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.

October 29, 1999

The Hockey News October 29, 1999

<div class="byline">By Rick Carpiniello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02862/7620140-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg" title="f0020-02" width="161" height="162"></div>One would think the team with the No. 2 power play in the league last season, the team that added all kinds of expensive talent to that power play in the off-season, would have a really good power play now.The New York Rangers do not.The Rangers were scoring goals and they even won three games in a row early in the season. They were firing shots on goal and it had become very obvious they have greatly improved the offensive depth of their forwards, even without Wayne Gretzky.Yet they are perplexed, because with all the talent, all the names, all the shots, their power play has been awful.Last season the Rangers' power play was second in the league, and best by far on the road at 22.9 per cent. Through seven games this season, the Rangers' power play was 3-for-36 overall and 0-for-17 on the road.&ldquo;It has to get better,&rdquo; said Rangers' coach John Muckier. &ldquo;No question. I believe it's going to get better. We have to work at it.&ldquo;We seem to be getting some good chances. We get a little too fancy sometimes, gamble and try to make tough passes. Getting (Valeri) Kamensky is going to help. Maybe Theo (Fleury) should be back on the point We have to change something. If Kamensky comes back, maybe we'll be able to.&rdquo;Kamensky missed six games after re-breaking his right forearm in the season opener against the Edmonton Oilers.The stress fracture is a different injury, Kamensky insisted, than the one he suffered last March 14, but while he remained day-to-day, the left winger's pain kept him from playing.The power play's problem has largely been at the points, where Muckier has taken arguably the best left pointman in the league, Brian Leetch, and moved him to the right side, and used Kevin Hatcher and Theo Fleury at the other point instead of little-used Mathieu Schneider, who was a key to last season's power-play success.&ldquo;We've got to get it going,&rdquo; Leetch said. &ldquo;You've got to get it in, move it around and get the shots. You can have a poor power play for 90 seconds and all of a sudden make one rush and put it in, and that's what counts.&ldquo;We've been the opposite. We've moved it around and gotten a couple of shots, but no goals.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Rangers continued to get knocked down by injuries. Right winger Eric Lacroix blocked a shot and broke a bone in his right hand. Center Tim Taylor was slashed on the back of his right leg and was playing despite a case of &ldquo;drop foot,&rdquo; a lack of feeling in his foot and toes and the inability to lift them. Goalie Mike Richter missed five straight games with a protruding disc in his back, but was expected to remm Oct 17&hellip;Goalie Kirk McLean filled in admirably for Richter, and won three straight games to get the Rangers over .500 for only the third time in three seasons. The Rangers haven't been two games over .500 since they closed 1996-97 at 38-34-10. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Ranger power play coming up dry despite injection of new talent

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-01963/7620333-1-eng-US/f0025-012.jpg" title="f0025-01" width="162" height="161"></div>Given how well he played down the stretch last season, with the San Jose Sharks in pursuit of a playoff berth, perhaps it is no surprise goaltender Steve Shields began this season on fire.After stopping 35 shots for his fifth career shutout, a 2-0 win Oct. 13 in Dallas, he registered a career-high 51 saves in a 5-1 victory at Nashville Oct 14.Shields, who set a team record with an 11-game unbeaten streak last season, stopped 98 consecutive shots over a scoreless stretch of 141 minutes, 46 seconds before finally surrendering a goal to the Predators.Nearly two weeks into the NHL regular season, Shields led the league with a 1.24 goals-against average and .965 save percentage and shared the top spot in victories with four.San Jose acquired Shields from the Buffalo Sabres before last season, as a backup to Mike Vernon. When Vernon went down with a groin injury, Shields came through as San Jose secured seventh place in the Western Conference.Shields is seeking more playing time this year. The way he has started, he's making things easy for Sharks' coach Darryl Sutter, if not Vernon.&ldquo;When a guy is hot, you play him every game,&rdquo; Sutter said. &ldquo;You have to ride him.&rdquo;Shields is savoring every opportunity-&ldquo;I'm just trying to be relaxed and have fun,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I like making a difference in the game.NOTEBOOK: Second-year defenseman Andy Sutton scored his first NHL goal, in his 36th game, as part of a 5-1 San Jose victory Oct. 14 in Nashville&hellip;One night earlier, former Rangers' winger Niklas Sundstrom bagged his first goal as a Shark, the game-winner, in a 2-0 triumph at Dallas. San Jose hadn't won in Dallas since March 28, 1998, a span of six games&hellip;San Jose activated veteran left winger Dave Lowry, who made his first lineup appearance Oct. 14 in Nashville&hellip;With a seven-game scoring streak to begin the season, right winger Owen Nolan led the NHL with 13 points and shared the goal-scoring lead with seven&hellip;After suffering back spasms Oct. 7, defenseman Jeff Norton was placed on injured reserve. &#9632;

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Shields lives up to name as goalie off to great start

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011971/7619298-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

ELSTON

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011784/7619516-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Curtis Joseph's and Mats Sundin's Maple Leafs host the NHL's 2000 All-Star Game. (Canapress)</figcaption></div>The modem era all-star game has never been Ted Lindsay's cup of tea, but he managed to enjoy the news conference to kick off the 2000 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto.Especially when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman gave Toronto mayor Mel Lastman a much-deserved verbal facewash. Lastman, coming across as a buffoon, welcomed &ldquo;NHL commissioner Bettman&hellip;it is Gary, isn't it?&rdquo; A little later, Bettman reciprocated by thanking &ldquo;Mayor Lastman&hellip;it is mayor, isn't it?&rdquo;Touche. As bantamweight battles go, it was a good tilt. No less an authority than the bantam rooster himself, 'Terrible Ted,' gave Bettman a clear decision.&ldquo;That was great,&rdquo; Lindsay said with a laugh.That may be as rough as Toronto 2000-or 2TORONTO, as it has been dubbed by the NHL-gets Feb. 6 at the Air Canada Centre.Lindsay prefers the all-star game concept of North America vs. The World over the previous Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference.&ldquo;It's a better format,&rdquo; said Lindsay, one of five players from the first official all-star game in 1947 at the news conference. &ldquo;At least now, there's a little pride involved. I'm sure the Europeans want to prove they're the best and so do the North Americans. That's a lot better than just making up two teams.&rdquo;Either way, it's a far cry from Lindsay's first all-star experience, 52 years ago at Maple LeafGardens, when the NHL all-stars defeated the Stanley Cup-champion Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3.&ldquo;The players from the different teams, we hated each other,&rdquo; Lindsay said. &ldquo;I would have liked to kill them and they would have liked to kill me. I remember being in the (all-star) dressing room with Maurice Richard. We just looked at each other and glared. As the game wore on, though, it got a little better because we all had one thing in common-we hated the Leafs.&rdquo;The ex-Leafs from that game at the news con-ference-Teeder Kennedy, Harry Watson, Fleming Mackell and Gaye Stewart-also emphasized the difference between the eras. &ldquo;I took the Queen Street (street)car to the game,&rdquo; Mackell said.Now, the all-star game is the league's No. 1 marketing bonanza. The Y2K game in Toronto will be the most ambitious venture yet, capping weeks of related events. They include a minor hockey tournament, an inner-city outreach program, the Maple Leafs' skills competition, a marathon pond hockey game, the Canadian Hockey League's Prospects' Game, a Canada-U.S. women's game plus the usual-an open practice, All-Star Saturday and the game itself. A first for the NHL will see goalies wearing different jerseys than their teammates, following soccer's lead.Tickets for All-Star Saturday and the game are at a premium. Of the more than 18,000 available, about half go to the league. The remaining ducats will be rationed to almost 18,000 Maple Leaf season ticket holders, some of whom will see only one of the two primary draws. The public, though, is effectively shut out of the two main events. &#9632;

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FEATURES

Even All-Star Game evolves

<h2>Turgeon notches two milestones</h2>1. Pivotal Blue Pierre Turgeon of the St. Louis Blues fires career goal No. 400, adds point No. 1,000.2. Oops Toronto's Steve Thomas phones Ottawa defenseman Jason York to apologize for late hit that caused broken nose.3. Pavel who? Ivan Novoseltsev fills in for injured Pavel Bure, scores two goals in NHL debut against Maple Leafs.4. Steve Shields San Jose goalie stops 86 of 87 shots in back-to-back wins, including 2-0 defeat of Dallas.5. Savage attack Montreal's Brian Savage fires hat tricks in wins over Calgary, Philadelphia.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0149/7619019-1-eng-US/c0002-012.jpg" title="C0002-01" width="340" height="492"><figcaption class="caption-body">Pierre Turgeon</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0257/7619012-1-eng-US/c0002-022.jpg" title="C0002-02" width="341" height="493"><figcaption class="caption-body">Jeremy Roenick</figcaption></div><h2>J.R. gets into swing of things</h2>1. Hi buddy, how ya doin'? Phoenix's Jeremy Roenick suspended five games for slashing pal Tony Amonte in face.2. Goalie woes Philadelphia Flyers open 0-4-1-1, lose three games despite outshooting opposition by nine or more.3. Long season on Long island Only 3,062 show up to watch hometown Islanders get Thrashed 2-0 by Atlanta.4. Louisville slugger Chad Cabana of Louisville suspended three AHL games for swinging stick at opponent.5. Dirty Duck Maxim Balmochnykh of Cincinnati Mighty Ducks suspended eight AHL games for deliberate attempt to injure. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">By Steve Dryden Editor-in-Chief</div>Are North Americans destined to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water in the NHL?A troubling picture emerged from the first two weeks of the new season as high-flying Europeans scored a disproportionate number of goals compared to their Canadian and American peers. If not for the San Jose Sharks, whose top five goal-scorers were Canadian, the situation might appear desperate.North America just isn't producing its fair share of goals. Europeans comprise 29 per cent of the NHL's defensemen and forwards, but accounted for 42 per cent of goals through 71 games (158 of 371). Meanwhile, the Canadians, whose non-goalie representation has dropped to 55 percent-the first time in league history that mark has fallen below 60-scored just 46 per cent of goals (170 of 371). And the Americans, who have a good tradition of producing skill players, were also behind in this particular score: U.S.-born skaters make up 16 per cent of the league and had just 12 per cent of goals (43 of 371).<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/c0002-0349/7619050-1-eng-US/c0002-032.jpg" title="C0002-03" width="358" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Rocky Widner)</figcaption></div>The upshot: Canadian hockey absorbed a double body blow early in the season, first with the news that Canadian representation is falling (See pg. 8 for story.) and now this, evidence that Canada's scoring touch may be the stuff of memories more than millennium moments. Sure, Luc Robitaille and Owen Nolan (seven goals each) and Brian Savage (six) were the league leaders, but what of their Canadian cousins throughout the NHL? Canadian hockey zealots have feared for some time the country is busy producing &ldquo;role&rdquo; players while Europe concentrates on producing &ldquo;goal&rdquo; players. Bully for Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia. Bullies for Canada, which continues to produce firstrate thugs. Matt Johnson ended Jeff Beuke-boom's career with one punch (from behind) last season. Ryan Vandenbussche did the same to Nick Kypreos the previous season.That European representation in the league is growing at a faster pace than North American is to be expected at this stage of NHL evolution, but what shouldn't be expected (or accepted) is that Canada and the U.S. can't keep up in developing skill players. What an indictment of our systems. It shouldn't have been surprising that Europeans scored a disproportionately high number of goals in the past because the NHL filled in their rosters with overseas &ldquo;skill&rdquo; players. But now with so many more Europeans playing, and their roles expanded, the difference in percentage of representation versus percentage of scoring should not be great.But it is. &#9632;

C0002-03

Goals or roles: Where is North America headed?

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021477/7619088-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg"></div>John Davidson and Kelly Hrudey hope this won't cost them their place in the (retired) goaltenders' union, but&hellip;They're enjoying the sight of those big forwards crowding the crease and driving to the net in the early days of the 1999-2000 season, now that referees are guided by no harm-no foul discretion instead of video review.&ldquo;I love it,&rdquo; said Davidson, the respected Madison Square Garden Network analyst. &ldquo;I honestly believe life was getting pretty easy for the goalies. The goals-against averages were plummeting, the save percentages were skyrocketing. It was starting to become a pretty easy position to play. That sacred cow attitude has changed and it's a change for the better.&rdquo;Davidson's counterpart at Hockey Night in Canada also likes the net result of letting the referees decide how much goalmouth traffic is too much.&ldquo;There are obviously a lot more incidental collisions, which maybe aren't all that incidental,&rdquo; Hrudey said. &ldquo;And I have no doubt the forwards will keep pushing the envelope and that will have to be watched. But, so far, I like it, I enjoy it and I think it's good for the game.&rdquo;It certainly is different. Last season, skaters tiptoed around the edge of the crease, deathly afraid to get caught in the blue paint. Goals were disallowed for the most insignificant intrusion.Now, players are setting up shop in the blue. Some skaters seem to think it's goalie mating season. Others are taking shortcuts behind the netminders. And the goals are going in-and counting.&ldquo;It's as if there never was a crease rule,&rdquo; said Mighty Ducks of Anaheim netminder Guy Hebert.You should have seen the look on perplexed Ed Belfour's face Oct. 5, the night Larry Murphy of the Detroit Red Wings fired a point shot past him.Belfour never saw the puck because Wing forward Tomas Holmstrom had both feet firmly planted in the crease. Belfour never had a chance to get out and cut down the angle. He was being held hostage in his own crease by Holmstrom, a guy who had this to say about the revised rule: &ldquo;It's like Christmas. I believe in Santa Claus.&rdquo; &ldquo;That (Holmstrom goal) should have been no goal,&rdquo; said Dallas Stars' coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;The NHL (supervisor) even told us after the game it should have been no goal, that the rule wasn't called correctly on it. Hey, I'm glad we made the rule change, but the referees have got to be vigilant on enforcement because if they're not, there are going to be problems.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011842/7619081-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="345" height="469"></div>The NHL is not keeping track of how many goals have been disallowed this season-it should-due to crease infringement or goaltender interference. Through the first 66 games, it was estimated by the league office to be &ldquo;a couple.&rdquo;But there were nine goaltender interference penalties called, about one every seven games. Is that enough?It's tough to get a read, but for every dissenting opinion on no harm-no foul, there are several singing its praises. And some of them are even netminders.&ldquo;I haven't had any problems, not yet anyway,&rdquo; said Florida Panthers' goalie Trevor Kidd. &ldquo;I saw (New York Islander netminder) Felix Potvin complaining about a goal the Rangers scored, but my own experience has been okay.&rdquo;Ditto for teammate Sean Burke.&ldquo;There's more traffic, but it hasn't been too bad,&rdquo; Burke said. &ldquo;It's going to take some time to sort itself out.&rdquo;But if Kidd and Burke are satisfied with no harm-no foul's implementation, their coach isn't.&ldquo;I don't think it's going very well,&rdquo; said Panthers' coach Terry Murray. &ldquo;I don't think the goalies are being allowed to do their job. Their work space has been taken away from them.&rdquo;Murray's remedy is a little unusual. He doesn't want to go back to video review and doesn't want the crease to be any larger. In fact, he thinks the crease should be smaller.&ldquo;We should go back to the old rectangular crease,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That's how much room a goalie should have to do his job. That way, if a player is in that rectangle, even if he's not making contact with the goaltenders, the referee should call back the goal.&rdquo;Most, however, are prepared to wait and see what happens over the long haul. Even supporters of the new crease call acknowledge there are going to be some growing pains.&ldquo;The players will push it as far as they can,&rdquo; Hrudey said.&ldquo;If die players really start crashing the net, it's up to the refs to protect the goalies,&rdquo; Davidson said. &ldquo;If they don't, I say put the nets back on the fixed pegs and see how hard they go to the net then.&rdquo;Spoken like a true union member.Whether the crease revision is a factor, goalscoring was up from 4.6 goals-per-game in the first 66 games of 1998-99 to 5.2 in the comparable period this season.But the league just can't seem to win, not even with its new 4-on-4 overtime. Even with both teams getting a point at the end of regulation time, the decision rate had not appreciably increased early on. There were 15 overtime games in the first 66 games and only two were decided (13.3 per cent). A year ago, there were 12 OT games and one decision (8.3 per cent).The league is consoling itself that OT sessions are more exciting and that OT shots on goal have increased from 3.3 to 6.1 per game. &#9632;

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Space invaders return

TIME CAPSULE<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-011770/7619133-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="652" height="316"></div>When the Buffalo Sabres made Pierre Turgeon the first overall pick in the 1987 entry draft, they had visions of the young Quebec League star developing into a premier pro scorer.Buffalo was right. In his 13th season and now a member of the St. Louis Blues, Turgeon, 30, registered his 1,000th career point. It came on a goal against the Edmonton Oilers Oct. 9 and makes him a true Millennium Man. Against the Detroit Red Wings Oct. 13, he fired his 400th career goal.The Hockey News is making a deposit each issue to our Millennium Time Capsule to mark the final year of the millennium. This week THN deposits a 1,000 pucks, one for each of Turgeon's points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021505/7619126-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="634" height="197"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031222/7619119-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="638" height="480"></div> &#9632;

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THN's Millennium

<div class="byline">Compiled by THN staff</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0005-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021244/7619188-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg"></div>Pardubice is a long way from East Rutherford, N.J., but the game is the same for Brendan Morrison and Patrik Elias.The two restricted free agent New Jersey Devils started the season playing in the Czech extraleague with Pardubice.Morrison had five goals and seven points in six games, while Elias had one goal and five points in five games. Both played another game in the second league with Trebic. They have since returned to North America and Oct. 8 started skating at the University of Michigan with the Wolverines and on their own.The two Devils are part of a group of more than a dozen restricted free agents unsigned more than two weeks into the season.Radek Bonk of the Ottawa Senators, Miroslav Satan and Vaclav Varada of the Buffalo Sabres and Roman Hamrlik of the Edmonton Oilers also played in Europe before signing with their respective NHL teams. One player who may stay in Europe all season is Robert Reichel of the Phoenix Coyotes. He had five goals and nine points with Litvinov of the Czech Republic and is no longer talking contract with the Coyotes.In categories by themselves are Alexei Yashin and Dmitri Khristich. Yashin is holding out from Ottawa, while Khristich is property of Boston unless a team signs him for $2.24 million or more due to an arbitration ruling the Bruins walked away from.<h2>UNSIGNED FREE AGENTS</h2>Here are the most prominent unsigned players two weeks into the season. Restricted free agents require compensation. Unrestricted free agents are listed with their previous team. &#9632;

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Still plenty unsigned, not unwanted, players

<div class="byline">Complied by THN staff</div>The idea of a government-supported lottery to aid Canadian NHL teams isn't a dead issue, but it was shot down by Ontario Premier Mike Harris.&ldquo;There will be no new NHL lotteries,&rdquo; Harris told reporters days into the 1999-2000 season. &ldquo;There will be no new lotteries.&rdquo;Canadian teams and the league itself campaigned the federal government to provide financial assistance to ailing teams struggling to remain competitive with U.S. counterparts (See pg. 20 for status of Ottawa Senators.) A lottery was proposed as a way to channel funds to teams.Critics suggest this form of gambling has a negative impact on certain target groups, such as young adolescent males. Harris says a hockey lottery would hurt existing provincial lotteries. But Canadian Industry Minister John Manley says it's too early to dismiss an NHL lottery.&ldquo;It's one of the few proposals that provides some solution for funds for Canadian teams that doesn't at least directly involve taxpayers' money,&rdquo; Manley told reporters. &ldquo;A lottery is like a voluntary tax. If people want to buy tickets, that's their choice.&rdquo;<h2>PUCK BRIEFS</h2>ZERO FOR 10: The Canadian Olympic Association doesn't have a very good batting average nowadays.The COA asked the 10 members of Canada's in-line hockey team for their Pan American Games gold medals after it was stripped of its title because goalie Steve Vezina tested positive for an array of banned substances.But so far, none of the players have returned the medals.Roller sports team leader Maxine McKenzie sent a letter to each of the players, but has yet to see any response. The Pan Am Sports Association had asked the COA to retrieve the medals.A number of players informed the Toronto Sun that they would not be returning the medals.And the team's manager doesn't blame them. Dave Bowen said he was proud of the &ldquo;nine&rdquo; clean members and didn't believe they should be punished-only Vezina, in his opinion.The United States was awarded the gold medal.Vezina played briefly with the International League's Long Beach Ice Dogs this season. &#9632;

DEPARTMENTS!

