprise the heart and soul of the Sharks, spent formative years with the Avalanche franchise.&ldquo;That is a huge factor,&rdquo; said San Jose coach Darryl Sutter. &ldquo;Both were Quebec (Nordique) guys who went to Colorado. (Ricci) won (the 1996 Stanley Cup) with them. That&rsquo;s a bond that never leaves.&rdquo;Nolan wasn&rsquo;t as fortunate. Shortly after relocating to Denver, the Avs dealt Nolan to the Sharks for defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh on Oct. 26, 1995. Less than eight months later, Ricci, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and company swept the Florida Panthers to win it all.Ricci, who arrived from Colorado in a Nov. 20, 1997 trade that sent right winger Shean Donovan and a first round pick in last year&rsquo;s entry draft to the Avalanche, is a true teal Shark now.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been (a Shark) since the day I got traded here,&rdquo; Ricci said. &ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter that (the playoff opponent) is Colorado. Enough time has passed.&rdquo;On the ice, though, there will be no mistaking the familiar Avalanche uniform, or the many former teammates.&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been through a lot and we won something, but one thing it taught me when we won the Cup is you&rsquo;re hungry for more,&rdquo; Ricci said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to use every possible angle I can. Sometimes when you think too much and you get too emotional. then you don&rsquo;t do the right things. I think I know where the fine line is.&ldquo;I have to keep my emotions in I (check), but also make sure I&rsquo;m using them to my advantage.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The delay in the opening-round playoff series with Colorado gave left winger Marco Sturm three more days to recover from a hyperextended knee. Sturm missed the final two regular season games after being hurt in an April 12 collision with Edmonton right winger Bill Guerin&hellip;Left winger Murray Craven, who hadn&rsquo;t played since March 31 because of recurring nerve damage in his lower right leg, was hoping he might be ready before the end of the first round&hellip;The NHL handed defenseman Andrei Zyuzin a two-game suspension at the outset of the playoffs for a slash to the face of Anaheim right winger Jim McKenzie in the April 17 season finale. &#9632;

THN0013-04

Nolan, Ricci up against former mates

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0014-02/7162431-1-eng-US/thn0014-022.jpg" title="THN0014-02" width="167" height="164"></div>The end of the Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; dismal season is sure to bring about many changes and GM Dave Taylor wasted no time setting the merry-go-round in motion.The day after the Kings finished 11th in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, coach Larry Robinson and his assistants were fired (see pg. THN3 for more). Much was expected of the Kings after they finished fifth in the West last season, but they fell victim to injuries, inconsistency and a glaring lack of skill.&ldquo;I fully expected that we would be playing beyond today,&rdquo; club president Tim Leiweke told season ticket holders on the final day. Leiweke said the team would lose $10 million for the year.The Kings&rsquo; offensive failings-they ranked 25th in goals with 189-sealed their fate. But they must infuse youth, enthusiasm and more skill into a team that lacked a lot of passion.Overachievers The Kings&rsquo; most dependable scorer, 33-year-old winger Luc Robitaille, increased his totals, jumping from 16 goals and 40 points last season to 39 goals and 74 points.Acquired for a draft pick from the Buffalo Sabres, right winger Donald Audette brought fire and a sense of commitment to the team. He played bigger than his 5-foot-8, 184-pound frame and produced 18 goals, second only to Robitaille, and 36 points, also second best on the team.Underachievers Center Jozef Stumpel, who sprained his ankle in training camp and later sustained a hip injury, slumped from 21 goals and 79 points last season, to 13 goals and 34 points, with a minus-18 rating, this year.Following a career year of 29 goals and 60 points in 1997-98, right winger Glen Murray slumped to just 16 goals and 31 points in 60 games. He never regained his timing after missing 19 games because of a knee injury.Needs 1. A coach to replace Robinson. Management is expected to put a premium on hiring a coach with NHL experience. 2. More scoring. The Kings&rsquo; offense was inadequate and their power play a bust. Their right side was weak and they need skill up the middle. 3. More speed. The Kings had too many wide-bodies and not enough speed to mount any rushes into the offensive zone. They will have to bring in more jets if they hope to rattle opposing defense brigades.NOTEBOOK: GM Dave Taylor told four players they might not be back. Right winger Russ Courtnail, 33, defensemen Doug Bodger, 32. and Dave Babych, 37, and center Ray Ferraro, 34, can become unrestricted free agents July 1. Taylor is intent on a full-bore youth movement. Bodger is considering retirement, but Courtnall indicated he would try to hook up with St. Louis so he and his brother, Geoff, can finish their careers together&hellip; Bodger and defensemen Sean O&rsquo;Donnell and Rob Blake will play for Canada in the World Championship. Center Olli Jokinen will join Finland, left winger Vladimir Tsyplakov Belarus and left winger Craig Johnson Team USA. &#9632;

THN0014-02

Kings get early start on reshuffling by axing Robinson and assistants

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0014-03/7162462-1-eng-US/thn0014-032.jpg" title="THN0014-03" width="169" height="166"></div>Nobody made wild predictions last September when training camp opened, but there was a sense of optimism surrounding the Montreal Canadiens.This was a team, after all, that advanced to the second round of the playoffs the previous season and felt it was ready to be considered among the league&rsquo;s elite.Instead, an 11-game (six losses and five ties) winless streak in December led to one of the Canadiens&rsquo; poorest seasons in their 82-year existence. Montreal finished seven games below .500, last in its division and missed the playoffs for the second time since 1995.Overachievers After arriving from the Chicago Blackhawks, goaltender Jeff Hackett provided the Canadiens with the stability and veteran leadership they lost with last summer&rsquo;s unexpected retirement of Andy Moog.Left winger Benoit Brunet was plagued by injuries and limited to 60 games, but when he was healthy he was one of the team&rsquo;s steadiest performers, scoring a career-high 14 goals.If everyone had right winger Turner Stevenson&rsquo;s heart and determination, this team likely would have made the playoffs. His contributions aren&rsquo;t measured in statistics alone, but his 10 goals and 27 points were both career highs.Underachievers This was going to be left winger Brian Savage&rsquo;s breakthrough season. Instead, he missed the first five games because of a contract dispute, went 17 games without a goal over one stretch and completed the season with only 16 goals.The Canadiens are waiting for center Saku Koivu to be the dominant player he was before sustaining a knee injury two years ago. He wound up with only 14 goals and 44 points in 65 games.Center Shayne Corson plummeted from 21 goals last season to just 12. He finished with only 32 points, 23 fewer than last year.Needs 1. Offense. The Canadiens scored only 184 goals. Only Tampa Bay had fewer. Montreal didn&rsquo;t even have a 20-goal scorer. 2. Size. The Canadiens&rsquo; best players are their smallest ones. That resulted in a poor road record of 11-24-6. 3. Depth down the middle. After center Vincent Damphousse was dealt to San Jose, Corson was moved from left wing to center on the team&rsquo;s second line. Corson is a better winger.NOTEBOOK: Former Hab centers Vincent Damphousse and Marc Bureau, who are in the playoffs with San Jose and Philadelphia, respectively, both slammed the Canadiens in recent interviews. &ldquo;Communication wasn&rsquo;t good with (coach Alain Vigneault) this year,&rdquo; Damphousse said. &ldquo;He likes to makes decisions on his own.&rdquo; Said Bureau in response to Hab management&rsquo;s assertion the team lacks leadership: &ldquo;They say that, but the character guys were chased out of Montreal. We&rsquo;ve seen a lot of leaders go over the past few years."&hellip;Vigneault and GM Rejean Houle were given votes of confidence by team president Ronald Corey after the season ended. &#9632;

THN0014-03

Habs’ chance to join league’s elite put on hold with below-par season

<div class="byline">By Jeff Legwold</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0015-01/7162493-1-eng-US/thn0015-012.jpg" title="THN0015-01" width="169" height="169"></div>Most observers in and around the Nashville Predators came away from the team&rsquo;s expansion season with two thoughts:First, they did just fine for a rookie franchise. Twenty-eight wins and fervent public support, epitomized by a standing ovation from a sellout crowd at the end of their final game, are commendable.Second, they are no longer rookies. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s important we don&rsquo;t lose sight of the fact we finished below .500 and we&rsquo;re not in the playoffs,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;We have to get better.&rdquo;Overachievers Center Greg Johnson produced 50 points and was a steadying influence. He figures to be in Nashville for a long time.Gritty right winger Scott Walker was invaluable on a team that lost 398 man-games to injury.Underachievers Defenseman Jamie Reward battled injuries, but even when healthy struggled at times in the Predators&rsquo; own end.Defenseman Rob Zettler, drafted from Toronto, should have made the roster, but played just two games.Needs 1. Big defenseman. The Predators rarely kept opponents from planting themselves in front of the net. 2. Scoring. Beyond veteran center Cliff Ronning, they had few pure point producers. Top prospect David Legwand should help. 3. The big shot. Their power play struggled for much of the year and most of the time it was without quality shots.NOTEBOOK: Center David Legwand, the team&rsquo;s top pick in 1998, signed a three-year deal and played the final game of the season. Legwand received a $975,000 signing bonus. If he makes the Predators roster in each of the next three seasons, he&rsquo;ll earn $487,500, $487,500 and $975,000, respectively. There is also the potential for roughly $6 million in bonuses built into the contract&hellip;The team also exercised the option year on left winger Ville Peltonen, who played in just 14 games before having shoulder surgery. GM David Poile has now given him permission to play for Finland in the World Championship. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen will also compete for Finland, while blueliner Dan Keczmer will play for the Americans. &#9632;

THN0015-01

Job well done in Year 1, but improvement a must

<div class="byline">By Jim Smith</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0015-03/7162524-1-eng-US/thn0015-032.jpg" title="THN0015-03" width="354" height="481"><figcaption class="caption-body">Claude Lapointe</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0015-02/7162531-1-eng-US/thn0015-022.jpg" title="THN0015-02" width="169" height="166"></div>Another New York Islanders&rsquo; season was wrecked by ownership turmoil, frontoffice blunders, injuries and underachievement.The club&rsquo;s 24-48-10 record was disappointing, considering it began the season 10-11-0. The Isles have now missed the playoffs for five straight years.Mike Milbury turned the coaching reins over to Bill Stewart in mid-season and the club went 54-4. But it slumped to 6-15-3 in the final 24 games. The 32-game absence of sniper Ziggy Palffy in a contract dispute was a major blow.Overachievers Left winger Claude Lapointe scored a career-high 37 points and won the Bob Nystrom Award for leadership, hustle and dedication.Following his Dec. 15 recall from the minors, right winger Mark Lawrence (earning $325,000) outscored captain Trevor Linden ($2.5 million) by 14-8.Defenseman Zdeno Chara, 22, played 59 of the last 60 games and developed into a top-four defenseman.Underachievers Linden has seven goals and 23 points in the last 48 games.Center Bryan Smolinski, in a contract year, disappeared for weeks at a time and wound up with just 16 goals and 40 points.Missing 19 games through injury, defenseman Kenny Jonsson had only 26 points, 14 fewer than last year.Needs 1. A veteran defenseman. Picking up the $250,000 option on defenseman David Har-lock&rsquo;s contract is also a no-brainer. 2. Two topsix forwards. The Isles will lose unrestricted Group III free agents Mike Hough and Craig Janney. 3. Re-sign Group VI free agent Lawrence. Inking 10 other restricted Group II free agents, including goalies Felix Potvin and Wade Flaherty, is also a must.NOTEBOOK: After winning their last game 7-2 in Pittsburgh April 17, the Isles finished with the third-worst record, giving Vancouver a higher position entering the draft lottery&hellip;Right winger Ziggy Palffy had four goals and 10 points in his last five games to finish with 22 goals and 50 points in 50 games&hellip;Rookie defenseman Eric Brewer missed the last four games with a strained Achilles tendon&hellip;Defenseman Kenny Jonsson sustained a broken pinky and missed the last game. He was pointless and minus-7 in his last 10 games&hellip;Left winger Marius Czerkawski was named the team&rsquo;s &ldquo;good guy&rdquo; for co-operating with the media, by the Long Island chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association. &#9632;

THN0015-03

Injuries, ownership mess contribute to lost season

<div class="byline">By Rick Carplniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0015-04/7162562-1-eng-US/thn0015-042.jpg" title="THN0015-04" width="171" height="169"></div>The New York Rangers&rsquo; second successive nonplayoff season didn&rsquo;t end in flames. No, it ended in ceremony and celebration, thanks to the retirement of the greatest player in NHL history, Wayne Gretzky.But, while Gretzky&rsquo;s final NHL game overshadowed the depths of finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference, it became evident the summer is going to be one of the most important in recent franchise history.For one thing, most of the Rangers played about as well as could be expected or better; and for another, the unrestricted free agent market isn&rsquo;t stocked with enough prize players for a quick fix.Overachievers Left winger Adam Graves, who suffered from a severe abdominal strain last year, bounced back with a 38-goal season.Veteran right winger John MacLean spent a lot of time on the No. 1 line, producing 28 goals and 55 points, second best on the team.Left winger Kevin Stevens rediscovered his scoring touch with 23 goals, his highest total in five years.Underachievers Signed to a three-year, $4.1-million deal, Scott Fraser was a bust, producing just two goals and six points in 28 games.Versatile veteran Esa Tikkanen was demoted to the minors, then suspended for refusing to report.Todd Harvey&rsquo;s fragile body stood up for only 37 games and he missed the last two months of the season.Needs 1. First-line wingers. Game-breakers are required to play on the first line with center Peter Nedved. 2. Top-four defenseman. Jeff Beukeboom was lost with a concussion that could end his career and Ulf Samuelsson was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. 3. Checking centers. With Gretzky, Nedved and Marc Savard, the Rangers had three finesse centers. Gretzky&rsquo;s gone and the Rangers need a bigger, stronger type to handle hulks such as Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers.NOTEBOOK: Goalie Dan Cloutier was to see a specialist about his recurring groin abdominal injury. Plans to have him go to Hartford for the American League playoffs were scrapped&hellip;Left winger Adam Graves (Canada), defenseman Chris Tamer (USA) and left winger Niklas Sundstrom (Sweden) were headed for the World Championship. Center Petr Nedved (Canada) hoped to play, but was doubtful because of a ribcage injury&hellip;Right wing prospect Stefan Chemeski, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in November, needed a second surgery because the bones in his knee didn&rsquo;t heal properly. But GM Neil Smith said Dr, Barton Nisonson is optimistic Chemeski can have an NHL career. &#9632;

