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.

December 3, 1999

The Hockey News December 3, 1999

<div class="byline">&#x2013;with files from Brendan Savage and David Henry</div>New Flint Generals&rsquo; coach Doug Shedden was tired of watching star forward Bobby Reynolds take a nightly beating during the first 11 games of the United League season.So he went out and found some protection for him-Opponents will now have to deal with 6-foot-7, 260-pound left winger Jeff Kugel. who was signed Nov. 15.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02578/6943949-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="272" height="155"></div>&ldquo;The whole team might get about two inches taller,&rdquo; Shedden said.Kugel, 19, was banned for life from the Ontario League last season for sucker-punching an opponent, then chasing another around the ice. He was reinstated this season, but opted to leave the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.WESTERN PRO LEAGUE: The Amarillo Rattlers of the Western Pro League announced Gordie Howe as one of the hosts for the WPHL All-Star Weekend, Jan. 12-14 at Amarillo&rsquo;s Cal Farley Coliseum.Howe will be a part of various all-star festivities during the three-day event, which will include a celebrity game of NHL alumni and local celebrities as well as a skills competition. &ldquo;We wanted to make this all-star game the best the league has seen,&rdquo; said Rattlers&rsquo; CEO and president Cliff Annable. "We certainly consider the addition of Gordie Howe adding to that.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03476/6943942-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="237" height="180"></div> &#9632;

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DEPARTMENTS

Generals sign goon Kugel

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0051-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-01159/6944383-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg"></div>(OT) denotes overtime gameTeam affiliations are listed in parentheses under names &#9632;

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AMERICAN LEAGUE

<div class="byline">By Bruce Garrloch</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-03498/6943511-1-eng-US/f0026-032.jpg" title="f0026-03" width="311" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin Dineen</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-02625/6943518-1-eng-US/f0026-022.jpg" title="f0026-02" width="139" height="116"></div>Grant Ledyard was ready to hang up his skates for good until a heart-to-heart chat with his wife Lisa convinced him to give hockey one more chance.It turned out to be good advice.Ledyard, a 15-year NHL veteran, made his 1999-2000 debut for the Ottawa Senators against the San Jose Sharks Nov. 18. The 37-year-old signed a one-year deal worth $400,000 two days earlier.Ledyard got the chance to play when it was learned defenseman Karel Rachunek was lost to a suspected tom MCL in his right knee.&ldquo;They called me in Boston and asked me to come in, so I jumped on a flight here,&rdquo; Ledyard said. &ldquo;I was staying in shape in Boston and about two weeks ago 1 was ready to retire. My wife convinced me to keep working out because if I just gave it up, I would wonder what happened.&rdquo;Ottawa is Ledyard&rsquo;s eighth NHL stop. He played for the Bruins last season.&ldquo;I feel like I can still play in this league and contribute,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m 37, but my body is younger because I&rsquo;ve stayed in good shape.&rdquo;The Senators needed help on the blueline with Igor Kravchuk (knee) and Sami Salo (wrist) already sidelined with injuries.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Mathieu Chouinard, G, 19, Shawinigan (QMJHL), 7-9-4, 3.48, .896. Chouinard has shown steady improvement and the Sens are hopeful he&rsquo;ll get a chance to play at the 2000 World Junior Championship.Petr Schastlivy, LW, 20, Grand Rapids (IHL), 12-1-3-4-0. The Senators believe the 20-year-old Schastlivy is a can&rsquo;t-miss prospect because of his skill and size (6 feet, 191 pounds). He was one of the top Russian players at the WJC last year.NOTEBOOK: NHL Players&rsquo; Association executive director Bob Goodenow hadn't spoken with agent Mark Gandler about what tack the union might take to fight center Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s suspension. While the union doesn&rsquo;t like Yashin&rsquo;s decision to hold out, it will back its member on the grounds the Senators have overstepped their bounds&hellip;Carolina honored Ottawa right winger Kevin Dineen before the Nov. 17 game in Raleigh. Dineen, who recently played his 1,000th NHL game, played 707 of them for the Carolina/Hartford organization. He was presented with crystal bowl and Caribbean trip for two&hellip;Right winger Daniel Alfredsson, who has been out with a tom knee ligament, resumed skating and could return by Dec. 15. &#9632;

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NHL TEAMS

Ledyard gets another shot with injury-struck Senators

<div class="byline">&#x2013;John Packett</div>After the Richmond Renegades blew a three games to one lead in the Kelly Cup final last May and lost Game 7 to the Mississippi Sea Wolves in double overtime, the rest of the East Coast League wondered how they would come out of the gate this season.With 11 of last year&rsquo;s players on the roster, the Renegades responded with a 10-2-0 start, which tied the Pee Dee Pride for the best record in the league after the first month of the season.&ldquo;We like to think this year&rsquo;s team has a different identity, even though we have a lot of guys back,&rdquo; said Richmond coach Mark Kaufman. &ldquo;We hope we have room for growth like we did last year. We certainly don&rsquo;t want to live off last year&rsquo;s residue. We just have to make sure we meet the challenge of this season.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02523/6944011-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="290" height="290"></div>Richmond has done it so far mostly with defense and goaltending, allowing an average of just two goals per game.ANOTHER RECORD: Charlotte Checkers&rsquo; center Darryl Noren became the ECHL&rsquo;s all-time assist leader with three in Charlotte&rsquo;s 5-3 victoary over Richmond Nov. 13. Noren assisted on three third period goals to pass Derek Clancey, now the coach of the Jackson Bandits. Noren had 369, two more than Clancey.SIX-POINTER: Hampton Roads&rsquo; center Mike&nbsp;Omicioli had the league&rsquo;s first six-point game (two goals, four assists) in the Admirals&rsquo; 6-5 win over Greensboro Nov. 10. &#9632;

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Renegades rebound from heartbreak

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0002-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-011514/6942325-1-eng-US/f0002-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A Hall of Fame display features 802 pucks stacked into the net Wayne Gretzky scored goal No. 802.</figcaption></div><h2>Motown stars keep on rolling</h2>1. Wonderful Wings Steve Yzerman registers 900th career assist, while teammate Brendan Shanahan gets 4-00th goal.2. Alex excels Rejuvenated Edmonton right winger Alex Selivanov records four goals in 6-3 win over Chicago.3. Great Scott! Scott Stevens becomes first NHLer to play 600 games with two teams (New Jersey. Washington).4. Crazy eights Bathurst's Mathieu Benoit gets eight goals, Francois Beauchemin eight assists in 12-3 QMJHL win.5. Swift scorer Swift Current's Jeremy Reich records at least one point in each of his team's first 22 WHL games.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-021258/6942318-1-eng-US/f0002-022.jpg" title="f0002-02" width="306" height="447"><figcaption class="caption-body">Scott Stevens</figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-03938/6942311-1-eng-US/f0002-032.jpg" title="f0002-03" width="303" height="446"><figcaption class="caption-body">Martin Gelinas</figcaption></div><h3>MINUS</h3><h2>Flames can't win without overtime</h2>1. Flame burnout Calgary fails to register a regulation time win through its first 19 games of the season.2. Hawk chopped The Wendel Clark era in Chicago ends after 13 games (and two goals) as club buys out veteran.3. Dead Bolts Improved Tampa Bay shoots itself in skate with 0-2-1-0 record against expansion Atlanta.4. Hurtin' Martin Martin Gelinas only Carolina player without a goal through team's first 18 games.5. Crazy Cyclone Cincinnati goalie Mark Fitzpatrick suspended after setting IHL mark with 49 PIM in one game. &#9632;

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IN THIS ISSUE

PLUS

<div class="byline">By Stave Dryden </div><div class="byline">Editor-In-Chief</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0002-04707/6942356-1-eng-US/f0002-042.jpg" title="f0002-04" width="323" height="413"></div>Roger Neilson is on a campaign to have the new NHL standings format changed.The Philadelphia Flyers&rsquo; coach may not have the solution to a problem even the NHL acknowledges, but Neilson has given voice to a legitimate concern. That is, it has become a challenge to follow the league standings. In an effort to resolve more tie games, the league introduced 4-on-4 play in overtime and a new single point in the standings for all regulation time ties, regardless of the game&rsquo;s final outcome. The objective was for those combined forces to facilitate more decisions.Four-on-four has been a success, although tie games are down only marginally, but the new four-column standings (wins, losses, ties, regulation ties) has led to confusion. The essential problem, as articulated by Neilson: The new standings have changed the .500 paradigm. Hockey fans are conditioned to instantly recognize whether teams are at the break-even mark in two ways: By comparing wins and losses and/or comparing games and points. An equal number of wins and losses or games and points has traditionally meant a team is at .500. But now with single points being awarded for regulation ties, a team can be at .500 with fewer wins than losses. An example: After 18 games, Edmonton had three fewer wins than losses, yet had 18 points. Were they a .500 team or not?That core issue, plus the fact many news services don&rsquo;t provide team games in their standings, has league personnel also pondering the new format. THN is betting the NHL will execute a face-saving measure next season. What it will do is unclear-it could be as simple as changing the overtime loss designation from RT to OL-but Neilson has already told commissioner Gary Bettman what he thinks should be done. The Philadelphia coach wants a return to a three-column standings format (W-L-T), but one in which overtime losses are recorded as ties. Although Neilson likes the new 4-on-4 format, he considers it &ldquo;gimmicky&rdquo; and doesn&rsquo;t think teams should be penalized with a loss when games are resolved in a format out of sync with the rest of the game. Neilson says he had no objection to overtime setbacks in the previous 5-on-5 format being recognized as defeats in the standings.&ldquo;They were legitimate losses because you played the same way,&rdquo; Neilson says. &ldquo;Here you&rsquo;re liable to be 4-on-3 or teams put their forwards back on defense (in overtime). It&rsquo;s a gimmicky thing. It&rsquo;s kind of fun and I don&rsquo;t think the players mind it, although half of them don&rsquo;t get on the ice. I don&rsquo;t want to be coming out against the 4-on-4.1 don&rsquo;t mind it, but I do mind the standings. I think they&rsquo;re a mess.&rdquo; He adds, &ldquo;I just think overtime losses should be ties like they were meant to be and like they really are.&rdquo;Neilson&rsquo;s proposal may solve one problem, but it creates another that he raises and dismisses: The overall league balance sheet wouldn&rsquo;t be reconciled. &ldquo;The only thing that wouldn&rsquo;t add up for purists is that at the end of the season the total number of wins and losses in the whole league wouldn&rsquo;t add up,&rdquo; Neilson says. &ldquo;Who cares, anyway? I mean who really cares about that? What is important is that you can look right away and all you got in the paper is wins, losses, ties and points, like always.&rdquo;As it is in the new format, overall wins and losses are equal. Under Neilson&rsquo;s system, there would be more wins than losses. Another problem with the Neilson model is the appearance of more ties than ever if overtime losses aren&rsquo;t recorded as losses.But the veteran coach doesn&rsquo;t care: &ldquo;People don&rsquo;t look in the standings and say, &lsquo;Gee they&rsquo;ve got a lot of ties, I&rsquo;m not going to watch games.&rsquo; People don&rsquo;t ever think that. It&rsquo;s just when they&rsquo;re there (at the game) they often would like to have a winner.&rdquo; &#9632;

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NHL's brand new standings cause confusion

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie </div><div class="byline">Associate Editor</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-011690/6942401-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg" title="f0003-01" width="315" height="431"></div>It took a strained groin to do what NHL teams couldn&rsquo;t. Stop Jaromir Jagr.Now, the question is: how long will it be before the Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; superstar right winger is back to where he was in the first 15 games of 1999-2000. That is, to the level of the game&rsquo;s undisputed best player, the most dominating figure since Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky in their heydays.Jagr reeled off 14 goals and 33 points-at least one in each game for a per game average of 2.2 points. After just four pointless shifts of his 16th game, against the Buffalo Sabres Nov. 15, Jagr had to leave because of the groin strain.Two nights later, in Tampa Bay, he was back in the lineup, playing 29 minutes and 22 seconds and firing four shots on goal while going pointless in the Pens&rsquo; 2-1 loss to the Lightning.Immediately following the game, Jagr left his teammates and flew home to have the injury checked out.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not good,&rdquo; Jagr said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t play, I couldn&rsquo;t skate, couldn&rsquo;t do anything.&rdquo;Though he was troubled by groin and thigh problems last season, including the playoffs, Jagr only missed one regular season game. Given the minutes he plays and abuse he takes, the 6-foot-2,230-pound Czech has been remarkably durable, missing only 41 games in nine seasons.If this latest injury were to be significant, it would be disastrous news for the 5-10-3-2 Penguins, whose reliance on the 27-year-old Jagr is unrivaled by any other team's dependence on any one player. His absence, though, is a blow felt by the entire game. He is, quite simply, in a class by himself.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting better and better all the time,&rdquo; said Mario Lemieux, the Pens&rsquo; new owner and Jagr&rsquo;s former on-ice mentor. &ldquo;Jags has a chance to be one of the very best players ever. You can see that he has created quite a gap between himself and the other elite players in the game.&rdquo;When Lemieux retired at the end of 1996-97, it was presumed Jagr, Eric Lindros, Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne would be peers as hockey&rsquo;s greatest players.The brilliance of netminder Dominik Hasek, and his domination of the game, served to reinforce the concept of a pool of superstars, more or less equal to each other in terms of greatness.But by winning back-to-back Art Ross Trophies and threatening to make a mockery of the scoring race this season (before his injury), Jagr has clearly emerged as the pre-eminent player in the game. Whether that&rsquo;s because of his sheer brilliance or injuries to the others, it&rsquo;s doesn&rsquo;t much matter. Jagr&rsquo;s the man.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-021353/6942394-1-eng-US/f0003-022.jpg" title="f0003-02" width="747" height="1136"><figcaption class="caption-body">Mario Lemieux</figcaption></div>"He has always had that desire to be the best." said Carolina Hurri-canes' center Ron Francis. Jagr&rsquo;s former linemate in Pittsburgh. &ldquo;When he was younger, he was a little misunderstood. He was cast as pouty or immature or selfish, but once you got to know him, you realized how fierce his desire was to be the " best. That&rsquo;s what drives him.&rdquo;Penguins&rsquo; coach Kevin Constantine figures the hockey community never fully appreciated Jagr&rsquo;s gifts because he was so often overshadowed by Lemieux.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s out of that shadow and now his star is shining the brightest,&rdquo; Constantine said. &ldquo;And with all due respect to the players on our team, and there are some skilled players, Jags doesn&rsquo;t have a superstar alongside him the way Lindros has (John) LeClair, Kariya has Selanne and Forsberg has (Joe) Sakic.&rdquo;Which makes his production and domination of the game all the more remarkable.If Jagr goes on to win the scoring title this season, it will be his third consecutive Art Ross. Only four others-Gret-zky (seven), Phil Esposito and Gordie Howe (four) and Guy Lafleur (three)-have won more than two in a row.His 15-game point streak to start this season was the second most productive streak of 15 games or more ever. Gretzky averaged 2.3 points per game in a 25-game streak in 1991.Jagr was also in on 15 consecutive Penguin goals, which is an NHL record.There are some who would suggest what Jagr was doing to start this season was even more dominant than anything Gretzky or Lemieux did. Using a formula in the book Total Hockey, which takes into account variances in scoring from era to era, Jagr&rsquo;s projected I and "adjusted" totals for this season (based on the first 15 games) would have given him output more dominant than anything accomplished by Gretzky or Lemieux.That, of course, is fodder for debate. But there&rsquo;s no arguing Jagr&rsquo;s ascendency to the throne of current NHLers, just as there&rsquo;s no disputing his absence is a blow to the Penguins and the entire game.<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-03884/6942387-1-eng-US/f0003-032.jpg" title="f0003-03" width="1410" height="3492"></div> &#9632;

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FEATURES

In a league of his own

It was a moment in time that brought an entire hockey-crazed nation to a standstill and one that remains forever etched in the memories of millions of Canadians. A dramatic, last-minute victory in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union earned Team Canada the honor of the country&rsquo;s team of the century.In a survey of newspaper editors and broadcasters by the Canadian Press and Broadcast News, Canadian sports journalists said Team Canada&rsquo;s effort was unsurpassed over the last 100 years. The questionnaire encompassed all team sports. In a poll of 145 editors and broadcasters, which asked them to rank the top 10 teams of the century, Team Canada earned 74 first-place votes. The Edmonton Oilers&rsquo; dynasty that won five of seven Stanley Cups between 1983-84 and 1989-90 ranked second. The Montreal Canadiens from 1955-56 to 1959-60, winners of five straight Cups, were third.Canada rallied to beat the Soviets 4-3-1 in the eight-game series. All of Canada held its breath as Paul Henderson&rsquo;s goal, at 19:26 of the third period in Game 8 in Moscow, clinched the series.The Hockey News offers a slightly different recollection of Canada&rsquo;s hockey history. In our 1999-2000 Yearbook, we named Canada&rsquo;s squad from the 1987 Canada Cup as the greatest of all-time.The team that won that tournament by the thinnest of margins&mdash;Canada beat the Soviets in the three-game series 2-1, with all games ending in a score of 6-5-was the greatest assemblage of hockey talent of the 20th century, by THN&rsquo;s assessment.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind that team deserves that title,&rdquo; said Mike Keenan, coach of the 1987 and 1991 Canada Cup teams.THN ranked the Soviet team from the 1987 Canada Cup as No. 2 and gave the 1972 Team Canada an honorable mention. Team USA&rsquo;s 1996 World Cup-winning entry also deserves consideration, as does the 1980 U.S. Miracle On Ice team.In the NHL, THN cited four teams who rose above the rest: 1955-56 Montreal Canadiens; 1976-77 Canadiens; 1981-82 New York Islanders; and 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers.<h2>Canada&rsquo;s all-century teams</h2>A survey of Canadian journalists determined six hockey teams were among the top 10 teams of the century in Canada. Here they are, led by the 1972 Summit Series team.1. 1972 Team Canada2. 1983-84 to 1989-90 Edmonton Oilers3. 1955-56 to 1959-60 Montreal Canadians5. 1975-76 to 1978-79 Montreal Canadians7. 1987 Canada Cup team10. 1976 Canada Cup team &#9632;

Summit Series winner Canada’s century team

Angela James made her return to the Canadian national women&rsquo;s team at the same place she left it two years ago, the Three Nations Cup.James, one of the best female hockey players in the world this decade, hadn&rsquo;t played with the national team since the 1997 Three Nations Cup.A surprise deletion from the 1998 Olympic team, James has been called &ldquo;the Wayne Gretzky of female hockey.&rdquo; After a strong evaluation camp in October, she is back on the national squad."Our philosophy is we want to reward players who have performed well and she has," said coach Melody Davidson. "She has earned this."Davidson, who is making her first appearance as Canada's national team coach, is intentionally taking an inexperienced team to the Cup with the plan of using the tournament as an indirect tryout for the 2000 World Championship.'The veterans we didn't bring, we are very aware of how they play in pressure situations," Davidson said. "But we want to see how the younger players handle it."That means while national team regulars such as Geraldine Heaney, Vicky Sunohara, Manon Rheaume and Lesley Reddon stay home, James and Kim St. Pierre get a shot.This year's Three Nations Cup begins Nov. 28 in Montreal with a clash of the titans-Canada against the U.S. The teams are expected to meet again in the gold medal-game Dec. 5.Finland is the third team involved. This is the fourth annual tournament, which Canada has won twice and the Americans once, in 1997. Finland has captured four bronze medals.The U.S. 1s looking for gold after bringing a very experienced team to the Cup. Seven different American. have played in all three previous tournaments. The team is expected to be strongest in goal. Sarah Tueting, goalie for the gold medal-winning team in the Olympics, and Erin Whitten are the two most experienced and decorated goaltenders in U.S. women's hockey history.The speedy Finns are led by center Petra Vaarakallio, who led the tournament in coring last year with two goals and five points in five games.The tournament is a double round-robin format with the top two teams competing for the gold medal on Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal at 1 p.m.A POOL GRADUATES: France, Italy, Latvia and Ukraine qualified for the A Pool in the 2000 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship, scheduled for St. Petersburg, Russia, April 29 to May 14.The countries join Austria, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Japan, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, USA and Sweden in the A Pool. Great Britain and Norway will have a one-game playoff to decide the final remaining spot in the group. The date and venue of that game was to be announced Nov. 22.SPECIAL TRIBUTE: The NHL Players' Association and the manufacturer of its 'Be A Player' trading card series, In The Game Inc. of Toronto, have honored two players who died in the last year.Special tribute cards commemorating Steve Chiasson and Dmitri Tertyshny have been issued in the Memorabilia Series, released this month.Chiasson, who played 13 seasons with Detroit, Calgary and Carolina, died last May in a car crash while driving home after a season-ending party. Tertyshny, a rookie last season with the Philadelphia Flyers, was killed in a boating accident during the summer.COOLEST BOARD GAME: For as little as $35, board game enthusiasts can get a taste of the multimillion-dollar issues faced by today&rsquo;s NHL team owners with the special NHL Collector&rsquo;s Edition of Monopoly.All 30 NHL franchises, from the Original Six to the expansion Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets, are up for sale in the world&rsquo;s best-selling board game. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens occupy the traditional premium Boardwalk and Park Place property spaces.Playing pieces include a hockey player, goalie, skates, glove, &hellip; sk, net, puck and Zamboni ice resurfacer.ROCK ANTHEM BANNED: At least two NHL teams have officially banned the hockey anthem, &lsquo;Rock and Roll, Part n,&rsquo; after the song&rsquo;s performer, Gary Glitter, was jailed for four months in England for possessing child pornography.The Calgary Flames were the first to act, pulling the song from the play fist and the Toronto Maple Leafs quickly followed suit. The Colorado Avalanche have decided to keep the song in their rotation.The NHL is leaving the decision of whether to play the song up to clubs, said spokesman Frank Brown.Glitter, 55, was jailed after admitting to searching for pedophile sites on the Internet and downloading more than 4,000 images of young children.FANTASIES FULFILLED: Fans of NHL hockey can fulfill just about ever fantasy they have at NHL FANtasy in Toronto Feb. 2 to 6, 2000.Whether their desires involve playing the game, calling the play-by-play or meeting the stars, the largest ever all-star celebration has it all. NHL FANtasy is a 300,000-square-foot interactive hockey theme park with more than 30 attractions, including virtual-reality games, trivia contests, hockey skill tests and memorabilia.A collection of hockey-themed artwork by Canadian artists, called NHL Visions of Hockey, will be the center-piece of an online auction to benefit the Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. &#9632;