Ontario Premier Harris opposed to lottery aid

<div class="byline">By Brian Costello Senior Editor</div>If you build it, the fans will pay.That's one result from a recent survey by Chicago-based Team Marketing Report. The survey shows the average NHL ticket price rose 6.8 per cent from $42.79 (all figures in U.S.) in 1998-99 to $45.70 this season.Leading the way are teams with new buildings. The Toronto Maple Leafs hiked prices 67 per cent, from an average of $41.78 last year to $69.73 this season, highest in the NHL. In Canadian dollars, the average ticket price at the Air Canada Centre is more than $100.Double-digit per-cent increases also took place in Colorado, Los Angeles and Carolina, where teams moved into new facilities. The expansion Atlanta Thrashers have the third-highest average ticket price ($62.14). The New York Rangers, who were the most active team signing free agents in the off-season, have the second-highest average ticket price ($65.81).The Calgary Flames increased their tickets by 53.1 per cent in the past two seasons, but still posted the lowest average cost in the league ($33.53).The 6.8 per-cent league average increase compares to just a 2.5 per cent raise from 1997-98 to 1998-99, according to the survey.The NHL's average ticket price of $45.70 surpassed the average price of a ticket to a National Football League game ($45.63). The National Basketball Association is third among team sports and Major League Baseball fourth. The Washington Redskins lead the way in the NFL with a cost of $74.27.The Team Marketing Report survey achieves average ticket prices from each team based on season-ticket prices and club seating, but does not include luxury suites.Six teams lowered the cost of tickets, including the Washington Capitals (22.2 per cent) from $52.71 to $41.03. Five of the six Canadian teams have average ticket prices below the league average.Team Marketing Report also has a fan cost index, which tabulates the cost of a family of four to attend an NHL game. It includes four average-priced tickets, four small soft drinks, two small beers, four hot dogs, two game programs, two adult-sized hats and parking.The Rangers have the highest fan cost index at $542.83, while Calgary is the lowest at $233.32. The NHL average is $375.10.<h2>TALE OF THE TICKETS</h2>Listed below is 1998-99 average ticket price, per-cent change, and '99-00 average. Figures are in U.S. dollars.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-011768/7619243-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="615" height="1347"></div> &#9632;

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NHL ticket prices hiked

In reference to the hit on Mike Modano and the suspension of Anaheim's Ruslan Salei, I thought the &ldquo;hit&rdquo; was an accident.There was no intent to injure, Modano was off-balance and he hit a rut in the ice. C'mon, 10 games for that, when last year, Dallas' Derian Hatcher got only seven games for purposefully plowing Jeremy Roenick's face into die glass? To me, caving in someone's face is more serious!Hockey is dangerous, but what can we do? Make marquee players untouchable? Exempt stars from hits that happen 20 or 30 times a game?Dallas coach Ken Hitchcock started shooting off his mouth after Salei's shove, but when asked about Hatcher's mugging of Roenick, he &ldquo;(didn't) want to go there.&rdquo; Why? Because he didn't want to try to explain that one and end up looking like a jerk.And if it was Blake Sloan instead of Modano, would it be a 10-game suspension? I doubt it.Ray Johnson, La Mirada, Calif.<h2>Retain right to fight</h2>Fighting should remain in the game.The presence of enforcers discourages cheap shots, like those recently inflicted upon Mike Modano and Tony Amonte. The more the NHL tries to eliminate fighting, the more stickwork we'll see.It's fashionable for players to retaliate and instigate with high sticks, slashes and cross-checks and if the NHL bans fighting, these infractions will increase.Suspensions aren't enough. Hockey is an emotional game and players can lose their cool. A suspension isn't the first thing that enters their mind, but the constant, on-ice threat of someone beating them up is hard to forget.Barry Stevenson, Pittsburgh<h2>The Hab-nots</h2>The Montreal Canadiens' main problems center around brutal drafting and player development and bad trades This is directly due to management.Hindsight is 20/20, but look at this potential lineup. No players are linked.Forwards: John LeClair, Pierre Turgeon, Valeri Bure, Saku Koivu Claude Lemieux, Trevor Linden Brian Savage, Darcy Tucker, Mike Keane, Turner Stevenson, Martir Rucinsky, Guy Carbonneau.Defense: Chris Chelios, Vladimi Malakhov, Lyle Odelein, Eric Des jardins, Stephane Quintal, Sylvair Lefebvre, Jyrkki Lurntne.Goal: Patrick Roy, Ron Tugnutt.Looks like a Stanley Cup contende to me.Billy-Joe McInnis, Hammonds Plains, NJ<h2>Great idea</h2>With all of the honors bestowed upon Wayne Gretzky of late, it's hard to believe no one has suggested the most memorable tribute of all-a trophy in his name for the most assists during the season.Art Ross will be remembered forever even though the vast majority of today's fans never saw him play. The points trophy should remain in his name. But I am a much greater fan of Gordie Howe, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Orr and Gretzky than of Maurice Richard, whom the NHL saw fit to honor with the goal-scoring trophy.Bob Walsh, Ottawa(Editor's Note: Art Ross was a hockey player, coach, manager, and inventor involved in the game from 1904 through to 1955.)<h2>No. 4 is No. 1</h2>The highest-scoring player in NHL history is gone and he will be missed.Wayne Gretzky's impact on the game is well-documented. But two questions must be asked before a debate about the NHL's greatest player of all-time can take place: Did he dominate at both ends of the ice and did he change the way the game is played?Bobby Orr not only changed the way hockey is played, but he also dominated at both ends. And he had a physical aspect that was absent from Gretzky's game. God bless Wayne Gretzky and his family, but Bobby Orr is the best player in NHL history.Chuck Eckels, Escondido, Calif.<h2>Statistically speaking</h2>How does THN reach the conclusion that Steve Yzerman is better than Sergei Fedorov?I have watched every Wings' game for nearly a decade. Fedorov plays virtually every shift against the opponents' top defensive pairing-apparently, NHL coaches believe Fedorov is more of a threat than Yzerman. Just because Yzerman's statistics are better doesn't mean he's a better player.Brad Grattoff, Flint, Mich.<h2>Against pros</h2>I totally agree with Eric May's letter about NHLers in the Olympics: It's wrong to allow professional athletes in an event originally intended only for amateurs (THN, Oct. 15).It robs young athletes of the opportunity to compete. Hockey players from the junior leagues should play in the Olympics, not NHLers. They already had their chance in Nagano in 1998 and screwed it up.And as Mr. May said, there is so much greed in today's NHL. When the U.S. men's team failed to advance to the medal round, they trashed a hotel room because they were greedy and immature.If this is the representation NHL players give their country during the Olympics, I'll go with unknown kids any day of the week.Elatia Grimshaw, Royal Oak, Mich.<h2>Bad things Bruin</h2>Comments made by Boston GM Harry Sinden's mouthpiece, assistant GM Mike O'Connell (THN, Oct. 15), illustrate why the Bruins will never win the Stanley Cup as long as the team's current ownership and management are in place.Talking in clear Sindenese, O'Connell implied Dafoe let down the Bruins in last season's playoff loss to the Buffalo Sabres. But judging by the team Sinden iced, he expected Dafoe to stop the Sabres from scoring and then score a few goals himself.Bruin players have no motive to succeed, unless it is to get out of Boston. They know even all-star caliber play like Dafoe's last season won't earn them competitive salaries, nor will it earn them respect from ingrates like O'Connell, who was never mistaken for a Conn Smythe Trophy contender during his career.Unfortunately, attendance remains good at FleetCenter. Until that changes, fans can expect early playoff exits and subsequent efforts by Sinden to deflect the blame.Patrick Vecchio, Olean, N. Y.<h2>For love of the game</h2>After a recent hockey game (a loss), my 11-year-old said, &ldquo;Dad, I wish I could play hockey every day.&rdquo;There was no mention of money or endorsements and no whining or blubbering. As a father, I saw a love of a sport that money can't buy. So while all these &ldquo;poor,&rdquo; underpaid babies are crying poverty, I wonder if they realize they're insulting the sport, its fans and their fathers?If my son ever came home and said, &ldquo;They offered me $2 million a year, but I'm holding out for $4 million,&rdquo; I would have failed as a parent.Jim Sullivan, Worcester, Mass.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 <a href="mailto:mccaigs@transcontinental.ca">mccaigs@transcontinental.ca</a> Include hometown as well as home and business phone numbers. THN reserves the right to edit submissions. &#9632;

Salei suspension doesn't fit crime

<div class="byline">By Wayne Karl</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011786/7619329-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Louisville claims Dominik Hasek's new pads reduce the size of rebounds by as much as 40 per cent. (Bill Wippert)</figcaption></div>ATLANTA-Dominik Hasek is modest about his place in hockey history as he suits up for the 1999-2000 season, his curtain call in the NHL. But there is absolutely no doubt about the talents of the Buffalo Sabres' goalie as far as fellow Czech Patrik Stefan is concerned.&ldquo;He's the best goalie in the world,&rdquo; said Stefan, the No. 1 overall pick of the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999 entry draft.The 19-year-old rookie center was understandably excited after scoring his first two NHL goals against Hasek in a 5-5 tie in Atlanta Oct. 9. &ldquo;It was a great feeling to score, especially against 'The Dominator'&rdquo; he said.&ldquo;What can I say?&rdquo; laughed Hasek upon hearing Stefan's comments. &ldquo;He looks like a very talented player, but I hope he won't score any more against me.No doubt. Stefan's second goal, a wraparound on which Hasek was slow to react, caused Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff to pull him in favor of backup Dwayne Roloson. It was clearly a game Hasek would like to forget.And as of Oct. 15, Buffalo was still looking for its first victory to go along with two ties and two losses. Hasek had a 3.04 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage-acceptable numbers by mortal standards, but not what we've come to expect from him.The 34-year-old has been in a league of his own since the 1993-94 campaign, when he recorded the first sub-2.00 GAA in 20 years (1.95). In 1996-97, he became the first goalie since Montreal's Jacques Plante in 1961-62 to win the Hart Trophy, a feat Hasek repeated the ensuing season. In 1998-99, he attained career-bests with a 1.87 GAA and .937 save percentage and earned his fifth Vezina Trophy in six years. He then put up even better numbers in the playoffs, a 1.77 GAA and .939 save percentage.And that's just his NHL resume. Hasek anchored the gold medal-winning Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, where he recorded a 0.97 GAA, .961 save percentage and stopped five Canadian stars in a dramatic semifinal shootout. He was also Czechoslovakian goalie of the year five straight times from 1986 through 1990 and Czechoslovakian player of the year in 1987,1989 and 1990.Boasting such an MVP portfolio, surely Hasek acknowledges his standing as one of the greatest goalies ever.&ldquo;Nope. Maybe when I retire I will start to think about it,&rdquo; Hasek said. &ldquo;But right now, I think more about (playing) the game.&rdquo;But with all the attention in recent years, does he wonder where history might rank him, compared to other alltime greats such as Terry Sawchuk and Plante?&ldquo;Those goalies played in different times; there weren't as many teams as there are today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But the big difference is they won the Stanley Cup. During the season I play on the highest level, but they have more Stanley Cups than I do.&rdquo;If Hasek is to win his first Cup in his swan song season, he'll do it with a different look-he's wearing different equipment this year. His endorsement contract with Bauer expired July 31 and he subsequently signed a deal to become the lead spokesperson for Louisville Hockey's new XHale line.Louisville claims the new pads Hasek is wearing-developed by noted goalie equipment designer Brian Heaton-are substantially fighter than others on the market and reduce rebounds by as much as 40 per cent. The shorter rebounds are the result of a new impact absorption system comprised of thousands of tiny foam beads packed into a mesh sleeve. The pads absorb the puck's impact by expelling compressed air through perforations. Similar benefits are achieved with the blocker and catching gloves, Louisville says, but not as significant as in the pads.&ldquo;The pads are very light and that's what I like,&rdquo; Hasek said.Hasek also is wearing new head-gear-a one-piece molded composite helmet. At first glance, the helmet-produced for Louisville by Stealth Sports Gear Inc. of Ancaster, Ont,-doesn't appear much different than the Bauer model Hasek has worn throughout his NHL career. But like the XHale equipment part of the attraction is its lightness&mdash;about 30 per cent less, according to the manufacturer. And since it's one piece, Hasek said the helmet offers a better fit improved protection and is more comfortable than traditional two-piece plastic helmets.The goaltending fraternity has taken notice of Hasek's new look. Detroit Red Wings' goalie Chris Osgood is being fitted with a similar helmet and a number of major junior netminders have ordered XHale gear after seeing Hasek's new look.For all his goaltending talents, Hasek also has solid negotiating skills. His contract with Louisville includes the company providing equipment to children in the Buffalo area. And, following his playing career, Hasek will retain distribution rights for the entire Louisville product line for European countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Poland.The deal also calls for Hasek to develop another line of pro-level goalie equipment for Louisville called 'Dominator.' The plan is for Hasek to wear XHale until the all-star break, then debut 'Dominator.'Hasek's business dealings could ensure his legacy endures-if only on the legs of other goalies. But, of course, Hasek will be better remembered for how he played, not how he looked.Wayne Karl is Editor of Hockey Business News, a publication of The Hockey News. &#9632;

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Hasek legacy: Greatness…and gear

<div class="byline">By Alan Adams</div>The numbers are in and they say the NHL game is shifting away from the Great White North.The NHL is more and more a world league, according to a breakdown of player nationalities based on opening night rosters this season.Canada might consider itself as the birthplace of hockey, but its participation continues to decline. This season, 372 of the 661 players are Canadian for a 56.3 per cent participation rate, the first time it's been less than 60 per cent.Canadians are being elbowed off the NHL ice by what the league calls &ldquo;non-North-American-born&rdquo; players, who are over-whelmingly European. They make up nearly 28 per cent of current NHLers. United States-born players account for the remaining 16 per cent.What has changed?In previous decades, hockey was just a game for Europeans whereas for Canadians, it was a way of life. But today, more and more countries are playing hockey and it is part of their life. And it seemed just a matter of time before more countries supplied players.Ponder this for a moment. Since 1991, the NHL has added seven teams and based on a 23-man roster, that's 161 jobs. In the season before the 1991 expansion, there were 61 Europeans in the league and now there's 183. So you could say that 122 of the 161 new jobs went to Europeans, representing 75 per cent of the total.What has changed is Europeans now come to the NHL when they are young, instead of midway through their playing careers and the IronCurtain is down. In 1989-90, just as Eastern Bloc countries started to allow some players to come to the West, Canadians made up 71 per cent of NHLers, while 16 per cent were American and 12 per cent European. This season, the Czech Republic, with 50, provides more NHL players than any other European country. Russia has 47, Sweden 37, Finland 22 and Slovakia 10.So what does this all mean?&ldquo;It is a lot of things,&rdquo; said Toronto Maple Leafs' president Ken Dryden.&ldquo;First of all, it shows the NHL is truly a global league with all of the best players and you can probably underline all. His fact is when you have that prize (the NHL and million-dollar contracts) it can really stimulate minor hockey in other countries. It can generate a dream that wasn't there and I think probably any kid who was a hockey player growing up in any of theEuropean countries, that's their goal, to play in the NHL and not on the national team.&rdquo;And Canada? The proportion of Canadians playing in the NHL had remained fairly stable for the past five seasons. However, this year's number represents a five-per-cent drop from the 1998-99 season.The new figures add to the angst in Canadian hockey. A Canadian hasn't won the Hart Trophy, which honors the NHL's most valuable player, in four years and the last Canadian to win the Calder Trophy as top rookie was Martin Brodeur in 1994. Last season, only nine of the top 25 scorers were Canadian and just four of the top 10 defensemen. On the international stage, Canada lost the 1996 World Cup of Hockey to the United States and could only muster a fourth-place finish at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011863/7619381-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="789" height="1331"><figcaption class="caption-body">Anaheim's Niclas Havelid is one of the rookie Europeans in the NHL this season.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I think there is a crisis in confidence on developing players and I think this statistic will exacerbate that,&rdquo; said Vancouver Canucks' GM Brian Burke. &ldquo;But the fact of the matter is we develop players that are unmatched anywhere in the world for intensity, competitiveness and toughness.&rdquo;Added Bob Nicholson, president of the Canadian Hockey Association: &ldquo;We have to be concerned, but we do not have to be in a crisis mode. The game is going globally and we still have 372 players. The next closest is the United States (at 106). In comparison to any other country, we are healthy. In comparison to the rest of the world, we are slipping.&rdquo;Nicholson suggested what coaches teach at practices has to change. &ldquo;We can't be teaching team concepts at tyke, atom and peewee. We have to teach individual skills and team concepts later.&rdquo;The finger pointing, according to Toronto Maple Leafs' coach-GM Pat Quinn, doesn't stop there. He said owners of junior teams are profit orientated and that hinders the development system. Quinn recalled the 1960s when NHL teams operated junior teams and in turn had control of their development.&ldquo;The system that is here is flawed in the sense that kids get into playing the game for profit probably too early,&rdquo; Quinn said.As for the United States, Americans grabbed a higher percentage of roster spots and the challenge south of the 49th parallel is to keep the number growing.&ldquo;Our grass-roots program will continue to grow as the game becomes further entrenched nationally,&rdquo; said USA Hockey executive director Doug Palazzari.David Poile, GM of the Nashville Predators, is not alarmed by the drop in Canadians, but is disappointed that Americans only make up 16 per cent of players, the same as a decade ago.&ldquo;As an American team, I would like to see the number of Americans increase,&rdquo; Poile said. &ldquo;There are more Americans playing than ever before, but the increase is very slow. It hasn't taken off as I thought it would.&rdquo;<h2>Who supplies NHL talent?</h2>Canada: 56%United States: 16%Rest of world: 28%<h2>EUROPEAN INVASION CONTINUES</h2>The NHL's international flavor remains strong-17 countries are represented. Below is the birthplace of players on NHL team rosters as of Oct 6. The Misc. category includes Latvia (3), Ukraine (3), Germany (2), Lithuania (2), Poland (2), England (1), Belarus (1), N. Ireland (1). Scotland (1), South Africa (1). Abbreviations: Cda. (Canada); USA (United States); Rus. (Russia); Cze. (Czech Republic); Swe. (Sweeten); Fin. (Finland): Sto. (Slovakia).<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021401/7619374-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="1310" height="1274"></div><h2>KINDER, GENTLER NHL?</h2>The average NHLer is 1.8 pounds lighter than last year, the biggest single-season weight decrease since 1972-73. Here are league average heights, weights and ages for every season since then.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-03999/7619367-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="615" height="1291"></div><h2>TEAM-BY-TEAM HEIGHT, WEIGHT, AGE RANKINGS</h2>Fittingly, the team captained by Doug Weight is the heaviest in the NHL. Weight's Edmonton Oilers average 203.6 pounds per player and they may still be growing-theyTe the second-youngest club (25.4) as we#. Below is average height, weight and age of each NHL team's rosters as of Oct. 6. The number of ties in the height ranking reflects of the fact measurements were rounded to the closest inch as opposed to fractions of inches.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04518/7619360-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="1291" height="1292"></div> &#9632;