THN0015-04

Important off-season for Rangers

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0016-01/7162593-1-eng-US/thn0016-012.jpg" title="THN0016-01" width="169" height="165"></div>In more ways that one, the Washington Capitals&rsquo; season was extraordinarily painful.The Caps, who lost a team-record 511 man-games to injury, missed the playoffs just nine months after they had made it to the Stanley Cup final. And Washington wasn&rsquo;t even close; it finished 22 points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins, the eighth seed in the East.Overachievers Defenseman Sergei Gonchar had 21 goals in 53 games, including a team-leading 13 power play goals.Left winger James Black hit career highs offensively (16 goals, 30 points).Defenseman Joe Reekie turned in another steady performance and posted a team high plus-11.Underachievers Right winger Peter Bondra, who tied for the NHL goalscoring lead (52) in 1997-98, finished with just 31 in 1998-99.Expectations were high for right winger Richard Zednik, but he finished with nine goals and his play was undisciplined at times.Needs 1. Speed. With many of the fast youngsters hurt, the Capitals watched helplessly as teams skated around them. 2. Depth. A season ago the Caps called up Andrew Brunette and he chipped in 20 points in a month. There are no Brunettes left in the system. 3. Health. The injury crisis has finally been termed &ldquo;unacceptable.&rdquo; The team plans to strictly enforce rehab guidelines as a way to stop players from returning before fully ready.NOTEBOOK: After the season, the club told three veterans-goalie Rick Tabaracci. center Michal Pivonka and left winger Kelly Miller-they no longer fit into the team&rsquo;s plans. Pivonka, 33, and Miller, 36, have both been with the Caps since 1986-87&hellip;The Caps enter the draft lottery with the No. 6 selection in the first round&hellip;The team was shutout by Carolina (3-0 April 14) and Buffalo (3-0 April 18) in its last two games to end the season with 11 whitewashes&hellip;Rookie center Benoit Gratton scored the last four goals of the season for the Capitals in three different games&hellip;Defenseman Dmitri Mironov will have off-season microsurgery to shave a piece of bone spur off a ruptured disc in his back, but should be ready by training camp. &#9632;

THN0016-01

Capitals lay big goose egg nine months after Cup bid

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0016-03/7162624-1-eng-US/thn0016-032.jpg" title="THN0016-03" width="355" height="484"><figcaption class="caption-body">Adrian Aucoin</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0016-02/7162631-1-eng-US/thn0016-022.jpg" title="THN0016-02" width="171" height="169"></div>After a 64-point season in 1997-98, the VancouverCanucks thought things couldn&rsquo;t possibly get any worse.Unfortunately, they did. After a modest 8-6-1 start, things started to unravel and by Christ-mas, the Canucks began a slide that went unabated. Along the way they fired Keenan and traded Pavel Bure, but it made little difference. The team finished with 58 points and missed the playoffs again.Overachievers Adrian Aucoin set a team record for goals by a defensemen (23), which was also a league high. He also tied an unofficial NHL record with 18 power play goals by a blueliner.Right winger Markus Naslund set personal bests for goals (36) and points (66) to lead the team in both categories.Goalie Garth Snow appeared in 65 games, won 20 times and tied a team record with six shutouts. All three marks were personal bests.Underachievers Right winger Alexander Mogilny managed to score just 14 times in 59 games despite quality ice time.Left winger Brad May has never been touted as a great offensive player, but his six goals and 17 points in 69 games was unacceptable.Right winger Trent Klatt went from 24 goals two seasons ago to just four in 73 games.Needs 1. Play making center. The Canucks have wingers who seem capable of finishing but no pivot, other than the aging Mark Messier, to make that clever pass. 2. Speed. Without Bure, Trevor Linden and Bret Hedican, the Canucks lost significant foot speed and were outclassed by the swifter skating teams. 3. Secondary offense. Center Dave Scatchard was the only third&ndash;or fourth-liner to score more than 10 goals.NOTEBOOK: The Canucks will be seeded third in the draft lottery after they were passed by the Islanders and wound up 26th overall. Both the Canucks and Isles finished with 58 points, but New York recorded one more victory (24 to 23), which was the first tie-breaker&hellip;Medical trainer Mike Burnstein and assistant equipment manager Darren Granger accepted invitations to join Team Canada for the World Championship in Norway&hellip;. Defenseman Mattias Ohlund missed the final five games of the season with a concussion, jeopardizing his chances of playing for Sweden in the Norway tournament. Right winger Markus Naslund said he would play for Sweden if suitable insurance was in place as he will become a restricted free agent July 1. &#9632;

THN0016-03

Lack of offense big hole as Canucks look to improve

<div class="byline">By Tim Buckley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0016-04/7162662-1-eng-US/thn0016-042.jpg" title="THN0016-04" width="170" height="169"></div>&lsquo;The Tampa Bay Light dng&rsquo;s 1998-99 season was unsuccessful, but not uneventful.Two games into the campaign, GM Phil Esposito and his brother, assistant GM Tony Esposito, were fired by new owner Art Williams. Coach Jacques Demers added the title of GM and veteran NHL executive Cliff Fletcher was hired to advise Demers.Players came and went and goalie Daren Puppa sustained yet another season-ending injury. Before it was all done, Williams would call his players &ldquo;pansies,&rdquo; and eventually announce he was selling the team to a group led by Detroit businessman Bill Davidson. Oh, did we mention the Lightning finished last overall for the second consecutive season?Overachievers Rookie Pavel Kubina far exceeded expectations by developing into one of the Lightning&rsquo;s top-two defensemen.Center Darcy Tucker, a relentless worker, surprisingly emerged as Tampa Bay&rsquo;s leading scorer with 21 goals and 43 points.Underachievers Talented right winger Stephane Richer recorded just 12 goals.Captain Rob Zamuner was plagued by a groin injury, limiting the defense-minded left winger to 19 points and a minus-15 mark.Puppa managed just 13 appearances because of injury.Needs 1. No. 1 goalie. Settling the Lightning&rsquo;s mess in net is top priority. Puppa is under contact and will be in camp next season, but the Lightning won&rsquo;t count on him to be their No. 1. Whether it&rsquo;s Corey Schwab, Kevin Hodson and someone else remains to be seen. 2. Veteran defenseman. The Lightning needs an experienced, stay-at-home defenseman to replace the retired Kjell Samuelsson and lend stability to a young group. 3. Big winger. Demers wants a big, tough winger skilled enough to ride shotgun for center Vincent Lecavalier.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Petr Svoboda suffered a slightly separated left shoulder in Tampa Bay&rsquo;s 2-2 tie with Carolina April 17. That prompted the Lightning to recall 19-year-old defenseman Paul Mara from Plymouth (Ontario League) for its season-ending 6-2 loss to Florida April 18. Mara, the Lightning&rsquo;s 1997 first round draft pick, had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut&hellip;Doctors have now ruled out Meniere&rsquo;s Disease as the cause of Lightning goalie prospect Zac Bierk&rsquo;s dizziness. Instead, they&rsquo;ve decided he has an inner ear contusion resulting from a slapshot to the head while with Tampa Bay in April. 1998. Bierk, whose future had been in doubt, is now expected at training camp next season. &#9632;

THN0016-04

No shortage of turmoil for Lightning

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzlja</div>Rochester Americans&rsquo; center Domenic Pittis received little support from all-star voters, but he stamped himself a part of American League history by winning the scoring title on the final weekend of the season.Pittis finished with 104 points, including four straight two-point games to close the season. Providence Bruins&rsquo; center Randy Robitaille, a first-team all-star and MVP, was second with 102.Robitaille, a second pro year, led the scoring race since January, but couldn&rsquo;t play in the second last game because of the flu. His ice time was limited in the regular season finale.Pittis scored 38 goals, including nine game-winners, and figured in 36.2 per cent of the Americans&rsquo; 287 goals.In four previous minor pro seasons, Pittis&rsquo; career high for points was 66 with the International League&rsquo;s Long Beach Ice Dogs in 1996-97.&ldquo;I really have to thank Craig Fisher, my linemate all year,&rdquo; Pittis said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the reasons I raised my game. He said right from the start, &lsquo;I think you can be a 110-point guy in this league.&rsquo; On nights when I didn&rsquo;t feel that great, he elevated my game.&rdquo;Pittis&rsquo; desire to play was also a big factor. The difference in the scoring race was two points, which is the exact number he picked up during his NHL/AHL doubleheader, March 28.He played for the Buffalo Sabres al noon, then voluntarily returned tc Rochester for a 6 p.m. AHL game.&ldquo;I guess it&rsquo;s a good thing I played that night,&rdquo; said the league&rsquo;s new scoring champ.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0018-01/7162700-1-eng-US/thn0018-012.jpg" title="THN0018-01" width="247" height="244"></div>YOUNG TALENT: Kentucky Thoroughblades&rsquo; defenseman Dan Boyle, who went from undrafted collegian to highly touted prospect for the Florida * Panthers, continued to shine during his first pro season.Boyle, signed by the Panthers last summer as a free agent out of Miami-Ohio, was named to the AHL&rsquo;s all-rookie team. Earlier he was named a second-team all-star.The 22-year-old Boyle was the second-leading scorer among AHL defenseman with eight goals and 42 points in 53 games until his promotion to Florida in late February.Other members of the all-rookie team are Beast of New Haven winger Shane Willis, Portland Pirates&rsquo; winger J.P. Dumont, Providence center Andre Savage, Rochester defenseman Cory Sarich and Spring-field Falcons&rsquo; goalie Robert Esche.AWARD WINNERS:Shane Willis won the Dudley &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Garrett Memorial Award as rookie of the year.Other major award winners were Albany River Rats&rsquo; Ken Sutton won the Eddie Shore Award as best defenseman and Rochester&rsquo;s Marty Biron received the Aldege &lsquo;Baz&rsquo; Bastien Memorial Award as best goalie.Biron was a runaway winner for the Bastien Award posting a 2.07 goals-against average, the lowest in 60 years. His six shutouts tied Gerry Cheevers&rsquo; Rochester record that has stood since 1964-65, and his .930 save percentage is a league record. Records for that stat have been kept since the 1983-84 sea-son.&ldquo;When you talk about Rochester&rsquo;s individual skill, you start with their goaltender,&rdquo; said Adirondack coach Glenn Merkosky. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had that the last two years with Norm Mara-cle and Marty Biron is the same type of player.&rdquo;Willis led the Beast in scoring with 31 goals and 81 points in 73 games as a 21-year-old. He was a fourth round I pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997.Sutton, 29, in his 10th pro year, has played more than 300 NHL games. He hopes expansion will offer a return to the NHL.Center Mitch Lamoureux of the Hershey Bears received the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award as the player best exemplifying sportsmanship, determination and dedication to hockey.TIME FOR BIGGER NETS?: Rochester broke the league record for team defense, allowing just 176 goals.The Saint John Flames set the mark of 201 for an 80 game season last year.Of course, few teams did much scoring. There were a record 73 shutouts, an amazing 20 per cent hike from the mark of 61 set last season.The Syracuse Crunch contributed greatly-in a way they would rather not have. The Crunch was blanked nine times, matching the scoring futility of three previous teams (New Haven Eagles in 1938-39, Washington Lions in 1948-49 and Pittsburgh Hornets in 1961-62.The average for goals-per-game was 6.1, down from 6.4 a year ago.SO CLOSE: In amassing the second-most points in league history, 120, Providence tied a record for most home wins (33, set by the Fredericton Canadiens in 1987-88) and fell one win shy of the record set by the Binghamton Rangers in 1992-93.The Bruins were on target to set the record for wins, but were shut out 2-0 by Adirondack River Rats&rsquo; Jason Elliott, April 10, then lost 4-3 in overtime to Hartford in the season finale.AHL TIDBITS: The April plusminus winner was Mike Harder of Rochester (plus-10) for April. Antti Laaksonen of Providence was the overall winner with a plus-40&hellip;The Edmonton Oilers signed goalie Eric Heftier to a tryout contract and assigned him to Hamilton (AHL). He played four seasons with St. Lawrence University and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.<h2>AHL PLAYOFFS</h2>EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0018-02/7162693-1-eng-US/thn0018-022.jpg" title="THN0018-02" width="781" height="402"></div>FIRST ROUND (Best of Five)Lowell vs. Saint John Rochester vs. AdirondackSt. John&rsquo;s vs Fredericton Albany vs. Hamilton Providence vs. Worcester Phi&rsquo;-idelphia vs. Cincinnati Hartford vs. Springfield Kentucky vs. Hershey &#9632;