Two titans clash in Three Nations Cup

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0006-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-011814/6942504-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A New York Ranger takes down his Carolina Hurricane opponent. (Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div>It&rsquo;s not exactly a page out of Robin Hood, but the NHL Players&rsquo; Association has decided to share some of its riches with the poor.The NHLPA has committed to spending $15 million world-wide over the next five years through its &lsquo;Goals & Dreams&rsquo; program to help &ldquo;develop grass roots hockey around the world.&rdquo;&ldquo;This has been in the works for 18 months,&rdquo; said former NHL star Mike Gartner, now director of business relations for the NHLPA. &ldquo;It has been instituted and is completely controlled by the players.&rdquo;Gartner said groups and individuals can apply for assistance and each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis.&ldquo;For instance, if the roof blew off an arena and a town needed money to help out with a new roof, we might be able to help,&rdquo; Gartner said.Added NHLPA spokesman Devin Smith: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like, what are you doing and how can we help you?&rdquo;&lsquo;Goals & Dreams,&rsquo; whose committee is comprised of players from Canada, U.S., Russia, Sweden, Finland and Czech Republic, was designed to assist in developing hockey around the world, providing funding for youth and inner-city hockey for boys and girls through equipment donations, paying for ice time and other hockey-related initiatives.ON PROBATION: Former NHL defenseman Behn Wilson received four years probation from a Philadelphia court judge Nov. 10 after Wilson was found guilty for his part in a $2.4-million mortgage scam.Wilson, who now lives in Florida, must serve six months of the sentence in a halfway house with work-release privileges.Wilson, 40, was a first round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1978. He played for the 1979-80 Flyers&rsquo; team which put together hockey&rsquo;s longest undefeated streak of 35 games (25-0-10) and reached the Stanley Cup final that year.Wilson also played with the Chicago Blackhawks and had 98 goals and 358 points in 601 games before retiring in 1988 due to a back injury.HEART TROUBLE: Former Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; defenseman Carl Brewer is recovering from a mild heart attack sustained in mid-November.Brewer, 61, was admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto Nov. 14 complaining of back pain. It was later determined he had a heart attack.Brewer helped the Maple Leafs win three Stanley Cups during his 604-game career primarily in the 1960s. He&rsquo;s also known for spearheading a successful pension lawsuit against the NHL on behalf of retired players in the 1990s. &#9632;

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NHLPA program to aid the needy

It was so refreshing to read Jay Greenberg&rsquo;s column slamming GM Neil Smith&rsquo;s ineptitude in rebuilding the New York Rangers (THN, Nov. 12).All summer I lamented the signing of all the wingers and defensemen as the Rangers were forgetting a vital ingredient-a No. 1 center)Rookie Mike York has played well, but it&rsquo;s not enough. Petr Nedved is productive, but works better with Mike Knuble than Theo Fleury. Manny Malhotra is a Tim Taylor clone and may never be more than a good checking center.How can Smith still have his job? After the botched Joe Murphy situation (another winger), it&rsquo;s surprising he wasn&rsquo;t called up on the carpet by team ownership.As a fan of no particular team-more of the NHL as a whole-it&rsquo;s upsetting to see a $59-million payroll go to waste due to the lack of a game plan.Hire an architect, Neil, you&rsquo;re running your team into the ground!Matt Barkoff,&nbsp;Vancouver<h2>Team Senator solid</h2>The Ottawa Senators have earned their high standing in hockey&rsquo;s hierarchy.The Sens define &ldquo;character&rdquo; better than Webster ever could. When they signed Joe Juneau to fill some of the offensive void left by Alexei Yashin&rsquo;s holdout, they didn&rsquo;t gain a player with Yashin&rsquo;s talent, but to these guys it didn&rsquo;t matter. They are a dying breed of hard working teammates.On the other hand, Yashin&rsquo;s last NHL action-a dismal playoff performance-matches his attitude. If owners of large-market NHL teams have any integrity, they will not scavenge on a small-market Canadian team. Instead, they should force Yashin to finish his career in a league more geared to his style. How about the &lsquo;I&rsquo;HL?Sure, the Senators could migrate south and maybe afford to sign egos like Yashin, but where is the pride in that? His demeanor would only tarnish the silver this squad is poised to hoist.As an American, I admire the Senators. As a long-time hockey fan, I fear their inevitable move to the U.S. will mean the extinction of the classic style of &ldquo;building&rdquo; a winner.Michael P. Garrett,&nbsp;Palmyra, Pa.<h2>If it ain&rsquo;t broke&hellip;</h2>The NHL is too concerned about marketing the game to people who really don&rsquo;t care about it. The league is alienating fans who love the game the way it is, fighting and all.Please, NHL: Don&rsquo;t insult true fans by making too many drastic changes.Scoring is down this past decade, but that&rsquo;s due to better conditioned goalies and improved team defense. I&rsquo;ve watched my share of &ldquo;old-time hockey&rdquo; games and the goaltending always seemed pretty weak. Give today&rsquo;s netminders credit, don&rsquo;t punish them for being too good.Leo Fruscione,&nbsp;Niles, III.<h2>Markov sparkles</h2>The biggest anomaly in your salary listing is Danny Markov&rsquo;s annual stipend of $211,250, third-lowest in the league (THN, Nov. 5).The Toronto Maple Leaf is becoming one of the better defensive defenseman in the NHL and plays with an unbridled enthusiasm that I wish were shared by others being paid much more.I believe Markov was being paid about the same amount last season and he certainly made a worthy contribution to the Leafs&rsquo; success.John G. Anagnost,&nbsp;Norwich, N. Y.<h2>Devils snowed</h2>Claude Lemieux for Brian Rolston?New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello must be joking. Why bring back an old, slow player whose best years are behind him and is now known for his cheap shots, not slapshots? Especially for Rolston, who is a rising star with better skills than Lemieux.Hey, Lou: Maybe you should take some of that money you refuse to pay your players and go see a psychiatrist.John Scott,&nbsp;Hoboken, N.J.<h2>Don&rsquo;t panic, eh</h2>Why is everyone condemning the talent of Canadian-born players?Look at the top 20 scorers in the NHL and count the Canadians-they account for nearly two-thirds of the league&rsquo;s highest scorers. Both the World Cup and 1998 Olympics were dominated by Canada until they ran into hot goalies. In Nagano, Canada outplayed the Czech Republic, but lost in a shootout, which isn&rsquo;t even a fundamental part of the game.Jerrad A. Peters,&nbsp;Killamey, Man.<h2>Give Passmore shot</h2>After watching a game between Chicago and Buffalo, I have to rant about Hawks&rsquo; goalie Jocelyn Thibault.When is he going to be ready to be a starter? The Hawks have played poorly in front of him, sure, but when Steve Passmore came on in relief against the Sabres, Chicago played with more inspiration. The Blackhawks should give Passmore the starting role. He gives the team energy and has played extremely well. I&rsquo;m not saying Thibault won&rsquo;t be a starter someday, but maybe he&rsquo;ll find his game again if he has to win back the starting job.Craig Coryell,&nbsp;Campbell, Calif. &#9632;

Rangers need architect, not Smith’s patchwork

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-011649/6942559-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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ELSTON

The concussion has been one of hockey&rsquo;s headline stories of the 1990s, forcing dozens of players out of the lineup for extended periods and pushing a handful into retirement.St. Louis Blues&rsquo; left winger Geoff Courtnall is the latest to call it a career, announcing his retirement Nov. 18 after sustaining two serious concussions in the past 11 months.Courtnall, who missed 4 &frac12; months last season because of post-concussion syndrome, still has symptoms after his most recent blow to the head, Oct. 16 from Bryan Berard of the Toronto Maple Leafs.&ldquo;Some days are fine, but some other days I don&rsquo;t feel so good,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I still have headaches and some dizziness.&rdquo;Courtnall, who will collect the last two years of his contract-$7 million-on a career-ending insurance policy, retired for the sake of his family, wife Penni and sons Adam, 12, and Justin, 10.&ldquo;1 want to be around to live the most important part of their lives and help them develop," he said. &ldquo;Just the concern of not being able to talk, or remember what I said, is very scary.&rdquo;Courtnall had 367 goals and 799 points in 1,048 games for five teams.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 Courtnall's helmet, which certainly isn&rsquo;t the reason for his con cussions, but acts as a symbol for what ended his career.Sept. 10 Ron Hextall's Goalie StickColorful goalie retiresSept. 24 QMJHL game summaryCharline Labonte starts in goalOct. 1 Ice Pack For Lorne MollekenBlack eye courtesy GM&rsquo;s punchOct. 8 Ruslan Salei&rsquo;s Rap SheetFour-time on-ice offenderOct. 15 1,000 PucksPierre Turgeon gets 1.000th pointOct. 22 Five Minutes Exciting Hockey4-on-4 OT receives rave reviewsOct. 29 Canadian DollarFinancial aid approved for SensNov. 5 Firewagon HockeyHabs miss Flying Frenchmen daysNov. 12 Alexei Yashin's ContractStill valid for one more seasonNov. 19 Geoff Courtnall&rsquo;s HelmetConcussion woes force retirement &#9632;

THN's Millennium TIME CAPSULE

<div class="byline">By Mike Gibb </div><div class="byline">Staff Writer</div>He looks young enough to get carded at bars, but Chris Osgood has been around since wayne Gretzky was a King. And he&rsquo;s on pace to become one of the most successful goalies ever.With 176 wins, the Detroit Red Wing stopper is climbing the all-time wins&rsquo; chart, he stands 57th, and he likely still has the majority of his career ahead of him. He may even surpass Hall-of-Famer Terry Sawchuk, who currently holds the benchmark for goaltender success with 447 career victories. At the same point in his career, Sawchuk had 221 wins.Osgood will have to stay healthy and continue playing with a winning team, but he has set his sights on becoming the winningest goalie in NHL history. For him, more than 500 career wins isn&rsquo;t out of the question.&ldquo;I think I am one of the best goalies in the league,&rdquo; Osgood said. &ldquo;I think I can reach those numbers and I look forward to doing that.&rdquo;Despite his youthful appearance, Osgood, 27, is in his seventh NHL season. He was leading the NHL in wins with a 10-1-3 record this season, was second with a 1.84 goals-against average and had a .920 save percentage. His 10 wins were more than 19 other NHL teams. Despite his .668 career winning percentage, the best of any active netminder and second in NHL history behind Ken Dryden&rsquo;s .758, Osgood&rsquo;s career hasn&rsquo;t exactly been a fairy tale since he was drafted 54th overall by Detroit in 1991.His giveaway in a 1993-94 playoff series against the San Jose Sharks-Osgood&rsquo;s rookie season with the Wings-led to his team&rsquo;s elimination. And in two of the next four playoffs, Osgood sat while Mike Vernon guided the Wings to the final in 1995 and to their first Stanley Cup in 42 years in 1997. And he is dogged by a reputation for surrendering soft goals.Vernon was traded during the 1997 off-season and Osgood finally proved he could take a team to the top when the Wings won their second straight Cup the next season.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-011705/6942614-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="743" height="1238"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Osgood believes 500 wins is attainable.</figcaption></div>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way we would have won the Stanley Cup if he didn&rsquo;t play the way he played,&rdquo; said Wings&rsquo; GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;All he does is rattle off wins.&ldquo;Some other goaltenders are on teams where they need to be the first star to win games. Here, Chris just goes about his business.&rdquo;Vernon and Osgood have remained close since the former&rsquo;s trade to the San Jose Sharks.&ldquo;Everybody says how quiet he is, but he chews my ear off pretty good,&rdquo; Vernon said. &ldquo;He and I have a good rapport.&rdquo;Osgood, in fact, is the picture of calm and confidence on and off the ice, a technically sound goalie who is also capable of pulling off an acrobatic save.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s so solid,&rdquo; said veteran goalie Ken Wregget, who signed with the Wings as a free agent during the off-season. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s good lining himself up and getting into position. His composure is something else; it makes him what he is. He doesn&rsquo;t get rattled.&rdquo;Osgood-who is in the final year of a contract paying him $2.2 million-is aware of what opportunities lie ahead. He knows he has the chance to leave a profound stamp on the game, something he dared only dream a few years ago. He wants to exit the game with more wins than any other NHL goalie in history.But Osgood is not alone in his pursuit of Sawchuk&rsquo;s lofty heights. Colorado Avalanche star Patrick Roy, 34, had 418 wins and New Jersey Devils&rsquo; netminder Martin Brodeur, 27, has 210 career wins, 24 more than Osgood.&ldquo;I just try to make a difference every time I play,&rdquo; Osgood said. &ldquo;I want to be the guy who gives our team a chance to win.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t focus on (career numbers), but I want to be in that position. Everybody wants to be known as the best. I&rsquo;m fortunate to be in this situation and I have to take advantage. I want to win as many games as possible. I&rsquo;ve accomplished a lot, but I still have a long way to go.&rdquo; &#9632;

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Osgood keeps on winning

<div class="byline">By Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-011616/6942652-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="363" height="517"></div>As good as it is, the state of the game could be so much better.What&rsquo;s wrong? Start with a feeder system that encourages wins and systems over development and skill. Look at the rising ratio of grinders to pure scorers. Yield to Cherry-esque xenophobia and blame those girly-man, never-drop-the-gloves Europeans and their fancy moves for taking more and more roster spots that should go to hardworking locals, from the NHL down to the youth level.You&rsquo;ve heard it all before, except we&rsquo;re not talking Canada. This is about U.S. hockey, America&rsquo;s pastime from the end of The Masters to the National Basketball Association conference final, especially every year Wayne Gretzky retires. It&rsquo;s always No. 4 and always hoping for more.Despite the boom in facilities-expect every Starbucks to come with its own ice surface by 2001-arena quantity has failed to translate into player quality. The percentage of American-born NHLers is down from 17.9 per cent five years ago to 16 per cent this season, although raw numbers have increased with expansion. Unlike the fall-off that has produced indigestion and indignation north of the border, the United States has held its own demographically.For a general populace whose introduction to hockey came via Herb Brooks and Al Michaels less than two decades ago, growth has been solid. Who thought about a National Car Rental Arena back then? Or that that the Stanley Cup would have a chicken-fried, jalapeno flavor some day?Just one problem: The exponential growth of U.S. franchises hasn&rsquo;t been joined by a corresponding increase in top talent.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re an A for getting the game to so many young players and even senior players, boys and girls, men and women who enjoy the game,&rdquo; said Doug Palazzari, executive director of USA Hockey. &ldquo;On the elite level, we&rsquo;re not doing as well. We&rsquo;re a B-minus shooting for an A-plus.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not satisfied with 16 per cent in the NHL.&rdquo;To its credit, USA Hockey has been proactive and has the advantage of being able to make moves without threatening a century-old tradition ingrained in a nation&rsquo;s self-worth.A national team program was started up in Ann Arbor, Mich., with NCAA-winner Jeff Jackson as coach. The effect is being felt more in the NHL entry draft and in development than in international hardware, although no one doubts it&rsquo;s a great start. For all the tarnish created by the 1998 U.S. Olympic team, America can ice a 20-man squad equal to any team in the world on paper. The next 20? Better than most breakaway Soviet republics.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021132/6942645-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="850" height="1230"><figcaption class="caption-body">Chris Chelios sees burnout as a problem in the U.S. (Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk, John LeClair, they&rsquo;re as good as anybody in the league-but they&rsquo;re individual players,&rdquo; Palazzari said. &ldquo;How many Wayne Gretzkys or Bobby Orrs are there? Would we love to have an American with some of the presence of those gentlemen? Of course. We&rsquo;re also pretty proud of what we have.&rdquo;The problem is quantity. People have been waiting for the Next Great Wave of American hockey players for almost as long as California has waited for the Big One.Maybe the introduction of hockey to Florida, Texas and California on a youth level will see a payoff come 2010. Maybe all those Sunbelt roller hockey gods will find their way to the rink. The solutions go deeper.As Scotty Bowman and many others have pointed out, great athletes in the U.S. grow up with choices that seldom include hockey. On a normal young American&rsquo;s priority list, hockey ranks behind football, basketball, baseball, Pokemon trainer and personal assistant to Jennifer Love Hewitt.Keeping players is even harder. As hockey writer Kevin Allen once aptly noted, it ain&rsquo;t easy to love hockey in the U.S. There are terrible hours, horrific travel and budget-crushing expenses&ndash;and that&rsquo;s just getting to the rink, an accessibility problem much different than in Canada. Beside the &ldquo;hockey pockets&rdquo; of Minnesota, Michigan and Massachusetts, the rest of the country is in its infancy.&ldquo;Outside from a few states, it&rsquo;s not the greatest coaching in the world,&rdquo; said Chicago-born defenseman Chris Chelios, whose two young sons are immersed in hockey. &ldquo;Even in Chicago and Detroit, they take it so seriously, sometimes the kids bum out at 15 and 16.&rdquo;USA Hockey is equally aware of the need for education, although its jurisdiction is limited. Plus, they&rsquo;re busy fighting battles on other fronts.A pending proposal that would open the door for major junior players to join NCAA programs would gut American opportunities at the wrong time. An influx of major junior graduates would occupy valuable roster spots otherwise filled by U.S. prospects. Rest assured, the NCAA wouldn&rsquo;t wreak havoc with college football in this way.Until the United States decides to treat hockey as more than just an attempt by Americans to play someone else&rsquo;s game, its boosters may have to five with small victories and the hope of something more-someday. &#9632;

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COLUMNS

U.S. still waiting for player boom

<div class="byline">By Wayne Karl</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-011678/6942683-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">(Jim Mclsaac/BBS)</figcaption></div>Being first is rarely easy. Just ask Alyn McCauley of the Toronto Maple Leafs.&lsquo;I feel like an outcast, a different-looking player out there,&rdquo; he said, only half joking, after making history Oct. 30 when he became the first NHLer to wear a hockey helmet made with the same technology used in Formula One racing helmets.McCauley can live with a little self-consciousness, however, as long as it means playing hockey again. He returned to the Leafs&rsquo; lineup four games into this season after a concussion sustained in a game last March 3 ended his 1998-99 campaign and threatened his career. But after a summer of rest and a battery of tests, McCauley rejoined the Leafs Oct. 9. He played eight games in a more protective CCM helmet, but switched to a new, one-piece molded helmet from Mission Hockey, called the Carbster, when it received Canadian Standards Association approval in late October.&ldquo;I was prepared to wear the most protective helmet this year,&rdquo; said the 22-year-old center. &ldquo;As it turns out, this is it.&rdquo;Made from carbon fiber and Kevlar composite materials, the Carbster is about 30 per cent lighter and 40 per cent more protective than comparable models, according to Santa Ana., Calif.-based Mission. Since the helmet is a molded shell, it fits more securely on a player&rsquo;s head. And a new padding system comprising high density expanded polypropylene material helps absorb blows that could lead to head injuries.High-tech jargon aside, the helmet has given McCauley peace of mind. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gotten bumped pretty hard and I feel very safe,&rdquo; he said, just days before St. Louis Blue Geoff Courtnail retired after suffering a second concussion in less than a year.The Carbster now awaits a green light from the Hockey Equipment Certification Council, the safety standards testing body in the U.S. Once approved, six or eight other NHLers will don the helmet, according to Rick Dobrowski, Mission&rsquo;s marketing manager.Composite one-piece molded helmets represent a step forward in head protection.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good material to work with,&rdquo; said Brian Papineau, head equipment manager for the Leafs. &ldquo;It tests well on impact and a one-piece helmet is an advantage. With a two-piece helmet, there&rsquo;s more of a chance, on impact, of quite a bit of force going through to the head. Two pieces do not absorb as well as one.&rdquo;Despite the safety advances, the success of helmets such as the Carbster may depend on peripheral issues. One potential obstacle is human vanity. Players are apt to perform better if they feel comfortable and part of that comfort comes from how they look.&ldquo;Well, that&rsquo;s the one thing&hellip;&rdquo; said McCauley with a chuckle, when asked whether the Carbster passes the mirror test. The Carbster is slightly larger than the CCM or Bauer helmets worn by most NHLers. The back drops lower behind the ears and has a rounder cut to fit the contour of the neck.Another issue is, despite instituting a rule two years ago that players 25 or younger must wear CSA-approved helmets, the league cannot force players to protect themselves. Many still sport ill-fitting helmets that fly off after even light or moderate collisions.Further complicating matters is the role helmets play in protecting against concussions is not completely understood and, therefore, it&rsquo;s not known whether high-tech headgear serves its purpose.&ldquo;No one knows the answer to that question,&rdquo; said Dr. Charles Burke, team physician with the Pittsburgh Penguins and chairman of an NHL committee studying post-concussion syndrome. &ldquo;Until we can establish the helmet plays a significant role in the prevention of concussions, then there&rsquo;s no reason to look at whether a different helmet is going to help at all.&rdquo;Still, composite helmets are a growing trend. Montreal&rsquo;s The Hockey Company, the NHL&rsquo;s top helmet supplier with its CCM and Jofa brands, has begun development in this area. And Easton Sports Inc. of Van Nuys, Calif., which currently does not make helmets, is mapping out a composite strategy.The challenge for these companies is to develop composites that offer better protection, but can also be made and marketed at reasonable cost. The manufacturing process is more expensive and this means high retail prices&mdash;in Mission&rsquo;s case, as much as $149 (U.S.) for the Carbster.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very, very tough sell from a marketing perspective to get people to spend the money on that type of helmet,&rdquo; said Daniel Rolfe, business unit manager at The Hockey Company.&ldquo;Yes, we can build it. But are you going to get (manufacturers) to dole out half-a-million dollars (in development costs) that will take 20 years to recoup?&rdquo; These challenges aside, for players such as McCauley, the choice is easy.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s too bad there&rsquo;s a lot of injured players out there now with concussions,&rdquo; McCauley said. &ldquo;Hopefully, it won&rsquo;t have to come to the point it did for me to wear this one. But if that&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s going to take, I think you&rsquo;ll see more players with these helmets eventually.&rdquo;Wayne Karl is editor of Hockey Business News, a publication of The Hockey News. &#9632;