f0008-01

NHL: Global warming

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy</div>The Los Angeles Kings felt they needed a fresh face to usher in a new era as they left the tired old confines of the Great Western Forum for the brand spanking new, state-of-the-art Staples Center.So they went out and acquired flashy Ziggy Palffy from the New York Islanders.Two weeks into the new season, however, it's an old face, Luc Robitaille, who has offered the most promise for a bright future in La La Land.After five games, Robitaille was second in NHL scoring with seven goals and had 10 points. He was the league's first player of the week and, along with Palffy (two goals, five points) and Jozef Stumpel (one goal, seven points), formed the league's hottest line. Once again, 'Lucky' is King of the Kings.&ldquo;Luc is such a great fit for this team,&rdquo; said Kings' GM Dave Taylor. &ldquo;He is really popular out here. People were so happy to see him come back to the team.&rdquo;Robitaille broke in with the Kings as a baby-faced 20-year-old in 1986-87 and instantly turned the league on its ear, scoring 45 goals and 84 points in 79 games. He won the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.In his first eight seasons, all with Los Angeles, he averaged 49 goals a year, including a career-high 63 in 1992-93. Even in 1994-95, the lockout year in which he played with the Pitts-burgh Penguins (following a trade for Rick Tocchet and a second round draft pick), Robitaille scored 23 times in 46 games. That translates to 41 in a full season.In the next three years, though, two with the New York Rangers and his first back with the Kings, he averaged just 21 goals a season. It was as though he was singularly responsible for scoring being down in the NHL. Had the King lost his Midas touch?&ldquo;My first eight years in the league were injury-free,&rdquo; Robitaille said. &ldquo;And then it seemed like I broke every bone 1 in my ankle you could imagine. It was very frustrating.&rdquo;Last year, Robitaille was healthy and re-established himself as a gunner. He tied Paul Kariya of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for second in goals among left wingers with 39, four fewer than John LeClair of the Philadelphia Flyers. League-wide, only nine players scored more often than Robitaille in 1998-99.He is not a gifted skater like Teemu Selanne, he doesn't rifle the puck like Brett Hull and he will never physically intimidate the paperboy, never mind the opposition. What he has going for him, however, is a passion for the game and the determination to do whatever it takes to score goals.&ldquo;People tend to dwell on the things Luc doesn't do,&rdquo; said former NHL bench boss Mike Keenan, who coached Robitaille in the 1991 Canada Cup. &ldquo;Luc is actually a very deceiving player. He reads the play as well as anybody in the game. He doesn't have great foot speed, but he knows where to go and he'll pay the price to score goals. He's also a high-energy player.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011749/7619426-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="401" height="532"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021207/7619419-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="636" height="1246"></div>Taylor, who was put in charge of rebuilding the once-proud Kings two years ago, recalls a meek Robitaille attending his first NHL training camp in 1984 after being a ninth round pick, 171st overall.&ldquo;He was a little shier then than he is now,&rdquo; Taylor remembered. &ldquo;You have to remember he came to his first training camp as an 18-year-old kid. We knew he had great hands; he showed that from the very beginning.&rdquo;Taylor also recalls how management nearly ruined Robitaille by trying to make him something he wasn't&ldquo;The one thing I'll always remember is when they sent him back to junior the first time, management told him to work on his skating and his toughness,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;He came back for a second camp and picked a fight with a tough kid named DanBrennan and got creamed. This guy really carved Luc up. When management sent him back to junior the second time, they told him to just work on his skating.&rdquo;Robitaille completed his junior career with an amazing 68-goal, 191-point sea-son with Hull of the Quebec League.There is a very good chance, when all is said and done, Robitaille will become the highest scoring left winger of all-time. Entering this season, only Bobby Hull (610), Johnny Bucyk (556), Michel Goulet (548), Dave Andreychuk (534) andFrank Mahovlich (533) had more career goals than Robitaille's 524. No, he won't continue his 115-goal pace after the Kings' first five games, but, at age 33, he's certainly capable of scoring the 80-plus goals it'll take to pass Hull before retiring. Of those ahead of him, just Andreychuk is active (Boston Bruins) and he's not the scoring threat he was in his prime.The Kings have a solid goaltending tandem in Stephane Fiset and Jamie Storr; the defense is anchored by 1998 NorrisTrophy-winner Rob Blake and there is ample offense up front. Robitaille said Stumpel, the 6-foot-3,215-pound center, makes the top line click.&ldquo;He sees the ice so well,&rdquo; he said.And while Palffy was best known as a sniper on Long Island, where he had three straight 40-plus goal seasons before netting 22 in 50 games last year, he is proving to be quite the playmaker with the Kings. Which complements Robitaille, because if you can get him the puck in tight, he'll convert for you.What Robitaille wants to convert most is his strong effort into a championship.&ldquo;Now, to me, winning the Stanley Cup is everything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That's all I think about&rdquo;<h2>The Top Lines of '99</h2>The San Jose Sharks jumped out to a quick start thanks to the scoring exploits of their No. 1 line, Owen Nolan, Vincent Damp-housse and Jeff Friesen. Here are five of the NHL's highest scoring lines in the early going. Included are the player's games, goals and points.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-03733/7619412-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="992" height="271"></div> &#9632;

f0009-01

COLUMNS

New-look Kings get 'Lucky' start

<div class="byline">By Mike Gibb Staff Writer</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011833/7619485-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Mark Buckner/BS)</figcaption></div>Chris Pronger has a bit of a nasty streak. As well, the St. Louis Blue is 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, carries a stick to work and has a wingspan the size of 'Hands Across America.'So it's best to not offend the man. Like calling him the NHL's best defensive defenseman.He becomes prickly-although he doesn't come out and say so-when he's referred to as such. In a way, Pronger has a right to turn cold. He isn't just a defensive defenseman and labeling him that dismisses half his game. Pronger is also among the best all-around blueliners in the NHL.That said, when a number of NHL GMs and pro scouts were asked to rate the game's top defensive defensemen, Pronger was the consensus No. 1.&ldquo;He dominates on the ice,&rdquo; I said Florida Panthers' GM I Bryan Murray. &ldquo;He skates well and is good with his stick. He handles traffic well. He's very strong and he has great hockey sense.&rdquo;Pronger tops a wish list which includes Derian Hatcher of the Dallas Stars, Scott Stevens of the New Jersey Devils, Nicklas Lidstr&ouml;m of the Detroit Red Wings, Adam Foote of the Colorado Avalanche and Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins.There is no statistical way to measure a defensive defenseman's effectiveness. Plus-minus rating, shots blocked and hits are indicators, but the best defensive defensemen contribute in ways that never show up on the scoresheet.Attributes such as moving the puck out of the defensive zone, not allowing forwards inside position, clearing the front of the net, breaking up odd-man rushes and neutralizing opponents are critical commodities. And in an era where goal-scoring has bottomed out, defense has become the lifeblood of most NHL teams.Making Pronger what NHL teams want most.&ldquo;He reads the play well and he's exceptionally intelligent,&rdquo; said Mike Keenan, the man who, while coach-GM of the Blues in 1995, traded established power forward and two-time 50-goal scorer Brendan Shanahan for a 20-year-old Pronger. &ldquo;His ability to anticipate is exceptional and anticipation is a hallmark characteristic of individuals who can rise above the rest in the NHL.&rdquo;Pronger, who turned 25 Oct. 10, evokes comparisons to two of the all-time greatest defensive defensemen, Larry Robinson and Rod Langway.&ldquo;Chris and Rod are both very competitive,&rdquo; said Murray, who coached Langway when he was with the Washington Capitals. &ldquo;(Langway would) play all the minutes you wanted him to play and more. Chris appears to have the same kind of poise. He's rangier and a better skater than Rod was.&rdquo;Langway won two Norris Trophies (1983, 1984), finished runner-up to Wayne Gretzky for the 1984 Hart Trophy and is a good bet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2001. (Langway will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Dec. 3.)&ldquo;(Rod) was brought up the old way, where defense came before offense and he rarely showed any interest in offense,&rdquo; said current Nashville Predators' and former Washington GM David Poile. &ldquo;He thought his job was strictly to be a defensive defenseman. He wanted to be on the ice playing against the No. 1 line, playing in the last minute of the game and on the penalty kill. That was his niche.&rdquo;<h2>In High 'D'-mand</h2>Chris Pronger emerged as the overwhelming choice as the NHL's top defensive defenseman from an informal poll of NHL GMs and scouts. Here were the six most respected rearguards.1.Chris Pronger, St. Louis2.Derian Hatcher, Dallas3.Scott Stevens, New Jersey4.Nicklas Lidstr&ouml;m, Detroit5.Adam Foote, Colorado6.Rav Bouroue. Boston<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011641/7619478-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="3257" height="1728"><figcaption class="caption-body">Devils' advocate: New Jersey stalwart Scott Stevens goes down to block a shot, demonstrating one of the traits that makes him a highly regarded defensive defenseman.</figcaption></div>Pronger's niche, meanwhile, is ever-expanding.He's young and still learning the subtleties of his position. Despite missing 15 games last season, he's durable-he has played 92 per cent of the Blues' games over the past three years. And he's coming off his best offensive season with 13 goals and 46 points in just 67 games.There's more. Pronger saw more ice than any other NHLer last season (30:36) and was second (30:06, 24 seconds behind Bourque) through the early part of 1999-2000.Finally, in 1997-98, he led the NHL in plusminus with a plus-47. (He was plus-3 last season.)All told, pretty good numbers for the 11th-highest paid defender ($3,425 million) in the NHL this season. Pronger is under contract through the 2000-01 season, when he's slated to earn $3,675 million.An injury to Al Maclnnis Oct. 9-he's out until mid-November with a broken bone in his foot-should bump Pronger well over the 30minute mark and if the Blues are fighting for a playoff spot, don't look for him on the bench.&ldquo;He can log as much time as anyone in the league,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;Thirty minutes? He can do that just for fun. With 90-second (TV) timeouts, if the coach is paying attention, he doesn't have to come off the ice.&rdquo;Skill is obviously a prerequisite to becoming a solid defensive defenseman, but adaptability can be almost as important as pure ability.&ldquo;You can teach positioning and you can teach making the smart play with the puck,&rdquo; said Ken Morrow, a standout defensive defenseman with the New York Islanders in the 1980s. &ldquo;Some guys just come by it more naturally than others. It's a teaching process that involves years, not months.&ldquo;The problem nowadays is players are rushed. I was 23 when I played my first NHL game and felt like a newborn. It took me a few years watching guys like (Hall-of-Famer) Denis Potvin to get ready. I don't know if we give them the proper time today. They're learning under fire.&rdquo;Pronger gracefully accepts acknowledgement as the game's top defender, but he isn't happy with just stopping the other team from scoring.&ldquo;Defense isn't my sole purpose,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But I do get a lot of satisfaction in shutting out the top line. That's the bottom line. If I do my job properly, we'll win. Sometimes, my focus is to stop certain players, sometimes it's to score.&rdquo;Since the lockout in 1994-95, Pronger's offensive numbers have improved every season-14 points to 25, 35, 36 and 46. Even as a rookie in 1993-94, he led all Hartford Whalers' (now Carolina Humcanes) defensemen in points with 30.Pronger's all-around talent has attracted the NHL's top minds since his draft day in June, 1993. Vancouver Canuck GM Brian Burke, then GM of the Whalers, traded up to take him second overall. Two years later, Keenan dealt St. Louis fan-favorite Shanahan in exchange for Pronger, who was still a work in progress.&ldquo;We did a lot of work investigating Chris,&rdquo; Keenan said. &ldquo;And I felt confident that if we traded Brendan, not only would we get younger, but we could acquire a premier player in Chris and lower the payroll. When we decided to take him, we compared him to Larry Robinson and Chris may be more skilled than Larry.&rdquo;Said Burke, who deflected most of the credit for the 1993 draft-day trade to former Whalers' assistant GM Tommy Rowe: &ldquo;I felt Chris Pronger was the best defensive prospect I had ever seen in my fife. We didn't see one hole in his game. And there are still no holes in Chris Pronger's game.&rdquo;Pronger wants to be the' go-to guy for the Blues, regardless of the need-offense or defense,&ldquo;I'm not strictly a defensive defenseman,&rdquo; Pronger said. &ldquo;I have to be able to do it all. If we're down a goal late, I'm not going to be sitting on the bench.&ldquo;I don't think playing defense is that glamorous. But having a top-notch defenseman is how you build your team. You can have a goalscorer all you want, but unless you keep the puck out of your own net and get him the puck, he's never going to score. The guys in the pits don't get as much attention.&rdquo;Until now.<h2>Should there be a Langway Trophy?</h2>Should there be a trophy honoring the NHL's best defensive defenseman? The debate has raged since Bobby Orr entered the league in 1966-67 and expanded a defenseman's job description to include substantial offensive responsibilities. If such a trophy were introduced, one player stands out as the leading potential honoree. Rod Langway, the Washington Capitals' 'Secretary of Defense,' is the last true defensive defenseman to win the Norris Trophy (1983,1984) and is the only one to finish as runner-up in voting for the Hart Trophy (1984).<h3>Pro</h3><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021166/7619471-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="80" height="117"></div>Defensive defensemen are highly valued by NHL teams, yet are over-looked at awards time. Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association-the body that selects the Norris Trophy winner-have been blinded by stats since Rod Langway won his last Norris in 1984. Since that time, eight of 15 winners have been the top scorer among defensemen and all 15 have been among the top 10. In an era when such a high premium is placed on preventing goals, it stands to reason defensive defense-men should get a healthy share of the credit for keeping scoring down Yet when it comes time to hand out the hardware, it's the goaltenders (Vezina, Jennings and now Hart with Dominik Hasek) and forwards (Art Ross, Hart and Selke) who are most glorified. The time has come to give defensive defensemen their due with their own award.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03772/7619464-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="490" height="875"><figcaption class="caption-body">Rod Langway</figcaption></div><h3>Con</h3><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-04596/7619457-1-eng-US/f0011-042.jpg" title="f0011-04" width="76" height="114"></div>To name a top defensive defenseman would diminish the Norris Trophy, signalling it's nothing more than a scoring championship for defensemen. When Bobby Orr became the first player to win four major trophies in 1970. Boston goalie Gerry Cheevers said he should have won a fifth&mdash;the Vezina&mdash;because he stopped more shots than half the goalies in the league. While offensive defensemen have been over-represented among Norris winners, the route to higher recognition for defensive defensemen is through better education of Norris voters. The league and teams should take the lead in raising the profile of these crucial players. The NHL doesn't need a new trophy. The old one, which honors the defenseman with the &ldquo;greatest all-around ability.&rdquo; already includes defensive defensemen. &#9632;</div>

f0010-01

PUTTING THE D IN DEFENSEMAN

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div>First, a personal aside.As a columnist, you get used to negative feedback. Generally, the only people who bother to comment on a column are the ones upset by some-thing you wrote. Naturally, there are exceptions and the nicest positive response I ever received to a piece I wrote in The Hockey News came from Kevin Lowe's mother.It was in the early 1990s and Lowe was embroiled in a contract dispute with Oilers' GM Glen Sather that kept him out of Edmonton's training camp. I made the point that at the same time as I agreed with just about everything Sather did to toe the line on player salaries-and thus help preserve the game in Western Canada-for Lowe, you needed to make an exception.As a player, Lowe was the epitome of a professional-someone who, because of a profound sense of loyalty, had stayed on in Edmonton long after his Oiler contemporaries had moved on to greener pastures. Soon after-wards, Lowe did move on to the New York Rangers and was there in 1994, helping them win a Stanley Cup, the sixth of his 19-year NHL playing career.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011641/7619554-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="399" height="518"></div>I was thinking about his mother's call, thanking me for telling Kevin's side of the story, the other day, while I was watching Lowe on the' ice the morning of an Oilers' game.After many of his players had drifted into the dressing room, Lowe-the first player ever drafted by Edmon ton and now the seventh head coach in their history-was still out there, taking slapshots at the net. If he wasn't wearing a sweatsuit, you'd have been hard-pressed to distinguish him from his players. There was maybe a little more grey in the hair and maybe a little less of the hair, but otherwise, he looked as if he could, in a pinch, still get the job done on the ice.Lowe played 1,037 games for the Oilers, one of 27 NHL players in history to play 1,000 games for the same NHL team. He made the transition to coaching last year as an assistant on Ron Low's staff and received the head coaching job after Low turned down Sather's offer of a one-year contract extension.Some wondered if, at age 40, with only a year's experience as an assistant, this was too much too soon-but Lowe begs to differ.&ldquo;Throughout my career, I don't know if any coaches agonized over losses any more or any longer than I did, as a player,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I took the game home. I felt personally responsible for losses. I didn't over-emphasize the wins, it was just what you were paid to do. That's sort of what a coach does.&ldquo;In terms of the separation from the players, the guys know what I was. They saw how I competed in practice, but at the same time, recognized (I enjoy) a good laugh. It has to be fun. It's a tough enough job as it is. But it's fun.&rdquo;Of course, it will only stay fun if you're winning. In the NHL, winning solves everything. Losing, by contrast, magnifies every little problem. More and more, the job of a coach in the years ahead will be less technical and more a question of how you manage people. According to Lowe, that's the primary lesson he learned playing for Sather-to treat every player as an individual.&ldquo;It's having the feel of when to go and when not to go,&rdquo; Lowe said, &ldquo;when it's time to be technical and when it's time to just open the fences and let the horses run. Glen was really good at that. Glen was apt to be less technical and say, 'You just got to go out there and play.'&ldquo;You want to get the most out of guys. Glen had a good ability in that respect-allowing guys to let their talents surface-and then you can coordinate and assemble and scope that whole thing into a team environment.&rdquo;Lowe is clearly making some changes on an Oilers' team that has hovered around the .500 mark for the past three seasons. Alex Selivanov is getting more of a chance to play than he did under Low. Pat Falloon, who was Low's primary reclamation project last year, sat out for the first week of the season and was inserted into the lineup only after Rem Murray separated his shoulder.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-021141/7619547-1-eng-US/f0013-022.jpg" title="f0013-02" width="398" height="514"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin Lowe</figcaption></div>&ldquo;I don't have any preconceived ideas about guys' abilities,&rdquo; Lowe said. &ldquo;I see what I see and then I say, 'That's the type of guy I'd like to work with' and get him playing the way I like and the way I envision our team being.&ldquo;Part of what I want to do is get the emphasis on how fortunate you are to have this opportunity. Coming from somebody who is just recently retired, perhaps it'll have some impact. It's an honor to be playing in the game. It's getting away from that, but it can get back to that. There's still a lot of good people in the game.&rdquo;One of whom remains the man behind the Oilers' bench. &#9632;