THN0018-01

NHL/AHL doubleheader helps Pittis win first scoring crown

<div class="byline">By David Henry</div>Rotating goalies Kevin St Pierre and Hugo Hamelin, the Shreveport Mudbugs set a Western Professional League record with 99 points.The Mudbugs, who were 25-1-1 in the second half of the season, swept the Monroe Moccasins in three games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and beat the Lake Charles Ice Pirates 4-1 in the Eastern Conference final.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0018-03/7162731-1-eng-US/thn0018-032.jpg" title="THN0018-03" width="262" height="193"></div>The San Angelo Outlaws beat the Fort Worth Brahmas 4-2 in the Western Conference final.START ME UP: Shreveport center John Vecchiarelli, with a teamhigh 89 points in the regular season, didn&rsquo;t score a point in the Mudbugs&rsquo; three-game second round sweep of Monroe. Vecchiarelli then exploded for four goals in the Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final against Lake Charles.ONE-TIMERS: The WPHL plans to expand to 18 teams with the addition of the Lubbock (Tex.) Cotton Kings next season. Tentative plans are to add an additional three teams, including a franchise in Pueblo, Colo. &ldquo;for the 2000-2001 season&hellip;Left winger Dale Henry had two game-winning goals in Shreveport&rsquo;s 3-0 second round sweep of Monroe&hellip;Lake Charles winger Graeme Townshend had seven goals in 11 playoff games. &#9632;

THN0018-03

Mudbugs establish record

<div class="byline">By Kevin Iole</div>Geoff Sarjeant was sent off to the scrap heap long before he was ready to accept that fact.Saijeant had developed a reputation as a solid goal-tender in the International League over the last several seasons, but this year it looked like he was a rookie coming out of junior trying to prove himself.Despite qualifying to play in the IHL All-Star Game twice, Saijeant was traded by the Cincinnati Cyclones to the Detroit Vipers.The Vipers appeared to have little use for him, however, with Kevin Weekes and Jeff Reese on board and eventually put him on waivers after using him infrequently.Sarjeant wound up playing in the United League and had time for soul-searching.&ldquo;I was questioning my motivation for the game more than anything,&rdquo; Saijeant said.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t sure if my skills were eroding or if it was my will to play.&rdquo;He got a reprieve from the UHL when he signed for one game as an emergency goalie for the Long Beach Ice Dogs and played well. But his big break came when the Indianapolis Ice traded for him.With the youngest defense in the league-five of the six Ice blueliners are 21 or younger and have less than two years pro experience-Indianapolis was struggling bigtime when it acquired Saijeant.But nobody was hotter during the playoff drive than Sarjeant. He was named the IHL&rsquo;s goaltender of the week four times this season; three of those came down the stretch drive in his nearly two months with the Ice.Indianapolis was four points out of the playoffs with five games to play while the team it was chasing, the Grand Rapids Griffins, had eight games left. But led by Saijeant&rsquo;s terrific goaltending, the Ice won out and snuck into the post-season.LEAGUE LEADERS: Houston Aeros&rsquo; center Brian Wiseman went wire-to-wire to win his first professional scoring title, racking up 109 points to easily outdistance runner-up Steve Maltais of the Chicago Wolves for the Lamoureux Trophy.Maltais, who had 100 points, led the league in goals with 56, the third consecutive year he has either led or tied for the lead.Detroit allowed just 195 goals, an average of 2.38 a game. Vipers&rsquo; goalies Andrei Trefilov and Weekes led most of the significant statistical categories for goalies. Weekes&rsquo; 2.07 GAA was the lowest in the league and his four shutouts were most. Trefilov&rsquo;s .929 save percentage topped the league.Patrick Lalime of the Kansas City Blades won 39 games to lead the league.WOLVES GET BOOST:The Chicago Wolves beefed up their roster for the playoffs, landing left winger Jean-Yves Leroux and right winger J.P. Dumont from the NHL&rsquo;s Chicago Blackhawks.The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Leroux had three goals and eight points in 40 games this season with Chicago. Dumont, 21, a first round draft pick of the New York Islanders in 1996, had nine goals and 15 points in 25 games as an NHL rookie with the struggling Blackhawks. He also played 50 games in the American League with the Portland Pirates and had 32 goals and 46 points along with 187 penalty minutes.I-OPENERS: The Las Vegas Thunder drew a franchise record 13,212 spectators April 17 in what may have been the Thunder&rsquo;s final game in the city. The team has been unable to obtain a lease extension to play at the Thomas & Mack Center, though league officials are still working to try to save the franchise&hellip;The league revamped its internet web site, <a href="http://www.theihl.com">www.theihl.com</a>, and added a site to allow fans to follow the playoffs more closely at <a href="http://www.tumercup.com">www.tumercup.com</a> &hellip; Long Beach Ice Dogs&rsquo; defenseman Dan Lambert, a top candidate for the Governor&rsquo;s Trophy as the league&rsquo;s outstanding blueliner, is expected to sign a contract to play in Germany next season.<h2>IHL PLAYOFFS</h2>EASTERN CONFERENCE WESTERN CONFERENCE<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0019-01/7162762-1-eng-US/thn0019-012.jpg" title="THN0019-01" width="869" height="349"></div><h3>FIRST ROUND (Best of Three)</h3>Cincinnati 11ndianapolis 0 Manitoba 1 Milwaukee 0Michigan 1 Fort Wayne 0 Long Beach 1 Kansas City 1Byes: Detroit, Orlando Byes: Houston, Chicago &#9632;

THN0019-01

DEPARTMENTS

Castoff goaltender Sarjeant sparks Indy to playoff berth

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>The concession stands were open for a free midnight snack. Fans were lined up at the pay phones to explain why they hadn&rsquo;t gotten home yet.Even Mississippi Sea Wolves&rsquo; defenseman Sean Blanchard, whose son, Tyler, was bom earlier in the day, came back to the arena to catch the winning goal.It was all part of the longest playoff game in East Coast League history when Mississippi beat the South Carolina Stingrays 4-3 April 13 at the 10:37 mark of the third overtime on a goal by center Kevin Hilton.&ldquo;Julie (his wife) was concentrating more on me game than I was, it was kind of funny,&rdquo; said Blanchard, who gave the Sea Wolves a pep talk before the third overtime began. &ldquo;Hilly and I have a ritual, a handshake thing which we did, and then he went out and scored. It was a great end to my day.&rdquo;Right winger Kelly Hurd and defensemen Quinn Fair assisted on the winner, which came at 12:25 a.m. after 110:37 of play. It broke the previous record, set April 9, 1991 in a triple overtime game between Hampton Roads and Greensboro by 4:50.Mississippi coach Bruce Boudreau joked it was Hilton&rsquo;s fault the game lasted so long after he missed several good chances earlier in overtime. The Stingrays forced overtime when right winger Brett Marietti scored his second goal with 1:11 left in regulation time.The win clinched the series for the Sea Wolves, who were backstopped by Travis Scott (48 saves). South Carolina stopper Jody Lehman had 57 saves, including 31 in OT.COAST LINES: Wheeling Nailers&rsquo; coach Chris Jensen resigned April 16 after only one season. The Nailers had their first losing season since the franchise moved to Wheeling, W.Va., after the 1991-92 campaign. After a strong start, Wheeling (27-37-6) finished last in the Northwest Division&hellip;John Tull resigned as GM of the Dayton Bombers April 16 to pursue other opportunities.<h2>ECHL PLAYOFFS</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0019-02/7162793-1-eng-US/thn0019-022.jpg" title="THN0019-02" width="958" height="500"></div>NORTHERN CONFERENCE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE<h3>FIRST ROUND (Best of Five)</h3>Roanoke 3 Dayton 1 Pee Dee 3 Baton Rouge 1Chesapeake 3 Columbus 1 Florida 3 Birmingham 0Toledo 3 Peoria 1 New Orleans 3 Louisiana 2Richmond 3 Hampton Roads 1 Mississippi 3 South Carolina 0<h3>SECOND ROUND (Best of Five)</h3>Roanoke 2 Chesapeake 0 Pee Dee 1 New Orleans 0Richmond 2 Toledo 0 Mississippi 2 Florida 0 &#9632;

THN0019-02

Blanchard helps deliver newborn then delivers overtime pep talk

<div class="byline">By Brendan Savage</div>Three new cities will join the UnitedLeague for 1999-2000, but only one of the franchises will be new to the eightyear-old circuit.The new club, located in StCharles, Mo., is owned by Manhattanpsychiatrist Eric Margenau, who also affiliowns the two-time defending champion Quad City MallardsBut sources say Margenau has Thunalready made a deal to purchase the Thunder Bay Thunder Cats and move them to Rockford, Hl., which has been awarded a UHL franchise for 1999-2000.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0019-03/7162824-1-eng-US/thn0019-032.jpg" title="THN0019-03" width="443" height="229"></div>The UHL&rsquo;s third new club will be located in Knoxville, Tenn. The franchise was awarded after owners met the season-ticket requirements.Sources say the Madison Monsters, who missed the playoffs for the first time since joining the UHL in 1995-96, will relocate to Knoxville, where the club would become a natural geographic rival for the Asheville Smoke.Asheville and Madison are owned by brothers Andy and Dan Wilhelm. Andy resigned as GM of the Madison club with about a month remaining in the UHL regular season, no doubt to start setting up the organization in Knoxville.The addition of St. Charles wouldgive the UHL 12 teams and the leagueis optimistic Fort Wayne will comeaboard, if it can&rsquo;t secure an NHL affiliownsation and is forced to drop out of theInternational LeagueALL-STARS: Quad City and Thunder Bay each had two players named to the all-star team. Left winger Glenn Stewart and defenseman Brian LaFleur were the Mallards&rsquo; selected. Center Jason Firth and right winger Wayne Strachan of the Thunder Cats were honored. Also on the squad are goalie Joe Dimaline of the Muskegon Fury and defenseman Stephan Brochu of the Flint Generals.COACH HONORED: Rich Kromm, son of Bobby Kromm who guided the Trail (B.C.) Smoke Eaters to a World Championship title in 1961, has been named coach of the year in a vote of the league&rsquo;s coaches and GMs. Kromm guided the Fury to a 50-18-6 record, the best in franchise history. &#9632;

THN0019-03

UHL goes to 12 clubs for 1999-2000 season

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy Senior Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0002-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0002-04/7162862-1-eng-US/thn0002-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A MIGHTY DUCKTeemu Selanne&rsquo;s 47-goal performance marks the third time he has ledor tied for the league lead-in regular season goals.</figcaption></div>Teemu Selanne may not be able to fool all of the people all of the time, but he still has a few tricks up his sleeve.The first winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the NHL in goals said he doesn&rsquo;t get nearly as many scoring chances as he did when he burst on the scene with 76 goals as a rookie in 1992-93 with the Winnipeg Jets.&ldquo;I got lots (of space) back then,&rdquo; said the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim superstar right winger. &ldquo;I still remember, most of the season, the guys on the other team didn&rsquo;t know my style. I was way open all the time. I had guys like (Phil) Housley,Freddie (Olausson) and Teppo (Numminen) back there. I knew when I get speed and find the open hole, the puck is coming. I had at least two breakaways every game, so it was pretty much fun.&rdquo;Those days are gone, but Selanne still managed to score 47 goals. That&rsquo;s three more than Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tony Amonte of the Chicago Blackhawks and Alexei Yashin of the Ottawa Senators, who each had 44.John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers was fifth with 43. The top Canadian goal producer, Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche, was No. 6 with 41.The race for the first Rocket Richard Trophy was not an exciting one and was tainted, somewhat, by the fact this was the full year since 1969-70 the lea did not produce a 50-goal sco Phil Esposito of the Boston Br led the NHL that season withThe most impressive goal this year was undoubtedly Bure of the Florida Panthers.&rsquo; &lsquo;Russian Rocket&rsquo; fired 13 goa in 11 games with the Florida Panthers before sustained a season-ending knee injury.Selanne has yet to recapture the magic of his breath-taking 76-goal rookie season, but, after seemingly sliding off the face of the earth in icy Winnipeg in 1996, he has become one of the league&rsquo;s hottest scorers since being dealt to Anaheim.In fact, he has been a consistent scoring threat as a Duck, scoring 16 in 28 games after the trade; an impressive 51 in his first full year in Anaheim; a league-high 52 (tied with Peter Bondra of the Washing-ton Capitals) last season and his Rocket-winning 47 this season. This year&rsquo;s total would have led the league 11 times P and been tied for tops k twice since the beginning of r the modem era in 1943-44. (In the event of a tie, both players are &lsquo;awarded the Richard Trophy).Richard kept tabs on the goal leaders throughout the season and sensed for some time LeClair would emerge the winner.As for Selanne?&ldquo;Well, I never met him, butI&rsquo;ve seen him play a few times,&rdquo; Richard said. &ldquo;He must be a pretty good player to get 47 goals.&rdquo; Richard said he was pulling for Luc Robitaille, a French Canadian who scored 39 goals for the Los Angeles Kings. The Rocket said he was a little surprised there was no 50 goal man this season.&ldquo;There must have been a lot of injuries,&rdquo; Richard said. &ldquo;Either that, or the goalies are just too good.&rdquo;&ldquo;If you get hurt a little, it&rsquo;s going to really, really affect you,&rdquo; Selanne said. &ldquo;Especially with this kind of hockey. There&rsquo;s not going to be so many 50-goal-scorers. I think it&rsquo;s an even bigger challenge to get 50 than ever before.&rdquo; Although Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s record 92 appears unbreakable the way today&rsquo;s game is played with such a huge emphasis on defense, there are some positive points to consider. While there was no 50-goal scorer, nine players score 40 or more-six more than last season. And 17 players had 35 or more, up from nine a year ago. The number of points produced by the top 10 t scorers increased from 882 to 987.The average goals per game stayed basically the same, 5.2 this season compared to 5.3 the year before. Scoring had been on the decline in each of the past three seasons and five of the last six. Selanne joked a few weeks before the conclusion of the season no one should get the Rocket Richard Trophy if there was no 50-goal scorer. But having won it, after twice previously tying for the league lead in goals, he has changed his mind.&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;m still going to take it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a little bit extra special now.&rdquo;<h2>ROCKET MEN</h2>Bobby Hull has won more goal-scoring titles (seven) than any player since the NHL&rsquo;s birth in 1917-1918.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0002-03/7162855-1-eng-US/thn0002-032.jpg" title="THN0002-03" width="449" height="562"></div> &#9632;