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Helmet offers hope

<div class="byline">Mark Brennan </div><div class="byline">Equipment Manager</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021236/6942714-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="283" height="332"></div>If you scan the injury lists of NHL teams, you&rsquo;ll find a lot of separated shoulders and sore knees and bad groins, but you won&rsquo;t find anybody with lace bite.Nobody who will admit it anyway. But, it might be the most common ailment in NHL dressing rooms. Players tie their skates too tight day after day or they come back to camp from a summer of relative inactivity and suddenly, they&rsquo;ve got a sore at the top of their ankle. Lace bite, they call it.&ldquo;The pressure from the laces cuts into the tendons on the top of the foot,&rdquo; said Florida Panthers&rsquo; equipment manager Mark Brennan, who&rsquo;s kept busy handing out protection so players can handle the pain. Without it, it&rsquo;s agony doing up skates.&ldquo;You hear about lace bite that never goes away. Sometimes you can have half the team suffering from it. It usually hits a player on the top three laces of the skate,&rdquo; said Brennan, who fortunately doesn&rsquo;t have to rig up any foam or special inserts in the skates. &ldquo;We can change the tongues in the skates for guys but we also have a great little thing&hellip;gel packs that are attached to the inside of a nylon sock.&rdquo;Brennan is never surprised when he sees lace bite. &ldquo;With the level of play and hard as they skate and as much as they skate it happens. It has been around for a long time. People just don't know it. We had the same problem years ago when people were talking about &lsquo;gunk&rsquo;, the rash players got from wearing (sweaty) equipment. Now that equipment is synthetic, you don&rsquo;t find it.&rdquo;But lace bite is as much a part of the dressing room as water bottles. &ldquo;We have guys who are using the gel packs right off the hop&hellip;guys like Lance Pitlick, even before they develop the problem,&rdquo; said Brennan. &lsquo;The packs are great. You can probably wear one a whole season. You pull the nylon sock over your regular sock.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0010-02

FROM THE FLORIDA PITCHERS’ LOCKER ROOM:

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021309/6942811-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="285" height="255"></div><h2>Anaheim</h2>1 Drafting of Paul Kariya. Imagine if the Ducks had taken Viktor Kozlov or Rob Niedermayer. 2 Trading for Teemu Selanne. A steal, especially now that Oleg Tverdovsky is back anyway. 3 Pavel Trnka and Niclas Havelid Vr Who? Defensive depth is this season&rsquo;s biggest difference.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-03850/6942804-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="337" height="211"></div><h2>Dallas</h2>1 Signing netminder Ed Belfour as an unrestricted free agent in summer of 1997. 2 Trading top prospect Jarome Iginla for veteran center Joe Nieuwendyk. 3 Having the depth to hang tough through an incredible run of early-season injuries.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04494/6942797-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="233" height="240"></div><h2>Los Angeles</h2>1 Rob Blake&rsquo;s good health (knock wood). When healthy, he&rsquo;s as dominant a D-man as there is. 2 Upgrades in skill (trading for Ziggy Palffy) and systems (naming Andy Murray coach) 3 Addition of Frantisek Kaberle boosts the power play and overall blueline mobility.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-05354/6942790-1-eng-US/f0012-052.jpg" title="f0012-05" width="247" height="271"></div><h2>Phoenix</h2>1 Last year&rsquo;s renegotiation gets Keith Tkachuk into fold and in right frame of mind. 2 Hiring coach Bob Francis, who has Coyotes playing less risky, stronger positional game. 3 Trading for and signing defensive defenseman Keith Carney to complement blueline rushers.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-06291/6942783-1-eng-US/f0012-062.jpg" title="f0012-06" width="257" height="250"></div><h2>San Jose</h2>1 Signing of Vincent Damphousse bolsters top unit and re-energizes Owen Nolan. 2 Revamped goaltending battery with rising star Steve Shields and veteran Mike Vernon. 3 Added depth allows Mike Ricci to be checker, establishing identity/spirit that epitomizes team. &#9632;

f0012-02

Here’s Why Tides Have Turned In Pacific Division

<div class="byline">By Bob McKenzie </div><div class="byline">Associate Editor</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-011638/6942752-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">Teemu Selanne Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>Welcome to Pacific Heights, the NHL&rsquo;s most exclusive new neighborhood.Visitors are welcome, but understand at least a .500 record is required to take up residence.And remember, you enter at your own risk. Because as affluent as this gated community is-four of its five residents are top 10 in NHL payrolls and Phoenix would be, too, if restricted free agent goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was under contract-there is no shortage of perils on the streets and back alleys of Pacific Heights.There are, for instance, no speed limits. To see a late-model Selanne or Kariya or Friesen or Modano race by you can be unnerving, to say the least.Head-on collisions are not uncommon, especially when the big Blake truck gets rolling.And we must forewarn you of the potential for gang warfare. As bright and sunny and warm as Pacific Heights is-it is home to the NHL&rsquo;s most temperate climate-it often gets nasty on the mean streets, what with the Hatcher gang taking on the Roenick gang, or the Hatcher gang doing battle with the Marchment gang, or the Hatcher gang going after that careless driver Salei, who is still learning the rules of the road. You might say the Hatcher gang is a big concern in Pacific Heights.It&rsquo;s also wise to be wary of the wildlife&ndash;the muscular waterfowl and the desert dogs, to say nothing of what lurks beneath the deep, teal sea.But it is also home to Stars and Kings. Venerable Stanley and Conn, too, recently took up residence there. So, too, did the President (two of them, actually), which makes this a prizewinning, trophy community.Welcome to Pacific Heights.The NHL&rsquo;s 1999-2000 season was almost one-quarter over and the 13-9-2-1 San Jose Sharks were first overall. Right behind them were the surprising 12-5-4-0 Los Angeles Kings. The 11-6-3-0 Phoenix Coyotes were battling for a top 10 spot overall, while both the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (9-9-2-1) and injury-riddled defending Cup-champion Dallas Stars (8-8-3-0) were maintaining .500 records.It would be easy to say no one loses in the five-team Pacific Division of the NHL&rsquo;s Western Conference, but that will be better judged in April, when we&rsquo;ll discover if it&rsquo;s possible in today&rsquo;s NHL for five teams in the same division to all qualify for post-season play.&ldquo;Its early, too early to tell, but I think there&rsquo;s a good chance of that." said Los Angeles Kings&rsquo; rookie coach Andy Murray. &ldquo;It MM won't be easy. I think. what with three-point games this year, it will take 90 points to make the playoffs, but there's a good chance all five IM Pacific Division 11 teams will be there.&rdquo;If they don&rsquo;t kill each other first.Not since the old Patrick Division in the 80-game 1987-88 season have five teams in the same division finished above .500. That year the New York Islanders had 88 points, the Washington Capitals 85, Philadelphia Flyers 85, New Jersey Devils 82, New York Rangers 82 and Pittsburgh Penguins 81.If the NHL&rsquo;s Western Conference is superior to the Eastern&ndash;and it is-then the Pacific Division is clearly the best of the West. Just look at the Pacific teams&rsquo; combined record against other divisions-39-23-14-2, a .618 winning percentage. The only other division over .500 is a Western cousin, the Central, at 29-23-7-2 (.568).&ldquo;It used to be a one-pack-a-day division,&rdquo; said Dean Lombardi, San Jose&rsquo;s smoking GM. &ldquo;Now, it&rsquo;s definitely a two-pack-a-day division.&rdquo;What happened? Is it coincidence? Or are greater forces at work here?It&rsquo;s a combination of a number of factors. Anaheim and San Jose, expansion entries born in the 1990s, are coming of age after reaping the benefits of quality draft positioning. When the Jets left Winnipeg for Phoenix, they were a young but talented team. Now they&rsquo;re maturing. Los Angeles has always had its ups and downs and Dallas has been good for some time now.And that latter point cannot be ignored in explaining the Pacific Division phenomenon.&ldquo;The Stars are the Cup champions and back-to-back winners of the President&rsquo;s Trophy," Lombardi said. &ldquo;Even though they&rsquo;re having trouble now because of injuries, these guys aren&rsquo;t going away any time soon. The core of their team is between 25 and 30 and there&rsquo;s no reason to believe they won&rsquo;t be able to keep that group together. If we&rsquo;re going to be successful in this league, we have to be successful against the best team. We have no choice but to get better.&rdquo;Los Angeles GM Dave Taylor concurs. But it&rsquo;s not just the Stars, he said, that pose a threat. It&rsquo;s every team in the division.&ldquo;We finished 12 or 13 games below .500 last season,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t have to look far to see why. We were 0-6 against Dallas, 1-5 against Anaheim and the same (1-5) against Phoenix. San Jose was the only team in the division we had a winning record (3-2-1) against. If you can compete in this division, you can compete with anybody.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s eat or be eaten. And what a joy it is to watch the Pacific teams gnaw on each other. Not only is it the best division in the NHL, it is the most entertaining.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s more skating and less trapping in the West than the East,&rdquo; said Sharks&rsquo; center Vincent Damphousse, who came over last season from the Montreal Canadiens. &ldquo;And within the West, our division is unbelievably fast. Every team can skate.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011530/6942745-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="1447" height="1382"><figcaption class="caption-body">The Kings are making waves in the Pacific thanks in big part to newcomer Ziggy Palffy. (J. Russell/BBS)</figcaption></div>They are as skilled as they are fast.&ldquo;You could see a team like Los Angeles felt it had to get more skill,&rdquo; said Anaheim speedster Teemu Selanne. &ldquo;So they traded for (Ziggy) Palffy and now look at them. They&rsquo;re exciting, they&rsquo;re confident, they&rsquo;re clicking.&rdquo;But as fast as the Sharks, Kings, Coyotes, Ducks and Stars may be, the underlying quality of the division is how hard they play, how bitterly they contest each game.&ldquo;Getting two points from a team in this division is Uke going to war,&rdquo; said Coyotes&rsquo; veteran winger Rick Tocchet. &ldquo;This division has a lot of personality. Think of all the incidents between the teams.&rdquo;Like two years ago, when San Jose&rsquo;s Bryan Marchment erased Dallas&rsquo; Joe Nieuwendyk minutes into the playoffs. Last season, Phoenix&rsquo;s Jeremy Roenick took out Dallas&rsquo; Mike Modano. And Dallas&rsquo; Derian Hatcher took out Roenick. This year, Anaheim&rsquo;s Ruslan Salei hit Modano from behind, Pascal Trepanier hit Nieuwendyk from behind and Jim McKenzie pounded Darryl Sydor. The bad blood goes on and on.The Stars have wicked rivalries with the Ducks, Coyotes and Sharks and vice versa. The Coyotes and Ducks don&rsquo;t get along.. Neither do the Kings and Ducks.As we all know from our 1980s experiences-Calgary-Edmonton, New York-New York, Montreal-Quebec, Detroit-Chicago, Montreal-Boston-bitter rivalries make for the best And Pacific Division hockey is nothing if not bitter.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very emotional hockey,&rdquo; said Stars&rsquo; coach Ken Hitchcock. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a real edge to it. It&rsquo;s fast and it&rsquo;s skilled, too, but it&rsquo;s not as wide open as some people might think.&rdquo;Indeed, Pacific teams are undergoing a metamorphosis. Beyond Kariya and Selanne, the Ducks play a grinding, defensive game. For all the glitter of Ziggy&rsquo;s stardust in L.A., the Kings&rsquo; strength is in net and on the blueline. Phoenix, under new coach Bob Francis, is playing a strong positional game, but still allows Keith Tkachuk and Roenick to do their thing. San Jose, perhaps the fastest team in the league, has developed some patience and added maturity to its game.But according to Kings&rsquo; coach Murray, team speed can&rsquo;t be overlooked.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m new to this (division), but I see everything flowing from speed and skating,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;The teams&rsquo; speed allows them to play an aggressive forechecking game, the defense are all so mobile. There&rsquo;s not much sitting back in this division. It&rsquo;s a mindset.&rdquo;It would be all the more entertaining if it were being played on better ice. The Pacific Division, a.k.a. the Sunbelt Division, is also home to some of the worst ice in the league.&ldquo;San Jose is probably the best and it&rsquo;s only okay,&rdquo; Selanne said. &ldquo;Our ice in Anaheim is terrible. Ten minutes on it and you can&rsquo;t do anything with the puck. Ice is a big problem and not just in the warm places. Toronto&rsquo;s ice is maybe the worst.&rdquo;The Sharks, like the Stars, are in the process of installing dehumidifiers to try to improve ice quality. That can be costly, but a good investment, figures Lombardi. &ldquo;In baseball, they manicure and tailor the infield to suit the type of team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Well, we&rsquo;re a skating team, let&rsquo;s tailor our ice.&rdquo;Money is always an issue in today&rsquo;s game, but Damphousse sees financial considerations as one reason why the Pacific Division could maintain its standing as the NHL&rsquo;s most competitive for some time. Dallas is fourth in league payrolls, San Jose sixth, Anaheim eighth, L.A. ninth and Phoenix 16th.&ldquo;These aren&rsquo;t markets that are going to allow their free agents to leave,&rdquo; Damphousse said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re not small markets and they&rsquo;re not worried about Canadian (currency) problems. And because the weather is nice and there are good places to live, free agents are going to want to play for these teams.&rdquo;Welcome to Pacific Heights.<div class="sidebar"><h2>West Coast dominates</h2>Pacific Division teams were a collective 16 games over .500 as of Nov. 18. The Central Division was plus-six, the Northeast even and the remaining three divisions all well below the .500 mark. The Southeast and Northwest were each a combined seven games under and the Atlantic, eight games below the break-even mark. &#9632;</div>

f0012-01

PACIFIC POWER

<div class="byline">By Mike Brophy </div><div class="byline">Senior Writer</div>BUFFALO-Marty Biron will never forget the Christmas turkey he served up in 1995.It was the day after Christmas in Pittsburgh and the netminder allowed four goals against the Penguins in the first period of his NHL debut.&ldquo;It was awful,&rdquo; Biron recalled. &ldquo;The first thing I know, Petr Nedved is coming in on me. I dropped down low and, zing, he fires one over my shoulder. I thought to myself, &lsquo;Oh oh.&rsquo;&ldquo;Then the puck is behind the net and our defenseman shoots it around the boards to clear it. I hug the post looking one way, but I didn&rsquo;t know the puck had hit somebody and had come out the other side. By the time I turned the other way, it was in the net. Now I&rsquo;m thinking, &lsquo;What have I got myself into?&rsquo;&rdquo;As the Lac St. Charles, Que., native talks, he is re-enacting the plays. Which, if you&rsquo;ve ever seen a skinny kid hopping around in long underwear and a t-shirt, is great eye candy.Biron, 22, can afford to poke fun at himself these days. He is well on the way to establishing himself as Dominik Hasek&rsquo;s heir apparent. Biron has played a key role in stopping a Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; freefall that began June 19 when Brett Hull scored the controversial Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Dallas Stars in the third overtime period of Game 6.From that day forward, it has been mostly bad news for the Sabres as, in order, Hasek announced his plans to retire following this season; seven free agents missed all or most of training camp; and then Hasek got off to a dreadful start before re-injuring his groin and going on the injured list until at least the new year.So rather than build on the momentum of making it to the final, the Sabres went into the tank, stumbling to a 1-6-2-0 record to start the season.Enter Biron, who was summoned from Rochester of the American League where he had a 6-0-0 record this season. He quickly established himself as a contender for rookie of the year and supplanted backup Dwayne Roloson as the starting goalie by carving out a 6-3-0 record and 2.88 goals-against average.Biron&rsquo;s emergence has helped loosen shirt collars in what had become a gloomy dressing room.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a fun atmosphere now,&rdquo; said Biron, just one day after being announced as the NHL&rsquo;s player of the week following a 3-0-0 stretch through Nov. 7. &ldquo;When I first came up, the atmosphere was a little tight. If you walked into the room, you could sense things were not well. Now the players are starting to clown around again.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-011627/6942842-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="677" height="824"><figcaption class="caption-body">Marty Biron is an early Calder candidate. (Bruce Benet Studios)</figcaption></div>Biron likes to tell people Hasek got his big break in Buffalo when he filled in for an injured Grant Fuhr. Hasek was never a backup again and Fuhr became trade bait. Biron isn&rsquo;t saying his arrival means the Sabres will get rid of the best goalie in the world, only that this is his chance to shine. And despite back-to-back sub-par performances against the Tampa Bay Lightning Nov. 12 (4-2 loss) and Pittsburgh Nov. 16 (pulled in first period after giving up three goals), Biron&rsquo;s upbeat persona wasn&rsquo;t shaken&ndash;and neither was his teammates&rsquo; faith in his ability.&ldquo;When he first got here, I was surprised how loose he was,&rdquo; said veteran defenseman James Patrick. &ldquo;With Dom in net, you always knew if you made a mistake and gave the other team a chance, Dom would stop them. It was the same with Marty. He came up big for us.&rdquo;Drafted 16th overall in 1995 after being named Canadian major junior goalie of the year, Biron played two more years in the Quebec League and spent his first pro season (1997-98) in Rochester, where he won just 16 games on a weak team.Last season, he was the AHL goalie of the year with a 36-13-3 record, league-leading 2.07 GAA and six shutouts. Biron followed that up with a great training camp. He outplayed Roloson, but the Sabres went with the veteran backup, figuring Hasek would be good for 60-plus starts and Biron would benefit from game action in the minors.Biron, who stands 6-foot-l and weighs just 150 pounds, is different from many of the QMJHL grads who position their legs in a &lsquo;V&rsquo; and drop to the ice. He is more inclined to square himself to the shooter and remain upright.And he likes to get involved in the play.&ldquo;I try to get him to limit his wandering,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; coach Lindy Ruff. "But he handles the puck better than Dom, so you don&rsquo;t want to discourage that part of his game. He can get the puck out of our zone by firing it off the glass.&rdquo;Who knows what will happen this year. If Hasek sticks to his retirement promise, the Sabres might, at some point, consider moving him to a contender to at least get an asset in return. If Hasek returns and carries the team through the playoffs, Biron will again take a back seat. &#9632;

f0014-01

Biron Sabres’ saving grace

<div class="byline">By Mike Gibb</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011498/6942880-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="362" height="515"></div>Zen and the art of playing defense in the NHL. That&rsquo;s how Tomas Kaberle, the 21-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs&rsquo; blueliner, has emerged as one of the league&rsquo;s best young defensemen-on the strength of mind more than muscle.&ldquo;There is no panic, no stress in his game,&rdquo; said Toronto assistant coach Alpo Suhonen. &ldquo;He can hang onto the puck, he never panics. It&rsquo;s a combination of being relaxed and being intense. It&rsquo;s a paradox, really. You might be able to develop that, but it&rsquo;s more of an emotional state."Whether Kaberle&rsquo;s play is paradoxical or paranormal, Leafs&rsquo; coach-GM Pat Quinn thinks his most oft-used defenseman&rsquo;s play has been a lot like the surface the Leafs skate on.&ldquo;Genetically, some people seem to have that cool displacement, but I also think you learn it,&rdquo; Quinn says. &ldquo;You gain confidence in how you handle the puck. When your physical skills give you other freedoms, I think you can learn to be cool in situations because your physical skills let you evade and escape. He has learned he can take one more step or hold (the puck) one more second and that&rsquo;s what gives the appearance of coolness.&rdquo;Kaberle has the ability, or instinct, to keep the puck until the last moment before making a pass. Instead of reacting to what defenders give him, Kaberle waits until he sees what he wants, forcing defenders to react to his patience, before making a move.&ldquo;If I didn&rsquo;t know him and I played against him, I&rsquo;d never think he was in just his second year,&rdquo; said Dmitry Yushkevich, Kaberle&rsquo;s defense partner.Kaberle, who idolized Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey while growing up in the Czech Republic, was the 72nd defenseman drafted (204th overall) in 1996. While he was definitely a find in the seventh round, there were other solid defensemen who exceeded expectations that year, notably Derek Morris (13th overall, Calgary Hames), Tom Poti (59th, Edmonton Oilers) and Pavel Kubina (179th, Tampa Bay Lightning) drafted ahead of Kaberle and one selected after him, Sami Salo of the Ottawa Senators (236th).At his first rookie camp with the Leafs last fall, he wasn&rsquo;t even extended an invitation to the main camp until Quinn and the rest of the staff witnessed Kaberle&rsquo;s poise and puck smarts. He finished his inaugural season with four goals and 22 points and was plus-3.Kaberle, 21, averaged 23:05 of ice time per game over the first 21 games this season, more than any other Leaf-all at the bargain basement price of $234,000 (U.S.).His potential, when coupled with his increased role on the team, has Quinn thinking there may be some hardware in store for Kaberle in his career. It is Quinn who brings up the Norris Trophy first when talking about Kaberle, saying the blueliner&rsquo;s offensive skills will one day earn him attention from not only opposing teams, but Norris voters.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not in that category today,&rdquo; Quinn says. &ldquo;But if he continues to grow, absolutely. The Norris often goes to the point-getters and he has the capability of amassing some points.&rdquo;This season, kaberle had four goals and eight points in 21 games and was the second-highest scoring defenseman on the team, behind Bryan Berard (one goal and nine points in 19 games).The pair, along with Danny Markov, form an impressive nucleus of young blueliners for Toronto. Kaberle and Markov were unproven rookies at the start of last season and Berard didn&rsquo;t become a Leaf until he was acquired from the New York Islanders last January.&ldquo;Maybe he&rsquo;s not flashy,&rdquo; said Suhonen of Kaberle. &ldquo;But he sure can decide the game. He can make the difference offensively.&rdquo;Kaberle is a sponge, trying to soak up as much information as possible. He knows he has to work more on the defensive aspect of his game, that sometimes his instincts get him into trouble.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021045/6942873-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="364" height="511"><figcaption class="caption-body">Tomas Kaberle</figcaption></div>&ldquo;Kabby is so very offensive, sometimes he gets a bit out of position,&rdquo; Yushkevich said. &ldquo;He can&rsquo;t handle the puck all the time. He has to make the easy plays.&rdquo;Kaberle&rsquo;s instincts cost his team at least one point Nov. 17. In the last minute of a 2-2 game against St. Louis, he tried to keep the puck in the Blues&rsquo; zone instead of retreating. St. Louis&rsquo; Pierre Turgeon chipped the puck past him&mdash;-creating a 2-on-l&ndash;and set up Terry Yake for the winner. Kaberle looked near tears afterwards. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll make sure (that mistake) doesn&rsquo;t happen again,&rdquo; he said.But in the heat of the moment after losing a tough game, Quinn admitted he talked with his coaching staff about reducing Kaberle&rsquo;s minutes and responsibilities.In the big picture, Kaberle&rsquo;s mistake in judgement was minor and may prove yet to be a positive, reminding the young rearguard when to gamble and when to play it safe. He remains a big part of the Leafs&rsquo; future and has drawn favorable comparisons to the all-around game of Phoenix Coyotes&rsquo; defenseman Teppo Numminen.Zen and the art of playing defense in the NHL is still a work in progress, but the early reviews indicate it could be a classic. &#9632;