f0013-01

Lowe one of the good guys

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011776/7619585-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="160" height="159"></div>The Mighty Ducks of Ana heim's dynamic duo of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya finished second and third in league scoring last season, but are off to a slow start this season.How slow?Two-and-a-half games into the season, goalie Guy Hebert, center TedDrury and defenseman Kevin Haller were all tied for the Ducks' scoring lead with one point each.Five games into the season, New Jersey Devils' enforcer Krzysztof Oliwa had as many goals as Kariya and Selanne-combined. Oliwa had two and Kariya and Selanne one apiece.But it's not because Kariya and Selanne were not creating chances.Selanne had 20 shots in his first five games. Kariya, who missed the first regular season game, had 11 shots in his first four games.&ldquo;We had a lot of chances,&rdquo; Kariya said after he and Selanne combined for 11 shots in a 3-2 loss at New Jersey Oct. 13. 'We just haven't buried them.&ldquo;We need a big night to get our confidence going.&rdquo;Selanne, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal-scorer with 47 last season, got his first goal this season on a deflection during a 5-on-3. power play.&ldquo;We're doing a lot of things right,&rdquo; Selanne said, shaking his head. &ldquo;But sometimes you have six great chances and the puck doesn't go in. Then the next game you have one bad shot and it goes in and gets you going. We're going to start scoring. With all these chances, they will start to go in.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Anaheim's suspensions aren't just coming from the NHL these days. Cincinnati left winger Maxim Balmochnykh was suspended eight games by the American League after he was assessed a match penalty for deliberate intent to injure a Louisville player&hellip; Defenseman Kevin Haller scored the game-winning goal in a 30 victory over Dallas Oct. 8. It was Haller's first game-winning goal since the 1995-96 season, when he played for Philadelphia, and the sixth game-winning goal of his career. &#9632;

f0014-01

Dynamic duo shooting blanks, but optimistic floodgates will open

<div class="byline">By Jeff Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021332/7619616-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg" title="f0014-02" width="161" height="160"></div>Through three games, Ray Ferraro's statistics as an Atlanta Thrasher were no goals, no assists and five minor penalties.Players who score 108 goals in one season in major junior and average more than 25 a year in the NHL don't take things like that well-especially when they have been signed specifically for their goal-scoring ability.&ldquo;Obviously I'm not happy with the way I've played,&rdquo; Ferraro said. &ldquo;I know 1 was being counted on to score and I haven't done it yet. I've been frustrated and I know that's the worst thing I can do to myself. But it's only three games out of 82 so there's still time.&rdquo;Ferraro's frustrations were evident in an Oct. 9 against the Buffalo Sabres when he drew consecutive minor penalties in the second period, including elbowing Sabres' winger Rob Ray, (who according to Ferraro &ldquo;gave me a whack&rdquo; as both exited the penalty box moments earlier). The penalty led to a Sabres' power play goal that closed Atlanta's lead to 4-3 en route to a 55 tie.Ferraro also was slowed in the opener by a sore back, the result of a crosscheck in the final exhibition game. He said his back was at &ldquo;95 per cent.&rdquo; In a 7-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Oct. 7, Ferraro missed three great scoring chances-two breakaways and a redirected pass from Mike Stapleton from the slot.Thrashers' assistant GM Les Jackson was the GM of Ferraro's junior team in Brandon (Western League) in 1983-84, the year Ferraro scored 108 goals. Jackson also saw Ferraro bounce back from knee injuries last season to play well down the stretch for the Los Angeles Kings, prompting Atlanta to sign him as an unrestricted free agent.Jackson maintains, &ldquo;He has some goals in him that he hasn't shown us yet.&rdquo;Coach Curt Fraser said, &ldquo;Once he scores that first goal, we'U see a different Ray Ferraro in the confidence department. He's taking the load on his shoulders right now and he can't do that. Instead of putting all this pressure on himself, he needs to just go out and have fun.&rdquo;Ferraro acknowledges he hasn't done that.&ldquo;You can go out and try to solve the world's problems by yourself,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I need to play a simple game, move the puck and go to the net. I need to get myself into position to score.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Maxim Galanov, who didn't suit up for the first three games, has a fracture at the base of his left hand that may require surgery. Doctors believes Galanov suffered the injury sometime last year, although Galanov said it didn't start hurting until after the first pre-season game&hellip;Center Ray Ferraro, on Atlanta's road trip that sends them to Long Island to play the Islanders (Oct. 14), then Tampa Bay (Oct. 16), then back to New York for a game against the Rangers (Oct. 17): &ldquo;Somebody at the league office has their head up their butt."&hellip;Left winger Jason BotteriU has played well in Orlando (International League) and could be the first callup, said GM Don Waddell. &#9632;

f0014-02

Ferraro suffers Southern drought at start of Year 1 with Thrashers

<div class="byline">By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-03910/7619647-1-eng-US/f0014-032.jpg" title="f0014-03" width="160" height="160"></div>Patience may be a virtue, but Boston Bruins' coach Pat Bums believes winning is also a good thing.That's why Bums, disappointed in forwards Steve Heinze and Sergei Samsonov early in the season, took the two aside for one-on-one meetings.A day before taking on the Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars at Reunion Arena Oct. 15, Bums had a talk with Samsonov and another with Heinze in an effort to reach them. Bums then addressed the team during an on-ice workout and said if the Bruins are going to win a game (they were 0-4-2, which was their worst start since 1964-65), things had to change.&ldquo;Why we're all noticing him is because he's not doing anything,&rdquo; said Bums, referring to Heinze. &ldquo;He's not getting a shot and he's not getting any hits. It's not because he's not working. He's like a construction worker digging a hole, the hole's getting dug, it's just not getting dug right.&rdquo;Bums' biggest gripe with Heinze was the forward spent more time on the ice than he on his feet.&ldquo;He can't be the human Zamboni and clean the ice surface,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;He has to stand up. If you fall for no reason at all, it might look funny, but you've taken yourself completely out of the play. We call it 'classic-Heinzey' now. He has to take the bull by the horns. I was really considering taking him out of the lineup.&rdquo;He decided against it, but said he wouldn't hesitate if Heinze doesn't turn it around.&ldquo;Heinzey is not a young player anymore,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;I told him, 'You're a grown man, you've been in this game six or seven years, you've got to find a determining way out of it.' &ldquo;Samsonov, as dazzling an offensive force as he can be, is too often a liability in his own zone. His play on the defense-first Bruins has driven Bums to distraction in the first six games of the year.&ldquo;He's playing like he's practising,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;He's dancing in practices and he's dancing in games. Your teammates don't run you over in practice, in the games (opponents) run you over and knock the puck away. Sometimes you're going to have to dump it in whether you like it or not. It's not a question of getting rid of the puck, it's a question of getting in on the forecheck. Many Europeans do resist that, it's not a wide ice surface here and that's the difference.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: After three straight starts for rookie goalie John Grahame. Boston coach Pat Burns went back to Rob Tallas for an Oct. 15 game against Dallas. &ldquo;I need a win,&rdquo; Bums said. &ldquo;It's not that Grahame can't give me one, but I've got to be fair, too. I've got to send Tally in there and try to win a game."&hellip;Rumors were surfacing that left winger Dmitri Khristich was close to signing a deal with Toronto. As part of the transaction, center Yanic Perreault would come to the Bruins in exchange for Boston not matching the contract offer. Boston has a right to match any offer than is 80 per cent or less of the $2.8 million awarded to Khristich by an independent salary arbitrator. &#9632;

f0014-03

Help needed from Heinze, Samsonov as Bruins stumble from starting gate

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011625/7619678-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="160" height="161"></div>Rhett Warrener became the last of the Buffalo Sabres' holdouts to sign a new deal and rejoin the team.The 23-year-old defenseman, one of the Sabres' best players before he was injured in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final against the Dallas Stars last spring, is still recovering from a broken ankle suffered in that game.He may also need time to heal up from the negotiating table.Warrener settled for a two-year contract worth $1.8 million, according to the Buffalo News. While it's not huge money, the contract does get the former Florida Panther back into the scheme of things. It also carries him to the point where he will be eligible for contract arbitration once it expires.&ldquo;I'm happy to be back playing,&rdquo; said Warrener, after arriving on the scene with a team that was still winless as of Oct. 15 with an 0-2-2 standing.But is he happy with the contract?&ldquo;I'm happy to be back playing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I'm happy with it. We can get into the numbers and all that stuff, but none of it really matters. 1 wanted to get back and play.&rdquo;Warrener spent most of the summer at his parents' home in Saskatoon, Sask., rehabbing his broken ankle, fishing and watching TV. It was frustrating for an active NHLer, but the injury left him no choice. Even now it's uncertain exactly when he'll get into a game. The ankle still has two screws in it and though he's been skating at home, he hasn't been able to do much conditioning.Warrener had one goal with the Sabres in 13 games after coming over to Buffalo in a trade with the Florida Panthers. Overall, Warrener had one goal and eight points in 71 games last season.The Sabres are anxious to get Warrener back up to speed and reunited with partner Jay McKee, who signed a three-year deal-plus an option year-worth a reported $5.3 million Oct. 8. The two had a combined plus-25 rating in the playoffs last spring and were the team's two best defensemen when shorthanded.NOTEBOOK: Buffalo had to decide between keeping defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre or rookie blueliner Brian Campbell. The team was at the roster limit of 23 when defenseman Rhett Warrener resigned. Speculation was although Campbell has outplayed Grand-Pierre, Campbell will be sent down to get a taste of riding the busses. It's something the Sabres almost always do since GM Darcy Regier came to town three years ago.. David Moravec, a right winger, appeared to be NHL capable, but he didn't bounce anyone from a roster spot and declined an offer to go to Rochester of the American League. The 26-year-old had a clause in his contract that if he didn't make the Sabres, he could go home to the Czech Republic.. Buffalo lost to Detroit and Washington, had to scramble for a tie at Atlanta and then lost the lead with 4.6 seconds left in an eventual tie with Phoenix, making for a sad start to their season. Regier acknowledged the team may be suffering a bit of Stanley Cup hangover. &#9632;

f0015-01

Last lost Sabre back in the fold as Warrener inks two-year deal

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021142/7619709-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="161" height="159"></div>On the day Jarome Iginla signed a three-year, $4.9-tnillion (U.S.) pact with the Calgary Flames, the first question on everybody's mind was his response to critical words directed his way by coach Brian Sutter.In essence, Sutter said Iginla couldn't compare himself to players such as the Senators' Wade Redden because-unlike Ottawa-the Flames hadn't made the playoffs in Iginla's first three NHL seasons.Iginla, clearly anticipating the line of inquiry, said he had no problems with Sutter's observations.&ldquo;He always says what he feels,&rdquo; Iginla said. &ldquo;That's one of his good traits. As players, we know he's up front. Obviously, there are some things you wouldn't want to hear sometimes, but with somebody who's up front like Brian, you have to expect that sometimes.&rdquo;Iginla returned to the lineup after missing the first three regular season games, all Flames' losses. In his first two games back, Calgary recorded a win and a tie and Iginla notched one assist. Clearly, his retum-Iginla led the team in goals last season with 28-helped them turn around their slow start.Iginla described his time on the sidelines as &ldquo;easily the toughest hockey thing I've had to go through. I'm thrilled I won't have to go through this again for a long time. I'll be here in Calgary and be part of something good that's happening.&rdquo;For the Flames, the key to the deal was the length of the contract. In signing a three-year deal, Iginla gave up his first year of salary arbitration eligibility. The deal includes bonuses for the usual things-goals, points and playoffs.Sutter, who described himself as 'Iginla's biggest fan,&rdquo; wants to see more consistency from him, something the player listed as a goal as well.&ldquo;It's going on my fourth year,&rdquo; Iginla said. &ldquo;I hope I'm ready to turn the comer. I don't want to be a solid player in the league, I want to be a really good player. This is a good organization. We're growing as a team. We're going to turn the comer this year and there's a lot of good things to come.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: It didn't take long for center Mare Savard to run afoul of no-nonsense coach Brian Sutter. In what Sutter termed &ldquo;a wake-up call,&rdquo; Savard was scratched for an Oct 11 game against Carolina after recording just a single assist in the team's first three games. Savard responded by picking up two points when he was restored to the lineup Oct 13 in a 4-3 OT win over Vancouver&hellip;In yet another extraordinary development in his rehabilitation, defenseman Robyn Regehr was assigned to the Flames' American League affiliate, the Saint John Flames, for a two-week conditioning stint Oct. 14. Less than three months after a potentially fatal car collision-and at least two months ahead of the most optimistic projections-Regehr was back playing hockey. The plan was to keep Regehr in Saint John a maximum of 14 days and then throw him into an NHL jersey and see if he was ready for the big leagues&hellip;Joining Regehr in Saint John was a fellow 19-year-old, left winger Rico Fata. Fata had no points in two games with Calgary. &#9632;

f0015-02

Three-year pact convinces Iginla Calgary wants his power game

<div class="byline">By Cecil Harris</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011564/7619740-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="161" height="159"></div>With center Keith Primeau not signed, it was imperative for Carolina Hurricane Ron Francis to get off to a good start.And Francis has done just that, recording three goals and seven points and a plus-seven rating in the club's first five games. The 19-year veteran center has continued his strong play from the second half of last season, when he had 36 points and was plus-nine in 41 games.He has silenced the critics who charged his play was in sharp decline after he scored just 16 points and was minus-11 in Carolina's first 41 games of 1998-99. Though a consummate playmaker, he had difficulty meshing with new linemates and found the 160mile round-trip drives to home games at Greensboro, N.C., debilitating.Both problems are behind him.Francis, 36, has clicked with young linemates Sami Kapanen and Bates Battaglia. The trio accounted for 19 of the club's first 33 points this season. And with the team's new rink-the Entertainment and Sports Arena-located in Raleigh, the long drives to &ldquo;home&rdquo; games are but a distant memory.That Francis became the 'Canes captain after Primeau was stripped of the title was ironic because Francis was stripped of the Hartford Whalers' captaincy before being traded to Pittsburgh during the 1990-91 season.But there's nothing ironic about Francis scoring for the franchise. He's the all-time leader in goals (288), assists (592) and points (890).NOTEBOOK: Rookie defenseman David Tanabe scored in his Oct. 11 NHL debut at Calgary. But the rookie didn't get the puck as a memento right away. Center Ron Francis got his 1,040th career assist on the play, tying him with Marcel Dionne for sixth place on the all-time list. Tanabe hopes to mount the puck and hang it on a wall at his parents' home, but had yet to pry it away from Francis&hellip;Right winger Andrei Kovalenko was benched for two games for poor defensive play&hellip;Rookie center Byron Ritchie, a Burnaby, B.C., native had 40 friends and relatives at the Oct. 15 game at Vancouver. But coach Paul Maurice didn't play Ritchie, opting to return to a lineup that produced wins in the club's first two games. &#9632;

f0016-01

Francis back to old self, scoring and wearing 'C'

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-03904/7619771-1-eng-US/f0016-032.jpg" title="f0016-03" width="349" height="473"><figcaption class="caption-body">Boris Mironov</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021210/7619778-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="162" height="157"></div>There was a pointed message behind the acquisition of defenseman Sylvain Cote by the Chicago Blackhawks.And it was aimed directly at holdout Boris Mironov.&ldquo;I've got to protect our club,&rdquo; said GM Bob Mur-ray after sending a second round draft pick in 2001 and future considerations to Toronto for the 33-year-old Cote Oct. 8.Murray thinks the Hawks could be without Mironov possibly all season.Murray told of a letter he sent to Mironov's agent Paul Theofanous, whom Murray claims is waiting for the Hawks to get off to a poor start.Chicago is offering Mironov $2.75 million a year. He earned $1.2 million last season and is looking for a deal worth $3.2 million annually.&ldquo;I wrote a letter telling (Theofanous) that at some point in time I would do something,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;Well, I did. That's my responsibility. The fact that he's sitting there waiting for us to go 010 doesn't make him dear to my heart.&rdquo;Theofanous was angry by the Hawks' addition of Cote.&ldquo;This is discouraging, to say the least,&rdquo; Theofanous said. &ldquo;I don't understand the trade when they have the defenseman they want right here and ready to go.&rdquo;Cote was immediately plugged into Mironov's spot on defense alongside Anders Eriksson.The Hawks acquired Cote after allowing 12 goals in two games to start the season.&ldquo;He's fit right in,&rdquo; said coach Lome M&ouml;lleken. &ldquo;He's a guy who gives an honest day's work.&rdquo;Cote hated to leave Toronto, but had a feeling he might be the odd man out when the Leafs signed Dimitri Yushkevich.&ldquo;When everything is going well, you don't see (a trade) as a good thing,&rdquo; Cote said. &ldquo;It was tough to leave, but I like what I see here.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The acquisition of Sylvain Cote left Chicago with nine defensemen on the roster, fueling speculation a trade was imminent, possibly with Montreal. &ldquo;You've got to be able to play under the pressure of competition,&rdquo; said GM Bob Murray of the logjam on defense. &ldquo;Some guys will come out of this group and some won't."&hellip;Center Alexei Zhamnov has been impressive with three goals and six points, while right winger Tony Amonte had one goal and seven points&hellip;Winger Eddie Olczyk played in his 1,000th career game Oct. 8 against Phoenix&hellip;Murray admitted he had talked to Boston about acquiring free agent winger Dmitri Khristich&hellip;Center Doug Gilmour had one assist and was a minus-five in the first four games. &#9632;