THN0002-04

The Finnish Rocket

<h2>Gretzky bows out with typical class</h2>1.One last hurrahWayne Gretzky, the greatest player of all-time, honored by league, fans (including ex-teammates) at final NHL game.2.Doing the rightthing NHL reschedules first two playoff games from Colorado to San Jose in aftermath of shooting in Denver.3.Steve Yzerman Detroit captain fires three goals as Red Wings open defense of Stanley Cup with 5-3 win over Anaheim.4.68 is No. 1 Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Jaromir Jagr laughs in the face of defensive hockey, wins second straight scoring title.5.&rsquo;Lord Byron&rsquo; Boston&rsquo;s Byron Dafoe leads NHL with 10 shutouts in regular season, blanks Carolina in playoff opener.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0002-01/7162900-1-eng-US/thn0002-012.jpg" title="THN0002-01" width="274" height="380"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0002-02/7162893-1-eng-US/thn0002-022.jpg" title="THN0002-02" width="272" height="378"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaromir Jagr</figcaption></div><h2>NHL comes down hard on vigilante</h2>1.Revenge not sweet Dallas&rsquo; Derian Hatcher takes law in own hands, breaks Coyotes&rsquo; Jeremy Roenick&rsquo;s jaw, suspended seven games.2.Swinger sits San Jose&rsquo;s Andrei Zyuzin suspended first two playoff games for swinging stick at Phoenix&rsquo;s Jim McKenzie.3.What next? With regular season completed, numerous changes to increase scoring were unmitigated bust. There was no increase.4.Fan-tastic? Not! Carolina draws just 11,059 fans for playoff opener against Boston Bruins.5.Top flops Five of top ranked CHL teams, including No. 1 Plymouth Whalers, eliminated early in playoffs. &#9632;

THN0002-01

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>It really shouldn&rsquo;t come to anyone&rsquo;s great surprise that the Lon don Knights, Owen Sound Platers, Belleville Bulls and Oshawt Generals were in the Ontario League&rsquo;s conference finals.All four were in the upper echelon after Christmas and al were among the top eight in winning percentage the last three months of the season.The other top teams after Christmas, the Plymouth Whalers, Barrie Colts, Ottawa 67&rsquo;s and Guelph Storm&ndash;the four division champions-were all bounced from the conference semifinal.Owen Sound coach Dave Siciliano said the season-long media hype surrounding the four division champs helped create the league-wide shock when those four were eliminated.&ldquo;The perception was they were the best teams in the OHL,&rdquo; Siciliano said. &ldquo;If you have a strong first half and get all the publicity, generally that will carry over. That&rsquo;s no discredit to those teams, but we have four teams in the conference finals who excelled in the second half.&rdquo;The Platers were the third-hottest team after Christmas, the Bulls fourth, the Knights sixth and the Generals seventh.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0020-01/7162938-1-eng-US/thn0020-012.jpg" title="THN0020-01" width="631" height="734"><figcaption class="caption-body">Americans&rsquo; coach Don Hay has a long history with Kamloops.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Barrie tried to buy their championship with a makeover (at the trade deadline), Plymouth went out and got Mark McMahon and Jason Ward, and Guelph added a Russian late. Ottawa was the only team that stood relatively still,&rdquo; Siciliano said.&ldquo;The rich teams looked like they were getting richer and maybe unbeatable. (But) in the end, the moves meant more on paper than on the ice.&rdquo;There&rsquo;s already grumbling within the OHL about whether any of the four remaining teams will be a worthy representative at the Memorial Cup. The Ottawa 67&rsquo;s are there as the host entry, but have a five-week layoff.&ldquo;May the best team win,&rdquo; said Knights&rsquo; coach Gary Agnew. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the idea of the playoffs, isn&rsquo;t it?&rdquo;VOTE OF CONFIDENCE: Sarnia owner Robert Ciccarelli put to rest speculation he might replace coach-GM Mark Hunter after die Sting bowed out early to London. Hunter has two years left on his contract after rejoining the team in 1997.&ldquo;I know we&rsquo;ve wort only two rounds in five years,&rdquo; Ciccarelli said. &ldquo;Mark is responsible for the product on the ice and ultimately has to take some of the blame. But I still strongly believe he is one of the best young coaches in our league.&rdquo;HONORS: Peter DeBoer, who led Plymouth to a 51-13-4 record, was named coach of the year while Barrie&rsquo;s Brian Finley was goalie of the year and Ottawa&rsquo;s Brian Campbell defenseman of the year. Finley was also named to the OHL allstar team along with defensemen Campbell, Bryan Allen (Oshawa), center Daniel Tkaczuk (Barrie) and wingers Ivan Novoseltsev (Sarnia) and Ryan Ready (Belleville).<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2>WESTERN CONFERENCE EASTERN CONFERENCE<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0020-03/7162931-1-eng-US/thn0020-032.jpg" title="THN0020-03" width="1052" height="714"></div> &#9632;

THN0020-01

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Don Hay isn&rsquo;t a stranger to Kamloops&rsquo; Riverside Coliseum although the visitors&rsquo; quarters are somewhat unfamiliar.Hay, who coached the Kamloops Blazers to the 1994 and 1995 Memorial Cup titles, resurfaced in the Western League this season with the Tri-City Americans.Tri-City ended up facing Kamloops in the Western Conference final.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not Don Hay going back to face the Kamloops Blazers,&rdquo; said Hay, Tri-City&rsquo;s coach-GM. &ldquo;This time of year is for the players.&rdquo;Hay did acknowledge his personal ties to Kamloops could not be dismissed.&ldquo;It was tough to go back,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There are a lot of memories. It&rsquo;s a big part of my life. But I&rsquo;ve got to focus on the Tri-City Americans, who are a big part of my life now.&rdquo;Hay was an assistant to Ken Hitchcock for five years in Kamloops and worked under Tom Renney for another two. Hay succeeded Renney in 1992 and spent three years as Kamloops&rsquo; bench boss.&ldquo;There were a lot of different feelings the first time we went back there this season,&rdquo; said Hay, alluding to Tri-City&rsquo;s 7-2 win in Kamloops Oct.12. &ldquo;There were a lot of nerves.&rdquo;Hay guided Tri-City to a 43-23-6 record and second place in the West behind Kamloops (48-11-13). He was named the WHL&rsquo;s coach of the year and executive of the year.Tri-City signed Hay after he spent the 1997-98 season as an assistant with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. The season before, he was the Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; head coach. Hay left Kamloops to become a Calgary Flames&rsquo; assistant in 1995.HOT HITMEN: An early playoff scare was a blessing in disguise for the Calgary Hitmen.The eighth-seeded Kootenay Ice extended top-ranked Calgary to seven games in an Eastern Conference quarterfinal.Calgary won Game 7 against Kootenay to begin a seven-game winning streak. The Hitmen proceeded to sweep the Red Deer Rebels in four games and won the first two games of the East final against the Prince Albert Raiders.&ldquo;Since the seventh game against Kootenay, we&rsquo;ve been a pretty focused club,&rdquo; said coach Dean Clark, whose team sported a 51-13-8 regular season record.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0020-02/7162976-1-eng-US/thn0020-022.jpg" title="THN0020-02" width="629" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body">Defenseman Jiri Fischer is leading the Olympiques&rsquo; surge.</figcaption></div>NOTEBOOK: Three of the four coaches in the division finals played with Wayne Gretzky in the 1980s. Clark, Marc Habscheid (Kamloops) and Kevin McClelland (Prince Albert) are former Edmonton Oilers&hellip;Center Brad Moran had at least one point in Calgary&rsquo;s first 13 playoff games&hellip;Ex-NHLer Dean Evason joined Calgary as an assistant coach.<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2>WEST DIVISION CENTRAL/EAST DIVISION<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0020-04/7162969-1-eng-US/thn0020-042.jpg" title="THN0020-04" width="1051" height="715"></div> &#9632;

THN0020-02

<div class="byline">By Gordie Sutherland</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0020-05" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0020-05/7163007-1-eng-US/thn0020-052.jpg"></div>The Hull Olympiques were one of the last teams to qualify for the playoffs, but they were the first to clinch a berth in the Quebec League final.The surprising Olympiques improved their post-season record to 12-4 with a four-game sweep of the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the Lebel Division final.Not bad for a team that finished 15 games under .500 in the regular season and sixth in its division.&ldquo;For a team that wasn&rsquo;t supposed to go very far, I&rsquo;m not going to complain,&rdquo; said Hull coach Claude Julien, whose club finished off Rouyn-Noranda with a 5-2 victory April 16. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s encouraging for everybody to see how well we&rsquo;re doing.&rdquo;The upstart Olympiques knocked off the top three teams in their division, including the third-place Victoriaville Tigres in the first round and the first-place Shawinigan Cataractes in the division semifinal.Defenseman Jiri Fischer, forward Michael Ryder and goalie Philippe Bergeron have led the way for Hull, which had won all eight home games.The top line of center Ryan Lauzon and wingers Marty Johnston and Brock Boucher has also done the job.&ldquo;I think there&rsquo;s a couple of factors (for Hull&rsquo;s success),&rdquo; Julien said. &ldquo;First of all, we&rsquo;ve got a healthy squad, which we hadn&rsquo;t all year and Bergeron has been outstanding in nets for us. Good goaltending is always a key in the playoffs. Everybody else can say they&rsquo;ve brought their game up a notch and shown a lot of character.&rdquo;This year marks Hull&rsquo;s fifth appearance in the league championship. It won titles in 1986, 1988, 1995 and 1997, the year the Olympiques hosted and won the Memorial Cup.&lsquo;EAGER EAGLE: Gaetan Larue is the new GM of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.Larue, 50, replaces Dany Dube, who stepped down April 16 to focus on his job as a hockey analyst for a Montreal television station.The Screaming Eagles also announced the signing of coach Bruce Campbell to a new two-year contract.&ldquo;The last couple of years (Larue) was with us as a head scout,&rdquo; Campbell said. &ldquo;If last year&rsquo;s draft is any indication, he did an excellent job.Dube was the team&rsquo;s GM the past two seasons and was coach-GM during the Eagles first year in Sydney in 1997-1998. Gary Lesage takes over as Cape Breton&rsquo;s head scout.MEMORIAL CUP BIDDERS: Quebec lawyers Claude Belanger, Jacques Letellier and Bernard A. Roy will select the host site for the 2000 Memorial Cup April 29. The Halifax Mooseheads and Quebec Remparts are bidding for next year&rsquo;s tournament.<h2>PLAYOFFS</h2>DHIO DIVISION LEBEL DIVISION &#9632;

THN0020-05

QMJHL

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0022-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0022-01/7163052-1-eng-US/thn0022-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaromir Jagr&prime;s Pittsburgh Penguins couldn&prime;t beat Martin Brodeur&prime;s Devils April 22 in New Jersey.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0023-01/7163045-1-eng-US/thn0023-012.jpg" title="THN0023-01" width="3397" height="4006"><figcaption class="caption-body">Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and the Phoenix Coyotes were the fourth team to open the playoffs with a loss on home ice, losing 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues April 22.</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0024-01/7163038-1-eng-US/thn0024-012.jpg" title="THN0024-01" width="3401" height="2022"></div> &#9632;

THN0022-01

STATISTICS

NHL PLAYOFF STATISTICAL REPORT

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0024-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0024-02/7163083-1-eng-US/thn0024-022.jpg"></div> &#9632;

THN0024-02

NHL PLAYOFF GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0026-01/7163152-1-eng-US/thn0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jaromir JagrWayne Gretzky</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0028-01/7163145-1-eng-US/thn0028-012.jpg" title="THN0028-01" width="7007" height="4000"></div> &#9632;