f0015-01

Cool Kaberle has star potential

<div class="byline">By Szymon Szemberg</div>The Sedins are not the players they used to be.They&rsquo;re better.&ldquo;We are definitely more relaxed this season,&rdquo; said Daniel, a goal-scoring left winger for MoDo of the Swedish Elite League. &ldquo;Last year, we were a little anxious about losing our regular spots. This year we feel more comfortable holding onto the puck.&rdquo;As usual, twin brother Henrik agrees, but puts it in slightly different words. &ldquo;One year ago we were going on pure enthusiasm,&rdquo; said Henrik, a playmaking center. &ldquo;This season we have shown much more maturity.&rdquo;The Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; top junior-aged prospects, the Sedins are scoring at a higher rate than last season. Daniel led MoDo with eight goals and 20 points in 19 games, while Henrik was third in team scoring with six goals and 17 points. Projected over a 50-game season, Daniel would finish with 21 goals and 53 points, Henrik with 16 and 45. Last season, Daniel had 21 goals and 42 points in 50 games and Henrik had 12 goals and 34 points in 49 games.&ldquo;Physically, we are stronger than last season,&rdquo; Daniel said. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t do extra workouts in order to prepare for the NHL. It is simply a matter of being one year older and one year stronger.&rdquo;Henrik, selected third overall in the 1999 draft-one spot behind Daniel-said thoughts of the NHL are still distant at this point.&ldquo;Our focus right now is on MoDo and the World Junior (Championship), nothing else,&rdquo; he said.MoDo coach Per Backman is happy with the performance of his two young stars, but said the a twins should have used the off-season to develop more strength.&ldquo;But they didn&rsquo;t have the time, they were going back and forth to North America all summer,&rdquo; Backman said. &ldquo;They would have had even higher potential if they had stayed home and worked out.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011412/6942911-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="947" height="870"><figcaption class="caption-body">Henrik SedinDaniel Sedin (Bruce Bennett/BBS)</figcaption></div>Backman believes the brothers should stay in Europe through 2000-01 instead of joining Vancouver, as is their plan. &ldquo;They are still under development,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And Swedish hockey develops players much better than the NHL, which hardly develops anyone. The NHL only looks for finished products.&rdquo;One reason for the Sedins&rsquo; increased production was the play of Mattias Weinhandl, a third round draft choice of the New York Islanders in 1999.Weinhandl was playing on the right side with the twins until taking a high stick in the eye in mid-November, an injury that could require surgery and keep him out the rest of the season.&ldquo;He is an incredibly gifted goal-scorer,&rdquo; said Daniel of Weinhandl, who was second in team scoring with 10 goals and 19 points.Weinhandl&rsquo;s absence could prove to be a heavy blow. Before he got hurt, the unit-dubbed &lsquo;Line 19&rsquo; because of the players&rsquo; ages-was being called the best young trio in Swedish hockey history.&ldquo;The only line I can think of that was close was when Peter Forsberg played together with Markus Naslund and Niklas Sundstrom some years ago,&rdquo; Backman said.The Sedins will likely be without their right winger at the WJC, which begins in Sweden this December. Sweden hasn&rsquo;t won gold at the WJC since 1981 and the expectations are high for the hometown heroes.&ldquo;This will be a highlight in my career,&rdquo; Henrik said. &ldquo;We have had the same junior team for three years now and we know that we have a good chance.&rdquo;<h2>THEME ISSUE: NHL PROSPECT PROGRESS REPORTS</h2>This is the first of three theme issues focussing on prospects belonging to NHL organizations.Included with each team story this week are updates on two top prospects-one junior-aged player (19 or younger) and one pro-aged player.There are two exceptions to the age classifications. Vitaly Vishnevski and Tomas Kloucek are two 19-year-olds playing in the American League, belonging to Anaheim and the New York Rangers, respectively, who are listed as their teams&rsquo; top pro-aged prospects.Stats included in the progress reports for skaters are games, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes, and wins, losses, ties, goals-against average and save percentage for goalies.Our next prospect update is Jan. 28 and our annual Future Watch special issues is March 24. &#9632;

f0016-01

Sedins Swedish delight

<div class="byline">By Cammy Clark</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-011201/6942942-1-eng-US/f0019-012.jpg" title="f0019-01" width="142" height="141"></div>Ladislav Kohn knew that not many ninth-round draft picks make the NHL.But five years after being drafted 175th overall by the Calgary Flames, the 24-year-old Czech Republic native found himself playing right wing for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim on a line with Paul Kariya.&ldquo;He&rsquo;s played good for us all season,&rdquo; said Ducks&rsquo; coach Craig Hartsburg of Kohn. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got skill and speed.&rdquo;Kohn replaced Teemu Selanne, who was out of the lineup with a strained groin muscle. Kohn played so well Hartsburg felt it enabled him to split up Kariya and Selanne.Kohn has thrived in Anaheim, picking up a goal and seven points this season.&ldquo;The coaches sat down with me and told me I have the opportunity to play on this team,&rdquo; Kohn said. &ldquo;They said, &lsquo;You can take it or leave it&rsquo;. Definitely, I wanted to take it.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Jordan Leopold, D, 19, University of Minnesota (WCHA), 10-2-2-4-n/a. A skilled blueliner who made the WCHA all-freshman team last year and played on the U.S. world junior team, Leopold is a good skater and intelligent player.Vitaly Vishnevski, D, 19, Cincinnati (AHL), 11-1-0-1-8. The hard-hitting defenseman made an impression with his big checks during pre-season. The Ducks want him to leam the North American style in an environment where he can succeed immediately.NOTEBOOK: Anaheim&rsquo;s power play last season was the best in the NHL, producing 83 goals in 82 games. But this season, &ldquo;our special teams have been brutal,&rdquo; said center Steve Rucchin. After 20 games, the Ducks power play was third-last in the NHL at 12.9 per cent (8-for-62). Even worse, their penalty killing-average last season-was last in the league at 71.2 per cent. The only good thing about being last in penalty-killing is &ldquo;we can&rsquo;t get any lower,&rdquo; according to coach Craig Hartsburg&hellip; Left winger Mike Leclerc was expected to return to the lineup Nov. 19 after missing 11 games following surgery to remove a bursa sac from his left elbow. Leclerc was hot when he got injured with four goals in nine games. &#9632;

f0019-01

Solid Kohn separates duo, now playing on first line

<div class="byline">By Jett Schultz</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-03579/6942973-1-eng-US/f0019-032.jpg" title="f0019-03" width="311" height="426"><figcaption class="caption-body">Don Waddell</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-02871/6942980-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="142" height="135"></div>Even though the Atlanta Thrashers had only four wins through the first seven weeks of the season, and half of them came against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Don Waddell wasn&rsquo;t panicking.&ldquo;This is where your patience is tried,&rdquo; the GM said after his team was swept on a four-game road trip. &ldquo;You have to be careful and not let your emotions get carried away with this. The last few nights, don&rsquo;t you think I&rsquo;ve been tossing and turning? You can&rsquo;t let a few losses dictate what you&rsquo;re going to do.&rdquo;Waddell said he had no immediate plans to swing a significant trade, despite an offense that produced only six goals during the four-game trip.If only the Thrashers could play the Lightning every night. The Thrashers had a record of 2-0-1 against the Lightning and 2-10-1 against everyone else.The winner over Tampa didn&rsquo;t mask Atlanta&rsquo;s problems, but Waddell believed the concern could be overstated.&ldquo;If we were losing every game 5-1 I&rsquo;d just say, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re not good enough,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But there&rsquo;s been games we could&rsquo;ve won.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Zdenek Blatny, C, 18, Kootenay (WHL), 16-7-10-17-46. The team's scouts are enamored of Blatny&rsquo;s speed and skill. He stood out in the team&rsquo;s inaugural training camp. Blatny (6-foot-1, 187) missed part of last season with a broken wrist but has shown lasting effects of the injury.Bryan Adams, LW, 22, Orlando (1HL), 12-3-2-5-8. Adams is the most skilled player in Orlando, though his numbers don&rsquo;t reflect it. He flashed his speed and scoring talents last year at Michigan State with 21 goals and 37 points in 42 games. Team officials like his instincts and desire and believe he will turn into a top player.NOTEBOOK: Left winger Andrew Brunette has four goals and seven points in three games against Tampa Bay&hellip;Goalie Scott Langkow posted his first career NHL win Nov. 17 against Tampa Bay&hellip;Left winger Jason Botterill, who missed four games with a back injury, was sent to Orlando (International League) to skate his way into shape&hellip;While on injured reserve, backup goalie Norm Maracle improved his conditioning. He dropped eight pounds to 187. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had some successful years when I wasn&rsquo;t in shape. This can only help me,&rdquo; Maracle said. Defenseman Petr Buzek suffered a concussion when checked from behind by Montreal&rsquo;s Dainius Zubrus Nov. 13. He was expected back near the end of the month. &#9632;

f0019-03

Slow start worries Waddell, but there’s no sense of panic

<div class="byline">By Mike Loftus</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-04449/6943011-1-eng-US/f0019-042.jpg" title="f0019-04" width="142" height="143"></div>Anson Carter was surprised by the assignment. But it didn&rsquo;t take long for the Boston Bruins' forward to relish his new role.Unable to find a consistent replacement for checking center Tim Taylor, who signed with the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent in the summer, coach Pat Bums took assistant GM Mike O&rsquo;Connell&rsquo;s suggestion and gave Carter a shot. The unconventional move-shifting a first line right winger to the No. 3 center spot-paid off immediately.Boston went 3-0-1-0 in their next four games and Carter had four goals, seven points and was plus-6 in that span. &ldquo;I like this a lot,&rdquo; said Carter, who had been with center Jason Allison and left winger Dave Andreychuk. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough, but this is what I want to do. I want the responsibility of playing against the best in the NHL. That can do nothing but better my game.&rdquo;Boston had tried a slew of other centers-Mikko Eloranta, Joe Thornton, Sean Pronger, Rob DiMaio and Shawn Bates-before turning to Carter after a 6-2 loss Nov. 10 at Buffalo. In a key Northeast Division tilt with Toronto Nov. 11, Bums lined Carter up against the Leafs&rsquo; Mats Sundin.Carter prevented Sundin from taking a shot or scoring a point while adding a goal of his own in Boston&rsquo;s 4-3 overtime win. Two nights later, Carter shut down Petr Nedved and also fired two goals and two assists in a 5-2 victory over the Rangers.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Donald Choukalos, G, 18, Regina (WHL), 8-9-2, 3.34, .888. After a decent training camp, the netminder returned to Regina to be the Pats&rsquo; workhorse. The Bruins like his spirited play: Choukalos had a fight Nov. 17 in a 6-5 win over Tri-City.John Grahame, G, 24, Providence (AHL), 3-3-2, 1.72, .939 (NHL stats). If not for next June&rsquo;s expansion draft, Grahame would still be in the NHL. Assigned to Providence Nov. 15 to ensure he sees lots of action, he&rsquo;ll join Byron Dafcfe in Boston next year.NOTEBOOK: Rookie goalie John Grahame, the NHL leader in goals-against average (1.72) and save percentage (.939), was frustrated by his demotion to Providence. Byron Dafoe is back in the lineup and Boston felt they would lose backup Rob Talias on waivers if they tried to send him down. The Bruins need to keep Talias to expose him in next summer&rsquo;s expansion draft&hellip;By scoring nine points in six games, center Joe Thornton became the team&rsquo;s top scorer with four goals, 19 points in 20 games&hellip;Newly acquired winger Joe Murphy scored in his debut Nov. 17 at New Jersey, but was on the injured list the next day with a sprained knee. He was expected to be out until late November. &#9632;

f0019-04

Carter accepts checking role, but also scores

<div class="byline">By Eric Duhatschek</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-02732/6943042-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">A more physical Jarome Iginla has picked up the offensive pace following a tough start.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011085/6943049-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="136" height="123"></div>It took him what seemed like forever to score his first goal of the season, but then he found the range.For Calgary Flames&rsquo; right winger Jarome Iginla, one goal led to another and soon, his slow start was a thing of the past.&ldquo;A lot of goal-scoring is just confidence,&rdquo; Iginla said. &ldquo;Some people hate to hear that, but sometimes, when you get a good bounce and one goes in for you, you feel like you can put a lot more in. When you haven&rsquo;t had one for awhile, it feels like it&rsquo;s the hardest thing in the world to get.&rdquo;Iginla&rsquo;s early troubles were mostly due to the fact he didn&rsquo;t join Calgary until their fourth regular season game as a result of a contract impasse. It took him until the team&rsquo;s 15th game to score. Once he did, Iginla tallied in consecutive games and became a much greater factor shift-to-shift. Overall, he had two goals and nine points in 16 games.&ldquo;You get out there and the pace is so fast, you&rsquo;re coming back and the play is going the other way,&rdquo; Iginla said, &ldquo;or you see a play developing and you look up and it&rsquo;s already gone. When you sit out training camp and you don&rsquo;t get to put any goals in during exhibition, you almost start forgetting what it feels like to score and you start pushing too hard to get that first one. That&rsquo;s how I felt.&rdquo;The one positive development in Iginla&rsquo;s game this season is he is playing a much more physical style. Several times, he has crushed opponents with hard, open-ice shoulder checks, stripping them of the puck. At 22, as he becomes more physically mature, Iginla is becoming the power forward the Flames projected when they acquired him from the Dallas Stars for Joe Nieuwendyk in 1995.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Oleg Saprykin, LW, 18, Seattle (WHL), 8-4-4-8-15. Saprykin played well enough in his first-ever NHL training camp and pre-season to earn a contract and start the season in Calgary. They returned him to junior after four games, but were duly impressed with his skills. He is the complete pack-age, offensively and defensively.Jean-Sebastien Giguere, G, 22, Saint John (AHL), 6-3-1, 2.87, .904. Following the acquisition of Grant Fuhr, Giguere was ticketed for a full minor league season, after which he is expected to get a run at the No. 1 job. He had only a so-so second half in Saint John last season, but has been playing with more confidence this year on a young, prospect-filled team.NOTEBOOK: In a week that saw him move from Ottawa to Calgary on waivers, defenseman Bobby Dollas racked up a whole bunch of frequent flyer miles. In a span of 96 hours, he went from Long Beach, where he was playing with the International League&rsquo;s Ice Dogs, to New York for his one-and-only Senators&rsquo; appearance against the Rangers. Next, he went to Calgary to play Colorado and then immediately went full circle when the team&rsquo;s road trip took him to Phoenix and Anaheim. &ldquo;Nobody calls you for four or five months and then two teams want you in two days,&rdquo; Dollas said. The Hames grabbed the 34-year-old after it became clear injured defenseman Steve Smith (dislocated elbow) would be out until at least Christmas&hellip; Through their first 19 games, the Hames had yet to record a win in regulation (0-12). Their five victories had come in overtime (5-0-2). &#9632;

f0020-02

Iginla finally makes net deposit, though he’s still bouncing checks

<div class="byline">By Jim Kelley</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-03493/6943080-1-eng-US/f0020-032.jpg" title="f0020-03" width="142" height="141"></div>The sideshow in the crease-Dominik Hasek&rsquo;s groin injury, the emergence of rookie Martin Biron-has deflected attention away from the Buffalo Sabres&rsquo; fundamental problem this season: scoring goals.Buffalo has been among the more offensively challenged teams in the league, scoring just 50 times through 19 games. Part of that was due to a conscious effort to tighten up even more in front of goalies Biron and Dwayne Roloson, but basically, the team just has difficulty manufacturing goals.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something we&rsquo;ve had a problem with in the past,&rdquo; said Sabres&rsquo; coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;We have to work pretty hard for our goals. We generally score by committee.&rdquo;This season, the committee has been in recess. With Hasek, Buffalo&rsquo;s goals-against average hovered around 2.00, so they could win or tie with two or more goals. This season, the GAA has been nearly three goals per game (2.91) and the offense hasn&rsquo;t been able to make up the difference.A big part of the problem was the power play. In their first 80 chances, the Sabres had just eight goals, an efficiency rating of 10 per cent, second-worst in the NHL behind the New York Rangers (6.2 per cent). No Sabre had more than one power play goal, not even Miroslav Satan, who led the team with nine goals. &ldquo;We need to be more aggressive,&rdquo; Satan said. &ldquo;We need to be more focused and ready to play, particularly at the start of the game.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Ryan Miller, G, 19, Michigan State (CCHA), 5-0-0, 0.80, .964. The freshman is already in MSU record books after stringing together three shutouts and going 181:09 without surrendering a goal.Brian Campbell, D, 21, Rochester (AHL), 11-0-6-6-4. Campbell keys the Americans&rsquo; attack from his point position. If not for Buffalo&rsquo;s blueline depth, he would be a Sabre regular this season.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Jason Woolley, one of the keys to the Sabres&rsquo; power play, went down with a muscle strain in his back and was placed on the injured reserve list for one week. He should return in late November&hellip;Veteran defenseman Alexei Zhitnik was minus-9, worst on the team&hellip; Defenseman James Patrick, 36, was closing in on his 1,000th NHL game; he was at 997 as of Nov. 18. Patrick, who was supposed to be just a part-time player this season, was getting plenty of ice time (15:13 per game) and was the team&rsquo;s plus-minus leader at plus-5&hellip;Buffalo&rsquo;s No. 1 line-Michael Peca centering wingers Dixon Ward and Vaclav Varada-was struggling. Peca had four goals, but was minus-1, an odd figure for a perennial Seike Trophy candidate. Ward and Varada were each stuck on one goal. &#9632;

f0020-03

Despite Satan’s sniping, ‘committee’ scoring not reaching goals

<div class="byline">By Cecil Harris</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-01853/6943111-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="142" height="138"></div>The question about Bates Battaglia entering the season was whether the left winger could provide enough offense to justify his role among the top nine forwards.Eighteen games into the season, Battaglia had answered emphatically.Battaglia&rsquo;s goal Nov. 17 in a 2-1 win over Ottawa was his seventh and matched his output for 1998-99, when he played 60 games&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t envision myself doing this,&rdquo; said Battaglia, 23. &ldquo;But I learned a lot my first two years.&rdquo;Battaglia has done a great job reading Ron Francis&rsquo; moves and anticipating passes, something most of Francis&rsquo; linemates struggled with last season.&ldquo;I almost don&rsquo;t want to say this, but he&rsquo;s the strongest guy I&rsquo;ve seen with the puck since a young Jaromir Jagr,&rdquo; said Francis, who won two Stanley Cups with Jagr in 1991 and 1992.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to put Bates in the Jagr category yet, but he has a lot going for him. I like his size, puck control, ability to battle down low and his work ethic.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Jeff Heerema, RW, 19, Samia (OHL), 20-8-15-23-22. The 1998 first-rounder is agile, aggressive and a swift skater. The hard-charging forward is slightly off the pace for a third straight 30-goal season in the OHL.Shane Willis, RW, 22, Cincinnati (IHL), 18-7-8-15-22. The disappointment of not making the NHL roster contributed to a slow start, but he has rebounded. Willis has a blistering shot.NOTEBOOK: Owner Peter Karmanos fired three top executives Nov. 15, including chief operating officer Dean Jordan. The moves had no effect on the team because GM Jim Rutherford continues to run the hockey operations. Carolina fans could benefit from Karmanos&rsquo; assumption of Jordan&rsquo;s duties. Karmanos will offer a &lsquo;family night&rsquo; promotion of four tickets, four hot dogs and four soft drinks for $64 at every home game. Under Jordan, the promotion had been scheduled for only 14 games&hellip;Left winger Martin Gelinas was the only Hurricane to appear in the first 18 games without scoring a goal&hellip;Backup goalie Eric Fichaud has not started since allowing several soft goals Nov. 3 in a 6-0 home loss to Toronto. &#9632;

f0021-01

Battaglia answers question with goal-scoring magic

<div class="byline">By Tim Sassone</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-03274/6943142-1-eng-US/f0021-032.jpg" title="f0021-03" width="314" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">Wendel Clark</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02479/6943149-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg" title="f0021-02" width="142" height="137"></div>So much for the Wendel Clark era with the Chicago Blackhawks. All 13 games of it.The Hawks and Clark parted company Nov. 17 when the 33-year-old left winger had the remainder of his one-year, $1.4-million contract bought out.When Clark signed with the Hawks last August as an unrestricted free agent, GM Bob Murray thought he was getting a proven goal-scorer.But after Clark scored just two goals in 13 games, Murray admitted signing him was a mistake.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not happy with how he has played,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;I screwed up. If he&rsquo;s not working hard and not scoring, I&rsquo;m not going to let him hurt the team.&rdquo;Clark certainly wasn&rsquo;t the only Hawks forward not producing, but Murray had seen enough.&ldquo;To me, my biggest disappointment is how he approaches things,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;He circles all around on the ice and is a liability defensively. Talk about a lack of urgency.&rdquo;Clark let long-time agent Don Meehan do the talking for him. Meehan said Clark is ready to retire if there&rsquo;s no interest from anywhere else in the league in the next few months.&ldquo;I think Wendel is frustrated more than anything to the extent where he felt he had few opportunities to play (with the Hawks),&rdquo; Meehan said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking about a very short period of time here. I can&rsquo;t comment on what was expected, but he was coming off a 32-goal season.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Mark Bell, 19, C, Ottawa (OHL), 18-19-16-35-33. A big, smooth skater at 6-foot-3, 198 pounds, Bell has been penciled into lineup next season after nearly making it this year.Kyle Calder, 20, LW, Cleveland (IHL), 17-2-7-9-4. A gritty player with a good scoring touch, Calder could be in Chicago before this season is over.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Boris Mironov lost $652,000 in a 71-day contract dispute that ended Nov. 13 when he signed a three-year, $9.6-million deal. Mironov will receive a pro-rated $3.1 million this season, $3.2 million next year and $3.3 million in 2001-02. He made his debut Nov. 14 against his old Edmonton teammates and was minus-2 with four minor penalties. &ldquo;It was hard sitting out when the team is not doing well,&rdquo; Mironov said&hellip; The Hawks acquired center Michael Nylander from Tampa Bay Nov. 12 for defenseman Bryan Muir and left winger Reid Simpson&hellip; Left winger J.P. Dumont, a pre-season Calder favorite, was assigned to Cleveland of the IHL Nov. 14 to regain his confidence. Dumont had one goal and three points in 15 games. &#9632;