f0016-03

Addition of veteran Cote sends message to Mironov

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-04679/7619809-1-eng-US/f0016-042.jpg" title="f0016-04" width="161" height="160"></div>He's a sophomore in the NHL, but Chris Drury has looked anything but jinxed for the Colorado Avalanche.Drury, last year's Calder Trophy winner, looks even better with a year of experience to his credit. The former Boston University star had a goal and six assists through his first six games with Colorado and has dominated play on many of his shifts.&ldquo;He's got a lot of poise with the puck now,&rdquo; said Avalanche coach Bob Hartley. &ldquo;He's even more patient with it and he's making some great plays to set up other guys for some easy goals.&rdquo;Never was that better illustrated than the fine feed he gave teammate Adam Foote that resulted in the game-winning goal in the first-ever contest at the Avs' new arena, the Pepsi Center.Drury slipped a pass from behind the net and between the legs of Boston Bruins' defenseman Kyle McLaren to Foote, who beat Bruins' goalie John Grahame with 4:44 left in the third period to give the Avs a 2-1 victory. Drury also assisted on Colorado's other goal.&ldquo;He really knows how to play the game,&rdquo; said Avalanche captain Joe Sakic. &ldquo;He's a little more comfortable out there and he's playing with a lot of confidence.&rdquo;Drury, who can play all three forward spots, admitted as much.&ldquo;The difference between this year and last year at this time is like night and day,&rdquo; Drury said. &ldquo;Not that I'm taking anything for granted, but having a year under my belt makes things feel more comfortable out there.&rdquo;Drury was almost cut after the first day of training camp last season, but worked hard to earn the respect of Hartley and his teammates. He doesn't have to prove himself again this year.&ldquo;Chris plays hard every shift,&rdquo; Hartley said. &ldquo;He's going to set a good example for some of our youngsters for many years.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Colorado players couldn't stop raving about their new building, the Pepsi Center. It's quite a step up from McNichols Arena was the unanimous verdict after it opened Oct. 13 against Boston&hellip;Veteran wingers Shjon Podein and Dave Reid returned to the lineup Oct. 13 and, with center Stepbane Yelle, formed Colorado's new third line&hellip;The NHL's board of governors unanimously approved the sale of the franchise to Donald Sturm&hellip;Star center Peter Forsberg underwent minor groin surgery in September, but it won't delay his expected return to the lineup in December, from a more serious shoulder surgery. Forsberg has been skating with the team and lightly shooting pucks. &#9632;

f0016-04

Second-year Drury has Avs smiling

<div class="byline">By Mike Helka</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-021078/7619840-1-eng-US/f0017-022.jpg" title="f0017-02" width="351" height="471"><figcaption class="caption-body">Joe Nieuwendyk</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-011401/7619847-1-eng-US/f0017-012.jpg" title="f0017-01" width="160" height="159"></div>The Dallas Stars went on a signing spree in October and have ensured the core of their team could be together for the next three-to-four years-if that's what they desire.The Stars signed Joe Nieuwendyk to a three-year contract extension for $15 million, preventing him from entering unrestricted free agency. That signing came just two weeks after they announced a two-year $11.5-million extension for Ed Belfour and a four-year, $7.8-million deal for Richard Matvichuk. With Mike Modano having five years remaining on his contract (this season included), Derian Hatcher signed up for four more years and Darryl Sydor locked up for three more seasons, the Stars have the heart of their team in place.&ldquo;It just gives us some stability, one less thing to worry about,&rdquo; said GM Bob Gainey. &ldquo;Now, we have security in the locker room.&rdquo;The Stars, in the off-season, will take a run at locking up their three other core players for the long-term as Sergei Zubov, Jamie Langenbrunner and Jere Lehtinen are scheduled to be restricted free agents. If management can do that, the Stars are hoping they'll have a chance to put together a real run at a dynasty.&ldquo;Why wouldn't you want to be here?&rdquo; Nieuwendyk asked. &ldquo;They've shown the players they want to win and I think the players who are here realize that. I mean, this is a good environment to be in.&rdquo;The signing of Nieuwendyk guarantees the Stars will keep the balance between the first and second lines that was so important in the playoffs last season. It also guarantees Modano will keep a friend and a mentor.&ldquo;I think it's great,&rdquo; Modano said. &ldquo;A lot of people talk about that 1-2 punch thing and I think there's a lot to that. If Joe and I are both healthy, it makes it a lot more difficult for a team to try to check us. Having him here is just a fantastic thing.&rdquo;Modano said the fact players don't have to worry about individual numbers might actually make the team better. Coach Ken Hitchcock often asks players to sacrifice offensive numbers to play a more complete game. Now, players might be more ready to do that.&ldquo;I think a lot of times when you get caught up in the money, you get caught up in numbers. I've done that before,&rdquo; Modano said. &ldquo;Now I don't have to worry about that as much. I know if I play well and 1 know if I help the team win and I know I can help the team even if I'm not scoring.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Shawn Chan hers will be out for the next three months following surgery on his left knee and said he's concerned this could be the injury that affects his career. At 33, he has had &ldquo;seven or eight&rdquo; surgeries on the left knee, he said&hellip;Right winger Grant Marshall is snakebitten. After missing the Stanley Cup final with a left groin injury, he finally returned and blew out his right groin in his second game back. Marshall is expected to be out until early December&hellip;Center Brian Skrudland suffered a chest contusion Oct. 8 and is expected to be out until early November&hellip;The Stars made an interesting swap on their extensions for center Joe Nieuwendyk and goalie Ed Belfour. They granted no-trade clauses for this season, but not for any year of the extensions. &ldquo;It was part of the negotiating process and you don't want to give too many of those away,&rdquo; said GM Bob Gainey&hellip;Nieuwendyk negotiated his own contract. &ldquo;It wasn't that tough,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I knew where I fit in the market place. I knew how many years I wanted and where I fit into the team structure. To tell you the truth, it wasn't that hard to do.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0017-02

Stars reward veterans with Texas-sized contracts

<div class="byline">By Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-03768/7619878-1-eng-US/f0017-032.jpg" title="f0017-03" width="160" height="159"></div>With Darren McCarty, the weird injury has become almost commonplace.Skate lacerations, blocked arteries, and pressure cuts follow him like aliens track Fox Mulder on the 'X-Files.'So when McCarty and a nickel-sized, quarter-inch deep section of forehead were separated and reunited in a 4-2 win Oct. 13 over the St. Louis Blues, nobody was that surprised or upset.His parents shrugged. Wife Cheryl looked at the skate gouge an inch from her husband's eye and observed, &ldquo;I didn't know how close that was.&rdquo; And even his son Griffin was undisturbed.&ldquo;Daddy, you got a big ugly on your face,&rdquo; the youngster said.Teammates were making like Letterman and Leno. Dr. John Finley, the team doctor, has already been nicknamed 'Geppetto.' Trainer John Whar ton told McCarty he had a hole in his head he hadn't seen before. Rookie Yuri Butsayev, whose errant skate caused the injury, was told to replace his divot next time.&ldquo;We all count our blessings,&rdquo; McCarty said. &ldquo;Sometimes you don't realize how close things can be.&rdquo;The episode started when St. Louis defenseman Chris Pronger and Butsayev went down in a second period pileup. Butsayev's skate came up and caught McCarty between the eyes.&ldquo;I felt the skate and didn't know how bad it was,&rdquo; McCarty said. &ldquo;I hoped I wasn't bleeding, then I saw the blood. I came off and told Johnny (Wharton) to put something on it so 1 could finish the period.&rdquo;Wharton's response: &ldquo;Hmtnm. no.&rdquo;That's when McCarty knew something was wrong. A quick search of the ice discovered the skin flap with a bit of eye brow located at the face-off dot.Finley, the Red Wings' team physician for 43 years, used 40 stitches to reattach it. McCarty finished the game wearing a visor.The team should know soon if it takes. Otherwise. McCarty will need plastic surgery which could force him to wear a visor for an extended period.NOTEBOOK: If defenseman Jiri Fischer was nervous, nothing showed in his game and demeanor. The rookie defenseman went through his traditional pre-game ritual-an hour nap, a bowl of plain spaghetti and some late-aftemoon TV-and then played a strong 8:48 in his first NHL game against St. Louis Oct. 13&hellip;Center Steve Yzerman moved into a tie for eighth on the NHL s all-time points list (1,487) with former Red Wing defenseman Paul Coffey&hellip;GM Ken Holland is waiting to hear from agent Rick Curran on a formal contract extension offer made just before the start of the season to left winger Brendan Shanahan, who can be an unrestricted free agent July 1. &#9632;

f0017-03

McCarty saves face, plays game

<div class="byline">By Rob Tychkowskl</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0017-04563/7619909-1-eng-US/f0017-042.jpg" title="f0017-04" width="158" height="156"></div>Time heals all wounds. Except a broken offense.If Edmonton Oiler fans thought a long summer off would be the perfect cure for 'The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight,' they were sadly mistaken.The scoring drought that plagued the Oilers all last season seems to have carried over into the 1990-2000 campaign.One goal in the season opener against the New York Rangers. Two goals against the Montreal Canadiens. Two goals in an overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks. Two goals in a home ice loss to the St. Louis Blues.In all, they had seven goals in four games, or the same total Luc Robitaille had by himself with the Los Angeles Kings.And nobody really knew what to make of their fifth game. Sure, they managed their highest offensive output of the season in a 3-3 tie with the Carolina Hurricanes, but they did it on a night when they were outshot at home 36-15.Nobody wants to panic, but with their two leading scorers from last season on the shelf-Bill Guerin and his 30 goals are still in a contract battle with GM Glen Sather and 21-goal man Rem Murray has a badly separated shoulder-there is a definite air of concern.&ldquo;You just have to deal with what cards you have,&rdquo; said captain Doug Weight, refusing to use the players who aren't in the lineup as an excuse. &ldquo;We have a good team here. We just have to go out and play our system. We're supposed to be the aggressive team and we're getting 15 shots a night.&ldquo;We're not using our strengths enough. We're not skating like we used to. We were drawing five or six penalties a game last year. Now we're getting one or two power plays.&rdquo;And they're not scoring on those, either. Edmonton's power play has sunk to the bottom of the NHL barrel (one-for-24 through five games).NOTEBOOK: Right winger Bill Guerin and the team were still at a million-dollar impasse. Edmonton is offering a million-dollar raise to $2.5 million while Guerin wants $3.5 million. They've made zero progress since training camp, so Guerin's agent Bob Murray has requested a trade. GM Glen Sather has sent notice to the other 27 teams that Guerin is available&hellip;Left winger Rem Murray is expected to be out until midNovember after he popped out his shoulder on a seemingly innocent hit in San Jose Oct. 7&hellip;Defenseman Frank Musil. who slid head-first into the boards during practice Oct. 4, remains sidelined with numbness in his right arm and stiffness in his neck. &#9632;

f0017-04

Offense is offensive for Oilers

<div class="byline">By David Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-011443/7619940-1-eng-US/f0018-012.jpg" title="f0018-01" width="160" height="160"></div>Ivan Novoseltsev has followed Pavel Bure from Bure's Red Army days to the Vancouver Canucks to the Florida Panthers. In a more literal sense, he followed Bure as Viktor Kozlov's right winger and as a scorer of two goals in his first game as a Panther, a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.Bure's groin strain, suffered Oct. 12 against the Montreal Canadiens, led to Novoseltsev's recall from Louisville of the American League for the Oct. 13 game in Toronto.&ldquo;I thought maybe I would score one goal, but I got two,&rdquo; said Novoseltsev as he faced one of the scariest entities in hockey-a post-game Toronto media crush.With his delight in recklessly attacking defenders 1-on-l with breakneck speed and a goal-scorer's instincts, Novoseltsev is seen as a larger version of Bure, lacking mainly Bure's shooting precision. He led the Panthers in goals during the pre-season while figuring out NHL defensemen don't fall for the puck-between-the-legs-and-go-around trick.The Panthers felt Novoseltsev needed to work on his overall game and sent him to Louisville. His call-up was anticipated for December or January, but was rescheduled when Bure went down.About the only person not thrilled with Novoseltsev's game was Panthers' coach Terry Murray, who said, &ldquo;He still needs to learn about the overall concept of the game.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Florida had a turbulent third period in Montreal Oct. 12. While the Panthers protected a 2-1 lead, right winger Pavel Bure injured his groin. As time ran out, right winger and captain Scott Mellan-by slammed the back of his head into the end boards. Mellanby, who was knocked out. regained consciousness after 30 seconds and was taken off on a stretcher with his head braced. Upon hearing the Molson Centre crowd applaud him, the Montreal native quipped to teammate and right winger Paul Laus, &ldquo;I didn't think they'd ever applaud me in Montreal.&rdquo; He was released from the hospital two hours later after being treated for a concussion. A return date for Bure and Mellanby hadn't been announced. &#9632;

f0018-01

Novoseltsev has big debut filling in for boyhood idol

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-03770/7619971-1-eng-US/f0018-032.jpg" title="f0018-03" width="358" height="475"><figcaption class="caption-body">Donald Audette</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021087/7619978-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="159" height="162"></div>Five games into the sea-son, the good news for the Los Angeles Kings was their first line of Luc Robitaille, Jozef Stumpel and Ziggy Palffy was playing very well. Robitaille was tied for the NHL goal-scoring lead with seven and had 10 points, with Stumpel (one goal, seven points) and Palffy (two goals, five points) not far behind. (See pg. 9 for more on Robitaille.)The bad news was only one of the Kings' first 14 goals didn 't involve one of the big three. The lone exception was a goal by third line left winger Marko Tuomainen in a 2-2 tie at Washington Oct. 9.The second line of Glen Murray, Bryan Smolinski and Donald Audette had nothing to show for their work. Nor did the fourth line of rookie Jason Blake centering Brad Chartrand and Vladimir Tsyplakov. The fourth line is supposed to be a high-energy, &ldquo;stopper&rdquo; line in coach Andy Murray's system, as is the third line with Ian Laperriere centering Tuomainen and Craig Johnson.All three players on the second line have solid offensive credentials, making their drought puzzling. It's not alarming-it's too early-but it's a concern despite the Kings' solid 3-1-1 start.&ldquo;We're not scoring, that's basically the problem,&rdquo; said Audette, who began the season at left wing, but soon flip-flopped with Glen Murray and returned to the right side. 'T always have a slow start, but not this slow. As long as the coach doesn't lose confidence, I'm not worried.&rdquo; Smolinski was also anxious to contribute.&ldquo;You've got to find ways to score,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Once one goes in, it'll kick in.&rdquo;Like Audette, Smolinski said he's a slow starter. &ldquo;It comes in spurts,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You want to try to be consistent. As long as the team wins, everything will take care of itself.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: The Kings practiced in the Staples Center, their new $375-million home, for the first time Oct. 12. Right winger Donald Audette marveled at the size of the building, which is nearly one million square feet. &ldquo;You look up and you don't see the end of it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it's a nice atmosphere."&hellip;Left winger Steve McKenna, who underwent surgery to repair a tom retina a week into the season, resumed working out less than a week later and was nearly ready to return&hellip;Goalie Jamie Storr pulled a groin muscle Oct. 7 and was removed in favor of Stephane Fiset. He has a history of groin injuries, but this one proved minor and he was pronounced ready if needed to play in the last two games of the seven-game trip. &#9632;

f0018-03

Only top line lighting lamp, but no King-size panic yet

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-04499/7620009-1-eng-US/f0018-042.jpg" title="f0018-04" width="159" height="159"></div>Is there a doctor in the house?The Montreal Canadiens' dressing room looked like an infirmary through the first two weeks of the season, as the team struggled to scrape up the required 20 players for a game.The Canadiens were missing seven veterans, all out with serious injuries. They started the season without defensemen Vladimir Malakhov, who underwent knee surgery, and Patrice Brisebois, who's recovering from back surgery, along with left winger Benoit Brunet, nursing a sore back.Then center Shayne Corson was lost to a colitis flare-up and forward Scott Thornton aggravated a strained triceps muscle in a fight with Calgary Flame Wade Belak. Next, defender Craig Rivet suffered a fractured cheekbone in a fight with Calgary's Derek Morris and was expected to miss three weeks, while center Sergei Zholtok fractured his collarbone.Right winger Turner Stevenson had hoped to play against the Florida Panthers Oct. 12, but left during warmup complaining of back pain. Six of the Canadiens' 18 skaters against the Panthers had less than a year's NHL experience. The team in the clinic might have been able to beat the team on the ice, which was edged 2-1.Montreal struggled to find then-offense while losing four of their first six games. They were held to one goal in all four losses and had only 13 through six games. Only left winger Brian Savage wasn't in a funk, with six goals and nine points. Savage netted hat tricks against Calgary Oct. 8 and against Philadelphia Oct. 14.&ldquo;Things happen,&rdquo; Stevenson said. &ldquo;We have to realize the game is still played on the ice and we have to do more until the injured guys get back.&rdquo;Others managed to play despite nagging injuries-Savage (charley horse), Dainius Zubrus (hip pointer), Craig Darby (swollen foot) and Trent McCleary (sprained right ankle). &ldquo;Nobody else is going to take self-pity on us,&rdquo; said coach Alain Vigneault.NOTEBOOK: Center Shayne Corson is the subject of numerous trade rumors. Chicago is believed to covet the power forward and would be willing to send one or two of their surplus defensemen-possibly Jamie Allison and Bryan Muir-to the Canadiens. Corson earns $2.2 million this season&hellip;Montreal GM Rejean Houle expressed an interest in defenseman Sylvain Cote, traded by Toronto to Chicago after Dimitri Yushkevich signed a multiyear contract with the Maple Leafs. But Cote, a Quebec City native, wanted no part of the Canadiens. &ldquo;His agent specifically told us Montreal was one place he didn't want to go,&rdquo; said Bill Watters, the assistant to the president in Toronto. &#9632;

f0018-04

Hurting Habs try to cope with injuries

<div class="byline">By Jaff Legwald</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-06255/7620040-1-eng-US/f0018-062.jpg" title="f0018-06" width="355" height="475"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mike Dunham</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-05330/7620047-1-eng-US/f0018-052.jpg" title="f0018-05" width="162" height="161"></div>Nashville Predators' coach Barry Trotz knows the decision will likely have to be made at some point.Either Tomas Vokoun or Mike Dunham will be named the team's No. 1 goaltender. But while he will give the final nod, Trotz said it's really not a choice he will make.&ldquo;The play of the two. goalies will determine what we do,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;I won't have to choose, at some point one will outplay the other one and then one goalie will get a little more ice time.&rdquo;Vokoun was the team's No. 1 in training camp as Dunham engaged in a contract battle with the team. Vokoun spent much of the off-season wotking with the team's strength and conditioning coach Mark Nemish, dropped some weight and showed improvement over the form that made him the most pleasant surprise of the Predators' inaugural season.He played often in 1998-99-finishing with 12 wins in 37 appearances-especially when Dunham was out with recurring groin injuries. Dunham, who also spent much of the offseason in Nashville, agreed to a two-year deal just before the regular season began and after a brief conditioning stint in Milwaukee (International League), has joined the fray.But instead of simply naming Dunham the No. 1 because he is the incumbent or Vokoun because of his work in the pre-season, Trotz has elected to let them play it out. He alternated the two during the early going.&ldquo;Right now we'll keep them both playing,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;Tomas will play and stay sharp, while Mike's getting back into it. We'll just go with the hot goalie or a gut feeling or how they match up.&rdquo;Vokoun allowed 13 goals in four starts, while Dunham surrendered two in his lone appearance, a 4-2 win in Toronto Oct. 11.NOTEBOOK: Center Sebastien Bordeleau started practising with the team fulltime and said he hoped to play by early November. Bordeleau. an unsigned restricted free agent, had been out of action since fracturing a vertebra in his neck last April. He has participated in full practices, but had not yet been cleared for contact&hellip;Rookie center David Legwand scored his first NHL goal in Toronto Oct. 11 and the team believes it was a direct result of his off-season work to add roughly 10 pounds to his 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame. Legwand and right winger Sergei Krivokrasov each had a goal and three points to lead Preds' scorers through the first five games&hellip;Nashville had not shaken last season's power play troubles and were just 2-for-21 to start the season. &#9632;