THN0026-01

FINAL 1998-99 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div>Larry Robinson never saw himself as a career coach. But he was still disappointed his Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; coaching career ended April 19, when GM Dave Taylor announced Robinson and assistants Jay Leach, Rick Green and Don Edwards would not be offered new contracts.&ldquo;I thought I would be relieved, but I&rsquo;m not,&rdquo; said Robinson, whose four-year contract expired when the Kings did, following their fifth playoff miss in six years and third in his tenure. &ldquo;You want to go out on top. This is not what I envisioned. I hate to leave a place with a job unfinished. I&rsquo;ve never not finished a job.&rdquo;With only two years&rsquo; experience as an assistant on his resume, Robinson took on the task of leading the Kings through a rebuilding period. He had little to work with his first two seasons, but the Kings made progress last season, when they finished fifth in the Western Conference. Robinson was offered a two-year extension before this season, but put off signing it.He had reason to regret that. The Kings never got rolling and a series of injuries exposed their lack of depth. Robinson continually juggled his lines in an effort to create a spark, but players thought he made too many changes. He often blasted the team after games for lacking heart, but then reversed course, which sent mixed sig nals. Robinson also questioned his own coaching ability, which Taylor believed sent a message of uncertainty.Ultimately, Taylor thought Robinson was indecisive and tried too much to be one of the guys.&ldquo;You have to have discipline in your organization,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;I talked with Larry about that at midseason. Larry is a nice person. I don&rsquo;t think he has to be a jerk, but certainly he has to be the boss and has to give the players direction. Our team lacked consistency and, at times, lacked a work ethic, and that&rsquo;s unacceptable.&rdquo;Robinson said his staff &ldquo;looked for answers, but how do you instill heart and intestinal fortitude into people who don&rsquo;t have it or don&rsquo;t want it?&rdquo;Players defended Robinson, who was 32-45-5 this season and 122-16145 overall, plus 0-4 in the playoffs.&ldquo;I respect Larry,&rdquo; said Luc Robitaille. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a good person. Some times he was too nice. He always gave an extra chance.&rdquo;Said team captain Rob Blake: &ldquo;You could bring anybody you want in here to coach this team and if the guys have the same kind of year, we&rsquo;re not going to make the playoffs. To put the responsibility on him is wrong.&rdquo;Possible successors include former Sabres&rsquo; coach Ted Nolan, Detroit associate coach Dave Lewis, Utah (IHL) coach Butch Goring, and John Van Boxmeer, who has coached King prospects with Long Beach (IHL). &#9632;

Robinson leaves job unfinished

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div>William &lsquo;Flash&rsquo; Hollett, a two-time Stanley Cup winner and one of the NHL&rsquo;s first offensive defensemen, died of heart failure April 20. He was 88.The North Sydney, N.S., native was the first NHL defenseman to score 20 goals in a season. He did it with the Detroit Red Wings in 1944-45 and the mark lasted 24 years until Bobby On-scored 21 in 1968-69.Nicknamed &lsquo;Flash&rsquo; because of his blazing speed, Hollett debuted with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1933 and scored the Cup-clinching goal in 1939. He also played with the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, winning his second Cup with Boston in 1941.Years after Toronto dealt Hollett to Boston for $16,000 in 1936, Maple Leafs&rsquo; owner Conn Smythe called it the worst trade he ever made.Hollett also had two 19-goal seasons and finished his 13-year NHL career with 132 goals and 313 points in 562 games. He was a first team allstar in 1945 and a second team all-star in 1943. He retired in 1946.At one-point during his career, Hollett was part of an NHL fastest skater competition. He finished second behind Toronto&rsquo;s Syl Apps.Remarkably, Hollett isn&rsquo;t in the Hockey Hall of Fame, despite many suggestions he&rsquo;s worthy of the honor.&ldquo;If (people) think I should be in the Hall, I should be, but it doesn&rsquo;t matter to me,&rdquo; Hollett said in 1996 interview. &ldquo;I know how good I was.&rdquo;MURDER FOR HIRE: A hit on David Elmore, owner of the International League&rsquo;s Utah Grizzlies, was foiled when the man a Riverton, Utah landscaper allegedly hired to arrange the murder told police.Mark A. Woodland, 34, reportedly tried to hire an employee to arrange the murder of Elmore, according to a Salt Lake County Sheriff&rsquo;s search warrant issued April 16.Woodland apparently had money problems and claimed Elmore owed him $30,000 for landscaping work at Elmore&rsquo;s home, Salt Lake County Sheriff&rsquo;s Sgt. Robby Russo said.Woodland told his employee March 27 he wanted &ldquo;someone severely beat up, and if they die, that&rsquo;s OK, too,&rdquo; the warrant alleged.Woodland later offered the employee $10,000 to have Elmore killed, according to the warrant. Elmore did not comment on the report.STEPPING ASIDE: Daniele Sauvageau has handed off coaching duties for Canada&rsquo;s national women&rsquo;s team to Melody Davidson.Sauvageau, who guided Canada to a gold medal at the 1999 Women&rsquo;s World Championship, has been asked by the Canadian Hockey Association to take on a supporting role with the women&rsquo;s high performance program. She remains a candidate to coach Canada&rsquo;s entry in the 2002 Olympics.CHA vice-president Tom Renney said the move was made to give another coach the opportunity to guide the national team. He said the unorthodox move isn&rsquo;t considered a demotion.&ldquo;People who know the CHA know it&rsquo;s all about providing opportunities,&rdquo; Renney said. &ldquo;Daniele did an out standing job and is a very serious candidate to coach the team in 2002.&rdquo;In her new position, Sauvageau will evaluate players in the high performance program and provide technical support to the national team. She was unavailable for comment.Davidson, 35, previously coached Canada&rsquo;s national under-22 women&rsquo;s team. Her replacement is Julie Healy.GAME NO. 1: The first game for the Atlanta Thrasher is set for Sept. 12 in Grand Rapids, Mich.The NHL&rsquo;s 28th franchise will begin its expansion season with a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues. The Thrashers will play in the Southeast Division with the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning.FIRST PRIZE: CBC&rsquo;s documentary &lsquo;The New Ice Age: A Year in the Life of the NHL,&rsquo; was honored with the Gold Award for best sports program at the Houston International Film Festival. The six-hour series was produced by White Pine Pictures.-With a file from Kevin lole &#9632;

Hollett had Flash and dash

TIME CAPSULEOur millennium time capsule ha; been outfitted with Rocket power thanks to the exploits of Might} Ducks of Anaheim right wingei Teemu Selanne.The first ever Rocket Richard Trophy given to the NHL&rsquo;s top goalscorer goes to Selanne, whose 47 goal; were three more than Jaromir Jagr Tony Amonte and Alexei Yashin.The NHL established the aware this season as a tribute to Montrea Canadiens&rsquo; great Maurice &lsquo;Rocket Richard, who scored 544 regular sea son NHL goals.The Hockey News is making deposit each week to our Millenniurr Time Capsule to mark the final year of the millennium. This week THN deposits Rocket power in honor of great goalscorer from the past and one from the present.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0003-01/7163231-1-eng-US/thn0003-012.jpg" title="THN0003-01" width="644" height="1498"></div>Jan. 8 Russian Gold MedalWorld Junior ChampionshipJan. 15 Tear DropDoug Wickenheiser&rsquo;s deathJan. 22 Panthers&rsquo; Jan. 20 Game SheetPavel Bure&rsquo;s Florida debutJan. 29 All-Star TruckWayne Gretzky all-star MVPFeb. 5 Hall of Fame StickShawn Heins&rsquo; 106 m-p-h shotFeb. 12 BluelineLarry Murphy, Ray Bourque GPFeb. 19 Eight Stanley Cup BannersLeafs won eight Garden titlesFeb. 26 Unproven ResumeRookie coach Dirk Graham firecMarch 5 Small TalkCalgary explains Theo Fleury deal March 12 Roberto LuongoTop Future Watch prospect March 19 America&rsquo;s Scoring KingPhil Housley passes Joe Mullen March 26 Ken Holland&rsquo;s Phone BillDetroit&rsquo;s deadline dealsApril 2 Gretzky&rsquo;s 1,072 PucksWayne Gretzky sets goal standardApril 9 Ottawa&rsquo;s 24-point Season100-point year puts &lsquo;92-93 to rest April 16 Little Black CloudSetbacks follow Eric LindrosApril 23 Rocket PowerTeemu Selanne goal champion &#9632;

THN0003-01

THN’s Millennium

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0030-01/7163262-1-eng-US/thn0030-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

THN0030-01

NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0030-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0030-02/7163300-1-eng-US/thn0030-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0031-01/7163293-1-eng-US/thn0031-012.jpg" title="THN0031-01" width="3357" height="1960"></div> &#9632;