f0021-03

Clark considers retirement after Blackhawks sever ties

<div class="byline">By Adrian Dater</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-04197/6943180-1-eng-US/f0021-042.jpg" title="f0021-04" width="140" height="129"></div>From the team&rsquo;s muddled ownership situation to its ever-dwindling list of healthy bodies, November was a chaotic month for the Colorado Avalanche.Not only did captain Joe Sakic (rib cartilage damage) join fellow star center Peter Forsberg on the injury list, but Colorado also lost defensemen Aaron Miller (bruised sternum) and Adam Foote (bruised ribs).Add the fact GM Pierre Lacroix did not know whom to report to as his owner and you can see why the GM might be feeling stressed out.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something we have no control over, so there&rsquo;s no reason to comment further,&rdquo; Lacroix said.The injuries will heal, but it will take longer to solve the ownership mess. The Avs began the month secure in the knowledge Denver billionaire Donald Sturm was their owner. But, a legal battle with the city of Denver and some attempted wrangling of concessions to Sturm&rsquo;s original $461-million deal to buy the Avs, NBA Denver Nuggets and the new Pepsi Center from Ascent Entertainment Corp, left the pact in peril.The city wants guarantees the 67-year-old Sturm would keep the teams in Denver for 25 years, even if he should die and leave them to heirs.Sturm balked at putting his agreement in writing. He also attempted to get financial givebacks of $10 million in operating expenses from Ascent while the deal was still being finalized. Ascent balked at that and all but withdrew their contract with Sturm after a self-imposed deadline.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Martin Grenier, D, 19, Quebec (QMJHL), 26-5-10-15-146. The 6-foot-5, 231-pounder looked excellent in one pre-season game with Colorado, displaying good poise with the puck and a tough style.Samual Pahlsson, 21, C, MoDo (Sweden), 19-6-2-8-49. He&rsquo;s not scoring at the frequency he did last season, but the two-way center plays a smart game.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Aaron Miller is sidelined until mid-December after bruising his sternum Nov. 17 against Florida&hellip;Defenseman Adam Foote is out until late November with bruised ribs&hellip; Unlike several NHL arenas, the Pepsi Center will continue to play &lsquo;Rock and Roll, Part IF by Gary Glitter, who was jailed after being convicted on child pornography charges. Glitter&rsquo;s song began as an arena anthem in the 1970s in Denver at old Colorado Rockies games&hellip; Center Peter Forsberg (left shoulder surgery) began contact drills Nov. 15. A Dec. 1 target date for his return was set&hellip;Center Joe Sakic&rsquo;s rib injury stalled his drive for 1,000 career points. He had 998. &#9632;

f0021-04

Ownership squabble bites at Avs

<div class="byline">By Mike Helka</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-01983/6943211-1-eng-US/f0022-012.jpg" title="f0022-01" width="141" height="113"></div>Jamie Wright has learned one thing this season&ndash;the NHL has a thousand eyes.The scrappy winger, who has been trying to earn a permanent spot on the Dallas Stars for four seasons, now understands that to earn a berth in the NHL-on any team-he can&rsquo;t afford to take a night off.&ldquo;Being sent down and clearing waivers helped me in a lot of ways, because I know how much more I have to work,&rdquo; said Wright, who was recalled by the Stars in November to help fill holes created by a barrage of injuries. &ldquo;I realize more that every chance I get to play now is a chance to impress somebody, as well as a chance to help the team.&rdquo;Wright has done just that in his second go-round this season. After a decent camp and pre-season, Wright was sent to the International League&rsquo;s Michigan K-Wings and struggled. He missed out on a golden opportunity to make a team that was looking for young, speedy wingers and then missed the first wave of call-ups when Aaron Gavey was taken to replace injured wingers Jere Lehtinen and Juha Lind. Wright also went through the waiver draft unclaimed.That left Wright with one option-play harder.&ldquo;I had to look at it as a challenge, a challenge every day to prove I belong in the organization and the NHL,&rdquo; said Wright, who had one goal and one assist in six games. &ldquo;My goal is to make up their mind for them, to not give them any reason to send me down.&rdquo;So far, Wright has done just that. He has played well on a line with Guy Carbonneau and Blake Sloan-so well that his was the one line coach Ken Hitchcock left intact throughout a November that saw line changes every game.&ldquo;What&rsquo;s different for him is he&rsquo;s physically more able to handle the league this time around,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s in a checking role and I think that suits him better than being on the second line.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Michael Ryan, C, 19, Northeastern (HE), 8-3-3-6-n/a. The Massachusetts High School Player of the Year last season is polishing his skills at Northeastern. Ryan is a rare commodity in the Stars&rsquo; system, a center with goalscoring ability.Marty Turco, G, 24, Michigan (IHL), 7-3-1, 2.37, .926. He has done nothing but impress everyone with his physical ability and cool-headedness. The Stars are grooming Turco as the goalie of the future by getting him plenty of playing time in the IHL.NOTEBOOK: Center Mike Modano snapped a nine-game goal-less streak Nov. 18 against Philadelphia.. After being demoted to the fourth line, center Joe Nieuwendyk responded with three goals and three assists in three games and was returned to the second line&hellip; The Stars&rsquo; injury woes worsened Nov. 17 in a 2-2 tie with the Washington Capitals when center Roman Lyashenko and defenseman Alan Letang sustained shoulder injuries. Each is out until late November&hellip; The Stars had their longest break of the season Nov. 11-16 when they had six days off. They followed that by playing nine games in 15 days&hellip; Last season, the Stars ranked fourth in the Western Conference in goal-scoring at 2.87 goals per game. This season, they ranked last at 2.15. &#9632;

f0022-01

Waiver wire provides wake-up call for Wright in quest to stay in Dallas

<div class="byline">By Chuck Carlton</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-03479/6943242-1-eng-US/f0022-032.jpg" title="f0022-03" width="562" height="982"><figcaption class="caption-body">Steve Yzerman (Jim Leary/BBS)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0022-02680/6943249-1-eng-US/f0022-022.jpg" title="f0022-02" width="143" height="123"></div>Brendan Shanahan&rsquo;s response was muted, even by the Detroit Red Wings&rsquo; standards.His 400th goal came Oct. 14 in Toronto, in front of his mother Rose and three brothers and after a five-game drought and two-game suspension. While he was happy, he also was aware bigger milestones lay ahead for players on the team.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to get it out of the way,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;Reaching 400 is nice. It&rsquo;s not that big of a deal. We&rsquo;ve got players going for 600.&rdquo;That would be captain Steve Yzerman and even a goal-scorer as accomplished as Shanahan knew he was just the opening act for what was to come.While Yzerman has become the public face of the Red Wings&rsquo; two Stanley Cup champions, nearly forgotten has been Yzerman, the offensive force. The convergence of milestones-he reached 900 assists Nov. 17 in Vancouver and was one shy of 600 goals and 1,500 points going into a Nov. 19 game in Calgary-has reminded people about how good Yzerman was and still is.&ldquo;Amazing. Simply amazing,&rdquo; Shanahan said. &ldquo;Right here is a guy on your team who&rsquo;s putting his name up there with maybe half a dozen guys in the history of the NHL&ndash;and he won&rsquo;t be done yet.&rdquo;Typically, Yzerman has turned the focus away from himself, back to his team, back to others who preceded him.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;You think of 600 goals and of guys stringing a bunch of 50-goal seasons together. It has been a while since I&rsquo;ve done that,&rdquo; said Yzerman, whose last big offensive season was a 58-goal year in 1992-93. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been chipping away at it lately the last few years.&ldquo;It my view, it&rsquo;s an impressive group of guys and impressive group of names. It will be a thrill to be a part of that group. Those guys are my idols and will continue to be my idols-guys I looked up to regardless of whether my name is amongst them are not.&rdquo;Yzerman, 34, became the 10th player with 900 assists and will be the 11th with 600 goals. More impressively, the 600-900 club is among hockey&rsquo;s most exclusive. It has four members: Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Marcel Dionne and Mark Messier.<h2>Prospect Update</h2>Ryan Barnes, LW, 19, Barrie (OHL), 6-3-2-5-32. The Wings hope he can be a big, strong two-way winger. He&rsquo;s in the midst of a 25-game suspension for a stick-swinging incident.Jesse Wallin, D, 21, Cincinnati (AHL), 13-1-1-2-18. Steady and solid, he has to overcome lapses with the puck which have plagued him the past two training camps. He is projected as a potential top four defenseman.NOTEBOOK: How&rsquo;s this for a paradox? The Red Wings were without seven forwards during an injury-riddled stretch in mid-November, yet were unbeaten (4-0-1) in a five-game stretch&hellip;Right winger Marc Rodgers and left winger Yuri Butsayev each recorded their first NHL goals against Vancouver Nov. 17&hellip; Defenseman Chris Chelios led the NHL in plus-minus (plus-19) and had just 17 penalty minutes in 19 games&hellip; With five goals and 17 points in 19 games, center Igor Larionov was on pace for his best NHL season. Larionov, who turns 39 Dec. 3, was on target to match a career-high 22 goals and 73 points set in 1995-96. Larionov&rsquo;s agent Don Baizley met with Detroit GM Ken Holland to discuss a two-year contract extension. &#9632;

f0022-03

Shanahan quietly joins 400-goal club while Yzerman approaches milestone

<div class="byline">By Marlo Annlcchlarlco</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-01873/6943280-1-eng-US/f0023-012.jpg" title="f0023-01" width="137" height="139"></div>Nearly one-quarter of the way through the season the Edmonton Oilers were still searching for answers to what has been a perplexing start.&ldquo;You wouldn&rsquo;t give us an &lsquo;A&rsquo; grade, but you wouldn&rsquo;t give us a &lsquo;D&rsquo; either,&rdquo; said center Todd Marchant of a 5-8-5-3 record that included just one road victory. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d say we have a long way to go, but I see a lot of positives right now.&rdquo;Edmonton&rsquo;s home record of 4-2-3 is an improvement from last season, but they were held to two goals or less in 11 of 18 games, and six of their eight losses were by one goal.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re definitely not up where we should be,&rdquo; said Janne Niinimaa. &ldquo;But if you look at all those games individually, you see a lot of good things.&rdquo;Said Doug Weight: &lsquo;1 think 18 points in 18 games is good, but I don&rsquo;t think 82 points in 82 games will get us into the playoffs. We&rsquo;re going to have to continue to keep improving.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Michael Henrich, RW, 19, Barrie (OHL), 22-12-14-26-22. Henrich, 6-foot-2 and 206 pounds, has good size and a scoring touch to match. His play has been so solid, he&rsquo;s getting consideration for the Canadian world junior team.Daniel Cleary, LW, 20, Hamilton (AHL), 11-6-8-14-24. Known for his scoring touch and playmaking ability, Cleary, 6-feet, 203 pounds, has had a great start to his first full season in Hamilton after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks last season.NOTEBOOK: Right winger Alex Selivanov continued his torrid scoring pace with a four-goal, five-point performance in a 6-3 win at Chicago Nov. 14, the team&rsquo;s first road win of the year. The last Oiler to score four goals in a game was Vincent Damphousse. in a 7-5 win over Winnipeg, Dec. 14. 1991. Petr Klima was the last Oiler to record five points in a game, in a 9-4 win over Vancouver, Jan. 30, 1991&hellip;Right winger Rem Murray, out until February following surgery to repair the MCL in his right knee, was back rehabilitating before he even had the stitches removed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m getting a little range back, but it&rsquo;s still pretty weak,&rdquo; he said, adding he doesn&rsquo;t want muscle to deteriorate. &ldquo;I have skinny enough legs as it is.&rdquo; &#9632;

f0023-01

Oilers’ point-a-game pace likely won’t be good enough

<div class="byline">By David J. Neal</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-03389/6943311-1-eng-US/f0023-032.jpg" title="f0023-03" width="314" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">Ray Sheppard</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-02560/6943318-1-eng-US/f0023-022.jpg" title="f0023-02" width="141" height="142"></div>Unrestricted free agent Ray Sheppard knew he&rsquo;d have a job as soon as some team got jittery about its offensive strength.Sheppard, the only NHLer to score 20 goals in a season with six different teams, also knew there was an outside chance that team might be the Florida Panthers. And the former Panther couldn&rsquo;t be happier he signed a one-year, $750,000 contract, with a team option for $1.2 million next season.&ldquo;I like the guys, I like the team,&rdquo; Sheppard said. &ldquo;So, I thought it was a smart decision for my family and myself.&rdquo;Throughout his two years with the Panthers-March 16, 1996 to March 24, 1998-Sheppard made it clear he hoped to retire in south Florida. He kept his home there, even after the Panthers traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes in 1998.For the Panthers, the signing is an offensive insurance policy.&ldquo;We have a number of players who don&rsquo;t look like they&rsquo;re going to score a lot,&rdquo; said Panthers&rsquo; GM Bryan Murray. &ldquo;You look at the fourth line, at a couple of guys on the third line and then you look at Viktor (Kozlov), Oleg (Kvasha), Ivan Novoseltsev&hellip;! think they&rsquo;ll score. But they haven&rsquo;t scored enough to do everything we want to do.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Denis Shvidki, RW, 19, Barrie (OHL), 19-10-18-28-16. His ability to handle the puck in tight spaces and shooting ability impressed the coaching staff during training camp, but it was still obvious he needs to mature physically.Dan Boyle, D, 23, Louisville (AHL), 16-4-9-13-17. The offensive defenseman was a surprising camp cut after spending the end of last season with Florida. Only a jammed wrist has halted his progress back to the NHL.NOTEBOOK: Florida acquired goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov from Phoenix Nov. 19 for journeyman goalie Sean Burke. The deal, which also included a swap of midround 2000 draft picks, is a salary dump for Florida, who gets rid of Burke&rsquo;s $2.1 million salary for Shtalenkov and a more manageable $1 million salary&hellip; H. Wayne Huizenga, Florida&rsquo;s chief executive officer, has hired a firm to help find a buyer for the Panthers. The franchise is now part of Boca Resorts, a publicly traded company. Even if sold, the arena lease keeps the Panthers, one of the few NHL teams operating in the black, in South Florida for at least another 25 years&hellip;After going goalless in Florida&rsquo;s first 14 games, right winger Radek Dvorak had four goals in his next four games. &#9632;

f0023-03

Sheppard returns to Cats, becomes insurance policy

<div class="byline">By Helene Elliott</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0023-04276/6943349-1-eng-US/f0023-042.jpg" title="f0023-04" width="139" height="143"></div>Jamie Storr&rsquo;s future with the Los Angeles Kings is cloudy, but his present has been solid.Storr and Stephane Fiset are jockeying for the starting goalie&rsquo;s job and the Kings must leave one unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft, leading to a competition whose outcome is far from certain.When Fiset suffered a badly bruised hand while warming up for a game Nov. 9, it became apparent that Storr would get a full workload for the foreseeable future.Storr started the first five games after Fiset&rsquo;s injury, providing steady and occasionally spectacular goaltending. Overall, Storr was 5-1-1, with a 2.43 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, helping the Kings post their best 20-game record (12-4-4) since they were 15-4-1 in 1990-91.&ldquo;I feel comfortable,&rdquo; Storr said. &ldquo;The biggest thing is you want to continue battling and getting better and better every day.Storr, who has become more aggressive in challenging shooters this season, credited his defense for his overall success.&ldquo;We had a good defense last year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The difference is that all our defensemen are healthy this year and they weren&rsquo;t last year. I think we&rsquo;re a solid club offensively and defensively, and we&rsquo;ve got to look at all of our games and realize we&rsquo;ve got to battle hard every night.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Justin Papineau, C, 19, Belleville (OHL), 15-17-8-254. The Kings project him to be a top six forward and a leader. His playmaking skills are likened to Steve Yzerman&rsquo;s and he has a good shot, but is selfless and will pass if a teammate is open.Pavel Rosa, RW, 22, Long Beach (ML), 18-5-12-17-6. Rosa couldn&rsquo;t crack the lineup because of the acquisition of Ziggy Palffy, but the Kings still hope he will develop into a scorer. He&rsquo;s skilled but, at 5-foot-ll and 188 pounds, he must prove he can get to the net and take the punishment.NOTEBOOK: Finnish defenseman Jere Karalahti was granted a work visa and was permitted to enter the United States Nov. 16. His arrival was delayed because of past drug problems and he was tested by U.S. government officials three weeks before he was given clearance to travel. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to follow me the rest of my life,&rdquo; Karalahti said of his history. The main problem for the Kings was finding a spot for the 24-year-old Finn, who debuted with the Kings&rsquo; International League affiliate in Long Beach Nov. 18&hellip;Left winger Luc Robitaille, hoping to beat doctors' predictions he would be out until mid-December from a broken ankle, tried skating Nov. 15 but experienced pain and quickly halted. &#9632;

f0023-04

Storr plays well while Fiset out

<div class="byline">By Herb Zurkowsky</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-02647/6943380-1-eng-US/f0024-022.jpg" title="f0024-02" width="315" height="428"><figcaption class="caption-body">Saku Koivu</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-01960/6943387-1-eng-US/f0024-012.jpg" title="f0024-01" width="141" height="102"></div>This is hardly the way for Saku Koivu to shed his reputation for being injury-proneThe Montreal Canadiens will be without ther captain for 12 weeks after the frail Finnish center underwent surgery to repair what was described as a &ldquo;quite significant instability&rdquo; in his left shoulder. By the time he returns in late February, the Habs&rsquo; play-off hopes figure to have been long since dashed.Koivu missed five games earlier this season after spraining his shoulder. He returned for a Nov. 13 game against Atlanta, where he reinjured it while taking a faceoff.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to say (Koivu) came back too soon after the fact,&rdquo; said coach Alain Vigneault. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s a difficult situation for a coach. You&rsquo;ve got your captain knocking on your office door, saying he&rsquo;s ready to play. And it looked like he was ready to get back in there. He won about 80 per cent of his faceoffs and was playing well when he got hurt again.&rdquo;Koivu is in his fifth season with the Canadiens, but hasn&rsquo;t played a full year since he was a rookie.The news of his latest injury, released moments before a 6-1 loss at Nashville on Nov. 18, came as a shock to his teammates.&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got to go right out and find some players,&rdquo; said Brian Savage, the Canadiens&rsquo; leading scorer with 12 goals and 19 points in 20 games. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re without a first line centerman. We can&rsquo;t allow that. We&rsquo;ve got to go out and find a replacement.&rdquo;Koivu&rsquo;s absence means Savage lost the man responsible for feeding him the puck. Only one of Savage&rsquo;s goals was scored while Koivu was out of the lineup.GM Rejean Houle appeared stunned upon learning of Koivu&rsquo;s loss. He planned to speak with president Pierre Boivin about possible scenarios. Seeking help from outside the organization via a trade or free agency signing were considered possibilities. Carolina holdout Keith Primeau could be a target.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Eric Chouinard, C, 19, Quebec (QMJHL), 24-25-17-42-42. The Canadiens believe Chouinard has the talent, size and ability to become a big league scorer. First, though, he has to get stronger and improve his play without the puck.Mathieu Garon, G, 21, Quebec (AHL), 6-8-2, 2.96, .901. At 6-foot-3 and 182 pounds, Garon has good size for a goalie and he&rsquo;s quick and agile. He reads the play well, knows when to butterfly and has improved his puck-handling skills, but needs to get more consistent.NOTEBOOK: The pain in right winger Turner Stevenson&rsquo;s lower back persisted, so he was sent to Los Angeles to be examined by Dr. Robert Watkins. It was Watkins who provided left winger Benoit Brunet and defenseman Patrice Brisebois with programs to hasten the healing of their back miseries. He also looked after Philadelphia left winger John LeClair during the summer&hellip; Also sidelined was left winger Martin Rucinsky, who suffered a slight concussion Nov. 16 and was listed day-to-day&hellip; The Canadiens were interested in unrestricted free agent right winger Ray Sheppard. But the veteran, who had 347 career goals before this season, signed with the Florida Panthers Nov. 15 for a relatively modest $750,000 (U.S.). The Panthers have the option for 2000-01 at $1.2 million. Ultimately, Sheppard didn&rsquo;t want to move his family out of south Florida-Former Canadiens&rsquo; captain Vincent Damphousse. traded to San Jose late last season with unrestricted agency looming, said he would have re-signed with Montreal had he been offered the $4-million annual contract the team is paying center Trevor Linden. &#9632;