f0018-06

Trotz says no No. 1 netminder until Dunham, Vokoun decide

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-07215/7620078-1-eng-US/f0018-072.jpg" title="f0018-07" width="160" height="156"></div>When the bell rang this season, Polish heavyweight Krzysztof Oliwa was packing more than just a punch.Oliwa, who had five goals last season and did not get his second until Dec. 5, showed a new scoring touch when he collected goals in two of the New Jersey Devils' first four games. And, with some luck, he could have had a couple more.Beginning his third full NHL season, Oliwa hasn't forgotten his primary role. He remains one of the game's top enforcers.&ldquo;I love doing what I'm doing right now for this team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I stand up for the team or other guys, I love doing it.&rdquo;One person who has always been there in Oliwa's face is coach Robbie Ftorek. Their relationship, often stormy, goes back six years to Albany of the American League.&ldquo;I can't say my way (to the NHL) was laid out with blueberries.&rdquo; Oliwa said. &ldquo;But I realize if I'm going to play in the NHL, I'm going to have to listen to my coach no matter what it is.&rdquo;Ftorek has vowed to make Oliwa into a productive player.&ldquo;He's always been able to skate and shoot. Now he has to learn how to shoot and skate with a purpose,&rdquo; Ftorek said. &ldquo;He had to learn how to fight and how to play positional defense. When he first came up, all he got was elbowing and high-sticking penalties. The results are coming.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goalie Martin Brodeur was given the first match penalty of his career for slashing Pittsburgh left winger Matthew Barnaby Oct. 7. Brodeur escaped suspension, however&hellip;In addition to his playmaking skills, rookie left winger Scott Gomez surprised teammates with his physical play&hellip; Devils public relations director Kevin Dessart was to compete in the Ironman Triathlon (2.4-mile swim. 112mile bike ride and 26.2-mile marathon) in Hawaii Oct 23&hellip;Although Devils' players were baffled by coach Robbie Ftorek's comment that &ldquo;somebody's going to get hurt&rdquo; with the new 4-on-4 overtime format Ottawa center Shaun Van Allen said: &ldquo;Maybe he means he's going to have a heart attack watching it&rdquo; &#9632;

f0018-07

Polish pugilist produces unexpected offensive flair

<div class="byline">By Anthony McCarron</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011227/7620109-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="161" height="163"></div>Eric Brewer came into New York Islanders' training camp as a player veterans and officials thought could someday be team captain. Now we'll see if the second-year defenseman can handle adversity.After several meetings with the coaching staff, Brewer, 20, was demoted to Lowell of the American League Oct. 12 on the heels of his lifeless play in the Islanders' first three games of the season.&ldquo;He has been struggling,&rdquo; said coach Butch Goring. &ldquo;We thought it would be in the best interests of everyone involved if he spent some time in the American League.&rdquo;Brewer was the No. 5 pick overall in 1997 and makes $925,000 per year. Isles' GM Mike Milbury talked glowingly about Brewer on the eve of camp, lauding him for his off-season training regimen in which he lifted weights and packed muscle on his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame.And coaches praised him repeatedly in the second half of last season as a bright spot in a dismal season and pointed to him as a budding star after his rookie season, in which he had five goals and 11 points in 63 games.But Brewer was ineffective in camp, then took bad penalties and played poorly once the season began. It didn't stop even after Goring brought it to his attention. He was practically invisible on the ice, except when making blunders.&ldquo;We want to see the Eric Brewer from the last 20 games of last season,&rdquo; Goring said. &ldquo;I don't know if he was surprised (by the demotion), but he was certainly disappointed.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Center Tim Connolly, the fifth-overall pick in last June's draft, scored his first NHL goal in a 4-2 win over Colorado Oct. 10&hellip;The Isles honored Jeff Libby, who had to have his right eye removed after it was cut by a skate blade in a minor league game last season. Libby played one shift for the Isles in 1998. He was presented with a No. 37 jersey with his name on it before a 4-2 loss to the Rangers Oct. 11&hellip;Only 3,062 paid to see the Isles' lackluster 2-0 loss to visiting Atlanta Oct. 14. &#9632;

f0020-01

Error-orone Brewer sent to minors after unimpressive start to season

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrloch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03604/7620171-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="161" height="161"></div>The Ottawa Senators future is in the hands of government and the forecast is clouded at best.Senators' owner Rod Bryden indicated Oct. 13 he could speed up his process to sell the team if he doesn't get backing from all three levels of government-local, provincial and federal.Bryden's attempts to get tax relief took a blow when Ontario Premier Mike Harris told reporters he would not back a plan for a national hockey lottery or a break on the 10 per cent provincial amusement tax.Reports in Ottawa indicated Bryden could announce to the board of governors at the meeting in Boca Raton, Florida Dec. 7-8 he intends to sell the team and move it to the United States because he hasn't received tax relief.But Bryden said if he gets a sense the government is willing to do something, he won't listen to offers to sell the team. It's believed business interests in Houston and Portland are ready to hold talks with the Senators.Bryden had told reporters in the past he would wait until December to make a final decision, but plans to spend the next week trying to find out if the government will come with a plan to back the six Canadian teams.&ldquo;If there's an indication that I can work with this process I intend to stay here if I possibly can,&rdquo; Bryden said. &ldquo;But it could become clear as I check on the facts next week where we won't have to wait until December.&rdquo;Sources say Prime Minister Jean Chretien backs a plan to help Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, but has to get co-operation from the provincial governments if anything is going to happen.The news caught the Senators by surprise. Making visits to face the Phoenix Coyotes (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) and the Colorado Avalanche (formerly the Quebec Nordiques), the players indicated they don't want the team to move.&ldquo;I've only heard the man (Bryden) speak twice, but if he can't convince them I don't know who (can),&rdquo; said winger Kevin Dineen. &ldquo;You listen to him and he speaks so strongly.&ldquo;You just hope that he's able to convince these people that hockey is as important to our culture as the National Arts Centre and the other theatre groups that the government helps to support.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Talk in Ottawa had Alexei Yashin giving up on his battle with the Senators for a new contract and rejoining the team in Phoenix Oct. 16. However, Yashin, looking for an extension on the $3.6 million he was supposed to make this season, remained in Switzerland. &ldquo;There's nothing new,&rdquo; said Yashin's agent Mark Gandler. &ldquo;Beyond that I'm not going to make any comment on this nonsense."&hellip;Center Radek Bonk started the season as the club's leading scorer with seven points in seven games. He's showing the form that prompted the Senators to take him in the first round (third overalljof the 1994 draft&hellip;The Senators' 4-1-1 start was the best in franchise history. &#9632;

f0020-03

Bryden puts Sens' future in Ottawa in hands of Canadian politicians

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-011073/7620202-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="159" height="157"></div>Brian Boucher lost like a rookie, but stood up and took the blame like a veteran.The Philadelphia Flyers' 22-year-old goalie made his first NHL start Oct. 14 against the Montreal Canadiens and was on the top end of a 4-2 score near the end of the second period.Then things started to fall apart. Boucher let in a long goal by Brian Savage to let the Canadiens tie the score in regulation, then gave up another to Savage in overtime.Although the Flyers came away with a point, Boucher said it felt like a defeat.&ldquo;I thought I let the team down in the third and overtime,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;That (the tying goal) is a goal I probably should have had and it cost us the game. I wish I could have it back.&rdquo;The overtime setback left the Flyers winless (0-4-1-1) in their first five games, the worst start in their 33-year history.Boucher, a first round draft pick in 1995, faced only 22 shots, which probably worked against him.&ldquo;I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;I went a while without seeing any shots and then there was a lot of action.&rdquo;The last goal was particularly galling because Boucher thought he had the angle covered. The puck hit the post, then the back of Boucher's leg before trickling across the line.&ldquo;I heard it hit the pipe,&rdquo; Boucher said. &ldquo;You try to get your feet out of the way. It hit the back of me and went in.&rdquo;Coach Roger Neilson said the Flyers didn't offer Boucher much protection.&ldquo;They had quality chances,&rdquo; Neilson said. &ldquo;He made some good saves, but we gave up some chances.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Left winger Rod Brind'Amour's foot fracture turned out to be much worse than originally diagnosed. The 29-year-old center, who had his NHL-leading 484-game ironman streak snapped Oct. 2, underwent surgery Oct. 12 to have two metal pins inserted in the foot after X-rays revealed a second fracture. Brind'Amour was expected to be sidelined until at least late November&hellip;Rookie center Simon Gagne scored his first two NHL goals in a 5-4 loss to Washington Oct. 12&hellip;Left winger Keith Jones, who underwent knee surgery in Michigan, is about to start his rehab and could be back on skates by late October. But the Flyers aren't expecting him back in practices until at least mid-November. &#9632;

f0024-01

Rookie endures tough debut as Boucher falters under fire

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02746/7620233-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="160" height="160"></div>What was Jeremy Roenick thinking?On the same day he was quoted as saying violence and payback hits in the NHL are getting out of control, Roenick sliced open the chin of childhood friend Tony Amonte of the Chicago Blackhawks with a twohanded slash to the face.Making a shocking incident even more surprising, the Blackhawks privately suggested the stick swing by Roenick may have been premeditated. Reports said Roenick was involved in a confrontation with a member of his family outside the Phoenix Coyotes' dressing room during the second intermission of the Oct. 8 game at the United Center and Amonte's name apparently came up in the argument.Just a few minutes later, Roenick was on the ice and swinging his stick at Amonte, who needed 13 stitches to close the cut. Roenick was ejected with a match penalty.&ldquo;Sometimes you have outside distractions that shouldn't be there,&rdquo; Roenick said later. &ldquo;Sometimes you let them get to you. But that had nothing to do with what happened on the ice.&rdquo;The NHL, however, thought otherwise. The off-ice incident was discussed thoroughly during Roenick's hearing with Colin Campbell, the NHL's chief disciplinarian. Roenick was given a five-game suspension, the first of his career.&ldquo;I've got to be responsible for my actions,&rdquo; Roenick said. &ldquo;Am 1 disappointed? Yes.&ldquo;I've had things happen to me without retaliation on my part. I've been slashed and had fingers broken and penalties weren't even called. But you have to understand the price and accept the process.&rdquo;As to reports that Roenick has had a falling out with Amonte and that Amonte's name was raised in the office confrontation, Roenick said, &ldquo;Just because we haven't talked in a while doesn't mean (anything). Tony and my relationship has been strong for many years.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Phoenix re-worked the final year of defenseman Keith Carney's contract and also signed him to a four-year extension, a deal worth $11.5 million. &ldquo;It was an excellent opportunity to secure one of our core players for a long time,&rdquo; said GM Bobby Smith&hellip; 1996 first round pick Dan Focht was re-assigned from Jokerit of the Finnish Elite League to Springfield of the American League. The team wanted Focht to work on his skill by playing in Finland for the year, but he wasn't getting enough ice time&hellip;Despite not having two of their best defensive forwards from last season, Bob Corkum and Mike Stapleton, the Coyotes' penalty-killing unit was tops in the NHL, killing 26 of 27 penalties in their first six games. &#9632;

f0024-02

J.R. shoots self in foot with slash

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03506/7620264-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="159" height="160"></div>It'll take a while before teams start to recognize Pittsburgh Penguins' rookie defenseman Andrew Ference. But not very long. The New York Rangers, for example, already have his number on file.Ference, 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, stirred up some trouble in the Big Apple Oct. 14. In the first period he took exception to Kevin Stevens' dig at goaltender Peter Skudra and slashed Stevens on the hand. A mini-skirmish ensued.With about a minute to go in the Penguins' 5-2 victory, Ference drilled Petr Nedved in front of the Penguins' bench as Nedved, head down, was digging for the puck. Nedved, Kevin Hatcher and John MacLean went after Ference, who didn't back down. He was penalized for obstruction interference, though the Penguins felt the hit was clean.&ldquo;I'm sure they didn't like the timing,&rdquo; said Ference, 20. &ldquo;But that's not something I'm thinking about. I'm not going to say, 'Ooooh, it's Nedved, I better take it easy.' &ldquo;The Penguins' coaching staff has been admiring Ference's style of play for the past three years, ever since the team drafted him 208th overall in the 1997 draft. He was among the final cuts in training camp last season. This year he stuck He has been paired with 6-foot-6,240-pound Peter Popovic.&ldquo;It has to look funny out there,&rdquo; Popovic said. &ldquo;Me, I'm like a big giant, and Andrew's just a short guy. I heard they're calling him 'mini-me.' I don't know if it's true.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Goaltender Tom Barrasso is out indefinitely with a sprained right knee. The Penguins recalled Jean-Sebastien Aubin from their Wilkes-Barre (American League) farm club to back up Peter Skudra. Barrasso missed 31 games last season because of injuries and 14 games the season before. His four seasons before that were either wiped out or seriously hampered by injuries&hellip;NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it a point to be on hand for Mario Lemieux's first home game as Penguins' owner Oct. 8&hellip;Defenseman Jiri Slegr and center Jan Hrdina were out indefinitely with sprained ankles&hellip;Defenseman Darius Kasparaitis was set to rejoin the team after a contract impasse and rehab from reconstructive knee surgery. &#9632;

f0024-03

Ference is short on height but tall on grit, toughness

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-05223/7620295-1-eng-US/f0024-052.jpg" title="f0024-05" width="346" height="478"><figcaption class="caption-body">Al Maclnnis</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04332/7620302-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="161" height="159"></div>St. Louis Blues' defense-man Al Maclnnis, whose 100 mile per hour slapshots have caused many broken bones and deep muscle bruises, now knows how it feels to be on the wrong end of one.Maclnnis, 36, suffered a broken fibula just above the left ankle blocking a shot by Edmonton defenseman Jason Smith during the Blues' 4-1 vic-tory over the Oilers Oct. 11. He'll be out until at least mid-November.&ldquo;You work hard all summer to get in shape for the season and now this,&rdquo; Maclnnis said. &ldquo;It's the worst thing that could happen, but I guess it's better that it happened four games into the season than with four games left.&rdquo;Losing Maclnnis at any time of the season is devastating for the Blues. A 10-time All-Star Game participant, Maclnnis logs almost 30 minutes of ice time per game, and his booming slapshot is perhaps the Blues' most feared offensive weapon.Maclnnis didn't miss a game last season. He led NHL defensemen in scoring with 20 goals and 62 points and won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman.&ldquo;I took a lot of pride in playing every game last year,&rdquo; Maclnnis said. &ldquo;I hate missing games. It'll be a long four weeks for me.&rdquo;Compounding Maclnnis' bad break is a knee injury that will sideline defenseman Rico Persson until at least late October. Persson suffered a tom MCL in his left knee on a hit from Georges Laraque in the same game in which Maclnnis was hurt.The injuries left the Blues with six healthy defensemen, prompting a recall of Bryan Helmer from Worcester of the American League.&ldquo;We have guys who will have to step up,&rdquo; said defenseman Chris Pronger. &ldquo;We weren't a one-man team with Al and we aren't a one-man team without him.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: After St. Louis lost the first two games of the season, goalie Jamie McLennan replaced Roman Turek in goal and won back-to-back games, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .929 save percentage, to dig the Blues out of an 0-2-0-0 hole. His reward: a seat on the bench against Detroit Oct. 13, watching the Blues and Turek lose 4-2. In three games, Turek was 0-3-0-0, with a 3.05 GAA and .880 save percentage&hellip;It hasn't helped Turek that the Blues scored only five goals in his three starts, three fewer than they scored for McLennan in two&hellip;Left winger Tyson Nash has driven opponents to distractioff by playing hard and playing clean. If an opposing player doesn't kill him first, he might lead the league in penalties drawn. &#9632;

f0024-05

Tables turned on Maclnnis as hard shot breaks fibula

<div class="byline">By Tom Jones</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-03415/7620364-1-eng-US/f0025-032.jpg" title="f0025-03" width="347" height="477"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vincent Lecavalier</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-02634/7620371-1-eng-US/f0025-022.jpg" title="f0025-02" width="161" height="154"></div>The Tampa Bay Lightning has enough problems playing games. Now it has to learn how to practise.New coach Steve Ludzik not only brings a new style of play to the Lightning, but a new way of practising.&ldquo;It takes some getting used to,&rdquo; said Ludzik, who came to the Lightning this season after four years with the International League's Detroit Vipers. &ldquo;I know when I was in Detroit and we would get a new guy, he couldn't keep up at first. The other guys had to go over and say, 'Don't worry. You'll get used to it. Give it two weeks.' Well here, I don't have one or two new guys. I have a whole team of new guys.&rdquo;The Lightning isn't used to Ludzik's short but highly intense practices. There are no breaks, no standing around, no gaps filled with mindless shooting into empty nets.Most of the team hasn't had a problem. For the first half-hour of practices, that is. After that, the whole team has had a problem. In fact, Ludzik has a theory that his team keeps hitting a physical and mental wall about 35 minutes into every practice.Ludzik has other practice theories, such as simulating game conditions as much as possible. Every day, he'll skate his team hard for 10 minutes-something that most coaches reserve for the end of practice. But Ludzik does it in the middle of practice. Then comes something gruelling like defensive-zone coverage drills or three-on-three contact drills.&ldquo;In a game, they are going to be dead tired when they're battling in their own end, so we try to do that in practice,&rdquo; Ludzik said. &ldquo;That's how you find out about your team. Toughness is making a smart play or sacrificing your body when your tongue is dragging on the ice and you're gasping for air.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: When center Stan Drulia scored against Los Angeles Oct. 7, it was his first NHL goal since Nov. 23,1992. It was only Drulia's second NHL game since being sent to the minors after 24 appearances in the Lightning's 1992-93 season&hellip;Center Vincent Lecavalier had no points in the Lightning's first three games and failed to record a shot in two of those contests&hellip;Left winger Andreas Johansson is wearing a new helmet with extra padding after suffering a concussion Oct. 7&hellip;Center Slava Butsayev isn't making friends with his new team. In his first two weeks, Butsayev nearly had three fights-in practice. Both center Darcy Tucker and defenseman Pavel Kubina wanted to fight him, before being stopped by teammates. &#9632;