THN0030-02

NHL GAME SUMMARIES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0031-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0031-02/7163331-1-eng-US/thn0031-022.jpg"></div><h2>ROSTERS</h2>Rosters are ranked in order of line combinations by THN correspondents as of April 23. Transactions include NHL personnel moves from April 16-23. Injuries include target return date lime frame.<h2>ANAHEIM</h2>C-Steve Rucchin. Marty McInnis, Matt Cullen, Travis Green, Johan Davidsson. LW-Paul Kariya, Jim McKenzie. Ted Drury, Stu Grimson. RW-Teemu Selanne. Tomas Sandstrom, Jeff Nielsen. Antti Aalto. LD-Ruslan Salei, Kevin Haller, Pavel Trnka. Dan Trebil. RD-Fredrik Olausson, Jason Marshall, Jamie Pushor, Scott Ferguson, Pascal Trepanier. G-Guy Hebert, Dominic Roussel. TRANSACTIONS: April 15: Scott Ferguson, D, from Cincinnati (AHL). April 16: Recalled LW Mike Leclerc. LW, from Cincinnati. April 21: Tom Askey, G, recalled from Cincinnati. Ferguson and Leclerc assigned to Cincinnati. April 22: Askey assigned to Cincinnati. INJURIES: Pascal Trepanier, D, sprained right knee, out for the season.<h2>BOSTON</h2>C-Jason Allison, Joe Thornton, Tim Taylor, Shawn Bates, Randy Robitaille. LW-Steve Heinze, Sergei Samsonov, P.J. Axelsson, Ken Belanger, Ken BaumE. RW-Anson Carter, Dmitri Khristich, Rob, Landon Wilson, Cameron Mann. LD-Hal Gill, Don Sweeney, Dave Ellett, Grant Ledyard. RD-Ray Bourque, Kyle McLaren, Darren Van Impe, Mattias Timander G-Byron Dafoe, Rob Tallas.TRANSACTIONS: April 21: Randy Robitaille, C, recalled from Providence (AHL). April 23: Robitaille assigned to Providence. INJURIES: None.<h2>BUFFALO</h2>C-Michael Peca, Curtis Brown, Stu Barnes, Wayne Primeau. LW-Dixon Ward, Michal Grosek, Geoff Sanderson, Paul Kruse. RW-Vaclav Varada, Miroslav Satan. Brian Holzinger, Rob Ray.LD&mdash;Alexei Zhitnik, Jay McKee. Jason Woolley. Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre. RD-Rhett War-rener, Richard Smehlik, Darryl Shannon, James Patrick. G-Dominik Hasek, Dwayne Roloson.TRANSACTIONS: None. INJURIES: Joe Juneau. LW, concussion, day-to-day.<h2>CALGARY</h2>C-Cory Stillman, Andrew Cassels, Jeff Shantz, Clarke Wilm. LW-Rene Corbet. Jason Wiemer, Andrei Nazarov, Dave Roche, Bob Bassen. RW-Jarome Igin-la. Valeri Bure, Steve Dubinsky. Hnat Domenichell, Tom Chorske, Ed Ward. LD-Derek Morris, Phil Housley, Tommy Albelin RD&mdash;Denis Gauthier, Todd Simpson, Wade Belak. G-Ken Wregget, Fred Brathwaite. TRANSACTIONS: None. INJURIES: Cale Hulse, D bruised ribs. Steve Smith. D, lacerated neck. Rocky Thompson. RW, concussion.<h2>CAROLINA</h2>C-Keith Primeau, Jeff O&rsquo;Neill, Kent Manderville. Rober Kron, Craig MacDonald. LW&mdash;Martin Gelinas, Bates Battaglia, Gary Roberts, Paul Ranheim, Byron Ritchie RW-Ray Sheppard Sami Kapanen, Andrei Kovalenko Kevin Dineen, Shane Willis. LD-Glen Wesley, Curtis Leschyshyn, Marek Malik, Paul Coffey, Mike Rucinski RD&mdash;Nolan Pratt. Steve Chiasson, Dave Karpa, Stevi Halko. G-Arturs Irbe, Trevor Kidd, Martin.TRANSACTIONS: April 20: Craig MacDonald. C Byron Ritchie, LW. Shane Willis, RW, Steve Halko. D Mike Rucinksi, D, and Mike Fountain, G, recalled fron New Haven (AHL). INJURIES: Sean Hill, D, fracturer cheek, mid-May Paul Coffey, D, hamstring, day-to-day Ron Francis, C. sprained ankle, day-to-day.<h2>CHICAGO</h2>C&mdash;lex Zhamnov, Josef Marha, Doug Gilmour, Mark Janssens, Dean McAmmond. LW&mdash;Eddie Olczyk, J.P. Dumont, Bob Probert, Jean-Yves Leroux, Reid Simpson. RW-Tony Amonte, Eric Daze, Ryan VandenBussche, Chris Murray. LD-Anders Eriksson, Dave Manson, Radim Bicanek, Doug Zmolek. RD-Boris Mironov, Brad Brown, Jamie Allison, Bryan Muir. G&mdash;Jocelyn Thibault, Mark Fitzpatrick.TRANSACTIONS: April 17: Bryan Muir, D, signed to one-year contract. April 20: J.P. Dumont, LW, and Jean-Yves Lereoux, LW, assigned to Chicago (IHL). INJURIES: J.P. Dumont. LW, strained lower back. Doug Gilmour. C. bulging back disc. Bryan Muir, D, strained back. Chris Murray, C, dislocated shoulder.<h2>COLORADO</h2>C-Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle, Dale Hunter. LW-Theo Fleury, Adam Deadmarsh, Chris Drury, Shjon Podein, Warren Rychel. RW-Milan Hejduk, Claude Lemieux, Jeff Odgers, Shean Donovan. LD&mdash;Alexei Gusarov, Sandis Ozolinsh, Eric Messier, Greg de Vries. RD-Adam Foote, Aaron Miller, Sylvain Lefebvre. G-Patrick Roy, Craig Billington.TRANSACTIONS: April 20: Martin Skoula, D, signed to muti-year contract, assigned to Hershey (AHL). INJURIES: Valeri Kamensky, LW, broken left forearm, mid-May. Cam Russell. D, separated shoulder, out for season.<h2>DALLAS</h2>C&mdash;Mike Modano. Joe Nieuwendyk, Derek Plante. Guy Carbonneau, Tony Hrkac, Brian Skrudland. LW-Jere Lehtinen, Benoit Hogue, Mike Keane, Dave Reid, Brent Severyn. RW-Brett Hull, Jamie Langenbrunner, Grant Marshall. Blake Sloan. LD-Richard Matvichuk. Darryl Sydor, Craig Ludwig, Brad Lukowich. RD&mdash;Derian Hatcher, Sergei Zubov, Shawn Chambers, Doug Lidster. G&mdash;Ed Beifour, Manny Fernandez.TRANSACTIONS: April 14: Marty Turco, G, recalled from Michigan. (IHL). April 15: Turco assigned to Michigan. Manny Fernandez, G, recalled from Houston (IHLk Petr Buzek, D, recalled from Michigan. April 17: Derian Hatcher, D, suspended seven games for boarding Jeremy Roenick April 14 against Phoenix. Eligible to return May 1. April &iquest;0: Buzek and Jon Sim, LW, assigned to Michigan. Fernandez assigned to Houston. INJURIES: Pat Verbeek RW. sprained left knee, early May.<h2>DETROIT</h2>C-Steve Yzerman, Igor Larionov, Sergei Fedorov, Kris Draper, Stacy Roest. LW-Tomas Holmstrom, Slava Kozlov, Wendel Clark, Kirk Maltby, Brent Gilchrist. RW-Brendan Shanahan, Martin Lapointe, Doug Brown, Darren McCarty. LD&mdash;Nicklas Lidstr&ouml;m, Aaron Ward, Ulf Samuelsson, Todd Gill, Jamie Macoun. RD-Chris Chelios, Larry Murphy, Mathieu Dande-nault.G-Chris Osgood, Bill Randford, Norm Maracle. TRANSACTIONS: None INJURIES. Joey Kocur RW, lower abdominal muscle strain, out for season. Uwe Krupp, D, herniated lumbar disc, out for season.<h2>EDMONTON</h2>C&mdash;Doug Weight, Todd Marchant. Rem Murray. Chad Kilger, Boyd Devereaux. LW-Ryan Smyth, Ethan Moreau, Alex Selivanov, Kelly Buchberger. RW-Vladimir Vorobiev, Mike Grier, Pat Falloon, Georges Laraque. LD-Roman Hamrtik, Janne Niinimaa, Sean Brown, Marty McSorley. RD-Tom Poti, Jason Smith, Christian Laflamme, Frank Musil. G-Tommy Salo, Bob Essensa.TRANSACTIONS: April 19: Joe Hulbig assigned to the Hamilton (AHL). INJURIES: Josef Beranek, C, arthroscopic knee surgery, late April. Bill Guerin. RW, sprained MCL. late April.<h2>FLORIDA</h2>C-Rob Niedermayer, Radek Dvorak, Chris Wells, Kirk Muller. LW-Ray Whitney, Johan Garpenlov, Alex Hicks, Marcus Nilson, Peter Worrell. RW-Mark Parrish, Scott Mellanby. Peter Worrell, Herbert Vasiljevs. LD&mdash;Filip Kuba, Terry Carkner, Jaroslav Spacek, Chris Allen. RD-Robert Svehla, Dan Boyle. John Jakopin. G-Sean Burke, Kirk McLean.TRANSACTIONS: None. INJURIES: Pavel Bure, RW. reconstructive knee surgery. Dino Ciccarelli, RW, back pains. Bret Hedican D, groin tear. Viktor Kozlov. C, broken hand. Oleg Kvasha. LW. separated shoulder. Paul Laus, D. torn hamstring. Bill Lindsay. LW, sprained knee. Gord Murphy. D, sprained neck. Mike Wilson, D, concussion.<h2>LOS ANGELES</h2>C-Olli Jokinen, Ian Laperriere, Ray Ferraro, Jason Blake. LW&mdash;Vladimir Tsyplakov, Luc Robitaille, Craig Johnson, Matt Johnson. RW-Glen Murray, Donald Audette, Sandy Moger, Russ Courtnall. LD&mdash;Mattias Norstrom, Doug Bodger, Gany Galley, Dave Babych. RD-Rob Blake, Sean O&rsquo;Donnell, Philippe Boucher. G&mdash;Stephane Fiset.TRANSACTIONS: April 17: Jason Blake, C, signed to amateur tryout from University of North Dakota and assigned to Los Angeles. April 18: Pavel Rosa, RW, Jason Podollan, Jaroslav Modry, D, Jan Nemecek, D, and Ryan Bach, G, assigned to Long Beach (IHL). April 19: Coach Larry Robinson, assistants Rick Green, Jay Leach and Don Edwards, not offered contract renewal. April 20: Blake signed to three-year tree-agent contract. INJURIES: Garry Galley. D, abdominal strain. Sandy Moger. RW, rotator cuff surgery. Mattias Norstrom D, rib cartilage injury. Sean Pronger LW. partially tom knee ligament. Jamie Storr, G, sprained ankle. Jozef Stumpel, C, sprained right knee. Mark Visheau. D. urinary tract surgery.<h2>MONTREAL</h2>C-Saku Koivu, Shayne Corson, Sergei Zholtok, Trent McCleary. LW-Brian Savage, Martin Rucinsky, Patrick Poulin, Jonas Hoglund, Jason Dawe, Andrei Bashkirov. RW-Dainius Zubrus, Turner Stevenson, Craig Rivet. LD&mdash;Igor Ulanov, Eric Weinrich, Brett Clark. RD-Stephane Quintal, Patrice Brisebois. Scott Lachance. G-Jeff Hackett, Frederic Chabot.TRANSACTIONS: Apr. 17: Mike Ribeiro, C, and Jason Ward, RW, assigned to Fredericton (AHL). INJURIES: Benoit Brunet. LW, back spasms. Vladimir Malakhov. D, strained left knee. Dave Morissette, LW, tonsillitis. Scott Thornton, C, back spasms.<h2>NASHVILLE</h2>C-Rob Valicevic, Mark Mowers, Petr Sykora, David Legwand. LW-Denny Lambert. Andrew Brunette, Vitali Yachmenev, Patrick Cote. RW-Sergei Krivokrasov, Scott Walker, Tom Fitzgerald. LD-Joel Bouchard, Jan Vopat. RD-Bob Boughner Jamie Heward. Drake Berehowsky. Kimmo Timonen, Dan Keczmer. G-Mike Dunham. Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason.TRANSACTIONS: April 17: David Legwand, C, signed to contract and recalled from Plymouth (OHL). April 19: Fourth round draft pick in 1999 traded to Islanders for Bubba Berenzweig, D. INJURIES: Seabastien Bordeleau, F, neck surgery. Eric Fichaud, G, left shoulder surgery. Greg Johnson, C, bruised right ankle. Patrie Kjellberg. RW, bruised hip. Jay More. D, concussion. Ville Peltonen LW, separated left shoulder. John Slaney, D, strained rib muscle. Darren Turcotte, C. tom right knee ligaments.<h2>Ntn Jtrwci</h2>C-Jason Arnott, Bobby Holik. Bobby Carpenter, Brendan Morrison, Sergei Brylin. LW-Patrik Elias, Sergei Nemchinov, Jay Pandolfo, Dave Andreychuk, Krzysztof Oliwa. RW-Petr Sykora, Randy McKay. Brian Rolston, Denis Pederson, Vadim Sharifijanov. LD&mdash;Scott Stevens, Kevin Dean, Ken Daneyko, Brad Bombardir. RD-Scott Niedermayer, Lyle Odelein, Sheldon Souray. G&mdash;Martin Brodeur, Chris Terreri.TRANSACTIONS: None INJURIES: None.<h2>NY ISLANDERS</h2>C-Mats Lindgren, Trevor Linden, Bryan Smolinski, Mike Watt. LW-Mariusz Czerkawski, Claude Lapointe, Vladimir Orszagh, Warren Luhning. RW-Ziggy Palffy, Dmitri Nabokov, Mark Lawrence, Steve Webb. LD-Kenny Jonsson, Ray Schultz, Vladimir Chebaturkin. RD-Zdeno Chara, David Harlock, Barry Richter. G&mdash;Felix Potvin, Wade Flaherty.TRANSACTIONS: April 19: Bubba Berenzweig, D, traded to Nashville for fourth round pick in 1999. INJURIES: Eric Brewer D, strained Achilles tendon. Craig Janney blood clot in lower right leg. Brad Isbister RW, strained groin muscle, out for season. Gino Odjick. LW, abdominal surgery. Rich Pilon. D, inflamed back disc. Joe Sacco, LW. shoulder surgery.<h2>NY RANGERS</h2>C-Wayne Gretzky, Marc Savard. Manny Malhotra. LW-Adam Graves, Niklas Sundstrom, Kevin Stevens, Eric Lacroix, Darren Langdon. RW-John MacLean. Mike Knuble, Brent Fedyk, Mike Maneluk, Johan Witehall. LD-Brian Leetch, Chris Tamer, Rumun Ndur. RD-Peter Popovic, Mathieu Schneider, Rich Brennan. G-Mike Richter. Dan Cloutier.TRANSACTIONS: None INJURIES: Jeff Beukeboom concussion. Todd Harvey. RW, broken thumb. Petr Nedved. C. rib-cage muscle.<h2>OTTAWA</h2>C&mdash;Alexei Yashin, Vaclav Prospal, Radek Bonk, Shaun Van Allen. Steve Martins. LW-Shawn McEachern, Andreas Johansson, Magnus Arvedson, Ted Donato, Bill Berg. RW-Andreas Dackell, Marian Hossa, Nelson Emerson, Bruce Gardiner, Phil Crowe. LD-Wade Redden, Janne Laukkanen, Igor Kravchuk, Chris Phillips. RD-Jason York, Lance Pitlick, Sami Salo, Patrick Traverse. G-Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt.TRANSACTIONS: April 22: Phil Crowe, RW, recalled from Las Vegas (IHL). INJURIES: Sami Salo. D, bruised right shoulder, April 21.<h2>PHILADELPHIA</h2>C-Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, Mark Recchi, Daymond Langkow, Marc Bureau. LW-John LeClair, Mikael Andersson, Craig Berube, Roman Vopat. RW&mdash;Keith Jones. Mikael Renberg. Sandy McCarthy, Jody Hull. LD-Chris Therien, Dmitri Tertyshny, Steve Duchesne, Karl Dykhuis. RD-Eric Desjardins, Dan McGillis, Adam Burt. Luke Richardson. G-John Vanbiesbrouck, Ron Hextali. Neil Little.TRANSACTIONS: April 20: Mark Greig, RW, assigned to Philadelphia (AHL). Neil Little, G, recalled from Grand Rapids (IHL) INJURIES: Eric Lindros. C, chest injury, indefinite Valeri Zelepukin. LW, sprained right knee, day-to-day.<h2>PHOENIX</h2>C-Keith Tkachuk. Robert Reichel, Bob Corkum, Mike Sullivan. LW-Dallas Drake, Greg Adams, Juha Ylonen. Louie DeBrusk, Jim Cummins. RW-Shane Doan, Rick Tocchet, Mike Stapleton, Stephen Leach, Brian Noonan. LD-Teppo Numminen, Jyrki Lumme, Brad Tiley. RD-Keith Carney, Stan Neckar. Oleg Tverdovsky, Jamie Huscroft. G-Nikolai Khabibulin, Mikhail Shtalenkov.TRANSACTIONS: April 21: Brad Tiley, D, recalled from Springfield (AHL) INJURIES: J.J. Daigneault D, strained right hip flexor, day-to-day. Jeremy Roenick. C, broken iaw. fractured right thumb, out for season. Gerald Diduck. D, broken right foot, early May. Deron Quint, D, concussion, day-to-day PITTSBURGHC-Jan Hrdina, Martin Straka. Robert Lang, Tyler Wright, Todd Hlushko, Rvan Savoia. LW-Kip Miller. Matthew Barnaby, Martin Sonnenberg. RW-Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Rob Brown. Aleksey Morozov, Brent Peterson, Boris Protsenko. LD-Kevin Hatcher, Ian Moran. Bobby Dollas, Maxim Galanov. Neil Wilkinson, Chris Kelleher. RD-Jiri Slegr. Brad Werenka, Greg Andrusak, Sven Buenschon. Victor Ignatjev. Pavel Skrbek. G-Tom Bar-rasso, Peter Skudra, Jean-Sebastien Aubin.TRANSACTIONS: April 19: Craig Hillier, G, assigned to Syracuse (AHL). Pavel Skrbek. D, recalled from Syracuse. Chris Kelleher. D. recalled from Syracuse. Boris Protsenko. F, recalled from Syracuse. Ryan Savoia, C, recalled from Syracuse. Brent Peterson, C, recalled from Grand Rapids (IHL). Todd Hlushko, C, recalled from Grand Rapids INJURIES: Darius Kasoaraitis. D. torn ACL right knee, out for season; Jeff serowik. D. concussion, indefinite; Neil Wilkinson, groin/abdomen strain, indefinite.<h2>ST. LOUIS</h2>C-Pierre Turgeon. Pavol Demitra, Craig Conroy, Mike Eastwood. LW-Scott Pellerin, Michel Picard. Pascal Rheaume, Geoff Courtnall, Michal Handzus, Tony Twist. RW-Scott Young, Terry Yake, Blair Atcheynum. Jamal Mayers, Lubos Bartecko. Kelly Chase. LD-AI Maclnnis, Jeff Finley. Jamie Rivers. Brad Shaw. RD-Chris Pronger. Ricard Persson, Chris McAlpine, Rudy Poeschek. G-Grant Fuhr, Jamie McLennan.TRANSACTIONS: None INJURIES: Marc Bergevin. D, abdominal surgery, out for season. Jim Campbell. RW, groin surgery, out for season.<h2>SAN JOSE</h2>C-Vincent Damphousse, Patrick Marleau, Mike Ricci, Ron Sutter, Stephen Guolla. LW-Jeff Friesen. Alex Korolyuk, Marco Sturm, Stephane Matteau, Dave Lowry. RW-0wen Nolan. Joe Murphy, Tony Granato, Ron Stern, Brand Myhres. LD-Marcus Ragnarsson, Jeff Norton, Andy Sutton. RD-Mike Rathje, Bill Houlder, Bob Rouse, Andrei Zyuzin. G-Mike Vernon, Steve Shields.TRANSACTIONS: April 19: Andrei Zyuzin, D. suspended two games for slashing incident April 17 against Anaheim. Eligible to return for Game 3 April 24. INJURIES: Murray Craven. LW, bruised right lower leg. indefinite. Gary Suter, D, torn right triceps tendon, out for season.<h2>TAMPA BAY</h2>C-Chris Gratton, Vincent Lecavalier, Darcy Tucker. Jason Bonsignore. LW-Rob Zamuner, Stephane Richer, Colin Forbes, Steve Kelly. Corey Spring. RW-Mike Sillinger. Alexandre Daigle, David Wilkie, Robert Petrovicky. LD-Cory Cross, Jassen Cullimore, Paul Mara. RD-Sergey Gusvev, Pavel Kubina, Drew Bannister. Kjell Samuelsson. G-Corey Schwab, Derek Wilkinson.TRANSACTIONS: April 16: Paul Mara, D, recalled from Plymouth (OHL). INJURIES: Brian Bradley. C, post-concussion syndrome, wrist surgery. Kevin Hodson, G, pulled left groin. Michael Nylander. F, concussion. Daren Puppa, G, strained groin Petr Svoboda, D, separated left shoulder.<h2>TORONTO</h2>C-Mats Sundin, Yanic Perreault, Steve Sullivan, Todd Warriner. LW-Fredrik Modin. Derek King. Sergei Berezin, Kris King. RW-Steve Thomas, Mike Johnson, GanyValk, Tie Domi, Ladislav Kohn LD-Dimtri Yushkevich. Bryan Berard. Chris McAllister, Tomas Kaberle. RD-0aniil Markov. Alexander Karpovtsev, Sylvain Cote, Yannick Tremblay. G-Cuitis Joseph, Glenn Healy.TRANSACTIONS: None. INJURIES: Igor Korolev C, broken leg, out for season. Alyn McCauley. C, concussion, indefinite.<h2>VANCOUVER</h2>C-Mark Messier, Dave Gagner, Dave Scatchard. LW-Donald Brashear, Harry York, Darby Hendrickson. Bert Robertsson. RW-Markus Naslund, Alexander Mogilny, Trent Klatt, Steve Staios. LD-Murray Baron, Jason Strudwick. RD-Ed Jovanovski, Adrian Aucoin. G&mdash;Garth Snow, Kevin Weekes, Corey Hirsch. TRANSACTIONS: April 16: Steve Kariya, LW, signed to contract from University of Maine. INJURIES: Mattias Ohlund. D, concussion. Bill Muckalt, RW. sprained right ankle. Brad May LW, broken left hand. Todd Bertuzzi. LW, tom left knee ligaments, Peter Schaefer, LW, separated left shoulder.<h2>WASHINGTON</h2>C-Adam Oates, Andrei Nikolishin, Benoit Gratton, Michal Pivonka LW-Jeff Toms. James Black, Kelly Miller, Mike Eagles. RW-Matt Herr, Richard Zednik, Brian Bellows, Trevor Halverson. LD-Brendan Witt, Cicco Ciccone. RO-Joe Reekie, Ken Klee, Steve Poapst. G-Olie Kolzig. Rick Tabaracci, Martin Brochu. TRANSACTIONS; April 19: Alexei Tezikov, D, assigned to Cincinnati (IHL) INJURIES: Peter Bondra, broken right hand. Sergei Gonchar. D, sprained left ankle. Calle Johansson, D, sprained left knee. Steve Konowalchuk LW. concussion. Dmitri Mironov D. bulging back disc. Chris Simon. LW, shoulder surgery. Yogi Svejkovsky. RW, concussion,. Mark Tinordi 0. broken right ankle.<h2>THE WEEK THAT WAS</h2>A weekly compendium of significant events and developments (April 9-16).April 17: Dallas Stars&rsquo; defenseman Derian Hatcher is suspended seven games, including five playoff games, for breaking the jaw of Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; center Jeremy Roenick, nie New Jersey Devils establish an NHL record with their 28th road victory of the season.April 18: Wayne Gretzky plays his final NHL game, a 2-1 overtime loss for the New York Rangers at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Gretzky is honored in a pregame ceremony and is cheered wildly by the fans after the game. The 1998-99 regular season concludes with the Dallas Stars winning the President&rsquo;s Trophy for finishing first overall. Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; right winger Jaromir Jagr captures his second straight scoring title with 127 points. Teemu Selanne, right winger for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, wins the first Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the NHL in goals with 47.April 19: The Los Angeles Kings inform Larry Robinson he will not be retained as coach. San Jose Sharks&rsquo; defenseman Andrei Zyuzin suspended two games for swinging his stick at Anaheim&rsquo;s Jim McKenzie.April 20: &lsquo;Rash&rsquo; Hollett, the first defenseman to ever score 20 goals in a season in 1944-45, dies at age 88.April 21: The Colorado Avalanche postpone their first two playoff games, scheduled for April 21 and 22 against San Jose, in the wake of the Columbine High School massacre. The series is rescheduled to open in San Jose April 23.The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings kick off the playoffs with a 5-3 win over the Mighty Ducks. &#9632;