f0024-02

Shoulder shelves captain Koivu for three months

<div class="byline">By Jeff Legwold</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-03422/6943418-1-eng-US/f0024-032.jpg" title="f0024-03" width="141" height="89"></div>When you don&rsquo;t make your NHL debut until you&rsquo;re 27 years old, like Rob Valicevic did last season, sometimes it&rsquo;s best not to think about the way things are going.&ldquo;Exactly, I don&rsquo;t want to sit down and say, &lsquo;OK, I&rsquo;m doing this or I&rsquo;m doing that, I should be here, I should be there,&rsquo; because then you don&rsquo;t just play and I just want to relax and let it go,&rdquo; Valicevic said.Valicevic had all of four career goals in 19 NHL games before this season. His resume includes three seasons in the International League and cameos in the American League and East Coast League. In short, he has paid his dues.But suddenly, goals started following the center around. After 17 games this season, he was the Preds&rsquo; leading goals-corer with seven&ndash;and in a four-game period spanning Nov. 10-18, he scored six times. The streak included the franchise&rsquo;s first hat trick, in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks Nov. 10.&ldquo;You just have to enjoy it while it&rsquo;s happening,&rdquo; Valicevic said. &ldquo;I just want to keep it going and help us win.&rdquo;Coach Barry Trotz was pleased. &ldquo;(Valicevic) just goes to the paint,&rdquo; Trotz said. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t get credit, but he has pretty decent hands. He has always been identified as a great character guy, who could bang and play a defensive role, but he&rsquo;s got some offensive skills.&rdquo;Trotz had Valicevic with left winger Ville Peltonen and Greg Johnson. Johnson had been centering the Preds&rsquo; checking fine, but Trotz mixed things up during a five-game winless streak that ended with the victory over Chicago.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Brian Finley, G, 18, Barrie (OHL), 7-4-2, 3.45, .896. Finley acquitted himself well in training camp, but suffered a letdown upon returning to junior. He leaves no space low, is tough to rattle and is working to get stronger.Karlis Skrastins, D, 25, Milwaukee (IHL), 14-3-5-8-8. Physically strong enough to play in the NHL right now, he&rsquo;s durable and powerful on his skates. He has to learn how to play a relaxed game at NHL speed.NOTEBOOK: Coach Barry Trotz gave goalie Tomas Vokoun the choice of trying to recover his lost form in Nashville or Milwaukee (International League). Vokoun chose Milwaukee so he could work himself out of his funk. He started three games for the Admirals and was to rejoin the Preds when they played in St. Louis Nov. 22&hellip;Center Steve Washbum was traded to Philadelphia for a 2001 conditional draft pick. He had been with Milwaukee&hellip; Defenseman Bill Houlder was expected to have a big role on the blueline after being claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay, but he suffered a minor concussion in his first game as a Pred and missed the next two, but wasn&rsquo;t expected to miss much more time. &#9632;

f0024-03

Veteran minor-leaguer delivers

<div class="byline">By Rich Chere</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0024-04270/6943449-1-eng-US/f0024-042.jpg" title="f0024-04" width="133" height="143"></div>The return of Larry Robinson as a New Jersey Devils&rsquo; assistant coach was supposed to be the final ingredient in defenseman Scott Niedermayer&rsquo;s rise as a top Norris Trophy candidate.It was Robinson whose guidance spurred Niedermayer to what was his best NHL season in 1994-95, so expectations were high. But Niedermayer struggled through his first 18 games, making the Nobel Prize seemed as attainable at the Norris Trophy&ldquo;Things just haven&rsquo;t worked out like I want,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;I know in my heart what&rsquo;s going on and I know I haven&rsquo;t been playing my best. It&rsquo;s up to me to tum it around.&rdquo;Niedermayer made a start Nov. 17 when he assisted on two goals in a 2-2 tie with the Boston Bruins. It was one of the few nights he didn&rsquo;t struggle.Coach Robbie Ftorek blamed Niedermayer&rsquo;s problems on concentration.&ldquo;He has a tendency to dream a little bit,&rdquo; Ftorek said. &ldquo;So on some shifts, he&rsquo;s not exactly what he normally is. He just wanders a little bit at times.&ldquo;We all do it from time to time. Didn&rsquo;t you ever read a book and after about 10-15 pages say, &lsquo;What did I just read?&rsquo; It happens to everybody, but you don&rsquo;t want to see it happen too often.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Christian Berglund, C, 19, Faijestad, (Sweden), 20-4-3-7-10. Berglund had the distinction of playing on a line with Daniel and Henrik Sedin at the 1999 World Junior Championship, impressing GM Lou Lamoriello with a tireless two-way style that suits the Devils. He&rsquo;ll play in the WJC this year and could join the Devils&rsquo; organization as early as next season.Colin White, D, 21, Albany, (AHL), 15-1-5-6-62. Pushed out of an NHL job this season by free agent Brian Rafalski, his physical style makes him a link in the Ken Daneyko-Lyle Odelein-Scott Stevens chain. But White needs to develop more consistency to stick for good.NOTEBOOK: The top line of center Jason Arnott (braise near mouth), left winger Patrik Elias (blocked shot with foot) and right winger Petr Sykora (bruised knee) all suffered injuries Nov. 17, although the severity of those injuries had yet to be determined&hellip; Rookie center Scott Gomez continued at his point-a-game pace, keeping him on an interview-a-day pace with Hispanic print, TV and radio outlets&hellip; After scoring six goals in his first six games, center Bobby Holik went 12 straight games without a goal&hellip; Defenseman Scott Stevens is the first player in NHL history to play in 600 games for two different teams-601 with Washington and 614 with the Devils. &#9632;

f0024-04

Slow start irks Niedermayer

<div class="byline">By Anthony McCarron</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-01939/6943480-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg" title="f0026-01" width="137" height="136"></div>If Jorgen Jonsson&rsquo;s wife, Marie-Louise, and daughter, Ida, are half as comfortable as he is in their first few months living in the United States, they no doubt have started collecting Beanie Babies, hanging out at the mall and craving Big Macs.In other words, they&rsquo;re embracing the country the way Jonsson has embraced North American hockey.A 27-year-old rookie from Sweden whose rights the Islanders acquired in 1998, Jonsson finally decided to give it a go in the NHL this season.The Islanders are happy he did. Jonsson, whose younger brother Kenny captains the Islanders, has been a valuable penalty-killer and checking center. He has also chipped in three goals and an assist in 15 games, though he&rsquo;s not being counted on for offense.&ldquo;He has been really steady for us,&rdquo; said coach Butch Goring. &ldquo;We remark as coaches how well he has adapted.&rdquo;Said Jonsson: &ldquo;I feel very comfortable. I knew the team wouldn&rsquo;t be the best, but I wanted to play.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Taylor Pyatt, LW, 18, Sudbury (OHL), 20-10-7-17-29. Projected as a power forward with great skating ability, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Pyatt is enjoying a solid season in Sudbury.Roberto Luongo, G, 20, Lowell (AHL), 6-4-3, 2.81, .913. Luongo is facing tons of shots at Lowell and responding well. He has clearly rebounded from the disappointment of starting the year in the minors.NOTEBOOK: Despite Mark Lawrence&rsquo;s struggles, the Isles say they have no intention of demoting the goal-less left winger. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a concern, but we&rsquo;re not thinking of sending him anywhere,&rdquo; said coach Butch Goring. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not that he&rsquo;s not playing hard, he&rsquo;s just not scoring." The Isles had to trim one player Nov. 18, but put center Chris Ferraro on waivers instead of demoting Lawrence&hellip; Defenseman Rich Pilon returned to practice Nov. 15 after missing four weeks with a sprained ligament in his left knee. &ldquo;1 felt like I was in training camp,&rdquo; Pilon said of his first practice&hellip; In hopes of jolting the sagging offense, Goring moved right winger Mariusz Czerkawski onto a line with rookie center Tim Connolly. &#9632;

f0026-01

Easy transition for Jonsson in first North American year

<div class="byline">By Wayne Fish</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-04356/6943549-1-eng-US/f0026-042.jpg" title="f0026-04" width="141" height="105"></div>When Mikael Renberg gets one of those anxious moments, the Philadelphia Flyer right winger&rsquo;s thoughts seem to turn from the Legion of Doom to the Foreign Legion.Renberg, reunited with Eric Lindros and John LeClair this season, has been concerned about his production. He had only two goals entering a Nov. 13 game against the San Jose Sharks, spawning trade rumors.But Renberg responded with the game-winning goal and added an assist for his first multi-point game of the season in a 3-2 win. In his mind, that postponed any forced march to some distant NHL outpost.&ldquo;You&rsquo;re always worried about that when you don&rsquo;t play good,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You never know what&rsquo;s going to happen. I knew I had to start contributing more.&rdquo;His teammates know his high expectation level and were almost as relieved as he was.&ldquo;He constantly puts pressure on himself to fuel his fire to succeed,&rdquo; Lindros said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see him score a big goal for us.&rdquo;Renberg credited coach Roger Neilson for sticking with him through some tough going. Neilson said it was only a matter of time before Renberg got untracked.&ldquo;He has been skating really well the last few games,&rdquo; Neilson said. &ldquo;He was bound to start scoring soon.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Maxime Ouellet, G, 18, Quebec (QMJHL), 17-7-3, 2.46. .919. Ouellet got off to a quick start, but has leveled off. He has quick lateral movement and good foot positioning, but tends to go down too much when tired. The Flyers project another year of major junior for him.Mark Eaton, D, 22, Philadelphia (AHL), 7-0-3-3-0. Eaton opened the season with the Flyers, but was sent down for more experience. Scouts say he has good offensive and defensive instincts, but needs to get stronger.NOTEBOOK: Defenseman Chris Therien was a surprise winner in the Flyers&rsquo; skills competition Nov. 14. Therien cranked out a shot timed at 100.6 miles per hour to defeat left winger John LeClair (99.3), the heavy favorite in the event. &ldquo;I thought I was the poor guy in the competition," Therien said, &ldquo;but I surprised myself a little.&rdquo; Coach Roger Neilson had a little fun with it when he said, &ldquo;I want the machine checked.&rdquo;&hellip;Right winger Mark Recchi. in perhaps the best shape of his career, won the fastest skater with a lap of 13.86 seconds&hellip;Center Rod Brind&rsquo;Amour, out since Sept. 25 with a broken left foot, was scheduled to have two surgical pins removed Nov. 22 and hoped to be skating shortly after. &#9632;

f0026-04

Renberg aims for increased production

<div class="byline">By Rick Carplnlello</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-02563/6943580-1-eng-US/f0027-022.jpg" title="f0027-02" width="534" height="985"><figcaption class="caption-body">Kevin Hatcher (Bruce Bennett Studios)</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0027-01893/6943587-1-eng-US/f0027-012.jpg" title="f0027-01" width="136" height="137"></div>With his own fate left to twist in the wind, New York Rangers&rsquo; coach John Muckier lost patience with some of the players who put him in that position.The most obvious example was the player who has been the biggest bust in a miserable season-Kevin Hatcher.Hatcher, who has bombed since arriving in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Peter Popovic on the eve of the regular season, was a healthy scratch for two games, got back in the lineup for two awful performances and was placed on a forward Une as a fill-in winger during a week of practice prior to his next healthy scratch.&ldquo;That&rsquo;s got to send a signal of some sort,&rdquo; Muckier said.Normally, such a radical move would draw a reaction from a veteran player. Muckier was asked if he was getting the reaction he wanted from Hatcher, 33.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;No, not at all,&rdquo; he said. Muckier added he was disappointed in the way Hatcher played after his two-game benching and that was why Jason Doig was finally getting some playing time.Hatcher knows he has been struggling, but claims to not know Muckier&rsquo;s intentions. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just coming to work every day, trying to work as hard as I can in practice and stay in shape. It&rsquo;s frustrating times for us and we&rsquo;re trying to find a way to win. We&rsquo;ve got to get out of this.&ldquo;The way I feel right now is any time I make a mistake, it&rsquo;s costing us. It seems I&rsquo;ve had a tougher time playing in our own end since I&rsquo;ve been here and I&rsquo;m not sure why.&rdquo;Hatcher said he didn&rsquo;t know what type of reaction Muckier was looking for. Then, asked if he thinks anybody has given up on him, Hatcher said: &ldquo;I hope not. The players haven&rsquo;t. You get people saying I had one of my best all-around years last year. I believe I can get the job done.&rdquo;<h2>Prospects</h2>Pavel Brendl, LW, 18, Calgary (WHL), 18-13-18-31-33. After a poor training camp and slow start in the WHL, Brendl found his game and stood third in league scoring. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s back to what we expect him to be, an offensive machine,&rdquo; said Rangers&rsquo; assistant GM Don Maloney.Tomas Kloucek, D, 19, Hartford (AHL), 15-0-2-2-18. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder&rsquo;s skating and physical style have lifted him to the top of the Rangers&rsquo; prospect fist. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no question he&rsquo;ll be in the NHL and soon,&rdquo; Maloney said.NOTEBOOK: The Rangers signed defenseman Rumun Ndur to a two-year contract Nov. 15. Ndur got the exact money he was offered in the summer, minus the dollars he lost by waiting until mid-November&hellip; Rookie right winger Jan Hlavac scored his first NHL goal Nov. 13. It also happened to end the Rangers&rsquo; O-for-38 power play skid&hellip;Left winger Valeri Kamensky&rsquo;s broken right forearm continued to be a problem. He was seen several times by a specialist and each time the forearm was found to have not healed. Each time he was listed as out for another seven to 10 days. &#9632;

f0027-02

Muckier’s future cloudy as star-laden team continues to struggle

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0030-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-01931/6943625-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg"></div>The Hockey News, in co-operation with the participating hockey teams listed, is giving away the prizes shown below. Winners will each receive one of these incredible prizes. All you have to do is complete the contest questionnaire on page 31 and provide all the correct answers.Here's a hint:&nbsp;all the answers can be found within the advertisements on the page listed beside each question.Once you've answered all the questions, send your answers to The Hockey News no later than January 7th, 2000. We'll grade-all the responses and on January 21st, 2000 we'll pick the winners.Winners will be selected in a random draw from all of those questionnaires with the same and highest number of correct answers. The first entry drawn will receive the prize designated as first prize on this page. The second entry drawn will receive the second prize and so on.<h2>Contest Questions</h2>1. Name one of the former Soo Greyhounds now playing goal for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning?(SEE PAGE 22)2. Which arena is the Boston Bruins Pro Shop located in?(SEE PAGE 19)3. What are the Missouri River Otters two main team colors?(SEE PAGE 32)4. What is the Rockford lceHogs secondary logo?(SEE PAGE 32)5. How many seasons have the Mallards been playing hockey in the Quad Cities?(SEE PAGE 32)6. How many whiskers does the Louisville Panther have?(SEE PAGE 36)7. The Rochester Americans are proud to host what major event in the year 2000?(SEE PAGE 36)8. Which UHL city will host the 2000 UHL All-Star Classic?(SEE PAGE 26)9. Who are the IHL All-Stars competing against in the 2000 IHL All-Star Game?(SEE PAGE PAGE 31)10. What province are the Blazers located in?(SEE PAGE 22)11. Where will the Western Professional Hockey Leagues' 4th annual All-Star game be played on January 14th, 2000?(SEE PAGE 51)12. Which sports apparel company is recongnized as the official supplier to the Thoroughblades?(SEE PAGE 36)13. On which day did the Edmonton Oilers retire Gretzky's number 99?(SEE PAGE 8 OR 14)14. Who is the oldest team in the IHL?(SEE PAGE 31)15. Who is the number 9 ranked team in the CHL?(SEE PAGE 33)16. What is the name of the official retailer for the Calgary Flames?(SEE PAGE 20)MAIL YOUR COMPLETED ENTRY FORM AND THE ANSWERS TO THE CONTEST QUESTIONS TO:Team Christmas Giveaway 1999c/o The Hockey News, 777 Bay Street, Suite 2700, Toronto, Ontario, MSG 2N1<div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-01859/6943618-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="1398" height="268"></div><h2>Entries must be postmarked by January 7th, 2000</h2><h3>CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY RULES & REGULATIONS</h3>1. All contestants must use the contest questionnaire form printed on this page or hand-drawn facsimile and mail it to the following address: Manufacturer's Christmas Giveaway. do The Hockey News, 777 Bay Street. Suite 2700, Toronto. Ontario. M5G 2Nl. All entries must be post marked no later than January 7th, 2000.2. The contest is open to all residents of continental United States and Canada (except Quebec) who are 19 years of age or older. Only one prize may be won by any household address. Contest is not open to any employees and/or families of employees of GTC Transcontinental Group Inc.3. The odds of winning a prize depends on the number of entries received with the highest number of correct answers. The draw for the prizes will take place on or around January 21st, 2000 at the head office of The Hockey News. The winners will be announced in the February 4th, 2000 issue of The Hockey News.4. The winners of each prize will be notified by telephone with confirmation by regular first class mail at the address stated on the entry form. Prizes will also be sent to that address. The Hockey News is not responsible for any entry form, any prize-winning notification, or any prize which is lost, misdirected or arrives late, whether or not due to the fault of The Hockey News or any other person. All prizes must be accepted as awarded. No cash value or substitution.5. By entering the contest the participants agree to be bound by the contest rules and consent to the use of their names in any publicity carried in The Hockey News.6. The decision of the contest judges is final in respect to matters in dispute. No correspondence will be entered into except with the winners. The contest is subject to all government laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law.7. In the event The Hockey News receives more than 16 questionnaires with the same and highest number of correct answers, these entries will be placed in a random draw, with the first 16 drawn being declared winners.8. To receive the winners' names within three months of the contest conclusion, send a self-addressed, postage paid envelope to The Hockey News.9. The Hockey News assumes no responsibility for the prizes. Distribution of the prizes is the responsibility of the participating companies. &#9632;

f0030-01

TEAM Christmas Giveaway

<div class="byline">By Bob McManaman</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-01923/6943656-1-eng-US/f0032-012.jpg" title="f0032-01" width="129" height="143"></div>Forget about watching Nik at Night. Or Nik at anytime, for that matter.The Phoenix Coyotes and their unsigned restricted free agent goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, knocked heads so much during unsuccessful negotiations, Khabibulin demanded to be traded.Phoenix GM Bobby Smith answered the demand by trading one of his goalies; it just wasn&rsquo;t Khabibulin.The Coyotes dealt Mikhail Shtalenkov to the Florida Panthers for goaltender Sean Burke Nov. 19; each team also swapped mid-round 2000 draft picks. Shtalenkov, the NHL&rsquo;s player of the month for October, had been the Coyotes&rsquo; No. 1 goalie by default.&ldquo;I think Sean Burke is a better goalie than Mikhail Shtalenkov,&rdquo; Smith said. &lsquo;That being said, we owe a great debt of gratitude for what Mikhail did for us. We&rsquo;re sitting very good at the quarter-pole because of Mikhail.&rdquo;With the deal, Smith confirmed Khabibulin will sit out the season and talks will re-open next summer. Smith said no matter what happens, Khabibulin will remain on the sidelines.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going to trade him, absolutely not,&rdquo; Smith said. &lsquo;We can&rsquo;t put ourselves in a position where we&rsquo;re trading a guy we can&rsquo;t come to an agreement with because (it would set a precedent). So trading Khabibulin is out of the question.&rdquo;The Coyotes are Burke&rsquo;s sixth team and fifth in three seasons. He had a 2-5-0 record with a 2.58 goals-against average and .913 save percentage this season. Khabibulin had a 7-6-2 mark, 2.39 GAA and .903 SP.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Kirill Safronov, D, 18, Quebec (QMJHL), 23-1-9-10-41. Safronov has impressed with his skating, hockey sense and competitiveness. He figures to be a key cog on the blueline in the future.Robert Esche, G, 21. Houston (IHL), 4-2-1,2.29, .922. The Coyotes like Esche&rsquo;s raw athletic ability and competitive fire, not to mention his fine puck handling skills. He was recently assigned to Springfield (American League) to get more playing time.NOTEBOOK: Coach Bob Francis is impressed with the play of rookie center Trevor Letowski, who had five goals and nine points in 20 games. &lsquo;&lsquo;He&rsquo;s like a snake,&rdquo; Francis said. &ldquo;He gives you the passing lane, then takes it away from you and creates turnovers. He then uses his speed to separate himself.&rdquo;&hellip;Defenseman Jyrki Lumme bruised his left shoulder Nov. 14 against Los Angeles and was expected to miss about 10 days&hellip;Center Travis Green had at least one point in 16 of 18 games&hellip;Left winger Keith Tkachuk had scored a goal in just one game during an 11-game stretch before scoring the winner at Los Angeles Nov. 18. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been putting too much pressure on myself, but I&rsquo;ve done that ever since I came into the league,&rdquo; said Tkachuk, who had six goals in 20 games&hellip;After losing four straight decisions following a 7-2-2 start, former goalie Mikhail Shtalenkov said, &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care about that Player of the Month (award for October). In fact, I wish it never happened to me." &#9632;

f0032-01

Angry Khabibulin demands trade; Smith deals Shtalenkov instead

<div class="byline">By Joe Starkey</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02632/6943687-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="139" height="138"></div>Pittsburgh Penguins&rsquo; center Robert Lang is making good on two deals he struck before the season. His new contract is one. His new agreement with the team&rsquo;s coaches is another.&ldquo;The agreed-upon challenge for Robert, between himself and the coaching staff, was to combine his first two years,&rdquo; said Penguins&rsquo; coach Kevin Constantine. &ldquo;The first year he had a great defensive year and the second one he had a great offensive year. We wanted to put the two together and finish with the goals he had in year two and the plus-minus he had in year one.&rdquo;So far, so good. Through 17 games, Lang was second on the Penguins in scoring with 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) to go with a plus-2 rating. He is well on his way to establishing a career high in points, breaking the mark of 44 he set last season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s early in the season and I&rsquo;m trying to do both-not give up the offense, but not forget about the defense, either,&rdquo; said the 28-year-old center. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll see how it&rsquo;s going to go.&rdquo;Constantine is especially impressed with Lang&rsquo;s defensive work. He was minus-10 last season after posting a plus-6 in 1997-98, his first season with the Penguins, who picked him up on waivers from the Boston Bruins.&ldquo;He has fixed a couple of things in his own end this year that have allowed him to be more plus, and at the same time, he&rsquo;s carrying on the offense that he generated last year,&rdquo; Constantine said.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Milan Kraft, C, 19, Prince Albert (WHL), 20-11-18-29-16. Kraft came very close to making the Penguins in training camp. He has bulked up and is among the leading scorers in the Western League.Pavel Skrbek, D, 21, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), 10-0-3-3-4. A numbers game kept him off the Penguins&rsquo; roster out of training camp. Skrbek is big and mobile, but the coaching staff believes he must make better decisions with the puck.NOTEBOOK: There will be no contract negotiations between GM Craig Patrick and coach Kevin Constantine during the season, Patrick said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s just my sense of what needs to be done,&rdquo; Patrick said. &ldquo;We have to wait until the end of the year and see what transpires throughout the organization.&rdquo; Constantine is in the final year of a three-year contract that pays him $400,000 this season&hellip;Patrick said he was fortunate to escape his Nov. 9 automobile accident with only a couple of broken ribs. Patrick said he was talking on his cell phone when an animal jumped in front of his sport utility vehicle. He wound up crashing over a guard rail. &ldquo;I got out of it pretty lucky,&rdquo; Patrick said. &ldquo;It was very scary.&rsquo;&rsquo;&hellip;Goalie Tom Barrasso (sprained knee ligament) practised Nov. 17 for the first time in nearly three weeks. He had no target date for a return. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll just take it day-by-day,&rdquo; he said. Barrasso saw Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., during the first week of November. Andrews prescribed two weeks of rest. &#9632;