f0025-03

Hard practice makes perfect for Lightning coach Ludzik

<div class="byline">By Ken Campbell</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0025-04258/7620402-1-eng-US/f0025-042.jpg" title="f0025-04" width="161" height="158"></div>Shortly after Mats Sundin showed up to camp in the best shape of his career, he declared his intention to finish among the top five scorers in the NHL this season.And the Toronto Maple Leafs' captain was executing the plan to perfection, playing brilliantly in amassing three goals and seven points in the Leafs' first four games. But the prospects of Sundin leading his own team in scoring took a dip when he took a slapshot off his right ankle in a 4-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators Oct. 9.Two nights later, Sundin was told by team doctors that X-rays indicated he had suffered a non-displaced ankle fracture that will keep him out of the lineup until at least mid-November.Sundin was shocked to hear the news.&ldquo;It's tough to believe because I haven't been in any pain,&rdquo; Sundin said. &ldquo;Usually something like that stings and it ends there. When I got back that night, I couldn't sleep.It will be different for both the Leafs and Sundin. Since being acquired in 1994, Sundin had missed just seven games and was second on the NHL's active ironman list (behind Teppo Numminen of the Phoenix Coyotes) with 258 consecutive games.The loss of Sundin provided an opportunity for Nikolai Antropov, the team's first round pick in 1998. The Maple Leafs recalled Antropov from the St. John's Maple Leafs of the American League and the rookie earned an assist in his NHL debut, a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers Oct. 13.The injury also turned the focus to trade talks involving the Leafs. They were said to be interested in Dmitri Khristich of the Boston Bruins. The Leafs are already almost $1.4 million over their $34 million budget for player salaries, but there's the feeling that the budget will be conveniently set aside if the Leafs can improve their team.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Sylvain Cote was emotionally distraught after his trade to Chicago Oct 8 and accused Toronto coach-GM Pat Quinn of lying. Quinn said he had approached Cote's agent about extending his contract and was rebuffed. &ldquo;I can say that's a pure lie,&rdquo; Cote said. &ldquo;There was no negotiating at all."&hellip;After setting career highs with 20 goals, center Steve Sullivan found himself on the fourth line for the first three games and a healthy scratch for two of the next three&hellip;Hard luck center Alyn McCauley made his season debut against Ottawa Oct. 9, seven months after suffering a careerthreatening concussion. He suffered a bruised shoulder in that game and missed one more before returning to the lineup. &#9632;

f0025-04

Ankle injury halts Sundin's grand plans

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011072/7620433-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="162" height="160"></div>Vancouver Canuck forward Todd Bertuzzi has always longed to be at the center of the action and, thanks to coach Marc Crawford, he finally has his wish.A career winger, Bertuzzi was moved to center by Crawford during the pre-season and has rarely looked better. Playing behind Mark Messier and Andrew Cassels, Bertuzzi is anchoring an effective third line between Donald Brashear and either Brad May or Dave Scatchard.&ldquo;Todd is gaining a little more understanding of what he has to do to help at center,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;He does a lot of things with the puck, he's good down low and with a body Eke his, he has the strength to protect the puck.&ldquo;It's good to have his 6-foot-3 frame against the other big centers.&rdquo;Bertuzzi, who scored a spectacular goal against the Montreal Canadiens Oct. 9, is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he broke his left leg and then tore the ACL in his left knee.He appears to have made a full recovery and has been skating well early in the season. He has also willingly accepted the conversion from left wing.&ldquo;I like to handle the puck and in order for the puck to get up the ice, it has to go through the middle,&rdquo; said Bertuzzi, a 230-pound native of Sudbury, Ont. &ldquo;When I'm handling the puck, I'm into the game a bit more. So far it has been pretty good. It's a little bit different playing center, but it's a position I like.&rdquo;Crawford has also deployed Bertuzzi as an occasional left winger on a line with Andrew Cassels and Alexander Mogilny and during manadvantage situations. Like most players, the 24-year-old Bertuzzi is happy for the ice time no matter what position he is playing.&ldquo;We have four lines that are playing right now and, hopefully, that's the way it will continue to go,&rdquo; said Bertuzzi, who had one goals and two points in four games. &ldquo;I don't see myself on a checking line. I like scoring and 1 think I can help that way.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Vancouver failed to equal the best start in franchise history when they lost 4-3 in overtime to Calgary Oct. 13. The 1992-93 team, which was coached by Pat Quinn, won its first four en route to a 101-point season, the only time Vancouver has managed to hit the 100-point plateau&hellip;Veteran right winger Trent Klatt, who could not crack the Canucks' forward corps, was sent to Vancouver's American League affiliate in Syracuse&hellip;The Canucks' payroll dropped by $500,000 when goalie Manny Legace was reclaimed on waivers by Detroit Oct. 13. Vancouver had claimed Legace two weeks earlier from the Wings when No. 1 netminder Garth Snow suffered a groin strain&hellip;Rookie left winger Steve Kariya scored his first NHL goal in his third NHL game, a 4-1 win over Montreal Oct. 9. &#9632;

f0026-01

Bertuzzi looks good in new role after switch from wing to center

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02734/7620464-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="162" height="160"></div>Last season was a complete disappointment and shock for the Washington Capitals, missing the playoffs one year after being in the Stanley Cup final. So when no end-of-season team party was planned, center Andrei Nikolishin threw one in his home. It was the best get-together of the year, all agreed.Coach Ron Wilson, for one, was not surprised. It is exactly the type of thing he has come to expect from the 26-year-old checking specialist.&ldquo;He's very underrated as a leader,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;You put a letter on him and he loves that. He has a lot of experience in that role and he really cares about the team. That's the kind of guy he is-he leads by example.&rdquo;That started when he was 19 and was elected captain of his Moscow Dynamo team. He has been wearing an 'A' as alternate captain off and on for the Caps since Wilson arrived two seasons ago.&ldquo;I was the youngest captain in Russian hockey history,&rdquo; Nikolishin said. &ldquo;When my teammates made the decision I was surprised because there were a lot of guys older than me.&rdquo;One who wasn't is current and former teammate Sergei Gonchar. &ldquo;He's not like Eric Lindros, he's not going to do fancy stuff,&rdquo; Gonchar said. &ldquo;But he's always &ldquo;there for you and you can always count on (him). He's always on the ice in critical, last-minute situations and he always works hard. He has a lot of respect from his teammates.&rdquo;In Russia, Nikolishin would prod older veterans into giving a little more of an effort and he does the same now when he sees a player who needs a confidence-building talk. His efforts weren't always accepted in the manner they were intended.&ldquo;When you are 19 and captain of a team, it's pretty tough,&rdquo; Nikolishin said. &ldquo;But everybody respected me, I think, and they listened to what I said. I think it was a great experience. It helps you grow up quicker and you get smarter and make better decisions. I love to wear the 'A' and in the NHL it's unusual for a European to do that. I try to be a leader on the ice and help people.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Several team members spent a few days shooting commercials promoting the team's new drive to sell tickets. The directors of the TV shoots described their new subjects as very willing &ldquo;hams&rdquo; who have no trouble adapting to the camera. The campaign is the most extensive ad campaign in the club's 26-year history&hellip;Right winger Peter Bondra scored twice within a minute late in the third period against Philadelphia Oct. 12, turning a potential 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 win&hellip;Defenseman Joe Reekie missed two games with a lacerated finger; rookie Alexei Tezikov took his place and scored the game-winner Oct. 8 against Buffalo, his first NHL team&hellip;Chicago tried to have Washington and suspended GM George McPhee censured at the Oct. 13 board of governors meeting in Denver. The motion, made by former NHL president John Ziegler on behalf of Chicago, died when it failed to receive a second from any of the 27 other clubs present. McPhee's suspension ends Nov. 1. &#9632;

f0026-02

Nikolishin takes on leader's role; gets 'A' for his efforts with Caps

<div class="byline">By Kevin OklobzIJa</div>Thanks to Byron Dafoe, Maxime Gingras is getting a chance to prove he's more than just a great East Coast League goaltender.Dafoe's contract dispute with the Boston Bruins meant John Grahame stayed in the NHL, which meant the American League's Providence Bruins needed someone to back up Kay Whitmore. Two weeks into the season, Gingras is looking like the starter. The 21-year-old bolted out of the gates with a 2-0-1 record, 0.91 goals-against average and .972 save percentage.&ldquo;I knew I could play here, I just needed the chance,&rdquo; Gingras said.Providence coach Peter Laviolette provided that opportunity. A former ECHL coach, Laviolette was impressed by Gingras' record-setting season a year ago. The former Laval Titan (Quebec League) goalie had an ECHL-record 2.26 GAA and .924 save percentage for the Richmond Renegades and was top rookie.&ldquo;It's tough to get those numbers on " a fluke, you have to be good,&rdquo; Laviolette said. '1 don't care what league you're in, you have to earn it. Maybe the shooters in the Coast aren't as good, but maybe the defense isn't as good, either.&rdquo;Most scouts don't doubt Gingras' ability. But his size has scared everyone away. He's listed at 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, but admits to being only 5-foot-6,150 pounds. He was passed over in the major junior draft, then the NHL draft. Even after his great 1998-99 season, there were no NHL or AHL contract offers.&ldquo;I've heard how they say I have talent, but I can't play consistent and can't play a lot of games because I'm too small,&rdquo; Gingras said. &ldquo;Well, I played 71 games in junior my first year (1996-97) and 68 the next.&rdquo;The length of Gingras' stint in Providence depends on Dafoe. Gingras has a 25-game tryout contract and could return to the ECHL if the Dafoe situation is resolved in Boston.&ldquo;For me to tell you what will happen in Boston with Grahame and Dafoe would be a waste of breath,&rdquo; Laviolette said. &ldquo;Maxime just has to continue to produce. I'll say this, he's one of the quickest goaltenders I've ever seen.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-011023/7620495-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="467" height="468"></div>DAIGLE AT CROSSROADS: When the New York Rangers assigned center Alexandre Daigle to the Hartford Wolf Pack, he was aware if he doesn't light it up, his career may be over.He started well in Hartford, though, scoring one goal and five points in his first three games.&ldquo;This is my last chance, with the perception around,&rdquo; Daigle said. &ldquo;The Rangers made a big move and if they give me a chance and il doesn't work out, how many other teams are (going to give me a chance)?&rdquo;Daigle, 24, was acquired by the Rangers from the Tampa Bay Lightning just before the season began, then was immediately sent to Hartford. The first overall pick in the 1993 draft by the Ottawa Senators, Daigle has gone from sure-fire superstar to unwanted flop.In 401 games over six seasons with three teams, Daigle has 92 goals and 215 points. He has been traded three times in 21 months.FOGARTY RELEASED: The umpteenth comeback in the troubled career of defenseman Bryan Fogarty lasted one week of the regular season before the St. John's Maple Leafs terminated his tryout contract. Fogarty, 30, had no points and was a minus-3 in three AHL games. His release was strictly due to his on-ice performance.He was signed to the tryout in mid-September, but no guarantees were made to the player who broke Bobby Orr's Ontario League scoring records for defensemen in 1988-89 with Niagara Falls.Having battled alcohol abuse for years, the Leafs were the 14th team Fogarty had played for in his 10-year pro career.AHL TIDBITS: Syracuse Crunch rookie goalie Alfie Michaud had a 2.35 GAA and .921 save percentage in his first three pro starts&hellip;Providence center Tim Lovell, who grew up in nearby Norwood, Mass., led the AHL with nine points in six. games. He's on a tryout contract&hellip;Louisville Panthers' winger Chad Cabana was suspended three games for swinging his stick at Eric Landry of the Kentucky Thoroughblades Oct. 8.<h2>THE GRADS</h2>The vast majority of the 644 players who were on opening day NHL rosters apprenticed in the minor leagues. Two-thirds played at least one game in the AHL. Here's the breakdown:AHL: 427IHL: 215ECHL: 25 &#9632;

f0027-01

Gingras, Grahame grateful for Dafoe's contract hassle

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>It's a brave new world for Detroit Vipers' center Peter Ciavaglia.The 30-year-old playmaker recognizes other International League teams more than his own and he's now the oldest member of the Eastern Conference's perennial powerhouse. It's all due to the Vipers' new affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning.&ldquo;It used to be that 15 guys already knew each other here,&rdquo; said Ciavaglia about the highly experienced core of recent Viper teams, including last season's edition that finished first in the East Division with 111 points. &ldquo;Now, it's about three out of 20. But new friends are always exciting and it will be fun to see the development.&rdquo;Teammate Andy Bezeau, 29, one of only three other holdovers from last year's Vipers, is the team's next-oldest player. '&ldquo;It was nice to see a few 34- or 35-year-olds, but now I'm on the other side of that,&rdquo; Ciavaglia said. &ldquo;But to be honest, I'm not feeling old at all.&rdquo;That's because the Albany, N.Y., native believes he has gotten to the root of his groin muscle and hip troubles of the last two seasons. The injuries limited him to 59 games last year.Instead of proceeding with surgery, he opted to work with strength and skating trainers.&ldquo;The mechanics of my skating were the problem,&rdquo; Ciavaglia said. &ldquo;There were things I was doing wrong and since I've been working on those, my body's feeling better. I'm changing the way I'm skating, which is tough to get used to after doing it a certain way for so long.&rdquo;His recuperation didn't begin in earnest until late summer, which kept Ciavaglia out of theVipers' first five games. The young squad-average age is 23.5-stood at 3-2-0 as it awaited his return, likely the end of October.&ldquo;Nothing much is going to change for me,&rdquo; Ciavaglia said. &ldquo;I still have to do my job and lead by example, whether you're surrounded by a bunch of veterans or younger guys.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-03452/7620526-1-eng-US/f0027-032.jpg" title="f0027-03" width="755" height="317"></div>TWO MINUTES FOR SLASHING: Kansas City Blades' owner Dan DeVos is implementing a frugal business plan for the team he bought in 1996.DeVos plans to reduce the Blades' operations budget by 30 per cent this season, though the club's $1.2 million in player costs (the IHL salary cap) won't be affected.Among the measures adopted are a consolidation of office positions and dropping locally televised games, for which the Blades bought TV time. The moves have not quelled rumors the Blades might pull up stakes and move.&ldquo;We're not at a decision point,&rdquo; DeVos told the Kansas City Star ' about a possible move.&ldquo;How long can we continue to keep this thing afloat? T We don't have a timetable.Clearly, though, we need something to fall our way.&rdquo;GRIFFIN RETURNS: The Grand Rapids Griffins got a big boost Oct. 7 when the Tampa Bay Lightning assigned center Robert Petrovicky, 25, to the IHL club.Petrovicky was the Griffins' top scorer last season-26 goals, 58 points in 49 games-when the Lightning signed him and called him up in mid-February. He had three goals and seven points in 28 games with Tampa.DOTTING THE 'I': After two weeks of deliberation, goaltender Mark Fitzpatrick decided Oct. 9 to accept his assignment to the Carolina Hurricanes' farm team, the Cincinnati Cyclones&hellip;After a year in the American League, former 42-goal scorer (with the Manitoba Moose) Greg Pankewicz signed with the Houston Aeros&hellip;Left winger Jeff Christian sparked the Cleveland Lumberjacks to a 3-1-1 start with three goals and eight points&hellip;Detroit will no doubt be somewhat rankled when they visit rival Orlando Dec. 10. Hanging in the Solar Bears' arena is a banner proclaiming the Bears as 'Eastern Conference Champions 1998-99,' even though they finished 17 points behind the Vipers. The banner refers to the playoff victory in the Eastern Conference final last spring. &#9632;

f0027-03

Ciavaglia doesn't mind status as Vipers' seasoned veteran

<div class="byline">By John Packett</div>This may be the final season of the East Coast League in Norfolk, Va" but the Hampton Roads Admirals plan on making it a memorable one.Adopting a slogan of 'One for the Road,' the Admirals have assembled what appears to be one of the best-if not the best-clubs in the 11year history of the franchise. And that covers some territory, since Hampton Roads is the only team to win three league titles, all of them under the guidance of coach John Brophy.&ldquo;We're billing it as the farewell tour, one for the road,&rdquo; said Jack Ankerson, the club's director of operations. &ldquo;That's our theme.&rdquo;The Admirals will be leaving after this season to make room for an American League expansion franchise and are scheduled to relocate to Atlantic City, N.J., for 2001-2002. The club plans to reminisce with its fans this season.&ldquo;We're going to let the fans pick out the five most popular, the five best players of the past 11 years,&rdquo; Ankerson said. &ldquo;They're going to do it through a voting process and we're going, to honor the fans' selections at five points during the season.&rdquo;Some of those players might be on this year's roster, which is loaded with veterans and youngsters who could make the Admirals the team to beat. They include forwards Rod Taylor, Rick Kowalsky, John Porco, Brad Church and Bobby Russell.&ldquo;The most important thing is we have a competitive team,&rdquo; Ankerson said. &ldquo;On paper, we're as good in October as we've ever been.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02667/7620557-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="422" height="442"></div>Under Brophy, who has won more than 900 games in 27 years behind the bench, the club has a 372-228-68 record, making the 66-year-old the winningest coach in ECHL history. Not only that, Brophy has sent more players to the next levels, including the NHL, than any other coach.&ldquo;Fortunately, we had guys who have played for us who wanted to ' come back,&rdquo; said Al Maclsaac, Hampton Roads' assistant coach-GM.&ldquo;We like guys like that, not just because they're solid players, but because they know what we expect of them.&rdquo;STARRING ON ICE: Grant Van Laar, the equipment manager for the Wheeling Nailers, served as a goaltending double in the movie 'Mystery, Alaska,' which features an exhibition match between amateur players in an Alaskan town and the New York Rangers.The filming covered four months just outside Calgary and opened in theatres Oct. 1. Van Laar is the double for Alaska goalie Bobby Michan. The filming was done on a lake.&ldquo;They froze the lake,&rdquo; Van Laar told the Wheeling Intelligencer. &ldquo;Every day, they had a Zamboni evening the ice. You could look down and see the water underneath. Half the time you thought you were going to fall through.&rdquo;ONE GOAL SHORT: When right winger Darren Colbourne finished last season for the Augusta Lynx, he was one goal shy of catching center Trevor Jobe on the all-time ECHL list with 323. He won't make it. Colbourne retired over the summer and the Comer Brook, Nfld., native plans to finish school. &#9632;