THN0031-02

NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0034-01/7163393-1-eng-US/thn0034-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0035-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0035-01/7163424-1-eng-US/thn0035-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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SCOREBOARD

Detroit rules!At least that&rsquo;s what readers of The Hockey News say.THN readers were asked in our puck poll which team would win the Stanley Cup following the trade deadline when the two-time defending champion Red Wings made significant upgrades, acquiring defensemen Chris Chelios and Ulf Samuelsson, left winger Wendel Clark and goalie Bill Ranford.The results were overwhelming in favor of the Red Wings, who captured 55.8 per cent of the vote. In a Western Conference sweep, the regular season champion Dallas Stars were second with 14.2 per cent of the vote and the Colorado Avalanche were third at 11.2 per cent.The top-ranked Eastern Conference team was the Ottawa Senators at 6.4 per cent.<h2>PUCK POLL</h2>Which team do you think will win the Stanley Cup?<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0004-01/7163455-1-eng-US/thn0004-012.jpg" title="THN0004-01" width="608" height="790"></div>PRIZE WINNERS First prize is a copy of The Hockey News&rsquo; Top 100 Players of All Time book. Five more winners will receive THN desk clocks. All winners were drawn at random. &#9632;

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Fans like Wings

<div class="byline">By Denis Gibbons</div>All signs are pointing towards a wide open World Championship as several nations were having difficulty recruiting the NHL players they wanted.Ticket sales for the May 1-16 tournament in Norway have been so slow the Norwegians circulated rumors Wayne Gretzky would suit up with the Canadian team. &lsquo;The Great One&rsquo; meant it when he said he&rsquo;s not coming back, though, and coach Mike Johnston will go with the players he thinks are best suited for the task.Fred Brathwaite of the Calgary Flames will tend goal, along with Rick Tabaracci of the Washington Capitals.Los Angeles Kings Rob Blake will be joined on defense by Doug Bodger and Sean O&rsquo;Donnell of the Kings, Bryan McCabe of the Vancouver Canucks, Stephane Quintal of the Montreal Canadiens and Derek Morris of the Flames.Up front the Canadian team will employ Andrew Cassels and Cory Stillman of the Flames, along with Rob Niedermayer of the Florida Panthers, at center.Left wingers named to the team are Adam Graves of the Rangers, Brian Savage of the Canadiens, Ray Whitney of the Panthers and Claude Lapointe of the New York Islanders. Eric Daze of the Chicago Blackhawks and Scott Walker of the Nashville Predators are available for right-wing duty.Center Petr Nedved was selected to play for Canada, but must first get medical clearance from the Rangers on a late-season groin injury.A preliminary roster submitted to THN by USA Hockey included six NHL defensemen: Bret Hedican of Florida, Scott Lachance and Eric Weinrich of Montreal, Dan Keczmer of Nashville, Barry Richter of the Islanders and Chris Tamer of the Rangers. Trent Klatt and Darby Hendrickson of Vancouver have been named as forwards, along with Tom Chorske of Calgary, Matt Herr and Kelly Miller of Washington, Craig Johnson of Los Angeles, Bryan Smolinski of the Islanders and Mike Knuble of the Rangers.However, U.S. officials said there still could be changes.Russian coach Alexander Yakushev, a star of the 1972 Summit Series, is looking for as much NHL helps as he can get after his homebrews were upset 5-4 by Latvia and blanked 5-0 by the Czech Republic in exhibition games.Saku Koivu of Montreal, Ville Peltonen and Kimmo Timonen of Nashville and Olli Jokinen of Los Angeles will play for Finland, although Koivu and Peltonen are recovering from injuries.Sweden will have to play without Vancouver defenseman Mattias Ohlund, who missed the last five games of the season with a concussion, but will have Markus Naslund of the Canucks, Niklas Sundstrom of the Rangers, Anders Eriksson of Chicago and Mikael Nylander of Tampa Bay in the lineup.The Czech Repubhc will start the tournament with a handful of NHLers including Radek Dvorak and Jaroslav Spacek of Florida, and Tampa Bay defenseman Ladislav Kubina. &#9632;

Nations scramble for World talent

<div class="image-hero"><img title="THN0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0006-01/7163510-1-eng-US/thn0006-012.jpg"></div>As I write this, I have a tear in my eye. Having just watched Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s final game, a shadow is hanging over me the way Gretzky used to hang behind the net-obvious yet nothing you can do about it.I, too, am 38 years old. I, too, have played hockey for 30-plus years, and, although I don&rsquo;t have a tenth of Gretzky&rsquo;s talent, I, too, used to play hockey as a kid for hours on end simply for the love of the sport.I didn&rsquo;t always have the luxury of watching The Great One play, especially while he was in Edmonton. However, as he brought the game to the United States, and, thus, to more TV coverage, I was able to marvel at his talent and his stature. I realize now, as a Ranger fan, the past three years have been a gift.I thought Gretzky wouldn&rsquo;t retire for at least another couple years. Had I known of his plans, I would have taped every game I could to save forever.I think the worst part of his retiring is my 19-month-old son will never get the chance to see him play.I will truly miss him-a person I never met, but a person I feel I owe a great debt to. I wish him luck, but iso wish he would change his mind.Ed Swort, Trumbull, Conn.<h2>The Classy One</h2>I tried to watch as much coverage of Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s retirement that I could.It really put things in perspective when you are watching one of the greatest icons in the sports world on television and on the ticker along the bottom of the screen you read things such as Darryl Strawberry being arrested, Leon Lett testing positive for drugs and Dennis Rodman being kicked off the team because he didn&rsquo;t care enough about the sport to show up for practice.Wayne Gretzky is one of the classiest men in the classiest sport in the world. It&rsquo;s things like this that just reinforce the fact hockey is the greatest sport in the world.Dusty Henderson, Plano, Tex.<h2>Hockey&rsquo;s senator</h2>I was not there for Wayne Gretzky&rsquo;s last game in Canada, but kudos to the Ottawa fans who treated him with absolute class.How well I remember in 1978-79 hearing that &ldquo;The Kid&rdquo; would never make it in the big time because he was too skinny and too slow. Well, Ottawa fans demonstrated their appreciation with a 7-1/2-minute standing ovation, as did the Senators&rsquo; players when many of them shook Gretzky&rsquo;s hand after the game.It must have been a special moment.Jason Wryghte, Fergus, Ont.<h2>The Great Award</h2>Now that Wayne Gretzky has announced his retirement from the NHL, I think it is time that he be honored with a trophy in his name. My suggestion would be to create a trophy for the league leader in assists each season. Thank you Wayne for all the memories and showing the world what a class act a professional athlete can be.Doug Downs, Worland, Wyo.<h2>Worldly sendoff</h2>Wayne Gretzky set another record-most TV specials of an NHL player, and not just in North America.Stations such as TV5 (France), Deutche Welle (Germany), Sky News and BBC World (Great Britain) all had some form of salute to the greatest hockey player of all-time.Not even Mario Lemieux had this sort of publicity when he left the game.Wherever I turned, wherever I looked all I heard and saw was Gretzky: &lsquo;The Great One.&rsquo;Anton Paasi, Helsinki, Fin.<h2>Athlete of century</h2>In my opinion, No. 99 should be considered the greatest athlete of the century.If you look closely at just how much he dominated the game and the number of records he holds it is simply amazing.Remember the frenzy around Mark McGwire&rsquo;s home run record? Now imagine a player also shattering the single-season and all-time home run, RBI and batting average marks. Then imagine him also winning nine MVP awards and owning/sharing an amazing 61 Major League Baseball records. If this were to all come true this fictitious individual would be considered by far the greatest athlete ever.Well chances are someone will never do this in baseball, but someone has already done it in hockey and his name is Wayne Gretzky.Fred Castro, Springfield, Mass.<h2>Canada&rsquo;s own</h2>To most hockey fans in Canada, I think there&rsquo;s a feeling Wayne Gretzky would always be there. We&rsquo;ve kind of taken him for granted and it&rsquo;s a real shock that it&rsquo;s actually over. Thanks for the memories.Dean Frado&nbsp;St. Catharines, Ont.<h2>Still on cloud 99</h2>When I was nine years old (around the 1980-81 season), like many other kids, I loved Wayne Gretzky-my walls were plastered with his picture.My sister happened to be in Edmonton for a track meet, and when she was lounging around the airport waiting for her flight back to Newfoundland, she spotted Gretzky walking by himself. She approached him and said that her little brother was his biggest fan. I&rsquo;m sure that had happened to him a million times already, but he asked for my phone number, called me up on a pay phone and said hello-at least I think he said hello, I was so high up on cloud 99, I can barely remember what he said.That&rsquo;s what made Wayne Gretzky the greatest hockey player that ever lived-not the records, not the champi onships, but the complete, total class of the man in every aspect of his life.Thank you, Wayne, for giving a little boy from Newfoundland one of his fondest memories, not to mention a lifetime of incredible hockey.Christopher King, St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld.<h2>Toronto turmoil</h2>I was surprised to open the April 9 edition of The Hockey News and see the question &ldquo;Turmoil in Toronto?&rdquo;I think associate GM Mike Smith and GM Ken Dryden have done an excellent job in Toronto. Hockey people say you never trade a star unless you get a star in return. Smith is a winner in getting defenseman Bryan Berard from the New York Islanders for goalie Felix Potvin.Peter Militello, Glendale, N.Y.<h2>Inspirational fan</h2>I loved your article about 55-year-old Jane Lang (THN, April 23). Her story is truly an inspirational one. I never thought of hockey as a sport a blind person would be able to watch. But she seems like a truly passionate fan. She&rsquo;s a great inspiration to hockey fans and people in general. It&rsquo;s great to see there are people like her who don&rsquo;t let their disabilities stop them from living life to the fullest.Elatia Grimshaw, Royal Oak, Mich.Fax us your comments at (416) 340-1641 or write to Letters, THN, 777 Bay St., 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-continentalxa Include hometown as well as home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