f0032-02

Center Lang sticking to promise of being effective at both ends

<div class="byline">By Dave Luecking</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-01833/6943718-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="144" height="129"></div>St. Louis Blues&rsquo; left winger Geoff Courtnall bid a tearful farewell to the NHL at an emotional press conference.Courtnail. 37, retired Nov. 18 after 17 seasons because of the lingering effects of post-concussion syndrome. He sustained two serious concussions in 11 months, the last being the result of an elbow to the face from Toronto&rsquo;s Bryan Berard Oct. 16.Courtnall&rsquo;s voice cracked as he read from a prepared statement and thanked his family, friends, the Blues and fans for supporting him.&lsquo;Td like to thank all the guys for showing up,&rdquo; Courtnail said, slowly, tearfully. &ldquo;1 hope you guys win the Stanley Cup this year&hellip;I&rsquo;ii miss you guys.&rdquo;There wasn&rsquo;t a dry eye in the room as Courtnail melted into a chair. His wife, Penni, then stepped to the podium."Geoff is saying goodbye to his second family&ndash;the guys in the room,&rdquo; Penni Courtnall said. "But we&rsquo;re all thankful that he&rsquo;s walking away from the game with his mind intact.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Barret Jackman, D, 18, Regina (WHL), 22-2-11-13-72. A rugged, hard-hitting defensemen with the ability to move the puck, Jackman was one of the last cuts in training camp. He&rsquo;s still a year or two away.Marty Reasoner, C, 22, Worcester (AHL), 16-5-10-15-8. Reasoner had a disappointing camp and needs to upgrade his effort, commitment to defense and foot speed.NOTEBOOK: After a three-game benching, goalie Roman Turek returned to form by putting together a four-game unbeaten streak at 3-0-1, including a 3-0 shutout over Florida Nov. 18&mdash;his first as a Blue&hellip; Center Pierre Turgeon registered all three assists in the Blues&rsquo; 3-2 win Nov. 17 at Toronto that extended the team&rsquo;s road winning streak to four games&hellip; The Blues were 7-4-1 with defenseman Al Maclnnis sidelined with a broken left ankle. They were 3-0 since his return&hellip; In the three games before Nov. 19, members of the Blues checking line had taken turns in Joel Quenneville&rsquo;s doghouse. Center Craig Conroy, right winger Scott Young and left winger Scott Pellerin, in that order, sat out one game apiece. &#9632;

f0033-01

Post-concussion syndrome forces Courtnail to call it quits

<div class="byline">By Dan Wood</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-03422/6943749-1-eng-US/f0033-032.jpg" title="f0033-03" width="310" height="432"><figcaption class="caption-body">Vince Damphousse</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02566/6943756-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="133" height="137"></div>San Jose Sharks&rsquo; center Vincent Damphousse made a triumphant return to Montreal.Damphousse assisted on two goals in a 4-1 win over the Canadiens Nov. 16.The Montreal native spent nearly seven years with the Habs, almost three as captain, before the Sharks swapped a package of draft picks to acquire him at last season&rsquo;s trade deadline.&ldquo;He was ready for the game,&rdquo; Nolan said. &ldquo;We were talking about it the whole day.&rdquo;Until Damphousse joined them, the Sharks had never won in Montreal, going 0-6-2 in their first eight visits.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really know what to expect,&rdquo; Damphousse said. &ldquo;I was nervous before the game and at the anthems. It took me a couple of shifts to settle down and play my style.&ldquo;Obviously, I have some pride. Everybody who gets traded wants to stick it to their old team. That&rsquo;s what I wanted to do, really show they should have kept me. 1 wanted it bad, for a lot of reasons. Our team was struggling.&rdquo;Damphousse has been everything the Sharks hoped when they signed him to a four-year, $18 million-plus contract in June. Through 24 games, he had seven goals and 23 points.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a lot better player, a better situational player, than I thought he was,&rdquo; coach Darryl Sutter said.<h2>Prospect Update</h2>Jeff Jillson, D, 19, Michigan (CCHA), 11-3-11-14-n/a. A well rounded blueliner, he is off to an outstanding start in his sophomore season. He will play for Team USA at the World Junior Championships.Miika Kiprusoff. G, 23, Kentucky (AHL). 7-3-1, 1.99, .931. The Finn has skyrocketed to the top of an organization deep in goalie prospects. He has made a quick adjustment to the North American game, but is at least two years away from being NHL-ready.NOTEBOOK: With two goals in a 4-1 win Nov. 16 at Montreal, right winger Owen Nolan moved into a tie for the league lead and matched the modest total of 14 he produced two years ago. Nolan had 19 goals last season&hellip; Right winger Ron Stern returned to San Jose for medical evaluation after leaving the Montreal game with back trouble. Stem missed an Oct. 20 game in Detroit for the same reason&hellip; Defenseman Mike Rathje. sidelined by a strained groin since Nov. 2, sought further medical opinions when the injury was slow to heal. Doctors found nothing serious&hellip; Defenseman Marcus Ragnarsson. the other half of the club&rsquo;s top blueline pairing, remained day-today because of a hairline fracture in his right foot sustained Oct. 19. &#9632;

f0033-03

High-flying Shark Damphousse glorious in return to Montreal

<div class="byline">By Tom Jones</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-04327/6943787-1-eng-US/f0033-042.jpg" title="f0033-04" width="133" height="136"></div>His teammates call him &lsquo;Silly.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s short for his name: Mike Sillinger. But it also fits his dressing room demeanor. He&rsquo;s always ribbing a teammate, or making a joke, or pulling a prank.These days it&rsquo;s good to be Sillinger. As the Lightning closed November, Sillinger discovered his scoring touch and was leading the team with 14 points in 16 games.But flashback to two months ago, and there was nothing jovial about Sillinger&rsquo;s life. In September, during an exhibition road trip, Sillinger&rsquo;s wife, Karla, miscarried after a three-month pregnancy."It wasn&rsquo;t easy, but we told ourselves this is what God has meant for us,&rdquo; Sillinger said. &ldquo;We wanted a healthy baby, but something wasn&rsquo;t right. It wasn&rsquo;t meant to be.&rdquo;The good news was Karla was healthy and they could try again to have another child. The couple has a healthy two-year old son, Owen.&ldquo;I flew home after it happened, because I knew I was the only one she wanted to see,&rdquo; Sillinger said. &ldquo;I give her a lot of credit. Especially because she really didn&rsquo;t have anyone else around. Not her mom, or a sister, or close friends.&rdquo;Despite his pre-season nightmare, the 28-year-old got off to a great start. During one two-week stretch, Sillinger scored a goal to spark a six-goal comeback against Pittsburgh, had two assists in a 3-2 win over Detroit, and had a hand in the Lightning&rsquo;s next six goals against Buffalo and Carolina.</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Brad Richards, LW, 19, Rimouski (QMJHL), 26-27-40-67-37. The Lightning&rsquo;s second round pick in 1998 is putting up better numbers since old teammate Vincent Lecavalier left Rimouski.Matt Elich, RW, 20. Detroit (IHL), 14-4-1-5-2. He&rsquo;s still learning the defensive game, but the organization is impressed with the 6-foot-3 forward&rsquo;s range and blazing speed.NOTEBOOK: Center Bruce Gardiner was a hit in his debut-until he hurt his knee. Gardiner picked up a goal and an assist in the first period against Atlanta Nov. 17 after being acquired from Ottawa. He was lost until mid-December with a sprained right knee. In the same game, defenseman Bryan Muir, acquired from Chicago and also making his debut, broke his left ankle and will be out until late December&hellip; The Lightning named center Chris Gratton captain. He replaced defenseman Bill Houlder, who was waived to Nashville in early November&hellip; Goalie Daren Puppa was sent to Detroit to work with the National Basketball Association Pistons&rsquo; strength and conditioning coach, Arnie Kander. &#9632;

f0033-04

Sillinger surging since September

<div class="byline">By Paul Hunter</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-01885/6943818-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="135" height="146"></div>Steve Thomas has become a one-goal wonder.After finishing third in team scoring last season with 28 goals, the right winger has mostly disappeared from the area around the opposition net and from Toronto&rsquo;s game summaries.After 21 games, Thomas had just one goal.' The 36-year-old did have 13 assists to lead the team but, by his own admission, those helpers have come mostly while playing on the periphery. Genuine scoring chances have been few and Thomas had only 26 shots.&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t make any excuses for my lack of goal production,&rdquo; Thomas said. &ldquo;The bottom line is I&rsquo;ve got to be grittier and go to the net.&rdquo;That Thomas-nicknamed &lsquo;Stumpy&rsquo;-isn&rsquo;t doing what it takes has the Leafs stumped. He signed with Toronto as a free agent before last season and, freed from the New Jersey Devils&rsquo; defensive system, responded with an inspired campaign. He drove fearlessly to the net and earned the respect of Toronto&rsquo;s skeptical fans with his tireless physical play.&lsquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to change right now and push myself to get into those dirty areas, so to speak,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what it takes to score goals.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Petr Svoboda, D, 19, Trinec (Czech.), 16-1-1-2-n/a. Often compared to Eric Desjardins, Svoboda-a solid two-way defenseman-has scouts convinced he&rsquo;s a sure-fire NHLer.Adam Mair, LW/C, 20, St. John&rsquo;s (AHL), 18-3-9-12-15. The gritty Mair started slowly this season, but was starting to show the tenacity he displayed in last year&rsquo;s NHL playoffs.NOTEBOOK: Center Alyn McCauley is still struggling in his return from the concussion he suffered in March. He was a healthy scratch for consecutive games in mid-November.. When defenseman Bryan Berard heard Geoff Courtnall was going to retire, he placed a call to the St. Louis left winger. Berard&rsquo;s hit Oct. 16 was the final blow to Courtnail, who had suffered multiple concussions. &ldquo;I felt bad and I wished him the best,&rdquo; Berard said&hellip;Center Nik Antropov got his first NHL goal Nov. 15 against San Jose. &#9632;

f0035-01

Slump stumps veteran as Thomas struggles to find scoring touch

<div class="byline">By Elliott Pap</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02633/6943849-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="140" height="137"></div>After 15 seasons of being an NHL regular, Vancouver Canucks&rsquo; defenseman Doug Bodger is coming to grips with his new life as a role player and press box sitter.Bodger was a healthy scratch in nine of the Canucks&rsquo; first 19 games and, although he prepared himself for this eventuality, he wasn&rsquo;t enjoying it.&ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t really sure how many games I&rsquo;d play, but when it does happen and you&rsquo;re sat out, it&rsquo;s disappointing,&rdquo; said Bodger, who signed a one-year contract for $700,000 (U.S.) with a club option for a second season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s difficult and you start doubting your ability. Some days are better than others, but you have to be positive. I told the coaching staff I&rsquo;m not going to mope around and bring the team down.&rdquo;While Bodger has been sitting, players such as Greg Hawgood and Chris Joseph, neither of whom was even in the league last season, are taking regular shifts and seeing power play duty. And when Mattias Ohlund (eye surgery) makes his expected return sometime in late December or early January, Bodger could be pushed further down the depth chart.&ldquo;I think I can play a lot better than I&rsquo;ve been playing and I know I can still play in this league,&rdquo; said the 33-year-old, whose minus-6 mark was a team worst approaching the season&rsquo;s quarter-pole.Ohlund, meanwhile, was beginning to regain the sight in his right eye following Nov. 10 surgery. He was hit with a deflected puck in a Sept. 21 pre-season game in Ottawa.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a really good feeling right now,&rdquo; Ohlund said. &ldquo;Things are still foggy, but before I couldn&rsquo;t really see at all. It&rsquo;s improving every day. Everything is positive. Everything is going well.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Daniel Sedin, LW, 19, 19-8-12-20-6; Henrik Sedin. C, 19, 19-6-11-17-8, MoDo (Sweden). Vancouver&rsquo;s twin picks in the 1999 draft can do it all, from leading the offense to killing penalties. They&rsquo;re considered the most gifted prospects the organization has had since Pavel Bure and are ready to step in now. (See pg. 16 formore).Harold Druken, C, 20, Syracuse (AHL), 16-8-9-17-12. The first-year pro sees the ice very well and is offensively gifted. But he needs to improve his strength and play without puck and will likely stay in the American League for another year.NOTEBOOK: The Canucks will hold the first portion of their 2000-01 training camp in Stockholm&hellip; The Canucks reported a loss of $25.5 million (Cdn) for the fiscal year ending June 30, which was $7 million less than they reported one year ago&hellip;With center Mark Messier out with a knee sprain, right wingers Markus Naslund and Alexander Mogilny are wearing the &lsquo;C&rsquo; in alternate games. The team also appointed four alternates-center Andrew Cassels, defensemen Ed Jovanovski and Murray Baron and left winger Donald Brashear-who wear the &lsquo;A&rsquo; on a rotating basis&hellip; Through the first 19 games, rookie left winger Steve Kariya scored only on Saturdays. &#9632;

f0035-02

Bodger regular press box watcher, but certain he can contribute again

<div class="byline">By Dave Fay</div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03515/6943880-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="139" height="136"></div>Five games into the season, the Washington Capitals were about as inefficient as a team could get killing penalties, allowing nine goals on 24 chances. Their success rate was 62.5 per cent, last in the league, a formula for disaster if ever there were one.On the morning of Oct. 17, the Caps sat down, saw some videos, watched as coach Ron Wilson drew diagrams on the chalkboard, then patiently walked through penalty-killing drills.The club proceeded to kill off 51 of its next 52 shorthanded situations including a team-record 44 in a row to jump into ninth place in the league (86.7 per cent). The previous team record-though unofficial-came in March, 1992 when the Caps killed 37 consecutive power plays. There are no league records for consecutive kills.&ldquo;I think this is the best PK we&rsquo;ve had in years, even better than the year we set the league record (89.2 per cent in 1988-89),&rdquo; said goalie Olie Kolzig.The Caps were a little apprehensive on the penalty kill when the season started and were also breaking in two new penalty-killers, right winger Joe Sacco and rookie center Jeff Halpern.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think they understood the philosophy right away behind what we do on PK and to be honest, we didn&rsquo;t really work on it too much in practice,&rdquo; Kolzig said. &ldquo;Early on we were concentrating on the power play, we got to running around a little too much on PK and giving other teams way too many easy chances.&rdquo;The lumps that were taken early have now turned into patches of pride.&ldquo;We come off the ice after a kill, we&rsquo;re sitting on the bench and yeah, we think it&rsquo;s something to be proud of,&rdquo; Halpern said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re more aggressive and we&rsquo;ve learned to come off at the right time, before your legs let you know you should have come off sooner.&rdquo;</div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2>Prospect Update</h2>Michal Sivek, C, 18, Prince Albert (WHL), 21-11-18-29-28. Sivek is playing so well with the Raiders other teams are wondering how he lasted until the first pick of the second round in 1999.Alexandre Volchkov, RW, 22, Portland (AHL), 13-3-9-12-28. A changed man, Volchkov continues his transformation from one-way player to complete package. He is finishing checks, running people over and becoming a team player.NOTEBOOK: The Caps celebrated their 2,000th game in the NHL Nov. 12 with a 4-2 win over New Jersey. It left the team with an overall record of 834-912-254 (.480 winning percentage)&hellip;Unrestricted free agent Mark Tinordi had a second round of surgery on the ankle he broke last season to increase blood flow to the affected area. He hopes to be ready to play in January, but still needs to sign a contract&hellip;With AOL executive Ted Leonsis as majority owner, the Caps are jumping into cyberspace in a big way. The latest addition to the team&rsquo;s website is an in-arena robotic camera that allows fans to control it during games. Fans can use the Webcam to take photos of game action and then e-mail them. &#9632;

f0035-03

Caps suddenly killers shorthanded following horrible start to season

<div class="byline">By Kevin Oklobzija</div>Terry Ryan admits the contract offer by the Montreal Canadiens was good, but money isn&rsquo;t going to lure him back to the organization. Nothing will, he says.That&rsquo;s why the third-year left winger is playing for the St. John&rsquo;s Maple Leafs on an American League contract.A restricted free agent whose NHL rights are still owned by Montreal, Ryan hopes to prove to another organization-perhaps the Toronto Maple Leafs-he can be a tough guy winger capable of scoring in the NHL. And he gets to live at home while doing it. A native of St. John&rsquo;s, Nfld., Ryan is playing in his backyard and helping sell a few more tickets at Memorial Stadium.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just thrilled-not many people have an opportunity to play pro hockey in their hometown,&rdquo; said Ryan, 22, who was selected eighth overall in 1995 by Montreal.He was far from thrilled with Montreal. Despite two solid AHL seasons, he saw no future with the Canadiens. As an AHL rookie, he scored 21 goals, 39 points and had 256 penalty minutes for the Fredericton Canadiens. Last season, he had 16 goals, 43 points and 189 minutes in just 55 games. In those two sea sons, he played five NHL games and had no points and 36 PIMs.&ldquo;It has nothing at all to do with money, it has nothing with me thinking I should be in Montreal skating on the first line,&rdquo; Ryan said. &ldquo;I know I have work to do and I can&rsquo;t point a finger at anyone, it was just a lot of things that really depressed me. It got to the point last year that I hated going to the rink every day.&rdquo;His mood didn&rsquo;t improve before training camp, either.&ldquo;I spoke with them in the summer and I got the impression I&rsquo;d be in the minors right away, that I really didn&rsquo;t have a chance to make the team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;So I just wanted a fresh start. It didn&rsquo;t matter who it was with.&rdquo;The 6-foot-l, 202-pound Ryan began the season with the Long Beach Ice Dogs in the International League, then joined the Utah Grizzlies. Utah, however, had tough guys Mick Vukota and Shawn Penn, so they really didn&rsquo;t need Ryan.That&rsquo;s when the Maple Leafs stepped in, offering him an AHL contract-with Montreal&rsquo;s blessing&ldquo;We sought Montreal&rsquo;s approval, we wouldn&rsquo;t have signed him with out it,&rdquo; said St. John&rsquo;s GM Bill Watters. &ldquo;One, we wanted to sell some tickets; two, we wanted to give him a chance to play; and three, the fact is, he&rsquo;s a pretty good hockey player.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-01842/6943911-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="436" height="427"></div>Good enough to be interested at the NHL level?&ldquo;Perhaps, but based on where Montreal drafted him and what they&rsquo;d want in return, it may be too much to pay,&rdquo; Watters said.While Ryan will be the enemy of Montreal&rsquo;s AHL affiliate, the Quebec Citadelles, at least he&rsquo;s playing. The Canadiens say that can only help in getting him back in their organization, or in making a trade.POP QUIZ: Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati now have a little more competition on the Ohio education front. Sort of.Mighty Ducks University opened its classroom doors for Hockey 101 Nov. 9 with professors Moe Mantha (the Ducks&rsquo; coach), Frank Banham (a right winger) and Dan Trebil (a defenseman) doing the lecturing in a two-hour question-and-answer session at Cincinnati Gardens.The brainchild of Don Helbig, director of communications for the American League&rsquo;s Mighty Ducks, the &ldquo;university&rdquo; was created to help educate Cincinnati fans on all aspects of the game. The lecturers talked about subjects ranging from the NHL draft to forechecking systems.&ldquo;All I knew was the players were supposed to hit the puck into the net,&rdquo; said fan Suzanne Voss of her hockey knowledge.The goal is to bring the Ducks closer to the community, which can only help as they near the midway point of their third season of competition against the International League&rsquo;s Cincinnati Cyclones. Hel-big expected about 50 people; 144 attended.AHL TIDBITS: Eighth-year pro defenseman John Slaney has injected life into the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins&rsquo; offense since his demotion from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had five goals and eight points in five games&hellip; Louisville Panthers&rsquo; goalie Rich Shulmistra made 32 saves in a 3-0 win at Quebec for his second shutout of the season. That matches a career high for the six-year veteran&hellip; Since being reassigned from the Colorado Avalanche in mid-October, center Dan Hinote had at least one point in each of his 12 games with the Hershey Bears. &#9632;

f0036-01

Ryan hopes for deal

<div class="byline">By Tim Campbell</div>The Manitoba Moose had already improved their talent this season, but something was still missing in early November as their five-game losing streak will attest.Center Jim Montgomery appears to have been a quick fix for both Moose chemistry and skill. In his first five games with the Moose after being loaned from the Philadelphia Flyers, the 30-year-old Montreal native scored four goals and nine points and the team had bounced back with a four-game winning streak.Montgomery also brought linemates Lonny Bohonos and Patrice Tardif to life. In their first five games as a trio, Montgomery, Bohonos and Tardif combined for 28 points, including 11 by Bohonos.&ldquo;We do have experience, but I think it&rsquo;s a good mix,&rdquo; Montgomery said. &ldquo;Tardif is a strong, physical player who creates opportunities with speed and his ability to occupy a couple of players at a time, which can leave Lonny and I open for 2-on-ls.&rdquo;Tardif said Montgomery&rsquo;s addition to the Moose Nov. 5 was a mental boost.&ldquo;When they put him on my fine, I knew some good things were going to happen,&rdquo; Tardif said.Bohonos, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs last year, admitted he was trying to find a groove before Montgomery arrived.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-01755/6943980-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="529" height="225"></div>&ldquo;This has been a big monkey off our backs to get things going,&rdquo; Bohonos said. &ldquo;Early in the season, me and Tards struggled and we were getting a little frustrated. Now, a lot of times with these guys, it seems nothing can go wrong.&rdquo;SLUGGISH MVP: Brian Wiseman, the IHL&rsquo;s most valuable player in 1998-99, has not jumped from the gate quickly with the defending champion Houston Aeros.The slick center needed 14 regular season games before scoring his first goal Nov. 13 in Utah. Through 14 games, Wiseman had one goal and eight points.TEMPER TANTRUM: Cincinnati Cyclones&rsquo; goalie Mark Fitzpatrick was suspended two games by the league for his fisticuffs&rsquo; confrontation with officials and temper tantrum with six seconds left in a 7-3 home loss to the Orlando Solar Bears Nov. 13.Fitzpatrick received 49 minutes in penalties for slashing, leaving the crease, fighting, two misconducts and a pair of game misconducts.GO WEST, OLD MAN: Roster demographics after the Nov. 3 cutdown date to 23 players show the oldest IHL teams reside in the Western Conference and the youngest in the Eastern Conference.Chicago (29.7) years, Utah (28.8) and Houston (28.1) are the league&rsquo;s oldest teams by average age, while Detroit and Michigan (24.3) are the youngest.DOTTING THE &lsquo;I&rsquo;: The Kansas City Blades, on the road for nine games while the rodeo occupied their home at Kemper Arena, went 4-5-0 on their extended trip. &#9632;