f0027-02

Admirals hoping to go out a winner in Hampton Roads

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>The fallout continues over the Oct. 3 stickswinging brawl between the Barrie Colts and the Oshawa Generals.In the aftermath of the 65 games in suspensions issued to the four main combatants, Colts' right winger Sheldon Keefe-who got a two-game ban for fighting-said the Ontario League is not doing enough to protect its skilled players.&ldquo;Unskilled players going after skilled players, this seems to be the problem,&rdquo; Keefe, who had 51 goals and 116 points last season as an 18-year-old rookie, told a Toronto radio station.Keefe said, in essence, the wild melee that saw teammate Ryan Barnes suspended 25 games for breaking two fingers with a two-hander on Oshawa assistant coach Curtis Hodgins, can be blamed on the OHL.&ldquo;The problem is development,&rdquo; Keefe said.&ldquo;If I'm a player who is going to make a decision whether to come to the OHL to develop my skills or to (U.S.) college to develop my skills,I'm looking at the incidents going on in the OHL. You see the top players being jumped, brawls everywhere. What am I going to think about that?&rdquo;Not everyone shares Keefe's sentiments. One NHL scout said big-name players in the OHL &ldquo;get better protection than they do in the NHL.&rdquo;Another scout said suspensions are longer in the OHL than in any other league.Barnes, a second round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, said the league was making an example of him and his suspension &ldquo;did not fit the circumstances.&rdquo;He set the OHL penalty record last season with 399 minutes.OHL commissioner David Branch also suspended Colts' defenseman Shawn Cation and Generals' defenseman Andrew Archer each 15 games and Generals' center Shayne Fryia 10 games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011057/7620588-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="768" height="267"></div>Branch said it was the most &ldquo;sickening&rdquo; case of stick-swinging he had seen in 21 years as commissioner and defended his response.&ldquo;It's quite alarming,&rdquo; Branch said. &ldquo;I don't ever recall sticks being used in this fashion before. This is the worst I've ever seen. There appeared to be an absolute complete disregard for the safety and welfare of others around.&rdquo;BUNKER HILL: Those 13 one-goal losses suffered last season by the expansionBrampton Battalion have proved to be a learning experience. The upstart Battalion were putting the lesson to use this year, leading the Midwest Division with a 6-1-1-1 record for a league-best .875 winning percentage.&ldquo;We have to stay modest,&rdquo; said defenseman Jay Harrison, the first player picked in the 1998 draft. &ldquo;We haven't proven anything yet.&rdquo;Goalie David Chant, who was under siege last season, had a 1.69 goals-against average.The Battalion were 8-53-3 in their first season.NO FATA: The Calgary Flames exercised an obscure rule and sent former London Knights' forward Rico Fata to the American League's Saint John Flames Oct. 12.Fata, 19, is still eligible for the OHL, but an agreement between the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League allows NHL teams to send fifth-year juniors to the minors.Fata broke into the OHL at 15 in 1995 with his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and was then drafted the next year by the Knights.&ldquo;If he's in the NHL as an underage, you want him to dress and play,&rdquo; said Knights' vice-president Paul McIntosh, a former Calgary scout.&ldquo;If he's not playing up there, I know we could find a spot for him.&rdquo;WELCOME BACK: The Windsor Spitfires traded overage defenseman Max Linnik, a second round pick of the St. Louis Blues, to London when overage center Jeff Martin returned from pro for a fifth season.Martin has 223 points, ninth on the Spitfires' all-time list. &#9632;

f0028-01

In wake of brawl, Keefe claims skilled players on hit list

<div class="byline">By Gordie Sutherland</div>It didn't take long for the first coaching casualty of the season in the Quebec League.Stuck in a seemingly endless slump, the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles fired coach and native son Bruce Campbell Oct. 11. The Eagles won just two of their first 15 games and Campbell, 40, knew a move was brewing.&ldquo;There is a bit of shock, but I have been around the game long enough to know what happens when things start sliding without anything really positive taking place,&rdquo; said Campbell, who is from New Waterford, located on the Cape Breton, N.S., peninsula.Cape Breton GM Gaetan Larue took responsibility for the firing and named assistant coach Pascal Vincent interim coach. He hinted more moves are on the way.&ldquo;It's not only Bruce, it's probably the players, too,&rdquo; Larue said. &ldquo;I want to do something and I will.&ldquo;I'm really sorry for Bruce and his family. But you know in hockey when you don't win the games, you have some problems.&rdquo;Campbell, who signed a two-year contract before this season, was in his second year as coach and served as Dany Dube's assistant in the team's first year in Sydney in 1997-1998.Campbell was working with a young and inexperienced team this season after the departure of three key veteran players.Tomas Kloucek, who would have been the blueline kingpin, signed with the New York Rangers and joined their American League affiliate in Hartford. Disgruntled winger Yannick Carpentier, the top returning scorer, was traded in the pre-season to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens and gritty forward Robbie Sutherland left the team Sept. 28 to focus on his education.&ldquo;(We were) putting young guys in positions to basically fail because they're getting more ice time than really they should as far as development goes,&rdquo; Campbell said.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-02719/7620619-1-eng-US/f0028-022.jpg" title="f0028-02" width="574" height="524"></div>MOOSEHEADS ADD ABID: Hired gun Ramzi Abid has been handed another ticket to a Memorial Cup.The Halifax Mooseheads, who are hosting May's Canadian Hockey League championship, desperately need impact players and acquired Abid in a trade with the Bathurst Titan Oct. 13.The addition of Abid gives Halifax a scoring winger who has Memorial Cup experience, having played with Chicoutimi in 1997 and Bathurst in 1999.The Mooseheads, who also received a third round midget pick in 2001, gave up 18-year-old forwards Samuel Seguin and David Hemsworth as well as a first round pick in 2001 and a second round pick in 2000.&ldquo;We're getting a guy who's a proven scorer,&rdquo; said Bob Mongrain, Mooseheads' coach-GM. &ldquo;We're getting a guy who's a true finisher.&rdquo;Abid, 19, was the QMJHL MVP in 1997-1998 and a second round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 1998. He had 10 goals and 21 points in 13 games with Bathurst.&ldquo;(Halifax) is similar to the Titan of last year,&rdquo; Abid said.The day before acquiring Abid, Mongrain sent winger Marc-Andre Binette, 18, to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies for a first round midget pick.Binette was the team's leading scorer, with nine goals, but Mongrain suggested the draft pick would be a key part of a future deal.It's widely believed the Mooseheads may have already worked out a deal for Rouyn-Noranda scoring machine Mike Ribeiro, who started the season with the Montreal Canadiens.NOTEBOOK: Chicoutimi's leading scorer Jonathan Francoeur, 18, is out until midNovember with a separated shoulder sustained during an Oct. 7 practice. He was averaging more &#9632;

f0028-02

Slumping Cape Breton Eagles first team to shuffle coaches

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Jeff Zorn marvels at his good fortune-medical-ly and athletically.The Prince George Cougars' defenseman has returned to Western League duty with a flourish after missing the final two months of 1998-99 due to a fractured vertebra.Zorn, who had five goals in 46 games last winter, had four goals in his first seven games of 1999-2000.&ldquo;Maybe it's luck more than anything,&rdquo; Zorn, 20, said of his sudden scoring prowess.Zorn's third WHL season ended Jan. 22 when he tumbled into the boards at Kamloops' Riverside Coliseum.&ldquo;I wasn't hit from behind or anything,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I remember being able to feel my toes and move everything. I thought I had just been hit hard and had the wind knocked out of me.&ldquo;I went into the hallway and once I got there, all my muscles tightened up and it was hard to walk. I could still feel everything, but it was really difficult to move my legs.&ldquo;Looking back, it was probably a moment I wouldn't want to go through again. I'm just lucky it wasn't worse.&rdquo;The experience was traumatic mentally and physically.&ldquo;They did X-rays and told me there was a fracture,&rdquo; he recalled. &ldquo;When you hear fractured back or vertebra, you think of the connotations.&ldquo;I thought about football players I'd heard of who had lost the ability to move. I could move, but those thoughts still entered my mind. It was more a matter of me thinking about the possibilities as opposed to what I was actually feeling. The worst-case scenario scared me the most.&rdquo;Zorn enjoyed the best-case scenario as the current season unfolded.&ldquo;I look around and think about the fact that I'm playing hockey,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I see some of my friends who are going to school or working. I'm playing hockey in the winter. I love to play and I'm fortunate to play. I'm happy to be back.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-03515/7620650-1-eng-US/f0028-032.jpg" title="f0028-03" width="421" height="429"></div>STOPPING IN SEATTLE: Alex Fomitchev backstopped the Calgary Hitmen to the 1998-99 WHL title.That didn't make him untouchable.Calgary shipped Fomitchev, who had a 2.57 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage last season, to the Seattle Thunderbirds for future considerations Oct. 9.The Hitmen deemed Fomitchev expendable due to an excess of 20-year-olds and Europeans.Fomitchev's departure left Calgary with its full complement of two Europeans-forwards Pavel Brendl and Anders Lovdahl.Calgary still had four 20-year-olds-one over the limit-after dealing Fomitchev. Forwards Brad Moran, Lyle Steenbergen and Jerred Smithson joined defenseman Kenton Smith as the Hitmen's remaining overagers.WHL teams have until Nov. 1 to declare three 20-year-olds.&ldquo;Fomitchev has been good for us, but we didn't expect him here so we're running with those plans,&rdquo; said Hitmen coach Dean Clark.Calgary had expected Fomitchev to play in the Edmonton Oilers' system as he is under contract to the Oilers.The Hitmen have three goaltenders vying for the No. 1 spot-Brent Williams. Brent Krahn and Sean Connors. Williams, 18, saw spot duty with Calgary last season. Krahn and Connors are 17-year-old freshmen.&ldquo;We're rotating them,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;Each one of them plays every third game. We'll continue with that until something changes.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Calgary became the last WHL team to fall from the ranks of the undefeated when the Swift Current Broncos posted a 6-2 road win Oct. 12. Calgary, which fell to 7-1-1-0, had been named the Canadian Hockey League's top-ranked team earlier in the day&hellip;Jared Aulin of the Kamloops Blazers had a league-high 22 points in nine games. Teammate Konstantin Panov had a WHL-best 11 goals&hellip;The Portland Winter Hawks began the season with six losses. That was the team's worst start since 1976-77, when Portland lost seven games. &#9632;

f0028-03

Zorn counting goals, blessings nine months after back injury

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div><h2>CCHA</h2>A seemingly harmless household chore turned into a catastrophe for Michigan sophomore goalie Josh Blackburn.The native of Choctaw, Okla., will miss an estimated three months because of an injury to his left foot sustained while moving a refrigerator at his residence Oct. 9. He sprained ligaments between the first and second toes of his left foot in an injury termed a Lisfrancs sprain.Blackbum appeared in all 42 of the Wolverines' games last season and two this year. He was 25-10-6 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. In the first two games of 1999-2000, both wins over Notre Dame, Blackburn had a 2.19 GAA and .882 save percentage.Blackbum was still in disbelief a few days after the injury.&ldquo;I think he's in shock,&rdquo; said Michigan coach Red Berenson. &ldquo;It's hard for him to believe an innocent kind of thing like this turned into a nightmare for him. I feel bad for the kid.&rdquo;Sophomore Kevin O'Malley, from Grosse Pointe, Mich., will take Blackburn's place. He had a 2.45 GAA in 145 minutes last season.&ldquo;This will be his chance to step up and be a starter,&rdquo; Berenson said. &ldquo;He has worked hard, he has impressed the other guys in practice.&rdquo;Before Blackbum arrived, Marty Turco and Steve Shields took care of goaltending chores the previous eight years. Turco played from 1994-95 through 1997-98 and Shields from 1990-91 through 1993-94. Turco holds the NCAA record for career wins (127) and Shields is second (111).FEW FAMILIAR FACES: If there appears to be many unfamiliar names around the Central Collegiate Hockey Association this season, it's because several stars of the past two or three seasons have moved on.In addition to the graduation of standouts such as Michigan State's Mike York. Bowling Green's Dan Price, Northern Michigan's Buddy Smith. Notre Dame's Brian Urick, Aniket Dhadphale and Benoit Cotnoir, a few players left early to pursue pro hockey careers.Ohio State was hard hit because of the signing of NHL contracts by all-American goalie Jeff Maund and center Hugo Boisvert. Both would have been seniors. Michigan would-be junior defenseman Mike Van Ryn left to play with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario League.Ohio State coach John Markell said his team has the resources to minimize the impact of the departures. &ldquo;We have a lot of kids who are inhouse,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We'll be building from within.&rdquo;IT'S OFFICIAL: The CCHA will try four officials for selected games this season. Previously, the league used one referee and two assistant referees, who could both call penalties, for all games. Under the two referee-two linesmen system, only the two refs can whistle infractions. &#9632;

Fridge mishap shelves ace goalie Blackburn

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggle</div><h2>ECAC</h2>The trend in college hockey recruiting these days is to bring in experienced freshmen, the 20-year-olds who have the skill level and maturity many teenagers lack.Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute coach Dan Fridgen isn't trying to buck that trend, but his freshman class does include the youngest rookie in the league. Francois Senez, a defenseman from Laval, Que., is 17 and he won't be 18 until the end of the season. But this was one teenager Fridgen couldn't pass up.&ldquo;If we left him for another year, we wouldn't have the chance to be involved,&rdquo; Fridgen said. &ldquo;He has things you can't teach. You can teach position and the defensive part of it, but you can't teach vision and offensive instincts.&rdquo;Senez, 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, is also a leader, although he won't have to assume that role right away at RPI, which has a strong senior class. Senez was a two-time captain during his stay in the Quebec midget AAA league.Another Canadian teenager to make an impact at RPI was defenseman Patrick Rochon, who went on to become the Engineers' captain as a senior in 1995-96.&ldquo;Francois is already ahead of where Patrick was in his development,&rdquo; Fridgen said. &ldquo;There are 17-year-olds who might not be mature, but Francois doesn't act like he's 17.&rdquo;With the French-speaking Senez working on improving his English, Fridgen doesn't think language will be a barrier. &ldquo;His principal direction is in math, where the language is numbers.&rdquo; Fridgen said. &ldquo;He's going to play his fair share. But we're going to take his old habits, which might not help him now at the college level and replace them with new habits.&rdquo;STATE OF KENT: One of the players to keep an eye on this season is junior defenseman Kent Huskins of Clarkson.Huskins should have no problem filling the void left by the departure of Willie Mitchell, who left Clarkson after his sophomore year to sign with the New Jersey Devils.Huskins, 20, came to Clarkson with the same all-around reputation as Mitchell, but played in Mitchell's shadow for two years. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Huskins, a sixth round draft choice of the Chicago Blackhawks in 1998, won Clarkson's Unsung Hero Award last season after scoring five goals and 16 points in 37 games.SMITH BOOKS IT: After winning just three games last season, the only way the Skating Dutchmen of Union can go is up. But they'll be doing it without junior forward Dave Smith.Smith gave up hockey to concentrate on his studies this season. During his first two years at Union, he scored 10 goals and 20 points.Smith was one of the three players who had winning goals for Union last season. &#9632;

RPI's 17-year-old Senez a teen dream on defense

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div><h2>HOCKEY EAST</h2>If Maine is going to make a run at becoming the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Boston University in 1971 and 1972, the Bears will have to replace Frozen Four MVP Alfie Michaud.The former Bears' goalie is with the American League's Syracuse Crunch after passing up his senior year to sign with the Vancouver Canucks.The candidates to replace Michaud are sophomore Mike Morrison and red-shirt freshman Matt Yeats. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound Morrison was 3-0-1 with a 1.73 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 11 appearances last season. The 6-foot, 181-pound Yeats has not played since January, 1998. He came to Maine from Olds of the Alberta Junior League.&ldquo;I've liked them a lot in practice,&rdquo; said coach Shawn Walsh. &ldquo;They have totally different styles. Mike is more athletic and has a bigger presence in the net. He's better with the puck. Matt is a textbook goalie. He's more like Alfie. He's small, quick and sound positionally.&ldquo;I've told them we're going to need both of them so they need to work with each other.&rdquo;Walsh plans to alternate them until one emerges as a No. 1. They both realize goaltending is considered Maine's question mark, but feel they can do the job.&ldquo;I have confidence in Mike and myself, I think we'll do fine,&rdquo; Yeats said.&ldquo;I know everybody is worried about the goaltending,&rdquo; Morrison said, &ldquo;but one thing I learned from Alfie is not to worry about stuff you can't control. Just relax and have fun.&rdquo;SWOOSH RIGHT IN: Hockey East ended its agreement with CCM and signed a four-year agreement with Nike-Bauer.However, teams were left waiting until the last second to get their helmets, gloves, pants, jerseys and practice jerseys from the company.&ldquo;The company has undergone some changes,&rdquo; said Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna. &ldquo;One of their reps told me anything that could go wrong did. But they assured us every team would have what it needs by the (Oct. 19) opener.&rdquo;Bertagna said the decision to go with NikeBauer was based on the fact &ldquo;they offer more products and have more styles available.&rdquo;NOTEBOOK: Boston University captain Chris Heron was the first player of the week when he scored a goal and three assists in an 8-3 win over Air Force and a 5-3 win over host Alaska-Anchorage at the Johnson Nissan Classic Oct. 9-10&hellip;Boston College was the unanimous pick to win the regular season title in the coaches' poll. New Hampshire placed second, Maine third&hellip;Dick Osborne, who does play-by-play for New Hampshire Radio Network and has been the voice of the Wildcats since 1979-80, was the recipient of the Hockey East Media Award. &#9632;

Black Bear netminders ready to be Maine men

<div class="byline">By Andy Baggot</div><h2>WCHA</h2>Don Lucia is a married man, a father of four, and here he is discussing the contents of his little black book with strangers.&ldquo;It doesn't have girls' numbers,&rdquo; Lucia cautioned. &ldquo;It has appointments.&rdquo;So many that Lucia, the new coach at the University of Minnesota, has had to tone down his generous nature when it comes to appearances and talk shows around the Twin Cities. &ldquo;I'm learning to say no so I can do my job,&rdquo; he said.Some think it's the toughest gig in college hockey. Lucia was hired last April to replace Doug Woog, who was encouraged to resign despite a resume that shows seven Western Collegiate Hockey Association titles, seven 30-win seasons, six NCAA Frozen Four appearances and a winning percentage of .663 in 14 years.Back-to-back losing seasons, coupled with an inability to capture a national title, doomed Woog. Enter Lucia, who spent the last six seasons turning Colorado College from the butt of jokes (14 straight non-winning seasons) to a national powerhouse (three WCHA titles, five straight NCAA tournament appearances).&ldquo;I have a whole new appreciation for what (Woog) went through,&rdquo; Lucia said. &ldquo;There are so many more demands here.&rdquo;Fans began measuring Lucia against one of the toughest opening-month schedules imaginable. Minnesota, 15-19-9 last season, started out with three tough matches-Maine, North Dakota and top-ranked Boston College.&ldquo;We're going to know in a hurry where we're at as a program,&rdquo; said Lucia, whose club was picked behind North Dakota, Colorado College and Wisconsin in a WCHA coaches' poll.NEW FACE, FAMILIAR PLACE: Colorado College is in the hands of Scott Owens, who looks to be the ideal man for the job.Owens played at Colorado College and was the recruiting coordinator under coach Don Lucia when the Tigers won consecutive MacNaughton Cups from 1993-94 through 1995-96. He said expectations for the team are higher now than when he left to become coach-GM of the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States League.&ldquo;I would rather come in at this level than start at the bottom and build up,&rdquo; said Owens, who made his debut Oct. 9 when the Tigers claimed a 4-1 win over perennial power Michigan State in the U.S. College Hockey Faceoff Classic.YOUTH IS SERVED: Two members of the 1998-99 WCHA all-rookie squad left college early to join NHL teams. Alaska-Anchorage goalie Gregg Naumenko signed a free agent contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, while Wisconsin defenseman David Tanabe signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, who nabbed him in the first round, 16th overall, of the NHL entry draft in June. &#9632;

Woog’s Golden legacy spurs new Gopher Lucia

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1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS

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NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

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NHL GAME SUMMARIES

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NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

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1999-2000 MINOR LEAGUE SCHEDULES

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October 29, 1999

Ranger power play coming up dry despite injection of new talent

Shields lives up to name as goalie off to great start

ELSTON

Even All-Star Game evolves