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LETTERS ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Nancy L Marrapese</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0007-01/7163541-1-eng-US/thn0007-012.jpg" title="THN0007-01" width="171" height="169"></div>It&rsquo;s not always the star players who decide games.The Boston Bruins saw a classic example of that in Game 1 of their opening round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Third line right winger Rob DiMaio and fourth line left winger Ken Belanger, who was a healthy scratch numerous times in the regular season, scored the goals as Boston won 2-0 April 22.Belanger was credited with playing just over eight minutes, but it looked as if he was out there much more often than 14 shifts.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know, but I think I played more,&rdquo; Belanger said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played eight minutes before, earlier this year and (Game 1) was way more.&rdquo;Belanger also took issue with another statistic that had to do with the Hurricanes.&ldquo;They gave Gary Roberts 17 hits,&rdquo; said Belanger, referring to the Carolina left winger. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way in the world it&rsquo;s possible for a guy to have 17 hits in a game. He might have hit the boards 17 times. But I mean, it doesn&rsquo;t matter to me. As long as I go out every shift and play as hard as I can, hopefully I&rsquo;ll make a difference. That&rsquo;s all that counts.&rdquo;Not only did Belanger make the most of his extra ice time, but it appeared he was more effective as a result of it.&ldquo;I got a lot less shifts during the season so you get a lot less hits and you&rsquo;re a lot less part of the game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I had 14 shifts (in Game 1). The most I had played in a game before was probably seven. You get twice as many hits and twice as many chances where you wouldn&rsquo;t notice it in seven shifts.&rdquo;Belanger alternated with Ken Baumgartner during the season as the club&rsquo;s enforcer. The role was necessary, but he would much prefer to be scoring goals rather than throwing punches.&ldquo;I like to play playoff style hockey,&rdquo; Belanger said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an aggressive style. There&rsquo;s not much fighting so you can concentrate on that as much. You can just go in and play and that makes my game a lot easier.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Joe Thornton missed the regular season finale in Philadelphia and sat out Game 1 because of a bruised sternum sustained in a game against Buffalo April 17. Center Randy Robitaille, called up from Providence of the American League, had a hard time with Carolina&rsquo;s physical presence and suffered from a lack of experience at the NHL level&hellip;Center Tim Taylor sustained a broken nose in Game 1 courtesy of an elbow from Carolina center Jeff O&rsquo;Neill. Taylor has had a painful year. He missed 32 games because of a badly sprained ankle, then missed the final game of the regular season because of a strained groin. &#9632;

THN0007-01

Belanger makes impact when given added playing time

<div class="byline">By Rich Chore</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0007-02/7163572-1-eng-US/thn0007-022.jpg" title="THN0007-02" width="170" height="169"></div>No one knew what to expect. Not even the players who worked for Robbie Ftorek in the American League with Albany or the defensemen he handled as Jacques Lemaire&rsquo;s assistant coach for two seasons.Following Lemaire was a tough assignment, even if the New Jersey Devils did flop in the playoffs in 1997 and &lsquo;98. But Ftorek showed that a little offensive creativity, faith in the kids and the foundation that Lemaire had already built was just the right formula entering the playoffs.&ldquo;He kept the best of what we had before&ndash;and there was a lot of good with Jacques Lemaire&ndash;and made the right changes,&rdquo; said defenseman Kevin Dean.A victory in Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins left the Devils a long way from the success they enjoyed under Lemaire in 1995, but Ftorek wasn&rsquo;t really being measured by that championship season. He was asked to change the attitude and tinker with the game plan of a club that had rolled through the past two regular seasons and done nothing in the playoffs.&ldquo;Robbie is different as far as keeping us looser and letting us enjoy the game at times,&rdquo; said right winger Randy McKay. &ldquo;Jacques was a great coach, but we were concentrating so much on defense. Everything was so knit-picky. Over the course of the season that became draining.&rdquo;As a result, they had little left for the playoffs, said captain Scott Stevens.&ldquo;A lot of the fun was suppressed the last couple of years to the point where the season was just so draining that there wasn&rsquo;t much energy left when the playoffs began, or in that year we didn&rsquo;t make it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At times this year when we weren&rsquo;t playing well, I was expecting Robbie to come down hard on us. Instead, it almost seemed to me like he was being casual about it.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really sure what he was doing, why he wasn&rsquo;t getting more ticked off, but now I can see that that approach paid off. It kept us fresher mentally as the season went on.&rdquo;Another difference was the way Ftorek handled youngsters such as Brendan Morrison, Petr Sykora and Patrik Elias-all keys to their playoff chances.&ldquo;I think there was a fear there for the younger players,&rdquo; said Bobby Carpenter. &ldquo;1 don&rsquo;t know if it was a fear they put on themselves or a lack of communication. Robbie communicates better. The younger players had a tougher time with Jacques.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: A victory in Nashville on the final day of the season gave the Devils 28 road victories, breaking the record held by the 1976-77 and 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens&hellip;Goalie Martin Brodeur tied Ken Dryden&rsquo;s 1975-76 road mark (25)&hellip;The team went a fifth straight season without a 30-goal scorer. Right winger Petr Sykora finished with 29 and then scored two in the first playoff game&hellip;Center Doug Carpenter said he wouldn&rsquo;t retire unless the Devils didn&rsquo;t want him back or he didn&rsquo;t get an appealing offer from another team which wouldn&rsquo;t uproot his family&hellip;There were 2,831 empty seats at 19,040-seat Continental Airlines Arena for Game 1. &#9632;

THN0007-02

Ftorek’s different approach keeps Devils fresh in spring

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0007-03/7163603-1-eng-US/thn0007-032.jpg" title="THN0007-03" width="170" height="167"></div>Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center Jan Hrdina wasn&rsquo;t the most celebrated rookie in the NHL this season.But he undoubtedly was one of the best.Hrdina, who faced an uphill climb to make the Penguins in training camp, finished fourth among rookie scorers with 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists), six behind leader Milan Hejduk of the Colorado Avalanche.Hrdina, who averaged nearly 22 shifts per game, was the top rookie faceoff man, winning 56.7 per cent of his draws. His 16.43 minutes of playing time per game was the seventh highest among Penguins&rsquo; forwards.&ldquo;We think he&rsquo;s the best first-year player in the league,&rdquo; said coach Kevin Constantine. &ldquo;Not only was he among the top (rookie) scorers, but we put him on the ice in most of our big defensive situations and he was our key faceoff guy. That&rsquo;s a lot of pressure to heap on a young kid, but we thought he could handle it and he did.&rdquo;The soft-spoken Hrdina, a 5-foot-ll, 200-pound native of the Czech Republic, doesn&rsquo;t think much of his chances for winning the Calder Trophy.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think so,&rdquo; the 23-year-old said. &ldquo;There are a lot of good players out there.&rdquo;For much of the season, Hrdina skated with countryman Jaromir Jagr, the NHL&rsquo;s leading scorer and leading candidate for the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. Hrdina used to stay up late in the night to see Penguins games broadcast in the Czech Republic. Jagr was his tavonte player.Many rookies would have looked out of place skating with the top forward in the world. Hrdina fit right in.Jagr enjoyed his presence.&ldquo;He has a lot of skill,&rdquo; Jagr said. &ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s going to score 40 goals one day. Not right now, but in a few more years.&rdquo;Hrdina scored the Penguins&rsquo; only goal in a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in their playoff opener April 22.He also was the only Penguin to win the majority of his faceoffs.Typically, he describes his faceoff prowess in a few select words.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know what to say,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Instead of going for the puck first, I go for the opponents&rsquo; stick first. That&rsquo;s what I do, every time.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The NHL was expected to ask for U.S. Bankruptcy Court permission to revoke the Penguins franchise if reorganization of the team continued to falter April 23. With court approval, the league could exercise drastic options under its constitution if a financial plan isn&rsquo;t adopted soon, said William Daly, NHL vice-president of legal affairs. In cases of voluntary bankruptcy, those options include terminating the franchise. &lsquo;It&rsquo;s not that we&rsquo;re impatient,&rdquo; Daly said. &lsquo;Time is short.&rdquo; The NHL&rsquo;s petition was viewed mostly as a move to get the Penguins&rsquo; reorganization moving faster. Former Penguins&rsquo; superstar Mario Lemieux has submitted a reorganization plan to the court, on which a hearing is expected April 30. The NHL would back Lemieux&rsquo;s plan, but approval could be delayed and there has been no progress on reworking the team&rsquo;s arena lease with SMG Corp. &#9632;

THN0007-03

Penguins convinced Hrdina should be named top rookie

<div class="byline">By Todd Graff</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/thn0008-01/7163634-1-eng-US/thn0008-012.jpg" title="THN0008-01" width="171" height="169"></div>The franchise has never won a Stanley Cup and has won just one playoff series in its 20year history. And the Carolina Hurricanes qualified for the playoffs for just the first time in seven seasons.Even coming off such a drought, this year&rsquo;s team held some confidence about its post-season hopes because of an experienced team that includes 10 Stanley Cup championships.&ldquo;A veteran-seasoned team is able to maintain the focus you need to go far in the playoffs,&rdquo; said Hurricanes&rsquo; center Ron Francis, who won Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992.Defenseman Paul Coffey captured a trio of Stanley Cup rings with the Edmonton Oiler dynasty before grabbing another with Pittsburgh in 1991. Left wingers Gary Roberts and Martin Gelinas, and defensemen Sean Hill and Curtis Leschyshyn also have won titles. Three others have played in the finals.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s important for the younger players to be able to learn from guys likeCoffey, Roberts and Francis,&rdquo; said GM Jim Rutherford, who assembled the roster. &ldquo;The more guys you have like that on your team the better chance you have of winning.&ldquo;This team hasn&rsquo;t been in the playoffs for a number of years. When we&rsquo;re down by a couple of goals in a game, we needed to have guys who could stand up in the middle of the room and say, &lsquo;Everything&rsquo;s all right. We&rsquo;re fine.&rsquo; You have to have those guys who have been there.&rdquo;The Hurricanes are the NHL&rsquo;s fourth-oldest team, averaging 29.2 years of age. The Detroit Red Wings, who have won the last two titles, is the oldest team, followed by the Dallas Stars, who have won back-to-back President&rsquo;s Trophies.The &lsquo;Canes are hoping their experience serves them well.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long process,&rdquo; said left winger Martin Gelinas who won a Stanley Cup with Edmonton in 1990. &ldquo;You have to be patient. I think the experience in the guys that have been there is really going to help out.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Ron Francis suffered a sprained right ankle in the first period of Game 1 against Boston (April 22) and his status was up in the air for the remainder of the series. X-rays were negative. Francis twisted the ankle in a collision with Bruins&rsquo; forward Steve Heinze&hellip;Francis, who closed the season with six points in four games, did not miss a game during the 1998-99 campaign&hellip;The HurricanesAVhalers have only won one playoff series in franchise history (1986 against Quebec) and have never captured a best-of-seven series&hellip;Defenseman Sean Hill had surgery to repair multiple facial fractures and is gone for the season. &#9632;

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May 7, 1999

Season-by-Season Look at Gretzky’s Magic

NHL PLAYOFF SUMMARIES

Inconsistent Panthers long way from 1996 Stanley Cup final team

Game of musical goalies begins after just one game