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Montgomery awakens Moose

<div class="byline">By Jim Cressman</div>One day last summer, Windsor Spitfires&rsquo; owner Steve Riolo saw a bunch of zeroes staring him in the face.It was the six-figure price tag he would have to pay to hire Tom Webster as his coach and Mike Kelly as his GM. Riolo turned to his wife and said &ldquo;Can I afford this?&rdquo;&ldquo;She said, &lsquo;You can&rsquo;t afford not to,&rsquo;&rdquo; Riolo recalled. It&rsquo;s the best money Riolo has spent in the 10 years he has owned the Ontario League franchise.The Webster-Kelly combination has restored respectability to a faltering organization in a span of two months.The Spitfires stood third overall in the Western Conference at 12-5-1-1 and were ranked sixth in the Canadian Hockey League.Last season, Windsor finished 16 games under .500.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a total changeover this year,&rdquo; said overage center Jeff Martin. now in his fifth season with Windsor. &ldquo;When you go to the rink, everyone wants to be here. I wish this had happened my first year.&rdquo;Webster is Martin&rsquo;s sixth coach. He&rsquo;s Riolo&rsquo;s 16th coach in 10 years. Webster made the decision to leave the NHL, where he was an assistant with the Carolina Hurricanes, and return to the OHL following the death of Hurri-canes&rsquo; defenseman Steve Chiasson last May.Webster and Chiasson were close.&ldquo;Steve showed us all how short and precious life is and this chance (to coach the Spitfires) came along and gave me a chance to be with my family-my kids and my grandchildren,&rdquo; said Webster, who guided the Spitfires to the 1988 OHL title.His family all lives in the Windsor-Detroit area. Webster&rsquo;s son Brent is an assistant coach with the Spitfires. It&rsquo;s believed they&rsquo;re the only father-son coaching tandem in OHL history. Hap and Paul Emms&nbsp;were the only father-son coach-GM tandem, with the Niagara Falls Flyers in the late 1960s.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-01821/6944042-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="696" height="248"></div>HERO RETURNS: The Ottawa 67&rsquo;s received Some good news when they learned overage left winger Matt Zultek will play for them this season. The bad news is he won&rsquo;t be available until late January after undergoing knee surgery Nov. 12.Zultek scored the overtime winner as the 67&rsquo;s defeated the Calgary Hit-men in last May&rsquo;s Memorial Cup.Zultek re-entered the draft after failing to sign with the Los Angeles Kings and was selected by the Boston Bruins. A knee injury he had lingered all summer and Bruin doctors told him not to skate until having surgery.ALL-STAR COACHES: Lou Crawford of the Belleville Bulls and Gary Agnew of the London Knights were named to coach in the league&rsquo;s All-Star Game Jan. 25 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.The selections were based on the Bulls winning the Eastern Conference championship and the Knights the Western Conference title last season. &#9632;

f0038-01

Coach Webster, GM Kelly spur Spitfires

<div class="byline">By Gordie Sutherland</div>Bob Mongrain&rsquo;s cell phone rarely leaves his side these days as he looks for ways to give the Halifax Mooseheads their Memorial Cup makeover.Halifax&rsquo;s coach and GM began the process in earnest by overhauling the forward lines with the addition of four new players in less than a month.Mongrain made his first major move Oct. 13, acquiring former league MVP Ramzi Abid from the Bathurst Titan and followed with two more trades in November.He sent seldom-used defenseman Mathieu Paul to the Montreal Rocket for third line center Eric Dubois Nov. 9 and three days later dealt overage defenseman Frederic Belanger and winger Jonathan Andrews to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for centers Jonathan Gagnon and Robbie Sutherland.All three of November&rsquo;s newcomers are considered character players capable of contributing offensively. Gagnon scored 27 goals for Cape Breton last season.&ldquo;We got three new players in a week, so we&rsquo;ll see where they fit,&rdquo; said Mongrain, whose club will host the Memorial Cup in May. &ldquo;We added experience and depth. I think we&rsquo;re on the right track. But we won&rsquo;t be satisfied until we really feel we have a contender.&rdquo;Still high on the shopping list is another impact forward, or two, and a quarterback for the power play.&ldquo;Our situation is very difficult,&rdquo; said Mongrain, who lost eight players from last season, including snipers Alex Tanguay and Ladislav Nagy. &ldquo;We knew at the start we had holes to fill and we want to fill those holes with impact players, but front-seaters are really hard to get.&rdquo;The Mooseheads have two of the league&rsquo;s top goalies in Alexei Volkov and Pascal Leclaire and will likely part with one of them to get what they need. It&rsquo;s widely believed the Mooseheads already have the inside track on high-scoring Rouyn-Noranda Huskies&rsquo; center Mike Ribeiro, who is still with the Montreal Canadiens.<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02590/6944073-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="535" height="507"></div>&ldquo;If he comes back to junior, whoever Ribeiro plays for, they&rsquo;re probably going to have the best player in the league,&rdquo; Mongrain said. &ldquo;I like to think our chances are as good as anybody else&rsquo;s.&rdquo;EIGHTS ARE WILD: Twenty-year-old Mathieu Benoit looked like a man among boys Nov. 14 as he scored a remarkable eight goals in the Bathurst Titan&rsquo;s 12-3 whipping of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.Benoit&rsquo;s scoring spree shot down Mario Lemieux&rsquo;s franchise record of six goals in a game, set in 1983-1984 when the team was in Laval and called the Voisins.It also moved Benoit into a tie for the league record with Stephan Lebeau (Shawinigan Cataractes 1986-1987) and Normand Aubin (Verdun Eperviers 1979-1980). In the same game, defenseman Francois Beauchemin set a franchise record with eight assists, breaking the previous mark of seven shared by four players, including Lemieux and Vincent Damphousse.FIGHT NIGHT: Gloves were dropped almost as often as the puck Nov. 12 when fighting prevented the Victoriaville Tigres and Drummondville Voltigeurs from finishing their game. The teams fought frequently over the last two periods and neither side had enough players to continue following a partial line brawl with 2:42 left in the third and the host Voltigeurs leading 7-1.&ldquo;Fights are tolerated in hockey, so this is what happened-fights, fights, fights,&rdquo; said Victoriaville coach Alain Rajotte.Four players received automatic one-game suspensions stemming from the dust-+up and league vice-president Maurice Filion lowered the boom on Rajotte, who received a three-game suspension, and Drummondville coach Daniel Bissonnette. who will sit out two games. &#9632;

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Mooseheads loading up in preparation for Cup

<div class="byline">By Rob Vanstone</div>Garth Malarchuk was the victim of a Rocket firing.Malarchuk was dismissed Nov. 15 as coach of the Western League&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets. His assistant, Drew Schoneck, was named interim coach while GM Bruce Hamilton searched for a full-time replacement.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s part of the business,&rdquo; said Malarchuk, 45. &ldquo;It goes back to the old saying: You&rsquo;re hired to be fired. My time just came a little quicker than I would have liked.&rdquo;The axe fell while Kelowna sported a 7-13-0-1 record and a five-game losing streak. The Rockets were sixth in the seven-team West Division.Kelowna was fifth at 25-42-5 last season-its first under Malarchuk.&ldquo;It just hasn&rsquo;t happened,&rdquo; Hamilton said. &ldquo;The group of us felt that we&rsquo;ve got more on the ice than we&rsquo;ve shown. We didn&rsquo;t see it changing so, rather than wait and experiment, we made the move now.&rdquo;The Rockets are contractually obligated to Malarchuk through 2000-01.&ldquo;Over my last nine games, we had 18 goals scored against us,&rdquo; Malarchuk said. &ldquo;From a defensive standpoint, I was really happy with the team&rsquo;s performance. We just didn&rsquo;t score.&ldquo;When you lose all those 2-1 games, it comes back to bite you. The power play has been dismal of late and it killed me in more ways than one. The power play was the difference in a lot of those games and it ultimately cost me my job.&rdquo;Kelowna didn&rsquo;t fare any better in its first game under Schoneck, losing 7-1 to the Prince George Cougars Nov. 16.NEW 'TOON: The Saskatoon Blades are making amends for four successive sub-.500 seasons. A 10-8-3-1 start left Saskatoon second among six East Division teams and they were already within six victories of last year&rsquo;s total.&ldquo;The guys came back after putting a good summer&rsquo;s work in,&rdquo; said coach Brad McCrimmon. &ldquo;To say they didn&rsquo;t want to repeat what happened last year would be an understatement. The attitude was to move forward.&rdquo;<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-01782/6944111-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="348" height="366"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02522/6944104-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="321" height="497"><figcaption class="caption-body">Barret Jackman</figcaption></div>And to move without discomfort.&ldquo;Last season, we lost 450 man-games due to injury,&rdquo; McCrimmon said. &ldquo;How do you measure that? I don&rsquo;t know. Some nights, we&rsquo;d have eight or nine veterans out of the lineup. That&rsquo;s not exactly a perfect situation.&ldquo;At the same time, the team grew together. There was no back-biting or finger-pointing. The guys stuck together and started a foundation.&rdquo;GRINNIN&rsquo; BARRET: Regina Pats&rsquo; defenseman Barret Jackman has noticed a few differences between the junior and NHL lifestyles.&ldquo;Having Rice Krispies squares on the bus is a little different than having shrimp cocktail on the plane,&rdquo; said Jackman, 18, who was the St. Louis Blues&rsquo; first round pick (17th overall) in the 1999 draft.&ldquo;But I&rsquo;m enjoying the bus trips. It&rsquo;s good to be back with the guys.&rdquo;Before returning to Regina, Jackman signed a three-year, $4-million contract with the Blues. The deal included a $1-million signing bonus.Jackman had two goals, 13 points and 67 penalty minutes after 21 WHL games this season.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s such a big jump from one level to the other,&rdquo; Jackman said. &ldquo;You have to elevate your game to the speed and style of the NHL. When I was sent back here, I found that it was a little different pace. You have to get your footing back and get used to the speed.&rdquo;STREAKING IN SWIFT: Swift Current Broncos&rsquo; left winger Jeremy Reich had a 22-game point-scoring streak, the longest in the CHL this season.With five goals and 31 points, the 20-year-old Reich had scored in each of his first 22 games this season.There were some tense moments Nov. 16 when Reich did not hit the scoresheet until 2:37 remained against the Portland Winter Hawks. Reich extended his streak by assisting on the tying goal. With 56 seconds left, he scored the winning goal as Swift Current prevailed 4-3.The late outburst allowed Reich to set a franchise record for the longest point-scoring streak. Tim Tisdale registered at least one point in 21 consecutive games in 1988-89. Tisdale is now Regina&rsquo;s coach. &#9632;

f0039-01

Rockets fire Malarchuk

<div class="byline">By Andy Baggot</div>The last time Wisconsin won nine of it? first 10 games, it won an NCAA title. That was in 1990.The latest edition of the Badgers matched that impressive streak by sweeping a Western Collegiate Hockey A sociation home-and-home series from Minnesota Nov. 12-13.While it's too early to think of UW winning its sixth national title, some important habits are being developed.Most notably, the Badgers are discovering how to win in the clutch. A goal by freshman forward Dany Heatley with 26 seconds left provided a 3-2 win over Denver Nov. 5. A conversion by senior winger Dustin Kuk with seven seconds remaining in regulation paved the way for a 4-3 victory over Minnesota Nov. 12. The following night, senior center Steve Reinprecht came through with an overtime tally to produce a 5-4 win."Once we found out we could do it once, it's gotten contagious," said sophomore center Matt Murray. "We're pretty much confident we can make it happen."Badgers' coach Jeff Sauer agreed. "We've won in the last couple minutes of a number of games here in the last couple weeks," he said. "It's just a matter of confidence, the way the guys feel going into it."Sauer said inner belief is the biggest difference between the team that took a seven-game winning streak into a two-game series at St. Cloud State Nov. 19-20 and the one that averaged a school record-low 2.58 goals-per-game last season. It help to have excellent depth and skill at forward-all four lines have contributed at various junctures this season."One thing we know is we have great depth up front," Reinprecht said. "We haven't been worried about goals. We made a whole bunch of team goals at the start of the year and one was to try and hit four goals a game."Through Nov. 18, the Badgers were held below four goals in a game only twice, including a 3-1 Jos. to Minnesota-Duluth Oct. 22."The biggest change, the biggest plus, is confidence," Sauer said. "I feel it growing on the bench."LOOKING TO DIVERSIFY: For years. Minnesota has had a tradition of recruiting and featuring only players from inside its borders. First-year coach Don Lucia has an eye towards changing that. Both assistant coaches, Mike Guentzel and John Hill, have ventured into western Canada this fall. Lucia said he has not heard a single complaint."We were hoping to get a (recruiting) vi. it just to send a message," Lucia said. "I think diversity will help this program."TOUGH START: Michigan Tech's season-opening nine-game losing streak is the longest in school history since 1940-41, when the Huskies started 0-10-0. &#9632;

Badgers gain confidence as clutch wins continue

<div class="byline">By Tom Boggle</div>Junior Jason Ralph is typical of the forwards that Union College coach Kevin Sneddon and his staff bring in each year-good offensive skills, versatile, outstanding work ethic.But Ralph has something most of his teammates don't-a place in the Union College record book. Ralph, a 6-feet, 185-pound right winger from Carp, Ont., scored a team-record six points in the Skating Dutchmen's 8-6 victory over Colgate Nov. 5. His ix-point night included hi first career hat trick.Others had scored more points in a game when Union played at the Division Il level, but the Division I record was five, shared by four players.Ralph's record-setting night is typical of the versatility of Union players. He began the season on a checking line, but when Sneddon promoted him to the first line with freshman center Kris Goodjohn and junior left winger Clark Jones, Ralph came to life."We had him in a defensive role early on, and I don't think we were using him in the right situations," said Sneddon, in his second year behind the Union bench. "We put him on a line where we thought he could be more productive and they really clicked."One of the reasons the combination clicked was Ralph's ability to adapt to different roles."Jason 1s very versatile," Sneddon said. "I can use him to kill penalties. he can play fourth line, but he can also be used in a first line role. He can do a little bit of everything."Although Union has a horrendous 3-26-2 record (1-19-2 in Eastern College Athletic Conference play) in 1998-99, the Dutchmen split their first four league games this season, including a shocking 3-2 upset win at Clarkson Nov. 12.FROM BAD TO WORSE: After serving a five-game suspension for playing five games in a recreational hockey league last spring, Yale senior center Jeff Hamilton, a Hobey Baker candidate, was injured almost as soon as he returned to the ice. Hamilton strained an abdominal muscle on his first shift against Dartmouth Nov. 13 and it's not known how long the injury will keep him out of action.Bulldogs' senior goalie Trevor Hanger, who was hit with a two-game suspension for joining Hamilton in the rec hockey fiasco, recorded his first career shutout as the Bulldogs defeated the Dartmouth Big Green 2-0. Hanger made 32 saves, including 15 in the third period, when Dartmouth outshot the Bulldogs 15-5.THREE MASKED MEN: You can't blame St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh for sticking with his three-goalie rotation. After seven straight wins, all three Saints' goalies had save percentages better than .920. Freshman Derek Gustafson led the way with .984, followed by juniors Sean Coakley (.950) and Jeremy Symington (.922). &#9632;

Union’s Ralph makes point with record-setting effort

<div class="byline">By Paul Harris</div>Common knowledge suggests an Olympic-sized ice surface means more offense in a hockey game.But that hasn't been the case for Northern Michigan University, which moved into the brand new Berry Events Center this season, which features a sheet of ice of Olympian pro&shy; portions (200 feet by I 00).The Wildcats have adapted to their new surroundings well with a 6-1-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association record and an 8-3-1 overall mark. And they've only given up 15 goal in the eight conference games and 20 in 12 contests overall."That (the bigger rink) has created better defense," said coach Rick Comley. "I think it's harder for them to score."He added that while the wider ice surface made for more passing and skating, it was actually harder for teams to get to the net.When NMU played in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, six of the teams had Olympic-sized rinks. But Comley said it&rsquo;s different when you play on the road in just a game or two on the bigger surface than when it&rsquo;s your home surface.Another big part of the Northern Michigan defense was senior goaltender Dan Ragusett. He had a 5-1-0 record, .948 save percentage and 1.45 goals-against average in six conference games.The Wildcats were also getting a big contribution from homegrown talent.Senior left winger Roger Trudeau, junior center Chris Gobert and freshman defenseman Jimmy Jackson are all from Marquette, Mich., where NMU is located.BEGINNER&rsquo;S PLUCK: The CCHA&rsquo;s newest addition, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, is getting acclimated to the league.The Mavericks had a respectable 2-3-3 record after eight conference games.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a situation where we&rsquo;ve entered an unknown world with our team,&rdquo; said UNO coach Mike Kemp. &ldquo;We felt we had a decent amount of talent and a lot of young guys who would compete hard.&rdquo;Nebraska-Omaha had scored 22 goals and given up 27. The team had gone 2-1-3 since a pair of decisive losses to Michigan State in its opening weekend of CCHA play.SPECTACULAR SPARTANS: Michigan State continued to get standout play from its goaltending duo of freshman Ryan Miller and junior Joe Blackburn.Each netminder had played in five conference contests. Miller was 5-0-0 with a 0.80 goals-against average and .964 save percentage, while Blackbum was 5-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .948 save percentage. Senior center Shawn Horcoff was the CCHA&rsquo;s leading scorer with five goals and 20 points, good for second in the nation. &#9632;

Bigger ice, better defense keys to Wildcat success

<div class="byline">By Larry Mahoney</div>The Boston College Eagles were the unanimous choice to win the Hockey East&rsquo;s regular season championship and make a third consecutive run at an NCAA title.The Eagles were NCAA finalists two years ago and semifinalists last season.But BC&rsquo;s 6-5 loss at Northeastern Nov. 12 and 4-2 setback at home to Maine Nov. 14 represented its first back-to-back defeats to Hockey East opponents since 5-2 and 11-4 losses against Merrimack Feb. 14-15, 1997. The slow start left BC at 3-2-0 in league play and 5-3-0 overall.&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t been playing our style of game yet,&rdquo; said senior center Blake Bellefeuille. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have one good shift and then one mediocre shift.&rdquo;Junior right winger Brian Gionta said they had to work harder.&ldquo;You have to play hard all the time in order to make your own breaks,&rdquo; said the 1998-99 Hobey Baker Award finalist. &ldquo;We came out flat against Maine and it killed us.&rdquo;BC coach Jerry York said his team played well in the showdown with Maine-a rematch of the Frozen Four semifinal won by Maine 2-1 in overtime last season-but added, &ldquo;You have to play above that to beat Maine.&rdquo;RANKING LAROSE: University of Maine senior center Cory Larose figured in all of the scoring in the 4-2 win over Boston College Nov. 14 with his second career hat trick and an assist.Larose was paid a high compliment by teammate and fellow co-captain Brendan Walsh.&ldquo;Cory is underrated,&rdquo; Walsh said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve played with (Chris) Drury, (Jay) Pandolfo and (Shawn) Bates and I think Cory is right in there with them. He&rsquo;s our No. 1 guy.&rdquo;Larose&rsquo;s outburst against BC extended his point-scoring streak to six games (six goals, 12 points) and he was chosen player of the week for the second time this season.FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTE: The University of New Hampshire Wildcats and Boston University Terriers continued to surprise thanks to significant efforts by freshmen.UNH won its first four league games, all by a goal, and BU went 4-0-1 in its first five conference contests.Center Lanny Gare, nephew of former NHLer Danny Gare, had assists on UNH game-winners against Providence Nov. 12 (3-2 in OT) and Nov. 13 (2-1) and also had a goal to earn rookie of the week honors. Another freshman, left winger Patrick Foley, had two game-winners for UNH.BU rookie Ricky DiPietro kept up his solid play in goal, posting an overall goals-against average of 2.60 and .904 save percentage in his first five starts. And Terriers&rsquo; freshman forward Brian Collins had five goals and eight points in his first 10 games. &#9632;

Highly regarded Eagles grounded by early losses

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02294/6944259-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01429/6944252-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="3069" height="3136"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01329/6944245-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="6506" height="3802"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01259/6944238-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="3221" height="3762"></div> &#9632;

f0043-02

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01293/6944290-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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NHL GOALTENDING STATISTICS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-02199/6944328-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body">The expansion Atlanta Thrashers descend upon the Rangers as goalie Mike Richter holds down the fort for New York.</figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01199/6944321-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="6658" height="3858"></div> &#9632;

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NHL GAME SUMMARIES

NHL ROSTERS AND TRANSACTIONS

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0052-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-01156/6944414-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg"></div>(SO) denotes shootout gameTeam affiliations are listed in parentheses under names &#9632;

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INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0055-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-01148/6944445-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg"></div> &#9632;

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December 3, 1999

Generals sign goon Kugel

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Ledyard gets another shot with injury-struck Senators

Renegades rebound from heartbreak